St. Paul's News - December, 2005

8/14/2019 St. Paul's News - December, 2005

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Advent

St. Paul's Episcopal Church

Lansing Michigan

Volume 30, Issue 1By The Rev. Dr. Gordon Weller

St. Pauls News

By Rick Laub, Senior Warden

A t the end of last month,the convention for theDiocese of Michigan of theEpiscopal Church of the UnitedStates of America was heldhere in Lansing at the farreaches of a diocese thatstretches from Monroe at onecorner to this side of the LansingMall on the other. It was thefirst convention I had attended,and my first convention as a laydelegate.

Even though I grew up in theEpiscopal Church, I, like manyothers, viewed my local parishas an entity unto itself. Sure itwas neat to have the bishopvisit, but to me it was the sameas having some visiting roy-altyperhaps important, butunconnected with the everydayrunning of our local parish. WEwere the congregation, andperhaps we might seek the ad-vice of the bishop if we were

stumped on some issue.The recent national conventiondisabused a great many pa-rishioners of this impression ofour congregational orienta-tion. In the turmoil that ensued,it has been made evident thatour clergy and our physicalassets fall under the direct con-trol of that visiting royaltywho oversee all of the parishes

(Continued on page 14)

December, 200

Upcoming Activities 2

St. Pauls News 4

1

Vestry Highlights 5

Choir Schedule 7

Christmas Schedule 3

Youth Ministry 8

Calendar 1

Inside this issue:

"Without vision thepeople perish"Proverbs29:18

When we get to

the season ofAdvent, we cannot helpbut look to the future.

The entire season speaks to preparedness.When we get to Christmas and consider the giftof the Christ, we are also called to think of thefuture. Newborns, and especially Jesus, are allabout what will be. With those thoughts, I askyou to consider the above quote. These wordsfrom Proverbs come from a portion of the OldTestament called wisdom literature. Wisdomliterature includes other books like Psalms, Job,Ecclesiastes, Ecclesiasticus and The Wisdom of

Solomon. The writings convey a variety of prac-tical principals and divine thoughts on virtuousand productive living. If you have any familiar-ity with these books, you know that they oftencontain pithy statements that people for a thou-sand generations have found to be true.

I use this quote because it says some things ofwhich we need to be aware. As many know, theVestry and Evangelism Committee have spent aconsiderable amount of time this year develop-ing a "vision" and "plan of implementation" (The

Welcoming Church) that they believe will see usinto the future. They have taken the time toshare both of these with you, the congregation.What must happen now is that the congregationmust look at these items with a sense of urgencyfor "without vision the people perish.

If you have not done so already, read the twodocuments previously mailed to you. Mark themwhere you agree, disagree or have your ownideas. For this to succeed, both must become thevision of the entire parish, not just the 12 vestrymembers, two clergy and eight members of the

Evangelism Committee. Send your thoughts tome or Susie, or any member of the Vestry. Beprepared to discuss your thoughts at the AnnualMeeting in January.

(Continued on page 14)

The Rev. Dr. Gordon Weller

Why Convention Matters


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Page 2 Upcoming St. Pauls Activities

St Pauls In ActionOngoing Activities

St. Aelreds Guild, 3rd Wednesday, 5 PM

Bible Study, Wednesday, 6:15-7:30 PM (BeginningJanuary 18, 2006)

Book Cart, 2nd Sunday

B&PW Dinner Meeting, 2nd Tuesday, 6 PM

ECW, 1st Tuesday, 7 PM

Family Night Dinner, Wednesday, 5-6 PM

Food, Faith & Fellowship, 2nd and 4th Monday, Noon

St. Pauls Library, open every Sunday

Prayer Group, 1st Tuesday, 5:30 PM

Mens Breakfast, 3rd Thursday, 7 AM

Mid-week Eucharist, Tuesday, 12 Noon

St. Elizabeth Guild, Sunday, December 12, CorporateCommunion and Brunch, beginning at 8 AM

Committee Meetings

Design & Preservation, 2nd Tuesday, 5:15 PM

Service/Mission/Outreach, 3rd Monday, 6 PM

This Month at St. Pauls

St. Nicholas Party, Sunday, December 4, following 10AM service

Looking Ahead

Baptisms, Sunday, January 8, 10 AM service

Womens Retreat, April 28-29, 2006, Weber Center,Adrain

ECW

By Barbara Richardson, President

A gentle reminder for coffee hour servers.Directions for coffee hours are posted on theinside of the cabinet door nearest the east wall inthe Merrifield Room.

Mitten Tree

The Rev. Susie Shaefer, Curate

I ts time to decorate the tree for the holidays!Were looking for very special ornaments: mit-tens, scarves and hats. During Advent, the MittenTree will be in the cloister.Please bring your gifts ofthese new winter items todecorate the tree. Items areneeded in all sizes, includingthose for children. And re-member, less is more doesnot apply to decorating thistree, so lets fill it up! Ourgifts will be gathered up theweek of December 19 anddonated in time for Christmas. Your warm generos-ity will keep others warm this winter. Thank you!

A Time for Baptism

By The Rev. Dr. Gordon Weller

O n Sunday, January 8, baptisms are planned.This traditional time marks the baptism of Je-sus and has been set aside by the Church as anappropriate time. Should you desire to be bap-tized or have a child baptized, please contact oneof the clergy or the parish office.

St. Elizabeth Guild

By Debby Pierce

S t. Elizabeth Guild will hold its annual Corporate Communion on December 11, dur-ing the 8 AM Eucharist with a Holiday Brunch immediately following the service.For additional information please contact me at 485-5446.


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B&PW March Meeting

By Elisabeth Richardson, Treasurer

T he Business & Professional Women's Guild willmeet December 13 at 6 PM for its Christmas pro-gram. Steve Lange will be the guest speaker, bringingus into the Christmas season. Reservations are due byDecember 11 to Nancy Milne (882-0573). The meet-ings are open to the entire congregation and we en-courage visitors to attend. If you have questions, pleasefeel free to call me at 372-1369.

December 18, Advent 4

8 AM Holy Eucharist

10 AM Lessons and Carols

December 24, Christmas Eve

4 PM Family/Children's Eucharist

10:30 PM Christmas Carols

11 PM Choral Eucharist with Brass

December 25, Christmas Day, One Service

10 AM Eucharist

Tuesday, December 27, St. John's Day

Noon Holy Eucharist and healing service

January 1, 2006

The Holy Name of our Lord, Christmas 2

8 AM Holy Eucharist

10 AM Holy Eucharist

Friday, January 6, Epiphany

6 PM Holy Eucharist

Christmas Services 2005

Page 3Upcoming St. Pauls ActivitiesGifts for the Christ Child


What shall I give Him, poor as I am? If I were ashepherd, I would bring a lamb.

In the Bleak Midwinter, Hymn 112

At Christmas Eve services, we have a chance tobring gifts for the Christ child. We will be fillingthe manger with the kinds of presents that areneeded for new babies: bottles, diapers, formulaand clothes. These gifts will be donated to EVEsHouse, a local shelter for victims of domestic vio-lence. Thank you for your gifts!

Lange Choral Ensemble Concert

By Dr. Stephen R. Lange, Minister of Music

T he Lange Choral Ensemble will present its annual Christmas Concert on Sunday, December 11, at 4:00 p.m.The program is entitled Making Merry Mary Music and will consist of pieces based on texts relating insome way to Mary, the mother of Jesus. Included in the program will be works by Robert Parsons, HenrykGorecki, Giles Swayne, John Rutter, Robert Young, Herbert Howells and Moses Hogan. The program will fea-ture Magnificat in B-Flat Major by Johann Pachelbel, an extended work that will be accompanied by a smallinstrumental ensemble. Soloists include Brooke and Ian Broughton,Deborah McMartin-Finkel,Rick Laub, and

Nancy Lange. Tickets, which will be available at the door, are $8 for adults and $6 for seniors and children.


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St. Pauls NewsPage 4

New Liturgy and Bulletin Format to be Used During Advent


D uring the season of Advent, worship at St. Pauls will use a Eucharistic Prayer and service music takenfrom the series Enriching Our Worship. This series provides parishes with new liturgical elements that areapproved by the Standing Liturgical Commission. St. Pauls will use Eucharistic Prayer 2 during Advent becauseof its emphasis on the Incarnation. The prayer says, To deliver us from the power of sin and death and to re-veal the riches of your grace, you looked with favor upon Mary, your willing servant, that she might conceiveand bear a son, Jesus the holy child of God. In addition, new settings of the service music will be used. To helpthe congregation become more familiar with these new texts and music, the bulletin during Advent will containthe entire liturgywords and music. The Worship and Music Committee will seek feedback on the new prayers,music and bulletin format to help them evaluate how they can help the congregation to worship more effec-tively.

Needlepoint Update

By Mandy Lawton

M ore "silent beauties" have been stitched to add tothe beauty of our church. On the west side is akneeler for Grace and John Hawkins. Next to them isone for Grace's brother and sister-in-law, Robert andPatricia Brownyer. The memorial for Dr. Robert Wilsonis joined by the one for the McClintocks. On the eastside is the kneeler in memory of the deceased membersof the Business and Professional Women's Guild. This isjoined with the kneeler for Elizabeth Marsh.

Convention Resolutions

By Rick Laub, Senior Warden

From Herb Gunn, editor of The Record

D iocesan Convention approved a 2006 mission budget of $3,037,442, which is 20 percent smaller than the2005 budget. Convention considered 13 resolutions, one of which restored $115,000 in grants to publicministries, education and advocacy. Convention also called on Diocesan Council to review the use of the ExtendedMinistries Fund and affirmed the dioceses support for international development programs, economic justice edu-cation and the right of workers to organize. Convention also voted to support legislation for second parent adop-tion and anti-bullying laws and to oppose legislation that would ban same-sex domestic partner employment bene-fits. A late-filed resolution to rescind the Diocesan Council decision to sell the Gordonwood property did not receivethe necessary two-third vote in order to be considered by convention.

Another resolution that did not pass had co-authorship by the Rev. Deacon William Renfrew, and asked thatthis Diocese proclaim its repentance for its part in assenting to the consecration of Gene Robinson . It didgenerate considerable debate and elicited a substitute resolution which also failed to pass.

New Look for theMemorial Garden


Y ou may have noticed the changes that haveoccurred recently in the Memorial Gardenand the west side of the Church. Many thanks toMary Jane Wilson and her decision to use memo-rial money given in memory of her husband,Robert, to refurbish both the garden and the westside. When spring arrives, and the new plantings

reappear, these changes will give the church avery different look.


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Sr. Pauls NewsPage 6

By Tom Shawver, Staff Writer

W e welcome as new members of the parish, Kirk and Barbara Lindquist of 2154 White Owl Way inOkemos. He is a financial analyst in the Fiscal Agency of the State House of Representatives. She is asixth grade teacher in the Washington Woods Middle School in Holt. They formerly were members of Univer-sity Lutheran Church, and are the parents of two grown children, Anders, of Ann Arbor, andBritt, a student atLuther College in Decorah, Iowa. Their mother and grandmother is Mary Lindquist of East Lansing.

We bid a fond farewell to Peter and Jennifer Saama and their children, Elizabeth, 5, and Emmanuel Patrick,19 months. They are moving to Bowling Green , KY, where he has taken a position as an animal genetics re-searcher with Sygen International in Franklin, KY. He will maintain an academic affiliation with Michigan StateUniversity, where he has been employed in the Department of Animal Science. A former junior warden of St.Paul's, Peter is the son of a retired Anglican bishop in the African nation of Uganda.

Updates

By Penny Rypstra, ERD Representative

A special thank you must go to the parishionerswho gave so much to ERD for the hurricane reliefeffort. Last counted, there was $1,240 given to help allthose in desperate need. Thank you.

Another grateful thanks goes to "The Gathering," thatwas hosted by Larry and Kathy Gut. It was in thetheme of "New Orleans" and appropriate live jazz wasplayed by Jeff and Peter Kressler. We thank them forgiving their remarkable talents to us. Just our lit-tle "gathering" of St. Pauls people collected $240.

Our parish is indeed a giving one. Let this unselfishnesscontinue; it has to, because our people still need assis-tance. ERD also needs donations for future developmentand for the other countries that need us. It was reportedthat those who died in the Pakistan earthquake were ofgreater number than during the tsunami.

Especially at this Christmas season, please think of those

who still need our care, concern and money. Look in theMerrifield Room for Gifts of Life brochures, so you canbuy gifts to honor your loved ones at this time of year.

Once again, many thanks, and God's blessings.

Advent Prayer Booklet Sent


I n order to help parishioners of St. Pauls pre-pare for the Christmas Season, the Adult Chris-tian Education and Formation Committee has sentout a collection of prayers for the Advent Seasoncomposed by members of St. Pauls. If you did notreceive one, or if you would like another to send tofriends or relatives, copies are available on thetable in the cloister. A big Thank You goes to allwho contributed prayers to this collection!

Musicals Galore!


C ongratulations to youth of the parish whohave been in their local school musicals! EmilyLaub was in the Kinawa Middle School productionof Honk, Matthew Nauss in the Chippewa MiddleSchool production of Oliver!, Staci Sparks in theHolt High School production of Oklahoma!, SarahNiven in the DeWitt production of Jekyll and Hyde

and Megan McGee in Grand Ledge High Schoolproduction of Fiddler on the Roof.


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Page 7St. Pauls ChoirsChoir News and Dates to Remember


December 4 Boys and Grace; High School

December 11 Chancel Choir; High School

December 18, Lessons and Carols Cherubs; Boys and Grace; High School; Chancel

December 24, Christmas Eve

4 PM Family Service Cherubs; Boys and Grace

11 PM Service Chancel Choir; High School

December 25 Choirs will not vest

January 1 Choirs will not vest

January 8 High School; Chancel




Singing Schedule

Date Choirs

Rehearsal Information to Note

T he High School and Chancel Choirs will rehearse together on eitherWednesday, December 21, or Thursday, December 22 (depending onpeoples schedules). Information will be sent home the prior week. Boys andGrace and Cherubs will notrehearse on the 21st. No choirs will rehearse onDecember 28 or 29. All choirs will resume their normal rehearsal schedule onJanuary 4 and 5.

T hank You, ChoristersA huge THANK YOU goes to all the choristers and their families whose dedication of time and talent dur-ing the Christmas Season has helped to bless the spiritual lives of all worshipers. Your gifts have tremendouslyenriched our worship!

T he sounds of Advent and Christmas will be celebrated again this year with special music for the service ofLessons and Carols on Sunday, December 18, and for the Christmas Eve Festival Eucharist at 11PM,(10:30 PM pre-service music) on December 24. All of St. Pauls ChoirsCherubs, Boys and Grace, High School,and Chancelas well as the Handbell Choir will present anthems for the Service of Lessons and Carols, a re-counting in scripture and song of the fulfillment of Gods promise to send a Messiah to redeem the world. Ashas become custom, the Christmas Eve Midnight Mass will be preceded by 30 minutes of Christmas music pro-

vided by vocal and instrumental musicians of St. Pauls. A brass quartet will provide special music for this ser-vice.


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Page 8 St. Pauls Youth MinistryA Crop Walk Thank YouBy Chris Nazar, Youth Leader

The St. Pauls Crop Walk Team did an

outstanding job this year. Our 12walkers raised approximately $1,875 tosupport hunger relief in Lansing and aroundthe world. This years team success re-sulted in recent highs in the number ofwalkers and the amount raised. Thanks tothe generosity of so many donors, we had a50 percent increase in donations comparedto last year. Emily Laub and MelanieWalker raised the two highest amounts for

St. Pauls. Thank you to all of our walkersfor the hard work and to everyone whocontributed to this important cause.

Youth Group Lock-in:

Soaked!

The St. Pauls Youth Group will par-ticipate in a lock-in at the church on

December 2-3. The theme of the lock-in isSoaked! We will be examining the role ofwater in our spiritual and everyday lives.We will have a full report on the lock-innext month.

Youth Group Ponder Mission Trip

The St. Pauls Youth Group is beginning tomake plans for a mission trip in 2006.

This trip will be open to both junior high andsenior high youth. The Youth Group will be dis-cussing potential options for the mission trip atthe Soaked! lock-in. We will report on our plansin future editions of the St. Pauls News.

Nursery Volunteers


We are so lucky at St. Pauls to have ClarissaChavez, the talented young woman who

staffs our nursery each Sunday. We are also verylucky to have so many small children in our congre-gation. This means that our Sunday nursery getsvery full. Starting in November, we have put a sign-up sheet for volunteers in the nursery so that asecond adult is present for all of those just in

case situations. Would you be willing to spend oneSunday morning with the youngest members of St.Pauls, so that their parents can attend worshipmore freely? The volunteer sheet is downstairs inthe nursery. Please come by, meet Clarissa, andoffer a helping hand. Of course, you can also callthe Rev. Susie Shaefer during the week and shewill happily find a slot for you. Thanks!

Youth Group Bowling Results

Members of St. Pauls Youth Group went bowling at Royal Scot on Sunday, November 13.The games were very competitive with the Youth Group leaders holding back stiff chal-

lenges from Youth Group members. In the first game, Susie Shaefer threw a strike on thefinal frame to beat out Brad Richardson by one pin. In the second game, Tommy Gut threwtwo straight strikes on the final frame but couldnt overcome Chris Nazars lead. Other youthgroup bowlers included: Steven Walker, Emily Laub, Steve Kinunda, Dan Crabtree, Rich Bo-man, and Eric Saites. Several family members and friends also joined in the fun.


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Page 9St. Pauls Youth Ministry

Church School News


A

fter our Communion Instruction class in October, 10 children participated in the Solemn

Communion liturgy on All Saints Sunday. Each child received A Childs Guide to the HolyEucharistand a certificate marking this step in his or her faith life. The children who partici-pated were: Sela Bauman, Zach Bauman, Thomas Laub, Maggie McDaniel, Alyssa McCon-nell, Kaitlyn Narezo, Frankie Nevin, Sara Nevin, Paulie Nevin, and Alex Van Koevering.

Looking ahead, December is a busy time here at Saint Pauls. Some of these great Advent ac-tivities affect the Church School schedule, so let me take a few lines to remind you of ourschedule for the next few weeks:

December 4 NO Church SchoolFamily Sunday Intergenerational Program after Church

December 11 Regular Church SchoolDecember 18 Lessons & Carols NO Church SchoolDecember 25 Christmas Day NO Church SchoolJanuary 1 New Years Day NO Church School

This also means that there are only a couple more Sundays left in this semester of ChurchSchool. The new semester starts in January. Perhaps your New Years resolution might includeteaching Sunday School? Our curriculum is easy to use, and we have people willing to sub whena teacher cant make it to class. If you think this ministry might be calling your name, pleaselet me know.

/Christmas Intergenerational Event


Again this year, St. Paul's will celebrate the season of Advent and itsanticipation of Christmas with the second annual Advent/Christmas

Intergenerational Event. This is an educational opportunity for people ofvarying ages to share their views and understandings of the season. In-stead of going to an educational center design for a specific age, partici-

pants will go as families and share the experience.

This year's event is scheduled for December 4, immediately following the 10 AM service. Theservice will be shortened so that we may have more time in the educational centers. Each ofthe centers will have crafts meant to be taken home as a reminder of the experience.

As a member of the parish family, please make an effort to stay. Reservations would be appre-ciated. Please call the Church office or sign up on Sundays.


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Page 10 St. Pauls NewsSoap, Stain and Finish Make Pews Look Almost New

By Tom Shawver, Staff Writer

T he 44 oaken pews in the nave of St. Paul's are looking good, the best they've looked in decades of con-stant use by countless worshipers.It's the result of tender loving care and some serious elbow grease applied by a hoard of volunteers. About 30of themmen, women, youthsspread out over the church on a Wednesday night in October to wipe off theaccumulated grime and discoloration with steel wool and Murphy's soap and apply a coat of stain.

The next day, members of the Men's Breakfast Group wiped out scratches and applied a coat of finish. Thefollowing week, a second group of about 22 parishioners applied a second coat of finish.

"It looks just great! exulted John Irwin, who planned and organized the effort. "If you don't' look too closely,the pews look brand new. The turnout was fantastic and the camaraderie was wonderful."

The pews are 91 years old. They were installed when the church was opened in 1914.

A First Timers Guide to the Diocesan Convention

By Elisabeth Richardson, Jr. Warden

T he gut response from most folks when the topic ofdelegates to the Diocesan Convention comes upseems to be to run and hide. No one wants to go toConvention. I have no idea why.

Anyway, I have never been to Convention before andhad no idea what to expect. I received a schedule,listing all of the activities involved. Friday night: Meetand greet the candidates for Diocesan office, Bishopsreception, dinner, update on Katrina relief. Saturday:Choir practice, Eucharist, morning session, lunch andafternoon session. Done by 4:00 p.m. In evaluating theentire Convention, the most important parts were themorning and afternoon sessions on Saturday. I arrivedin time for the Katrina program and sat with the restof the contingent from St. Pauls, listening to a wonder-ful and informative program on the Diocesan response

to the hurricane. Saturday, I arrived for the morningsession and couldnt find the St. Pauls contingent, (howI missed Rick Laub, 6 ft., whatever, in that crowd Ihave no idea) so I sat with the folks from Clinton,Michigan. I had a great time. It was so interesting to

see the interaction of the convocation to the Budgetand Resolutions. It was also very entertaining to listento the speeches that were given for and against all ofthe Resolutions. I really got a better feel for the gen-

eral mindset of our Diocese. There are some folks whodont think very highly of the Bishop and it reallyshowed in their comments and demeanor. It wasequally evident as to which parishioners annoy theliving daylights out of the Bishop.

I really had a great time and would strongly recom-mend to anyone and everyone that they attend a Di-ocesan Convention. But do it on your own terms. Youdont necessarily have to sit with the folks from St.Pauls. In fact, you may get more out of the experienceif you sit with people you dont know. Be sure youknow what the important parts of the Convention are

and what are the extras. Im sure the Bishop woulddisagree with some of my assessment, but for me thisworked out great, and I had a very positive experi-ence. Ill be going next year to Dearborn for the Con-vention. Hope to see many of you there.


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Page 11St. Pauls NewsSt. Pauls December Prayer List

W e pray for those who are sick and in need: Cindy Robinson,Beverly McEachern, Norris Ingells, James Lantz Family,Sally Mishra, Dixie Durr, Don Fowler, Audrey Hegmon, RichardHegmon, Aaron Hegmon, Shelley Robinson, Donna Letner, GradyLetner, Clara Voges, Mason Hill, Mary Olds, Lois Caswell, PamCathey, Ruthann Perry, Virginia Hilbert, Dorothy Lawrence, BrianSchray, June Wyatt, Pat Brownyer, Janet Siebert, Grace Hawkins,Sherry Vogel, Barbara Millar, Avel Neito, John Kim, Rich Davisand Ray Chase

We pray for those who were recently married:Jennifer Moody &Daniel Gunn

We pray and remember those in the Military, serving in dangerous areas:Gabe Helma, Matthew Rawlins, Car-los Sims, and Stacey Speck

We pray for those expecting: Opuene & Karen Amachree, Vic & Marti Narezo, Rich & Vicky Bellon, Michael& Julie Young, and Dan & Gretchen Barnas

We pray for those recently baptized: Julia Kayden Kelleher and Emmanuel Patrick Saama

Thanksgiving Thanks


T hank you to all of the St. Pauls parishionerswho provided Thanksgiving baskets for 20needy families in the Lansing area, in addition tocash contributions of $515 that paid for the tur-keys and provided food for other needy families. S

t. Aelreds Guild works to providevisits, cards, prayers and support tothe community of St. Pauls unable toattend church regularly because ofillness or other hardship.

Request forms for this special ministry are avail-able at the Welcome Table after church, or youcan call Gordon Weller or Susie Shaefer andgive the name of the person who would benefitfrom a little special attention.

The Guild meetings from are the 3rd Wednes-day of each month at 5:00 PM in the Van AttaRoom or call Nancy Sheldon, (517) 393-9165for additional information.

St. Aelreds Guild

Donate Your Used Books

P lans are forming to hold two used book salesa year. Income from the sales will be sent toEpiscopal Relief and Development.

While dates aren't yet set, we do ask you to keep

us in mind when you are sorting your book collec-tion to make space for your new titles. Pleasebring your gently used books fiction and non-fiction, spiritual and "secular" (but no textbooks) that you think someone else might enjoy. We willplace a collection box under the table by the ele-vator that holds the sign-up sheets.

Watch for the sale date.


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Notice of Proposed Amendments to Bylaws


The Vestry submits the following proposed amendments of the Bylaws of St. Pauls Episcopal Church for ap-proval or disapproval by the congregation at the Annual Meeting of 2006, with the recommendation that theproposed amendments be adopted. These proposed amendments, prepared by the Bylaws Revision Commit-tee, would make the necessary changes required to allow for election of a youth member of the Vestry.

The youth member would be elected to a term of office of one year, as opposed to the three-year term servedby regular Vestry members. A youth member would have to be an adult (at least 16 years of age) communi-cant in good standing, but the one-year term of office would be available only to a youthful membera mem-ber who is at least 16, but not more than 18 years of age on the date of the annual meeting, at which he orshe is elected to serve. The proposed amendments do not limit the rights or responsibilities of a youth member.Thus, the length of the term of office would be the only difference. If adopted, these amendments would allowfor election of the first youth member at the annual meeting of 2007.

The Vestry believes that this shorter term will encourage participation of youth members who might otherwisebe unwilling or unable to serve as Vestry members if required to serve a full three-year term.

The new language needed to effect this change is shown in bolded capital letters. Deletions of unnecessaryexisting language are shown by bolded language stricken-out.

Proposed Amendments of Article VI, Paragraph 1

ARTICLE VI

VESTRY MEMBERSHIP

1. The vestry shall consist of twelve REGULAR MEMBERS, AND MAY ALSO INCLUDE ONE YOUTH

MEMBER. THE QUALIFICATIONS AND TERMS OF OFFICE OF THE MEMBERS OF THE VESTRY SHALL BE AS

FOLLOWS:

A. THE TWELVE REGULAR MEMBERS OF THE VESTRY SHALL BEadult communicants in good

standing (Article II, Paragraph 3) in this parish and their term of office shall be three years, or until a successor

is elected or qualified. Their term shall be such that there shall be three classes of four members each; and at

each annual meeting an election shall be conducted to fillthe places made vacant by the class whose terms of

office expire. The term of office shall begin with the January organizational meeting of the vestry and shall run

for thirty-six months, expiring at the annual meeting. This section will be implemented over a three year pe-

riod; namely the annual meetings of 1994, 1995 and 1996.

B. THE YOUTH MEMBER OF THE VESTRY SHALL BE A COMMUNICANT IN GOOD STANDING

WHO IS NOT LESS THAN 16, NOR MORE THAN 18 YEARS OF AGE ON THE DATE OF THE ANNUAL MEET-

ING AT WHICH HE OR SHE IS ELECTED. THE TERM OF OFFICE OF THE YOUTH MEMBER OF THE VESTRY

SHALL BE A PERIOD OF ONE YEAR, OR UNTIL A SUCCESSOR IS ELECTED OR QUALIFIED. THE TERM OF

OFFICE OF THE YOUTH MEMBER OF THE VESTRY SHALL BEGIN WITH THE JANUARY ORGANIZATIONAL

MEETING OF THE VESTRY AND SHALL RUN FOR TWELVE MONTHS, EXPIRING AT THE ANNUAL MEETING.


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Page 13St. Pauls News

Vestry Nominations


I t again is time to think about persons who might be elected to Vestry in January. This years nominatingcommittee will be Rick Laub, Libby Richardson, Val Boman and Debby Pierce. Should you wish to runfor one of the four available positions, or should you wish to nominate someone else, please give their

names to one of the committee members. Before you nominate someone though, be sure to secure their ap-proval.

Qualifications for vestry are:

Baptized At least 16 years of age A member of the congregation for at least six months Willing to attend 11 Vestry meetings during the year plus the Vestry retreat (January 28, 2006) A contributing member of the congregation (time, talent or treasure)

Proposed Amendments of Article VII, Paragraphs 1 and 2

ARTICLE VII

ELECTION OF VESTRY MEMBERS

1. The vestry, or a committee thereof, shall nominate not less than four qualified, able and willing

communicants in good standing (Article II, Paragraph 3) AS CANDIDATES FOR ELECTION AS REGULAR MEM-

BERS OF THE VESTRY, AND MAY ALSO NOMINATE ONE OR MORE QUALIFIED, ABLE AND WILLING

COMMUNICANTS IN GOOD STANDING MEETING THE REQUIREMENTS FOR ELECTION AS A YOUTH MEM-

BER OF THE VESTRY (ARTICLE VI, PARAGRAPH 1) AS A CANDIDATE OR CANDIDATES FOR ELECTION AS

THE YOUTH MEMBER OF THE VESTRY. THE NOMINATIONS SHALL BE MADEat the annual meeting for the

benefit and welfare of the parish but there shall be opportunity and encouragement of additional nominations

from the floor. Public notice of the nominees shall be given at least two Sundays preceding the annual meeting.

All nominees must have expressed a willingness to serve.

2. The wardens, when present, shall be the judge of the election and shall permit no person to be nomi-

nated or vote unless qualified; further, they shall canvass and declare the results. THE REGULAR MEMBERS

AND A YOUTH MEMBER OF THE VESTRY SHALL BE ELECTED SEPARATELY FROM THE CANDIDATES FOR

EACH CATEGORY OF MEMBERSHIP. Elections shall be by secret ballot and nominees receiving the greatest

number of votes cast FOR EACH CATEGORY OF MEMBERSHIPshall be elected. In the event of the absence of

one or both of the wardens, members of the vestry shall be appointed by the person presiding to act as

judges.


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in their diocese.

The individual parishes of the diocese do have a say inhow the diocese is structured and managed, and theirinput is gathered by their participation in a diocesanconvention. Both major and minor changes in the churchare voted on at convention, and it is the collection ofindividual voters who decide. How much differencedoes one vote make? One resolution at convention wasdecided by exactly one vote (out of over 300 votescast). I have included the passage below as either areminder or a primer on our churchs structure.

Episcopal means bishop in Greek, and the Epis-copal Church is governed in part by its bishops. Thebasic unit of ministry in the Episcopal Church is thediocese, or a region of a reasonable number ofEpiscopalians. Each diocese is presided over by adiocesan bishop who may have help from a varietyof other kinds of bishops, depending on the circum-stances.

The Diocesan Bishop chooses and ordains priests anddeacons to serve the parishes, or congregations, ofthe diocese, which carry out the ministry of the dio-

cese in their local communities. The priests lead the

parish in worship, make decisions related to the sac-ramental life of the parish, and, in general, supportthe ministry of the worshiping Christians there.

The Episcopal Church is governed by a Constitutionand a set of laws (known as canons) which it estab-lishes for itself by Convention, but the diocesanbishop is the ecclesiastical (or church) authority inhis or her particular diocese. The bishops of the Epis-copal Church have no jurisdiction outside of theirdioceses, so they meet together twice per year topray and make decisions about the life of theChurch. Every nine years, the Church elects aPresiding Bishop who represents the EpiscopalChurch in the Anglican Communion and presidesover meetings of the bishops, known as the Houseof Bishops.

Every three years, delegations (or deputations)from all the dioceses, along with the House of Bish-ops, gather to worship and pass legislation for theChurch. This General Convention is where broad de-cisions are made about policy and worship, as wellas revitalizing the Christian community for ministryback home.

(Continued from Why Convention Matters, page 1)

If you have lost your copies, others are available on Sunday mornings at the Church. They may also be found onthe Web page at www.stpaulslansing.org. If requested we will send you additional copies by mail. Please takenote and be responsive. Visions for the future are usually not destroyed by disagreement or discord; rather, theyare lost to apathy.

(Continued from, Advent, page 1)


Another Former Chorister on National TV

First we had Melissa Ingells on "Jeopardy" in September, and now formerchorister Mark Van Aukenson of Joan Van Aukenand his wife,Kristie, will be on the December 14 episode of "CSI: NY". Kristie won anauction bid to be on the program, so she and Mark show up "In uniform"in the background. Ask Joan for the photos with their co-star, MelinaKanakaredes, and tune in on December 14.


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TheSt. Pauls News is a publication of St. PaulsEpiscopal Church, Lansing Michigan.

St. Pauls Episcopal Church Staff

The Rev. Dr. Gordon Weller, Rector


Dr. Stephen R. Lange, Minister of Music

Ms. Mary Rodeck, Assistant Minister of Music

Ms. Kathleen Johnson, Office Manager

Mr. Patrick Brander, Sexton

St. Pauls News Editorial StaffChristine Caswell, Editor

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Lyn Zynda, Layout Editor

Documents

St. Paul's News - December, 2005