St. Paul's Episcopal Church



301 E. Stuart Street, Fort Collins, CO 80525
Phone: 970-482-2668
Email: office@stpauls-fc.org - Website: www.stpauls-fc.org


Wardens' Update

Dear Parishioners of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church,

Hallelujah! The Reverend Felicia Smith Graybeal will begin serving us as Priest in Charge on August 6, 2019.

After thoughtful, prayerful discernment by two Bishops and the Minister for Transition at the Diocese, she was sent to us as a candidate. The first week of June she spent three days visiting here with Vestry members. We met, talked, ate, prayed and read background materials – we reading hers and she reading ours. At the Vestry’s request she held a small service, including a short sermon, with us. Over our time with her and just after she returned home, we were mutually discerning what God would have us do. Last Sunday the Vestry met and agreed that we all felt this was the person for whom God had us wait. The Bishop issued a call to her and she was very excited to accept the call to be our Priest in Charge.

It wasn’t 40 years but it certainly felt like a long wait! In actuality it was a bit more than 40 weeks! Your Wardens and Vestry give thanks for each and every one of you who have stepped forward to continue the good work of St. Paul’s over the past 6 months! Rev. Felicia was excited about working with a congregation that is so dedicated to following the Way of Jesus and serving as His hands and feet; she is excited about working with us on the goals we set out in our Parish Profile a year ago; she is excited about the possibilities of working with our partner congregations.

We look forward, with all of you, to this new phase of the Adventure that is St. Paul’s!

Your Wardens, John and Rhoda

The Rev. Felicia Smith-Graybeal
Dear Friends of God at St. Paul’s,

I am excited to be joining you in ministry at St. Paul’s, as Priest in Charge beginning early August of this year. Over the last month I have been hearing from others and reading about the unique charisms at St. Paul’s and your long history of faithful ministry to the Ft. Collins community. It will be a joy to come along side you as we work together to discern what the Spirit is doing in our midst.

To share a bit about my vocational life…I am approaching my 17th year of ordained ministry. I began ministry as the Associate Rector of St. Mary Magdalene Episcopal Church in Boulder, Colorado. After 5 years there, St. Mary Magdalene entered a period of discernment about how to address the growth we were experiencing. The end result was the decision to start a new congregation, and I, along with 14 other “launch team families” from both St. Mary Magdalene and St. Stephen’s, Longmont, worked to begin St. Brigit Episcopal Church in Frederick, Colorado. In February of this year we celebrated our 10th Anniversary as a vibrant worshiping community.

It was an inspiring journey to be a part of a new creative, ambitious, courageous congregation that is adept at thinking outside of the box, all of which are fundamental characteristics for the 21st century church.

To share a bit about my personal life…I’ve been married to Lyle for 22 years and we currently make our home in Frederick, Colorado. We share life with one of the best canine spiritual directors in the world: Mary Magdalene, or “Maggie” for short, whom we adopted in January of this year. Together we enjoy hiking, reading, trying new things and talking about big ideas.

My first day in the office is August 6th (I invite you to stop by and say hello) and my first Sunday to join you for worship will be August 11th. One of my deepest held passions is the offering of hospitality to ALL people and making sure that everyone has a place at God’s table. I look forward to learning about your passions and God’s call upon our collective lives as we begin our ministry together.

God’s peace to you,
Felicia+
Focus on Waste Reduction & Recycling before Joint Worship on June 30   

The last Sunday in June provides an opportunity to focus on how to reduce our waste stream as consumers of products, and improve recycling.  The Adult Forum at 9:00 a.m. will include information and a presentation about some of the important issues surrounding the ways that the waste issue is being addressed in Larimer County. Come to learn more about this topic and how we can all improve our ways of reducing, reusing and recycling!
June 30   is the Date of Our Next Joint Worship Service

Another wonderful opportunity to celebrate with our fellow faith communities at Trinity is the last Sunday in June. The worship service will start at 10 am. Good music, wonderful liturgy in, as Pastor Rick says, "the dance where we step on each other's toes and it works fine."
Summer Bike to Work Day

Breakfast Station at Trinity! Wednesday, June 26

It is that time of year again for St. Paul's and Trinity's popular Bike to Work Day Breakfast Station. The 2019 event is set for Wednesday June 26th. This is always enjoyable time for bicyclists to stop and enjoy a nice free breakfast and fellowship. Plans are in the works for this event to once again put smiles on the faces of the many visitors to our station. Ours will be open from 6:30 to 9:30 a.m., so get your bike ready to ride and stop by some of the many stations that will be open that morning!