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I give thanks to you for your faithful and generous response to our potential budget shortfall. As you received the letter from the Vestry outlining possible budget reductions, the response was immediate. The Vestry meeting on February 18 will restore important program and mission support as your special pledge offerings continue to come in. We have heard the call for sacrificial giving and responded faithfully and joyfully.
Because of asking for extraordinary monies for our operating budget, the Vestry has wisely decided to postpone any Parish Hall renovations. We all believe that the renovations to kitchen, bathrooms and Parish Hall are badly needed. It's more a question of "when" than "if." I give thanks to Chair Bob Frank and his committee of Mike Byrne, Molly Coulter, Chris Curtis, Susan Dow, Doug Hitchcock, Tom Lincoln, Fran Speer, Dick Warner, John Bero and Joanne DeMarle. They have worked hard and given us an excellent plan, which the Vestry will reconsider at their October 2003 meeting.
Although the season of Lent doesn't start until March, I urge you to mark your calendars for our Lenten program beginning the evening of March 12. We will explore together the difficult but important concept of evil. Through guest speakers, we will explore the theological concept of Evil and what Christianity has to offer in response. The topics include: Evil and the Bible, Evil and the Individual, Evil and the Church, and Evil and Culture.
In this season of the Epiphany, I give thanks to you as people of Christ's light and hope.
Faithfully yours,
The Rev. Frederic W. Reynolds
Rector
As we begin a new year, I would first like to thank the donors of this ministry, our supporting member churches, local organizations and the several dedicated volunteers for all the support that was given to SEM/SEAFISH in 2002.
2002 continued to bring positive changes to SEM/SEAFISH. Our CHAPP (Community Health And Pharmacy Partnership) program has really turned out to be a HUGE need in our community and we continue to work on obtaining funds to fill this need. The program has helped out dozens of folks that had no resources for prescriptions. Through this program they were able to receive medications that are so vital to their well-being. SEM also was able to assist them in the application process to obtain the medical insurance that was best suited for them. The Brighton Food Depot that was created last year has made it easier to increase food donations from the neighborhoods in Brighton. This has truly proven to serve as a bridge between the city, with its pockets of chronic and deeply rooted poverty, and the suburbs where residents now have a great program to embrace. Our food cupboard served 2,803 people, with over 10,000 meals. Our transportation program provided 2,137 rides to neighbors right here in the southeast area of Rochester.
We have several dedicated volunteers who believe in our ministry and help make all of this happen. It always amazes me to see several of our volunteers who are disabled themselves, finding the time and willingness to help other individuals who are disabled. They have so many talents and teach many important skills that help enhance the quality of their lives.
Our job here at SEM/SEAFISH is far from being finished. We continue to get first time callers needing our assistance, along with the thousands of people who just can't make ends meet in their budget. Your financial and voluntary support for our programs is always needed to meet the needs of the poor, elderly and medically disabled in our neighborhoods. Thank you for your support.
Laurie J. Jenkins
Executive Director
271-5350
Southeast Ecumenical Ministry
SEM/SEAFISH
25 Westminster Rd.
Rochester, NY 14607
Christian Pathways will be hosting a Public Policy Forum on Terrorism on Sunday, February 9, 2003 from 11:30 _ 12:30 in the Vestry Room.
To help us better facilitate the discussion, we would greatly appreciate participants' questions and comments in advance. There will be an opportunity to ask questions and make comments during the forum, but advance questions and comments will allow the hosts to make sure those issues are addressed.
Questions may be submitted via:
Email: dwhite07@rochester.rr.com
Phone: 482-2616
Do you know someone who is unemployed? A relative, neighbor, friend, fellow parishioner? Tell them about the unemployment support group that meets on Wednesday mornings from 9-11 a.m. at St. Paul's. Anyone interested is invited to attend. It's a small group that meets to help each other in their efforts to become reemployed. A great place to network, share experiences, compare notes and offer ideas and suggestions. So, if you know of someone, have them call George Kittredge (385-2412) or Scott Arrington (385-4566) to learn more about the group.
Plans are underway for Sierra Leone Sunday, February 16, 2003. We are pleased that St. Paul's Sierra Leone parishioners will sing their national anthem during the 10 a.m. service. A forum to bring us up to date on the civil situation in the country, as well as some hoped-for personal reflections on the war, will be shared. Local Sierra Leone experts will also share their perspective. Excerpts from a video of the dedication of the clock tower at St. John's, the Scott's Freetown church, will be shown. The clocks were purchased from a grant given by Mission I Funding several years ago.
Nancy Frank
"Child care means facing challenges one day after the next—you can only make baby steps." This is a statement that a cherished mentor made long ago. We remember these words each time we become frustrated with our daily concerns.
Some typical concerns are:
Thanks to those of you who have consistently and generously supported the Center through our Annual Appeal, these decisions are manageable. As you are all aware, many centers in the community have had to choose to close their doors due to lack of adequate funding. Many centers struggle just to survive day-after-day. Thanks to the generosity of the St. Paul's community, we are able to set goals each year to make quality improvements.
Simply put. Thank you one and all. We will continue to strive to provide a warm and caring environment for each child and family that crosses our doorstep.
If you would like to help us continue to offer scholarships and continue improvements, please keep us in mind when you make your annual pledge to the United Way. St. Paul's Day Care Center is a donor option agency. This means we only receive funding if you specify our Center by using the special form. St. Paul's Donor Option # is 1588. Please keep the Center in mind when you make your pledge this year.
Thanks, again,
Jim Hoey & Mary Swayze
On February 8, we are hosting Journey to Adulthood training in the Parish Hall. This will be a full day of instruction for teachers and parents provided by a Certified J2A trainer from Atlanta, Georgia. Some of you may remember that this training was originally scheduled in September, 2001 but was postponed because of 9/11. J2A is a large, popular program on the national level and has much to offer our teachers and parents. There is no cost to you for the training, just a small donation for lunch. If you have an interest in attending, please call to get more information (271-2240).
Carol Miller
Welcome to our newly elected Vestry Members:
Barbara Warner, Senior Warden
Beth Gallagher
Les Kernan
Ingrid Stanlis
Jim Tedford
Good luck to everyone and our sincere thanks for your leadership and ministry at St. Paul's.
The Episcopal Church Women will hold their monthly meeting, luncheon and program on Thursday, Feb. 6. Ruth Naparsteck, Rochester City Historian, will speak to us on the topic, "Women's Roles in Rochester's Faith Communities." Make your lunch reservation by calling the church office by Monday, Feb 3. All parishioners are welcome and encouraged to join us.
The ECW also meets on the third Thursday of each month at 11:00 in the Vestry Room. Our theme this year is "Books and More," a book discussion followed by brown bag lunch. We conclude by working on continuing service projects of assembling health kits for Church World Service, and sorting Labels for Education, for benefit of Hillside Children's Center. This is an informal, friendly gathering and all are welcome to attend.
Susan Dow
February 2 is the date appointed for this feast of our Lord in the liturgical calendar of the church. Because it is a fixed date, it rarely falls on a Sunday. Although all Sundays are feasts of our Lord, certain feasts take precedence of a Sunday. This is one of those feasts, and we will observe it with the lessons and collect appointed for the day (see "The Calendar of the Church Year," BCP, pp. 15-33).
This is a feast rich in meaning, with several related themes running through it _ presentation, purification, meeting, light for the world. The several names by which it has been known in Christian history illustrate just how much it has to teach and to celebrate _ "The Presentation of Christ in the Temple," "The Purification of St. Mary the Virgin," and "Candlemas" (from the procession of candles which is a distinctive feature of the rite in the West).
The feast commemorates the purification of Mary and the presentation of Christ in the Temple, which took place forty days after Jesus' birth, as the Jewish law required. Perhaps the strongest attraction of the feast is the `bitter-sweet' nature of what it celebrates. It is a feast day, and the revelation of the child Jesus in the Temple, greeted by Simeon and Anna (Luke 2: 22-40), calls for rejoicing. Nevertheless, the prophetic words of Simeon, which speak of the falling and rising of many and the sword that will pierce, lead on to the passion and to Easter.
Mary is a Senior M.Div. candidate from the Diocese of East Carolina at The General Theological Seminary in New York. She lives with her husband Dick who is a captain of a research vessel from the University of North Carolina, and their daughter, Rebecca, who attends St. Hilda's and St. Hugh's Episcopal Day School in Manhattan. They share their apartment with an Airedale Terrier, Sally.
This time of year when it's so snowy and we're all cooped up in our houses with nothing to do but go through our homes and clean our cabinets and drawers, be sure to remember that all gently used linens, tablecloths, scarves, placemats, sheets, pillowcases, bedspreads, and even towels will be put to good use at the 54th Antiques Show here at St. Paul's! Just bring your items to Wainwright Hall during the week or to Parish Hall on Sundays, and your items will be laundered and ironed so that they can be readied for sale at the show this April. The Linen Ladies need time to make sure that your items put on their best face, so get them to church as soon as possible. Any questions, please phone Sharron Isaacson at 872-2919.
Representatives from St. Paul's and Incarnate Word, our Lutheran neighbors, are busy creating a Vacation Bible School program which will be available for K through 6th graders this February Break, Feb. 17-21. Our theme is BRAVE BELIEVERS, OLD and NEW, and will feature lessons from the Old and New Testaments, activities, crafts, music, off site activities, snacks and lunch. The focus is on FUN! Please look at the poster in the Parish Hall to see what went on last year.
The cost for the VBS will be $50 for the week (scholarships available). We will also provide wrap-around care from 8:00 a.m. till 5:30 p.m. for working parents (additional cost).
We already have some volunteers from St. Paul's, but we could use you! Can you come for one day and help with lunches, or help a little person with individual attention for a craft project? We guarantee you will have fun helping to form young Christians.
Parents: Please call Carol Miller at the church 271-2240 to register your child.