Join us VIRTUALLY @ St. Paul's Sunday @ 9am!
Join us VIRTUALLY this Sunday, June 7th, at 9am for our first LIVE stream from St. Paul's. Mother Michelle, John Gouwens, and Mike Konieczny will be live in the sanctuary offering the service of Morning Prayer Rite I. (No one else will be present for these first few weeks.)
Please tune in at 8:50am for John's wonderful prelude, and to ensure you are ready for service at 9am. We can't wait for you to enjoy this!
Our live streamed services will be broadcast LIVE on Facebook at the link below. Please LIKE, COMMENT, and SHARE the post to promote it!
https://www.facebook.com/stpaullaporte/live/
By noon on Sunday the recording will also be uploaded and available on our new YouTube Channel at the link below. Gradually we will build a library of services and other videos, as appropriate.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3aHjlQQyiCn7IqXlKLM_oQ/featured
Prayers for 'smooth sailing' this Sunday are GREATLY appreciated! Once we have one successful Live service under our belt, we'll be sure to promote and share in the community.
Yes, Zoom Virtual Coffee Hour is Still On!
Yes, we will still host a Zoom Watch Party for our online service and will begin our virtual coffee hour right after service, which will likely be closer to 9:45am. Regardless of how you enjoy our LIVE service online, please join us on Zoom at 9:45am for fellowship.
Relaunched Website
With the CFC Technology Grant we have also deployed a new St. Paul's website. It's the same address with much of the same content but on a platform easier to maintain. Check it out when you have a minute.
https://www.stpaulslaporte.org/
This Week at St. Paul's
Mother Michelle Walker
Dear St. Paul's Family,
It has been a week, hasn't it? I mean in terms of the new technologies and communication channels at St. Paul's alone it's been quite a week. When you add in the realities of the world around us, it's REALLY been a week. As I sat down to write my first sermon in 3 months, to a congregation I'm only beginning to get to know, in the middle of a pandemic, after a week of anti-racism protests (peaceful and otherwise), that will be delivered to a phone camera ... I had to give myself a reality check. I had to pray. I had to step away to soak in a little nature. And I had to listen very closely for the words of the Holy One. It has been a week, for sure.
And I will share with you, in the context of this email, I have been struggling with MY place in the midst of Racial Reconciliation, in the midst of the protests, in the midst of President Trump's visit to St. John's Episcopal Church and the circumstances surrounding that. I'm the last person to want to be in the middle of what might be considered a political conversation. Yet, as your leader I must endeavor to find the right time to reflect upon and possibly talk about these very issues. Sometimes, and for some people, I will get it right. Mostly I probably won't. But that doesn't give me an excuse to not respectfully and lovingly have the conversations. We'll learn together.
Thanks to a Facebook exchange with a dear friend, who sees things extremely differently than I do, I am reminded that what we believe about what is going on in our country right now is influenced by OUR beliefs, OUR life experiences, OUR faith, and OUR trusted sources or news outlets. It's easy for me to find the articles that tell my preferred version of the story and it's even easier to then initiate arguments with those that feel differently than I do. But is that what Christ is calling me to do? For us to do?
I struggle with you in these times my friends and we will find our voice ... together. Until then I challenge you to create space between what you feel like expressing (saying, typing, texting) and what you actually express. I challenge you to read, with as much objectivity as you can, the articles expressing perspectives contrary to your own. I insist that you remember Jesus loves ALL of us - of every color and ethnicity, belief and political affiliation. And then LEAD with that love in your conversations and prayers.
We have much good work to do together here in our beautiful city of LaPorte. For now we focus on LOVE, and technology, and getting back to worship. Soon enough we will be ready for the rest!
Blessings to you and I hope you'll be able to join us virtually on Sunday morning.
Love and prayers,
Mother Michelle
priest@stpaulslaporte.org| 219-575-0226
PS. The new website and Google Suite allows for email addresses with our website in them. I will continue to monitor the revmiw12@gmail.com indefinitely but will gradually begin using the address above for St. Paul's business.