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Letter From the Rev. Hunt
Back to Church School Breakfast
Anglicanism 101
Life's Lessons In Kindergarten
Come Reap With The REAPers This Fall
Welcome Back Picnic
General Convention 2003 Forum
Attention Caregivers
Youth Join Adults In Church World Service
Project
Blessing of Animals
Web Site Update
Mission I Programs - Improving Educational
Opportunities
The Bible & The World Lecture
Each week, the entire community assembled to hear the Holy Scriptures read aloud, to pray together and to share in the common meal of thanksgiving. That was the worship life of the early church as described by church fathers such as Justin and Hippolytus and in the Acts of the Apostles. What was important to those early Christians was that the entire community gathered together for the liturgy. There were no distinctions made between class, gender or even age; all worshipped together. In fact it was one of St. Paul's admonitions to the Corinthians that some members of the community started the liturgy without all members being present (I Cor 11:33).
Granted, there were some who were still studying to be Christians, called catechumens. These persons were dismissed before the Eucharist. In some places, salt was placed on their tongues instead of consecrated bread, to purify them and to "season them with wisdom." We do not do this today. Our practice has been to separate the children (even though many of them are baptized) from the adults at the beginning of the service for Christian education and then bring the children into church for communion. It is an interesting development that has many interwoven and complex strands.One such strand is the existence of "church school", which can be traced to the development of the modern secular school in the late nineteenth century.
As scholars engage in research and uncover new understandings, we need to look at our current practice and see how it fits with new learning. For instance, research now points to the idea that liturgy, especially Anglican liturgy, is in itself "formational". In other words, the liturgy itself has the power to teach. But the liturgy needs to be accessible to those who participate if it is going to teach anyone anything. While St. Paul's does a fine job of making that happen as far as possible, I believe we can do other things to make the worship experience even more accessible to a wider group of persons.
In order to provide an opportunity for parents to worship with their children, and for anyone else who wants to worship with children, a reverent but relaxed service is being offered at 9:00 every third Sunday beginning this September. It is a very modest beginning. The service will last for 30 minutes, but will have music, readings from Hebrew Scripture and the Gospels, a homily and Eucharist. I am looking forward to this new and exciting development in the life of our faithful community and I hope to see you there.
Edward W. Hunt, Curate for Family Ministry
Back to Church School Breakfast
Sunday, September 7th
9:00 a.m.
Parish Hall
Greet Your Friends
Meet Your Teachers
Learn About Our Programs
Enjoy A Simple Breakfast
Everyone Welcome!
Beginning on Wednesday, October 1, and continuing throughout the month, Thomas McCart will present a series of lectures focusing on what makes "Anglicans" Anglicans.
The classes will address such questions as "How do we read the Bible?", "Why is worship so important?", "What is Anglicans' 'Three-legged stool'?"
Each evening begins at 6 p.m. with Evening Prayer in the choir, followed by a light supper in the Parish Hall and the lecture. Childcare will be available.
In his wonderful book, "All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten", Robert Fulghum reminds us that kindergarten was a place where we learned to share, clean up and not to hit or take things that didn't belong to us. If we did hurt someone, we learned to say we were sorry. Most of the time we had fun drawing, singing, playing games, having our snack and taking a nap so we would still have lots of energy at the end of the day. By the end of the year we learned the most important life skills… and could probably read our favorite books, count to the twenties, thirties and maybe even to the hundreds! It was so much fun. Every day was a brand new experience.
Things haven't changed. Kindergarten at School #9 continues to be a full day of all those wonderful life lessons, and one more. The kindergartners at School #9 are learning that grown-ups are willing to share an hour or two a week to give each student undivided attention as they build important academic and social skills.
Learning is fun in kindergarten. Do you remember the alphabet song? Do you love to listen to imaginative storytelling? Can you have fun counting ants, apples and people … in a mural ? Do you enjoy reading aloud to one little person? Do you enjoy playing games and having a good laugh when a five year old wins hands down?
If so, please consider becoming a School #9 tutor. Liz Cook (442-0492 or e-mail) will be happy to answer questions.
The REAPers Read, Enjoy And Participate in discussing literature. For the first meetings this fall, the text is Listening for God Volume 2, a collection of short stories by contemporary authors (available at the Good Book Store). These stories, with videotaped comments by the authors, help to stimulate the intellect and open the way for faith discussions. We meet the second and fourth Thursday mornings, 10:00-11:15 a.m., in the Wainwright Hall parlor, beginning September 25. Following each meeting, participants who are interested enjoy lunch together at an area restaurant. Join the REAPers this fall for a rich harvest of ideas and camaraderie.
WHAT: Welcome Back Picnic
WHEN: Sunday, September 14, 2003 (following the 10
a.m. service)
WHERE: In the Parish Hall
WHY: Food, fellowship, and a chance to "reconnect"
after the summer
HOW: Bring a dish to pass or a dessert
NOTE: There will be no cost for this but donations in any amount will be accepted.
Please join us!
On Sunday, September 21, the Reverend Canon Steve Lane and Thomas McCart will present a forum on the actions of GC. Plan to join them following the 10 a.m. service in the Vestry Room.
If you are a caregiver of someone with a chronic disease and would like to meet occasionally with other caregivers, please call Jane Kitchen at 381-4150.
The young people in the parish will bring in items for health kits. Margie Kaiser, representative of ECW, will visit all the classrooms in October to tell the children what items are needed and why this ministry is important. Parents, expect your child to ask you buy: hand towels, washcloths, bath soap bars, toothbrushes, toothpaste, Band-Aids, and metal nail files to bring into church. Thank you.
On Sunday, October 5 (the Sunday closest to the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi), those who wish to have their animals blessed will gather at 2 p.m. at Paul's Cross.
Our thanks to Webmaster Wayne Reinert for his creativity.
St. Paul's funds innovative educational programs here in Rochester as well as through the Berea Theological School in Kenya. In 2002, we provided $3,250 to support a Sunday School for Sudanese children and English lessons for women, as well as tuition at Berea for Seminarian Paul Majer.
St. Paul's also provided $15,500 to provide educational opportunities for students in the Rochester City School District, including the establishment of a "Jurist Room" at John Marshall High School and a number of significant projects at Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. School #9. In probably St. Paul's most extensive Mission I activity, many parishioners for many years have been actively involved with School #9 students and staff.
A number of years ago a rather informal tutoring program at the school was recreated to focus on reading and math at the kindergarten level. St. Paul's volunteer organizers recruited and trained tutors and provided learning materials for the Adopt-A-Kindergarten project. During the 2002-03 school year there were 84 regular and 10 substitute tutors for 5 kindergarten classrooms. These tutors worked one-on-one with pupils on a weekly basis from October through May. The program allows each child at least one hour a week with a tutor. During the past school year 5 tutors also worked with first graders. The current tutoring initiative is a "pull out" program. Each child has a file and tutors complete reports each time on the work they've done. Students are served in order by whichever tutors arrive. That way every child gets regular individual attention and the tutors get to know all the children in a class.
St. Paul's funding helps to provide field trips for School #9 kindergartners. In addition, funds are provided for activities and materials for the school's resource teacher whose main purpose in 2002-03 was to involve parents in their children's educational experience. This initiative led to the establishment of a PTA at the school by year-end. Our parish also provided funds for purchasing games and small prizes to support the "Café" project, an effort to encourage appropriate behavior during the lunch period.
In addition, St. Paul's volunteers sought and gained diocesan support to create a first grade computer lab at School #9. The Diocese agreed to fund the program.
Just four years ago, St. Paul's provided tutors for only one kindergarten class. Since that time the number of volunteers has mushroomed as we have recruited tutors from other faith communities: St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church, Christ Episcopal Church in Pittsford, St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Fairport, the Lutheran Church of the Incarnate Word, and the Jewish Community Federation.
New for the 2003-04 school year at School #9 is a reading enrichment group for fourth graders.
In addition to all the reading and math help provided by St. Paul's parishioners and others, the kindergarten corridor was beautified by St. Paul's member and professional artist Kathryn Bevier, who created a mural there in Spring 2003. The mural can be used as a learning tool - to identify colors, count objects and encourage children to tell cohesive stories.
For more information, e-mail or call Liz Cook at 442-0492.
The Bible & The World Lecture
The Bible Does Matter: How & Why - with Illustrations
The Right Reverend Frederick Houk Borsch
November 2, 2003
4 p.m.
The retired bishop of the Diocese of Los Angeles, Borsch was educated
at Princeton, Oxford, and the General Theological Seminary (New York
City). He received his Ph.D. from the University of Birmingham in
England. In addition to teaching posts in England and at
Seabury-Western (Evanston, IL) and the General Theological seminaries,
he was formerly Dean, President, and Professor of New Testament at the
Church Divinity School of the Pacific (Berkeley, CA), and the Dean of
the Chapel with rank of Professor of Religion at Princeton University.
Contributor of essays, articles, and poetry to a number of journals and
newspapers, he is the author of sixteen books, most recently, "The
Magic Word: Stirrings and Stories of Faith and Ministry."