Epistle. The. Dear People of God: Inside. Number Special Edition for Lent and Easter. Ash Wednesday Services

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1 Number Epistle The Ash Wednesday Services March 1 7:00 AM 12 Noon 6:00 PM Inside Observing a Holy Lent 4 Lenten Programs and Dinners 4 The Journey of Holy Week 5 Looking Ahead: Easter and Beyond 7 ST. PAUL S EPISCOPAL CHURCH LYNCHBURG A parish in the Diocese of Southwestern Virginia Special Edition for Lent and Easter Dear People of God: The first Christians observed with great devotion the days of our Lord s passion and resurrection, and it became the custom of the Church to prepare for them by a season of penitence and fasting. This season of Lent provided a time in which converts to the faith were prepared for Holy Baptism. It was also a time when those who had been separated from the body of the faithful were reconciled and restored to the fellowship of the Church. I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance, and by reading and meditation on God s holy Word. The Book of Common Prayer Ash Wednesday Liturgy

2 Financial Update 2016 FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS As reported at St. Paul s Annual Meeting held on January 22, 2017, St. Paul s finished 2016 on a strong note with pledged receipts totaling $383,105 or 102.7% of the $373,000 budget. In addition, other highlights from 2016 include: A budget surplus of $39,654 Disbursement of $98,438 to mission projects ($32,226 above budget) Bequests received totaling $61,538 A cash balance as of 12/31/16 $306,347 with $33,044 non-directed An endowment balance of $2,393,212 compared to $2,266,037 on 12/31/15 Significant roof repairs have been completed and are still ongoing. The parking lot was resurfaced and the floors in the parish house refinished PEDGES The 2017 Stewardship Campaign ended successfully with 133 pledges totaling $388,864 as compared to 131 pledges totaling $371,020 for The 2017 budget anticipates total pledged receipts of $390,000. The average pledge increased $92 to $2,924. The 2017 approved budget anticipates total receipts of $671,922 resulting in a balanced budget. The 2017 budget incorporates new staff along with continuing building and grounds enhancements. Be sure to welcome Margaret Anne Eschenroeder who is our new Financial Secretary and thank Cathy Greene for her devoted service to St. Paul s as she transitions out. Stewardship Greetings from the St. Paul s Stewardship Commission. Michelle and I are excited to serve as co-chairs of the Commission for 2017, and look forward to a year of new and exciting ventures at St. Paul s. While we will miss our former chair, Geri Cecil, we are pleased that she is going to continue as a part of the Stewardship Committee. We really appreciate all of the time and talent that Geri contributed as chair of the Commission in I was raised at St. Paul s and have always considered it an extension of home. I am happy to be a part of St. Paul s again in my adult life. Michelle was confirmed at St. Paul s last Spring and considers St. Paul s an important part of her life as well. I am pleased to report a total number of pledges in the amount of $383,105 and an unpledged amount of $41,942 for Thanks to all of those members who contributed to St. Paul s in As a result of the pledges we were able to make a number of improvements on the St. Paul s property and programs. We enjoyed a successful Time and Talent campaign last Fall, and received positive feedback from everyone we heard from on the Time and Talent campaign. We look forward to repeating this campaign in We have also welcomed the addition of several new members to the Stewardship Committee for 2017 whom we will introduce in an upcoming Epistle. Please don t hesitate to reach out to Michelle or myself for any questions related to the Stewardship Commission. We welcome any ideas, questions, etc. I can be reached at FColony1@gmail.com and Michelle at mglynn@vt.edu. If you have not received your 2016 contribution statement or if you need a replacement, please contact the church office at Steve Baldwin Treasurer Looking forward to an exciting 2017 with you all! Alex (and Michelle) Jackson 2017 Chairs of Stewardship 2 St. Paul s Epistle

3 Outreach Our light has been under a bushel..but we re ready to let it shine OUTREACH IS BUSY WITH BACK-PACKS St.Paul s has an exciting new neighborhood project! For several months the Outreach Committee has been planning and meeting and shopping and tweaking a new project which we are eager now to share with the congregation. You may have heard of other Back-Pack programs in the Lynchburg area they ve gotten great Is it do-able? We have found that 2-3 shoppers and a crew of 5-6 packers make very short and happy work of it, so the manpower is not an issue. But nourishing, non-perishable food for 60 children each weekend is not cheap and here lies our challenge. Thankfully the Mission Projects budget, which funds us, was given an incredible gift by Richard Wroncy and the Christmas Recital Committee the tickets you purchased will underwrite months of meals for hungry children. But to keep this project afloat until June and hopefully into the next school year, we are asking for your ongoing help.at the grocery store! press and are consistently praised for answering a REAL need for so many children. But we are especially happy to be working with our good neighbors at R.S.Payne Elementary to provide a back-pack of weekend breakfast and lunch for those children who count on these meals provided by the school on weekdays. The staff at Payne have happily taken care of all the selection process, paper work and delivery, leaving us to do what we do best: shopping for and packing the 60 bags each Thursday afternoon. Before committing to this project, Outreach wanted to make sure that it was both needed and do-able. Is it needed? The overwhelming response from teachers, administration and students has convinced us that the meals are a Godsend for these children and, in fact, they are working on a video to tell you this story themselves. soon to be released! Along with the R.S.Payne video, you will soon be seeing a short grocery list of several easy-to-shop-for items that we pack every week like Nutrigrain Bars or low sugar Oatmeal Packets. We hope that you will pick one to add to your own shopping list once a week, or even once a month, and drop it in the basket at church. That simple act, performed by us all, will ensure a full pantry and our Mission Outreach funds will be able to cover the rest. To be honest, we really weren t sure whether we could make this fly it s a lot to take on a weekly project like this. But we believe St.Paul s CAN do it.with your help! Linie Frankfort Chair, Mission and Outreach OPPORTUNITIES TO VOLUNTEER JOIN US AT R.S. PAYNE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Thursdays, 5:30-6:15 PM TO VOLUNTEER CONTACT: Linie or Mac Frankfort ( / liniefrank@gmail.com) Anne-Riely Popper ( / anne_riely@verizon.net) To Know Christ To Worship Christ To Serve Christ And To Make Him Known 3

4 Observing a Holy Lent PROGRAMS FOR LENT Walking in the Word: A Journey in Faith 5:30 PM Evensong, in the church, continuing, in undercroft, with the weekly program Note: Depending on program length, dinner may begin earlier. March 8 Dwelling in the Word (Matthew 26: 31-46) We will begin the journey exploring the night Jesus prayed in Gethsemane. A team will present the practice of Dwelling in the Word. Sumner Jenkins will explain where the practice began. March 15 Monasticism Presenter: Sumner Jenkins March 22 Sacrifice vs. Offering: Tithing, Celibacy, and Sacrifice in the Old and New Testaments March 29 Lenten Disciplines: Fasting, Daily Devotions, and How These Lenten Disciplines Came to Be April 5 A Walk Through Holy Week: Passion Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and The Great Vigil of Easter 4 Dear People of St. Paul s, It seems, as the season changes from winter to spring, with temperatures rising and dropping by 20 and 30 degrees every 24 hours, that we know we will get sore throats, runny noses and miss a day of school or work here and there. And we know that spring is just around the corner. Nature is in transition. This season also hosts a transition in the Church. We have spent time living in Epiphany, when the wise men from the east travelled to present the Christ child with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, the gifts of a king, a priest and a martyr. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent. We will observe in this liturgical season a quiet, reflective and introspective time as we walk toward the promise assured to us on Easter Day in Christ s resurrection from the grave. Unlike a late winter cold, Lent is anything but a time merely to be endured. Lent is a time to intentionally consider ourselves, our priorities, and our relationships with God and neighbor, and to discern ways to live more fully into the Christian lives we claim. Lent is a time to take stock in who we are and how we are living. To some, that might seem like a trip to the doctor, to others it is a time that is spent in the presence of angels who are calling us to do with our spiritual gifts all that God intended when He blessed us with these gifts. Throughout the season of Lent, we find those areas in our lives where we have strayed from the paths we intended to walk. We honestly look into ourselves and find the muck that has built up over time that adds to the stress and strain of living in joy. We root out the sources of the gunk that keeps us from living in gratitude today, and with hope for the future. In Lent, we honestly look at our lives, and into our hearts, and see who we have become. Only then can we begin, yet again, to live into new ways befitting the miracle of life that we enjoy, making our hearts and minds ready to have those experiences which continue to form us in the ongoing process of being created. Please read on to see all that you can become involved in, and grow through. We will journey together through Lent, until we stand at the empty grave and make our song: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia! St. Paul s Epistle Peace, Todd and Diane

5 The Journey of Holy Week The Church, for centuries, has taught through symbol, not well. There is a pivot in the midst of the rejoicing literate. Nowhere is this more apparent than the journey will sing Thee we adore, O hidden Savior, thee, who in action and story since the majority of the people were not from Palm Sunday through Easter. Each day of that week takes on a specific event as told through the Gospel stories. which moves us toward the betrayal of Jesus. The choir thy sacrament art pleased to be; both flesh and spirit in thy presence fail. Yet here thy presence we devoutly hail as we move into the Eucharist and hear again, Take, eat, this is my Body Drink ye all of this, words we PALM SUNDAY The Journey begins with the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday; tradition has it that palm branches were strewn along the way with shouts of Hosanna. Our Palm Sunday liturgy will begin just in this way, outside in the Courtyard, with hear each week but which seem to carry more weight on this day. The choir sings, We adore you, O Christ during communion as another reminder of our journey, which began with shouts of Hosanna and has moved so quickly to the cross. The liturgy concludes with the reading of the Passion Gospel interspersed with verses of Herzliebster Jesu, Ah, holy Jesus. palm branches and shouts of MAUNDY THURSDAY comes in the name of the Lord. the most powerful visual symbols of the week, the Hosanna. Blessed is he who The liturgy for Maundy Thursday contains two of The liturgy moves into the church Footwashing and the Stripping of the Altar. continuing the triumphal entry in Jerusalem, but all is To Know Christ To Worship Christ To Serve Christ And To Make Him Known continued on page 6 5

6 The Journey of Holy Week continued from page 5 The Lord Jesus, after he had supped with his disciples and had washed their feet, said to them, Do you know what I, your Lord and Master, have done to you? I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done. The Book of Common Prayer, p Through symbol and action we are taught that we are to be servants to each other. A second powerful visual symbol of this evening is the Stripping of the Altar at the end of the liturgy, during which customarily Psalm 22, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?, is sung. There can be no more powerful preparation, if there is such a thing, than the stripping of Jesus authority and humanity as seen through the removal of all furnishings and adornments of the Sanctuary. GOOD FRIDAY In Good Friday, the lowest moment, we hear again the story of the Passion, told by St. John. John s narrative is perhaps the strongest and most condemnatory of the passions, but it is one we must hear. The day is stark and plain, the church void of any decoration, crosses veiled in black. There is no joyful entry on this day. THE GREAT VIGIL OF EASTER The Great Vigil of Easter, one of the great liturgies of the church, is rich in symbols and actions, and begins in darkness. On this evening we are reminded, through readings of scripture, of God s creation and love for all of humanity. We also may celebrate the Sacrament of Baptism this night; we also proclaim the Renewal of our own Baptismal Vows, reminding us of our entry into the body of Christ and the Church through Baptism. We then hear, Alleluia. Christ is risen, that strongly begs our reply, The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia, at the very moment that the lights are lit symbolizing Christ s rising and his light which lightens our dark world. Our response can only be to sing, Jesus Christ is risen today. The celebration which has begun at the Great Vigil continues on Easter Sunday morning with two festive liturgies celebrating in word and song Christ s rising and triumph over death. Sumner Jenkins Organist and Choirmaster Coming Soon! Spring Garden CLEAN-UP DAY Sharpen your clippers. grab your rake, and watch for an announcement of date and time. 6 St. Paul s Epistle

7 Sunday Services April 16 8:00 AM and 10:30 AM Easter St. Paul s Episcopal Church 605 Clay Street Lynchburg, VA TEL: FAX: WEB: FACEBOOK: stpaulslynchburg The Rt. Rev. Mark A. Bourlakas Bishop The Rev. Dr. Diane E. Vie Priest dvie@stpaulslynchburg.org The Rev. Todd M. Vie Priest tvie@stpaulslynchburg.org Information on giving opportunities for Easter flowers at St. Paul s to be mailed in late March or early April. OPPORTUNITITES to VOLUNTEER at Easter To help with the EASTER EGG HUNT after the 10:30 AM Service contact Allison Jablanski jablonski@lynchburg.edu Help after Easter with FLOWERS call the Church Office Looking Ahead CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS March 1 Ash Wednesday Services 7 AM 12 Noon 6 PM 8 5:30 PM Evensong & Program 15 5:30 PM Evensong & Program 16 5:45 PM Vestry Meeting 22 9:30 AM Needlepoint Workshop 5:30 PM Evensong & Program 29 5:30 PM Evensong & Program April 5 5:30 PM Evensong & Program 9 Palm Sunday 13 6:00 PM Lamb Dinner 7:00 PM Maundy Thursday Service Noon Good Friday Service 5:30 PM Stations of the Cross 15 7:00 PM The Great Vigil of Easter 16 8:00 AM and 10:30 AM Easter Services 11:30 AM Easter Egg Hunt (weather permitting) May 14 UNITED THANK OFFERING 2017 INGATHERING Our UTO Ingathering brings together all of the offerings we have made during the past year in gratitude for the daily blessings we have received. Our gifts to UTO represent both our own spiritual discipline of thankful prayer and our support for the mission of the Church through the UTO grants at home and abroad. UTO blue boxes are available in the Undercroft and from co-chairs Elizabeth Lipscomb and Connie Schieck. The Rev. Bill Bumgarner, Deacon Sumner Jenkins Organist and Choirmaster sjenkins@stpaulslynchburg.org Susan Carol, CCM Harmony & Serenity Music Care Lee Herbert Verger Staff Debbie Inge Parish Administrator dinge@stpaulslynchburg.org Gayle Rhodes Office Assistant grhodes@stpaulslynchburg.org Margaret Anne Eschenroeder Financial Secretary mae@stpaulslynchburg.org Lin Vitale Parish Nurse Tray Light Youth Leader Judy Spencer Parish Librarian Linda Woody Head Custodian Tim Shepherd Sexton To Know Christ To Worship Christ To Serve Christ And To Make Him Known 7

8 St. Paul s Epistle St. Paul s Episcopal Church 605 Clay Street Lynchburg, Virginia Non-Profit Organization US POSTAGE PAID LYNCHBURG, VA PERMIT NO. 15 TEL: Sunday worship Schedule 8:00 AM Holy Eucharist 9:00 AM Body & Soul Cafe (breakfast) 9:30 AM Christian Education classes 10:30 AM Holy Eucharist with Music 11:45 AM Refreshments & Fellowship 9:15 AM Nursery opens for children ages 0 to 3 From Our History The Cross of St. Paul s In 1981 a committee, headed by the late Bill Shiers, was formed to hold a competition for the design of a new altar cross, the old silver cross having been stolen. The winning design was submitted by a sculptor, Richard Pumphrey, who had just moved to Lynchburg with his wife Kathryn (who now directs the Centra Foundation). Inspired by crosses that are found in the architectural fabric of St Paul s, Pumphrey designed a Celtic cross made of what is called white bronze. The altar cross was installed about Pumphrey subsequently designed the crosses given to our acolytes at the termination of their services and also the wrought iron cross in the columbarium, which was fabricated by the Griffin Pipe Products Company of Lynchburg.. Lamar Cecil