This Week at St. Paul's
Mother Michelle Walker
Dear St. Paul's Family,
Good morning St. Paul's family. The phrase "when it rains, it pours" is on my mind this morning as I sit down, uncharacteristically behind schedule, to prepare our News from the Red Doors. For me these last weeks, months even, have been a whirlwind. Tomorrow marks our Diocesan Convention and the (hopefully successful) event I plan for all year long. Your prayers are appreciated! I'm expecting and praying for things to calm down a bit after tomorrow.
That said, I have been remiss in catching up with several of you who could use some extra time, prayers, and conversation. I welcome the opportunity to catch up with you over the coming weeks. So if you have been holding off reaching out to me because I've been so busy, NOW (well, Monday!) IS THE TIME to call, text, email, or otherwise locate me. I'm eager to minister to you in the varying ways you might find helpful.
In St. Paul's current events, please consider the following reminders:
Pledge cards are requested by this Sunday, November 14th. We will celebrate our stewardship completion next Sunday both in service and with our Thankfulness dinner.
Next Sunday, November 21st, at 4pm we will share our gratitude at our Thankfulness Dinner. Susie is busy arranging the menu, decorations, and more. I hope you will join us for this precious time of fellowship.
Our November food drive for the Salvation Army is in full force. Don't forget to bring some food for donation.
Our Christmas Gifts for Girls 12-15 years Collection is also in full force. Please consider bringing in a new unwrapped item for donation.
I have two other exciting bits of information to share with you as well. The first is that this Wednesday afternoon we have our site visit from the leaders of the Church Buildings for Collaborative Partnerships (CBCP) team. We have invited 5 civic leaders to be present as well. They will tour our facility and brainstorm with us ideas for more actively engaging the community that surrounds our building. Pray for the wisdom of the Holy Spirit to be evident to us and for all of our courage to consider new ways of ministry. I will invite our project team of Jean Burns and Tom Konieczny to offer us an update after the meeting.
The second is also fun and exciting. As many of you may already know, our beloved Winnie Eyrick has served on the St. Paul's altar guild for a very long time. In fact, in looking back through the years, Winnie admits she has been in one altar guild or another for nearly 7 decades. With our blessing, she has retired from active service but continues to be a consultant in every way. (For instance, she was the ONLY one who noticed that I wore the chasuble backwards last Sunday! Now you better all be watching me for that.)
In honor of her many years of service, and our love and appreciation for her, a new Lectionary/Gospel book has been purchased for use on our regular Sundays. The current gold one contains a different translation than we read on Sunday mornings, although we will continue to use it on Holy days. We will be dedicating this new book, and thanking Winnie for her faithful ministry, this Sunday during the service. I hope you all will attend. It will be a moment to cherish.
On that note, have a blessed day everyone. Be careful with, but not fearful of, our first snow of the season this weekend. And keep praying ...
Blessings,
Mother Michelle
priest@stpaulslaporte.org | 219-575-0226 (c)
Join us, Tuesdays in Advent, for an exploration of the Anglican Rosary. Beginning on Tuesday, November 30th, for four Tuesdays, we will gather in the church at 6pm for an introduction to and prayer with the Anglican Rosary. Praying with beads is an ancient and cherished practice that predates Christianity, especially by individuals who appreciate movement or tactile contact to help focus their mind.
The mother of a priest colleague has graciously and lovingly made us 30 rosaries for our prayerful journey. They are beautiful, simple, and a wonderful tool for prayer. An interesting aspect of the Anglican Rosary is that the prayers can easily be changed for the season or circumstance. For our exploration we will be using Praying with Beads: Daily Prayers for the Christian Year by Nan Lewis Doerr and Virginia Stem Owens (Amazon link here). We will be praying evening prayers specific to each week of Advent. There is no need to purchase the book to join us as we will have a printed handout for your use. You might love it so much you will be excited to have the prayers for the whole year though.
I hope you will join us for this prayerful exploration. Each gathering will last less than 30 minutes and will be broadcast on our St. Paul's Zoom and via Facebook. Rosary beads and prayer handouts will be available the first evening, Tuesday November 30th (or earlier by request). As we step into Advent, that season of waiting and expectation, may we do so prayerfully and with intention.