Spreading God's Word, Not the Virus
The Good Shepherd Series:
The Rev. William H. ‘Chip Stokes - Part III:
‘He came to Testify to the Light…’
By Tim Kilpatrick, Interim Youth Minister
‘He came to testify to the Light…’ In his own words:

“I’m real story based. I saw a video by the Very Rev. Kenneth Clark, the one-time Dean of St. John’s Cathedral, Albuquerque, New Mexico, who said that, ‘The most profound communities are shaped around a common story.’ When a family gathers at a funeral, and then afterwards they break bread together. There is an inevitable ritual. And the ritual is—‘Do you remember when?’ Do you remember when grandma did this, or when dad did that? ‘Do you remember when?’ They are not anecdotes. They are telling their story—their core identity of who and what they are all about. And in telling their story, they are being remembered, reincorporated, becoming a body, becoming a family again in the face of that most threatening crisis—death. And the church is a profound community shaped around a common story. It gathers every Sunday morning and tells its story, and not only that, but breaks bread together and says—‘Do you remember when?’ Do you remember in the night before he died, the Lord Jesus Christ broke bread? Do you remember when He took the cup—He gave it to them and said, ‘Drink this all of you.’ Do you remember when? And, in doing that, we become the Body of Christ. To me, that is who we are and what we are about. The Bible to me is not a rule book, and we don’t worship the Bible. We worship the God to whom the Bible points.”

~From Father Stokes interview with the Search Committee, June 23, 1998
2nd Re-opening Survey

Dear St. Paul's Church Family,

Last week marked five months since the closure of our churches for in-person gatherings, including worship. At St. Paul's, we have a re-entry plan in place that has been approved by our Diocese of Southeast Florida. At this point, the timing of our reopening for in-person worship will be determined by the public health data. Specifically, there needs to be a sustained, 14-day reduction in the number of new COVID-19 cases in Palm Beach County and the positive test rate needs to be below 5% for COVID-19 tests done in Palm Beach County. 

This seems like an appropriate time to do a second survey relative to reopening for in-person worship. Even if you completed the first reopening survey, I ask you to please complete this second, anonymous survey as we contemplate reopening for in-person worship.

Please complete the survey by August 30th.

In Christ,
Fr. Paul+
Daily Reflection from Bishop Peter Eaton
Samuel Johnson, 1772,
Timothy Cutler, 1765,
& Thomas Bradbury Chandler, 1790 Priests
August 17th, 2020
 
Stay Home. Stop the Spread. Save Lives.
If you have to go out, wear a mask.

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

Kate and I continue to be sheltering at home.  We go out only rarely still, and then for a specific and limited reason.  And, frankly, we do not need to go out for much, and we recognise what a privilege this is.  We could even have the food delivered, but I still like to choose my own fruit and veg.  Given the ongoing threat of the virus and the persistent high statistics, it just seems sensible to keep doing what we have been doing for the time being.  Our part of Florida remains one of the worst-affected parts not just of the country but of the world.  A number of our friends have come down with COVID, and they are not clear why or how they caught the virus.  So we are simply watching it, and trying to avoid as much as possible situations in which there may be unnecessary risk. [...]
SACRED GROUND
A FILM-BASED DIALOGUE SERIES ON RACE AND FAITH
Registration deadline: August 24th
Dialogue begins: August 31st, 7:00pm

Space is limited! Register now to secure your spot in this dialogue program.
I am pleased to announce that Ellen Kentner and Kristen Murtaugh have agreed to facilitate the offering of Sacred Ground, the Episcopal Church’s new film- and readings-based dialogue on race. The dialogue is grounded in our call to faith, hope and love and especially designed to help white people talk with other white people about matters of race. Ellen and Kristen invite members of St. Paul’s to join them in taking a closer look at the divisions in White America and in themselves. The small study circle (5 to 14 members) will walk through chapters in America’s history of race and racism and weave in threads of family story, economic class, and political and regional identity. The powerful curriculum includes documentary films and readings that focus on Indigenous, Black, Latino and Asian/Pacific American histories as they intersect with European American histories. [...]
Prudence
By The Rev. Daniel R. Heischman, D.D., Executive Director of the National Association of Episcopal Schools

If you listen often to Dr. Anthony Fauci (something I enjoy doing, these days), you may notice how frequently he uses the word, “prudent.” He speaks of the “building blocks of prudence,” in fighting the Coronavirus, of identifying various policies or pandemic responses as being prudent or imprudent. Recently he spoke of how and why some people act imprudently, defying recommended pandemic behaviors (because they feel there is no end in sight to this crisis, he observes). Perhaps his fondness for prudence is no surprise, given his Jesuit educational background (Regis High School, Holy Cross). In Jesuit moral theology, prudence is the director of other virtues, the exemplary delivery system for living out the moral life. [...]
Prayer-by-Phone Ministry

“For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.”
Mt. 18:20

Several of our Lay Healing Ministers are available for prayer-by-phone. Please feel free to call if you would like to have someone pray with you and/or for you. Of course, all prayer conversations are sacred and they are kept confidential. We believe in the power of prayer, and we know that Jesus is present in a special way when two or more people gather together in His name (Mt. 18:20).


Here is the schedule for our Prayer-by-Phone ministry:  

  • Helen - Sunday, 4-6pm...............(561) 398-7259
  • Elizabeth - Monday, 10-11am....(410) 463-8825
  • Patricia - Monday 5-6pm...........(561) 703-0800
  • Barta - Tuesday, 1-2pm...............(603) 781-1630
  • Claudette - Wednesday, 5-6pm..(561) 541-7361
  • Faith - Friday, 7-9pm..................(561) 512-4056
“It is a Christian obligation to vote, and more than that, it is the church’s responsibility to help get souls to the polls.” - Presiding Bishop Michael Curry
Getting souls to the polls isn’t just about casting our own vote, but about working together so we all can vote and vote faithfully. We can empower every voice in our congregations in this work.

Check out resources below for getting souls to the polls in your faith community! New resources will be added to our website, so check back often.

Write to us with ideas at: eppn@episcopalchurch.org.

Included in this toolkit:
Action Steps - On COVID-19, Register, Mobilize, Communicate, Advocate Worship - Quotes, Music, Prayers [...]
The Efficacy of Masks and Social Distancing in Reducing COVID-19 Transmission
Faithful Giving

Please help us to keep our mission and ministry strong. St. Paul's staff, operations, community outreach, and our missions to help the most vulnerable are dependent on Sunday offerings to keep afloat. When Sunday offerings decrease, our missions become at risk. Please support St. Paul's now by one of the options below:

Safe and secure online giving on our website - St. Paul's has a safe and secure electronic donation service available allowing you to make single donations or set up recurring donations. Click the button below to visit our donation page:
Mail -  If you prefer to send your pledge or other donation by check, please send your contribution to: St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 188 S. Swinton Avenue, Delray Beach, FL 33444.
Zoom Coffee Hour
Sunday, August 23rd, at 11:30am

Please join us for this Sunday morning coffee hour after our 10:00am virtual service!

No Zoom account needed to join:
A snapshot of St. Paul's virtual coffee hour for August 16th
Be Prepared for Hurricane Season! 
While we were spared the full brunt of Hurricane (now Tropical Storm) Isaias this past weekend, we are reminded that we need to be prepared for hurricane season. Read more on how to protect yourself and others from the coronavirus while preparing for a storm from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) HERE and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) HERE. For complete disaster preparedness plans, visit the Florida Division of Emergency Management at:

For more preparedness info visit:
The Episcopal Church's Response to Racist Violence

In this time of national upheaval, outrage, and fear, we are writing to share resources with you on the Church’s responses. Over the weekend, as the nation and the Church mourned the egregious death of George Floyd, Presiding Bishop Michael Curry shared this message with the Church:

 
“Our long-term commitment to racial justice and reconciliation is embedded in our identity as baptized followers of Jesus. We will still be doing it when the news cameras are long gone.”
 
You can read Presiding Bishop Curry’s opinion piece in The Washington Post on Sunday, May 31: As a black man, I understand the anger in our streets. But we must still choose love.
 
The Episcopal Church’s Department of Reconciliation, Justice and Creation Care and the Office of Government Relations assembled resources to assist individuals, congregations and communities seeking to LEARN, PRAY and ACT. We hope you find these useful, and we encourage you to make your voice heard in all the ways you are able to.
 
Palm Beach County Department of Housing and Economic Sustainability CARES Mortgage Assistance Program
100 Australian Avenue, 5th Floor, West Palm Beach, FL 33406
(561) 233‐3606 or (561) 233‐3600

NOTICE OF FUNDING AVAILABILITY

Palm Beach County Department of Housing and Economic Sustainability hereby announce the availability of $20,000,000 in CARES Act funding for temporary relief to homeowners for the following:

Mortgage Assistance: CARES Act funding will provide assistance to income eligible households who are delinquent in their first mortgage and escrow payments (PITI). Additionally, funding may assist with late fees, attorney’s fees, condominium and homeowners’ association payments, special assessments, and other mortgage associated costs related to COVID‐19. Maximum Award: $10,000 (Up to four‐months mortgage payments, but not to exceed $10,000) [...]
MONDAY, August 17:

Judges 17:6
In those days there was no king in Israel; all the people did what was right in their own eyes.

When I am hungry, angry, lonely, or tired, my coping mechanisms snap to attention like mice when the cat is gone. I sense judgment from the humans around me, and experience urges me to justify behaviors or explain myself. My response is often out of proportion to the triggering event. If it’s hysterical, it’s historical.

When I operate at my best, I am ruled by the witness of my consciousness. I slow down to take inventory and digest data. I take counsel from my history. I allow emotions to indicate instead of dictate. I give decisions space. I find detachment from outcomes and am rewarded with serenity.

Though they mold my experience of life, I am not my thoughts or choices. I can set them aside and take a break. As I grow in understanding and detachment, I trust God’s vision and perspective more than my own.

God, show me what is right in front of my eyes. Rule my judgments.

MOVING FORWARD: Who helps keep your heart and mind in check? Thank that person today.


Volunteering Sign Up for Food Box Offloading

Below you will find a sign-up link for any volunteer willing to help with the offloading of food boxes for distribution on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 8:30 am at Cason United Methodist Church ( 342 N Swinton Ave, Delray Beach, FL 33444 ). 
Interfaith Committee:
Shower Truck Donations Needed

In this midst of this COVID-19 pandemic, the Interfaith Committee of Delray Beach has partnered with the Delray Beach Police Department to keep their shower truck operations available to those enduring homelessness in our area.

A major aspect of this shower truck program is the distribution of clean clothing to participants afterwards, if you would like to help by way of donating these much needed pieces of clothing, please contact Caren Kilpatrick, Parish Administrator, at (561) 319-7947.

"Specifically, the shower truck needs men’s shorts or jeans sizes 32-34 desperately.  We have larger sizes!"
The Volen Center has instituted a program using their fleet of buses to deliver free lunches to seniors 60+ in Boca, Delray and Boynton. Outlined below is the program and who can be contacted. If you have any people who might benefit, please send us the names and numbers or pass along this information to them. Anyone we can help is a plus.

Lunches delivered to residences daily and 3 meals on Friday to cover the weekend.

To enroll, e-mail or call the following staff:

Rebecca - florexilr@volencenter.com (561-395-8920 ext. 234)
Shantavia - youngs@volencenter.com (561-395-8920 ext. 223)
Volunteering Opportunities

Dear Volunteers,
 
Please see the included link for a list of volunteer opportunities and agency needs. You will need to connect with the agencies directly to volunteer and/or make an item donation. If you have not completed the waiver and you do plan on volunteering, please use the link to complete the waiver https://secure.unitedwaypbc.net/inetwork/VolunteerForm
The National AA Intergroup has a list of online meetings at: http://www.aa-intergroup.org/.

Many local meetings have established their own Zoom meetings which can be found at the intergroup website for the particular county.

For example, here's the link for South Palm Beach County intergroup information on meeting closures and online meetings:
VIRTUAL SERVICES DURING THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

In response to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, we at St. Paul's Delray Beach, together with all churches in the Episcopal Diocese of Southeast Florida, have closed for public worship and all other public gatherings until further notice, per our requirement of a sustained double digit reduction in COVID-19 test positivity. This includes St. Paul's Day School until August 10th, Paul's Place after-school program, and all other ministries and scheduled events. If you have a pastoral emergency and need the services of our clergy, please contact Fr. Paul Kane (revpaul@stpaulsdelray.org or 561-921-7667)

We at St. Paul's Delray will offer a virtual morning prayer at 8:00am and a virtual evening prayer at 5:00pm (both through Facebook Live streams), Monday through Friday, and a virtual celebration of the Holy Eucharist every weekend until further notice.

Click below to view our Virtual Service for the 11th Sunday After Pentecost:
As a church family, we will stay connected through social media, email, text messaging, our website, and other platforms. We will continue to spread the Good News of God's love while doing our part to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
I hope that you find peace and inspiration from the many resources for prayer and worship at home offered by Forward Movement (forwardmovement.org) , the Episcopal publishing house that brings us Forward Day by Day.

May God bring healing to the sick, comfort to the lonely, blessed assurance to the anxious, and hope to those in despair,

Fr. Paul+
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
561-276-4541