The E-pistle

January 11th, 2024

A Note from Father Sam

Beloved in Christ,

Do you remember the first time you visited Saint Paul’s?

Although it was not quite my first visit, I will never forget moving in this week—the deep layer of snow on the ground; Jorja Marsden, Virgil Stucker, and Darryl Lafferty arriving to help unload the truck; the beautiful food and flowers waiting for us in the kitchen. It was all a sight to remember. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for your generous welcome that has already begun.

This Sunday will be our first Sunday together, and I hope that you can make it to church! As a reminder, we’ll have only one service at 10 am so that we can celebrate this beginning all together. The 8 am service will return the following Sunday, for which I’m also excited. There’s nothing like a quiet church service first thing in the morning with the cadences of the old language.

Sunday will be wonderful and so special—because of this journey we are beginning together—but it will also be like any other Sunday, mostly. Every Sunday, we do something wonderful and special as we witness the miracle of gathering together, bringing whatever we have on our hearts and in our lives—hope, despair, joy, unease—and we watch as God transforms us into one body.

This transformation happens through the Word that settles on our hearts, through the bread and wine given in the Eucharist, and in the fellowship we find with one another. There’s a word for what we receive week in and week out: Grace. God’s grace, forgiving us, strengthening us, encouraging us, healing us. Each time we gather, we get to encounter God in Christ, to be reminded once again that Jesus has come to us, among us, as we remember especially in this Epiphany season.

Can anything good come from this Jesus? As Philip says to Nathanael in the Gospel, “Come and see.”

See you Sunday,

Father Sam

Sunday, January 14th

10:00 A.M.

Holy Eucharist

Collect for the Second Sunday after the Epiphany

Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ is the light of the world: Grant that your people, illumined by your Word and Sacraments, may shine with the radiance of Christ's glory, that he may be known, worshipped, and obeyed to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Scripture for the Second Sunday after the Epiphany:  1 Samuel 3:1-10, Psalm 139:1-5, 12-17, 1 Corinthians 6:12-20

Worship Team for Sunday, January 14

ONE SERVICE at 10:00 A.M.

Celebrant/Preacher   The Rev. Samuel Vaught

Assisting Priest    The Rev. Jane Tillman

Reader   Bill Higgins

Intercessor   Virgil Stucker

Ushers/Greeters   Anne Covell and Lis Stucker

Fellowship   Patty Melville, Coordinator

Musician   Nancy King

Worship Team for January 21^st

8:00 and 10:00 AM

Celebrant                                             Father Sam

Preacher                                              Father Sam

Assisting Priest              The Rev. Jane Tillman

Reader (8)                              Sebastian Bonner

Reader (10)                                      Carl Sprague

Intercessor (8)                               Rob Maloney

Intercessor (10)                             Diana French

Usher/Greeters                           Jean Rousseau

Fellowship                                    Vaunie Graulty

Musician                                           David Smith

Parish Prayer List

-People we pray for on Sundays:  Bruce, Charles, Linda, Veronica, Jeff, Karen, Lisa, Rosalind, Estreeta, Kit, Jacob, Kathleen, Doug, Margie, Holly, Rick, Keith, David, and John

-People on our Long-term prayer list: Allie, Irby, Ginger, Joan, Duncan, Bernadette, Ray, Piers, Katrina, Rich, Karen, Michael, Tom, Khali, George, Barbara, Christy, John, and Anthony

- Our partners at Grace Church, Great Barrington, and their priest Tina Rathbone; Christ Trinity Episcopal-Lutheran Church, Sheffield, and their priest Erik Karas; the residents and staff of the Austen Riggs community and the Riverbrook Residence

- Outreach Ministry of the Week: St. Paul’s Children’s Center

- For peace and an end to violence and oppression in the world

- Diocesan Cycle of Prayer: Grace Episcopal, Amherst

- Anglican Cycle of Prayer: Church of the Province of South East Asia

- Birthdays: John Davies

Upcoming Events 

-Sunday, January 14, 10:00 a.m. – Father Sam's 1^st Sunday

-Every Wednesday at 8:30 AM- Morning prayer on Zoom

-Sunday, January 21st at 8:00 and 10:00 AM- Holy Eucharist

-Sunday, January 28th at 8:00 and 10:00 AM- Holy Eucharist

-Sunday, February 4th at 8:00 and 10:00 AM- Holy Eucharist

-Saturday, February 10^th – St Paul’s serves at the Lee Food Pantry

-Sunday, February 11 – Annual Parish Meeting

Register now for

Bending Toward Justice 2024

The Social Justice Commission of our diocese is happy to announce that registration is open for the 6th annual Bending Toward Justice conference which will be held at All Saints' Episcopal Church, South Hadley on January 20, 2024.

Come pray in the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Listen to the Word and discern how the Spirit is calling the Church to action. Connect with others who are working for God's justice in our time and place.

Keynote Speaker: The Right Reverend Allen K. Shin, Bishop Suffragan, Episcopal Diocese of New York

Learn more and Learn more and register