The E-pistle

Friday, June 13, 2025

A Note from Father Sam

Dear friends in Christ,

In the burial services in the Book of Common Prayer, you’ll find a ninth-century poem that begins with familiar words: “In the midst of life we are in death.” With recent losses in our parish family, and loss in my family back home in Indiana, I have been sitting with this phrase frequently. “In the midst of life we are in death; of whom may we seek for succor, but of thee, O Lord?” A reminder of the constant reality of death, but also of the gift of God’s presence in the midst of death, and of the brave hope of declaring faith in Christ’s resurrection at the worst of times.

I want to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for the way you have been caring for each other lately, especially around the funeral of Donna Gray on June 7. I am also grateful for the way you have cared for me as I have traveled to Indiana this week to bury my dear grandmother. In the midst of life we are in death, but in the midst of death we are also in life, especially when surrounded by the beloved family of Christ—of which we are all members. Thank you for your prayers, your presence, and your witness in this place.

There is life at St. Paul’s Church. Next Sunday, June 22, we’ll move outside for the summer, worshipping at 9:00 each Sunday in our beautiful churchyard, with the limestone tower of our church building as our backdrop. Each summer, this change of venue provides freshness to our prayers, a more visible welcome to our neighbors, and the chance to gaze with new eyes on the exterior of the building we spend so much time inside.

It's a good time to be gazing upon the stones and slate roof tiles of the church, because the Vestry has been engaged in important conversations (and plans) about the necessary upkeep of this special building. Please read below for an important message about the building, and some critical work that will soon begin to ensure that our edifice stands for future generations to gaze upon, to worship within, and to be inspired by as we seek to be the body of Christ in this particular place to which God has called us all. Plan to stay after church on Sunday, June 29, to hear more in person, ask questions, and learn how you can get involved as we turn some attention to the physical fabric of our church.

Everything we do in this place—and everything our building seeks to do—draws us into deeper relationship with God and with one another, through the grace and mercy of Christ. May we never be separated from the love of God that we know in this place. May our prayer always be, in the words of that ancient poem, “Suffer us not, at our last hour, through any pains of death, to fall from thee.”

Faithfully,

Father Sam  

Sunday, June 15, 2025: The First Sunday after Pentecost: Trinity Sunday

8:00 AM Holy Eucharist Rite I

10:00 A.M Holy Eucharist Rite II

Almighty and everlasting God, you have given to us your servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of your divine Majesty to worship the Unity: Keep us steadfast in this faith and worship, and bring us at last to see you in your one and eternal glory, O Father; who with the Son and the Holy Spirit live and reign, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Scripture for Trinity Sunday: Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31, Psalm 8, Romans 5:1-5, John 16:12-15

Serving this Sunday:

Altar Guild: Vaunie Graulty

Flower Guild: Patty Melville

Fellowship: Ginny Willcox

Serving at 8:00 AM

Celebrant: The Rev’d Jane G. Tillman

Preacher: The Rev’d Jane G. Tillman

Acolyte: Rob Maloney

LEM: Darryl Lafferty

Lector/Intercessor: Torey Winn

Greeter: Sebastian Bonner

Serving at 10:00 AM

Celebrant: The Rev’d Jane G. Tillman

Preacher: The Rev’d Jane G. Tillman

Verger: Darryl Lafferty

Acolyte: Kim Savery

LEM: Ginny Willcox

Lector: Genet Jeanjean

Intercessor: Carl Sprague

Greeters: Don Savery and Natalie Boyce

Musician: David Smith

Altar flowers are given to the glory of God and in celebration of her 41st wedding anniversary by Patty Melville.

Parish Prayer List

Those who are ill or in need of intercession

Jacob, Kathleen, Cynthia, Lori, Kit, David, Ann, Celia, Anne, Dawn, Tracey, Jim, Mary, Emery, Win, Mike, Janet, Bobbie, Ginger, Arthur, Josh, Bette, Michael, Holly, Dick, Loralee, Maggie, Michelle, Patrick

Those who have recently died

Donna Gray

Bette Vaught, grandmother of Father Sam

Julie, niece of Linda Mason

Those who have asked for our long-term prayers

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

Those celebrating birthdays or anniversaries

Barbara McCue, Chris Marsden, Michael Cosby; Patty & Tom Melville

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

Search Committee for the next Bishop 

Diocesan Cycle of Prayer (Week of 6/15)

Congregations, Ministries, and Partners in Ministry

St. John’s Church, Northampton

Trustees for the Diocese

The Church and Wider Mission

Covenant of Friendship with the Diocese of Asante-Mampong, Ghana

The Episcopal Church in the United States of America; Sean, Presiding Bishop

The Anglican Communion throughout the world; Stephen, Archbishop of York

Anglican Cycle of Prayer

Sun 6/15: The Anglican Church of Mexico

Mon 6/16: Diocese of Murray (Australia)

Tues 6/17: Diocese of Muyinga (Burundi)

Wed 6/18: Diocese of Mytikyina (Myanmar)

Thurs 6/19: Diocese of Mzimvubu (Southern Africa)

Fri 6/20: Diocese of Nagpur (North India)

Sat 6/14: Diocese of Nairobi (Kenya)

Prayers for those in Authority

The Town of Stockbridge 

The Stockbridge Select Board 

Ernest Cardillo, Jamie Minacci

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

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

June Red Letter Days

Friday, June 13: The First Book of Common Prayer

Tuesday, June 24: The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist

Sunday, June 29: Patronal Feast: Saint Peter and Saint Paul, Apostles

Lee Food Pantry: Current Needs

Baby wipes

Laundry detergent

Flour

Sugar

Rice

Paper towels

Toilet paper

Items can be dropped off at the back of the church. On the second Saturday of the month, a team from St. Paul’s volunteers to distribute food. Questions? See Jim Wade.

POSTPONED: Instructed Eucharist on Friday, June 13

The Instructed Eucharist scheduled for this evening, Friday, June 13, will be postponed to later in the summer, as Father Sam is away at a funeral.

POSTPONED: Newcomer’s Lunch, June 15 after service



The Newcomer’s Lunch scheduled for this Sunday, June 15, will be postponed to later in the summer, as Father Sam is away at a funeral.

Outdoor worship begins next week!

Starting next Sunday, June 22, we worship outdoors in the churchyard each Sunday through Labor Day weekend. Our services change to one service of Holy Eucharist at 9:00 a.m. each Sunday. Chairs will be available, but please bring a comfortable lawn chair if you have one!

A Note from David Pearson, Co-chair of the new Church Preservation Committee

Good people of Saint Paul’s, By the Grace of God our Congregation and Community are in a strong place…but my friends, our physical church is in trouble. The church needs some expensive repairs. The Vestry has been engaged over the last several months in exploring what we can do to safeguard our heritage. We hired Preservation Inc. to help us have a comprehensive plan to address the building’s problems. In helping all of us to understand the task ahead of us, I am including the following excerpts from their report:

“The historic Church of St. Paul’s in Stockbridge, Massachusetts is a jewel box of architectural design and decorative craftsmanship. Its significance is uncontestable. It is a prominent monument in Stockbridge’s historic district, and its preservation a high priority.. Completed in 1884, the building is now 140 years old. As weathering and decay are omnipresent and relentless, the building has evidently undergone a variety of maintenance interventions over time. However, the effective service lives of important building elements, particularly in the weather envelope that protects the building, are now being reached or have already been exceeded. Water leaks, in particular, are starting to cause significant damage to the structure of the building and its fine interior finishes.

“The goals of this Conservation Assessment are simple:

1. The first goal is to help the Vestry, Staff, and Clergy to better understand their building, with its important architectural values and the varied, extensive, and potentially bewildering decay problems, their causes, and their significance.

2. The second goal is to identify emergency and hazardous conditions which need immediate attention.

3. The third is to make prioritized conservation recommendations, about what to do about each identified problem, with options and guidance on who might conduct the work and the work’s relative costs. While the building has survived 140 years, the visible damage shows that many aspects of the exterior weather envelope have exceeded their service lives and need to be restored or replaced so the building will be secure for at least another 100 years.”

Surely it is not an easy task to come to you with this information…but the time has come to engage you all with our task in repairing our sanctuary. Please plan to stay after church on Sunday, June 29, to learn more about this Conservation Assessment and the initial phases of work that are planned to begin later this year.

Sincerely,

David Pearson, Co-chair

Chris Johnson, Co-chair

Jorja Marsden, Senior Warden

Rob Maloney, Junior Warden