The St. Paul's Epistle
March 1-15, 2004
Contents
Letter from the Rector
Antiques Show Bulletin
SEM Needs
Share Your Joy
What is an ERD?
Paul's Place
Habitat News!
Spirituality 101
St. Joseph's House of Hospitality
Old Curosity Shop
Ushers Needed
In Remembrance
Eleanor McQuilkin
February 17, 1908 - January 28, 2004
Dear Friends and Members of St. Paul's,
With budgets being cut nationally, as well as locally, for mission programs and individual needs, the St. Paul's Rector's discretionary fund continues to be an important vehicle to help people that have no other source of income. Where do the monies come from for the discretionary fund?
Thanks to the generous hearts and faithful commitment of past parishioners and friends of St. Paul's, the Rector's discretionary fund is an endowed fund that provides over $25,000 of income per year. In addition, the St. Paul's Episcopal Church Women, the Antiques Show Committee and individual parishioners have also contributed to the fund. It is a great blessing that past and present members and friends of St. Paul's have contributed to this unique missionary fund.
What purposes have the discretionary fund been used for this past year? Both parishioners and non-parishioners have been helped by the fund for food, car payments, insurance, medical supplies, mortgage payments and counseling support. Monies were given for special projects through Marc Nikkel for Sudanese refugees in Kakuma, Kenya; for Bishop Garang of the Bor Diocese in Sudan; for scholarships to St. Paul's Day Care and the Samaritan Pastoral Counseling Center; for Neighbor Night sponsored by St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Geneva, New York; for tutoring help for our Sudanese brothers and sisters; for scholarship aid for African Americans.
Like all financial funds, the Rector's discretionary account is audited by Bonadio, our auditors for the past eight years, to ensure both the confidentiality of the fund, as well as proper financial accountability for the parish.
All three clergy use the discretionary fund as a quiet, confidential resource to help be the hands and feet of Christ, both within our parish and across the world in Africa.
Thanks be to God to you and past members of St. Paul's for the Rector's discretionary fund.
Faithfully yours,
The Rev. Fred Reynolds Rector
Antiques Show Bulletin
On Sunday, March 7, the Antiques Show will sponsor an enhanced coffee hour. We welcome everyone to enjoy some homemade treats, and also to volunteer to help out during the show. We will need volunteers all during Show week, April 18-24, and there will be many choices of time, place and activity available. Please help us to make the 55th Antiques Show and Sale the best one ever!
Antiques Show Pre-Sale Tickets
Tickets will be on sale for the Antiques Show at the Enhanced Coffee Hour, Sunday, March 7. Tickets will also be on sale Sunday, March 28, April 4 and April 18. Tickets will be available in the Wainwright Hall Office from March 5 through April 21.
Pre-sale tickets:
$3 per ticket
4 tickets for $10
All tickets are $4 at the door during the show
Nancy Lyke and Fran Kerr
Note: Donations for the Antiques Show are welcome any time. Please label the box or bag as "Antiques Show" and leave donations on the stage in the Parish Hall, or at Wainwright Hall during the week. If you want a tax deduction form, please submit an itemized list of the donations to the office and an IRS-acceptable letter will be mailed to you. Please do not attach a value to the donated items; that information is for you and the IRS only.
Taking a lunch break during Show preparations are Karen Walrath, Louise Creatura, Fran Speer, Joanna Card, Emma Griswold, Bernice Szatkowski, Sharon Isaacson and Randy Rutherford. Join in the fun, and meet new friends working at St. Paul's Antiques Show, April 22-24.
SEM Needs…
Your donations of laundry soap, dish detergent, toilet tissue, hand soap, toothpaste and brushes, canned stew, soup, crackers, jelly, and canned vegetables. Also, paper grocery bags are badly needed to pack groceries for the families served by SEM. Your donations of one or two items each week are greatly appreciated.
Share Your Joy
Leaving Cracker Barrel after a breakfast that left me full and satisfied, I stopped to admire a set of dishes I thought would look great on my table. I don't really need dishes, and alas, my house is too small for any more unnecessary stuff. I said to my friend, "Don't you just wish you had enough room to keep lots of sets of dishes, so when you get tired of one you can bring out another?" A minute later, ashamed of myself, I thought about how many people in this world just wish they had a house, or even a dish, much less a set for every whim.
Later in the week, I spent an hour shoveling slush out of my driveway for what seemed like the 20th time this season. I was so hot and thirsty when I finished, I couldn't wait to get to the fridge for that sparkling water I love so much. That bottled, clean, clear sparkling water with just a hint of lemon that I fully expect Wegmans to have in stock for me every time I go. (And I do go there often.) What if, after an hour of shoveling, I had to walk to the Genesee River to quench my thirst? No sparkling water there. What if I had to walk miles to town to pump water, and carry it home when my back is already aching?
Occasionally, by the grace of God, I remember how wealthy I am. I have a tiny house, I don't buy new cars, I'm not really sure how prepared I will be for retirement, but I have more than enough. I have a warm place to sleep when it's 5 degrees out, I have thick, warm socks, I have a family who loves me and I know where they all are, I have the luxury of being able to waste food, I have an education and a steady job, I'm allowed to vote, I have medicine to take when a migraine hits. The list could be endless. But instead of feeling guilty that I have all this when there is so much need in the world, or ashamed for wanting more, it occurs to me that there is a much more positive response.
When we experience joy, isn't our first impulse to share it with someone? When we see a rainbow, we bring our friend outside to see it. When we bite into one of those sinful desserts from Phillip's European, we say, "Here, you have to try this". When we hear a beautiful piece of music, we send the CD to our parents. The same can be true for all the blessings we take for granted every day. We can share the joy of drinking clean water, of having a place to sleep, of having desks in our classrooms, of having medicine when we're sick. Episcopal Relief and Development fund offers us a way to share our joy with the whole world. Contributing to ERD is one way we can give a taste of the blessings we enjoy to our brothers and sisters near and far.
March 21 is the day we at St. Paul's will have the opportunity to give to ERD. I ask you to come and give generously, but I have a challenge for you in the meantime. Starting today, keep a running list of your blessings. As corny as it may sound, counting your blessings is a powerful exercise. Every time you feel an impulse of gratitude, write it down. We list our financial assets this time of year for the IRS, and I'm asking you to list all your other assets for yourself. (There won't be an audit, I promise.) On March 21, as we greet the coming spring, review your blessings and share your joy.
With gratitude,
Linda Workman, ERD Parish Representative
What is an ERD?
For those of you who may be unfamiliar with ERD, it stands for Episcopal Relief and Development, and it is a compassionate response of the Episcopal Church to human suffering in the world. For over 60 years, ERD has worked in more than 100 countries, providing emergency relief in times of disaster, rebuilding devastated communities after the immediate crisis is over, and supporting long-term solutions to challenging problems.
Formerly known as the Presiding Bishop's Fund for World Relief, the organization's name was changed to Episcopal Relief and Development in July 2000. Episcopal Relief and Development is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization governed by a 21-person Board of Directors. Our Board is responsible for governance of the organization.
Emergency Relief: ERD provides relief after disasters strike and helps supply food, water, shelter, and other basic necessities. ERD does this by providing funding and expertise to Episcopal churches in the affected area. Sometimes, ERD partners with ecumenical organizations.
Rehabilitation: ERD helps rebuild after the immediate crisis is over by remaining with communities. ERD partners with local communities to construct new buildings, replant crops, restore clean water systems, and repair clinics and schools.
Development: ERD finds long-term solutions that make life safer, healthier, and more productive. In partnership with Episcopal Churches and grassroots organizations, ERD supports schools, job training programs, health care facilities, and HIV/AIDS services in communities struggling to survive both in the U.S. and worldwide
Paul's Place
In 2003, the St. Paul's vestry approved our participation in an outreach program called the Interfaith Hospitality Network, chartered with providing accommodations, food, hospitality and counseling to homeless families in Monroe County. The parent organization, Rochester Area Interfaith Hospitality Network has been actively recruiting faith communities to provide these services. As of today, there are 13 hosting communities as well as numerous supporting organizations ready to open their doors and hearts to these displaced families. We here at St. Paul's will begin our participation in the program as "Paul's Place" with guests arriving for the first time on Sunday May 9th for the week. We need your help! If you would like to volunteer for this outreach program, please contact Gayle Hitchcock at 586-6389 or by email.
Additionally, Paul's Place is in need of the following items. Please contact Gayle Hitchcock if you have any of the following:
- twin-sized bed sheets, new pillows, or pillowcases
- small bed-side washable throw rugs
- infant carriers, baby cribs, rocking chairs
- floor lamps
- (more to come)
Doug & Gayle Hitchcock
Habitat News!
Thanks to all the very generous people who so far have contributed $664.65 to the Habitat $1,000 Matching Grant Fund. We would still love to reach the $1,000 goal. So... if you are looking for a beginning-year place to make a contribution and/or you would like to contribute your hard-earned pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters and dollars to the very worthy cause of building someone a home, you can still contribute. Send donations to St Paul's marked Habitat Matching Grant.
We are on the last leg of our journey to build; we are at $58,841 of the $65,000 needed to complete the home. We are still selling Habitat pins at Parkleigh (they give us all the profits). Asbury First is having a giant garage sale on April 30 and May 1. You can contribute items for sale and/or put the date on your calendar. Call Kathy Schaertel at 288-6489 if you have questions or ideas. More details to follow.
Kathy Schaertel
Spirituality 101
On Saturday, March 6, Sr. Carolyn Darr, Society of St. Margaret, will introduce us to a number of "tools" for developing a prayer life and "how to use them". The day begins at 9 am and will conclude at 3 pm. A light lunch will be served at noon.
St. Joseph's House of Hospitality
The St. Joseph's House of Hospitality group will be cooking and serving lunch at St. Joseph's on Saturday, March 6, 2004, at 9:45 AM. Come join the fun and bring potato peelers!
Making Progress on those New Year's Resolutions?
Topping the list for New Year's resolutions are:
- Exercising
- Losing weight
- Becoming better organized
All worthy goals! While St. Paul's Old Curiosity Shop can't help with the first two, it can with the latter. When you are sorting through your basement, and can't imagine what to do with all that "stuff," just bring it to the Church marked "Antiques Show". Your donations, in good condition, can help us towards our goal of raising funds for Outreach.
Not only will we welcome your donations, but we will also welcome any time you can share at the show. Join us for this year's Antiques Show, April 22-24, won't you?
Mary Jane McKnight (248-0393)
Karen Walrath
Old Curiosity Shop Co-chairmen
Ushers Needed
Ushers are needed for the Easter Services on Sunday, April 11, at 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. We have full music at both services, so each will require eight ushers. If you can serve, please sign up in the parish activities book or call the church office at 271-2240.
Welcome to Newcomer
Lee Allen