The St. Paul's Epistle
May 1-15, 2006
Contents
Dear Members and Friends of St. Paul's
ECW
SHALOM May Fellowship Gathering
Tim Pyper's Master's Degree Recital
Spring Concert
Stephen Ministry By the Numbers
GEVA 2006/07
Vestry Approves $20,000 Budget Reduction for
2006
Mission I Committee Expands 2006 Outreach
Lenten Outreach to Trinity Church Pass Chrisian,
MS
Family Conflict and the End of Life
SPY Corner
SPY Spring Note Card Sale
Dungannon Mission Trip
Spring Breakfast, May 14
Openings Still Available for CPR/AED Training, May
13
General Convention
New Parish Directory Needs Help!!
Dear Members and Friends of St. Paul's:
It is a joy and a challenge to be Easter people. It is a joy to be in a community of faithful people who open themselves to the transforming power of the risen Christ. It is a joy to be bearers of God's hope empowered by our faith in God's promise always to be with us in the midst of darkness and death. It is a joy to be in a community where people deeply care for one another. The challenge, of course, is to live out this Easter faith of joy.
In the midst of a drought in Sudan, Salva Dut is bringing the Easter joy of fresh water by drilling wells through "Water for Sudan, Inc." In the midst of the devastation of hurricane Katrina, the Church School's project to purchase new prayer books and the Lenten baking project of cookies brought Easter joy to the people of Trinity Church, Pass Christian, Mississippi. In the midst of being homeless, St. Paul's brought Easter joy to three families during Holy Week though our partnership in the Rochester Area Interfaith Hospitality Network.
May the power of the risen Christ so fill your heart and soul with joy that every challenge becomes an opportunity to be Easter people of God.
The Rev. Frederic W. Reynolds, Rector
ECW
On Thursday, May 4, Harry Hart will present a Northern Italy Travelogue. Featured areas are Rome, Florence, Siena, Pisa, Italian Riviera, Verona, Venice and Bolzano. A business meeting at 11:00 am will be followed by a Eucharist and installation of officers. Potluck luncheon is at 12:30 followed by the program at 1:15. Please call 271-2240 to make a reservation for lunch.
Gail Snelling
SHALOM May Fellowship Gathering
SHALOM is a fellowship group for young families at St. Paul's. Shalom provides social opportunities for adults and young kids within the parish family, as well as spiritual and practical support for Christian family life.
Shalom's next fellowship gathering will take place on Friday, May 5 in the Parish Hall. All are welcome! Bring the family at 6 p.m. for a casual pizza dinner, and stay to hear Fred Reynolds discuss his recent sabbatical while the kids enjoy supervised play outside. Child care is provided for infants and toddlers.
Please also mark your calendars for the Shalom end-of-year picnic in Paul's Cross on Friday evening, June 2 (note the change of date)!
For more information about Shalom, visit our web page at www.stpaulsec.org/shalom.html, or contact the Shalom coordinators, Nancy Curtis and Angie Jones. We want to see YOU at Shalom!
Nancy Curtis
Tim Pyper's Master's Degree Recital
Thursday, May 4, 8:00 p.m.
Tim Pyper will present his Master's Degree Recital at St. Paul's on Thursday, May 4 at 8:00 p.m.
The first half of the concert will consist of transcriptions - works not originally written for the organ. Such pieces were staples on organ concert programs in the 1920s and are especially well suited to our fine E.M. Skinner Organ. The second half of the concert will feature the premiere of Sonata for Organ by recent Eastman School composition graduate Zachary Wadsworth. Don't miss this enjoyable evening of music!
Spring Concert
Sunday, May 7 at 4:00 p.m.
In observance of the 250th year of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, St. Paul's Choir, soloists and orchestra will be joined by the choir of St. Luke's Episcopal Church, Brockport, in a festive presentation of Mozart's well-known "Coronation Mass." Next to his "Requiem," the Coronation Mass is one of Mozart's most beloved sacred choral works.
The concert will also feature our organist, Tim Pyper, as soloist in the Organ Concerto No. 2 by the French classical composer Michel Corrette. Come and bring your family and friends to this fine musical event.
David Fetler
Stephen Ministry By the Numbers
(For the number crunchers among us.)
Our second class of Stephen Ministers will be commissioned on Sunday, May 7. The class consists of Four enthusiastic people: Three women and One man. They attended Twenty-five training sessions over a period of Eight months. The entire training consisted of Fifty hours of instruction. Classes were conducted by Eight Stephen Leaders from Four churches.
Currently we have Six active Stephen Ministers: Five women and One man. (One Stephen Minister is on sabbatical.) When the new class is commissioned, we will have a total of Ten active Stephen Ministers.
St. Paul's Stephen Ministry is part of a large international organization of Christian lay ministry which started Twenty-five years ago. As of April 2006 a total of Nine Thousand Two Hundred Sixty-eight congregations were enrolled, representing One Hundred Eight denominations. Most congregations are in the United States. All Fifty states are represented. In New York, Two Hundred Thirty congregations have Stephen Ministry programs. Forty-one are located in the Greater Rochester area. Canada has Two Hundred Ninety-five. Forty-one congregations are located in Twenty-two other countries.
Congratulations and blessings to our new Stephen Ministers as they begin their new journey in Christian service.
Anne Refermat
GEVA 2006/07
Soon we will be signing up for the 2006/07 GEVA season. This year the cost was $199.50 per person for the series of six Mainstage plays for a Sunday matinee. If you are interested in joining us, please phone Carol Panzer at 586-6351. Many of our regulars are not from St. Paul's; we welcome all.
Vestry Approves
$20,000 Budget Reduction for 2006
The Vestry approved reduction of the 2006 budget by $20,000 at the March meeting. The reduction was necessary because pledge commitments for 2006 were $470,000 versus the budgeted $490,000. The Vestry made the difficult line item reductions with the goal of minimizing the impact to St. Paul's mission. The Mission I (Outreach) and Mission II (ministries internal to St. Paul's) budgets were reduced by equal percentages. The chairs of the affected ministries were notified.
Chris Moore and Stan Refermat, Wardens
Mission I Committee Expands 2006 Outreach
The Mission I Committee begins work in 2006 with a review and revitalization of the categories for which it considers and rewards requests for Saint Paul's mission funding. Mission I funds will now be allocated in three categories: International, National and Rochester. The focus in previous years has been mostly on local missions or Africa.
Disasters such as Hurricane Katrina and exciting mission opportunities beyond Africa provided the impetus and the rationale for the revision. Besides the Gulf Coast disasters, the foundation for this change was laid last October, when a request for assistance with Hepatitis B vaccinations in remote Indian villages was brought before the committee.
There were some reservations about the efficacy of the program planned by the Joseph Educational Trust of Dindiual, India, but the committee approved a $2,500 award toward the goal of vaccinating 5,000 children. In March of 2006 our faith was rewarded with an update report. "We are immensely thankful to our brethren of St Paul's Episcopal church" it began; and went on to explain that they were moving to adopt many of our recommendations for advance screening and follow-up for vaccination candidates. It is this kind of growing relationship which makes Mission I work rewarding.
In 2006, Mission I approved a grant for The Hope of Sudan, a homegrown Saint Paul's program to aid with the education of Sudanese in the Rochester Area. Half of the $2,000 grant will provide local assistance with the other half going directly to educational aid in Sudan. Aid for education within Sudan is one of the values of The Hope of Sudan program, voted on by its participants. Hope of Sudan was also invited to re-apply for funds later in the year.
The Moonbeam to Earth project at School #16 on Post Avenue also received a grant of $1,350. This unique project is aimed at advancing reading skills by helping third graders at the school produce three books which will be read to and by first graders and kindergartners, with a goal of increased excitement for reading.
The Mission I Committee is pleased to welcome Nancy Lyke and Ken Milliman. Their insights and experience are helpful to our deliberations.
Paul Donnelly, Mission I Chair
Lenten Outreach to Trinity Church,
Pass Christian, MS.
Thanks to the church-wide support and dedication of so many parishioners, St. Paul's Lenten missions for Trinity have been a tremendous success. On behalf of Trinity Church there are quite a few people whom I would like to thank.
I would like to thank Barbara Warner for her coordination of the Church School "Lenten Outreach - Book of Common Prayer Project" which raised awareness of Trinity Church's physical devastation and the current plight of Trinity's parishioners. Through your support, and Barbara's excellent leadership, we have raised $765 that has been used to purchase 52 prayer books for Trinity Church. Barbara has also designed book plates dedicating the prayer books to Trinity from their friends at St. Paul's.
I would also like to extend many thanks to the following people for their contributions:
- Jane Reynolds, who as manager of the Good Book Store, graciously donated 25 children's religious and Easter books that were mailed to Trinity's Youth Minister in time for Easter.
- Tom McCart who, upon learning that 20 other churches were sending Easter lily plants to Trinity for Easter Sunday, used his discretionary fund to send a lily on behalf of St. Paul's.
- Linda Workman who, as St. Paul's ERD representative, presented the Sunday Forum on ERD's work in the Gulf Coast region which included the viewing of the ERD video of interviews with survivors of the hurricanes of 2005. Thanks also for her beautiful prayer of St. Francis of Assisi bracelets that she made and sold as part of our fund raising drive for ERD's Lenten program.
- All of the children who filled Easter eggs with candy, signed the Happy Easter notes, and then decorated the eggs that were placed in a festively decorated Easter basket. The basket was shipped on April 9 with baked goods in time for Easter Sunday.
I also wish to thank everyone whose generosity made our homemade baked goods outreach such a tremendous success, including Fred whose discretionary fund covered the cost of postage.
Fred and I want to share the letter Chris sent:
I wanted to thank you and the good people of St. Paul's Episcopal Church for your wonderful generosity. Trinity Church has had a bit of a bad time. Hurricane Katrina has tried us sorely. What used to be a garden paradise is now nicknamed the "War Zone," and what we have needed in the midst of our trials and tribulations is comfort. Your good people have offered it. Again and again we have received boxes, not little boxes but BIG robust boxes, full of a variety of cookies. We are tickled pink that you would be so generous. We eat our cookies and think of you. We say our prayers and mention you. We are pleased that this Lent has been less torment because of you and St. Paul's. The cookie campaign has been a success. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Boxes of stuff arrive from all over the fruited plain. But boxes from New York, full of your cookies, are the ones that make us smile. Thank you for these gifts from the heart.
Gratefully,
Christopher Colby, Rector and chief cookie eater.
On Monday, May 1, I will be going to visit Trinity. During my stay I will deliver the Unusual Mission Opportunity check for $7,500 to Fr. Colby and Trinity¹s wardens. I will also present them with the book plates and the Trinity Album. It is also my intention to discuss with Chris in what ways we can further the fellowship between our two parishes. I will also be taking photographs of Trinitarians to share with you all in the coming year.
I am especially thankful to Fred for entrusting me with the leadership of St. Paul's two year commitment of fellowship with Trinity. It has been a most wonderful opportunity to develop friendships both here and in Pass Christian. I am truly grateful to be a member of such an altruistic church, and proud to be a part of St. Paul's family. It is because of your extraordinary support that every facet of our Lenten program succeeded so beautifully.
Ayanna Hofmann
Family Conflict and the End of Life
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SAVE THE DATE!!!Thursday, May 11, 20067:00 - 9:00 PM |
Strategies for Exploring, Understanding and
Sometimes Moving Through with…
Dr. Timothy Quill
Professor of Medicine, Psychiatry and Medical Humanities &
Director, Palliative Care Program,
University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry
Hosted by St. Paul's Stephen Ministers
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
East Avenue and Westminster Road
Across from George Eastman House
SPY Corner
May 14, orienteering in Mendon Ponds Park
SPY members and their families are invited to participate in an afternoon of orienteering, a sport in which you find checkpoints using a map and compass, then try to get to the finish point first. We will meet from 1:30 p.m. until 3:30 p.m. Further details will be sent out in the May Edition of SPY News.
Please RSVP to Laura Hayden by
Wednesday, May 10
(383-8808 or email)
May 19 - 20, overnight at Camp Cory
SPY members will be heading to the YMCA's Camp Cory for a weekend retreat on Friday, May 19, returning late on Saturday, May 20. Look for details about the event in the next SPY News.
SPY Spring Note Card Sale
St. Paul's Youth (SPY) is offering two new collections of note cards for sale after the Sunday services in the Parish Hall or by contacting Laura Hayden at 383-8808 or by email. These beautiful cards feature designs from our St. Paul's kneelers. One collection depicts birds and flowers, the other crosses and flowers. All proceeds from the sale of note cards will support future SPY mission trips.
Dungannon Mission Trip
July 22-29, 2006
It is time to register for the Dungannon Mission trip this July! We will be able to take up to forty youth who have completed seventh grade through those who have just graduated from high school in June, 2006, plus sixteen chaperones. We need two chaperones with Safe Church Training for every five youth participants.
The cost of this trip has increased at least 33% from 2004, primarily because of the increased cost of gasoline, and therefore bus charter costs. For youth events, the cost of any event is split three ways among the individual, the diocese, and the parish. For Dungannon, the cost of the third paid by the diocesan youth budget comprises slightly more than half the total yearly budget for 2006; therefore, the Youth Missioner's Office cannot offer scholarships this year.
I hope that youth participants and chaperones who find this trip too expensive will be able to work with their parishes to find financial support. Perhaps individuals or groups within the congregation would be willing to sponsor teens and chaperones through fundraising efforts or in exchange for parish reports or sermons when they return. I e-mailed the deans of our districts to ask that each district consider whether scholarship money could be made available to individuals and/or parishes. Please check with your dean if financial assistance is necessary.
I truly hope that your parish will be able to join us in this mission experience!
Please see the Dungannon Development Commission's web site for more information: www.ddcinc.org. Click on Project HELP.
Faithfully, The Rev. Cynthia Sever
Youth Missioner
The Episcopal Diocese of Rochester
cindy@rochesterepiscopaldiocese.com
Note: Please contact the Rev. Leslie St. Louis if you are interested or need financial help to participate in this great opportunity.
Easter Flowers
Spring Breakfast, May 14
Everyone is invited to a Spring Breakfast in the Parish Hall, on Mothers' Day, May 14, from 8:45 to 9:30. Students in the Church School will be providing invitations, favors, and service for this happy event to honor mothers and others!
Openings Still Available for
CPR/AED Training, May 13
There are still openings for parishioners interested in CPR training at St Paul's. The class is slated for Saturday, May 13 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Parish Hall. The deadline for enrollment is May 5. Class size is limited, but additional classes will be planned as necessary.
The training will provide American Red Cross certification in CPR and training for those interested in knowing how to use the new Automated External Defibrillator (AED) now in service at the church. Training has been scheduled in mid-May, so we can introduce the new national guidelines for CPR and AED use.
More important to the whole parish, the training provides basic information to help with early recognition of all health emergencies and the action steps to provide immediate assistance. More than just a way to save a life, it's the way to really make a difference for somebody who needs your help.
Bill Watson, a member of Saint Paul's and a veteran American Red Cross Instructor will provide volunteer instruction. A fee of $15 covers instructional materials. Sign up by contacting Bill Watson at 385-3800 or the church office.
Bill Watson
General Convention
At the next General Convention, to he held in Columbus, Ohio, on June 26, the 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 will be nominated through that process. Of the current list, Bishop Schori is, clearly, the first woman ever to be nominated for the post. Also, Bishop Parsley is the only nominee of the four who voted against the election of Bishop Gene Robinson.
New Parish Directory Needs Help!!
In a few short weeks, we will begin to put together a new Parish Directory for 2006, and we need your help. If there has been any change in your mailing address, telephone number (both home and work - which is not included in the directory itself, but which we like to have in our computer data base system), e-mail address, etc., please call the Parish Office or e-mail the corrections to Wayne.
Easter Flowers