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The Importance of Preparation
News From the Church School
Baptismal Classes to Begin on November 5,
2003
Confirmation Classes Scheduled for Lent and
Eastertide 2004
SEM News
Excitement In The Church School
A Church Without Coffee?
Youth Sunday is November 23
A Special Offering of the Adult Bible Study
Campbell's Labels for Education
As most of you know, the Episcopal Church requires, as part of the marriage canon, three sessions with a clergy person so the participants will be prepared for the rite. In the same way, persons seeking confirmation, reaffirmation or reception are also to be prepared by a clergy person before they can participate in the rite. Most churches within the Episcopal church also require that persons seeking baptism be prepared before receiving the sacrament. If the person to be baptized is a young child or an infant, then it is the parents' responsibility to participate in the preparation classes. Some churches even require the godparents to be present, the thinking being that it is the godparents' responsibility to support the child in her life in Christ just as much as it is the parents'. With that in mind, the clergy have decided to require Baptismal classes as a way to prepare parents and adults who wish to receive that sacrament. In addition to taking classes to prepare for baptism, families with young children need to go to at least two Shalom meetings before the baptismal date.
In case you might be wondering that these new procedures are too restrictive and do not honor a parent's busy schedule, or that they may be unfair to parents who are already stretched too thin with too many things to do, consider these points. First, Baptism is the initiation rite into the life of a particular community, specifically the life of the community of St. Paul's. Wouldn't you want to know what you were getting into before you made that kind of commitment? Wouldn't you want as much information as possible before you went ahead and made promises before God? What if you found out that you couldn't keep those promises? How might you answer God's question, "have you been faithful to me?" We take a great deal of time before we make a large purchase like a house or a car, weighing all of the pros and cons, looking at the future to see if the house or the car would still meet our needs years and sometimes decades down the road. Why wouldn't you take the same amount of time, even more, before you made a promise to almighty God, and have your child participate in an act which cannot be taken back? At least you can trade in a car or sell your house if it doesn't work out, but Baptism is forever; it cannot be taken back either by us or by God. Wouldn't you want to get as much support and information as you could before you made a life changing decision? Baptismal classes are designed for parents to make informed decisions regarding their child's future and an opportunity to enter into a deeper relationship with God.
As with marriage, the real implication of Baptism occurs after the rite is over, and we somehow have to live into the promises we have made. By prayer and accepting God's grace we are able to uphold our part of the bargain. Part of the grace of God is finding God's presence among us, in a gathered community as part of the body of Christ. For young families with children, the name of that community is Shalom. Parents of young children and teenagers gather on a monthly basis for fellowship, mutual understanding and support. The children are also building their own relationships by participating in their own program which is offered during the adult support session. This gracious act of gathering gives parents the food for the journey, and the assurance that they are not alone. The unofficial motto of St. Paul's Shalom community is "it takes a pew to raise a child", and that pew is widened and lengthened at Shalom.
Far from being a burden on a family seeking Baptism, preparation classes and a commitment to Shalom should be seen as ways to enter into more deeply the life of faith that God has given to us as His children through our children. May God continue to bless us on that journey.
Edward W. Hunt, Curate for Family Ministry
Margie Kaiser from the ECW will be visiting the Church School classes in October to tell us about the work of Church World Service and how we can participate.
Looking ahead:
Advent I, November 30—Advent wreathmaking in the Parish Hall before and after the 10:00 a.m. service. Greens, wire wreath forms, and candles will be available at cost. Make one for your family and one for a friend. They make especially nice gifts for Seniors.
Advent IV, December 21—Please mark your calendar now for our old fashioned intergenerational Christmas Pageant, Sunday Dec. 21 at 4:00 p.m. Everyone, young and old, is invited to participate, to stay for a pasta supper, caroling, and decorating the tree in the chantry. We have our director, Karen Dodson, but we need volunteers to help with costumes, table settings, and tree decorations. If you, or you and your family are interested in helping please call Carol Miller at 271-2240, ext. 17.
For those persons who wish to receive the sacrament of Baptism, preparation classes are required. Classes will be held on November 5, 12, 19 and December 3 from 7:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. to prepare candidates for Baptism on January 11, 2004. If the person seeking Baptism is a child or an infant, it is also a requirement that the parents and other siblings (up to age 16) attend the Shalom meetings on November 7 and January 2. Although not a requirement, godparents and their children are strongly encouraged to attend Shalom as well. Classes are limited to four candidates, their parents and sponsors/godparents. Similar classes are also scheduled for Lent in preparation for Baptism on April 25. Please contact Ed Hunt at 271-2240 for more information, including reading and study materials.
Those persons who wish to be confirmed in their faith and who are in at least the ninth grade will be required, along with their sponsors, to attend Confirmation classes. Preparatory classes will be held during the Sundays in Lent and the Sundays of Easter (except Easter Day and the Second Sunday of Easter: Cross of Flowers). These classes are held to prepare both sponsors and candidates for the rite of confirmation conferred by the Bishop at Pentecost. Every candidate must see Fr. Hunt prior to the beginning of Lent (no later than February 18) and state her or his intention to receive confirmation. Classes will be held on Sunday afternoons from 1-3 p.m. with a light lunch and refreshments provided by the Curate. Candidates must also make arrangements to attend, with their sponsors, at least two non Christian and two non Episcopal worship services outside of class time. Candidates and sponsors are also invited to attend a dinner with the Bishop, which is usually scheduled sometime in May. Please make the appropriate arrangements in your calendars and spaces in your schedules NOW so that you will be able to participate in this program of Christian formation.
The past eight months have brought a whirlwind of change to Southeast Ecumenical Ministries (SEM) as we focus now on celebrating our 35th anniversary in 2004. We continue to provide a variety of services to not only our southeast neighbors but also to hundreds of neighbors throughout Monroe County.
The SEM SEAFISH Transportation Program has been part of a volunteer transportation consortium through Lifespan for the last two years and continues to grow; services have increased 10% this year. With seniors living longer, more fruitful lives, this trend will likely continue as more are able to remain living independently longer. SEM volunteers drive these seniors to and from medical appointments, the bank or the grocery store. It is such a small commitment to spend one day a month on duty, usually less than four hours. What a delight it is to travel with someone who has lived in most of two centuries! The conversation is quite fun, and the relief and pleasure provided to an elder is a wonderful feeling. It seems the volunteer benefits most from our FISH program! Please consider giving it a try, even if just once - you will be pleasantly surprised!
SEM still continues to be a GREAT bargain for the Rochester Community and social services in that over 6,000 residents are able to stay in their homes annually, giving a reprieve to the already over-burdened government programs serving the area. Based upon the minimal federal government standards, our programs are valued at a quarter of a million dollars annually! And imagine, on a $62,000 budget. So when you would like to spend your money wisely and for a great cause, please remember SEM! It is a wonderful way to honor a birthday, anniversary or something or someone special. Not only the honoree, but also many feel the warmth of the gift! Even you!
SEM carries out its mission in an efficient manner, which best serves not only our clients, but also our community and the ecumenical spirit in which we carry out our ministry.
Laurie J. Jenkins, Executive Director
It is with great joy that I introduce to you the Church School teachers for the 2003-2004 school year.
Missy McMillan, Becky Hall, Kim Ross, and Toni Novello are the anchors in the infant care room. Missy is at church at 9:00 a.m. to watch children of members of the choir.
Sue Hall and Chris Curtis shepherd the 3 and 4 year olds.
Tom Milliman, Sebastian Henshaw and Peter Vandenbout engage the K and 1st graders in Godly Play™.
Suzanne Brown and Sandra Stemzel are beginning a new Godly Play™ room for 2nd graders.
Karen Dodson and Kathern Bevier take an interactive theatrical approach with our 3rd, 4th and 5th graders.
Louise Moore and Mark Fitzstevens are working with 6th, 7th and 8th graders on Rite 13 activities.
Donna Bayley and Erik Warner meet in the East Room with the Senior High Students who are working with the Journey to Adulthood (J2A) curriculum.
Our thanks to this faithful, energetic and creative group of people who give up their participation in the 10:00 a.m. service to be with our children. Please greet and thank them whenever you have the opportunity.
Please remember that church school begins at
9:45 a.m. on Sunday Mornings
Carol Miller
Let's just make it official and declare coffee the church's eighth sacrament. It functions de facto as such, and without coffee the church would collapse. You think I'm being overly dramatic? Consider this: Without coffee, church attendance would plummet, the Anglican tradition would be lost, and liturgical chaos would ensue.
Without an early-morning jolt of java, fewer parishioners would make it out of bed and out the door on a Sunday morning. The hardy souls who did make it to church would be in no mood to greet one another, let alone newcomers. "Coffee hour" without coffee would be a bust and the exalted fellowship time would be nonexistent. So much for church growth.
The church would also unleash a new cadre of ill-trained clergy who, without coffee, would never have made it to those early-morning Hooker classes at seminary. The famed three-legged stool of Anglicanism, the integration of scripture, tradition, and reason, would undoubtedly lose a leg and come crashing to the floor.
The liturgical consequences would be equally troubling. Most directly impacted would be 8 o'clock services. Without coffee, the services would start late, not because the priest couldn't get there on time but because he or she would be unable to spit out the opening acclamation in a timely fashion. And could you imagine saying, `the innumerable benefits procured unto us by the same" without first having had a steaming mug of coffee?
Then there's the sermon. It's not that parishioners would nod off and fail to gain the appropriate enlightenment provided by our well-educated priests. That happens regardless of how much coffee is consumed before a service. The real tragedy would be the loss of a true sense of community. People in the pews wouldn't be awake enough to read the service bulletin during the sermon time. The dire cost being that without this quality time to read the announcements, attendance at parish events would tumble.
I realize that canonizing St. Joe would be controversial among some Anglicans. After all, tea is the traditional drink of choice for a people whose roots are in the Church of England. But being a cradle American as well as a cradle Episcopalian, I have three words for those bound purely by tradition: Boston Tea Party. And even among us Anglicans, does anyone really drink tea anymore?
I recently came across a silver tea set at my new church. Where is it kept? In the parish safe. The coffee urns, on the other hand, are prominently and permanently displayed in the kitchen, used each week at our lively coffee hour. There's a reason even in Anglicanism, that it's not called "tea hour." Who would stay?
Even if we convince the new Archbishop of Canterbury to make this a key item in his agenda, one nagging concern remains. The church continues to be a haven for mediocre coffee. I advocate a populist-style insurrection to demand better quality coffee in our parish halls. The church is, after all, the Lord's house, not Maxwell's House. Shouldn't excellence in worship extend to excellence in coffee beans? At Cana, Jesus saved the best wine for last. After years of drinking weak coffee in undercrofts throughout the country, isn't it time to roll out the good stuff once and for all? The very life-blood of the church depends on it.
The true test of coffee's sacramental potential lies, of course, in the classic definition of a sacrament. We must prove that coffee is an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace. For those among us who make it to yet another 8 o'clock service on Sunday morning, could there be any doubt?
Our guest columnist is the Rev. Timothy E. Schenck, rector of All
Saints' Church, Briarcliff Manor, N.Y;
The Living Church June 22, 2003
The Youth of St. Paul's will lead the congregation in worship and song on that day and also invite the entire congregation to participate in the Rite 13 Liturgy. Be on the look out for further developments as the Youth "give thanks" to God.
"Ah, land of whirring wings beyond the rivers of Ethiopia, sending
ambassadors
by the Nile in vessels of papyrus on the waters!"
—Isaiah 18:1-2
On Sunday, October 26, Salva Dut, who comes to St. Paul's from the Sudan, will lead a study of Isaiah 18 from the perspective of the Nilotic cultures of Eastern Africa. As we were planning this special offering, it was a very moving experience to begin to understand how dramatically this portion of the Book of Isaiah, know as "An Oracle Concerning Ethiopia" overlaps with the history the Sudan. Salva will incorporate the history and ever-changing geography of this region in this study. In addition, we will learn how Bible study is incorporated into daily life and practice within the Christian Church of Southern Sudan.
Please join us for this very special Bible study. The Adult Bible Study meets each Sunday between the 8:00 and 10:00 services in The Cadigan Room. We hope to see you there.
Ann Buerschaper
Susan Jones
Hillside Children's Foundation would like to thank St. Paul's for their support in collecting labels that are redeemable for educational items. This year 25,182 labels were collected for the Hillside Children's Center's Andrews-Trahey School. The school was able to acquire dictionaries, an electronic keyboard, science kits and a variety of other science related materials which would have cost thousands of dollars without the help of these redeemable labels.