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It became more comprehensible to me when I understood the trips were a series of short one or Youth Group 9
September 2008
Page 4
St. Paul's News
Sampler Sunday
By The Rev. Ronald C. Byrd, Sr.
his year Sampler Sunday, September 21, will be a one-day event and has been scheduled two weeks
T later than its usual time to provide each organization at St. Paul’s an opportunity to participate in a
“Sampler Sunday Show-Jesus Contest.” Each group, guild or committee is being asked to coordinate a display
which best explains its ministry. Small tables and other accessories will be available; however, participants are
encouraged to be creative and thoughtful in preparing their presentation, as “juicy” prizes will be awarded to
the organization with the best booth, setup or display.
Sampler Sunday is an opportunity for members of the congregation to explore where their personal gifts
might be best utilized in the overarching ministry of St. Paul’s. For some it may be an opportunity to become
involved in a new or different ministry program; for others it will be a chance to recommit themselves to an
organization with which they were formerly involved. Don’t forget to mark this date on your calendar, because
you never know where God might be calling you. For questions or details, please contact Kathleen Johnson
or Annette Irwin.
will discuss the teachings of the Episcopal religion and December 8 - We shall continue our annual tradition
help us find answers to the questions we have always of a Christmas celebration with a special luncheon be-
wanted to ask about our faith. These questions will fore a concert in the church. Since Nancy Lange is no
then be put to John Keydel at our next session. longer the Choral Director in Grand Ledge, we’ve in-
vited the Someko singers from Okemos, as our own
September 29* - John Keydel, the Canon for Ministry Matt Nauss is a member of this talented Okemos High
Development and Transition Ministries from the Dio- School group.
cese of Michigan, will answer the questions we have
about our faith that we formed on the 15th, as well as January 12 - Fr Weller will give us a presentation on
any additional ones we thought of during the interim. the Roman Catholic Church and how it presently re-
lates to the Episcopal Church by comparing and con-
October 20* – “Where I encountered God this sum- trasting the two faiths.
mer”…a chance to share a summer activity and how
we saw God’s presence therein. Fr. Weller will also January 26 – We will visit the Cathedral of St. Mary’s
share tales of his sabbatical. and have someone there guide us and talk to us about
the Cathedral and the catholic faith.
October 27 - We will take a trip to St. Katherine’s
Episcopal Church in Williamston to see their present February 9—Steve Lange will give us a presentation
church (along with their art gallery), the original on the Wesley brothers and the relationship of Metho-
church, their labyrinth, and some of their grounds. dism to Episcopalianism.
We’d also like to have communion in the original February 23 – We will visit Central United Methodist
chapel and have the Rev. Jannel Glennie talk to us church next door and tour their facilities. We will also
about their church and its history. continue our conversation with Joe Huston, their minis-
November 10 – As we look forward to St Paul’s 160th ter, about the Methodist church and their faith.
Historical Celebration in May 2009, we’ll begin to March 2, 9, 16, 23, and 30—Book Reviews during
compile the continuing history of St Paul’s since 1970 Lent
when “To a Goodly Heritage” was written. Recent his-
tory is very important and by telling our own stories of April 13 – NO meeting since this is the day after
our lives at St Paul’s during the last 38 years, we will Easter
be able to add to the timeline that will be going up on
the wall in the Merrifield Room during the Celebration, April 27 – We will take a trip to see the work of the
and share the anecdotes that make our history a living City Rescue Mission. While there, someone will talk to
document. us about their ministry.
May 18*—Picnic at Nancy Sheldon’s home.
September 2008
Choirs News
St. Paul' Page 7
Summer Baptisms
By The Rev. Ronald C. Byrd, Sr.
September 2008
Page 8
St. Paul's News
WHAT IS ALTAR GUILD?
By Sue LeDuc
t. Paul’s Altar Guild is a committee (we just use the old-fashioned word “guild”) that takes care of the altar
S and all the altar furnishings for the church. The guild is organized by weeks so a member has duties just
one week of any month. To be fair, we rotate the major holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Palm Sunday and
Easter). This ensures the members assigned to the 4th week don’t always have to take care of Christmas.
Members are responsible for setting up the altar for all services held at St. Paul’s, including weddings and fu-
nerals. We also clean up after each service, polish the silver and brass as needed and launder the linen. The
“sanctuary” is our bailiwick and we keep it clean and polish the brass pulpit, the lectern, crosses, etc.
Let me clear up some “myths” about the guild:
• Membership does not require special knowledge of those “mysterious” things that happen at the altar.
• Membership does not require status as a life-long Episcopalian or even long-time membership at St. Paul’s
• Membership does not require any special training or study other than the hands-on training we give to
every member
• Membership does require people who are interested in serving the church is this quiet and rewarding way.
If you are interested and think this might be a way you could give back to our parish community, please con-
tact Sue LeDuc (349-4079) or Pat Riley (882-1691) You will find a group of people who are fun, caring and
who always help each other out.
28th with Kristine Miller, Director of Stewardship and A revised stewardship brochure is being developed
Planned Giving for the diocese and with her advice that will be distributed at Sampler Sunday on Septem-
and encouragement, adopted some changes for 2008. ber 21. The committee will be looking for volunteers to
Most importantly, financial pledge cards will be sepa- stuff packets at the Family Night Dinner on Wednes-
rate from Time and Talent cards which will be distrib- day, September 17th. Please, watch for your invita-
uted in September. Instead, the committee is planning tion to “Invitation Sunday,” the bulletin and future is-
“Invitation Sunday” on November 2 (All Saints Sun- sues of SPN for further details about the 2008 Every
day). Pledge cards will be distributed at the begin- Member Canvass.
ning of the “Invitation Sunday” service, there will be a Finally, the committee has been blessed with new
special guest preacher and pledge cards may be re- members Kate Johnson, Goldie Adele and Lynn
Mande-Rollins.
September 2008
St. Paul's St. Paul'Ministry
Youth s News Page 9
September 2008
MissionSt.and
Paul' s News
Outreach Page 11
n the United States, we take clean drinking water for granted while elsewhere in the
I world, a child dies every eight seconds from drinking dirty water.
You might remember the St. Paul’s community voted to build a well for a village as our
2008 project to fulfill the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). This is an ambitious
undertaking and will require us to raise $7,500 in order to build one well and provide
connections for houses to the local well.
The Water for Life fundraising campaign to reach this impressive goal is well underway. As a means to raise
the funds necessary to fulfill our commitment, Mission & Outreach decided to use water bottles to collect loose
change similar to the tithe boxes used by UTO over the years
The Meijer Store in Grand Ledge has generously donated 20-ounce water bottles for this project and we be-
gan by distributing the bottles to the congregation during the Parish Picnic. After the bottle is empty, rather
than just throw it away or recycle it, cut an opening in the top and say a prayer of thanks for the ready avail-
ability of fresh water as you drop in your spare change.
If you haven’t already done so, pick up a water bottle or replace your filled water bottle. Water bottles are
available at the back of the church. Look for goal updates in future issues of the Newsletter and Sunday bulle-
tins.
November 9-23 Check the Newsletter articles and the Sunday Bulletin
Announcements for additional details and informa-
• Thanksgiving Baskets
tion.
September 2008
Page 12
St. Paul'sand
Mission News
Outreach
Volunteers are needed!
There are few things more rewarding than making a difference in the life of a child. Consider
volunteering with Ele’s Place as a children’s grief support group facilitator, and help children
learn to cope with the death or life-threatening illness of a parent, sibling or other loved one.
Ele’s Place participants range in age from 3 – 18, and come from a wide variety of ethnic
backgrounds. People of color, males, and bilingual individuals are particularly encouraged to apply to become
a facilitator; however, any interested adult is welcome to submit a volunteer application.
Please apply by August 20 to be considered for the next facilitator training program, which begins on Septem-
ber 4, 2008. For more information, call (517) 482-1315 or visit www.elesplace.org
September 2008
MissionSt.and
Paul' s News
Outreach Page 13
The walk parallels the scenic Red Cedar River on campus and provides many chances to shorten or lengthen
the actual walk as you might wish. This is a wonderful way to help fight this insidious disease which is affect-
ing more families every year.
“The Alzheimer's Association Memory Walk® is the nation's largest event to raise awareness and funds for
Alzheimer care, support and research – and it calls on volunteers of all ages to become champions in the
fight against this fatal disease. Since 1989 Memory Walk® has raised more than $230 million for our
cause.
See Deacon Bill to join as a walker or donor. Further information may be found at the Lansing Memory
Walk web site: http://www.kintera.org/FAF/home/default.asp?ievent=272393. You can also donate on
line to any walker if you are so inclined. All checks should be made out to the “Alzheimer’s Association.”
September 2008
Page 14
St. Paul's News
Reflections on the April 19, 2008 Blood Drive
By Eleanor Doersam
y the time you read this I hope you have all seen If you do not eat meat or fish, other foods with high
B the Blood Drive Honor Roll and viewed the pic-
tures of some of our volunteers.
iron content include:
• Iron fortified cereals
Over 80 parishioners and friends worked together to • Beans or legumes – especially kidney
register a 102% goal for 51 unites of blood. Once beans, pinto beans and chick peas.
again we were commended by the Red Cross for sur- • Vegetables – such as peas, spinach, and
passing our goal of 50 units. lentils.
• Fruits – especially apricots and raisins.
I’m writing today to clarify one aspect of our drive
that disqualifies so many of our blood donors. Pub- • Enriched and whole grain breads.
lished Reference Range for hematocrit/hemoglobin for • Molasses
men is 40.7-50.3% and for women 36.1-44.3%. The
Absorption of iron from any of the sources can be im-
Red Cross uses a higher standard. If you were de-
proved by eating vitamin C rich foods at the same
ferred it is a good idea to read the nutrition fact label
meal. Vitamin C rich foods include orange juice,
of all foods you eat and determine how much iron is in
grapefruit, cantaloupe, green peppers and tomatoes.
your diet. Foods that are good to eat to increase the
Tea contains tannins which will decrease absorption of
amount of iron in your diet are listed below:
iron.
Liver, beef, pork, poultry, and fish are all excellent
Our Fall Blood Drive date is Saturday, October 11,
sources of dietary iron. These foods contain heme iron,
2008. Let’s all iron up this summer! Sincere thanks for
which is readily absorbed by the body. Shellfish, such
your generous support of this outstanding Outreach
as shrimp, mussels and oysters are also good sources
Project.
of iron.
September 2008
St. Paul's News Page 15
We pray for and celebrate the birth of Hannah Violet Hall, daughter of
Kym and Matt Hall.
We pray for those expecting: Deb and Jeff Sleight and Sarah (Weller) and
Joe Evenden.
We pray for and celebrate the weddings of: Carrie S. Ihrig and Joshua A.
Freeman, and Kayla M. Hibner and Phillip A. Kitchell
We pray for and celebrate our newly baptized: Kory Ekineh Amachree,
son of Karen and Opuene Amachree; and Hunter Michael Nicholas Riggins and Parker Robert Matthew
Riggins, sons of Courtney and Matthew Riggins
We pray and remember those in the Military, serving in dangerous areas: Daniel Reno, David Granger, and
Bill Sheldon
We pray for comfort for the family and friends of Judith A. Rush, Nancy Hiscoe Clark, Harold W. Irwin, Ber-
tha Winkle, Marilyn Britt, Tom Shawver and August D. Diedrich, Jr., who recently passed away
We pray for those who are sick and in need: Cindy Robinson, Richard, Audrie and Aaron Hegmon, Shelley
Robinson, Dennis Letner, Mason Hill, Lois Caswell, Eric Lindquist, Charles Weaver, Ben Herbert, Chance
Collins, Caroline Thomas and her family, Mary Ann Kelley, Ed Farmer, Ed Jones, Barb Hacker, Darrick,
Chris, Marjorie Belles, Cal, Kathryn and Elizabeth Senko, Daphne Such, Aleda, Rina Rister, Barb Powers,
Pam Lacey, Dave, Skip and Marsha Macholz, Patricia Reno, Chuck Buck, Rick Edwards, Leona Gordon,
Carrie, Michael Skinner, Bea Richards, Dick Wagner, Edward Such, Virginia Jessop, Judy Jones, and Mason
Beasley
We pray and give thanks for the ordination of The Rev. William H. Fineout, Deacon and for the safe return of
Fr. Gordon Weller from his sabbatical.
September 2008
Page 16
St. Paul's News
ST. PAUL’S 160TH YEAR
AN HISTORICAL CELEBRATION
By Nancy Sheldon
t. Paul’s will celebrate its 160th birthday in 2009. Plans are underway for activities and events throughout
S May, 2009, with special emphasis on the four Sundays that month.
• May 3 – Worship and Music
• May 10 – Children’s Sunday
• May 17 – Missions and Outreach
• May 31 – Homecoming Sunday
A committee began work on plans for the celebration in March, but we would like your assistance for this spe-
cial celebration.
The committee would like you to contribute any ideas you may have on ways to commemorate the anniversary.
We would ask you to share any “historical” treasures you may have: pictures, items you may have written for
the church prayers, thoughts or essays about “what St. Paul’s means to me,” interesting personal stories or
memories, music, old copies of St. Paul’s News or Sunday bulletins, cookbooks, and guild memorabilia. Almost
anything you think might be noteworthy about St. Paul’s long history.
We would also like to encourage your participation in other ways. Ideas might include putting on a play. We
need volunteers to collect “church” clothes from various decades; work on a celebration committee; and contact
former members and their families. We would love to have someone film the various events or help preserve
the memories and stories.
You’ll be hearing more about the upcoming activities, but your eyes and ears and memories are vital to a suc-
cessful, meaningful celebration. Contact Nancy Sheldon or any of the clergy if you’d like to help or you have
some “treasure” for the committee.
September 2008
St. Paul's News Page 17
September 2008
(Continued from page 1)
two day excursions with returns to a home town in between. It also fits into what I experienced during my time
away from St. Paul’s. Linda and I traveled to many places, talked with many people, and witnessed many
things, but it was always a relief to come home. Home provides a chance to renew one’s self physically, men-
tally and spiritually.
As this sabbatical comes to an end I am pleased to be among you once again. Being with you sets me at ease.
While I am grateful to have had the opportunity to experience all that I did, I am also grateful to be of service
to the Lord in this place. During the rest of the summer take your own periods of rest and relaxation, but let’s
meet again at St Paul’s in September. St. Paul’s is home.
would see him, he would want to know what I was doing and would comment if he had read any of
my free-lance articles. And I always sought him out to at least say hello.
When St. Paul’s did its capital campaign approximately10 years ago, Tom wanted me to work with
him on the publications. Fortunately, I had a workplace then that was very generous, and allowed
me to use its desktop publishing software. Tom would come into my office, and we would just sit and
talk. My supervisor from that era was a retired colonel from the state police, so one day, he and
Tom stood in the hallway chatting for quite awhile about all of the people they both knew in com-
mon. When the father of one of my co-workers died in that same time period, I was happy to see a
very familiar bagpiper at the memorial service.
The Shawvers were always good to my mother, taking her to programs and bringing her home from
church. Whenever I would showed up for a service, Tom would always check to make sure I wasn’t
planning on leaving her there. I guess he was just looking out for her.
A few years ago, Mom lost a pair of glasses in their car. I told Tom that since I didn’t work that far
from where they lived at the time, I could come over on my lunch hour. But he insisted on coming my
way and asked if I could meet him at the little coffee shop down the street just to catch up for a
while. So I did. It was still the same job but by then a different boss. I went anyway and definitely
stayed longer than I should have. But it was worth it.
Tom and I also served together recently on St. Paul’s communications committee, trying to figure out
how best to target and attract new members. If the church is to survive, it needs new blood and
ideas. But it is also important to know our history, and Tom was certainly a vital part of that.
For those of us who knew him, Tom Shawver was the embodiment of St. Paul’s. When his health is-
sues became more apparent, I realized that when he passed away, it would be the end of an era
and a great loss to my church family.
I wish I had the time to research and pay tribute to all of the guilds, special projects, and activities
Tom was involved in throughout the decades at St. Paul’s, because I feel as though I am doing him
an injustice by not recognizing all of his contributions. But he probably would have understood that
we are on a really tight deadline this month. Besides, it would probably take weeks to find all of
that information, even if I could. The man was involved in almost everything.
My prayers are with Jean and the rest of his family at this time, but my condolences go out to all of
us who knew Tom Shawver. We have suffered a great loss.
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