St. Paul's Episcopal Church 301 E. Stuart Street, Fort Collins, CO 80525 Phone: 970-482-2668 Email: [email protected] - Website: www.stpauls-fc.org View as Webpage

Wardens' Update Dear Friends, We are looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible at the Annual Meeting this Sunday (the 27 th ) in the Sun Room after the 9 am service. This moment in time for St. Paul’s is indeed a unique one. . . . Read full article ST. PAUL'S ANNUAL MEETING : This coming Sunday, January 27, after the 9 am service . Come and celebrate our community!

St. Paul's needs 14 volunteers for Faith Family Hospitality (FFH) to help families like this one! As an FFH coordinator and volunteer, I have seen the strength that some of these parents have shown. It takes strength to accept help and admit they need help, help for their children and for themselves.  FFH provides safe shelter at night and nutritious meals for these families.  And the great thing about volunteering to cook, evening host or stay overnight is that it's an easy thing to do !  The FFH community impact can not be understated! FFH keeps families together and safe, reduces their time in homelessness, and supports them with dignity. Their experience results in fewer disruptions – for both parents and children – to education, medical care, and family, peer, and work life.  FFH works! And your help is needed to keep St. Paul's commitment to FFH. PLEASE VOLUNTEER!!  3 cooks are needed on:  Sunday, 2/17, and Saturday, 2/23 2 overnight hosts on: Monday, 2/18; Wednesday, 2/20; and Friday, 2/22 2 evening hosts on: Wednesday, 2/20  If you have any questions about these volunteer opportunities, please call or email Marianne Lutton or call 970-214-9806.   Sign up  If you have any troubles doing this, let Marianne Lutton know and she will sign up for you!

YOU ARE INVITED Would you like the opportunity of getting to better know other Parishioners of St. Paul’s? Would you enjoy the opportunity of eating a meal that you didn’t have to prepare? If so, please accept this as an invitation to participate in “Dinner with Friends”, an opportunity for all interested adult Parishioners – of any age, attending St. Paul’s for any length of time, singles or couples – to meet in small groups in one another’s homes. As we like to say, coming together for “great conversation and equally great food”. The purpose of this ministry is to better deepen connections between Parishioners of St. Paul’s, weaving deeper threads of relationship. People who have participated in earlier three month cycles have really enjoyed the experience. We hope that you will respond to this invitation. Registration for this cycle continues at our Annual Parish Meeting , January 27. There will be someone present to record your interest. One may also email or telephone our contact person: Terry Birdsong (970) 493-9412. And, when you register, please share with us the contact method you would prefer us to use. In addition, if you would enjoy being a part of a fun committee, please contact Bill Hoelzel (970) 999-5230 and let him know. Thanks! Jim Steinborn, Terry Birdsong, Tracy Williams , and Bill Hoelzel , Steering Committee

Joint Worship Service February 17 at 10:30 am  All three Faith Communities at Trinity will join to sing, celebrate, ponder, and praise God. There will be no other St. Paul's services on this day. If you can help carry gifts to the altar, read or be a chalice minister, please let Laurie Gudim know.

Saint Swissom's Day Luncheon February 17, 2019 HURRY, HURRY, HURRY! The Tickets for Saint Swissom’s Day Luncheon, February 17 after the joint worship service, go on sale this Sunday. Be one of the first 150 lucky participants. Adults $10.00 Under 12 only $5.00.

The February Social Justice Meeting will be a joint one with Trinity Lutheran and Mary of Magdala. It will be February 5th (Tuesday) at 5:15 pm in the Fireside Room. All are invited.

Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper, Silent Auction and Talent Show Tuesday, March 5, 5:30 - 7 pm Please join us on Shrove Tuesday: Pancakes, Awesome Talent, a Silent Auction and lots of FUN! All proceeds will support the youth mission trip 2019! We need your help with donations of time and/or talent.   Go here for a google document to contribute. Hot items in the past have been: weekend get-aways, lessons, food, art, crafts, etc. If you have a talent that you would like to share, there is place on the document for that information. As we approach the date, more information will be coming!

Be a Welcoming Presence A core value of the St. Paul's community is welcome. As with all values, it is a goal toward which we are always reaching. Remember that Christ dwells in each one of us and sometimes uses us to reach out in love to one another. During this time of transition it’s more important than ever to make connections to the people next to you in the pew. So if there’s someone who you don’t recognize, please say, “Hi, I don’t think we’ve met! I’m . . .” And please wear your name tag. Don't have a name tag? Email Susan , our parish administrator.

Habitat for Humanity - Travel to Jordan and the Holy Land Build a Home in Jordan, Travel thru the Holy Land. For more information contact Gray Currier .

Flowers for the Altar To dedicate altar flowers in memory of a loved one, in celebration of a birthday or anniversary, or just to express gratitude to God, sign up on the list located on the red bulletin board where we used to gather for coffee. The money for these flowers comes from donations. We ask for a $25 donation, but any amount is acceptable. Write the check to St. Paul’s and put “Flowers” in the memo line and put it in the offering plate. Thanks!

Trinity Book Group  at 9:30 on Monday, February 4th, will discuss Amor Towles’ novel  A Gentleman in Moscow , the story of a Russian count who is put under house arrest in 1922 and lives out his days in the luxurious Metropol Hotel in Moscow.  Members of MoM and St. Paul's are invited to join the discussion. Questions?  Call Nadine Hunt at 825-3730.

Responding with New Compassion Tonight from 6:30 to 8:30 pm at Plymouth Congregational Church Approaches to questions of morality. Sophie Schor, PhD student at the University of Denver, Joseph Korbel School of International Studies, will focus on the historical fractiousness of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the Middle East, and Pastors Susan and Steve Ortman-Goering of the Fort Collins Sojourn Mennonite Community will focus on immigration issues via their local efforts in the Interfaith Sanctuary And Accompaniment Coalition (ISAAC).

Self-Compassion through Contemplative Neuroscience Dr. Christine O’Brien, Presenter Contemplative Outreach of Fort Collins February 9, 8:30-11:30 am, Plymouth UCC   Contemplative neuroscience, the new discipline investigating the effects of meditation and mindfulness on the brain, validates our innate basic goodness present at birth. We will explore contemplative practices of self-compassion that are scientifically proven to enhance brain integration. Dr. O’Brien focuses on whole person health addressing mind, body and soul.

Some pictures. . . .

Courageous Vision "Rarely do we go out two by two any more. And yet each member of a parish   is part of the Body of Christ, the heart and the feet of Jesus. Each of us baptized Christians, no matter what else we are, is a load-bearing post in the House of God."  -- Laurie Gudim writes for Speaking to the Soul at the Episcopal Cafe. Read the full reflection HERE .