St. Paul's Episcopal Church |
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This Week's News Highlights
Our Service This Week
Holy Eucharist on Facebook and for those in person will be at 8:30AM on Sunday. See below for how to attend by either mode of participation. Please consider the current state of the pandemic in making your decision about attending this service, or any other, in person. Facebook Live continues to be a safe and meaningful way to join in worship each Sunday.
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Lent Begins on Ash Wednesday, February 17
St. Paul's will mark the solemn beginning of the Lenten season with two Ash Wednesday services on February 17.
The first will be at noon. This service is designed for those who do not feel comfortable with worshipping indoors. For this service all windows in the church will be swung wide open to make the space similar to an outdoor space.
The second service will be at 6:30PM. For this service windows will be slightly open (as they are at Sunday services). The 6:30PM service will be broadcast via Facebook Live for those who choose to attend virtually.
Both services will feature Holy Eucharist celebrated by Fr. Haughton. We are working on a contingency to allow the self imposition of ashes in a manner that does not involve contact between the priest and attendees.
All of the normal safety protocols will apply. Masks will be required. Seating will be per social distancing guidelines and prior sign up is requested.
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February is Pledge Month at St. Paul's
As we all know, the Covid-19 pandemic closed all the Episcopal churches in southeast Florida in mid March. At that point the closure involved not only the church itself, but the office. One of the casualties of that necessary action was our annual stewardship campaign.
This year St. Paul's is conducting its stewardship campaign online. We know that our members are loyal and self sacrificing. But it is important for several reasons that the ancient practice of memorializing our intentions via pledges be renewed.
Pledges help the Vestry and will help our new minister plan. Pledges help all of us stay on track with our own giving. And pledges are an integral parameter for measuring the health of an Episcopal parish.
Please consider filling out a pledge form and returning it this month as part of your personal commitment to help St. Paul's return to normal as conditions allow.
You can download this year's pledge form here. Once downloaded you can return the form in one of several ways:
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Forms can be filled out, scanned and emailed to info@stpaulskeywest.org,
- Forms can be filled out and mailed to the church office at 401 Duval Street, Key West, Florida, 33040,
- Forms can be placed in the collection plate at a Sunday service.
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As an alternative to filling out the form, members and friends of St. Paul's can have their pledge entered by simply sending an email to the office in which the essential information from the form is conveyed in an email.
For example: "Please enter my pledge for $xxx for the year 2021. I expect that this amount will be donated weekly" [or monthly, or quarterly, or yearly as the case may be.] That's it. No form required.
All pledges are confidential and will not be shared with other members. Pledges are always aspirational and no person is required to fulfill a pledge if conditions change in the person's life.
Search Committee Update
We are overjoyed to report that the Bishop's office is scheduled to meet with the co-chairs of the Search Committee next week and that a meeting with the full committee is expected to follow shortly after that. The process is moving forward.
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Please Buy A Brick and Build a Legacy
Brick sales are going well! We'll soon place the first new grouping. Please consider joining in this project. You can order your brick(s) here.
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Sunday's Service
Join us Sunday for Holy Eucharist at 8:30AM. Sign up in advance to attend in person (see above) or join us on Facebook.
To join via Facebook, go to the church Facebook page at the appropriate time and look for the window showing that "St. Paul's Key West is now live". Click on the window. (You may need to refresh the page a few times if the "live" window does not appear promptly at the appointed time.)
Did you know you DO NOT need to have a Facebook account to view the service or visit our Facebook page? Simply use the Facebook page link to go directly to our Facebook page (even if you don't have your own Facebook account). Follow the directions above.
You can open or download the bulletin for the Sunday service here.
This information is important
Currently, a limited number of people are allowed to attend services in accordance with diocesan protocols. If you would like to attend, you will be asked to sign up in advance. Contact information will be required.
- Your name and the names of any family or household members who will attend with you.
- Your email address
- Your cell phone number
Email is greatly preferred, but reservations can also be made by calling the church office at 305-296-5142. If nobody answers please leave a message with the information.
(Walk-ins will be accommodated if space allows but please pre-register whenever possible.)
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Junior Warden's Report
By Greta Philips-Ford
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St. Paul's volunteers continue to make a difference!
This past week the Saturday morning volunteers focused on spring cleaning the north west tower and the hallway behind the main altar.
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Photo--Tim Peterson busy vacuuming out the North West Tower. If anyone has any unused shop vacuum hose adapters they would like to donate--we could greatly use them. It will make the job of vacuuming less painful.
We did find a carpenter who will start re-cutting the gingerbread pieces for the Historic Rectory porch. Brooke and Larry Myers have graciously offered to pay for the pieces to be cut. Our Sexton, Ken, with volunteers, will start the repairs soon. This will at least bring the porch into code and look more respectful from Duval street.
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Lisa Laskow has been working on washing the kneelers in the Lady Chapel. The photo shows the one that has been cleaned and the one to be cleaned. We are slowly working our way through all of the kneelers. The kneelers on the high altar will need to be replaced. The material is very worn and stained. We were able to get them a little cleaner, however, it is time to replace them. If anyone would like to donate to this project, please let me know.
We continue to battle with the iguanas entering the church seeking warmth. One crawled up on the votive candles in the Lady Chapel and one was found in the organ! If anyone would like to help trap or have a trap we could borrow--let me know.
We will gather on Saturday morning at the church (always masked and socially distant) from 9:00 to 11:00--come join us!
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A Note From Bruce Hagemann About the True Fund
I would like to personally thank all the members of St. Paul’s of making the TRUE fund a success in 2020. This past year has challenged each of us to give thanks for what we have and try to help those in need. Fortunately, the TRUE fund has helped numerous individuals in Key West and the surrounding communities.
For example, the TRUE Fund became a lifeline for those that were in desperate need with immediate rental assistance until another agency could offer them more financial assistance.
It is a privilege to work with other organizations to help people that are in dire needs to help them during this time. Organizations such as Catholic Charities, SOS and United Way to name a few. Also, working with Guidance Care Center, FKOC and Samuel’s House, the TRUE fund has helped many of their client’s get through this difficult time.
The TRUE fund was extremely fortunate to get a $1,000 grant through the Southeast Episcopal Diocese, Episcopal Charities Foundation. It has greatly helped with the TRUE Fund mission.
Just a reminder that this Sunday is TRUE Fund Sunday. Your generous donations help those individuals in Key West that are truly in need
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Thanks,
Bruce
[Editor's Note. To designate a contribution to the True Fund be sure to write "True Fund" on your check. If you wish to contribute online via the church giving page, be sure to write TRUE Fund in the section that says "Add special instructions to seller." (See the photo above.)]
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Senior Warden's Report
By Ray Warren
Thanks to the 30 people who attended the annual meeting in person and the 19 who attended via Zoom. We accomplished the business we were legally and canonically required to do safely, efficiently and in good order. I am very proud of our parish.
Congratulations to new vestry members Dean Warden and Holle Campbell, Diocesan delegate Lilla Whiteside, delegate alternate Wendy Niven and Memorial Foundation directors Don Curry and Isabel Steinkamp. It is gong to be an eventful and consequential year and we have strong leadership to confront the challenges.
And, an absolutely HUGE thank you to Lonnie Gordon and Joseph Lyles who completed three very challenging years on the Vestry.
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While churches in the rest of the country conduct stewardship campaigns in the fall, St. Paul's does so in the "season" when our seasonal members are also here. Please consider filling out a pledge form (or email your pledge information without form) as soon as practical. I'll be doing mine tomorrow.
Keep in mind that calling a new Rector is a two way process. Our Search Committee will interview candidates. But in a very real sense, the candidates will also be evaluating us.
Asking how many pledging units a parish has is a perfectly normal question for a Rector candidate. Saying that "we didn't bother to ask" or that "our members don't pledge" will not be helpful.
I know our members (and friends and supporters) will support St. Paul's. Now let's make it official as we work to return to "normal" life after a year of disruption.
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Hat tip to Bruce Hagemann who spends hours as a volunteer "case manager" administering our major outreach project - the TRUE Fund. When he notes that the Fund "received" a grant he modestly does not mention that he applied for that grant. A tremendous show of initiative in pursuit of good.
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My tenure as senior warden has featured some things that were not disclosed to me when I was asked to take the job. Among them, being called by the police to the church at 3:00AM because of a (false) burglar alarm, dealing with a domestic situation that involved an engagement ring thrown into our Memorial Garden after hours (and the resulting injury to the bride to be when she jumped the fence in a fruitless attempt to find it), and reviewing our video footage to determine who (or what) knocked the votive candles askew in the Mary chapel this week.
Investigation revealed that it was an Iguana that climbed the fence around the Mary altar and jumped into the votive candles. Unfortunately, he could not be found on Monday. But on Tuesday we nabbed him.
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Tim detected that the criminal may have been in the organ console. (Apparently a snowbird, he appears to enjoy the heat of the console on the chilly days we've been having lately.)
Tim and Tom Scheck, one of our volunteer concert organists, lifted the lid of the console. Then using a net Tim keeps for such events, I was able to net the creature. He put up quite a fight and managed to escape once outside. But at least he was evicted.
Can't wait for the next adventure.
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Contacts:
Church office phone: 305-296-5142
Church mailing address: 401 Duval Street, Key West FL 33040. Pledges and offerings can be mailed here or made electronically at the church giving page.
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A Note From Tim
Remember, you can find prior recordings of past concerts and musical offerings (including last week's From the Organ concert) on St Paul’s Facebook page, or on YouTube.
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We Pray Each Day
Daily Morning and Evening Prayer is being offered on Facebook Live at 7:30AM and 500PM on weekdays.
Thanks to Bruce Hagemann, Lisa Laskow, Mary Simmons, Samantha Hall, Sarah Hall and Tim Peterson for volunteering to officiate at these sacred moments.
To join in the prayers via Facebook, go to the church Facebook page at the appropriate time and look for the window showing that "St. Paul's Key West is now live." Then click on the window.
"Like" us and turn on live notifications to get a reminder whenever we are offering prayers.
Please pray this week for healing for
Brittany (Sherri Hodies’ daughter), Beth and Jon Peterson (sister-in-law and brother of Tim), Peter Nanos, Al (Kitty Robert’s partner), Mark Simcox, Susanne Woods, Christian Swanson, Crystal Cates, Charles (Chuck) Hammond, Joseph Lyles, Tom Bond, and the Curry family.
We pray for the departed and their loved ones:
Richard Curry.
"Into your hands, O merciful Savior, we commend your servants"
(Send your prayer requests to Tim@stpaulskeywest.org for future publication and to be included in the Sunday service. By default requests will be listed for four (4) weeks. But if the need continues, please let us know.)
We celebrate these February Birthdays
E.A. Jackson Morris 2/4
Donald R. Curry 2/6
Niles Noblitt 2/6
Steven Mungall 2/7
Brody McClaughlin 2/8
Rena Mobley 2/11
Liz Kern 2/13
Ronald Acevedo 2/14
Robert Wilcox 2/16
Susanne Schott 2/17
Clare Keller 2/18
Marisa Conaty 2/19
Bob Lamere 2/24
Anthony Sperling 2/24
Kathleen Zuiderveen 2/24
Janette Chalmers 2/25
Sylvia Hicks 2/25
Wendy Holifield 2/26
Nancy Noblitt 2/27
(If your name is missing from this month's birthday list please send a note to info@stpaulskeywest.org so we can add it.)
We Celebrate February Anniversaries:
Susan & Brad Hahn Gilman 2/1
Betty & Edward Toppino 2/12
Bud & Sylvia Halldorson 2/14
Ruth & Bob Lamere 2/15
Larry & Brooke Myers 2/15
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Reminders
Sunday school is canceled during the virus emergency.
Back issues of The Epistle are available here.
Send questions and comments to the editor of this newsletter here.
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Tel. (305) 296-5142
Pastoral Emergencies (317) 414-4194
Office closed during the virus emergency
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