Contact Information Update |
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Our Assistant Rector has a new cell phone number. If you phone the church (215-242-2055) and dial ext. 24, it will go directly to this new cell phone number. If you wish to call his cell phone directly, here is the new number: (267) 596-0002. Please disregard the old number (484-904-5196). Thank you! |
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A Message from the Interim Rector: |
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Imagination and Confinement -what would Paul do?
Albert Ogle sets the tone for his travel tour of the "sacred sites" associated with our patron saint on Sunday at 11am.
How many times in the past 12 months have we longed for a travel adventure or just an escape to some different world than the one we now inhabit? Many of us long for the ability to travel again and to live more freely.
In preparation for Sunday’s part 2 of the St. Paul’s Day celebration, I had to sift through some old photos and files associated with a trip to Turkey in 2011. My talk on Sunday at 11 will be sharing some different perspectives on the sites associated with St. Paul and his world. I miss not being able to travel and see family, friends and places of interest and inspiration. As an Irishman, we are naturally nosey and inquisitive and the theory of why the Irish never conquered another country (anti-imperial) was that we simply enjoyed observing people in their context, rather than wishing to impose our culture on another. Nosey and inquisitive, we simply liked these strange foreigners as they were!
In rediscovering Paul and re-visiting these former sites associated with him, I am struck about how much this one life accomplished, through his adventurous bold travels all over Asia Minor (without modern assistance) and how much of Paul’s greatest writings came from terrible confinement.
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The Fourth Sunday after The Epiphany
Sunday, January 31st, 2o21
9 AM: Live-streamed only! Holy Eucharist in the sanctuary with organ and choir. The Rev. Daniel Kline is preaching and celebrating. Music is led by Dr. Andrew Kotylo and St. Paul's staff singers. This service will also feature our weekly Godly Play lessons.
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This service will be available live on YouTube at 9 AM. Bulletin and service link will come in a Saturday evening email and will be posted on Facebook on Sunday morning.
10:30 AM: Parent, Teacher, Student Information Meeting for Upper Elementary (Age 10+), Middle School & High School: Click here to join.
11 AM: Adult Forum - The Rev. Canon Albert Ogle hosts our forum on "Living Stones" - a journey with Saint Paul. More information available below. Click here to join the Zoom call.
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Missed last week's sermon and service? |
Missed last week's sermon?
In celebration of St. Paul's Day, Albert Ogle looks at the forgotten heroes from the persecuted church in Damascus who welcomed their persecutor -Saul of Tarsus. In taking a risk of welcome and hospitality to their enemy, they changed the course of history.
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In-person services on Ash Wednesday
pending local advisories and Vestry approval
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12 noon: Spoken Holy Eucharist service and communal self-administration of ashes
7 p.m.: Choral Holy Eucharist service and communal self-administration of ashes. We will have individual containers holding ashes for each worshipper given out with the bulletins. At the appropriate moment, the celebrant and congregation will self anoint in unison.
Click on the above sign-up link to read more about our safety precautions. The 7 p.m. service will also be streamed live.
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Missed the Vestry Town Hall this past Sunday? |
Catch up on news about our shared goals, the rector search, building improvements and more.
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An Update from the Search Committee |
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The Search Committee is in the middle of interviewing likely candidates and, as I said on Sunday, they find St. Paul’s very appealing, based on the Parish Profile and talking with the committee. So, while we say in the Profile that St. Paul’s has some challenges, there are plenty of interesting candidates who feel called to help us address them.
We continue our internal discernment process as we interview. This means that, for every candidate, we listen carefully to their answers and answer their questions thoughtfully. After the interview, the Committee thinks and talks about what their answers tell us about them, how they would fit with St. Paul’s and, if we interviewed them again, what we’d still like to know. Because we will be accepting new candidates through March 1, some time soon we may split our 11-person group in order to do more first interviews faster, and we may have a second meeting during some weeks.
As always, thank you for your prayers, and keep them coming!
Louise Thompson
Chair of the Search Committee
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During this time when we are not attending church services in person, we are offering a Virtual Collection Plate. Please contribute what you would normally have given each Sunday and help Saint Paul's continue its important work! |
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Instead of giving online: if you would like offering envelopes to be mailed to you, please contact Paul Diefenbach. If you have questions about your recent end of year pledge statement, please also contact Paul or Kristin Deissler. |
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Shop and Drop
Thank you for your generous donations to Shop and Drop. Your contributions continue to make a positive impact on those Germantown families with food insecurity. Shown here is the Latini family making a recent - much appreciated - food delivery!
Drivers are needed in the months ahead to deliver to St. Luke's. Ideally it is a one month gig, delivering once a week. Easy instructions provided. Questions or to sign up, please contact Charlotte Biddle; 215-247-0837.
Consider donating:
Vegetables/rice/potatoes, other: canned vegetables, boxed mashed potatoes, and rice
Protein: Peanut butter (or any other nut butter), nuts/seeds/trail mix, canned tuna fish, canned chicken, soup/stew-hearty, shelf stable milk. Consider donating jelly or jam in unbreakable containers to accompany peanut butter.
Carbohydrates: Crackers, granola bars, cereal
Other: Red tomato sauce, fruit cups, applesauce, canned fruit, and dried fruit.
The St. Paul’s Outreach Committee thanks you for your dedication.
-Charlotte Biddle, Tom O’Rourke, and Cheyenne DeMulder, Outreach Committee Co-Chairs
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Potential Outreach Opportunity with Standing Rock |
As a recent New York Times article reported, one of the devastating effects of COVID-19 on indigenous populations is the loss of culture. Coincidentally, we received a request around the same time that article was published from the Rev. Canon John Floberg, who was our North Dakota contact for the Youth Mission trips. He has asked us to consider purchasing Bibles and other books that are in the Lakota language as a way to help preserve the Lakota culture. More details to come in the next few weeks. Please continue to pray for the Standing Rock Reservation during this time as they pray for us.
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This Sunday, the Rev. Canon Albert Ogle will talk about Paul: what we know about him, his maturing in his faith, his extraordinary travels, and his views on religion, politics and inclusion.
Paul remains both enigmatic and controversial and is claimed by conservative and radical Christians alike. Next to Jesus, no-one has shaped Christianity and religion for the past 2,000 years more directly than this converted religious extremist to become the first universalist. Not many writers get a billion hits a week, but every time we read one of his letters in church, his vision of God’s activity in the world continues to influence us.
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Diocesan Anti-Racism Training
THIS SATURDAY!
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This webinar is an introduction to the four-part series from the Anti-Racism Commission of the diocese which explores the multi-layered manifestations of systemic racism in the United States. We will develop a sociological understanding of the concepts race, racism, prejudice, discrimination, ethnicity, minority, power, privilege, stratification, as well as other relevant terminology. |
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Strength for the Journey from our Bishop and Diocese of Pennsylvania
Several new resources have been made available to the churches of the diocese, including anti-ra cism training and online webinars and educational opportunities. I am interested in participating in an Epiphany Journey looking at the issues of refugees and immigration. and a new relationship between our diocese and the church in Jerusalem. Check out this very interesting Lenten Journey round the sites associated with Jesus here.
The Diocese is planning a celebration of the life of a local saint and hero, Absalom Jones on February 13th as the first African American priest in the Episcopal Church. We will honor his legacy with all the other churches in the diocese on Sunday 14th. There are many other online resources and worship opportunities to help us all through these troubling times.
-Albert Ogle
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Save the Date
"AM I AN EPISCOPALIAN?" Class
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Join the clergy, Carroll Sheppard and Van Williams on a fun Lenten exploration of what it means to be an Episcopalian. We will meet for an hour on Tuesday evenings for five weeks from 5:30-6:30PM getting to know each other and what attracts us to St Paul's and the Episcopal church community. |
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We welcome people who are exploring, new to our internet services, newcomers and folk who have been around for long time but would enjoy a renewed conversation about what they love about our church. All welcome. More info to follow. |
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Join us as we discuss themes of family, Black identity, LGBTQ+ identity from the classic 1929 novel by Nella Larsen! This prized example of African-American literature is receiving renewed attention and is now widely considered part of the literary canon of university education.
Wed 2/3 at 7PM
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Bible Study Continues This Wednesday,
Jan. 27th
Wednesdays from 10:30AM-12PM
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Tweens, Middle School, & High School Update |
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Preisinger Outreach Opportunity |
Evelyn Preisinger has started a non-profit chapstick business called Kidz4kids to help raise money for those in need. She is currently raising money for the Children's Hospital in Colorado. Evelyn is the daughter of Amanda and Nate Scates-Preisinger, who were previous members and volunteers in our Children, Youth, and Family Ministry at St. Paul's. Please support them if you can!
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Pet Show Contest Rules:
- Any child (or adult) is welcome to participate
- Submit a request to enter a (Live, fiction, imaginary, or stuffed) animal using the button below.
- Date to submit will be Feb 1-Feb 21st.
- These videos will be uploaded to St. Paul's Basecamp
- There may be categories and ribbons will be presented for categories after submission dates.
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