The St. Paul's Epistle
November 16-30, 2005
Contents
Letter from the Associate Rector
Email from Fred, October 31, 2005
SPY Wrapping Paper and Note Card Sale
A Joy of the Season
UTO Boxes Available
A Meal And More
Parish Hall Renovation Update
Handel's "Messiah"
Advent Lessons & Carols
Bits of Wisdom Needed
Tip Top Shop
SPY Corner
Advent Series
Marcus Borg Speaks
ERD Responds
New Member Ministry Commission
Deck the Hall
Christmas Memorial Flowers
SPY All Saints' Party
Dear Members and Friends of St. Paul's:
The time is drawing near both for the season of Advent and my sabbatical.
Beginning December 3 and continuing through March 15, 2006, I will be on sabbatical - a time for rest and re-creation, which will bring Sabbath grace to my ministries and my life. My good friend, and former colleague in ministry, Robert Giannini, recently retired dean of Christ Church Cathedral, Indianapolis, has written that a sabbatical leave comprises 6 "R's": refrain, rest, remember, reflect, rejoice and return.
To the best of my ability, that is what I plan to do. I will refrain from the daily work of parish ministry. I will make time for rest - rest in its simplest form and rest for the soul through more prayer and quiet, and reading (another R). I will remember all those things that renew and refresh me (more Rs), that give me fulfillment, and I will "practice" them. I will reflect on the joys and the sorrows of my ministry, and I will rejoice and give thanks for the many blessings of God. Finally, I will return, renewed and refreshed.
During my time away, I plan to visit several churches to learn how they approach new member ministry, what methods they use, and, perhaps most important, how do they measure success. That list currently includes All Saints', Pasadena, CA; All Saints', Beverly Hills, CA; Transfiguration, Dallas, TX; Christ Church Cathedral, Nashville, TN, and St. Bartholomew's, New York City. As I talk with the leadership of these parishes, I may discover others to visit.
In addition, I plan to visit friends and family as part of my travels. I also intend to spend a significant amount of time in London doing some preliminary research at the British Library, as well as visiting some of my classmates from Oxford.
I ask that you hold me in prayer during this time as I hold you in my prayers, and I thank you deeply for this opportunity for refreshment and renewal.
Blessings,
Thomas McCart
Associate Rector
Email from Fred, October 31, 2005
Dear Family and Friends,
I have just arrived back in Katmandu after 17 days in the Everest or Saragarthma region. To wake up every morning to towering white capped peaks, roaring white water rivers, and an ever changing smorgasbord of people from all over the world is truly amazing. We started our trek from the home village of my friend and guide Jambu Cherikarka, and slowly ascended through Om Mandi stones, fluttering prayer flags, and prayer wheels to Tibetan villages seemingly glued onto the mountain side. No more goats or mules, but plenty of Yaks to share the trail with. To say the views of these incredible mountains is "breath-taking" or "awesome" doesn't come close to the enormity of them and the insignificance of oneself. But the hospitality and smiles of the Tibetans as well as their amazing fortitude, somehow humanizes these roof top mountains. I got to Everest base camp and I can only describe it as bizarre. There are two toppled over helicopters as you approach. There isn't one inch of flat space, but just jumbles of hard, black rock. There was one expedition tented there and the cook said that in the Spring there are over 500 people perched on these rocks. Then there is the ice-fall, much steeper then I imagined, that then flows (yes ice does flow at the rate of 1 meter a day) into the enormous Khumbu ice flow - just miles of this rock-strewn frozen river. Everest certainly is a swell peak but I put my money on Lhoste-far more impressive in my view.
The highlight of my trip was my evening in Pangboche and sitting for several hours with the Lama of Pangboche. He left Tibet 50 years ago and came and revived the Buddhist temple in Pangboche. We sat for hours in a multi-language phone-tag. He spoke only Tibetan that was translated by his daughter into Sherpa and that was translated by my friend Jambu into English. After a while the man and I looked at each other and just burst out laughing realizing that the core of our conversation was clearly lost in translation. Like the Dali Lama, this man has no anger toward the Chinese and has willfully eliminated anger from his emotional repertoire. He was/is an extraordinary man.
My trip is almost at an end. Tomorrow I celebrate with Jambu the birth of his second daughter on All Saints Day - how appropriate even if it doesn't mean much to Janbu.
I have pictures and a ton of stories to share.
Take care,
Fred
SPY Wrapping Paper and Note Card Sale
Saint Paul's Youth (SPY) will continue to sell holiday wrapping paper and note cards in the East Room and in Wainwright Hall following the Sunday services throughout November. All proceeds will support the SPY mission trip to Dungannon, Virginia, in 2006.
Each wrapping paper kit, which sells for $16, is packaged with 4 rolls of paper with colorful holiday designs printed on heavyweight paper. Included are 6 colors of coordinating ribbon, 12 bows and 24 tags.
Our holiday note cards capture five Christmas designs from our St. Paul's kneelers. These are perfect for holiday giving or for use as Christmas cards! Each boxed set of 10 cards is available for $10.
If you wish to place an order for either of these items, please contact Laura Hayden at 383-8808.
A Joy of the Season
The special star and the glory of the Lord filling the night sky … This is the story of light in our darkness… The song of the angels declares that Jesus is Lord and Savior.
Angels, shepherds, magi, and all are needed for the enactment of the wonderful event!
Rehearsals -Saturdays, December 10 and 17, 10 to noon, followed by pizza lunch.
Enjoy the Pageant - Sunday, December 18, at 4 p.m. Stay for spaghetti and carols in the newly refurbished Parish Hall.
Barbara Warner - 271-2240 or email
UTO Boxes Available
Pick up your blue box for the United Thank Offering in the church. Add coins as you offer daily prayers of thanksgiving to God. Offer the contents of your box on Sunday, November 20.
As habits of daily thankful prayer mature, our personal relationship with God grows. Daily prayers of thanksgiving strengthen our being and doing. The blue box can be a reminder of our many blessings. Uniting our own gifts of thanks with those of others keeps us in thankful relationship with them and with all of creation. In sharing our thank offerings with those throughout the Communion who seek to address compelling human need and extend the mission of the Church, we deepen our sense of participation in the lives of others.
The United Thank Offering is a program of the Episcopal Church USA for the mission of the whole Church
Barbara Warner
A Meal and More
A Meal and More depends on St. Paul's to provide the turkeys and roasts for their Holiday meals. We can do this again this year if you will please write a check for $10 or more to St. Paul's Episcopal Church, with A Meal and More in the memo line. It is nice to know that we help make it possible for others to enjoy a festive meal this holiday season.
Parish Hall Renovation Update
The Parish Hall renovation is on schedule to have the room usable on Sunday, November 20. There will still be some work to be done in early December but we will have new furniture, new ceiling, new lights, new floors, new bathrooms, and a new kitchen.
As I write this update at the end of October, the kitchen floor and ceiling have been installed including new lighting. The kitchen has its first coat of paint and really looks great. The cabinets are being built off site and are scheduled to be installed the week of November 7, as are new work tables and appliances. One work surface in the dish room will not be available until early December but the supplier will provide a temporary table to use in the meantime.
The bathrooms have been tiled and the counter tops installed. They also have their first coat of paint. The fixtures have been installed.
The Parish Hall and Library woodwork is complete with the Vick Park B vestibule having been removed. The walls are painted with the first coat and the ceiling and lighting are being installed. The floor has been started and is scheduled to be usable by November 18. Some of the movable partitions will be installed in early December and until then we will use the room in the open configuration. The window curtains will be put up as soon as we can coordinate with the final coat of paint and the completion of the floor. A lot is happening in the Parish Hall with work on the lights, floor, paint and curtains being tightly choreographed by the contractor.
New tables and chairs have been delivered to the warehouse and will be delivered to the church mid -November. One of the new chairs is in Wainwright Hall and has received rave reviews. Stop by and try it.
Handel's "Messiah"
Handel's popular Messiah with St. Paul's Choir, Festival Singers, the group that sang "Elijah" recently, will be presented with the Rochester Chamber Orchestra on Sunday, December 4, 7:00 p.m. at the Hochstein Music School, 50 N. Plymouth Avenue. Tickets are available at Wegmans or by calling 442-9778.
David Fetler
Advent Lessons & Carols
A service of Advent Lessons and Carols will take place on Sunday, December 11 at 4 p.m. The Senior Choir, soloists and organist Tim Pyper will be featured in a variety of seasonal carols, and the congregation will join in some favorite Advent hymns. Come and bring your friends to this beautiful service.
David Fetler
Bits of Wisdom Needed
Our thirteen year-olds are in the process of becoming men and women. Will you support them in their transition by offering them a sentence or two of practical or philosophical advice that you have found useful? There are collection baskets at the front and back of the church. Please pray for this fall's class of young people and participate in the Rite 13 Liturgy on Sunday, November 20.
Barbara Warner
Tip Top shop
The gift shop of the Episcopal Church Home (a.k.a. Tip Top Shop) will have items to sell at St. Paul's on Sunday, December 4 from 8:30 a.m.-12 noon. Christmas gifts will be featured along with year round gifts, children's toys, plush animals, etc. All net proceeds go to fund enhancements for the Episcopal Senior Life Communities' residents. St. Pauler's Sally Tait, Dorothy Phillips, Gwen Cheney and others will be there to greet you.
SPY Corner
Delivery of Food Baskets
November 20, 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Following the Youth Sunday Service, we will join members of the congregation in the Parish Hall for the Gather Together Luncheon. After lunch we will break into small groups to deliver the Thanksgiving Food In-Gathering baskets to clients of the Southeast Ecumenical Ministry Food Cupboard. We will return to Wainwright Hall to discuss our experiences.
Please RSVP to Laura Hayden by November 17
(383-8808 or lhayden@rochester.rr.com)
Make Christmas Ornaments/Movie
December 4, 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
We will gather in the Parish Hall for lunch and then make Christmas ornaments for the stockings which will be given to members of the Sudanese community. While we are making ornaments, we will watch a movie together.
Please RSVP to Laura Hayden by December 1
(383-8808 or lhayden@rochester.rr.com)
Advent Series
Competing or Completing:
Christianity in Dialogue with World Religions
November 30; December 7, 14, & 21 at 6:00 p.m.
Rector Frederic Reynolds recently returned from a sabbatical stay in Nepal, "land of sublime scenery and time-worn temples," where eighty-six percent of the more than 25 million people follow Hinduism; eight percent, Buddhism; and three percent, Islam (Lonely Planet).
Join Fred Reynolds as he shares his stories, slides, and reflections. How does life for the Nepalese reflect their beliefs? What is at the heart of their religions? How is Christianity different and yet the same? Where are opportunities for dialogue among religions? Why does understanding matter?
The Rev. Denise Yarbrough, Rector of St. Mark's Church in Penn Yan and candidate for Doctor of Ministry on World Religions, will be a guest lecturer at one of the sessions.
Marcus Borg Speaks
Tom McCart, Marcus Borg & Jack McKelvey
More than 500 people gathered on Sunday, November 6, to hear Marcus Borg, international biblical scholar and author, give the third annual The Bible & The World lecture. The afternoon began with Evensong, sung by the combined choirs of St. Luke's, Brockport, and St. Paul's.
Borg's lecture was entitled "A Tale of Two Christianities." Borg challenged the audience with a thought-provoking analysis of the current and prevailing paradigm of the church as a "belief" oriented Christianity, and argued for an emerging paradigm of the church as a "transformational" oriented Christianity, one open to engaging fully the question "What does this mean?"
On Monday, Borg did two presentations for clergy of the diocese focusing on biblical authority and the church in an age of empire, then and now. More than 70 people participated in the three-hour session.
St. Paul's and the Episcopal Diocese of Rochester are co-sponsors in this annual event.
ERD Responds
ERD is continuing to respond to the needs of communities affected by the recent hurricanes in the southeast United States, Caribbean islands and Mexico, flood victims in New Hampshire, and to the victims of the earthquake in Pakistan. ERD works with local dioceses in all these areas to provide food, clothes, emergency supplies, and counseling. In addition to responding to this deluge of crises, ERD continues to provide assistance to areas affected by the tsunami and other disasters, and maintains its ongoing programs of education, interfaith alliance, malaria and AIDS intervention, food, medical supplies and skills training for self-sufficiency to poverty-stricken people all over the world. You can read more about all these programs and donate online at www.er-d.org.
Gifts for Life catalogs will be coming soon - be sure to look for these at the entrances. These are gifts that keep giving, around the world and into the future.
Linda Workman, ERD representative
New Member Ministry Commission
This past Summer St. Paul's created a new commission, the New Member Ministry Commission (NMMC). The purpose of the Commission is to (1) create a greater awareness of St. Paul's within our geographic neighborhood and the greater Rochester community and (2) to enhance the opportunities for St. Paul's parishioners to become more involved in the programs and missions of our church.
The Commission has identified a number of projects to consider over the next year. Projects include an ongoing mailing campaign to residents who live in our neighborhood (zip code 14607), involvement in the annual Park Avenue Festival (held in August), linking with the National Church advertising campaign, conducting a series of surveys from parishioners to gain feedback and ideas, a series of welcoming wine and cheese events, creating a "visitor's packet" to offer those who visit our Sunday services, creating an information packet for church members and formalizing a telephone calling program to welcome visitors and new members.
However, the first project that NMMC has undertaken is to enhance our Sunday greeter program, building on the good work of past Greeter Coordinators. Responding to our call, a number ofparishioners volunteered to become greeters. Sally McGucken will be coordinating a new greeter program that will involve almost four times the number of greeters we had last year. More information about the new greeter program will be coming in a separate Epistle article.
On November 5, members of the Commission attended the first of a three-part New Member Ministry Series conducted by the Episcopal Diocese to gain broader insights to help our mission. The series focuses on church membership and retention.
In the near future the NMMC will participate in an enhanced coffee hour to share our activities with all parishioners. It will be an ideal time for us to talk with you, and we hope you will join us.
There are many things to do, and we are in need of additional members. The Commission meets on a monthly basis and works in smaller groups on individual projects between meetings. We welcome anyone who would like to join our Commission. If you are interested, please contact any of the Commission members.
New Member Ministry Commission
- Mary Jo Doyle (Member at large)
- Beth Gallagher (Vestry Liaison & Wine/Cheese Coordinator)
- Erin Glanton (Vestry Liaison)
- Nancy Grear (Communications Commission Liaison)
- Kathy Kingston (Member at large)
- George Kittredge (Commission Chair)
- Tom McCart (Clergy)
- Sally McGucken (Greeter Coordinator)
- Trip Miller (Visitor Caller Coordinator)
Deck the Hall
Christmas Dinner
The newly renovated Parish Hall will be the site for a gala celebration on Friday, December 2, 2005, including the rededication of the Parish Hall by Bishop McKelvey.
The Parish Life Commission provides the entrée (ham and turkey), wine, punch and desserts. We ask that those attending provide hors d'oeuvres, potatoes, vegetables, salads and breads.
This dinner is by reservation only with a limit of 175 persons. Please call Gail Bush at 377-5129 to make your reservation and to indicate what you will bring.
Don't delay! This event will fill up fast. Come and celebrate our wonderfully renovated Parish Hall.
Christmas Memorial Flowers
Each year we fill the church with Christmas poinsettias, wreaths and greens in memory of loved ones. Envelopes for donations to this year's Memorial Flower fund will be found on tables around the church on Sundays and in the office during the week. Please print clearly the names of those you wish to honor - we do not want to guess at the correct spelling of a name. Make checks payable to St. Paul's Episcopal Church and write Christmas Flowers on the memo line.
The deadline is Monday, December 19.
SPY All Saints' Party
On the Eve of All Hallows' Eve, ghoulies and goblins of all shapes and sizes gathered at St. Paul's. St Paul's Youth Group sponsored a Halloween party for the wee ones of the parish. The kids decorated the Spanish Chapel, there was pumpkin painting, and face painting (the human variety), bowling with pumpkins, bobbing for apples and more. The evening concluded with a dancing Ghoul and Goblin parade throughout the house. A good time was had by all and all felt we should do it bigger and better next year! Y'all come back now y'hear!
The Reverend Leslie M. St. Louis, Youth and Family Minister
