St. Paul's News - March, 2006

8/14/2019 St. Paul's News - March, 2006

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Lenten Discipline

St. Paul's Episcopal Church

Lansing Michigan

Volume 31, IssueBy The Rev. Dr. Gordon Weller

St. Pauls News

By Elisabeth Richardson, Senior Warden

T he Vestry met on January 28 at St. FrancisRetreat Center to orient new members,build community, worship, examine the Mission/Vision statement of the parish, and review andplan our goals for 2006. Before I discuss thisyears goals, here is a list of the 2005 goals anda status report on completion.

1. Programming (Christian education) for thefull year: in process by the Adult & YouthChristian Education committee.

2. Increased emphasis on Evangelism: in proc-ess by the Evangelism committee.

3. Complete the visualization of what we want

to be; what God is calling us to be; and towhom is God calling us to go: in process by

the Vestry. The Web page is in good shape.The Communications committee is working onmarketing and advertising strategies.

4. Develop measurable goals: in process bythe Vestry and all committees.

5. Building the community: in process by theEvangelism committee.

6. Ministry to those seeking us: in process bythe Evangelism committee.

(Continued on page 12)

March, 200

Upcoming Activities 2

St. Pauls News 5

9

Choir Schedule 7

Youth Ministry 8

Calendar 1

Inside this issue:

L ent is such a spe-cial time. It reallyoffers a person achance to pause andreflect on the many

issues of Christianityassociated with the

season, and to more fully prepare for the cele-bration of Easter. By contrast, the other seasonof preparation, Advent, is so filled with secularconsiderations that the religious images almostcan't come into focus until we hear the story ofthe birth of the Christ Child on Christmas Eve.Fortunately the business world has not foundanything they can sell or promote during Lent orEaster, as much as they might try with the EasterBunny.

It does, however, take time to involve oneselfwith the disciplines of the season. As I sit to writethis, the Winter Olympics are center stage. Al-most every individual interviewed focuses on

three items. The first is the greatness of the op-portunity to participate. The second is thepreparation needed to compete, and the thirdthe glory associated with the prize.

As this comes to you, we all are about to beginthe season of Lent. I would remind you that tofully appreciate the gift of Easter, we must belike the Olympic athletes. You can all make theconnections mentioned above for yourselves. Iwould tell you one of mine. As mentioned, train-ing or some Lenten discipline, is important. Someuse the "Call to a Holy Lent," from the AshWednesday liturgy, as a training manual. Iwould suggest one other. On page 184 of thePrayer Book, the collect for proper 28 speaks toHoly Scripture and what its impact on us mightbe. When used, one prays that he might "read,

mark, learn, and inwardly digest them (HolyScripture)."

(Continued on page 12)

The Rev. Dr. Gordon Weller

Vestry Retreat


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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

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, Fun & Fellowship, (4Fs), 2nd and 4th Mon-day, Noon, Holy Eucharist, 12:30 PM Program

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

Committee Meetings

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

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

This Month at St. Pauls and Elsewhere

Christianity in the Market Place, Wednesdays beginningMarch 8, 6:30 PM

Lenten Lunch-N-Book Review, Mondays, March 6-April4, 12:30 PM

England Choristers Cabaret, Dinner in Italy, March 11

The Household of God, March 24-25, St. Johns,Royal Oak on March 24 25

Womens Retreat, Saturday, March 25, St. Kathe-rines, Williamston

Looking Ahead

Maundy Thursday Celebration, April 13, 6 PM

B&PW Update

By Elisabeth Richardson, Treasurer

T he Business & Professional Women will meet Tuesday, March 14 at 6 PM for dinner and a program. Dinner is$8 and reservations are due to Nancy Milne by Sunday, March 12 (882-0573). We will have a Lenten pro-gram, presented by the Rev. Gordon Weller. The entire parish, visitors and guests are always welcome.

By Nancy Sheldon

Join us for Faith, Fellowship, Fun and Foodevery 2nd

and4th Monday of the month. The schedule for each gather-ing is:

Noon: Holy Eucharist 12:30PM: A $4.00 lunch supplied by A Catered

Affaire 1:00PM: Bible Study by Steve Lange 1:15PM: Program of the Day 2:00PM: Dismissal

See the Lenten Book Series article for the March andApril schedule on page 3.

May 8th: Cinco de Mayo celebration led by Rev. SusieShaefer (with Mexican food!).

May 22nd: Wrap up session for the year

Capitol Deanery

Womens Retreat

By The Rev. Susie Shaefer, Curate

A ll Saints, East Lansing, has graciously ex-tended invitations to their womens retreat toinclude other Lansing area parishes. This retreat willtake place on Saturday, March 25 from 10 AM 3PM at St. Katherines Church in Williamston. It marksthe Feast of the Annunciation, and the theme isMary: Creativity and Theology. It will featurepresentations on the interplay of theology andcreative arts. The cost is $15. To register, pleasecall All Saints Episcopal Church office at (517) 351-7160.

Note: This retreat does conflict with Becoming the

Household of Jesus Christ: Sabbath Economics. How-ever, we look at it as another spiritual opportunity for

those who are unable to attend that event.


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St. Pauls 2006 Lenten Series

Lenten Lunch-N-Book Reviews

By Dr. Stephen R. Lange, Minister of Music

This year, the Lenten Lunch-N-Book Reviews have moved to a new day of the week. They will be held onMondays to mesh with the 4 Fs schedule. They will begin on Monday, March 6, and run through April 4(five sessions).

The format will be the same: a simple lunch (soup, bread, salad for $4) followed by a book review by one ofSt. Pauls parishioners. In addition, this year there will also be a celebration of Holy Eucharist each of these fiveweeks from 11:30 AM to 12 noon.

Reviewers will include Dorothy Marsh (March 6The Lovely Bones: An Autobiography of God),Chris Krupka(March 13The Ragamuffin Gospel), Susie Shaefer,(March 20Looking for Mary), Steve Lange, (March 27The Good Book), and Gordon Weller, (April 3Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalists). They have chosen awide variety of books to review, but all with a message that can enrich our spiritual lives.

Remember Mondays for Lenten Lunch-N-Book Reviews. And consider bringing a friend or inviting a co-workerto join you. Sign-up sheets will be on the table by the elevator.

The Rev. Dr. Gordon Weller

On five successive Wednesday evenings, from March8 - April 5, prominent Episcopalians will share theirexperiences about how their Christian values cansometimes collide with their secular responsibilities. Forthose interested and who sign up, a meal will be pro-vided for $4.00. The dinner portion will begin at 6PM

and be available until 6:45PM. Reservations for din-ner may be made by calling St. Paul's parish office(482-9454) or by signing the guest list on Sundaymorning. The program will begin following dinner at7PM and is without charge. The public is cordially in-vited. Speakers and fields of reference include:

The Legal World

Ms. Susan LeDuc, Assistant District Attorney for Ing-ham CountyMr. Hugh Clark, prominent Lansing defense attorney

The Medical World Medical Center

Dr. Bonta Hiscoe, surgeon for 26 years at Sparrow

Dr. Helen Hiscoe, medical ethics instructor at MSU

The Corporate World

Mr. John Grettenberger, former president of theCadillac Division of General Motors

The Broadcast World

Ms. Jane Aldrich, news anchor for TV 6, WLNS

The Political World

The Hon. John Cherry, Lt. Governor of the State ofMichigan

As of the deadline of the St. Paul's News, dates forspecific persons have not been finalized. Check ourWeb site, www.stpaulslansing.org, as we get closer tothe opening night.

"Christianity in the Marketplace

Where Sacred and Secular Values Can Collide

Page Upcoming St. Pauls Activities

March 1, 2006

7AM Chapel

Noon Chapel

7PM Church

Services


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Page 4

C abaret is coming! St. Pauls annual festival offine dining and wonderful entertainment willbe held on Saturday, March 11, this year. Dinnerwill begin at 5 PM, the entertainment at 6 PM (onehour earlier than last year, so that families mayattend more easily). The theme for the evening isA Night in Italy, and will feature Italian foodsand delightful entertainment. Please save this dateand plan to attend. Besides being a great valuefor food and entertainment, it is a great opportu-nity to meet with friends and enjoy an evening ofgreat camaraderie. Tickets are $12.50 for a lasa-gna or spaghetti dinner and entertainment; $10.00

for coffee, dessert, and entertainment; and $7.50for a kids meal and entertainment.


Cabaret is Coming

Upcoming St. Pauls Activities

The Rev. Dr. Gordon F. Weller

P lease save the date, April13, at 6 PM. We will againgather with our friends from ChristCommunity Church (formerly FirstBaptist) and Central United Meth-odist Church for a meal commemo-

rating Christs institution of the Lords Supper. This is atime of prayer in the Garden remembering Christs ag-ony and the stripping of the Altar reading used forGood Friday. A sign-up sheet will be on the table bythe elevator.

By Dorothy Marsh

T he annual meeting of Becoming The Household ofGod, on March 24-25, is one of those rare timeswhen we are invited to hear from a nationally recog-nized speaker. The conference is held at St. John's

Episcopal Church in Royal Oak. It begins at 6 PM onFriday night (24th) and ends in Saturday afternoon. Itis also a time when we can meet with and worship withfellow Episcopalians from other churches in our diocese.Too often we feel a sense of isolation from the Bishopand the other churches because we are on the far westside of the diocese. This is an opportunity for real fel-lowship.

Ched Myers, the speaker and facilitator for the con-

ference, is recognized nationally for his experience inteaching biblical literacy. He is co-founder and pro-gram director of the Bartimaeus Cooperative Minis-tries, and they are currently focusing on economic is-

sues as a concrete way to challenge us. This is econom-ics that is related to four lifestyle issues (Sabbath/work, consumption, living green, and solidarity) as wellas debt, giving, and investing.

Ched will speak with us about the strategic steps thatindividuals, churches, and church institutions can take toassure that their financial resources are being ex-pended for the common good. Registration forms willbe found on the table in the cloister.

St. Elizabeth Guild

By Debby Pierce, Acting President

E arly reminder! St. Elizabeth Guild will beginmeeting again on Tuesday, April 25, at12:30PM at my house. The program is to be an-nounced soon. The May Salad Lunch will be at St.Pauls, and our program will be by Mandy Lawtonwith a presentation and tour of the wonderful nee-dlepoint in St. Pauls.

Mission and Outreach

By Debby Pierce

T hank you to all of you who listed Mission and Out-reach on your Time and Talent pledge card. Wewill be very pleased to have some new members on thecommittee. If you are interested, our next meeting isscheduled for Monday, March 20, at 5:30 PM in theVan Atta Room. Prior to then, I will send all of you let-ters to let you know a little history and what is in thefuture. We would love some input from any and all pa-rishioners who are interested in this very important partof our church life.

Becoming the Household of God Meets in March


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Page 5St. Pauls News

LEMs, LEVs and Lectors

By The Rev. Dr. Gordon F. WellerI would like to thank Carol Ingells for her ser-vice to the parish for the last two years asscheduler and coordinator of our LEMs, LEVs, and

Lectors. This group of volunteers is an integral partof our worship experience at any worship service,and coordinating the schedules of two dozen peo-ple can be daunting. Carol did it with much grace.We also offer a welcome to Dorothy Marsh as shebegins her term of service as coordinator. To thosein the LEM, LEV, Lector group, please try to be asattentive and accommodating of the schedule asyou can.

Were Asking Questions

By Christine Caswell, Editor

T he St. Pauls Communications Committee, founded and led by Rick Laub, has taken on part of the missionto grow the church and its congregation. In order to do this, we are going to survey current members tofind out whats important to the people who are currently here. Who is coming to the church? Who is joining,and what is bringing them here? Who is staying, and why do they do so? We need to know more about you asa church member, so we can determine how best to achieve the mission of being a welcoming church, and in-troducing St. Pauls to potential new members. The survey will take a little time to fill out, but we hope you willspend a few minutes to help us in this effort. All responses will be anonymous.

I know that all of us are always getting surveys these days, but, if you, as a parishioner of St. Pauls, could takesome time to let us know what is important to you in a worship community, it will not only be greatly appreci-ated but will tell us how to keep our church vital.

Also, along with Rick, we offer many thanks to Stephanie Van Koevering for taking the initiative to develop aformal marketing plan and to put the survey together, and to Patrice Van Voorhees, Thomas Kelleher, SusieShaefer, Kathleen Johnson, and Tom Shawver who have all contributed to the work of this committee.

We look forward to getting your comments.

By Tom Shawver, Staff Writer

W e welcome as newcomers to the parish,Perry and Kristi Thompson and their four-and-a-half month-old daughter Amanda of 381Coventry Lane, Mason. They moved here fromCommerce Township in Oakland County last fall.He is an attorney and real estate salesman andshe is state director of services/purchasing in theDepartment of Management and Budget. Theirinfant daughter was baptized in St. Paul's in Janu-ary.

Thanking Carol Ingells

By Dorothy Marsh

T here are many ways that people serve at St. Paul's, some of them in somewhat obscure ways only knownto a few. Have you ever wondered how those serving at the altar and reading the Sunday morning scrip-tures arrive at their responsibilities? This is something that we generally take for granted but without an orga-nizing mind behind it there would be a kind of chaos.

Carol Ingells has provided that guidance for what is often a thankless job. Thankless because few are awareof it and thankless because sometimes we fuss at her over the times we have been scheduled. She is now retir-ing and her thoughtful and prayerful approach to this responsibility is greatly appreciated by those of us in theknow.

Now you know, too. Thanks Carol!


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Page 7St. Pauls Choirs

Choir News and Dates to Remember


Please be sure to save Saturday, March 11, for Cabaret. The format will be slightly changed this year,with an Italian theme for the food. All members of Cherubs, Boys and Grace, and High School Choirs willbe performing.

Rehearsal Schedule Adjustments for March and April

Because of the Ash Wednesday service at 7 PM on March 1, my absence from St.Pauls from March 30 to April 6 (helping my wife chaperone her Madrigal Sing-ers on their trip to Italy), and Holy Week, there will be several rehearsal changes inMarch and April. They are as follows:

March 1, Ash Wednesday: Cherubs and Boys and Grace Normal rehearsal schedule

High School Choir No rehearsal (but are invited to sing the 7 PM service)Chancel Choir Sing for the 7 PM service (warm-ups at 6:30 PM); rehearsalafter the service at 8 PM

Thursday, March 2: No Handbell or Chancel Choir rehearsals

Thursday, March 30: No Handbell or Chancel Choir rehearsals

Wednesday, April 5 No Cherubs, Boys and Grace, or High School Choir rehearsals

Thursday, April 6 No Handbell or Chancel Choir rehearsals

Wednesday, April 12: NORMAL REHEARSALS FOR CHERUBS, BOYS AND GRACE, HIGH SCHOOL7:30 PM Chancel Choir rehearsals

March 1, Ash Wednesday Chancel, (6:30 PM Rehearsal, 7 PM Service)

March 5 High School; Boys and Grace

March 12 Chancel; High School



April 2 Chancel; High School

April 9 (Palm Sunday) Chancel; High School; Boys and Grace

April 16 (Easter) 9 AM Chancel; High School; Boys and Grace; Cherubs

11 AM Chancel; High School

April 23 Chancel; High SchoolApril 30 Chancel; High School

Singing ScheduleDate Choirs

T here will be a Sunday brunch at the Langes for all members of the Chancel Choir on Sunday, March 12,starting at noon. Please sign up in the Choir Rehearsal Room.


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St. Pauls Youth MinistryPage 8

Kids Communion Instruction

By The Rev. Susie Shaefer, Curate

What does my child need in order to receiveCommunion? Should they wait until they

are old enough to understand the theology? Or,

arent they part of the church now? Many parents

struggle with these questions. The short and simple

answer is: Baptism is all that is required. In the

Episcopal Church, we believe that at Baptism chil-

dren (and adults!) become full members of the

Body of Christ. Therefore, children of all ages are

welcomed at the Lords Table. Of course, the reali-

ties of being a small child can make receiving Com-

munion more difficult. Babies dont eat solid foodslike bread, and toddlers may not understand what

is going on in church, or what to do with the

strange bread and cup of wine at the rail. Simple

instructions from parents can help a child partici-

pate in Communion, and teach them that they are

indeed members of the Church. As children grow

and develop, so will their understanding of the

Eucharist, with help from their parents, from

Church School, and from being present in worship.

Last fall, we offered an afternoon Communion class

for children, and we are offering it again this

spring. On Saturday, March 25, from 9AM - Noon,

there will be one of those opportunities for chil-

dren to deepen their knowledge and understanding

of the Eucharist. We will use stories, activities,

and prayer to help children learn about the Eucha-

rist. The class will be most appropriate for children

ages 3 to 8 (Pre-K through 2nd grade). The follow-

ing Sunday will include a recognition for the stu-

dents from the class receiving Communion as an

important step in their life as baptized Christians.

For parents who prefer that their children have a

class before taking Communion, this is for you! For

parents who want to explore Communion with their

kids, even if they already regularly receive the

bread and wine, this is the class for you too! To

register, please contact the Rev. Gordon Weller.

Youth Group Mission Trip NewsBy The Rev. Susie Shaefer, Curate

St. Pauls Youth Group is going on our first mission trip! From July 15-21, we will be going to EagleRanch in Tennessee. We will participate in a Habitat project, as well as environmental educationprojects, such as trail building and stream clean-up. We will share meals with other youth groups from

around the country, as well as have evening time for devotions with our own group. It will be an incredi-

ble opportunity for youth and leaders to grow in faith and service to God by serving others, and spend-

ing time together away from home.

Mission trips require more support and planning than most youth group events. First, we ask yourprayers as we prepare for this trip. We also ask your patience as we organize and raise the needed

funds. Finally, we ask for your encouragement. It is a brave thing for teenagers to give up a week of

their summer vacation to work for the benefit of people they will likely never see again. The leaders,

Chris Nazar, Darren & Ellen McConnell, and Rev. Susie Shaefer are looking forward to the opportu-

nity to work with these youth, and will happily answer other questions about the trip.

An opportunity for support is coming soon! Please join us on Sunday, March 19 after the 10AM service

for a special fundraiser brunch. We will have breakfast casseroles and other brunch goodies, and your

donations will support our youth! Look for a sign-up sheet with more details in early March. If you would

like to help, please contact Kathy Gut, chair of the brunch.


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St. Aelred's

By Nancy Sheldon

St. Aelred's Guild offers spiritualfriendship through visitationand lay Eucharistic visits to membersof our congregation who are unable

to worship with us on Sunday. Wealso help to keep the prayer list upto date and welcome our newestbabies into the congregation. Any-one who would like to join us in thisministry is very welcome! We meetthe third Wednesday of the monthfrom 5-6 PM in the Van Atta Room.

Names on the prayer list, printed inthe Sunday bulletin, are supposedto remain there for 30 days or, untilthe person being prayed for or amember of their family calls to ad-vise us to continue the listing or re-move it. If anyone would like to be

on the prayer list or knows someonewhom they'd like placed on it,please call Kathleen Johnson, ouroffice manager, and let her know.

The current weekly prayer list isalso posted on the bulletin boardoutside the church office and in thenewsletter.

Also, please note that hospital pri-vacy rules do not allow them to tellchurches (or others) when someonefrom their congregation is in thehospital. Please remember to tellthe hospital during the admissionprocess that you, or a member ofyour family, are parishioners at St.Paul's. You should also call thechurch office or Father Weller to letus know who is in which hospital and

when we can visit or how we canhelp. Sometimes, a hospital visit isnot recommended or advised. Inthose cases, we can put you, or a

member of your family, on ourprayer list and then visit later, at amore appropriate or beneficialtime.

St. Aelred's request of all of you isto share with us your need forprayer or the needs of a memberof your family or others. This helpsus be better prepared to reach outto members of our parish family inspiritual friendship. Please let Fa-ther Weller or Kathleen know ofyour needs. Thank you for being our"eyes and ears!

Page 9St. Pauls NewsThank You: From the Ingells Family

To the Congregation:M elissa, Lester and I offer our heartfelt gratitude to each of you for the countless ways you supported usduring Norris's illness and final passing. The visits, calls, meals, notes, e-mails, memorials, hugs, and espe-cially your prayers and presence gave (and still give) us strength and courage to go on.

Special thanks to Gordon, Steve, Kathleen, Susie, Vicki and Melanie Walker, Chuck Millar, Jannel Glennie,Rick Laub and the women of the ECW Steering Committee. The service and reception were beautiful. Manywho don't attend St. Paul's commented on the beauty of both, as well as the hospitality of our church. We wereproud to be part of such a good congregation and believe Norris would be delighted with it all.

We know many of you mourn his loss, as well. And while we miss him more than we can express, we are grate-ful for his freedom and joy in New Life and for the full and gifted life he lived on earth. Thank you from ourhearts!

Carol & Melissa Ingells

By Carol Ingells


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St. Pauls NewsPage 10

Parish Stewardship(Or lets not burn down the Parish House)

By Debby Pierce

A s I look around the Parish House and church, I see it is time for my semi-annual stewardship/housekeepingreminder. We have several very important issues that we all need to be aware of. First, if you have ameeting, please make sure the outside doors are all locked before you leave (check the outside handle of theParish House doors [front] to be sure the handle is in a locked position). Be sure the Cloister door is locked, ifyou exit by way of the Cloister door, and be sure to push it until it latches.

If you have made coffee, be sure the Bunn coffeemaker is turned off. If you are the last to leave on Sunday,

make sure the coffeemaker and coffee urns are turned off. The coffee urns were left plugged in on ChristmasDay and not discovered until the 27thbad smell. The Bunn coffeemaker was left on January 24 and when thecaterers came in the next morning, the pot had gone dry and blown out a fuse. Unfortunately, the icemaker ison the same circuit, so the ice all melted and the maker was filled with water.

These are all potentially dangerous situations, and we all need to be more diligent to see that nothing serioushappens.

Sometimes I Wonder

By Sue Millar, Book Cart Manager

S ometimes I wonder if the effort of the BookCart is worth it. Its not about making a profitfor St. Pauls. Its about making written resourceseasily available to parishioners. My thought, whenI decided to take on this project, was that it would-nt take too much time and would be easy to do.No big deal.

The Book Cart, as I hope you know, provides pa-rishioners with a chance to purchase books I securethrough the Cathedral Book Shop. Bibles, PrayerBooks, books on theology or church history, liturgi-cal materials, books that nurture individual spiritualgrowth, books for children and their parents areavailable. You get the idea.

Its okay when the monthly display registers nosales, since people often browse and at least areaware that the books are available. Still, sincebookkeeping is pretty far down on my list of funthings to do, and even this project requires a mini-mum, there are times I wonder, Why did I takethis on?

Then last month, following the service during whichFr. Weller preached on praying with your children,a young mother asked if we had anything that

would help her as she nurtured her three-year-old(Continued on page 11)

Vestry Highlights

Because of the lateness of the Vestry meeting, February21 (as late as it can be), the shortness of the month (asshort as it can be), and the desire to get the newsletterinformation to you in a timely manner, Vestry Highlightswill not be included this month. Minutes may be found onthe bulletin board across from the rector's office.


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Page 11St. Pauls News"The banners are up! The banners are up!"

By Tom Shawver, Staff Writer

I t's a cry worth repeating throughout the church, at the culmination of a years-long project to cap the renovation of the Merrifield Room with a host of colorfulbanners hanging from the rafters. The effect is akin to an heraldic display in a me-dieval castle or cathedral, only these are different.

The eight double-sided banners, shaped like shields and measuring about three bythree-and-a-half feet, represent eight seasons of the church year. They're on permanent display for presentand future congregations of St. Paul's to learn from and enjoy.

The Merrifield Room banners were first envisioned by Catherine Hornbach, an interior designer who was a con-sultant for the $1 million renovation project at St. Paul's that started about 10 years ago. She recommended a"great room" concept for the main fellowship hall of the church.

Following up on this recommendation, Mary Luginsland of the "People United" renovation committee asked

Jean Shawver to head up a banner committee, and she, in turn, invited eight other women in the congregationto join her.

"All the women have special talents for creativity and are proficient in the fiber arts," said Jean. They areMary Luginsland, Ruth Farmer, Marilyn Rider, Sally Boron, Debby Pierce, Chris Krupka, Elisabeth Richard-son, and Susan Bonfiglio.

The women began by viewing banners in churches in the Lansing area and beyond, then brainstorming amongthemselves before settling on the seasons of the church year as the theme. Research followed on colors andsymbols, such as the Christmas rose, the Easter lily, and the Epiphany star. The focus is on simplicity of designand strong graphic representation.

Before construction began, the group had to deal with other issues, such as state and local fire regulations, fab-ric choices, acoustical problems, hanging devices, and color fasting the fabrics used.

Ever since then, the committee has met in the Merrifield Room in groups of three to six, usually, with sewing ma-chines, irons, and ironing boards at the ready.

"It has been a wonderful experience," said Jean. "In many ways this has been the best committee I've everworked with at St. Paul's.

Assisting in the project were several men in the parish, most notably John Irwin, Rod Sanchez, Max Pierce,and Alan Boron.

in the practice of prayer. I quickly responded that I would call the Cathedral Book Shop to see what was avail-able.

Accommodating as always, they immediately shipped out a couple books that I thought might do the trick. Thetiming was good; the following Sunday was Book Cart day. This inquiring mom purchased one of the two booksand she was so appreciative. The second book, geared toward older children, was purchased that day by an-other parent.

To connect Sunday worship, sermons, the nurture of children, and helping parents with an important responsibil-ity, all of these made me realize that, Yes, it is worth it.

(Continued from, Sometimes I wonder, page 10)


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Page 12

This collect is usually read in the midst of the pre-Advent preparation, and where the reading, marking, andlearning might be accomplished, the "inward digestion" usually is postponed for time's sake. My pact withmyself this Lent is to take this prayer and its admonition of inward digestion more to heart. I usually take thetime to read and mark certain passages of the season. At times I may even commit some to memory becauseof their importance. This Lent, the Lenten discipline (read training exercise) will be to take the time to in-wardly digest that which is appointed. I urge you to consider a training program for yourself. The benefit isenormous; the prize eternal.

(Continued from, Lenten Discipline, page 1)

7. Ministry to those whom we seek: in process by the Evangelism committee. We are doing better, but need tocontinue to grow this area.

8. Contact time & talent responders: not done yet, but Evangelism intends to make contacts. We need more

newsworthy events.9. Continued emphasis in Youth Ministry defeat two-layer system: in process by Youth Christian Ed.

10. Alpha program for fall: not done, Adult Christian Ed.

11. Know the flow: not done, Adult Christian Ed.

12. Advertise Lenten Programs to the community: not done.

13. Family weekend camp: not done.

14. Ministry to families with young children: in process.

15. Ministry to singles: in process.

16. Tell personal stories: in process.

17. Redefine space Russians, Sudanese, Closing the Gap: Design & Preservation is working on this.

18. Take more personal faith risks: not done.

19.Build on Stewardship drive: not done.

Goals for 2006:

1. Include portion of the Mission/Vision Statement in the Sunday bulletin and monthly newsletter on a regularbasis.

2. More direct attention to accomplishing the specific actions listed in documents.

3. Purchase new Phonic ears.

4. Be sure large print bulletins are available.

5. More discussion on sensitive issues: disabilities, gender issues, race or ethnic issues.

6. Expand the Welcoming process with mentors, mentor training, formalized welcoming process.

7. Continue to expand the Baptismal Covenant Process, but change the label to fit specific situations.

8. Develop new slants to our worship:

a. Eucharist in the Gardenb. Special Sunday focusc. More roundtables in the Merrifield roomd. Look at statistics to see what they say

9. Expand the horizons of our Service Committee to inform the parish ERD, CESA, Sudanese work.

10. Review Welcoming Church document monthly: status of changes, accomplishments.

As you can see, we are working hard and will continue to work hard on these goals. If you want to see the Ves-try in action, please come to any meeting on the third Tuesday of the month. Everyone is welcome!

(Continued from, Vestry Retreat, page 1)


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218 W. Ottawa

Lansing, MI 48933Phone: 517-482-9454

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Choir Room: 517-482-0369

Website: Stpaulslansing.org

St. Paul's Episcopal Church

Lansing Michigan

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

St. Pauls Episcopal Church Staff

The Rev. Dr. Gordon Weller, Rector

The Rev. Susie Shaefer, Curate

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 Staff

Christine Caswell, Editor

Tom Shawver, Staff Writer

Helen Hiscoe, Proofreader

Lyn Zynda, Layout Editor

Documents

St. Paul's News - March, 2006