The St. Paul's Epistle
March 16-31, 2005
Contents
Letter from the Associate Rector
Letter from Hillside Children's
Foundation
Easter Memorial Flowers
Stephen Ministry News
Antiques Show News
Hope for Sudan
Good Friday 2005
Usher News
Bereavement Support Group
Bible Study Dates Added
Vestry Retreat Overview
Antiques Show Insert
Church School News Insert
Sabbath
From very early times, Judaism marked the seventh day of the week, Sabbath, by refraining from all work (Exodus 20.10; Leviticus 23.3). It was also a day for doubling the daily sacrifices (Numbers 28.9f) and for special worship. As such, it recalled the rest that God took following creation as well as remembering God's deliverance of the people from Egypt (Deuteronomy 5.15). Thus, the Sabbath was a day reserved for the worship of God and for the rest and recreation of humanity (including slaves and animals!; Deuteronomy 5.15).
Beginning mid-November and continuing through February, 2006, I will be on sabbatical - a time for rest and re-creation, which will bring Sabbath grace to my ministries and my life. The Very Reverend Robert Giannini, dean of Christ Church Cathedral, Indianapolis, has written that a sabbatical leave comprises 6 "R's": refrain, rest, remember, reflect, rejoice and return.
To the best of my ability, that is what I plan to do. I will refrain from the daily work of parish ministry. I will make time for rest - rest in its simplest form and rest for the soul through more prayer and quiet, and reading (another R). I will remember all those things that renew and refresh me (more Rs), that give me fulfillment, and I will "practice" them. I will reflect on the joys and the sorrows of my ministry, and I will rejoice and give thanks for the many blessings of God. Finally, I will return, renewed and refreshed.
What specifically will I do? At this point, I can't answer that question, except in broad terms. I do want to visit several parishes that have exciting and successful new member programs to see what they are doing and how it is working in their congregation. I do want to visit friends and family. And I want to explore the possibility of writing another book (I have several ideas in mind). As my plans take shape, I will share them with you.
In the meantime, there will be a couple of Forums scheduled to discuss sabbatical leaves (Fred's and mine), and I look forward to our conversations.
Thomas McCart
Associate Rector
Hillside Children's Foundation
February 23, 2005
Reverend Frederic W. Reynolds
Dear Reverend Reynolds:
Thank you for collecting Campbell's Soup Labels for Hillside Children's Center's Andrews-Trahey School. Because of your efforts we collected 23,145 labels during the 2004/2005 school year. This was the 16th year we have been able to redeem these labels for educational items.
This year we acquired elementary dictionaries, a singing Karaoke machine, science kits, teaching videos, digital camera, US world wall map and stereo headphones. These items would have cost hundreds of dollars, but we were able to obtain them at no cost by redeeming your generously donated labels.
Again, we thank you for your support of the Hillside Children's Center through the Campbell's Label for Education Program. With your continued help we can enrich the learning and living experience for many young people in our care.
Sincerely,
A. Thomas Hildebrandt
President
Easter Memorial Flowers
Envelopes for donations, in any amount, to this year's Easter Memorial Flower fund will be found on tables around the church on Sundays, and in the office during the week. Please print clearly the names of those you wish to honor - we do not want to guess at the correct spelling of a name. Make checks payable to St. Paul's Episcopal Church and write Easter Flowers on the memo line. The deadline is Thursday, March 17.
Stephen Ministry News
As you will recall, we commissioned our first class of Stephen Ministers and Stephen Leaders last November. Each of them have been assigned to Care Receivers, and they have been faithfully meeting with them and participating in continuing education and peer review sessions.
Our Stephen Ministers provide confidential, one-to-one Christian care to people who might be:
- grieving the death of a loved one
- hospitalized or recovering from hospitalization
- lonely or discouraged
- coping with a terminal illness or caring for a loved one with a terminal illness
- facing a life transition or going through other life challenges or difficult times
Please continue to keep our Stephen Ministers - Joyce Bogdanski, Nancy Frank, Jim Blake, Kitty MacDowell, Anna Marie Fabrowicz, Beverly Vaughan, and Sally McGucken - and this ministry in your prayers. If you would like to know more about this ministry, please contact any of our Stephen Leaders: Anne Refermat, Judy Carpenter, and Tom McCart.
Antiques Show News
This year the Antiques Show will be held beginning April 21 and will focus its outreach on three areas of need:
- The Episcopal Church Women (ECW)
- Establishing an educational support fund for the Lost Boys of Sudan
- Supporting our church youth mission project this summer.
You can begin your support now!
Curiosity Shop: The Curiosity Shop is now taking donations for any and all items. Please call Louise Creatura at 265-9596 to get involved.
Silent Auction: Items are needed for a new Silent Auction. Please contact Jerry DeLuccio at 582-2648 or Robyn Tanner at 967-2498 to make a donation. We are looking for special items that can command a great auction price in support of our outreach. This could include furniture, jewelry, vacations, catered parties, rides on boats, lake cottage for a week, etc.
Gift-in-Kind: Have you wanted to make a gift-in-kind to the church? Well the Antiques Show has established a Giving Works account with eBay, so you now can do that! Just contact the church office or Jerry DeLuccio 582-2648 and we will review with you how the process works. Its an easy way to scale down and scale up your impact at the same time!
The Hope of Sudan…
From Boys to Young Men!
Dear People of St. Paul's,
Over the past three years the young men of Sudan have graced us with their presence and inspired us with their stories. Certainly our involvement with Salva Dut has enriched us all.
As you also may already know, there are 41 other Lost Boys living in the Rochester area, arriving just a few years ago. Your help over the years with clothing, furniture, Christmas stockings, etc., has been generous and greatly appreciated.
The Young Men are now facing very different needs. They came to America with a dream that education would become their "mother and father" and it has become of primary importance. Many of the young men are enrolled at MCC, several will be graduating this May, with several more to follow. Some of the guys have expressed interest in vocational and technical training (BOCES) and one is already at the University of Rochester in his Junior year. The dream of education has progressed for some, yet for many has been hard to realize as the boys work 40 hour work weeks, and try to attend and excel at classes without the foundation or the time to study. For some it has worked, and for others it has not.
We are proposing a next step in establishing a non-profit Educational Foundation which would provide help to qualified young men enrolled in an accredited college, vocational or technical program. The funds will be used to support the boys in obtaining the education they desire. The Foundation would be eligible to apply for grants, plus utilize fund raising, as well as gratefully accept donations.
In speaking with the young men, they expressed joy and gratitude at the prospect of educational help from St. Paul's and others in the community. They also felt that giving back to Sudan is important, so that we will incorporate in the charter a tithe to be used for educational support in Southern Sudan. We learned from Archbishop Morona's Deputy Bishop Munda last week that the illiteracy rate in Sudan is 90% and the infrastructure is depleted to nothing enabling the United Nations to declare Southern Sudan the most depleted country in the world. So it is clearly these young men who truly are the future and hope of what we pray to be a peaceful and independent new Sudan. Their educational dreams will serve many.
It is our belief that these young men are among us for a reason and what better testament to our own belief in God, freedom and equality could there be than our support of their struggle to educate themselves against major odds, and become contributing citizens of the world.
Thank you,
Anna Maria DeLuccio
Good Friday 2005
This year in our series of meditations, readings, hymns and prayers from 12 noon until 2 p.m. (broken into four thirty-minutes periods), we are including two musical meditations. In the 12:30 - 1 p.m. section, Jeremy Hill, violin, will perform J. S. Bach's Chaconne in D minor. Written shortly after the death of his first wife, this piece contains several cryptic references to the chorale "Christ Lay in Death's Dark Bonds", a classic text associated with the Passion and Resurrection of Jesus.
In the 1:30 - 2 p.m. section, Bobby Mitchell, piano, will offer two pieces also by J. S. Bach: "All is lost through Adam's fall" and "I call to Thee, Lord Jesus Christ". The story of Adam's fall has a long association with the Passion, and the second piece emphasizes our dependence upon God's grace.
This addition to our worship on Good Friday underscores the church's belief that God can speak to us through the arts.
Usher News
Ushers are needed for our Easter Sunday services on March 27. There will be full music and a need for eight ushers at both the 8:00 a.m. and the 10:00 a.m. services. The sign-up sheet is available in the Sunday Office on Sundays and in the Church Office during the week. Newcomers are welcome.
If you are interested in serving your church as an usher, or would like information about ushering, call the church office or me, and someone from the usher committee will contact you. It requires serving only two or three times a year and is an excellent way to meet other members of the congregation.
Elmer Cheney,
Usher Chairman 442-1332
Bereavement Support Group
A free, six week support group for those grieving the loss of a loved one will begin Tuesday, April 5 at Incarnate Word Lutheran Church, 597 East Avenue, at the corner of East and Goodman. The group, facilitated by Dana McIver and William Wilkinson, is open to all. It will meet from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. for 6 consecutive Tuesdays. For more information and to pre-register, call Dana McIver at 671-6624.
Bible Study Dates Added
Two more weeks have been added to the schedule for the Bible study, God Speaks in the Word, which is being led by The Rev. Edward French. The additional dates are Tuesday, April 4 and April 19. The Bible study is held in the church conference room from 7:30 - 8:30 p.m. The next study will be on Tuesday, March 22. All are welcome to attend. Remember to bring your bible!
Vestry Retreat Overview
February 19, 2005
At its February 19-20, 2005 retreat, the Vestry identified its three top priorities for 2005. The three primary initiatives include the following:
- Evangelism - reaching out into the community to attract new members, and ensuring a warm welcome and support for newcomers to St. Paul's.
- Music Assessment - continuing initiatives such as new hymns, additional instrumentation and other innovations, and celebrating David Fetler's jubilee.
- Use of the renovated Parish Hall - determining the best uses of the Parish Hall when it is not serving St. Paul's needs.
Retiring Senior Warden Barbara Warner facilitated the Vestry's deliberations. Task forces were established during the weekend to add evangelism and use of the Parish Hall to St. Paul's strategic plan. The Vestry also discussed other refinements to the parish plan, agreed to continue discussion of Sunday morning programming and upcoming sabbaticals, and decided to institute a 12-month calendar for its meeting agendas. In addition to its deliberations, the Vestry took time to become better acquainted and also participated in the daily offices and a Sunday Eucharist.
Ingrid Stanlis
Vestry Clerk
St. Paul's 56th Annual
ANTIQUES
Show & Sale
Friday, April 22 11 - 7
&
Saturday, April 23 10 - 4
Simply Crepes!
We are all in for a treat at this year's Antiques Show & Sale. A well known crepes café will provide a variety of crepes for our dining pleasure. They will make and fill your crepes to order, serving from St. Paul's kitchen, and will offer a variety of fillings, from vegetarian and "club"-type, to dessert crepes with ice cream and fruit. In addition, they will offer a selection of gourmet coffees as well as some snack items. The dining room on the lower level will be set up with tables and chairs to enable you to sit down to enjoy your lunch or snack. This unique food selection should please everyone; come to the show and bring your friends!
Linen Donations Needed
We are seeking all sorts of linens, household items, craft supplies and clothing for the linen area of the Antiques Show in April. Some suggestions are tablecloths, napkins, placemats, bureau scarves, hankies, doilies, sheets, pillowcases, blankets, bedspreads, small rugs, shower curtains, bath towels, aprons, tea towels, potholders, afghans and decorative pillows. Items for those who sew and crafters are always popular and include yard goods, patterns, laces, ribbons, buttons and needlepoint, cross-stitch and crewel kits (even kits started but unfinished). In the way of clothing we could use items for children like darling little dresses for girls and outfits for boys, hats, coats, mittens, doll clothes; women's dresses, suits, sweaters, and coats; men's ties, sweaters, hats and maybe tux or tails, all gently used, of course. For unique items, how about vintage clothing, T-shirts from faraway places, maid uniforms, riding paraphernalia, flags or WWII memorabilia. Donations can be dropped off at Wainwright Hall during working hours or left on the stage in the Parish Hall on Sunday. Please mark the donation as "Linens-Antiques Show".
Sharron Isaacson
ABC's of the Antiques Show
- A
- antiques, art, American Girl dolls
- B
- books, baseball cards, book ends, barometers
- C
- collectibles, china, chairs, computer games, clocks
- D
- dolls, dishes, demitasse cups
- E
- enamels, etageres
- F
- furniture, frames, fire irons
- G
- glasses, games, globes
- H
- hats, high chairs
- I
- ice buckets
- J
- jewelry boxes, jugs
- K
- kitchen equipment
- L
- lamps, linens
- M
- musical instruments, mirrors
- N
- notepaper, needlepoint
- O
- Oriental rugs, ornaments
- P
- pitchers, pots, pans, puzzles, Picassos
- Q
- quilts
- R
- Revere bowls, roller blades, rocking horse
- S
- silver, silver, silver!
- T
- toys, trucks, trains, trays, televisions
- U
- utensils, unicycles, Ukrainian eggs
- V
- videos, violins, valentines
- W
- wine glasses, wedding veils
- X
- Xmas stockings
- Y
- Y'all come!
- Zee
- end!
The Jewelry Shop
Gently used and once loved jewelry is needed for the upcoming Antiques Show.
The Jewelry Shop has been one of the show's best fund raisers due to the generosity of the St. Paul's family. All donations are tax-deductible.
You can drop off your donations at the Parish Hall on Sundays or in the church office during the week. Please be sure to label them "Antiques Show".
Linda Butwid
The Used Book Sale
The Used Book Sale is now in its fourth year at the Antiques Show. We want to create the look and feel of a real used bookstore, so we need donations of all kinds of books. Demand is highest for local history and cookbooks. Recent bestsellers, serious theology and history of religions sell well. If you have books to donate there are three methods (and all three work throughout the year):
- leave a bag or box on the stage in the parish hall marked "books for Antiques Show"
- during the week, leave the same box in the church office, or
- if you need help packing or carrying the books, just call David White at (585) 482-2616, and someone will come to collect your donation.
Tax Deduction Form
To get a tax deduction for your Antiques Show donations, bring or send an itemized list of your contributions to Lisa in the church office. She will generate an IRS-acceptable letter and mail it to you. Be sure your name and address are on the list but do not place a value on the items. The value you decide on is between you and the IRS.
Spring Cleaning?
Bulbs and Forsythia are beginning to pop through the snow, which means Spring is not far away. And with Spring, comes Spring Cleaning! If you are in the Spring Cleaning mode, we hope that you will think Old Curiosity Shop! We are interested in donations of furniture, rugs, lamps, silver, glassware, kitchen appliances, toys, baby items, pictures, books - you name it! We look forward to finding a new home for items you have stored away, and not used in years.
Donations, which should be in good condition, can be left on the Parish Hall stage, marked for the Old Curiosity Shop. Celebrate the beauty of the season by not only having more space in your home, but helping to raise money for St. Paul's outreach projects.
Plan to browse in our shop during the Show. Questions? Ask Louise Creatura, 265-9596.
Donations, Donations
Your gently used linens, jewelry, old curiosities and books may be left in the church office during the week or on the Parish Hall stage on Sundays. Please label the box or bag as to its contents. Remember, if it is too old or worn for you to use, we can't sell it either. If you have questions about the suitability of any item, please call Sharron Isaacson (linens), Linda Butwid (jewelry) or Louise Creatura (Old Curiosity Shop).
Church School News
March and April, 2005
Complete your Lenten journey with…
Palm Sunday, March 20, 9:45 AM
Students in Pre-Kindergarten through High School will meet with their classes in the Parish Hall at 9:45 AM. Classes and teachers will process through the sanctuary with the congregation and then back to the Parish Hall. There the students will be introduced to the Passion according to Matthew, participate in a reading and discussion. The students will join the service at the Peace as usual. Babies and toddlers will have Child Care in the nursery.
Maundy Thursday, March 24, 7 PM
Maundy comes from the Latin word meaning "commandment." Jesus commanded we love one another as he loves us. Just as Jesus showed his love by kneeling to wash the feet of his friends, we wash each other's feet during this service.
Water for the foot washing has been collected in jugs filled by those buying cups of water to support the Church School Lenten Outreach Project. All proceeds benefit Water for Sudan, Inc.
Youth and Alleluia Choirs will participate in this liturgy.
Good Friday, March 25
Good Friday is the day we remember Jesus' death on the cross. As an altered form of God's Friday, the name "Good Friday" reminds us that Jesus' death was for our eternal good. As we worship this day, we prepare for the good news of Easter.
Services - all in the Sanctuary
12-2 Series of half-hour meditations
- 2:00 Good Friday Service
- 4:00 Stations of the Cross -especially for youngsters and others young at heart
- 7:00 Good Friday Service
…and Celebrate Easter.
Alleluia, Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!
The Easter Vigil, Saturday, March 26, 8 PM
The Great Vigil once began on Saturday at sundown and lasted until dawn on Sunday morning. In its shortened form, the service retells events from the Old and New Testaments, showing how our Passover or Pascha marks a release from sin and new life in baptism.
Easter Sunday, March 27, Eucharist with Choir, 8 and 10 AM
Rejoice in the resurrection with its message of renewal and hope!
Children worship with their families.
No Church School Classes. Child Care is provided in the Nursery at 10 AM
Cross of Flowers Service, Sunday, April 3, 10 AM
Lift high the cross during the season of Easter. Today students meet in the Parish Hall at 9:45 AM to go into the sanctuary with their teachers. The classes will help with the distribution of flowers and the flowering of the cross during the service.
Babies and toddlers will have Child Care in the nursery as usual.
Notes from the Reverend Leslie St. Louis…
The parade route is set, we all line the streets watching, waving, and waiting. Finally we see him coming, frantically we wave our palms welcoming Jesus into our midst. We cheer and shout Hosanna, Hosanna, Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Gleefully we celebrate Christ's victorious entry into the city of Jerusalem and the cities of each of our lives.
In a few short breaths though, our cries will turn to taunts and jeers of Crucify, Crucify! With this we make the final turn into the days and week we claim as Holy, marking the death, resurrection and ascension of our Lord. These are humbling, holy days; days which mark us as Christians, as members of St. Paul's and as members of God's chosen people.
This year the children and teachers of the Sunday school will join in the procession of the Palms and then gather in the parish hall to enact the gospel of the Passion of Christ. I pray that we will feel Christ's presence as we walk this journey and that we may carry this experience into the world as the Light of the Risen Lord.