St. Paul s Episcopal Church 31 Rider Avenue Patchogue, New York Bulk Rate US Postage Paid Permit No

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1 St. Paul s Episcopal Church 31 Rider Avenue Patchogue, New York Bulk Rate US Postage Paid Permit No ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED Mailing Address Street Number and Name City, State Vestry Wardens: Robin Sconzo and Cathie Pliszak Mary Dykman, Dee Laffin, Scott Harris, Ronnie MacDonald, Conni Still, Maurine Jacobs, Barbara Ruest, Laura Cooley, Barbara Greco Clerk: Conni Still Treasurer: Barbara Lapinski; Assistant Treasurer: Cynthia LaValle Parish Phone: Office Hours: Tuesday Friday, 9:30 AM- 1:00 PM Office Closed on Mondays Rector: the Rev. Elisabeth E. Tunney Parish Administrator: Ronny Pliszak Parish Ministers: All the People of St.Paul s.

2 St. Paul s Epistle Vol.XVI Ed.9 September 2017 St. Paul s Parish Mission Statement: to be a thriving, loving, Christ-centered parish; a parish who knows Christ and makes Christ known. We take seriously our Baptismal Covenant that says we will respect the dignity of every human being. You are welcome to worship with us, to join with us in fellowship, and in our ministries, regardless of age, economic status, marital status, nationality, race, sexual orientation or gender identity, ability or disability, and wherever you are in your spiritual journey. A Word from Mother Liz A prayer for students and teachers returning to school Almighty God, the fountain of all wisdom: Enlighten by your Holy Spirit those who teach and those who learn, that, rejoicing in the knowledge of your truth, they may worship you and serve you from generation to generation; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever, Amen. BCP pg 261 Please note our new statement of inclusion in our header. The vestry approved making these changes in order to be clear about our understanding of what it means to be welcoming and inclusive. The new wording will also be included on our website, our Facebook pages and in our Sunday bulletin. Building Update In last month s newsletter I wrote about the work on the roof of the St. Nicholas Wing. This work has been completed and the solar panels restored to working order. The project came in slightly under budget so we will be returning some of our grant money to the diocese. We were pleasantly surprised to discover that the roof decking was sound, with 3-inch thick tongueand-groove boards. Obviously the wing was built with very solid construction back in The other good news was that the leak was not due to the installation of the solar panels but to some repair work that had been done on the first few courses of the roof after the second layer of roofing had been put in place some time ago. The leak occurred because the repairs were overlaid on some plywood to try to level them with the two layers of shingles. It probably wasn t quite level and water always seeks the lowest spot so the rest is history. In other good news we received word that the diocese would reimburse us for the cost of installing the Fire and CO2 alarms that was completed this past year. The installation of these alarms was mandated by the Town of Brookhaven. This refund will result in an unexpected windfall of $10, However, God s abundance is always just enough so that we don t get reckless with his abundance and 1

3 we will need those funds to help pay for the next round of repairs to the back of the church the flat roof and it s flashing that continues to leak into the sacristy and choir room every time we get a Nor easter.. Who would have ever thought that roof was a 4- letter word? Operation Remove the Wildlife update There have been no more raccoon trappings and after I caught a possum or the possum twice more I decided to stop leaving the trap set at night so that count has now stabilized at 7. I have caught 4 more squirrels for a total of 8. I am not going to mention the other 4-legged and 6-legged critters that are also on our not-so-wanted list. Planning Your Funeral The Four Week program on planning your funeral was successful. If you missed the opportunity to participate a 2-page Guideline will be distributed and is available from the office. Holy Eucharist Evening Service Saturday, September 2, 2017 at 5 PM Vestry highlights. Once again the Vestry had a very productive meeting. Some or the highlights included the sharing of the following information: The roof repair and replacement of the solar panels and squirrel screening was completed on the St. Nicholas Wing. The cost of this extensive repair ($23,000) was covered by a grant from the Diocese authored, on extremely short notice, by Mother Liz. The Vestry extended our sincere thanks to Mo. Liz for her persuasive, successful and fast grant writing; A positive financial position was reflected in the Treasurer's report; More specific plans for the Pasta at the Parish event were discussed. All are welcome and encouraged to join in the fun, food and fellowship. See details in the weekly announcements and this newsletter; A review of the successful, well attended stewardship retreat was conducted. Thank you to all who participated; Mother Liz announced the parish had recently received a very kind and generous donation of over four thousand dollars from our very kind and generous former priest Mo. Paulette Schiff..We miss her dearly and extend our thanks to Walter and the entire family for this opportunity to continue to expand our mission and honor Mo. Paulette's memory; Committee reports continue to reflect the hard, important and successful work our parish provides to serve God and help our community. Stewardship Committee It has been a while since we supplied you with an overall update on how the community of St. Paul s is doing with pledges. I am happy to report that we are right on track. With a grand total pledged of $119, for the year we would expect to have received $79, by the end of August. What we have actually received is $80, so we have collected a bit over $ more than pledged. Once again, we thank all of you for your gifts of treasure and remind you to check your quarterly statements to ensure that you stay on track. Martin Minogue & your Stewardship committee You give them something to eat. We are all familiar with the story of Jesus feeding the five thousand. A great crowd had followed Jesus to a deserted place and it was getting late. The disciples noticed that there was a problem. They didn t have the means to feed all these people. They asked Jesus to send the people away so that they could go buy food elsewhere. Jesus replied, They 2

4 need not go away; you give them something to eat. All that the disciples could come up with was five loaves and two fish, but by God s power it was more than enough to feed the crowd. Our world today faces us with many problems which we cannot solve on our own. We may be tempted to think that any contribution we can make would be too small to make a difference. I can t bring about world peace, feed the world s hungry, fight inequality and injustice all on my own. Jesus showed us that in God s kingdom things work differently. God knows that as individuals or as a parish we don t have the means to address every need. But we are expected to do something, to give something. Even if it amounts to little more than a few loaves and fish, we contribute what we can and trust that God is working through us. After all, it is not our work that we are doing, it is not our kingdom. It is God s work and God s kingdom. When we give of our time, talent and treasure we do so with faith that we are working for God s kingdom, and that God is able to accomplish great things. the solar lights in front of the Church and Parish Hall the weeding and planting of flowers new rug donated in Vestry Room new flags on our flag pole front lawn filled in and reseeded You may not have noticed: repairs to the furnace Hole in steeple repaired Outside repairs to Parish Hall and Rectory including roofing, windows and animal holes repaired Began clearing area in back of yard new cabinets in the bathroom These are the accomplishments of many helping hands and financial commitments of the Good People of St. Paul's. We thank you for your hard work and dedication to make sure our Church is a place we are all proud of, and for your continued support and in the Raise the Roof Campaign now and in the future. Thank you, B & G Committee St. Paul s Stewardship Committee: Laura Cooley, Michael Daly, Martin Minogue, Constance Still, Phyllis Voegeli Buildings and Grounds The B&G Committee would like to let you know some of the things they have worked on this year so far. We are sure you have noticed some of them but not all are obvious unless you know where to look. You may have noticed: Please include in your prayers this month: the Main Street sign has been replaced Those who are sick or in need: 3

5 Craig Shaber, Dylan & Family, Ed Smith, Linda Bocca, Mary, Manny, Mike, Marcy, Lillian Hemmert, Janis McEvoy, Lou Cooley, Nikki, John Davis, Phyllis Trypuc, Johnny, Martin Gunkel, Ronnie MacDonald, Linda & Malcom Pryce, The Rev. Mitties De Champlain, Wendy Western, Julia Petrella Rosalyn Spielholz, Bill Whyland, Dick Root, Jamie Russell & Family, Georgann & David Lombardi, Jackie Root and the victims of the Hurricane in Texas and Louisiana Those who are serving in the armed forces and their families: Nicholas Lo Russo, James Fava, Danny Martin, Mike Layton, Samantha Schwartz The thrift shop has been plugging along, donations rolling in huge amounts. Unfortunately we have had some volunteers out due to illness and personal reasons. If any parishioners would like to join our merry group on a temporary basis until we get back up to snuff it would be most gratefully appreciated. Monday, Friday, Saturday from 10-2 or any portion of that.. St. Clare s Guild Thanksgivings and Acknowledgments Kevin Weeks and Scott Harris for their dedication as liturgical minister at the 8:00 service David MacDonald for trimming the hedges Those who volunteered at the Thrift Shop in Jeannine s absence Michael Daly for providing most of the music in July and August Dee Laffin and Scott Harris for wrestling the pew fronts out of the garage and Robin Sconzo for bringing them to the street for pick-up Those who provided refreshments for Lemonade on the Lawn in July and August Phyllis Voegeli for compiling the liturgical calendar Ronnie MacDonald for coordinating Pasta at the Parish Michael Daly for agreeing to update our website content Conni Still for managing our Facebook pages The ladies of St. Clare s Guild will be working on a new project for next year s Christmas Fair! A needlepoint nativity scene is our next endeavor, and we hope that it will attract some of you needle pointers that are itching to start something to bring to the beach or on vacation or on the patio! We need the more experienced needle workers for the intricate kings and I m going to do a simple sheep, I know my limitations! Join us for evenings of fun and fulfilling work! Coffee Hour Thrift Shop 4

6 Volunteers are needed to host the coffee hours after the 8 and 10 o clock services. Sharon Minogue will give you all the instruction on how to make delicious coffee and where all the equipment is kept, and the goodies are up to your imagination and baking or shopping skills! Best of all you can be reimbursed for your purchases. Please see Sharon to sign up. SAVE THE DATES! Saturday, September 9, 2017: Pasta at the Parish 5:30-8:30 Contact Ronnie MacDonald to sign up to help Tickets available at Thrift Shop and Office and from vestry members. Sunday, September 10, 2017: Blessing of the Backpacks. Anyone returning to school is welcome to have their backpacks blessed. The new roof prepares for the solar panels Saturday, September 23, 2017: Tag Sale 9-3. Please start bringing items for the sale beginning September 10 th and store them NEATLY in the Chapel. Contact Dee Laffin or Laura Cooley to sign up to help! Saturday, November 18, 2017: Christmas Fair 9-3. Contact Cathie Pliszak to sign up to help! Oct 14, 2018 is the 175 th Anniversary Dinner Watch for details! Solar panels safely stored in the shed. A Mystery reflection in one of them! 5

7 Robin borrowed Conni s bee veil to take care of a nasty wasp nest. Good Job Robin. The choir says goodbye to Hsin-Chiao as she prepares for a new venture to continue her Doctoral studies. We will miss her. Lemonade on the Lawn after some of the services. 6