Dear Friends in Christ,
One of the challenges of being a parish with almost 1,000 members living all over the metro area is getting to know each other. Our children and youth don’t attend the same schools. We don’t shop in the same stores. The hour or two we see each other on Sunday is filled with worship and programming leaving little time for socializing. Yes, there are many who count other parishioners as good friends, but by and large knowing others and being known can be difficult.
Our database, Realm, has the capacity to include information which would help us connect people to ministries and each other. But outside of a few ministries which use Realm consistently, we underutilize this important tool.
What information would be most helpful for us to include in the database? During the Rector’s Forum this past Sunday, I invited participants to brainstorm the questions they would ask their fellow parishioners if they were tasked with collecting information for Realm. They were predictably productive, coming up with 100 questions! Of course, there were popular repeats from each table group: What is (or was) your career? What are your hobbies? What are your skills and gifts?
Each table group also offered at least one or two questions seeking a deeper understanding of who we are as members of St. Paul’s. What theological education do you have? Are you a do-er, a planner, a helper? Do you work better alone or in a group? What do you perceive as your spiritual gifts? What would you like to do at St. Paul’s but no one has ever asked you to do it? What kind of leadership experience do you have?
There were also more profoundly personal questions. Not the sort easily included in a database but the kind of questions which speak to the human yearning to know others and to be known by others. Are you lonely? What needs do you have that the parish might be able to answer? What is unique about yourself that no one knows? What activities spiritually feed you? What do you do for fun? How do you want to be identified? What do you feel most committed to? What keeps you up at night? What are your biggest fears? What are your greatest concerns?
The follow-up question from this exercise is a practical one: What do we do with all of these questions? One step will be to decide which questions will best solicit the information for our database that will equip us to invite people into ministry and connect parishioners with similar interests.
The deeper questions require a different response, some combination of programmed and unprogrammed opportunities which encourage us to share with each other while providing the norms and boundaries which make us feel safe enough to be vulnerable. All of this needs to be done in a way that is inviting without being imposing. We want as many people as possible to participate while respecting the boundaries of those who are not yet ready to do so.
In the meantime, we could try something simple to strengthen our connections as a community. Find someone you don’t know and introduce yourself. “Hi, my name is John. I don’t think we’ve met.” Then see where the conversation goes. In such small ways, Christian community begins to grow.
Your Friend in Christ,
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UPCOMING EVENTS/ANNOUNCEMENTS |
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2022 ANNUAL REPORT, BALLOT AND VOTING
If you have not yet voted, please do so now! Your participation is needed to approve minutes from last year's Annual Meeting, the four candidates on our 2026 Vestry slate and the Diocesan Convention delegates. All members, 16 years of age and older, who have made a contribution to St. Paul's are eligible to vote. Voting closes today, Thursday, February 2 at 5 p.m.
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ST. PAUL'S ANNUAL MEETING
Sunday, February 5, 10:15-11:45 a.m., Parish Hall
Please plan to participate in conversation with our Rector, leadership and fellow parishioners. Youth (6-12th grade) are invited to join us during the meeting (Youth Lounge will be closed). Childcare and snacks will be available for ages infant-5 (in the nursery) and ages kindergarten-5th grade (in the Lilly Room). There will be no 11:15 a.m. service or Adult Faith Forum offered.
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REQUIEM FOR THE ADRIFT AND SHATTERED
Curated and performed by pianist Clare Longendyke, this project was made possible by an artist grant from St. Paul’s Faith, Justice & the Arts initiative. This concert focuses on creating artistic means of examining injustices happening in today’s world and generating collective pathways towards catharsis and healing.
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LUNCH & LEARN
Wednesday, February 8, 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m., Parish Hall
Please RSVP to Tana Hunnicutt no later than Friday, February 3 and attend the next Lunch & Learn. Have you ever been to a natural history museum and seen dinosaur bones? Have you ever wondered where they were collected, or who they rightfully belong to? Hannah Hensel will share her research in geoscience policy, exploring the federal policies that inform fossil collection on Native American lands. See her recent article on the topic here. The cost of lunch is $5.
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LGBTQ FAITH GATHERING
Thursday, February 9, 6:30-8 p.m., Youth Lounge (Parish Center, first floor)
"Your Language is Not Necessarily My Language :: My Faith/My Story"
If you are 18+ and a member of the LGBTQ+ Community, please come and join in the conversation, as we explore what the acronym LGBTQ means, as we wrestle with our own individual stories and as we consider the difficulties that we have within our own community about inclusiveness and understanding of others. How does language and our faith expand or limit our understandings, and what does it mean to be a part of the QUEER Community today? Bring a snack of your choosing to share. Drinks and some other light refreshments will be offered. It's always nice to know who will be in attendance, so please RSVP by emailing the Rev. Jeff Bower.
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THREE CHOIRS FESTIVAL
Christ Church Cathedral & St. Paul's
Sunday, February 12, 10 a.m.
Sunday, February 12, 4 p.m.
Choral Evensong with all singers from the three choirs, St. Paul's
Richard Webster (Trinity Church, Copley Square, Boston) will lead singers from three Episcopal churches in the Diocese of Indianapolis: St. Paul’s, Trinity and Christ Church Cathedral. This weekend-long festival of music making culminates with Choral Evensong at St. Paul’s, featuring over 100 singers.
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NEWCOMER SCHEDULE :: EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES
Sundays, February 12, March 19 and April 2, 16 & 23
February 12 and April 16 :: St. Paul's and the Episcopal Church 101, 10:15-11 a.m.
Join the Rev. Jeff Bower in the CRR (second floor, Parish Center) after the 9 a.m. service for an overview of all things St. Paul's and an introduction to the Episcopal Church.
March 19 :: History of the Book of Common Prayer, 10:15-11 a.m.
Join us in the Parish Hall after the 9 a.m. service for this Adult Faith Forum.
March 19 :: Newcomers Luncheon, 12:30 p.m.
Please RSVP to join us in the Lilly Room for a luncheon following the 11:15 a.m. service. RSVP by emailing Tana Hunnicutt no later than March 16.
April 2 :: Tour the places and spaces we call St. Paul's, 10:15-11 a.m.
Please meet the Rev. Jeff Bower in the nave/sanctuary of the Church after the 9 a.m. service.
April 23 :: Learn more about the Eucharist, 10:15-11 a.m.
Join the Rev. Jeff Bower in the Chapel of the Good Shepherd after the 9 a.m. service for an instructed eucharist.
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ADULT FAITH FORUM
Sunday, February 12, 10:15-11 a.m., Parish Hall
St. Paul's Staff Singer, Sarah Ward, leads To shout and sing the good old way: a brief history of the American tradition of shape-note singing on February 12. In preparation for the Sacred Harp Passiontide service on March 12, this forum will examine of one of the oldest continual traditions of American music-making: shape-note singing. Originally developed in colonial New England and preserved through the nineteenth century in the rural South, shape-note singing has continued as an unbroken tradition for over 250 years. The origins of many American hymn-singing traditions cross paths with this ecumenical liturgical practice, even the Hymnal 1982 has dozens of tunes found originally in shape-note tunebooks. Join us as we explore this grand, gloomy and peculiar American tradition. Sarah will return to lead the February 19 Adult Faith Forum, "Tune my heart to sing thy grace: a Sacred Harp singing lesson."
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ALL-PARISH PANCAKE SUPPER
Tuesday, February 21, 5-7 p.m. dinner, Parish Hall; 7-7:30 p.m. Imposition of Ashes, Sanctuary
All are invited to join us on Shrove Tuesday for a buffet-style Pancake Supper in the Parish Hall – friends and neighbors are welcome (no RSVPs needed). Plan to stay afterwards for our first Imposition of Ashes service in the sanctuary at 7 p.m. Volunteers of all ages are encouraged to sign up to help where they can with this event. There are a variety of timeslots and ways to help. This is a great opportunity to get to know others at St. Paul’s by working on a small team. Sign up to help here or contact Laurie Pierce.
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TGIF! EVENT
Friday, February 24, 6 p.m., Parish Hall
Adults (21+) are invited to watch the film, Courage, Brains and Muscle: Our Environmental Champions. This documentary follows Former First Lady of Indiana, Judy O'Bannon, traveling the state in search of environmental champions, discovering creative individuals who are successfully improving sustainability and reducing pollution. This film is being presented to TGIF! by the St. Paul's Green Ministry. A potluck chili, chowder and/or soup dinner, with all the sides, will be enjoyed as we watch the film! Please bring your favorite dish and beverage to share. RSVP to Alan Davis below:
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Diocesan confirmations with Bishop Jennifer will be held at St. Paul's on Sunday, April 30 at 3 p.m.
Baptized adults interested in confirmation are invited to sign up here. Persons interested in confirmation are required to complete a series of classes (12:30-1:30 p.m. on Sundays, February 26, March 26 and April 2) and attend two Adult Faith Forums (10:15-11 a.m. on Sundays, March 12 & 19). Questions, please contact The Rev. Barbara Kempf. Learn more about the sacrament of confirmation in the Episcopal Church here.
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CRAINE HOUSE BINGO
Saturday, February 25, 5-9 p.m.
Have fun while raising money for Craine House. Tickets are $50/each and include dinner, two drink tickets and BINGO. A silent auction and 50/50 raffle will be available (License # 013753). Questions, email Scott Redmon or call 203.482.6491. Purchase tickets below:
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DAYSPRING COLLECTION BOX
Burrows Commons
Dayspring Center provides emergency shelter, clothing and three nourishing meals per day for homeless families with children in central Indiana. Non-perishable food staples are needed and being collected for Dayspring families. Drop off on any Sunday and a volunteer from St. Paul's will deliver the items when the box is full. Questions, email Cathy Henney.
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SAVE THE DATE :: CELEBRATE ST. PAUL'S
Saturday, April 22, 6-10 p.m.
Save the date now for this exciting event. Plans are underway for an all-parish celebration, and we hope that you will hold the date for an evening of food, fellowship, fun and special programming for all ages. That's right! No need to get a sitter for this exciting time of connecting and building relationships and community together, as we enter into the Easter Season and all the many ways that it affords us to engage our gifts and create impact together. Stay tuned for details.
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