E-Connections October 9, 2014 © 2014 St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 294 Main Street South, Woodbury, CT 06798 • (203) 263-3541 • [email protected] Blessing of the Animals - 2014 In This Issue: Pg 2 - Tom Calkins Pg 3 - 5K Harvest Walk Pg 4 - Coffehouse Lookout Pg 5 - Service of Intercession Pg 6 - Readings Pg 7 - Holiday Bazaar Pg 8 - Pastoral Message Pg 10 - Participating L ast weekend in observance of the feast day of St Francis, St. Paul’s will have a Blessing of the Animals at all three services. Thank you Barbara grant for sending us several pictures. (More inside). THIS WEEK AT ST. PAUL’S Saturday Sunday Oct 11 Oct 12 Monday Oct 13 Tuesday Oct 14 Wednesday Oct 15 Thursday, Oct 16 Saturday Oct 18 Sunday Oct 19 5:00 pm Holy Eucharist 18th Sunday after Pentecost 8:00 am Holy Eucharist 9:45 am Church School 10:00 am Holy Eucharist 6:15 pm Christian Yoga, Pearson Room 6:30 pm Finance Committee 7:30 am Holy Eucharist, Seabury Room 12:00 pm Men’s Lunch, Charcoal Chef 10:30 am Bible Study, Louise Smith’s home 5:00 pm Holy Eucharist & Healing 19th Sunday after Pentecost 8:00 am Holy Eucharist 9:45 am Church School 10:00 am Holy Eucharist 2 L ast year's inaugural Harvest Walk to End Hunger was successful in helping raise over $3,000 for the food banks in Woodbury, Southbury and Waterbury! This year, the 5k Harvest Walk to End Hunger will start Nov. 2 at the Southbury Town Hall. Registration starts at noon and the walk along Main St. starts at 1 pm. Please join us again for this opportunity to support local food banks and to increase awareness of food security issues in our area. The fee is $20 per person with a free T shirt to the first 300 registrants! Children under 12 are free and the maximum per family is $50. You can register on-line and learn about us at our new website www.swim-ct.org and please visit us on FACEBOOK.COM/SWIMCT Blessing of the Animals - 2014 3 Be On the Lookout For…. Who: Pete Miserendino, Adam Scherer, Dan Krugman, Mike Lategano What: Coffee House When: October 25, 2014 7:00 pm-9:00pm Where:St. Paul’s Church Why: Fundraiser for Safe Haven, sponsored by St. Paul’s Youth Group. Admission fee is $10. Stay tuned for more information on our musicians next week! W precede and follow is, that we may continually be given to good works.” e pray that God’s grace “may always We must not allow that grace to surround us like a protective bubble and insulate us from being “mindful of the needs of others.” But the paradox is, the more we break out of the bubble to care for and about others, the more flexible and God-enriched the bubble becomes! S t. Paul's is pleased to announce the introduction of an electronic option for making regular offerings and special donations. Contributions can now be debited automatically from your checking or savings account or processed using your credit or debit card. Our new electronic giving program offers convenience for you and much-needed donation consistency for our congregation. When contributions are automated, the church receives funds on a steady, uninterrupted basis. You have the choice of contributing on a weekly, monthly or one-time basis. You can set up your donations by clicking on the green button to the left, or if you'd rather stop by the church office for an authorization form. To set up your electronic donation from our website: 1) Go to StPaulsWoodbury.org or click on the Online Giving button above. 2) Click on the Create Profile button, then 3) Follow the onscreen instructions to create an online profile and to schedule your contributions. 4 Service of Intercession for the British Commonnwealth W ith last week’s article about our Ten Commandments, we ran the accompanying photo from 1940. Lois Zane, our parish historian, provided us with more information in case you were wondering about the large flags (you were wondering, right?). The date was Sunday, September 15, 1940 and we were hosting a Service of Intercession for the British Commonwealth of Nations. Europe was already involved in World War II and it would 15 more months before the U.S. would declare war. Here is an account written by Betty Heard Wardsworth of Norwalk, CT the day after the service: “Yesterday as four o’clock tolled from the belfry of St. Paul’s Church, Woodbury, a thousand earnest people knelt in prayer for Great Britain and her people. They prayed, not simply for peace, but for the triumph of the right over wrong; not for a temporary truce and cessation of brutalities but for the victory of Christianity over the forces of paganism. It was a stirring and beautiful service .... “In the chancel of this old New England church, built by our sturdy pioneer forefathers, the brilliant flags of Britain and her Dominions stood unfurled beside our own Stars and Stripes. Canadian an Scottish uniforms mingled with those of our own war veterans and nurses. A feeling of kinship between the peoples of these two great English-speaking nations welled up in each and every heart. There was a ring of warm sincerity in those thousand voices as they asked God to protect gallant young King George, now, in very truth, the “Defender of the Faith.” One thought poignantly during this prayer of the hallowed quiet of Sunday afternoon in this New England village and of the din of screaming bombs in London where Sunday was just another day for Hitler the Hun to rain hell from the sky -- another day in which to try to break the stoic courage of an indomitable people. “There was a hush as the Very Reverend Dr. Frederick W. Beekman, Dean of Holy Trinity Pro-Cathedral of Paris ... arose to tell how strongly he feels that churches throughout the nation must take a strong and definite stand and send their prayers for a British victory ringing over all the land. After listening to the Dean’s pronouncement, there could not be a fragment of doubt left in anyone’s mind but that this battle of Britain is also to battle of America and of every God-loving corner of the earth, as surely as if Hitler’s planes were actually at this moment darkening the clear blue sky above us... “As the united voices of the vast throng surged through the church and the quiet countryside in the singing of ‘God Save Our Gracious King.’ it was my earnest hope and prayer that this service would be, like the church in which it was held, a pioneer, and that it would be but the first of many more all over the country - until that day of victory, which must eventually dawn, when we may, once again, as we sang together, ‘let our ordered lives confess the beauty of His Peace.’ ” 5 Stewardship Reflection “And my God will supply every need of yours…” - Philippians 4:19 G od really does provide for those that are grateful and generous. This is very difficult for people that don’t live a stewardship lifestyle to believe. People are skeptical and say it’s just coincidence. If you are skeptical, try living a stewardship lifestyle for just one month - be generous with your gifts of time, talent and treasure and see how God provides for your needs. Pumpkin Carving at St. Paul’s C ome One, Come All! Autumn is here, and with it comes pumpkins. On October 26th the Sunday School and Youth Group will again offer Christian Pumpkin Carving as a joint church activity, and we would love it if you would consider joining us, too! All you need is a large pumpkin, carving tools, and enthusiasm. Stencils will be provided for those interested in challenging themselves to create a more intricate pumpkin pattern. The event will start at 9:00 am. This Weekend’s Readings Ready or Not Exodus 32:1-14 he people worship an idol, but Moses’ prayer saves them from the Lord’s punishment. Psalm 106:1-6, 19-23 An affirmation of God’s righteousness and favor toward those who love the Lord, and a confession of sins present and sins past. Philippians 4:1-9 In his letter to the church at Philippi, Paul invites the new disciples to exult in joy in the Lord who is near at hand, and he thanks them for their most recent gift. Matthew 22:1-14 Our gospel reading presents a parable about those who declined invitations to a marriage feast and others who were then invited, followed by the story of the guest who came without wedding clothes. As the evangelist presents the parable of the feat, it is an allegory about the rejection of the Jews and the acceptance of Gentiles into the kingdom. At another level, the story suggests that God’s kingdom will become known whether people are prepared for it or not. It is a divine gift. Included will be all kinds of people, many of them not considered worthy by worldly standards. The second parable, originally a separate story, makes the point that one must be ready for the kingdom at all times; the invitation comes unexpectedly. T 6 Only 58 Days to Go! Until December and the Annual Woodbury Christmas Festival and our St. Paul's Fabulous Holiday Bazaar on Saturday, December 6th We hope this early notice will excite you and prompt you to think about how you can support this wonderful event. Our Bazaar includes: A splendid Silent Auction A gorgeous Themed Basket Raffle A glittering White Elephant Christmas Shoppe Baked Goods Christmas Crafts Youth Group Activities and for our visitors: Complimentary Cookies, Coffee and Cocoa. It's a really beautiful Winter Wonderland, made possible by the generous, diverse and creative donations from our parish famly. Here are some ideas to get your "thinking cap" ticking. *Are you downsizing? *Are you moving? *Are you redecorating? * Have you received gifts you don't need or use? *Do you have lovely, exciting, enjoyable, interesting things you haven't used in years? These could be wonderful gifts or treasures for someone else! (Tax acknowledgement for donations gladly provided.) If you have items (for all ages and interests) in your home that could be Bazaar donations, please forward them to us as soon as possible. You can bring them to the parish hall and leave them under the coat rack, CLEARLY LABLED BAZAAR. If you have any questions, call Mieke Weggeman 203-263-4147, or Maureen Well 203-263-4892. We thank you in advance for your always-generous support !! Men’s Group E ach Wednesday at noon the men’s group, a growing and informal gathering of men, has been meeting for lunch at the Charcoal Chef. Please join us next week! 7 8 Thank you Janet Congdon for these Progressive dinner potos! 9 Participating in the Services Saturday, October 11th 5 pm Usher Lectors Chalicer Dale White Jeff Leavenworth, Karen Nash Gaby Drews Saturday, October 18th 5 pm Ushers Lectors Chalicer Jeff Leavenworth Lis Blum, Barbara Grant Norma Leavenworth Sunday, October 19th Sunday, October 12th 8 am Ushers Lector Chalicer Intercessor Colin Harley, Dick Leavenworth Brenda Weir Brenda Weir Dick Leavenworth 10 am Ushers Connie Baldwin, Heidi Szobota Lectors Toni Foster, Duke Breon Chalicers Monireh Dezhbod, Debbie Rising Acolytes Phoebe Hale, Owen Hale Intercessor Ed Hord Counter Ron Roberts Altar Guild: Connie Baldwin, Judie Ferris, Karen Nash, Peg Robinson Lay Eucharistic Minister: Peg Robinson 8 am Ushers Lector Chalicer Intercessor Mike Davies, Kathie Nichols Brenda Weir Beverly Deickler Mike Davies 10 am Usher Lectors Chalicers Acolytes Julie & Tom Calkins Betty Lou Bowles, Tom Calkins Ed Hord, Mieke Weggeman Anna Culkin, Chris Culkin, Maille Kimble Intercessor Peter Bowles Counter Peter Bowles Altar Guild: Sue Dierks, Bonnie Leavenworth, Kathie Nichols, Carol White Lay Eucharistic Ministers: Mike Davies, Nancy Twinem, Brenda Weir Please remember to arrange for your own replacements and to keep the office informed of any changes at [email protected]. COFFEE HOUR HOSTS Oct 12 Oct 19 - Kathy & Rich Baird Barbara Elmore Hebrews 13:2 - Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. St. Paul’s Church 294 Main Street South Woodbury, Connecticut 06798 Office: 203-263-3541 [email protected] Website: stpaulswoodbury.org 10