Spiritual Fruit— Gentleness from the Rector

There’s a story told about the winter of

1777-78 at Valley Forge in Pennsylvania.

Actually, there are a lot of stories told

about that winter, but the one I’m talking

about involves a detail of soldiers of the

Continental Army who were working one

day to reinforce the defensive works

around the American position. The work

involved felling trees and lifting heavy sec-

tions of logs into position one on top an-

other to build fighting fortifications. It had

gotten late in the intensely busy day and

the squad was working to lift one last log

to complete the top of their section of the

wall, but exhausted, the work was not go-

ing well. From where he stood to the side,

their corporal shouted louder and louder,

“Put your backs into it, men! One, two,

three, heave!” One attempt after another

ended with the giant log collapsing back

onto the shoulders of the exhausted men.

A tall figure stepped up to the men

from the gathering dusk, wrapped in a long

coat against the cold. “Why don’t you help

them, sir?” the stranger asked. “Sir, I am a

corporal. They will get the job done, or I

will know the reason why!” The newcomer

shrugged and stepped under an open spot

on the log. “Okay, men,” he said quietly,

“now!” and the group lifted the final piece

into its place, completing the wall.

Most of the men collapsed to the

ground, slapping each other on the back for

having finally finished their work. The cor-

poral just stood, looking after the stranger

as he brushed off the shoulder of his coat

and walked away toward the center of the

encampment. “Who the heck does that one

think he is?” he spit. “You don’t know?”

said one of the men, poking another, “That

was the General.”

Gentleness is not seemingly a quality

that is much valued in our world. In our

sometimes obsessive emphasis on individ-

ual rights and personal prerogatives, any

Inside this Issue

Parish News & Notes

Vestry highlights

Upcoming Events

EYC Happenings

Church Calendar and

Ministry Schedule

sign that we are not standing up for our-

selves, is seen as some kind of character

flaw. With General Washington’s corporal,

we are led to feel that if we give way on

any point, if we give up any privilege, oth-

ers will take advantage, or step all over us,

or use us for their own ends. And so we

guard our turf, and we protect our position,

and in the process, we have come to equate

gentleness with weakness.

But for Paul, and for every other an-

cient writer, the Greek word that most

modern English translations render as gen-

tle or gentleness was only used to describe

the powerful, those who were possessed of

great strength and the character to produc-

tively channel it. In creating his list of the

fruit of the Holy Spirit, Paul isn’t suggest-

ing for a moment that Christians will or

should become doormats, but that the Spir-

it can teach us how to be truly powerful.

Jesus himself is our best example of

what it truly means to be gentle. The Son

of God, who had laid down the glories of

heaven to live as one of us, was the same

one, we are told, who picked up children

and said they were the model for those that

want to experience heaven. He was the

same one who taught us to turn the other

cheek and to walk the extra mile. He was

the same one who endured even the cross,

for us. Far from being a doormat, Jesus’s

awareness of his strength empowered him

to be gentle to those in need, to restore the

dimly burning wick, to lift up the lowly

and restore the broken reed.

Day by day, we will encounter situa-

tions where it is easy to react with privilege

or anger or even violence. But when we

accept the reality of who we are in Christ,

we can be gentle, whatever conflicts may

arise. That is the gentleness that the Spirit

of God offers to grow in my heart and

yours.

THE GOOD NEWS October 2014

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Parish News and Notes

Upcoming Events Sundays—8 a.m.—Holy Eucharist, Rite 1, 9 a.m. Choir Practice, Parish Family Breakfast,

10 a.m. Choral Eucharist, Sunday School. Coffee Hour following the service.

Mondays—6 p.m.—Education for Ministry—Rector’s Study

Tuesdays—6 p.m.—Saints, Sinners and Cynics—Rookies Sports Bar

Wednesdays—12:10 p.m.—Holy Eucharist and Healing Service

Saturday—October 4—6 a.m. St. Paul’s Yard Sale and St. Ann’s Guild Bake Sale

Wednesday, October 8—6 p.m. Potluck Supper and Program—End Times

Sunday, September 12—5:30 p.m.—EYC Back-to-School Pizza at Firedome

October 17- 19—Fall Gathering at All Saints’ Camp

Sunday, October 19—5 p.m. E.Y.C. to Cates Farm, CCO Sunday—Dry Pasta

Monday, October 20—Noon— St. Ann’s Guild

Tuesday, October 21—5:30 p.m.—Vestry Meeting, Rector’s Study

Saturday, October 25—10 a.m. Prayer Shawl Ministry

Wednesday, October 29—6 p.m. Sloppy Joe Supper and Program—End Times, 6 p.m. EYC Halloween

Supper with the Presbyterians.

Larry makes a

difficult point

during his first

sermon from St.

Paul’s pulpit.

Good-bye for a While from our Postulant

Last Sunday afternoon, September 28, I drove to

Trinity Episcopal Church in Owensboro for my formal

orientation to my six-month Discernment Internship for

the Diaconate. The meeting was facilitated by Deacon

Rose Bogal-Allbritten, who is in charge of diaconal

formation for the Diocese of Kentucky. Deacon Rose

introduced me to my Discernment Committee, and pre-

sented the schedule for my meetings with the Commit-

tee, including sessions to examine Prayer, Outreach,

Preaching, and Power. The final session I won’t attend

as the Committee evaluates my time with them.

I then met less formally with Fr. Pat Connell, Rec-

tor of Trinity Church, to discuss the outreach compo-

nent of my time there. He was pleased when I let him

know that I had already begun working on the project

to bring a support group from Matthew 25 AIDS Min-

istry to Trinity to serve the clients in the Owensboro

area. We also discussed my preaching schedule—I will

preach at Trinity on Sunday, November 9.

Next Sunday, October 5th will be my first Sunday

attending Trinity as Intern. Fr. Pat will be introducing

me to the congregation at each of the three services that

day, though I will only be attending the services that

day, not serving in any capacity. That will be very dif-

ferent for me.

When thinking about traveling to Owensboro every

Sunday and Wednesday for the next six months, and

about how much I will miss being here with you, I am

reminded of Psalm 121:

I lift up my eyes to the hills,

from where will my help come?

My help comes from the Lord,

who made heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot be moved;

he who keeps you will not slumber.

He who keeps Israel

will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper;

the Lord is your shade at your right hand.

The sun shall not strike you by day,

nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all evil;

he will keep your life.

The Lord will keep your going out

and your coming in

from this time on and forevermore.

Please continue to pray for me; I shall always keep

you in my prayers. Love one another, pray for each

other, and serve Christ and his Church, receiving his

blessing of eternal life in heaven!

God Bless All of You,

Close•Up Giving Our challenge for giving to Christian Community Out-

reach for September was toothpaste, the first time that

has been our collection. All told, we collected more

than 75 tubes of dentifrice, though as anyone who has

had to stand in the dental care aisle at the supermarket

or pharmacy can tell you, the variety is nearly over-

whelming. We had toothpaste from Crest, Colgate,

Aim, AquaFresh, Pepsodent, and the aforementioned

Close•Up. We supplied the stuff in fresh mint, ultra

mint, cool mint, original mint—and cinnamon. We

gave toothpaste is tartar protecting, cavity protecting,

even triple protecting and triple action.

We did not compute how long a ribbon might be

created from all those tubes, nor did we calculate how

many total brushings it represents, but with nearly 400

ounces of toothpaste given for CCO to distribute, one

thing is certain, a lot more families in Henderson will

be able to smile bright and breathe easy.

Blessing of the Pets St. Francis of Assisi, friar and mystic is known for

his learning, his piety, and for his love of animals. Be-

cause of that association, we celebrate the Feast of St.

Francis, by blessing the animals that are dear to us.

On Sunday afternoon, October 5 at 4:00, you and

your pet are invited to gather in the children’s play-

ground where Fr. Rich will lead us in prayer and medi-

tation on the natural world, and help us celebrate the

blessing of the pets in our lives. Join us to say thanks to

your special friend—and to thank our Lord for giving

us such friendships.

It’s finally here!

Annual Yard Sale Saturday, October 4 – 6am to 1pm

Come for baked goods, hot dogs and lots of stuff!

Coming this Month Leslie Newman—EYC has a fun October planned!

Fall break for Henderson County Schools starts when

the last bell rings on Friday October 3, and EYC will

wind up the vacation week at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday Oc-

tober 12, at Firedome Pizza and Wings, with supper

and the chance for our youth to talk about how they

spent their time away from school.

In the meantime youth looking for something to do,

or service hours, or both, are encouraged to volunteer

anytime between 6 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday, Octo-

ber 4 to help with the parish rummage and bake sale.

Proceeds from the bake sale will help fund St. Ann’s

scholarships for All Saints, and the rummage sale haul

always goes to a good project, last year for new choir

robes.

On Sunday, October 19, EYC will travel once

again to Cates Farms for their fall extravaganza, which

includes picking pumpkins from the pumpkin patch, the

corn maze, games, hay ride and roasting hot dogs and

marshmallows. Then on Wednesday, October 29 at 6

p.m., the Presbyterian Church will host not only our

youth but our entire parish, for a Halloween party,

complete with supper, games and treats. Costumes are

encouraged! Details of how we will contribute to the

supper will be forthcoming.

Fall Sports Leslie Newman—Keep an eye on the sports page for

St. Paul’s Warner Mattingly playing soccer, and Ren-

ner Wehr playing football, both for Henderson County

High School. Better yet, head out to watch them play!

It’s Almost Calendar Time Leslie Newman—EYC calendars will be arriving soon,

and will sell for $7 again. So start saving your change.

And it will be time to fill boxes for the Seamen’s Min-

istry and Operation Christmas Child next month, so as

you are dodging the Christmas decorations sprouting in

the store aisles already, please focus your holiday over-

load on how you can help others as we head into the

season.

Gathering this Fall at All Saints Leslie Newman—Diocesan Fall Youth Gathering at

All Saints is from Friday October 17 until Sunday Oc-

tober 19. Anyone looking for an excuse to see the camp

in fall, please see Fr. Rich or me because we’ll need

help with transportation. Thanks to St. Ann’s Guild for

making it possible for our youth to take advantage of

the wonderful opportunities provided by our diocese

and our diocesan youth director, Kendall Badgett, and

the staff and volunteers at All Saints.

Youth Happenings Leslie Newman—Our outdoor movie night at Commu-

nity Baptist on Sept. 5 was postponed, unfortunately,

but we moved the event to St. Paul’s for an indoor

movie night, and our Presbyterian friends were able to

join us! Fr. Rich got us set up in the Parish Hall, Jenny

grilled our hot dogs on our griddle, and we added chips

and even some veggies for supper. The kids watched

the popular movie, Heaven is for Real, and then we

walked down to the Logan’s cheerful new frozen yo-

gurt shop on Second St. for another treat!

Feeding the Children Leslie Newman—As it turns out, I was the only

“youth” from EYC who was able to join the Feed Our

Starving Children community event sponsored by the

United Methodist Churches and Holy Name Catholic

Church on September 20. I worked with ladies from

Greater Norris Chapel Baptist Church, Poole Mission-

ary Baptist Church and a family with four children

from Newburgh who were from Crossroads Christian

Church on the 9 -11 a.m. shift. Time flew and we had

much fun. And in the end we were part of packing

256,000 meals for hungry children, meals that will be

distributed at feeding centers around the globe.

Jumping for Joy! Leslie Newman—The youth from St. Paul VBS part-

ners, the Presbyterian Church and Community Baptist

Church gathered on September 28 for a long-awaited

trip to SkyZone, the new indoor trampoline park in Ev-

ansville. It was quite an experience, and fun was had by

all. Caitlyn said this adventure was on her bucket list

and she now can cross it off! Afterwards we went to

Cici’s pizza, where one (especially a young one) can

eat all the pizza they want. Special thanks to the

“Presbys” for driving us all in their church van.

Financial Summary as of August 30, 2014

Pledged Amount to Date $116,667

Pledged Income received to Date $113,278

Other Operating Income to Date $36,743 Operating Expenses to Date $159,695

All Saints Needs YOU! Kent Preston—Our beloved All Saints Episcopal Con-

ference Center and Camp is in need of all our help. A

tradition in our church that was started many years ago

was to have the Sunday plate collection on All Saints

Sunday go to benefit All Saints. This has never been a

huge amount, but every little bit helps.

All Saint’s has experienced a very difficult year,

however, and is looking for a special level of support

on All Saints Sunday. We are trying to raise $25,000.00

across the Diocese of Kentucky for a place that is very

near and dear to most of us, and I am calling on all the

folks of our Parish to help support All Saints.

I was told once by Fr. Morrison, that I was the first

person in All Saints history to be a camper, a counselor,

a board member, and Chairman of the Board. So you

can see how much this place has had an impact in my

life. I know All Saints has had that kind of impact with

so many at St. Paul’s. I ask you to please support this

wonderful ministry by giving what you can, in the of-

fering plate on All Saints Sunday, November 2, or with

a special gift between now and then.

Perfectly Pretty Parish Picnic It was a beautiful day at Audubon Park for St. Paul’s

Parish Picnic September 28. Fr. Rich and Evalyn led

our prayers and praise, with a special emphasis on old,

familiar singing. Ribs and chicken were provided by

the Parish by way of J&B Barbeque, and the rest of our

feast included the usual side dish and dessert bonanza

for which our Parish is deservedly famous. If you

missed this year’s picnic, you missed a wonderful time!

Vestry Notes At their monthly meeting on August 15, St. Paul’s

Vestry:

Reviewed Parish financial reports for the end of Au-

gust, showing net income for the month.

Completed plans for the Parish Picnic and discussed

Sunday morning breakfast participation.

Received a status update on the Operating Fund cam-

paign. Sixty-six pledges have been received so far,

though individual calls have not yet begun.

Discussed arranging for a periodic external audit to

assure responsibility. Estimates will be solicited.

Heard a pastoral update on Barbara and Bebe, rejoic-

ing that Marty could attend the meeting. We will use

the take-a-meal website program to help when Bar-

bara returns home.

Was informed that all Vestry members are current

with Safe Church training, with two employees need-

ing to complete the newest modules.

Confirmed that we have pledged $27,886 to the Dio-

cese for 2015, 14% of our 2013 operating revenue.

Celebrated River Bend Academy’s rental of the west

side of the annex building.

Examined the Rector’s proposed 2015 Operating

Budget, including a modest increase in pledged in-

come, reduced budget for investment income, an in-

crease in nursery spending to allow for expansion of

our program for children, and a balanced 1% increase

in operating revenue and expenses. Members will

consider the Budget for approval at the next meeting.

Elected Carolyn Fuller and Greg Powell as delegates

to the Diocese of Kentucky Convention in Novem-

ber, with Kathy Powell and Leslie Newman elected

as alternates.

The next Vestry meeting is October 21.

Education for Ministry Underway Education for Ministry, the four-year program of theo-

logical education for the laity of the Episcopal Church,

is back in session at St. Paul’s. Though there is still

opportunity for others to join the class, Marty White

and Paula Crowley of St. Mary’s, Madisonville will be

beginning their first year of the program. EfM veterans,

Larry Courtney, Kathy Powell, and Bill Brodsky will

be taking up Year Two. In addition, we are hosting

three learners from Trinity Church, Owensboro as they

complete their programs.

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church Staff

The Very Rev. Rich Martindale, Rector

Leslie Newman, EYC Director

Evalyn Champion, Organist/Choir Master

Donna Mulcahy, Bookkeeper

Judy Duncan, Parish Secretary

Phone—270-826-2937

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church 5 South Green Street

Henderson, KY 42420

www.stpauls-henderson.org

Vestry Members Service Times Wardens Michelle Green, Carolyn Fuller Sunday 8:00 Rite I

Clerk Susie Watkins 10:00 Rite II

Budget and Finance Hugh Hennessy Wednesday 12:10 Rite II

Building and Grounds Becky Stone w/ anointing

Parish Life Marilyn Dixon, Greg Powell

Outreach Carolyn Fuller, Marty White

Worship and Music Mike France

Christian Formation and Youth Michelle Green

Communications Susie Watkins, Michelle Green

Treasurer Becky Carroll

Prayer List Parish Family Steve Dan George Marsha Bebe

Billy Barbara Terry Donna Seymour Michelle Rita

Our Family & Friends Don Pam Farley Jerry

Byron Kathy Nancy Jeff Carol Polly Beverly

Peggy Evan Whitney Darrell Mary Catherine Elijah

Diane Ethan Herb Barry Jack David Reagan

Patty Joe Mike Chris Karen Ken Alan

Bonnie John Wayne Logan Isaac Camden Agnes (Because our newsletter is published on the internet, Barbara Laurie

only first names are listed here.) Linda Heather Brandon