November 20, 2025 l ISSUE 47

The Lord is our righteousness.

Jeremiah 23:6



Sunday Morning Adult Formation Conversations

Join us every Sunday

from 9:30 - 10:15 a.m.

in the Parish Hall

as we listen to God's Holy Word

and discuss how it impacts our personal lives.

9:30a.m. in the Parish Hall

Sunday service

at 10:30 a.m.



UPCOMING SCRIPTURE READINGS

SUNDAY LEADERS

Thanksgiving Eve Service

Advent is coming - Sunday, November 30th! 

Prepare ye the way of the Lord!

A Note From Fr. Jeff

Our St. Paul's 2025 Advent journey

will take us 

Through the Wilderness 

to find 

Healing for a Weary World

This Advent, I invite you into a season of sacred reflection and prophetic imagination centered on four visions of Isaiah. Each of these visions arises from the pain and longing of God’s people – realities that echo our own struggles with fear, division, and injustice today. Our Sunday morning Adult Formation time will encourage those who participate to courageously name the brokenness around and within us; explore what it means to embody prophetic love and courage in today’s world; and dream of a world made whole – and begin to walk toward it.

The four 50-minute sessions will be based on the Old Testament reading from the Revised Common Lectionary (Year A), that will be read later at our morning liturgy. 

Adult Formation will begin promptly at 9:30a.m. in our Parish Hall. Please try to arrive a few minutes early so that our conversations and discussions can begin on time.

Session 1, November 30th, will focus on Despair, Longing, Vision (Isaiah 2:1-5) – The prophets gave voice to the people’s deepest despair and longing — while also daring to imagine a new reality shaped by God’s peace and justice. This first session will invite us to name the pain we carry into the Advent season and begin to envision what healing might look like for each of us, our communities, and our world.

Session 2, December 7th, will focus on Justice, The Only Way to Peace (Isaiah 11:1-10) – Drawing on Isaiah’s vision of a Spirit-led leader who brings justice for the oppressed and peace for all creation, this session will encourage us to discern how God’s justice and peace might take root in your own lives and that of our community.

Session 3, December 14th, will focus on Far from Home (Isaiah 35:1–10) – Isaiah 35 speaks to a people in exile who believed the only way home was a long, impassable road around the desert’s perimeter—but the prophet offers a surprising vision: a blooming highway straight through the wilderness, back to their scattered loved ones and back to God. We will reflect on our own seasons of wilderness and loss, while also considering the real-life journeys of those who cross deserts today in search of safety and home.

Session 4, December 21st, will focus on Choosing Vision Over Fear (Isaiah 7:10–16) – This session will invite us to reflect on the temptations we all face when fear takes hold – especially the temptation to trust in power, comfort, or status quo solutions instead of God’s deeper call to justice and peace. We will explore how to root our decisions not in fear and scarcity, but in God’s larger vision of healing, wholeness, and collective flourishing.

In addition to this Adult Formation program, a Daily Devotional Booklet for Advent will be available for everyone to have at home. The title is A Grand Miracle, inspiration from C.S. Lewis. These daily devotions take many of the familiar Christmas and Advent texts of Scripture and put them together with quotations from C.S. Lewis. While Lewis' take some of the spotlight, tis series of devotions is really about Jeus, the God who became man. He is the center stage, and that's how Lewis would have wanted it. Through these Scriptures, the Holy Spirit is our primary teacher, while Lewis, in his great imagination, leads us to contemplate this "Grand Miracle."

In the first week of Advent, we think of the miracle of the Incarnation. In week two of Advent, we turn to the title of Jesus that most perfectly captures the idea of Incarnation: Immanuel, "God with us." In week three of Advent, we travel to Narnia, where Aslan, the Christ-figure of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, is our guide. In the fourth week of Advent, Jesus, the Savior, speaks to us of his reasons for coming - to deliver us from sin, to enable us to become sons and daughters of God, to give us eternal life, to energize our lives through him as his new creations.  

May we each encounter special blessings during this Advent Season as we engage in these special opportunities to enliven our faith and bring us closer to Christ's manger on Christmas Day

I invite you to watch the beautiful liturgy celebrated last Saturday, November 15, 2025, during the 186^th annual Diocese of Missouri Convention. I especially want to turn your attention to Bishop Deon's powerful and inspiring sermon. It begins at minute 58. Enjoy and be encouraged and inspired.  

Care Kits Service Project

for

Our Unhoused Brothers and Sisters

Sunday, Nov. 30 @ 11:30a.m.

Last year’s data shows St. Louis City and County had 1687 unhoused individuals – including 299 children under age 18. Even if you are staying in a shelter, homelessness is tough! Daily survival is a top concern. We’ve all seen people on the street holding signs asking for help. Their problems and solutions are complicated. How can we respond in that moment with care and compassion, and not just keep driving? With a “Care Bag!” Though it isn’t a permanent “fix,” it WILL provide some comfort and relief, AND a reminder that they are seen and are beloved children of God.

On Sunday, Nov 30, at 11:30 a.m., St. Paul’s will host a service project in our Parish Hall to create “Care Kits” filled with daily necessities for people experiencing homelessness. Our goal is to make 100 bags filled with toiletries, clothing items, food, and other survival items. We’ll each take bags with us to hand out in the coming weeks, and we’ll keep some at church to give away.

Below is a list of items needed, as suggested by people who have experienced homelessness. (Provide as many as you’re able!) We’ll also include a note of encouragement and invitations to our 1^st & 3^rd Thursday meals and worship services. Plan to join us on Nov. 30. Can’t make it that day? Then please donate items or cash (indicate “Care Bags” w/ your donation.) As we prepare to give thanks for all that God has blessed us with, let’s share some kindness and just a fraction of our blessings!

Clothing items (new):

• Socks, socks, socks!
• Warm hats and gloves
• Bandanas
• Underwear
• Long underwear

Hygiene or Personal Care items (small or travel size):

• Dry shampoo
• Toothpaste and toothbrush, Dental floss
• Adult Washcloth Wipes, Flushable wipes, Baby wipes
• Hand sanitizer, sanitizer spray, sanitizer wipes
• Lip Balm, Vaseline
• Hand warmers
• Disposable razor
• Feminine hygiene products (pads, panty-liners, tampons)
• Bandaids - Cloth/semi-cloth (not plastic)
• Tissues
• Deodorant, Body Lotion, Hand Cream
• Cough drops, ibuprofen/acetaminophen (single dose packages)

Food items (non-perishable):

• Snacks: Chewy Bars (cereal, protein, granola), Peanut Butter or Cheese Crackers
• Ready to eat, easy-to-open food containers (pouches of tuna with crackers)
• Treats: Hershey bar, candy, gum
• Tea bags, Instant Hot Chocolate, Instant coffee packs

Other gear:

• Plastic spoon/knife/fork, travel cutlery
• Pen & note pad, sharpies
• Rape whistle
• Emergency ponchos, thermal blankets
• Candle, matches
• Batteries
• Sandwich bags

The Episcopal Church Women Board invites all women of the Diocese of Missouri to gather once again for “Another Conversation with Our Bishop,” featuring The Rt. Rev. Deon Johnson, 11th Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri.

In 2020, the ECW met with Bishop Deon shortly after he began his ministry as bishop. Now, nearly five years later, we come together again to reflect on what has happened since that first conversation, what’s in the works, and how women continue to help shape the future of our diocese.

Grab your favorite snack or beverage and join us for this relaxed discussion and Q&A session. We know life can be hectic—especially at 5:30 p.m.—so join when you can. Whether you stay for a few minutes or the full conversation, we hope you’ll leave feeling loved, heard, and renewed in our shared fellowship.

For more information, contact Susan Goen at susangoen@sbcglobal.net

The 2025 issue of Proclaim, the annual magazine of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri, is here, and it’s a powerful testament to faith in action, community in motion, and love that endures. In his heartfelt pastoral letter in the magazine, Bishop Deon K. Johnson reminds us that even in times of change, we are bound by God’s dream of justice, mercy, and unity. Come see how the Spirit is moving across Missouri!

NOVEMBER BIRTHDAY BLESSINGS!