News and Notices
PARISH NOTICES
February 5, 2012
Parish Life
The loose plate offering today goes to the Rector’s Discretionary Fund. Please be generous.
On this, the first Sunday of the month, a priest is available in the Angel Chapel after Mass for unction and healing. Please form a line outside the chapel, entering one at a time in order to provide privacy when advising the priest of your specific prayer requests.
There will be a meeting of the parish at 3:00 PM Sunday, February 5th in the Dining Hall to explain the 2012 budget that was adopted last week and to answer concerns and questions. The meeting will be chaired by the Senior Warden and the Rector, Vicar, and Vestry will be present.
Carpe Deum will gather in the Atrium following Evensong this evening and head for a local restaurant.
The First Tuesday Morning Fellowship meets Tuesday at 10:00 AM in the Carwithen Parlor.
Parish News
Fr. Andrew will be away from February 6th through February 20th on vacation and study leave.
Fr. Andrew is thinking of offering an Inquirers’ Class/Conversion for those who have not been able to participate in the Pilgrims Class and who want to be confirmed/received. This would be a 5-week class in Lent either on Sunday afternoons at 4:15 to 5:15 PM or on Tuesday evenings 6:45 to 7:45 PM. If you are interested in attending please send a message to adminasst@stpauls-kst.com and please indicate which of the two possible days/times you would prefer.
All parking permits with 2012 expiration dates have automatically been extended until January 25, 2013. No action is required to renew or replace them, and the 2012 permits may continue to be displayed with the understanding that they are valid for the remainder of this year.
Formation Opportunities & Classes
Sunday
THE RECTOR’S FORUM: Sundays 10:30 to 11:00 AM in the Dining Hall. The current series is “Forain: The Body Ensouled.” Dr. John Orens, Professor of European History at George Mason University, will speak on February 5th and 12th on “Redeeming the Savage God: Faith, Doubt and Art at the Fin de Siècle,” and Nancy Work, Forain scholar, will give a biographical sketch of Forain on February 19th. Please join us for these ground-breaking presentations!
The Adult Discussion Group meets Sunday at 10:30 AM in the Common Room. The Group is studying King’s Cross: the Story of the World in the Life of Jesus by Timothy Keller. All are welcome to join us for one or more sessions.
St. Paul’s offers Christian formation to our young parishioners from age 3 through 12th grade through Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Pre-K – 5th grade), Journeys Through Scripture (6th – 8th grade), and Ponticus (high school). All classes meet at 10:15 AM on Sundays through the school year except as otherwise announced.
Canterbury Club meets Sunday, February 5th at 5:00 PM in the Common Room for Bible study. The club is open to people of all faiths and at all stages of their faith journeys. Light refreshments will be provided. For more information contact Michele Walk at mwalk@gwu.edu or 978-7058.
Weekdays
Monday Night Yoga: Yoga is offered in the Atrium on Mondays. St. Paul’s parishioner Adeoye Mabogunje leads the class. The class meets each Monday from 6:30 to 7:30 PM, followed by a short break and period of silent meditation that will end by 7:50 PM. Each participant will need a Yoga mat and a block which can be purchased online at: www.gaiam.com/category/resources/youga-mat-guide.do (mats) and at: www.yogadirect.com/Form-Yoga-Block-4-X-6X-9 p.html (blocks). Suggested donation is $10 per class.
St. Paul’s monastic spirituality group, Hic et Nunc (Here and Now), invites you to come for any part or all of our Monday night program to share in the appreciation and growth of silence, prayer, holiness and fellowship. We gather every Monday for Evening Prayer and Mass, followed at 6:30 (in Carwithen Parlor) by shared dinner, reading of monastic rules of St. Benedict and of the Communities of Jerusalem, and discussion of a book on spirituality. We end in the church with silent prayer at 8:00 PM and sung Compline at 8:30 PM (please use the west church door to join us from 8:00—8:45 PM). For further info contact Sr. Lydia at 202-337-2020, ext 42, or jastelzig@yahoo.com.
Religion and Science Book Group meets at 7:00 PM on Tuesdays in the Common Room.
Wednesdays in Lent Program (February 29th — March 28th): “Ite Missa Est” - “Go, it is the dismissal” is the translation of the Latin dismissal of the Old Roman Catholic Mass. In our own Book of Common Prayer it is variously translated, among others “Let us go forth in the name of Christ,” “Go in peace to love and serve the Lord,” etc. At the end of each Mass we are reminded not only of the implications of the Mass but also of the Incarnation itself. As Fr. Andrew has often said, “Matter matters” because of the Incarnation. The celebration of the Eucharist or the Mass is, as in all the other sacraments, an extension of the Incarnation that we have so recently been celebrating. The implications are enormous in every way, not least of all for the ministry and mission of the church. This can be summed up in the final question of the Baptismal Covenant: “Will you respect the dignity of every human being?” To that end our Wednesdays in Lent program will be looking at some of these implications. The format will be as follows: 1) 5:45 PM Evening Prayer; 2) 6:00 PM Mass; 3) 6:45 PM Potluck supper; 4) 7:20—8:00 PM Presentation with questions and answers and discussion, in the Dining Hall; 5) 8:00 PM Meditation and silent prayer in the church; 8:30 PM Sung Compline.
Contemplative Prayer: An hour of practicing silent Contemplative Prayer, as it is described by St. John of the Cross and by Thomas Merton, is offered in the Guild Room each Friday, beginning at 8:15 AM. Instruction in contemplative prayer will be given to all participants the first time they attend. There is no need to have read St. John or Merton in order to participate. If you think you might be interested but cannot attend at the proposed time, please email Robert Druecker at RDruecker@aol.com and indicate some times that would work for you. Also, please email Robert Druecker in advance to sign up to participate in a meeting of the group.
Beginning on the second Friday in Lent, March 3rd, Fr. Humphrey will be leading a family-oriented program over five Friday nights from 7:00 to 8:30 PM. It will follow Mass and Stations of the Cross in the church, beginning in the Dining Hall with a potluck supper and continuing with an hour of multimedia presentation and intergenerational activities, including drama, discussion, crafts, and small group interaction. This year, Fr. Humphrey will lead us on a Lenten journey as we contemplate the end of Narnia—and of our own world—through the apocalyptic vision of The Last Battle. Fr. Humphrey is grateful for the able assistance for the fifth year in a row of Kristin Davidson, as well as the creative vision and talent of other parishioners, who will be transforming the Dining Hall into Narnia! To volunteer to help with any aspect of the series (food, decorations, or technical assistance), please contact Fr. Humphrey at 202-337-2030, extension 11 or humphrey@stpauls-kst.com.
Upcoming Events
Mark your calendars! St. Paul’s will host a good old-fashioned parish hymn sing on Friday, February 10th at 7:30 PM with organists Robert McCormick and John Bohl. Join us and bring your friends! A reception will follow.
Are you a mom or mom-to-be? If so, you’re invited to join us one Saturday a month for refreshment, support, laughter, and renewal in our journey as mothers. We usually get together in someone’s home or another child-friendly space. This month’s gathering will take place on Saturday, February 18th, 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM. For more information, please email annestone@usa.net. Drop-ins and children are always welcome.
Service Outreach
The Commission on Mission is in need of volunteers to assist with the Winter Shelter hosted by St. Paul’s beginning Sunday, February 5th to Sunday, February 12th. Specifically, please volunteer for one or more of the following needs:
· Cook a meal for 20 people (shelter residents and volunteers) for an evening. Meals are served at 7:30 PM.
· Help serve meals, clean up after meals, and interact with shelter residents during the Winter Shelter (from about 7:00 to 8:30 PM).
· Spend the night at St. Paul’s so that there is a parishioner on site to assist the professional shelter staff and serve breakfast in the morning (finish by 7:00 AM.).
· Transport about 15 cots and duffel bags from St. Paul’s to Georgetown Presbyterian on February 12.
Regardless of whether you can volunteer for just one evening or multiple evenings, your help will be crucial for the success of the Winter Shelter. This is a wonderful opportunity to directly reach out to our brothers and sisters who are less fortunate and to live out our Baptismal Covenant of seeking and serving Christ in all persons. Contact Deacon Eric J. Lobsinger at elobsinger@stpauls-kst.com or 202-701-8118 to help out.
You Give Them Something to Eat: Our food drive for the Foggy Bottom Food Pantry continues. Your donations of non-breakable, non-perishable staples (peanut butter, tuna, canned fruit and vegetables, cereal, rice mixes and the like) are making a real difference in the lives of those in need. Thanks to Linda Wilkinson and Tina Mallett who made the most recent delivery and to all who contributed.
February is “Pastoral Care Month” at St. Paul’s as we celebrate Ezekiel’s call to . . . ”look for the lost one, bring back the stray, bandage the wounded and make the weak strong . . . be a true shepherd to them.” (Ezekiel 34:16). This January marked the end of our first year of a reorganized corporate effort to address the care of parishioners. A representative will be available at an information table at the 10:15 AM coffee hour each Sunday of the month. If you have questions about or an interest in this ministry, please stop by the table. Alternately, feel free to write pastoralcare@stpauls-kst.com or call 202-337-2020, extension 3 to leave a message for a return call. Also you may contact Owen Smith at osmith511@cox.com or reach him via telephone at 703-964-6260.