NEWSLETTER Late Summer/Fall - 2014
ST. PAUL’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH 112 E. Main Street (P.O. Box 206) Lock Haven, PA 17745 Telephone: 570-748-2440 www.st-pauls-lock-haven.diocpa.org
NEWSLETTER Late Summer/Fall - 2014 Email: [email protected]
MINISTRY AT ST. PAUL’S The Rt. Rev’d Robert R. Gepert Provisional Bishop of Central Pennsylvania The Ven. Canon Daniel L. Selvage Priest-in-Charge Email: [email protected] Telephone: (814) 353-0124
MUSIC Neil Kim Feerrar Organist/Choir Director
ALTAR GUILD & FLOWERS Phyllis Durost Telephone: (570) 726-6502
VESTRY Claudia Horner, Senior Warden Email: [email protected] Telephone: (814)383-4496
Charles Conway, Treasurer Email: cconway [email protected] Telephone: (570) 748-4859
Scott Horner, Junior Warden Email: [email protected] Telephone: (814) 383-4496
Thomas Smithgall, Email: [email protected] Telephone: (570) 726-4104
Ben Blascovich [email protected] Telephone: (570)-726-4711
1
Priest-in-Charge’s Message St. Paul’s Church, Lock Haven, PA
Dear Sisters and Brothers of St. Paul’s Parish: I hope you have had ample opportunities to enjoy these more relaxed days and weeks of the summer season. I often marvel at the fact that the months of January, February, and March seem to drag on and on, while June, July, and August seem to simply fly by. I strongly suspect this phenomenon has something to do with the contrast between the “bleak midwinter” of life in Central Pennsylvania and the wonderful blue skies, warm breezes, and rich green colors of the summer months that we are privileged to enjoy. But, as someone once noted, time stands still for no person and we are rapidly approaching summer’s end. And, truth-be-told, rather like a schoolboy who has exhausted the amusements of the long summer holiday, I find myself increasing eager to move forward with the renewed activities that come with the approach of the fall season. Primarily, I am looking forward to a resumption of a fuller and more active schedule at St. Paul’s parish. I hope you share that enthusiasm too! As outlined in this newsletter, you will discover a number of activities that are designed to engage your participation. First and foremost, I would encourage you to renew your dedication to regular participation at Sunday morning worship. It is the cornerstone upon which all other related church activities are built. It’s no secret that church attendance during the summer months is often, as they say, “rather thin.” This has most certainly been true here at St. Paul’s. While most of us in this parish are well past the age when we’ll be summon back to the classroom by the ringing of the school bell this fall, let us not forget that there is another bell that rings every Sunday morning from the tower of St. Paul’s Church to summon us to worship Almighty God … and let us respond accordingly! Yours in Christ,
Canon Daniel L. Selvage+
Sunday Worship Shifts to Fall Schedule On Sunday, September 7, our regularly scheduled worship service will return to 10:30 a.m. While the summer schedule does provide for some additional free hours on Sunday mornings, we are now ready to return to our traditional worship hour. Please mark your calendars accordingly.
2
Bishop Search Committee Summer Progress Report The Search Committee is delighted by the high caliber of the applicants we received to the position of the 11th bishop of the Diocese. We received 42 applications. In our July discernment meeting, we identified a smaller but significantly sized group to interview. At the end of the month, we interviewed each person in that number by virtual meeting technology, and now, in August, the committee is conducting reference checks on each candidate.
Safe Church Training to be Held Safe Church Training will be held at Trinity, Williamsport on Saturday, September 27 in separate two sessions. Safeguarding God's People will be held from 9 a.m. – Noon, and Safeguarding God's Children will be offered from 12:30-3:00 pm. Safeguarding God’s Children is designed and required for nursery workers, Sunday school teachers and youth leaders, while Safeguarding God’s People is intended for Eucharistic Visitors and others who are engaged in Caring & Calling ministries. Clergy, parish staff, and vestry members are invited and encouraged to attend either session … or both. For those required by diocesan canon to attend, training is to be renewed every 3 years. Please let Canon Selvage know as soon as possible if you are planning to attend. Participants are invited to bring a brown bag lunch or pick up lunch nearby the church. (Shamrock, Wendy's, Sheetz, Burger King, etc.)
Concerning Our Parish Prayer List Offering intercessory prayer and prayers of thanksgiving is one of the principle activities of the Church when it gathers for worship. As most of you know, such a prayer list is maintained by our parish and printed weekly on the back of our Sunday worship bulletin. As such, you are invited and encouraged to request that names be added to this list, and we are always happy to do so. However, we also need to know when the names of those individuals you have added to the list can be removed. Please assist us in keeping our Parish Prayer List up to date. This is an important ministry of St. Paul’s parish and your kind assistance in this matter will be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Altar Flowers The gift of flowers to decorate our High Altar for Sunday worship is a wonderful way to remember a departed loved one on the anniversary of their death or to mark other significant events in the life of your family … anniversaries, birthdays, etc. Please contact Phyllis Durost for additional information. 3
Canon Selvage to be on Vacation … Canon Selvage will be on vacation on the following Sundays: August 31 and September 7. During his absence, Morning Prayer will be read on Sunday, August 31, while supply ministry will be provided by the Rev. Clifford Johnston, who will preach and celebrate the Holy Eucharist on Sunday, September 7. Please make a special effort to be in church on these Sunday and to offer Fr. Johnston a warm greeting. Should you need pastoral care during this time, please contact Claudia Horner, our Senior Warden.
From the Senior Warden, the Top 10 Reasons to be an Episcopalian With the sad death of Robin Williams, who is in our prayers, it feels like the best time to review his “Top 10 Reasons to be an Episcopalian”. Robin shared these on an HBO special several years ago. 10. No snake handling. 9. You can believe in dinosaurs. 8. Male and female God created them; male and female we ordain them. 7. You don't have to check your brains at the door. 6. Pew aerobics. 5. Church year is color-coded. 4. Free wine on Sunday. 3. All of the pageantry - none of the guilt. 2. You don't have to know how to swim to get baptized. And the Number One reason to be an Episcopalian: No matter what you believe, there's bound to be at least one other Episcopalian who agrees with you.
Prayers for Iraq Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori urged Episcopalians to observe Sunday, August 17, as a day of prayer for those in Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East living in fear of their lives, livelihoods, and ways of living and believing. Her call for prayer is in response to violence in Iraq that has included the slaying of Christians, Yazidis, and other Iraqi religious minorities; the destruction and looting of churches, homes, and places of business; and the displacement of thousands under the threat of death. “Pray that all God’s children might live in hope of the world of peace for which we were created,” she said.
4
United Thank Offering I am feeling deeply grateful for a Robin Williams who shared his humor and heart with us throughout a wonderful career. I am saddened by his demons, and amazed and blessed by his gifts. I cannot think of a better way to honor him that to give to the United Thank Offering (UTO). St. Paul’s will be participating this fall in UTO, and I recommend this ministry to you. UTO is able to pass 100% of the money received on to beneficiaries because of support by the Episcopal Church. Pick up a blue box and when gratitude finds you, put a little something in the box. We will be collecting your contributions in early November, and boxes will be in the entryway to the church. UTO is a ministry of The Episcopal Church for the mission of the whole church. Through UTO, men, women, and children nurture the habit of giving daily thanks to God. These prayers of thanksgiving start when we recognize and name our many daily blessings. Those who participate in UTO discover that thankfulness leads to generosity. UTO is entrusted to promote thank offerings, to receive the offerings, and to distribute the UTO monies to support mission and ministry throughout The Episcopal Church and in invited Provinces of the Anglican Communion in the developing world. Thank you.
A Prayer for the Bishop Search Committee Gracious God, Great Shepherd of your people, we seek your wisdom as we listen for your voice among many voices. We ask grace to imagine boldly, to pray unceasingly and to act being the community you would have us be. We ask grace to be strengthened by our companionship with each other and by your presence in our deliberations and decision making. We ask your blessing on the labors of those who seek our next bishop, who search for the one who will lead us with vigor and vision, and your grace on those who enter the application process. In this discernment may we all be encouraged in discipleship in Christ for the good of your people throughout the Diocese of Central Pennsylvania. Amen.
5
September at St. Paul’s
Monday, September 1: NO YOGA: Enjoy your Labor Day holiday!
Sunday, September 7: Pentecost XIII 10:30 a.m., Sung Eucharist – Fr. Clifford Johnston, Guest Celebrant & Preacher
Monday, : September 8: 7:00 p.m., Gentle Yoga and Mindfulness
Sunday, September 14: Pentecost XIV 10:30 a.m., Holy Eucharist 11:30 a.m., Vestry Meeting
Monday, September 15: 7:00 p.m., Gentle Yoga and Mindfulness
Sunday, September 21: Pentecost XV 10:30 a.m., Holy Eucharist
Monday, September 22: 7:00 p.m., Gentle Yoga and Mindfulness
Sunday, September 28: Pentecost XVI 10300 a.m., Holy Eucharist
Monday, September 29: 7:00 p.m., Gentle Yoga and Mindfulness
6
NEWSLETTER Late Summer/Fall - 2014 Email: [email protected]
MINISTRY AT ST. PAUL’S The Rt. Rev’d Robert R. Gepert Provisional Bishop of Central Pennsylvania The Ven. Canon Daniel L. Selvage Priest-in-Charge Email: [email protected] Telephone: (814) 353-0124
MUSIC Neil Kim Feerrar Organist/Choir Director
ALTAR GUILD & FLOWERS Phyllis Durost Telephone: (570) 726-6502
VESTRY Claudia Horner, Senior Warden Email: [email protected] Telephone: (814)383-4496
Charles Conway, Treasurer Email: cconway [email protected] Telephone: (570) 748-4859
Scott Horner, Junior Warden Email: [email protected] Telephone: (814) 383-4496
Thomas Smithgall, Email: [email protected] Telephone: (570) 726-4104
Ben Blascovich [email protected] Telephone: (570)-726-4711
1
Priest-in-Charge’s Message St. Paul’s Church, Lock Haven, PA
Dear Sisters and Brothers of St. Paul’s Parish: I hope you have had ample opportunities to enjoy these more relaxed days and weeks of the summer season. I often marvel at the fact that the months of January, February, and March seem to drag on and on, while June, July, and August seem to simply fly by. I strongly suspect this phenomenon has something to do with the contrast between the “bleak midwinter” of life in Central Pennsylvania and the wonderful blue skies, warm breezes, and rich green colors of the summer months that we are privileged to enjoy. But, as someone once noted, time stands still for no person and we are rapidly approaching summer’s end. And, truth-be-told, rather like a schoolboy who has exhausted the amusements of the long summer holiday, I find myself increasing eager to move forward with the renewed activities that come with the approach of the fall season. Primarily, I am looking forward to a resumption of a fuller and more active schedule at St. Paul’s parish. I hope you share that enthusiasm too! As outlined in this newsletter, you will discover a number of activities that are designed to engage your participation. First and foremost, I would encourage you to renew your dedication to regular participation at Sunday morning worship. It is the cornerstone upon which all other related church activities are built. It’s no secret that church attendance during the summer months is often, as they say, “rather thin.” This has most certainly been true here at St. Paul’s. While most of us in this parish are well past the age when we’ll be summon back to the classroom by the ringing of the school bell this fall, let us not forget that there is another bell that rings every Sunday morning from the tower of St. Paul’s Church to summon us to worship Almighty God … and let us respond accordingly! Yours in Christ,
Canon Daniel L. Selvage+
Sunday Worship Shifts to Fall Schedule On Sunday, September 7, our regularly scheduled worship service will return to 10:30 a.m. While the summer schedule does provide for some additional free hours on Sunday mornings, we are now ready to return to our traditional worship hour. Please mark your calendars accordingly.
2
Bishop Search Committee Summer Progress Report The Search Committee is delighted by the high caliber of the applicants we received to the position of the 11th bishop of the Diocese. We received 42 applications. In our July discernment meeting, we identified a smaller but significantly sized group to interview. At the end of the month, we interviewed each person in that number by virtual meeting technology, and now, in August, the committee is conducting reference checks on each candidate.
Safe Church Training to be Held Safe Church Training will be held at Trinity, Williamsport on Saturday, September 27 in separate two sessions. Safeguarding God's People will be held from 9 a.m. – Noon, and Safeguarding God's Children will be offered from 12:30-3:00 pm. Safeguarding God’s Children is designed and required for nursery workers, Sunday school teachers and youth leaders, while Safeguarding God’s People is intended for Eucharistic Visitors and others who are engaged in Caring & Calling ministries. Clergy, parish staff, and vestry members are invited and encouraged to attend either session … or both. For those required by diocesan canon to attend, training is to be renewed every 3 years. Please let Canon Selvage know as soon as possible if you are planning to attend. Participants are invited to bring a brown bag lunch or pick up lunch nearby the church. (Shamrock, Wendy's, Sheetz, Burger King, etc.)
Concerning Our Parish Prayer List Offering intercessory prayer and prayers of thanksgiving is one of the principle activities of the Church when it gathers for worship. As most of you know, such a prayer list is maintained by our parish and printed weekly on the back of our Sunday worship bulletin. As such, you are invited and encouraged to request that names be added to this list, and we are always happy to do so. However, we also need to know when the names of those individuals you have added to the list can be removed. Please assist us in keeping our Parish Prayer List up to date. This is an important ministry of St. Paul’s parish and your kind assistance in this matter will be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Altar Flowers The gift of flowers to decorate our High Altar for Sunday worship is a wonderful way to remember a departed loved one on the anniversary of their death or to mark other significant events in the life of your family … anniversaries, birthdays, etc. Please contact Phyllis Durost for additional information. 3
Canon Selvage to be on Vacation … Canon Selvage will be on vacation on the following Sundays: August 31 and September 7. During his absence, Morning Prayer will be read on Sunday, August 31, while supply ministry will be provided by the Rev. Clifford Johnston, who will preach and celebrate the Holy Eucharist on Sunday, September 7. Please make a special effort to be in church on these Sunday and to offer Fr. Johnston a warm greeting. Should you need pastoral care during this time, please contact Claudia Horner, our Senior Warden.
From the Senior Warden, the Top 10 Reasons to be an Episcopalian With the sad death of Robin Williams, who is in our prayers, it feels like the best time to review his “Top 10 Reasons to be an Episcopalian”. Robin shared these on an HBO special several years ago. 10. No snake handling. 9. You can believe in dinosaurs. 8. Male and female God created them; male and female we ordain them. 7. You don't have to check your brains at the door. 6. Pew aerobics. 5. Church year is color-coded. 4. Free wine on Sunday. 3. All of the pageantry - none of the guilt. 2. You don't have to know how to swim to get baptized. And the Number One reason to be an Episcopalian: No matter what you believe, there's bound to be at least one other Episcopalian who agrees with you.
Prayers for Iraq Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori urged Episcopalians to observe Sunday, August 17, as a day of prayer for those in Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East living in fear of their lives, livelihoods, and ways of living and believing. Her call for prayer is in response to violence in Iraq that has included the slaying of Christians, Yazidis, and other Iraqi religious minorities; the destruction and looting of churches, homes, and places of business; and the displacement of thousands under the threat of death. “Pray that all God’s children might live in hope of the world of peace for which we were created,” she said.
4
United Thank Offering I am feeling deeply grateful for a Robin Williams who shared his humor and heart with us throughout a wonderful career. I am saddened by his demons, and amazed and blessed by his gifts. I cannot think of a better way to honor him that to give to the United Thank Offering (UTO). St. Paul’s will be participating this fall in UTO, and I recommend this ministry to you. UTO is able to pass 100% of the money received on to beneficiaries because of support by the Episcopal Church. Pick up a blue box and when gratitude finds you, put a little something in the box. We will be collecting your contributions in early November, and boxes will be in the entryway to the church. UTO is a ministry of The Episcopal Church for the mission of the whole church. Through UTO, men, women, and children nurture the habit of giving daily thanks to God. These prayers of thanksgiving start when we recognize and name our many daily blessings. Those who participate in UTO discover that thankfulness leads to generosity. UTO is entrusted to promote thank offerings, to receive the offerings, and to distribute the UTO monies to support mission and ministry throughout The Episcopal Church and in invited Provinces of the Anglican Communion in the developing world. Thank you.
A Prayer for the Bishop Search Committee Gracious God, Great Shepherd of your people, we seek your wisdom as we listen for your voice among many voices. We ask grace to imagine boldly, to pray unceasingly and to act being the community you would have us be. We ask grace to be strengthened by our companionship with each other and by your presence in our deliberations and decision making. We ask your blessing on the labors of those who seek our next bishop, who search for the one who will lead us with vigor and vision, and your grace on those who enter the application process. In this discernment may we all be encouraged in discipleship in Christ for the good of your people throughout the Diocese of Central Pennsylvania. Amen.
5
September at St. Paul’s
Monday, September 1: NO YOGA: Enjoy your Labor Day holiday!
Sunday, September 7: Pentecost XIII 10:30 a.m., Sung Eucharist – Fr. Clifford Johnston, Guest Celebrant & Preacher
Monday, : September 8: 7:00 p.m., Gentle Yoga and Mindfulness
Sunday, September 14: Pentecost XIV 10:30 a.m., Holy Eucharist 11:30 a.m., Vestry Meeting
Monday, September 15: 7:00 p.m., Gentle Yoga and Mindfulness
Sunday, September 21: Pentecost XV 10:30 a.m., Holy Eucharist
Monday, September 22: 7:00 p.m., Gentle Yoga and Mindfulness
Sunday, September 28: Pentecost XVI 10300 a.m., Holy Eucharist
Monday, September 29: 7:00 p.m., Gentle Yoga and Mindfulness
6
