May 2014 newsletters

Renew

Refresh, Revitalize “...be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

Romans 12:2

Please join us!

Saint Paul’s Welcomes Spring & Newcomers

Tidings

Saint Paul’s Monthly Newsletter

The Good News of Resurrection

Open House Reception for All! Friday May 9, 2014 from 5:30 p.m.

Light supper & refreshments Under the Tent One of our great joys is the many new members who are becoming part of Saint Paul’s! We are inviting everyone to an open house reception on Friday, May 9, starting from 5:30 p.m.

There will be activities for children, along with light fare and refreshments. Come enjoy Spring and one another under the tent on the campus of Saint Paul’s. Welcome one another and the many who are new and newish to our parish family.

O P E N D O O R S

May 2014 Volume VIII Number 5

Clarence Jordan, Baptist farmer, founded the Koinonia Farm in Americus, Georgia in 1942 believing in the brother and sisterhood of all humankind. The farm was and is a Christian community with a strong tradition of social justice. Clarence earned his Ph.D. in Greek New Testament and translated the New Testament into the contemporary “Cotton Patch Gospels.” He, the farm, and the Gospel were very much at the heart of the Civil Rights movement, and Habitat for Humanity was founded at the Koinonia Farm.

Jordan said of the resurrection that it was “simply God’s unwillingness to take our “no” for an answer. He raised Jesus, not as an invitation for us to come to heaven when we die, but as a declaration that he himself has now established permanent, eternal residence here on earth. He is standing beside us, strengthening us in this life. The good news of the resurrection of Jesus is not that we shall die and go home to be with him, but that he is risen and comes home with us, bringing all his hungry, naked, thirsty, sick prisoner brothers and sisters with him.”

On the Second Sunday of Easter Jesus came home to us bringing twelve wonderful people transitioning to homes of their own from having “no place to lay their heads.” There are five adults and seven children ranging in age from 2 to 9. They are living for the month in our parish house. On May 3 we will host a Mothers’ Day party for them! Twenty volunteers from the parish are working together to make their stay as welcoming as possible. Thanks to Jake and Betsy Roak for coordinating this. If you have a chance to stop by and say “hello” please do so.

The Good News of resurrection is that the risen Christ has brought guests for us to serve. In the Gospel of Matthew Jesus says, “whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple – truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward;” and “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me” (18:5).

So when we die, of course, we are with God and all God’s love; and when we live Jesus is with us embodying that love, so that we too may love and serve, welcome and provide care. That is indeed good news!-- Cliff

O P E N M I N D S

O P E N H E A R T S

Upcoming Events Day Trip to Gettysburg with Joe Saturday, May 3rd Historian Joe Fafara will lead a group from Saint Paul’s to the Gettysburg Battlefield on Saturday, May 3. Persons interested in going will meet at Saint Paul’s at 8 a.m. and car pool to Gettysburg. Saint Paul’s parishioners 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 in the battlefield there will be sight-seeing and shopping in the town of Gettysburg.

Hershey Park

Saturday, June 7th Saint Paul’s heads to Hershey Park, Saturday June 7. Tickets include the Waterpark, Zoo, and Chocolate factory tour!

Rides and shows for ALL ages!!

Cathy Davis , kaloskid@aol.com or 215. 687.1022

Camping

Saturday, June 27th Yes, you heard right! St. Paul’s 1st annual, fun for all, camping trip! Come one, come all, and bring your gear. June 27th and June 28th at Mauch Chunk Lake Park. Only 90 minute drive to this beautiful County Park with lake to swim, boating, fishing and nature walks. Arrive anytime after 2pm, Friday and check out at 11am, Sunday. Only $30 per reservation. (includes both nights, rain or shine) Cottages available at $100 (first come first serve). If camping is not for you… come join us just for the day!!

Small park entrance fee required, per person.

Contact Cathy Davis215. 687.1022 or kaloskid@aol.com.

For park information see www.mclpark.com.

Family Potluck We are very grateful to the Christine and John Fitzpatrick for offering to host our next Pot-Luck on May 17, 2014 at 4:30 p.m. in their home. Christin and John live with their two boys; Jack and Finn at 9339 Stenton Ave, Erdenheim.You are welcome to bring appetizers, entrees, deserts, salad, cookies and beverages. Please do not hesitate to call the Fitzpatricks on 215-233-0211 or Manny for any question or concern: 404-822-1422 to RSVP.

Give mother’s car a Carwash on Mothers’ Day Youth will be washing cars for mothers and others on Sunday, May 11 during the 10:30 a.m. worship in the parking lot behind Dixon House. You can leave your car, enjoying Mother’s Day worship at Saint Paul’s, and find a sparkling clean car.

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.

The Car Wash will run from 7:30 a.m. till 11:00 a.m. For further questions and concerns, contact Manny: emercer@ stpaulschestnuthill.org

Parish Pilgrimage to the Standing Rock Reservation The annual pilgrimage to the Standing Rock will take place from Friday, July 11 through Sunday, July 20. High School youth and adults are invited to participate as peers with Sioux youth and adults in providing a threeday summer camp for children on the reservation. We will work to prepare the campsite, and help with activities. We will also have the opportunity to visit sites such as Fort Abraham Lincoln, a reconstructed village of the Mandan tribe, see where the Lewis and Clark exploration took place, and visit the North Dakota Heritage Center. Contact Cliff or Manny if you would like to go.

Meet Dave Peterson,Verger at Saint Paul’s The role of verger has a long history in the Episcopal Church. In today’s world a Verger can be very helpful in assisting the clergy and the other ministries involved with the logistics of conducting worship services.

Dave is a member of the Verer’s Guild of the Episcopal Church and upon completion of his training will become a Fellow of the Guild. The VGEC is a national organization that promotes and supports the role of Vergers in the Episcopal Church in the US and Canada.

The “uniform” of the verger is a black tunic with a gray and black Chimere and a Ceremonial Virge (used long ago to clear stray animals from paths). If you have any question or are interested in assisting in this ministry please contact Dave at verger@stpaulschestnuthill.org.

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Education Saint Paul’s Church School

Hal Taussig presents ancient Christian writings

Church School draws to a close on May 18, 2014 but our last story session and closing ceremony for Church School will be on June 1, 2014. We will celebrate our Church School teachers for an enriching year. We plan to have a soloist sing in appreciation for their wonderful ministry at both the 9:00 and 10:30 a.m. services.

The plan for that Sunday is, we will meet in our classrooms, hear a Godly Play story and then depending on the weather, meet outside or Parish Hall for a concluding feast. We are all encouraged to pray for a beautiful weather so we can sit outside on the grass.

We welcome the Rev. Dr. Hal Taussig on the first two Tuesdays in May at 7 p.m. in the Dixon House library.

On May 6 he will present the Gospel of Mary and the Odes of Solomon (a Christian Psalter). The next week, May 13 the class will consider the Gospel of Truth and The Thunder: perfect Mind. These are Christian writings composed during the period of time in which the New Testament was written. All are invited to join this fascinating class. The Gospel of Mary written around the year 120, is the only known gospel whose main figure is a woman. The Odes of Solomon are definitely psalms of a “Christian” character. Considered on May 13, the Gospel of Truth, composed in the mid-second century, integrates beauty and desire into its picture of life with God. The Thunder: Perfect Mind, written in the third century, has inspired the contemporary artistic community. Nobel Prizewinning novelist Toni Morrison has used quotations from “Thunder” in her novels Jazz and Parade. These are ancient Christian writings that are unfamiliar to most of us and have useful insights for contemporary thought. You won’t want to miss these evenings with New Testament Professor Dr. Hal Taussig.

Church School Teachers

I’d like to express my deepest thanks and appreciation to our Church School teachers for a great year. It has been a joy working with them in strengthening our Church School for the many children who come to St. Paul’s. Every child has been welcomed and encouraged to participate in Church School. We have so apprecited all the other wonderful gifts that they have shared with one another this past year; I honor them with overflowing gratitude.

For those who have opted not to continue, I am grateful for your ministry, love and support, and to those who will continue, I look forward to another exciting year.

Sunday Faith Forums on Resurrection Bishop Fred Borsch

will join us on Sunday May 4 at 9:15 a.m. in the Dixon House Library to explore the metaphysical poetry of George Herbert (1593-1633) and especially his poem “Easter Wings.”

The next Sunday, Psychologist Phillip Bennett will speak of resurrection as new life that grows from hurt. He writes: “The place where we are hurt is also the place where we can come to know love in new and surprising ways.”

Renewing… Re-thinking Church in America Chestnut Hill United Church, our neighbor at 8812 Germantown Ave., will offer a one-day conference on re-imagining the way we understand church on Saturday, May 31 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Four areas will be addressed by speakers from around the country: “churches that think”; “local church as a significant expression of community”; “spiritual practice and worship in the local church”; and “churches’ presence in the neighborhood and the world”. Anyone interested may register at suewytt7@aol.com or call 215-872-1853.

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Music at Saint Paul’s We are currently planning for a fourth season of our extremely successful and wellreceived Five Fridays concert series. Not only have these concerts brought top-quality musicians to Chestnut Hill, but ticket revenue from the series has supported two local organizations that serve the hungry and homeless in our own neighborhoods.

At the conclusion of the current series, we expect to be able to distribute about $4,000 to our beneficiaries, Face to Face Germantown and Interfaith Hospitality Network of Northwest Philadelphia.

The Series has been made possible by the great generosity of many businesses and individuals who have, in varying amounts, sponsored our 2013-14 season. Their contributions have covered the costs of presenting the series, so that ticket revenue can be directed to the beneficiaries.

Three Choirs Festival returns to Saint Paul’s Sunday May 4th 10:30am Holy Eucharist, 5:00pm Evensong For the third year, the adult and youth choirs of Saint

Paul’s Church, Christ Church Alexandria, VA, and Church of the Redeemer, Bethesda, MD will join forces to form a massed choir of over 100 voices strong. This year, the services will be recorded live for a CD - so don’t miss your chance to be a part of the hymn singing! A reception will follow the Evensong in the Parish Hall. All are welcome!

Saint Paul's Choirs sing at National Cathedral, Washington DC July 10 -13, 2014 This summer the Adult Choir and Choristers of Saint Paul's will travel to Washington DC to lead worship in the historic and awe-inspiring National Cathedral of the Episcopal Church USA. We will sing for the following services: Thursday 7/10 Evensong, Friday 7/11 Evensong, Sunday 7/13 Holy Eucharist and Evensong.

This is an extraordinary opportunity for all our singers, to prepare a sizable and ambitious repertoire to the high standards expected, and to experience the thrill of singing in such a magnificent and acoustically exciting setting.

More details will be available soon. We hope that all our friends (and their friends!) who are within reach of Washington at that time will join us for worship at one or more of these services. Please make a note of the dates and share them. If you are interested in making a contribution to support a singer in need of financial assistance to participate, please contact Zach Hemenway, or send your check to Saint Paul's clearly marked "Washington Choir Trip".

Slate of Nominees for Parish Leadership The Nominating Committee proposes the following slate of candidates for election to the vestry (the church’s management board) at our annual meeting on May 18: Diana Moro, a lawyer who has served as “mother” to our chorister program and helped organize parish suppers for chorister and Godly Play families that are open to all; Michael Latini, with skill in property, construction, and is a professional puppeteer; Cindy Clowery is a musician, harmonious in many ways, and bell choir aficionado; Nicolle Tullo is an acolyte at 9 a.m. worship and brings strong financial expertise. It is a terrific group. Nominated for Deanery and Diocesan Convention delegate is Gil Hahn. Gil for many years has been a greeter; one can often see him in the kitchen. He is a businessman and has great enthusiasm for Saint Paul’s.

We give thanks for those who have finished their terms on vestry – Dale Lower, Rector’s Warden; Linda Boggs, Secretary; Mark Duckett, Property Committee Chairperson; and Allison Romig who has served on the Stewardship Committee. Stacey Blankin finished Bob Martin’s term as delegate to Deanery and diocesan Convention. Thank you all!

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News at Saint Paul’s No Child A Slave: The Tour at St. Martin’s St. Martin’s Church, 8000 Saint Martin's Lane, will hold a program by Beyond Borders on Wednesday, May 14 at 7 p.m. about the more than 250,000 Haitian children (about 1 in 10) who live in a form of modern slavery called restavèk? Beyond Borders is a grassroots organization that works with Haitian leaders who are building the movement to end child slavery in Haiti once and for all. And it’s working. Come hear how two powerful child rights activists are making the elimination of restavèk a reality. Guyto, left, is the head of Beyond Borders’ Child Protection Program, and Tibebe, right, is a survivor of child slavery who now leads a group of other survivors.

159th Parish Annual Meeting and One worship The parish will hold its 159th annual meeting on Sunday, May 18. 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. The Nominating Committee will present its slate of candidates for vestry and delegate to Deanery and Diocesan Convention. The worship recalls our former rector, William Hobart Hare, whose “saint’s” day is May 17. He became bishop to the Great Sioux Nation and is the reason why we go on pilgrimage each summer to the Standing Rock Reservation.

April 20, Easter 2014 page 5

St. Paul’s Easter Egg Hunt & Lunch April 19, 2014

Easter Day

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Our Clergy and Staff Staff

Clergy The Rev. E. Clifford Cutler Rector ccutler@stpaulschestnuthill.org

The Rev. Emmanuel A. Mercer Assistant Rector emercer@stpaulschestnuthill.org

The Rev. Robert M. Davidson Deacon rob@4suns.com

Sonam Dhawo, Sexton Dolma Dhawo, Custodian

Vestry

Dale Lower, Rector’s Warden Rod Gagné, Parishioners’ Warden Stephen Camp-Landis, Accounting Warden Linda Boggs, Secretary Mark Duckett, Joe Fafara, John Faggotti, Bill Fikioris, Joyce Klinefelter, Richard Kolb, Tom O’Rourke, Allison Romig, Paul Sehnert, Rebecca Southwell, Arthur Stokes, Jill Wemple

Zachary D. Hemenway

Director of Music and Organist zhemenway@stpaulschestnuthill.org

Virginia A. Emlen Administrative Assistant vemlen@stpaulschestnuthill.org

Joe Russell Organ Scholar jrussell@stpaulschestnuthill.org Sarah Punderson Communications Coordinator spunderson@stpaulschestnuthill.org

Karen Richter Music Assistant krichter@stpaulschestnuthill.org

Brennan & Associates, Bookkeepers accountant@stpaulschestnuthill.org