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

Our Wardens' Update Dear Friends,  Epiphany – the season to celebrate when the Magi, seekers after truth, wisdom and love, arrived in Bethlehem to visit the new king they were seeking – the One who would bring the world truth and wisdom about the greatest love – God’s love . This is also the season when we celebrate the gifts of all kinds brought to this new king – treasures of wealth, healthy resins, and also, as legend tells us, music from a small boy’s drum. This Epiphany we, the people of St. Paul’s Church, are called to emulate those seekers – continuing our search, not for a king but for a leader who will help us continue our work of spreading the Good News of God’s wisdom, truth and love in our place and in our time. The wise men and young musicians of old prayed, studied and prepared gifts before they finally recognized the star that would lead them to the One who would show them The Way to live into truth and wisdom. Likewise, today we are called to continue our time of study, prayer and preparation of the gifts each of us can bring to support the work of God’s kingdom. St. Paul’s is not new to this task – we have been called upon several times over the past 60 years to do this work. It is not easy work. It is not always comfortable work. But, with God’s grace, it is work we have done and done well. It is work to which we are called once again. The One who came on Christmas Day has shown us The Way and is with us still. We have but to do our part and follow Him. With grateful hearts for all seekers – especially those that are St. Paul’s Church, Rhoda and John I MPORTANT DATES: Tuesday, January 22, 7-9 pm. - Vestry Meeting. Please let a Warden know you're coming so that we can make the necessary accommodations Sunday, January 27, 10 am - Annual Parish Meeting and Election of Vestry Members IMPORTANT NOTICE:  Some folks have received requests for monetary help from the many people in need in Ft. Collins. Usually our administrator or priest handles this but now the requests are coming to parishioners. Please refer ANY such requests you get to the Parish Office - we neither promise nor provide anything without a person coming to the office. Susan has handled requests regularly and knows how to do this and when referral needs to be made to one of the Wardens

Be a Welcoming Presence A core value of the St. Paul's community is being welcoming. As with all values, it is a goal toward which we are always reaching and at which we never fully arrive. Here's a thought from the Rule of St. Benedict, a way of life practiced by Benedictine monastics from the Fourth Century to the present day, that can help us to live into this value: “All guests who present themselves are to be welcomed as Christ, for he himself will say: “I was a stranger and you welcomed me. (Mt 25:35)” (RB 53:1) Remembering that Christ dwells in each one of us and sometimes uses us to speak truth to one another, and remembering that the new person in our midst represents an opportunity for us to get to know Christ in a different way, we can become more fully people of welcome. 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.

Flowers for the Altar Altar flowers are enjoyed by the congregation of St. Paul’s on the second and fourth Sundays throughout the year, excluding Sundays in Advent and Lent. The money for these flowers comes from donations. Many of the donors give the flowers in memory of loved ones who have entered life eternal, or in celebration of birthdays or wedding anniversaries. Some people give flowers in thanksgiving or to the glory of God. We welcome donations in honor of anyone or for any occasion. We ask for a $25 donation, but any amount is acceptable. Please sign up on the Altar Flower sign-up sheet located on the red St. Paul’s bulletin board on the southeast corner of the parish hall.

Save the date: FFH training on 1/14 @ 7 PM @ Trinity Lutheran Four faith communities will be coming together for this training: Trinity Lutheran, Ft. Collins Friends, Mary of Magdala, and St. Paul's. Annette Zacharias, Executive Director of FFH, will be presenting information on all things FFH. If you haven't met Annette, she has been a driving force for caring for homeless families through this program. She is a fun, dynamic speaker.

Food Bank Volunteers, Save the Date Wednesday, January 16, 9-11 am and Friday, February 22, 1-3 pm. Any questions, please contact Jo Baietti

Habitat for Humanity - Travel to Jordan and the Holy Land We at St Paul’s have been invited to help build a Habitat home in Jordan, alongside our friends from Trinity Lutheran Church and FOCOLU in November, 2019! Preliminary plans call for a one-week build in Jordan, followed by a week-long trip through the Holy Land. Some help with the cost is available to Thrivent members. For more information, please attend Trinity’s 10 AM service on Sunday, 01/13/19, immediately following St Paul’s 9 AM service. Habitat’s Faith and Global Engagement Director, Erika Nossokoff, will address the congregation from 10:00-10:30 AM. Please come to hear Erika and learn more!

Sound Healing, Singing Bowls January 19, 2019, 11 am - 12:30 pm in the Sun Room at Trinity  Experience soothing sound vibrations as Betsy Perna plays her Himalayan singing bowls in a beautiful venue. For more information, contact Betsy .

Trinity Book Group: A Gentleman in Moscow  The 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 Thursday, January 24, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm at Plymouth Congregational Church Spend an evening reflecting on a topic of immense importance. The Fort Collins World Wisdoms Project is offering an engaging program which will allow participants to explore their own and others’ approach to questions of morality. Faced with moral or ethical choices, how do we make decisions? How have the standards to which we hold ourselves changed as we have matured? Pastors Susan and Steve Ortman-Goering of the Fort Collins Sojourn Mennonite Community, who are life-long workers for justice and peace and long-time advocates for our immigrant brothers and sisters, and Sophie Schor, PhD student at the University of Denver, Joseph Korbel School of International Studies, and an advocate with the group Combatants for Peace, will share through personal story their evolving relationship with “the other”. Sophie will focus on the historical fractiousness of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the Middle East, and Pastors Susan and Steve will focus on immigration issues via their local efforts in the Interfaith Sanctuary And Accompaniment Coalition (ISAAC). Following this will be individual reflection and discussion. Suggested donation is $10 per person. Students are always encouraged to attend for free.

 First, Sit Down "But the first step is to get them to sit down. In order to receive what they need, they must still their anxious feet and pounding hearts."  -- Laurie Gudim writes for Speaking to the Soul at the Episcopal Cafe. Read the full reflection HERE .