Beloved,
Every year around this time, every Episcopal Church completes a report for the National Church. In that report are numbers about our finances, our membership, our activities, our worship, and more. This year, the national church is seeking to gain some understanding about the cultural make-up of our congregations. This information has long been sought by the Union of Black Episcopalians (UBE) and other "minority" groups.
To facilitate getting this information, the Diocese put together a survey using the categories set forth by the National Church (categories which have some problems, but here we are anyway). The Diocese will collect this information on our behalf and then give us the breakdown for the Cathedral Parish.
Some of you (I did) may bristle at being asked this information but, as we say in Sacred Ground, we need to know the truth before we can move for change. I am asking you, as your priest, to please complete this survey by February 10th. Once we have the results I will share them with you in this space.
I thank you for taking the time to do this. This is an important part of moving ever so slowly toward racial healing. The survey only takes a few seconds to complete, so you might as well click on it right now!
Beloved, I love you and God adores you.
Greta+
P.S. If you want to talk further about this with me, let me know. My door is open.
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Cathedral Church of St. Paul News & Events |
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Thanks to everyone who participated in Sunday's Annual Meeting. We appreciated your thoughtful input. Stay tuned for updates on action items addressing growth, expense reduction, and improved communications. |
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Cathedral Office Closed Wednesday, February 1 |
The Cathedral office will be closed on Wednesday, February 1 for an off-site staff planning day. |
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Welcome New Vestry and Executive Committee Members, Gratitude for Outgoing Members |
Welcome to our newest Executive Team and Vestry members, appointed/elected at the Annual Meeting last Sunday:
Marley Skiff, Senior Warden
Karl Fandrich, Junior Warden
Shannon Williamson, Clerk
Miriam Burns, Vestry Member
We can't thank our outgoing members enough! Many thanks to:
Tom Rees, Alice Winn, and Suki Rubin
for their service to St. Paul's.
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Pledge Envelopes Available |
Pledge envelopes are on the Narthex table and labelled for those who have requested them.
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Updated Directories Available |
Updated church directories are available on the Narthex table for anyone who would like a printed copy. Electronic copies can be requested by emailing the office at admin@stpaulscathedralvt.org.
Please note that in order to ensure confidence, privacy and promote an open exchange of information for members, the church asks that the member directory not be used for solicitation, marketing, or sharing of member information with non-members.
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1973-2023: St. Paul's Celebrates 50 Years |
In November 1973, the Cathedral Church of St. Paul was consecrated in its present location. This year we will joyfully celebrate 50 years of ministry, drawing on our past to energize our present and expand our future.
As a community, it is important to take a short time out to reflect upon this remarkable milestone. It is important to celebrate because for 50 years we have prayed, sang, celebrated, mourned, striven for justice, and lifted up our community.
Stay tuned to for more in the eNews about our history, where we've been and where we're headed in the coming months.
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Challenging the Anglican Family: 1998 Lambeth Resolution 1.10 |
From Deacon Stan Baker.
As promised, this is my piece on what took place just after the close of the 80th General Convention of the Episcopal Church. This year's General Convention was one at which important discussions and resolutions took place around women’s rights, the rights of LGBTQ+ people, attention to the needs of BIPOC Episcopalians - overall a very “Queer friendly Convention.” Soon after came Lambeth, the meeting of all the bishops of the Anglican Communion, which takes place every 10 years in England at Lambeth Palace, called together by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby.
Those of you who are cognizant of the larger Church may have heard the Episcopal Church referred to as part of the Anglican Family. Worldwide, there are 38 provinces of the Anglican Communion of which the Episcopal Church is one. There are 80 million members, making us the third largest Christian body in the world. These provinces of the Anglican Communion are our family from other countries and cultures: brothers, sisters, in-laws: our siblings. What happens when we, as a larger church family, disagree about something foundational?
Lambeth was supposed to be a gathering of love, prayer, and inclusion, which was meant to uphold the dignity of all of God’s children, underlining the love that God has for all of us. At this year's gathering, there was an unsuccessful attempt to endorse a statement asserting that the Anglican Communion views same-sex relationships as sin. This resolution, originally adopted in 1998, states that: marriage is only between a man and a woman, asserts that abstinence is right for "those who are not called marriage," and maintains that, “homosexual practice [is] incompatible with scripture.” This came as a complete surprise to most bishops. In addition, while gay bishops living in committed relationships were invited to attend this time (they were not 10 years ago), their spouses were not invited, while all the spouses of heterosexual bishops were welcomed.
We know that many important relationships were forged at Lambeth, and some bishops met their first gay person ever when introduced to gay bishops. However, the discomfort of those coming to terms with new ways of being in the world, and even the discomfort of our courageous gay bishops, pales in comparison to queer Anglicans living in countries where homosexuality is illegal, who face beatings or prison as a result of trying to live their lives openly and honestly. Jim Naughton, the head of Canticle Communications, wrote this: The phrase “despite our deep divisions” or something similar appears in almost every story about the Lambeth Conference. But in the communion, “talking across differences usually involves LGBT-aligned bishops who are at no earthly risk for stating their views talking with anti-LGBT bishops who are at no earthly risk for stating theirs. There is, however, a more profound division in the communion. It is between those who are at risk of having the sh*t beaten out of them for loving whom they love, and those who are not. And until the Anglican Communion “talks across” that difference, it is complicit in the persecution of faithful queer Christians, and worse than that, it is complicit by design.
Please join in on the conversation on what the relationship of the Episcopal Church should be to the Anglican Communion. On Wednesday, March 1, from 6:30 to 8:00, I will be hosting the first of several online discussions designed to guide us in preparing a resolution on what action we should take related to the relationship of the Episcopal Church to the Anglican Communion. This resolution will be brought to our Diocese of Vermont convention in the fall, and then presented to General Convention of the Episcopal Church in summer of 2024. Our guest will be Katie Sherrod, Director of Communication for the Diocese of N. Texas, and one of the documentarians who filmed Voices of Witness Africa, interviewing queer black Africans talking about their plight in countries where homosexuality is illegal. We will start by watching the video, and then engage in discussion with Katie.
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From Out of Vermont Kitchens: Recipe of the Week
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It's hard to really recreate good Indian food at home. Of course, it could be that each time we crave it, the recipe's extensive list of ingredients has us reaching for the phone to just order take out. Check out this week's recipe and enjoy the warmth and complexity of Indian flavors from home.
Excerpted from the introduction of the 1990 edition of Out of Vermont Kitchens:
St. Paul's Cathedral published our first cookbook, Out of Vermont Kitchens, in 1939. The world and the small corner of it that is Vermont were very much different then, and yet some things stay the same. The values that first book represents - fresh ingredients cooked with pleasure and creativity for family and friends - are with us still today.
Vermont itself is a blend of old and new, a study in contrasts. It is still a rural state with many small family dairy farms and sugarbushes, but in recent years an influx of new residents from "down country" has brought us new life and richness with their interest organic gardening, sheep raising, and the production of a variety of cheeses and homecooked products now sold far beyond our borders. While treasuring our wonderful maple syrup and dairy products, we also welcome the addition of a broadened range of produce, herbs and spices to our shelves.
Vermont is a place of distinct seasons and sometimes harsh climate, but always of outstanding beauty. Much of our life continues to involve church suppers, town fairs, country auctions, and rigorous outdoor activity, along with a penchant for self-reliance and the homegrown. Our more recent neighbors have often settled here because they too love these simper pastimes and values. Those of us fortunate enough to live here wouldn't be any other place.
So come into our kitchens. Sit down and browse awhile through our recipe files and well-thumbed favorites. Then join us around the table to share a dish that, in the universal spirit of kitchen creativity, you have made your own.
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All children ages four to 11 are welcome to join us for Church School downstairs in the Parish Hall at 10:00 a.m.
Thank you to the adults who have volunteered to help out in the classroom! Church school volunteers can have a major impact on the youth in our congregation.
Click here to download the Sunday Paper for the fourth Sunday after the Epiphany. |
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Coffee Hour: What are you Signing up for? |
The Welcome Ministry is a small, but mighty group of volunteers who are responsible for set up and clean up of our weekly get-togethers after both 9 and 11 a.m. services. Coffee Hour is a great way to meet and visit with fellow worshipers in an informal setting. We ask parishioners to sign up on Coffee Hour Sign-up Sheet in the Narthex or in the Parish Hall on the beverage table. When you sign up, you are asked to bring a specific finger food item, such as:
o Baked goods (store bought or homemade)
o Fruits and/or veggies
o Crackers and cheese or dip for either the 9 or 11 a.m. service or both
Food contributions can be dropped off in the kitchen before the service.
If you are available for cleanup after Coffee Hour, we welcome your help. DON’T worry if you forget to sign up, just bring a goodie you like and just show up.
We hope you will join us for Coffee Hour after the services (regardless of any contributions!). Please look for the sign-up sheets in the Narthex or in the Parish Hall on the beverage table. We appreciate your contributions.
The Welcome Ministry: Penny Pillsbury, Sue Simmons, Nadine Carpenter, Debbie Altemus, Shannon Williamson, Richie Amerson, Miriam Burns, David Turner, Nancy Snyder, Cecile Woodbury, Brenda and Bill Kirby.
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Join us for our Worship, in person on via our Live Stream on YouTube.
Sunday, January 29, 9:00 a.m. in person, 11 a.m. in person and live streamed.
Other Regular Services
All are welcome to join us for our weekday services:
Morning Prayer, Monday - Friday at 8:30 a.m. on Zoom.
Tuesday - Friday at 8:30 a.m. in person.
Compline, Sundays and Wednesdays at 9:00 p.m. on Zoom.
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For Our Prayers This Week |
We pray for blessings and joy for those who celebrate birthdays this week: Alice Van Buren, John Montross, Sybil Thomas, Frank Guillot, Emiry Potter.
Let us name before God those for whom we offer our prayers: Neil Stout; Colin MacDonald; Clair Viens; Mari Richards; Devin Starlanyl; Joan Braun; Karin Davis; Laura Macke; Jay Slobodzian; Thomas McGrade; Ashton Christy; Robert Libbert; Scholar's House; James Booze; Jennifer Jenkins; Michael Fay; Henry Maciejewski; P.J.; John; Lindsey Fay; The Anthony Family in Moscow, Russia; Nancy Bishop; Marie Cole; Kim Martin; Helene; Karen Lewis; Sandy Nicholson; Cole; Nancy Johnson; Ella Baskett; Mary Magot; Jean Erno; Jackie; Lillian Robinson; Emily Harwood; Peter Adams; Elizabeth Webster; Pat Barra; David Glendinning; Debbie Altemus; Vaughn Altemus; Naomi Hodgett; Helen McGrath; and Mary Carter. For all those suffering from COVID-19 in our country or around the world. For those who have died from COVID-19 and for the grief of those who loved them. For Ukraine and those fleeing its borders and for the people of Russia. For all victims of gun violence.
We pray for those who are in the discernment process, our seminarian, Susan McMillan; for Trinity Fellow, The Revd Nitano Muller.
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"Study the past if you would define the future."
--Confucius
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Lessons for January 29: The Fourth Sunday After the Epiphany |
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Almighty and everlasting God, you govern all things both in heaven and on earth: Mercifully hear the supplications of your people, and in our time grant us your peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
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Submission Deadline for St. Paul's eNews |
This weekly e-newsletter is circulated on Fridays. Please send your submissions to Jennifer Sumner at admin@stpaulscathedralvt.org by noon on Wednesday. Thank you. |
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Contacts:
The Right Rev. Shannon MacVean-Brown, Bishop of Vermont
The Very Rev. Greta Getlein, Dean and Rector
The Ven. J. Stannard Baker, Cathedral Deacon and Diocesan Archdeacon
Mark A. DeW. Howe, Canon Precentor and Director of Music
Jennifer C. Sumner, Office Administrator
Barbara F. Comeau, Financial Administrator
Katie Gonyaw, Children's Formation Coordinator
Grace Jack, A/V and Social Media Coordinator
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