FROM THE RECTOR ST PAUL S EPISCOPAL CHURCH MARCH 2012 THE EPISTLE Where there is no vision, the people perish; but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. (Proverbs 29:18). That s the way this verse is translated in the King James Version of the Bible. The New Revised Standard Version (which is the translation that we read in church) renders the Hebrew somewhat differently, however. There the verse reads: Where there is no prophecy, the people cast off restraint, but happy are those who keep the law. As I was preparing for our recent vestry retreat, the purpose of which was to produce a vision statement which would articulate this particular vestry and clergy s vision for St. Paul s, a statement reflecting what we are and to what we aspire, I turned to the above mentioned verse in Proverbs. I liked the KJV translation and was frustrated by the shift from vision to prophecy in the NRSV. Of course, we as a church need a vision. Everybody and every organization needs a vision to be viable and productive and to know where they are going. I have thought St. Paul s was overdue for articulating such a vision and so, when I looked up the verse in Proverbs, I was disappointed to read about prophecy instead of vision. But here s a question: When we re talking about church, is there really much difference.between vision and prophecy? We say we believe we are called together by Christ and animated and inspired by the Holy Spirit. Could our vision, today, not also be God s vision for us? Let s consider the possibility. The Vision Statement for St. Paul s is printed in more than one place in this newsletter. You will see it often in the coming weeks and months. Read it. Think about it. Pray about it. Take it apart. Put it back together. Modify it. Could it articulate your vision? Could it describe God s vision? What vision might God be leading us into right here and right now, at St. Paul s Episcopal Church, Selma, Alabama? In Christ, David+ St. Paul s Episcopal Church Selma, Alabama, is a Christian community with open doors and invisible walls. Enlivened by God s love, we experience: Life sustaining worship Life long learning Life empowering service INSIDE THIS ISSUE: SENIOR WARDEN COMMENTS; PRESCHOOL NEWS FROM THE ASSOCIATE RECTOR STATIONS OF THE CROSS DEACON S BENCH; ECW INVITATION EASTER LUNCH; PAPA JOE S JOURNEY ST. PAUL S ON THE ROAD; BOOK GROUP 2 3 4 5 6 MONTHLY CALENDAR 7
PAGE 2 THE EPISTLE Senior Warden Comments Representatives of St. Paul's joined five hundred delegates and visitors from ninety congregations who gathered at the Von Braun Civic Center in Huntsville for the 181 st Diocesan Convention on February 17 18. In his first address as Alabama's 11th Diocesan Bishop, Bishop Sloan called for change when he specifically included proposals for expansion of Camp McDowell and for how clergy begin and continue their education. You can view, read and download detailed convention coverage and information (including a video of Bishops Sloan s Eucharist sermon) at the diocesan homepage www.diola.org/. St. Paul s Lenten calendar is full of events which will be instructive and enhance our Lenten discipline. Please make every effort to attend the Wednesday noon luncheons featuring speakers from the diocese. Be sure to get your copy of the Lenten Meditation booklet from the rear of the nave or the church office and check the calendar for additional services during Lent. The annual Vestry Retreat was held Saturday, February 25, 2012, with a full complement of our clergy and a majority of our vestry in attendance. Consultant Jennifer Lee, from Destin, expertly led us to accomplish our goal of formulating this new vision statement for St. Paul s: St. Paul s Episcopal Church Selma is a Christian community with open doors and invisible walls. Enlivened by God s love, we experience: Life sustaining worship Life long learning Life empowering service Let us all join together to live and achieve our vision. Faithfully, Ralph Hobbs St. Paul s Little Friends Preschool will be hosting its annual Art Show on Tuesday March 6th from 5:30-6:30. This is a BIG EVENT and the children and teachers have put much time, energy, and creativity into the many art projects that will be displayed. Don t miss this beautiful art show you will be impressed and inspired by all the art the children have prepared! Also, the Little Friends 9th Annual Fish Fry is scheduled for April 12th from 4:30-7:00. Don t miss this scrumptious fundraiser! Tickets are $8.50 a piece (all meals are take-out) and may be purchased from St. Paul s Office or Little Friends School.
On Journeys and Pilgrimages As I write this, the Church is half way through the 2012 Lenten journey. Holy Week is the first full week in April. One of the worship opportunities offered at St. Paul s during Lent is the opportunity to walk the Stations of the Cross that are set up around St. Paul s nave. The Stations of the Cross also known as the Way of the Cross - is a pilgrimage of sorts walking with Jesus along the Way of the Cross, the Via Dolorosa. Walking reverently around the periphery of the interior of the church, one stops at each of fourteen stations. There are devotional booklets available on a table below the pulpit. For each station there is a brief passage of scripture and a related collect, followed by the ancient prayer known as the Trisagion: Holy God, Holy and mighty, Holy immortal one, have mercy upon us. This devotional practice of the Stations of the Cross is a very, very old one. During the first centuries of the Church, Christians from all over the Western world would flock to the Holy Land to visit the significant places made holy by the life of Jesus. It was especially popular for the devout to make pilgrimages along the path through Jerusalem that Christ walked during his final week of earthly life the week of his passion. One of those pilgrims, late in the fourth century, was a Spanish nun named Egeria, who wrote letters to her sisters in the convent back home about her experiences. These letters have been preserved in the Itinerium Egeriae, or The Diary of a Pilgrimage. Much of Egeria s account is focused upon the liturgies celebrating the events of Holy Week in the great Jerusalem churches. Egeria compares these liturgies in great detail to the rituals in place in her homeland Spain. Unfortunately, the possibility of making these sacred pilgrimages died in the seventh century when the Holy Land was captured by Islamic forces. The following centuries saw terrible conflict throughout Palestine. Holy PAGE 3 places were plundered and wrecked; churches were demolished or profaned. Anything resembling the traditional ritual observation of the Way of the Cross was rendered impossible. The devotion became instead a distant memory. But, ironically, other international warfare and conflict this time, the Crusades served to re-establish these devotions. As a result, the widespread distribution and popularity of the Stations of the Cross throughout the Church in the West was insured. The First Crusade (1095-1099) resulted in Christian control in the Holy Land. Sacred sites were restored and devotional rites along the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem began to be conducted once again, although in forms different from those of preceding centuries. Finally, in 1342, the Franciscan Order was given the responsibility of maintaining the sacred places in Palestine, including the supervision of the Stations of the Cross both in Jerusalem and wherever the practice might be followed in the Western Church. Gradually it became a popular practice to adorn the walls of monasteries and churches with depictions of the Stations of the Cross. By the seventeenth century, stations placed at intervals around the walls had become an accepted architectural feature in many parish churches. The number of stations varied widely, from as few as five to as many as thirty. The number was finally fixed at fourteen nine commemorating events related in the Gospels and five from early and well-established traditions. It has been said that we Christians are a pilgrim people. On that pilgrimage of faith which lasts, of course, our entire life we join all others in the communion of saints, past present, and yet to come, in being caught up in a journey that if we so allow it will utterly transform our very beings. Walking the Way of the Cross either with others or by oneself can be a helpful way to meditate on what it means to be in pilgrimage with Jesus. This devotion enables us to be with Our Lord actively and spiritually along his last lonely Way. In so doing, we may acquire an even deeper appreciation of the great and gracious Love that led to the Cross.and ultimately to the empty tomb at the dawn of a New Day. In His love, Betsy+
PAGE 4 THE EPISTLE From the Deacon s Bench: A LENTEN INVITATION If we would be honest with ourselves, we really do love to get credit for the good things we do in life, if without ever seeking it. We are thrilled to be acknowledged and affirmed by our bosses, priests, civic leaders and peers, because it is affirming who we are when awards and public accolades come our way. We love to see our names in print, followed by descriptions of various acts of generosity, such as giving of our time, talent, and treasure to our churches, and to the various organizations that serve the needs of others. It s all perfectly normal and good. But what if we choose a fast this Lenten season that leads us to go, and be, and do where no credit will be given, where no public notice will be taken of our presence; to go to the most needful people in the least palatable of places, to put our feet and faces where we ve rarely, if ever, ventured before, where no one will sing our praises, where no rewards will be handed out? Is this not the fast God calls us to? Will you accept the invitation? GOD S PEACE! Joanie An Invitation for the Women of St. Paul s: St. Wilfred s Episcopal Church of Marion 104 Clements Street host to the ECW BLACKBELT SPRING CONVOCATION SATURDAY, MARCH 31, 2012 THE EDUCATION OF WOMEN IN SAUDI ARABIA DR. SUSAN STEVENSON VICE PRESIDENT, MARION MILITARY INSTITUTE FEATURED SPEAKER Registration: 9:45 A.M 10:15 A.M. Lunch: ANDERSON BARNES ANTIQUES/$12.00 PER PERSON CONTACT: MOLLY THORNTON 1402 PRIER DRIVE, MARION, ALABAMA 36756 334 683 9628/mythornton@yahoo.com
PAGE 5 Easter Day Parish Luncheon St. Paul s traditional Parish Easter Luncheon will follow the 10:30am service on Easter Day. Doris Truax is now taking reservations for the covered dish luncheon. Please see Doris after church or call her at 874-4616 (wk), 526-1043 (home), or 413-2626 (cell) to save your family a place! St. Paul s will be providing the meat but please plan to bring a side dish to share. Come join us for the Easter Feast! Papa Joe s Journey Four years of high school football, four years of college football, one year of football for the Paris Island Marines, two car crashes, stepped on a land mine in Korea, crashed an airplane...all physically tough times in my life. But not much of it compares to the hardness of the masonry tiled floor in the foyer of the parish hall at St. Paul s! Wow, I m still dizzy and seeing double at times after I fell flat on my face several weeks ago. A trip to the E.R., two days in the hospital and a severe concussion has me still taking it easy. As I m a firm believer that we should learn from our experiences, I keep asking myself, So, what did you learn this time, Joe? I learned, again, that Anne loves me a lot. Time and again she has suffered with me through some bad experiences, even after thirty-eight years of married life. I also learned - not for the first time - that the people of St. Paul s will be there with you through tough times as well as the good ones. Although I was knocked out cold for a few seconds, I distinctly remember that in addition to Anne being by my side, there was the alarming look on Nancy Reynold s face as I stumbled and fell right at her feet as she reached out to take my arm. There was Jimmy Alison on his knees by my side, taking my pulse. There was Gerald Mange standing above me and who was waiting at the ER when I arrived. There was Joanie and Manera and Grace at the emergency room. And I know from Anne that many others came immediately to the hospital to find out how I was and to offer help. And then, there were cards, telephone calls, visitations, wonderful food and especially the loving concern and continued support of David and Betsy Powell. What did I learn on this step in my journey? Most important of all it reaffirmed for me that the love of Jesus Christ as expressed by his followers is the hope of the world. That, more than anything, else keeps me going. AMEN. The Rev. Joe Knight Priest Associate
PAGE 6 THE EPISTLE St. Paul s on the Road February 2012 Miriam Coffee First Presbyterian Church, Selma, AL Cart and Sara Crum Blackwell Christ Church Cathedral, Mobile, AL Kay and Harvey Clapp Church of the Advent, Lillian, AL Caroline Majors - St. John s Episcopal Church, Montgomery, AL David Powell St. Paul s Episcopal Church, Carlowville, AL Lynn and Joe Williams Cathedral Church of the Advent, Birmingham, AL Dorothy Shand St. Paul s Episcopal Church, Newburyport, MA March Books N Brown Bags The book selection for March is Mudhouse Sabbath: An Invitation to A Life of Spiritual Discipline by Lauren Winner. Winner, a convert from Orthodox Judaism to Christianity explores Jewish spiritual practices and what Christians can learn from them. Despite her conversion from Orthodox Judaism to Christianity, Lauren Winner finds that her life is still shaped by the spiritual essences of Judaism---rich traditions and religious practices that she can't leave behind. In MUDHOUSE SAB- BATH, Winner illuminates eleven spiritual practices that can transform the way we view the world, and God. Whether discussing her own prayer life, the spirituality of candle-lighting, or the differences between the Jewish Sabbath and a Sunday spent at the Mudhouse, her favorite coffee shop, Winner writes with appealing honesty and rare insight (from a review of the book on Amazon.com) Come join us at noon on March 26th for a lively discussion! All are welcome! A Special Thank You!! to everyone from St Paul s Selma who supported Food Boxes for the Homeless Enough food for 500 food boxes was collected at our recent Diocesan Convention!!
PAGE 7 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS 4th 2 Lent Holy Eucharist 7:30 & 10:30am Breakfast 8:15am Sunday School for all ages 9:10am EYC 5-7pm 6th Bible Study Little Friends Art Show 5:30-6:30 7th Holy Eucharist 7am Breakfast follows Little Friends Chapel 9:30am Lenten Lunch 12 noon 11th 3 Lent Holy Eucharist 7:30 & 10:30am Breakfast 8:15am Sunday School for all ages 9:10am EYC 5-7pm 12th PBJ Club 3:30-5:30pm MARCH 2012 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 13th Bible Study 11am 14th Holy Eucharist 7am Breakfast follows Little Friends Chapel 10:30am Cedar Hill 10:30am Lenten Lunch 12 noon 15th Vestry Meeting 5:30pm 18th 4 Lent Holy Eucharist 7:30 & 10:30am Breakfast 8:15am 9:10am Sunday School for all ages EYC 5-7pm 20th Bible Study 11am 21st Holy Eucharist 7am Little Friends Chapel 9:30am Lenten Lunch 12noon 25th 5 Lent Holy Eucharist 7:30 & 10:30am Breakfast 8:15am 9:10am Sunday School for all ages No EYC (Spring Break) 26th Books n Brown Bags 12noon 27th Bible Study 11am 28th Holy Eucharist 7am Breakfast follows Little Friends Chapel 9:30am Lenten Luncheon 12 noon SAVE THE DATES! April 5 Maundy Thursday Service 6pm April 6 Good Friday Liturgy 12noon April 7 Holy Saturday Liturgy 9am April 8 Easter Day and Bishop s Visitation Holy Eucharist 7:30am; Holy Eucharist with Confirmation 10:30am; Parish Easter Luncheon follows April 12 Little Friends Preschool 9th Annual Fish Fry April 22 Parish Picnic and Holy Eucharist Carter Farm Lenten Offerings at St. Paul s: Lenten Speaker Lunches Wednesdays at noon Inquirers /Confirmation Classes Sundays at 9:10am Parish Lenten Meditation Booklets Stations of the Cross Stations are set up in the Nave until Maundy Thursday. Service booklets area available below the pulpit. You are invited to walk the Stations as an individual prayerful meditation at any time during the 40 days of Lent. **Note: Choir rehearses Wednesdays at 6pm!**
ST PAUL S EPISCOPAL CHURCH MARCH 2012 210 Lauderdale Street P O Box 1306 Selma, AL 36702-1306 Church Office: (334) 874-8421 Fax: (334) 875-7457 www.stpaulsselma.dioala.org The Rev David Powell - rector@stpaulselma.org The Rev Betsy Powell - associaterector@stpaulselma.org The Rev Joe Knight - hazenone@bellsouth.net Joyce Dawson - parish@stpaulselma.org Joanie Hammonds - deacon@stpaulselma.org Miriam Coffee/Patti Campbell choir@stpaulselma.org LENTEN NOONDAY PROGRAMS Feeding Body and Soul Our Lenten Programs this year are on Wednesdays at noon, gathering upstairs in Parker Hall for a simple meal of soup and bread to be followed by a teaching/reflection/meditation. The programs conclude by 1:00pm. Come join us and bring a friend! March 7th The Rev. David Meginniss, Rector, Christ Church, Tuscaloosa March 14th The Rev. Russell Kendrick, Rector, St. Stephen s, Birmingham March 21st The Rev. John Coleman, Rector, Ascension, Montgomery March 28th The Rev. J.D. Barnes, Rector, Trinity, Demopolis Come join us; meet our guests; and feed your body and your soul!