Sanctuary cross
GOOD NEWS!    
A Newsletter of St. Paul's Church, Concord, NH
"A place to belong . . . Whoever you are . . . Just as you are."
April 2013
In This Issue
April Calendar Highlights
Milestones
Shorts
Clergy Corner
Ministries and Missions
Formation
Behind the Scenes
Poll of the Month
Photo Feature
From the Vestry
Youth Happenings
Personal Reflections
History and Artifacts
April Calendar Highlights  

  

1  Church Office Closed

  

Linda Spinella's Ordination to the

             Diaconate - 11:00 AM

 

6  Leila Maynard's Memorial Service

             - 2:30 PM

 

Men's Just Supper - 6:00 PM

 

10  How to Read the Bible - 6:00 PM

 

13  Safe Church Initial Training

              - 8:30 AM

 

14  Jamaica Breakfast

              - 9:00 & 11:15 AM

 

16  Fellowship Potluck - 5:30 PM

 

16  Vestry Meeting - 6:30 PM

 

17  How to Read the Bible - 6:00 PM

 

21  Buffalo and Tough Cookie talk

              - 11:30 AM

 

22  Church Office Closed

 

24  How to Read the Bible - 6:00 PM

 

28  Spirituality of Service - 9:00 AM

 

See entire calendar          

 

For details of these and other parish events, check the new monthly
Milestones 
the tortoise and the hare 
Received into
The Episcopal Church
Beth Nagy - 2/20/2013

Memorial Services
 Henry (Hank) Uchida - 3/9/2013
Dorothy Kirkwood - 3/23/2013  
Shorts  
  
Such Talent!
St. Paul's third annual Ten Talent Challenge was launched at the end of January, with more than 50 parishioners agreeing to accept a $10 bill from our parish funds, and invest it in some creative and lucrative way.  For the next six weeks, the Sunday morning Ten Talents Marketplace offered an incredible array of homemade foods and crafts, along with a few other items and services that no home should be without! As always, it was both fun and profitable - at last count bringing in over $1500!
  
If you received a $10 bill and didn't get around to investing it in a talent this year, don't forget to give it back to the parish office.  And remember we'll be showcasing our parishioners' remarkable talents again next year so start thinking now about what you might offer.
  
A big thank you to everyone who shared their talents with us.

 
Linda Spinella's Ordination
On April 6 at 11:00 am here at St. Paul's, Bishop Rob Hirschfeld will be ordaining Linda Spinella to the transitional diaconate.  All are welcome to come and celebrate with Linda in this moving service.  Click here for the invitation!


Kirkin' Comin'!
On May 5, we will be hosting the St. Andrew's Society "Kirking of the Tartans" - a traditional service of blessing the Scottish Clans.  Save the date - and don't forget to take your kilt to the dry cleaners!

  
Come and Meet
Buffalo and Tough Cookie

On Sunday, April 21, stick around after the 10:00 service for a special presentation with our two special guests. They will be talking about their experiences, chronicled in their about-to-be-released book, The Adventures of Buffalo and Tough Cookie.

 

Their story will help hikers learn about and explore some special mountains in New Hampshire, but it is also a personal memoir and travelogue of two friends, a seasoned middle-aged climber and an energetic fourth-grader. They set off on a bonding journey that changed both their lives when Dan and his wife unexpectedly became part-time caretakers of 10-year-old twins. The Adventures of Buffalo and Tough Cookie is a journey through some of New Hampshire's remote wilderness, but is also a meditation on the transformative power of friendship, commitment and the many meanings of family.
  
Visit Buffalo and Tough Cookie's website, and come and meet them at St. Paul's.

  

Climate Revival -

An Ecumenical Festival to

Embolden the Renewal of Creation

Saturday, April 27, 2013

10am-4pm

 

 Join intrepid Earth-lovers Terry Irwin and Steve Blackmer on an expedition to Boston, along with faithful people from Episcopal, U.C.C., and other churches around New England, to pray, sing, commiserate, and learn about climate change and how our churches can be a part of the solution.

 

Our Presiding Bishop, Katharine Jefferts-Schori, and her counterpart from the U.C.C., Geoffrey Black, will preach and lead worship at Old South Church UCC and Trinity Church on Boston's Copley Square. Check out the Climate Revival website and attached flyers for more information.

 

Contact Steve Blackmer for more information and to join the St. Paul's team.   

   

 

 Divine Comedy Arrives 

May 11th at 5:30pm

 

 
"Divine Comedy" is a new venture for St. Paul's.  It will be a spring variety show, food fest and live auction to benefit our outreach ministries.  This fabulous event will be held at Tad's Place, the new theatre at Heritage Heights.  "Divine Comedy" will feature gourmet food, hilarious entertainment by your fellow parishioners and friends, a live auction of wonderful items, and stunning desserts.  We will even showcase Bishop Rob.  Tickets are available from St. Paul's Vestry members and clergy.  The price is $40 per person, all inclusive.  If that price is just too steep for you to attend, "scholarship funds" are available.  Just check with Kate or Herb.  Seating is limited, so be sure not to miss this one-of-a-kind evening. 

 

Calling all cooks! The committee that will be serving you hors d'eouvres to decadent desserts has finalized the Divine Comedy menu. On Sunday, April 7th after both services the committee will have a table set up full of opportunities for you to support this effort by shopping for or cooking various items on our menu. Look for us on the 7th - see you then. If you would like to be involved, but will not be present on the 7th, please contact Robyn Cotton. 

Quick Links...
Come Worship With Us

Saturdays:

4:30 PM Our Simple Saturday Service of Holy Eucharist.

 

Sundays:                          

8:00 AM This celebration of  Holy Eucharist is quiet and reflective. Occasional music, but no choir.

10:00 AM This is a traditional service of  Holy Eucharist. Music includes traditional and contemporary hymns and choir anthems. All ages welcome.

 

Tuesdays and Thursdays:  12:10 PM  Holy Eucharist in the chapel.

The Episcopal Church Welcomes You

St. Paul's Episcopal Church
21 Centre Street
Concord, NH 03301
Tel: 603-224-2523
Fax: 603-224-
2524
[email protected]

            Clergy and Staff 

Rev. Kate B. Atkinson,
Rector
Rev. Herb Sprouse,
Associate Rector
Rev. Darrell Huddleston,
Priest Associate
Rev. Charles Edward LeClerc, BSG,
Deacon
Rev. Will Ottery,
Deacon
Rev. Steve BlackmerDeacon, Minister to Middle School & High School Youth

Mark Pace,
Director of Music Ministries
Kristin Dunklee,
Parish Administrator
Sarah Nyhan,
Minister for Children and Families
Ben Broadbent

SPY (St. Paul's Youth) Leader

Andrew Brundrett,
Sexton
 

Join Our Mailing List
Happy Easter, everyone!  Here at Good News! we are ready to brush off the snow and welcome Spring, the season of rebirth and newness.  New ideas are always welcome from all readers.  Email us at  [email protected]

 Clergy Corner

                             by Rev. Herb Sprouse

Sprouse  

Resurrection Resolutions?

 

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

 

Alleluia. Christ is Risen. The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia! With those words, the climax of the Great Vigil of Easter, we experience the power of The Resurrection to break open an entire universe to new life and new possibilities. Nothing so radical has ever happened in human history, and for us the reality of the Risen Christ is the cornerstone of the foundation of our lives. The tremendous grace of Easter is that our experience of awe and thanks-giving is new each and every year. Easter is never the same twice, for any of us.

 

In a very real way, life begins anew for us each Easter. We're all accustomed to making (and probably breaking) New Year's Resolutions each January 1st. Those perennial promises we make to ourselves are usually about what we think we desire most - losing those last 10 pounds, attending church more regularly (!), breaking some bad habit or other. But why don't we make resolutions at Easter? Could there be a better time to recognize the power of The Resurrection to unleash joyous rebirth in our own lives?

 

Eastertide is the 50-day period between Easter and Pentecost, which we observe as one joyous feast of renewal and new opportunities. So, Eastertide may be the best time to inventory those parts of our lives and our loves that have somehow died a slow death. Perhaps they are now poised for resurrection. Have our personal prayer lives withered on the vine? Now is the time to begin again, with the vision of the Risen Christ so fresh in our minds. Have we given up for lost a friendship that we once treasured? Maybe now is the time to invest the energy (and maybe the personal vulnerability) to raise that friendship from the dead. Has a dream we long cherished been consigned to the trash heap of impractical impossibilities? Eastertide may be the time to dig up that dream, dust it off and allow the Holy Spirit to breath new life into those dry bones of lost hope.

 

Eastertide also points us towards Pentecost, when we celebrate the arrival of the Holy Spirit "in a rushing wind" upon the Apostles, empowering them to carry forth Christ's work in the world. If we make Resurrection Resolutions, then we have this additional hope: that the Holy Spirit will be the wind under our wings, lifting us to the heavens of new life and new possibilities. What more could we possibly ask?

 

Alleluia. Christ is Risen. The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!

 

With Blessings for Eastertide,

 

Herb+

 Ministries and Missions: Jamaica

                                       by Jean Gillespie     

 Jean Gillespie

Our Mission of the Month for April is the Jamaica Mission. In the mid 1990s a group of St Paul's parishioners became interested in developing an overseas mission project, and they contacted Food For the Poor in Florida.  At the same time, Daphne and Rue Gordon, of Chantilly, contacted the organization asking for better education, and medical and dental services for their community.  In 1998, St. Paul's, under the leadership of youth director John Hughes, sent 24 youth and 4 chaperons to Chantilly, where they performed community services like painting and cleaning.  When the Gordon family discovered that a pediatrician was accompanying the group they asked if medical services could be provided as well. 

 

Since this time there has been a partnership between St. Paul's and Chantilly, Jamaica. Money raised by the Jamaica Committee supports The Basic School in the village that provides early childhood education and lunch for approximately 30 children aged three to five years. In the summer, there is a week long vacation Bible school with the youth of St Paul's Church and St Stephen's Anglican church in Chantilly working together to oversee the activities of 200 to 300 children.

 

A regular spring event is our Medical Mission, with medical and non-medical volunteers working together to provide basic medical and dental services to the local residents. Mary Waples reports that on last month's mission trip they saw over 325 people, many of whom lined up at 7:30 for a clinic that didn't open until 9 a.m. The patients received diabetic foot care, dietary instruction, gynecological services, blood pressure testing, diabetic medication care and the fitting of reading glasses.  

 

The group also visited the schools, with a main activity being the application of dental varnishes on all the children's teeth. The volunteers noticed much tooth decay on these young children. Sugary juices are a large part of their diet and toothpaste is expensive. Every person seen received a tooth brush and most of them were given toothpaste as well.

 

Over the years many different people from St. Paul's have come to Chantilly. One patient asked Mary if she knew a Dr. Black. They still had a picture of Dr. Black at their home, from his visit many years ago, and they wrote a letter for Mary to give to him. This shows how long-standing and meaningful the connection is between St. Paul's and Chantilly. Each time the group visits Chantilly they stay with Rue and Daphne Gordon. Mary said that her last goodbye with Daphne was hard. "She held my face in her hands and we had our foreheads together. We were both crying."

 

Jamaica Mission makes a huge difference in the lives of the people of Chantilly and also those who make the trip each year. The live of our Jamaica volunteers are enriched by the friendship, the love, and the fulfillment they experience.

Formation: Focus on Prayer 

Tim Frazer 2             by Tim Frazer     

 

The "Focus on Prayer" series met between services on four Sunday mornings in Lent. The first two weeks focused on helping participants to identify and make use of different forms of prayer, and to use icons as a focus for prayer.  

 

The third and fourth sessions taught ways of closer contact with God through greater simplicity of prayer: "less talking and more listening." This involved learning the practice of "mindful meditation."           

 

In mindful meditation one learns to be alert so that our thoughts do not wander or drown out the still small voice of our Creator (mindfulness) and to quiet the noise of the mind so we can feel the presence of God (meditation). In this practice, noticing breathing can also be used as a way to focus or quiet the mind. To quote Th�ch Nht Hnh (Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk and teacher):

          "Breathing in, I calm my body.

            Breathing out I smile."

 

At this time we also learned about different meditation practices from the Eastern and Western traditions - including the silent repetition of a word or phrase (such as the Jesus prayer: "Lord Jesus, son of God, have mercy on me a sinner"), or the "Lectio Divina" approach to reading of scripture - in which "we gradually let go of our own agenda and open ourselves to what God wants to say to us." During this session we employed a simplified version of Lectio Divina, a reading of Psalm 150 followed by ten minutes of silence.

 

The fourth and final session began with a review of the previous week's homework: in what ways did we hear God speaking to us during the week? Responses ranged from finding meaning in the loss of a treasured bowl to getting a sense of peaceful acceptance in the final illness of a loved one.

 

We then took a closer examination of Lectio Divina. This practice has four parts. First is the lectio, a slow reading, allowing the text to sink into our consciousness. Next is the meditatio, a short time of reflection to seek God's meaning. The third part is the oratorio, as, beyond thought, our hearts respond to God, and the final part is the contemplatio, in which our hearts and souls rest in God as we "let go not only of our ideas, plans, and meditations, but also our holy words and thoughts."

 

It was a perfect ending to our four-week study of prayer - as we were reminded that God does not only speak to us when we are in need of comfort or guidance, but often simply to surprise and delight us!

Behind the Scenes: Gail Welch, Memorial Garden and Grounds Committee Chair
                         by Gail Schilling  
  

Gail Welch      "Happiest in the Dirt"

April showers bring May flowers to St. Paul's, but only because Gail Welch and her crew have been hard at work. And she loves it. "I'm happiest when on my hands and knees in the dirt," she says. Not surprising for a woman who has her own greenhouse, who grows her own perennials and vegetables.

 

A member of St. Paul's for 32 years, Gail began chairing the Memorial Garden and Grounds Ministry about two years ago, assisted by "lay weeders" (Becky Cawley, Ruth Perencevich, Inge Eddy, Betsy Joslin, Joan Griffin, Carol Nelson, Susan Heineke and Theresa Neves). "We women enjoy a social sharing time that makes  the work go by quicker. And working in the garden is very peaceful."

 

"Work" ranges from raking nearly three dozen huge bags of leaves and debris in the fall and cleaning up again in the spring to installing granite curbing. With the tulips well-established, Gail can turn her attention to other spring projects. This year she and her ladies will set out 240 Vinca, a low maintenance plant. (Watch for the periwinkle blue blooms soon.). During the summer, Gail and the lay weeders take turns deadheading and fertilizing, while a drip irrigation system spares them watering duties.

 

Lovely though they are, St. Paul's gardens and grounds are not just pretty spaces to be maintained; they also provide a burial place for cremated remains. Gail says, "Our main focus is the Memorial Garden [on the east side of the church], a sacred, spiritual place. We know many people buried here -- friends and community members -- so we treat it with a lot of respect. It's a place for quiet reflection."  

 

Gail wishes more people would slow down enough to, well, smell the roses or at least admire the garden and her favorite white Becky daisies with the sunny yellow centers. In fact, the granite bench was placed to encourage passersby to sit a bit. "The Memorial Garden is available for anyone downtown. We invite people to come and sit. Bring a lunch or coffee. I'd like people to look at the garden and really see it. It's a little oasis amidst the blacktop." Gail also wishes she had more volunteers. "You don't have to be a gardener," she insists. Contact her through the church office if you'd like a ministry in a sacred, peaceful oasis. And watch for the vinca.

Poll of the Month

Last month's poll question was:  "What do you think of state laws allowing concealed weapons in churches?"  Here are the results:

 

A good idea; it will make churches safer.                                                           3%  

A bad idea; it will make churches more dangerous.                                           23%  

As long as each church can opt in or out the law is fine.                                    20%
Safety isn't the issue; love is.
You can't pass the Peace if you pack a piece.       43% 

Safety isn't the issue; the Second Amendment is. It applies even in church.        10% 

 

This month's question is "How will the election of Pope Francis affect the Roman Catholic Church?"

  Not much; it will be business as usual in the Roman Catholic Church
  He will be a voice for the poor and the marginalized, and improve their lot
 He will clean up the priest pedophile scandal plaguing the Church
  He will reach out to other denominations and seek greater unity 
  He will change the Church's stance on married priests        

 

 To vote, click here           
Photo Feature: Holy Week and Easter

It was a busy week here at St. Paul's, with many services and events Maundy Thursday-through-Easter Sunday.  Here is a photographic sampling of goings-on: 

Gethsemane 2013
Gethsemane Garden.
Maundy Thursday Footwashing
Maundy Thursday Foot Washing 
Easter Vigil
Easter Vigil Service 
Easter Egg Hunt
Easter Egg Hunt 
Sunday Service
11 AM Eucharist 
From the Vestry 

2013 Vestry
March Vestry Notes
 

by Marcia Harrison

 

Due to severe weather our March vestry meeting was canceled, but our annual Vestry Retreat did take place at peaceful Geneva Point Center in Moultonborough, NH. Vestry members gathered for a weekend of discussion and planning, reflection and prayer. As always, plenty of good food and sharing in an atmosphere of warmth and relaxation nourished existing bonds and fostered new ones among us.

 

As they had done for last year's vestry retreat, our friends at Trinity Church, Meredith, provided our two evening meals - with great culinary skill and with great warmth and generosity. This enabled us to concentrate on the work of our retreat, and to enjoy companionable meals without the frustration of preparing food in a small space! It truly was a gift of loving hospitality that was deeply appreciated by us all.

 

On Friday evening Terry Irwin transported us all to Spain (in spirit) by sharing a beautiful slideshow of his pilgrimage on the Camino Way - a great way to help us transition away from our wintry cares in NH!

 

However, we had all been reminded during the time leading up to this retreat that it would indeed be a working weekend. We are a vestry very much aware of pressing stewardship responsibilities. We are called to act as both leaders and servants of our parish around financial issues. Our many ministries can't be separated out from considerations about money... and so we stress over budgets.

 

Saturday, with the help of a guest, Betsy McNamara of Full Circle Consultancy, we explored our own individual feelings, beliefs and behaviors around giving, and the many sorts of giving. We took time to focus on the "why"s of giving, rather than just the "how"s. After our working session, a few hours of personal time were very welcome. Some chose to go walking while others were just happy to have the chance NOT to go outside for a change!

 

Sunday brought a delicious and lovingly prepared breakfast, more discussion of leadership, and yet more work organizing ourselves as liaisons to the numerous ministries and committees of St. Paul's. We celebrated the Holy Eucharist together, and wrapped up our very fulfilling and fruitful retreat.

  

Casper Kranenburg, Senior Warden                     

Jan Greer-Carney, Junior Warden                                       

Youth Happenings   
                                                               by Sarah Nyhan          

 

Sarah Nyhan

I am sitting down to write on Maundy Thursday, close enough to Easter to see its approach, but knowing there is still much work and waiting to be done before we arrive at the glorious celebration. I find that I could say the same things about this last portion of our school year programs for youth and children. We are close enough to summer break to be planning Summer Celebration Camp, Children's Chapel and even Rally Day and other back-to-school events. However, there is much left to do in the weeks that take us through Easter and Pentecost, Trinity Sunday and those first few "Sundays after Pentecost".

 

The Sunday school children have been learning about the life of Jesus, and now will turn to knowing Jesus "In a New Way" with lessons that will expose us to the wondrous encounters between Jesus and his disciples after the resurrection. We are also studying the circle of the Holy Eucharist, and sharing visits with clergy. There will be an Instructed Eucharist on Pentecost (May 19th) - celebrating the birthday of the church with a service that will be both enjoyable and enlightening for us all.

 

The youth involved in the Confirm not Conform (CnC) program are headed into a great stretch of encounters of their own. They have planned visits from intrepid hikers and members of the clergy, discussions of the environment and the creeds, and experiences that will highlight the blessings of the sacraments and our own personal gifts, to list just a portion of their calendar. Those who are in eighth grade, along with some members of SPY (St. Paul's Youth - our senior high youth group) are also preparing for confirmation. Bishop Rob will join us on June 9th and we will all bear witness to that special sacrament, marking another step on their journey of faith.

 

We are also blessed to have a group venturing out of New England in April. Ben Broadbent and I and three of our SPY youth - (Ben Denoncourt, Rosecel Arevalo and Mariam Jones) are flying to Minnesota to spend a weekend at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Edina, to experience the TEC (Teens Encounter Christ) retreat which they regularly host. It is our desire to bring back knowledge and inspiration that we can share with our church and community. We are so thankful to all those who have contributed to make the trip possible and look we forward to sharing our stories when we return.

 

More than seven months through the school year, much has been accomplished, and much is still to be revealed. Welcome Spring and ALLELUIA!

 

Personal Reflection: Who Is That Man In Black? 

                                          by  Abbot Robert Cotton, OSB    

 

  Bob Cotton   You may have wondered who that is who is wearing a black habit on Sunday morning. Why is a guy who is married with three daughters dressed as a monk? You may not even have been aware that the Episcopal Church has religious communities of brothers and sisters -- isn't that just for Catholics?

           

Robyn and I moved to Concord in 1984. When I interviewed for my job, I noticed a beautiful old church facing the State House. When I returned a month later, the Church had burned to a shell. Still, we joined and started attending services in the Parish Hall. Many changes have happened at St. Paul's in the intervening years but one thing has remained constant; the feeling of community that the people of St. Paul's have given our family. Our daughters grew up at St. Paul's, participating as acolytes and in youth group. Robyn and I served on various committees and the Vestry while making some of our closest friends. We have grown in our Faith through St. Paul's and it has been foundational to our life in Concord.

 

Several years ago, I had a crisis of Faith after two dear friends passed away; both, far too young. Their loss led me to question what I really believed. Yes, I went to church most Sundays and I participated in parish life but, to be honest, religion wasn't central to my life. Did I really believe and, if so, what was I doing about it?

           

My answer was that I do believe and that I needed to make God central to my life. That led me on a quest that eventually brought me to the Companions of St. Luke, OSB. CSL is a Benedictine religious community of brothers and sisters under the Canons of the Episcopal Church. We currently have approximately fifty members, male and female; single, married, gay and straight; in all walks of life and, from places as far-flung as England, Alaska and Florida. In other words, we are just like you. What bind us together are a desire for a closer relationship with God and a desire to help each other along the sometimes narrow path that leads to union with the Lord. We follow the Rule of St. Benedict, written in the 6th Century as a practical guide for "beginners in the spiritual life". We pray four Daily Offices (morning, noon, evening and night) and practice spiritual reading and contemplative prayer. We undergo a five-year formation program before taking life vows of Obedience, Stability and Conversion of Life. Through Benedictine practice, I am reminded at least four times daily of what's most important--to "Prefer Nothing to Christ". If you would like to learn more about CSL, ask me or check out www.csl-orb.org .

           

The people of St. Paul's have been tremendously supportive of my journey. I am eternally grateful.

 

History and Artifacts
                                                      by Frank Spinella
Red Doors

 

On the sills of the stained glass windows adorning St. Paul's east and west transepts sit two unique brass crosses, each with a story to tell that has been obscured by the passage of time. 

 

The larger of the two, weighing about 50 pounds, rests in the east transept.  The words "Trinity 1908" are inscribed on its front base, and on the back "In Loving Memory of Rev. Daniel Crane Roberts, D.D., Vice Rector of St. Paul's Parish from 1878 to 1907."  Engraved on the cross are the traditional symbols for each of the four evangelists: An angel for Matthew, a Lion for Mark, an Ox for Luke and an Eagle for John.  Also inscribed on it is the Latin motto Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam ("For the greater glory of God"), coined by St. Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556), founder of the Society of Jesus, better known as the Jesuits.

 

The cross resting in the west transept, weighing about 25 pounds and less ornate than its counterpart across the church, bears the inscription "In Memoriam - Susan Ayer Hill, February 24, 1789 - June 17, 1880."  Hill was the wife of Isaac Hill, one of the founders of St. Paul's, who went on to a distinguished political career as Governor of New Hampshire, U.S. Senator and Controller of the Currency.  She survived her famous husband by nearly thirty years, and was a communicant at St. Paul's as long as anyone at the time.  The March 9, 1879, New York Times, in covering her 90th birthday party, reported that "Mrs. Hill is the oldest native of Concord now known to be living anywhere."

 

Parish records disclose nothing about the donors of either cross, although there is an undated card on file indicating that a Mr. & Mrs. Frank Bartlett had given an Altar Cross to the church.  The reference could as easily have been to the cross that now sits in the Chapel, dated 1869 and given in memory of Maria H. Chase, who died May 30 of that year.

 

� St. Paul's Church, 2013. Next Newsletter: May 1; deadline for submissions: April 28.  Please do not reprint text or graphics without permission.