A Note from the University Chaplain & Associate Rector
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Dear St. Paul's,
In a recent conversation with some college students, we explored our spiritual identities. We talked about our sense of what it means to be a Christian. Each of us was troubled that our tradition has been hijacked by ideas we don’t believe—things like exclusivity, sacrificial atonement, patriarchy, and a whole host of binaries about human experience, just to name a few.
The literalist, anti-scientific, transactional definition of Christianity has gotten so much air-time that most Americans believe the nonsense. And, the inaccurate portrayal is so insidious that many of us—whether clergy, college students, or year-round parishioners—don’t want the Christian label because it associates us with all that we find antithetical to the way of love. So we qualify; we apologize; we distance ourselves.
Our way of being Christian in this church is not some watered down version of “true Christianity.” It is not just some liberal pipe-dream. Our way is the ancient way. We are firmly rooted in Christ—in sacrificial love, in making the world right, in radical equality. It is not that we are offering an alternative form of Christianity—we are reclaiming the very heart and soul of Christianity. That is what The University Fellowship is all about. That is what St. Paul’s is all about. We are holding up to this University and this city a way of being Christian that most people have never heard. We are undoing the delusions. It is time to put away our equivocation and say, “I am a Christian. Let me tell you what that means. You might be surprised.”
- Mark
The Rev. Mark Wastler
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Sunday, October 20, at St. Paul's
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Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost
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. –
Adult Forum: Sex and Spirituality
(parish hall)
11:15 a.m. –
Sunday School: pre-K - 5th grade
(Sunday school wing)
11:15 a.m. –
Youth Group: 6th - 12th grades
(Sunday school wing)
5:30 p.m. –
Evening Eucharist in the Chapel
(informal, candlelit)
6:30 p.m. –
The University Fellowship Sunday Supper: Casual meal and conversation, free and open to all undergraduate students
(lounge)
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This Sunday, the Junior Choir sings a beautiful setting of Psalm 121 (
“I lift mine eyes unto the hills”) by Austin Lovelace. This arrangement uses the familiar “Turtle Dove” folk song, accompanied by flute and piano. The Parish Choir offers a fresh setting of
Ave verum corpus by Canadian composer Stephanie Martin (b. 1962). An accomplished composer of works for both voices and instruments, Martin’s awards include first prize in the Exultate Chamber Singers’ competition (2009), and first prize in the Association of Anglican Musicians competition (2010). She is associate professor of music at York University’s School of the Arts, Media, Performance and Design.
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Monday, October 21, 7 p.m. –
The University Fellowship Conversations on Faith & Life
(Canterbury house)
Monday, October 21, 8 p.m. –
Compline
(chancel)
Tuesday, October 22, 12:15 p.m. –
Holy Eucharist
(chapel)
Tuesday, October 22, 7 p.m. –
Vestry Meeting
(lounge)
Wednesday, October 23, 3:45 p.m. –
Chorister Training
(choir room)
Wednesday, October 23, 4:30 p.m. –
Primary Choir Rehearsal
(Sunday school wing)
Wednesday, October 23, 4:30 p.m. –
Junior Choir Rehearsal
(choir room)
Wednesday, October 23, 5:30 p.m. –
Evening Prayer, with homily by Director of Music & Organist, Deke Polifka
(brief, informal, all ages)
Wednesday, October 23, 6 p.m. –
Dinner for all
(parish hall)
Wednesday, October 23, 7 p.m. –
Parish Choir Rehearsal
(choir room)
Thursday, October 24, 7:30 a.m. –
Bible Study
(library)
Thursday, October 24, 6:30 p.m. –
IMPACT Annual Assembly
(details below)
Friday, October 25, 4 p.m. –
Marriage of Katharine Somers and Andrew Manning
Saturday, October 26, 5:30 p.m. –
Youth Group Fall Outing
(details below)
Sunday, October 27 –
Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost
Sunday, October 27, 11:15 a.m. –
Chili and Pumpkin Carving
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Envisioning the Future of St. Paul's Facilities – At Shrine Mont last summer, we kicked off a parish-wide conversation about the future of our buildings. This fall, all parishioners are invited to continue the conversation by participating in any of five visioning meetings facilitated by the Rev. Will Peyton, Junior Warden Erika Viccellio, and parishioner Jody Lahendro, an architect with extensive experience in building and renovating churches.
We won't be talking about dollars or design; those are questions for capital-campaign consultants and architects down the road. For now, we'll simply share our hopes and dreams for the ways we'd like our buildings and facilities to support our mission in the coming years.
Please plan to attend any of the following sessions:
- Monday, October 28, 7 - 8 p.m., at the Canterbury House (the regular weekly meeting of The University Fellowship)
- Wednesday, October 30, 3 - 4:30 p.m., at Westminster Canterbury (contact the office for more details)
- Wednesday, November 6, 6:30 - 8 p.m., in the lounge
- Sunday, November 10, 3:30 - 5 p.m., in the parish hall
- Wednesday, November 13, 8:30 - 10 a.m., in the lounge
Adult Formation – During the Adult Forum this Sunday, we will continue our series on the human body with a presentation by Mark Wastler on "Sex and Spirituality."
Hearing Loop – The hearing loop installed in the nave has been repaired and restored. Our hearing loop allows hearing aids equipped with a T-coil to pick up the sounds spoken into the PA system's microphones. For those without hearing aids, we also have portable receivers available. Please ask an usher for more information.
All Saints' Day – We will have a mid-day service on All Saints' Day,
Friday, November 1, at 12:15 p.m.
All Saints' Sunday – On All Saints'
Sunday, November 3, at all three services, we’ll read the names of members and loved ones who have died since last All Saints’ Day. Anyone who has been in the weekly prayers for the dead will be automatically included; to double-check, or to add a name, call or email Office Manager Alice Fitch (434-295-2156 or alice.fitch@spmcuva.org). To memorialize someone who died prior to last All Saints’, you can contribute to memorial flowers for any Sunday (more details below).
All Saints’ Sunday Baptisms – The next scheduled baptism date is All Saints’
Sunday, November 3. To inquire about baptism for yourself or an infant or young child, call or email the office to schedule a conversation with the Rector about preparation for baptism: 434-295-2156 or office@spmcuva.org.
Flower Memorials – The donations received from flower memorials are used to buy flowers for the church throughout the year. St. Paul’s is blessed each week by the ministry of our Flower Guild, a group of volunteer parishioners who enhance and honor our worship with beautiful floral arrangements throughout the year. Interested in offering a flower memorial? The Flower Guild will create a lovely arrangement to honor your loved one, and your memorial will be noted in our Sunday service bulletin. Please contact Office Manager Alice Fitch (alice.fitch@spmcuva.org or 434-295-2156) with the date of your requested thanksgiving or memorial.
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Festive Choral Evensong for All Saints' – On
Sunday, November 3 at 5:30 p.m, the St. Paul’s Parish Choir will combine with the choir of Christ Episcopal Church for a festive Choral Evensong celebrating the Feast of All Saints’. The combined choir will include more than 50 singers, offering glorious music by Herbert Howells, Edgar Bainton, Humphrey Clucas, Egil Hovland, Maurice Duruflé and more. Peyton Williams, our Director of Children’s & Youth Ministries, will serve as officiant. Considered the “crown-jewel” of the Anglican choral tradition, Evensong is a form of Evening Prayer that draws from the medieval Latin offices of Vespers and Compline. This service is unique to churches of the Anglican Communion and has remained unchanged for centuries. A reception will follow in the parish hall.
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Children's & Youth Ministries
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Youth Group Fall Outing – All middle and high schoolers are invited to Liberty Mills Farm this Saturday evening, October 19, to check out the largest corn maze in Virginia! We will meet at St. Paul’s for pizza at 5:30 p.m. and will be back to church by 10:00 p.m. If you can join us, email Children's & Youth Ministries Director Peyton Williams at p.williams@spmcuva.org by Friday at noon to let her know that you can make it!
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Chili and Pumpkin Carving – On
Sunday, October 27, after the 10 a.m. service, parishioners of all ages will gather for chili, apple cider, and pumpkin-decorating! St. Paul's will provide the cider and the fixings, but we need volunteers to bring chili, cornbread and sweets. Email Children's & Youth Ministries Director Peyton Williams at p.williams@spmcuva.org to sign up. Bring your own pumpkin to carve, as well as a carving tool. This event is always great fun, so come join us and get ready for Halloween!
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IMPACT Annual Assembly – Help create a community of justice! IMPACT's 14th Annual Assembly will be held on
Thursday, October 24, from 6:30 - 8 p.m. at Church of the Incarnation (1465 Incarnation Drive). We will gather with hundreds of neighbors from 27 diverse congregations, get updates from city and county officials on our current efforts to improve the availability of affordable housing, and select a new issue to work on in the coming months. Come pray, sing, and kick off a year of making an IMPACT! Questions? Contact John Frazee (john.g.frazee@gmail.com) or Mary Preston (molumphy@aol.com) or IMPACT associate organizer Aidan Workman (aidan@impactcville.com).
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Kris Roi Episcopal Church and School – Before a small group from St. Paul’s first visited Kris Roi (Haitian Creole for “Christ the King”) in 2017, the Episcopal community there had been working with St. Paul’s School in Concord, New Hampshire on a system designed to use solar power to pump clean water from a nearby spring to a tank at the church building. Before the project could be completed, St. Paul’s School discontinued student travel to Haiti. Students had raised money for the project, but without personal contact, it was difficult to move it forward.
Through an innovative three-way partnership facilitated by the Episcopal Church’s Haiti Partnership program, St. Paul’s School, SPMC, and Kris Roi have begun to make progress. With a three-way agreement in place to assure communication and accountability, St. Paul’s School has agreed to release $26,000 to fund the first phase of the water project. In addition to two trips by parishioners and TUF students, SPMC’s participation has included extensive consultation between the Haitian engineer and parishioner Pat Punch, also an engineer; Mary Preston’s determined efforts to open and maintain communication between SPMC, Kris Roi, and St. Paul’s School; and generous translation help from Barry Keith and Vickie Gottlob.
All three partners are hopeful that a visit to Kris Roi by SPMC parishioners and St. Paul’s School faculty can be arranged for early 2020.
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A New Chapter for the African Development Project – The African Development Project (ADP) is a decades-old ministry founded by St. Paul’s parishioners to support educational, environmental, and economic-development programs in Kenya and Uganda. ADP currently supports four projects and organizations: The Privilege School near Migori, Kenya; the Kitui Development Center, which runs women’s savings groups and other economic and agricultural initiatives in Kenya; a reforestation program; and a multi-village project in Uganda focusing on self-sufficiency through savings and credit groups, dairy goats, and high-yield crops.
At the Privilege School, ADP funds have provided tuition, uniforms, and food for orphaned students, as well as building improvements such as water tanks, plaster, and windows. Principal Lydiah Vusaka recently wrote to thank ADP for its latest financial gift of $4,000: “This amount is really going to help the school to manage this term’s needs. The orphans are doing well! We are grateful, dear friends. You will ever be in our prayers.” ADP’s current focus is on raising $3,000 for a water project to assist the Kitui Development Center.
Changes in non-profit accounting rules and church-finance protocols have recently necessitated changes in the administrative relationship between ADP and St. Paul’s. After a prayerful exploration of several options in consultation with the Rector and Vestry, ADP leadership has decided to move forward as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization independent of St. Paul’s. This transition, expected to take effect in 2020, assures continuity in ADP’s autonomy, fundraising, and relationships in East Africa, and it allows St. Paul’s to continue to be a supportive partner.
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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 hospitality of The University Fellowship, who prepared our Wednesday night dinner this week.
for the faithful gifts of all who support the life and ministries of St. Paul's, including the 252 households who have made financial commitments for 2019.
Your prayers are requested
for members and friends of the parish who are sick, sorrowful, or in any kind of trouble, including David Nelson, Anne, Ruth, Mary Ann Miller, David, Pierce, Doug Vest, Libba, Jim, Bob, John, John Ritchie, Lynda, Joyce, Joy, Margaret Ann, Judith Kovacs & her family, Katie, Helen, Joann, Ted, Becca, Paul, Kathy, Jan Bravo, Cece, Jeff, Andrew & Devin, Louise Sinclair, Jason, Nancy, Tom, Christine, Joshua & Julian, Muriel, Jessica, Sally Myers & her family, Sandy Gilliam, David, Karen, Peter & Cosette, Katherine, Christopher Hamlett, Glen Peterson, Stephanie.
for those preparing for marriage, including parishioners Katie Somers & Andrew Manning, to be married at St. Paul's on October 25.
for the partners of the African Development Project in Kenya and Uganda, and for all who benefit from their work.
for Kris Roi Episcopal Church and School in the Diocese of Haiti, and for our partnership with them and St. Paul's School in New Hampshire.
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.
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 St. Andrew’s, Mt. Jackson; Emmanuel, Woodstock; and Calvary, Front Royal, according to the Diocesan Cycle of Prayer.
for the Church in the Province of the West Indies, 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.
Bill Kerner, in whose loving memory this Sunday's flowers are given.
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