St. Paul's Episcopal Church   Poughkeepsie, NY


MESSENGER
"Making friends while serving God"


The week of June 15-22, 2014


FAITH CAN BE FUN!


The happy attendees at the joint Vacation Bible School sponsored by First Evangelical Lutheran Church and St. Paul's Episcopal Church Aug. 3-7 at St. Paul's. Our evening program drew a couple of dozen children from our parishes and from the neighborhood. A rousing and fun time was had by all.
                                                                            --Photo by Carol Reichert 


Remembering Katrina


 
  
 
News from our ERD mission partners
Katrina  a decade later
It has been nearly a decade since Hurricane Katrina devastated the coastal states along the Gulf of Mexico, leaving thousands dead and tens of thousands displaced. Through the #KATRINA10 Blog Series, Episcopal Relief and Development is sharing stories to commemorate the anniversary of the event and celebrate the progress made to rebuild communities.
St. Paul's supports Episcopal Relief and Development in its domestic and international endeavors through collections and special projects supported by our congregation and especially our Sunday School. 
The ERD Katrina  series kicks off with a story from Elaine Clements who is the Diocesan Disaster Coordinator for the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana and a member of Episcopal Relief & Development's Partners in Response team.  Reflecting on her work with ERD since Katrina, Clements writes,
"I could say that Katrina was transformative in my life. It transformed the Church in many ways too.  We became more intentional about outreach, more focused in our love for one another and more committed to the work of rebuilding The Beloved Community...We have a new and deeper understanding of what it means to have a faith that empowers us to see hope in the worst, to find resurrection and redemption in the darkest of nights."
For more from Clements and to link to more stories of the transformative efforts of Episcopal relief and Development, check out:
Are you interested in working with Episcopal Relief and Development to realize the transformative powers of Christ-based outreach in communities around the world and at home? There are many ways for us to reach out to make a difference and help all communities reach their full potential.  For more information on ERD programs, see their website, http://www.episcopalrelief.org/, and/or contact Joanna Frang, your ERD representative at St. Paul's, at joannafrang@gmail,.
This week's readings
Jesus: both example and sacrifice
Proverbs 9:1-6; Psalm 34:9-14; Ephesians 5:15-20; John 6:51-58
 Jesus spent his entire earthly ministry teaching people how to live for the fulfillment of God's will rather than our own. This "dying to self," as he called it, was a radical shift for folks who were accustomed to living in fear of brutal Roman
bible.jpg
This week's
 readings
authorities and occupiers and who were also wary of neighbors who might take advantage of them. Our collect this Sunday reminds us that there was more involved in Jesus' ministry than his human behavior. It reminds us God gave us Jesus "...to be for us a sacrifice for sin, and also an example of godly life."
In the traditional form of the collect recited at the 8 am service the prayer reads, "Give us grace that we may always most thankfully receive that his inestimable benefit." While modeling earthly behavior aligned with God's will is a true and heavenly gift, the inestimable benefit is found in Jesus dying on the cross for our sins. Something that is of inestimable benefit cannot be valued, it is so beyond measure.
As we contemplate the sustenance the living bread give us let us also remember the sacrifice of Jesus' life given for our salvation.


With Faith and Fear
This week (actually more like an 8 day stretch) represents three significant historical events. All are 70th anniversary events: August 6 and 9 being the anniversaries of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki respectively. August 14 (or 15 depending on which side of the dateline you choose), Japan
Pete Bedrossian
surrendered, ending the fighting of World War II. (Although the formal treaty was not signed until September 2nd).  World War II was the most destructive conflict in the history of humankind. The levels of destruction and the horror of the weapons used (including nuclear weapons) demonstrate the enormous capacity we have to destroy life. Certainly this would be enough to shake one's faith. You know the question: How could God let this happen? It is also enough to fill one with fear that we will not have learned from our mistakes.
As I reflect on it however, I see different things. I see people who "took up the cause" and stopped evil. They did so often at great cost to themselves, physically and emotionally. In effect they  were their brother's keeper, even when they did  not know that "brother" (or should we better say sibling in our more inclusive world?) I see a world where the defeated were not trampled, but were re-built by their former adversaries and then they turned from the ways that had enflamed the world. I see the example that we need to keep ever in our minds: what might be and why we must not repeat these errors.
This week, please pause to remember those who answered the call, give thanks for them, and pray that we will continue to work so that such a conflagration never again engulfs our world.                                               --Warden Pete Bedrossian
Don't forget the yard sale on Saturday!
THIS WEEK'S CALENDAR  
 
This is the week ahead from our bulletin calendar
10        5 p.m. Stewardship Committee
12        12:15 pm Healing Service
13        6 pm Pastoral Care Committee
15        10 am yard sale, burgers and hot dogs
16         8 am Rite I; 8:45 am Bible study; 10 am Rite II, Sunday School
   



YOUR NEWS BELONGS IN ST. PAUL'S  MESSENGER

Help us get the word out by submitting news of parish activities. Send submittals to [email protected] or call 845 452 8440

Give us a call today!