St. Paul's Memorial Church Newsletter

Telephone: 295-2156 www.stpaulsmemorialchurch.org April 6, 2011

Pastoral Emergency: 806-9069

Condolences of the parish to Max Davis upon the death of his brother Gene Davis.

Adult Ed - An open forum on the issues surrounding marriage and same-sex marriage. This is your opportunity to express your views about the four presentations we have had on this topic in recent weeks.

Lenten/Easter Bookfair at St. Paul's this Sunday, April 10th:  The bookfair will have the usual mix of meditation books, theology, biography, prayer books bibles, hymnals, children's books and more.  (Books are more nutritious things to put in an Easter basket than chocolate rabbits, and books last longer too!).  Don't forget your checkbook, we are still low tech.  Questions?  e-mail Patsy Goolsby at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Liturgical Notes - This Sunday (4/10) at the 10 a.m. worship we will be using Rite I, which is the traditional English version of the Holy Eucharist in The Book of Common Prayer. In Easter, with its proclamation of salvation and Resurrection we will be omitting the corporate confession and we'll use one of the newer Eucharistic prayers authorized for use in the Episcopal Church.

Lenten confessions - Do you have a stone on your heart, something that is weighing you down? Come claim the forgiveness that is yours by making a personal and confidential confession during Lent with one of our priests. Private confession and absolution is especially appropriate in Lent as one of the sacraments of the Episcopal Church, called "The Reconciliation of a Penitent" on BCP p. 447. It is a powerful liturgy for priest and penitent, and ends with the proclamation of forgiveness and restoration "in the perfect peace of the Church." You can make an appointment for private confession with a priest by calling the office on weekdays. We will also have priests available during Holy Week (April 17-23) and on the afternoon of Good Friday April 22.

Japan Earthquake Response Fund: Following the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami that struck off the coast of Sendai, Japan, on March 11, Episcopal Relief & Development is supporting the Nippon Sei Ko Kei (NSKK; the Anglican Communion in Japan) in its initial response efforts.  Please go to Episcopal Relief & Development's website, www.er-d.org, to learn more or to contribute to the Japan Earthquake Response Fund.

Community Night – Join us next Wednesday (4/13) at the 5:30 p.m. service when Virginia Ritchie will be our guest homilist. Our weekly community night dinner and education offerings follow the service.

Linen Guild - Do you prefer to serve in an "invisible" ministry?  If you do, St. Paul's Linen Guild needs you.  Want more information?  Please call Nancy Galloway at 973-2150, or Mary Carolyn Lawson at 906-6266.

Work Pilgrimage to New Orleans -Seek the Lord in the City of the Saints! - There are still open spaces for the Work Pilgrimage to New Orleans!  Don't deny the Call!  Join your fellow pilgrims June 11 - 19 in a ministry of work and social justice.  Contact Jonathan Schnyer (434-760-1354) or (  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ).

AIM Benefit Pancake Breakfast – The Alliance for Interfaith Ministries (AIM) is hosting a pancake breakfast fundraiser on Saturday, April 9, at Applebee’s on 29N, from 7:30-9:30 a.m.  AIM provides emergency assistance to local families who are threatened with homelessness, loss of power or fuel, or other temporary financial emergencies.  The benefit breakfast includes all-you-can-eat pancakes and sausages for $5, and all of the money goes directly to AIM.  Come for a delicious breakfast with your family and friends and support a good cause!  Contact Alice Fitch, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 296-8989, if you have any questions.

Earth Day Local Foods Potluck Dinner: Save the Date - The Green Team has set the date for its annual Earth Day Dinner for Wednesday, April 27 at 6:00 p.m. Details will follow soon.

The Prayer Shawl Ministry will meet on Saturday, April 9th from 10 a.m. - noon in the parish hall lounge. We'll explore new materials and patterns for our ministry.

FINAL PHOTO DIRECTORY APPOINTMENTS: APRIL 27, 28, 29 & 30 - We are on the final stretch of having all parishioners included in our new Church Photo Directory that will come out later this year.  Have you made your appointment yet?!  Please contact Janet Hendrix at 295-5295 – leave a message for a call-back in the evenings or call her as late as 10:00 any night.  Email is a good way to reach her too:  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .  If you are attending St. Paul’s, but have not transferred your letter – the rest of us think you are a member here.  Please participate!

Spring Cleaning - Ministry Beyond Our Walls (MBOW) has discovered a number of ways that parishioners can help others in our community at no cost while doing your Spring Cleaning just by sharing needed items that you and your family no longer use.  The MBOW team is collecting the following items: cocktail and formal wear, professional clothing, children’s DVDs and CDs, light reading books, and children’s winter coats and sweaters.

Feeding the Hungry - Ministry Beyond Our Walls (MBOW) is responding to hunger needs by supporting The Food Pantry of Greene County with regular in-gatherings of food.  Why are we choosing to help Greene County?  Food pantries serving our immediate community report frequent requests for food assistance from Greene because of scarce resources in their area. Layoffs by major employers have increased the demand for assistance. The community has responded by forming Greene Alliance of Church and Community Efforts (GRACE), a volunteer effort, to provide a three-day supply of food to people referred by other agencies.  The demand has grown by more than two hundred households in the past year and GRACE is seeking assistance from churches beyond Greene County.

MBOW will be collecting the following specific products requested by the Pantry over the next few months:  April – family-size canned green beans and shelf-stable 2% milk (32 oz.).  May – peanut butter and applesauce.  June – spaghetti and spaghetti sauce. Containers for your donation will be placed in the Narthex and the Chancellor St. lobby.  If you would like to help but are unable to shop, please consider writing a check made out to St. Paul’s with “Food Pantry” in the memo line.  For more info, contact Joan Burchell.

Bread for the World 2011 Offering of Letters a Success - On Sunday, March 27 eighty letters were written by members at St. Paul’s to our Senators and Congressman asking them to support measures that will reform the United States Foreign Aid system. If enacted, such measures will make the system far more effective in reducing poverty in the world without appropriating more funds to the effort. When thousands of Christians and others in churches across the country contact our lawmakers in a personal way on an important issue of justice and mercy great positive change can happen. Deep thanks to all who wrote.

IMPACT Update: THANK YOU! - Many thanks to the one hundred members of St. Paul's who attended the Nehemiah Action on March 28th in support of meaningful change in the area of mental health services. The crowd of 1500 was enthusiastic and energized. The results point to the complexity of the issue - the city council and county board of supervisors were largely in favor of funding for additional counseling, while the push for supportive housing proffers will require additional effort. We will continue to follow up with our representatives to encourage their support of the resolutions, and I'll provide updates as budgets and other discussions continue. If you have the opportunity to talk with your city our county official, tell them that you support IMPACT's solutions, and you hope they will, too. Questions? Ideas? Contact John Frazee at 242-0103 / This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or Christie Thomas at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Easter Lily Memorials or Appreciations

Remember a loved one and beautify our Easter worship with an Easter Lily plant. A $25 contribution is suggested. The deadline for returning the form to the office is Monday, April 18.

Your name: _______________________________________

E-mail or phone number:  ____________________________

This memorial is (circle one) in honor of  /  in memory of    _____________________________________

A check is attached for $ ____________