The St. Paul's Epistle
July, 2006
Contents
Dear Members and Friends of St. Paul's
Adam Peithmann to Join Staff
Tim Pyper
Food for Thought
RAIHN at St. Paul's
Episcopal Night at Frontier Field
Water for Sudan Update
St. Paul's Day at Seabreeze
S.E.M. In the Summer
August Epistle
Serving St. Joseph's House
Memorial Scholarships
Dear Members and Friends of St. Paul's:
As I write this, the work of General Convention, which meets every three years, is drawing to a close. On Sunday, 18 June, the House of Bishops elected Katharine Jefferts Schori, bishop of Nevada, as the 26th Presiding Bishop. Later that afternoon, her election was confirmed by the House of Deputies, and she will be invested and seated on November 4 at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. She is the first woman to hold this position.
The Episcopal News Service (ENS), in a report written by Pat McCaughan (who happens to be the wife of my first curate!), noted that Schori "breaks tradition in other ways." An airplane pilot and former oceanographer (with a Ph.D.), Schori is multi-lingual, speaking English, Spanish, and French. In a pre-convention interview, ENS reported that Schori's priorities included "bridge-building and boundary-crossing as well as 'moving our sanctuaries into the streets to encounter and transform the bad news of this world.' As the 26th Presiding Bishop, she will also face such challenges as boosting declining membership and reconciling the church nationally and globally over issues of human sexuality and mission."
While the election of the PB is important, it is only one aspect of the work of convention, which deals with literally dozens of resolutions through the legislative process. Today's business, as was yesterday's (according to my information), will largely be devoted to several resolutions in response to the Windsor Report of 2004. Other resolutions have dealt with supplemental liturgical rites, whether retired bishops have voice and vote, the United Nation's Millennium Development Goals, and the rewriting of various sections of the canons, to name but a small portion of the topics covered.
More information will be shared with you as it becomes known, and we'll hold a forum in the fall to review the decisions of GC 2006.
In the meantime, begin now to hold in your prayers Katherine, presiding bishop-elect.
Faithfully,
Thomas McCart
Adam Peithmann to Join Staff
In mid-August, we will welcome Adam as our new organist. Adam is a senior at Eastman, studying with David Higgs, and comes to us from the Lutheran Church of the Transfiguration, Irondequoit, where he has been Director of Music since 2004.
A native of Nebraska, Adam has served a wide variety of congregations and won several competitions and awards, including the Fort Hays State Solo Competition and the American Guild of Organists Lincoln Chapter competition.
Following his graduation next spring, Adam intends to continue his organ studies in Germany, where he is spending the summer acquiring the necessary language skills.
Please join me in welcoming Adam to our community of faith.
Fred Reynolds, Rector
Tim Pyper
We have been truly blessed by Tim Pyper and his remarkable gifts and skills that he has given us as our organist for the last two years. Tim, through his God-given talent, helped to deepen our souls and gladden our hearts. His gifts for music are matched by a kindness and generosity of spirit that he so freely gave to staff and parishioners alike.
We at St. Paul's give our heartfelt thanks to Tim and wish him the very best as he heads south to Winston-Salem, NC to further his studies in piano and organ.
Fred Reynolds, Rector
Food for Thought
At the last Stephen Ministry Peer Group supervision meeting, Bev Vaughan offered this as her meditation, and everyone thought it worthy of sharing with the parish:
Time is:
Too slow for those who wait
Too swift for those who fear
Too long for those who grieve
Too short for those who rejoice
But for those who love
Time is eternity.
The author is unknown, and the poem dates from the beginning of the 20th century.
Thomas McCart
RAIHN at St. Paul's
St. Paul's will be hosting RAIHN families during the weeks of: July 30 to August 6 and October 29 to November 5. New volunteers are always welcome and needed. Anyone interested in finding out more about volunteering for RAIHN at St. Paul's is encouraged to call Hank & Kathy Kingston at 385-3187.
Episcopal Night at Frontier Field
On Friday, July 21, come and watch the Red Wings play the Louisville Bats. The game begins at 6:05 p.m. and is followed by an RPO concert and fireworks. Tickets are available at the Church Office during the week. Tickets can also be purchased in the Sunday Office following the 8 a.m. service until 10 a.m. on Sundays July 2 through July 16. Group rate tickets are $7.50 each (cash or check made payable to Episcopal Diocese of Rochester). If you have questions, call Sally McGucken at 381-4213.
Water for Sudan Update
Water for Sudan accomplished two wells, and bought a drilling rig. It is great news for Water for Sudan this year to have its own drilling rig. This would cut down the cost per well.
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One well was drilled in northern Tonj County in the village of Aliek. The well of Aliek has named after Bachs' family who donated the money for one well in Rochester, New York. Aliek community decided to give this well to their school children instead of the disparate community. They said these children will be the one that can change this hardship life someday, and they deserved to have a well than anyone here in Aliek village. This community and the school children will still share the well.
The well is going to serve over 6,000 people, the community and the school.
The depth is 90 meters deep, and 15 liters per minute. This well is about ninety five miles from the wells we dug last year.
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A second well is in Northern Tonj as well, in a village called Makol. This well named after Jones' family in Virginia. They donated the money for the two well, and we used some of their money to buy a drilling rig. The well is serving about 3,000 people. The depth is 74 meters deep, and rate is 18 liters per minute. It is about fifty miles from Bachs' well.
This is what the Water for Sudan did this year of 2006, and we are very thankful for the people who helped in this project. Thank you very much, and God bless.
Salva Dut
St. Paul's Day at Seabreeze
Please come and bring your family and friends to the fourth annual St. Paul's Day at Seabreeze, coming up on Saturday, July 29. Enjoy the wonderful rides, shows, and waterpark at Rochester's very own Seabreeze Amusement Park for a special low price. St. Paul's group rate for an all-day ride and slide pass for kids or adults will be $16.00. This saves you $4.00 off an adult pass and $1.00 off a kid pass! Plus, you can take advantage of the St. Paul's pavilion as a picnic spot, a place to store your belongings while you're in the park, or as a meeting location to rendezvous with your St. Paul's friends. (Many thanks to Leslie St. Louis for sponsoring the pavilion once again this year.)
Food and drink is not included, but you are welcome to bring your own picnic into the park, or you can take advantage of the many food and drink concessions at Seabreeze. This year, we will have a designated time for everyone to gather at the pavilion for lunch. I'll provide further details and information about the day to everyone who purchases tickets.
I will be selling tickets before and after the 10 a.m. service on July 16 and 23, or you can get tickets from me directly any time between July 10 and July 28. Please join us for an unbeatable day of family fun! To arrange to buy tickets, or for more information, please email me at nancyecurtis@yahoo.com, or call me at 218-4236.
See you at Seabreeze!
Nancy Curtis
S.E.M. In the Summer
The needs of our neighbors served by S.E.M. continue during the summer. They always need laundry soap, dish detergent, bathroom tissue, hand soap, toothpaste and brushes, canned stews, soup, crackers, jelly, canned vegetables and paper grocery bags. Please bring one or two of these items each week that you can.
August Epistle
This year we will have two St. Paul's Epistles for the month of August. This is the perfect time to introduce the new programs for the fall and to encourage participation in committee activities. I invite everyone to submit articles to be sure that everyone is aware of all that September will bring. The deadline for August 1 is July 14 and the deadline for August 15 is August 1. Send your items to my e-mail address.
Wayne Reinert
"Do not Neglect Hospitality":
Serving at St. Joseph's House
"Feed my lambs." Our Lord's words to St. Peter are also our call to offer a nourishing meal to some of society's most vulnerable members. At St. Joseph's House of Hospitality, St. Paul's parishioners gather on the first Saturday of each month from September to June. We shop for the food, which we prepare as a luncheon for our guests in a restaurant-style setting. A typical meal includes a casserole, Italian bread, green salad, fruit, homemade cookies, milk and tea. We set the tables and prepare serving and clean-up stations. There are two seatings with a capacity for 48 guests each. When people have been seated, we serve food to each guest and give seconds to those who request them. After lunch, we wash the dishes. Our day lasts from 9:45 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
We invite new volunteers as well as our seasoned veterans to join in this vital ministry. We need 10 people for each of the following dates for our 2006-2007 season: September 2, October 7, November 4, December 2, January 6, February 3, March 3, April 7, May 5, and June 2. Please check your calendars and see if there are dates when the time would be right for you to serve, and contact Mary Ellen West or Jane Smith. We also need to enlist 2 or 3 shoppers to buy the food two Saturdays of each year. Those who sign up will receive a packet that includes a copy of the full-year schedule, a complete list of volunteers, a map, and some general information about St. Joseph's House.
"Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares" (Heb. 13:2). In the simple act of serving a meal, we fulfill our baptismal covenant, by seeking and serving Christ in all persons. Come and see how Christ can be known to you in the breaking of the bread.
Mary Ellen West 442-9632 or e-mail.
Jane Smith 385-4012 or e-mail.
Memorial Scholarships
The recipients of the Memorial Scholarships are:
Caroline Moore
David Garang