Welcome to
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Bailey's Crossroads
Sunday worship and Holy Eucharist at 10:30am
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One of the most powerful drives within each of us is the desire to know another and the desire to be known by another. This fundamental drive is the basis for the formulation of all our relationships. We learn as infants that we are dependent upon others...first on our parents, then on our family and then on those we meet along the way who become the family of our heart. These are our best friends and our mentors. They come to know us better than we know ourselves.We bare our souls to them in conversations and shared experiences. And we trust them with the tenderest and most vulnerable parts of ourselves. Many times the most intimate of conversations occur over a shared meal or a glass of wine. And the back and forth of our conversation begins to take on the form of an intricate dance that would do Astaire and Rogers proud. It connects our souls with bonds that are profoundly strong and yet delicate at the same time. And it provides the most powerful experience in intimacy that any of us ever has...but it is the shadow of the relationship between God and God's Son, Jesus. In ways that we can only vaguely understand from our human perspective, they are intimately bound to one another by bonds that we can only imagine and yet they each remain distinct and intact...neither one consumed by the union itself. We try to replicate those bonds in our own human intimate relationships that give us a glimpse of what is to come...intimacy beyond our wildest imaginings of bliss in eternal life. Just think about what is waiting for us. Thanks be to God!
T
he Rev. Liz Tomlinson
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Jesus is still preparing us 
He wants unity above all else
Jesus speaks about unity many times during his ministry, but never more passionately than he does when he knows he is about to depart from this earth.That's Jesus' last word to us. And it's about our unity not just with God, but with one another. He didn't lose his own identity in being one with God and as we contemplate the mystical and unknown relationship between God and Jesus, we know that Jesus is wanting that for us as well. Unity in Christ...unity with God...does not require that we forfeit who we are to a more powerful being. It means we are meant to add to that powerful being all the wonderful things that God created us to be. When we are one with God and one with one another, we aren't looking out for ourselves...we are looking out for each other. We have our own gifts to bring, but we don't insist on our own way. Each of us is unique. Each one of us was given gifts that only we can share for the good of the whole. And that's the unity that Christ is praying for. Never does Christ say that we should all agree or that we should all move in lockstep or that we should forfeit who we are in order to be in union. We need to think differently about what it means for Christians to 'Be One.' That means figuring out how to work in harmony with one another, not in lockstep, but in coordination. When two people disagree, it doesn't mean that either one of them is wrong. Think about that. Jesus did. Join us on Sunday morning at 10:30am for our Morning Worship by CLICKING HERE
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Information about Regathering from Bishop Goff 
We are all interested in knowing when we might be able to return to our own sanctuaries to gather together for worship. During this past week, many of you received an e-mail from Rev. Liz asking if you would be willing to help St. Paul's create a plan and a checklist for re-entering the building and resuming in-person worship. Each parish's plan must be approved by the Diocese. Please give such a ministry prayerful consideration. It will take all of us... Clergy, Vestry, Lay Leaders and Parishioners...to devise a workable plan for us to use to re-enter the building. This video from Bishop Goff will give you a clearer idea of what is involved and how the process will work. Please take a look.
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CLICK HERE
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Virtual Church 
The Season of COVID-19
For the time being we are using ZOOM for our worship service which is conducted from the Rectory and the sacred spaces and homes of the Virtual Church Ministry team of Caroline Kruger, Dave Wright, Markeeta Belmar, Tam Mehuron, and June and Abraham Jallah with music provided by our Music Director, Anna Ko. You can view the recorded worship service on Facebook on Sunday morning at 10:30am and you can participate in all the liturgy, congregation responses and hymns right from your own home. It will enable us to 'be together' for worship and to enjoy Anna's music. We will be able to see and hear multiple people read, but we will not be able to hear a congregation responding during the service. It will be different to worship this way, but we will be worshiping together. If you know of other ways we might be able to worship together, please share your ideas with the Vestry and your priest. You can access our Sunday morning service at 10:30am if you
CLICK HERE
Because the service is pre-recorded, you can click on the link and see the service at any time that you want.
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Virtual Coffee Hour
Face-to-Face......almost
One of the things we miss most about not being able to gather together on Sunday morning for worship is the fellowship that we enjoy afterwards over a hot cup of coffee. We can still have the coffee...and we can still 'see' each other. It will just be 2-dimensional on ZOOM. Grab your coffee after our worship service and climb into a comfy chair in your own living room. We can all get reconnected with each other and catch up on all the latest news just like we're accustomed to doing after church. Just send your RSVP to Linda at green@stpaulsbxr.org to reserve your spot! 'See' you there!! If you need some help with ZOOM just let Linda know when you RSVP. One of us will be happy to walk you through it. If you are an active parishioner at St. Paul's, you will receive a separate Invitation to Virtual Coffee Hour in a Constant Contact e-mail.
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Telephone Ministry 
Staying in Touch
Jesus told Peter, "Feed my sheep!" There are lots of ways we can 'feed' one another, but one of the best ways is through conversation. Since we can't 'be' together for worship services or for Coffee Hour, we have started a new ministry that will help us stay connected and perhaps even help us get to know each other better. If you are an active parishioner at St. Paul's , you should have gotten at least one call from another parishioner...and perhaps more than one. Our callers are fantastic, but we need to share the wealth and let others take a turn. If you would like to participate in this ministry and be one of the callers, please contact Tam Mehuron at tmerhuron@verizon.net and let her know. She will give you all the details and will include you when she draws up the new rota.
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Pledges and Offerings 
Still needed
Since we are not gathering for church on Sunday morning, we don't pass the collection plate during the service. That means that pledge envelopes and checks and cash offerings aren't presented for blessing, but when Monday morning rolls around, the bills continue to show up. To the extent that you can, please send your check or your pledge to the church via US mail.The address is at the end of this newsletter. These are strange and unusual times and we're all in this together. If you aren't a member of St. Paul's but would like to make a donation to help us through this tough time, please know how grateful we are. You can also make a donation when you
CLICK HERE Thank you in advance for keeping the St Paul's boat afloat! We're going to keep a list of the Patron Saints of St. Paul's and add each one of you to our prayers.
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Intercessory Prayer Group
Every Thursday at 1:30 p.m.
During this time of 'social distancing' the Intercessory Prayer Group will be maintained by Tam Mehuron in her home and is being conducted on ZOOM. The time frame of 1:30pm-2:00pm and the structure of the group remain the same. Tam will be going through this Prayer Service at her house, so please send an e-mail to her with your prayer requests and to get information about how to access ZOOM if you would like to participate. Her e-mail is tmehuron@verizon.net. She will answer your e-mail and will include your prayer in the service. It's a lovely way to take a 'lunch' break in the middle of the day.
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Book-Share
C
heck out the bookcase outside the Rector's office and help yourself to anything that looks interesting. It's said "a reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads only lives one." When we get to return to our church building, check out the new books that have come in...or bring some donations yourself!
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The food pantry
Summer is almost here
St. Paul's continues to be both faithful and generous in supporting the ACCA Food Pantry. Your generosity is inspiring. If you have food to donate, please contact our Parish Administrator, Linda Green by e-mail at green@stpaulsbxr.org to make arrangements with her to drop off your donation. She is at the church several times a week to pick up the mail and keep the office running. She will be glad to arrange a time to let you in the building with your donation. Please continue to bring nonperishable foodstuffs for ACCA and place them in the wicker basket at the rear of the Sanctuary. Also, please remember to thank God's faithful servants, Dick and Mary Lou Runyon, for making sure all our donations are delivered to the ACCA Food Pantry where they will be shared with those in need. In the middle of this pandemic when many people are without incomes, the need for food is even greater. Please contribute all that you can!
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Homeless Shelter
Volunteer Opportunities
The next meeting of the Advisory Committee will be on Wednesday, July 8th at 7:00pm and it will be conducted on ZOOM. Please let Rev. Liz know if you are interested in shelter operations or volunteer opportunities and she will give you information about how to access this meeting. In the
meantime, if you would like to make donations to the shelter, New Hope Housing has provided a Wish List (on Amazon) which has recently been updated. Items for the homeless who are moving into housing of their own has been included. To access that list, please
CLICK HERE
. New Hope Housing manages a number of shelters around the county, so be sure to specify to New Hope that you want your donation to go to the Bailey's Crossroads Shelter. You can reach New Hope Housing at the Bailey's Shelter by calling 703-820-7621. You are helping to ease the way for our neighbors to get back on their feet! What an act of love!!
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