Professional Documents
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St. Paul's News - June, 2008
St. Paul's News - June, 2008
June 2008
Page 2
Upcoming St. Paul's Activities
Activities at a Glance
Ongoing Activities • Mid-Week Eucharist, Tuesdays, noon
• Book Cart, 2nd Sunday after 10 AM This Month at St. Paul’s and Elsewhere
• B&PW, Tuesday, June 10, 6 PM
• Graduation Sunday, June 1
• ECW, third Monday, 7 PM
• Parish Sunday Mass/Picnic in the Park, June 8, 10
• St. Elizabeth Guild, on hiatus until September
AM, Lake Lansing
• Family Night Dinner, on hiatus until September
• The Ordination of William H. Fineout, Saturday,
• 4 Fs, on hiatus until September June 21, 11 AM, Cathedral of St. Paul’s, Detroit
• St. Paul’s Library, open every Sunday • Vacation Bible School, June 23-27, 9 AM to Noon
• Prayer Group, on hiatus until September
• Men’s Breakfast, on hiatus until September
B&PW
Summer Hours
By Barbara Richardson, President
t’s June: picnic time for the B&PW Guild. We will The office will be closed on Fridays from
I gather at the home of Debby Pierce at 6 p.m. on
June 10 for our annual picnic. Members are to bring a
May 23 through August 29. It will be open
during regular office hours from 9 a.m. to 5
salad or dessert. Meat and beverages will be pro- p.m. Monday through Thursday during that
vided. Spouses and guests are especially welcome for time.
this evening of great food and wonderful fellowship.
Contact Debby by June 7 for reservations.
Our next meeting will be September 9 featuring our
recipe dinner.
June 2008
Page 3
Upcoming St. Paul's Activities
Celebrate Bill’s Ordination
Lyn Zynda, Layout Editor
ears of study, effort and prayer will culmi-
Y nate in the Ordination of our own Bill Fine-
out to the Sacred Order of Deacons on Saturday,
June 21 at the Cathedral of St. Paul’s in Detroit. It
was his intention to issue an invitation to the Parish
family to help him celebrate this momentous occa-
sion, but, as he is currently recovering from his
recent surgery, I am issuing the invitation on his
behalf.
It is my hope that great numbers of his friends
from St. Paul’s, All Saint’s and St. Katherine’s will
fill the Cathedral to witness his ordination. I am
especially excited about this event as I found pro-
nouncing “Diaconate Candidate” nearly impossi-
ble.
There has been talk of securing a bus to take rep-
resentatives from the three Parishes to the cere-
mony. If this sounds like something in which you
would like to participate, please call Debby
Pierce.
Graduation Sunday
By The Rev. Ronald C. Byrd, Sr., Curate
s is our custom, we will honor our high school, college and advanced-degree graduates on Sunday, June
A 1. At 9 a.m., the Vestry will provide a breakfast for the high school graduates and their families. During
the 10 a.m. Eucharist, there will be a short ceremony and graduates will be presented with a small gift from
the congregation.
Members or relatives of parishioners graduating this year are asked to contact the parish office and provide
the name of the institution and date of graduation.
June 2008
Page 4
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UTO Refurbishing the Kneelers
By Nancy Milne By Mandy Lawton
hanks to everyone who con-
T tributed to the United Thank
Offering ingathering on May 11,
I n March, I approached the Vestry for money to
get the altar kneeling pads cleaned and refur-
bished. They approved the expenditure to have
and an a special thanks to the this done. The kneelers will be gone in June for a
B&PW for all of its work on this project. We don’t few weeks, so kneeling might be a difficult during
have the grand total yet, but all of it is greatly appre- this time.
ciated.
Vestry Highlights
At the May 20th meeting of the vestry at St. Paul’s • Discussed the CCC parking lot and how it is used
your vestry: • Approved up to $1,200 for Fr. Byrd to travel to
and participate in the Black Clergy Conference to
• Shared what they thank God for at St. Paul’s and be held in New Orleans October 19th to 24th
what they would like the Father to help us with at • Received both oral and written reports from the
St. Paul’s next year standing committees of the vestry
• Heard a report from Fr. Byrd regarding the Sab-
• Heard a report on the planning that has begun
batical Team and who is "in charge" during Fr. for the 2008 Stewardship Campaign which will
Weller’s time away kick off on September 9th
• Had a discussion regarding additional costs from
• Received the April 2008 financial reports (found
All Terrain for the sewer separation project and elsewhere in this issue)
approved these additional costs so the project
• Heard a report from the Sr. Warden, C. Krupka
can be completed as mandated by the city.
encouraging the vestry to begin looking at ways
• Discussed recent projects at the church including
of doing some fund (and fun) raising to replenish
spring cleaning (which had over 20 people in- the building fund
volved), use of our facility by home schooled mu-
• Received a written report from Fr. Byrd
sic students and Ministry Fair (which was very suc-
• Began preparations for the vestry breakfast hon-
cessful)
oring our high school graduate, Steven Kariuki
We are on Hiatus
By Christine Caswell, Editor
We’re used to quiet summers at St. Paul’s, including a rest from our beloved St. Paul’s News, which will not
be coming out again until the September issue.
Articles for the September issue will be due on August 4, instead of the 15th. There are two reasons for this:
the September issue is usually overwhelming, so for the sanity of the staff, we would like more time. Sec-
ondly, with the problems we’ve had with mail delivery of late, we would like the hard work from all of those
who contribute to get to the rest of the members before their events occur.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact Lyn regarding this. For those of you who do regular articles,
you’ll be hearing from me in July. Thanks to everyone for their help and support throughout the year.
June 2008
Page 6
St. Paul's News
On Being Ourselves
By Stephanie Van Koevering, Vestry Member
s the newest member of St. Paul’s Evangelism Committee, I have been spending lots of time doing re-
A search on how to connect with visitors to our parish. There is a surprising amount of research already
available on what people prefer when they visit a new church; unfortunately, much of it is contradictory.
Some researchers say that 73 percent of people are neutral to negative on the idea of having greeters at the
door. In a similar poll, 63 percent of respondents said they would prefer to be invisible until at least their sec-
ond visit.
On the other hand, there is research that says greeters are essential to making visitors want to return to a par-
ticular church. Greeters only have moments to make a first impression that forever colors a visitor's opinion of
the church. A visitor's first 30 seconds in your church building is the time to get it right.
So which is it? Do visitors want to be invisible, or do they want a friendly smile and a warm greeting?
After considerable reading and even more reflection, I have reached the obvious conclusion that there is no
single answer. Every church is different, every parishioner is different and there are no magical solutions to
bringing people into the parish and keeping them there.
Oh, except for one: the magical work of the Holy Spirit. If St. Paul’s is the right place for a person, it will hap-
pen. In fact, the more forced our welcome, the more uncomfortable our visitors will be. There is no situation
more awkward than walking into a room where people are waiting to offer you coffee, stilted smiles and
questions about where you live and when you might come back. At St. Paul’s, I believe our greatest asset is our
genuineness. God has brought us together into this time and place and we are a unique community. Yes, it
takes time to connect. Yes, it takes effort. However, isn’t that part of the process, on both sides of the member-
ship equation?
I am not saying that we should not welcome new visitors or that we should not do all that we can to make St.
Paul’s a caring parish home. However, I am suggesting that we back away from the sense that we have 30
seconds to connect with a visitor in just the right way OR ELSE. We mustn’t focus on filling the pews to the de-
gree that we forget who we are or why we come together on a weekly basis.
So while we must do all that we can to make our parish warm, friendly and inviting, there is simply no substi-
tute for being ourselves. If the fit is right, all will be well. And I believe it will be.
June 2008
Page 7
St. Paul's Choirs
St. Paul’s Youth Garner Honors
By Dr. Stephen R. Lange, Minister of Music
Several of St. Paul’s youth have quietly garnered some very prestigious honors this past winter:
A. J. Fletcher was a member of a competitive drama group from St. Johns High School that was chosen the
best acting troupe in the state of Michigan. They performed excerpts from the musical “Blood Brothers” at
the Michigan Youth Arts Festival held at Western Michigan University on May 9.
At this same festival, Matthew Nauss was a member of the statewide Honors Choir, chosen from more than
several thousand students through a three-stage audition process. He sang in Miller Auditorium under the
direction of a nationally known director from Texas. In addition, Matthew received a superior rating at the
State Solo and Ensemble contest.
Melanie Walker sang as a member of the Michigan State University Children’s Choir with the Detroit Sym-
phony. They performed the “Passion according to St. Matthew” by Johann Sebastian Bach. In addition, she
has sung in concerts in Hart and Flint and received a superior rating at the Middle School Solo and Ensem-
ble festival.
Baylie Sanchez played the part of Puck in Shakespeare’s Midsummer’s Night Dream put on by Waverly
High School.
In April, Parker Van Voorhees was part of a local cast, directed by New York director Greg Ganakas,
who put on the musical Babes in Arms at Passant Theater at MSU. He played the role of Mickey Lamar.
Congratulations to all these young people for their far-ranging achievements!
June 2008
Page 8
St. Paul's News
Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Full of Ambiguities
by Sue Millar
n April, at the “Becoming the Household of God” purpose. And I am profoundly grateful that in our
I Conference, Dean Tracey Lind spoke on the chal-
lenge of living in the ”piazza,” her way of talking
shared faith journey we have the vision and tradition
to guide and support us.
about the crossroads of life. She asserted forcefully
that we need to recognize that we live in a world of Lind concluded her last session on Saturday afternoon
volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. I find saying that the Church must be creative and imagina-
these unsettling descriptors of our present world. They tive and even open to the risk of not knowing exactly
also challenge us to be alert to realities we might pre- where we are going. She suggests we be willing to
fer to ignore; yet they are unquestionably relevant to take risks and not require guarantees or ultimate con-
our mission as a parish and as individuals. Lind also trol. Inevitably, when you listen to an animated, skilled
gave us a list of some specific challenges that cause speaker for a day and a half, you try to bring her
this volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity: ideas into your own environment to see how they ap-
ply.
• Extreme climate variability
• Rich-poor gap
Just prior to the Conference, Sr. Warden Charlie
Krupka introduced the Vestry’s Annual Action Plan.
• Personal empowerment as the primary goal (the
There it is, in print, St. Paul’s plans for doing Christ’s
“Me” generation)
work in this volatile, uncertain, complex and ambigu-
• Grassroots versus corporate economics
ous world! I found that exciting. I’m sure the Vestry
• Smart networking (i.e., Facebook) doesn’t consider it a finished document, but more like
• Polarizing extremes (beliefs and behaviors) a GPS screen which comes to have life and value only
• High-impact religion (i.e. mega churches) as we move forward. Pick up a copy, read it, and then
• Health insecurity find your place in it. Another thought: If you are up to
• Genetic engineering date on the plans and activities of the ACTION group,
• Boomers re-inventing aging you will discover an example of how individuals and
• Youth raised in a digital age parishes seek to follow the Great Commission. Last
• Urban wilderness year and again this year, they are tackling significant
• Digital communication increasingly defines relation- local actions that will improve peoples’ lives. Keep
ships abreast of their work, or better yet, join them.
• Dilemmas of difference (cultural practices, values)
Also, as I was writing this article, our Reading Group
The above list could easily be the outline for a book. was finishing reading Jim Wallis’s The Great Awaken-
Even though it is a “bare bones” list, I understand these ing. There is no room to review the book here (it’s
14 descriptions of our world enough to realize that available on the Book Cart), but it speaks with inspira-
despair and confusion in the 21st century are no sur- tion and eloquence about the same issues that Tracey
prise. This is a “downer” of a list, but I remind myself Lind described and that St. Paul’s is seeking to imple-
that humanity, consciously or not, seeks meaning and ment through its participation in ACTION.
June 2008
Page 9
St. Paul's Youth Ministry
Youth Ministry Articles Provided in Collaboration By:
Youth Ministry Articles Provided in Collaboration By:
Youth Christian Education and Youth Fellowship Chairperson, Kelly Gmazel
Youth Group Executive Council President, Steven Kariuki
Youth Group Coordinator, Barbara Heany
Youth Group Advisor, Tom Foltz
Acolyte Guild, Directors Patricia Bellinger & Carol Sleight
The Rev. Ronald C. Byrd, Sr., Curate
The 4 F’s
By Nancy Sheldon
he 4 F’s group met for a picnic in May and shared peace, one school at a time) by Greg Mortenson &
T some of their favorite books with one another. David Oliver Relin
They’d like to share them with you for some good sum- • Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
mer reading suggestions (in no particular order): • Appalachian Passage by Helen Hiscoe (In this terri-
fic book, Helen tells the story about the year she
• Can’t Wait to Get To Heaven, a novel by Fannie and her young husband, Bonta, spent in hollows of
Flagg West Virginia in 1949, where he began his medi-
• Nineteen Minutes, by Jodie Picoult cal practice as the camp doctor and they strived to
• Winter Study, (a platinum mystery series on Isle administer health care to this isolated and impover-
Royal) by Nevada Barr ished area. Helen & Bonta are long time members
• Standing Tall: A Memoir of Tragedy & Triumph by of St Paul’s. The book was published in 1991 and
Vivian Stringer & Laura Tucker is available on Amazon.com.)
• A Thousand Splendid Suns, a novel by Khaled • Home to Holly Springs, by Jan Karon
Hosseini • Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
• Devil In the White City: Murder, Magic, & Madness • An Irish Country Doctor by Patrick Taylor
at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson
• Three Cups of Tea (one man’s mission to promote Happy Reading!
June 2008
Page 11
Mission & Outreach
ACTION of Greater Lansing
By Lyn Zynda, Mission and Outreach
n the May issue of SPN, Bill Fineout described the Federal mandates dictate the Lansing School District
I process by which ACTION, a justice ministry coali-
tion in Ingham County, decides the focus of efforts on
bus homeless kids to ensure they remain at the same
school at a cost of $250,000. The Lansing School Dis-
behalf of the disenfranchised in our community. trict believes that a significant portion of student tru-
ancy cases are due to emergency housing situations.
At the May 5 Rally, it was determined to present a
Safe Rental Housing Initiative to Mayor Bernero and At the Rally, ACTION of Greater Lansing will seek a
other community leaders at the Nehemiah Action As- commitment from Mayor Bernero to:
sembly on May 19. As I am writing this article the day
of the assembly, the response from the Mayor and his • Require immediate enforcement of housing ordi-
administration is unknown. The problem and its nega- nance 1450.49, requiring every registered rental
tive effects, however, are felt throughout our commu- unit have a sticker of rental status and code com-
nity. pliance.
• Ensure that all registered rental properties are
Nearly 1,800 rental homes were tagged with code available online for public viewing by August 1,
violations in 2007 in the City of Lansing. When a 2008 and,
property is tagged, the tenants have 24 hours to • Engage in a public education campaign to add
leave the home. This puts additional pressure on our community understanding of the importance of reg-
community’s social services. For example, the backlog istering rental properties.
to get rental assistance from the Capital Area Commu-
nity Services is over a one-month wait, and emergency Look for updates on the Mayor’s response and pro-
shelters in the City have been filled to overflowing. gress on the project in upcoming issues of the newslet-
ter.
s Fr. Weller reported in the April issue of SPN, the St. Paul’s community voted to
A build a well for a village as our 2008 project to fulfill the Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs). This is a ambitious undertaking and will require us to raise $7,500 in or-
der to build one well and provide connections for houses to the local well.
In the United States, we take clean drinking water for granted while elsewhere in the
world, a child dies every eight seconds from drinking dirty water. At our April meeting,
the Mission & Outreach Committee discussed possible methods of fundraising this impressive amount. One idea
we came up with was to use water bottles to collect loose change similar to the tithe boxes used by UTO over
the years.
The Meijer Store in Grand Ledge has generously donated 25 cases of 20-ounce water bottles for this project.
We will be distributing the bottles to the congregation during the Parish Picnic. After the bottle is empty, rather
than just throw it away or recycle it, we would like you to cut a opening in the top and say a prayer of thanks
for the ready availability of fresh water as you drop in your spare change. The Committee will collect the bot-
tles periodically and report to the congregation the progress toward our goal.
June 2008
Page 12
St. Paul's News
(Continued from page 1)
In his absence Father Gordon has ensured the office of his rectorship through a “sabbatical team,” and we are
committed to making sure his ongoing leadership and presence is realized among his faithful flock. Please know
while Father G. is not physically in our midst, he continues in his care and charge over our parish family. Accord-
ingly, it is my humble request should any member of Father’s flock need anything, regardless of importance,
please do not call or contact Father directly. Instead, please contact that member of the sabbatical team who
can best assist you. The following list is provided to assist members in determining whom to contact for ques-
tions, comments or concerns.
Bill Fineout, Parish Outreach/Mission & Pastoral Care 517-482-9454 Ext 16
Annette Irwin, Parish Fellowship & Repast 517-332-4439
Kathleen Johnson, Administrative & Daily Operational Matters 517-482-9454 Ext 10
Charlie Krupka, Parish Business, Financial, & Vestry Matters 517-339-7450
Dr. Stephen Lange, Worship, Music, & Christian Education 517-482-9454 Ext 18
Max Pierce, Building Maintenance & Grounds 517-485-5446
Martie Repaskey, Building Maintenance & Grounds 517-349-256
Fr. Ron Byrd, Worship, Ministry Programs, & Pastoral Care 517-482-9454 Ext 17
The sabbatical team meets monthly to collaborate, coordinate efforts and to ensure the business and program-
ming of our parish runs smoothly. We are here, standing ready to steer you in the right direction, offer sugges-
tions, or just say, “we don’t know, but we’ll find out!”
In closing, if the sabbatical team can not get it done for you, rest assured, Father G. left us with a “nuclear op-
tion,” it’s called the “Lange Factor,” and if Dr. L. has not seen it, experienced it or prayed about it, then we’ll
just have to wait until our beloved rector returns!
On behalf of our rector, the vestry, the sabbatical team and the “Lange Factor,” may you all have a wonderful,
restful and exciting summer, knowing all is well at 218 W. Ottawa Street!
and has since used it for spiritual and physical warmth while recovering. It was really meaningful for her to
know she was in your prayers.
The last four weeks have consisted of recovery for Linda and some house projects for me. Linda is recovering
nicely and I have had the time to do some things I indicated in my first letter back in February. This has con-
sisted of a few long-postponed home projects, getting the stored car to Lansing and beginning to pull it back
together, and working on the genealogy. The genealogy piece has been a bit frustrating in that the computer it
was stored on developed a hard-drive problem, and I have been having trouble recovering data. We have
over 400 names in the data bank and were afraid it was lost. I think everything will be fine, and we have
bunches of 100-year-old pictures from both sides to scan, repair and add to the data. While Linda goes to
therapy for her exercise, I have joined a gym to work on getting some additional exercise for myself. I also
have tried to be more diligent with my diet and diabetes. The reading for both of us also goes on.
When I say the best is yet to come, perhaps I should say the most exciting. Linda and I are planning a two-
week trip either east, to visit old friends (a college roommate) and parishes previously served, or west to visit
more recent old friends as we journey to visit our son, Christopher, in Colorado. In addition, I have made reser-
vations to go to Egypt and Israel in late July. I leave July 8 and return July 31. While there, I will do the tradi-
tional things tourists do, visiting Egyptian relics and Holy Land sites. I will report on these when I come home.
Linda plans on visiting her sister in New York.
We think of you often and know that you all are in good hands: those of God and one another.
June 2008
June 2008
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
If you no longer wish to receive these mailings, please call the church office (517) 482-9454,
any time of the day or night and leave a message to be taken off our mailing list.
June 2008