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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." | July-August 2013
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Summer Calendar Highlights
July 1 Black Flies game - 6:00 PM
July 4 Independence Day
Church Office closed
July 5 Church Office closed
July 8 Black Flies Game - 6:00 PM
July 9 Forever Young - 11:30 AM
July 9 Executive Committee - 5:00 PM
July 9 Patrick McNamara's Service of
Reception as Episcopal Priest
- 6:00 PM
July 15 Black Flies Game - 6:00 PM
July 16 Fellowship Potluck - 5:30 PM
July 16 Vestry meeting - 6:30 PM
July 22 Black Flies Game - 6:00 PM
July 29 Black Flies Game - 6:00 PM
Aug 1 Havenwood Service - 10:30 AM
Aug 5 Black Flies Game - 6:00
Aug 12 Black Flies Game - 6:00 PM
Aug 17 Dick Miller's Memorial Service
- 11:00 AM
Aug 19 Black Flies Game - 6:00 PM
Aug 19 - 23 Summer Celebration Camp
- 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Aug 25 Vestry and Staff BBQ - 1:00 PM
No Executive Committee
or Vestry Meetings in August
See entire calendar
For details of these and other parish events, check the new monthly
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Milestones
Confirmed 6/9/2013
Rosecel Mae Arevalo
Gregory James Baker
Hannah Rebekah Sigler Elsnau
Philip Cate Huckins
Nathan Hamilton Pace
Jonathan Kenneth Pedro
Clayton Michael Spencer
James R. Wilkes V
Received 6/9/2013
Anne McCarthy Knight
Steven James Knight
Theresa Dinneen Neves
Baptized 6/16/2013
Chan Bior Deng
Kongor Bior Deng
Nathan Griffin Lemire
Kamden John McGilvray
Finnegan Hicks Frost
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Shorts
Canon for Mission Resources
Kathryn L. Buttrick has been appointed Canon for Mission Resources for the Diocese of New Hampshire. Kathryn is a member of Church of Our Saviour in Milford and brings to this newly created position a depth of spirituality along with experience in financial stewardship, investment management and human resources. She will be responsible for facilitating the just and proper stewardship of all resources - finances, property and human - of the Diocese, its missions, parishes and other institutions. Congratulations, Blessings, and Godspeed to Pat We are delighted to announce that Patrick McNamara will be received by Bishop Rob, as a Priest in the Episcopal Church, at a special service at St. Paul's on Tuesday, July 9, at 6:00 PM. A reception will follow. Starting in September Pat will be serving in the Diocese of Long Island, at Holy Trinity, Greenport, NY. Come celebrate Pat's ministry and help to send him on his way with our love and God's richest blessings. Save the Date and Bake a Pie! Following the success of last year's Rally Day celebrations on the State House Lawn, we are pleased to announce the second annual St. Paul's Rally Day, scheduled for Sunday, September 8, at 11:30 AM. Come and celebrate the start of our new program year with fun activities and the ever-popular Pie Competition! Along the Way Another date for your calendar: beginning on September 1st, we will be offering a Sunday morning meditation based on Judith Carpenter's stories of women Jesus encountered during his ministry on earth. We will meet in the Library at 9:00 AM on six consecutive Sundays, to listen to the story and discuss how it affects us and our own journey of faith.
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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
Deacon
Mark Pace,
Director of Music Ministries
Kristin Dunklee,
Parish Administrator
Sarah Nyhan,
Minister for Children and Families
Andrew Brundrett,
Sexton
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| Our summer issue of Good News! is a double issue (for July and August), but while we won't publish again until September, we are thinking of the fall already. And we could use some help! If you are Interested in lending a hand, please email us at communications@stpaulsconcord.org |
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Clergy Corner
by Rev. Kate Atkinson
Dear Friends,
At the end of June, St. Paul's staff and clergy gathered for an off-site planning meeting for our next program year. We do this every summer and it never ceases to amaze me just how much we accomplish as a parish in just twelve months!
We make sure that our celebrations of major festivals go onto the calendar - Christmas and Easter of course, but also many other seasonal events that are important to the people of St. Paul's and unique to our parish. Our Blessing of the Animals service with kibble reception, the Thanksgiving dinner we share together, and the special surprises for children at the St. Nicholas day service; these are just some of the traditions that have come to mean so much to us, and which help us to grow in appreciation for one another and for all of God's gifts.
A special event that was introduced only last September,
Rally Day, instantly caught on and is set to be repeated on September 8 of this year. The point of the celebration is to launch our new church program year and share information about opportunities to get more involved in the life of the parish. Of course it's a party too - and St. Paul's knows how to throw a party! Along with music, prizes, face-painting and other activities for the children, our second annual pie competition will be back by popular demand. So start thinking now about baking your own prize-winning pie!
The idea for Rally Day came from Mark Pace, who had experienced something similar at another church while vacationing with his family. So as we enter this season of travel, vacations, and visits with family, I encourage you to try out other churches and see what you might bring back to St. Paul's. Leave the candlesticks and pew cushions where they are (!) but help yourself to free printed materials such as newsletters, bulletins, and other hand-outs. Take note of any innovative elements of the service or special ways of welcoming newcomers. Churches love to share ideas and new approaches, and we do so unabashedly with the help of our parish scouts!
Church doesn't stop for the summer at St. Paul's. I encourage you to continue to attend worship services faithfully and bring family and friends who may be visiting you. Enjoy the summer sunshine and all the activities of the season, but remember that we never stop needing the restoration and encouragement that come from worshiping and sharing fellowship together. And if you do have an opportunity to share those things with a faith community somewhere else, come back and tell us all about it!
May God bless you and keep you safe throughout the summer days.
Kate+
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Ministries and Missions: SPRP
by Jean Gillespie
 Our Mission of the Month for July is St. Paul's Refugee Partnership (SPRP). This ministry helps to meet the tremendous need for resettling of refugees in New Hampshire, where between 300 and 400 refugees per year are resettled through two agencies, Lutheran Social Services of New Hampshire and the International Institute of New Hampshire. Following is a report from Shawn LaFrance about the committee's activities as they welcome refugee families to the Concord area: The St. Paul's Refugee Partnership was matched last August with a new American family from Africa. Our new family arrived a week before their four children entered school, and volunteers were able to assist in driving them to get new clothes at Lutheran Social Services, learning how to use the public library services, setting up a bank account, etc. The family has been very successful in learning English, adapting to school and gaining employment. Partnership volunteers have helped to explain community programs, celebrate holidays and generally understand resources in their new country. It is expected that we will receive another new family in late summer or fall to welcome to the Concord area. Anyone interested in this ministry may contact Shawn LaFrance or leave your name at the parish office. Also, remember that St Paul's will host a table for a refugee family from the Sycamore Community Garden in Concord to sell fresh-grown tomatoes in August after Sunday morning services in the Upper Parish Hall.
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Formation: Scrip Program
by Tim Fraser
It's often said that where we spend our money is a powerful indicator of our values and our priorities. The same may be said of where we spend our time. To those who give of their time and treasure, support the church fair, shop in the thrift shop, attend potlucks or contribute in so many other ways, "thank you,"
St. Paul's Church provides so many wonderful services to our parish, the local community and a few distant locations too. Just ask anyone wearing a flower at any service and they will help you find out more about those great things we do. (Check out the tree on display in the Upper Parish Hall which illustrates our various ministries and missions.) However, all of those services need funding, andwe now have a new, easy opportunity to help. We can make our purchases with Great Lakes Scrip. Last month Theresa Neves showed me how.
Because it is worth it to big, national chains to promote their business using store cards, companies like Land's End or L.L. Bean are willing to market those cards through Great Lakes Scrip and give St. Paul's a return of up to seventeen percent or more. Theresa recently ordered a $100 gift card from Land's End through GLS, earning $21 for St. Paul's at no extra cost to her. Theresa then realized she needed a new dishwasher and refrigerator, so she bought two $1000 cards from Lowes, earning another$80 for St. Paul's in the process.
I just started with Great Lakes Scrip myself. Theresa and Ray Fournier sold me a Starbucks card after an 8 AM service. When June and I make our summer trip to Illinois, we make frequent stops at Starbucks along the New York, Ohio, and Indiana toll roads. (About half the rest areas on these roads have Starbucks franchises. And after several hours at 80 MPH, I need the rest!). So I catch a break and get some coffee to stay alert, and St. Paul's gets seven percent of the purchase price of my card. I can travel and help St. Paul's at the same time.
When we return from our trip, I am going to buy a Shaw's card. We do much of our grocery shopping at Shaw's. When I load up with a week's worth of produce, deli stuff, fruit, bakery goods and cat litter, I sometimes run up a $100 tab. Ouch. But the good news is that for every hundred dollars I spend at Shaw's, St. Paul's gets four dollars. I get what I need and I help my church. Good deal.
So why does an article about fundraising come under the title of "Formation"? Because supporting St. Paul's through GLS can have a major effect on our spiritual formation. Not only do we contribute to the ministry and mission of our parish with each card we purchase, we can also use the program as a means of budgeting and managing our spending behavior. As I mentioned above, the way we spend our money is a powerful indicator of our values and our priorities.
Many regular users of GLS are planning their weekly spending on necessities, like groceries and fuel, or keeping themselves to a pre-planned budget for leisure activities like dinner out or a trip to the movies. Parents can even use scrip cards for their children's clothing allowance; and there have been many examples (like Theresa's major appliances) of home improvements planned and paid for in advance.
I urge you to consider supporting St. Paul's ministry efforts - and discover a new approach to personal spending - by purchasing cards through Great Lakes Scrip (GLS). Please stop by the GLS table any Sunday morning, meet some friendly people, and learn more about this great program. |
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Behind the Scenes: The Kitchen Krew
by Rev. Herb Sprouse
 Anyone who has experienced St. Paul's hospitality knows that this parish likes to be well fed - and we're not just talking about "Spiritual Food!" So much of our community life together includes sharing meals, and for that to happen we rely on some key volunteers who form the nucleus of our very faithful and capable Kitchen Krew. Even when potluck meals are the order of the day, coordination, setup and cleanup are required. Many, many parishioners help out (as you can see in the photograph), but members of the Krew are almost always on hand. The point person for all of these efforts is Robin Broadbent, our Minister of Hospitality. Her "rolodex" is a fantastic resource and no one can turn her down when she is assembling a team for a baptism or funeral reception, or any other special event. Robin's calm, professional demeanor makes even the most complex tasks seem to flow effortlessly. Another professional in our midst, pastry chef extraordinaire Kellie Denoncourt, is sure to show up with some fabulously inventive sweet treat. Have you noticed her "Episcopal" cookies that appear each time we have a bishop "in the house?" Increasingly, our downstairs kitchen is the domain of a Terrific Trio of culinary volunteers. Dinner events ranging from our Simple Bowls programs to the diocesan farewell dinner for Canon Charles LaFond have been coordinated and fed by the team of Ginnie Schartner, Marilyn Watson and "J" St. Hilaire. They are almost always supported by Ginnie's son Steve and Marilyn's son Ian, who do the heavy lifting and dish-washing. Our monthly parish potluck dinners (note: these are the third Tuesday of each month at 5:30) and potluck meals for many of our adult formation classes are coordinated by Bunny Huddleston. Always willing to show up with a pot of soup herself, Bunny is another one of our faithful whom no one can refuse if she calls for assistance. Finally, who can forget Dan Dunklee's incredible turkey soup, the lunch special for our parish fair every year? Dan also wields a mean pancake "flipper" when he turns out dozens upon dozens of pancakes for our pancake supper each year. To these folks and the many others who volunteer their time and talent so generously to feed us all, we offer our sincerest thanks. Be sure to let them know how much you appreciate their efforts each time you enjoy the fruits of their labors!
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Poll of the Month
Last month's poll question was: "What do you consider the primary benefit of pledging/giving to St. Paul's?" Here are the results:
To pay the salaries of our staff and maintain our church building 17%
To fund our outreach programs 4%
To share in the responsibility of caring for our church family 39%
To meet our Diocesan commitment, which underwrites broader ministries 0%
To give thanks to God 39%
This month's question is "Why is the sacrament of Baptism spiritually significant?"
- As a celebration of our welcome into the family of God
- To symbolize dying to sin with Christ and being born again into a new life
- Because it marks us as children of God
- as a great way of rejoicing over the arrival of a new baby (or new Christian)
- As a commissioning for the vocation of Christian living
To vote, click here
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Photo Feature: Parish Picnic
On June 16, St. Paul's held its 10 A.M. service -- including several baptisms -- and then its parish picnic at Rollins Park. Ah, it's nice to be outside! Thanks to Geoff Forester for these photos:
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From the Vestry
June Vestry Notes
Summarized by Marcia Harrison
prior to vestry approval of the minutes
St. Paul's Vestry monthly meeting was held June 18th with thirteen vestry members present, joined by Kate Atkinson, Herb Sprouse and Kristin Dunklee. Steve Blackmer, Transitional Deacon, attended as a guest.
After an opening devotion provided by Harriet DeGreenia, the minutes of our May meeting were reviewed and unanimously approved.
Steve Blackmer shared an interesting and stimulating statement of his vision and plan for his ministry focused on God's creation and environmental protection and preservation. His family has donated approximately 100 acres of land in Canterbury on which he hopes to create The Church of the Woods. Steve requested support from the Vestry for his ordination to the priesthood, and Vestry Members provided the requisite signatures to confirm such support.
"Fun Facts" were then shared among vestry members. These are brief stories about parishioners we are just meeting or perhaps getting to know a bit better. Appreciation, celebration, love and caring about parishioners is often expressed during our "Fun Facts" segment.
Valerie Blake, Treasurer, gave the monthly Profit & Loss Budget Performance Report for May. Pledge payments and proceeds from revenue raising projects are above budget while expenses are approximately $20,000 below budget. In short, good news, however, the battle of the budget continues, an uphill climb requiring vigilance and resolve.
From Clergy, Kate congratulated and thanked all who provided help and support for the dinner meeting to review and discuss the status of pledging at St. Paul's. Accolades to Jan Greer-Carney for her cooking and to the kitchen volunteers for all the fine food and service provided for the dinner! At the dinner, fruitful table discussions produced ideas for meaningful, effective communication about pledging and about use of pledge monies.
Kate also reported the following updates: Sarah Nyhan has developed a proposal for Enhanced Ministry to Children and Youth and the organization of a Board of Encouragement and Support of Children and Youth Ministries. Dan Walsh is spearheading an effort to develop a fellowship program for young adults. Patrick McNamara has been engaged to minister to an Episcopal Church in Greenport (Long Island), New York and will be received by the Bishop as a Priest in the Episcopal Church. Plans are underway for a Kids 4 Peace Camp is to begin in New Hampshire next summer. The program was begun by St. George's College, located in the Palestinian section of Jerusalem, to bring together groups of Christian, Jewish and Muslim 11 and 12-year old children and adults from both the USA and Israel/Palestine, to foster relationships, respect and peace.
Herb Sprouse reported on the Spring 2013 Come and See program, noting that approximately 15-20 visitors availed themselves of the printed materials provided. He reminded us about the up-coming "Walk in Their Shoes" in support of the Concord homeless shelter. St. Paul's Outreach Center is to be a stop on the walk.
Warden Casper Kranenburg encouraged Vestry members to participate with others from St. Paul's in providing supper in the Friendly Kitchen on June 19. He noted that St. Paul's will participate in Concord's Market Days, on July 18 and 19, by providing a tent for shade, infant changing facilities and organ music and cool air in the sanctuary.
Jan Jan Greer-Carney presented to the Vestry two proposed policies: Policy Governing Engagement of Parishioners and Policy Governing Professional Services Rendered to Staff by Parishioners. After discussion both policies were approved.
Ray Fournier reported on the success of the Scrip program during the six-month trial period. After discussion the Vestry approved the continuation of the Scrip program. Coming soon: some of the most popular Scrip cards available for sale on the spot with no waiting!
Kate added that she is seeking a volunteer to compile a directory of professional expertise, products and other useful services offered by parishioners (without Parish endorsement or participation).
At meeting's end, a closing prayer was provided by Davis Richmond.
Casper Kranenburg, Senior Warden
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 by Sarah Nyhan
I wonder if you know about Godly Play? I wonder if you have given much time to thinking about this program we use with our children at St. Paul's? I wonder if you have ever been so touched by a story shared in a circle of friends that tears come into your eyes?
I know a bit about Godly Play, and I regularly devote time to thinking about and preparing stories to share with our children. And yes, I have had tears in my eyes hearing the story of Creation. And I wonder.....I wonder a lot. Those familiar with Godly Play know that after a story, we enter a time of wondering, when we can internalize the stories of the people of God, the stories of Jesus, the stories that teach us about our way of worship.
I was privileged to attend the North American Godly Play conference in Toronto in mid-June, and I spent a great deal of that time wondering and thinking about new and better ways to share the stories and method of Godly Play with more and more people at St. Paul's - and perhaps even beyond our doors. Those who led the conference were such knowledgeable and spiritual people, well-versed in the language of play and the language of theology. Do you find it strange to tie play and theology together? They actually fit really well, as a true state of play is one in which our minds are free, our hearts are open, we are immersed in self-motivated action and we are enjoying ourselves. If only that was our experience with religion on a regular basis!
Play is not reserved for young children either. Godly Play itself is shared with young children, older children, teens, college students, adults, elders, hospital patients, students with learning differences, dementia patients, and many more. Godly Play is a part of faith communities where people call themselves Episcopalians, Anglicans, Methodists, Lutherans, Congregationalists, Catholics, Presbyterians, and many more - (including Jews!) Godly Play is found in churches and schools throughout the world, including the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the U.K., Norway, Spain, Germany, Finland, Sweden, Latvia, Russia, Korea, Japan, Australia, South Africa, and yes - many more!!
Godly Play is a part of worship services, school curriculums, adult forums and many Sunday school classrooms. We share the sacred stories of the Old Testament, the parables Jesus told, stories of the life and ministry of Jesus and his disciples, and many more. We learn together the language of our faith, and yes, we WONDER.
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Personal Reflection
by Steven Knight
 "Everyone is welcome at the Lord's table!" proclaimed the celebrant, radiating joy and love for the congregation. I recognized this love: it was the same love I know Christ felt for his own ragged flock of disciples.
What a contrast, I thought, to the last words I had heard booming from the pulpit of the church we had left for good just a few weeks earlier - a church in which I had been baptized, confirmed, educated, and married. On that earlier Sunday morning a clergyman had risen to speak and to confront what he felt was the most pressing concern facing our society: the stubborn insistence of women and homosexuals that they deserved to enjoy equality within society and the church community. Stunned, my wife and I walked out before the end of the service.
In the days and weeks that followed we reflected on this and other similar experiences. We slowly came to the painful realization that the Church we had loved no longer reflected our most deeply held values. Lincoln once famously said "I must stand with anybody that stands right . . . and part with him when he goes wrong." We came to realize that in ways large and small our Church had gone badly wrong. We realized that we were not leaving our church: it had already left us.
So where to find a new spiritual home?
Over the years I have learned many things about our God. I have come to know that He is patient, calmly waiting for us to find our way to Him. I realize that God is faithful and provides us with the tools we need to navigate through life. It reminds me of the movie Paycheck, where Ben Affleck's character comes to realize that the mysterious envelope full of odds and ends that has come into his possession in fact contains all of the tools he will need to find his way safely through his crisis.
I have no doubt that God long ago set in place the things I would need to find my way. God blessed me with a loving wife to share the journey and placed in my heart an unexplained affinity for St. Paul's: I know I have felt inexplicably drawn to this beautiful church since I first laid eyes on it a dozen years ago. Since we first ventured inside a year ago we have come to know the warm welcome of this community of people seeking to know and serve God and to experience and share His love. We thank God for leading us to join the St. Paul's community.
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History and Artifacts
by Frank Spinella
William Stanley Emery, St. Paul's ninth rector, lived a life of service to God and mankind. Born in 1858 in Portsmouth, RI, the ninth of eleven children of a sea captain, he attended St. Paul's School, Trinity College in Hartford, and General Theological Seminary in New York City. On being ordained a deacon in 1884 he returned to Concord as a Master at St. Paul's School for several years, where he busied himself with more than teaching; the June 1897 issue of The New England Magazine reports "It was mainly through the efforts of the Rev. William S. Emery that the funds for the new chapel were raised."
On December 18, 1887, Emery was ordained a priest and promptly took a position as rector of St. John the Baptist Church in Sanbornville. He left New Hampshire in 1892 to become vicar at Calvary Chapel in New York, and later rector at Christ Church in Norwich, CT. But the Granite State called him back in 1900, first as rector of Trinity Church in Tilton, and finally as vice-rector at St. Paul's, assuming that position on November 1, 1908 (St. Paul's was a pro-cathedral at the time, with Bishop Niles officially holding the title of rector), and becoming rector in 1922. He served our parish for 19 years until his death on August 20, 1927.
Emery served his broader community as well, as a Legislator and on the Concord School Board. In truth, when it came to the service of his fellow man he did not distinguish between clerical and civic duty, between obligations to parishioners and non-parishioners. On November 2, 1947, on the occasion of the dedication of two stained glass windows to Rev. Emery in St. Paul's west nave, Bishop Dallas' sermon captured the essence of the man:
"Wherever a need existed he was there to offer whatever the Church had to give, whatever he had to give. Every man and woman in the city who had to face a problem, who had to face death, who had to go on into tomorrow in left-lonesomeness, who needed food or medicine, seemed to pull Mr. Emery toward them. It didn't matter where they lived, in jail, at the prison, in the homes of wealth, in a little family that had only a room or two, in the schools here in town or out at St. Paul's. If a boy or a man, a girl or a woman, had a need, tell Mr. Emery, and off he went, literally on a run. Not a minute could be wasted when one of God's children had sent for him. He was a pastor-a shepherd indeed."
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© St. Paul's Church, 2013. Next Newsletter: September 1; deadline for submissions: August 29. Please do not reprint text or graphics without permission.
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