WEEKLY UPDATE
A Note from the Rector
Dear St. Paul’s,

When we sent out the notice about the special parish meeting this Sunday to approve the Booker House lease, the reference to parish membership provoked a number of fascinating questions. While the legalistic aspects of membership are only interesting to a minority of Episcopalians – I confess to being one – who harbor an inexplicable fondness for the quaint arcana of our canons, the spiritual principles behind the legalism should interest us all.

The only “requirement” for membership in the Episcopal Church is Baptism. In this, we affirm that unity in Christ is foundational and eternal, whereas denominations, mailing lists, and potluck sign-ups come and go. So whether you were baptized at Canterbury Cathedral, in a Catholic or Methodist or Baptist church, in a pond or at the kitchen sink by an eccentric aunt, you can become a “member” of this or any other Episcopal congregation by showing up and saying, I am a baptized Christian and this is my church.

But to live into baptismal identity requires more. This is the spiritual aspiration that the canons on “communicant in good standing” are seeking to define as “praying, working, and giving for the spread of the Kingdom of God.” Participating in worship. Seeking ways, however modest or ambitious, to serve the church and the world, and to grow one’s own faith. And committing to the personal practice of supporting the parish financially in amounts that are meaningful in the context of one’s personal budget and lifestyle. These criteria may sound like boxes to check. In fact they are guideposts along the journey to which our Baptism calls us.

- Will

The Rev. William Peyton
This Sunday at St. Paul's
Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost
(Readings: Job 23:1-9, 16-17 / Psalm 22:1-15 / Mark 10:17-31)

8 a.m. – Holy Eucharist in the Chapel (quiet, traditional)

9 a.m. – Feasting on the Word: An exploration of this week's readings in preparation for the 10 a.m. Eucharist. Parishioners, friends, and visitors all welcome. (library)

9:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. – Nursery Care: birth - kindergarten (Sunday school wing)

10 a.m. –  Holy Eucharist with Choir (festive, intergenerational)

11:15 a.m. – Special Parish Meeting (parish hall)

11:20 a.m. – Adult Forum: Deke Polifka - Our 1926 Skinner Organ (parish hall)

11:15 p.m. – Sunday School: pre-K - 5th grade (Sunday school wing)

11:15 a.m. – Youth Groups: 6th - 8th & 9th - 12th grades (Sunday school wing)

12:30 p.m. – Eucharistic Visitors Lunch and Information Session (details below)

12:45 p.m. – CROP Walk (meet in the parish hall - details below)

5:30 p.m. – Evening Eucharist in the Chapel (informal, candlelit)

6:30 p.m. – Canterbury Sunday Supper: Casual meal and conversation, free and open to all undergraduate students (lounge)

Music Notes

About Sunday’s Choral Anthem:

Harold Friedell (1905-1958) was Organist and Choirmaster at New York City’s St. Bartholomew’s Church and a faculty member at Union Theological Seminary. He was one of the most notable American church musicians of the mid-20th century.

Friedell wrote “Draw us in the Spirit’s tether” as a congregational hymn during his time at Calvary Church, NYC. He named the melody “Union Seminary” and the text is by the English priest Percy Dearmer. The hymn appears in several denominational hymnals, though it is not included in The Hymnal 1982.

Friedell later set his hymn in anthem form with organ accompaniment, and this version has become widely known and performed. The gentle rise and fall of the melody, sumptuous harmonies and stirring Alleluias, create a wonderful choral fabric.

This week’s organ prelude was written as a tribute to Friedell by the well-known organist Gerre Hancock.
Upcoming at St. Paul's
Monday, October 15, 7 p.m. – Combined UVA / Notre Dame Glee Club Concert (nave)

Monday, October 15, 9 p.m. – Compline (chancel)

Tuesday, October 16, 12:15 p.m. – Holy Eucharist (chapel)

Tuesday, October 16, 2 p.m. – Generation Wise (details below)

Wednesday, October 17, 4:30 p.m. – Contemplative Prayer (details below)

Wednesday, October 17, 4:30 p.m. – Junior Choir Rehearsal (choir room)

Wednesday, October 17, 5:30 p.m. – Evening Prayer (brief, informal, all ages)

Wednesday, October 17, 6 p.m. – Dinner for all (parish hall)

Wednesday, October 17, 6:15 p.m. – Canterbury Fellowship Gathering (Canterbury house)

Thursday, October 18, 7:30 a.m. – Bible Study (library)
Contact Jody Lahendro: jdl7d@virginia.edu

Thursday, October 18, 10:30 a.m. – Theological Horizons & Project on Lived Theology Workshop (details below)

Thursday, October 18, 5 p.m. – 20s and 30s Happy Hour at Kardinal Hall (details below)

Saturday, October 20, 11 a.m. – Funeral for Jane Rotch

Sunday, October 21 – Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost
St. Paul's News and Notes
Eucharistic Visiting Lunch and Information Session – At the end of the 10 a.m. service each week, Eucharistic Visitors receive consecrated bread and wine in order to include parishioners who are ill or homebound in our weekly sacramental fellowship by taking communion to them. To learn more about this ministry, or to explore whether or not you might like to participate, please join the Rector and current Eucharistic Visitors for lunch in the church lounge this Sunday, October 14, at 12:30 p.m. RSVP to Alice Fitch at the church office (alice.fitch@spmcuva.org or 434-295-2156) so we can get a head count for lunch. Questions? Contact Leslie Middleton: middletonleslie@gmail.com.

CROP Walk – The 2018 CROP Walk is this Sunday, October 14. The CROP Walk is an annual charity walk that benefits both local and national outreach programs that work to end hunger. This year's local beneficiaries include the Emergency Food Network and Meals on Wheels. Members of St. Paul's Youth Groups are seeking your participation and your contributions! If you're in youth group, please consider walking. Meet in the St. Paul's parish hall at 12:45 p.m. on Sunday, October 14. If you're a parishioner, please contribute! You can contribute online here or contact Leah Wise (904-210-9889; leahcwise@gmail.com) to make an in-person contribution.

Leonard Bernstein's Mass – A cast of more than 150 singers/musicians (including the UVA University Singers and St. Paul's musicians Deke Polifka and Daniel Hine) will join in the national and international celebration of the Centennial of Leonard Bernstein’s birth by presenting the regional premiere of his acclaimed Mass on Saturday, October 13 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, October 14 at 2:30 p.m. at the Paramount Theater. Tickets are available at the Paramount Box Office.  

Generation Wise – Generation Wise, a St. Paul's group which builds community among our older members, will meet Tuesday October 16, from 2:00 - 3:30 p.m. in the lounge. We will continue conversations based upon Marcus Borg’s book Days of Awe and Wonder. Participants are urged to read Chapters 4 through 6. Newcomers are always welcome. For more information, contact Jean or Bill Sherman, sherman@nantucket.net or 434-975-1605.

Weekly Adult Contemplative Prayer – Join St. Paul's parishioners for an hour of weekly contemplative prayer beginning next Wednesday, October 17, from 4:30 - 5:15 p.m. in the chapel. Facilitated by Marianne Story-Yencken and Leslie Middleton, this time will be spent in silent meditation, interspersed with readings, scripture, and a short period of reflective sharing. No experience necessary, just the desire to quiet our minds together and a willingness to follow simple guidelines. Sign-up not necessary, drop-ins welcome anytime. Questions? Contact Leslie Middleton (middletonleslie@gmail.com) or Marianne Story-Yencken (mstory@jps.net).

Theological Horizons & Project on Lived Theology Workshop and Lecture – St. Paul's will host a workshop on Thursday, October 18 from 10:30 a.m. - noon. The workshop, 5 Trends Changing Everything in the Church Today, is co-sponsored by Theological Horizons and the Project on Lived Theology and will be led by Jonathan Merritt, award-winning writer on religion, culture, and politics. This community workshop is open to all. RSVP to christy@theologicalhorizons.org. Jonathan will present a lecture at 6 p.m. that evening at UVA (101 Nau Hall) – Speaking God: The Death & Rebirth of Sacred Speech.

20s and 30s Happy Hour – Parishioners, newcomers, and friends in their 20s and 30s are invited to Happy Hour at Kardinal Hall on Thursday, October 18, from 5 - 7 p.m. Join us for a drink, a soft pretzel, a wurst, a game of bocce ball, etc. Children welcome!

IMPACT Annual Assembly – YOU can help create a community of justice! IMPACT's 13th Annual Assembly will be held on Tuesday, October 30, from 6:30 - 8 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church (500 Park Street). We will gather with hundreds of neighbors from 26 diverse congregations, get updates from city and county officials on our current efforts to improve the availability of affordable housing, and re-commit ourselves to being a voice for the voiceless. Come pray, sing, celebrate, and kick off a year where we'll make an IMPACT! Questions? Contact John Frazee: john.g.frazee@gmail.com or 434-242-0103.

Thursday Morning Bible Study – Members of the St. Paul’s Thursday morning bible study group have completed their summer readings, wiped the sand from their feet, and are now refreshed and ready to dive back into their study of Romans. Starting this week they picked up where they left off at Romans chapter 9, verse 1. This group of men and women meet every Thursday morning from 7:30 to 8:30 in the church library, with coffee provided. Discussions are casual and relaxed and require no prior familiarity with the readings. All are welcome to join in at any point! Contact Jody at jdl7d@virginia.edu or 434-906-2583 if you have any questions.

All Saints’ Sunday Baptisms – The next scheduled baptismal date will be All Saints’ Sunday, November 4. Baptism can be scheduled for any of the three services that day. To inquire about baptism for yourself or an infant or young child, call or email the office as soon as possible to schedule a conversation with the Rector about preparation for baptism. After All Saints’, the next baptismal date will be on the Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord, January 13, 2019.

Flower Memorials – The donations received from flower memorials are used to buy flowers for the church throughout the year. St. Paul’s is blessed each week by the ministry of our Flower Guild, a group of volunteer parishioners who enhance and honor our worship with beautiful floral arrangements throughout the year. Interested in offering a flower memorial? The Flower Guild will create a lovely arrangement to honor your loved one, and your memorial will be noted in our Sunday service bulletin. Please contact Office Manager Alice Fitch (alice.fitch@spmcuva.org or 434-295-2156) with the date of your requested thanksgiving or memorial.
Prayers of the Parish
Holding each other's joys, sorrows and concerns before God in prayer is a spiritual practice that characterizes our life together at St. Paul's. In our worship services we pray each other's prayers together. Outside of our time together many parishioners make it part of their daily lives to pray the prayers of the parish community. You are invited to participate in your own way.

Thanks be to God

for the hospitality ministry of the Vestry, who prepared our Wednesday night dinner this week.

for the coordination and hospitality efforts of Joan Albiston and Donna Price, who organized last weekend's Youth Group bonfire.

for the new life in Christ of Raija Harriett Taylor (granddaughter of Tony & Iris Potter), baptized in Brooklyn last Sunday.

for the faith and generosity of all who support the life and ministries of St. Paul's, including more than 235 households who made financial commitments for 2018.

Your prayers are requested

for members and friends of the parish who are sick, sorrowful, or in any kind of trouble, including David Nelson, Anne, Evelyn, Robert & Dorothy, Anne, Mary Elizabeth Beck, Ruth, Guy & Mary Ann Miller, David, Lila M., the Barbour family, Ronald, Pierce, Doug, Libba, Finley & his family, Thomas, Jim, Matti, Bob, John, Tiffany Gordon, Jaimin Silman, John Ritchie, Debby Strzepek, Susan, Beverley & Bob, Lynda, Sharon, Shirley Wright, Christine & Julian, Jim, Joyce , Jason, Julie Sayler, Joy, Megan & Michael, Jane, Maggie, Margaret Ann, Nancy.

for the participants in this weekend's CROP Walk, and for those who are hungry or living in poverty.

for those preparing for baptism, including Isaiah Teubner, to be baptized at St. Paul’s on November 4.

for Jim Ryan, as he prepares for his inauguration next weekend as the University of Virginia's 9th president.

for the Rev. Mark Wastler, as he prepares to begin his work with us as University Chaplain and Associate Rector on October 28.

for our Bishop, the Rt. Rev. Shannon S. Johnston, as he prepares to retire in November, and for the ministry we share with more than eighty thousand Episcopalians and nearly two hundred congregations as the Diocese of Virginia.

for Kris Roi Episcopal Church and School in Leger, Haiti, and for our growing partnership with them.

for the renovation of our children's and youth ministries; for Renovation Team members Eleanor Hoppe, David Litherland, Jennifer Minetree, Frank Rambo, and Leah Wise; for our Ministry Architects consultants Mary Beth Abplanalp and Dennis Steeger; and for our Godly Play teachers attending training this weekend.

for our city and community and nation; for the victims of racism, injustice, and oppression; and for all who serve the common good in law enforcement and the courts.

for Emmanuel Church, Harrisonburg; Emmanuel, Alexandria; and Grace, Port Republic, according to the Diocesan Cycle of Prayer.

for the people and ministries of the Anglican Church in Wales, and for their Archbishop, the Most Rev. John Davies, according to the Anglican Cycle of Prayer.

We commend to God’s never-failing care

victims of violence and warfare throughout the world, including migrants and refugees who have died fleeing danger.

all whom we love but see no more, including Rodney Blair, Sarah Hendley (Alice Meador's sister), Robert O'Neil, and Jane Rotch, whose funeral will take place on Saturday, October 20, at 11 a.m.

Mary Crockett Martin and Sally Anna Evans, in whose loving memory this Sunday's flowers are given.