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GOOD NEWS!
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A Newsletter of St. Paul's Church, Concord, NH
"A place to belong . . . Whoever you are . . . Just as you are." | May 2013
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May Calendar Highlights
1 How to Read the Bible - 6:00 PM
5 Spirituality of Service - 9:00 AM
5 "Kirkin' of the Tartans" - 10:00 AM
5 Acolyte Training - 11:30 AM
6 Men's Just Supper - 6:00 PM
7 Executive Committee - 5:00 PM
8 Belonging and Becoming - 6:00 PM
11 Divine Comedy - 5:30 PM
12 Spirituality of Service - 9:00 AM
15 Belonging and Becoming - 6:00 PM
16 Vestry/Stewardship Committee meeting - 6:00 PM
19 Spirituality of Service - 9:00 AM
19 Last day of Sunday School and Ice Cream Party - 11:30 AM
22 Belonging and Becoming - 6:00 PM
27 Church Office Closed - Memorial Day
See entire calendar
For details of these and other parish events, check the new monthly
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Milestones
Ordination
Linda Spinella - 4/6/2013
Memorial Service
Leila Maynard - 4/6/2013
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Shorts
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.
COME AND SEE!
For nearly 200 years, people have been coming through our doors to find out what is so special about our life and worship. In a time of turmoil and uncertainty, when values and priorities are constantly changing, and fear and stress are daily challenges, St. Paul's continues to open its doors to people who are seeking a better, more meaningful way of life. When you invite a friend or family member to "come and see" why St. Paul's is so important to you, you offer them an opportunity to transform their life. What greater gift could you possibly give to someone you care about?
June 2, 9, and 16 are "Come and See" Sundays at St. Paul's. We will be providing special hospitality to visitors, plenty of information about our ministries and programs, and (on June 9) a chance to meet our bishop. Special invitation cards will be available shortly for your use - so start thinking now about who you will invite to come and see our amazing parish! |
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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.
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St. Paul's Episcopal Church
21 Centre Street
Concord, NH 03301
Tel: 603-224-2523
Fax: 603-224-2524
rector@stpaulsconcord.org
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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 Blackmer, Deacon, 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 |
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| Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of Martin Richard, Lu Lingzi, Krystle Campbell and the many injured victims of the Boston Marathon bomb attack. If you have thoughts that you wish to share with the parish, please feel free to email them to communications@stpaulsconcord.org |
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Clergy Corner
by Linda Spinella
Dear Friends,
The Sunday following the horrific events in Boston, Frank and I attended services in Portsmouth. The city's winding streets between ocean and river brought me back to my childhood in the Boston area. The smell of sea and brick turned my thoughts to the importance of a community's story.
I was raised in Lexington, Massachusetts. Patriot's Day, April 19, 1775 was a day of great meaning for our community. During my childhood we would participate in an annual morning parade through the town's flag-lined streets, as fife and drum accompanied minute men and women marching alongside various youth organizations, marking our day of freedom. Watching the annual re-enactment at the battlefields in Lexington and Concord thrust us back in time. Longfellow's words rang through our heads ("Listen my children and you will hear of the midnight ride of Paul Revere..."), while the sounds of musket fire filled the air.
Because of our town's focus on our story, I did not become aware of the running of the Marathon just a few miles away in downtown Boston until my high school years. Friends and family members ran while my group of friends and I cheered at the finish line. Since college, it became my new tradition to celebrate Patriot's Day at the Boston Marathon.
Over the past few weeks, I have listened to people share how this senseless act of violence has impacted their lives. One expressed it this way: "Wow! We never know when our time here is up." A colleague shared, "I was at the race---standing right where the bomb went off and left 5 minutes prior to its explosion. How did I get so blessed not to have been injured or killed?" After a pause, she added, "Why was it not me?"
How do we remember what it is to be in community? I believe it is by seeing exactly what we witnessed---the coming together of all people, all faiths, all ethnicities, all races, genders, classes, and sexual orientations. In a word, Unity. I witnessed people working in unison for the wellbeing of all God's people. The hope of a new day was made manifest in the work-the hard work of many building of bridges of love.
In our beloved St. Paul's community, we remember our story, with other Christians around the world, from Palm Sunday, through Lent, and during Holy Week and Easter. Now, we prepare for Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit. Our hope is in remembering our story so that we may be inspired to be the hands, face, feet of Christ in this world. With God's strength and courage may we be emboldened to be bridges of love. In the words of Jean Vanier, Peace is the fruit of love, a love that is also justice. But to grow in love requires work---hard work. Onward and forward!
Blessings,
Linda
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Ministries and Missions: The Environment
by Steve Blackmer 
On Saturday, April 27, hundreds of faithful Christians gathered at Old South Church (UCC) and Trinity (Episcopal) Church in Boston for a day of preaching, mourning, and finding hope in a time of a great shift in the climate systems that support all life on Earth. For people like me whose faith cannot be separated from my love of Earth and all God's creatures great and small, the gathering served as a beacon of hope in a time of despair.
It is a pretty big statement today that we are experiencing a shift in the climate systems that support all life on Earth. But it is true. I am sure you have noticed the signs of unstable weather right here in Concord and Merrimack County. The winters that aren't quite winter any longer. The creeping northward of plants and animals that never used to be here, such as ticks and possums. The threats of "once in a century" storms every five or ten years. The extraordinary weather events like Sandy and Katrina that cause terrible damage to millions.
All of these problems and more are being caused by human beings having cleared billions of acres of forests over the past few centuries and using untold trillions of pounds of fossil fuels to heat our buildings, power our machines, and zoom us across the landscape. Sadly, we are the ones who must bear the burden of responsibility. Unwittingly perhaps, but nevertheless truly. Because of our actions, people around the world, particularly those who are poor and more vulnerable, are the ones who will be harmed most. Excessive heat, drought, flood, disease, and famine are all beginning to result from a changing global climate. Hard to face, but true.
So what can we do? We are so small and the problems are so big! I suggest that we follow the basic pattern of our liturgy in considering how to respond:
Let us begin by giving thanks for the gift of being alive and for the gift of all the beauty and abundance of Creation that surrounds us.
Let us acknowledge that it is us - I, you, and many, many others past and present - who are contributing to these problems. We confess that we have sinned.
Let us ask forgiveness, knowing that our God always forgives, and let us seek to be restored to love and harmony with God and all Creation.
Let us seek renewal, being fed with the body and blood of God who became human in order to transform evil into love.
And let us go forth to bring love, hope, and renewal into the world using our hands, heads, and hearts to transform the world as we are transformed.
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Formation: How to Read the Bible Pt. 2
 by Tim Frazer
Following Easter, parishioners studied "How to Read the Bible, Part II: the Gospels." The four sessions covered first-century Palestine and the Gospels; the parables of Jesus; Paul's epistles and the earliest church; and Revelation.
Palestine in the time of Jesus was a largely illiterate peasant society in which information could be preserved only orally and by memory. A filmed dramatic reading of Mark by Shakespearean actor Alec McCowen demonstrated how this preservation and transmission of texts took place. Since Palestine in Jesus' time was also dominated both by Rome and by religious authorities in Jerusalem, many insurgent groups resented the repression. Against this backdrop, the Gospels can be seen as political. Slides of Charles McCullough's relief sculptures illustrated an anti-money, anti-corruption reading of the Parable of the Talents.
The Gospels, we also learned, were not the earliest Christian writings. Paul's letter to the Thessalonians (from 50 CE) is the first known example. His letters (along with Acts) give us the best picture of early Christian communities. These community groups met in people's houses well into the 3rd century.
Another important fact we learned was that our canonical New Testament is not the only Christian writing. Other epistles and gospels, including the Gnostic material found at Nag Hammadi in 1945, were not included in the Bible and were sometimes suppressed.
Mark, the earliest Gospel, predates the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem but is later than Paul's letters. Both Luke and Matthew use some of Mark's narratives, altered for their own purposes, but Luke and Matthew also draw on a common source called "Q," which was not available to Mark. It includes, for example, different versions of the Beatitudes. John, the latest Gospel, presents a Christ unlike those of the first three, a Jesus as divine as he is human. All Gospel writers addressed different communities, whose viewpoints are reflected in the differing treatments of the material. Another big difference: neither Mark nor John tells of Jesus' birth.
Revelation is a document unlike the rest of the NT. Authored by a "John" who most scholars agree is neither John the disciple nor John the Gospel writer, it presents an end-times vision of a final war between Good and Evil. Many of the diabolical figures depicted there most likely refer to the authorities of the Roman empire. Jesus' command to "love one another," central to John's Gospel, is not found there.
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Behind the Scenes: Jack Griffin, "Protector of the Procession"
by Gail Schilling As St. Paul's Head Verger, Jack Griffin leads the liturgical procession, symbolically clearing a path for the clergy and other celebrants. Back in the day, he would have used the virge or stick to nudge unruly beasts or bystanders away from the priests. Though his role has become more subtle over the centuries, he still protects priests from logistical distractions to insure what he calls a "seamless" worship experience. Jack explains, "It's important for the priests to be centered and able to commune with the Lord and those of us who come to the table to be fed. I make sure the little things happen." According to Jack, this means "getting people where they belong on time." He makes sure readers are present - or finds quick replacements. He makes sure he has Euchariastic Ministers present to offer the chalice. He anticipates and fixes potential liturgical glitches, even as he adapts to individual styles of the priests. For example, often instead of crossing the altar - a distraction - he slips out on the left, routes himself through the upper parish hall to emerge, inconspicuously, on the right. Seamless, indeed. No wonder he calls himself "the stage manager." With Acolyte Master Phil Denoncourt, Jack also trains young acolytes in the logistics and solemnity of their roles, a task that comes naturally to the former coach and junior high teacher. He emphasizes, "The acolytes need to understand that they are servers at the table of the Lord. This is not some empty little thing here." At one point in his 27-year lay ministry as verger, Jack organized 40-50 acolytes, a real joy. "I like seeing them involved. One took great pride in swinging the thurible that holds the burning incense. Some kids even continued in other churches," he says. In fact, as much as Jack enjoys organizing major events with many clergy and bishops, such as consecration of the bishop and ordinations, he misses the participation of the kids at those times. During his 50+ years at St. Paul's, Jack has served several times on the vestry and on several search committees. A member of the Vergers' Guild, 1000 members strong, Jack takes his lay responsibilities very seriously: "We serve but are not seen. People are not there to see us. We're there to serve the priest at the table of the Lord." ###
Behind "Behind the Scenes": Thank you to Marge Estes who recently donated an updated "Chimere," the outer garment worn over the cassock, to the vergers of St. Paul's. Jack reports that Marge cashed in a WWII War Bond to fund the purchase.
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Poll of the Month
Last month's poll question was: "How will the election of Pope Francis affect the Roman Catholic Church?" Here are the results:
Not much; it will be business as usual in the Roman Catholic Church 11%
He will be a voice for the poor and the marginalized, and improve their lot 68 %
He will clean up the priest pedophile scandal plaguing the Church 0 %
He will reach out to other denominations and seek greater unity 21%
He will change the Church's stance on married priests 0 %
This month's question is "Do your think the Legislature should allow a casino in New Hampshire?" o Yes; it will bring in desperately needed revenue, jobs and tourists. o No; they are failing all around the country and are not reliable money makers. o No; it will bring a bad element into the state, and change it for the worse. o Yes; gambling addiction is rare, and addicts will gamble anyway (in MA or ME). o No; we shouldn't risk addicting more gamblers, with devastating consequences. To vote, click here |
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Photo Feature: Linda Spinella's Ordination
On April 6 here at St. Paul's, Bishop Rob Hirschfeld ordained Linda Spinella to the transitional Diaconate. Thanks to Geoff Forester for these photos:
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From the Vestry
April Vestry Notes
Summarized by Marcia Harrison
prior to vestry approval of the minutes
St. Paul's Vestry met on April 16th, 2013 following the delicious monthly potluck (reminder: ALL are welcome!). Thirteen Vestry members were present, joined by Kristin Dunklee and the Rev. Herb Sprouse. The Rev. Kate Atkinson was away on a much merited vacation.
Beth Nagy opened the meeting with a devotion. Our hearts being very heavy due to events in Boston, we acknowledged our sadness and our need for God as we shared prayer.
February's meeting minutes were reviewed and approved (the March meeting was canceled due to severe weather). As always we shared "fun facts" about our interactions with other parishioners.
Valerie Blake provided the monthly Profit & Loss Budget Performance Report for March, noting that we are basically on budget and "holding our own." While we still face a significant projected deficit for the year, there was welcome news of generous Easter plate contributions, timely pledge receipts, two special bequests and an assignment of common stock received as pledge income. We were grateful to hear about these financial bright spots!
As is standard practice every third year, the financial statements for 2012 are to be audited. Requests for proposals will be sent to three accounting firms with no affiliation to St Paul's.
From the clergy, Herb Sprouse reported that acolyte training for youth and adults will be held May 5th. The diocesan School for Vestries is in session May 4th. This spring's four-part series: "How to Read the Bible" is underway.
Warden Casper Kranenburg announced a joint meeting to be held for Vestry and Stewardship Committee on May 16th. The purpose of this meeting is to equip us with the necessary skills to encourage increased parish commitment to erasing our budget deficit and sustaining our many ministries. All Vestry members and Members of the Stewardship Committee, as leaders of the parish, are being asked to make increases in their 2013pPledges to St. Paul's.
Terry Irwin reported that the Ten Talents program generated $2,150 of additional revenue for the parish. He gave us an update about Divine Comedy, which promises superb entertainment, gourmet treats and fantastic auction items.
The Vestry unanimously approved the following: a designation of a housing allowance for Stephen Blackmer for 2013 (no net increase in compensation) and the 2012 Parochial Report of St. Paul's Church, to be submitted to the Diocese. A resounding thank you was given to Kristin Dunklee for preparing this complex, not-very-fun but very important document!
The closing prayer was offered by Davis Richmond.
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by Ben Broadbent
What is TEC?
The name seems to sum it up pretty well: Teens Encounter Christ. In everything we did at TEC -- held at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Edina, MN on the third weekend in April -- there were teens and there was Christ.
There were teens in costumes and silly activities like the "Hug Ball," where instead of dancing people just went around hugging each other. And there was Christ, blowing through barriers, creating new friendships from awkward situations.
There were teens with mullets and hockey equipment during the "Easter Vigil", staging a pretend fight between Satan and Jesus. And when Jesus rose from the ice to beat Satan back once and for all, when He was finally crowned The Champion over death, the cheers that erupted were a response to Christ, not a character.
Teens gave talks that resonated so that their words hung over our heads and rang in our ears for the rest of the event, appropriately putting into context the whole program. The assigned topics ("Who am I?," "Who am I in relation to God?," etc.) were only loosely addressed. The teens chose the much harder course of sharing personal stories about dealing with depression, disloyalty and failure. Christ was the support that allowed these teens to confess their darkest secrets to a room half full of strangers.
In its volatility and silliness, TEC captured the rolling tide of the morphing teenage heart, and in its atmosphere of non-judgment and love it harnessed the true light of our Lord. TEC is not so much an event as it is an embodiment of an age, an age that desperately needs Christ's love.
On behalf of myself, Sarah Nyhan, and the three members of SPY lucky enough to go on this trip, THANK YOU! It was your support that allowed us to make this journey and to encounter Christ. And with your continued support we hope to bring this excellent, life-changing, Christ-revealing program to St. Paul's - and the diocese of New Hampshire - in the near future.
Thank you!
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Personal Reflection
by Jerry Tepe
 T hose who have been in the parish more than five years will recall during our interim period, before Kate arrived and I was Senior Warden, that I often spoke to the parish about allowing time for silence in our lives. It can be very difficult with all our electronic devices - cell phones, I-Pods, pagers, Twitter, Facebook and even the old television - to find a time away from all these distractions to have silence.
Silence is important in all our lives, but has been especially valuable for me. When our former Rector announced his intent to retire, now seemingly many years ago, I told him that was not what I had bargained for when I agreed to become the Warden. Frankly I felt abandoned and left without a clue as to what I, let alone the parish, was supposed to do now. Sure, the Diocese had the specific steps for calling a new Rector all planned out, but how best to accomplish that at St. Paul's and also how to help the parish heal from the hurt and sorrow felt by many?
Several years before this, I had started to go on solo, silent retreats at the Society of St. John the Evangelist retreat center in Massachusetts. When I first attended, it felt very strange to be in almost total silence for several days, but I eventually learned to enjoy it. So when I was "left without a clue," I returned there with the hope that I would find not only solace, but direction. I was not disappointed.
What I found then, and continue to find today, is that if we allow silent time into our lives; when we can rid ourselves of the cacophony of outside noise and distraction; when we can allow our inner souls to be free; we can find that God is always trying to talk to us. Not every day nor every time we seek Him in silence, but He is calling to us, you and me, everyone, to follow His plan for our lives. During those several retreats, I "heard" God and knew in my heart, that I was not walking that road alone; that God and Christ and the Holy Spirit were walking the road with me. They held me up during those often difficult times and they continue to support me as I, along with all of us, strive to do God's will in the parish and our daily lives.
So get rid of the noise and invite silence into your lives. God is calling you; can you hear Him now? |
History and Artifacts
by Frank Spinella
The next time you are in the Chapel, take a close look at the stone Baptismal font with the octagonal pyramid cover, standing about four feet tall in a corner on the Centre Street side. But don't try to move it!
Baptismal fonts evolved from baptisteries large enough for the full body immersions originally practiced by the ancient Church, which treated the now-familiar practice of pouring water over the head as a last alternative (the Didache of the early second-century prescribed the use of cold, running water, "But if thou have not either, pour out water thrice upon the head into the name of Father and Son and Holy Spirit"). In subsequent centuries, particularly in northern climates where the baptismal rite was moved indoors into church buildings, the widespread acceptance of infant baptism made smaller fonts popular. Form followed function; instead of tubs or pools, pedestals holding basins eventually became commonplace.
Our font's octagonal shape is traditional, although the roots of the tradition are unclear. J.B. Bernardin's An Introduction to the Episcopal Church (1935) says that "fonts are often octagonal in shape because there are eight accounts of resurrections in the Bible." Tressider's The Complete Dictionary of Symbols (1995) declares that octagonal fonts "incorporate the symbolism of renewal or new beginnings derived from the fact that eight follows the symbolic 'complete' number, seven, and begins a new cycle."
The 1854 Journal of the Proceedings of the New Hampshire Diocesan Convention includes a report from St. Paul's Church, which recites: "During the past year our church has been furnished with gas fixtures, and measures are now taking to procure a stone font." There is no record of the success of those measures prior to 1859, the year of construction of our "new" church building. Virginia Colby's 1975 history relates: "The Baptismal Font, carved from Nova Scotia stone, was placed in the church in 1859. It weighs about half a ton." Unfortunately, there are no records in the archives to reflect its donor or creator.
Prior to the fire of 1984, the font stood in the church nave on the east side of the steps leading up to the Chancel. The once beautifully painted wooden cover was badly damaged, and is now blackened. A metal plate on the front of the cover bears the inscription "In Memoriam - Helen George, Feb. 22, 1868 - July 9, 1886." According to Virginia Colby, "The wooden cover was later given in memory of Miss Helen George by her aunt, Mrs. Helen Walker."
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© St. Paul's Church, 2013. Next Newsletter: June 1; deadline for submissions: May 29. Please do not reprint text or graphics without permission.
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