May Newsletter 2011

Easter at Saint Paul’s was magnificent, joyful and beautiful. The choirs, organ and brass created a soundtrack that lifted every heart that heard it. James Pope with his helpers put on his usual wonderful repast for choir members between the services. Cathy Glazer added juice and doughnuts in the Dixon House that gave relief to parents with little children who needed another kind of lift during a service that was a little longer than they were used to. Jonathan Nidock and the Altar Guild did a terrific job during the whole week with its eleven services. Virginia Emlen produced seven worship sheets plus “Get Connected” – everything you could want to know about Saint Paul’s in springtime. Alix Jones and her Flower Guild outdid themselves with the beautiful floral arrangements. Because of everyone’s ministries carried out with such joy, people’s experience of Easter at Saint Paul’s was exuberant!

Exuberance is one of those Latin words that literally means by reason of being fruitful, imaginative and productive. It reminds me of the anonymous American hymn that likens Jesus to the fruitful apple tree: “The tree of life my soul hath seen,/ Laden with fruit, and always green:/ The trees of nature fruitless be/ Compared with Christ the apple tree…. This fruit doth make my soul to thrive,/ It keeps my dying faith alive;/ Which makes my soul in haste to be/ With Jesus Christ the apple tree.”

Worshipers experienced Easter at Saint Paul’s to be exuberant. It was imaginative. It enlivened our faith.

Jesus desires our exuberance. He wants us to be fruitful at his resurrection – “Go and make disciples of all!” (Matt. 28: 19) And in the Gospel of John “the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord” and then he sent them out to embody compassion for all (John 20: 20-21). May we be as exuberant as the apple blossoms that gild the spring, enlivening faith, bringing others to Jesus, and embodying his compassion and life.

The Rector will meet with parents and young people to talk about confirmation on Sunday, May 1 at 9:40 a.m. in the Swift Bird Room. Bishop Frank Turner will be with us on Christ the King Sunday, November 20 at 10:30 a.m. for the celebration of Confirmation. Confirmation is Spirit’s strengthening us to carry out the promises we have made or that have been made for us at baptism. We generally baptize young people at grade nine and older.

The Reverend Jean Mather, Ph.D., will teach her annual spring course on Paul’s missionary journeys and spiritual “journeys” of our own, beginning on Tuesday, May 3rd and continuing through the 24th at 7:30 p.m. in the Dixon House Library. The story begins with Jesus’ ascension when he says to us “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses… to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1: 8). How does the Spirit empower us as witnesses? We will meet Paul on the road to Damascus. We will accompany him on his two missionary journeys. Finally, we will go with him to Rome where Paul sends his “final account” of the faith that is in him. You won’t want to miss this exciting class of Paul’s journeys and ours every Tuesday evening starting May 3.

Friday Night Bible will look at parents and children in the Bible, on Friday, May 6 at 7 p.m. in the parish hall.

As always beer, wine and nonalcoholic options plus baked goods will be available as refreshments. How did Mary and Joseph handle Jesus as a twelve-year-old, how about Lois and Timothy? Find out about these and other parent-child relationships at Friday Night Bible.

All welcome.

Thank you to Saint Paul's Choir for a job well done during Holy Week and Easter. Saint Paul's is fortunate to have a large group of dedicated singers that work hard and strive to make music at the highest level. Over the course of Holy Week, Saint Paul's choirs offered a total of 22 pieces of choral music in praise of God. Their contribution greatly enhances our parish worship. On Easter Day, over 70 singers of all ages joined to sing two festal services, and our young choristers sang expertly! In addition, we were fortunate to have guest brass players from the Curtis Institute of music on Easter Day. Our Organ Scholar, Caroline Robinson, is also a Curtis Student, and Saint Paul's music department is grateful to enjoy such a strong connection with the school!

If you enjoyed the music on Easter Day, now is time to think about getting your child into the chorister program next fall!

Zach Hemenway, Director of Music and Organist

Pictures Provided by Van Williams 4/24/2011

2

If you were in church a few Sundays ago, you may have noticed a large tent behind the pews. This tent, and a collection of supplies that accompanied it, was Saint Paul’s response to the terrible tragedy in Japan. In the aftermath of the quake and the tsunami that followed it many in Japan have been without a place to stay. The tents provide privacy, shelter from the elements, and most importantly a place to call home as their nation rebuilds. The ShelterBoxes provided by Saint Paul’s join over 1500 other ShelterBoxes sent to help the island nation. It’s just one of the many ways that we here work to live the message of Christ. Jesus said to love thy neighbor, even if said neighbor is halfway across the world.

The Rector will present the Episcopal Peace Fellowship’s first Passion for Peace award to peace activist and Maryknoll priest Father Roy Bourgeois, a 2010 Nobel Peace Prize nominee for his tireless efforts as a peacemaker on Sunday, May 15th at 3 p.m.at the Friends Center, 1501 Cherry Street in Philadelphia.

After the presentation of the award, Father Bourgeois will speak about the School of the Americas on Fort Benning military base in Fort Benning, Georgia, that he has been on a 20-year crusade to shut down.

Bourgeois’ presentation will be followed by a Q & A session and a book signing for Disturbing the Peace which chronicles his amazing journey from decorated naval officer and Purple Heart recipient to priest, pacifist and anti-war activist The event is being sponsored by the Episcopal Peace Fellowship, the Catholic Peace Fellowship and the American Friends Service Committee.

The entire event, which will conclude with a reception, is free and open to the public. Though this award is given through the Episcopal Peace Fellowship, Saint Paul’s identity has been one of peace and reconciliation as far back as J. Andrews Harris after the Civil War to the memorial erected to Dag Hammarskjöld in 1962.

The combined lower school choirs of St. Alban’s School for Boys and the National Cathedral School for Girls directed by William Hutto will be singing at Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church, 22 E. Chestnut Hill Avenue, Philadelphia on Sunday, May 22 at the 10:30 a.m. worship. Both schools share the campus of the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. The National Cathedral School began in 1900 and has thrived in educating girls for strong character, great intelligence and skill. Nine years later, thanks to a bequest from the niece of President James Buchanan, Saint Alban’s School was formed for boys. A scholarship endowment at this school provided for the education of boys to sing in the National Cathedral Choir. Children from grades 4 through 8 in both schools will form the choir and sing for worship at Saint Paul’s on the 22nd.

3

The Nominating Committee is pleased to nominate the following parishioners for election to the Vestry for a four year term expiring May, 2015: W. Roderick Gagné, Paul Sehnert, Dr. Arthur Stokes, and Jill K. Wemple. The Committee also nominates the following parishioner for election as a Delegate to the Diocesan Convention for a three year term expiring May, 2014: Edward W. Smith.

This year’s Nominating Committee is comprised of: Wilson M. Brown, Chair, S. Van Williams, Vice Chair, Lynn Carroll, Elizabeth Evans, Charles Head, Jr., John D. Rollins, and Carolyn West.

Thanks to all.

Holy Week and Easter worship raised interesting questions about the configuration of worship space in the church. The choir used the back of the church to sing their Meditation on the Passion of Christ on Palm Sunday evening. The sound was beautiful. We used the back of the church to good effect for the Easter Vigil on Saturday evening. Then on Easter Sunday the chancel was full to overflowing with seventy choir members plus musicians.

Over the summer the parish plans to work with Lawrence Hoy Liturgical Architects, recommended by our friend the Rev. Dr. Gordon W. Lathrop at Lutheran Theological Seminary, to get thoughts from the parish, to explore how the back of the church can be appropriately finished, and how we can configure the front of the church to take into account its many uses.

The parish will hold its 156th annual meeting on Sunday, May 15. There will be one service of worship at 10 a.m. on that day followed by brunch and the annual meeting in the parish hall. There will be an annual report of the different ministries of Saint Paul’s. This year stewardship and finance will cooperate in their report to show the interconnection between our pledging and the financing of our ministries. The Nominating Committee will present its slate of candidates for vestry and delegate to Deanery and Diocesan Convention. We have so many wonderful and gifted people in the church so the process is to prayerfully discern who is being called to this service at this point in our life together. There are other points that will call forth other people. The Holy Spirit gives the church community what it needs at the appropriate time.

Women from Saint Paul’s will hold a retreat at Cranaleith Spiritual Center (www.cranaleith.org) on Saturday, May 7 from 10 AM – 3 PM. In every age women’s voices have echoed God’s most tender mercy. Women’s Voices: Ever Ancient…Ever New will explore God’s creativity in partnering with women throughout the ages - uniting God’s dream with the feminine wisdom of such women as Mary of Nazareth, Therese of Lisieux, Edith Stein, Dorothy Day and Dorothy Stang. Come and be nourished in and through the voices of these women as you discover God’s desires to partner with you in extending God’s most tender mercy in our world.

4

The Gathering of Men (Saint Paul’s men’s Group) is having a dinner party at the Rectory with spouses on Friday the 13th in May at 6:30 p.m. The meal will be prepared by a group called Soups On, a homeless catering service sponsored by the Salvation Army.

The Gathering of Men meets weekly on Thursday mornings from 7 to 8 a.m. to discuss topics ranging from life’s purpose to fulfilling relationships.

April 12, 1861 marked the fall of Fort Sumter and the beginning of the Civil War. Shortly after, on April 15, President Lincoln called for three-month troop volunteers. Mower General Hospital in Chestnut Hill cared for over 20,000 wounded soldiers during this way. Historian Joe Fafara will lead a Saint Paul’s group to the historic Gettysburg Battlefield on Saturday, May 7. Persons interested in going will meet at Saint Paul’s at 8 a.m. and car pool to Gettysburg. The group will tour the battlefield, break for a hearty lunch and continue the tour until leaving at about 4 p.m. For those slightly less interested n the battlefield there will be sight-seeing and shopping in the town of Gettysburg. The Sesquicentennial of the Civil War provides Americans with the opportunity to reflect on the importance of this pivotal period in our nation's history. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain who commanded the 20th Maine at Gettysburg wrote: “In great deeds something abides. On great fields something stays./ Forms change and pass; bodies disappear, but spirits linger, /to consecrate ground for the vision-place of souls./ And reverent men and women from afar, and generations that know us not /and that we know not of, heart-drawn to see where and by whom great things /were suffered and done for them, shall come to this deathless field to ponder and dream; /And lo! the shadow of a mighty presence shall wrap them in its bosom, /and the power of the vision pass into their souls.”

Saint Paul’s young people, Jasmine Davis, Tom Sivick and Mohammed Wasaam will meet on Sunday, May 22 at 4 p.m. in the Swift Bird Room. The meeting will prepare the young people to understand the Sioux tradition. They have already examined the Euro-American and Afro-American traditions.

The group will help prepare Camp Gabriel there for its 15th anniversary, and help with a three-day, overnight camp for Sioux children.

High School youth will be washing cars for mothers and others on Sunday, May 8 during the 10:30 a.m. worship. Youth will wash your car while you are enjoying Mother’s Day worship at Saint Paul’s. The proceeds will help defray the cost to Saint Paul’s youth who are making the pilgrimage to the Standing Rock Reservation on the Great Plains in North Dakota this summer.

5

Carl P. Rabbe and the Rev. Robert Michael Davidson light the candles after the prayer for light.

(Yara Simón/for NewsWorks)

Open Your Hands to the Poor”

“

Saint Paul’s Service held Wednesday April 22, 2011 http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/neighborhoods/germantownwest-oak-lane/item/18194-fundraiserpreviews-face-to-face-spring-art-show A poster with “The Regulars” hung in the church for all to see. As attendees sat down in Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church chancel, where the choir sits, they were able to see the many people who regularly participate in Face to Face, a human services organization that provides free meals, health care and other programs in Germantown for people who are homeless or can’t afford the services on their own. The Chestnut Hill church held an evening prayer titled “Open your hand to the poor” as part of holy week. A few years ago, the church got involved with the Bethesda Project, which helps the homeless, and it wanted to work with an organization that was closer to home. Face to Face was their choice.

The lights went dim as part of the ceremony. After everyone recited a prayer for light, more than 30 candles on a sacred table were lit, and people were invited to dip their hands into a bowl of baptism water to alleviate suffering and homelessness. Later, they dipped their hands in the same bowl, where Rose of Sharon anointing oil had been added.

The soft honey-like smell filled the church as Mary Kay Meeks-Hank, executive director for Face to Face, started talking. Meeks-Hank was drawn to the part of the service where the audience said, “To those we barely notice, God draws especially close.” She shared a story of a woman who has a serious mental health issue and is involved with Face to Face. “We might turn away from her on the street,” she said. “At Face to Face, she has an identity.” This interaction with people who may not be recognized normally is where the group got its name. Meeks-Hank was accompanied by two Face to Face artists, Dexter Herbert and Beverly Treadwell, who will have their work displayed at the 2011 Spring Art Show on May 6 starting at 5:30 p.m. at Face to Face. Though Treadwell may not consider herself a great artist, she likes being part of a connected group. She has been part of Face to Face for at least four years and has helped passing out food in the dining area. As a diabetic, the medical services offered there are important to keep her weight and sugar levels under control, she said. Treadwell can go on and on about the programs offered at Face to Face. One day she hopes to open a center like it to help others, she said. A small reception followed the service, and Beverly Gast, who has attended the church for 25 years, took the time to thank the Face to Face participants for attending. Gast had three social events to choose from that night, and ultimately decided to attend the church for its traditional outreach sermon, which has given the church an opportunity to work with Our Mother of Consolation, a Catholic church across the street, before, she said. The New Philadelphia, a poem from an unknown author, was read toward the end of the service. She thought the line “there was no difference between Kensington and Chestnut Hill” perfectly summarized the change that needs to take place. “That should be printed in a newspaper somewhere,” she said. “This can be and will be in a New World.” The Face to Face Spring Art Show will be May 6, 5:30-7:30 p.m. 109 East Price Street, Philadelphia, PA 19144.

Call 215-438-7939, or email: www.facetofacegermantown.org for information 6

The Wissahickon Deanery, 14 congregations strong, is the most racially, culturally, and socio-economically diverse deanery in the diocese. We have much to share with each other, learn from each other, but up until this time, no opportunity to do so. Now is the time!

Who: The 14 congregations of the Wissahickon Deanery What: Sunday service at one church, with all of the deanery churches at worship as one Where: St. David’s Church, intersection of Dupont and St. David’s Streets, Manayunk When: Sunday, June 19th at 10 am How Buses will transport from your home church to St. David’s at a designated time – no car needed, no parking issues!

Do you presently sing in your choir, and want to sing in a combined choir on the 19th? Please let us know by May 22nd. A copy of the anthem the choir will sing will be sent to your church. If your church does not have a choir but you want to sing in the combined choir, let us know.

Would you be willing to bring two-dozen cookies for the reception after the service? Please call the phone number or email the address below.

There will be supervised activities for children, so please do bring your children to the service.

There will be ample opportunity for all to meet and mingle following the service, and we encourage everyone present to participate in getting to know your neighbor.

Any questions? Please send an email to wissahickondeanery@gmail.com or call St. David’s Church at 215-482-2345.

7

This Easter Bibles will be placed in the pews at Saint Paul’s. This will allow worshipers to meditate on a Bible passage before worship, or look up the wider context of one of the readings for that Sunday. If you would like to donate a Bible in memory of a loved one or in honor of someone who means a great deal in your life, donations of $15 can be made. Contact the church office.

On May 22, Lisa and Len Hacking will be watching their first born child graduate from Tufts University. A college graduation is a milestone for any family but for the Hackings, this day is a major miracle. When Sarah Hacking was just a toddler, she was diagnosed with a serious, life altering condition. The Saint Paul’s community prayed hard for the life of this little girl who bravely donned her signature pink bandana to cover her head, and walked with the other angels and cherubs to the tune of “O Come All Ye Faithful” in the 1994 Christmas Pageant. Lisa and Len didn’t give up hope that their little girl would survive. Through chemotherapy and other treatments, they advocated tirelessly for their daughter. Their perseverance with the medical system, a loving team of supporters, and the power of the grace of God got Sarah through her illness. Saint Paul’s rejoices with Sarah on this joyful and triumphant occasion!