St. Paul's Episcopal Church



301 E. Stuart Street, Fort Collins, CO 80525
Phone: 970-482-2668
Email: office@stpauls-fc.org - Website: www.stpauls-fc.org

Daylight Savings Time Begins this Sunday

Move your clocks forward one hour on Saturday night so that you don't miss church on Sunday morning .
Our Parish Administrator, Susan Smith is Resigning

Susan has recently moved to Golden, Colorado, with her family. Though she tried valiantly to make the commute each morning from the Denver area here to Ft. Collins, the recent winter weather convinced her that this was not a workable arrangement. She is very sad to leave us, and we will miss her, too. If you have a chance, stop in and say goodbye. Her hours are 9 am to 3 pm, Monday through Thursday, and her last day is March 15.

There is an excellent solution for staffing the office in the works. The Vestry will discuss it at their retreat tomorrow, and an announcement will be made on Sunday morning. .
Look to God, Do Not Be Afraid

As Saturday Night Live's iconic figure Roseannadanna used to say, "Well, Jane, it just goes to show you, it's always something — if it ain't one thing, it's another."

In unsettled times our first impulse is to grab on to the first sure and firm course of action and to force it to be what we need. I have learned that it is quite often the counter-intuitive act of flinging my arms wide open that allows God to enter my life in the most uncertain moments. God usually then arrives with something truly amazing that I would never have imagined until I let go of everything I thought of, hoped for, and thought was right. -- Laurie Gudim
A Lenten Shared Discipline

Online with Laurie Gudim

The Presiding Bishop has introduced a seven week study and discussion series called “The Way of Love.” You can download the documents from the Episcopal Church website by googling HERE . It's pretty simple, really, though it takes some thought and discernment. I have created a Google group email list so that we can share our experiences of this material with one another and challenge ourselves to go deeper. We will do it in four sessions: “Turn and Learn”; “Pray and Worship”; “Bless and Go”; and then “Rest”. For those in a ministry at St. Paul’s, consider how it applies to your ministry. I will email you once a week, and then you can respond to the group email — short replies. Are you in? We have five people already.  Email me or talk to me when next you see me.
Suffering as a Path of Transformation: A Lenten Retreat with Rick Klein

Saturday, March 16, 8 am to noon

is a joint educational opportunity hosted by Mary of Magdala Spiritual director trainer and retreat facilitator Rick Klein, using writings from Richard Rohr, Teilhard de Chardin, Jack Kornfield and contemplatives from different faith traditions, will lead an exploration of the who, what and why of the spiritual path of suffering. The retreat is intended to be experienced with times for contemplation and meditation. Please RSVP to Rosean Amaral (roseanlaurie@gmail.com or 970-692-4238.
Lenten Midweek Soup Suppers and Holden Worship
  
Wednesdays March 13, 20, 27, April 3 & April 10: Supper at 6 pm, Worship at 6:45 pm

How is God molding you this season of Lent? During the worship, join with Trinity Lutheran and Mary of Magdala Ecumenical Catholic Community to experience “The Potter and Me” - a Lenten drama (written by Pastor John Trump). We will act out this story as Reader’s Theatre, with actors and actresses from each congregation. Sioux and Jeff Icenhower are designing the sets! Sign up to bring soup or bread. The sign-up sheets are in the narthex on the counter.
Fort Collins: The Choice City . . . For Whom?

Tuesday, March 19, 6:30 pm

There will be a showing of ”Fort Collins: The Choice City… for Whom?” at Trinity Lutheran Church. 301 E. Stuart. The film’s local producer, Betty Aragon-Mitotes, will be present to introduce the film and lead discussion afterward. “Choice City,” filmed in 2016, is about the historical and current discrimination and racism that occurs in Fort Collins. The showing is an offering of the Joint Social and Ecological Justice committee of three partner parishes – St. Paul’s Episcopal church, Trinity Lutheran church, and Mary of Magdala Ecumenical Catholic Community ─ all of whom share space at Trinity. There will be a free will offering collected and light refreshments

We need help . There will be a sign-up sheet in the narthex at the St Paul’s table. We need donations of finger foods like cookies and other light refreshments. We also need some people to be greeters, set up and help with clean up.
The Legacy of Slavery in the U.S.

This Sunday, March 10

A free soup & bread supper will be provided at 5 p.m. at St. Aidan's prior to the on-campus showing of the documentary Traces of the Trade: A Voyage of Realization and Reconciliation. The Emmy-nominated film traces a journey by Katrina Browne, the filmmaker, and nine of her cousins, into the dark past of the slave trade which enriched their white New England family. Dain Perry, one of nine cousins, and his wife, Constance, will present the film and facilitate a conversation on race, reconciliation and healing. The film showing will begin at the Visual Arts Center (VAC), in Room 1B20 on the CU Campus. It is a short walk from St. Aidan's. Parking is available at Euclid Parking Garage on campus (fee-based) or at St. Aidan's for free.  Want to car pool? Talk to Judy Matthews.
St Patrick's Day Potluck Brunch

Sunday, March 17, following the 9 am service.

Bring a dish to share that is Irish, green, or that will bring good luck! Contact Judy Matthews if you would like to help set up, clean up, and/or serve during the potluck.
Habitat for Humanity: A Special Guest Next Week

At next week's Wednesday-night Lenten Dinner, 03/13/19, at 6:00 PM, Trinity, St Paul's, and Mary of Magdala will welcome a special guest: Iman, a lady from Syria, who has been accepted into the Habitat for Humanity program. The Habitat program provides safe, decent, affordable housing to families committed to working their way out of renting and into home ownership. Accompanying Iman will be Erika Nossikoff, Faith & Global Engagement Director of Fort Collins Habitat for Humanity.  
To learn more about Iman, her family, and their hopes and dreams, please click  here . And come and be inspired by their remarkable story!
Joint Eco-Justice Team

Are you interested in Ecology and the Environment? Come and join us! Trinity, Mary of Magdala and St. Paul’s are now joining together for projects and educational opportunities inspired by our desire to care for our sacred earth. Our next meeting is Tuesday, March 26, at 5:30 pm. Location to be announced. For more information, contact Judy Matthews , the Joint Eco-justice Team liaison for St. Paul’s.
Need a Lift or Able to Give Someone a Lift?

  Judy Matthews is coordinating the effort to match people who need rides with those who can provide them. Please contact her (and let her know which part of town you live in).
The First Annual Joachim Viens Memorial Lecture

April 9 at 6:30 pm at The Drake Center, 802 West Drake Road, Fort Collins

This is a presentation by the World Wisdom's Project. The event is free, open to all. Dr. Winnifred Fallers Sullivan will discuss chaplaincy, spiritual care, and the law. Today, chaplains who do not publicly identify themselves with a particular faith offer spiritual care in a variety of secular institutions. Chaplaincy traces its origins to the medieval church and yet this profession is at the very forefront of a rapidly changing and diverse religious scene in the twenty-first century. The work that chaplains do, their training for that work, their responsiveness to the spiritual marketplace, and their regulation by the government, deserve attention. Come find out how chaplains are able to offer spiritual care in today’s workplaces. The speaker, Dr Winnifred Fallers Sullivan, is Professor in the Department of Religious Studies, Professor of Law in the Maurer School of Law, and Director of the new Center for Religion and the Human, all at Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana. The lecture begins at 6:30 pm, followed by a question and answer session, and then a reception. 
Supernatural Stories: Life, Death, and Community in Contemporary Russian Villages 

will be presented from 2-4 pm Saturday, March 9 , by Laura Olson Osterman, Associate Professor in CU Boulder’s Department of Germanic & Slavic Languages & Literatures. If you visit Russian villages, you will often hear two types of stories about people’s interactions with the supernatural world: tales about harmful magic and accounts of ancestors who visit from beyond the grave. Dr. Osterman, who has been doing ethnographic fieldwork in Russia and Bulgaria for 40 years, will explore the logic and purpose of such stories.
 

Flowers for the Altar

T o 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, put “Flowers” in the memo line, and put it in the offering plate. Thanks!
Here Is the Lamb of God

" John points out this man, Jesus, who is not much to look at, but who has a strange draw. "

-- Laurie Gudim writes for Speaking to the Soul at the Episcopal Cafe. Read the full reflection HERE .