St. Paul's Memorial Church Newsletter
Telephone: 295-2156 www.stpaulsmemorialchurch.org March 2, 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 every day. You can reach it by clicking http://spmcrector.blogspot.com/
Pastoral Note - Condolences of the Parish to Anne Cressin upon the death of her father Frank Gabel.
Adult Ed - The Adult Education Forum begins a four-part series on marriage and same-gender blessing in the Episcopal Church this Sunday (3/6) with The Rev. Jim Richardson, Rector focusing on how the Episcopal Church has arrived at the blessings of same-gender relationships. We will meet in the Lounge following the 10 a.m. service.
Lenten Retreat: Finding our peace in his will – Koinonia of Charlottesville is sponsoring a Lenten Retreat at St. Paul’s on Saturday, March 26, from 9 a.m. until noon. As we move into Lent, Margaret Guenther will offer Meditations on a few lines of T.S. Eliot’s “Ash Wednesday.” Guided by the poem, participants will reflect on the deceptively simple challenges of Lent – to care and not to care, to sit still amid the rocks in a frantically busy world, to let go and find our peace in God’s will. The retreat is free and open to all, but we do ask that you call the St. Paul’s office to reserve a space.
New Church Directory! HURRY…. HURRY… HURRY ! ! ! Reserve your photo appointment time for the new church pictorial directory before or after church or by contacting Janet Hendrix at 295-5295 / This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . The better the participation, the more successful the directory will be. If you feel this is your church home, but have not transferred – please participate. We think of you as being a member.
Photos will be taken at St. Paul’s on the following dates: weekdays - March 3, 4, 16, 17 & 18 (2:00 – 9:20 p.m.); Saturdays - March 5 & 19 (9:30 a.m. – 5:10 p.m.). Each family photographed will receive a free 8x10 portrait. Individuals or families photographed are under no obligation to purchase anything. Plan forty-five minutes to one hour for the entire process. All pose selections will be completed at this time including the one going in the directory and any additional poses you may wish to purchase.
Small Groups Starting Up: Deepen your spiritual life and get to know a small group of parishioners by signing up for a Lenten Book Group. Several books groups will meet during Lent beginning the week of March 13th and meeting for six weeks until Holy Week. Sign up sheets are available in the parish hall. You may also sign up by calling the church. The sign-up sheets offer more details about each group.
Choose a time convenient for you.
Sundays at 12:30 p.m. at Sally Humphrey's March 13-April 17th (Book: Christianity for the Rest of Us by Diane Butler Bass)
Sundays at 12:30 p.m. at Jean Barnett's March 13- April 17th (St. Paul's Lenten Meditations)
Wednesdays at 4:00 p.m. at St. Paul's in the library (book and convener to be decided)
Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. at St. Paul's in the library with Paula Kettlewell (Book: The Secret Message of Jesus by Brian McLaren)
Fridays at St. Paul's in the library with Ginger Greene at 10:00 a.m. beginning March 11-April 15 (Book: Christianity for the Rest of Us by Diane Butler Bass)
SHROVE TUESDAY (March 8) PANCAKE SUPPER! 6 p.m. in the Parish Hall - Come one and all for a festive pancake supper. The Youth Group will be in the kitchen and serving pancakes, baked apples and sausage. A donation of $5.00 per person with a maximum of $20.00 per family is suggested. All proceeds will go towards the Work Pilgrimage to the Diocese of Louisiana planned for this summer.
Ash Wednesday (March 9)- Ash Wednesday services will be at 7:30 a.m., 12:10 p.m., 5:30 p.m. (with childcare) and 7:30 p.m. (with choral music). All are welcome at any of these services.
"SHARE OUR TABLE" 2011 Lenten Lunch Speaker Series at St. Paul's Memorial Church - Come enjoy a delicious meal served in a welcoming and informal setting! Please join us for St. Paul's inaugural Lenten Lunch Speaker Series. We are excited about this opportunity to share a delicious meal and a forum for spiritual exchange with the University and local community. Two lunches will be offered during Lent: Thursday, 24 March 2011 and Thursday, 31 March 2011. St. Paul’s members will serve a seated, freshly-cooked hot lunch in our Parish Hall from noon to 1 p.m., with a notable speaker addressing the audience during the last 20 minutes (dessert course). A donation of $5 is suggested to cover the cost of lunch.
We hope that this will become one of our parish's defining ministries as we carry on our mission "to celebrate and bear witness to God's love in our community, the University of Virginia, the region and the world beyond us." In doing so, may we all receive nourishment for both body and soul.
Visit the church website for additional information on the speakers and the menu. Tickets will be available at the door or may be obtained in advance from the Church office. Beginning on February 27, they will also be offered after the 10 am service on Sundays. Call 295-2156 with any questions.
The Region Ten Community Services Board presents “I Lived War and Then I Awoke.” Ben Shaw, Region Ten’s Virginia Wounded Warrior Program Representative, shares his reflections from the battlefield to the community on Tuesday, March 22, at 6:00 p.m. at the Region Ten Conference Center, 500 Old Lynchburg Road. For more information, call 970-1453.
IMPACT Update: Building up to Monday, March 28! - Last week's IMPACT Rally was a tremendous evening of song, prayer, and inspiration. It featured a moving and thought-provoking presentation by "On Our Own", a group of mental-health service consumers who support, nurture, and encourage each other, enabling growth, recovery, and fuller participation in our community. The 425 people who attended (including 17 from St. Paul's) left energized and motivated to bring as many people as possible to the Nehemiah Action on March 28th (6 p.m. at University Hall). More detail on specific goals to come, but we will be looking for commitments in supportive housing and an increase in care providers. Please save the date now! We will be organizing rides, a light meal, and other ways to facilitate attendance. Questions? Ideas? Contact John Frazee ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) or Christie Savage ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ).
2011 Bread for the World Offering of Letters - The 2011 offering of letters to our lawgivers in Washington, planned for March 27 in the parish hall. Among the 4 objectives of the 2011 Bread for the World offering of letters urging Congress to improve U.S. Foreign Aid is that of promoting carefully monitored projects in partnership with local organizations and governments in poor countries.
The following are just two of many examples of how this works:
(1) David Kpan is a farmer in impoverished Liberia who has reclaimed a failed cocoa farm abandoned during long years of civil war. He participated in the Livelihood Improvement for Farming Enterprises, a training program in Liberia run by a U.S. nongovernmental organization (ACDI-VOCA) supported in part by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Agency for International Development. He took classes on pest management, crop diversification, harvesting, budgeting, marketing, and record-keeping. An international grading system established by the ACDI-VOCA encouraged him to follow a strict fermentation process to create superior cocoa for making chocolate, thereby getting a better price for his cocoa. Kpan has become a prosperous farmer now independent from international aid and an influential leader in his farmer’s association.
In another case the local Haitian microfinance program, Fonkoze, supported by U.S. foreign assistance and by churches has enabled Rosememe Charles, a 44-year old mother, to turn an initial loan of $55 for a small business selling candles and cookies into an expanded and diversified enterprise with income enough to build a house and feed and send her children to school. First started in 1994 in Haiti, Konkoze’s 41 rural branches are helping 50,000 women in this way to become economically self-sufficient.
Please consider participating in our offering of letters after the service on March 27.
Prayer Shawl Ministry - Lila Lassetter will display prayer shawls following the 10:00 a.m. service on March 6 in the parish hall. The shawls are knit with prayerful intention for healing and comfort.
Stephen Ministry at St. Paul's Memorial Church - St. Paul's has begun participating in Stephen Ministry, a program that equips laypeople to do caring ministry. The Stephen Series trains people in the basic skills necessary for serving others in this way. Through lecture, discussion, and experiential learning, people learn everything from how to be an effective listener to specific techniques for ministering with grieving people. Classes will begin in the fall. Applications to become a Stephen Minister will be accepted through March, and are now available online through the church website www.stpaulsmemorialchurch.org or from The Rev. Dr. Ann Willms, associate rector for pastoral care.
Wedding Announcement - Joanna Alison Holmes Stokes and Joseph David Berger, members of St. Paul's Memorial Church, will be married on Sat. March 12 at 1 p.m. in the church. At the request of the couple, the congregation is cordially invited to attend the service of Holy Matrimony.
Community Garden - On Saturday, March 5, from 10 a.m. to noon, gardeners from St. Paul's and Trinity Episcopal Churches will have a garden work day at the 10 1/2 Street Community Garden. All interested gardeners are invited! We'll be doing a few light jobs that are suitable for children and some heavier tasks that will teach some essential home gardening skills:
• Composting operation (A job light enough for children)
• Weeding and Cleaning A light job; children can do with some help)
• Raised Beds (Of medium difficulty but very short in duration)
• Bed-building workshop (Heavy work, including use of rototiller)
We'll have water on site, but please bring a snack. The garden is located just off Grady Avenue at 10 1/2 Street. See you there!
