Weekly
Postings
news & events
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December 23, 2022 - January 1, 2023
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For me at least this has been a challenging Advent. The ways that this is sometimes a difficult time of year for many have been unusually prominent in my heart. And the world’s rush towards something that can be called normal has felt especially out of alignment with the reduced capacity for busy-ness that all of us have. Of course we’re not ready for Christmas—given a few more weeks, I think I might come to feel ready for Advent. And so, I was deeply pleased to come across this poem by Madeleine L’Engle this week:
First Coming
Madeleine L’Engle
He did not wait till the world was ready,
till men and nations were at peace.
He came when the Heavens were unsteady,
and prisoners cried out for release.
He did not wait for the perfect time.
He came when the need was deep and great.
He dined with sinners in all their grime,
turned water into wine.
He did not wait till hearts were pure.
In joy he came to a tarnished world of sin and doubt.
To a world like ours, of anguished shame
he came, and his Light would not go out.
He came to a world which did not mesh,
to heal its tangles, shield its scorn.
In the mystery of the Word made Flesh
the Maker of the stars was born.
We cannot wait till the world is sane
to raise our songs with joyful voice,
for to share our grief, to touch our pain,
He came with Love: Rejoice! Rejoice!
We may not be ready for Christmas. But that’s okay. God does not wait until we’re ready to come and save us. And we should not wait to rejoice at God’s coming. Now, when the time is all wrong and we’re harried and exhausted and the world is out of joint, Christ is coming. We’ll gather this Saturday at 4:00 and 10:00 pm, and then again on Sunday at 11:00 (ONLY at 11:00) to remember, greet, and continue to anticipate the ways that God comes to us with hope, healing, and love. O come, all ye faithful, joyful, tired, aching, mourning, hopeful people. Come, let us adore him.
Eric+
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JOIN US AS WE CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS |
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Please share it with your family and friends.
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Christmas Eve, 4:00 PM & 10:00 PM
Christmas Eve Festival Celebrations
with Choir, Brass, & Drums
The Nursery is open for the 4 PM service
Christmas Eve On-line
4 PM Facebook
10 PM Radio
Christmas Day, 11:00 AM
Christmas Eucharist with Carols
The First Sunday after Christmas, January 1
Holy Eucharist Rite I 8:00 AM
Lessons and Carols 11:00 AM
Celtic Evening Prayer & Communion 5:30 PM
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EVENTS THIS SUNDAY | December 25 |
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Sunday Worship Schedule
11 AM Rite II - In person
Christmas Day
Christmas Eucharist with Carols
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Schedule Change for Sunday, 12-25-22 |
Children's choir rehearsals, children and youth formation, breakfast, and adult formation will return January 8. |
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EVENTS THIS WEEK| December 26 - January 1 |
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Parish Office Hours Christmas & New Year's |
The Parish Office will observe regular Saturday hours 8 AM-12 noon on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve.
The Parish Office will be closed Monday, December 26, and Monday January 2.
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Compline
Wednesdays, 8 - 8:15 PM Social time follows worship on Zoom.
Meeting ID: 595 177 454
Dial-In: (646) 876-9923
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Compline is a beautiful, simple, and quiet service to end the day together in prayer with God. This service is led by members of the parish using an on-screen bulletin so everyone may pray together.
Following the prayers, those who gather through Zoom have an opportunity for a mid-week visit.
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Sunday Worship Schedule, SUN JAN 1
8 AM Rite I - In person
11 AM Lessons and Carols
5:30 PM - Celtic Evening Prayer with prayers for healing
All of our Sunday worship services are in-person.
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A Festival of Nine Lessons & Carols
Sunday, January 1, 11 AM service
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Christmastide is the joyous and short season between the Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord and the Feast of the Epiphany. On the First Sunday of Christmas, we continue to celebrate with A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at 11:00 AM. This beloved tradition helps us to set the mystery of the incarnation into the larger sweep the biblical story of God’s salvation for the world. These are the stories that shape our lives as we pass through the church’s year of grace, year after year, season by season, and Sunday by Sunday. |
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January 1 - New Year's Day, Sunday services, 8.11,5:30
January 1 - Lessons and Carols, 11 AM
January 4 - MMM
January 6 - Practicing our Faith Book Study Begins
January 8 - Baptism Offered
January 8 - Vestry Presentation at the Sunday Forum
January 8 - Confirmation Classes begin
January 10 - Tuesday's Music Live Resumes
January 15 - Vestry Presentation at the Sunday Forum
January 15 - Youth Confirmation Classes begin
January 22 - Vestry Presentation at the Sunday Forum
January 29 - Annual Parish Meeting
January 31 - Deadline for Summer Mission Trip
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MMM...Men's Monthly Meal
Wednesday, January 4, 6-7 PM, River Room
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Our next Men’s Monthly Meal (Mmm!) is scheduled Wednesday, January 4 — (Men gather at 4 PM to cook, the parish gathers at 6 PM for dinner.) On the menu: sausage tortellini soup, potato leek soup, salad, and dinner rolls. There are two sign-ups. Please RSVP for dinner and men, please sign up for this fellowship and cooking team (separate sign-up from dinner reservations). Donations welcomed. Contact Eric Friedman for more information. |
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Practicing Our Faith: A Way of Life for a Searching People (6 sessions)
Tuesdays, beginning January 6, 7:30 PM, Zoom
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Our online formation book studies continue in January with Practicing our Faith: A Way of Life for a Searching People by Dorothy Bass. Books are available from Amazon and many book sellers and in the Narthex on Sunday and in the parish office during the week. ($20 donation). Sign up online using the link below.
“Practicing Our Faith offers help to Christians who are asking how our faith can help us discern what we might do and who we might become.
How can we live faithfully and with integrity in a world where the pace of existence is so fast and life's patterns are changing all around us? Can we conduct our daily lives in ways that help us not just get by but flourish--as individuals, as communities, and as a society in concert with creation and in communion with God?
These questions are on the hearts and minds of many seekers who are exploring spirituality today. They are also at the heart of Practicing Our Faith.”
– Practicing Our Faith, back cover
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Baptism Offered
January 8, The Feast of the Baptism of our Lord
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The Prayer Book notes Holy Baptism is especially appropriate on four dates: at the Easter Vigil, on the Day of Pentecost, on All Saints' Day or All Saints' Sunday, and on the Feast of the Baptism of our Lord.
We will celebrate the Sacrament of Baptism on Sunday, January 8. All who wish to be baptized are invited to contact Fr. Eric. |
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Tuesday's Music Live
Tuesday, January 10, 12 noon, Nave
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Confirmation Classes
Adults beginning January 8, 12:30 PM
Youth beginning January 22, 4 PM
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If you’ve been baptized but not confirmed, or were confirmed elsewhere and now consider the Episcopal Church your home, join us to take the next step of Confirmation or Reception. Signal your interest by emailing Fr. Eric. Classes begin January 8, 2023. Bishop Logue will next be at Saint Paul’s on Sunday, February 26, 2023, for the Annual Episcopal Visitation.
Youth Confirmation for grades 9-12 will begin Sunday, January 22, 4 pm. (Please note the change of date.) More details forthcoming. If your student is interested in being confirmed next year, please contact Kim Butler.
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Summer Mission Trip
June 7-17, 2023
Deadline for Sign up: January 31, 2023
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You are invited to join Saint Paul’s parishioners, family, and friends on a mission trip this summer to Ecuador, June 7-17, 2023. Please prayerfully consider joining us as we reach out to people in need and serve as the hands of Christ.
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OTHER RESOURCES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS |
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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 Junior Warden Catherine Boardman. Prior to nominating someone else, please discuss with them their interest and willingness to serve in this role.
VESTRY RESPONSIBILITIES
The basic responsibilities of the Vestry are:
- to help define and articulate the mission of this congregation
- to support the church's mission by word and deed
- to support the clergy in furthering the mission of Saint Paul’s
- to ensure effective organization and planning
- to manage resources and finances
- to attend monthly vestry meetings and annual vestry retreat
- to serve as liaison to assigned parish committees
We expect to elect for three full three-year terms. If the new junior warden comes from the current vestry, we may have an additional unexpired term to fill.
MINIMUM CRITERIA
To be eligible for the Vestry, a nominee must answer "yes" to all of the following questions.
- Have you been confirmed or received in the Episcopal Church?
- Do you regularly attend worship services at Saint Paul's?
- Are you a pledging member of Saint Paul's?
CANDIDATE PROFILES
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: 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. If you are interested in being confirmed when the Bishop visits next year, please contact Fr. Biddy.
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Feast of Feasts Daily Devotion
Beginning Sunday, November 27 through Epiphany
Online
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The Diocese of Georgia will offer daily devotions written by Bishop Frank and Victoria Logue for a 7-week study from Advent through Epiphany. The short daily readings use the lens of Franciscan ideals including humility, simplicity, and peace as a focal point of each week.
You do not need to buy anything to take part in this study as the Diocese of Georgia Facebook page will offer the content daily. Each week the Facebook page will also feature a companion video that is posted on the diocesan YouTube Channel that expands on the theme of the week.
The reflections will also be posted on the Diocese website each day as well as their Facebook and Instagram accounts.
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2022 Year-end Contribution Statements and Gifts |
Offerings or Special Gifts of cash/check must be dated and postmarked no later than December 31, 2022, to qualify as 2022 charitable contributions. For gifts (transfers) of stock or other securities, or other questions, ASAP email Elisabeth Price or call her at (706) 724-2485 ext. 225. Please note the Parish Office will close at noon on Friday, December 30 and Saturday, December 31.
2022 Giving Statements will be mailed not later than the end of January.
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Saint Paul's Faithfulness
as of 12/21/2022
Offerings pledged this Week $12,981.00
Offerings received this Week $35,134.39
Operating Expenses to Date $860,799.63
Operating Income to Date $957,176.92
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Are we missing your birthday?
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