In the liturgical sense, this Sunday is in ordinary time. But at Saint Peter's, September and October are never ordinary time. This Sunday is no exception to that: As you can see above, our annual ALL NITE SOUL extravaganza begins at with Jazz Vespers at 5:00 p.m. and continues with the concert at 7:00 p.m.
ALL NITE SOUL has several affects on the rest of the day.
First, BerlinVokal conducted by Michael Betzner-Brandt will provide some of our music at the 11:00 a.m. mass. BerlinVokal is a German Church choir which, in 2011, helped our own Ike Sturm premiere his jazz mass in Berlin. It will be a joy to welcome them!
Second, instead of our regular home-cooked Brunch, we'll be "ordering in" pizza and salad. I know you'll want to be prepared for that.
Third, there is an OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE occasioned by ALL NITE SOUL. Every year the people of Saint Peter's provide desserts to sell at ALL NITE SOUL. This not only provides a nice, homey touch, but also reduces our expenses. If you can, please bring your homemade or store-bought desserts to the kitchen on Saturday afternoon or Sunday morning (October 6 or 7).
Also this Sunday our 10:00 a.m. Forum in the Living Room, entitled "An Unexpected Journey" : One daughter's story of learning and acceptance.........and dealing with Alzheimer's Disease, will be led by Donna Marie Arigo.
Our carefully-planned, long-awaited NARTHEX RENOVATION has begun and will continue this Monday, October 8, when Saint Peter's is closed. On that day, and possibly into Tuesday, new carpeting will be laid in the Narthex and Great Stairs. On Sunday you will see that, in preparation for this work and for the new furnishings in the Narthex, the Reception Desk will have been removed. This entire project will be completed over the next few weeks. We will bless and dedicate our new Narthex on December 9, 2012, the Second Sunday in Advent and the 35th Anniversary of the Consecration of Saint Peter's Church. Our Presiding Bishop, Mark Hanson will preach and preside at all liturgies on that day.
In preparation for this major renovation, a Narthex Task Force, made up of several of our committee chairs, staff and congregational members, the Design Committee, chaired by Kristian Kraai and with Pastor Jared Stahler's creative support, have met, discussed and worked endless hours to get us to this day. As the old is removed and the new comes in, please join me in thanking God for all these dedicated, creative and hospitality-conscious leaders.
Next Sunday, October 14, we will celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council with Father James Loughran of the Franciscan Graymoor Ecumenical and Interreligious Institute, leading the 10:00 a.m. Forum and preaching at the 11:00 a.m. mass. We've also invited the Rev. Dr. Eugene L. Brand to preside at that mass. Vatican II played a significant role, not only in 'opening the windows' of the Roman Catholic communion but in the design of our liturgy and, ultimately, this church building.
Our annual Congregational Meeting will be on Sunday, October 28 following the 11:00 a.m. mass. This meeting, which will be officially announced next week, regularly includes the election of new Council members and of a member of our Trust Committee. The Parish Council has re-nominated Arthur Clark to a four-year term on the Trust Committee, which Arthur currently chairs. The Congregation will also vote on a covenant between Saint Peter's Church, Sion Lutheran Church and the Metropolitan New York Synod by which Sion would become partners with us at this Intersection and provide ministry with our Spanish-language community. This covenant, the names of the nominees for election to the Parish Council, and other reports and action items will be sent to you next week. This is also the time when we remember those of our parish community who died during the previous year.
All this is yet to come. In the meantime, there is simply no other jazz event in New York that equals ALL NITE SOUL! In addition to great music, there's also great Hungry Souls' food.
Join the festivities as this DEEPLY ROOTED, ALWAYS GROWING parish community celebrates one of God's greatest gifts to the world and one of our most unique gifts to the church, the city, and the world.