This Sunday is the Seventh Sunday of Easter and we will also celebrate our graduating high school seniors and give thanks to our Sunday School teachers (and give thanks to God for them). After the 11:00 service, the Daughters of the King will host a reception in honor of the graduates. The way we do this is intentional. “Senior Sunday” is not “church graduation.” It is instead marking and honoring the continuing evolution of the role of our young people in the Body of Christ. We are not sending them out as if they were done with church, or the church was done with them. Instead, a certain stage of their life is ending and a new stage is beginning, and their roles and relationships in the church grow and change, too.  

Sunday will demonstrate a kind of continuum. Our current Sunday School teachers have mostly worked with kids who are younger than our graduates, but other formation leaders at Saint Paul’s taught these now young adults the love of God through lessons and example. The teachers we’ll thank Sunday continue to teach God’s love to a new generation, by word and deed. And as our graduates move into a new stage of life—whether here or away, college or internships or jobs or figuring things out for a bit—they begin a relationship with our chapter of the Daughters of the King, who pray for our young adults daily and twice a year send care packages or gift cards across town or across the country. 

Life changes; relationships change; roles change; but always as the Church we strive to be a home to any who walk with us for a time. Join us Sunday as we give thanks to God for the remarkable work of our children’s formation leaders this year and remind our graduates that whether they stay around here or go far away for work or school, they will always have a loving home at Saint Paul’s. 

Eric+ 

Vestry members are liaisons to committee chairs and other lay leaders in the congregation, and the Vestry is fortunate to have the opportunities at our meetings to hear more of the wonderful work being done in our community. The various Pastoral Care ministries are the embodiment of Jesus’ call to love our neighbors as ourselves and our May meeting highlighted some of this work that is being done. Those actively involved in these ministries are doing it for love so public recognition is not desired, but we are all better for being with and receiving the love and care from our fellow parishioners. To all those who share their time and themselves to help, to visit, to minister, to celebrate birthdays, in ways both large and small, a simple “thank you” is certainly not enough but “thank you.”

Two groups were constituted: one to explore ways to market ourselves at the numerous festivals and events in the downtown core and another to establish a process to undertake a mutual ministry review for the Rector and the Vestry.

The Vestry also heard an update on the search for an Associate Rector and that a candidate has been recommended by the Rector and a sub-committee of the Vestry. The next steps on this personnel matter were discussed in Executive Session and we feel that the Holy Spirit is guiding us to the best fit for us and how we live our mission.

Cameron Nixon

Senior Warden

In three short weeks, our team of 11 parishioners will depart for Quito, where we will meet our translators, and see old friends from Cristo Liberador, the Episcopal church where we will work on construction projects and spend time in prayer and fellowship with the congregation. Thrivent Financial is donating ten soccer balls and pumps that we can leave there for the children of Cristo. Please pray for the relationship between our team and those to whom we minister, so we can learn from each other and move forward in the love of God.

We've learned that several over-the-counter first aid items are needed in Quito. While they are available in Ecuador, they are VERY expensive. The list includes Ibuprofen, Tylenol, multi-vitamins, children's Tylenol, Children's vitamins, Benadryl, Band-Aids, Neosporin. We'll also be taking playing cards, card games, and water balloons to be used in our time there. If you'd like to contribute any of these items to the mission trip, please signup using the link below and drop off your items to the parish office by Sunday, June 4.

Pledged Offerings Received this Week $9,059.90

Total Operating Expenses to Date $310,910.33

Total Operating Income Received to Date $474,662.50

Please contact the Parish Office to update our files.