The St. Paul's Epistle
March 1-15, 2006
Contents
Dear Members and Friends of St. Paul's
Cutting Holes in the Darkness
Save the Date!
Ushers Needed
Help Build a Prayer Book
Thank You To Our Outgoing Committee
Chairs
Confirmation Class
Antiques Show
Volunteer for the Antiques Show
Christian Fellowship with Trinity
Church
Lenten Cookie Outreach
Ladies Who Lent
All Rochester Reads 2006
Church Baggies
SHALOM Announces Spring Programs!
Sabbatical Update February 16
The Parish Hall Becomes Art Gallary!
What's Going on in Church School?
SPY Corner
Fetler Celebration
General Convention
Episcopal Relief And Development
Dear Members and Friends of St. Paul's:
We are about to enter the season of Lent. Lent will begin this year on March 1, 2006, with the imposition of ashes on Ash Wednesday as it has for centuries. Lent officially ends on Holy Thursday or Maundy Thursday at sundown with the beginning of the feast of the Lord's Supper. We then move into the Triduum or Great Three days, which include Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, the Easter Vigil and Easter. Lent, "the great forty days" exists for the specific purpose of moving us toward the Triduum, not as a season unto itself.
Nevertheless, lent is a season, with a specific purpose; it is a season of soul-searching and repentance, a time of reflection and taking stock. Lent originated in the early church as a time in preparation for Easter, a time when the faithful rededicate themselves to Christ. By observing the forty days of Lent the individual Christian imitates Jesus' withdrawal into the wilderness for forty days and forty nights. So now each of us prepares for our own wilderness journey.
"Where do I stand at the beginning of this particular Lenten journey?" Each of us will have our own particular and peculiar answer. We each are at our own point in this journey. Perhaps this year we have moved far from the place we found ourselves last year, perhaps we have moved backwards, or hung back or stayed circling the same spot. But the question of Lent, the journey of Lent, invites each of us to make our annual pilgrimage to the same place, that certain common point for starting over again, in the company of the Holy Spirit. The gospel of Mark gives us that place, that reference from which we start.
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased." And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him". (Mark 1:9-13)
From here we can close our eyes and imagine this vantage point, taking in the movement that Mark's gospel describes, following the journey of a young man from the banks of the river Jordan and Jericho, to Galilee to Jerusalem, to Golgotha. This is the journey we are all invited to take from river to desert, from earth to heaven, from life to death to life. And in this journey to encounter the season of Lent as the season of the Spirit of truth; it is the Spirit of Truth, which drove Jesus in to the wilderness, and it is this same spirit that drives us in our journey through Lent. It is the "pneuma", the spirit, wind breath of God that pushes us into our own wilderness to experience the truth of God's love and be freed.
The forty days for Jesus began with his handing over of himself to the Spirit. "The wind blows where it chooses and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." Perhaps the better word is "surrender." Jesus surrenders to the spirit. Perhaps this should be our prayer for Lent, not as in surrender to an enemy, but in the laying down of our resistance to the One who loves me infinitely more then I can know, the One who is on my side even when I am not. Living in this experience of surrender will bring us much closer to the experience Christ had during the first forty days. What we are called to give up in lent is control itself. All our deliberate efforts to impose discipline in our lives will lead us away from the freedom Jesus attained and that we are called to through surrender to the Spirit. "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." (2 Corinthians 3:17)
Lent is about the freedom that is gained only through exposure to the truth. And just what is truth? This is the question we will hear Pilate ask our Lord as he prepares to hand him over to death. The Greek word is "aletheia" which means "unhiddenness." You see, truth is not a thing to obtain; it is an event to experience. Truth happens to us, it happens to us when the illusions are stripped away and what is real emerges. "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth." (John16:13) The truth we are promised if we surrender to the demands of this season is our exposure to the reality of God's presence in ourselves and in the world. The Spirit promises to guide us into the truth by stripping away our insulations and barriers which separate us from daily, living contact with that which is real - the real and living God, - the real and living Kingdom and the truth of our place therein.
I invite you into Lent. Surrender!
In Christ, The Rev. Leslie M. St. Louis
Cutting Holes in the Darkness
Several weeks ago I shared with you the story of a young Robert Louis Stevenson, as he watched the street man lighting the street lamps outside his window. When questioned by his governess as to what he was watching Stevenson is said to have replied, "I'm watching a man cut holes into the darkness." This, I believe is the call the gospel makes to each of us.
In April, the week after Easter we have a unique opportunity to "cut our own holes in the darkness," as we travel to Trinity Episcopal Church in Pass Christian, Mississippi. Now nearly seven months after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina the darkness of the devastation continues.
A friend of mine recently reported from her trip to New Orleans, "it is as if the hurricane was just yesterday. There is still debris everywhere. The water may have receded but it has left behind a black slime and mold, which creeps and covers everything. On most buildings you can see the brackish line about 10 to 12 feet up both inside and out where the water was." Houses appear to have just been walked away from, laundry waiting to be folded, a scrabble game sits on the table waiting for its players to return, the streets are mostly empty but the occasional person you see wanders still shell shocked amidst their shattered lives.
St. Paul's has committed to a long term relationship to help with the rebuilding of life and community. We need twelve individuals to travel to Mississippi to begin this work. We will fly in to Biloxi, Mississippi and then take a van to Pass Christian. We will stay in a camp and conference center, from their our work in the community will be coordinated. This mission trip coincides with Spring break for I our schools so if you are 16 years old or older you are invited to come with us. Please contact Rev. Leslie M. St. Louis if you are interested in this trip by March 1.
Save the Date!
Thursday May 11, 2006, 7:00-9:00 p.m.
Family Conflict and the End of Life:
Strategies for Exploring, Understanding and
Sometimes Moving Through
With Dr. Timothy Quill
(Professor of Medicine, Psychiatry and Medicinal Humanities &
Director, Palliative Care Program, University of Rochester School of
Medicine & Dentistry)
Hosted by St. Paul's Stephen Ministers
Ushers Needed
New Ushers are needed to fill openings on some usher teams. We have fifteen teams and at the present time we have six positions open. This requires only serving two or three Sundays from September through early June. If you are interested, there are sign up sheets in the rear of the church, or call the church office at 271-2240 or Elmer Cheney at 442-1332.
Help Build a Prayer Book
The people of Trinity Church in Pass Christian, Mississippi, are working to rebuild the sanctuary that was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina last August. The new church will need new prayer books. The people of St. Paul's can help.
Pages from the Book of Common Prayer will be available in the Parish Hall during Lent. The students of the Church School will collect contributions for these pages and assemble the pages to create a prayer book for St. Paul's worship services. The money that is collected will help purchase of new prayer books for Trinity Church.
Come to the Parish Hall during Lent to take part in the Church School Outreach Project. Learn about Trinity Church and be a part of its rebuilding.
Barbara Warner
Confirmation Class
If you are 14 years of age or older and you want to be confirmed we need to hear from you!! Contact Rev. Leslie M. St. Louis by March 1. We need to get an accurate accounting so that we can order books.
Antiques Show
The 57th St. Paul's Antiques Show and Sale will be held April 27-29. The Antiques Show is both an important church community-building activity, as well as a means to raise needed funds for both in-house and outreach programs. In the past ten years alone, the Antiques Show has raised over $188,000 that has been used to enhance both our church and local community.
This year, the Antiques Show Committee has committed to raising $20,000 and distributing the proceeds in the following manner:
Episcopal Church Women $5,000 School #9 $1,500 Book Shelving 1,000 Hope for Sudan 3,300 New gym equipment 500 Reading programs 200 APY mission trips 2,000 Berea library building 1,000 Daycare scholarships 1,000 Water for Sudan 1,000 SEM's CHAPPs program 1,000 Marion Institute 1,000 Church School needs 1,500
The Antiques Show will require the volunteer support of many St. Paul's parishioners to meet the goal. Please come to the enhanced coffee hour sponsored by the Antiques Show committee on Sunday, March 5, and sign up for your favorite committee! Some committee co-chair positions are still available. Please contact Chris Curtis at 218-4236 if you are interested in co-chairing a committee.
You can also help by donating items to the Old Curiosity Shop, Book Nook, Jewelry room, and Linens room. Please bring your tax deductible donations to the Parish Hall.
Chris Curtis, Chairperson, 57th Antiques Show & Sale
Christian Fellowship with Trinity Church,
Pass Christian, Mississippi
St. Paul's has made a commitment to give support and comfort to the parishioners of Trinity who have suffered so much from the hurricanes of 2005.
We who remember the Ice Storm of '91 know what it is like to endure a natural disaster and to struggle in the aftermath to regain a normal life. For the people of the Gulf Coast the recovery process will continue for many years to come. St. Paul's clergy and vestry have approved a generous donation to Trinity Church. Over the next two years we will be sponsoring a variety of outreach programs tailored to the needs of Trinity's parishioners. In the process of giving comfort we hope to build and grow a relationship that will bring our two parishes closer in Christian fellowship. Fred has asked me to be the "point person" and coordinator for St. Paul's projects and our liaison with Trinity. It is my hope that we will respond as a community to the requests of The Rev. Chris Colby, rector of Trinity Church, and work together in this mission.
Ayanna Hofmann
Lenten Cookie Outreach
Rev. Colby believes that homemade cookies will bring comfort to those still struggling in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and so St. Paul's will have a Lenten Cookie Outreach Program beginning with the first Sunday in Lent, March 5, and continuing through Easter Sunday, April 16. On Sundays, please bring your homemade cookies to the Parish Hall where a table will be set for the in-gathering. Please package the cookies, layered with wax paper, in large (quart size) zip-lock bags. If you would like to enclose a note or card with your good wishes and prayers - that would be greatly appreciated. We are looking for volunteers to not only bake cookies, but to also help out by sitting at the receiving table before and after the 10 o'clock service to thank those donating cookies and to help box up the cookies on Sundays and mail the parcel on Mondays. St. Paul's will cover the cost of postage.
I think it would go a long way to introduce ourselves to our fellow Episcopalians at Trinity, if we were to put together a photo album or portfolio to be delivered in person or mailed after Easter. If someone would like to volunteer to take pictures of those people donating cookies - that would be great… letters of introduction and sympathy would also be great… drawings or pictures from the children in our church school - great… the idea would be to open the door to deeper fellowship by letting the people of Trinity know who we are. We can collect everyone's submission on Sunday mornings.
If you are donating cookies there's no need to call me, but if you want to volunteer to be a "receiver," etc., or if you have any questions or comments, please call me, Ayanna Hofmann, at 328-5895.
With many thanks, Ayanna.
Ladies Who Lent
The Faith of Our Mothers: A Journey in the Formation of Our Feminine Faith led by:
- The Rev. Dr. Suzanna Metz, Dir. of Small Church Ministry
- The Rev. Dr. Revecca Abts Right, Old Testament Scholar
- Dr. Robin Reed-Spalding, Spiritual Director, Counselor
Join us on Friday, March 10, 6 - 8 p.m. and Saturday, March 11, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. in the Parish Hall. Contact the Rev. Leslie St. Louis. See St. Paul's web site under Christian Formation for a flyer and registration form.
All Rochester Reads 2006
A beloved brother is killed in an auto accident here in Rochester. His sister, Alison Smith, writes "an extraordinary account of the impact of that loss - on herself, on her parents, and on a deeply religious community." Her book Name All the Animals, the All Rochester Reads choice for 2006, "explores the power and limitations of a family's faith." Discuss this memoir with the REAPers March 9 and 23, 10-11:15 a.m., in Wainwright Hall Parlor.
Church Baggies
Children can learn about the Bible using Church Baggies! Each baggie contains pages of activates related to the day's lectionary. Church Baggies are available in baskets in the ambulatories. Pick one up before the service (children coming from classes can get one on their way into church) and then recycle by returning to the baskets what you don't use.
SHALOM announces spring programs!
SHALOM, St. Paul's group for young families, is delighted to announce the following exciting programs coming up at our spring fellowship gatherings. We hope all St. Paul's families, as well as St. Paul's parishioners who are interested in supporting Christian family life, will attend!
Friday, March 3, 6:00 PM: Come for a pizza dinner and stay for these programs:
- The Rev. Julia Rusling will lead a discussion of "Dealing with Diversity." Rev. Rusling grew up at St. Paul's and is now on the clergy staff at Christ Church, Pittsford. As an Episcopal priest, married to an Asian-American medical doctor, with an adopted African-American son, Julia is uniquely equipped to help us as Christian families understand the diversity inherent in today's society.
- There will be a special entertainment program for the kids.
- Child care is always provided for infants and pre-schoolers!
Saturday, April 1, 5:30 PM: Come for a potluck dinner (bring a main or side dish), and stay for these programs:
- Ben Winter, Pittsford Middle School counselor, will lead us in a discussion of "Helping Siblings Get Along." Ben is not only professionally trained as a counselor, with experience discussing family issues with religious groups, but knows first-hand how challenging it can be to get along with siblings - he is the youngest of five boys!
- Kids will color Easter eggs and take part in supervised indoor play.
Friday, May 5, 6:00 PM: Come for a pizza dinner and stay for these programs:
- St Paul's Rector, Fred Reynolds, will present some thoughts on "Buddhism, Hinduism, and Christianity: Reflections on Sabbatical." Here is our chance to experience the insights Fred gained during his trip to Nepal. Hear and discuss Fred's thoughts regarding world religions and the role of the church in promoting religious tolerance, acceptance, and understanding for the betterment of the human race.
- Kids will enjoy supervised fun and games on the playground (weather permitting)!
About Shalom:
The mission of Shalom is to promote social relationships for young families within the church, and provide spiritual and practical support for Christian family life. It is primarily a fellowship organization; there is no formal membership; all are welcome to fellowship gatherings.
For more information on Shalom, please visit our web page or contact Shalom coordinators Nancy Curtis and Angie Jones.
See YOU at SHALOM!
Sabbatical Update
In a few short weeks, my sabbatical time will come to a close. I have found refreshment from being away from the day to day activities of St. Paul', yet I'm looking forward to returning next month. For the last several weeks, I have concentrated on reading a number of books that have been on my "to read" stack for far too long. Some of these have been scholarly, some pure fun, and some somewhere in between.
One of the "in between" books is Brian McLaren's "A Generous Orthodoxy." This was recommended to me several years ago, and I wish that I had gotten to it earlier. McLaren writes well and with considerable insight, and raises significant questions for all Christians to consider, especially those in leadership positions. The subtitle of his book captures the "flavor" of his work: "Why I am a missional, evangelical, post/protestant, liberal/conservative, mystical/poetic, biblical, charismatic/contemplative, fundamental/calvinist, anabaptist/anglican, methodist, catholic, green, incarnational, depressed-yet-hopeful, emergent, unfinished Christian." McLaren argues for a broader, more inclusive (and less confrontational) Christianity, one that values the "good" in each of the denominational forms, and in other religions, while recognizing the weaknesses. In his words, "To be a Christian in the generous, orthodox way is not to claim to have the truth captured, stuffed, and mounted on the wall. It is, rather, to live and grow in a loving community of people who are seeking the truth on the road of mission, and who have been launched on the quest by Jesus, who, with us, guides us still. Do we have it - have we taken hold of it? Not fully, not yet, of course not. But we keep seeking. We're finding enough to keep us going. But we're not finished. That, to me, is orthodoxy - a way of seeing and seeking, a way of living, a way of thinking and loving and learning that helps what we believe become more true over time, more resonant with the infinite glory that is God." (Introduction).
On the scholarly side, I've just finished Paul Bradshaw's "Eucharistic Origins." Since 1945, liturgical scholarship has largely been shaped by the work of Dom Gregory Dix ("The Shape of the Liturgy"). Bradshaw, who is Professor Liturgy at the University of Notre Dame, examines a number of commonly held views in this work, arguing (in my opinion, persuasively) that Dix's work was so "seductive" that it "blinded us to its shortcomings and thus mislead us all." (p. vi) I won't take this opportunity to summarize specific points, but will say that this work will result inmy teaching this subject differently in the future.
On the fun side, I commend to you Julia Spencer-Fleming's "Out of the Deep I Cry." This mystery is set in upstate New York. Clare Fergusson, who is rector of Millers Kill Episcopal Church, is drawn into a complex puzzle when the roof develops a major leak and one parishioner comes forward with monies from a trust that was established by her mother following the disappearance of her husband and the death of four children.
Enjoy!
Thomas McCart
The Parish Hall Becomes Art Gallery!!
Beginning March 9 and continuing through March 29, our Parish hall will become an art gallery. St. Paul's has the unique opportunity to host a gallery showing of the artwork of Dr. He Qi!
Dr. He Qi's artwork has been featured recently in the Washington Post, it graces the cover of current theological works and was chosen as the cover art for the Methodist Church's Upper Room.
Join us either for Ladies Who Lent on March 10 and 11, when the artwork is first opened, or for a gala opening and reception on March 18 from 3-6 p.m. The art will be available for viewing Sunday mornings as well.
What's Going on in Church School?
The Church School Spring Calendar charts class activities and events. Anyone who would like a calendar, please call the Church Office at 271-2240.
The clergy are joining the classes this spring. Rector Fred Reynolds will meet with Intermediate and Junior High students on March 12 to discuss Creation: What We Know and What We Believe; Family Minister Leslie St. Louis along with Director of Youth Music Laura Dunbar will work with the primary classes on March 26 to enhance the children's understanding of Lent and Easter.
Barbara Warner
SPY Corner
Ice Skating at ESL Sports Centre
On Sunday, March 5 we will meet at 2:00 p.m. at the ESL Sports Centre, 2700 Brighton Henrietta Town Line Road (adjacent to MCC) for ice skating. Bring skates if you have them, otherwise rental skates are available. If you wish to purchase snacks, please bring some spending money. Pick up time will be at 3:30 p.m. at the rink.
Please RSVP to Laura Hayden by March 3 (383-8808 or by email.)
Save the date: SPY will meet on Sunday, March 19
1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Fetler Celebration
Our celebration of David Fetler continues with the Bach Children's Choir.
The special preludes and service music provided by friends of Senior Choir Director Dr. David Fetler, to honor his Golden Jubilee, continues on March 12. At the 10 o'clock service that morning, the Nazareth College Bach Children's Chorus, comprised of students ages 8 through 15 from the greater Rochester area, under the direction of Karla Krogstad, will share their music.
Barbara Warner
General Convention
At the next General Convention, to he held in Columbus, Ohio, in June, the 26th Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church will he elected. The nominees to succeed the Rev. Frank Griswold are:
- J. Neil Alexander, bishop of Atlanta
- Edwan F. Gulick, bishop of Kentucky
- Katharine Jefferts Schori, bishop of Nevada
- Henry N. Parsley, bishop of Alabama
There is a canonical provision for the submission of other names, and it is expected that one or two other bishops be nominated through that process. Of the current list, Bishop Schori is, clearly, the first woman to be ever nominated for the post. Also, Bishop Parsley is the only nominee of the four who voted against the election of Bishop Gene Robinson.
Episcopal Relief And Development
At the start of the new millennium, leaders from 191 nations, including the US, agreed on a plan to cut extreme global poverty in half by 2015. Together, they created eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which address causes as well as effects of poverty in our world. The Episcopal Church has also committed to achieving the MDGs, in part through ERD. These are the goals:
- Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger: to cut in half the proportion of people (starting at the 1990 level) whose income amounts to less than a dollar a day. About 1.2 billion people had less than $1 to spend today, and 815 million people were hungry.
- Achieve Universal Primary Education for Children. The target is to ensure that all boys and girls complete a full course of primary schooling.
- Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women. Empowered and educated women raise healthier children, become leaders in their communities, and are less likely to die during childbirth. Women have an enormous impact on the well-being of their families and societies - yet many are never able to reach their potential. In many places, women do not have the same opportunities as men to get a formal education or a job.
- Reduce Child Mortality. Every three seconds a child under the age
of five dies. A disproportionate number of them live in the third
world, without access to clean water or basic medical care. A child in
sub-Saharan Africa is 500 times more likely to die from diarrhea than
an American child.
Most of these deaths are preventable through a combination of clean water, sanitation, improved nutrition, and medical treatment.
- Improve Maternal Health. Every year more than 500,000 women die from complications of pregnancy and childbirth. In some parts of the world, expectant mothers are almost as likely to die in childbirth as they are to live.
- Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Other Diseases. Diseases like HIV/AIDS, malaria, and TB claim lives and destroy families every day, yet they are preventable and treatable. We can save millions of lives by ensuring access to health education, proper sanitation, clean water, mosquito nets, and affordable medication.
- Ensure Environmental Sustainability. God made us stewards of creation. Clean water, sanitation, and development can work together to save lives and create productive, thriving societies.
- Create a Global Partnership for Development. The success of the MDGs depends on all of us: rich and poor alike, our churches, our corporate institutions, and our governments. A fair trading system, increased international aid, and debt relief for developing countries will help us realize the goals.
These goals seem impossible, I know, but how much of what we experience every day was impossible at one time? Our ordinary lives are impossible to families in Malawi.
ERD has made a difference already, and the support of each one of us will help make these goals reality.
You can make a real contribution to our collective effort by giving to ERD. St. Paul's annual ERD ingathering will be Sunday, March 26. Please prayerfully consider your part in this worldwide effort.
Linda Workman, ERD Parish Representative