Professional Documents
Culture Documents
I would like to thank you — the members of St. Paul’s — for giving me the opportunity to
work on the Vestry these past three years. In addition, I would like to thank the 2007 Vestry,
in particular, for giving me the opportunity to work as Senior Warden this past year. I’m sure I
speak for all who are now rotating off the Vestry — Bobbi Tisdale, Kathy Gut, and Judi Clarke
— when I say that there has been much personal benefit from being in a position which provided
such a rich learning experience. Certainly our collective hope, as the 2007 Vestry class, is that
efforts expended in good faith have contributed to an ongoing strengthening of St. Paul’s mis-
sion. In that regard, for any who may have missed the Annual Parish Meeting on Sunday, January
27, I offer this brief recap of my concluding thoughts as Senior Warden, the full version of which
can be found in The Annual Report 2007:
Wow! What a journey the year 2007 was for the St. Paul’s community! A cursory review of
the year yields a staggering array of new and/or special happenings in our corporate life.
Of all that has taken place in 2007, however, the most significant has been our work on two
key issues which overarched the many activities of the year. As I approached my term as
(Continued on page 14)
February 2008
Page 2 Upcoming St. Paul’s Activities
Activities at a Glance
Ongoing Activities • ERD Book sale, Sunday, February 10 & 17
• St. Aelred’s Guild, • Lenten Lunch-N-Book Reviews, Mondays, beginning
• Book Cart, 2nd Sunday after 10 AM February 11
• B&PW, Tuesday, February 12, 6 PM • Seeking the Common Good, Lenten Educational
• ECW, third Monday, 7 PM Offerings, Wednesdays beginning February 13,
• Family Night Dinner, Wednesdays, 5-6 PM 6:15-7:30 PM
• 4 Fs, second and fourth Mondays, noon to 2 PM • Valentine Date Night, Saturday, February 16
• St. Paul’s Library, open every Sunday • Catechism Instruction, four weeks beginning Sun-
• Prayer Group, first Tuesday, 5:30 PM, Choir Re- day, February 17, during church school
hearsal Room Looking Ahead
• Men’s Breakfast, third Thursday, 7-8 AM, Hill Room • Cabaret, Saturday, March 8, 5 PM
• Mid-Week Eucharist, Tuesdays, noon • Spring Blood Drive, Saturday, April 19
This Month at St. Paul’s and Elsewhere • “Serving God with Gladness” Women’s retreat,
• Youth Group Council Meeting, February 3 April 25 & 26, Weber Center
• Shrove Tuesday Pancake Dinner, February 5, 6 • England Choristers’ Auction, Sunday, April 20
p.m. • Ascension Day Outreach Dinner, Thursday, May 1
• Ash Wednesday Services, February 6, 7 AM, • UTO Ingathering, Sunday, May 4
Noon, (Chapel) 7 PM Church
E veryone knows Mardi Gras. As a season of celebration, it officially ends on the Tuesday evening before
Ash Wednesday. This year that is February 5. In some cities and communities, like New Orleans or Rio de
Janeiro, this has come to be a time of unbridled celebration. Traditions, good and not so good, abound. Either
way our memories are filled with possibility.
In our own way, St. Paul's has come to look forward to our Shrove Tuesday celebration with the same anticipa-
tion. This year at 6 p.m., the men of the parish will cook the traditional dinner of pancakes and sausage for us
all to share. The cost is a free-will offering to benefit the Mission & Outreach Fund. Following the meal, the
children will accompany Father Weller into the courtyard and burn the leftover palms from Palm Sunday
2007. Be sure to bring your old palms to the dinner or to Church the Sunday preceding.
This year we will start a new tradition. MaryLea Benson will have materials present for Prayer Quilting. Any-
one who would like to be involved during the season of Lent is welcome. Quilting will be explained and the
concept of prayer while tying knots in the quilt will be demonstrated.
Come to the dinner for fun, friendship and faith. Sign up on the sheet which is on the table outside the Merri-
field room or by calling the Church Office.
B&PW
By Barbara Richardson
February 2008
Upcoming St. Paul’s Activities Page 3
W hat do Ben Baldus, Tom Clay, John Nevin, Pat Babcock, and Professors Claude F. Jacobs and William
McNeece of the University of Michigan-Dearborn all have in common, other than that they are highly
respected experts in their respective fields? Answer: They will all lead one of the sessions that will focus on
“Seeking the Common Good” this coming Lent. The sessions will be on Wednesday nights from 6:15 to 7:30
p.m. in the Merrifield Room. Child care will be provided. Anyone wishing to attend these meetings or wishing
to have dinner at family night is asked to sign up on the table by the elevator. These sessions are intended to
provide us with a biblical foundation for the choices we will be making in the upcoming elections in the fall and
to provide a forum to explore and discuss the ramifications of some of these issues that have local, national
and international implications. The programs will include:
• February 13 - Christian Citizenship 101: Biblical Foundation for Christian Involvement in the Public
Arena. Ben Baldus, Director of the Office of Public Policy and Advocacy at Lutheran Social Services of
Michigan and a Lutheran Pastor licensed as a priest in the Episcopal Church USA, will outline biblical rea-
sons for involvement in the political process and help us to understand our responsibilities and opportunities
as Christian citizens.
• February 20 - The Economic Life of the State: Robbing Peter to Pay Paul or Passing the Buck. Tom Clay,
Director of State Affairs, Emeritus, for the Citizens Research Council of Michigan, and former director of the
state’s Executive Budget Offices, will help us to understand Michigan’s budget process and how economic
issues often drive the other issues we face.
• February 27 - When did I see you in Prison: Corrections, Mental Health and You. C. Patrick Babcock, the
chair of the State Mental Health Commission, will offer insights on what has happened to Michigan’s mental
health system and what might be done to help fix it. This is a topic of great interest to all, especially since
more than one-fifth of Michigan’s budget goes to Corrections.
• March 5 - Great Lakes, Great Stewards. John Nevin, a strategic policy analyst with the International Joint
Commission of the U.S. and Canada, a former adviser to the governor of Michigan and an Ingham County
commissioner, will talk about the state of the Great Lakes, the impact of climate change, the challenge of
low water levels, invasive species and diversions, and explain how we as individuals can take specific steps
in our daily lives to be better stewards of precious water resources that we share with all God’s creations.
• March 12 - Difficult Dialogues across Race, Religion, Culture and Ethnicity. Professors Claude F. Jacobs
and William NcNeece of the University of Michigan-Dearborn’s Difficult Dialogues Initiative, will discuss
how we can learn to discuss controversial, contentious and divisive issues in a meaningful and constructive
manner across religious, racial, ethnic and cultural boundaries.
Please share this information with interested neighbors, friends and relatives. The programs are open to the
public without charge and should be especially beneficial and stimulating as we wrestle with some of these
very thorny, yet critical topics and how we can respond to them.
If that
you have waited until the last days to sort your books, please act now so
you will enjoy more bookshelf space, and we will increase our sales to
benefit ERD.
Sunday, February 3 is when we need your books since we will then be prepar-
ing for the sale. As we did last year, we will be selling books on two Sundays:
February 10 and 17 after the 10 a.m. services.
Remember this is a great three-step process: (1) you donate books; (2) you buy
books; (3) we send a check to ERD. Your participation is crucial to the success of this project.
Thank you.
February 2008
Page 4 Upcoming St. Paul’s Activities
Lenten Offerings II
By Dr. Stephen R. Lange, Minister of Music
O n the five Mondays of Lent, five parishioners will review books that relate in some way to our spiritual
journeys. The books scheduled for review are:
• February 11 - Walking on Water by Madeline Le’Engle reviewed by Dorothy Marsh
• February 18 - Let Your Life Speak by Parker J. Palmer reviewed by The Rev. Ron Byrd
• February 25 - The Dignity of Difference by Jonathan Sacks and Cosmopolitanism by Kwame Anthony Ap-
peah reviewed by Chris Couch
• March 3 - They Did It for Love by Kate Morgenroth reviewed by Carolyn Such
• March 10 - To be determined
The schedule for each Monday is Holy Eucharist from11:30 a.m. to 12 noon, lunch from noon to 12:30 p.m. and
review from 12:30 to 1 p.m. (although some reviewers may start earlier than 12:30). This series replaces 4 F’s
for the season of Lent. Please sign up for lunch ($4.50) if you plan to attend.
February 2008
Page 6
Upcoming St. Paul’s Activities
St. Paul's News
Calling all Beanbags
By Lyn Zynda
T he St. Paul’s Youth Group is looking for beanbag chairs to outfit its
newly renovated meeting room. The furniture was hugely popular dur-
ing the late 1960s and early ‘70s, and their popularity resumed in the mid-
‘90s. If your bean bag has been hanging around the basement since college,
here’s your opportunity to give it new life. Contact Fr. Byrd or another mem-
ber of the committee to donate.
D iscussion groups focusing on this year’s book, The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan, took place over a
three-week period in January. A total of 45 people in five groups met in the homes of parishioners scat-
tered around the greater Lansing area for discussion and fellowship. Reports indicate that this has been an
enjoyable and stimulating experience for all involved.
The book and discussions created awareness of our responsibility related to both past and potential environ-
mental issues. Further discussion related to these issues will be part of the Lenten Program outlined elsewhere in
the newsletter.
A huge thank you is due to a number of people who helped to make the book read so successful: John Craig
for first suggesting the idea; Mindy Pauly for suggesting the chosen book; Lisa Craig for researching and
finding scriptures, supplemental readings and resources, as well as developing study questions; Susan Hender-
son for the bookmark idea; Don and Sally Lawrence, Debby and Max Pierce, Barb and Libby Richardson,
Kathy Gut and Chuck and Sue Millar for hosting groups; Lisa and John Craig, Kirk and Barb Lindquist,
Sally Laurion and Kathy Gut for facilitating discussions; Mary Luginsland for suggesting the name; and all
members of the Parish Life Committee for the ideas, planning and support that made the book read possible.
We are already thinking about next year’s “One Book, Many Journeys” topics and welcome suggestions for
possible books.
Vestry Highlights
At the January 15 meeting of the vestry of St. Paul's, be presented at the Annual Meeting
your Vestry: • Discussed the possibility of Fr. Weller’s sabbatical
• Received committee reports
• Shared spiritual reflections of Christmas and • Approved improvement and refreshing of the
Epiphany with one another as devotions Sacristy
• Received the December 2007 financial report • Discussed stewardship and how to improve re-
(found elsewhere in this issue) sponse (slightly more than half of the cards were
• Approved a 2008 budget to be presented at the returned)
Annual meeting • Discussed Mark Doyle's marketing presentation
• Passed a motion that any pledges that have des- and how to use its results
ignations or restrictions will be placed in the Mis- • Discussed signage and the improvement of the
sion and Outreach Fund as a gift before they are web site
used by the operating account • Marked that the Vestry retreat is scheduled for
• Discussed the protocol of the Annual Meeting Feb. 1-2 at the Weber Center in Adrian
• Reviewed the slate of candidates that will be • Received clergy reports
presented for election at the Annual Meeting • Closed with prayer and thanksgiving for the out-
• Reviewed our understanding of the "Visioning" going Vestry
and "Welcoming" documents and how they will
February 2008
Page 8
St. Paul’s News
Recycling
By The Very Rev. Dr. Gordon F. Weller
We celebrate the birth of Kory Amachree to parents Opuene and Karen Amachree, and his siblings,
Kaema and Nakai
We celebrate the baptism of: Kayleigh Joanne Fiszer
February 2008
St. Paul’s Choirs Page 9
Cherub Choir and Boys’ and Grace Choirs will meet as normal. The High School Choir is invited
to sing with the Chancel Choir for the 7 p.m. service (rehearsal at 6:30 p.m.). The Chancel Choir
will also rehearse after the service (at 8:15 p.m.), and not on Thursday, February 7.
Saturday, March 8 – Cabaret:
All Choirs - 5 p.m. dinner, 6 p.m. entertainment (all the children and youth choirs will sing at the
Cabaret program at 6).
Sunday, March 23 - Easter:
All choirs - This year, there will be only one Easter service at which the choirs will sing: the 10
a.m. service. (There will be services at 7 and 10 a.m. and not at 9, 10 and 11 a.m., as we have
had in the past.)
Singing Schedule
Date Choirs
February 3 Boys’ and Grace; High School
February 6, Chancel Choir
Ash Wednesday, 7:00 p.m.
February 10 Chancel; High School
February 17 Chancel; High School
February 24 Chancel; High School
*This year, there will be 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. services on Easter Sunday
February 2008
Page 10
St. Paul’s News
Thank you from the Turks and Carol Ingells
On behalf of the three young Turkish families who attended St. Paul’s on Sunday, December 9, I want to thank
the congregation for its warm welcome and friendliness to them. As you might imagine, it is a bit scary for Mus-
lim people to present themselves in a Christian church. The women, especially, are so easily labeled as non-
Christians because of their head coverings. They came because they sincerely care about improving under-
standing and relationships between people of different religions and cultures.
My recent trip to Turkey helped open my mind and heart to the fact that most Muslim people are good and
loving. Entering that whole different culture, I was uneasy and wary. But before long, I realized these were
people like you and me, who long for peace, justice and cooperation between all people, regardless of their
beliefs or customs. I have never experienced such generosity of spirit — from our hosts to the strangers on the
street.
My Turkish friends found our worship interesting and lovely, and they truly enjoyed meeting many of you at
coffee hour. It was a very special time for all of us. Another way of sharing Christ’s love with all whom we meet.
Thank you!
February 2008
Mission and Outreach Page 11
February 2008
Page 12
St. Paul’s Youth Ministry
Youth Ministry Articles Provided in Collaboration By:
Youth Christian Education and Youth Fellowship Chairperson, Dr. Judith Brown-Clarke
Youth Group Executive Council President, Steven Kariuki
Youth Group Coordinator, Barbara Heany
Youth Group Advisor, Tom Foltz
Acolyte Guild, Directors Patricia Bellinger & Carol Sleight
The Rev. Ronald C. Byrd, Sr., Curate
T he St. Paul's youth group is on its way to being a group run by the kids themselves. It is not easy and is
slow going. This is the first time the youth group has attempted to do anything like this. The future is looking
bright for us, and we are on our way to being a well-functioning organization.
The youth group has added a section of life stories to its regular meetings on the first of every month. Our first
speaker came to America to escape Africa's hostile and unforgiving environment. Mrs. Kariuki's experiences,
which she gladly shared with us, showed the power of prayer and how merciful God is.
In other news, the youth group has penciled in a date for our Card Box City in early April. At this event, the kids
will put themselves in the shoes of the homeless. We are doing this to raise awareness of the hardships that the
homeless have to face every day. The youth group will walk away knowing something with which to empathize.
There will be a change to the executive board for a new member to be voted in. This member or — as we
would like to call it — the historian will be in charge of making a scrapbook of the youth group and all its ac-
tivities, presenting it to everyone at the open house near the end of the year.
We hope to start putting our news and updates on the web site soon and will continue to include them in SPN.
February 2008
St. Paul’s Youth Ministry Page 13
H ave you been wondering what the kids have been doing lately at Youth Group? Well, here’s what we
have been up to.
The youth group is going to be holding a babysitting service sometime around Valentine’s day. More informa-
tion about this will be in future issues of St. Paul’s News or the church’s announcements.
At our meeting this month, Ms. Kariuki told the youth group her story about when she was in Kenya. Ms.
Kariuki’s story moved all of us spiritually. If you have an inspiring story about how your faith has helped get
you through hard times to tell the Youth Group, please contact someone in the Youth Group (Steve Kariuki, AJ
Fletcher, Bailey Sanchez and Steven Walker are all on the executive board). Thank you Ms. Kariuki!
February 2008
Page 14
St. Paul’s News
(Continued from, “A Final Report,” page 1)
senior warden, Tom Repaskey asked me what the focus of my vestry leadership would be….Stemming
from my previous two year’s vestry experience, I responded immediately with what I have felt strongly to
be St. Paul’s most pressing issues: stewardship and welcoming. In my estimation, as well as the estimation of
many with whom I have served on the Vestry, work on these two broad issues is vital for addressing our
operations budget shortfall and establishing St. Paul’s on a firm foundation for carrying out its stated vision
of mission: “following Christ in restoring all persons to unity with God and each other.”
Work on both issues in 2007 was an extension and further development of work completed in previous
years. In terms of stewardship, Bob and Karen Tarrant, the entire Stewardship Committee and Kristine
Miller, stewardship and planned giving coordinator for the Diocese of Michigan, have all continued to
raise our consciousness as to the scope and depth of what it means to be stewards of God’s gifts…the
“Welcoming Church Initiative” which Martie Repaskey, Chuck Millar and the entire Evangelism Committee
produced continues to generate various means by which St. Paul’s can be inviting to the community at
large. In an effort to bring the welcoming initiative the attention and definition that stewardship has
gained through the “Gift of Generosity” campaign, I sought to highlight the many faces of welcoming in my
St. Paul’s News articles in 2007. Hoping not to sound redundant from
month to month, I nevertheless “Rekindle the gift of God that is wanted to keep welcoming in the front
of our consciousness throughout within you . . . for God did not the year and to flesh out from various
angles what welcoming requires give us a spirit of fear, but a from each and every one of us.
Though our work on both issues spirit of power, and of love, and in 2007 definitely yielded results, con-
tinued efforts will be needed. of self-discipline.” On both issues, St. Paul’s continues to
evidence positive results. In terms of stewardship, giving of time, talent and
treasure continues to rise, both in terms of the congregation as a whole, and in terms of the contributions
of individual giving units. And, likewise, in terms of welcoming, the number of new faces to the parish con-
tinues to rise, as does the number of welcoming activities that continue to evolve. However, in welcoming,
as well as in stewardship, there are no “quick fixes.” Both have been and will continue to be “works in
progress” that require ongoing commitment and creativity.
In fact, continued work on these key issues will require a steady focus, courage and resolve. Of course the
danger involved in such “works in progress” is that we will lose focus, and/or lose courage or resolve. I’m
reminded of the advice given in The Second Letter to Timothy (1:6-7): “Rekindle the gift of God that is
within you . . . for God did not give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, and of love, and of self-
discipline.” As with all our work at St. Paul’s, the fuel for our ongoing work on such key issues as steward-
ship and welcoming must be a grounding in God’s empowering gifts of grace, and the courage and re-
solve to trust those gifts. In December, Mark Doyal — a man of faith who is establishing a public relations
firm for nonprofit organizations, and with whom we have consulted during the past six months — pre-
sented to the Vestry findings from two focus groups he conducted among some of St. Paul’s newer mem-
bers. A key component to his presentation was how St. Paul’s communication with the wider community
starts with our identifying, our celebrating [and] our trusting the gifts of God’s Spirit [that have] gener-
ated in us as a parish — gifts quickly identified when talking with those recently drawn to membership
here. Mark will be presenting his findings to the congregation in the near future and, in my estimation,
such a presentation, such an ongoing consultation, will form an important next step as we move from 2007
to 2008. As we do so, may we be ever open to the ongoing transformations that God’s Spirit of power,
love and self-discipline generates at St. Paul’s.
(Continued from , “Treasurer’s Report,” page 7)
The 2008 budget approved by the vestry for final acceptance at the annual meeting showed an operating
loss of $139,285. While this is again a very large number, it is slightly lower than the 2007 budget deficit.
In addition, the designated and restricted funds are not budgeted. However, it is known that the fourth and
final distribution of at least $50,000 from the Lucille Penniman Trust will occur in 2008. Ninety-percent will
be placed in the St. Paul’s Perpetual fund and 10 percent will be placed in the Mission and Outreach fund.
I would like to thank Chris Strukel, Kathleen Johnson and Elisabeth Richardson for all of their time and tal-
ent in keeping the financial records of the church in order.
February 2008
February 2008
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
If you no longer wish to receive these mailings, please call the church office (517) 482-9454,
any time of the day or night and leave a message to be taken off our mailing list.
February 2008