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In celebration of St. Paul's Day, we invite the congregation to hear the good news about the success of our 2021 stewardship campaign and to thank everyone for their commitment to BUILD THIS CHURCH TOGETHER. We will also have updates from the rector search committee and a report on the state of the campus and buildings.
Thank you all for creating such a great beginning to a new year.
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A Message from the Interim Rector: |
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Saint Paul’s Celebrations: January 24th-31st
Sunday, January 24th is a very important religious holiday for this congregation as we give thanks to God for the life and ministry of Saint Paul. It is an appropriate time to share our plans and dreams for 2021 as the Vestry finalizes the budget, prioritizes deferred work on our beautiful buildings and gives an update on the rector search. At our Vestry retreat in September, we developed very specific goals to shape and guide our work for the remainder of the interim period, so the Town Hall meeting (following the 9 a.m. Choral Eucharist) will update the congregation on where everything now stands and where we hope to go as we journey to Easter and new life.
On the following Sunday, 31st, I will be continuing the clergy conversations series with a personal focus on what we know about Paul, his maturing in his faith, his extraordinary travels and his views on religion, politics and inclusion. Paul remains both enigmatic and controversial and is claimed by conservative and radical Christians alike. Next to Jesus, no-one has shaped Christianity and religion for the past 2,000 years more directly than this converted religious extremist to become the first universalist. Not many writers get a billion hits a week, but every time we read one of his letters in church, his vision of God’s activity in the world continues to influence us.
As a community who bears his name, the Vestry and staff invites all our members to use the coming week as a celebration of our journey together in Christ. We are invited to worship, to discern and deliberate where God is calling us as a community on January 24th, and finally on 31st, to love God with our minds and take time to understand more fully this unique human being.
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The Conversion of St. Paul
Sunday, January 24th, 2o21
9 AM: Live-streamed only! Holy Eucharist in the sanctuary with organ and choir. The Rev. Canon Albert Ogle is preaching and The Rev. Daniel Kline is celebrating. Music is led by Dr. Andrew Kotylo, Emily Amos, and St. Paul's staff singers. This service will also feature our weekly Godly Play lessons.
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This service will be available live on YouTube at 9 AM. Bulletin and service link will come in a Saturday evening email and will be posted on Facebook on Sunday morning.
10 AM: Vestry Town Hall - a time to celebrate our accomplishments and update the congregation on the goals and aspirations from our staff and Vestry -everything from the rector search and what needs to happen with our buildings in the coming year. Please join the Zoom call.
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Missed last week's sermon and service? |
In celebration of the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Dan Kline reflects on the readings and contemporary issues through the lens of Dr. King.
Less well known is the sermon "Sleeping through a Revolution" given at Washington National Cathedral is explored by Dan later in the morning celebrating his life. Dr. King's amazing and prophetic words are HERE.
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In-person services on Ash Wednesday
pending local advisories and Vestry approval
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12 noon: Spoken Holy Eucharist service and communal self-administration of ashes
7 p.m.: Choral Holy Eucharist service and communal self-administration of ashes. We will have individual containers holding ashes for each worshipper given out with the bulletins. At the appropriate moment, the celebrant and congregation will self anoint in unison.
Click on the above sign-up link to read more about our safety precautions. The 7 p.m. service will also be streamed live.
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REST IN PEACE
Last week, we remembered some parishioners who recently died, including Joanne Hemberger and Joan King O'Reilly. A recording of Joan's memorial is HERE. We had 12 family and friends sitting around the labyrinth and 100 people watching live on ZOOM. St. Paul's continues to be faithful in supporting our grieving families.
Stewart Graham reports:
"James (Jim) Eidem, long-time Parishioner and Choir Member, died on Tuesday, January 19, 2021. He had retired as a copy editor for W.B. Saunders Publishing. He loved the Choir. He was always helpful, had a sardonic sense of humor, loved "Marlboro Reds," and was a "snappy dresser" in his younger days. His health had been declining for several years, and he had very recently (late 2020) moved from Chestnut Hill back to the Hazelton Area where he was raised and had family. There are no formal arrangements; his ashes will be spread at Rickett's Glen State Park (Benton, Pennsylvania) in the Spring."
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An Update from the Search Committee |
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The Search Committee has finished organizing and designing its processes, although of course we’ll modify them as we use them and learn more. The interview process has begun, which I know all of us were looking forward to. The candidates are steadily coming in (digitally, of course), and they’re from all over the country and different kinds of churches and ministries. We’ve found that when we ask them, “How would you do… [something St. Paul’s needs to do]?”, they can give us really worthwhile suggestions. That’s why one of the most important parts of our task is to listen - we can learn a lot, and not just about the candidates. Keep your prayers coming!
Louise Thompson
Chair of the Search Committee
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Many thanks to everyone who sent their pledges into the office and online these past couple of months. As of January 20th, we have received 151 pledges for a total of $594k- 96% of our goal! If you have not pledged to the operating budget for 2021, please do so here. Your generosity ensures that St. Paul's can continue to be a positive force in our community for many years to come.
It is also very important that everyone who pledged in 2020 fulfill their commitment from this past year. We have $40k in outstanding pledge commitments to meet. Thanks to everyone who has already completed their gifts for last year.
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Mr. & Mrs. Charles Affel
Mr. & Mrs. Timothy Albert
Mr. Richard Alexander
Mr. Douglas Anderson
Mr. Henry Ballerstedt
Mr. & Mrs. Justin Baxter
Mrs. Charlotte Betancourt
Ms. Charlotte Biddle
Ms. Linda Boggs
Ms. Patricia Bonsall
Mr. & Mrs. Richard Boothby
Ms. Pamela Bracey
Ms. Elizabeth Brooks
Mr. Colin Brown & Ms. Lauren O'Garro-Moore
Mr. & Mrs. Wilson Brown, III
Mr. Martin Brueckner & Ms. Kristen Poole
Mr. & Mrs. Michael Budd
Mr. Robert Busser & Ms. Karen Richter
Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Butler, Jr.
Mr. Sandy L.V. Byrd & Mrs. Bessie Jordan-Byrd
Mr. Stephen Camp-Landis
Ms. Lynn Carroll & Ms. JoAnn Puccella
Ms. Alessandra Cartelli
Mr. Kenneth Class
Ms. Margaret Class
Mr. & Mrs. Stephen Clowery
Miss. R. Jeanette Cord
Mrs. Anne Coste
Mr. Henry Crouter
Mrs. Nina Deats
Dr. Mary Anne Delaney & Ms. Helen McBride
Ms. Cheyenne DeMulder & Ms. Shana Stites
Mrs. Ruth Desiderio
Ms. Sandra Dillon
Mrs. Edith Dixon
Mr. Mark Ducket & Mr. Stan Gaddy
Ms. Suzanne Dure
Ms. Margaret Emmons
Mr. Joe Fafara & Ms. Catherine Davis
Mr. & Mrs. William Fikioris
Ms. Janice Fiore
Ms. Joan Fischer
Mr. & Mrs. Walter Foulke
Mrs. Margaret Freeman
Mr. & Mrs. W. Roderick Gagné
Ms. Lee Gast
Mrs. Sandra Glendinning
Mr. Wm. Graham
Mrs. Jane Gray
Dr. & Mrs. John Grigger
Mr. Clark Groome
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Mr. & Mrs. Mark Hanlon
Mrs. Henry F. Harris, Jr.
Mr. & Mrs. Bob Hayes
Mr. Charles Head & Mr. John Faggotti
Mr. Brian Henes
Mr. Jeffrey Hoeltzel
Mr. and Mrs. & Mrs. Robert Hubby
Mr. & Mrs. Jeffrey Hyde
Mr. & Mrs. Matthew Hyde
Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Irwin
Mr. & Mrs. Kevin Johnson
Ms. Shireatha Johnson
Mrs. Joseph L. Jones
Ms. Bernice Jones
Ms. Denise Jones
Dr. Richard Kagen & Ms. Valerie Stevens
Mrs. Kathleen Karhnak-Glasby
Mr. & Mrs. John Kimberly
Mrs. Charlotte Kleis
The Rev. Daniel Kline
Mr. Charles Klitsch
Mr. & Mrs. Michael Knudson
Mr. & Mrs. Alfred Knup, Jr.
Mr. & Mrs. Richard Kolb
Mr. Charles Landreth
Miss. Kirsten Landreth & Mr. Scott Smith
Michael & Sarah Latini
Mr. & Mrs. David Leach
Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Leonards, III
Mrs. Joanna Lewis
Ms. Chesley Lightsey & Ms. Sherri Hamilton
Rosaria Love
Ms. Mary Loveland
Mr. & Mrs. Charles Lower
Mr. & Mrs. Michael Mabry
Mr. Myron Manternach & Ms. Tabitha Oman
Mr. Timothy Martin & Ms. Paula Brown
Mr. Tim McLean & Mrs. Anna Marley
Mr. George McNeely
Dr. & Mrs. Kara McShane
Mrs. Evelyn H. Miller
Mr. Harvey Shipley Miller
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Ms. Lisa Miller
Mrs. Lyn Montgomery
Ms. Wendy Munyon
Mr. & Mrs. Alexander Nalle
Mr. Jonathan Nidock
Dr. & Mrs. Daniel O'Connell
Mrs. Suzanne O'Neil
Mr. & Mrs. Henry O'Reilly
Mr. & Mrs. Thomas O'Rourke
The Rev. Canon Albert Ogle & Mile Petrov
Mrs. Jeanne Omans
Mrs. Harriet Palmer
Mrs. Amy Papa
Mrs. Margaret Pearson
Mr. & Mrs. Stephen Pearson, Jr.
Mr. & Mrs. Robin Peirce
Mr. & Mrs. Adam Piatkowski
Mr. Michael Pongracz
Mr. & Mrs. James Pope
The Rev. & Mrs. James Proud
Mrs. Rose Randall
Mr. & Mrs. George Reath Jr.
Mr. & Mrs. John Rollins
Mrs. Trudy Roman
Mr. & Mrs. Samuel Scheid
Mr. & Mrs. Steven Schindler
Ms. Madeline Schroth
Mr. Schwarz & Mrs. Jorge-Schwarz
Mrs. Nancy Shepard
Captain & Mrs. Carl Sheppard, Jr.
Mr. Edward W. N. Smith
Mrs. Judith Smith
Mr. & Mrs. Robert Smith
Mr. & Mrs. Harry Southwell
Dr. George Spaeth
Mr. & Mrs. Baird Standish
Ms. Elizabeth Starrantino
Mr. & Mrs. Michael Stockman
Mr. & Mrs. Fred Straub, III
Mr. Newbold Strong
Ms. Charlotte Sutton
Miss. Helen Swain
Mrs. Elaine Sykes
Mrs. Louise Thompson
Mr. and Mrs. David Toliver
Mr. & Mrs. Spencer Tullo
Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Van Sciver, III
Mrs. Patricia Voigt
Mr. & Mrs. James Walker
Mr. & Mrs. Derek Warnick
Mr. & Mrs. William Wemple
Dr. Robert Whitaker & Dr. Hillary Burdette
Mr. & Mrs. J. Randolph Williams, Jr.
Mr. Sheppard Williams & Mr. Stephen Stone
Mr. & Mrs. Hugh Williamson
Mrs. Margaret Woodruff
Mr. John Zimmermann, III
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During this time when most of us are not attending church services in person, we are offering a Virtual Collection Plate. Please contribute what you would normally have given each Sunday and help Saint Paul's continue its important work! |
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Instead of giving online: if you would like offering envelopes to be mailed to you, please contact Paul Diefenbach; (215) 242-2055 ex. 25.
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Shop and Drop
Thank you for your generous donations to Shop and Drop. Your contributions continue to make a positive impact on those Germantown families with food insecurity. Shown here is the Latini family making a recent - much appreciated - food delivery!
Drivers are needed in the months ahead to deliver to St. Luke's. Ideally it is a one month gig, delivering once a week. Easy instructions provided. Questions or to sign up, please contact Charlotte Biddle; 215-247-0837.
Consider donating:
Vegetables/rice/potatoes, other: canned vegetables, boxed mashed potatoes, and rice
Protein: Peanut butter (or any other nut butter), nuts/seeds/trail mix, canned tuna fish, canned chicken, soup/stew-hearty, shelf stable milk. Consider donating jelly or jam in unbreakable containers to accompany peanut butter.
Carbohydrates: Crackers, granola bars, cereal
Other: Red tomato sauce, fruit cups, applesauce, canned fruit, and dried fruit.
The St. Paul’s Outreach Committee thanks you for your dedication.
-Charlotte Biddle, Tom O’Rourke, and Cheyenne DeMulder, Outreach Committee Co-Chairs
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Potential Outreach Opportunity with Standing Rock |
As a recent New York Times article reported, one of the devastating effects of COVID-19 on indigenous populations is the loss of culture. Coincidentally, we received a request around the same time that article was published from the Rev. Canon John Floberg, who was our North Dakota contact for the Youth Mission trips. He has asked us to consider purchasing Bibles and other books that are in the Lakota language as a way to help preserve the Lakota culture. More details to come in the next few weeks. Please continue to pray for the Standing Rock Reservation during this time as they pray for us. |
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There is no Adult Forum this Sunday! |
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Diocesan Anti-Racism Training |
This webinar is an introduction to the four-part series from the Anti-Racism Commission of the diocese which explores the multi-layered manifestations of systemic racism in the United States. We will develop a sociological understanding of the concepts race, racism, prejudice, discrimination, ethnicity, minority, power, privilege, stratification, as well as other relevant terminology. |
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Strength for the Journey from our Bishop and Diocese of Pennsylvania
Several new resources have been made available to the churches of the diocese, including anti-ra cism training and online webinars and educational opportunities. I am interested in participating in an Epiphany Journey looking at the issues of refugees and immigration. and a new relationship between our diocese and the church in Jerusalem. Check out this very interesting Lenten Journey round the sites associated with Jesus here.
The Diocese is planning a celebration of the life of a local saint and hero, Absalom Jones on February 13th as the first African American priest in the Episcopal Church. We will honor his legacy with all the other churches in the diocese on Sunday 14th. There are many other online resources and worship opportunities to help us all through these troubling times.
-Albert Ogle
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A Prayer For Our Country from our Bishop
Almighty God, who hast given us this good land for our heritage: We humbly beseech thee that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of thy favor and glad to do thy will. Bless our land with honorable industry, sound learning, and pure manners. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion; from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people the multitudes brought hither out of many kindreds and tongues. Endue with the spirit of wisdom those to whom in thy Name we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that, through obedience to thy law, we may show forth thy praise among the nations of the earth. In the time of prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in thee to fail; all which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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SAVE THE DATE
AM I AN EPISCOPALIAN?
Join the clergy, Carroll Sheppard and Van Williams on a fun Lenten exploration of what it means to be an Episcopalian. We will meet for an hour on Tuesday evenings for five weeks from 5.30 to 6.30 p.m. getting to know each other and what attracts us to St Paul's and the Episcopal church community.
We welcome people who are exploring, new to our internet services, newcomers and folk who have been around for long time but would enjoy a renewed conversation about what they love about our church. All welcome. More info to follow.
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Join us as we discuss themes of family, Black identity, LGBTQ+ identity from the classic 1929 novel by Nella Larsen! This prized example of African-American literature is receiving renewed attention and is now widely considered part of the literary canon of university education.
Wed 1/27 & 2/3 at 7PM
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Bible study continues this Wednesday, Jan. 27th
Wednesdays from 10:30AM-12PM
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Tweens, Middle School, & High School Update |
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All education hour programs are paused this week so that we can all attend the Vestry Town Hall. Come hear about the Search & Property Needs and voice your concerns. |
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We're planning on having a Q & A session with students, parents, and teachers to talk about what we can do to help our tweens and teenagers engage in worship, outreach, anti-racism and fun activities in the middle of COVID-19. Survey to follow next week. |
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Pet Show Contest Rules:
* Any child (adult) is welcome to participate
* Submit a request to enter a (Live, fiction, imaginary, or stuffed) animal.
* After the request, you will be sent a list of questions and can create a video answering the questions and showcasing the pet.
* Date to submit will be Feb 1-Feb 21st.
* These videos will be uploaded to St. Paul's Basecamp and Facebook.
* There may be categories and ribbons will be presented for categories after submission dates.
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Please email dkline@stpaulschestnuthill.org
to enter a submission!
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