The E-pistle

Friday, November 15th, 2024

A Note from Father Sam

Dear friends in Christ,

Sunday is the day we have been counting down to: the 140th Anniversary of the Dedication of our church building! I hope that you can join us for Holy Eucharist at 10:00 a.m. (no 8am service on Sunday), followed by a festive coffee hour.

On Sunday, we will also gather our pledges of financial support for the parish for the coming year. In church, you will be invited to place your pledge card in the large brass alms basin during the offertory. But it’s not only, or even primarily, financial offerings that we seek to give God! On the back of your pledge card, there is room for you to indicate how you would like to volunteer in the coming year, what skills and interests you would like to share with the church, and what ministries you would like to learn more about. I hope that you will take time to fill this out, even if now is not the right time for your family to make a financial pledge. We will also have prayer cards in the pews on Sunday, with space to write your own prayer of re-dedication to God. All of that, plus food for the Lee Food Pantry, will be brought forward to be dedicated to the God from whom all we have in this life, even our life itself, has come. So whether you are bringing a financial pledge, a card with your interests, a prayer card, or food for the pantry, there is something for everyone to bring forward, if you wish.

We do all this as we re-dedicate ourselves to the mission that God has given us in this place: to be the Church, the body of Christ, and to join with Christ in reconciling all people to God and to another, through the greatest gift that has been given us, Jesus Christ our Lord.

I can’t wait to celebrate with you on Sunday.

See you there!

Father Sam

Sunday, November 17th, 2024

10:00 A.M Holy Eucharist

Almighty God, to whose glory we celebrate the dedication of this house of prayer: We give you thanks for the fellowship of those who have worshiped in this place, and we pray that

all who seek you here may find you, and be filled with your joy and peace; 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 Twenty-Sixth Sunday after Pentecost: Genesis 28:10-17, Psalm 84, 1 Peter 2:1-10, Mark 13:1-8

Serving this Sunday, Nov 17 (8:00 a.m.)

No 8:00 a.m. Eucharist– Come at 10:00 a.m. for the Anniversary of Dedication!

Serving this Sunday, Nov 17 (10 a.m.)

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

Assisting Priests:

The Rev’d Jane G. Tillman

The Rev’d Libby Wade

The Rev’d Theodore H. Evans

Verger: Darryl Lafferty

Acolyte: TBD

LEM: Diane Dillon

Lector: Gale Pege

Intercessor: Jean Rousseau

Musician: David Smith

Greeters: Carl Sprague and Jim Wade

Fellowship: Patty Melville, coordinator

Altar Guild: Jennifer Carmichael 

Serving next week, Nov 24 (10 a.m.)

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

Assisting Priest: The Rev’d Jane Tillman

Acolyte: Kim Savery

LEM: Kendra MacLeod

Lector: Martha Bodine

Intercessor: Genet Jeanjean

Musician: David Smith

Greeters: Don Savery and Liza Picoli

Fellowship: TBD

Altar Guild: Robin Race

Altar flowers are given by Patty Melville in memory of her mother, Rita Jane Hansen Platzman

Parish Prayer List

Those who are ill or in need of intercession

Charles, Jacob, Kathleen, Donna, Cynthia, Cindy, Lori, Elaine, Kit, David, Ann, Jessica, Heidi, Lisa, Shawn, Betty Jo, Celia, Anne, Dawn, Natalie, Bill, Tom, Ginger, Tracey, Mary

Those who have recently died

Caleb

Those who have asked for our long-term prayers

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

Those celebrating birthdays or anniversaries

Donald Savery

Diocesan Cycle of Prayer (Week of 11/17)

Congregations, Ministries, and Partners in Ministry

St. John’s Church, Williamstown (The Rev’d Nathaniel S. Anderson, Rector; the Valerie Bailey Fischer, Priest Associate; the Rev’d Sharon Billetter, Deacon)

Inquirers, Postulants, and Seminarians of the Diocese

The Church and Wider Mission

Tough Love, Amherst

Bishops’ Executive Secretaries Together (B+E+S+T)

Anglican Cycle of Prayer

Sun 11/17: The Anglican Church of Southern Africa

Mon 11/18: Diocese of Kigali (Rwanda)

Tues 11/19: Diocese of Kigeme (Rwanda)

Wed 11/20: Diocese of Kigezi (Uganda)

Thurs 11/21: Diocese of North Kigezi (Uganda)

Fri 11/22: Diocese of Kilmore, Elphin, Ardagh (Ireland)

Sat 11/23: Diocese of Kimberley & Kuruman (South Africa)

140 Pantry items for 140 Years

On Sunday, November 17, we will gather for the 140th Anniversary of the Dedication of St. Paul’s Church, with one festive Eucharist at 10:00am (no 8am service). We have been challenged by one of our dedicated volunteers to gather 140 items for the Lee Food Pantry in honor of 140 years in our current building! Please bring your donations of food (along with your pledge card) on November 17! Suggested items include cooking oil, coffee, gluten-free pasta, salt, and baking items such as sweetened condensed milk.

College Care Packages

Greetings:

As our college students from St. Paul’s settle into the new school year, we would like to again send them care packages to remind them that they are always in our thoughts and prayers and have support within their faith community. As the fall term progresses, we know that the work, lack of sleep and the feelings of isolation from being far from home can often feel overwhelming. A small package of thoughtful gifts can serve to brighten up a day. You can contribute by purchasing some of the items on our list, helping us to pack the care packages or posting the packages.

We have complied a list of much-appreciated items by interviewing two of the students. Included are:

Small note cards

candy

pens

pencils

bookmarks

Small flip notebooks

stickers for laptops   

popcorn

If you have a college student, please let Father Sam know and we will include them in the list of recipients.

Thank you for your help in this project,

Kim Savery, Rob and Jess Maloney

Mark your Calendars: Advent and Christmas

Advent and Christmas are nearly here! Mark your calendars for these special events, and stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks:

Sunday, December 8: Advent Lessons and Carols, 6 p.m. in the Church

Saturday, December 14: Oakes and Smith Annual Holiday Concert, 7 p.m. in the Church

Tuesday, December 24: Christmas Eve services at 5:30 and 10:30 p.m.

Wednesday, December 25: Christmas Day service at 10 a.m.

“Lord, teach us to pray:” Advent Series on Prayer

Are you looking to deepen your prayer life? Would you like to explore new ways of praying with others? This Advent, Join Father Sam for a three-part series all about prayer. We’ll meet on three Sundays in December after the 10:00 Eucharist: December 1, December 15, and December 22 (skipping Dec 8 for the Stockbridge Main Street at Christmas festivities).

In Advent, we slow down to watch and wait for the coming of Christ, both in our annual remembrance of Christmas and in our anticipation of Christ’s second coming. Amidst what is sometimes a busy season, it is the perfect time to take a pause, breathe deeply, and join with those first disciples of Jesus who asked him, “Lord, teach us to pray.”

Sunday, 12/1: The Lord’s Prayer

Sunday 12/8: break–no session

Sunday 12/15: Praying with Scripture

Sunday 12/22: Praying with Beads: The Rosary

Introducing: The Red Letter Days

Have you ever heard the phrase, “Red Letter Day?” You sometimes hear the term to describe a day of special significance or an important anniversary. Its origin, however, is ancient, and religious! In pre-Christian Roman times, holidays in the calendar were printed in red ink, to help them stand out from the regular days printed in black ink. In Christian calendars, including older editions of the Book of Common Prayer, special holy days apart from Sundays were also printed in red. Hence, “Red Letter Days.”

Our 1979 Book of Common Prayer contains a list of about 30 such days—days like the feasts of the Apostles and Evangelists, events in the life of Jesus like his Transfiguration or Ascension, and events in the life of Mary, his mother, like the Angel’s Annunciation of the news of Jesus to her or her Visitation to her cousin Elizabeth.

After conversations with the Worship Committee and Vestry, Father Sam is inviting the parish to celebrate these days over the course of the coming Church Year, beginning in Advent. There are about 2 to 4 Red Letter Days each month, and we’ll include a few “Lesser Feasts,” too, that either celebrate local saints like our former bishop Phillips Brooks, or occasions that have been special to St. Paul’s in the past, like Thomas Bray on February 15.

We’ll celebrate each day with a simple Eucharist in the church. If the day falls on a weekday, we’ll gather at 6 p.m. If the day falls on a Saturday, we’ll gather sometimes at 10 a.m. and sometimes at 6 in the evening. If the day falls on a Sunday, it gets transferred to the next day. In addition to worship, we will use the Red Letter Days to offer “one-off” events: an outreach project, a fellowship event, or a formation/learning event. This gives us a chance to increase our offerings of outreach, fellowship, and formation at regular intervals with smaller, more accessible options. For example, perhaps on the feast of St. James of Jerusalem in October, we can do advocacy or education about the Diocese of Jerusalem and our Christian and inter-faith partners in the Holy Land. Perhaps on the feast of St. Mark in April, we can invite an expert in Mark’s Gospel to teach us something about it. And there is certainly appetite for bringing back the Thomas Bray dinner on February 15. Perhaps now we can start the celebration with a simple Eucharist in the church, and also do something good for our neighbors in prison, knowing what an advocate Thomas Bray was for the welfare of prisoners.

We will begin with the feast that always heralds the new Church Year: St. Andrew’s Day, November 30. St. Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter and one of Jesus’ first disciples, is the patron of fishermen, as well as the country of Scotland. Come give thanks for his role in the story of our salvation on Saturday, November 30, with a simple Eucharist in the church at 6:00 p.m. followed by a light reception in the Rectory. Because of Andrew’s association with Scotland, in the Rectory we’ll have an offering of scotch whiskey, some Scottish poetry, and perhaps an exploration of that most Scottish of church services, the Kirkin o’ the Tartan. Bring along your Thanksgiving guests still in town and extend the holiday cheer by celebrating St. Andrew’s Day with fellow parishioners!

You can find a list of most of these days on pages 32-33 in the Prayer Book under the heading “Holy Days.”. If you have any questions, or suggestions of fellowship/outreach/formation activities that can be combined with worship throughout the year, let Father Sam know!

November Red Letter Days

Thursday, 11/28: Thanksgiving Day. Ecumenical worship at the Stockbridge Congregational Church, time TBA.

Saturday, 11/30: Saint Andrew the Apostle. Eucharist at 6:00 p.m. followed by a light reception in the Rectory.

Are you looking to deepen your faith? New EfM group forming!

Do you want to know more about the Bible, Christian Tradition, and Church History? In our

complex world, do you find yourself longing for a group to reflect on your personal experiences

and how they connect to our Christian Tradition? If so, EfM (Education for Ministry) may be for you!

EfM is a four-year Christian Formation program founded by the School of Theology at Sewanee and designed for lay (non-ordained) people. Through study, prayer, worship, and reflection, EfM groups journey together through Scripture, Church History, and Tradition to help make sense of our own Faith and the world around us. At the end of four years, it is our hope that Christians will be empowered to take on ministries in their home parishes in whatever way God calls them! While EfM is a four-year program, we only ask that you commit one year at a time. You can learn more about EfM here.

There is a new EfM group forming in the Berkshires! If you’d like to be a part of the group or

simply want to know more, please contact Brett Roberts from St. Paul’s, Stockbridge at

brett.roberts25@gmail.com.

Message from Episcopal Relief and Development

We can pray. We can give.

Episcopal Relief & Development is in touch with partners in the southeastern US as they meet the needs of people impacted by Hurricane Milton, which made landfall in southwestern Florida on Wednesday, October 9. 

Two weeks following the devastating Hurricane Helene, Hurricane Milton has killed at least five people and left over three million people without power. Episcopal Relief & Development is continuing to accompany diocesan leaders as they assess the impact and respond to the needs of their communities over the coming days.  

“Our hearts go out to the people who have been affected by Helene and Milton,” said Katie Mears, Senior Technical Specialist, Disaster Risk and Resilience, Episcopal Relief & Development. “We are continuing to work on responses that were already underway due to Helene, and are adapting and creating new plans in collaboration with dioceses to meet new needs.” 

Please pray for the people affected by Milton and Helene. Support to the Hurricane Relief Fund will help people affected by the storms to restart their lives with dignity and agency.

Be on alert for Email Scams

Once again, it has come to our attention that parishioners have been targeted by email scams pretending to be Father Sam. These emails come from a generic email address such as “pastor65@...” or “churchp082@...” and may even come with the name “Rev. Samuel T. Vaught.” They might ask for a favor, such as purchasing gift cards for someone in need, or detail some kind of financial update. 

Father Sam will never email you from any address other than rector@stpaulsstockbridge.org. Father Sam will never ask you over email to buy anything for anyone. If you ever suspect that a communication purporting to be from the church is a spam, please call Father Sam’s cell phone at 765-401-6112. Thank you for your vigilance in looking out for one another.

Two Opportunities to Pray Together Each Week

Wednesday: Morning Prayer at 8:30am (Online)



Every Wednesday, a group of parishioners meet at 8:30am to pray Morning Prayer online via Zoom. All are warmly welcome to join via the Zoom link on our website. Thank you Darryl Lafferty for continuing to lead this weekly offering.

Friday: Intercessory Prayer at 8:30am (In-person)

Some may remember that several years ago, a group of parishioners met each week to pray for the needs of those on the parish prayer list. All are invited to join on Friday mornings in the church as we revive this tradition of intercessory prayer. Thank you Alice Wohl for your leadership in reviving this weekly offering.