St. Paul's Episcopal Church Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
MESSENGER
"Making friends while serving God"
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The Week of November 9-15, 2021 |
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The Church is a very human organization but also the garden of God’s grace. It is a place where great sanctity keeps blooming. Saints are people who make the living Christ visible to us in a special way. Some saints have given their lives in the service of Christ and his Church; others have spoken and written words that keep nurturing us; some have lived heroically in difficult situations; others have remained hidden in quiet lives of prayer and meditation; some were prophetic voices calling for renewal; others were spiritual strategists setting up large organizations or networks of people; some were healthy and strong; others were quite sick, and often anxious and insecure.
But all of them in their own ways lived in the Church as in a garden where they heard the voice calling them the Beloved and where they found the courage to make Jesus the center of their lives.
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What is this thing called Morning Prayer?
Monday, Nov 15, 2021 7-8 pm, on Zoom
For St. Paul’s and St. George’s members,
led by Rev. Mary
Morning Prayer (MP) is a service we can do together, or alone in our homes. It has deep roots in the Anglican tradition, the Episcopal Church, and in the early Jesus Movement. We will gather together to learn and share about the history of MP, walk through the service in the prayer book and learn about other resources for group or private daily prayer.
Please come if you have been wondering about this service as you sit in the pews, if you think you might want to become a worship leader, if you have been leading MP and have questions or want to share about your experiences.
Both of our communities have lots of experience with Morning and Evening Prayer in different ways, so this will be a great time to share what we know and to help each other grow. It’s also a good opportunity for church members who have not led MP but are curious to find out more.
Bring your BCP if you have one (don’t worry if you don’t!).
--The Rev. Dr. Mary E. Barber
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To be redirected to the Lectionary Page and get a digital copy of the readings
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Daniel 12:1-3; Psalm 16; Hebrews 10:11-14 (15-18) 19-25;
Mark 12:1-8
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The Sunday Sermon
21-11-7 St Paul's All Saints B
Rev 21 John 11
This past Monday I got my COVID booster shot, and I must say it was kicking me all week. On and off I had aching, chills and sweats, and spent a good deal of time on my day off in bed and on the couch. I reminded myself it was a good thing. My body was cooking up antibodies, memory cells, that would become part of me, protecting me and the people around me from the virus. My body was forcing me to slow down, to take care of myself, to recognize the transformation it was working inside me.
Grief is like that too. It shakes us up. It can be very physical. It is painful. We may try to ignore it, but grief demands to be recognized. And it doesn’t really ever go away, it just becomes a part of us.
Our loved ones who we lose, those mentors and friends and family and even inspirational people we don’t know personally but who have touched our lives, they don’t go away, their loss doesn’t go away. They become part of us. In African Traditional Religion and indigenous traditions we call these people ancestors. In our tradition, we call them Saints. And we are celebrating those Saints today.
This is an especially meaningful and poignant All Saints’ Day for our church, and for the world. This time of pandemic has brought with it so much grief and loss. We have lost loved ones to COVID. We have had loved ones die for reasons other than COVID and we couldn’t be with them or have the usual funeral or memorial because of COVID. The pandemic time of less activity, and more staying inside, has brought up grief over people we lost long before COVID, that we thought we had “gotten over.”
The book of Revelation is a book we Episcopalians are maybe a little uncomfortable about, partly because some Christians have made it into things it is not. Revelation was not written about some end of the world in the future. It does not have a “rapture” in it (another New Testament book does have one, but that’s a story for another day!). The book of Revelation is a type of writing known as apocalypse, not meaning end-of-all-times but meaning unveiling or uncovering. Through a lot of dream-like, wild images of beasts and dragons and angels, the writer of Revelation is reassuring the readers that in the middle of their suffering, something new is being born.
For us as Christians, the book of Revelation, with its image of Jesus as the Lamb and Son of Man, feels like a very Christian book. But if you look at the book of Daniel starting in chapter 7, or the prophet Ezekiel, you’ll see that apocalypse, and prophecy with fantastic images are actually familiar forms in the Old Testament. The apocalyptic part of Daniel was written during a very oppressive occupation of the people of Israel by Greece, and it included a beast with ten horns, representing the tyrannical Greek ruler of that time. In Revelation, there is a beast marked with the number 666, that scholars mostly agree does not represent the devil, but instead probably the emperor Nero.
These two writers, the writer of apocalyptic Daniel, and the writer of Revelation, were portraying their present, very difficult times under oppression from Greece or Rome. And they were using images of beasts to portray the leaders who were causing so much suffering. Through fantastic images of battles between angels and beasts and lambs and the Son of Man in a cloud, the writers are saying that the people can no longer stand the injustice and oppression they are living under. These writers are saying that evil empires will always die in the end, that they must die.
You see, it is often the case that our minds are opened to what is wrong with our world, what needs to end, in times of great suffering. Such as being occupied by Babylon or Greece or Rome. Or having an evil tyrant as a leader. Or experiencing a devastating pandemic. These tragedies make us more able to see the systems of oppression that may have been there for a long time, but some of us could get by okay and ignore them. These times of unveiling or uncovering make us finally wake up and say -- enough.
You see, in the midst of these pandemic times, we have not only been witnessing our loved ones and our role models dying. We have seen other things revealed too. We are waking up to systematic racism that has been present all along, but made more obvious in these times to those of us who are white. We are being made aware that our planet is suffering, that climate change is not an abstract threat for the future, but a here-and-now thing.
We are shocked and angry and grieving for all the injustice that has been revealed by this pandemic time. We have been made painfully aware of how this injustice is partly to blame for the pandemic, and is certainly to blame for how pandemic death and destruction has played out, affecting the poorest, the most vulnerable, the people we call essential, here at home and around the world.
This is big stuff. It is painful stuff. It is definitely the stuff of epic battles between fantastical beasts and angels, of epic-feeling battles between hungry white blood cells and synthetically made messenger RNA inside a feverish body.
The process of grief, just like the process of making immune cells against COVID, makes us feel like we are in battle. It makes us feel like we are dying, because something inside us IS dying. As much as we don’t ever want to lose our loved ones, in the circle of life and time we know that we all must die some time. We must die so that new lives can be born and grow.
In the circle of life and time, we know that all oppression, all injustice, all evil MUST die. As much as some of us want these things to die, to die soon, to die now, that process is as painful as the death of someone we love. And yet we must go through this battle too, so that something new, something better, can be born, for all of us.
In today’s reading from the book of Revelation, Christ on the throne says, “See, I am making all things new.” This is not an easy or simple process, but an epic, sweaty, painful battle. Moving away the stone and taking the bindings of the hands and feet and face of all of us so that we can come into new life is painful. It involves pain and grief and crying. Even Jesus will weep. He is weeping, now.
The people we have lost, in history and in our own lives, have gone through these same things before. And they are with us in our present times of grief and injustice. These ancestors, these saints, are a part of our memories, part of our very bodies. They are our personal and collective antibodies, helping us to be strong enough to fight the battles we face now.
Like the writer of Revelation, drawing on the tradition of Daniel, we too are steeped in tradition. And also, we are making our way into something entirely new. We are sweating and chilled and tired and achy as we grieve over all we have lost and all we see is passing away. We are uncertain about what this new thing will be, and what we will have to let go of in order to get there.
So we call upon the names of the Saints, the Saints in the Bible and our tradition, the Saints in the news, the Saints listed in our service bulletin and in our hearts, the Saints whose names we don’t even know but whose lives are etched into our DNA. We call upon all these Saints, in the name of our great Saint and ancestor, Jesus. Help us in these times. Unbind us, and let us go. Amen.
--The Rev. Dr. Mary E. Barber
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New Fund raising activity in the works - STAY TUNED!!
REMINDER - Consecration Sunday is Nov. 21. All pledges will be blessed at the altar. Think about your many blessings as you complete your annual pledge form.
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THANKSGIVING BASKETS 2021 |
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Last year the Vestry helped First Lutheran with their Thanksgiving Baskets. They are sponsoring baskets again this year and the vestry thought we’d open it up to the congregation. First Lutheran generously supports our Food Pantry. If you would like to participate, please make a bag containing the ingredients listed below along with $10 for the turkey. Bags of food should be brought to St. Paul’s by Sunday, Nov. 21. We will deliver them to First Lutheran. Please let someone on the Vestry know that you are participating. Many thanks. Bobbie Gordon
Thanksgiving Baskets
First Lutheran Church Thanksgiving Baskets 2021
We will be donating Thanksgiving dinners to Grace Smith House.
We are asking for you to donate all the following:
1 box of instant potatoes
1 box of stuffing mix
4 cans of vegetables
1 can of yams
1 can of cranberry sauce
2 packages of gravy mix
$10 to cover the cost of the turkey and dessert
This will provide one “Thanksgiving Basket” for a family of four. To be fair to all recipients, please donate only those items on the list. The food will need to be at church by Sunday November 21 but can be dropped off any Sunday before. If you have any questions, please let me know.
Thank you so much for your support of this ministry.
Nancy Compton, Social Action Committee
--Bobbie Gordon
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Our mask policy has changed due to new safety concerns that have developed. We ask that all people please wear masks while in church except when seated. If you are singing, please put on your mask. Thank you for helping to keep our community safe.
--Shawn Prater-Lee
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ST. PAUL'S SMALL BLESSINGS THRIFT SHOP & FOOD PANTRY: PLEASE HELP US TO SERVE OUR COMMUNITY SAFELY
DONATIONS TO THE THRIFT SHOP MUST BE IN CLEAR PLASTIC BAGS OR CONTAINERS OR ON HANGERS WHEN YOU BRING THEM IN. PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE THE DONATIONS ON THE PORCH, BUT BRING THEM IN DURING THRIFT SHOP HOURS (TUESDAYS, WEDNESDAYS, THURSDAYS 10AM – 2PM).
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We thank everyone who has helped our missions stay open during these trying times. We kindly ask you all to help us to continue to serve our community with the safety it needs and deserves: Any food you donate should be unopened and within the sell by date. Shop items need to be clean and seasonal. We can only accept donations during shop hours. Leaving them at any other times or in the hallway can violate fire safety codes. Please DO NOT use black/opaque garbage bags to bring in your donations as the staff is unable to process the contents of it. Thank you again for your support.
--Jeanne Henderson
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IN-PERSON SUNDAY SERVICES
As more and more people are getting vaccinated against COVID 19 the Bishop has eased some of the restrictions that have affected our worship. Given this the Vestry has decided that all services (10:00am), except for the second Sunday of the month, will be in person and will include singing. We also hope to be able to broadcast the in person service live on our YouTube channel.
The second Sunday of the month will be on Zoom (see below for Zoom link). This allows us to have the coffee hour discussions and to retain those parishioners who are able to only be with us remotely.
We hope to see you on Zoom on Sunday and in person whenever you can make it in.
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ZOOM CHURCH LINK FOR ALL SERVICES
All services except for the second Sunday (on Zoom) of the month, will be in person at 10:00am and will include singing.
Our Zoom connections remain the same and are
Meeting ID: 823 3911 5280
One tap mobile
+16465588656,,82339115280# US (New York)
+13017158592,,82339115280# US (Germantown)
Dial by your location
+1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
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ST. PAUL'S CHURCH YOUTUBE CHANNEL
We now have a YouTube channel.
To get there PLEASE CLICK THE LINK BELOW:
or search on YouTube for St. Paul's Poughkeepsie.
We hope to put copies of all of our online services there.
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A NOTE FROM THE TREASURY TEAM
The total deposits are reported on a monthly basis. Please watch for it at the end of the month.
A reminder - Please remember to either mail in your pledge or drop it off through the mail slot any day during the week. The correct address is: 161 Mansion St., Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
ST. PAUL’S THANKS YOU!!!
--Bobbie Gordon
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Each September for the last 42 years I have been showing up asking you to donate one more time to the Dutchess County Interfaith Council's Crop Walk. Even with all the roller coaster parts of today's world, you once again stepped forward to say yes. It has always amazed me that at a season of so many holidays on the horizon and all the added stress of Covid, you never let me or the hungry down.. The 890$s that we were able to raise - with the diligence of our Deacon Julett and others efforts on our behalf (Pennsylvania, Florida, N & S Carolina) we will insure that someone will not go to bed hungry tonight.
The Crop Walk has been important to me for a long time; and I am eternally grateful and blessed that my Parish family has willingly helped me hold this 'banner' high all that time... Know and never doubt I will with God's grace be back September 2022 with the same plea; and stepping off with a grateful heart and all your prayers.
Remain Blessed... With Much Respect & Love.... Rose Marie
--Rose Marie Proctor
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OR CALL
Melissa Clarke
(Director of Community Impact)
845-471-1900 extension; 3128
United Way of the Dutchess-Orange Region is partnering with Lyft to offer free rides to individuals needing transportation to and from COVID-19 vaccine appointments and COVID-19 booster vaccinations. The program covers up to $50 round trip. The individual must cover any expenses beyond $50.
The program is open to Dutchess and Orange residents in Newburgh and Poughkeepsie. It cannot be used for drive thru vaccination sites. Medicaid recipients are not eligible for this program. They can call their Medicaid provider to cover the cost of transportation.
Sign up to receive your unique code by clicking the "apply" button above. A person can apply the code to a round trip.
Rides can only be used as transportation to and from a vaccine clinic site. Users can apply for a second code to use for transportation to and from a second shot.
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La organizacion de United Way de la region de Dutches y Orange, en colaboracion con Lyft, estan ofreciendo transporte gratis a todos aquellos que necesitan vacunarse contra el Covid-19 y la vacuna del refuerzo. Este programa cubre hasta $50 de transporte- si el costo excede los $50, el cliente tendria que contribuir el balance del costo, de su propio bolsillo.
Este programa es ofrecido a todos los residents de Newburgh y Poughkeepsie y no puede ser utilizado para recibir las vacunas en centros de auto-servicio. Ademas, los residentes que reciben seguro medico por medio de “Medicaid” no son elegibles para participar. Sin embargo, los proveedores de Medicaid cubren el costo del transporte para vacunarse y los pacientes solo tienen que llamar a su proveedor de Medicaid para cuadrar su cita de vacunacion.
Inscribase para recibir su codigo unico haciendole clic al buton de arriba que dice “apply”. Este codigo se puede utilizer para el transporte de ida y vuelta.
El transporte ofrecido por medio de este programa solo puede ser utilizado para visitas clinicas que ofrecen las vacunas del Covid-19. Los usuarios de este transporte, pueden solicitar otro codigo para obtener la segunda vacuna, si es necesario.
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TRAINING FOR LAY PASTORAL CARE MINISTERS
The Episcopal Diocese of New York is sponsoring Community of Hope International (COHI)l training for lay pastoral care ministers beginning February 2022 from 7 to 8 pm on Tuesdays via Zoom.
The classes provide an opportunity for lay ministers to discern possible parish or parish sponsored "out of parish" ministries through an experience of Benedictine Spirituality and will equip participants with the skills needed to engage effectively as pastoral care ministers. The topics and dates are listed below:
(1) February 1 – Benedictine Spirituality
(2) 8 – Theology of Pastoral Care/Pastoral Identity
(3) 15 – Listening Skills
(4) 22 – Prayer, Meditation and Silence
(5) March 8 – Motivational Spiritual Gifts
(6) 15 – Pastoral Care Visits with Boundaries
(7) 22 – Grief, Coping with Loss
(8) 29 - Understanding Family Systems
(9) April 5 – Confidentiality, Debriefing and First Simulation
(10) 19 – Pastoral Care for Seniors
(11) 26– Second Simulation
(12) May 3 – Care for the Caregivers
(13) 10 – Prayer Service and Commissioning
The total cost of the program is $55.
Last year's COHI cohort consisted of deacon postulants, deacons, a priest and lay participants. We are open to the same registration with a cap of approximately 15 participants. If you or your parishioners are interested in this program, please contact Deacon Richard Limato via email at @rplimato@saintmichaelschurch.org
I am happy to answer any questions by phone or arrange a Zoom informational meeting for you and your parishioners.
Thank you,
Richard
"Take hold of the life that really is life"
1 Timothy 6:19
Have a great day!!
The Rev'd. Deacon Denise LaVetty
Director, Diaconal Formation and Transition Ministries
Episcopal Diocese of New York
Deacon, Church of the Incarnation
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New from the Trinity Retreat Center
In-person Retreats
In-person retreats are back at the Trinity Retreat Center. Join us on our 55 acres nestled between the Housatonic River and Trinity Forest in beautiful West Cornwall, Connecticut, a place apart for rest, quiet, prayer, discovery, connection, and reflection. We celebrate the restorative presence of God in nature and in community for spiritual renewal, stewardship of creation, and support for the ongoing work of love, service, and justice.
Core Values Faith Retreat: The Way of God in Wilderness Seasons
January 7–9, 2022
with Summerlee Staten and Dr. Kathy Bozzuti-Jones
We’ll explore how we can hear God’s voice even in times of “wilderness”: seasons of change, doubt, and uncertainty. Come for conversations by the fire, dynamic teaching, vibrant conversations, and prayerful meditation. Learn more and register here
Presidents Day Weekend Rest and Renewal Retreat
February 18–21, 2022
This weekend offers a lightly structured time to retreat from daily obligations and engage a deepening awareness of our relationships—with ourselves, those around us, the divine, and all of creation. Learn more and register here
“Love is the Meaning”: Julian of Norwich Lenten Retreat
March 4–6, 2022
with Robert Owens Scott
Set the tone for Lent during this weekend retreat focusing on the writings of Julian of Norwich, an ascetic from the Middle Ages who wrote Revelations of Divine Love, the earliest surviving book in English written by a woman. Learn more and register here
Inclusiveness Retreat: Womanist Midrash
March 25–27, 2022
with the Rev. Dr. Wil Gafney
We’ll explore the stories of women in the Hebrew Bible, in particular, and biblical interpretation in general, in ways that honor our histories and heritages and speak to the present moment and its concerns. Learn more and register here
Online Retreats
We’re offering weekend retreats online—times to pray, reflect, make space for grace, and listen to the voice of God. Check our website for detailed schedules and mark your calendar to tune in.
A Poet, A Priest
October 29–31, 2021 with the Rev. Spencer Reece
Reece will discuss his spiritual and literary journey. He will explore how poetry, AA, and Al-Anon led him into the church, how writing and prayer have become synonymous for him, and the ways God speaks to us through people.
Abundance in the Midst of Challenge
November 5–7, 2021 with the Rev. Canon Karen Montagno
In the 60s, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., asked, “Where do we go from here? Chaos or community?” Explore this question with the Rev. Canon Karen Montagno, who specializes in community development and gun violence prevention. We’ll ask where the Spirit is leading us and find our quiet places of inspiration and strength utilizing meditations, the wisdom of writers and Saints, and a little playfulness.
Bring Your Group
Online Services
Candlelight Compline
with the Rev. Dr. Mark Bozzuti-Jones and the Trinity Retreat Center staff
Monday–Friday at 8pm EST
Live-streamed from our stone chapel and other sacred spaces at the retreat center, our Candlelight Compline services offer a brief interval of respite and peace in the midst of whatever your life may hold. We generally follow the service “An Order for Compline” in the Book of Common Prayer of The Episcopal Church.
These Trees and Stones: Poems for Living
with the Rev. Dr. Mark Bozzuti-Jones
Mondays at 5:30pm ET through December 27, 2021
Join us for a time to meditate, journal, listen, read, mark, and inwardly digest the prophetic and challenging trees and stones of poems. Come with an open mind, heart, and soul. All are welcome.
Sacred Pause: Saturday Noonday Prayer and Guided Gospel Meditation
with the Rev. Dr. Mark Bozzuti-Jones and Joseph Rose
Saturdays at 12pm ET
Join Trinity Retreat Center for prayer time, based on The Book of Common Prayer’s “An Order of Service for Noonday,” live-streamed from the stone chapel and other sacred spaces on the retreat center campus.
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--The Rev. Dcn. Julett Butler
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_1 Mary Ann Oughton
_5 Melody Ware
__ Mark Debald
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_6 Judy Lovelace-Donaldson
19 Cora Keith
21 Rhonda Lynn Melius
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Please keep those on our parish prayer list in your minds and in your prayers, especially at this time of separation and isolation.
Intercessions
NOVEMBER 2021
Our prayers are asked for:
Margaret; Lillian; Vincent Family; Richard & family, Alice; Donna, Rose Marie; Owen; Neil, Elyse; Stacey, Meghan; MaryAnn, Charlie; Cynthia; Claudette, Josephs-Clarke family, Pear; Bill; Whitman, Susie & family, Benjamin family; Bernice, Lourdes, Carol & Bill; Janelle; Anthony; Kaye; Sue
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Please "Like" our page to stay up to date with all services and events.
St. Paul's Episcopal Church - Poughkeepsie
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'In Service to God & You' |
Our food pantry volunteers are in active service at St. Paul's these days. We give thanks to them and thanks to God for their willingness to help us by helping others. |
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THIS WEEK'S CALENDAR
NOVEMBER 9-15, 2021
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YOUR NEWS BELONGS IN ST. PAUL'S MESSENGER
Help us get the word out by submitting news of parish activities. Send submittals to stpaulpk@verizon.net or call 845 452 8440
Give us a call today!
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St. Paul's Episcopal Church 161 Mansion Street, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
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