The E-pistle

Friday, February 7, 2025

A Note from Father Sam

Dear friends in Christ,

When I feel burdened by personal pain or national anxiety, I sometimes find myself reaching for a hymnal. The rich musical tradition of the Church, in all its diversity, contains not just beautiful poetry and inspiring tunes, but also opportunities for profound moments of prayer. Singing a hymn, playing it on the piano, or simply reading its words aloud, can bring me closer to God than just about any other form of prayer I know. If you need to feel God’s presence this week, I invite you to join me in praying one hymn we will sing on Sunday from Lift Every Voice and Sing II, the African-American hymnal of the Episcopal Church:

I need thee ev’ry hour,

Most gracious Lord;

No tender voice like thine

Can peace afford.

I need thee, O I need thee,

Ev’ry hour I need thee;

O bless me now, my savior,

I come to thee.

I need thee ev’ry hour,

Stay thou near by;

Temptations lose their power

When thou art nigh.

I need thee, O I need thee,

Ev’ry hour I need thee;

O bless me now, my savior,

I come to thee.

I need thee ev’ry hour,

In joy or pain;

Come quickly and abide,

Or life is vain.

I need thee, O I need thee,

Ev’ry hour I need thee;

O bless me now, my savior,

I come to thee.

I need thee ev’ry hour,

Teach me thy will,

And thy rich promises

In me fulfill.

I need thee, O I need thee,

Ev’ry hour I need thee;

O bless me now, my savior,

I come to thee.

Faithfully,

Father Sam

Sunday, February 9th, 2025

8:00 AM Holy Eucharist Rite I

10:00 A.M Holy Eucharist Rite II

Set us free, O God, from the bondage of our sins, and give us the liberty of that abundant life which you have made known to us in your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Scripture for the Presentation: Isaiah 6:1-8, Psalm 138, 1 Corinthians 15:1-11, Luke 5:1-11

Serving this Sunday:

Altar Guild: Robin Race

Fellowship: Cheryl Restarts

Serving at 8:00 AM

Celebrant/Preacher: The Rev'd Samuel T. Vaught

Acolyte: Rob Maloney

LEM: Jorja

Lector/Intercessor Jorja Marsden

Greeter: Sebastian Bonner

Serving at 10:00 AM

Celebrant/Preacher: The Rev'd Samuel T. Vaught

Acolyte: Kim Savery

LEM: Brett Roberts

Lector: Frank Smith

Intercessor: Alison Larkin

Greeters: Gale Page and Don Savery

Musician: David Smith

Altar flowers are given to the glory of God by Libby Wade.

Parish Prayer List

Those who are ill or in need of intercession

Jacob, Kathleen, Donna, Cynthia, Lori, Kit, David, Ann, Celia, Anne, Dawn, Bill, Tom, Tracey, Ginny, Rebecca, Jim, Travis, Faye, Linda, Mary, Emery, Martha

Those who have recently died

Elizabeth Bishop, mother of John Bishop

Pamela Drumm

Victims of the plane crashes in DC and Pennsylvania

Those who have asked for our long-term prayers

Ginger, Heidi, Rick, Allie, Ginger, Joan, Duncan, Bernadette, Ray, Piers, Katrina, Rich, Karen, Michael, Khali, George, Barbara, Christy, John, Anthony, Astrida

Those celebrating birthdays or anniversaries

Leonard McCue

Our Parish: St. Paul’s, Stockbridge

That we may grow in faith, hope, and love, and together strive to be the hands and heart of Christ for Stockbridge and the wider world; for Sam, our Rector; Jane and Libby, our Priests Associate; for our Wardens  and Vestry; for the students and staff of the St. Paul’s Children’s Center 

The Diocese of Western Massachusetts

Doug, Bishop

Steven, interim Canon to the Ordinary 

Diocesan Cycle of Prayer (Week of 2/9)

Congregations, Ministries, and Partners in Ministry

Good Shepherd, Clinton

The Rt. Rev. Gordon P. Scruton, VIII Bishop, retired

The Church and Wider Mission

Office of Government Relations

Episcopal Communicators

Anglican Cycle of Prayer (Week of 2/9)

Sun 2/9: The The Anglican Church of Australia

Mon 2/10: Diocese of Lucknow (North India)

Tues 2/11: Diocese of Lui (South Sudan)

Wed 2/12: Diocese of Lusaka (Central Africa)

Thurs 2/13: The Lusitanian Church (extra-provincial)

Fri 2/14: Diocese of Luwero (Uganda)

Sat 2/15: Diocese of Northern Luzon (Phillipines)

Prayers for those in Authority

The Town of Stockbridge 

The Stockbridge Select Board 

Ernest Cardillo, Jamie Minacci, Patrick White

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Maura Healey, Governor of Massachusetts

The General Court of Massachusetts 

Leigh Davis (House of Representatives) 

Paul Mark (Senate) 

The United States of America 

Donald Trump, President of the United States

Supreme Court of the United States

The United States Congress 

Richard Neal (House of Representatives)

Elizabeth Warren (Senate) 

Ed Markey (Senate) 



Prayers for the World 

For lasting peace in the Middle East

For the people of the Middle East, Sudan, Ukraine, Myanmar, Haiti, and other places of conflict

For kidnapped Ukrainian children and their families and friends

For all affected by natural disasters and climate change, especially in Tibet and California

For all who live in fear, especially migrants and transgender children and adults

February Red Letter Days

Monday, February 24: Saint Matthias the Apostle: Bishop Doug will join us for Holy Eucharist at 6pm, followed by a discussion about bishop elections! Stay tuned for details.

Beginning the Search for our Next Bishop

More details from the Diocese:

On January 18, the Search and Transition Committees participated in a discernment retreat to begin the process of electing the 10th bishop of our diocese. Throughout the day, we prayerfully learned about the process, got to know each other, reviewed our schedule and established subcommittees. More information and updates will be provided on a regular basis. Please keep these two committees in your prayers as we proceed through this holy work.

Additionally, the listening subcommittee has been diligently working on putting together a full month of listening sessions across our Diocese for February. These sessions will allow us to come together and listen for the movement of the Spirit among and within us: our parishes, corridors, and Diocese. We will consider the joys, longings, and dreams within our common life together.  As we listen, our hope is that we will be formed by the stories shared. We pray that you will find a time that is most convenient to your schedule as we stand on this holy ground together. 

We will begin next week in the Berkshires. Currently scheduled listening sessions:

• St. Helena’s, Lenox, 8 February 2025, 10:00 AM to Noon
• All Saints, North Adams, 10 February 2025, 5:30 PM to 8:00 PM
• Christ Trinity Church, Sheffield, 13 February 2025, 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM
• St. Paul’s, Holyoke, 15 February 2025, 1:00 PM to 3:30 PM

Gracious God, we give you thanks for the ministry we share in the Diocese of Western Massachusetts. In this season of discernment, we ask your blessing and the guidance of your Holy Spirit as we prepare to call our next Bishop. Guide us in this important work, that your mission may be furthered, and your Gospel proclaimed. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Sunday Forum

Our Sunday Forum Bible Study continues this week (February 9th) after 10 AM Eucharist. We will be discussing Genesis 5 - 11: The Story of Noah. The following week (Sunday, February 16th), we will discuss Genesis 12 - 25: The Calling of Abraham. All are welcome, even if you haven't read the text! Questions? See Brett Roberts.

Winter Formation on Zoom:

Exploring Paul, our Patron

Who is St. Paul? Why did he write so much of the New Testament?

Join fellow parishioners for a 7-week formation series exploring the Apostle Paul, our parish’s patron. Each Thursday evening at 6:00 p.m., we will meet over Zoom from our homes to learn more about Paul, read through his Letter to the Galatians, and hopefully gain some new perspectives on this important figure in our faith! The sessions will build on one another, but please feel free to attend any that you are able to. This formation offering is virtual, and we will meet using the Church zoom link found on the website and linked to here. 

Next week, February 13, we will explore Galatians, chapter 4. If you would like some additional perspectives, find two readings here. (Choose the folder labeled Week 5.) Questions? See Father Sam.

Be Vigilant for Phishing Scams

As most of you hopefully already know, many parishioners were targeted by an email phishing scam this week, sent by someone claiming to be Father Sam. This has happened in the past, but this weak's scam appears to have been the most widespread and sophisticated scam in some time. Please be vigilant and keep in mind that Father Sam will never email you asking you to purchase gift cards, or send a cryptic message like "I am in a meeting and need your help." If you are the target of such a scam, please reach out to Kyra at parishoffice@stpaulsstockbridge.org and let us know.

Note: Changes to Weekly Reminder Emails

In an effort to streamline communications, we have adjusted our communication schedule with the parish to no longer include a weekly reminder email on Wednesdays before Morning Prayer and Sundays before Sunday Worship. The E-pistle will come out on Friday afternoons and will contain reminders for the upcoming week as well as news & announcements.

Please note that the Zoom link for Wednesday morning prayer is always the same and is located at the bottom of all constant contact emails and on the Church website.

We will send out reminders on Red Letters Days and for other special events.

Seeking feedback: Streaming Church Services

You may have noticed that we have not streamed a Sunday service for about two months. With our technical limitations and small pool of volunteers to run our equipment, we made the decision to take a pause. We want your feedback. Did you notice? Do you regularly tune in to worship at St. Paul’s on Sunday morning or later in the week? Please be in contact with Father Sam to share any thoughts you have about online worship, and thank you! 

Praying the Offices in Church

You are invited to join Father Sam in praying the Daily Office (Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer) in the Church four days a week. Each Tuesday-Friday, Morning Prayer is offered at 8:00 a.m. and Evening Prayer at 5:00 p.m. Come begin or end your day in prayer with fellow parishioners!

Our regular weekday services of Wednesday Zoom Morning Prayer and Friday Intercessory Prayer continue at 8:30 a.m. on those days. Consider staying after Morning Prayer on Fridays to pray through the parish prayer list with others at Intercessory Prayer. Or, if you are a regular at the online Morning Prayer on Wednesdays, and would like to find more ways to pray with others, consider coming to the Church on another day of the week!