St.

 Paul’s 
MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF ST. PAUL’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH
June 2010 — VOLUME 35, ISSUE 6
news
By The Very Rev. Dr. Gordon F. Weller

By now most of you know that I had a stroke

on April 15. I had to go in to the hospital
through the Emergency Room, and they caught
the stroke very early. Some have chided me
Church Events
that "some people will do anything to avoid June
the St. Paul's News deadline." Others say that
it was all because the IRS was looking for me.
The reality is none of these are true. In fact, it 6 GRADUATION SUNDAY
was just that I ignored my Type II diabetes to
8 B&PW CORPORATE
the point that something broke loose and lodged in my brain creating the stroke. It was
bound to happen as long as I avoided changing my diet and taking care of myself. 10 FORT BEND BOYS CHOIR
I was very fortunate, however. It was a mild stroke. My speech is affected a bit. So is 13 PARISH PICNIC
my balance. Small motor skills (like writing and brushing my teeth) are difficult. The
good news is that I can still hit a golf ball. It doesn't go exactly where I intend, but it 21-25 VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL
didn't before the stroke either. Now I have an excuse. In addition I have been told that
95 percent of my lost function will return. I have to give it time.
I have returned to the office, but on a limited basis. I get tired very fast, and I'm not
going to push it. Eventually I will return to some degree of normal. Until then, I will be
available through email and phone should you not find me in the office. I will be check-
ing my messages on a regular basis.
The whole experience has taught me a few things. First, in a God-given life, you have to

(Continued on page 9)

Editor’s Note
By Christine Caswell, Editor
Thanks to everyone who participated in writing articles and the production of the SPN over this past year. I would like
to especially thank my lovely partner, Lyn Zynda, who has been the acting editor for the better part of the past three
years while I pursued other activities.
There are no issues of SPN in July and August, but I have been informed that the deadline for the September issue is
August 2 (at which point, I will probably still be recovering from my bar exam), so please have your articles sent to me
by that time at ccaswell@voyager.net. Thanks again to the Vestry, the staff, and all of the contributors.
Lastly, welcome back, Gordon, and congratulations Steve Lange on your 40th anniversary (especially since I’ve been
around for all 40 of them).
 Perhaps you might like to be part of this wonderful minis-
Teaching God’s Children try. Many people think that they may not be qualified to
teach church school, but I can tell you that you don’t need
By Roberta Tisdale, Vestry Member to have a teaching certificate; as long as you have Christ’s
As our Church School Year comes to a close, we would like love in your heart, you can teach church school. You don’t
to acknowledge and thank our wonderful teachers for the even need to be a Bible scholar. We offer an easy-to-
dedication and love they have given our parish youth over follow curriculum, and you’ll be surprised at how much you
the past year(s): will learn as you prepare and share the lesson.

Carol Laub and Julie Fletcher - Pre K-Kindergarten We are looking for teachers and teacher aides for the
Judi Clarke, Jill Walker and Kathy Gut – 1st-3rd upcoming church school year. Many of the teachers ac-
Matt and Kym Hall - 4th-5th knowledged above have taught for many years and may
Barb Heany and Marti Narezo - 6th-8th need to take a break. Please consider being a part of this
very rewarding ministry. The blessing will be all yours!
Hank Borden, Lyn Kressler and Judi Clarke - 9th-12th
Contact Barb Heany or Father Weller for more informa-
Ask any Church School Teacher, and he or she will tell you tion.
how rewarding it is to teach God’s children. Sharing God’s
love and teachings is a great honor, and there is nothing
greater than to see that love shine through the eyes of a
child.

Picnic in the Park

Nursery Spot Checkers
By Roberta Tisdale,
Vestry Member
St. Paul's is blessed to have so many
young families. Every Sunday our
nursery is filled with toddlers. In ad-
dition to our paid Nursery Atten-
dant, we rely on parishioners who
volunteer one Sunday a month to
make a "Spot Check" with the Nurs-
ery Attendant before and midway
through the 10 a.m. service. The
"Spot Check" is to ensure adequate
coverage for the number of children
present. If there are six or more
children in the nursery, the Spot
Checker stays and helps the Nursery
Attendant. We are in need of peo-
ple to be Nursery Spot Checkers for
June, July and August. The sign-up
sheet is outside the Merrifield Room.
Special thanks to our Spring Nursery
Spot Checkers: Jeanne Tippett,
Joan Ferguson, Judy Manson, Sue
Bolton, Carol Ingells, Vicky Bellon
and Kym Hall.
The Annual Sunday Service and
Picnic in the Park will take place
on Sunday, June 13, beginning
with Eucharist at 10 a.m. The
location is Granger Meadows
on Wood Street in DeWitt
Township.
Since Granger Meadows has a
baseball diamond we are an-
ticipating a thrilling game of
softball. There is a jungle gym
for younger members and bas-
ketball hoops too.
Sign up is available by the
Merrifield Room to bring one of
the following: potato salad,
baked beans, salad, veggies,
fruit dish, chips, dessert. The
church will provide hot dogs,
hamburgers, drinks and picnic
ware.
The 10 a.m. service will take
place at the Park, in lieu of a
service at the church. The 8 a.m.
service will be at the church as
usual.
Visiting Choir to Give
Concert at St. Paul’s
By Dr. Stephen R. Lange,
Minister of Music
The Fort Bend Boys Choir of Texas,
consisting of approximately 32 sing-
ers, will present a varied concert of
sacred and secular music written for
treble singers at St. Paul’s on Thurs-
day, June 10, at 7 p.m. Their con-
cert at St. Paul’s is part of a tour
through Michigan that will include
Ann Arbor, Marshall, Mackinac Is-
land, Petoskey, Suttons Bay, and
Grand Rapids. They have received
critical acclaim for the quality of
both their singing and programming.
The concert is free and open to the
public. Please invite friends and
neighbors to attend this musical
event. The Tour Choir is one of five
performing ensembles. For more
information, please contact the of-
fice, 482-9454.

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 Visit the Rain Forest at VBS
Registration Form
Don’t miss an
exciting time
Child’s Name
at St. Paul’s
Grade
2010 Vaca-
tion Bible
Address School, June
21-25, from 9
a.m. to 12
noon. Partici-
pants will be
Parent’s Name visiting the
Rain Forest to
Phone follow Jesus on
a life changing adventure. Spend five days of discov-
ery with five Bible verses, including John 3:16. We are
Emergency Contact delighted to welcome back Fr. Ron Byrd as our VBS
leader. Reserve your child’s (children’s) place now by
Email completing the registration form below. Forms are also
available on line www.stpaulslansing.org or at the
church.
Transportation provided by:

Tee Shirt Size

Comings and Goings B&PW

By Nancy Rudd, President
By Martie Repaskey
The next meeting of the B&PW Guild is Tuesday, June
Please welcome the following newcomers to St. Paul’s! 8 at 6 p.m. It is our year-end picnic at Debby Pierce’s
 Joe and Valerie Cordes: This interesting couple run home. Call Debby for a reservation, and please bring
a dish to pass. Join us for an evening of good food
a beautiful B&B, the Rosewood Inn, on Francis Rd.,
and fellowship to end our year.
Lansing. They were married four years ago; shortly
after, they purchased an old house and completely
renovated it. They have been in the B&B business
for two years. Joe is a builder, and Val is an inte-
rior designer. From the looks of it, these two are
having a wonderful time with their new business,
which includes hosting wedding parties.
 Debby Henrie and Dave Parks: These two are
scheduled to be married at St. Paul’s on July 24.
Debby grew up in upstate New York, having at-
tended the church where Father Weller worked
after his ordination! Both Debby and Dave work at
WLNS/Channel 6. She is in the advertising depart- Staff members will be out of the office the following
ment, and Dave is a videographer. These two have dates:
already gotten involved at St. Paul’s, so they are Gordon Weller July 1—31
likely to be seen at Parish Life activities! Bill Fineout June 19-27 and July 18—25
Kathleen Johnson August 1—7

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 Blood Drive News
By Elisabeth Richardson
St. Paul’s held the Spring Blood Drive on Saturday, April 25, with
great success. We collected 56 pints of blood, two of which were
double red. Over 113 people came together to make this event
happen. Listed below are the individuals we would like to thank for
giving blood, making phone calls, making sandwiches, setting up,
tearing down, and working the day of the drive. If we have for-
gotten anyone, please know that we thank you, too!
Amanda Alvarez, Darrick Alvarez, Erikah Alvarez, Van Anderson, Maryann Austin, Karlene Bach, Ed Ben-
son, Sue Bolton, Allan Boron, Sally Boron, Brooke Broughton, Linda Brown, Thomasina Canty, Larry Clark,
Antonio Clarke, Judi Clarke, Karen Clarke, Chris Couch, Graham Crabtree, Lisa Craig, Paul Denhartigh, Ellie
Doersam, Mikayla Duncan, Marilyn Earley, Bill Ericson, Ruth Farmer, Charles Finkel, Daniel Fletcher, Julie
Fletcher, Vicki Fowler, Kathy Gut, Larry Gut, Matt Hall, Barb Heany, Susan Henderson, Ryan Henrys, Doug
Holmes, Cindy Hosimer, Brock Howard, Carol Ingells, Melissa Ingells, Courtney Irwin, Emily Irwin, Jeff Irwin,
John Irwin, Ron Irwin, Sherrie Irwin, Omero Lung, Alyssa Jackson, Mark Johnson, Margaret Kariuki, Janet
Kosht, Jeff Kressler, Lyn Kressler, Carol Laub, Rick Laub, Sally Laurion, Mandy Lawton, Sue LeDuc, Kirk
Lindquist, Dorothy Marsh, Chris McDaniel, Maggie McDaniel, Jean McDougal, Deb McMartin-Finkel, Chuck
Millar, Sue Millar, Gordon Milne, Jim Milne, Nancy Milne, Theresa Milne, Kaitlyn Narezo, Marti Narezo, Larry
Otis, Debby Pierce, Max Pierce, Alyssa Rathbun, Martie Repaskey, Barbara Richardson, Elisabeth Richardson,
Pat Riley, Mary Rodeck ,Mark Rudd, Nancy Rudd, Tom Sampson, Nick Schultz, Jean Shawver, Pat Smith, Jen-
ette Suprenant, Lisa Swihart, Steve Swihart, Paige Thompson, Kristi Thrush, Jeanne Tippett, Joan Van Auken,
Lee Villareal, Melanie Walker, Vicki Walker, Maria Wawro, Ray Wawro, Alex Wheaton, Carol Witchtoski,
Nancy Wonch, Amy Wortley, Greg Wortley, Julie Young, Lyn Zynda
The fall drive will be Saturday, October 30. We will have a Halloween theme, of course. The Red Cross is low on
blood, so if you have given in the past, please go to the donor room soon. If you have never given, please consider
doing so. Help save a life!

Nine Choristers Move to New Choirs

By Dr. Stephen R. Lange, Minister of Music
On Mother’s Day, May 9, nine choristers of St. Paul’s youth choirs moved into new choirs. Moving from the Cherub
Choir to the Boys’ and Grace Choirs were second graders Anna Johnson, Lydia Rose, Pauli Nevin, and Hope Milne.
Moving from Boys’ and Grace Choirs to the High School Choir were fifth graders Rebecca Rose, Kaitlyn Narezo,
Emily Irwin, and Kaleel VanVoorhees, and sixth grader Frankie Nevin. St. Paul’s lone graduating senior this year is
Matthew Nauss, who will be honored for his 13 years of dedicated service to St. Paul’s choirs on Graduation Sunday,
June 6.

Page 4
 Financial Information as of April 30, 2010
By Julie Young, Treasurer

The end of April is 33 percent of the year. Pledge income in April was $30,353, making the year to date total
$115,047, which is 35 percent of the annual budgeted pledge income. This would indicate that we are slightly ahead of
projected pledge income for the year to date.
Operations for April had a net gain of $308. There was one transfer required from the investment account into the oper-
ating account during April. The amount transferred from the Perpetual Fund was $10,000. The investment accounts/funds
had a net income of $7,299 for the month.

Vestry Highlights
At the May 18th Vestry Meeting your vestry:  Approved a clergy pension alteration to the budget
 Enjoyed the pleasure of welcoming Fr. Weller in shar- for the current year
ing the meal  Discussed ways of assisting Kathleen Johnson
 Approved an amended agenda  Tabled until June consideration of a St. Paul's credit
 Received communications card account
 Approved the April minutes  Planned for the June 6 breakfast honoring St. Paul's
 Received the Treasurer's report and approved a high school graduates
transfer of up to $30,000 from the Perpetual Fund as  Discussed damage done to a restroom by visitors
needed to meet expenses  Received Deacon's report
 Received vestry committee reports  Adjourned at 8:30 p.m.

Requests for Prayer

We pray for those who are sick and in need: Cindy Robinson, Shelley Robinson, Mason Hill, Lois Caswell, Barb
Hacker, Marjorie Belles, Aleda, Dave, Kathryn Senko, Barb Powers, Patricia Reno, Skip and Marsha Macholz,
Tom Foltz, Vivian Hawkins, Linda, Bill, Kent Riley, Jan Bigham, Max Sutton, John Hawkins, Joan, Karol Ryan,
Phyllis Quinn, Amanda, Laura Miller, Stephanie, Maureen Nauss, Grace, Norm Landon, Jared Miller, Aviana
Bridgeman, Pat Amundson, Sam Montie, Noah, Danielle, Emilio Garcia, Richard Sauerzopf, Orville Wiggins,
and Lloyd Law.
We pray for the recently baptized: Nadia Scott Pauly, daughter of Matt and Mindy Pauly, Randolf Aloysius Schnei-
der son of Clif and Jill Schneider and Antonio Luke Urista, Jr., son of Antonio Urista and Stephanie Earley
We pray and remember those in the Military, serving in dangerous areas: Matthew Rawlins, Jeff Doorlag, and
Justin Murphy.
We give thanks: for the safe return of Tyson Carter, Daniel Reno, and Jonathon Reno from military duty over-
seas.
We pray for those expecting: Jenelle and Paul Rawlins, Kym and Matt Hall, Summer (Sleight) and Jake Ste-
vens, and Sacha Mallory and Seth Burris.

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Celebrating 40 Years of Music Ministry
By Vicki Walker, Chorister
The following is an edited version of the sermon preached on May 16 at the service celebrating Dr. Stephen Lange
Today we celebrate the gifts of ministry, of teaching and of serving others as we honor and celebrate Dr. Stephen
Lange and his 40 years of service to St. Paul’s.
Shortly after I was asked to speak, I was asked in a politically correct sort of way, if I might, you know…refer to the
lectionary in any sort of manner and relate my thoughts to something appropriate to, you know…. church. For once I
was ahead of the game, because I had run online to “look things up” and prayed that the readings would NOT be
about circumcision, eunuchs, or Leviticus. Imagine my great luck when I discovered the reading from Revelations that
proclaimed, “Blessed are those who wash their robes.” And I said SCORE! Actually, I believe my response was, “don’t
worry…I’ll make it ‘Jesusy.’” And then I quickly added, “But I’m not going to say that he’s Jesus or anything.”
As I started to gather my thoughts, I quickly discovered that I was both right AND wrong. Steve isn’t Jesus, but he is
“Jesusy” in those ways that Jesus calls us all to be.
To teach is to share your time and talent with others so that they can be enriched and do the same. Jesus was a
teacher. He worked among the people. He had faith in them when they had no faith in themselves. He held them ac-
countable when they did harm, and demonstrated by word and by example how to change their paths and realize
their potential. And no matter what, he loved them. Teaching is a living ministry, and as much as we at St. Paul’s have
been beneficiaries of Steve’s ministry for the past 40 years, we are also charged with being stewards of what we
have received as we take these gifts and share them with others.
You may have experienced this Steve’s ministry in different ways: through Adult Christian Ed, 4-F’s, weekly prayer
group, men’s breakfast or various outreach projects. I have been a recipient of his gifts through his music ministry and
his teaching, both of which are very dear to my heart and something I actually know something about.
We are all blessed to have been part of a ministry that has nurtured our many gifts. I am just one of a vast number of
voices joining together to say thank you for your music, your teaching, your faith and your friendship. The psalmist
wrote, “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness and come before him with sing-
ing.” Through your leadership, education, ministry and example, you have brought us all together, helped us find our
voice, and allowed us, time and time again, to experience the power of music and prayer and faith in action. You
taught us not only HOW to make a joyful noise, but WHY. After 40 years, now I think I know.

Page 6
Dear Parishioners:

Thank you so very much for the wonderful cele-

bration you provided for my 40th anniversary
observance. I am truly grateful for the beautiful
anthem and hymn that were commissioned in
my honor (and for the extra rehearsal time the
choir put in to learn them), for the plaque com-
memorating my years of service at St. Paul’s,
for the scrapbook that contained so many kind
words of support and appreciation, and for all of
you who contributed to the scrapbook (it was a
wonderful trip down memory lane!), for the
wonderful reception held after the service, and
for your recognition of the tremendously impor-
tant part that my wife, Nancy, has played in
supporting my ministry and contributing her
own. I give special thanks to the “Bowling
Tournament” committee that organized these
events—Martie Repaskey (Chairperson), Jeff
Kressler, Vicki Walker, Alex Wiesner, Rick
Laub, Larry Clark, and Kirk Lindquist—to
Max and Debby Pierce for their great contribu-
tions to the reception, to Martie Repaskey and
Nancy Sheldon for organizing the cards and
letters in such a beautiful scrapbook, especially
to Vicki Walker for her very moving and hum-
bling sermon, and to Doug Holmes, members
of the St. Nicolas Guild, and the ECW. Thank
you so much for the time, effort and thought
you all put into making this day one of the most
memorable in my life and for the support and
encouragement you have offered me for the past
40 years. I feel truly blessed.

Steve Lange
 A Box City Experience
By St. Paul’s Youth Group
On April 23-24, 14 of us gathered to explore and experience what it might be like to
be homeless. We learned that homelessness can happen to anyone at any time due to
loss of a job, an illness, or a natural disaster. Just because someone is homeless doesn’t
mean he or she is lazy or crazy or creepy. Oftentimes they are people just like any of
us, with families and dreams; they just had a stroke of bad luck. And there are thou-
sands of these people right here in our own community.
When we arrived for the evening, it felt like we were checking into an actual homeless
shelter. After we registered, we had to place all our personal belongings in a brown
paper bag and hand them over. That felt very strange and rather intrusive.
The evening was kicked off with a presentation by Russell, the Volunteer Coordinator of
City Rescue Mission (CRM) of Lansing who told us about how CRM operates and helps
hundreds of homeless people here in our community. He told us that the four elements
that keep CRM in operation are Faith, Hope, Love and Charity
We also met Dallas, who shared his incredible story of how CRM helped him. Dallas is
only 21 years old, but already he has been through more than most of us can ever imagine. Coming from a very bad
home environment, his parents died very young, and Dallas has been out on the streets since he was 15 years old. Af-
ter hitting rock bottom, he found City Rescue Mission and, through their love their support, he found Christ in his life. He
is now 10 months into their one-year Transformation Program and on his way to becoming a firefighter. He chose that
field because he wanted to help others like he was helped. We applauded Dallas for his courage and determination
to bring himself out of his bad situation. And he told us that he gave all the credit to God.
Dinner that night was stone soup. We all brought a vegetable to add to the broth and ended up with a delicious din-
ner. You may have heard the story. The moral is rather than hoarding food, by combining what you have in times of
scarcity, everyone comes out better for the common good.
A scavenger hunt using biblical verses led us to clues which earned us money. We used that money to make purchases
at The Mission Store. We were able to buy things like snacks, toothpaste and toothbrushes, deodorant, lotion, water
bottles and toilet paper. We quickly learned what our needs and wants were!
Later we divided into four teams to build our Box City. For inspiration to create our box houses, we used the four ele-
ments that CRM told us keep it operating: Faith, Hope, Love and Charity. We hope you had a chance to see them.
We arose at 6 a.m. with empty tummies and not knowing
where our breakfast was going to come from. We earned our
breakfast by helping set up the Red Cross Blood Drive.
Breakfast tasted pretty good by the time we sat down to eat!
We ended our Box City experience with a trip to City Rescue
Mission of Lansing where we were given a tour of their Michi-
gan Avenue facility. Pushing our grocery cart filled with Mis-
sion Needs items down Michigan Avenue, we received some
puzzled looks, but we were graciously welcomed and our do-
nations gratefully received upon our arrival.
Box City was an amazing experience which opened our eyes
and our hearts to the needs of so many people and families in
our community who need our help. We also came away feel-
ing very thankful for all that we have in our own lives. Thank
you for helping us help the City Rescue Mission of Lansing to
help others.

Page 8
(Continued from, Renewal, page 1)

take care of yourself. My body was always my friend; I could beat it up, and a little bit of sleep would heal every-
thing. Everyone told me that I was going in the wrong direction, but I thought myself invincible. I now know that I am a
mere mortal. I may be doing God's work (or trying to), but even that is no excuse for stupidity. When God set this
whole world in motion, He created certain parameters. Everyone is subject to the same regulations; there are no ex-
ceptions. Take care of yourself.
Second, I may have lost something in the form of bodily function, but I am alive and this is the greatest gift of all. Each
new day is exciting and filled with possibilities. When God asked that we live as little children, it was these qualities
He asked that we value. So often we (myself included) ignore the excitement of life and the possibilities that life con-
tains. I can only say "never again."
Finally, it re-emphasized to me the value and impact of love. As Christians we are called to live that kind of life. The
numerous cards, letters, emails, and other encouragements meant a lot. They still do. And I cannot imagine functioning
without being able to love my family and you. Jesus said it, I believed it. I still do, only now even more.
By the time you read this, I will be back on the job and even in the pulpit. I hope to be a different and better person. I
hope to be more aware, healthier, and a more loving person. Thanks be to God.

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