From the Rector
Fall Mission and Ministry

My dear parishioners and friends of St. Paul’s, 

The summer is drawing to its close, and we are at that time of year when the realities of our saying  “we will do this during the summer” come home to roost!  We have had a constructive summer in preparation for the fall programs.

If you have access to a computer, please go to our website at www.stpauls-kst.com, where you will find information on our Christian Formation programs for children, young people, and adults, as well as the various ministry opportunities.  If you do not have access to a computer, hard copies are available to you in the tract rack at the back of the church, as in previous years.

New initiatives

I am very proud of the initiatives that have emerged with regard to our mission and ministry.  You will recall that last January I challenged us to begin to look more outside of ourselves, and I asked the hard question, “Who would miss us, apart from us, if we were to close our doors?”   Since that time, a working group and the Vestry have designated certain areas for mission both at home and abroad.  At its last meeting, the Vestry appointed a Commission on Mission to be headed by Rhoda Geasland and Kenwin Benn, with the leaders of the various mission activities at home and abroad constituting the other members of that Commission.  You will read elsewhere in the Epistle of some of the work that has already begun.

At the time of writing, three of our parishioners, Sean Byrd, Jo Stelzig, and Tina Mallett are on a mission visit to Washington’s companion Diocese of  Honduras.  I know that they will bring back some ideas and projects for our consideration and participation.  As we near the new academic year at George Washington University, you will be hearing from David McGaw and those assisting him about our new initiatives for campus ministry at GWU in conjunction with the Diocese of Washington.

Our long-standing programs for the hungry and the homeless will of course continue—and with opportunities for more and new involvement there.  On September 11, a number of our parishioners will be participating in the building of a house in Washington as part of a Habitat for Humanity project that is both ecumenical and interfaith.  Jane Stephenson and David Gurr have established contact with Stevens Elementary School, and you will very shortly be reading about opportunities for our involvement there on a number of levels.  I know that you share with me an excitement about this stepping out and reaching out as we seek to do the Lord’s work at home and abroad.

The Building Improvements Committee has continued to meet regularly during the summer, and they, in conjunction with our new architect, are coming up with specific plans and designs for our new construction.  As you have read before, this project now will involve not only the new addition, with the elevator, but also the incorporation of the current townhouses where the offices now are and the newly acquired 2422 K Street into one integrated plant.  This is obviously a huge undertaking, and the Vestry will be looking at ways for us to be able to do this.  The Building Improvements Committee will be making presentations to the parish at large when plans are formulated and various hurdles for approval have been jumped accordingly.  Watch this space and the parish notices for more information on that.

We have had some wonderful meetings regarding resources required in 2005 for our various ministries.  These have taken the form of hearings, as it were, on Sunday mornings, and at the time of writing there are two more such sessions to be presented.  We have all been delighted by the attendance and participation in this.  It bodes well for a faithful and authentic budget for the year 2005.  All this, too, is, of course, part of our exercise of Christian stewardship, and you will read later in the Epistle of our rather early approach to stewardship this year, beginning in this month of September.  I am grateful to Kenwin Benn and Matthew Leddicotte and the members of the Stewardship Committee and others who have given their unqualified support and energy to this project.  You will be hearing much more about this both in September and in October.

Music director search

During the last three weekends of August and the first weekend of September, we shall have had visiting us four candidates for the position of music director here at St. Paul’s.  I am grateful to my advisory committee for their hard work and their input, and it is my hope that I can make an appointment of a new music director at the very beginning of September.  We received 29 applications for the position, all of which were of the finest caliber, and we are delighted with and excited by the four finalists who will be visiting with us.  In our considerations for this position, we have weighed heavily on the importance of our children’s choirs.  More and more, I am convinced of this area of our life as being uniquely important.

I can think of very few downtown, urban, Anglo-Catholic parishes that have the life and ministry to, from, and with children and young people that we do here at St. Paul’s.  Not only with our excellent Catechesis of the Good Shepherd on Sunday mornings, but also the work of Christian Formation through music with our Boys’ Choir and our Girls’ Choir.  Boys’ and girls’ choirs in the tradition of the Royal School of Church Music are in themselves a vanishing breed in this country, and we are one of the very few places left where this important work goes on.  In a very real sense, the benefits of glorious music from these young people are a side product of the formation of these young people as catholic Christians as well as fine musicians.  And this costs!

Some years ago, the Vestry took the plunge and supported the position of assistant music director—in the sure and certain knowledge that without such position to assist the music director, one of the children’s choirs would have to be abandoned simply because of the pressure of time, rehearsals, and resources.  But they remain committed to this work with the children’s choirs, and I personally regard it as an important priority in our mission and ministry.  All four final candidates who will be visiting us have experience with boys’ and/or girls’ choirs, and every one of them is certainly well qualified in this area.

While it has been sad to see Jeffrey Smith leave after twelve years of distinguished service, I think we can feel blessed by the legacy that he has left and excited by the possibilities that are before us for his successor.  Jeffrey seems happy in his new position, where he is receiving, quite rightfully, good and strong and enthusiastic support at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco.  I will be present at Jeffrey’s installation as a Canon of the Cathedral on Thursday, November 4, and I am honored to have been invited by the Dean, the Very Rev’d Alan Jones, to preach at the Cathedral on the following Sunday.

TICC and Walsingham

At the end of September and the beginning of October, I shall be away taking study leave.  This will enable me to attend the first International Conference of the Trinity Institute for Christianity and Culture (TICC) at Holy Trinity, Sloane Street, in London, from September 20-24.  This conference will bring together the international consultants for the Trinity Institute from around the world, including the United States, Syria, Lebanon, and Germany.  The title of the conference is “Christianity and Culture—Meeting the Challenge of Diversity.”  The keynote speakers are Lord Hurd, former Foreign Secretary in the Thatcher government and a distinguished churchman, and the Rt. Rev’d James Jones, the Bishop of Liverpool.  I shall be giving an address on Tuesday, September 21, on the subject of “The Challenge of Diversity in Our Global Village.”  The various addresses to be given will be published in the conference proceedings, and I am sure that they will be made available to us at St. Paul’s at a later date.

As an Honorary Guardian of the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham, I will be attending the Guardians Chapter meeting at Walsingham on Tuesday, October 5, and Wednesday, October 6, returning to the parish the following day.  This will also provide me with an opportunity in the days prior to the Chapter meeting for a time of quiet and reflection at Walsingham.

By way of advance notice, please note that we shall be hosting a second Walsingham Festival on Saturday, October 16, and it will follow the same format as last year—with a Solemn Mass at 11 AM, followed by lunch, and then devotions and sprinkling with Walsingham water in the afternoon.  Our guest preacher on that occasion will be Fr. Philip Barnes—someone whom you may remember as a summer seminarian with us some years ago—who is now the Shrine Priest at the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham. Please advertise this event among your colleagues and friends.  This will also be a good way to prepare for our parish’s pilgrimage to Walsingham in April of next year.  If you are interested in going on that pilgrimage, please watch the Epistle for further details. David Eld has kindly agreed to be the coordinator once again; he can be contacted at deld@magicglobal.com.

We have, I think, before us some exciting and challenging times, and I know that you will all respond with your customary enthusiasm and generosity.  I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your undying support of the mission and ministry that is the Lord’s in and from this parish church.

With my love and gratitude in Christ, as always,

Andrew Sloane +

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Commission on Mission Appointed

In response to Fr. Sloane’s call for a renewed commitment to our parish’s outreach and mission programs, the Vestry approved a new Commission on Mission in July.

The Commission will serve as an information center for parishioners and volunteers to participate in outreach ministries, working with evangelism, our neighborhood, and the diocese to expand and maintain programs.

You could say the Commission on Mission is a team within St. Paul’s to organize events and programs that make sure the parish does not stop within our walls, but goes forth into the world rejoicing in the power of Christ.  And that’s where you come in, as our parish missionaries.

Previously, St. Paul’s outreach programs were scattered and sometimes somewhat buried in other parts of the parish organization system—falling under evangelism in some cases or pastoral care in others.  The new Commission on Mission allows the parish to march forward with a team dedicated to outreach and brings everything under one outward-looking, mission-oriented umbrella.

St. Paul’s mission projects fall into two categories—at home and abroad.  For the foreign projects, the parish will focus on Honduras, Malawi, and Companions in World Mission.

On the domestic front, we have the continuation of our hunger/homeless ministries: Grate Patrol,  Red Sea, the Salvation Army meals, and the winter shelter.

St. Paul’s is also adding three new neighborhood mission fields: the college ministry, led by David McGaw; a tutoring program with Stevens Elementary School, led by Jane Stephenson and David Gurr; and Habitat for Humanity, led by Stephanie Chesson.  (See related article on p. 5.)

The mission teams are already active—with hunger/homeless activities every weekend, a team that visited Honduras in August, a Habitat work date set for September, and plans brewing for a musical kickoff for the college ministry this fall.  There are plenty of opportunities for you to join the mission—at least three each week, in fact!  For more information, contact any of the program leaders or the Mission vestry liaisons, Rhoda Geasland, Deb Loucks, and Kenwin Benn. See the box at right for more information on the programs and look for the Mission Calendar on p. 2 and for monthly updates in the Epistle on the St. Paul’s missions.  [AF]

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New Parishioner Profile: Nicholas Goldsborough

Although Nicholas Goldsborough is officially new to St. Paul’s, he is, in fact, returning to his home parish of over 30 years ago.

It was in the early 1970s that Nick first attended St. Paul’s.  Work subsequently took him across the country: He has been a member of St. Mark s, Philadelphia; St. Thomas, Fifth Avenue, New York; St. James, Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles; and St. Thomas the Apostle, Hollywood.  In all these parishes, Nick has either sung in the choir, served as an acolyte, or served on the vestry.

In Los Angeles, Nick worked at the Music Center, where he served as the executive vice president.  Among Nick’s responsibilities was work on funding the new Walt Disney Concert Hall.  Prior to that, Nick was the deputy director of development at UCLA.  Nick has also been the major gifts officer at Harvard University.

It was work that brought Nick back to Washington, too: He is the new managing director of the Shakespeare Theatre.  Nick hopes to transform it into America’s leading classical theater company and to create a small performing arts center for downtown Washington.

Despite their many other differences, culture and faith have at least one thing in common: They can transform the communities around them. “I believe parish churches, when guided by the Holy Spirit, have the capacity to reach into communities and make them better places in which to live,” says Nick. We must strive to see God in ourselves and in others. One purpose of the church as a community is to get others to recognize God at work in the world and to prepare ourselves as we journey home to God.  

Please welcome Nick at the 11:15 AM Mass.  [EB]

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Adult Discussion Group Studies Church Music

During the “academic year” 2003–2004, St. Paul’s adult discussion group surveyed the history of Christian music.  Using as our text The Story of Christian Music by Andrew Wilson-Dickson, we reflected on and listened to (thanks to the Rector’s venerable CD player) the many varieties of music in Christian churches, from the earliest years through the end of the twentieth century.  Our musical heritage is vast, varied, and beautiful—including early Mozarabic and the later Gregorian chants, polyphony, Palestrina, Martin Luther’s hymns, Mozart, Bach, Bruckner, and the music of the Orthodox churches.  Music has enriched the liturgies and lightened the lives of Christians in all times and places.

Our author, a British scholar, walked us through examples of church music, often categorizing examples into art music  and popular music.  There is, he demonstrates, an inevitable tension between the urge of skilled musicians to offer their talents to their Lord and the desire of ordinary Christians to enliven their worship with joyful, albeit inexpert, noises.  Both are, he argues, acceptable; both can be true expressions of Christian worship.  We see something of this in our own parish; some of us like to sing the Mass settings of the 9 o'clock service; others prefer to leave it to the pros a t the 11:15 High Mass, as one member of our group put it.

Wilson-Dickson gives considerable attention to the development of what is now categorized as Gregorian chant, perhaps the highest accomplishment of Christian musicology.  Specifically Anglican music is also given close attention.  He recounts the evolution of Anglican service music including the Mass settings of Merbecke, the glorious but difficult organ music and anthems of the Chapel Royal in the seventeenth century by musicians such as Purcell and Tallis, the psalm-singing in eighteenth-century country churches, to the revival of Anglican chant and the development of hymns and communion settings in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries by Ralph Vaughan Williams, Charles Villiers Stanford, Herbert Howells, John Mason Neale, and others.  He is a bit hard on many Victorian compositions and describes the challenges involved in maintaining high standards of Anglican chant.  Anglican music is of course but one piece of the mosaic of Christian music, but it is one worth honoring and continuing.

As we at St. Paul’s lament the departure of Jeffrey Smith and anticipate the arrival of our new organist/choir director, we might take time to reflect on the role of music in the life of the church in general and our parish in particular.  We make a substantial investment in our music program because we believe it is part of an “acceptable offering” of praise and thanksgiving.  At St. Paul’s, we do so also because we know that our music program has brought many people into our parish family and others to at least a brief experience of the glories of our faith.  Above all, we are thankful for the tireless efforts of those—clergy, choristers, and others—who make our music program the source of great joy.  [DB]

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A Letter from Jeffrey Smith

Thank you, dear friends, for an unforgettable sendoff from St. Paul’s last June.  The glorious Evensong was unforgettable.  Closing the memorable day was a festive picnic.  Your generous gifts are most appreciated and, still more, the thought and care behind them.

To encapsulate nearly twelve years at St. Paul’s is far beyond my journalistic ability and the space allocation of this newsletter.  I’ve seen much change and growth at St. Paul’s, among parishioners, activities, and even in the look of the place.  St. Paul’s has likewise served as a platform for my own growth, as a musician and as a person.

I am grateful for the unstinting support shown me by Fr. Martin, Bishop Valentine, and, most recently, Fr. Sloane.  For his affirmation of music within the parish program, as well as for his support of me personally, I am particularly thankful.  I feel blessed to have worked with clergy who are not only attuned to music’s role in worship, but musically conversant themselves.

There is extraordinary dedication shown by your adult singers, choristers, and choir parents.  They display a combination of aptitude and commitment I’ve rarely encountered elsewhere.  I have learned much from them.  The congregational repertoire of hymns and service music enjoyed at St. Paul’s is second to none, and I have been inspired countless times by the fervor of your corporate singing.  I have appreciated that, with its liturgical priorities, St. Paul’s is in essence a mini-cathedral.  As I move now to Grace Cathedral with its large staff, I marvel that at St. Paul’s so much is accomplished with limited means.

A particular joy was my work with children at St. Paul’s.  Their ministry in music has proven itself an effective means of outreach and spiritual formation.  That an urban Anglo-Catholic parish should undertake such a counter-cultural venture requires patience and no small commitment.

Many individuals have supported the strong musical expansion of the parish.  The addition of the musical assistant position brought teaching and performing standards to new heights and created a more manageable working schedule.  I am especially grateful to those whose vision and generosity made possible the installation of the Schoenstein organ in 1995-1996; it gladdens me to know that this instrument is not only perfectly suited to the parish’s needs, but also well known throughout the organ-building world as a landmark installation.

Serving as a full-time church musician is both a career and a calling.  My time among you has brought not only professional growth, but also important changes in my personal life.  Elisabeth and I are daily thankful for the care and encouragement shown to us and for the loving nurture shown our son.  St. Paul’s will always be “home” to us.  Frederick Buechner writes, “the place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”  I am honored and thankful to have been called to serve among you.  [JS]

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New Pilgrims Library Planned

If you are a Pilgrims in Christ alum and have ever wondered how you might express your thanksgiving for that experience in a tangible way—or even if you have not yet been able to participate but support our efforts—we invite you to contribute a monetary offering to the new Pilgrims library!

These monies will be used for a collection of basic texts and tracts for Pilgrims participants to use throughout the year, to highlight and supplement our regular material.  The collection will be kept separate from the parish library, and we hope to acquire multiple copies of the books that circulate, and perhaps enough of the smaller tracts and booklets to give one to each person as the topics arise.

If you would like to help, please make checks payable to St Paul’s Parish, noting “Pilgrims Library” at the bottom.  Many thanks!  [ED]

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Building a Habitat for Families

Building a new house for a low-income family in D.C. is an exciting enough project, but that is not the only mission of Interfaith House, a new ministry for St. Paul’s this year.

The work on the house may involve pounding nails and pouring a foundation, but, more than construction materials, the house is about building community and building bridges—within our own church and with other people of faith in the D.C. area.

So on a day at Interfaith House, you might learn something new about grout or hinges, but you re also sure to learn something new about other St. Paul’s parishioners, the working poor in D.C., people from other denominations and faiths . . . and maybe even yourself.

The project is run by Habitat for Humanity, a 28-year-old nonprofit Christian housing ministry, with the mission to eliminate substandard housing and homelessness in the world. 

Interfaith House is a relatively new initiative within that mission. Interfaith House is intended to bring diverse faith partners together with the common goal to serve the poor, as well as to bring healing and create a sense of unity. The first work day that St. Paul’s will be involved with is Saturday, September 11—a day that Habitat leaders intentionally chose to create an opportunity to do something positive, charitable, and peace-building on a day that could otherwise lead to divisiveness.

St. Paul’s parishioners will be working that day alongside members of Our Lady of Mercy, a Roman Catholic parish in Potomac, Md., and the All Dulles Area Muslim Society.

Future work days—which will come every couple of months—could include participation from those groups or other area churches, mosques, synagogues, or other organizations.

St. Paul’s involvement with Interfaith House came as a result of Fr. Sloane’s call to the parish last spring for a renewed look at mission.  The project was one of the new initiatives selected as a result of that process.

Stephanie Chesson is overseeing the parish involvement this year, but there is a need for many more people to get involved.

St. Paul’s involvement will include a number of work days on the house, with five to seven parishioners working each day.  In May 2005, young St. Paul’s parishioners will have the opportunity to participate in a special “youth build day” as a part of a National Day of Interfaith Youth Service.

To work on the house, you need only enthusiasm, not necessarily any prior construction knowledge or experience.  Work on the house—which can include anything from painting, sanding, or gardening, to putting up drywall or putting down turf—is supervised by Habitat employees, who will instruct volunteers in what to do.

But hard work leads to hungry bellies, and that’s where the second opportunity for involvement in the work day comes in: lunch.  All groups will contribute food, but St. Paul’s is leading the effort for the September 11 work day.  A St. Paul’s volunteer needs to coordinate the effort and make sure any religious dietary restrictions are taken into account.

Breaking bread is so often a prime opportunity for creating community, and the Habitat work days are certainly no exception.  A St. Paul’s volunteer is also needed to help organize a program during the lunch, in which participants can share and learn about one another’s faith traditions.

The organizer would not need to be an expert in the area or do the research in an effort to become one, but just be willing to coordinate among the three groups to create a program where all can share and learn from one another.

Millard Fuller, founder and president of Habitat for Humanity International, has said that building relationships among people of different faiths can create a certain tension, “but it is a healthy tension that we can live with and be strengthened by.”  

And Fuller has been sure to note that while the effort is decidedly interfaith, Habitat remains an overtly Christian ministry.  Fuller has said, “You don’t  have to exclude Jesus to include others.”

Indeed, including others seems to be what the project is all about—including people of varied backgrounds and skill sets and including a new family into the world of home ownership. Interfaith House is just one house within a 53-townhome development that Habitat has planned in a northeast Washington neighborhood.  The area was previously occupied by public housing.

The effort aims to bridge the gap between the 20 percent of Washington, D.C., residents who live below the poverty line and the median single family home price of $289,000.

Habitat helps provide affordable housing for low-income families by selling the simple homes at no profit.  Costs are kept low by the volunteer labor of groups like St. Paul’s, along with donations of money and material. It’s not a giveaway program, however.  The residents make a down payment and mortgage payments on the houses, as well as contributing hundreds of hours of “sweat equity”—their own labor goes into building their Habitat house and the houses of others.

Join them and others in sweat and faith and hope for the St. Paul’s Interfaith House initiative.  [AF]

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Pilgrims in Christ Begins New Year

A new Pilgrim’s in Christ program begins Wednesday, September 8.  Sign up today!

How?

Sign up on the parish website (click here), or call Fr. Sloane or Edie Davis.

Who?

• Adult candidates for Baptism, Confirmation, Reception (from the Roman Catholic or Orthodox Churches), or Reaffirmation (of Baptismal vows by those already confirmed in the Episcopal Church).

• Members of St Paul’s who are willing to join this year’s pilgrimage as sponsors.

• Anyone who simply wishes to learn more about the basics of the Christian Faith and life, the Anglo-Catholic tradition, and/or St. Paul’s Parish—or to refresh that understanding.

What happens on September 8?

There will be a dinner at 6:45 PM, upstairs in the dining hall (following the regular 6:00 PM Mass), hosted by Pilgrims alumni.  The Pilgrims teaching team will give an overview of the year.  A good time will be had by all!

When and where does Pilgrims usually meet?

Wednesday nights at 6:30 PM in the Guild Room.  (Please bring a bag supper.)  Sessions begin promptly at 6:45 PM and end by 8:45.  There are also three public rites at the 9:00 AM Sunday Mass and three Saturday retreats. A full schedule will be distributed at the first class.

Admission to this year’s Pilgrims in Christ will end on September 15!  (Newcomers arriving after that time will be assigned a mentor and will join Pilgrims in the fall of 2005.)

Is there a special orientation session for sponsors?

Yes!  This year, for the first time, we will have a tea for potential sponsors on Sunday, September 12, at 4:00 PM, in the Guild Room.  This special event will give sponsors an opportunity to ask questions and to receive information about this important role.  [ED] 

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Parish Photo Directory to Arrive in September

The new parish photo directory is almost here!  Olan Mills is expecting to ship the directories to St. Paul’s by early September.  They will be available at the church, free of charge to all who had their pictures taken (one per household).  Extras can be purchased for $5.  The directories will be available in the church after services and in the parish office.

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Mission Calendar—2004 Hunger/Homeless

Grate Patrol—every weekend

Preparation Fridays, 3-5 PM
Delivery Saturday and Sunday mornings

Red Sea—dinner Tuesdays,  6:30 PM

September 21 and 28
October 5, 12, 19, 26
November 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
December 7, 14, 21, 28

Salvation Army—dinner preparation First Friday of each month, 5-7 PM

September 3
October 1
November 5
December 3

Habitat for Humanity

 Saturday, September 11

Fannie Mae Help the Homeless Walk-a-Thon

Saturday, November 20 on the Mall
St. Paul’s Mini-walk—date to be announced

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Feast Days in September

Holy Cross Day
Tuesday, September 14
7:00 AM          Low Mass
Noon              Low Mass
6:00 PM          Low Mass

St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist
Tuesday, September 21
7:00 AM          Low Mass
Noon              Low Mass
6:00 PM          Low Mass

St. Michael and All Angels
Wednesday, September 29
7:00 AM          Low Mass
Noon              Low Mass
6:00 PM          Low Mass

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September Birthdays

1   Eamon Boylan
2   Ann Schnorrenberg
3 Wallace Spaulding; Bruce  Bush
4 Herschel Abbott, Jr.; Barbara  Jorgensen
5   Cornelia Landis
6 Shelley Thompson; Theodore Pawlik; Katherine Dirks;   English Koontz
8   Donald Davies
9   Geoffrey Peckham
11 Diana Ogilvie
13 Scott Hardy
14 Phyllis Laumaillet
17 Kim Browning; Ryan White
18 Sidney Bakke, Jr.
21 Austin Bakke, III
22 Jonathan Doster; Alisha White
24 Linda Robinson; Enoghene  Ajueyitsi
28 Monique Grant

If you have a September birthday that was not included, or if there are any mistakes, please contact the parish office.  [MW]

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Parish Statistics

Baptism: Vivian Bryce Jones (June 27, 2004)

Death: Victor McKenzie Newton (July 12, 2004)

Transfer in: Hugh A. Shawen from St. Timothy’s, Washington

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Deadline for the next issue: Monday, September 6 (Labor Day)