St. Paul's Episcopal Church Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
MESSENGER
"Making friends while serving God"
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The Week of August 10-16, 2021
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Our Constant Hemorrhaging
Dr. Samuel Weinstein is the chief of pediatric cardio-thoracic surgery for the Children's Hospital at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, New York. In May of 2006, he traveled to El Salvador with Heart Care International in order to provide life-saving operations for less-fortunate children. However, it would take more than his expertise and advanced equipment to save the life of 8-year-old Francisco Calderon Anthony Fernandez.
Dr. Weinstein and his team began operating on Francisco's heart shortly before noon. Twelve hours later, the procedure took a deadly turn. "The surgery had been going well, everything was working great, but he was bleeding a lot and they didn't have a lot of the medicines we would use to stop the bleeding," Weinstein said. "After a while, they said they couldn't give him blood because they were running out and he had a rare type.'' In fact, Francisco's blood type was B-negative, which-according to the American Red Cross-is present in only 2 percent of the population.
As it was, the only other person in the room with a blood type of B-negative was Dr. Weinstein. Knowing what he had to do, he stepped down from the operating table. As his colleagues continued their precision work, Dr. Weinstein set aside his scalpel, took off his gloves, and began washing his hands and forearm. Then, in the corner of an unfamiliar operating room, the prestigious doctor from one of the most advanced hospitals in the world sat down to give away his own blood.
When he had given his pint, Dr. Weinstein drank some bottled water and ate a Pop-Tart. Then-20 minutes after stepping away from the table-he rejoined his colleagues. After watching his own blood begin circulating into the boy's small veins, Dr. Weinstein completed the operation that saved Francisco's heart-and his life.
David Slagle, Atlanta, Georgia and Sam O'Neal, St. Charles, Illinois; Source: Jim Fitzgerald, "Doc Stops Surgery to Give Own Blood to Patient," LiveScience.com (5-26-06)
The only way you make it to the next day is through him.
Getting to the Main Dish
An Armenian Christian says that Westerners do not understand what Jesus was saying when he said, "I am the Bread of Life." You see, in the Middle East, bread is not just something extra thrown in at a meal. It is the heart of every meal. They have those thin pieces of pita bread at every meal. Those strict people would not think of taking forks and putting them in their mouths. To put an object in your mouth defiles it. You certainly would not take a fork out and put it in again and go on defiling yourself like that. Instead, you break off a piece of the bread, pick up your food with it and eat it. Indeed, the only way you can get to the main dish, he said, is with the bread. Jesus was saying that the only way you can come to life is through him.
Pushing the Empty Gauge
Seneca
We are always complaining that our days are few and acting as though there would be no end of them.
-- Seneca, Leadership, Vol. 5, no. 1.
Postlude
Henri J. M. Nouwen
I often think: "A life is like a day; it goes by so fast. If I am so careless with my days, how can I be careful with my life?" I know that somehow I have not fully come to believe that urgent things can wait while I attend to what is truly important. It finally boils down to a question of deep and strong conviction. Once I am truly convinced that preparing the heart is more important than preparing the Christmas tree I will be a lot less frustrated at the end of a day.
-- Henri J. M. Nouwen in the New Oxford Review (Nov. 1986). Christianity Today, Vol. 33, no. 18.
From Scot Wright at Faithline Sermons
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To be redirected to the Lectionary Page and get a digital copy of the readings
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1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14; Psalm 111;
Ephesians 5:15-20; John 6:51-58
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The Sunday Sermon
2 Samuel 18
When we were kids in the South Bronx, we used to roller skate in the street. You could do that in those days because there weren’t that many cars competing with you for the use of the same space. Every so often a truck would come by and some of my friends who were more daring than I, would try to hitch a ride on the back of the truck. I will never forget, one of my friends hitched on to the back of a truck and was riding along, and without warning the driver stopped the truck. Davey somehow slid under the truck’s carriage and was run over. For two days and nights the family kept vigil in a hospital, but there was too much damage done to him. At the end of the second night, Davey died. From that point on, his mother was seldom seen outside. And when she did come outside, as I remember, she walked with her head down, talked to no one and was always dressed in black.
I think I was twelve years old when that tragedy happened. And through the years I have often asked myself, especially when I have had occasion to bury a child, “Does a parent every get over the death of his or her child? I don’t really think so. I have known parents who have lost their children to various illnesses, to drugs, violence, even war. I have known parents who have become estranged from their children for one reason or another. But I can think of no parents who has forgotten or ceased loving or grieving their children until their dying day.
King David, who we read about in this Sunday’s first lesson, was no exception to the rule. David was the most successful king of his time and through his efforts Israel becomes a well-respected nation. But David was not without his flaws. At one point he entered into an adulteress relationship with Bathsheba, and also arranged for her husband’s murder. And there were other problems that presented themselves in the house of David. Amnon his oldest son fell in love with his half-sister. Though the relationship was forbidden, he just could not stay away from her. In fact he talked her into coming with him to a secluded place and there he raped her. She told her brother Absalom who vowed to avenge his sister. It took two years, but finally he arranged to have Amnon murdered. But now, because his father knew that he had arranged the murder, Absalom was forced to flee to avoid the wrath of his father. He lived in exile for three years, and his father who saw Absalom as his favorite son could stand him being away no longer. He invited him to return home. But now Absalom had his eye on the throne. He spent several years gathering political support, and then led a rebellion against his father. Before anybody new it, the kingdom was involved in a civil war.
David instructed his commanders, should any of them engage Absalom in battle, they were not to harm him. At one point during the fighting, Absalom was riding his mule under the thick branches of an oak tree. His hair became entangled in the branches; the mule that was under him went on. And he was helplessly hanging from the tree. The enemy came upon him and took his life. A messenger brought the news to the king that his son was dead. David went immediately to his chamber and wept. And as he went he was heard crying out, “O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you!
There aren’t many more poignant passages in the Bible than David’s words when he learned of his favorite son’s death. David grieved for his son. And it was a grief born of the great love a parent has for a child who has died. It was a grief that wishes that things had come out differently. It was a grief similar to that experienced by parents who see their son’s name for the first time on the Viet Nam Memorial. It was a grief as painful as the grief experienced by old Abraham as he walked with his son to the place God asked Abraham to sacrifice him.
Even God knew grief; just look at Good Friday. How would we feel to have our only son painfully nailed to a cross? Like David, God mourned as his son died on that first Good Friday. And God still grieves because of the mess we have made of his creation; but he is not content to leave us alone in our confusion. No, God chooses otherwise. In fact, so intense is God’s love for us that he cannot help but be involved. That explains the “why” of Jesus Christ. God’s love is so intense that it became incarnate. And we learn that nothing can separate is from our Creator. No matter how far we wander, how rebellious we become, or how apathetic we are to God’s presence, he grieves and reaches out to us because we are loved.
--Fr. C. Allan Ford
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OUR SEARCH FOR A NEW PRIEST
We are well in to our process for finding a new Priest in Charge for St. Paul's Church. While the Vestry is charged with this task, it is something that involves the whole Parish. So let us all pray for this task and our future. Please add the prayer below to your prayers. We will also pray this together during the Prayers of the People.
Prayers For the Election of a Bishop or other Minister (BCP p. 818)
Almighty God, giver of every good gift: Look graciously on your Church, and so guide the minds of those who shall choose a Priest in Charge, that we may receive a faithful pastor, who will care for your people and equip us for our ministries; through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen
--Pete Bedrossian,
Search Committee Chair
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IN-PERSON SUNDAY SERVICES
As more and more people are getting vaccinated against COVID 19 the Bishop has eased some of the restrictions that have affected our worship. Given this the Vestry has decided that all services (10:00am), except for the second Sunday of the month, will be in person and will include singing. We also hope to be able to broadcast the in person service live on our YouTube channel.
At our Vestry meeting we changed our church mask policy to be that vaccinated individuals are not required to wear masks.
For unvaccinated individuals, the mask rule remains that anytime you are moving from your pew that you have your mask on. When you are seated you may take off your mask if you choose to do so. If you are singing please put on your mask. Thank you for helping to keep our community safe.
The second Sunday of the month will be on Zoom (see below for Zoom link). This allows us to have the coffee hour discussions and to retain those parishioners who are able to only be with us remotely.
We hope to see you on Zoom on Sunday and in person whenever you can make it in.
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ZOOM CHURCH LINK FOR ALL SERVICES
All services except for the second Sunday (on Zoom) of the month, will be in person at 10:00am and will include singing.
Our Zoom connections remain the same and are
Meeting ID: 823 3911 5280
One tap mobile
+16465588656,,82339115280# US (New York)
+13017158592,,82339115280# US (Germantown)
Dial by your location
+1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
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ST. PAUL'S CHURCH YOUTUBE CHANNEL
We now have a YouTube channel.
To get there PLEASE CLICK THE LINK BELOW:
or search on YouTube for St. Paul's Poughkeepsie.
We hope to put copies of all of our online services there.
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A NOTE FROM THE TREASURY TEAM
The total deposits will be reported on a monthly basis going forward. Please watch for it at the end of the month.
A reminder - Please remember to either mail in your pledge or drop it off through the mail slot any day during the week. The correct address is: 161 Mansion St., Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
ST. PAUL’S THANKS YOU!!!
--Bobbie Gordon
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How ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’ went from a little-known poem to an Episcopal hymn and a cultural anthem
By Egan Millard
Posted Aug 2, 2021
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James Weldon Johnson, left, and J. Rosamond Johnson at the piano. Photo: Yale Collection of American Literature, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library
[Episcopal News Service] As the song known as the “Black national anthem” achieves wider recognition in the United States, its significance is also being celebrated in The Episcopal Church. “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” sung by generations of African Americans as a tribute to their struggles and triumphs, was introduced to white American Christians by Episcopalians and Lutherans 40 years ago, and a congressional bill endorsed by The Episcopal Church now proposes designating it as the U.S. national hymn.
Despite being a beloved African American anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing” was little known outside Black communities until the 1980s, when Black Lutheran and Episcopalian musicians pressed for its inclusion in their denominations’ hymnals. The song was included in the original version of the eponymous Episcopal hymnal compiling African American spirituals, which was originally released in 1981 as a supplement to the 1940 hymnal. It was then included in the standard 1982 hymnal, which helped introduce the song to a wider audience.
“I see this resolution, and this attempt in Congress, as a way to accept – on the part of this whole country – an offering of an important poem and song to all the American people, just like Black Episcopalians offered this song to The Episcopal Church,” said Byron Rushing, the vice president of the House of Deputies who sponsored the Executive Council resolution, at the meeting. Though the resolution passed, it prompted some debate about whether it was appropriate for a secular nation to have a national hymn – especially in light of the church’s efforts to counter rising Christian nationalism.
“A hymn is inherently Christian, by definition by the Encyclopedia Britannica. And it’s a song of praise to God,” the Rev. Mally Lloyd pointed out during the discussion on the resolution.
“I love to stand up and shout it. I love to declare it. But putting as a national hymn is where I am having trouble in terms of trying to encourage inclusivity and honoring of all of our nation.”
The song’s lyrics are not overtly Christian, but they do mention God and heaven several times. Despite its description as a hymn in Clyburn’s bill and its inclusion in hymnals, its origins are secular.
The lyrics were written by James Weldon Johnson – a Black man from Jacksonville, Florida, who became a leader in the Harlem Renaissance. Among other vocations, Johnson was a lawyer, a teacher, a poet, a diplomat and a civil rights organizer. He was the leader of the NAACP for 10 years, the first Black professor hired by New York University, and the U.S. consul to Venezuela and later Nicaragua. He and his brother, composer J. Rosamond Johnson, also together wrote about 200 songs for Broadway musicals.
In 1900, while serving as a school principal in Jacksonville, Johnson was asked to speak at a celebration of Abraham Lincoln’s birthday. Instead of a speech, he wrote a poem, which his brother then set to music. It was sung by 500 schoolchildren at the event, but the Johnson brothers didn’t think it would ever spread beyond that. They were wrong.
“The school children of Jacksonville kept singing it, they went off to other schools and sang it, they became teachers and taught it to other children,” Johnson recalled in 1935. Booker T. Washington helped popularize it, its lyrics were printed in Black newspapers and it was selected as the official song of the NAACP.
“Within twenty years, it was being sung over the South and in some other parts of the country. Today the song, popularly known as the Negro National Hymn, is quite generally used. The lines of this song repay me in elation, almost of exquisite anguish, whenever I hear them sung by Negro children,” Johnson wrote.
It is not clear whether Johnson ever considered himself an Episcopalian, but he did help organize the 1917 Silent Parade in New York, in which about 10,000 African Americans marched down Fifth Avenue in protest against lynchings and racist violence, along with leaders from St. Philip’s Church, the oldest Black Episcopal parish in New York. Today, Johnson is included on The Episcopal Church’s Holy Women, Holy Men calendar, commemorated on June 25.
Though “Lift Every Voice and Sing” enjoyed a resurgence in the late 20th century due to its inclusion in church hymnals, it was sung in earlier decades at Black secular events as well as churches, Rushing told Episcopal News Service.
“Black churches always sang it, but when I was growing up, you couldn’t go to a large meeting of Black people where they didn’t sing it, either at the beginning or the end,” Rushing said. “It was always seen as a secular song.
“The other custom that Black people had was they always stood” while they sung it, Rushing added, “and there would be events where people sang both the national anthem and this.”
During discussion of the resolution at Executive Council in June, member Diane Pollard also recalled hearing it in both religious and non-religious contexts, and that it was revered in a way similar to the national anthem.
“I was taught that when this song is sung, you stand up,” Pollard remembered. “And my grandmother was not telling me to stand up because it was a song from the church. Far be it; many churches were the last to get on the bandwagon with equality for nonwhite people. She was telling me to stand up out of respect.”
The song has enjoyed new popularity in recent years from secular sources again, largely due to the Black Lives Matter movement. Beyonce performed it at the Coachella music festival in 2018. The NFL will play it before all games this season, after doing so during a week last year. And in January, the legislation to make it America’s national hymn was introduced in the House of Representatives.
Rushing said he was approached by Carl MaultsBy, the director of music at St. Richard’s Episcopal Church in Winter Park, Florida, encouraging the church to adopt a resolution supporting the bill. Rushing added that while he understands the concerns about adopting a “national hymn,” he said the word “hymn” in this case is only used because no song except “The Star-Spangled Banner” can be called a national anthem in the U.S.
“I understand the difficulty with the word ‘hymn,’” he said during the Executive Council meeting. “I think that if you ask most Black people what they would call this, they would have said an anthem. But that, of course, creates a slight problem in this legislation if we use that term. … We’re recognizing an important song in American culture.”
The Rev. Charles Graves IV, another Executive Council member, also argued in support of the resolution, saying that there are already other national symbols that invoke God, but the purpose of Clyburn’s legislation is not religious but cultural and educational.
“We’re in the middle of this conversation about critical race theory and what will be taught in schools in terms of the history of race and the current realities of race in this country,” Graves said. “And so adding this hymn to our national canon helps to ensure that in the same way that schoolchildren are taught about the bald eagle and taught about the Constitution … they will also be taught about James Weldon Johnson and about the struggle out of which he wrote this hymn.”
--The Rev. Dcn. Julett Butler
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_4 Owen Tucker
_5 Owen Scarlett
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15 Adrianna Babb
23 Marlene Taylor
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Please keep those on our parish prayer list in your minds and in your prayers, especially at this time of separation and isolation.
Intercessions
AUGUST 2021
Our prayers are asked for:
Salvator; Steven; Barbara; Tish; Mary Ann; Tommy; Carol; Chris; Sandra; George, Norm; Janett; Kay, Katherine, Renate; Food Pantry Volunteers, victims of Human/Sex Trafficking; Burton family; Lillian, Matthew, Sasha; Joe, G.J., Aleta, Plain family, Melius family; Ibadan Diocese, All Saints' Church, Oni family; Gary, Legend; Rhonda, Joe, Ann, all Teachers, Parents, Students, Theodore, John, Paul, Kathy; Sharon Greene, Owen, Agnes, Norma; McLauren family; Graham family; Wood family; Braxton family; Lori, Steven, Jim, Seth; Phil; All essential workers; Beryl & Glen, Vincent family; George; Daniel Mizell and family; Fr. Allan and family; St. Paul's Vestry; Darien family; Sherow family; Edna Clarke, Michelle, Kathy B.; Carola and Violet; Whitman, Medical Reserve Corp. of Dutchess County, The Laken family; All Parishioners; Kairos International, Catherine, Michelle, Yamily; Matthew, Lillian; Lynita, Perry, Melius family, Sasha; Stacey; Tucker family, Branch family, Atkinson family; Alison, McGhan, Sterling, Unah, Avonel, Kim, Santos family, Madeline, Bramble, Charlie, Cynthia, Gencia, Val, Joanne, Janet, Corkey, Pelaez, Josephs-Clarke family, Dixon family, Paulette, Jarah, Mertlyn; Adam, Paul, Andrew & family, Douglas family, Ron, Dave, Liz; Jill, Lana, Andrew, Susan; Schneider family, all in need; Susie; Sherry, Claudia
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St. Paul's Episcopal Church - Poughkeepsie
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'In Service to God & You'
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Our food pantry volunteers are in active service at St. Paul's these days. We give thanks to them and thanks to God for their willingness to help us by helping others.
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THIS WEEK'S CALENDAR
August 10-16, 2021
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YOUR NEWS BELONGS IN ST. PAUL'S MESSENGER
Help us get the word out by submitting news of parish activities. Send submittals to stpaulpk@verizon.net or call 845 452 8440
Give us a call today!
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St. Paul's Episcopal Church 161 Mansion Street, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
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