August 6, 2023
Dear All,
It is good to be back at work and with all of you. I experienced a very restful three weeks away with lots of reading (13 books), eating and sleeping. I forget how good it is for me to shut myself down for several weeks so that I may be refreshed and renewed to jump back into church life. Thank you for allowing me the time away. I do appreciate Donna’s and Dick’s willingness to officiate and preach while I was away. St. Paul’s is very fortunate to have these two and their gifts among us.
Now it is back to planning for the new year. Much will be starting up. We begin on September 17th with a potluck meal (St. Paul’s is famous for it’s potlucks) and a rousing game or two of Family Feud. Sign up for a team and start rehearsing. Last time we did this, it became quite competitive. This Sunday is when we recognize that Vacation Time is officially over as many return to school, jobs, volunteer work or whatever you do during the rest of the year (September through May.)
We will have Dick+ teaching a number of classes which you will hear more about soon. The first series is on the Bible in October. One class in November will be on Indigenous folks in the Episcopal Calendar known as Holy Women, Holy Men. This will be prior to our Grateful Gathering on November 21st. In addition, I hope to form another Sacred Ground Circle – an 11 week class (not consecutive every week) on our historic discriminatory behavior toward minority groups in our country. We will also call for training of new chalice bearers, lectors, etc. So much is coming.
As to our building, in the next week or two, two major projects in the sanctuary will begin. One is new masonry in the organ pipe loft directly over the organ. Due to previous roof leaks, in the past 10-12 years, the masonry in that area has crumbled and not much is left holding the bricks together. The company doing the work will start by tenting the organ pipes and all other equipment in that area. Then they can turn to the actually removing and replacing of bricks and mortar. Due to space constraints, all of this work must be done by masons working on their knees! The approximate cost for this project is $42,000 which is being paid from the Richard Sellers fund.
The second project in the sanctuary will be the removal of 13 clerestory windows for repair and restoration. If you stand outside on the Seymour Street side and look up at the clerestory windows, you will note how necessary this project is as the wooden window frames are rotting. Any damage on the glass will be repaired and inserted into an aluminum frame. This project will take approximately a year or more, so in the meantime, those windows will be boarded up which will change the lighting and feel of that space. The total cost of this project is approximately $280,000. We will receive from Susan Shelander (daughter of Dorothy Shillinglaw) a gift of $190,000 to have this work done in memory of her parents. Vestry is discussing where the remaining monies will come from to complete this project.
My last item for these week’s note is that we have received two very generous gifts from former parishioners. Max Pierce left us an annuity with the value of $100,982.60. This gift is unrestricted so 10% or $10,098 will be deposited into the Mission & Outreach restricted fund. It is St. Paul’s policy that 10% or a tithe of any unrestricted gift will be deposited into M&O Ministry Restricted fund.
We also received a designated gift of $10,000 from Richard Hacker’s family to be used either for building maintenance or landscaping. I want to point out and give thanks for these folks who have remembered St. Paul’s in their wills. Something for all of us to ponder as we prepare our own wills/trusts, etc.
It is now Vestry’s responsibility to carefully consider how best to use these funds based on a number of ministry and building priorities.
Remember to keep saying your prayers for yourself and your family. Also remember the many in our congregation who are ill or lonely or in need of our prayers. We do have in our weekly bulletin a prayer list. We will keep the names of folks on the prayer list for a six month period. After that time, the name will be removed unless someone contacts the church office and requests the name remain on for another six months. Hopefully this will aid us in keeping track of folks and removing the names of those who are no longer in need of healing prayer.
Blessing to you and yours,
Karen+