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The E-pistle

Friday, January 24th, 2024

A Note from Father Sam


Dear friends in Christ,

 

On Sunday, we will celebrate the feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul the Apostle. As a parish that gathers under the name of St. Paul, this is our day! We will celebrate with special readings and hymns, a festive coffee hour, and our Annual Meeting after the 10:00 a.m. Eucharist.

 

Sunday provides us, in a world of uncertainty, a chance to say proudly and clearly who we are: St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, children of God, sinners redeemed by the grace of God in Christ, loved fiercely by the God who created us and redeemed us, and in the words of the Eucharistic Prayer, made “worthy to stand before” God in the light of Jesus Christ. It’s also a chance to say something equally true: that in Jesus Christ, all people have access to this life-changing grace. Paul’s own story gives us an example of that! No matter who you are, what language you speak, what kind of citizenship or legal status you hold, in Jesus Christ, God calls out to you, calls you a beloved child, and gives his very self to you in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

 

That is good news! And while pairing that with a business meeting may seem strange, our Annual Meeting gives us a chance to take a pause, reflect on our ministries over the last year, and organize ourselves to be the Body of Christ in this place over the coming year. This is, perhaps, an especially good time to do that work.

 

It will be so good to be together, and I hope to see you on Sunday.

 

Faithfully,

Father Sam


Sunday, January 26th, 2025


8:00 AM Holy Eucharist Rite I

10:00 A.M Holy Eucharist Rite II

Annual Meeting following the 10:00 A.M. Eucharist


O God, by the preaching of your apostle Paul you have caused the light of the Gospel to shine throughout the world: Grant, we pray, that we, having his wonderful conversion in remembrance, may show ourselves thankful to you by following his holy teaching; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.


Scripture for the Conversion of St. Paul the Apostle: Acts 26:9-21, Psalm 67, Galatians 1:11-24, Matthew 10:16-22


Serving this Sunday:


Altar Guild: Jennifer Carmichael

Fellowship: Annual Meeting


Serving at 8:00 AM

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

Assisting Priest: The Rev’d Jane Tillman

Acolyte: Rob Maloney

LEM: Rob Maloney

Lector/Intercessor: Linda Mason

Greeter: Jorja Marsden


Serving at 10:00 AM

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

Assisting Priest: The Rev’d Jane Tillman

Acolyte: Kim Savery

LEM: Kendra MacLeod

Lector: Alison Larkin

Intercessor: Carl Sprague

Greeters: Vaunie Graulty and Natalie Boyce




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, Ginger, Tracey, Ginny, Rebecca, Jim, Travis, Faye, Linda


Those who have recently died

Charles Huebner, father of Diane Dillon

Ruth SanJurjo, mother of Torey Winn

Elizabeth Bishop, mother of John Bishop

Pamela Drumm


Those who have asked for our long-term prayers

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

Darryl Lafferty & Peter Wright 


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, our Priest 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 1/19)

Congregations, Ministries, and Partners in Ministry

St. John’s Episcopal Church, Athol

Church Without Walls, Springfield

Spouses of deceased clergy


The Church and Wider Mission

The House of Deputies

Jubilee Ministries


Anglican Cycle of Prayer 

Sun 1/26: The Episcopal Province of Alexandria

Mon 1/27: Diocese of Liverpool (England)

Tues 1/28: Diocese of West Liwolo (South Sudan)

Wed 1/29: Diocese of Llandaff (Wales)

Thurs 1/30: Missionary Area of Lodwar (Kenya)

Fri 1/31: Diocese of Lokoja (Nigeria)

Sat 2/1: Diocese of Lomega (South Sudan)


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 peace in the Middle East; for the people of Syria, Gaza, Israel, the West Bank, Lebanon, Sudan, Ukraine, Myanmar, Haiti, and other places of conflict; for all affected by natural disasters and climate change, especially in California and Tibet; for kidnapped Ukrainian children and their families and friends

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! 

Episcopal Relief & Development: Support Our Wildfire Response


If you are looking for a way to help out the wildfire response in Los Angeles, please consider a gift to Episcopal Relief & Development. From Episcopal Relief & Development:


We are working with local diocesan partners to assess the needs of evacuees and provide support in the coming days. Emergency responders are still working to contain the 100 mph wind-fueled fires that are consuming land, homes, places of worship, parks and businesses all across Southern California. More than a hundred thousand people have evacuated their homes – many of whom no longer have a home to which they can return.

Sunday, February 2nd: Feast of the Presentation of Christ (Candlemas)


40 Days after Christmas, we will celebrate the Feast of the Presentation, remembering the presentation of the infant Jesus in the temple in Jerusalem. This holiday is sometimes called Candlemas. Bring your candles to church to be blessed!

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, January 30, we will explore Galatians, chapter 2. If you would like some additional perspectives, find two readings here. Questions? See Father Sam.

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!

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Contact

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church

29 Main Street, P.O. Box 704

Stockbridge, MA 01262

Church Office Voicemail: (413) 298-4913

Email: parishoffice@stpaulsstockbridge.org

Church Zoom link

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