Updates and Highlights this Week @ St. Paul's |
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Merry Christmas to you, your friends and family! It was a joy to worship online together on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Our Christmas Celebration will remain available to watch throughout the Christmas season (through January 5th) HERE.
Please note our offices will be closed December 28th - January 1st to give our staff a well-deserved break (Evening Prayer will continue nightly at 6:00 p.m.).
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This Sunday's Worship Service | Diocesan-Wide Worship @ 10:00 a.m.
St. Paul’s will not host Sunday worship on December 27 th but will join our Bishops and the wider Diocesean Community for a Christmas Festival of Lessons and Music. Bishop Goff will preside, and the service will feature Scripture readings and music from congregations across the Diocese. We will share this service on our WEBSITE HERE or on our Facebook page at 10:00 a.m. There will be no Coffee Hour this Sunday.
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Call for Vestry Nominations due Sunday, December 27th
If you have persons that you’d like to nominate for the next vestry class, please send your names to vestry@stpaulsrva.org. Your nominees should give consent to standing for election, should be faithful attendees of worship, involved in the life of the community, and have a love for St. Paul’s and its vision. You can read a letter from the Vestry Nominating Committee about the voting process for 2021 HERE. For more information about our Vestry and who is currently serving, visit our Vestry Page HERE. The window for nominations closes end of day on Sunday, December 27th.
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Save the Date and Register | Beyond Good Intentions on January 12th |
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Prayers of the Parish
The single most important action we take as Christians is to pray for each other and our world. Each week in Grace Notes, we prepare “Prayers of the Parish” for you to include in your daily prayers and devotions during the week. These prayers are meant to encourage and inspire all of us to “rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances” as St. Paul urges in his first letter to the Church of Thessalonica (1 Thes 5:16-18) so that Jesus may come alive in us to heal, mend and transform the world around us according to God’s will. The Prayers of the Parish are like Prayers of the People in that we pray for the Universal Church, the nation, world, God’s creation, local community, the sick and suffering, and the departed. Whereas the Prayers of the People are suited for our Sunday liturgy with participation by the whole assembly, the Prayers of the Parish are designed for daily, individual practice, and as such, include more detail and specific intercessions and thanksgivings.
You can find this week's PRAYERS HERE. These are the same prayers that could previously be found at the end of our Grace Notes e-mail.
As always, you may submit prayer requests to be included in both the Prayers of the Parish as well as for the Sunday Prayers of the People by emailing Carter Johann (cjohann@stpaulsrva.org). Please provide any feedback or questions to the Rev. Gwynn Crichton (gcrichton@stpaulsrva.org).
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Make Your End of Year Financial Gift or Pledge | Your support matters!
Thank you to everyone who has pledged and given financially this year! We are incredibly grateful for everyone's generosity and participation during such a challenging year. Together your gifts help to ensure that St. Paul's remains a welcoming community for everyone and a church that seeks to meet needs around the corner and across the ocean.
If you have not already pledged, you can still PLEDGE ONLINE HERE. You can also set up a one-time or recurring donation ONLINE HERE.
If you would like to give your gift by check or stock option, mail to 815 E. Grace Street, Richmond, VA 23219 or contact Director of Development, Sarah Nolan at snolan@stpaulsrva.org.
For more information on Charitable Giving benefits from the 2020 CARES ACT passed by Congress earlier this year READ HERE. |
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Join us for Sunday Morning Worship!
- Children's Sunday School @ 9:00 a.m. on Zoom
- No Sunday School December 27th and January 3rd
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Sunday Worship @ 10:00 a.m. | Watch on Website or Facebook
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Virtual Coffee Hour | Click the link here to join
- No Coffee Hour December 27th
Did you miss last week's sermon? You can find all our Sermons HERE.
Need supporting navigating ZOOM or other technology? We can help you out!
Weekday Worship and Study Offerings
Evening Prayer resumes at 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays on Facebook Live! For the seasons of Christmas and Epiphany, we are returning to our rhythm of offering Evening Prayer every weeknight at 6 p.m. on Facebook Live led by Rev. Charlie and Rev. Gwynn. We hope you will join us for this ancient and centering practice of vesper prayers in communion with each other during the winter nights.
(No Meditation December 30th)
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Epiphany Bible Study | Featuring Rev. Dr. Frances Taylor Gench
Beginning Wednesday, January 13th, we will host a five-week series on the biblical figure Paul. This is in preparation for and a follow-up to celebrating St. Paul’s Sunday on January 24th. We will specifically focus on five different texts found in the Rev. Dr. Frances Taylor Gench’s book “Encountering God in Tyrannical Texts: Reflections on Paul, Women, and the Authority of Scripture.” Rev. Dr. Gench will teach for the first two weeks followed by our clergy teaching the final three weeks of the series. No preparation is needed; however, we do encourage the purchase of Gench’s book. If you have any questions, please contact Keli Shipley Cooper at kshipleycooper@stpaulsrva.org
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January Book Club | Monday, January 25th @ 7:00 p.m.
Next month's Book Club offering will be MESSENGER, which was written by St. Paul’s parishioner Liz Whitehurst.
MESSENGER is the story of a mysterious old woman who delivers life-changing messages to seemingly random people all over New York City and Alana, a young journalist determined to uncover the Messenger’s story. In the surprise ending, Alana discovers the true meaning of their journey together. You can find the complete text of each episode, Questions to Ponder and show credits in the episode description.” This is a novel divided into 16 episodes that can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Find it HERE.
Our discussion will be facilitated by Keli Shipley Cooper and Liz Whitehurst will join us to share about the writing process and answer any questions. Stay tuned for more details.
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Sign up for weekly Children and Family E-news →
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Children's Sunday School| No Sunday School next two weeks
We will be taking a break from our Zoom Sunday School this Sunday, December 27th and January 3rd. We will return on Sunday, January 10!
We want everyone to get outside and away from screens: ride a bike, take a walk, go to the park, read a book or two. And when you come back inside - draw a picture or take a photo and share those with us. We'd also like for everyone to share photos of Christmas morning! Send photos to Linda Willis, lwillis@stpaulsrva.org.
Also, thank you to all our children who shared their Christmas Pageant costumes with us and to Kristi Mullins for putting this fun collage together for us to enjoy!
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Sign up for weekly Youngish Adults E-news →
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Zoom Social Hour w/the Youngish Adults
First and Third Tuesdays @ 7:00 p.m. - Next social gathering is Tuesday, January 5th.
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Sign up for our monthly Community Engagement E-news →
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Donate to our Emmaus Guests
As the weather changes our Emmaus guests are in need of cold-weather items. We are looking for items that are good in the elements; cotton, nylon, etc., hats and gloves that can get wet and keep the cold out. Our most requested items currently are:
- Hats
- Gloves
- VERY Gently Used Jackets
- Hand warmers
Items can be dropped off at the parish house Monday through Thursday starting January 4th from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Please ring the bell. Contact Lynn Williams with questions: lwilliams@stpaulsrva.org. |
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Outdoor In-Person Pastoral Visits!
The clergy of St. Paul’s are now offering outdoor, in-person pastoral visits in the St. Paul’s Memorial Garden and breezeway or a park of your choice, weather permitting. If you are struggling, going through a crisis or a loss, or having a hard time, we are here to listen, support you, pray with you, and abide with you on your journey. All in-person, outdoor visits must fully comply with COVID health and safety measures, including wearing masks, maintaining a distance of 6-ft, and sanitizing—and of course, remaining outside.
To request an outdoor or virtual pastoral visit, you can email or call one of our Clergy:
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Support our Community Engagement Ministries through Kroger Rewards
Support our Community Engagement and Outreach Ministries every time you shop at Kroger!
Sign up for Kroger Community Rewards:
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Create or log into your digital account at kroger.com.
- In the Community Rewards section of your account, link your Kroger Plus Card to St. Paul's Episcopal Church Richmond (organization ID YF143).
- Scan your Kroger Plus Card every time you check out at Kroger or make sure you are logged into your account when shopping online.
St. Paul's will receive a periodic donation check from Kroger based on a percentage of sales from people who choose St. Paul's as their Community Organization to support.
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"Office" Hours
Monday through Thursday - 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (Office closed Dec. 28th - Jan 1st)
Friday - 9:00 a.m. to Noon
As a reminder, most of our staff are working remotely and the physical building is not open, so hours may vary for each individual staff member. However, please do not hesitate to reach out by e-mail or phone if you need anything.
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