St. Paul's Episcopal Church   Poughkeepsie, NY


MESSENGER
"Making friends while serving God"

The week of Oct. 12-18, 2015
Jesus serves; so should we
bible.jpg
This week's readings
It's not difficult for us to imagine a couple of fishermen, especially fishermen who are brothers, vying for power. James and John, sons of Zebedee, want Jesus to grant them seats at his side in his glory, that is, after he is resurrected. Jesus, understandably, is dubious.
 
In our Hebrew Bible reading God challenges Job after his protestations over his treatment by God. God asks Job, more or less, who do you think you are, anyway?
 
We know Job relents. We see in the Gospel this Sunday the effect the desires of James and John have on their colleagues in Jesus' ministry: they become angry. More importantly, Jesus tells them that they don't know what they're asking for. And for that matter, the decision about who is to sit at Jesus' right side and who at his left will be made by God, not on earth in response to their plea.
 
The reading concludes with Jesus informing his disciples, "whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many."
Episcopal Relief Development and Outreach
Recently, New York City was abuzz with activity. The Pope came to town, along with hundreds of other world leaders to attend the United Nations General Assembly. The General Assembly discussed a post-2015 development agenda, otherwise known as the "Sustainable Development Goals" or SDGs. These seventeen goals succeed the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that conclude at the end of 2015.
The Episcopal Church can be justifiably proud of its support of the MDGs over the last several years. We're alone among faith groups in having fully endorsed the MDGs as a mission priority. But we can't rest on our laurels.
The first and foremost objective of the new SDGs is to "End poverty in all its forms everywhere?" The universality of this goal is something that Jesus surely would have embraced.
With the emphasis on universality in the SDGs, the United States needs to develop a strategy for ending poverty in this country. That's a huge undertaking. The Episcopal Church, along with local dioceses and congregations has an opportunity to speak out on how that should happen here.
We're called to both think and act locally and globally - what an undertaking! It seems to me the important thing is to recognize that everyone has a role to play in this work. In my participation at St. Paul's, I find that no matter how much I give with love, I receive much more in spirit
Are you ready to play your role in the outreach ministries at St. Paul's? Come check out the opportunities we have to give back through the Food Pantry and at Small Blessings. Let's get together to come up with ways we can participate in the programs sponsored by Episcopal Relief and Development. For more information on getting involved, contact Joanna Frang, [email protected].
 
St. Paul's and the Summer Camp at Christ Church
The summer camp at Christ Church concluded its 2015 season having given 60 young children a fun filled summer. St. Paul's Church gave scholarship funds to the camp; provided three staff members and had two campers on the roles.
The camp runs daily for six weeks and campers swim, hike, do crafts, learn new skills (like video editing), play sports, act, sing: The get to be little kids and have fun in a safe, caring environment, The camp has been in operation for 60 years and actually has third generation campers. It is a wonderful example of what faith based entities can accomplish.
Jeannie Henderson
You never know who you reach
You never know how your actions might have impacted others. It is not something you set out to do, but you do what you do, and may never know that you have "hit home" I had the opportunity to experience this over this weekend. I was at Gettysburg for my unit's annual living history on the battlefield. In my case, it took 20 years! In 1995, at a reenactment I offered a short "sermon" and prayer before a battle. At that time I functioned in what can best be described as a lay chaplain role. This was in addition to my role as a company officer, but I figured it was my way to add something to our regimental living history. I knew some appreciated it, but I did know if I left any lasting impression. Typically, I conducted service and offered prayers before battle, in the style of the Civil War era. On Sunday afternoon at this particular event I did just that, never giving it a thought. Jump ahead 20 years to Sunday October 11, 2015.A professor from Pittsburgh came by as we were preparing to "break camp" to come home my First Sergeant Mike and I agreed to spend time with his class. At the end he stayed back and said "Your ae the one that gave that brief sermon before we went to battle. He then told me that he felt that that kind of thing was important and that we needed more of that in our hobby. It obviously left a strong impression, not one I planned or expected. However, I did "hit the mark" 20 years ago, even though I did not know it at the time. It is the same with any ministry in which we engage: We may never know how much we have helped, but that person will know how much we have helped them. So let us all strive to do good works, and realize that our good works will be well received.
Warden Pete Bedrossian


 
THIS WEEK'S CALENDAR  
 
This is the week ahead from our bulletin calendar:
 
12         5pm Stewardship
14         1pm Parish Aid
15         1pm Outreach
17         11am Girl Scouts
 18         8am Rite I; 8:45 Lessons' Discussion; 9:30 Choir Practice; 10am Rite II Family Service -  celebrating birthdays and anniversaries; 10am Sunday School; 11:15 Coffee Hour
 



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!