LIVE from St. Paul's - December 5, 2021

Renewal of Ministry and Installation of Mother Michelle - May 6, 20201

Welcome to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church as we joyously welcome Mother Michelle Walker as our priest, officially, and renew ourselves for ministry.  We hope you enjoy the service. 

Worship guide:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/10fUL-wh9i0tbhCHisbnAMciuOW-ZAa5c/view?usp=sharing

Permission to podcast / stream the music in this service obtained from ONE LICENSE, License #A-735470. All rights reserved.

News from the Red Doors - December 3, 2021

Vestry and Warden Opportunities

Greetings all! It's the time of year when we start planning for 2022 leadership changes. We have been blessed with wonderful leaders and are looking for a few more. If you would be interested and willing to serve on vestry, we will welcome two new vestry members for 2022. We are also looking for a Junior Warden for next year, with the promise of lots of assistance should you step into this role.

Please prayerfully consider whether you're ready to help St. Paul's in this next year of ministry in LaPorte. Contact Jean Burns, Tom Konieczny, or Mother Michelle with questions or to volunteer. Thank you!

This Week at St. Paul's
Mother Michelle Walker

Dear St. Paul's Family,

December is upon us. It hardly seems possible to me that Christmas is only three weeks away. What a whirlwind of a year this has been.

As I mentioned in my sermon last Sunday, Advent is a season of waiting and expectation not only for Christ's first coming as a babe in the manger but also for his second coming in all glory. In the midst of the hustle and bustle of Christmas preparations we are also listening for prophetic voices, like that of John the Baptist. This Sunday and next we will hear from John, whose voice cries out from the wilderness reminding us to be ready for the Christ - ALWAYS. How are you preparing yourself this Advent? How are you readying yourself for his birth?

I hope you are praying the Advent prayers of the Anglican Rosary. I hope you are finding time to be still and be with God. I hope you are reading one chapter of the Gospel of Luke a day (Luke is the Gospel most used in Year C). But above all I hope you are noticing the Holy in the many daily moments of your life.

Be well my friends. Take time for God. And see you Sunday.

Blessings,
Mother Michelle
priest@stpaulslaporte.org | 219-575-0226 (c)

Announcements & Requests

Are you a saver of old Christmas cards? If so, please consider donating them to our Christmas at Sea program. The front of the cards are torn off and used to hand write notes to the mariners (to send along with their knit or crochet items).
Also, if you've made any items for donation, please bring those to church on Sunday 12/5. We will bless them for shipment early next week. Thank you.

Our first gathering was lovely and succinct. The prayers last about 10 minutes and then the church is open for private prayer afterwards. Please look for a new Facebook video Tuesday with our prayers for Advent 2.

Join us Thursdays at 9am for an offering of Morning Prayer (side altar of church) followed by a book study of Bible Women: All Their Words and Why They Matter (parish hall). All are welcome.

News from the Red Doors - November 26, 2021

Vestry and Warden Opportunities

Greetings all! It's the time of year when we start planning for 2022 leadership changes. We have been blessed with wonderful leaders and are looking for a few more. If you would be interested and willing to serve on vestry, we will welcome two new vestry members for 2022. We are also looking for a Junior Warden for next year, with the promise of lots of assistance should you step into this role.

Please prayerfully consider whether you're ready to help St. Paul's in this next year of ministry in LaPorte. Contact Jean Burns, Tom Konieczny, or Mother Michelle with questions or to volunteer. Thank you!

An Update on our Church Buildings for Collaborative Partnerships (CBCP) Gathering

On the afternoon of November 17, four members of CBCP met with Mother Michelle, Jean and Tom for one of the culminating activities of the project, the onsite visit. For the first hour we seven toured, measured, discussed and evaluated our spaces. How could they be shared in partnership with others in our community? In the second hour we discussed what we had observed on the tour, specifically in relation to both our strengths and our limitations. A parish profile, developed by CBCP based on interviews with our committee, helped us focus on the many opportunities for a historical church, in a downtown setting, even with our small numbers. If we had doubts, they abated in the third hour.

For that final, third, hour we invited community leaders to join us: Mayor Tom Dermody; Maria Fruth, Healthcare Foundation; Shannon Walker, Unity Foundation; Jaunda Kneller, Service League, and Mike Drayton and Tim King, La Porte County Symphony. We began with a tour of the facilities for the six of them and then sat down with Bob Jaeger, Karen DiLossi, Sarah Jones, and David Frederick of CBCP, and our three for a lively, productive discussion of ways we might share our space with groups or individuals in the community. The enthusiasm from our guests was amazing and gratifying. The day could not have ended on a more positive note. We all agreed: this was not the end; it was just the beginning. We are so excited that we now have a
request from the Service League that St. Paul’s become their official meeting site—just the beginning.

- Jean Burns, Sr. Warden

This Week at St. Paul's
Mother Michelle Walker

Dear St. Paul's Family,

I hope you each had a lovely celebration of Thanksgiving.

This Sunday marks the beginning of Advent (and Year C in the Revised Common Lectionary). Advent is a season of waiting and expectation, a time of anticipating the birth of the Christ child, and if we're honest it's also a time filled with many activities and expectations. I pray for you, for all of us, to step into this season with intention and with hearts full of gratitude for the many blessings we've received in this year. May we ever remember to take time to pray and be thankful for all that we have.

Enjoy this beautiful, cold, snowy Black Friday whether you shop or not. (I'm in the NOT shop category, unless I make any online purchases!)

Blessings,
Mother Michelle
priest@stpaulslaporte.org | 219-575-0226 (c)

Announcements & Requests

Please note updated time is now 12:30pm on Tuesdays!

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 12:30pm 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 Sunday November 28th if requested). As we step into Advent, that season of waiting and expectation, may we do so prayerfully and with intention.

News from the Red Doors - November 19, 2021

Vestry and Warden Opportunities

Greetings all! It's that time of year when we start planning for our leadership changes for 2022. We have been blessed with wonderful leaders and are looking for a few more. If you would be interested and willing to serve on vestry, we will welcome two new members for 2022. We are also looking for a Junior Warden for next year, with the promise of lots of assistance should you step into this role.

Please prayerfully consider whether you're ready to help St. Paul's in this next year of ministry in LaPorte. Contact Jean Burns, Tom Konieczny, or Mother Michelle with questions or to volunteer. Thank you!

This Week at St. Paul's
Mother Michelle Walker

Dear St. Paul's Family,

As we prepare to celebrate the last Sunday in Liturgical Year B, and the feast of Thanksgiving, I am reminded of how exceptionally blessed we are. While November, and Thanksgiving in particular, is always a time to reflect upon how beautiful life can be, it is exceptionally true this year. We have homes, food, a safe and warm place to worship, dear friends & fellow believers, vaccinations, and the ability to be together in-person ... even for a meal. We've spent more than 1.5 years in ministry together and God keeps pressing us onward. There are new doors opening and new possibilities on the horizon. We are blessed indeed.

This Sunday as we celebrate "Christ the King" Sunday we are reminded that we worship a Savior who is indeed king in every best sense of that role AND so many more. We prepared for our Thanksgiving celebrations, whatever they may be. For some of us, Thanksgiving will be filled with lots of people we love around a common table and (perhaps) more hustle and bustle than we can bear. For others of us, Thanksgiving will be more quiet, maybe even solitary, as we remember or yearn for that hustle and bustle again. Regardless of how you spend the day, remember to count your blessings. Remember you are never alone, even when you aren't with other people. And above all, give God thanks for his magnificent glory and his deep abiding love for YOU!

I hope to see you on Sunday. We are so blessed when we are in community with each other. And don't forget that Sunday, 11/21 at 4pm we will share in our Thankfulness Dinner. Just come. It's going to be delicious!

Blessings,
Mother Michelle
priest@stpaulslaporte.org | 219-575-0226 (c)

Announcements & Requests

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 12:30pm 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 Sunday November 28th if requested). As we step into Advent, that season of waiting and expectation, may we do so prayerfully and with intention.

News from the Red Doors - November 12, 2021

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.