This Sunday is a BIG Sunday, with a lot going on at the church. You'll find plenty of details below, but some highlights need to be picked out. First, we have two baptisms at 11:00. When we have a baptism, that is always the most important thing we do that day. All of us will renew our baptismal vows, recommitting ourselves to the life and ministries to which baptism calls us. I hope we'll have lots of kids there to begin the lifelong process of remembering our baptisms!

But the baptisms aren't the only important thing we're doing Sunday. We are also observing one of the principal feasts of the Christian year: All Saints, which we combine with All Souls. The link with baptism is rich. Baptism is, among many other things, a sacramental tie between us and the great cloud of witnesses that has gone before. However it might feel sometimes, we aren't just making things up as we go along, but joining and extending a long tradition and community of faithfulness to our God.

Our other two big things feel less spectacular and may seem disconnected from our liturgical and sacramental life. They are not. At 9:30, the vestry and finance committee will host a presentation on the second half of the 2021 budget, and all day we're asking that pledges for 2022 be turned in. We are wrong--catastrophically wrong--if we think that our budget and pledges have nothing to do with our baptism. Our budget should be one of the ways that we incarnate the vows we will reaffirm Sunday morning. And if we can build a church budget that has no relation to the Baptismal Covenant, then we should go ahead and start shutting ourselves down. That's not to say that discipleship is primarily financial, but to emphasize that the church budget, and how we support the church, should be rooted in discipleship. The question is how we, together, embody and organize our response to the call of baptism.

As I said, it's a big Sunday. You can find more details about these events below. I hope you'll join us for all this. Keep Michael and Cecilia in your prayers as they prepare to be baptized. And remember your baptism!

Eric+

Why do I love Saint Paul’s? It’s a long story but there is joy in the telling. I have a very comfortable life and have nearly everything I want—in fact, way more than I need. And yet I have discovered that the more “stuff” I chase after and must have, the more I am dissatisfied. What a paradox: the things that are supposed to bring pleasure and meaning instead make me feel unmoored and floating without an anchor. It wasn’t until I returned to Saint Paul’s to attend a baptism after being absent for years that I discovered that I was indeed adrift and what I was missing was a spiritual anchor. It was a revelation to stand in this sacred space among joyful people who were greeting one another in the name of Christ. While it wasn’t quite as dramatic as the conversion of Saul/Paul the Apostle on the road to Damascus, it was a heartfelt awareness that the Saint Paul’s community provided soul food. Not only were they feeding one another but they also were feeding those outside who were in need.

I am so happy to be a part of this spiritual community and I want to support it with my time and with a generous pledge. I know that what I give to Saint Paul’s helps to build the kind of community that Christ wanted for us. Please, won’t you join me in giving as generously as you can? Together, we can create a community that will enrich the lives of ourselves, our children and the lives of people we may never know.

--Barbara Coleman

The Vestry Nominating Committee is seeking candidates whom you believe would make outstanding Vestry members for Saint Paul's. If you'd like to suggest someone, including yourself, please contact retiring Senior Warden Ashley Wright. Prior to nominating someone else, please discuss with them their interest and willingness to serve in this role.

The basic responsibilities of the Vestry are:

We expect to elect for three full three-year terms and the remaining year of Matt Gullette’s unexpired term. If the new senior warden comes from the current vestry, we may have an additional unexpired term to fill.

To be eligible for the Vestry, a nominee must answer "yes" to all of the following questions.

Each nominee slated to run for election to the Vestry will be invited to share a profile with the parish via our regular parish communications including the weekly newsletter.

A Note on Eligibility: It was recently brought to our attention that some of our election practices vary from what is required in the diocesan canons (church law in our diocese). Conversations with the Bishop’s staff have clarified the language that will bring our practices into alignment with diocesan canons. On page 19 of the attached Constitution and Canons, those eligible for election are those “confirmed adults in good standing eighteen years of age or older enrolled in the Congregation” (Canon 2.1). Those eligible to vote in an election are “those confirmed adults enrolled in the Congregation who are in good standing and who have reached the age of sixteen” (Canon 2.3). Those already in the process of being confirmed or received and otherwise eligible, are eligible to run and vote while waiting for the bishop’s next visit.

We are aware of multiple scam text messages to parishioners asking for help from someone claiming to be Fr. Biddy. While you may receive a text message from Fr. Eric or a member of the staff, you will not be asked to purchase gift cards. Please call the parish office if you ever have questions about the authenticity of an email or text.

Our 2022 annual pledge campaign is underway. Please mail, make an online pledge, or place your pledge card in a Sunday offering by Monday, November 8. If you did not receive a pledge appeal in the mail or have simply misplaced yours, please email the parish office or contact by telephone at (706) 724-2485 ext. 225. You may also pledge online using the link below.

as of 10/27/2021

Offerings received this Week $7,918.90

Operating Expenses to Date $729,319.32

Total Income Received to Date $748,033.21

Please contact the Parish Office to update our files.