Weekly
Postings
news & events
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Thank you all for the warnings about how much Augusta changes during Masters Week. I realize that most of you are quite used to this, but of course it is my first spring in Augusta--my first almost conjunction of the biggest week in Augusta's year with the most important week in the Christian year. We're lucky this year: the tournament ends on Palm/Passion Sunday, leaving the decks clear for the observances of Holy Week and the great party of Easter. Our question this year is not how to observe Holy Week while the town is turned upside down by festival, but how to return from a massive civic festival to the solemnities at the heart of our faith.
I have a suggestion for navigating the dislocation of Masters Week as preparation for Holy Week. Whatever your usual prayer practice or Lenten discipline has been, adopt a very simple practice for the next week. When our lives are out of joint even for a happy reason, a slender thread connecting us to the ground of our being can prove stronger than we expect. Perhaps the most you can manage in a week of upheaval is the Jesus Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me. Great--three times a day put down your phone or turn off the tv and pray it. Whatever tiny pauses you can find, whatever small spaces you can open, God will show up for. Be realistic, and trust God to be present in more ways than we can imagine.
And then come back for full immersion in Holy Week, for our participation in those great mysteries by which God has worked our salvation. It's okay if next week leaves you feeling unprepared for Holy Week. No clergyperson ever feels really ready for Holy Week. We always come in harried and worried and under-rested and feeling like there are still a million things to do. And the grace of God gets to work anyway. So come in to Holy Week all frazzled and dislocated and unsure of what day it is; but come in as fully as you can, and God will meet you there. When we bring ourselves (in whatever state), God will already be there waiting for us.
Eric+
Holy Week and Easter Schedule
Palm Sunday – April 10
8:00 AM, 11:00 AM, and 5:30 PM
Monday, Tuesday, & Wednesday in Holy Week – April 11-13
12:00 noon in the Chapel
Maundy Thursday – April 14
Children’s service of foot washing and communion – 5:30 PM
7:00 PM
Good Friday – April 15
12:00 noon
Children’s Stations of the Cross – 2:00 PM
Holy Saturday – April 16
The labyrinth will be available in the Berlin Room for self-guided walks – 9:00 AM - 12 noon
The Great Vigil of Easter – April 16
7:30 PM
Easter Sunday – April 17
Celebration of the Resurrection outside at the Celtic Cross – 9:00 AM
Celebration of the Resurrection with the Saint Paul’s Choir and Easter Brass – 11:00 AM
Celtic Evening Prayer Celebration of the Resurrection – 5:30 PM
Annual Easter Egg Hunt on the Lawn
Immediately Following the 9:00 AM service
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EVENTS THIS SUNDAY | April 3 |
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Saint Paul's Nursery is OPEN
Sundays 9:30 AM -12:30 PM
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We are pleased to announce that the Saint Paul’s nursey has reopened for children 6 months to 4 years of age. The nursery will be available on Sunday mornings beginning at 9:30 a.m. to allow parents to attend formation. If you have any questions about the nursey, please contact the parish office. Miss Connie and Miss Jenna are all VERY EXCITED to welcome you back! |
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Sunday Forum - Lenten Series
Sundays, 9:30 AM, Berlin Room
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Join us as we continue our formation series exploring the Great Vigil of Easter. After many years, Saint Paul’s will again offer this first celebration of the Resurrection, Saturday, April 16. Join us in preparation for this most holy night. |
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Godly Play (grades PK - 1st)
9:30 AM -10:30 AM
In the Children's Ministry Center
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ALL children inherently know God, but it is up to us to give them the language of the Christian faith so they can grow to make meaning of our faith in their own lives. Godly Play is a profound method rooted in Montessori principles that forms child spirituality by attending to their natural gifts for wonder and discovery. Children are greeted at the door of the Godly Play room by the "door person." It is VERY important for parents to respect the boundary of the door threshold by not entering the children's sacred space--their Godly Play room. We cannot wait to welcome your children each Sunday!
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Spark: (grades 2-3)
9:30 AM -10:30 AM
In the Children's Ministry Center
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Our older children will again immerse themselves in SPARK, where they will work with the same themes and Scripture that we all encounter in common worship. Every lesson follows a four-part pattern: Gather, Open the Bible, Activate Faith, and Send. Week after week, the children and their leaders gather together, explore the Scriptures, enjoy one another's company, pray, and discover God's presence in their midst.
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Spark: (grades 4- 6) "Look at the Gospels”
9:30 AM -10:30 AM
In the Children's Ministry Center
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Our older children will continue to "Look at the Gospels” of Jesus’ life and ministry. His parables, miracles and teachings are displayed with posters, colored drawings, and miniature models. They are also studying the many wonders of the Old Testament through the first seven books of the Bible.
Each Sunday using the Spark Curriculum we follow a five-part pattern: gather, read the scriptures, discuss its meaning, pray and play “Who dat?” (“Who dat” is a game of Bible trivia based on what they have already learned).
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Sunday Worship Schedule
8 AM Rite I - In person
11 AM Rite II - In person
5:30 PM - Celtic Evening Prayer and Communion
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All three of our Sunday worship services are in-person. |
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Celtic Evening Prayer and Communion
Sundays, 5:30 PM
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Vonda Darr, harpist, is our guest musician this week. |
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The Daughters of the King are coordinating a Bra Drive through April. Bras and the second-hand clothing market provide a safe and powerful economic opportunity for women in the developing countries that “ Free the Girls” serve. Collection boxes decorated white/aqua are located in Tyler Hall and the Narthex. For more information, contact Suzanne Pursley-Crotteau. |
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EVENTS NEXT WEEK | April 4 - April 10 |
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Parish Office Hours for Masters Week |
The Parish Office will be closed for Masters Week, April 4-8. We will check phone messages for pastoral emergencies and our weekend schedule remains unchanged for Saturday and Sunday. |
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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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Make a Palm Cross
April 9, 9 AM-12 noon, Tyler Hall
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Help us make Palm Crosses for the parish, Saturday morning, April 9, 9 AM-12 noon, Tyler Hall. As has been a long tradition at Saint Paul’s, we will create palm crosses from palm fronds to be worn the next day on Palm Sunday. While this time is set aside to create these crosses, it is really a time set aside for lively fellowship among friends, and soon to be friends. All materials and friendly instructors will be provided. Contact Elisabeth Price for more information. |
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Next Sunday is the Sunday of the Passion or Palm Sunday. Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week, when we recall Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem and Jesus’ Passion on the cross. We will follow our regular worship schedule of 8:00 AM, 11:00 AM, and 5:30 PM. We will gather outside the church for the 11:00 AM service for the Liturgy of the Palms. The 8:00 AM service will gather at the baptismal font.
New this year on Palm Sunday for the children of Saint Paul’s: Fr. Eric will lead a joyful and triumphant palm procession around the churchyard. The Children will meet at 9:30 AM to create Easter cards. The procession will begin at 9:55 AM.
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Our live feed of the Sunday worship will not be available on the Radio on Masters Sunday, April 10. You can still participate live with the service at 11 AM on Facebook or watch later on our YouTube page. |
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Easter Monday Annual Meeting
Monday, April 18, 12 noon
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Our Colonial Charter and Bylaws call for an Annual Parish Meeting on Easter Monday. You are invited to our 272nd Annual Parish Meeting, Monday, April 18, 12 noon on the Front Portico. The Churchwardens, Members of the Vestry, and Officers of the Parish will be installed. |
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Sit and Wait Meditation: Prayer of the Heart
Beginning, Thursday, April 21, Chapel
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“O tarry and await the Lord’s pleasure; be strong and he shall comfort your heart; wait patiently on the Lord.”
Psalm 27:18
This experiential meditation group, led by Rev. Alan Faulkner and Dr. Suzanne Pursley-Crotteau, will begin Easter Week, April 21, 6:30-8:00 PM for six weeks on Thursday Evenings (April 21 & 28, May 5, 12, 19, and 26, Ascension Day). There will be a limit of ten (10) participants, and it is expected that those signing up will commit to all six sessions. Please email Suzanne Pursley-Crotteau or contact by phone at (706) 910-9331 for further information and/or to enroll in the sit. |
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Earth Day Kids Clothing Swap
Friday, April 22, 9 AM - 3 PM
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Do something great for the Earth and the community—take part in the Creation Care Committee's Earth Day Kids Clothing Swap! We'll keep used clothing out of the landfill and get it into the hands of those who need it.
How it works: Drop off your kids’ gently-used apparel at the bin in the Narthex by April 19, then join us on April 22 for a morning of yard sale-type “shopping” in the west parking lot. Does your child need a different size or style? You’re welcome to it, free of charge. The event will be open to anyone in the community with need.
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A special yellow umbrella was lost at Saint Paul's following a funeral in March. If you see this umbrella at Saint Paul's, the owner would love to recover it. Please contact the parish office. |
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OTHER RESOURCES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS |
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April 10 - 16 - Holy Week
April 16 -The Great Vigil
April 17 - Easter
April 18 - Easter Monday Annual Meeting
April 20 - Wednesday Night Fellowship Dinner
April 22 - Earth Day Children's Clothing Swap
April 23 - Soup Kitchen
April 25 - Vestry Meeting
April 28 - Caregivers' Support Group
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Gathering Safely Plan Updated 03-17-21 |
The Vestry has approved a plan for gathering safely. This plan is available using the link below and on our website. Clergy, vestry, and regathering committee members will continue to monitor the situation and publicize precautions and changes. |
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From the Stewardship Chair
Lord, we give faithfully, and in our giving, we honor you,
the source of all our blessings, our daily bread, and all the gifts in our lives.
The Finance Committee and the Vestry are beginning the work of preparing the 2022 budget. Your pledge allows them to prepare a more accurate budget. If you have not yet completed a pledge card, please prayerfully consider your pledge to a momentous year. Pledge cards are available in the Narthex and by contacting the parish office. You may also pledge online using the link below.
Pledge Cards Received: 138
92 Increase (23 new), 6 Decrease, 40 no change
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Saint Paul's Faithfulness
as of 03/23/2022
Offerings pledged this Week $12,981.00
Offerings received this Week $5,214.09
Operating Expenses to Date $216,901.49
Total Income Received to Date $266,330.63
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Are we missing your birthday?
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