One snowy Tuesday morning, St. Paul's parking lot is full. "Lot Full" says the sign.  At least it's clear of snow - the plow came earlier in the morning.

It's not Sunday, yet St. Paul's is busy. At noon, a small group of worshipers receive Holy Eucharist in the chapel, and one of them is given a case containing the elements for a nursing home Communion service.  In the Upper Parish Hall, our "Forever Young" seniors are

enjoying lunch and a guest speaker.  And the rest of the building is crowded too.

A young couple and two small children trudge through the snow to an old, rusting van, where they load plastic bags of groceries from the Food Pantry. In a waiting area full to capacity it was nearly an hour before they could take their turn to select the food and household items they need.  A woman in colorful African dress waits for a ride, her arms full of Chapter Two purchases. Upstairs, a tired looking man in faded clothing waits in a chair by the reception desk, hoping for some prescription assistance, or perhaps needing spiritual counseling from one of the clergy.

No parking spaces are left on the east side of the building, where several young men huddle in the cold, trying to keep their cigarettes lit in the wind. They move aside while a specially equipped SUV pulls into the handicapped slot, then greet the driver, a man in a Korean War vet's hat who walks with some difficulty. A couple of the young men snuff out their cigarettes and offer him their arms to help him to the AA meeting downstairs. They all go in together.

Upstairs a lively staff meeting is in progress as clergy and staff plan and coordinate a wide range of programs, services, and other activities for the coming weeks, and work together to resolve the challenges of the many demands on church resources.  When the meeting ends, the parish offices are full of activity.  Sarah Nyhan is busy planning for tomorrow's "Mustard Seed Enrichment" class for pre-schoolers and their parents, and is lining up volunteers and materials for Sunday's Youth and Children's programs.  She ensures that that the paid nursery staff are scheduled so that child care is available for families attending the 10:00 service. Meanwhile Mark Pace is preparing music for the children's, youth, and adult choirs, and will shortly go down to Ordway Hall to lead the first of two weekly RDMS (Rhythm, Dance, Movement, Song) classes for young children and their parents.  The clergy are fully occupied with pastoral counseling, coordinating and equipping volunteers, visits to the hospital, Hospice House and nursing homes, outreach in the local community and in our own Assistance with Dignity outreach center, as well as preparing curriculum for spiritual formation series, writing sermons, and creating liturgies for the two weekday services, three weekend services, and any upcoming memorial services or marriages. Kristin Dunklee has a hand in all of these diverse activities, scheduling, creating printed materials, updating the website, ordering supplies, paying bills, fielding phone calls - and providing a vital element of pastoral care as she and the front desk volunteers greet the numerous people - both parishioners and visitors from outside the church - who come through the door.  

Andy Brundrett, the Sexton, starts work at 1:00 and he won't be leaving until 9:00 this evening. He has chairs and tables to set up, cleaning to do, space bookings to schedule for outside groups, repairs and maintenance to attend to, and he will lock up and set the alarm at the end of this long, full day.  At 5:00, church members start to arrive, carrying home-cooked food and other offerings for the monthly fellowship potluck.  By 5:30, grace has been said and, for the next hour, the room is full of happy conversation. At 6:30, the 16 members of St. Paul's Vestry, plus clergy and Parish Administrator, gather for their monthly meeting to plan and maintain the daily work and ministry of the parish.  Another AA group meets in one of the classrooms downstairs while Boy Scout Troop 88

assembles in Ordway Hall.

And since it's a cold day, the heat's on.

It is not unusual for over a thousand people to come through the doors of St. Paul's in a single week. On this particular day, many parishioners who attend worship services on Sunday may not be physically present in the building, yet they contribute in a vital way. The 46% of St. Paul's parishioners who make an annual pledge of financial support, make all of the above possible - and more.  We all desire prayer and worship, but our needs and obligations are far greater. To take advantage of services like those described above, and to make it possible for others to benefit from them, is part of our Christian life, as we are reminded in the letter of James:

"What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,' and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead." James 2:14-17

To ensure that our faith as a parish is a living faith, St. Paul's Stewardship Committee and Vestry have made a firm commitment to pledge education for the parish - which is undoubtedly an important aspect of our spiritual formation.

At a recent Pledge Appreciation dinner, the participants made it very clear that they want parish leadership to be even more informative about the financial commitments and needs of the parish. Many of those in attendance felt that not enough people know about the services St. Paul's provides to our parishioners and to the local community, to those in spiritual as well as material need.  

Beginning this month, much more of this information will be forthcoming.

Starting on September 1st, we will be offering short "Why I pledge" slots and "Your pledge questions answered" slots during all three of our weekend worship services. If you have a question you want to ask about pledging or finances, you can fill in one of the slips in the church entrances. And if you would like to share with your fellow parishioners why you made the important decision to pledge, do speak to the Stewardship Chair, Jim Barker, or let the rector know.

May our works increase, even as our faith grows.