St. Paul's Memorial Church Newsletter
February 16, 2011
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/
The Adult Education Forum four-week series on environmental stewardship.
Week 4 (2/20) will conclude our series with Exploring the Nitrogen Footprint. Our final session features UVA professor James Galloway and Canterbury-UVA student Olivia Hutton discussing their research in mapping the earth’s nitrogen footprint and its relation to global warming. We meet in the lounge after the 10 a.m. service.
PACEM - From Saturday, February 12 through Friday, February 25, St. Paul’s Memorial is serving as a safe, welcoming and sheltering refuge for homeless women in our community.
STEPHEN LEADER COMMISSIONING will take place during the 10 a.m. service this Sunday, February 20. Stephen Ministry is a one-to-one lay caring ministry which is under development at St. Paul's Memorial Church. Stephen Leaders Anna Askounis, Margaret Haupt, and Ann Willms will be commissioned in their call to train, supervise, and encourage Stephen Ministers. For more information, contact Ann Willms, Associate Rector for Pastoral Care, at 434-295-2156 x103 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
STEPHEN MINISTRY INFORMATIONAL LUNCH: Stephen Leaders Anna Askounis, Margaret Haupt, and Ann Willms will host a lunch on Tuesday February 22 at 12:30 p.m. in the library for those interested in learning more about becoming a Stephen Minister. Please also see the new Stephen Ministry page on our church website which you can access at www.stpaulsmemorialchurch.org. Simply click on the Stephen Congregation logo. RSVP to Ann Willms at 434-295-2156 x103 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Wednesday Night Homilist – Join us next Wednesday (2/23) at the 5:30 p.m. service when Leslie Middleton will be our guest homilist. Our weekly community night dinner and education offerings follow the service.
Ashes for Ash Wednesday - Soon we will be entering Lent which begins with the traditional imposition of ashes on Ash Wednesday, March 9. The ashes we use come from burning palms from last year's Palm Sunday. If you have any palms to contribute for the making of ashes, please bring them to the office within the next two weeks. Ash Wednesday services will be at 7:30 a.m., 12:10 p.m., 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. (with choral music). All are welcome at any of these services.
Yoga – “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!” (Psalm 150:6) The Guerrilla Yoga Project is delighted to offer TWO weekly yoga classes at St. Paul’s. Emily Guffey, RYT, a recent graduate of Charlottesville Yoga School, leads hatha yoga classes in the parish hall on Mondays from noon -1:15 p.m. and Thursdays from 9:15-10:30 a.m. Each class is appropriate for beginners as well as experienced practitioners. Bring a mat and a willingness to explore God’s peace through body, mind, and spirit. See www.gypcville.com for more information, including a full listing of local donation-based yoga classes.
St. Paul's Families Email List - If you'd like to receive information on upcoming family events at St. Paul's, as well as church school and nursery news, please join our St. Paul's Families email list. To sign up, please visit the "Families" page of the St. Paul's Website (under the Parish Life link). Or contact Alice Fitch at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and she'll add you to the list.
IMPACT Update: Rally on Feb 24! Action on MARCH 28! - On February 1 at Westminster Presbyterian Church, the research committee on mental health services in the community assembled with the intention of more definitively “cutting the issue” based on information learned in our most recent interviews with Charlottesville Mayor Dave Norris and Region Ten Community Services Board. This meeting was a continuation of our efforts to formulate an action plan to present to area stakeholders at the Nehemiah Action of March 28.
After further investigating previously identified areas of focus, the committee voted to continue to pursue the following avenues: (1) requesting that additional funds be moved from the city capital reserves to the affordable housing fund for future supportive housing projects for mental health; (2) working to ensure that proper services are in place for the current Supportive Housing Project, the Crossings at Fourth and Preston, (3) seeking to facilitate coordination between Region Ten and the Regional Jail to eliminate service gaps for moderately and seriously mentally ill inmates upon re-entry into the community, and (4) continuing to pursue barriers facing moderately mentally ill population and articulate findings at the Nehemiah Action.
Additional interviews are being scheduled with Charlottesville City officials, Albemarle County officials, Region Ten Community Service Board, Virginia Supportive Housing, the Regional Jail, and District 9 Probation & Parole Offices as we begin the process of negotiating solutions to be presented at the Nehemiah Action.
Come to the IMPACT Rally on Thursday, Feb 24 at 6 p.m. at Church of the Incarnation to hear the outcome of the research as we gather momentum for the Nehemiah Action on Monday March 28 at 6 p.m. at University Hall. Save the date now! Invite family, friends and neighbors to the Action! Our numbers are our strength!
Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Contact John Frazee at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 242-0103.
Pilgrimage - "Happy are they whose hearts are set on a pilgrim's way." Five years after Katrina, less than 25% of the 18,000 working poor that lived in the lower ninth ward in New Orleans have returned to their neighborhood, and the area looks more like a Nebraska wheat field than bustling city. Volunteers from St. Paul's youth group and Canterbury fellowship (others welcome) will head south to help rebuild their neighbors' homes in the Diocese of Louisiana June 11-19. Deadline to sign up is Feb. 15. Participation in two retreats (Feb. 26 and April 9 is required). To sign up, or for more information, contact Jonathan Schnyer by phone (434-760-1354) or email ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ).
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.
Jazz Mass - It’s Mardi Gras at St. Paul’s! Sort of. This Sunday, Feb. 20, we will celebrate our first ever Jazz Mass at the 10 a.m. service. The jazz ensemble from our November centennial concert will be back to accompany our worship with jazzed-up hymns, fun sets, and a taste of New Orleans. Join us as we “sing a new song to the Lord” with a Jazz Mass!
United Nations Association - The next United Nations Association Chapter meeting will feature Bruce Knotts, executive director of the Unitarian-Universalist United Nations Office. The title of his talk is "Defining Human Rights in the 21st Century at the United Nations". This meeting of the local chapter of the UNA-USA will be Sunday, February 20 at 3:00 PM. It is free and the public is invited.
Flower Guild - JUST IN TIME FOR SPRING..... The St. Paul's Flower Guild will be selling packaged note cards that display beautiful examples of their handiwork. Cards will be available for sale in the Parish Hall immediately following the 10 a.m. service and in the Church office thereafter. These cards are perfect for gifts or for your own note writing as the Easter season approaches.
New Church Directory! Photo dates are now scheduled – March 3, 4 & 5 and March 16, 17, 18, & 19. Check your calendar! Beginning Sunday, February 13, and every Sunday thereafter, Wayne Nolen and Janet Hendrix will be in the social hall before and after church to sign you up for your photo appointment. Please participate! You will choose your directory photo within 15 minutes of your photo being taken. Get the best appointment to fit your schedule by signing up early.
End of Life: An Interactive Exploration of Suffering and Compassion – A special public program is being offered by UVA's Medical Center Hour next Thursday, February 24, from 7:00-9:30 p.m., in McLeod Hall auditorium (UVa School of Nursing). This innovative project presents dramatic readings from ancient Greek tragedies as a catalyst for open discussion of the challenges faced by persons who work in palliative care, hospice, geriatrics, nursing, chaplaincy, or give care at the end of life. The program is free of charge (with free parking in the garage underneath McLeod Hall) and open to the entire University and the community. For more information, call 924-5974.
2010 Bread for the World Offering of Letters a huge success - Last year’s offering of over 90 hand-written letters to congressional law-makers conducted at St. Paul’s, together with thousands of similar events at churches throughout the U.S., played a significant role in the final passage in December of vital legislation to extend the federal Earned Income Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit programs through the end of 2012. According to David Beckman, president of BFW, this will prevent 2.4 million people, including 1.2 million children, from falling into poverty in the United States. For the children and families involved this is crucial.
In addition Congress passed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, a five-year renewal and improvement of child nutrition programs at schools and summer meal sites, including a large increase in funding over 10 years. The new law contains many of the provisions that Bread advocated to improve access to and participation in these programs.
Lawmakers tell us hand-written letters on issues gain more attention and influence than other communication methods short of personal visits. The 2011 Offering of Letters at St Paul’s, which will advocate for a more efficient and effective U.S. International Aid System, is planned for March 27 and will be explained in coming issues of the Newsletter.
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 to be decided)
Sundays at 12:30 p.m. at Jean Barnett's March 13- April 17th (St. Paul's Lenten Meditations)
Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. at St. Paul's in the library (book and convener to be decided)
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)
