|
Welcome
How to
Contact us
Parish Office
Directions
Rector
&
Staff
Reflections
2010 Albums
Vestry
Worship
Ministry to the homebound
Education
Programs
Calendar
Events
Celebrations
| |
We welcome you to join us on our journey
as we strive to share the love of Jesus through worship, Christian education,
fellowship and service
to each other and the community beyond our walls.
Greetings Friends:
As I write this I am still basking in
the glow of Christmas. I saw the glow in our children's faces as Father Jim
Jones shared the story of Christ's birth with them during the 4:00 p.m.
Christmas Eve service. I saw the glow of over 200 candles illuminating our
hymnals during the singing of Silent Night. I was fortunate enough to be able to
spend Christmas Day with family and I still feel the glow of the love and the
fun we shared. And I feel the glow of pride when I see how this congregation is
handling our "rudderless ship" during this period of transition. Just look at
us.
Our pledges are higher this year than
they were last year. Over the last two months our average Sunday attendance has
remained the same as the attendance of the previous ten months. The number of
people who attended our two services on Christmas Eve even edged out last year's
number. I may be going out on a limb here but I'm thinking that's pretty unusual
when a church has said goodbye to a beloved rector and is on its own. What a
vote of confidence for St. Paul's!
As we enter a new year we continue to
move forward. The Christmas season will soon give way to the season of Epiphany
and the heralding of the coming of the Magi. We celebrate this event with our
annual Epiphany service and dinner. Mark your new 2011 calendar for this evening
full of stories, food and fun on Thursday, January 6. Something brand new
this year is our First Annual Meatloaf Supper. Whether you revel in the
snow by skiing or winter hiking or prefer to curl up with a good book in a
favorite chair or even indulge in video games, who can resist comfort food on a
cold January evening? Join us on Friday, January 21, for the warmth of
fellowship through the sharing of a hot meal. (note: see details for both of
these events further in this newsletter)
Let us with joy and confidence enter
2011 with faith in ourselves through the grace of God in our lives.
In Peace,
Jennifer S. Westermann
Senior Warden
 Search
Committee Update
Were moving along! The vestry has been hard at work during this time of
transition. Step One is to appoint a chair for the Search Committee. The vestry
accepted the offer of Jack Westermann to serve as chair. Step Two is to form a
sub-committee to develop a Parish Profile. Jack is working with the vestry to
accomplish this. The Parish Profile describes who we are as a parish and what we
are looking for in a priest. This is a collaborative effort in that we need to
hear from every member of the parish. A survey will be developed by the Parish
Profile Committee to address these concerns. Jack is looking for a 100% return
on this survey to ensure that every parishioners voice is heard. This data will
be analyzed and included in the Parish Profile. In the meantime, the wardens are
working on securing an interim priest to serve us during this search process.
Well joyfully announce that event when it occurs.
The website of the Episcopal Church has been launched with easier
navigation and better search functionality. Check it out!
www.episcopalchurch.org.
Headlines of interest
Check EpiScope for recent headlines on
coverage at Lambeth Conference, the discussion of women bishops in the Church of
England, updates on church buildings, and more GAFCON reactions.
http://episcopalchurch.typepad.com/episcope/
|
St. Paul's Episcopal Church