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 Friends,

We, your Wardens and your elected Vestry, have been blessed to have Pastor Felicia at our last two Vestry meetings, walking with us on the adventure that is St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Fort Collins, CO. Her leadership, wisdom and desire to be with us has reinvigorated all of us! Having been sent an amazing Priest in Charge to walk with us and having settled on a Place to plant ourselves, we are now able to devote ourselves more fully to discerning and carrying out the Purpose to which God is calling us.

We are working together with the leadership of Mary of Magdala Ecumenical Catholic Community and Trinity Lutheran Church to explore the possibility of establishing an Interfaith Partnership while maintaining our unique identities and faith practices. The bishops of all three denominations are supportive of and enthusiastic about this exploration.

The Cooperative Leadership Team (made up of leadership from all three congregations) has charged each congregation to appoint 3 members to serve on an Interfaith Partnership Visioning Committee by October 1 st . The resulting group of nine will be commissioned at our joint worship service on October 27 th .

The first step for St. Paul’s Vestry is to appoint three of our parishioners to serve on this Interfaith Visioning Committee. We are seeking recommendations and volunteers to serve on the Committee. If you are interested or can suggest anyone you think might be interested, please contact either of your Wardens or Pastor Felicia and let us know. Committee members will need to commit to regular meetings and communication with the Vestry and the Cooperative Leadership Team.

We anticipate that the direction and make-up of this three-church Committee will change with each stage of the Interfaith Partnership journey. This initial Committee will be exploring, visioning and articulating what an Interfaith Partnership might look like. Successive steps will involve setting guideposts, addressing legal and technical issues and implementation of the vision. Other members, with other skills and aptitudes will be needed as we move forward on this vision. Updates and requests for feedback will be shared with the congregation via the Epistle, announcements and Parish meetings.

Although only 3 folks are needed on the Committee at this time, all of us are needed to continue in prayer and conversation as we continue into this latest St. Paul’s adventure!

Blessings,
John and Rhoda
Together in Covenant with God

September 18, 2019

My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Since our last stewardship letter, we have called our wonderful Priest in Charge Felica, we have discerned to stay on Stuart St with our partner parishes, we have developed a wonderful Care Giving ministry, and continued to grow our passion for welcoming others to our parish and serving in our community with so many wonderful ministries. As I reflect on this past year and all the blessings, it is for me a sure sign the Holy Spirit is alive in our little parish. Thank you, Lord, for your grace and thank you, my Brothers and Sisters, for your time, talent, and financial support in 2019.
As I look forward to 2020, we will embark on a pivotal year in the life of our parish. With our partner parishes and the Holy Spirit, we will work together to envision a new way to live out God’s mission in our church life together. Recently, we had a wonderful Cooperating Committee meeting with the other parishes to discuss how to take these next steps together, and the Holy Spirit was certainly there with us. Leaving the church that afternoon, a beautiful rainbow appeared from behind the church and disappeared into the clouds above. My heart was full seeing this as a sign of us together in covenant with God. I reflected on what was often said as we left our former location. “I do not know where we are going, though I know I will be with all of you.” Now, I am only more certain that God has some incredible work for us to do as a parish. As we look forward to 2020, I do not know how the Holy Spirit will inspire us in this next phase of our journey, though I know I will be with you my Brothers and Sisters and with God’s help it will be beautiful.

So what makes St Paul’s special, what inspires us to devote our time, talent, and treasure in this parish? For me, it is all of you, my Brothers and Sisters. St Paul’s is the parish that welcomed my family after a very trying time moving from our home in Detroit, due to the economic crash in 2008. It was you, my Brothers and Sisters, who celebrated our son’s excitement during services with an extra loud “AMEN”. Though there are so many examples of how I experience God’s love through our parish, one example often inspires me. When I first joined vestry a few years ago, we had a vestry retreat in which we shared our stories on what led us to the church. I often think about the impact my Brother Gray’s story had on me. And as we worked together on Vestry, we formed a special bond; inspired by our love for Christ, our Parish, and, moved by the Holy Spirit. And this is what makes St Paul’s so special. Where else, in today’s world, would men from different generations, backgrounds, and perspectives come to form such a connection? These connections, inspired by God’s mission and moved by the Holy Spirit, are why I continue to believe St Paul’s is the perfect parish to give of my time, talents, and treasure. And once again, I have you, my Brothers and Sisters to thank.
In 2019, members of this Parish made an annual average financial pledge of $4,331 or $83 a week. As we look ahead to this pivotal year of our parish, I encourage us to increase our financial support to St. Paul’s. Our 2020 pledge sheet now asks you to also continue your commitment to our parish through your time and talents. I thank you all in advance and God Bless.

Your humble servant and People’s Warden,
John Williams

Special Talk by Dr. Elaine Hild

Sunday, Sept. 29, at 10:15 in the Fireside Room

Elaine has been asked many times by members of our community to share her work. Finally, we're making it happen!

Singing Through the Dying: Medieval ritual for the end of life

For centuries of European history, the sound of singing was customarily—and ideally—the final sensation of a human life. This presentation explores the rite for the dying included in the thirteenth-century Franciscan manuscript Chicago Newberry 24 . The manuscript preserves not only the texts spoken at the bedside, but also the melodies prescribed for the moment of death. The lecture will include performances of these chants by our musical director, Kay Williams. 
Talking "Spiritual" in Secular Settings: Chaplains in our Time and Place

This Sunday, September 22, 2-4 pm
at Plymouth Congregational Church, Fort Collins

All life's moments of major change -- losses, death, the diminishing of fortune or ability -- confront us with the need to think spiritually. We find ourselves asking the big questions: Why are we hear? What are we meant to be doing? What lies beyond death? It is often the chaplain who meets a person in these moments of life transition and who provides the space and the deep listening that allows them to process in meaningful ways what is happening to them.

Atlas Tanudjaja identifies ad a queer Buddhist theologian, working at the intersection of queerness and Buddhist theology. Joseph Moore is a husband, dad, and Presbyterian pastor. He has been asked by Fort Collins Police Services to start a police chaplaincy program. Maria Cox has been a chaplain at Poudre Valley Hospital, McKee Medical Center, and Pathways Hospice.

Come and listen, then stay to discuss what has been shared.
The CROP Hunger Walk

Sunday, October 6, at 1 pm
Starting at First Presbyterian Church

The CROP Hunger Walk (5K) is a fund raising event for Church World Service. This is a group of 37 Protestant and Orthodox denominations that band together to employ their resources more efficiently. The local money raised is split 25% to the Food Bank of Larimer County and 75% to world wide programs via CWS. Over 90% of the donations reach a CWS program/project.

CWS provides food and shelter in areas that suffer from civil unrest, natural disasters and other emergency situations. They also sponsor projects that will alleviate hunger for the long term such as crop seeds, irrigation equipment, water wells and projects, education (women especially), kits, microloans and technologically appropriate equipment.

Jacki and the Youth Group will be walking, and they need your sponsorship. Please contact Jacki for more information and to sign up!
Special Worship Events Coming

Save the dates for the following special worship services:

October 20: Our new bishop, The Rt. Rev. Kym Lucas, will visit. We will have one worship service at 8:30 am.

October 27: Joint Three Congregation Worship at 11 am

November 3: Father Kano Day will be celebrated at both the 8 am and 9 am services
Safeguarding God's Children Training

We will be offering a  Safeguarding God's Children Training  for all three congregations on Sunday, October 27th from 7:30 am to 10:45 am (15 minute break to grab food from potluck provided on this Sunday of shared worship and fellowship. Our combined worship service begins at 11:00 am.) This important training allows all three churches to keep our children safe, as well as, educate our communities on best practices. Please RSVP to  jlpetrino@gmail.com  so we know how many are coming.

Here is a link to more information on the Episcopal church Colorado website. Please forward to any interested parties and publicize as needed.
Sunday School

Sunday School has begun! But it is never too late to register your child. Here is a link. Once again St. Paul's will be joining with Trinity Lutheran for our Christian Formation.




Saturday, September 28 in Old Town Square from 11 am - 3 pm

Explore what peace means to you
…. and to others in our community, our nation, and the world.
Our Joint Eco-Justice Team Presents September Adult Forums on Climate Change
                              
Sundays 9:00-10:10 a.m. in the Sun Room

Sept. 22nd- The Fort Collins Climate Action Plan
Carolyn Conant of the Fort Collins Environmental Services Department will bring us up to date on what the Climate Action Plan is all about and how we are progressing as a city toward our climate action goals. She will help us understand ways we can contribute toward reducing our green house gas emissions and respond to questions.

Sept. 29th- Carbon Fee & Dividend and Other Climate Solutions
Trinity member, retired CSU Statistics Professor and Citizen's Climate Lobby volunteer Phil Chapman will give us some background and details on how a fee on fossil fuel extraction and dividend returned to citizens would be able to help bring down carbon emissions. This is an idea that has been proposed to the U.S. Congress and has gained bipartisan support. In addition, we will conclude the series of forums with a conversation on how we all can do our part to act to mitigate climate change.
We're Here to Help!

Communion at home or health care facility.
A ride to church services or special
church events. Visit or get well card.

If you -- or a parishioner friend or parishioner relative of yours -- need any of the above please let the church office know! Make St Paul’s office your regular point of contact if you know that any of our parishioners have entered a medical facility, will be homebound for several weeks or longer, or may need a ride or other church support from the ministries we have set up for a caretaking purpose. The
office will inform our priest and the appropriate ministry head, who will follow up with you.
  office@stpauls-fc.org or 970-482-2668.
TLC Book Group
 
invites members of St. Paul's and Mary of Magdala in reading   Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond: A study of the demise of some great societies, contrasted with similar societies which thrived, oftentimes due to environmental or political decisions. Join us for discussion on October 7th in the Fireside Room at 9:30 a.m .  Questions?  Call Donna Dauner 222-7128 or Margaret Wick 800-3650
Laurie's Reflection for Episcopal Cafe

I will be writing on Sundays instead of Thursdays for The Episcopal Cafe, now. You can get all the Speaking to the Soul Reflections HERE . Look also at the Cafe's pod casts, which are really worth spending time with. Here's one on the Desert Mother Amma Syncletica, for instance. And there are often very thought-provoking articles and essays here as well.
Flowers

If you would like to provide flowers to honor or remember a loved one, there is a sign-up sheet on the St. Paul's bulletin board in the Fellowship Hall.
Links to the Online Newsletters of Trinity Lutheran Church and the Mary of Magdala Ecumenical Catholic Community

What are our partners in ministry here up to? Go HERE for the Trinity Lutheran Church monthly newsletter, "Tidings". And HERE is Mary of Magdala's weekly bulletin.