St. Paul's Episcopal Church |
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This Week's News Highlights
Our Service This Week
Holy Eucharist on Facebook and for those in person will be at 8:30AM on Sunday. See below for how to attend by either mode of participation. Please consider the current state of the pandemic in making your decision about attending this service, or any other, in person. Facebook Live continues to be a safe and meaningful way to join in worship each Sunday.
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Two Lent Services on Ash Wednesday
St. Paul's will mark the solemn beginning of the Lenten season with two Ash Wednesday services on February 17.
The first will be at noon. This service is designed for those who do not feel comfortable with worshipping indoors. For this service all windows in the church will be swung wide open to make the space similar to an outdoor space.
The second service will be at 6:30PM. For this service windows will be slightly open (as they are at Sunday services). The 6:30PM service will be broadcast via Facebook Live for those who choose to attend virtually.
Both services will feature Holy Eucharist celebrated by Fr. Haughton. We are working on a contingency to allow the self imposition of ashes in a manner that does not involve contact between the priest and attendees.
All of the normal safety protocols will apply. Masks will be required. Seating will be per social distancing guidelines and prior sign up is requested.
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Pledge Month Update
The 2021 pledge campaign is off to a good start! Please consider filling out your pledge form (or sending an email with the pledge information) this week. Hopefully, with the promising start we can close the campaign (successfully!) this month.
You can download this year's pledge form here. Once downloaded you can return the form in one of several ways:
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Forms can be filled out, scanned and emailed to info@stpaulskeywest.org,
- Forms can be filled out and mailed to the church office at 401 Duval Street, Key West, Florida, 33040,
- Forms can be placed in the collection plate at a Sunday service.
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As an alternative to filling out the form, members and friends of St. Paul's can have their pledge entered by simply sending an email to the office in which the essential information from the form is conveyed in an email.
For example: "Please enter my pledge for $xxx for the year 2021. I expect that this amount will be donated weekly" [or monthly, or quarterly, or yearly as the case may be.] That's it. No form required.
All pledges are confidential and will not be shared with other members. Pledges are always aspirational and no person is required to fulfill a pledge if conditions change in the person's life.
Search Committee Update
The Search Committee chairs met with Bishop Eaton this past week and the entire Search Committee followed in a separate meeting. Search Committee activities are confidential, but there is a definite excitement among members. Please pray for all involved. (And help us show commitment by ensuring we can show the candidates a successful pledge campaign.)
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Please Buy A Brick and Build a Legacy
Brick sales are going well! We'll soon place the first new grouping. Please consider joining in this project. You can order your brick(s) here.
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Sunday's Service
Join us Sunday for Holy Eucharist at 8:30AM. Sign up in advance to attend in person (see above) or join us on Facebook.
To join via Facebook, go to the church Facebook page at the appropriate time and look for the window showing that "St. Paul's Key West is now live". Click on the window. (You may need to refresh the page a few times if the "live" window does not appear promptly at the appointed time.)
Did you know you DO NOT need to have a Facebook account to view the service or visit our Facebook page? Simply use the Facebook page link to go directly to our Facebook page (even if you don't have your own Facebook account). Follow the directions above.
You can open or download the bulletin for the Sunday service here.
This information is important.
Currently, a limited number of people are allowed to attend services in accordance with diocesan protocols. If you would like to attend, you will be asked to sign up in advance. Contact information will be required.
- Your name and the names of any family or household members who will attend with you.
- Your email address
- Your cell phone number
Email is greatly preferred, but reservations can also be made by calling the church office at 305-296-5142. If nobody answers please leave a message with the information.
(Walk-ins will be accommodated if space allows but please pre-register whenever possible.)
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Junior Warden's Report
By Greta Philips-Ford
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St. Paul's volunteers continue to make a difference!
The volunteer group will meet on Saturday morning from 9:00AM to 11:00AM to work on organizing the linens—table cloths and chair covers in Holy Innocents Hall. Hope you can join us.
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A TRUE FUND OPPORTUNITY
A generous anonymous donor has offered to match donations to the TRUE Fund up to $1,500. This is for new donations after True Fund Sunday, which was last week.
The TRUE Fund is the primary outreach effort by St Paul's church. After diligent investigation, the TRUE Fund manager (Bruce Hagemann) is often able to provide crucial short-term support to locals in need. This is often coordinated with other community organizations. Many times the TRUE Fund is the first stop gap before other organizations can be utilized.
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If you would like to assist in this valuable effort in the next week or so, please send a check to the office marked as TRUE Fund or use the church giving page. If you donate electronically be sure to indicate TRUE Fund in the field for "special instructions to the seller".
Although the sponsor of this initiative has chosen to remain anonymous, on behalf of the entire community in Key West, we offer our thanks.
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Senior Warden's Report
By Ray Warren
While certainly not required, many Episcopalians choose to observe a period of fasting and abstinence during Lent. Here are the dietary guidelines followed by many liturgical churches:
On Ash Wednesday, and all Fridays during Lent, those participating abstain from meat. Fish and seafood are not considered meat for this purpose.
Additionally, many observe a day of fasting on Ash Wednesday and on Good Friday. For this purpose, fasting is considered to mean having only one full meal on those days, as well as two smaller meals that together do not equal a full meal. (In other words, less than two full meals in the day.)
While a matter of personal choice, many find this discipline to be helpful in focusing during the season of penance. It's been part of my life for over 40 years and I highly recommend it.
(And vegetarians and vegans can substitute their own item to omit. It's not necessarily about suffering. The key is to remember the season and to reflect.)
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Congratulations to Ken Bagge, our volunteer sexton, who was honored by the Community Foundation of the Florida Keys for his efforts on behalf of St. Paul's. Read about Ken and the other local honorees here.
(Photo of the pergola in front of Holy Innocents Hall showing some of Ken's latest handiwork.)
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A number of people have approached me about finding ways for St. Paul's to engage in more outreach activities during the pandemic. Rest assured I am in support of any and all well thought out proposals.
Keeping in mind the restrictions placed on gatherings by both the diocese and local authorities, (not to mention our own sense of responsibility for safety), the devil (as it were) is often in the details.
An idea that has been floated recently (and a very admirable one) is to provide assistance to older people who need assistance with either transportation or technical help in signing up for or obtaining vaccinations. What is now needed is to move the "idea" to a "plan".
We grew very accustomed to being a top down community in the past. But I can tell you from seven months of experience, the administrative burden on the new Rector will be great and she or he will also be very busy with the pastoral needs of parishioners and community members. The part time staff and the wardens cannot plan every initiative. As in the days of the Biblical judges, we need leaders to emerge organically.
Perhaps a good thought to ponder as we spend quiet time in prayer during Lent.
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Contacts:
Church office phone: 305-296-5142
Church mailing address: 401 Duval Street, Key West FL 33040. Pledges and offerings can be mailed here or made electronically at the church giving page.
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A Note From Tim
Remember, you can find prior recordings of past concerts and musical offerings (including last week's From the Organ concert) on St Paul’s Facebook page, or on YouTube.
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We Pray Each Day
Daily Morning and Evening Prayer is being offered on Facebook Live at 7:30AM and 500PM on weekdays.
Thanks to Bruce Hagemann, Lisa Laskow, Mary Simmons, Samantha Hall, Sarah Hall and Tim Peterson for volunteering to officiate at these sacred moments.
To join in the prayers via Facebook, go to the church Facebook page at the appropriate time and look for the window showing that "St. Paul's Key West is now live." Then click on the window.
"Like" us and turn on live notifications to get a reminder whenever we are offering prayers.
Please pray this week for healing for
Brittany (Sherri Hodies’ daughter), Beth and Jon Peterson (sister-in-law and brother of Tim), Al (Kitty Robert’s partner), Zane Wruble (Daughter of Kath-leen Bratton), Susanne Woods, Christian Swanson, Crystal Cates, Tom Bond, Chuck Hammond and Joseph Lyles, the Curry family.
We pray for the departed and their loved ones
"Into your hands, O merciful Savior, we commend your servants"
(Send your prayer requests to Tim@stpaulskeywest.org for future publication and to be included in the Sunday service. By default requests will be listed for four (4) weeks. But if the need continues, please let us know.)
We celebrate these February Birthdays
E.A. Jackson Morris 2/4
Donald R. Curry 2/6
Niles Noblitt 2/6
Steven Mungall 2/7
Brody McClaughlin 2/8
Rena Mobley 2/11
Liz Kern 2/13
Ronald Acevedo 2/14
Robert Wilcox 2/16
Susanne Schott 2/17
Clare Keller 2/18
Marisa Conaty 2/19
Bob Lamere 2/24
Anthony Sperling 2/24
Kathleen Zuiderveen 2/24
Janette Chalmers 2/25
Sylvia Hicks 2/25
Wendy Holifield 2/26
Nancy Noblitt 2/27
(If your name is missing from this month's birthday list please send a note to info@stpaulskeywest.org so we can add it.)
We Celebrate February Anniversaries:
Susan & Brad Hahn Gilman 2/1
Betty & Edward Toppino 2/12
Bud & Sylvia Halldorson 2/14
Ruth & Bob Lamere 2/15
Larry & Brooke Myers 2/15
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Reminders
Sunday school is canceled during the virus emergency.
Back issues of The Epistle are available here.
Send questions and comments to the editor of this newsletter here.
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Tel. (305) 296-5142
Pastoral Emergencies (317) 414-4194
Office closed during the virus emergency
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