News & Announcements

Eyes on Richmond 2011: Building Community during Challenging Times

2011-08-31T15:03:17+00:00

Announcing the 2011 Eyes on Richmond Schedule

Friday Lunchtime Forum at St. Paul's Episcopal Church by Capitol Square
Fridays, September 16 - November 18
12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.

www.stpauls-episcopal.org/eyesonrichmond

WHAT:

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church announces the 2011 Eyes on Richmond season: “Building Community during Challenging Times.” Community leaders will discuss the various ways Richmond is growing and adapting in this difficult social and economic environment. Topics range from athletics, arts, history and education to politics, community policing, housing opportunity, and poverty.

Eyes on Richmond is a downtown lunchtime forum that takes place each fall, featuring lunch by locally-owned restaurants, speakers who are leaders in the community, and a lively question-and-answer session.

WHO:

The 2011 series kicks off Friday, September 16 with VCU Athletics Director Norwood Teague speaking on “College Athletics in RVA: Our Time is Now.” Lunch will be catered by Comfort Restaurant. Other speakers this season include University of Richmond Senior Fellow John Moeser; Christy Coleman, President of The American Civil War Center; Major Odetta Johnson of the Richmond Police Department; Dean Ed Grier of the VCU School of Business; U.S. Congressman Bobby Scott; Richmond Association of Realtors CEO Laura Lafayette; Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Director Alex Nyerges; Richmond Times-Dispatch columnist Jeff Schapiro; and Bobby Ukrop, President of Metropolitan Richmond Sports Backers.

The full schedule with abbreviated summaries is below for use in calendar announcements. Hi-resolution photos of each speaker are available upon request.

WHEN/WHERE:

The forum takes place on Fridays, 12:30 - 1:30 p.m., in the St. Paul's Parish House (815 East Grace Street). Limited free parking is available on a first come, first served basis in the St. Paul’s Garage (entrance on 8th Street) for guests attending the forum.

COST/RESERVATIONS:

The cost to attend a forum is $9, which includes lunch with beverage and dessert. This series is offered at cost as a service to the community. If there are proceeds, the money supports St. Paul’s outreach programs. Reservations may be made online at www.stpauls-episcopal.org/eyesonrichmond or by calling (804) 643-3589. RSVP required by the preceding Wednesday each week.

Special thanks to the Community Idea Stations, our media sponsor.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Kimberly Allen, Communications Director

Cell: (804) 246-9384 – please note you must dial the ‘804’ as it’s not a local number

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Eyes on Richmond, the Friday Forum at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, is held in the church parish hall each Friday in the fall, and covers a range of issues facing the city. Beginning in September and continuing for 10 weeks, this Friday luncheon features food catered by locally-owned restaurants and speakers of interest to the Richmond community. The audience is invited to actively participate in the discussion, and a question-and-answer period follows the presentation. This year marks the 14th season of this educational outreach ministry.

WEEKLY CALENDAR ANNOUNCEMENTS

Eyes on Richmond Forum, "College Athletics in RVA: Our Time is Now" with Norwood Teague, Director of Athletics, Virginia Commonwealth University, 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 16, $9, lunch by Comfort included, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 815 E. Grace St. Details and reservations: http://www.stpauls-episcopal.org/eyesonrichmond or (804) 643-3589.

Eyes on Richmond Forum, "Poverty in Richmond: An Analysis of the U.S. Census" with Dr. John Moeser, Senior Fellow, The University of Richmond, 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 23, $9, lunch by Mom’s Siam included, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 815 E. Grace St. Details and reservations: http://www.stpauls-episcopal.org/eyesonrichmond or (804) 643-3589.

Eyes on Richmond Forum, "History, Heritage & Memory: Journeys of Discovery" with Christy Coleman, President, The American Civil War Center, 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 30, $9, lunch by Kenn-Tico Cuban Bar & Grill included, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 815 E. Grace St. Details and reservations: http://www.stpauls-episcopal.org/eyesonrichmond or (804) 643-3589.

Eyes on Richmond Forum, "Community Policing: Serving with Integrity" with Major Odetta Johnson, The Office of Professional Responsibility, Richmond Police Department, 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 7, $9, lunch by Ruchee Express included, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 815 E. Grace St. Details and reservations: http://www.stpauls-episcopal.org/eyesonrichmond or (804) 643-3589.

Eyes on Richmond Forum, "The Future of Leadership and Education" with Ed Grier, Dean, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Business, 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14, $9, lunch by Peking Restaurant included, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 815 E. Grace St. Details and reservations: http://www.stpauls-episcopal.org/eyesonrichmond or (804) 643-3589.

Eyes on Richmond Forum, "Seeking Consensus Amid Strife: Jobs & Education" with The Hon. Bobby Scott, U.S. Congressman, 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 21, $9, lunch by Positive Vibe Café included, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 815 E. Grace St. Details and reservations: http://www.stpauls-episcopal.org/eyesonrichmond or (804) 643-3589.

Eyes on Richmond Forum, "How the Economic Crash Has Changed Housing Opportunity" with Laura Lafayette, CEO, Richmond Association of Realtors, 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28, $9, lunch by Café Rustica included, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 815 E. Grace St. Details and reservations: http://www.stpauls-episcopal.org/eyesonrichmond or (804) 643-3589.

Eyes on Richmond Forum, "Arts & Culture: VMFA in the National Spotlight" with Alex Nyerges, Director, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4, $9, lunch by TJ’s at the Hotel Jefferson included, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 815 E. Grace St. Details and reservations: http://www.stpauls-episcopal.org/eyesonrichmond or (804) 643-3589.

Eyes on Richmond Forum, "Virginia Legislature" with Jeff Schapiro, Columnist, Richmond Times-Dispatch, 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 11, $9, lunch by Bistro 27 included, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 815 E. Grace St. Details and reservations: http://www.stpauls-episcopal.org/eyesonrichmond or (804) 643-3589.

Eyes on Richmond Forum, "More Than Games: Building a Vibrant Community" with Bobby Ukrop, President, Metropolitan Richmond Sports Backers, 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 18, $9, lunch by Kenn-Tico Cuban Bar & Grill included, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 815 E. Grace St. Details and reservations: http://www.stpauls-episcopal.org/eyesonrichmond or (804) 643-3589.

September 2011 Epistle Newsletter

2011-08-29T14:10:38+00:00

Download this issue of our newsletter: The Epistle, September 2011 (printable version)

Inside this issue (features):

and much, much more! Download the PDF to read the full issue.

On the Cover:

Ten Years Later, Moving Forward Together

My Dear People,

Standing just inside the main door to the parish house, I was talking with a young man who had just gotten out of jail (he had come to the church for some help), when a fellow staff member, Diana Butler Bass, hurrying by, called out to us that a plane had just hit the World Trade Center. That was the first I had heard of anything.

Moments later, news about the second plane to hit the World Trade Center came in.

With some effort, the staff was then gathered for our regularly-scheduled weekly staff meeting. We had just sat down and gotten underway, when someone slipped into the room and whispered in the ear of one of the senior clergy, who then turned and broke the news about the plane hitting the Pentagon.

I can’t remember that the meeting was officially adjourned (though it probably was); what I do remember is everyone getting up and heading every which way. Since we were in Alexandria, the Pentagon news was unsettling in a distinct sort of way: it was local. (Christ Church is located in Old Town.)

I tried to think what Gena had told me that morning about where she would be, and I simply could not remember. I tried to call her on her cell but could not get through.
As I would learn hours later (when she finally could make it through traffic and back to our apartment), Gena had been driving up Interstate 395 North when she saw an American Airlines jet flying low, fast, and out of the familiar flight paths. She had just a moment to wonder what was happening before the plane banked, swung over the interstate, and found its target. She describes how everyone driving on 395 simply slowed to a stop, got out of their cars, and stared in disbelief, with hands held to their faces.

The Faith Forum of Greater Richmond

It is still hard to believe that it all happened. Ten years later, pain, grief, and anger persist. Ten years later, what do we, as people of faith, have to say about the events of September 11, 2001, and the meaning of those events and their aftermath for our world today? More specifically, how do people of different faiths live together in a post-9/11 world?

Over the course of the last year, a group of Richmond faith leaders have been meeting to reflect on these and other related questions. That group has consisted of the Rev. Bill Sachs, Executive Director of the Center for Interfaith Reconciliation in Richmond; Dr. Imad Damaj, President of the Virginia Muslim Coalition for Public Affairs; Imam Ammar Amonette, of the Islamic Center of Virginia; Rabbi Ben Romer, of Congregation Or Ami; the Rev. Jim Somerville, of First Baptist Church, Richmond; the Rev. Craig Kocher, Chaplain of the University of Richmond, and myself.

On Sunday, September 11, from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m., you are invited to join these faith leaders, and others, for a forum to be held at St. Paul’s, in the Parish Hall. It will be a time where we talk about our world, our life together, and our future together. May God’s will be done. I have no doubt it will. I hope you’ll join us.

Your brother in Christ,

Wallace+

The Christian Life... in 22 Words

by The Rev. Kate Jenkins, Associate Rector, katejenkins@stpauls-episcopal.org

Have you come across the Web site 22words (http://22words.wordpress.com)? It sponsors an on-going challenge of expressing yourself on some matter in 22 words or less. There are different categories, like ‘my life so far’ or ‘which Star Wars character are you and why.’ You have to answer each one with only 22 words. One of my favorite responses, in the category of ‘describe your greatest experience,’ is: “I am in a hospital. A nurse hands me a screaming baby and I sat there, looking down, and said, ‘Hello son.’”

After perusing the Web site, I began to wonder; what is the essence of the Christian life in 22 words? John is usually not my go-to gospel but, when pondering this challenge, I found myself repeatedly drawn to the end of John 13 when Jesus takes up a similar challenge. His response, admittedly, runs 32 words in English (I haven’t checked the Greek), but the effect is the same. In these 32 words he leaves his disciples with as clear a summary of the Christian life as one could possible want:

“Love one another. Just as I have loved you, so you should also love another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

What gives Jesus’ statement power is not only its brevity but its laser focus. It’s the one thing – perhaps, if push comes to shove, the one and only thing – Jesus wants his disciples to know and remember when he is gone: love one another. Not “Evangelize one another.” Not “Keep each other accountable.” Not “Give more money to the church.” Not “Resist temptation.” Not “Make me proud.” Not any of the other hundred things we regularly hear lifted up as the pinnacle and priority of the Christian life, but rather this: “Love one another.”

Keep in mind where we are in John’s story of Jesus. It is the eve of the crucifixion, and Jesus knows he will be leaving his disciples shortly. In that context, he offers to them departing instructions and words of farewell – four chapters and more, in fact, of departing instructions and words of farewell! Yet all of them can be boiled down to these first thirty-two words, which he himself has just embodied and modeled by washing their feet, by serving them, by calling them friends.

When you think about it, these few words articulate the simplest and most difficult command Jesus could have given. Simple because on any given day, at almost any given moment, we usually know, deep down, what the most loving thing to do for those around us is. Yet doing it is another matter. So many things get in the way – we are too busy, or tired, or focused on a goal, or impatient, or angry, or....

Yet, Jesus is adamant. To be a disciple is to love one another. Not only that, but others will recognize the disciples – then and now – by whether we love one another.

As the heat of the summer bears down on us and we move into fall, I challenge you, in 22 words (more or less) to summarize the woof and warp of the Christian life – either in your own words, or those of Jesus. Pick up your bible or a pad of paper – I’d love to hear what you come up with.

Love One Another: Micah campers and new friends bid a tearful good-bye at Camp Hanover

Where Is Your Heart?

by Barbara Davis & Tom Smith, 2012 Giving Campaign Chairs

Get ready! On Sunday, October 2, the St. Paul’s 2012 Annual Giving Campaign will launch with special guest, the Rev. Dan Matthews, former rector at Trinity Wall Street in New York City. The generosity campaign will be in high gear for three weeks, concluding with the Celebration Feast on the evening of Sunday, October 23.

Our theme this year is Step Up for St. Paul’s. As we move toward October, we are each asked to both think and pray intentionally… on what we have been given by St. Paul’s, and how we will step up this year to give to this, our beloved church. As St. Matthew reminds us, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (6:21)

Where is your heart? Consider taking some quiet time to genuinely think about all that St. Paul’s has meant to you. What are the programs, people, fellowship, and worship experiences that have fed you? As you look back, remember the various aspects of all that has made you love St. Paul’s. As you do so, a sense of gratitude and generosity will arise in your heart. Giving to that which you have loved is then a natural outcropping of your thankfulness. Stepping up to pledge your money is a concrete manifestation of generosity towards this community of people doing God’s work.

What’s to Come

Shortly we will be sharing our financial goals for the upcoming Annual Giving Campaign - in a mailing, on the Web site, and in the Sunday bulletin insert. The programs you love and souls we serve are funded with our pledges, not some mystical source. Thursday lunches, Woodville School, Youth and Children Programs, Pastoral Care, Food Pantry, Music Program, the annual Lenten Series, Faith in Action ministries in Richmond and abroad, Christian Formation, Eyes on Richmond, and so much more depend on your financial commitment.

You will hear testimonials from parishioners on how and why St. Paul’s has graced their lives. Why they choose now to step up and give from their hearts by making an annual pledge. What we know is that the vibrant financial health of the church is absolutely crucial to the overall health of our parish. To ensure the financial health of the St. Paul’s 2012 budget, a monetary pledge of commitment is needed from every one of us, each according to ability. We are a lay driven community; it is up to all of us to serve, and if our ministries are to thrive, our pledges will need to increase.

Together, We Make it Happen

Each one of us is a vibrant and valued member of this body we call community. As one body in this community, we become a living witness of God’s immense desire to bring us together as the family of God. Here then is our family, our faith, our future. May we come together this year to step up for St. Paul’s with joy and remembrance, with gratitude and generosity. Together we make it happen.

Tom Smith and Barbara Davis, 2012 Annual Giving Campaign Chairs, can be reached at tomjoycesmith@comcast.net and barbaradavis2010@gmail.com.

Generosity Sunday & Forum with the Rev. Dan Matthews

On Sunday October 2, the Rev. Dan Matthews will join us on Grace Street for the exciting kick-off of our 2012 Annual Giving Campaign. Dr. Matthews will preach at all three services and will lead an Adult Forum at 10:15 a.m. in the Parish Hall. To enable all to participate, other adult education offerings will not place this morning.

About Dan: Acclaimed for his creative leadership of Trinity Wall Street’s landmark parish with its large global and urban ministry in New York City, Dr. Matthews is also recognized for his leadership in interfaith television. He is the founder of VISN’s religious television network and led the merger with the Odyssey family channel. Dr. Matthews is a memorable image-creating preacher, a gifted national and international Episcopal Church leader, and a true bridge-builder of things secular and spiritual.

Dr. Matthews is a longtime friend of St Paul’s Church, and has expressed delight at the opportunity to be with our community on October 2. Be sure and mark your calendars now to hear one of the nation’s most well known and vibrant preachers.

The Power of Listening

by Sarah K. Lageman, sarah_lageman@hotmail.com

“There is often no antidote to the challenges we face in our lives, but our connections with one another give us support and strength, just as we ask God to give us support and strength.”

I have now been in Richmond for almost a year and truly feel that I am home, after searching for a home for many years. I know this comfort and sense of belonging that I feel is largely due to finding St. Paul’s and joining this community. One of the aspects of St. Paul’s that I appreciate is how we encourage one another to practice our beliefs in all aspects of our lives.

When the Reverend Fletcher Lowe asked me if he could visit me at my work place to talk about how I practice my faith in my work, it did not seem an unusual question, although I had never been asked it before. And how strange that is – to have a faith and not incorporate it into the environment where we spend so much of our lives! But yet it is a topic that is rarely touched upon in my discipline. I am a clinical neuropsychologist. I have a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and specialize in a field called neuropsychology, which is the study of brain and behavior relationships. I evaluate individuals’ thinking and emotional functioning after types of brain injury or neurologic disease and provide treatments and treatment recommendations. I moved to Richmond to join Virginia Commonwealth University’s Parkinson’s Disease Center, where I engage in clinical work as well as research. My research involves developing compensation techniques and intervention programs to help people cope with changes, maintain their independence, and improve their quality of life.

A Tremendous Need to Be Heard

In my work, I continue to be surprised by the power of listening. As a neuropsychologist I am fortunate to be able to spend time talking with people prior to their evaluations. In this time I try to understand who they are and how they are coping with whatever changes they are experiencing and then I use this information to make specific recommendations tailored to their needs. This is the aspect of my work that I enjoy the most – my interactions with individuals. While in my clinic work I guide the interview with specific questions, the most critical information comes from listening to the people I meet – hearing and witnessing their story.

As I began my career, I often had difficulty when I felt I had no solution for someone who had experienced significant illness or trauma. But I have learned over and over again not to underestimate the power of listening. It is something we rarely receive in our daily lives and yet we all have a tremendous need to be heard. I believe when we feel alone with our pain, we feel a despair that is debilitating. After talking with people, they often appear more at ease and often they tell me they feel better. I know this is the power of being with someone, completely focused on them and their experience. There is often no antidote to the challenges we face in our lives, but our connections with one another give us support and strength, just as we ask God to give us support and strength. In this way we become the love and support God has given us to give to one another.

The Healing Power of Relationships

In my own search for meaning, I feel that if I am able to make a difference in other people’s lives, this is the meaning of my life. I remember people I have worked with closely and their stories will always stay with me. When I struggle with my own challenges, knowing we are together in our journeys in this life comforts me. That kind of genuine, deep connection can be hard to find but is so vital to our existence. I have grown more comfortable asking people I work with to tell me about their faith and spirituality. Sometimes people clearly identify faith as a cornerstone in their life and sometimes not. But I think all of the people I have worked with closely eventually come to recognize the healing power of our relationship. While there are many therapy techniques and perspectives, I know this connection is the most important aspect of helping another person and I am grateful to be able to incorporate my spiritual faith into my work.

My meeting with Fletcher encouraged me to consider my work as part of my ministry and after our meeting I realized how important it is for me to recognize my faith in all aspects of my life. When I think of my favorite quote – “You must be the change you want to see in the world” by Mahatma Gandhi – I know my faith helps direct me to be the change I want to see in our world. I try to be that change with each person I meet with in my work, my ministry.

Pictured: Sarah Lageman (center) with the Rev. Wallace Adams-Riley and members of the eightfifteen group for young adults in their 20s and 30s. Photo by J.J. Flores

Remembering Butch Griner

“Grant, O Lord, to all who are bereaved the spirit of faith and courage, that they may have strength to meet the days to come with steadfastness and patience; not sorrowing as those without hope, but in thankful remembrance of your great goodness, and in the joyful expectation of eternal life with those they love. And this we ask in the Name of Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.”

For over ten years, Butch Griner served those in need through the Emmaus Feeding Program at St. Paul’s. As St. Paul’s Master Chef, Butch coordinated the meals that were served each week. Even as he battled cancer in the hospital, Butch ensured the planning and preparation of a tasty lunch. St. Paul’s hosted a well attended memorial service for Butch on Tuesday, August 9. Following is the family’s obituary, which appeared in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

GRINER, Robert Glen, affectionately known as “Butch” to friends and family, died August 5, 2011. Formerly of Norfolk, Butch was a resident of Richmond, Virginia, where he was employed by, and a member of, Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church. As the church’s coordinator for the Downtown Community Ministries, Butch was privileged to serve the homeless of Richmond through the Emmaus Feeding Program. For over 10 years, he coordinated the care and feeding of over 140,000 guests. This was Butch’s ministry which he greatly loved!

Born February 25, 1952, the eldest son of the late Margaret Ray Knowles and Robert Kitchen Griner, he is survived by his loving companion of 13 years, the love of his life, Linda Pitts; a son, Scott Griner; two grandsons, Tyler and Logan Griner; a granddaughter, Brooklan Griner; siblings, David A. Griner and Kelly K. Midgett and her husband, Paul; an aunt, numerous cousins, and a host of family and friends.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the American Cancer Society , or to the Richmond Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, 2519 Hermitage Road, Richmond, Va. 23220. Please share your love and condolences with the family at http://www.blileys.com.

Journey to Adulthood...

Photo Essay: J2A Youth Group & Mentors

‘Nine intrepid, interested, and hard-working J2Aers,’ and four of their adult mentors, spent a week in San Francisco this past July. The experience, as mentor Maureen Hains wrote on the Live from San Francsico blog, was an opportunity to take time out to be present, experience God’s blessing, love one another, and perhaps make a difference in someone’s life.

While there the group volunteered at Bay View Mission cleaning toys for the kids who attended the feeding program; crushing boxes to recycle; handing out fresh vegetables; and walking around with a local priest handing out food, socks, and medical supplies to those without homes. They ended the week working in the Tenderloin district with St. Anthony’s helping to serve over 3,000 lunches as well as organizing clothing as part of St. Anthony’s clothing program. This is just a taste of the many experiences the J2A had serving San Francisco.

Of course, the Urban Adventure wasn’t all work. The adventurers had a little fun sprinkled into their time, with a day at Fisherman’s Wharf and Ghirardelli Square where they visited the Ghirardelli chocolate factory.

Reflecting on her experience with the young members of the Journey to Adulthood Youth Group at St. Paul’s, Maureen wrote: “I have been highly impressed with the maturity of our youth group as they gave 100% of their energy, time, and effort to reach out, listen to, feed and clothe people from all walks of life. They did all of this without judgment and they opened their hearts to let this whole week have an effect on how they look at life. I know it has changed my outlook tremendously.”

Pictured: Lawrence (top left) works on a Mosaic while Caroline (top right) paints a recycled can in preparation to use it as a planter in the Episcopal Community Services Garden. The entire J2A group, mentors, and Kate+ enjoy a break on the cliffs in Pacifica, right outside the city. Photos courtesy of Maureen Hains

Reflections on Art and a “Middle Way”

by David Sinden, minister of music, dsinden@stpauls-episcopal.org

It is said that St. Paul’s “foremost work of art” is the mosaic of the Last Supper by Louis Comfort Tiffany, but I wonder if it isn’t the organ.

Designed by noted Los Angeles organ builder Manuel Rosales, and finally installed and given voice by the hard work and persistence of many St. Paul’s parishioners, it is a remarkable achievement. All organs are designed to hold together many disparate elements (2,667 different pipes in our case), but few work as seamlessly and as convincingly as the organ at St. Paul’s.

Manuel Rosales’s fame among organists rests on his uncanny ability to “voice” organ pipes so that they are not only especially beautiful on their own, but also blend in remarkable ways with other sounds of the organ.

The St. Paul’s organ is not of one specific style. It is not German, French, English or American; nor does it try to be all of these styles at once. Rather, it falls into its own category. Seeking insight from many different organ building traditions, Manuel Rosales found a middle way, and the result is a true work of art.

Anglicans, too, are known for seeking a via media, a middle way. Like our organ, the middle way we seek is not a compromise, but rather “a positive position, witnessing to the universality of God and God’s kingdom working through the fallible, earthly ecclesia Anglicana.”

This is especially true in our worship and music. Rather than compromise, we seek the positive, grace-filled approach of the middle way.

In our altarpiece we see myriad shining tiles that comprise an image of the Lord’s Supper, a sacrament in through which we strengthen “our union with Christ and one another.” In our organ we hear thousands of varied pipes that form a cohesive orchestra. In our church we are many souls that join to sing the praises of God.

Understanding God through Music

To further explore your faith through involvement in the music ministry, please contact David Sinden at dsinden@stpauls-episcopal.org or 545-5406.

Pictured: Members of the St. Paul’s Chancel Choir, Parish Choir, and Choristers on the steps of St. Paul’s. Photo by Jeanne LeFever, mother of Choristers member Lydia Galvin.

Farewell Letter from John Hirschman

Dear Vestry, Staff and Members of St. Paul’s,

Thank You for the memories!

The first time I saw St. Paul’s Episcopal Church was Easter weekend in 2002. Merle and I were visiting our daughter and family who lived in Richmond and I had recently talked to Lew Flinn about the Parish Administrator’s position. When we walked into the church I was awestruck with the beauty and majesty that surrounded me – from the stained glass windows, to the beautiful ceiling, to the Last Supper mosaic – it was all more than the senses could absorb. The thought that came into my mind was what an honor and privilege it would be to work at such a place as this!

Little did I know at the time, but by the middle of May, Bob Hetherington would offer me the opportunity to join St. Paul’s church family as your new Parish Administrator. Not only was I offered an opportunity to work in this beautiful facility, but to work with an impressive staff and a leadership team second to none. This was truly an answer to prayer – to serve in a capacity where the gifts given to me by God could be used for His glory in a ministry and mission that promotes justice, peace and love.

What a whirlwind of activity for Merle and me as we prepared to move to Richmond and St. Paul’s in the summer of 2002. That was the start of a challenging and rewarding adventure in shared ministry with so many of you. And now, exactly nine years later, it is time for me to move on to the next phase in my journey of life.

As many of you know, I have been thinking and planning for this since last year when I started working a four day week. Although I am excited about the prospect of retirement, it was a difficult decision for me and is bittersweet in so many ways. I have been blessed to have had the opportunity and privilege to serve with you the members of St. Paul’s; the many vestries, committees and boards that have comprised the lay leadership; and the talented and dedicated staff that is so supportive in helping St. Paul’s live out its mission of Proclaiming Christ in the Heart of the City. I could not have picked a better and more satisfying way to complete my working career, a career that has now spanned 45 years.

Although I am retiring from my working career, I am not retiring from life and I look forward to finding out what God has in store for me during this next phase.

Thank you again for all of your support and help during my nine years here at St. Paul’s, and thank you for the wonderful and meaningful “farewell” service on Sunday June 26th. I will always count the relationship we share as one of the highlights of my life.

Thank you and God bless.

Pictured: Celebrating Eucharist with the staff was one of John’s favorite times and he requested a staff Eucharist during his last week. This photo of John with the staff was taken that day. Pictured are Mike, Kathy, Kimberly, David S., Mimi, Kate, Butch, Andrew, John, Margaret, Jenny, Aliesha, John, Betsy, Wallace, and David R.

Calendar Highlights

Ongoing

Sunday Mornings
Our typical service schedule resumes Sunday, September 18.
7:45 am: Holy Eucharist Rite I
9:00 am: Holy Eucharist with Choir*
10:15 am: Christian Education Hour for All Ages
11:15 am: Holy Eucharist with Choir**

* The Chancel Choir rehearses Sundays at 8:15 am
** The Parish Choir rehearses Sundays at 10:15 am and Thursdays at 7:00 pm
Choristers (ages 8 and up) rehearse Sundays at 1:00 pm

One joint 10:00 am worship service will be offered on Homecoming Sunday (Sept. 11) and on All Saints’ Sunday (Nov. 6).

Monday - Friday
12:05 pm Noonday Prayers & Communion in the Chapel
Healing Prayers on Wednesdays; Celtic Service on Thursdays

Tuesdays
7:30 am Reflection & Prayer in the Library
12:30 pm AlAnon in the Youth Center

Thursdays
9 am - 2 pm: Emmaus Walk-In Lunch in Parish Hall*
12:05 pm: AA in the Youth Center

Special Services, Offerings & Events

First Fridays Art Walk (Fri., Sept. 2 and Oct. 7)
5 pm - 8 pm, Parish Hall/Church. Artist’s opening reception in the Parish Hall. Free guided church tours throughout the evening.

Young Families Back to School Pool Party (Sun., Sept. 4)
4 pm at the home of Martha Anne Ellis. RSVP to Kate+ 545-5404.

Service of Music & Prayer in Remembrance (Sat., Sept. 10)
5 pm, Church. Remembering those who died on 9/11/2001 and praying for peace.

Faith Forum: Moving Forward Together (Sun., Sept. 11)
4 pm - 6 pm, Parish Hall. See cover for details.

Theology on Tap (Tues., Sept. 13 and Oct. 11)
6:30 pm, Contact J.J. Flores at jonathan.james.flores@gmail.com for details about our next gathering or check your Sunday bulletin insert.

Eyes on Richmond 2011 (Fri., Sept. 16 - Nov. 18)
12:30 pm, Parish Hall. See page 7 for details.

Choral Evensong (Sun., Sept. 25)
5 pm, Church. An evening service of music and prayer.

St. Paul’s History & Architecture (Weds., Sept. 28 - Oct. 12)
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm in the Norwood Room. Calder Loth will lead this class. Space is limited. Call 643-3589 inquire about participating.

Looking Ahead

Generosity Sunday with the Rev. Dan Matthews (Sun., Oct. 2)
See page 4 for details.

Blessing of the Animals (Sun., Oct. 2)
5 pm (rain or shine), Memorial Garden

Consortium of Endowed Episcopal Parishes (CEEP)
Regional Meeting at St. Paul’s, Saturday, Oct. 15
Details and registration online under “News & Announcements”

Celebration Feast & Saxophone Evensong (Sun., Oct. 23)
See page 4 for details.

2011 Women’s Retreat (Fri., Oct. 28 - Sun., Oct. 30)
Registration begins Sunday, September 18.

All Saints’ Sunday with Baptisms (Nov. 6)
10 am Joint Worship Service followed by a celebratory reception.

“Walking the Organ Trail” (Sun., Nov. 6)
3 pm, a progressive organ concert presented by organists with the Downtown Church Ministries (DCM).

DCM Thanksgiving Service (Sun., Nov. 20)
6 pm on the Portico steps. St. Paul’s will host this year’s service.

October-November 2011 Epistle Newsletter

2011-08-29T14:10:13+00:00

Download this issue of our newsletter: OctNovEpistle2011.pdf (printable version)

Inside this issue (features):

and much, much more! Download the PDF to read the full issue.

On the Cover:

There’s No Way That God Would Rather Do It

My Dear People,

I could hear in her voice that the conversation was over. It wasn’t that the talking stopped. But the conversation was over.

This was several years ago, when we were still living in Pensacola, and I was on the phone with a search committee in South Carolina; they were looking for a new rector. Prior to the phone conversation, I had, at their request, sent them several sermons and, among those sermons, was one centered on the Feeding of the Five Thousand. Well, one committee member had read something there that alarmed her. While she didn’t say much, once she finished speaking, I knew that was the last time that I would talk with that particular group of people.

I thought of this moment during Dan Matthews’ sermon on Generosity Sunday, when he spoke of the Loaves and Fishes. As Dan noted, it is the only miracle included in all four gospels: Five thousand men are there, and that’s not to speak of the women and children present. It’s a load of people and the disciples are wondering how the heck all those people are going to get fed. But Jesus is not worried. He gives thanks and breaks the bread, as we do on Sunday mornings, and the disciples then begin to pass the bread and the fish out to all the people. And, yes, everyone is fed and there are even leftovers.

So what happened?

Well, one telling of the story is plain and simple: God did it. God multiplied the loaves and the fishes by an infusion of sheer divine power. And that is certainly a legitimate way of thinking of the story. Countless Christians have done and do so.

There is, as you likely have considered, another way to imagine what happened there: that something miraculous happened, yes, but that it wasn’t as plain and simple as “God did it.” The infinitely more interesting, imaginative, compelling, and human story, if you ask me, is a story of God opening hearts, and moving people to generosity. Now that’s a good story, the sort of story that speaks to how we actually live our lives, how we make the choices we make, day in day out; as we reach into our tunic and pull out the loaf that we had tucked away there for the day’s journey.

I still remember where I was and who was preaching when I first heard this alternative rendering of the story. (I have alluded to that experience previously at St. Paul’s.) As, indeed, I likewise remember when, years later, the air went out the balloon in that phone call with the search committee from South Carolina. That member of that committee just wouldn’t let go of the “God did it” interpretation. It was so clear and plain and simple. Why did anyone have to go and muck with that?Well, that’s just the thing. If the Incarnation teaches us anything, it teaches us that God is deeply and everlastingly committed to getting into the thick of things with us. There’s nowhere that God would rather be than the muck. That is the lesson from the breathof life in Genesis to the breath of the babe in the manger, and beyond.

Of course, to understand that God is enmeshed in our lives, and to imagine that something more happened among the Five Thousand than, simply, “God did it,” is to allow our hearts and minds to be open to a way of living and being that asks more of us than a “God did it” theology.

Yes, God does do it. And yet, there is no way that God would rather do it than through us.

Through us. Me and you.

Now that’s a good story.

Your brother in Christ,
Wallace+

God and Statistics

by The Rev. Kate Jenkins, Associate Rector, katejenkins@stpauls-episcopal.org

Math was never my best subject. I survived high school mathematics by memorizing without understanding, solving problems without truly comprehending the questions, and clinging to whatever little bits of formula I could, like a drowning person hanging on to a log. I fulfilled my college math requirement by taking statistics (“Dice for Dummies”) and have never looked back. I gave up helping my children with their math homework years ago.

Now, many years later, I am fascinated by the night sky- the work of God’s fingers, the moon and the stars God has established, and I regret my limited vision. The scope, complexity, and intricacy of creation, the sheer wonder of space and time is utterly beyond words. And I don’t think I’m alone in my fascination.

The sight of the night sky makes mystics of us all. God brought Abram outside and said, “Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them” (Genesis 15:5). And of course, he could not. Yet Abram saw something beyond his comprehension and received a promise that defied logical explanation. His grandson, Jacob saw the heavens open, with angels ascending and descending. He too received a promise. The magi saw a star and followed it. We forget what a costly and perilous journey that must have been. And the sleepy shepherds were the first to hear the great news of the Incarnation when they saw the night sky illumined by the glory of God.

It is almost as if God is saying, “Plant fields, build roads and houses, cover the earth; but if you look up, you will see the heavens, the work of my fingers, the moon and the stars I have established. Look up, pay attention, and you may even see what Abram and Jacob saw, the cosmic intricacies that drew the Wise Men from the East. You might have a glimpse of the wondrous light that overwhelmed the grubby shepherds on the Judean hillside. Pay attention and you might encounter me.”

Love One Another: Micah campers and new friends bid a tearful good-bye at Camp Hanover

Where Is Your Heart?

Generosity Sunday & Forum with the Rev. Dan Matthews

The Power of Listening

by Sarah K. Lageman, sarah_lageman@hotmail.com

“There is often no antidote to the challenges we face in our lives, but our connections with one another give us support and strength, just as we ask God to give us support and strength.”

Pictured: Sarah Lageman (center) with the Rev. Wallace Adams-Riley and members of the eightfifteen group for young adults in their 20s and 30s. Photo by J.J. Flores

Remembering Butch Griner

Journey to Adulthood...

Reflections on Art and a “Middle Way”

To further explore your faith through involvement in the music ministry, please contact David Sinden at dsinden@stpauls-episcopal.org or 545-5406.

Pictured: Members of the St. Paul’s Chancel Choir, Parish Choir, and Choristers on the steps of St. Paul’s. Photo by Jeanne LeFever, mother of Choristers member Lydia Galvin.

Farewell Letter from John Hirschman

Calendar Highlights

“Moving Forward Together” - In Remembrance of 9/11

2011-08-18T22:21:18+00:00

The Faith Forum of Greater Richmond invites you to attend a community forum and discussion, followed by a reception, at St. Paul's Episcopal Church (815 E. Grace St.) on Sunday, September 11th at 4:00 p.m. Thomas A. Silvestri, President and Publisher of the Richmond Times-Dispatch, will offer the keynote address. Lisa Schaffner will be the Master of Ceremonies and there will be a panel of college students – the "voices of Richmond's children" – who were between eight and 11 years old when the attacks on 9/11/2001 took place. Open discussion sessions will follow the panel.

This forum is sponsored by The Faith Forum of Greater Richmond, which is a partnership between the Baptist Collegiate Ministry at Virginia Commonwealth University, Congregation Or Ami, First Baptist Church of Richmond, the Islamic Center of Virginia, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, the University of Richmond Chaplaincy, and the Virginia Muslim Coalition for Public Affairs.

Share the Invitation

Please share this invitation with your community.

Click here to download the flyer.

Click here for the Facebook invitation.

Other Offerings of Remembrance

A PRAYER PRESENCE ON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10
St. Paul's will serve as a prayer presence throughout the day on Saturday, September 10. Our doors will open at 10 a.m. for anyone looking for a peaceful refuge for prayer. At 5:00 p.m., there will be a service of music and prayers to remember all those who died on 9/11/2001 and pray for peace. Questions? Contact David Sinden, St. Paul's Minister of Music, at dsinden@stpauls-episcopal.org.

"MEMORY AND HOPE ON 9/11" – AN INTERFAITH SERVICE TEN YEARS LATER
After the faith forum at St. Paul's we encourage you to attend a service of prayer at 7:00 p.m. at Temple Beth El (3330 Grove Avenue). Focused on the theme "Memory and Hope," participants in this community-wide service will include Mayor Dwight Jones, Methodist Bishop Charlene Kammerer, Rabbi Martin Beifield, and Imam Ammar Amonette.

A message from the organizers (Rabbi Gary Creditor, Dr. Muhammad Sahli, and the Rev. Fletcher Lowe): 9/11/2001 is a day emblazoned on our hearts and minds and spirits. It has become a defining moment in our national, indeed, our world’s life. Two Sundays after that fateful day, over 900 people of faith from the Richmond Metro area gathered at Temple Beth El to express our solidarity as a community of faith. Five years later the three of us who worked to make that first service happen organized a fifth anniversary service. Now is the significant tenth anniversary. Hence this service.

Click here to download the flyer to share. Questions? Contact the Rev. Fletcher Lowe, St. Paul's Priest-in-Residence, at jflowe@aol.com.

A Message from Our Rector

"Ten Years Later, Moving Forward Together" is the cover letter of the Epistle newsletter, now available to pick up in church or read online. Describing what prompted The Faith Forum of Greater Richmond, our Rector, the Rev. Wallace Adams-Riley, writes:

It is still hard to believe that it all happened. Ten years later, pain, grief, and anger persist. Ten years later, what do we, as people of faith, have to say about the events of September 11, 2001, and the meaning of those events and their aftermath for our world today? More specifically, how do people of different faiths live together in a post-9/11 world?

Over the course of the last year, a group of Richmond faith leaders have been meeting to reflect on these and other related questions. That group has consisted of the Rev. Bill Sachs, Executive Director of the Center for Interfaith Reconciliation in Richmond; Dr. Imad Damaj, President of the Virginia Muslim Coalition for Public Affairs; Imam Ammar Amonette, of the Islamic Center of Virginia; Rabbi Ben Romer, of Congregation Or Ami; the Rev. Jim Somerville, of First Baptist Church, Richmond; the Rev. Craig Kocher, Chaplain of the University of Richmond, and myself.

On Sunday, September 11, from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m., you are invited to join us and others for a forum to be held at St. Paul’s in the Parish Hall. It will be a time where we talk about our world, our life together, and our future together. May God’s will be done. I have no doubt it will. I hope you’ll join us.

Creating the Church of the 21st Century

2011-08-05T12:47:37+00:00

St. Paul's is pleased to host a program on "Creating the Church of the 21st Century," presented by the Consortium of Endowed Episcopal Parishes (CEEP), the Episcopal Church Foundation, and the Diocese of Virginia, on Saturday, October 15. More details are below. For the latest, please visit http://www.endowedparishes.org/events/regional/richmond-oct-2011/.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER ONLINE

Creating the Church of the 21st Century: A Morning of Leading, Learning and Networking

Who Should Attend?
Any parish interested in endowments, annual campaigns, capital campaigns, and successfully integrating small groups into your church's mission and outreach.

WHEN?
Saturday, October 15th, 8:30 AM - 1:00 PM

WHERE?
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 815 E. Grace Street, Richmond, VA

SCHEDULE

8:00	Registration and Coffee
8:30	Welcome and Introductions
9:00	Small Groups, Big Results: Revitalizing Community
9:45	Successful Annual Giving: Clarity, Communication, Celebration
10:45	Structuring and Governing Your Endowment
11:30	Lunch
12:00	Capital Campaigns
12:45	Closing Panel of presenters for Q&A, remarks, prayer, dismissal

The Workshops

9:00-9:45 AM

Small Groups, Big Results: Revitalizing Community
Rebecca Hall, Small Groups and Volunteer Coordinator, St. David’s, Austin

Everyone wants to know and be known, and in large parishes, small groups can yield big results. Small groups also serve as “ground zero” for pastoral care, Christian formation, evangelism and lay leadership development. This workshop will cover the how-tos of starting and maintaining a small group ministry as well as hearing the strategy one church is using successfully. We will break into small groups ourselves, share stories, brainstorm ideas, and gather information from one another.

9:45-10:30 AM

Successful Annual Giving: Clarity, Communication, Celebration
Presenter: Frances Caldwell, Diocese of Virginia, Director of Development and Stewardship

Incorporating theology into good models of fundraising will benefit your church’s resources for ministries. Take away practical suggestions for successfully re-energizing your church’s annual campaign to fund ministries which impact you, your church family and your community.

10:45-11:30

Structuring and Governing Your Endowment
Ken Quigley, Director, Investment Management Services, The Episcopal Church Foundation

Getting the structure of your endowment right is often the key to its success – as dull as that may sound. If you want to encourage legacy gifts to your church, you need to be able to explain how the money will be used, how it will be invested, how much will be spent each year, and who is in charge of making those decisions. Vision, purpose, and structure matter. Growing the endowment, even decisions about who manages the money, follow structure.

12:00-12:45

Rebuilding Principal Through an Endowment Campaign
Maurice Seaton, Senior Program Director and Head of Capital Campaigns, Episcopal Church Foundation

It’s hard to make up the 2007-2008 losses of 20% to 40% through capital appreciation and interest alone. So how about a capital campaign for your endowment? Examine the difference between a capital campaign and a special appeal, the process of a capital campaign for endowments, and examples of recent successful endowment campaigns.

The Presenters:

REBECCA HALL has been the Small Group Coordinator at St. David’s Episcopal Church in Austin since 2007. She created a program that has led hundreds of parishioners into small groups and helped build community in St. David’s large, urban parish. Before working at St. David’s, Rebecca spent 12 years working for non-profit organizations that assisted indigent immigrants and refugees. She has a degree in International Studies/Romance Languages from the University of Missouri – Columbia. Although originally from Vermont, she has been in Austin for 12 years, and at St. David’s since 2003. Rebecca is married to Bob Hall, and they have two children, Adam and Jonas.

FRANCES CONE CALDWELL came to the Diocese of Virginia in 2009 as the Director of Development and Stewardship. Her roles are to raise money for the ministries of the Diocese by increasing awareness of the work of the Diocese and to help churches develop sound year round stewardship programs. A parishioner and the former Director of Stewardship and Development at St. James’s, Richmond, while there, she managed two capital campaigns, developed a large planned giving program, managed growing annual giving programs, and wrote successful grants requests. Frances believes it is in giving out of our abundance that we experience spiritual growth and that our gifts must be celebrated and given with clear knowledge of how our ministry dollars are being used. She has been involved in civic, educational and faith based fundraising for most of her adult life. Frances is a graduate of Mary Washington College where she majored in Economics.

KENNETH H. QUIGLEY joined the staff of the Episcopal Church Foundation in the summer of 2005 following a career in publishing and communications. His role at the Foundation is sometimes described as financial pastor, helping churches and dioceses work through the many issues involved in establishing, investing and growing their endowments. Prior to joining the Foundation, Ken was president and CEO of the Continuum International Publishing Group in North America with offices in London and New York. He led the Morehouse Publishing Group as president and CEO from 1995 through its acquisition by Continuum in 2002. Prior to joining Morehouse Ken headed up his own marketing, advertising and public relations company serving many agencies and offices of the national Episcopal Church, the Episcopal Diocese of Central Pennsylvania, and numerous capital campaigns for Episcopal churches and dioceses as communications consultant.

MAURICE SEATON is Senior Program Director and Head of Capital Campaign Services at the Episcopal Church Foundation (ECF). In this role he manages a team of a dozen consultants who provide capital campaign management services to Episcopal churches, dioceses, schools and other Episcopal organizations of all sizes. He has served as an annual stewardship, planned giving and capital campaign consultant to a number of Episcopal churches and emphasizes the importance of integrating a spiritual dimension into raising funds. Born in South Africa, Maurice is a lifelong Episcopalian and a member of Church of the Ascension in New York City, where he chairs the planned giving committee. Prior to joining ECF in 2002, Maurice served as a diplomat to the United Nations. He holds a Masters degree in Public Administration from New York University and is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

Announcing the 2011 Lenten Lunch Grant Recipients

2011-07-18T11:03:43+00:00

St. Paul's Episcopal Church is pleased to announce the 2011 Lenten Lunch Grant Recipients, selected by the Lenten Lunch Steering Committee in partnership with the St. Paul's Episcopal Church Women (ECW) Committee. This year, grants totaling $12,500 were awarded to 15 different programs and charities.

The largest grant, $4,500 to the ECW of the Diocese of Virginia, will be dispersed among their efforts to support outreach, prayer and social justice ministries across the globe and in our own backyards.

Once again this year, the committee awarded grants to Art 180, Gateway Homes, Hope for Humanity, New Community School, St. James' Children's Center, the St. Paul's Lenten Speaker Fund, and the William Byrd Community House. Many other organizations, such as Elk hill, The Healing Place, Carpenter's Kids and the Micah Summer Camp program have also received Lenten Lunch Grants in the past, but not last year. The Anna Julia Cooper Episcopal School, Shepherd's Center, and St. Thomas' Day School are new grant recipients this year.

In selecting the recipients each year, the committee focuses on programs that serve children, women, and those who are vulnerable here in Richmond and abroad.

Questions? Contact the 2011 Lenten Lunch Chairs, Barbara and Lew Holley, at bholley6521@verizon.net and/or the St. Paul's ECW Chair at miffyhall@gmail.com.

The Grants

(Click on the organization name for more information about their work.)

Anna Julia Cooper Episcopal School	$500
Art 180	$750
Carpenter's Kids	$750
Elk Hill	$500
Episcopal Church Women, Diocese of Virginia	$4,500
Gateway Homes	$500
Hope for Humanity, a school in Sudan	$750
The Healing Place	$500
Micah Summer Camps	$750
New Community School	$500
Shepherd's Center of Richmond	$500
St. James' Children's Center	$500
St. Paul's Lenten speaker fund	$500
St. Thomas' Day School	$500
William Byrd Community House	$500
Subtotal:	$12,500

(In order to receive a grant, an organization must apply in writing to the St. Paul's ECW.)

June/July 2011 Epistle Newsletter

2011-06-14T14:31:21+00:00

Download this issue of our newsletter: The Epistle, June/July 2011 (printable version)

Inside this issue (features):

and much, much more! Download the PDF to read the full issue.

On the Cover:

If You Want to Know What Episcopalians Believe...

My Dear People,

If you want to know what Episcopalians believe, short of asking one, all you have to do is pick up the Book of Common Prayer. And, if you really, really want to know what Episcopalians believe, then flip to the Eucharistic Prayers, which are the beating heart of the Prayer Book:

Lord God of our Fathers [and Mothers]: God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; [God of Sarah, Hagar, Rebekah, Leah, and Rachel]; God and Father of Lord Jesus Christ: Open our eyes to see your hand at work in the world about us. Deliver us from the presumption of coming to this Table for solace only, and not for strength; for pardon only, and not for renewal. Let the grace of this Holy Communion make us one body, one spirit in Christ, that we may worthily serve the world in his name.

Yes, what we pray is what we believe. Or, to put it in the Latin that has carried through the centuries, Lex Orandi, lex credendi. It is a theological formulation that has been around since ancient times. The loose translation is usually given as, “The law of prayer is the law of belief.”

And, if we look at, or, better yet, prayerfully meditate upon, the passage above, from Eucharistic Prayer C, we can see there, even in those few words, a potent summary of what we believe: that we are members of a living community of the faithful, stretching across the ages; and that we gather at the Eucharistic table, for our own sake, yes, but, we pray, not only for our own sake, but for the sake of the whole world. (Yes, truth is, the strength and renewal we pray for each Sunday is radical, world-changing stuff.)

Of course the particulars of the Church’s prayers evolve over the years; otherwise, it’s no exaggeration to say, we’d still be praying in Greek, Aramaic, and Hebrew, even while speaking 2011 American English in ordinary conversation. It is, however, the content of our prayers, the shared faith of the Church embedded in those prayers—better yet, it is the relationship with God and with one another that is borne by those prayers—that remains constant over the centuries, even, again, while the specifics of language (word choice, style, etc.) will change.

Of course our hope—and, surely, God’s hope as well—is that what we pray shapes not merely what we believe but how we live. That is the real measure, isn’t it?

Indeed, the Lex orandi, lex credendi, lex vivendi!!!!!

May what we pray shape what we believe. And, yes, how we live.

For our own sake, and for the sake of the world.

I’ll see you at the Table.

Your brother in Christ,

Wallace+

Pictured:
Breaking Bread Together - Wallace+ and our Minister of Music, David Sinden, enjoy lunch with guests of the Jazz Lunch series on June 1.

The Season after Pentecost: The Long Green Season

by The Rev. Kate Jenkins, Associate Rector
katejenkins@stpauls-episcopal.org

While the Long Green Season certainly pales in glory when compared with Christmas or Easter, it has its own powerful identity. It is a season of exploring and discovering, wondering and questioning and learning.

I have a friend who whines every year about the “Long Green Season” – the Sundays after Pentecost. “There’s so little drama, excitement, or cohesion to it; the readings don’t seem to connect, there’s no recognizable pattern or identifiable themes.” That is the impression many of us have. The strong seasons surrounding Christmas and Easter—Advent, Epiphany, Lent, Holy Week, the Easter season, Pentecost—are so vivid. Their distinctive blues, whites, and purples, their moods of sober introspection or trumpeted victory, their poinsettias and lilies, their haunting melodies, guiding stars, far away hills and empty tombs imprint the mysteries carried in the seasons firmly in our hearts.

Except for its distinctive liturgical color—green—for most Christians, the Season after Pentecost is simply in-between time, filler in the year between the “real” seasons when the faith is etched in high relief.

The truth is that as a liturgical season, the Season after Pentecost is very much like the ordinary, in-between times of our individual lives. Marked by occasional distinctive celebrations and remembrances, it is basically a time in which more subtle rhythms and cycles predominate. It is when and where we live the preponderance of our lives.

A Powerful Identity

While the Long Green Season certainly pales in glory when compared with Christmas or Easter, it has its own powerful identity. It is a season of exploring and discovering, wondering and questioning and learning.

We are invited to travel the dusty roads of Judea and Galilee with Jesus and the disciples. In doing so, we are invited to ask ourselves some fundamental questions:

Who is this Jesus?
What is his mission and message?
What is it to follow?
What does it mean to walk in his footprints?
To hear ourselves called beloved daughters and sons?
To know ourselves as children of God?

And finally, how, then, shall we live?

Is it any wonder then that the Long Green Season is so long?! Play with the questions, wrestle with the answers, listen to the scriptures, to God and to one another. And thank God for the Long Green Season.

Pictured: Claire and Grace hang out in the Memorial Garden last summer.

Summer Worship: A New Liturgy at 10 AM

by Adrian Luxmoore, Worship Committee, amcl@aol.com

On Sunday June 19, Trinity Sunday, we begin our summer worship schedule with Eucharist at 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m.

The 8:00 services will use the same liturgy and have the same form as the typical 7:45 service - Rite I Eucharist from the 1979 Book of Common Prayer.

The 10:00 service will use a format that will share most of last summer’s liturgy and which seemed to be welcomed and enjoyed by many in the congregation:

Less formal than the typical 11:15 services and more formal than those celebrated at 9:00
Time for reflection
Variety of music, much, if not most, of it sung by the congregation
Organ will be supplemented by the piano and other instruments
Having ministry groups participate as ushers, greeters, readers
Offering education about the liturgy through weekly “Liturgical Tidbits” in the Grace Notes bulletin insert

Using the Church of England’s Book of Common Worship

One important change this year is that we will use liturgies taken from the Church of England’s Book of Common Worship. This collection of liturgies was developed over a period of about 35 years beginning in 1965. The Church of England had used the same liturgy for over 400 years (as had most of the Anglican communion, the Episcopal church being the exception) and so this book represents a significant milestone in the life of the church. The current edition of the Eucharist liturgy was published in 2000 after being approved for use by the General Synod of the Church of England.

Some excerpts taken from the preface of the book should help explain the intent of those who created and approved it:

“Common Worship draws together the rich inheritance of the past and the very best of our contemporary forms of worship.”

“The services provided here are rich and varied. This reflects the multiplicity of contexts in which worship is offered today. They encourage an imaginative engagement in worship, opening the way for people in the varied circumstances of their lives to experience the love of God in Jesus Christ in the life and power of the Holy Spirit. In the worship of God the full meaning and beauty of our humanity is consummated and our lives are opened to the promise God makes for all creation – to transform and renew it in love and goodness.”

“The publication of these services is a challenge to us. It is a challenge to worship God better and to take the greatest care in preparing and celebrating worship. It is a challenge to draw the whole community of the people we serve into the worship of God. Central to our worship is the proclamation of the one, perfect self-offering of the Son to the Father. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is at the heart of Common Worship.

We hope that in using the liturgy from Common Worship we are meeting the challenge to draw the whole community of our parish into the worship of God and into God’s service “doing the work God gives us to do.” During the summer we will provide additional insight into the liturgy through weekly information pieces in the Grace Notes. One feature of this book is the wide selection of prayers and other elements allowing great flexibility in setting the tone and atmosphere of our worship.

Wallace+ (Rector), Kate+ (Associate Rector), David (Minister of Music) and I welcome your comments and suggestions regarding summer worship at St. Paul’s. Please do not hesitate to offer them.

Pictured: Altar at Shrine Mont, 2011

Faith @ Work: Trusting That God Would Guide Me Through

by Chip Jones, charlesvjones@verizon.net

When the Rev. Fletcher Lowe buzzed the door at my workplace on West Broad Street, I was clueless about what was to transpire. For some reason I thought Fletcher had come to interview me about what my faith life meant at my job. As a former newspaper reporter, I was only too happy to sit back and pontificate - and promptly started rattling off some of the tasks of being communications and marketing director at the Richmond Academy of Medicine (RAM).
I told him about an e-newsletter I write, edit, layout and send once a week to about 1,700 physicians and other professionals affiliated with what’s known as RAM - the oldest medical society in Virginia. It’s a vibrant professional association headed by Deborah Love, a fellow parishioner at St. Paul’s.

I’m sure I went into way too much detail about the daily routines of my job. I was most passionate about the work I do getting the word out about Access Now, an Academy-run program that provides free specialty care for low-income uninsured people across Central Virginia.

I told him how much I love this job that came out of nowhere last year as I struggled to find a new role in life after the newspaper industry seemed to come crashing down around me several years ago, and like so many middle-aged journalists, I asked that tough question, “What now?”

I’d tried a few other jobs, and have been fortunate to publish my third book of military history [War Shots]. But not until I settled into this professional association that does good work for those who are underprivileged and ill did I feel that same good vibe I’d felt years ago when I worked for newspapers that tried to make the world a better place to live.

Struggling to describe my journey, I was struck by how few notes Fletcher took. I wondered if he was like the great John McPhee - the New Yorker writer said to have a photographic memory.

Fletcher listened like a kindly uncle and, as we got up to finish, he seemed to enjoy my nickel tour of the Academy’s collection of Civil War-era medical artifacts.

“So, Fletcher, have I told you enough about my job?” I asked.

“Yes,” he said, “and I’m looking forward to reading your article.”

“My article?”

He explained that I would need to write something for the St. Paul’s newsletter about how my work relates to my faith life. When I tried to beg off, he said, “Come on, you’re a writer. You can do it.”

Well.... it’s easier said than done. So I will just report here the heart of what I told Fletcher about the story of my work, my life, and my personal experience with how God connects us with work. For me it happened like this:

In early 2010, I had left a difficult teaching job, but the timing couldn’t have been worse: It was mid-recession, so it felt like diving into a cold sea of economic uncertainty. And I was trying to finish a book. My wife, Debbie, was very supportive of my decision to leave a job that wasn’t right for me, and she encouraged me to take time to recuperate and find something better suited to my skills. We both prayed for direction and discernment, and as I looked for jobs over several months, I trusted that God would lead me through this.

As a new parishioner then, I was blessed to talk with Margaret Rush about her own recent faith journey into her job as Wallace’s executive assistant, and to receive reassuring pastoral counseling from Wallace. I also attended a healing service with Kate that brought peace and comfort in my journey. And I was struck by the openness and depth of St. Paul’s worship services, and its people.

As I cast about for a job, a friend from the YMCA suggested I talk to Bruce Yoder, a St. Paul’s parishioner who works for the Greater Richmond YMCA.

I knew Bruce from his fine photography and a brief time picking up trash together at Belle Isle for Earth Day. He was kind enough to have lunch with me and to listen closely to my somewhat disjointed (I’m sure) story. He clearly cared about trying to help me in whatever way he could.

When I mentioned trying to do some pro bono work in public relations, he suggested calling his wife at a place I’d never heard of: The Richmond Academy of Medicine.

At the time, Deb Love was trying to promote an organization that truly does God’s work every day - Access Now - which coordinates more than 900 physician volunteers who help thousands of uninsured folks around Central Virginia.

“We could use some help publicizing this,” Deb told me.

One thing led to another, and after a couple of months she surprised me by telling me, “I think I can hire you full time.”

I was amazed, grateful, and challenged - all those emotions one feels when you sense God at work in one’s life.

Recently, I heard someone quote the British theologian Oswald Chambers, who said, “It’s not what you do - it’s who you are in what you do.”

Given this second chance at a meaningful career, I give thanks daily to have a job that lets me be a totally new person in what I do - a person of faith who finds meaning, surprises, and caring for others in my workplace.

And even after about a year on this job, I’m humbled by how I came to it - or it came to me.

A Voice from the Past

by Jean White, Micah Volunteer, jwhite@swa-co.com

After a couple of hours of serving Lenten lunches, I arrive home and check my telephone messages.

“Mrs. White, this is Kim Shelton. You may not remember me.”

My heart beats faster and a grin spreads across my face. Of course, I remember her. Not a week goes by that I don’t think of her and her son Jamaal. It’s been ten years since they moved out of the city and out of my life.

Jamaal was my first mentee at Woodville Elementary School. It was the first year of the Micah Initiative between St. Paul’s Church and Woodville Elementary School. It was my first experience as a mentor. It was Jamaal’s first experience with school. There were so many “firsts” for both of us. I worked with Jamaal for two years and then his family moved to Chesterfield County and I lost touch with them.

He Can Count on Me

In our two years together, Jamaal always greeted me with a smile. He was quiet and I couldn’t be sure that I was being effective. I struggled with what “effective” meant. But I always showed up so he would know, at least, that he could count on me.

Now, ten years later, his mother Kim has called to invite me to Jamaal’s surprise seventeenth birthday party. Later that week, I am with Jamaal’s friends and family in a party room at Golden Corral awaiting his arrival. Yes, he is surprised by the gathering in his honor. He scans the room, stops and looks at me in shock and cries out, “Mrs. White!?” as he wraps me in a big hug.

Jamaal is a junior at Meadowbrook High School with plans to go to college. He plays football and is a state ranked wrestler. He will receive his diploma next year and he can count on me to be there.

Kairos Program Ministers to Nottoway Correctional Center

by Chip Jones, Young Adults in Community (YAC) Group Mentor
charlesvjones@verizon.net

"How do we drink our cups? We drink them as we listen in silence to the truth in our lives, as we speak in trust with friends about ways we want to grow, and as we act in deeds of service." – Henri Nouwen, from Bread For the Journey

Standing inside the front gate at Nottoway Correctional Center, I happened to glance up at a bird - a martin, perhaps - landing atop the sharp metal razor wire. Above that was a nest the bird somehow managed to fashion in a corner of the dull concrete entrance building.

The bird on the wire with its nest struck me as a symbol for the work that goes on across Virginia through the Kairos prison ministry (and indeed, at all jail and prison ministries). Through God’s grace, and with the help of some very sweet children and teachers in our Sunday school and Young Adults in Community (YAC) group, St. Paul’s was part of a Kairos three-day program at the Nottoway prison - helping 24 men take time out in a safe nest to examine their lives, their consciences, their hearts, souls, their pasts and their futures.

And by the program’s end on Sunday night, we were able to sing and celebrate some of the breakthroughs they’d made in their lives, and the miracles God works when we follow Jesus’ call in Matthew 25 - “I was in prison and you visited me.”

God’s Special Time

At Nottoway - a maximum security prison in Burkeville, Va., a small farming town an hour’s drive west of Richmond - I met a variety of men from all kinds of backgrounds, educations, ages, and religious affiliations. They range in age from around 20 into their 60s. Many are cut off from their families and haven’t heard from anyone for months, years - sometimes decades.

But at Kairos - a Greek word meaning “God’s special time” - time has a way of seeming to stop so that special things can happen. The young man - I’ll call him Adam - is a tall, articulate guy who shared his worries that if he is released next year he’ll go home and fall in with the same group of people that led him into trouble in the first place.

Adam expressed many doubts about his faith - but through the simple method of Kairos - “listen listen, love love” - and supported by days of chapel visits, deep talks and discussions about how forgiveness truly is at the heart of Christianity, and lots of songs, posters and other activities these men knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are loved by God, and by extension, by God’s followers in Christ.

Our goal, once we leave the institution, is to help build up the small “prayer and share” groups that help these guys on a daily basis, and to empower them to build up the church at Nottoway.

At my assigned table in the prison’s gym, I told my six new brothers that the placemats were hand-drawn by our sweet children of the St. Paul’s Episcopal Church Sunday School. And these same children - along with their wonderful teachers and the youth of YAC - helped bake 100 dozen chocolate chip cookies! (After our cookie bake on May 8, parishioner Joan Coogan remarked that it reminded her of the miracle of the Loaves and Fishes in that many commentators have wondered whether it was the generosity of people that flowed from the love that Jesus inspired for his fellow men and women that helped feed the 5,000.) Munching on these home-made cookies, the men contemplated who had made these cookies, and why.

Truly, Holy Communion can come in the strangest places, and might even bring sugar rushes.

There were too many stories and lives over the three-plus day event to summarize here, but suffice it to say that the Church is alive and well at Nottoway - and that by helping with our supplies, the good children and adults of our Sunday School and Youth programs gave more than they’ll ever know.

Meanwhile, though these men still live hard lives inside the walls and razor wire, through Kairos, they were able to alight - if only for a few moments - onto a softer, spirit-filled place and experience the “peace that passeth understanding.”

Calendar Highlights

Ongoing

Sunday Mornings
8:00 am: Holy Eucharist Rite I
9:00 am: Coffee/Social Hour
10:00 am: Holy Eucharist with Choir
* Youth Sunday is July 10. St. Paul’s Youth will lead us in worship.

Monday - Friday
12:05 pm Noonday Prayers & Communion in the Chapel
Healing Prayers on Wednesdays; Celtic Service on Thursdays

Tuesdays
7:30 am Reflection & Prayer in the Library
12:30 pm AlAnon in the Youth Center

Thursdays
9 am - 2 pm: Emmaus Walk-In Lunch in Parish Hall*
12:05 pm: AA in the Youth Center
* Please note that July 14 and August 18 are Children and Family Days.

Special Services, Offerings & Events

Views from the Bottom Covenant Group (Sundays)
Gather after the 10 am service and walk to Shockoe Bottom. We will meet at Cafe Gutenberg (Jun. 19), Lulu’s (Jun. 26), and Urban Farmhouse (Jul. 10)

Farewell Reception for John Hirschman (Sun., Jun. 26)
We thank John Hirschman, retiring in June, for over nine years of service as St. Paul’s Director of Administration and Finance

Independence Day/Fourth of July
Church and offices are closed.

Youth Sunday (Sun., Jul. 10, 10 am)
St. Paul’s youth will lead us in worship. Andrew Terry will preach.

Theology on Tap (Tues., Jul 12 and Aug. 9)
6:30 pm, Contact J.J. Flores at jonathan.james.flores@gmail.com for details about our next gathering or check your Sunday bulletin insert.

San Francisco Urban Adventure (Sun., Jul. 17 - 24)
St. Paul’s J2A youth and adults will head to San Francisco for a service/mission experience. Follow their reflections on the “Live from San Francisco” blog on the St. Paul’s Web site.

Emmaus Volunteer Days for Children & Families
(Thurs., Jul. 14 and Aug. 18)
Children, youth, and families (ages 4 and up) are invited to volunteer with our weekly lunch ministry for those who are homeless or working poor. You’re welcome to volunteer any Thursday, but these days are especially organized for younger helpers. Contact Jenny Bliley at jbliley@stpauls-episcopal.org to sign up.

Summer Point-in-Time Count, Service Fair & Lunch
(Thurs., Jul. 28, 9 am - 2 pm)
St. Paul’s will host the annual Summer Point-in-Time Count, organized by Homeward. Guests will receive access to community services, free hair cuts, HIV tests, blood pressure screenings, toiletries bags, clothes, and more. Volunteers needed. Sign up online at
www.homewardva.org or contact Jenny Bliley at 545-5416.

Summer Choir Camp
(Mon., Aug. 8 - 12, 9 am - 4 pm)
St. Paul’s will host this day camp to have fun singing and exploring Richmond. For ages 8 - 13 (age 7 for advanced readers). Instructors include David Sinden and Nick Stephenson, Choir Director at St. Catherine’s School. Email dsinden@stpauls-episcopal.org or call 643-3589 to reserve your place. Parent chaperones still needed.

Looking Ahead

First Fridays Art Walk Sept. 2, 5 - 8 pm

Homecoming Sunday Sept. 11, 10 am Joint Worship Service

9/11 Faith Forum with Bill Sachs Sunday, Sept. 11, 3 - 6 pm

2011 Eyes on Richmond, Fridays, Sept. 16 - Nov. 18

St. Francis Day Blessing of the Animals, Sunday, Oct. 2

Consortium of Endowed Episcopal Parishes (CEEP) Regional Meeting at St. Paul’s, Saturday, Oct. 15

All Saints’ Sunday, Nov. 6, 10 am Joint Worship Service

“Walking the Organ Trail,” a DCM Progressive Organ Concert, Sunday, Nov. 6, 3 pm

Lent 2011: Truth & Reconciliation

2011-02-17T13:21:01+00:00

Details online: www.stpauls-episcopal.org/lentenseries

(Richmond, VA) – With the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War and Emancipation in mind, St. Paul's Episcopal Church announces that "Truth and Reconciliation" is the theme of our 2011 Lenten Preaching Series (Weekdays, Mar. 9 – Apr. 20). This year's program was developed with a nod to the ongoing work of Ed Ayers and others in "The Future of Richmond's Past" initiative and inspired by the Truth & Reconciliation Commission in South Africa.

"As Ed Ayers says, 'history never stops.' Indeed, the quest for truth and reconciliation is also eternal; and you see the apostles and Jesus himself struggle with heavy questions of memory, judgment, and love throughout the Old and New Testaments. My hope is that our Lenten series will add to Richmond's efforts to reckon truthfully with its history and with its present-day challenges. And the importance of having this conversation in the historic space once considered the 'Cathedral of the Confederacy' is not lost on us at St. Paul's," said The Rev. Wallace Adams-Riley, Rector, St. Paul's Episcopal Church.

This annual St. Paul's Lenten program features preaching and lunch downtown on weekdays beginning Ash Wednesday (Mar. 9) and continuing through Wednesday of Holy Week (Apr. 20). The ministry attracts thousands of Richmonders of all faith backgrounds to the church and the lunch offering involves over 465 volunteers from more than 80 area churches.

Times & Cost

Each 30-minute service begins at 12:30 p.m. and lunch is served in the Parish Hall in two seatings (11:45 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. and 1:00 – 1:30 p.m.). Individuals can come for lunch, for preaching, or for both parts of the day, as they prefer. Free childcare is available from 11:15 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. Limited, free parking is also available in the St. Paul's Garage on a first come, first served basis for those attending service and/or lunch.

Preaching is free. Lunch costs $7. Desserts are available for $2 (or $3 a la mode). Proceeds from the luncheons support a variety of charitable organizations. In 2010, $27,300 was donated to 25 organizations.

Details: Call 804-643-3589, visit us online, or download our brochure.

Weekly Schedule

Please feel free to use in your online calendars and blogs as needed.

Mar. 9 – 11

Lenten Series: Truth & Reconciliation, featuring Brian McLaren (Author, Storyteller, Theologian), Mar. 9 – 11, preaching 12:30 p.m.; lunch, $7, served 11:45 a.m. and 1 p.m., St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 815 E. Grace St. Details: (804) 643-3589 or http://www.stpauls-episcopal.org/lentenseries

Mar. 14 – 18

Lenten Series: Truth & Reconciliation, featuring Rev. Dr. Tracy Hartman (Baptist Theological Seminary, Richmond), Mar. 14 – 18, preaching 12:30 p.m.; lunch, $7, served 11:45 a.m. and 1 p.m., St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 815 E. Grace St. Details: (804) 643-3589 or http://www.stpauls-episcopal.org/lentenseries

Mar. 21 – 25

Lenten Series: Truth & Reconciliation, featuring Dr. Lance Watson (Saint Paul's Baptist Church, Richmond), Mar. 21 – 25, preaching 12:30 p.m.; lunch, $7, served 11:45 a.m. and 1 p.m., St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 815 E. Grace St. Details: (804) 643-3589 or http://www.stpauls-episcopal.org/lentenseries

Mar. 28 – Apr. 1

Lenten Series: Truth & Reconciliation, featuring Rev. Dr. Thomas Long (Candler School of Theology, Emory University, Atlanta), Mar. 28 – Apr. 1, preaching 12:30 p.m.; lunch, $7, served 11:45 a.m. and 1 p.m., St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 815 E. Grace St. Details: (804) 643-3589 or http://www.stpauls-episcopal.org/lentenseries

Apr. 4 – 8

Lenten Series: Truth & Reconciliation, featuring The Rev. Tyrone Nelson (Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church, Richmond), Apr. 4 – 8, preaching 12:30 p.m.; lunch, $7, served 11:45 a.m. and 1 p.m., St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 815 E. Grace St. Details: (804) 643-3589 or http://www.stpauls-episcopal.org/lentenseries

Apr. 11 – 15

Lenten Series: Truth & Reconciliation, featuring The Rev. Dr. Jim Forbes (Riverside Church, NYC, and Healing of the Nations Foundation) Apr. 11 – 15, preaching 12:30 p.m.; lunch, $7, served 11:45 a.m. and 1 p.m., St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 815 E. Grace St. Details: (804) 643-3589 or http://www.stpauls-episcopal.org/lentenseries

Apr. 18 – 20

Lenten Series: Truth & Reconciliation, featuring Dr. Diana Butler Bass, author of A People's History of Christianity and Christianity for the Rest of Us, Apr. 18 – 20, preaching 12:30 p.m.; lunch, $7, served 11:45 a.m. and 1 p.m., St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 815 E. Grace St. Details: (804) 643-3589 or http://www.stpauls-episcopal.org/lentenseries

###

Posted February 17, 2011

Click on the link below to learn more about The Future of Richmond's Past initiative.

The Future of Richmond’s Past is a collaborative effort among leaders of Richmond’s historical societies, museums, commissions, cultural and tourism organizations, and educational institutions to frame the upcoming sesquicentennial years in which our city and the nation will commemorate the anniversaries of the Civil War & Emancipation. It sponsors public programs and special events and inclusive conversations to advance a better understanding of our City’s shared history.

April/May 2011 Epistle Newsletter

2011-02-14T17:12:39+00:00

Download this issue of our newsletter: The Epistle, April/May 2011 (printable version)

February/March 2011 Epistle Newsletter

2011-02-14T17:12:18+00:00

Download this issue of our newsletter: The Epistle, February/March 2011 (printable version)

Inside this issue (features):

and much, much more! Download the PDF to read the full issue.

On the Cover:

Journeying: With God's Gracious Favor & Continual Help (Elevation 2.0)

by The Rev. Wallace Adams-Riley, Rector
rector@stpauls-episcopal.org

Direct us, O Lord, in all our doings with your most gracious favor, and further us with your continual help; that in all our works, begun, continued, and ended in you, we may glorify your holy Name, and finally, by your mercy, obtain everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.” – A Prayer for Guidance, The Book of Common Prayer (page 832)

Journey to Adulthood: Caroline, Emily, Genny, and Lucy, members of the Journey to Adulthood Youth Group at St. Paul's, get a little silly on Sunday, Jan. 30 during the Farewell Reception for Youth Minister Bryan Appel. Photo by Youth Mentor Maureen Hains

A student at the time, he immersed himself in reading, study, and spirited conversation about world events, about government, philosophy, and morality. Not yet twenty years old, he was working toward a law degree at the University of Giessen, in present-day Germany, when he was picked up by the police and taken in for questioning. On his person, the authorities found pamphlets espousing political views seen as radical. He would spend the next four and a half years in prison.

Upon his release, he made the decision to leave Germany and come to America. He first went to Philadelphia, where he managed to learn English in just three months, and, in turn, he became a teacher of languages.

Three years later, coming across an advertisement for a teaching position at William and Mary College, he made application. He was recognized as easily the most qualified candidate and won the appointment.

In Williamsburg, he found lodging in the home of a fellow member of the faculty, Beverly Tucker, and it was there, that Christmas, in 1842, that, as a gift to the children of the family, that he put up the first Christmas tree in Virginia.

He soon met his wife, and also soon began to consider a calling to ordination in the Episcopal Church. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1847 and, after serving several small parishes in Virginia, was called to St. Paul’s in 1856, where he would serve for over thirty years, momentous years in the life of St. Paul’s Church and in the life of the nation.

Journey

To think of the young Charles Minnigerode, the student of 1834, and then to think of him, in 1889, upon his retirement from St. Paul’s, presents us with a compelling image of journey, the journey of life, and the journey in faith: of what it means to make our way through the world, and through our days, seeking God’s will for our lives, and asking God’s aid all the while.

As we move into the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War & Emancipation, Dr. Minnigerode is naturally more in our consciousness than he might otherwise be. Having said that, we can just as easily look to the life of our patron St. Paul as well, as we ponder the events of his life, as he journeyed with God, far and wide, across the Roman world, seeking to do God’s will. And, indeed, in every generation, this has been true and is true: God’s people, with God’s gracious favor and continual help, seeking to do God’s will in the world. And, indeed, so it is with us, here at St. Paul’s, today.

Elevation

Just over a year ago, we completed Such Great Heights, a process of exploring two essential questions, "Who does God call us to be?," and "What does God call us to do?" Out of that time of discernment and visioning, last winter we moved into action with Elevation. It has been a busy and exciting year, with much to celebrate about what we have done together—from the new energy and offerings in our music ministry, under the leadership of David Sinden; to the continued, prayerful refinement and strengthening of our worship services; to the start of our Covenant Groups, including Caring Companions, a course Kate is leading, as training for pastoral care ministry. And the year ahead is equally full of promise!

Below, you will find Elevation 2.0, a list of action items for the year 2011. As with Elevation, so with Elevation 2.0, these plans for action are rooted in the discernment and visioning we have done together. Working with a committee of parishioners, led by Vestry members Anne Rusbuldt and Don Switz, we studied the results of our Such Great Heights movement, talked with parishioners, sought the Vestry's counsel, and spent time together thinking and praying, before finally seeking and receiving the Vestry's support for Elevation 2.0.

As you look over Elevation 2.0, please pray for God's guidance as you consider the year ahead and what parts you will play in our life and ministry together. And please mark your calendar for Sunday, February 20, when we will celebrate our second annual Elevation Sunday. The sermon that morning will focus on Elevation 2.0, and, during the forum hour, there will be opportunities to learn more about and get involved in the various offerings included in Elevation 2.0.

Meanwhile, I look forward to another year with you, as God continues to lead and guides us onward and upward, that, through God's most gracious favor and with God's continual help, all our works may begin, continue, and end in God and in God's will.

With great thanks and anticipation, your brother in Christ,

Wallace+

Elevation 2.0: Strategic Planning

Strategic Planning for St. Paul's Church: Stage II, 2011
Implementing Our Vision & Soaring to Such Great Heights

Following are a list of action items for the year 2011 at St. Paul's Church. Beginning with Worship as the basis for all we do, we then turn to Christian Formation and to Strengthening Our St. Paul's Community, and finally, we Look Outward in mission to our city and to the world. Report prepared by the Elevation Committee, led by Vestry Members Anne Rusbuldt (arusbuldt@gmail.com) and Don Switz (switz@vcu.edu).

Worship

Music & Community: Members of the Chancel Choir join with the Children’s Choirs of Woodville Elementary School and Good Shepherd Baptist during the MLK “I Have a Dream” Celebration at St. Paul’s on Saturday, Jan. 29. The Parish Choir (not pictured) also sang earlier in the week on Sunday, Jan. 23 as part of the annual “Sing out for Freedom” concert at Congregation Beth Ahabah. Photo by Lew Holley

Music Ministry: Under the leadership of Minister of Music David Sinden, we will continue to build our music ministry and to explore new musical possibilities, both at St. Paul's and beyond, as our music ministry reaches out into the wider Richmond community. This year will see the return of Evensong, and of organ recitals; as well as additional "Concerts for Caring" offerings. We also continue to invite increased participation in our choir, through both short-term and long-term commitments.

Liturgical Refreshment: Over the course of the last year, we held three separate series of open conversations, all focused on "refreshing" our worship. Building on that valuable experience, we will continue the essential work of stewarding our worship services, working prayerfully and diligently to make our worship as strong and as vital as possible.

Possible Additional Worship Offerings: (See below under Jazz Expansion and Downtown Mission Team)

Christian Formation

Welcome & Inclusion: Nancy O’Donnell welcomes Pundit Raja Gopal (Richmond Temple) to St. Paul’s and thanks him for his prayers as part of the community Interfaith Service of Prayer & Music on Friday, Jan. 14.

Staffing: In the course of the year, we will address vacancies in the areas of Christian Formation and Youth Ministry.

Theology & Practice of Worship: A theme for the year, in preaching and in teaching, will be the centrality of worship in the life of the Church. A small group offering currently underway focuses on the theology and practice of worship, and a dual forum/sermon series will do likewise. As noted above under "Liturgical Refreshment," we will continue the work of strengthening and deepening our worship of the living God.

Theology & Practice of Welcome and Inclusion: A consistent theme for the year, in preaching and in teaching, will be the importance of welcome and inclusion in the life of the Church. As one expression of this theme, a dual forum/sermon series will focus on the theology and practice of welcome and inclusion. We will improve how we welcome and include people of diverse backgrounds and identities at St. Paul's Church.

Theology & Practice of Prayer: At St. Paul's Church, we are people committed to action. For that action to be everything that God would have it be, we are also called to be people committed to prayer and contemplation. In the coming year, we will offer a centering prayer class, and a dual forum/sermon series on prayer and contemplation. And, in addition to quiet days already offered, Brother Curtis Almquist, SSJE, will lead a retreat day at St. Paul's in December 2011. We will work to become yet more fully a community of prayer.

Spiritual Pilgrimages: Plans are underway for a pilgrimage from St. Paul's to Israel, likely to take place sometime in 2012. This will be the start of a regular, annual rhythm of spiritual pilgrimages for the people of St. Paul's, to Israel and to other locales (for example, Greece, Turkey, or the British Isles.)

Spiritual Retreats: The Women's Retreat has become a much-anticipated annual Christian formation offering. In the year ahead, we will experiment with establishing a Men's Retreat, and we will consider what other retreats might be added to our annual rhythm. (See also above, under Theology & Practice of Prayer: an Advent Retreat with Curtis Almquist, SSJE.)

Strengthening Our St. Paul's Community

Parish Retreat at Shrine Mont: Children, youth, and adults gather together during the 2010 Parish Retreat. Photo by Jeanne LeFever

Caring Companions: Caring Companions, a course designed for those exploring a call to pastoral care, recently got underway in January. This program serves as preparation for anyone interested in participating in the pastoral care ministries of St. Paul's Church (e.g., visitations; phone calls; note writing).

Covenant Groups: This winter we rolled out our first round of Covenant Groups, a selection of small group offerings, running for a fixed number of weeks, and focused on a particular subject (e.g., a prayer practice, or a spiritual memoir). These groups present a premium opportunity to build relationships within the St. Paul's community and to explore various spiritual themes and practices at greater depth.

Intergenerational Relationship Building: Through our experiences on the Parish Retreat at Shrine Mont; the New Orleans mission trip; the Youth Pilgrimage; Earth Day, and other occasions, we know the value of building relationships across generations. In the coming year, we will make a concerted effort to identify and create more such opportunities for all ages. One possibility that we will explore is intergenerational "co-mentoring," where members of the parish from different generations share with one another their experience and wisdom around such things as college applications, career development, or technology.

St. Paul's Ministry Fair: Next year, we will hold the first annual St. Paul's Ministry Fair, where the entire sweep of ministries and activities of our parish will be represented.

Generosity Board: At St. Paul's Church, we have longed to move from a more narrow focus of "stewardship" as being about the annual pledge drive each fall, to something more expansive and year-round. "Generosity" is the word we have begun using to represent this change in perspective. In the coming year, we will establish a Generosity Board dedicated to helping us claim generosity as a core value that has implications for the whole of our lives.

Financing the Future: The Rector, in consultation with the Wardens, will form a team to map out a three-to-five-year financial plan for St. Paul's Church, taking into account possible additional budgetary demands brought on by enlarged mission and ministry (e.g., a fourth worship service; a Clergy Missioner; increased honoraria for Lenten Preachers).

Looking Outward

Downtown Adventures: Nancy Burns, John Jessie, Marti Truman, and Kia Bentley at the February First Fridays Art Offering. Members of the Downtown Adventures Team read short stories and poems, and played live piano as part of the experience. Photo by Kimberly Allen

The Sesquicentennial of the Civil War & Emancipation: The Rector will gather an advisory and planning team to assist in developing plans and programs for the Sesquicentennial period, as we consider how the Gospel speaks to this moment in our history. The theme for the Lenten Preaching Series 201l was developed with the Sesquicentennial in mind. Visit www.stpauls-episcopal.org/lentenseries for more information.

Shaping Public Discourse: Having established a Shaping Public Discourse Committee, which reports to the Faith in Action Board, the committee will continue to explore how we, as a parish, engage the pressing moral and social questions facing Richmond and the world (e.g., the reality of poverty in Richmond, or the state of public education in Richmond). In particular, the committee will study how to integrate Shaping Public Discourse into the fabric of the parish's life, through opportunities for study, conversation, and advocacy.

Jazz Expansion: Building on the success of our Jazz Lunch series, we will lengthen the series and experiment with offering a jazz worship experience, perhaps during the Jazz Lunch season.

Downtown Mission Team: Last year we began the development of a "mission team" specifically dedicated to reaching out to downtown Richmond. The development of that team will continue, and further "adventures" are to follow. As part of its work, the Downtown Mission Team will help St. Paul's entertain the possibility of a fourth worship service designed, in part, as an outreach to our downtown neighbors.

Strengthening the DCM: For over twenty-five years, St. Paul's has been a member of Downtown Community Ministries (DCM), a group of downtown churches committed, in the name of the Gospel, to helping downtown Richmond be as whole and healthy a community as possible. The DCM is currently undergoing a revitalization. In the coming year, the Rector, in conjunction with staff and parishioners, will work to help strengthen the DCM, through improving communication, building fellowship, and strengthening the ministries and events shared between the DCM churches.

Growing Inter-Faith Collaboration: Having established an annual tradition of hosting an Interfaith Service of Prayer & Music, in conjunction with the swearing-in and inauguration of our elected officials, we will work to deepen our connections with Richmonders of all faiths. Specifically, we will explore a) establishment of a "Faith Forum," a regular opportunity for people of all faiths to gather for fellowship and for conversation on important subjects; and b) being part of an interfaith service in honor of the 10th anniversary of September 11, 2001.

Do, Love, Walk

by Bruce A. Yoder, Parishioner
yoderb@ymcarichmond.org

He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? – Micah 6:8

Sometimes we make things too complicated. While I listened to the first half of the NFC Championship game on Sunday, I heard the announcer say, "They simplified their defensive scheme so each player would know his assignment." Keeping it simple made it more effective.

There are times when religion is guilty of making our lives too complex. Rules, regulations and rituals often intended to foster devotion are fuel for distractions. We forget our assignments.

The prophet Micah makes it simple: Do justice, love kindness, walk humbly. There it is. That's what God requires. Nothing more and nothing less.

Children who play youth sports at the YMCA (a new sponsor of Micah summer camp experiences this past year) learn to play fair. That's a good start for doing justice. I recall a graduate class in ethics that probed a variety of types of justice. We can make it complicated if we want, but academic study is never an excuse for not doing justice. God calls us to play fair.

About kindness there is not much debate. The Golden Rule instructs us to be kind to others as we want them to be kind to us. It isn't complicated but it does take discipline. When was the last time you engaged in a random act of kindness?

How do we learn to walk humbly with God? Here's my suggestion. Look at something grand in creation. The rolling, roaring ocean inspires humility in me. It is so vast and I am so small.

Or look at something small and exquisite. Look closely at a rose. Spend time with it as the Little Prince did. (I hope you know that wonderful children's story.) Allow its beauty, both simple and complex, to charm you into humility.

God's call is deceptively simple. If we could do it easily, the world would be better than it is right now. But let's not use that as an excuse to make God's command more complicated than it is.

Let's keep our focus and carry out our assignment: do justice, love kindness, walk humbly with God.

The Shrine Mont Experience

by Brian Carr, Parish Retreat Committee
bcarr@grs-global.com

Another wonderful parish retreat at Shrine Mont will soon be upon us (Friday, April 1-3, 2011). Whether you are single, a couple, or a family, Shrine Mont is the perfect place to get away from Richmond for fellowship, fun, food and more.

This year will be my family's 15th consecutive parish retreat. That's hard for me to believe, but we really wouldn't miss it. It's always a special weekend, and while the place is the same, the experience is always new. I've worn shorts there and I've played in the snow – in the same weekend!

I've actually been coming to Shrine Mont longer than I've been a member at St Paul's. When Scott and I were first exploring St. Paul's in the winter of 1997, The Rev. Bob Hetherington told us that the parish retreat was the single best opportunity to get to the know the people of St Paul's. We gave it a shot, not knowing anything about what Shrine Mont was, and Bob was right. That first retreat helped Scott and me to know that St Paul's was the right place for us, and for our family. Shortly after that first Shrine Mont weekend, we became members.

Make Shrine Mont Your Own

When I think of Shrine Mont, I think of so many different things and different experiences. The time spent with my family has made for many lasting memories. My boys have grown from babies to young men, coming back each year a little bit bigger than the previous spring. I look forward to the great food. Who will get the first piece of pecan pie from David Romaine at lunch on Saturday? I look forward to the program, and the dancing Saturday night, and the jokes at the adult party, and talking to friends, and meeting new people.

When our boys think of Shrine Mont, they think "Freedom!" To them the retreat is a rare opportunity to run free in a big place, explore and play, and catch salamanders – all without their parents worrying about where they are. [Son Alex is pictured above at a recent retreat. Photo by Jeanne LeFever]

The "Shrine Mont experience" can mean many different things to different people. One reason it appeals to so many different people is that each of us can make our own experiences. You can take the retreat weekend in whatever direction you want. I always enjoy seeing what others choose to do with their free time, whether it's hike North Mountain, chat by the fire, read in the birdcage, have an impromptu jam session, or catch a quiet nap.

If you haven't given Shrine Mont a try, I hope you will do so this year. There's nothing to lose and you might just gain a deeper, richer understanding of St Paul's.

A Christianity Worth Believing: Doug Pagitt, a well-known theologian, pastor, and author of Church In the Inventive Age and A Christianity Worth Believing, will guide our Parish Retreat conversations this year. More information about Pagitt and the retreat is online at “Education - Parish Retreat at Shrine Mont.”

One Footprint at a Time

by Scott Sirles, Chair, St. Paul's Green Team
scott.a.sirles@gmail.com

St. Paul's celebrates Earth Day on Sunday, May 1. As in recent years, the popular "God Made Dirt So Dirt Don't Hurt" t-shirts will be available and various clean up activities are being organized. But this year, we will also attempt to reduce St. Paul's carbon footprint.

Measuring our footprint - The Building & Beyond

We can measure our footprint by tracking heating and electricity usage in the St. Paul's building. However, because we use at least 75% of our facility 75% of the time, we cannot simply turn off everything six days a week. Instead, we must focus on efficiently consuming energy to support the long list of activities in our very busy parish.

In general, St. Paul's does a good job of energy management within our doors, but there is always room for improvement. For example, while ushering on a recent Sunday morning – which, of course, entails a lot of time standing in the Narthex – Ushers Coordinator John Taylor pointed out to the rest of us a substantial draft flowing through the front doors into the Narthex. Being a good engineer, he said that the condition could easily be remedied with "draggers" and strips between the doors. I contacted Charlie Diradour, a member of the property committee, to see if they could do something about the doors. He subsequently told me that the doors will be addressed in the next property committee meeting.

St. Paul's carbon footprint is actually much larger than the church building at 815 East Grace Street. It also includes the energy consumed transporting each family to church on Sunday mornings. When my wife, Louisa, and I used to live near the University of Richmond, we were closer to eight Episcopal churches than to St. Paul's and I am not including the Diocese of Southern Virginia, which I am sure had at least one church closer to us than St. Paul's.

I have heard people brag about how many Episcopal churches they drive by on their way to St. Paul's. This is a good thing and it shows us that St. Paul's attracts people far and wide. Unfortunately, this fact also means we burn a lot of gasoline to get to church. So what can we do about it?

Organizing an Earth Day Sunday Carpool

Using Mapquest to calculate distances from parishioners' homes to St. Paul's, the St. Paul's Green Team is calculating a baseline gasoline consumption estimate for the weekly commute. Parishioners will be encouraged to car-pool, take public transportation, ride bicycles, and walk to St Paul's.

We will kick off this initiative on Earth Day Sunday (May 1) with Bonnie Anderson, President of the Episcopal Church House of Deputies. To help get us started, members of the Green Team will have sign-up sheets in the Gathering Space on Sunday mornings beginning Palm Sunday, April 17. They will help coordinate carpools based on zip code.

Then, on Earth Day, volunteers will meet people arriving at St. Paul's to determine if they were able to eliminate a car trip. With this information, we will be able to calculate an estimate of the reduction in gasoline consumed getting parishioners to St. Paul's and back.

Hopefully, this will be the start of a longer-term reduction in our footprint! Between now and Earth Day, we will provide more information about the Earth Day commute. In the meantime, feel free to contact me at scott.a.sirles@gmail.com.

Evensong: What is It?

by David Sinden, St. Paul's Minister of Music
dsinden@stpauls-episcopal.org

This year, the Parish Choir will sing a series of three Evensong services on Sundays at 5 p.m. Evensong is a sung service of Evening Prayer (as found in our Prayer Book) and is very common throughout the Anglican Communion. In some churches and colleges chapels it is sung daily.

Evening Prayer developed from the monastic offices of Vespers and Compline. The Magnificat (the Song of Mary), which was sung at Vespers, and the Nunc dimittis (the Song of Simeon), which was sung at Compline, are both sung at Evensong.

An Anglican Treasure

Over the last 500 years or so a wide variety of choral music has been written specifically for this Evening Prayer liturgy. Because the Magnificat and Nunc dimittis were often sung daily, many different composers wrote numerous settings of these canticles. This unbroken tradition and large body of music is a treasure of our Anglican heritage.

One of the earlier settings of Evensong canticles is the Short Service by English composer Orlando Gibbons (1583-1625). These canticles will be sung at Evensong on Sunday, April 10 at 5 p.m. An early twentieth-century setting, by Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924) will be sung on Sunday, May 22.

After the prayers, an anthem is usually sung at Evensong. In 1998, Richmond composer James Erb was commissioned to write an "anthem for Evening" for St. Paul's. The resulting anthem, "And Peace at the Last," includes these words from the 1928 Prayer Book:

O LORD, support us all the day long, until the shadows lengthen and the evening comes, and the busy world is hushed, and the fever of life is over, and our work is done. Then in thy mercy grant us a safe lodging, and a holy rest, and peace at the last. Amen.

The Choir sang these words at our first Evensong of the year on Sunday, Jan. 30.

Welcoming Coffees Hit the Spot

by Frank Mountcastle, Welcoming Committee
fdmountcastle@gmail.com

One of the popular Such Great Heights/Elevation 1.0 initiatives has been the Welcoming Coffees held on the first Sunday of the month at 10:15 a.m. in the Library. These fun gatherings are specifically for visitors and newcomers and will continue as long as coffee, treats and hospitality abound, which at St.Paul's could be a long while!

It's a win/win situation. Visitors have a chance to meet clergy and parishioners in a congenial setting; and the Church has an opportunity to talk about good entry places for newcomers, such as foyer groups, Exploring the Faith classes, Theology on Tap, book groups, Lenten luncheon volunteering, and Covenant Groups.

Some new people we've met include:

A young man who has been away from
Richmond for thirty years but returned home and wanted to connect with the church of his high school teacher
A Midlothian young mother who wanted a church school experience for her kindergarten-age daughter
An adult student at Baptist Theological School who sold his business in South Carolina and moved to Richmond
Two friends who went to a neighboring Episcopal church for a service, but finding it closed, came to St. Paul's and enjoyed the experience very much
A young woman who works in old City Hall and lives just three blocks away from St. Paul's...right in one of our target areas!

So, when you see the " Welcoming Coffee" sign outside the library on a Sunday morning, drop in and help us greet our visitors and newcomers. The conversation and hospitality are impressive to new and old alike!

Pictured - Warm Welcome: A visitor and his daughter relax as short poems are read during Tom Burns’ First Fridays “Art Happening” on Feb. 3. Photo by Kimberly Allen

Some News about the Newsletter

by Kimberly Allen, St. Paul's Communications Director
kallen@stpauls-episcopal.org

Moving to Six Issues a Year

On December 21, 2010, the St. Paul's Vestry voted to move the Epistle newsletter to six issues a year as opposed to ten issues. Most time-sensitive information is disseminated primarily at church on Sunday mornings and through our e-messages and Web site. As a result, we have been moving away from using the newsletter primarily as a vehicle for short calendar-oriented announcements and instead working to emphasize your voices, reflections, and stories, along with major announcements and events.

The goal is to make the publication one that is more interesting, relevant and, hopefully, inspiring, when you receive it. To that end, we felt moving to six issues a year would allow for more time to assemble the best possible content. Additionally, as we continue to
live through a leaner economic climate, this move will save the church on some costs.

If you have any questions about this change, please let us know!

Submit Your News

Next Issue & Who to Contact

The next issue of the newsletter (April/May 2011) is scheduled to be in church on Palm Sunday, April 17. The deadline for submitting your reflections, photos, articles, and events is Tuesday, March 8.

Kimberly Allen, editor of the Epistle, will be on maternity leave through May 2011. During that time, Laura Woodard will join the St. Paul's staff on a temporary assignment to help manage our communications. She comes to us with a degree in Communications from Virginia Commonwealth University and over six years of experience.

Please continue to submit your articles for the Epistle as you have been doing to kallen@stpauls-episcopal.org (Laura will check this account). You can also reach her by phone during the work day at 545-5405. Join us in welcoming Laura to St. Paul's!