News from the Red Doors - September 11, 2020
This Week at St. Paul's
Mother Michelle Walker
Dear St. Paul's Family,
I am thrilled to share with you that LaPorte County has finally fallen into the Yellow category which means we can have more than 10 households! Praise the Lord! Up to 32 people, if we have 8 sets of couples, may attend our celebration of Holy Eucharist this Sunday, 9/13.
The seating chart, as it has been designed to accommodate social distancing, is pictured above. If you'd like to join us for church this Sunday, please sign up here or call Sandra at 219-362-5618. Please remember our guidelines for attending all services (detailed here). We ask you to arrive early, remember to wear your mask, use your hand sanitizer, and refrain from hugging (no matter how badly you might like to do so).
In other exciting news, the Commission on Evangelsim hosted the first of six Embracing Evangelism workshops. If you missed it, but would like to see what it's all about, you can watch the video on the Diocesan Facebook page here. And if you're brave enough to join the Zoom group, our next gathering is Wednesday 9/23 at 5pm and you may register here.
Although a short week, this has been an extremely full one. I'm blessed to have in-person visited with a couple of you and conducted phone interviews with more than 10 of you. I enjoy hearing your stories and beginning to learn a little about your lives.
Please know that you are in my prayers and I look forward to many years of ministry with you!
Blessings!
Mother Michelle
priest@stpaulslaporte.org | 219-575-0226
Tech Grant Update
The Center for Congregations, who funded our Technology Grant, hosted a Zoom with other grant recipients to discuss how the grants have impacted our congregations on Thursday 9/3. I expressed our DEEP gratitude for their support. I'm not sure how we could have implemented our live stream without them. The Center is an amazing resource for congregations in all of Indiana.
On a related note, we have made the decision to use some of our grant monies to consolidate our two internet providers into one so that at the end of the grant year we will be better positioned to sustain our live stream and other technology initiatives indefinitely. This will involve some wiring from the church to the office and a few pieces of equipment. Stay tuned for more details in the months to come!
The Stewardship Committee, chaired by Margie Bender, is pleased to announce our campaign this year will be a St. Paul's version of The Episcopal Network for Stewardship's (TENS) Faith-Filled Generosity. While our official campaign launch isn't until October 4th, we wanted to provide you a preview of the logo (above) and let you know we are diligently working on the details. As you've read in previous emails, we are pleased to have launched an online giving portal as part of this program. Stay tuned for more details.
Our Online Giving Portal
The link for our St. Paul’s specific giving portal is https://tithe.ly/give_new/www/#/tithely/give-one-time/2319049 and can be found via the DONATE button on the upright corner of our website (https://www.stpaulslaporte.org/).
Please note a $0.30 per transaction fee + 2.9% of the total is incurred when giving online, which you may choose to cover or we will happily do so in order to receive your contribution.
September 10, 2020 - Determination Letter
My Dear Kindred in Christ,
With our counties still adjusting to the consequences of school re-openings of various types, our COVID-numbers remain high. The bright spots on this otherwise shadowed horizon include St. Joseph County coming down out of the Red Zone and Marshall County coming within shouting distance of Yellow (watch your numbers the next 2 days—you just might make it!). Also inspiring are some of the plans emerging for thoughtful and creative indoor worship within the newly adjusted guidelines.
By the way, if you visit the state COVID dashboard at https://www.coronavirus.in.gov/2393.htm, you’ll notice a new tab entitled “County Metrics.” This tab lets you know the 7-day positivity rate for your county, a rate that can indicate how likely it is that folks who are infected are actually getting tested. The WHO and other health organizations have indicated that a positivity rate of under 5% is an indicator that testing is sufficiently robust to allow for confidence that a region has met reopening criteria. We will consider this information when looking at “borderline cases,” such as the question above of when Marshall County (with an excellent positivity rate of 1.65%!) crosses into the Yellow Zone.
Terri
The Rev. Canon Terri L. Bays, PhD.
Missioner for Transitions and Governance
Emergency Response NGO/Government Liaison
LIVE from St. Paul's - September 6, 2020
News from the Red Doors - September 4, 2020
This Week at St. Paul's
Mother Michelle Walker
Dear St. Paul's Family,
Evangelism ... what does it mean to you? Is it a word you embrace and live into OR one that makes you apprehensive? Evangelism doesn't have to be a big and grandiose gesture. In it's most simple form it is sharing a story of your faith with someone who expresses interest. Yes, it's about inviting people to church. It's even MORE about inviting people to Christ.
The Commission on Evangelism of The Episcopal Diocese of Northern Indiana is hosting a series of 6 Diocesan-wide Zoom (& Facebook) events beginning on September 9th (at 5pm CDT) utilizing The Episcopal Church and Virginia Theological Seminary's Embracing Evangelism video series. Someone YOU KNOW is hosting the first event (see below, hint ... it's ME!).
I would like to invite, encourage, beg, and implore you to consider attending any or all of these events. In the interviews I have been conducting with many of you (so far), almost all of you DREAM of a St. Paul's church community with more people, more families ... more. As I preached in a sermon a few weeks ago, God will perform the miracle and send us more, BUT we must also come alongside and do the work.
Will you do the work and join me in this series? It may be the first step, of many, in growing our church.
You are in my prayers.
Blessings!
Mother Michelle
priest@stpaulslaporte.org | 219-575-0226
Boiler Update
The work of replacing our previous boiler with two small, efficient, wall-mounted units is almost complete. I (Mother Michelle) spoke to the technician today. He was happy to share how much better and more cost efficient this new system will be. Praise God for our ability to make this much-needed upgrade to our heating system, before it became a crisis!
(Old boiler is pictured first, on the left, taking up most of the room; New boiler without face panels is pictured second, on the right, mounted directly on the wall.)
Virtual Coffee Hour Enticement!
When our season of social isolation first began, I NEVER imagined it would last this long, and into the foreseeable future. While I know we all prefer in-person communication ...
What will entice you to join our Sunday Virtual Coffee Hour @ 10:15 via Zoom?
Need Some Morning Prayer?
Our Thursday weekly Morning Prayer recommenced yesterday and it was only missing ... YOU! We are a small but dedicated group and would LOVE to have you join us. We currently meet via Zoom and are now also live streaming on our Facebook page. Please join us!
Vestry Minutes/Packet
Our vestry minutes, including Priest Activity and Treasurer’s Reports, are posted monthly on our website. Please review them as you wish. https://www.stpaulslaporte.org/leadership
By Law Revisions
On October 20th, St. Paul's vestry will vote to adopt/not adopt a set of ByLaw Revisions for St. Paul's Episcopal Church as summarized below:
Total Vestry Membership (reduce vestry size from 9 to 6 members over a period of 3 years);
Correct incorrect Diocesan Canonical References; and
Allow for the possibility of a Virtual Annual Meeting.
Per our current ByLaws, these revisions will be presented to the vestry at the September 15th meeting and are being shared with the parish several times prior to the 10/20 vote.
Linked here are the current ByLaws (dated June 2013) along with the full document citing each specific ByLaw Revision. (If you have any troubles accessing the document, or simply need a printed version, please let Mother Michelle know and a copy will be mailed to you.)
The rationale for reducing vestry membership is to more closely align the number of vestry members with our current congregation size. With a 2018 Average Sunday Attendance (ASA) of 38, having 11 people on vestry means almost 1/3 of the congregation is in leadership, at all times. It is our hope to free up a few people to possibly engage in other ministries within the church. WHEN our church grows, through our Embracing Evangelism studies and initiative, we can always vote to increase the number again!
The rationale for the other two changes (corrections to invalid references and the possible need for a Virtual Annual meeting in January) seem obvious given our current circumstances .
Please feel free to reach out to myself or Sandra with any questions or concerns.
September 3, 2020 Determination Letter
My Dear Kindred in Christ,
COVID numbers remain high this week, with even more of our counties in the Orange zone, though a few (notably Elkhart and Lake counties) in lower parts of that zone than they'd occupied for many months before. I would draw your attention to particularly high numbers reported for September 2 in several counties. Whether that is a result of particular events or a reflection of testing patterns remains to be seen—this uncertainty is why we try to look at averages and trends.
Indoor gathering remains a challenge, especially because infection numbers, and therefore plans, can change on short notice. We appreciate your steadfastness and resourcefulness in responding to these changing circumstances, especially as we prepare for the cooler and then the downright cold months to come. If your faith community is taking a more cautious approach than you would like, please keep in mind that the more cautious approaches allow for more safe and consistent service planning. Your patience and flexibility make all the difference.
Loosening of the restrictions on outdoor gathering in the orange zone has allowed a number of parking lot services to take place in areas that have not been able to gather in person for months. We appreciate the amount of care and consideration that has gone into insuring that all the other guidelines (distancing, masks, cleaning and shortening of services, just to name a few!) have been implemented at these services. Who knew that our clergy and lay leaders would be developing expertise in the technical requirements for am/fm broadcasting!
May your faithfulness to God and to one another be a blessing to you in the days ahead!
Terri
The Rev. Canon Terri L. Bays, PhD.
Missioner for Transitions and Governance
Emergency Response NGO/Government Liaison
LIVE from St. Paul's - August 30, 2020
Introducing Tithe.ly - An Online Giving Option
We are excited to introduce Tithe.ly - an online giving option! With recommendations from both The Episcopal Network for Stewardship (TENS) and two other congregations in our Diocese, we have setup an online giving account with Tithe.ly. This online portal allows you to donate to St. Paul’s quickly and easily. You can use a credit card or your bank account. You do not even need to setup a Tithe.ly account in order to contribute. (You are welcome to do so to save time on future contributions if you’d like.)
The link for our St. Paul’s specific giving portal is https://tithe.ly/give_new/www/#/tithely/give-one-time/2319049 and can be found via the DONATE button on the upright corner of our website (https://www.stpaulslaporte.org/) The screen should look like the one below:
You are welcome to give one time, or setup a recurring payment if that is more convenient to you. You will also have an option to “Cover the Fees” of making an electronic donation if you so desire. (The fees for this service are based on each transaction with a $0.30 flat transaction fee + 2.9% of the amount donated.)
Of course, St. Paul’s will always welcome cash and checks, which have no explicit fees. If that is how you prefer to support your church community, please continue to do so. We also recognize that in this expanding virtual community making an electronic donation is much easier for people joining us from all around the country! (And that is a delightful opportunity for us.)
All contributions, whether in person or electronic, will be properly receipted at the end of the year for IRS tax purposes.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to Mother Michelle (priest@stpaulslaporte.org) or Treasurer Sue Cummings with any questions. We have tested the link and the original donation made was delivered safely and promptly to our checking account!
Blessings!
News from the Red Doors - August 28, 2020
Great News!
In a joint leadership meeting with the Diocesan staff and Clergy/Lay Leaders of the Diocese on Wednesday it was decided that the risk of having 10 household units in church, following all of the necessary masking and social distancing guidelines, was acceptable for congregations in the ORANGE category. This was voted on by the 34 people in attendance at the call. (In Green or Yellow categories, we can have nearly 30.)
So the wonderful news is that we can have 10-15 people this Sunday, in-person. And we will still live stream. The people below are registered.
If you'd still like to attend, you may register here (https://forms.gle/UNV2NsiT1C8aNM5r9) or by calling Sandra at 219-362-5618.
This Week at St. Paul's
Mother Michelle Walker
Dear St. Paul's Family,
Today as I sit to write a weekly reflection, I am called into prayer in a powerful way.
For the people facing the landfall and continuing destructive forces of Hurricane Laura, and possibly Hurricane Marco ...
Lord in your Mercy - Hear our Prayer.
For an end to this pandemic, and the strength to endure until our new "normal" emerges ...
Lord in your Mercy - Hear our Prayer.
For an end to the wildfires in California, and the resources to care for those affected by it ...
Lord in your Mercy - Hear our Prayer.
For an end to the senseless shooting/murder of black people, and the violent responses to those events, for an end to racism period ...
Lord in your Mercy - Hear our Prayer.
For a way forward in our current political environment, for an election that is honest and true, and for a leader who holds God in his/her heart first and the welfare of our country second ...
Lord in your Mercy - Hear our Prayer.
For ourselves and our families, for our individual prayers of all kinds and our continued faith in a God that loves us so ...
Lord in your Mercy - Hear our Prayer.
As a young person growing up in the Church of God (Anderson, Indiana) I enjoyed a good amount of Gospel music. My great-aunt even sang in a Gospel trio that recorded several records. Sometimes when I find myself ruminating on a sermon, or reflecting up on a situation, one of those songs drifts straight into my head. And stays there.
In the midst of these prayers I/we offer for the world, the words of Isaiah 40:31 float into my mind on a melody drifting in the wind:
but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength,
they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
they shall run and not be weary,
they shall walk and not faint.
Today I offer that as a collect to these prayers written. As we wait for the Lord to answer these prayers, and the many others we offer, may the words of this verse and the melody of this song continue to strengthen us along the way. After all, the best thing we can do, sometimes the ONLY thing we can do, is PRAY!
(And if you'd like the melody of that Gospel song in your head as well, you are welcome to enjoy this version from YouTube: https://youtu.be/YIVY48x0syQ )
Blessings!Mother Michelle
priest@stpaulslaporte.org | 219-575-0226
August 27, 2020 Determination Letter
27 August 2020
Dear Sisters, Brothers, Siblings,
Grace and peace be with you in Jesus, the Light for all people!
I want to begin this Pastoral Letter by thanking you for your steadfast faith and witness during the COVID 19 Pandemic. We are now into our 24th week since arriving at the consensus to suspend all in-person worship on 13 March 2020. While we have leaned into the experience of Virtual Worship with all its challenges, like you, I long for the opportunity to gather safely for in-person worship. I especially want to thank our missioners for their good and faithful ministry in helping us adapt...from plotting the daily COVID 19 positive cases for each county to providing the most current communication and informative infographics to preparing for our two virtual conventions this fall...our common life as the Episcopal Church in Northern Indiana continues!
We know more about managing our lives safely in this pandemic now than we did in March. In addition to the 4 criteria in our Pastoral Plan for Regathering, we also made use of the color coding formula of Green (<1 case per 100K); Green -Yellow(5 or less new cases per day per 100K); Yellow (>1 and < or equal to 10 new cases per day per 100K); Orange (>10 and < or equal to 25 new cases per day per 100K) and Red (> 25 new cases per day per 100K) to further assist us in determining the possibility of in-person worship county by county. We have had three ordination services which have helped identify what additional best practices need to be in place for in-person worship. Adhering to protocols for gathering safely for in-person worship like ours, the dioceses in Michigan have allowed for in-person worship using the lower number of 25 % of full legal capacity OR seating with 6’ between household groups.
Taking what we have learned into account, the missioners and I offered the “Michigan adaption”for consideration during our Clergy and Lay Leader Zoom Call yesterday, 26 August. After considerable discussion, most of the clergy and lay leaders supported adopting the “Michigan adaptation” for our diocese. This will require some additional work in reaching a specific number, given the size of each of your worship spaces. However, it could make it possible for more of us to begin gathering outdoors or indoors for in-person worship as we approach September. I want to underscore that how and when this adaptation begins in your faith community will be decided by the clergy and lay leaders of your faith community.
The infographic below describes,in greater detail,the number for indoor worship, given your county’s color determination as well as outdoor worship for your county, given the color determination.
If you have any questions or concerns, please call on me.
Every blessing,
Doug
The Rt. Rev. Dr. Douglas E. Sparks
VIII Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Indiana