RECTOR'S REFLECTION
Dear Friends in Christ,

I make a distinction between travel and vacation. Travel involves going someplace to sightsee, learn and expand horizons. It’s exciting but can also be exhausting. Vacation — which often involves traveling someplace — is about relaxing. For me, this means reading, especially “escape reading” (meaning books unlikely to be quoted in a sermon!). This year on vacation I’m enjoying the first two volumes of Ken Follett’s Century Trilogy and the memoir of Broadway star Chita Rivera titled Chita. 

Since people often ask what I’m reading, here is my list from the first half of 2023:

Church
  •  A Future That’s Bigger than the Past: Towards the Renewal of the Church by Samuel Wells
  • Having Nothing, Possessing Everything: Finding Abundant Communities in Unexpected Places by Michael Mather

History
  • Henry VIII by Alison Weir
  • The Wars of the Roses by Alison Weir
  • Our First Civil War: Patriots and Loyalists in the American Revolution by H.W. Brands
  • A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan’s Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them by Timothy Egan

Broadway
  • Magic to Do: Pippin’s Fantastic, Fraught Journey to Broadway and Beyond by Elysa Gardner

Memoir
  • In Love: A Memoir of Love and Loss by Amy Bloom
  • My Queer War by James Lord
  • Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson
  • The Best Strangers in the World: Stories from a Life Spent Listening by Ari Shapiro

Essays
  • Graceland, at Last: Notes on Hope and Heartache from the American South by Margaret Renkl

Fiction
  • Hamnet: A Novel of the Plague by Margaret O’Farrell
  • Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
  • The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupery

Fiction: Escape Reading
  • The President’s Daughter by Bill Clinton and James Patterson
  • A Wreath of Red Roses: Heath Lennox Investigates by Karen Baugh Menuhin
  • The Madness of Crowds: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel by Louise Penny
  • The Paris Diversion by Chris Pavone

What are you reading? Please let me know. I’m always happy to receive suggestions of books you find interesting, inspiring, intellectually stimulating and entertaining. 

Your Friend in Christ,
EVENTS
CELEBRATE THE REV. BARBARA KEMPF
Sunday, July 30, following the 10 a.m. service, St. Paul's Courtyard
Join us for a celebration of the Rev. Barb Kempf's ministry at St. Paul's. Enjoy refreshments and a piece of cake and congratulate Barb on her new ministry with The Episcopal Church. Should you wish to make a monetary gift to Barb, you may do so online below. St. Paul's will present Barb with a check totaling the donations at the July 30 celebration.
TUESDAY STUDY GROUP
Tuesdays, 12-1:15 p.m., Broad Ripple Brewpub
The group is now studying No Cure for Being Human by Kate Bowler. At age 35, Bowler believed that life was a series of unlimited choices until discovering that she had cancer. She shares her search for a way forward and her finding that we are as fragile as the day we were born. All are invited, regardless of reading the book. Questions, email Larry Johnson.
SUMMER FESTIVAL & BACKPACK BLESSING
Sunday, August 6, 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at St. Paul’s
Plan to attend our Summer Festival and invite friends to join you! All students are invited to bring backpacks to the 10 a.m. service for a blessing. Festival fun begins at 11:30 a.m. with a hot dog roast, carnival games & prizes, water bounce house & inflatable waterslide, Silly Safaris animal meet & greet, henna tattoos, (legendary) giant bubbles, Eve’s Garden Deli food truck, a cornhole tournament, fresh popcorn, popsicles, music and more! All festival offerings at this community event are FREE except for items sold at the food truck. Sign up below for an event reminder and be entered into a drawing to win one of three $20 Graeter's Ice Cream gift cards.
INDIANS GAME
Friday, August 25, 6 p.m., Victory Field
Get ready for an exciting game next month with the Indians! We are offering discounted spots in the lawn for a limited time only. Don't miss your chance to save and sit with St. Paul's friends and/or your friends and family. Plan ahead and secure your spots now before they sell out. Click below to reserve seats and pay later.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
CELEBRATING OUR OWN
Congratulations to Audrey & Mike Kostrzewa
We are happy to announce the 50th wedding anniversary of St. Paul's members, Mike and Audrey Kostrzewa. They were married in Saginaw, Michigan on July 28, 1973. Congratulations to Audrey and Mike as they celebrate their golden anniversary!
THANK YOU TO MLK SUMMER CAMP VOLUNTEERS
We are grateful to the 17 St. Paul's parishioners who showed up to help facilitate MLK Summer Camp Cooking Lessons (and the 10 St. Paul's kids that joined the fun).
The MLK Center Summer Camp (about 25 kids and eight MLK staff) came to St. Paul's for cooking lessons for seven Fridays this summer. All cooked a dish based on the country they were studying — recipes included Salatet Zabadee, Pita Bread, Maple Cookies, Yorkshire Pudding, Sushi Rolls and more; Frances Weber even brought her flour mill and showed all how flour is made from wheat berries. A recipe book created by Youth Director Laurie Pierce will be available to view in Burrows Commons. All enjoyed this beautiful time together and Laurie looks forward to meeting with MLK Center staff to celebrate and discuss what can be done together next.
SPACE RENTAL AT ST. PAUL’S
Did you know there are a variety of groups/businesses making good use of our space when it would not otherwise be occupied? Indianapolis Men’s Chorus recently signed an agreement to rent the Parish Hall as a rehearsal space, for use once or twice a week over the next year. Yoga with Carrie offers slow flow classes Tuesday and Thursday evenings, and Indianapolis Christian Tabernacle holds worship at St. Paul's on Sunday afternoons. The Parish Hall kitchen is regularly occupied by Three Brothers Cheesecakes, Damien Center and the MLK Center’s summer camp – which also enjoys the Youth Lounge and playground. Do you know of someone needing a space, small or large, that may be interested in St. Paul’s? Inquiries can be submitted using the form below:
SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES
HELP AT THE MLK CENTER
Ages 12+ are welcome to sign up below to serve meals to the summer camp/afterschool program any weekday. While on the face of it, this is a very easy volunteer role providing an opportunity for St. Paul's people to show up and continue to build relationships with kids and staff at the MLK Center. Interested in volunteering in other ways at MLK, like picking up food from around town or reading with kids, email Leintz Belony. Questions, email Laurie Pierce.
SERVE ON A PARISH TEAM!
Laurie Pierce is seeking volunteers to work on shared projects with others. Males, introverts, those without children in the home, and those not sure what they believe in/think they have nothing to offer, are encouraged to serve on teams. If you love this community, kids, events, bringing people together, our worship, or mentoring, please click below to learn more about the teams being formed: