march tidings 2012
DESCRIPTION
march newsletter 2012TRANSCRIPT
Reflections & Recipes To Observe a Holy Lent
Copies available in the church office
TIDINGS
FLASH WHITE OUT
One day last week there was a five minute snow squall that
briefly caused a white-out. The wind was blowing the snow sideways, turning what had been a sunny morning into a wilderness of white. The snow was falling so fast it was nearly blinding.
Spiritually, Lent is like a wil-derness white-out. Visibility is blocked. There is nothing for it but to trust God. In the Bi-ble we hear of wilderness sto-ries – periods of time when it is
hard to see our way forward. There is Jesus being tempted, the Israelites wandering, hun-gry, and thirsting.
Lent is like a white-out that breaks into an otherwise sunny life. We find ourselves sur-prised and disoriented. What finally gives us our bearings is trust in God who can see be-yond the squalls that disrupt our lives to where the sun shines again. The positive
aspect to Lent and those wil-derness times in which we find ourselves, is the recognition of our limits and the God for whom wisdom has no limit.
Lent is a time for faith that orients us and hope that be-yond the blinding wilderness of white, there is a future of light which will make things clear.—Cliff
VISITING YOUTH CHOIRS THIS SUNDAY
MARCH 4, 2012
Saint Paul's will host two visiting youth choirs from the Washington D.C. area. Coming from Church of the Re-deemer in Bethesda, MD and Christ Church in Alexan-dria, VA, both choirs use the same Royal School of Church Music Training program in use here at Saint Paul's. The two choirs are under the direction of M. Jason Abel (Christ Church, Alexandria) and Tom Smith (Redeemer, Bethesda) and will combine with the choirs of Saint Paul's Church to sing our choral services on Sunday March 4th.
At the 10:30 a.m. Eucharist, the visiting choirs will join with our choristers and adult choir to offer music by Parry and Elgar. With all of the choirs together, there will be over 80 singers this Sunday (roughly 40 of them being
children)!
Later on in the afternoon of the 4th, all of the youth will return to offer a 5 p.m. service of Choral Evensong for treble voices only. The combined choirs will offer music by Ralph Vaughan Williams, Paul Boumann, and Mal-colm Archer which will be a unique service that will surely be a highlight of this year's series.
NEWCOMERS
RECEPTION
AT
RECTORY
A newcomers reception will be held ―under the big-top‖ on the front lawn of the rectory 18 E. Chestnut Hill Ave. on Sunday, March 18 at 4 p.m.. Ministry chairpersons and Vestry mem-bers will be present to welcome those who are new to Saint
Paul’s. There will be refresh-ments and plenty of good fel-lowship. All are welcome.
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YOUNG ADULTS MINISTRIES: A couple of weeks ago, several of the young professionals met at Caffett for our first brunch meeting. It was such a great experience to see all the wonderful people who are part of the Saint Paul’s community enjoying each others company. The Saint Paul’s Young Professional Ministry is a tailored to serve the interest of young professionals which meet once-a-month for anything from brunch, to beer and other service projects. I invite all those who are young professionals and want to stay connected within the Saint Paul’s family and beyond to consider joining us for our next activity on March 23. For further information and questions about this ministry, please contact Manny @215-242-2055.
ANDRÉ AND FRIENDS
OFFER
POETRY AND MUSIC
André Saunders will read his po-etry with guitar accompaniment in the Dixon House on Sunday, March 11 from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Andre Saunders is a music artist/poet. Through his work he tries to capture the inner feelings and emotions of his audience. Know-ing how powerful words can be, he uses them wisely as he reflects on honest moments of his life
while also trying to be a positive influence to others. Through his words he touches on topics such as love, life, pain and joy among other things. His storytelling and honest approach has been suc-cessful as he continues to further progress as an artist. Andre is a member of St. Paul's church and is grateful to be able to display his talents to each of you.
CREATING SPACE FOR CELEBRATION
The second all-parish meeting concerning the configuration of worship space in the church took place on February 13. The first was held on October 5. We are obviously taking our time and want to have comments from all our parish-ioners. The February 13 meeting suggested leaving the font in the baptistery and with the open space congregants can gather there to witness the baptisms that take place during our worship.
The open space at back of the church can include a labyrinth based upon the church’s rose window design. With the fast pace of today’s society and accom-panied stress, walking a labyrinth can slow us down so that we walk in rhythm with our breath. This allows us to be more effective in other parts of our lives. Labyrinths have been in churches for 800 years.
At the front of the church there have been occasions when the altar has needed to be moved so far forward that it almost falls down the steps! When the altar
is not in its forward position, the music director and the deacon are often eye-to-eye, one conducting while the other prepares the altar for communion.
The February 13 meeting also suggested pews at the front and not chairs. The platform on which the altar would stand has been reduced in size to the width of the stairs; and instead of being the height of the chancel the platform height comes up to the second step. The platform extends the chancel and will have a sur-face of slate and sandstone to match what is in the chancel. Pictures can be found on the Dixon House Bulletin board.
You may go on the website to let us know what you think. We are taking a lot of time to listen.—Cliff
FRIDAY NIGHT BIBLE
Meet in the Parish Hall on Fri-day, March 16 at 7 p.m. There will be childcare. The Bible study looks at scripture themati-cally. All questions are welcome. No prior Bible study experience is necessary. Refreshments in-clude beer, wine, cider and soda plus home-baked goodies. All are welcome.
LENTEN HOUSE CHURCHES
Christians in the Early Church developed a practice of meeting in individual homes to pray, read scripture and to break bread. As Carroll Sheppard noted in her sermon on Ash Wednesday that Lent is an opening of the door to Easter, we are encouraging pa-rishioners to open their doors to other pa-rishioners for an opportunity use the Early Church model of meeting at homes to pray, study scripture and break bread as our Lenten discipline. Please join us on March 6 at the home of Cathy & Gary Glazer,7705
Lincoln Drive, Philadelphia, 19118 at 7p.m. For further information and questions, con-tact Manny @ 215-242-2055
Save the Date
Congratulations
National Merit Scholar
Maggie Olson
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FAITH FORUM
On Sunday mornings, a good number of parishioners gather in the Dixon House for Faith Forum. We just completed the Epiphany series of the Faith Forum where we discussed Free of Charge, a book by Miroslav Volf. The incredible nature of the book and the ques-tions that it raised for us helped the participants to evalu-ate the response towards forgiveness and giving in gen-eral. According to Volf, forgiving is possible, if we know how to give. In other words, our ability to forgive de-pends on our attitude towards forgiving those who wrong us in anyway. Having thus completed the book, we are now delving into Paul’s Letter to the Romans for our Lenten series. Like the Epiphany series, this prom-ises to be a little more challenging but fascinating. If you have not been to anyone Faith Forum, I encourage you to join us for a wonderful journey through the Book of Romans. For further information and questions, please contact Manny @ 215-242-2055
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE FOR
SHROVE TUESDAY
Lent is a period where we reconnect with our own hu-manity and seek the face of the One who constantly reaches out to us. Joe Fafara and daughter Jasmine came up with wonderful questions from history, geogra-phy and pop culture to make this a wonderful and lively evening. Our deepest appreciation to all those who worked very hard to make this happen. We thank you for your support and for sharing your talent and treasure with the Saint Paul’s family.— Manny & Cliff
FIFTH DIOCESAN VESTRY SYMPOSIUM The fifth Diocesan Symposium will take place at Saint
Paul’s on Saturday, March 17 from 8:30 a.m.– 12:30 p.m.. Congregational leaders from around the diocese will gather. This is a perfect opportunity for new vestry members and veterans alike to explore the role and minis-try of the vestry—how this ministry can be fruitful for God and for God’s church.
The Rev. Tom Pumphrey, Associate Rector at St. David’s, Wayne, will draw on his studies of vestries and years of experience both as a lay vestry member and a parish priest. Tom will address important elements of ef-fective vestries, such as transparent relationships, mutual accountability, and effective meeting norms—so that ves-tries carry out their ministries well.
In addition there will be presentations on Audits, Paro-chial Reports, Property Maintenance, Healthcare, Demo-graphic Resources for Church Growth, as well as presen-tations on Strategic Planning by the Rev. Paul Mottl and one on Finance by Jay Einspanier, Administrator for Church of the Redeemer, Bryn Mawr. To register online go http://www.diopa.org/news/topics/diocese/fifth-diocesan-vestry-symposium/, or con-tact J.D. Lafrance at [email protected] or call 215-627-6434 ext. 151
IHN GUESTS WILL ARRIVE ON
SUNDAY APRIL 29 – MAY 13, 2012
We are excited to host Northwest Interfaith Hospitality Network Guests into our newly painted space in the
Crypt. Host a meal and provide companionship after
dinner:. Volunteers are welcome and encouraged to
bring their own families and an after-dinner activity for the children. Books, games, and art projects are well re-ceived. Please call the church office. 215.242.2055
http://www.philashelter.org/volunteer
The schedule is as follows:
Arrive by 6 p.m.
Prepare (heat up) dinner. Guests can also prepare food,
set table, and serve dinner.
Give 10-minute call to guests. Remind children to wash
their hands.
Eat dinner from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.. Join the guests eating.
Parents serve their children. Hosts help parents keep
children at the table.
Set aside portions for latecomers.
Supervise dishwashing and kitchen cleanup, which is
done by the guests.
Children should be in bed by 9 p.m.
―When I first came here, I was lost. Now I know that there are people in this world who have a heart and do things to help without getting anything in return. You bring your fam-ily and your children to play with my child. You treat us like your friends or family, not like somebody strange.‖ – Euscaris, Former Guest
SAINT PAUL’S BEVERLY GAST, will pre-
sent her recently published book, Angel in Black, Sunday
evening, March 11th at 5.p.m.. Beverly’s story is of her sister, Elaine Shaffer, who was the only woman concert flutist in the world when she died at age 47. William Kincaid of the Philadelphia Orchestra and The Curtis Institute of Music was Elaine’s first and only flute teacher. A stunning career in too few years called her to perform in concert venues across the globe. You will hear some of her music played as well as striking tales of an artist’s life. Book sales will benefit The Choir School under Zach Hemenway here at Saint Paul’s.
FIVE FRIDAYS
CLERGY
The Very Rev. E. Clifford Cutler 215-242-2055 ext. 28
Rector [email protected]
The Rev. Emmanuel Mercer ext. 24
Assistant Rector [email protected]
The Rev. Robert M. Davidson 215.480.4732
Deacon [email protected]
STAFF
Zachary D. Hemenway ext. 35
Director of Music and Organist [email protected]
Virginia A. Emlen ext. 25
Administrative Assistant [email protected]
Ian Howell
Communications Coordinator [email protected]
Caroline J. Robinson
Organ Scholar [email protected]
Karen Richter
Music and Office Assistant [email protected]
Kalil Swinson ext. 27
Parish Bookkeeper [email protected]
Sonam Dhawo, Sexton Dolma Dhawo, Custodian
VESTRY Dale Lower, Rector’s Warden; Sarah Heckscher, Parishioners’ Warden;
Pam Prior, Accounting Warden; Linda Boggs, Secretary;
Stephen Camp-Landis, Mark Duckett, Betsy Evans, Rod Gagne, Steve Heimann, Alix Jones,
Tracy Piatkowski, Jake Roak,
Allison Romig, Paul Sehnert, Arthur Stokes, Jill Wemple
PIFFARO TO PERFORM AT SAINT PAUL’S ON MARCH 9TH The fourth concert in the FIVE FRIDAYS benefit concert series will take place on Friday March 9 at 7:30
p.m. A delightful program entitled Follow the Pipers will introduce Piffaro: The Renaissance Band and its many dif-
ferent instruments. This hour-long performance features secular and sacred pieces, dances and arrangements of popular tunes from 16th century Europe, interspersed with engaging commentary about the music, the time period and the instruments.
World-renowned for its highly polished performances as the pied-pipers of Early Music, Piffaro, The Renaissance Band has delighted audiences throughout the United States, Europe, Canada and South America. The ensemble, founded in 1980, recreates the elegant sounds of the official, professional wind bands of the late Medieval and Ren-aissance periods, as well as the rustic music of the peasantry. Piffaro’s ever-expanding collection of shawms, sack-buts, dulcians, recorders, krumhorns, bagpipes, lutes, guitars, harps, and a variety of percussion, are careful recon-structions of instruments from the period.
Under the direction of Joan Kimball and Bob Wiemken, Piffaro tours extensively in the United States and Europe, and has performed for all the major early music series and festivals, as well as many college and community series, in the US. The ensemble made its European debut at Tage Alter Musik in Regensburg, Germany in 1993, and has
returned to Europe each season for numerous festival appearances. In addition, the Band produces its own concert series in Philadelphia, with four to five programs per year, bringing to their series some of the finest talents in early music performance as their guests. Excerpts from these concerts are regularly broadcast nationwide on National Public Radio’s Performance Today.
The FIVE FRIDAYS concert series is planned as a community benefit to local organizations serving the hungry and the homeless. All proceeds from the series will be directed towards Face to Face Germantown, The Interfaith Hos-pitality Network, and the Chorister Program at Saint Paul’s. Each concert is followed by a reception at which guests may greet the artists.
Tickets $25 ($15 students and seniors). More information, directions, and online tickets at www.fivefridays.org or by calling 215-242-2055 x 35.