Dear St. Paul's,
As Ascension Day heralds the transition from Easter to Pentecost, the Church takes stock of the power of resurrection to transform the world in all places and times. Were it not so, Christianity would be oriented toward the past, and therefore destined for historical obscurity. But the faith holds that the Spirit, described in Acts as descending like tongues of fire, reveals and animates God’s relentless mission of love even today.
In recent decades, our little corner of Christianity has been widely blessed by the Spirit with the revelation of the Church’s call to welcome, include, and celebrate LGBTQ people as both members and neighbors. Related work of repentance and renunciation of sins of hubris, judgment, and cruelty is ongoing. Even so, we have short memories, and it’s easy for many Episcopalians, myself included, to forget that well-established aspects of our common life that we think of as uncontroversial—the marriage and ordination of LGBTQ Episcopalians, most obviously—are met by many of our Christian and unchurched neighbors with surprise.
For these reasons, St. Paul’s has participated in Charlottesville’s Pride Festival, but our presence has often been informal and inconsistent. This year, I am pleased that the Mission & Service Task Force has helped make our connection to Cville Pride official, reserving a tent and table for St. Paul’s where we can let all our neighbors know and see how God has acted in our faith community. As you give thanks for the continuing work of the Spirit, I invite you to put the Pride Festival on your calendar for September 14, and to look for further announcements about St. Paul’s participation.
- Will
The Rev. William Peyton
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This Sunday at St. Paul's
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Seventh Sunday of Easter
(Readings: Acts 16:16-34 / Psalm 97 / John 17:20-26)
8 a.m. –
Holy Eucharist in the Chapel
(quiet, traditional)
9:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. –
Nursery Care: birth - kindergarten
(Sunday school wing)
10 a.m. –
Holy Eucharist with Choir
(festive, intergenerational)
11:15 a.m. –
Sunday School: pre-K - 5th grade
(Sunday school wing)
11:15 a.m. –
Youth Groups: 6th - 8th & 9th - 12th grades
(Sunday school wing)
11:15 a.m. –
Coffee Hour and Fellowship
(parish hall)
5:30 p.m. –
Evening Eucharist in the Chapel
(informal, candlelit)
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Music Notes
About Sunday’s organ music:
Jean Langlais (1907-1991) followed the venerable organists César Franck and Charles Tournemire in becoming principal organist at Sainte Clotilde in Paris. Like his predecessors, he possessed enormous skill as improviser, with Gregorian chant as the primary point of departure. It is easy to imagine that his paraphrase on
Ave maria, ave maris stella began as an improvisation for one of the Marian feasts at St. Clotilde. The two themes are intertwined amidst a beautiful fabric of organ color and late impressionist harmonies.
Ceremonial March by the English composer Herbert Sumsion (1899-1985) is a celebratory piece, suitable for weddings, graduations and other festive occasions. Sumsion is associated with a very long tenure at Gloucester Cathedral, following in the footsteps of Herbert Brewer and Herbert Howells. He worked closely with Elgar and Vaughan Williams in conjunction with the
Three Choirs Festival and was greatly influenced by their style.
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TODAY, Thursday, May 30, 5:30 p.m. –
Organ Recital and Choral Evensong for Ascension Day
(details below)
Saturday, June 1, 12 p.m. –
Marriage of Jacqueline Langholtz & William Taylor
Monday, June 3, 9 p.m. –
Compline
(chancel)
Tuesday, June 4, 12:15 p.m. –
Holy Eucharist
(chapel)
Thursday, June 6, 7:30 a.m. –
Bible Study
(library)
Sunday, June 9 –
Pentecost
(wear red!)
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Organ Recital and Choral Evensong for Ascension Day TODAY – Ascension Day, the 40th day after Easter, commemorates the ascension of the resurrected Christ to heaven, and is one of just seven Principal Feasts observed in the Episcopal Church.
Today,
May 30, at 5:30 p.m., Jonathan Schakel and Deke Polifka will present a 30-minute organ recital, featuring music of Franck, Messiaen and Walton. A Choral Evensong will follow at 6 p.m., sung by the Parish Choir, to include music of Sanders, Stanford and Candlyn. Reception following. All are welcome for this special celebration of Ascension Day!
End-of-Year Celebration of Children & Youth Ministries – After the 10 a.m. service on
Pentecost Sunday, June 9, all are invited to a festive reception in the parish hall as we introduce Peyton Williams, our new Director of Children's & Youth Ministries, and celebrate our Renovation Team and all the leaders and participants in our Sunday School, Youth Group, and Acolyte programs.
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Contemplative Prayer – The Wednesday afternoon contemplative practices group is taking a break during the summer, though some members are planning to gather informally. If you are interested in joining the group or being on the email list, please contact Jessica Lowe at jessicaklowe@gmail.com.
Stephen Ministry at St. Paul’s – The Stephen Ministry program pairs parishioners (and non-parishioners) in times of transition, sorrow, or crisis with trained Stephen Ministers, who offer them confidential, one-on-one support, care, and prayer for an extended but limited period of time. If you are a committed parishioner with gifts for sharing compassion and encouragement, you are invited to explore the possibility of becoming a Stephen Minister. Stephen Ministers are good listeners who know how to be prayerfully present with a person in pain without taking on responsibility for fixing the problem. In the fall of 2019, Stephen Leaders will train a new class of Stephen Ministers at St. Paul’s.
To learn more about this ministry, plan to attend an information session immediately after the 10 a.m. service this Sunday, June 2.
Summer Choir – If you are interested in joining the choir, for summer or long-term, the summer is an excellent time to check it out, without a weekday commitment. In June, July and August, the Parish Choir rehearses on Sunday mornings only at 9 a.m., and continues to sing for the 10 a.m. service each Sunday. For more information please contact Deke Polifka, Director of Music and Organist: deke.polifka@spmcuva.org.
EfM Openings for Fall 2019 – Are you seeking to deepen and grow your faith? Education for Ministry (EfM) uses a curriculum designed by the University of the South - Sewanee. Trained mentor(s) facilitate the EfM small seminar group of no more than 12 participants. EfM helps participants develop the skills and insights to understand their lives through a theological lens that can help shape their actions and ministry. EfM participants commit to one year at a time, and the full curriculum is covered over four years. There is a tuition fee. EfM meets on Monday mornings at St. Paul’s from September to May. For more information contact Karen Mawyer (ksmawyer@gmail.com, 434-906-9841), and visit the
Sewanee EfM website.
The Jane Rotch Memorial Organ – The Vestry has decided to buy an exquisite chamber organ for the Chapel, and to dedicate it in memory of Jane Rotch. Contributions in Jane's memory are being gratefully received. More information about this effort is available in a brochure that can be found
here, and in the narthex and the parish hall.
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2019: A Foundation for the Future – If you haven't yet made a 2019 commitment, you may do so
here, or mail or bring a pledge card to church anytime. Be part of a thriving 2019 at St. Paul's!
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St. Paul’s Annual Parish Weekend at Shrine Mont: July 12-14
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Our Shrine Mont registration is open!
Shrine Mont is the spectacular 1,100-acre mountain retreat center of the Diocese of Virginia, 90 minutes from Charlottesville in Orkney Springs, Virginia. St. Paul's weekend includes time for individual and group activities like hiking, biking, swimming, fishing, tennis, and our annual kickball extravaganza, as well as ample opportunity for inactivity, like napping, reading, or just sitting on the porch.
Our Shrine Mont weekend is Friday afternoon through Sunday lunch, July 12-14.
UPDATE: Our new Director of Children's & Youth Ministries, Peyton Williams, will be joining us for our parish weekend at Shrine Mont. Come help welcome her to Shrine Mont and to the St. Paul's community!
Register for the weekend
here
!
Subsidized rates for St. Paul's parishioners are as follows:
Children 18 and under – free
Adults in double rooms – $150 each
Adults in single rooms – $200 each
Details on rates for non-parishioners are available on the registration form.
Registration deadline is Friday, June 28.
Questions? Contact Alice Fitch at the church office: alice.fitch@spmcuva.org or 434-295-2156.
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Holding each other's joys, sorrows and concerns before God in prayer is a spiritual practice that characterizes our life together at St. Paul's. In our worship services we pray each other's prayers together. Outside of our time together many parishioners make it part of their daily lives to pray the prayers of the parish community. You are invited to participate in your own way.
Thanks be to God
for the ministry of Carol Buckner & Buck Smith as acolyte coordinators,
and for the service of all of our acolytes: Helen Albiston, Brendan Allen, Christopher Allen, Moira Allen, Katherine Barth, Caroline Bolton, Ian Bolton, Zyir Cayasso, Fred Claibourn, Betsy Daniel, Charlotte DeVillier, Jack DeVillier, Lucas Fuller, Mason Grasty, Chip Hall, Rachel Hall, Avery Hoppe, Sophia Kawecki, Langston Kerner, Matthew McCullough, Angus Munro, Alex Nachbar, Jack Nachbar, Jamie Nachbar, Elle Polifka, Richard Potter, James Rambo, Ainsley Rightmyer, Wythe Rightmyer, Hannah Seidman, Buck Smith, Elena Tavernise, Pia Tavernise, Margaret Vincel, Trimmer Vincel, Emily Webber, Katherine Webber, Katherine Yencken.
for the ministry of our Sunday School teachers and Youth Group leaders: Peggy Galloway, Lara Hall, Frank Rambo (PreK - 1); Michele Allen, E.D. Rambo, Ed Tourangeau (2nd & 3rd); Sophie Gibson, Christie Thomas, Ellen Tully (4th & 5th); Steve Bolton, Cedric Harper, Beth Molmen, Kevin Warren (6th - 8th); Matthew Carter, Kevin Lonabaugh, Maggie Rogers (9th - 12th); and of the countless parishioners who have supported their work.
for the leadership of our Children's & Youth Ministries Renovation Team, and their dedication to our year-long renovation process: Eleanor Hoppe, David Litherland, Jennifer Minetree, Frank Rambo, and Leah Wise, and Ministry Architects consultants Mary Beth Abplanalp and Dennis Steeger.
for the faithful gifts of all who support the life and ministries of St. Paul's, including the 242 households who have made financial commitments for 2019, and all who have contributed to the Jane Rotch Memorial Chamber Organ.
Your prayers are requested
for St. Paul’s this Easter season, that our ministry in the world may be a sign of resurrection life.
for members and friends of the parish who are sick, sorrowful, or in any kind of trouble, including David Nelson, Anne, Mary Elizabeth Beck, Anne, Ruth, Mary Ann Miller, David, Lila M., Pierce, Doug Vest, Libba, Jim, Matti, Bob, John, John Ritchie, Debby Strzepek, Lynda, Joyce, Joy, Margaret Ann, Tyson Kemp, the Haamel family, Judith Kovacs & her family, Katie, Kyle, Emmett & Townson, Barbara, Helen, Nick, Sallie Brown, Joann, Ted, Becca, Betty Kerner, Paul, Mike, Kathy, Robin, Barrett.
for Peyton Williams as she prepares to begin her work as St. Paul's Director of Children's & Youth Ministries on June 17.
for parishioners preparing for marriage, including Jacqueline Langholtz & William Taylor, to be married this Saturday.
for neighbors who are homeless or struggling to pay rent, and for all our partners in IMPACT as we continue to seek housing justice in our community.
for Kris Roi Episcopal Church and School in Léger, Haiti, and for our growing partnership with them.
for our city and community and nation; for the victims of racism, injustice, and oppression; and for all who serve the common good in law enforcement and the courts.
St. Luke’s Wellington, Alexandria and Christ Church, Alexandria, according to the Diocesan Cycle of Prayer.
for La Iglesia Anglicana de Mexico, and for their Presiding Bishop, the Most Rev. Francisco Moreno, according to the Anglican Cycle of Prayer.
We commend to God’s never-failing care
victims of violence and warfare throughout the world, including migrants and refugees who have died fleeing danger.
all whom we love but see no more, including Jean Lang Cargile, Mark H. Saunders, and Kim Webster Somers.
John Speed and Sydney D. Elliott, in whose loving memory this Sunday's flowers are given.
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