The E-pistle

April 26th, 2024

A Note from Father Sam

Alleluia! Christ is risen!

Dear friends in Christ,

Please join me in praying for Sharon Billetter, who, by the grace of God and the consent of the people, will be ordained to the Diaconate tomorrow morning in Pittsfield. It has been a real privilege for our parish to get so close a seat to Sharon’s ordination journey, and indeed to play an important role in her formation. I only joined you and Sharon for the final months of this journey, but I could see from my first Sunday at St. Paul’s what a rich process it has been. I know that we are all especially grateful to the Rev’d Libby Wade for her mentorship of Sharon over the last year.

I hope to see you tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. at St. Stephen’s, Pittsfield. And if you can’t make it, consider praying the following hymn as we ask God’s Holy Spirit to descend upon Sharon and give her the gifts to be a Deacon in Christ’s holy Church. This hymn, the Veni Creator Spiritus, has been sung at ordinations for hundreds of years, and this is an especially classic translation by an Anglican bishop named John Cosin, from the seventeenth century:

Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire,

and lighten with celestial fire.

Thou the anointing Spirit art,

who dost thy sevenfold gifts impart.

Thy blessed unction from above

is comfort, life, and fire of love.

Enable with perpetual light

the dullness of our blinded sight.

Anoint and cheer our soiled face

with the abundance of thy grace.

Keep far our foes, give peace at home:

where thou art guide, no ill can come.

Teach us to know the Father, Son,

and thee, of both, to be but One,

that through the ages all along,

this may be our endless song:

praise to thy eternal merit,

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Yours in the risen Christ,

Father Sam

Sunday, April 28th

8:00 A.M. and 10:00 A.M.

Holy Eucharist

Collect for the Fifth Sunday of Easter

Almighty God, whom truly to know is everlasting life: Grant us so perfectly to know your Son Jesus Christ to be the way, the truth, and the life, that we may steadfastly follow his steps in the way that leads to eternal life; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Scripture for the Fifth Sunday of Easter: Acts 8:26-40, Psalm 22:24-30, 1 John 4:7-21, John 15:1-8

Serving this morning, April 28 (8:00 a.m.)

Celebrant and Preacher: The Rev’d Samuel T. Vaught

Deacon: The Rev’d Sharon Billetter

Verger/Acolyte: Darryl Lafferty

Lector: David Pearson

Intercessor: David Pearson

Altar Guild: Robin Race

Serving next week, May 5 (8:00 a.m.)

Celebrant: The Rev’d Samuel T. Vaught

Deacon/Preacher: The Rev’d Sharon Billetter

Verger/Acolyte: Darryl Lafferty

Lector: Darry Lafferty

Intercessor: Darryl Lafferty

Altar Guild: Jorja Marsden

Serving this week, April 28 (10:00 a.m.)

Celebrant and Preacher: The Rev’d Samuel T. Vaught

Assisting Priest: The Rev’d Jane Tillman

Crucifer: Sharon Billetter

Verger/Acolyte: Darryl Lafferty

Lector: Frank Smith

Intercessor: Gale Page

Musician: David Smith

Greeters: Gale Page and Frank Smith

Fellowship: Gale Page

Altar Guild: Robin Race

Serving next week, May 5 (10:00 a.m.)

Celebrant: The Rev’d Samuel T. Vaught

Deacon/Preacher: The Rev’d Sharon Billetter

Assisting Priest: The Rev’d Jane Tillman

Verger/Acolyte: Darryl Lafferty

Lector: Bill Higgins

Intercessor: Martha Bodine

Musician: Nancy King

Greeters: Anne Covell & Bill Higgins

Fellowship: Ginny Willcox

Altar Guild: Jorja Marsden

Altar flowers are given today by Patty Melville in memory of Paul Platzman.

Parish Prayer List

Those who are ill or in need of intercession

Bruce, Charles, Linda, Veronica, Jeff, Karen, Lisa, Rosalind, Jacob , Kathleen, Doug, Holly, Rick, David, John, Lenore, Vicki, Donna, Cynthia, Eliza, Cindy, Lori, LaDawn, Elaine, Kit

Those who have recently died

Charles Mancivalano, stepfather of Rob Maloney

Larry Tonini

Leslie Wright, father-in-law of Darryl Lafferty

Those who have asked for our long-term prayers

Allie, Irby, Ginger, Joan, Duncan, Bernadette, Ray, Piers, Katrina, Rich, Karen, Michael, Khali, George, Barbara, Christy, John, Anthony, and Estreeta

Those celebrating birthdays or anniversaries

Cameron Skakel

Diocesan Cycle of Prayer (Week of 4/28)

Congregations, Ministries, and Partners in Ministry

Trinity Church, Lenox (The Rev’d Michael Tuck, Rector)

The Social Justice Commission

Church School teachers & Christian educators

The Church and Wider Mission

The Episcopal Youth Event

The Society for the Increase of the Ministry

Anglican Cycle of Prayer

Sun 4/28: The Church of Bangladesh

Mon 4/29: Diocese of Easton (Episcopal Church)

Tues 4/30: Diocese of Eau Claire (Episcopal Church)

Wed 5/1: Diocese of Central Ecuador (Episcopal Church)

Thurs 5/2: Diocese of Edinburgh (Scotland)

Fri 5/3: Diocese of Edmonton (Canada)

Sat 5/4: Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich (England)

Exploring the Prayer Book: Four-Week Sunday Formation Series

Our four-week formation series all about the Book of Common Prayer continues this Sunday with a discussion of the Daily Office. How might the Prayer Book help us pray from Monday to Saturday? How can we use the book at home, individually or with others? Join us after the 10:00 Eucharist to go deeper.

Remaining sessions

Sunday, April 28: The Daily Office

Sunday, May 5: Music, the Prayer Book, and the Hymnal

Celebration of New Ministry for St. Paul’s and Father Sam

On Wednesday, May 8, the Eve of Ascension Day, we will celebrate our new ministry with Father Sam, together with Bishop Doug and friends from around the community and Diocese. There will be a festive Holy Eucharist at 6:00 p.m. in the church followed by a reception at the home of Ginger and Arthur Schwartz. Dean Andrew McGowan of Berkeley Divinity School at Yale will be our guest preacher. If you did not receive a personal invitation in the mail, please contact our Senior Warden, Jorja Marsden.

Pray throughout the week with Forward Day by Day

New copies of Forward Day by Day are available in the back of the church for you to take home. Forward Day by Day is a daily devotional that includes scripture readings, prayers, and a reflection written by a fellow disciple. If you are looking for a daily prayer practice, this is a great place to start! The publication is quarterly, so the new copies will take you through July.

Attend or Host a Fellowship Dinner

Would you like to deepen your relationships with fellow parishioners? Would you like to find out who lives close to you and join together for dinner? Father Sam and the Wardens invite the whole parish to participate in one of several Fellowship Dinners, hosted in the various “neighborhoods” we find ourselves in (for example: Stockbridge center; West Stockbridge; Lee/Tyringham/Monterey; Lenox/Pittsfield; Great Barrington/Housatonic/Egremont; the Hudson Valley; etc). Father Sam will attend each dinner, and the only goal is fellowship and deepening our relationships. If you are interested in hosting a fellowship dinner for parishioners in your area, please contact Junior Warden Martha Bodine (marthabodine@yahoo.com). Stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks.

Mark your calendars: Parish Life Events

Mark your calendar for two events in the early summer: one work and one play!

Sunday, May 19: Church Clean-Out Day

Stay after church to join with fellow parishioners in a clean-out day! We’ll tackle some of the clutter in the basement, do some gardening, and have jobs for all ages and abilities. Bring your work clothes!

Sunday, June 30: Parish Picnic

On the last Sunday in June, we’ll celebrate our other patronal feast, the Feast of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, and join together for a parish picnic after worship. Stay tuned for more information!

It has come to our attention that at least two parishioners have been targeted by email scams pretending to be Father Sam. These emails come from a generic email address such as “pastor65@...” and even come with the name “Rev. Samuel T. Vaught.” They will ask for a favor, such as purchasing gift cards for someone in need, and might mention that Father Sam is tied up in a meeting and unable to make the purchase himself.

Father Sam will never email you from any address other than rector@stpaulsstockbridge.org. Father Sam will never ask you over email to buy anything for anyone. If you ever suspect that a communication purporting to be from the church is a spam, please call Father Sam’s cell phone at 765-401-6112. Thank you for your vigilance in looking out for one another.

Two Opportunities to Pray Together Each Week

Wednesday: Morning Prayer at 8:30am (Online)



Every Wednesday, a group of parishioners meet at 8:30am to pray Morning Prayer online via Zoom. All are warmly welcome to join via the Zoom link on our website. Thank you Darryl Lafferty for continuing to lead this weekly offering.

Friday: Intercessory Prayer at 8:30am (In-person)

Some may remember that several years ago, a group of parishioners met each week to pray for the needs of those on the parish prayer list. All are invited to join on Friday mornings in the church as we revive this tradition of intercessory prayer. Thank you Alice Wohl for your leadership in reviving this weekly offering.

Getting Ahold of Father Sam

Father Sam now has a working church email address, rector@stpaulsstockbridge.org, that can be used for all church communication. You can call him at the church office, (413) 298-4913, or any time at his cell phone, (765) 401-6112. Father Sam will observe Monday as his sabbath day each week and therefore not check email, but will always respond to a pastoral emergency if contacted by cell phone.