E-News May 19,  2022

336.667.4231
office@stpaulwilkesboro.org

Violence in our Country: Is There Hope Amid the Violence and Pain


Let your ways be known upon earth, *

your saving health among all nations. ~Psalm 67


We are all most likely, once again, saddened and dismayed by the racial violence that erupted in Buffalo, New York, Laguna, CA and even close to home in Winston-Salem. Indeed, violence still threatens all over the country and could erupt in any given minute. With painful unrest so prolific, the ever-present threat of domestic terror, and a global community watching, there may be an unraveling of any sense that our world will ever be whole or safe again or if hope for the future lost to us forever. 


I’m not the first to say it, but what we are experiencing in this present time is one of those moments in human history that is a flashpoint in our collective consciousness.


As I have written before, a flashpoint is a wakeup call; it is a call to attention. A flashpoint is an event or series of events that comes with such intensity that we ignore it at our peril. A flashpoint also comes with a holy and sacred invitation to return from the bitter barrenness of division and move toward God’s life-giving truths of reconciliation, forgiveness, and deep and true love of neighbor.


We might ask at this point, “How many flashpoints can we have before something changes for the better?” And that is a fair question after painful acts occur at ever-regular frequencies. The answer, however, is a bit more difficult. If we are waiting for some response from without, from something or someone beyond ourselves, we might wait for a long time.


In the practice of reconciliation, forgiveness and love of neighbor we need not agree with one another, but I think we are called, as our Baptismal covenant says, to “strive for justice and peace among all people and respect the dignity of every human being.”  Far from being empty words on paper or a forgotten promise on our lips, it is a road map and only one of many such maps that God always provides as a true compass point that can lead us out of cynicism and powerlessness into hope and action.


Whenever God’s people forget themselves, God always calls to us amid the pain and chaos to show us the way back to restoration and hope. It is at the heart of God’s history with all of God’s people.


And most certainly God is with all of us in our grief and fear. God is there for those of us who stand at a distance in lamentation and for those of who just want to shut down and give up. God stands amid all of it telling us once again, “Be not afraid.”


In general, I think we are all afraid of crisis. But for a transformative life of faith, times or moments of crisis are necessary for awakening. As I have noted before, in the Greek it is krisis; a point of decision that comes without warning, perhaps accompanied by a major life event of illness, loss or failure. Or it comes at a time of great social upheaval that call us to clearly define our core beliefs.


A time of krisis is a time when priorities and beliefs are sharply defined and new realities are awakened.


Many Americans confronted just such a time during the Civil Rights Movement of the 60’s. On Integration Sunday, Church communities all over the South reached a point of krisis. While some Episcopal parishes did not conform completely, as a Body, we chose to be allied with freedom from oppression, indeed, to fulfill our Baptismal Covenant in truth and deed.


This too is a time when our choices will define us. All of our private “isms” are crying out to be revealed and healed so that we can go forward into a future where all of God’s beloved children, in their wildly profuse diversity and beauty, know the freedoms and privileges that white people have always shared.

Jesus leads us into healing and hope and teaches us to go forward with courage, compassion and fierce resolve. Where is God amid such times of violence and pain? God is within us and without us, inspiring and encouraging us to act with empathy, compassion, and courage. God is asking us to examine our own souls and consciences to root out implicit bias and hidden racism and to decry racist conspiracies and the like once and for all and demand that we move forward in a way that such violence cannot be perpetrated so casually.

I will finish the poetic imagery of Biblical scholar Walter Brueggemann who captures in prayer what my feeble words seem unable to find:


“You speak among us the one word that could matter: Do not fear".


And we, in our several forms of fearfulness, are jarred by your utterance. On a good day we know your sovereign word is true.


So give us good days by your rule, free enough to rejoice, open enough to change, trusting enough to move into new obedience, grace enough to be forgiven and then to forgive.


We live by your word. Speak it to us through the night, that we may have many good days through your gift. "


“Thus says the Lord: Keep your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears…there is hope for the future.”


We continue to pray for peace in our nation and that we may trust in God’s hope for the human family, and that we ourselves might find the strength to act with love and mercy in a fear filled world.


Grace and Peace,

Mother Stephanie     

 


THIS SUNDAY!

ONE SERVICE AT 9:30!


I am so thankful that St. Paul's is one of the most flexible Parishes I have ever served!


You have received many corrected and re-corrected epistles sent out as special announcements and you have offered us the gift of laughing with us.


We WILL keep our combined worship service at 9:30 even though the Installation is on Wednesday.


These are busy and tense times and I believe that we are all doing our best in this "Post, but not Quite Post Covid Era."


As I said to our Bishop, as we discussed the Installation service this coming Wednesday, May 25th, I believe that we are all suffering a "Covid Hangover."


We want very much "to get back to normal" but I think we all know that we must find a "new normal."


It is a time in the Church's calendar when we would be winding down for a slower summer, but it seems like this is also a time to rev up and begin new things, to gather and celebrate that we can actually be together again.


Please know that you Rector and Vestry are hard at work at trying to thread this needle; to find the balance between rest and gathering. Please stay tuned to the E-News for upcoming Fellowship Events that will bring us together.


To that end, we will be offering ONE combined Service a month so that we can gather as a united community and celebrate the many blessings we have to share as a people of faith. Stay tuned!


ECW for Hope Ministry drive is a huge success!


Thank you to everyone that donated diapers, baby wipes and other baby items for Hope Ministry! We collected 1,576 diapers, 10 packs of baby wipes and 10 bottles of baby wash and baby Lotion and a few onesies! ECW was delighted to donate these items to Mothers in need! Thank you!!!!!


FREE BOOKS!


As we prepare for our renovations, we are clearing out our library and this Sunday you will find a collection of books in the Commons area that are yours for the taking!  These are books that can help you build a quality theological library for yourself, and we hope that you will take advantage of this opportunity.




ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE PROJECT READY TO BEGIN!


NEW INFORMATION!


Breaking Ground for Accessibility, Hospitality and Safety! 


Our Administrative Offices are moving across the driveway to the "undercroft" or downstairs of the church. In the last year you have read the articles and followed our progress as we have moved to this exciting moment.


We are very delighted and thankful for the feedback we received to the plans, and we are projecting our ground-breaking on June 1st.


A primary goal of this important project is to create an administrative office that is first and foremost accessible! This has long been missing. Secondly, this space will finally offer a space that is professional and appropriate for confidential counseling, pastoral care, interviews and other meetings.


And finally, while we always seek to be a place of welcome for all of God's people, it is also important to offer our staff an office that provides a safe and secure entrance as we seek to share God's grace and love in an embattled and suffering world. 


The new entrance will offer greater security to those within while still providing access to our vital and compassionate programs.


In addition, the choir has graciously helped this to happen by relocating the choir room down the hall.  We will build out a dividing wall and give the choir what they need to feel comfortable and supported in their new space.


This renovation will also provide a new meeting room that is great for smaller groups of all ages, and we will still have a dedicated room for our youth across in the downstairs of the Parish House.



BRICKS!


The wider parish has an opportunity to participate in funding this exciting project by purchasing memorial or honor bricks in the names of friends, family, or other church members you would like to recognize.




The bricks will be part of renovating the plaza steps as you approach the Commons doors.


We will offer the bricks at $150 each, but this can also be considered an opening price! We are always happy for you to contribute more and this extra will be used to primarily to meet our fundraising goal. But, we can also offer a "brick scholarship fund" in which some of these monies could go toward making sure an individual's financial situation did not prohibit them from participating in this communal activity or recognizing a loved one.


We are so appreciative of your excitement about the project and look forward to sharing more excitement with you soon!







Sixth Sunday of Easter


May 22, 2022



9:30 AM Service in the Church


Scripture for Sunday Service


      First Reading            Acts 16: 9-15 

      The Response                 Psalm 67

      Second Reading        Revelation 21:10, 22-22:5

      The Gospel                    John 14:23-29

    








The response to our Little Food Pantry has been tremendous over the last few months. But we’ve noticed a few donation items that are not going over well. Too many bulky items like rice, noodles and dried beans and lentils are being stocked in the LFP. When so many of these things are put in the pantry at one time, there’s not enough room for different items, and there are only so many ways a person can cook beans, etc. Please don’t put more than 2 or 3 of the same kind of item in the LFP, and check to see the next week if they’re gone and need to be restocked. Here are some items that we need in the LFP: 

Things That Disappear Quickly

Canned pasta with meat
Canned chili with beans
Boxed potato dishes
Canned stew
Boxed chicken soup
Canned vegetables
Macaroni & cheese
Tuna

Crackers
Canned fruit
Canned milk
Instant oatmeal
Syrup
Pancake mix
Peanut butter
Jelly
Dried fruit


Summer sausage
Canned meat
Sugar
Ketchup, etc.
Salt & Pepper
Dried spices & herbs
Cooking oil
Dish washing detergent




Scripture for the upcoming Sunday Service



First Reading                                                            Acts 16: 9-15   


During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." When he had seen the vision, we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them.

We set sail from Troas and took a straight course to Samothrace, the following day to Neapolis, and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city for some days. On the sabbath day we went outside the gate by the river, where we supposed there was a place of prayer; and we sat down and spoke to the women who had gathered there. A certain woman named Lydia, a worshiper of God, was listening to us; she was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth. The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. When she and her household were baptized, she urged us, saying, "If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home." And she prevailed upon us.


The Response                                                                                           Psalm 67



Deus misereatur


May God be merciful to us and bless us, *

show us the light of his countenance and come to us.

 Let your ways be known upon earth, *

your saving health among all nations.

 Let the peoples praise you, O God; *

let all the peoples praise you.

Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, *

for you judge the peoples with equity

and guide all the nations upon earth.

Let the peoples praise you, O God; *

let all the peoples praise you.

 The earth has brought forth her increase; *

may God, our own God, give us his blessing.

 May God give us his blessing, *

and may all the ends of the earth stand in awe of him.



Second Reading                                                    Revelation 21:10, 22-22:5

 

 

 In the spirit the angel carried me away to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God.

I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. Its gates will never be shut by day-- and there will be no night there. People will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. But nothing unclean will enter it, nor anyone who practices abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life.

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. Nothing accursed will be found there any more. But the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him; they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And there will be no more night; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.



The Gospel                                                                             John 14:23-29


Jesus said to Judas (not Iscariot), "Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me.

"I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. You heard me say to you, `I am going away, and I am coming to you.' If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you this before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe."


                                                                        


MASKS ARE OPTIONAL IN WORSHIP

Masks are optional for inside worship and other inside activities for the foreseeable future.

Please help us put an end to this Pandemic by getting vaccinated.

Love yourself, love your neighbor, get vaccinated!

Please remember in your prayers: All who are ill or unemployed and those who are on our prayer list.

Short-term

Ken Canter, Yasmin Evans and her children, Ava and Colton, Doug Merritt, Becky Mullins, Juanita Phillips, Jeff Smith, Rebecca Carroll, Joe Fesperman, Sloan Barnhill, Sharon Burkenbine, Althea Johnson,Tamera Burkenbine

Long-term

Deacon Susan Whittington, Jim Priester, David Temple, Wes Martin, Ken Asel, Doug Merritt, Julius Parks & Family, Esther Eller

Armed Forces

Let us pray for the safety of all our troops, especially Micha Duerk, Faith Lankford, Cole Griffith, Zach Necessary, Walker Pardue, Philip Southwell, Mark Stone, Jason Westmeyer, and all others who serve throughout the world.

 

Please send to the church office the addresses of troops with connections to

office@stpaulwilkesboro.org, especially those abroad.

Prayer Requests

Prayer requests can be made by using the app under "contact us" and then the "prayer request" tab, or by emailing the office at office@stpaulwilkesboro.org, or calling the office during regular office hours.

Bulletins are printed on Thursday mornings and requests submitted after that time will not be in the printed bulletin for that week, but may still be spoken. Prayer requests received by noon on Wednesday will be included in the weekly e-newsletter.
Join us for Worship on YouTube or click on the link on our website!
Link to St. Paul's Website
Link to YouTube Channel
Serving in May

Altar Guild


22nd:

Mary Southwell

Mike Southwell


29th:

Laurie Love

Ramona Curtis

Reba Whittington

Readers


22nd:


Nancy Scroggs


29th:

8:30 Tom Carnes

10:30 Dick Sloop

Acolytes


22nd:

Edward Southwell, Rebecca & Hannah Hartzog


29th:

Jenny Nelson

Tom Carnes

Ushers


22nd:


Jeff Beard & Sandra Elledge


29th:

8:30 Mike Adams

10:30 Ryan Minick

Birthdays & Anniversaries:



May 24-Carl Yale

May 24-Luke Sturdivant

May 25-Mary Earley-Arthur

May 25-Karen Shupe

May 25-Brookelyn Hall

May 28-Denise Sturdivant

May 28-Jane Will






May 28-Stephen & Jennifer Nardini


SIGN UP TODAY!
Sponsor our Sunday Flowers to Honor Your Special Memories and Occasions!

Signup sheet and envelopes are in the commons.
Cost: $40 for one vase and $80 for two.
Sign up for one or both vases.

Standing order with City Florist, who will bill the church monthly. If you want something special for your two vases, call City Florist with your request. In that case, if you pay them directly, let them know your flowers replace our order.
If you want to “do your own thing” sign up for both vases then let Kathie Smith know at least a week before your chosen Sunday, so that the standing order can be canceled.
Flowers Sign Up


The May/June/July issues of Forward Day by Day are in the mailbox by the front door of the office.





LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR

AND

YOURSELF!


GET VACCINATED AND BOOSTED!!!


PROTECT YOUR COMMUNITY!

St. Paul's Episcopal Church | 336-667-4231 | office@stpaulwilkesboro.org | https://stpaulwilkesboro.org
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