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St. Paul's Communicator The Newsletter of St. Paul's Anglican Church Crownsville, Maryland May-June 2006 |
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A WORD FROM THE, RECTOR: We are already launched and into the first four months of a new calendar year. I have been thinking about the future - not only of our own local parish church, but also of what we are as part of the larger body of Christ. We as a church do not make up the rules as we go along to suit the latest cultural trends in society, but we stand upon the firm foundation that our Lord Jesus Christ established as found in the Holy Scripture and by the early Church Fathers. In 2nd Timothy, Paul warns of the opposition he and other believers would face in the last days from self-centered people who use the church for their own gain and to teach new and false doctrines. There has never been another person like Paul, the missionary apostle. He was a man of deep faith, undying love, constant hope, tenacious conviction, and profound insight. He was inspired by the Holy Spirit to give us God's message. The qualities necessary for a faithful minister of Jesus Christ are to use our gifts with boldness, hold tightly to the truth, prepare others to follow these examples, be disciplined and ready to suffer hardship like a soldier, an athlete, and a farmer and to keep our eyes focused on Christ. We are challenged to hold to sound doctrine, reject error and foolish discussions, know the word, and to keep our lives pure. We are all sinners saved by the grace of God and striving through the help of the Holy Spirit to become what God would have us to be. What we do have in the clergy and godly lay people of St. Paul's are people who do not put on pretenses but offer their unique talents to God and to you as the people of God. This leads me to my final thought. We have gifted people in our church, we have the Presence and Love of God through our Savior, Jesus Christ, and we are unified by the Holy Spirit. So, why the emphasis on growing, building and expanding? This is our legacy. These are the seeds we are sowing now for the future generations to come and to insure that others may hear the Good News and know our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Faithfully, +Bob Message from the Senior Warden St. Paul's is honored to host the Most Reverend Walter Grundorf, presiding bishop of the Anglican Province of America, on Sunday, May 7. Bishop Grundorf will be celebrating two services with us at 8:00 and 10:30 a.m. and will attend our welcoming brunch at the Fraternal Order of Police hall. This is the second visit by the Bishop since our church joined the Anglican Province of America in January 2004. The Anglican Province of America (APA) is descended from the American Episcopal Church (AEC), which was organized by a group of traditional Episcopalians in the late 1960's in response to the radical changes that were occurring within the Episcopal Church of the United States (ECUSA) at that time. Their goal was to preserve the Anglican traditions, liturgical practices, and 1928 Prayer Book. The founders realized that to remain "Episcopal" they had to have ordained bishops, and valid apostolic succession was necessary and fundamental to their faith. Bishop J.C. Pillai was chosen to consecrate the first AEC bishop--James George in December 1968. Since that time the AEC has undergone growth and change and has emerged as the Anglican Province of America (APA) with Bishop Walter Grundorf being elected Archbishop in 1995 and his church in Orlando, Florida being the seat of the Diocese of the Eastern United States (DEUS.) Present membership is approximately 7,500 people and includes churches from Maine to Florida; a Western Diocese has now been established. A Synod of member churches is held once a year for fellowship and education. St. Paul's joined the Anglican Province of America because being a member of a religious organization of like-minded Christians makes us stronger: The APA is a forum for sharing the good works of the individual churches, We learn how they build memberships, fund building projects, and reach out to their communities. The APA provides resources that our church cannot presently afford: youth camps, adult retreats, access to seminary and qualified Anglican clergy. The APA is a support and resource system for our Bishop. He is able to exchange information and ideas and to problem solve with other like churches. They are mutually educated and encouraged by each other's faith and experiences. The APA provides a uniform book of canons that have been composed according to the Scriptures and is shared by all members of the APA. The APA provides education on traditional Anglicanism, the 39 articles of religion, the 1928 prayer book, and liturgy. God Bless Betty Altar Guild The Easter flowers were beautiful and I want to give sincere thanks to all of you who contributed to our flower fund. The fragrant lilies and the new altar hangings made our church even lovelier than usual. Altar guild pins were presented to Sharon Beard, Linda Burr, Martha Blaisdell, Barbara Carr, Missy Carroll, Cathy Compton-Caputo, Sandra Egolf, Brenda Edwards, Emily Loiselle, and Connie Schuyler at the Parish annual meeting on April 30. The Altar Guild will have a meeting later in the spring and it will be announced in a Sunday bulletin. Our meetings are always open to anyone interested in the work we do, so please come and join us. Missy Carroll PARISH ORGANIZATIONS Youth Group NUTS - Game night was a great success. We had a sensational night of fun, food, fellowship, and dodge ball! (Dodge ball?!?:)) Upcoming NUTS events - Meetings Tuesday, May 9th & 23rd. 6:30 - 8:00 at the church. Topics to be announced in upcoming Sunday bulletins. Saturday, May 13th - Bowling challenge! Details to follow. Sign up in the parish office. Don't forget, we're always on the lookout for a few more NUTS. If you know any middle or high school student interested in knowing God's love, growing in his or her faith, connecting with other Christians, serving God by helping others, or honoring God with his or her life -contact John or Kelli Welch. St. Paul’s Musical Notes As we draw closer to summer and a break from our choir and hand bell practices, I cannot help but reflect back on the wonderful efforts of our leaders and performers. Andrea Linnell has a gentle and amusing way of drawing out the best in our adult choir. Her Sunday anthems are in tune with the message and her direction has taught us how to blend our voices together and perform a piece dynamically and well. It was a signature event on Maundy Thursday when our choir and several additional voices performed our Lenten cantata "We Were There." If you weren't there you missed a marvelous and moving musical experience. Thank you to Andrea and all our singers for providing the beautiful music which enhances our services throughout the year. Our St. Paul's Tintinnabulators will be performing a spring concert at the FOP on May 7th during our covered dish brunch for our presiding bishop. Cathy Gates, with the help of Bob Essex, has kept up the energy and enthusiasm of our bell ringers (affectionately known as the "Ding-a-Lings). Their concerts and performances during the year are always well received and enjoyed. We extend to them our thanks for all their efforts. Next fall when we resume our practices, we hope anyone who has ever wanted to be a part of either choir will step forward and participate in our musical programs here at St. Paul's. There is always room for you! We look forward to adding a youth bell choir soon. For those of you who have noticed a wonderful change in the music coming from the choir loft, we have replaced the old electronic keyboard with a used Roland/Rogers organ small enough to fit upstairs. (This is not to be confused with the organ we are purchasing for the new sanctuary.) This instrument is just for the chapel and will provide music for the services we hold there. It is a work in progress and we are encountering problems in using our prerecorded discs and controlling the volume. These issues are being handled as quickly as possible. Look for the dedication of this organ soon. Emily Loiselle Red Hat Angels CALL TO ARMS: We have been challenged, along with Bishop Bob's Breakfast Bunch, to a bowling match by the St. Paul's NUTs. So, get out your Red Hats, purple bowling shoes and attire and plan to meet this challenge on May 13th - time and place TBA. This is a serious matter and we need to be ready and willing to step up to the line and strut our stuff and show the NUTs and BBBB just what we are made of. Any fabulous female wanting to be part of the Red Hat Angels just has to let our Queen Mom, Myrtle Ringenbach, or Emily Loiselle know. We just hope you can bowl!!! There is a sign-up sheet in the office. Easter at St. Paul's This Easter was special in so many ways. Grace Kearney and her family, for the third year in a row, provided wonderful candies with the proceeds going to our building fund. This year they rolled 475 chocolate coated Easter eggs and raised $506.55. What a decadent way to support St. Paul's! Thank you to Grace and her family for their love and dedication. In our outreach program and in a joint effort with the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, we helped make this Easter a very exceptional one for six families. These six families are headed by a single male raising between them 14 children from pre-K to grade 4 with six girls and eight boys. Thanks to your generous spirit and Bishop Bob's discretionary fund, we were able to supply 6 turkeys and fourteen $30.00 gift cards from Toys `R' Us. The gift cards were in beautiful Easter cards along with a chocolate bunny (Thanks to the M & M's). We are so overwhelmed by the outpouring of monies and love from each and every one of you here at St. Paul's. Don't forget our next outreach program to benefit Children's House in Ocean City, Maryland. Children's House provides free week vacations to families who have a child with a life threatening illness. So, go to the Dollar Store and start collecting sand toys for each arriving child and their siblings! Phyllis Brian has a great presentation board about Children's House at the church with a wish list. Bishop Bob's Breakfast Bunch Bishop Bob's Breakfast Bunch, BBBB, has been meeting now for around three years every Wednesday morning come rain or shine. At 9:00 am at Reno's on the corner of Rts 450 and 424, these men get together and, after a Morning Prayer service, enjoy a wonderful breakfast with some pretty lively discussions. Anywhere from 8 to 16 men meet at this most successful activity of St. Paul's. After leaving a hefty tip for owner and waitress, Rea (This year at Christmas, they presented her with a $100.00 gift certificate to her favorite store, Lord & Taylor's), any money left over is donated into our building fund, ytd $ 520 (2005$1,150). During Christmas season, you can see them climbing ladders and greening the church. At our clean-up days, you can see them working where ever there is a need. When the weather is nice, a group of them play a round of golf at a nearby course. BBBB is open to any man who wants to participate. Just show up at Reno's one Wednesday morning and see for yourself how these men do breakfast! What's nice about this group is that all three services are represented. And all of BBBB, don't forget the bowling challenge issued by the 1VUTs. Please sign-up on the sheet in the office. Status of State Property Acquisition Our land use lawyer, Tony Christhilf, is working closely with the Department of General Services Assistant Attorney General, Sally Lowe, to accomplish all of the steps necessary to legally finalize the sale of the Crownsville property to St. Paul's. A title search has been completed. The State is providing us with a document to allow for a 45 day period whereby we can have access to the State property for the completion of a Phase I Environmental study and any other activities which will assure that the property is free from any contaminants. Stay tuned. Myron Wotring THE ANGLICAN CORNER MEMORANDUM TO: All Clergy and Senior Wardens in Maryland, Delaware and the District of Columbia. FROM: The Most Rev. Walter H. Grundorf CC: The Rt. Rev. Robert Loiselle DATE: April 13, 2006 SUBJECT: Deanery of Maryland, Delaware and the District of Columbia. I have designated the States of Maryland, Delaware and the District of Columbia as a Deanery and have appointed The Rt. Rev. Robert Loiselle as its dean. Bishop Loiselle has accepted the appointment. This will be an opportunity for our congregations to get together on a regular basis to discuss ideas, and concerns and to pray for one another's needs. In the BISHOP'S EPISTLE (APA issue Feb 2006), Bishop Grundorf explains his reasons for establishing a Deanery in our diocese and what it means. "One of the primary reasons I have set up the area deaneries is to provide a forum for Diocesan support on a more localized basis. Those who serve as area deans are senior clergy and are involved in parish work. With understanding and charity, they can lend an ear to ideas, thoughts and complaints as part of a support system. The Deanery system will provide more local opportunities to share ideas and pray for and with one another on a more personal basis." 2006 Synod of the Anglican Province of America For the last few months, we have been promoting our synod held in Merrillville, Indiana on June 20-23 at the Pro-Cathedral Church of St. Andrew. The synod will be host to all the jurisdictions within the APA: Diocese of the Eastern U.S. (DEUS), the Diocese of the West and the Diocese of St. Augustine. To date, we have these members attending - Bishop Bob and Emily, Father Roger and Brenda Edwards, Senior Warden, Betty Royer, and Jerry and Sharon Beard. Anyone still interested in going with us and, perhaps being a delegate, may go to our website http://www.stpaulscrownsvillemd.org and link to the APA then register online. A late registration fee will apply after May 23rd. We cannot really make clear to you how much these events mean to a dedicated Anglican and what you will learn from interacting with like-minded Christians. If you really want to attend but need financial help, please see Bishop Bob. St. Paul's Annual Meeting On Sunday, April 30th, we met for the election of three members to St. Paul's Vestry and to receive reports on the present state and future plans of our Church. Len Bender, who serves as Capital Campaign Chairman, and Linda Burr, who serves as Corporate and Recording Secretary, were reelected to three-year terms and Jerry Beard was elected to serve his first three-year term. St. Paul's is most fortunate to have these qualified people serving on our Vestry. Bishop Bob's message was one of hope and gratitude for the spiritual health of our Church. We continue to prosper while celebrating our traditional Anglican faith. The remarkable participation of our congregation in our several service groups within the church is an indication of this. Our future looks secure as we embark on our building project this year. Plans have been made for the groundbreaking ceremony for our new building. We have obtained the grading permit, secured a $400,000.00 construction loan, have $298,206.23 in our building fund, and have hired a contractor. The estimated cost of the new building is $639,000.00. All we are waiting for is to have the building permit in hand; more prayer and patience required. Len Bender looked resplendent in his "Breaking New Ground 2006" red T-shirt; these shirts are available for $10 each and are being sold by our SPYG NUTS (St. Paul's Youth Group.) Be sure to get yours; they're going like hotcakes. The financial report was given by our treasurer, Henry Riser. We have a projected annual budget of $132,000.00 and our revenues for the first quarter are on target. In addition our building fund continues to grow with a balance of $298,206.23; we are approaching the halfway mark of our 3-year capital campaign, and 94% of pledges are current. Do you know how outstanding that is! The purchase of additional property on the hill continues to progress. Myron reported that we have hired land-use attorney, Tony Christhilf, to review the contract of sale from the state. We are also having a Phase I environmental study, a title search, and subdivision provision (which would join the additional property to our present property into one parcel.) We have agreed to the sale price of $90,000 for these additional 1.34 acres, which will greatly enhance the appearance of our Church and allow for landscaping and future parking expansion. The future of St. Paul's does indeed look bright. Thank God for our continued blessings. A Note from the Garden Committee The garden planning is going on, but stumbling blocks working with contractors do pop up every now and then. However, in spite of this I expect that in the next week or so I will receive the final plan to show the Vestry. Upon approval I will post in the office. Anyone who wants to play and dig in the dirt at planting time, please let me know. Ginny Crowell Prayer Remembrances Parishioners: Banny Bandoian, Jo Mafera, Rod Sorkin, Austin Smith, Yvette Ridenour, Shirley Jenkins, Barbara Bender. Friends: Little Riley Mitchell, Judith Sadugor, Milt Beard, Johnna McGinsie, Harry Linnell, Spencer Langenstein, John Robinson, Butch Smith, Jim Graham, Kayla Tasker, Anna Curry, Kathy Caban, Bianca Caban, Carole Snyder, Elizabeth deGuzman, Maureen Walsh, Allie, Janell Ammann, William and Elizabeth Sterling, Al Smith, Mada Edmonds, all the residents of Hope House and the residents of Chrysalis House. Prayers for Those in the Armed Forces: We pray for Lt. Billy Franklin, Sgt. Jason Daniel, Sgt. Patrick Hurley, Capt. Corey Shackelton, Lt. John Baker, Airman Wendy McCoubrey, PFC Josh Reinhardt, PFC Brian Pittaway, Pvt. Ben Lawless, PFC Clinton Carr, Marine Dominick Grossi, LTC Paul Amos, Capt. Betsy Niemyer, Capt. Pete Vickerman, Lt. Angela Edwards, LCDR Steve Fuller and Lt. J. G. George Degannaro. Almighty God, we commend them and their families to your gracious care and keeping. If you have someone to add to this list, please tell Bishop Bob, Father Eric or Emily. This Coming Sunday, May 7 The Most Reverend Walter Grundorf Celebrating Holy Communion at 10:30 a.m. Sunday Brunch at FOP
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