St. Paulʹs This Week September 17, 2015 An Episcopal Moment: ʺHow do I become a member of St. Paulʹs?ʺ Very happily, I was recently asked how one becomes a member of St. Paulʹs. My answer in the moment was not very helpful, although I hope it was nonetheless welcoming, excited, and enthusiastic. I said, waving my hand in the shape of a cross, ʺOh, goodness, you have been coming often enough now to be members!ʺ I did ask them if they were Episcopalians and when they said, ʺYes,ʺ I babbled on about the possibility of reaffirming their baptismal vows during the Bishopʹs visit. I would like to take this opportunity to give a much better and more considered answer to the question of how one becomes a member of St. Paulʹs. Of course, it helps that prospective members come to church. The canons (ʺthe rulesʺ) of the Episcopal Church, however, require oneʹs baptism to ʺhave been duly recorded in this Church...ʺ All baptisms are recorded in the Parish Register. Those whose baptisms have taken place in another Episcopal church or ʺin another Christian Churchʺ may have their ʺLetter of Transferʺ sent from their previous church to St. Paulʹs at their request. It would indeed be most unseemly for St. Paulʹs or any other Episcopal Church without permission or foreknowledge to enter into the Parish Register the name of any person who had not notified the former church of the intention to leave the pastoral care of that church. Those Christian Churches that do not use the Episcopal Churchʹs official white, yellow, and blue triplicate form can simply be requested to send a letter acknowledging the transfer. One can also become a member of St. Paulʹs by virtue of being confirmed by a bishop in our sanctuary. A Letter of Transfer would still be necessary if that confirmandʹs baptism were registered in another church. A person baptized and confirmed in another church can also become a member of St. Paulʹs by renewing his or her baptismal vows before a bishop in our sanctuary. Again, a Letter of Transfer would need to have been received and recorded in the Parish Register for that person to become an official member of St. Paulʹs. To be a communicant of St. Paulʹs, one needs to have received communion three times during the preceding year. This provision in the canons lends itself to the snarky as well as ill‐informed comment that people need only come to church on Christmas and Easter and one other Sunday to be ʺmembers.ʺ One is a member by baptism, confirmation, reaffirmation, or registration of a Letter of Transfer; one is a communicant by simply meeting this minimal 3 communion requirement. Those who wish to be ʺcommunicants in good standingʺ must meet a higher standard. ʺAll communicants of this Church who for the previous year have been faithful in corporate worship, unless for good cause prevented, and have been faithful in working, praying, and giving for the spread of the Kingdom of God, are to be considered communicants in good standing.ʺ (Title I Canon 17 Sec. 3 of the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Church) More often than not when people are asking about becoming a member of St. Paulʹs, they are asking about becoming ʺcommunicants in good standing.ʺ Such inquirers are actually asking three questions: 1) ʺHow can I help with the ministries of St. Paulʹs?ʺ 2) ʺHow can I pray for St. Paulʹs?ʺ and 3) ʺHow can I pledge to St. Paulʹs?ʺ I hope to answer these questions for all our newcomers and would love to discuss them with all our ʺmembersʺ who want to raise their status. News Items: Remember: Answer the 3 Questions for St. Paulʹs Responses to the 3 Questions for St. Paulʹs have been coming in at a much better clip since posting the deadline of September 20, but perhaps others could still benefit from this gentle reminder: PLEASE ANSWER THE 3 QUESTIONS FOR ST. PAULʹS!!! The strategic planning that the Vestry has been undertaking all summer long needs the responses of every member of the parish in order to move forward in its discernment process. Please make every effort to turn in your responses by THIS Sunday, September 20th when the Vestry is next in session. The three questions once again are: 1) What activity, pursuit, or interest gives you great pleasure? 2) What brought you to St. Paulʹs? 3) What will be your favorite thing about St. Paulʹs ten years from now? Answer each question with as much imagination, information, and insight as you can. If you find yourself writing ʺtoo much,ʺ donʹt worry. We will take good care of what you share. If you find yourself writing ʺtoo little,ʺ donʹt fret. ʺBrevity is the soul of wit.ʺ Thank you for your responses, thoughts, and feelings. Fellowship Activity: Wednesday Nights are Church Nights once again Most every Wednesday night from September to May, we first gather together at 6 p.m. in Bristol Hall (in the basement of the church) to eat a meal together. There is often time to catch up with family and friends before the meal is serves. It is also an opportunity to get to know people you only see in passing or on the other side of church. I can assure you that e a very interesting bunch of people. After dinner, around 7 p.m., the choir members go off to prepare for Sunday worship, some go upstairs to the chancel (where the choir sits on Sundays) to read Compline (a brief meditative service said at the end of the day), and some head home to do homework or just get ready for Thursday. By 7:30 p.m. some of us remain after Compline to gather in the Guild Room (at the western end of the Parish House) to study a book of the Bible or read an otherwise Christian book. There is a lot going on at St. Paulʹs on Wednesday nights. Come join us. Spread the News: Blessing of the Animals is on Sunday, October 4th On Sunday, October 4th at the 10:30 a.m. service, St. Paulʹs will gather before the front steps of the church to give thanks for all our many pets and ask Godʹs blessing upon them for the coming year. This service has always been fun for the animals and an opportunity for all of us to invite folks to church who might not come for a more traditional service. All animals and even stuffed animals are welcome. Just be sure to maintain control of your pet so they do not run into the street or get ʺtangled upʺ with another pet. Pet food, pet blankets, and other pet‐related items ill be collected at this service and delivered to local animal shelters. We look forward to seeing you and your pets there at church on St. Francis Day. Community Outreach: Walk Against Hunger on Saturday, October 3 The 39th Annual Walk Against Hunger, the only public fundraiser to benefit the HOPE Center of Downtown Churches United (DCU), will be held several weeks earlier this year on Saturday, October 3rd at 10:00 a.m. to take advantage of the warmer weather. The funds raised by this charitable walk go directly to benefit the core programs of the HOPE Center which are the daily lunch program, the Food Pantry, and the rent, utilities, and prescription drug assistance programs. The walk will begin at Poplar Lawn, cover a 6 mile clockwise course around the city, and return to Poplar Lawn where the City of Petersburg and several other organizations will offer folks the opportunity to learn, to win a raffle, to eat and drink, and to enjoy a celebration of ʺI Am Petersburg.ʺ St. Paulʹs was one of the ten founding churches of DCU in November 1969 and over the past 46 years has continued to support the ministries of DCU in many different ways. To support this yearʹs Walk Against Hunger, I am challenging myself and all the members of St. Paulʹs to meet the goal of making a $1,000 contribution. We have raised over $700 each year for the past several Walks, but I believe St. Paulʹs needs to ʺstep up to the plateʺ in a larger and more generous way this year. If each of us does our share, we will certainly exceed our goal of making a $1,000 gift to the HOPE Center. Birthdays & Anniversaries Birthdays Karen Guthrie Allyson Guthrie Candace Duncan September 16 September 17 September 18 Anakin Vincent Anne Rowlett September 25 September 25