St. Paul's Memorial Church Newsletter
Telephone: 295-2156 www.stpaulsmemorialchurch.org October 27, 2011
Pastoral Emergency: 806-9069
Rector’s Blog – Join in the conversation with Rector Jim. You are invited to join each day in conversation on Rector Jim's blog Fiat Lux. Jim updates it daily. You can reach it by clicking http://spmcrector.blogspot.com/
Steward's Supper - This our final announcement about the St. Paul’s event of the year, the Steward’s Supper! Come and celebrate our abundance of blessings and the 60+ ministries that St. Paul’s supports through your generosity. Saturday, October 29 at the Fry’s Spring Beach Club from 5:30-9:30 pm. Homemade barbeque dinner, kegs of local brew and fruit cobblers followed by highly anticipated top-secret entertainment show led by Charles Lancaster and his merry troupe of St. Paul’s actors and a live Swing Band and dancing! This is a family event for all ages. Childcare and children activities will be available. If transportation is needed, please indicate when responding. At this point, if you haven’t RSVPed, please just show up and have a good time! We’ll be happy to see you!
Guest Preacher this Sunday - On Sunday, October 30th, we welcome parishioner Dr. Margaret Mohrmann to the pulpit to preach about the Baptismal Covenant as part of our Annual Giving Campaign series of sermons on this topic this fall. Margaret currently holds joint appointments at UVA in the School of Medicine and the College of Arts & Sciences (Department of Religious Studies). In the School of Medicine, Dr. Mohrmann directs the programs of teaching, clinical service, and research in biomedical ethics, as well as the Spirituality and Medicine Curriculum for medical students. Through the Department of Religious Studies, she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in the history of Christian ethics and in feminist thought, among other subjects, and the undergraduate bioethics internship seminar. Based on her interdisciplinary scholarship at the intersection of ethics, religion, and medicine, Dr. Mohrmann is in demand nationally as a speaker to a variety of audiences, including physicians, medical students, nurses, theologians, chaplains, and lay persons. She is the author of Attending Children: A Doctor's Education (Georgetown, 2005) and Medicine As Ministry: Reflections on Suffering, Ethics, and Hope (Pilgrim Press, 1995), and co-editor of Pain Seeking Understanding: Suffering, Medicine, and Faith (Pilgrim Press, 1999). She is also the narrator of a video, "The Way We Die: Listening to the Terminally Ill," used widely by hospice and AIDS support groups and in college courses on cultural understandings of death.
Adult Education this Sunday (10/30) - We continue Voices of Faith, a series of talks by people of faith in our midst who will tell us about the lives of individual people of faith who have inspired them. Christie Thomas will speak about John Muir, an author and activist who inspired the conservation of much of our wild land and is commemorated on our official Episcopal calendar of Holy men and women.
Newcomers - A recognition of our new members will be held on Sunday Nov. 6 at the 10 a.m. service.
Advent National Cathedral Trip is on! Good news! Washington National Cathedral will be reopening in time for us to have the scheduled trip on Monday, December 12. This trip, sponsored by St. Paul's Generation Wise, will include noon Eucharist, a 20 minute organ demonstration, and 30 minute guided tour. Transportation will be by chartered bus. Please let Ann Willms know if you are interested in going, as space is limited.
Email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or phone 295-2156 x 103 to sign up.
Shop and Share God’s Abundance. Please remember to support the Greene County Food Pantry as you shop for your family each week. This month, the Food Pantry has requested that we collect smooth peanut butter, a wonderful high protein food popular with all ages. In addition, they also need supplies of canned soup. Shut-in seniors particularly ask for canned soup because it is easy to prepare and easy on any problematic dental and gum conditions. Last month the pantry served more than 450 families. If it is inconvenient to bring food to church, please consider writing a check addressed to St. Paul's and note "Food Pantry" on the memo line.
Your Name Here! Would you like a St. Paul's name badge? We have two styles to choose from - magnetic and clip-on. Enter your name on one of the sign up sheets in the Narthex, Parish Hall or the Chancellor St. hallway and we will be glad to make one for you to pick up from an usher the following Sunday.
The Men's Bible Study (A message from Tim Rambo) - On behalf of the other men who have been able to go to the Men's Bible Study that started this fall, I want to encourage you to consider finding a way to fit it into your schedule in the coming months. It was easy for me to fear where the time would come from but have found the 2 hours/month to be an enriching part of my week; the conversation always brings thought-provoking comments as well as humor, and Andy Guffey is a remarkable source of knowledge and a great facilitator. Never read the Bible? Don't know if it was David or Goliath with the cool slingshot? That's alright. Just give yourself a unique start to your Wednesday and come enjoy the company of other men exploring their faith and seeing how the Bible can be a part of their day other than on a Sunday. Grab some coffee and join the discussion and listen to me beg Andy to finally answer that question about David and Goliath. 1st and 3rd Wednesdays, 7:30-8:30 a.m., church library (featuring Bodo's bagels/cream cheese and Shenandoah Joe's coffee). The next meeting is November 2!
Stephen Ministry Update: Continue to lift up our Stephen Ministers and Stephen Leaders in your prayers.
Here is what they will cover this week. Session Eight—Assertiveness: Relating Gently and Firmly (Part 2)
This is the second week our Stephen Ministers explore the topic of assertiveness, using Jesus as the model for assertive behavior. They take a look at the differences between passive, aggressive, and assertive behavior, particularly in the realm of handling requests.
Morning Prayer - St. Paul's is now offering Morning Prayer every weekday at 8 a.m. with ministry intern Joe Lenow. Come begin your day with this peaceful, reflective service - and then join us afterward for some free gourmet coffee. Monday-Friday, in the choir loft; the service lasts around 20 minutes. We hope to see you!
Sunday Scriptures: Going deeper – Join Joe Lenow, our ministry intern, for a preview of the following Sunday’s Scripture lessons after our 10 a.m. worship each Sunday. We’ll examine what the lessons say, and explore why they say it, and, time permitting, the way they say it. Read ahead! We’ll be glad to welcome you. The upcoming readings:
October 30 - Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Matthew 25:1-13
November 6 - Judges 4:1-7; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11; Matthew 25:14-30
November 13 - Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24; Ephesians 1:15-23; Matthew 25:31-46
This is the fifth in a series of six written testimonials from parishioners about how St. Paul’s changes their life
“A welcoming community of seekers”
by David Slezak
I am grateful for the home St. Paul's provided me and my family when we arrived in the 1990's. We found a welcoming community of seekers from many religious backgrounds. I remember Paula Kettlewell's first question in an inquirers class. The question she asked was, "What do you believe?" I was amazed at the time because the first class wasn't entitled, "This is what you have to believe to be one of us." What brought these diverse believers together was a Sunday liturgy celebrated with care, respect, traditions, and symbols, that speak not just to the mind, but to the heart. These traditions continue to this day at St. Paul's. And I hope that support for this community remains strong into the second one hundred years.
THE ST. PAUL’s GIVING TREE - As stewards of our time, talent and treasure, each of us lives out our ministry through the ways in which we serve in the church and in the world. This year we celebrate the many and varied ministries each of us carries out by inviting you to add "ministry leaves" to the tree. Stop by the annual giving table in the Parish Hall on Sunday morning, add your "ministry leaves" to the tree, and watch our giving grow! Anonymous "pledge leaves" will be posted to the tree each week as well. Brought to you by your annual giving team. Loving others in the power of the Spirit; Witnessing to God's love in the world.
St. Paul’s Annual Giving - Frequently Asked Questions (Each week we will answer several frequently asked questions about annual giving and pledging. For more information, go to www.stpaulsmemorialchurch.org/giving.)
Who can pledge? Families and finances are organized in different ways. Anyone, including children, who desires to pledge individually can do so, or you may make a single pledge as a couple or family.
How do I make a pledge? Parishioners are invited to offer their personal financial commitments by putting pledge cards in the offering plate on Sundays between October 9th – November 6th. Pledge cards are available at St. Paul’s. Pledges may also be submitted by going to the St. Paul’s web site and pledging online. We request that pledges be submitted by November 6, 2011 in order to allow the vestry to prepare a realistic budget.
Is my pledge confidential? Yes, pledges are confidential. Pledges, whether received via mail, in the offering plate, or online, are handled by Debbie Little, St. Paul’s financial secretary. Volunteers and other staff do not see individual pledges. In order to follow up on outstanding pledge commitments, volunteers (other parishioners) may be advised as to whether a pledge has been received, but pledge amounts are not shared.
All Saints' Day and Commemoration of All Faithful Departed - Tuesday Nov. 1 at 12:15 p.m. One of the great traditions of the Church is this simple annual service when we remember all those who died in the last year, and anyone else we want to remember who has died. Instead of a sermon, we will read the names of the departed from a commemoration book. We are asking members of the congregation to add names to the book, which will be available in the narthex and the Chancellor Street entrance beginning today. Each name will be read on Nov. 1 at the service, followed by a Eucharist. All are invited to add names and/or come to the service.
The ofrenda, a tradition from Mexico's "Day of the Dead", is a special table set up inside the church where we place items that remind us of people we love who have died - small photographs, or a poem, or a candle, or a paper flower. The ofrenda table will be in the church through the month of November and is dismantled on the First Sunday of Advent. Please feel free to bring items to add to the ofrenda.
Christmas Pageant - "Carriers of the Light", the Christmas Pageant for this year, will be held on the 11th of December during the 10 o'clock service. All boys and girls who are interested in participating in the candle- lighting musical by Anna Laura Page and Jean Shafferman are welcome to join us for the rehearsals every Sunday. The rehearsals will take place in the Church School wing, immediately after the 10 o'clock service. Our first rehearsal will be held on November 6. For more info, contact Albrecht von Gaudecker (434) 296-6748.
Organ Recital for the "Wednesday Music Club" on Wednesday, Nov. 2, at 10:30 a.m. at First Presbyterian Church on Park Street. Albrecht von Gaudecker will play organ pieces by Franz Liszt (Fantasia and Fugue on the chorale "Ad nos, ad salutarem undam"), Jehan Alain (Suite), and August Ritter (Third sonata in A minor). Free admission.
CROPWALK 2011 completed - It was a great day to take a long walk. For those who have not yet paid their pledges to support the 2011 Charlottesville/Albemarle Cropwalk, completed on Sunday October 16th, please send your contributions to the church office. Thanks to all who walked, pledged, or have already contributed to support this great ecumenical effort to alleviate hunger and promote self-sufficiency at home and abroad.
Social Justice Bowl - Virginia Organizing will be having its eighth annual Social Justice Bowl on Friday, November 18, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 400 Rugby Road, in Charlottesville. Please join us for a soup and bread supper and a short entertaining program, honoring local fighters for social justice. Then take your beautiful hand-crafted bowl, donated by a local potter, home with you. Tickets are on sale at Timberlakes Drug Store and Quest Bookshop and cost $25. Or you may send checks to Virginia Organizing, 703 Concord Avenue, Charlottesville, VA 22903. Your support is helping expand community organizing in Virginia, as we push for policy reforms which will directly benefit low-income and working families. Please consider sponsoring individuals who would like to attend but cannot afford to do so. The sponsorships are $25 each. Please contact Sally Bastian for more information at 434-984-4655 x229 or at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Church Directories - Our beautiful church photo directory is available to pick up. Please look for a copy on Sunday or the next time you are in the Church building.
