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Dear Companions in Christ,
Just a year ago our RenewalWorks team was busy with a series of workshops following the Spiritual Life Inventory that nearly 100 of us had taken. We learned that it would take at least three years to accomplish the parish “culture shift” needed to make spiritual growth the priority.
We shared the RenewalWorks findings at the Annual Parish Meeting, with further discussion at an expanded coffee hour on Pentecost. Organized according to the three broad categories suggested for us by RenewalWorks, here are some of the steps taken so far:
A) ”Get People Moving” – Provide clear, challenging steps for spiritual growth For this area, we’ve concentrated on the Way of Love: Practices for a Jesus-Centered Life program for discipleship launched nationally by Presiding Bishop Michael Curry.* Specifically:
B) “Embed the Bible” – Foster a greater understanding of the Bible
C) ”Heart of the Leader” – Champion spiritual growth at all levels of leadership
At least two specifics are still on the drawing board: 1) a “Prayer 101” class or sermon series; and 2) an instructed Eucharist. Do you have an interest in either of these? I’d love to hear from you.
Thank you to everyone who’s contributed in any way to any of those efforts. I welcome your ideas and questions as we go forward.
Remember, Renewal works.
Faithfully,
Dee Anne
*The Way of Love words for living a Jesus-centered life are: TURN, LEARN, PRAY, WORSHIP, BLESS, GO & REST. Pick up an introductory WOL pamphlet at either church entrance.
Just a year ago our RenewalWorks team was busy with a series of workshops following the Spiritual Life Inventory that nearly 100 of us had taken. We learned that it would take at least three years to accomplish the parish “culture shift” needed to make spiritual growth the priority.
We shared the RenewalWorks findings at the Annual Parish Meeting, with further discussion at an expanded coffee hour on Pentecost. Organized according to the three broad categories suggested for us by RenewalWorks, here are some of the steps taken so far:
A) ”Get People Moving” – Provide clear, challenging steps for spiritual growth For this area, we’ve concentrated on the Way of Love: Practices for a Jesus-Centered Life program for discipleship launched nationally by Presiding Bishop Michael Curry.* Specifically:
- We introduced the Way of Love (WOL) in a weekly Lenten/Easter class with two sessions (midweek and Sunday), roughly doubling participation.
- “Bags of Love” with family-friendly activities to introduce WOL to Church School were sent home over the summer.
- Wooden coins with the WOL words were distributed to all ages on “Backpack Sunday”. (Still available at both entrances – pick one up.)
- This year’s Church School curriculum is seven rotations, each focusing on one of the WOL words.
- WOL posters are being strategically placed around church. There are at least three so far – can you find them? Stay tuned for more to come!
- A WOL word appears in the Sunday bulletin with a reflection idea or question that is said aloud as the final word at every service every week.
B) “Embed the Bible” – Foster a greater understanding of the Bible
- Adult Forum offered What is the Bible? book discussion (spring) and “Prayer in the Bible” (fall).
- New Fellowship Thursday Bible Study.
- Sermons preached by Amy, Frances,
- Shancia and I have addressed RenewalWorks concerns.
- Starting in Advent, the Sunday scripture lessons with
study/reflection questions will be available a week in advance via email blast and hard copies at church to help folks prepare for the following Sunday. - Bibles in church for Sunday worship (with a rolling storage cart) have been funded by Sacred Trust and will debut in 2020.
C) ”Heart of the Leader” – Champion spiritual growth at all levels of leadership
- The Vestry retreat used spiritual exercises from both RenewalWorks and WOL.
- Vestry members and others are crafting a St. Paul’s Parish Prayer to be introduced on Annual Meeting Sunday. We’re now prayerfully “test driving” it.
- “Prayer Buddies” (stuffed animals with prayer prompts) were added to our children’s Cozy Corner in church.
- Representatives of Church School, Adult Forum, GFS and I met to collaborate on Christian formation. We’re experimenting with other means of communicating our message – from low-tech (utilizing wall space at church) to high-tech (new Twitter and Instagram accounts). More to come…
At least two specifics are still on the drawing board: 1) a “Prayer 101” class or sermon series; and 2) an instructed Eucharist. Do you have an interest in either of these? I’d love to hear from you.
Thank you to everyone who’s contributed in any way to any of those efforts. I welcome your ideas and questions as we go forward.
Remember, Renewal works.
Faithfully,
Dee Anne
*The Way of Love words for living a Jesus-centered life are: TURN, LEARN, PRAY, WORSHIP, BLESS, GO & REST. Pick up an introductory WOL pamphlet at either church entrance.
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Sunday Worship - 8:00 & 9:30 AM
Adult Forum – 9:00 AM Church School – 9:15 PM Vestry – 2nd Tuesday at 7:00 PM Wednesday Eucharist - 12:10 PM in the Chapel Choristers - Thursdays at 4:15 - 5:00 PM Choir Rehearsal - Thursdays at 7:00 PM. CHURCH OPEN FOR PRAYER & REFLECTION
HEALING PRAYER MEETING Tuesday, December 3 – 7:30 PM “DO NOTHING ADVENT”
HOLIDAY STROLL Friday, December 6 – Begins 4:00 PM Community Carol Sing @ 6:30 PM GIRLS FRIENDLY SOCIETY Saturday, December 7– 9:00 AM BAKE SALE Sunday, December 8 – after both services Tuesday, December 17 – 6:30 PM CHRISTMAS PAGEANT REHEARSAL Sundays December 8, 15 & 22 – 11:00 AM ST. NICHOLAS FESTIVAL Sunday, December 8 – both services HOLIDAY TEA Saturday, December 14 – Noon Limited seating. St. Paul's will host a Christmas tea in Wilkinson Hall on Saturday December 14 at 12:00 PM. Included with admission is your choice of tea, along with a selection of finger sandwiches, fruits, and deserts. Tickets are $15 and only 50 will be available. Please see Ben Henry after the service for tickets. He can also be reached at benhenry683@gmail.com. **DEADLINE FOR THE JANUARY NEWSLETTER IS TUESDAY, DECEMBER 17th** |
Christmastide 2019 at St. Paul’s
Tuesday, December 24: The Eve of the Nativity
Wednesday, December 25: Christmas Day
Sunday, December 29: First Sunday after Christmas
OFFICE HOURS
Holy Baptism The Sacrament of Holy Baptism may be celebrated on the following Feast Days: the Sunday after All Saints (November 3), the Sunday after the Epiphany (January 12, 2020) and Easter Eve (April 11). Preparation for this celebration of Christian initiation includes a formal application and participation of parents and godparents in our Baptism Workshop and Rehearsal. Please direct any inquiries to the Rector at 203-269-5050 or rector@stpaulswallingford.org. Lighting the Advent Candles One of the ways we mark the four expectant weeks of Advent is by lighting the candles on the Advent wreath week by week. If you would like to do this during one of the four weeks of Advent, please contact the Rector at rector@stpaulswallingford.org or 203-269-5050. Single folks, empty-nesters and families welcome! The Sundays of Advent are December 1, 8, 15 and 22. Nicholas celebration on December 8 We are holding a Christmas bake and crafts sale after both services. We will be selling fresh baked items, handmade craft items (made by our girls) and some other Christmas items. Money raised will support our branch efforts. On December 17, we will meet for the last time in 2019 and have a Christmas Party! Thank you for continuing to support the St. Paul’s Girls’ Friendly Society! Respectfully submitted, Karen Rowe, Branch Advisor, Jane Smith, Leader, Kate Adams, Leader |
Adult Forum
The Collects of Advent Each Sunday we begin worship with a collect—a prayer that reflects the theme of that service and its lessons. During the four Sundays of Advent (Dec. 1, 8, 15, 22), the Adult Forum will reflect on the collect for each Sunday. We will learn about the standard format of a collect and explore how each collect helps us focus on a key aspect of our journey through the season of Advent as we prepare for the celebration of Jesus’ incarnation. The Forum meets on Sunday mornings at 9:00 during Advent in the upstairs Common Room (note new location) – all are welcome!
Church School
The Collects of Advent Each Sunday we begin worship with a collect—a prayer that reflects the theme of that service and its lessons. During the four Sundays of Advent (Dec. 1, 8, 15, 22), the Adult Forum will reflect on the collect for each Sunday. We will learn about the standard format of a collect and explore how each collect helps us focus on a key aspect of our journey through the season of Advent as we prepare for the celebration of Jesus’ incarnation. The Forum meets on Sunday mornings at 9:00 during Advent in the upstairs Common Room (note new location) – all are welcome!
Church School
- We have a full month of church school during December! Our pageant practice schedule accommodates both church school and the pageant. Church school will start at 9:15 and pageant practice will start at 11:00. This allows pageant participants to grab a quick bite to eat at coffee hour before starting their rehearsals. Please note that not all pageant participants will need to attend rehearsal each week. See your schedule or contact Miss Frances for details christianeducation@stpaulswallingford.org
- St. Nicholas Sunday will be on December 8th. St. Nicholas will visit the classrooms for a Q&A session and then lead the kids into church. Kids, don’t forget to wear your warm and fun socks so St. Nicholas can leave you a small gift in your shoes! Please leave your shoes outside your classroom door.
- Check out our new Advent materials! From the same company that created last year’s advent posters comes, ‘An Illustrated Advent for Families: In Light and Darkness.” Pick up your advent calendar and weekly advent bulletins from the card table in Miss Frances’ office. Please share pictures of your advent activities with us and we will put them up in the church! Please email them to christianeducation@stpaulswallingford.org.
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Vestry Highlights from November Meeting
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Budget Update
Our budget deficit continues to run higher than in previous years. In most years, we receive more income than expenses in November and December, due to fund-raising income (principally from the Holiday Fair), people completing their pledge payments, receipt of matching gifts, and Christmas donations. We will need all of these income sources to come through for us in order to keep our deficit for the year at the level we expected in the budget, which was about $65,000 and larger than our deficit the past four years. While we have a significant endowment in our Sacred Trust Fund, at the fund's inception the parish established by-laws that do not enable us to use the Fund to cover recurring operating expenses. Therefore, it is incumbent upon all of us to keep our pledges up to date and do all that we can to minimize our operating deficit. Thank you. Build UP our Pledging for 2020! A hearty thank you to everyone who has turned in a pledge form for 2020, and an extra-special thanks to those who heeded the call to “build up” your monetary gifts to support God’s mission here. Even an extra $5 a week makes a big difference and would help us move toward eliminating the draw from our General Fund endowment. If you’ve not already done so, please place your form in today’s offering or drop it off in the office during the week. Pledge forms are available at each entrance, or pledge online at stpaulswallingford.org. We encourage you to see if your employer offers Matching Gifts. Please contact the parish office for more information on how we can arrange for St. Paul’s to be the beneficiary. THANK YOU! |
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Earlier today Raymond Bryant delivered another collection of non-perishable food items to our food pantry- 64 pounds. With 400+ families shopping weekly through our food pantry it takes a lot of food to keep our shelves full and we sure appreciate all of the donations from your very generous congregation!
Thank you so much- Sue Heald, manager P.S. Thank you from all of us at St. Paul’s to Ray Bryant for faithfully delivering the food and thank you to Sharon Rogalski for taking over when Ray is on vacation! Thanks to all who donate! St. Paul’s Girls’ Friendly Society Fall 2019 Update St. Paul’s GFS has been meeting on the first Saturday morning and third Tuesday evening since September. This is a report of our activities for the Fall season! At our first meeting in September, the girls put together dog and cat treat bags to be given out at Celebrate Wallingford, inviting people to our annual Blessing of the Animals. The girls assembled over 400 bags and had a fun time doing it!In October, we met on a Saturday and baked quick breads. The girls measured ingredients, cracked eggs and mixed and poured the batter into the pans for baking. We made our breads to place in our Thanksgiving bags which will be distributed to our senior and shut-in members of the parish. At our second October meeting, the girls made “Funky Pumpkins” out of rolls of toilet paper, material and a cinnamon stick for a stem! Fun and practical! At our November 2 meeting, the girls joined our sister branch at Grace and St. Peter’s Church in Hamden. The morning began with a prayer service with each of the girls participating and music provided by Father Bob on guitar! The morning continued with a yummy brunch and then an art project. The girls decorated canvas bags to be given away at our GFS World Council meeting in South Africa this August. Speaking of World Council, Kate Adams, our co-leader and parishioner, has been chosen to be the Connecticut Delegate to World Council! What a wonderful opportunity for her to meet with young women from around the globe!Following our WDP service day, the girls helped put together “Blessing Bags” for the homeless. We were asked to make up these bags by a friend and former parishioner, Bruce Clarke, who currently lives in Boston. Bruce contacted me and stated that he has been very troubled by all of the homeless people he encounters on a daily basis in the city. He asked if we would like to make up “Blessing Bags” for him to distribute. (Blessing Bags contain items such as a new pair of socks, toothbrush, toothpaste, Kleenex, hand warmers and some snack food items.) Twenty bags were blessed on Sunday, November 3. Bruce said he will start giving them out when the weather turns colder. We thank Bruce for giving us this opportunity to serve. What a blessing and an example of “helping to bear one another’s burdens”, which is part of our GFS prayer! At our November 19 meeting, the girls will decorate the Thanksgiving bags, sign cards and fill the bags with their breads and other care items. The bags will be distributed on Sunday November 24 by the girls and other volunteer parishioners. On December 7, the girls will meet to discuss Advent and make a holiday craft. On the Sunday of our parish St. Nicholas celebration on December 8, we are holding a Christmas bake and crafts sale after both services. We will be selling fresh baked items, handmade craft items (made by our girls) and some other Christmas items. Money raised will support our branch efforts. On December 17, we will meet for the last time in 2019 and have a Christmas Party! Thank you for continuing to support the St. Paul’s Girls’ Friendly Society! Respectfully submitted, Karen Rowe, Branch Advisor, Jane Smith, Leader, Kate Adams, Leader |
Mercy Center Retreat Our annual retreat at “Mercy Center By the Sea” in Madison will be held on May 9th from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM. I’m happy to say that our facilitator will be Shancia Jarrett, our Seminarian, who loves Mercy Center just as we do. She has shared some of her special skills at the Fellowship Thursdays Bible Study. I will need a deposit of $10.00 as soon as possible to hold our meeting room which is near to the beach area. If the weather isn’t cooperative, there are two comfortable sitting rooms with windows overlooking the sky and ocean where you are warm, comfortable and quiet. The deposit may be made in cash or check made out to Vivian Horvath. Any questions see me at church or call me at 203-284-8873. --Thank you, Vivian Horvath A note from the Property Chairman In the new year we are splitting property into two parts; grounds and building. It takes a lot of hands to keep this building and grounds in beautiful condition. I am planning a work night for January 8, 2020 at 7:00 – 9:00 PM to inventory our needs and compile a list. Please come. If you are interested in joining the team, see Gene Gervais after church or call 203-314-9368 or email rggervais50@gmail.com In case you were wondering . . . After serious consideration, the Vestry decided to purchase a set of portable panic buttons to be available as a discreet but prudent safety measure. These items will be worn by designated leaders during public events. Please direct any questions to the Wardens or Rector. St. Paul’s website has gone through a complete redesign but it needs your help. Have you visited our web page (www.stpaulswallingford.org) recently? Have you dug deeper to read through content and considered the message the website provides? If you do a little research on the web regarding what makes a good church website, you will find dozens of articles and blogs with similar advice. The Friends of Ministry website (https://friendsofministry.com/11-characteristics-of-effective-church-websites/) is one such example. Their suggestions on best characteristics of an effective website include: 1) Clearly communicates what makes your church unique; 2) Tells the truth; 3) Welcomes visitors and answers their questions; 4) Is easy to navigate; 5) Is always current and correct; 6) Provides complete information; 7) Is integrated with social networks people already use; 8) Is a ministry in itself; 9) Is evolving; and 10) Is mobile-friendly. Using those ten principles, the St. Paul’s website has transformed from the old layout into a new modern version that hopefully proclaims our mission, “In this church their will be no outcasts,” and invites visitors to “Come inside.” This is a big step one but only the beginning. Now it needs content that is current, accurate, and descriptive to complete the picture of who we are and what we believe. That is where you come in. What is lacking is content for the Ministries section. We do so much in our community and say so little about it. Please provide descriptions, updates, pictures, short videos, posters, or anything to fill in this hole. There is a new page called Website Submissions (https://www.stpaulswallingford.org/website-submissions.html) where you can upload files or fill in a webform with more information. If you are a leader of a group please consider adding content to share with the world your mission and achievements. Thank you. Respectful submitted by Andrew Speyer (ajspeyer@gmail.com) your Web Caretaker (the term “Webmaster” has been retired as well.) P.S. A good garden needs more than one gardener. If your time and talents afford you a little time, please contact me to maintain this mission. No previous gardening experience necessary. |