The Rev. Dr. Kristine Blaess officially becomes our seventh rector in early August. She will celebrate her first Holy Eucharist with us on Sunday, August 11.
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Getting to Know Dr. Blaess
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Kristine Blaess
(pronounced BLAZE)
was born in Bozeman, Montana and lived there until she attended St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. While she was growing up, Kristine loved being outdoors around Bozeman, camping, hiking, and skiing. She enjoyed school and especially loved her music classes, playing piano, organ, trumpet, and singing in the choir. In high school, she was part of the speech and debate team and was an athletic trainer for the sports teams. In college, Kristine was interested in math and science and got her degree in Music (Organ).
Kristine’s parents, John and Joann, still live in the Bozeman area. John spent his career as a chemistry professor at Montana State University, a school of more than 16,000 students, while Joann split time as an elementary school teacher and a member of the MSU administrative staff. In coming to St. Paul’s, Kristine will be in familiar surroundings of a vibrant college town and all that it brings to the table. An interesting Tennessee footnote: Her father did post-doctoral work at Oak Ridge. Kristine’s brother Eric also lives in the Bozeman area and owns a custom cabinetry business that caters to luxury homes. He started his company at the ripe old age of 18!
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Worship
We grow in relationship with God through worship
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Thank You Father Bob!
St. Paul’s is incredibly blessed to have the Rev. Dr. W. Robert “Bob” Abstein II with us, especially during this transitional period. We appreciate Father Bob’s kind and passionate service. His ministry spans six decades, serving in parishes in Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee, notably as rector of St. George’s Episcopal Church in Nashville from 1994 to 2004.
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At both worship services this Sunday, we will say farewell to Amy Jackson, who served as our Interim Youth Ministry Coordinator. Amy accepted a much-desired appointment as a Gifted Specialist with Murfreesboro City Schools. During her time at St. Paul's, Amy led our lay volunteers to strengthen the youth ministry and became a well-loved member of our ministry team. Our parish will miss her, and we pray for her happiness in her new work. Into the fall, the youth planning committee and clergy will continue the momentum she built. Look for exciting news about this in the coming weeks.
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Summer Choir
Continuing through September 2
, the St. Paul's Choir does not rehearse on Wednesdays during the summer months. Instead, we meet in the choir room at 10 a.m. before the 11 a.m. service. If you'd like to try choir but are unable to attend Wednesday night rehearsals, please contact
Angela Tipps
to let her know you're joining us!
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Outreach
We bring the love of Christ to the larger community
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“For I was hungry, and you gave me food.” Matthew 25:35
St. Paul’s third-quarter food drive is only
two weeks away. Please help us meet our goal to collect 1,000 much-needed food items for the local
Nourish Food Bank (formerly the Rutherford County Emergency Food Bank).
In the narthex after each worship service next Sunday, July 21, our ushers will hand you one of our eye-catching red St. Paul’s produce bags. We invite you to take it home, load it up, and bring it back filled with love and food on
Sunday, July 28.
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Rutherford County Area Habitat for Humanity (RCHFH) is partnering with St. Paul’s Episcopal Church for an exciting one-day
Panel Build event in which all of the interior and exterior walls for a Habitat house are built in just 5 hours! The family-friendly event will take place on
Saturday, August 10, 2019 from 9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m., in the parking lot of the church at 116 North Academy Street in downtown Murfreesboro.
The Habitat St. Paul’s Panel Build event will also include activities for the entire family, including food, entertainment and fun for all ages. People are invited to bring the whole family to volunteer on the build and watch the construction process. During the second and third shifts children younger than 11 years old will build and paint bird houses, and nursery will also be available during those shifts 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.. Lunch and event t-shirts will be provided. Waiver forms for panel build volunteers will be required to be signed at on-site check in.
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Serve Friday Lunch—On the second and third Friday of each month, a team of six people serves lunch to the homeless and working poor at
The Journey Home day shelter. Each volunteer shift lasts two hours, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. This ministry is a meaningful way to be Christ’s hands and feet in the world alongside fellow parishioners. Volunteers serve once each month or as often as their schedules permit.
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Discipleship
We equip all for ministry
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Senior Adult Ministry Presents
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Senior Housing Option III Program:
Legal and Financial Considerations for Senior Adults
- Where: Parish Hall
- Date: Saturday, July 13
- Time: 9 a.m. to noon
Experts in financial and legal issues for senior adults discuss the comparative expenses of housing choices, explaining topics such as the cost to remain in your home versus a senior community or facility, methods to fund long-term care, development of your “Life Care Plan,” planning for and protecting your financial legacy, and other vital issues. We set aside ample time Q&A to address participants’ unique concerns.
This program is not just for senior adults. It is also suitable for other parishioners who may have concerns about their older parents or are also seeking to plan for their futures. All members of the St. Paul’s family are welcome.
The speakers include
Tim Takacs, a Certified Elder Law Attorney, and our very own
Mike Becker, an Investment Adviser Representative.
To register, please email
Hank Mills
or call him at 615-584-2396.
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Click here
to view the Summer 2019 edition of
The Epistle.
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Shepherds Meet on July 21
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We ask all those designated as Shepherds to gather
in the downstairs Christian Education rooms on
Sunday, July 21 at 9:45 a.m.
to discuss the St. Paul's Shepherd Ministry.
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Adult Volunteers Needed for Our Youth Ministry
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St. Paul's Youth Ministry calls for passion, patience, and faithfulness—pointing out the sacred amid the chaos of adolescence and walking faithfully with young people as they transition from child to young adult. It is a bridging ministry of education, connection, formation, and hopefully, transformation. We seek adult volunteers who feel called to this vital ministry and can offer any level of participation to help launch our 2019-20 program this fall.
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Table of Abraham: God's Two Great Commandments
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Abraham is considered the father of the three monotheistic faiths in the world, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In the spirit of dialogue and in honor of Abraham, the
Atlantic Institute
regularly hosts a panel program that brings community leaders and clergy from the three Abrahamic faiths to engage in a dialogue about the commonalities of and common issues concerning the Abrahamic communities over delicious food.
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Hosted by the Atlantic Institute & St. Paul’s
Sunday, July 28, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
This event is free, but space is limited.
You must RSVP to obtain your tickets
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Interested in Attending Cursillo?
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Cursillo is a program that develops Christian leaders over the course of a three-day weekend. Our upcoming event takes place from
Thursday, October 3 though Sunday, October 6 at the
DuBose Conference Center in Monteagle, Tennessee.
Please contact
David Rowe
by
August 1
, if you would like to sign up and attend.
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Looking for a Cursillo Reunion Group? Don’t forget there is one
every Wednesday afternoon at 5 p.m.
in the Christian Education rooms just off the main parish hall. Open to all.
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Fellowship
We bring seekers into the fellowship of the Church
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The Episcopal Churchmen of Tennessee’s 73rd Annual Laymen’s Conference takes place the weekend of
August 16-18
, at the
DuBose Conference Center
in Monteagle, Tennessee. This year’s theme is from John 3:16 and features an excellent program of speakers including UT football legend Johnny Majors. Please
click here
for more details.
The conference fee is is now $165. Those age 65 years and older enjoy a $10 discount. Please
click here
to register for the conference.
St. Paul’s has a reserved block of rooms at
St. Mary’s Sewanee
to lodge for a separate fee.
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For our list of July birthdays to say or send “Happy Birthday” wishes, please
click here
.
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For those who've worked in the Parish Hall in the past, especially in the kitchen, the pantry, and the storage room, you remember how disorganized and crowded these areas had grown. Over time, our kitchen became an overflow space for racks of dishes. Oddly-sized utensils with no appropriate storage place, cluttered its work surfaces. Our pantry had no real system for most food and other items stored there. Our storage room, in particular, was hard even to enter, let alone efficiently use.
The parish owes a tremendous debt of gratitude to Jerry Redditt and her crew of volunteers who rolled up their sleeves and dedicated untold hours organizing these spaces. They discarded things that didn't belong. They designated locations for things that did. They neatly labeled everything. These chores were tedious, comprehensive, and ever so necessary.
We invite you to ask Jerry for a guided tour of the transformative improvements that she and her crew made. You'll be impressed!
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Sally Hughes and Jerry Redditt
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(left to right) Donna Jones, Debbie James, Marta Van Hoose, Jerry Redditt, and Patricia Melvin
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Did you know there is a weekly diocesan electronic newsletter?
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Would you like to know what is going on in our diocese? Visit
edtn.org to find all the news about the Diocese of Tennessee (geographically it is the Middle Tennessee area).
Would like to receive news from the diocese each week?
Click here to subscribe to the weekly “Bishop's Blast”.
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Items found throughout the church are placed in bins in the storage room off parish hall. Anyone can look at any time. Umbrellas are placed in a holder in the narthex. Items are kept 2 to 3 months, and then donated. All items will be displayed the last Sunday of each month in the parish hall. If you have questions please call Jerry Redditt 615 364 8700.
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Manage Your Giving Online
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You may set up your online giving by scanning this QR code, by logging into Realm, or
clicking here.
After logging in, select the fund: Pledge Account. You will have the option to make a single gift or to set up recurring donations.
Thanks for supporting St. Paul’s!
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Oasis Contemplative Service
—Meditative prayer is an ancient Christian practice that still holds meaning today as a form of worship, especially in a culture so full of noise, information, busyness, and unrest. Held the last Sunday of each month at 4:00 p.m. in our St. Andrew’s Chapel, those who long for quiet and a profound experience of God’s presence will enjoy Oasis, an hour of reflection and silent prayer.
Weekly Centering Prayer
—On the Sundays the Oasis service is not held, we will meet in St. Andrew’s Chapel at 4:00 p.m. for one hour of centering prayer. Please contact
Michael Miller
or
Nancy Carter
for more information.
Adult Lectionary Bible Study
—On Wednesdays from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. upstairs in the Parish Hall, we gather examine the readings for the following Sunday. Jerry Redditt leads this group. Join us whenever you can. See item above to get the texts online, whether you attend or not.
Prayer Shawl Ministry
—Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m. until noon in Room 2-2
Cursillo Reunion Group
—Looking for a Cursillo Reunion Group? Don’t forget there’s one every Wednesday at 5 p.m. in the Christian Education rooms just off the parish hall. We invite all to join us.
Summer Adult Choir
—Continuing through September 2, the St. Paul's Choir does not rehearse on Wednesdays during the summer months. Instead, we meet in the choir room at 10:00 a.m. before the 11:00 a.m. service. If you'd like to try choir but are unable to attend Wednesday night rehearsals, please contact
Angela Tipps
to let her know you're joining us!
Movement & Balance Class
—Thursdays from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. in the Christian Education Room behind the parish hall, instructor Jim Genet leads an exercise class focusing on movement and balance. Several parish members highly recommend him. The fee is $10 per class. Text Jim at 615-427-3406 to sign up.
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