THE GOOD NEWS June 2016

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1 The mission of St. Paul s is to be the Body of Christ and instruments of his love and grace committed to serve and nurture this church and community. THE GOOD NEWS June 2016 Inside this Issue Parish News & Notes Vestry highlights Upcoming Events EYC Happenings Church Calendar and Ministry Schedule Baptism is Belonging from the Rector In my long history with water, I especially remember one hot afternoon at Maryvale pool. Until I was well into high school, I was always the smallest kid in my class, so I usually wasn t among the crowd. The summer I turned eleven, though, I got the chance quite often to walk the six blocks from our home to Maryvale pool to hang out there with some of my classmates. I guess being short is not quite so noticeable when everyone s bobbing in the water. My memory is of the day when several of my comrades grabbed me while the lifeguard wasn t looking. As I squealed and wrestled, they picked me up by my arms and legs and carried me to side of the pool. As they swung me back and forth, they shouted, One, two, three and sent me soaring in a high arc through the air to land splashing in the cool water of the pool. To tell the truth, though I protested soundly, I did not mind it one little bit. In fact, as I pulled myself back up on the side of the pool, I was laughing with everyone else. Because I knew what this dunking meant. It meant I really was a part of the group; I was one of them. Though we use considerably less water, and seldom is any wrestling involved, when we enter the waters of baptism we, too, are initiated into a family God s family. Baptism means we have been adopted as sons and daughters of God. In the rough and tumble economic world of the centuries before our own, and indeed in much of the world today, a family, a safe place to learn and grow, was and sometimes still is anything but assured. So, at the time of the child s Baptism, the parents and god-parents were asked to be responsible for bringing up the child, to provide a safe home in which the child could grow into the full stature of Christ. We still do that, don t we? Right after the parents and god-parents make that selfsame promise to raise the child, the celebrant asks the whole congregation, Will you who witness these vows do all in your power to support this person in his life in Christ? to which all of us respond with a hearty, We will! That s not the liturgical equivalent of a slap on the back and good luck to you, then. That is a promise that the newly baptized is a full member of this whole family. And we fulfill that promise by being a family. Sometimes, in the hubbub and busy -ness of being the Church we loose sight of our identity and get to thinking that we ought to run things like a business, and we forget that what we are meant to be, what we are, is a family. We are a family that worships the living God of creation in a liturgy that is ancient, yet full of life. We are a family that seeks to grow in our knowledge and love of God and to share that understanding with others. We are a family that serves our church, our community, and our world in Christ s name. Most of all, we are a family like any other who understands that our defining characteristic is that we care for one another, where we consider nothing more important than loving one another. As Jesus came up from the waters of his own baptism in the Jordan, a voice comes from heaven and says, You are my Son, the Beloved. And that is exactly the same proclamation with which each of is greeted at our own Baptism. Through our baptism, through the prayers of renunciation and acceptance of God s promises, through the cleansing water, through the sealing of the Holy Spirit, not only are we no longer strangers to the Almighty God of creation, we are daughters and sons! We have a name written in heaven, we have a place in the most royal of families, we have the assurance of a home eternal. And we have a Father s warm blessing, With you I am well pleased. What more could we ask? We are accepted. We belong to Christ, to his Church, to every generation of Christians throughout history. We are sealed as Christ s own forever! Remember that you are baptized! Peace and joy,

2 Upcoming Events Sundays 8 a.m. Holy Eucharist, Rite 1, 9 a.m. Choir Practice, 10 a.m. Choral Eucharist, Sunday School. Coffee Hour following the service. Mondays Office Closed, 6 p.m. EfM Tuesdays 6 p.m. Saints, Sinners and Cynics Rookies Sports Bar Wednesdays 12:10 p.m. Holy Eucharist with Anointing for Healing Monday Thursday June 6 10 Vacation Bible School Friday June 10 Holiday World Trip Wednesday June 8 6 p.m. Potluck Supper and Program Sunday June 19 Handy Euch-and- Q CCO Sunday Peanut Butter Monday June 20 Noon St. Ann s Guild Tuesday June 21 5:30 p.m. Vestry Meeting, Rector s Study Tuesday June 28 Commission on Ministry meeting here Saturday June a.m. Prayer Shawl Ministry Wednesday June 29 6 p.m. Potluck Supper and Program Parish News and Notes The new Deacons serving with the Bishop at the Altar of Christ Church Cathedral.

3 Jerusalem Gained and Lost from the Postulant This is the second part of the Church History portion of my canonical exam. I have shortened this article to fit the column and I hope you ll find this an interesting read. The Crusades were a series of holy wars by Western European Christians to recapture the Holy Land from the Muslims. Historians and scholars alike have viewed the Crusades as a mixture of benefits and horrors. For the Crusades, there was a new knowledge of the possibility of trade in the East, not to mention the spread of Christianity. With Christianity spread in a violent manner, the result was that new areas of possible trade were turned into areas of conquest and bloodshed. Thousands of non-christians lost their lives to Christian armies in the era and this trend would continue in the coming centuries. The Crusades also gave rise to the important knightly orders, the Knights Templar, the Teutonic Knights and the Hospitallers. These were orders of religious knights working from monastic rule to defend the Holy Land and pilgrims en route to Jerusalem. In addition to the campaigns in the east, the Crusade movement included other holy wars against Muslims, pagans and dissident Christians, and the general expansion of Christian Europe and colonialism. They combined religious interests with secular and military enterprises. The Christians learned to live in different cultures, which they learned and absorbed. And it s possible the Christians imposed their own characteristics on these cultures as well. There were seven or eight separate Crusades between 1096 and 1272, but they accomplished very little. By 1291, when the last Latin outpost in Acre fell, Jerusalem had already fallen. When judged by military standards, the Crusades were a failure. Nevertheless the Crusades strongly affected the imaginations and aspirations of people at the time, and to this day they are among the most famous chapters of Christian history, and also the most infamous. What the Church had gained so quickly, was slowly but steadily lost. The Crusades merely served to hasten changes that were inevitable. The Muslims still control the Middle East, and Jerusalem became one of the centers of Islam. The Church which had made itself the leader of the Crusades, came to suffer the consequences of their ill success. Faith in papal absolutism waned, and a new religious spirit began to appear in the Reformation. May God bless us all! Dcn. Larry I want to express my sincere appreciation and thanks to all my St. Paul s family for expressing support and congratulations to me for achieving the Diaconate. I want to thank those who attended the Ordination service, and also for the reception you gave me the following Sunday. Michael and I thank you for your support these past two and half years, and the love you give us as we continue together in ministry. May God bless us all! Ordination My brother, every Christian is called to follow Jesus Christ, serving God the Father, through the power of the Holy Spirit. God now calls you to a special ministry of servanthood directly under your bishop. In the name of Jesus Christ, you are to serve all people, particularly the poor, the weak, the sick, and the lonely. With this declaration from the Bishop, the Prayer Book s liturgy for the Ordination of a Deacon began for our own Larry Courtney and two other candidates from the Diocese of Kentucky on Wednesday evening, June 1 at Christ Church Cathedral in Louisville. Thanks to the generosity of Joan Woodring and her son Bruce, and with help from Bill Gentry and Leslie Newman, a wonderful group of Parishioners were able to make the trip to help Larry and Michael celebrate this much anticipated transition in ministry. Fr. Rich and the Confirmation Class drove in from their retreat in Kuttawa to be part of this historic and sacramental event in the life of our Parish as well. The liturgy itself was inspiring for all who attended, the music provided by a joint choir was thrilling, and the reception that followed, thanks in great part to Susan Sauls, Connie Walasky, and Marty White was delightful. At both services the following Sunday, St. Paul s received the Rev. Larry Courtney back home in his new role as a Deacon. Though deacons serve the Church at the direction of their bishop, and that may mean that Deacon Larry may at some point be assigned other ministries, for now, the Rt. Rev. Terry White, Bishop of Kentucky has formally assigned Dcn. Larry to Henderson and St. Paul s. As the ordination was completed, the Bishop prayed a prayer that we have been praying for more than three years, a prayer that we trust God is answering day by day in the life of our new Deacon, Larry Therefore, Father, through Jesus Christ your Son, give your Holy Spirit to Larry; fill him with grace and power, and make him a deacon in your Church. Make him, O Lord, modest and humble, strong and constant, to observe the discipline of Christ. Let his life and teaching so reflect your commandments, that through him many may come to know you and love you. As your Son came not to be served but to serve, may this deacon share in Christ s service, and come to the unending glory of him who, with you and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

4 Mission Trip Preparation Leslie Newman Several Parishioners attended a taco fundraiser at the Presbyterian Church on May 4 to hear more about the mission trip to the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota that our own Trae Purdy will be joining. We heard their plans for travel and work, and saw clips of the ABC special, A Hidden America Children of the Plains with Kentucky s own Diane Sawyer reporting on this poorest county in America. Thanks to the many Parishioners who provided work and financial and moral support to make Trae s participation possible. And please remember Trae and the rest of their team in your prayers June Youth Sunday Leslie Newman In preparation for our big day, EYC kicked off May with a Sunday evening gathering at the church, with a meal, an art project to prepare for Mother s Day, and a fun walk and swinging in Central Park. Mother s Day at St. Paul s surely does a Mother s heart good! It was youth Sunday, there were lots of youth and children present at the 10 a.m. service where former head acolyte and college then-sophomore Jacob Deep and the youth acolyted, ushered, served, read the scripture and the high school seniors gave homilies of gratitude for their St. Paul s family and their own families. The children made cards, handed out carnations to all the ladies in the congregation, and thanks to Ms. Evalyn, they even managed a nostalgic version of M-O -T-H-E-R, with back-up from the choir. And then they served coffee hour. St. Paul s kids are amazing! Fr. Rich honored the seniors, Alexis Purdy and Renner Wehr, on Youth Sunday, and presented them with a study Bible and a blessing as we support them at the close of this chapter of their lives and the beginning of the next. Alexis and Renner graduated from Henderson County High School on May 27. Congratulations to our seniors on their myriad accomplishments. We look forward to seeing the places you ll go. Another All Saints Summer Leslie Newman One place we know Alexis is going is to All Saints camp, where she will serve as a counselor this summer. Alexis is gifted with the ability to care for children and I foresee her not only supporting the diocesan children in their Christian formation and their camp experience but in soothing any kids who feel the homesick bug coming on. In addition to Alexis being part of the summer-long staff, St. Paul s is providing half of the junior counselors for camp this year, Anna, Caitlin and Trae each taking an extra week out of their summer to help care for younger campers. And with deadlines approaching, our Parish has nine young people registered to attend camp at All Saints this summer, Thanks in advance to those who help make camp possible for all our kids through your generous donations and by providing transportation. VBS Leslie Newman Some of our EYCers attended training for Vacation Bible School and they, Miranda, Gisele, Sandra, Iris and Michelle, and volunteers from our partner churches, helped Raiko transform the church, the Parish Hall, the education building, and even the church itself for Cave Quest, held June 6-9. For the first time since 2012, this year was St. Paul s year to host VBS. We are always grateful to have partners for this endeavor, but never more so than when it is our turn to host. Zion United Church of Christ joined the Presbyterian Church, Community Baptist Church, First Christian Church and St. Paul s to make the opportunity for Bible school available to not just the children of our several churches, but to children from throughout our community. Thanks to all our parishioners who purchased and contributed items as well as the time and talent needed to make VBS a partnership and a success. Memorial Day Weekend Leslie Newman On the last Sunday of May, EYC and their families were invited to a Memorial Day weekend backyard bonfire, wienie and marshmallow roast at the home of Becky and Jason Durham from the Presbyterian Church. We were treated to glow sticks, corn hole, fence jumping, good fellowship and a beautiful sunset from the Durhams back yard. Thanks for including your St. Paul s friends! Looking Ahead Leslie Newman The rest of the June EYC calendar is taken up by camp, camp, and more camp. We look forward to hearing the stories of another summer at All Saints. And maybe with all the smart phones out there, we ll see some great pictures, too. And thanks in advance to those members of St. Paul s who have accepted Ms. Ella s invitation to volunteer at the 26th W.C. Handy Blues and Barbecue Festival June in Audubon Mill Park. I m pretty sure one must be pre-booked on an Alaskan cruise in order to not accept Ms. Ella s invitation. The proceeds from the sales of RC Cola go to keep the festival free. Thanks for doing your part to keep that tradition going.

5 Vestry Notes At their meeting on May 10, St. Paul s Vestry: Reviewed April financial reports showing income still slightly trailing expenses for the year. Received updates on the status of gutter repairs and the odd jobs list of facility improvements. Discussed our participation in the Kyndle non-profit awards breakfast. Resumed discussion about the development of a unifying grounds use plan. Completed the final required statement of support for Larry s ordination. The next Vestry meeting will be Tuesday evening, June 21 in the Rector s study. Confirmation Retreat Fr. Rich When the Bishop proposed a date for his annual visitation in Lent, I snapped at the offer, even though it left little time to complete the preparation of the ten young people that I wanted to present for Confirmation. With Easter also around the corner, we set a class schedule for the remainder of the spring that covered several of the main topics, but some topics were saved for a concentrated retreat May 30 through June 2. We were blessed to have an invitation from Kent and Jennifer Preston to use their lake house in Kuttawa, and doubly so that Kent was able to join us for our time there. Not everyone in the group could attend, but early Tuesday morning, Jenny and I picked up Confirmands Brianna Garcia, Rad Mattingly, Quinton Owen, Kaleigh Purdy and Caitlin Walker or the trip to Kentucky Lake. Jenny took care of our meals and any needs the girls had, with his history working with youth, Kent was a great fellow-chaperone, and Sophia added her own wonderful zest to every minute. Though I had meticulously planned our time to make sure we covered all the bases, that plan was happily put on the back burner when we found out the Prestons had just taken possession of a new pontoon boat and that Captain Kent was willing to take some of our work and play to the Lake. Morning Prayer and the Eucharist have never been more beautiful. Though it was not part of the original plan either, were also blessed to have our lesson about the orders of ministry within the Church punctuated by a visit to the Cathedral and the Ordination of our very own Deacon Larry. We dropped the young Confirmands at their homes barely before 10:00, tired but thoroughly prepared for their new life as adult members of the Church and their Parish family. Keeping Elbows On the Tables This month, our third Sunday collection for Christian Community Outreach was the lowly, but as anyone who has ever had to make do on a budget can tell you, filling commodity, boxed macaroni and cheese. When all those famous blue boxes were counted, we were able to add 118 family size portions of the sticky staple to the shelves at CCO. We collected some that claimed to be the cheesiest, some that were thick and creamy, and some that boldly stated, You know it you love it! Under pressure from internet-empowered crusaders, now gone are the artificially brilliant neon orange colors that many of us know from our youth or our children s, but the staple has lost none of its cheesy luster, especially to the taste buds of the younger set. We collected more than 55 pounds of the pastel pasta, and that s the dry weight a lot of suppers for people who need them. Our next 3rd Sunday collection for CCO is Fathers Day, Sunday, June 19 when we re looking for that other kid-favorite commodity, peanut butter. Handy Euch-and- Q As a wrap up to the Handy Blues and Barbecue Fest, St. Paul s is once again taking our 10:00 worship to the street Sunday morning, June 19. Actually, we ll be celebrating Holy Eucharist in the Memorial Courtyard and then having a barbecue lunch on the lawn. There will be special music and an informal homily that morning, and we ll be inviting friends from the community to share both the service and the Q with us, so mark your calendar to be part of the fun. Financial Summary as of April 30, 2016 Pledged Amount to Date Pledged Income received to Date Other Operating Income to Date Operating Expenses to Date $64, $48, $17, $82,288.00

6 St. Paul s Episcopal Church Staff The Very Rev. Rich Martindale, Rector The Rev. Larry Courtney, Deacon Leslie Newman, EYC Director Evalyn Champion, Organist/Choir Master Donna Mulcahy, Bookkeeper Judy Duncan, Parish Secretary Phone Service Times Sunday 8:00 Rite I 10:00 Rite II Wednesday 12:10 Rite II w/ anointing Vestry Members Sr. Warden Jr. Warden Clerk Budget and Finance Parish Life Building and Grounds Outreach Worship and Music Christian Formation and Youth Communications Treasurer Greg Powell Bill Gentry Susie Watkins Hugh Hennessy, Bill Gentry, John Henderson Marilyn Dixon, Greg Powell, Susan Sauls Greg Powell, Bill Gentry, Hugh Hennessy Jennifer Preston Kurt Wilson, Marilyn Dixon, Susan Sauls Jennifer Preston Jennifer Preston, Kurt Wilson Hugh Hennessy St. Paul s Episcopal Church 5 South Green Street Henderson, KY