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In Memory
Letter from the Rector
Rochester Area Interfaith Hospitality
Network
Parish Picnic - Sunday, June 13
Attention June Graduates!!
Welcome to Leslie St. Louis
Thank You From Jessie Warren
Outside Church Cleanup
Summer Shalom Events
Goodbye to Abby
SEM
Good Things Are Coming Ushers
Needed
In Memory of
Virginia Townsend
Marjorie Baron Weaver
Sarah Munro Hartwell Hummel
Rodney Sage Hatch, Jr.
Robert Paine
Estelle Stiffler
Prayer is as much Christian fuel as wood is to fire. Without prayer we would extinguish and die. It is how we nurture and grow in our relationship with God and Jesus. It is how we open ourselves up to God's spirit working within us to do God's work out in the world.
As Episcopalians we are blessed with the Book of Common Prayer to help us in this challenging, exciting and sometimes scary journey of the soul. There are prayers for our personal lives, when we are at sea and need God's assurance and love; there are prayers for family and friends and their well-being; there are prayers for our nation and our elected leaders; and there are prayers for the whole earth and all of humankind.
Lately I have been disturbed by the political abuse of prayer to support either liberal or conservative agendas, as if we can manipulate God to our liking. It disturbs me when I hear politicians say that if you criticize the war in Iraq you are anti-Christian, or if you oppose pornography you are thwarting God's will for personal freedom.
A colleague reminded me of the wise words of Martin Luther King, Jr., and his understanding of the interplay between prayer, the church and politics. "The Church is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state. It must be the guide and the critic of the state, and never its tool."
The Episcopal Christian tradition calls us together in prayer to respect the dignity of every human being, work for justice and peace, strive for community and responsibility, all under the umbrella of a love that transforms us ever closer to the likeness of Christ.
Faithfully yours,
The Reverend Frederic Reynolds, Rector
Peter Hallagan, President of the RAIHN organization and a member of Third Presbyterian Church, says that without Doug and Gayle Hitchcock, RAIHN wouldn't have opened its doors so soon to homeless families. With fulltime careers, (Doug - Harris RF Communications, Gayle- interior design) this couple has made an enormous difference to RAIHN. RAIHN has nominated Doug and Gayle as their nominees for the Faith in Action dinner sponsored by GRCC on Tuesday, June 8th.
Doug and Gayle have helped RAIHN in the following ways: created the Website, organized the purchases of beds, helped negotiate and buy a bus, created and produced many marketing materials, and designed and extensively renovated the Day Center. In addition, Doug is RAIHN's IT coordinator and Gayle manages the donations for the Day Center.
Doug and Gayle also are the Primary Coordinators for Hosting at our own St. Paul's. In their spare time they are avid golfers.
Mark your calendar! St. Paul's Parish Picnic will be held on Sunday, June 13. Many fun activities and games are being planned. Hot dogs, hamburgers, chips, and drinks will be provided. Plan on bringing your favorite dish to pass (enough to serve 8-10 people) along with a hearty appetite. All are welcome! There will be no admission fee for this event, but donations in any amount will be gratefully accepted. If you would like to help with any aspect of the planning, set up, or clean up, please call Alice Eldredge at 637-8851. See you at the picnic!
June is the month that we celebrate, in The Epistle, the graduation of our high school seniors. Please send a picture and short biography to Rita Coulter in the church office by June 15 telling us what you've been doing and what plans you may have for the future so that all of us at St. Paul's can share in your success.
On Sunday, June 6, Leslie St. Louis, our new curate, will be joining us at St. Paul's. A reception in her honor will be held after the 10:00 service. You are cordially invited to come meet her and help us extend a warm welcome to her.
We are asking everyone to wear a nametag that Sunday. If you have one, great. If not, we will provide what you need to make one. That way we can help Leslie learn who we are by giving her a name to go with a face.
I am so grateful for the wonderful support that the people of St. Paul's have given me. My thanks to all, Jessie Warren
Thank you to the following people who participated in the outside church cleanup on May 8. Your hard work in removal of debris from the grounds and adding a new layer of fresh mulch around the trees and shrubs is greatly appreciated. Thanks again to: Jack and Gail Pearson, Neal Panzer, Robert Richards, Bill and Cynthia Hosley, Dick Vaughan and Elmer Cheney.
St. Paul's ChurchCome one, come all to the Shalom end-of-year cookout and potluck, Friday, June 11 at 6 p.m., outdoors in Paul's Cross (weather permitting!) Our special guest will be our new family minister, Leslie St. Louis. This is a great opportunity for kids and adults to get to know Leslie. I hope many Church School families will attend, especially those who might not have had a chance to meet Leslie during the interview process! Bring something to grill, a dish to pass, and a beverage. Shalom will supply paper goods and hot grills. Child care is always provided.
And don't forget St. Paul's Day at Seabreeze on Saturday, July 11! Tickets will be available starting in July. Save the date and watch for more information!
Many of us are familiar with the warm and cheerful voice of Abby Hartman when you call the church office inquiring about financial matters. With Abby's listening ear, you begin to experience a caring presence and find yourself talking about family, friends and things that matter to you in your life. Abby just plain cares about you and all the other people at St. Paul's. June 4th will be Abby's last day at St. Paul's, as she and her husband Bill will be moving to Florida. Bill has an exciting new job that necessitates the relocation.
Abby will be missed by all of us. She has been dedicated to St. Paul's through her head and her heart. She wanted every penny to balance and every person to be heard and cared for. As sad as it is for us to see Abby go, we wish the very best for her and Bill as they start a new adventure in Florida.
Fred Reynolds, Rector
SEM needs your help during the upcoming summer months. There is an ongoing need for laundry soap, dish detergent, toilet tissue, bar soap, toothpaste and brushes, canned soup, crackers, canned vegetables and jelly (Wegman's has grape jelly at a "consistent low price" of 99 cents). Also, they urgently need paper grocery bags. Please remember SEM each week as you shop.
Would you believe that a renovated Parish Hall could be a reality during the summer of 2005? No joke, about 80% of the necessary funding has been identified to complete the next phase of St. Paul's renovation. This phase would include the Parish Hall, Stage, Library, Kitchen, Restrooms, and Storage Area. Included would be new floors, ceilings, lighting, handicap accessible restrooms, expanded Library / Stage, sound system, movable partitions, furniture and more.
As you recall, in 2000, St. Paul's renovated the Sanctuary (including Sacristy, Vesting Room, Flower Room, Meeting Rooms - formerly offices, Restrooms), Wainwright Hall and the Westminster Entrance including the addition of an elevator. At that time, the Parish Hall could not be modernized because of a lack of both funds and tolerance for disruption. The Vestry indicated that in the fall of 2003 they would consider further renovation and formed a small feasibility committee late last year.
Over the winter, the committee contacted a limited number of parishioners to see if there was interest in contributing to the next phase of renovation. The committee found enthusiastic interest and quickly raised pledges of $250,000. These pledges, added to money already set aside and profit from the Anniversary Auction, bring total money available to $470,000. Overall cost of the project is estimated to be around $600,000, leaving us with 20% to raise.
The Vestry, encouraged by the response and recognizing the need, voted this spring that the entire congregation should be made aware of the potential and given the opportunity to contribute to the $600,000 goal. To assist in raising funds, one early contributor has made a pledge contingent on matching donations from the congregation.
An overall project timeline would be to complete fund raising (pledges) before the summer, finalize the plans and create working drawings in the fall, bid the project in the winter and complete the construction during the summer of 2005. Construction needs to be done during the summer when the Parish Hall can be shut down.
Pledges may be paid over several years and a pledge card is attached below. If you have any questions, committee members would love to talk with you. Please return the pledge card below to the church office.
Parish Hall Feasibility Committee
Bob Frank, Jeanne Hutchins, Barbara Warner, Rick Harrison, Fred
Reynolds, Nancy Frank, Ted Curtis, Spencer Cook