News from the Red Doors - August 27 2021

Celebration Sunday full.png

This Week at St. Paul's
Mother Michelle Walker


Dear St. Paul's Family,

Admittedly, I've offered many prayers this week for the efficiency of air conditioning for all of you, and myself. This hot and humid weather is not my friend. And the beautiful place we met for my Wabash Pastoral Leadership Program on Monday-Wednesday had air conditioning that struggled to keep up. I hope you've all stayed cool and safe during these heat advisories.

As I mentioned in my newsletter last week, this Sunday (8/29) we are blessed to have lay leadership willing to not only lead Morning Prayer but also offer a short reflection on the Scriptures. Thank you to Sandra Provan for leading worship; Susie Richter for preaching; Mike Konieczny for running the Audio Visual; and to each of you for supporting our lay-led ministries as fully as our clergy-led ones.

In the book we are studying as vestry, Part-Time is Plenty: Thriving without Full-Time Clergy, we are learning about and reflecting upon how the church of today must have active and involved lay people in order to survive - EVEN thrive. And this is particularly important when the clergy is part-time and the support staff is limited. In our first session of study we reflected, with pride, upon the decisions already made at St. Paul's to call a priest less than full-time. We were thrilled to realize how we had ALREADY taken many necessary steps to strengthen our faith community. And we were all eager to learn what some of the other steps might be.

One thing that I'm passionate about, and will tell you over and over, is a desire to shift our focus from one of scarcity (we don't have enough of this or that) to one of abundance (we have all we need in this moment). Yes, we all wish our church pews were full and yet how can we focus on the abundant blessings surrounding us? Our St. Paul's family is a faithful, loving, dedicated bunch and each time I see your smiling faces (or eyes!) I am filled with gratitude and amazement. We are ENOUGH and we are right where we're supposed to be in this moment.

And so our service this Sunday will be even more beautiful because it comes from you, for you. Susie is preaching her first "Words of Encouragement" (as we labeled it in the bulletin) and will be happy to share with you how challenging it is to unfold Scriptures in this way. I am proud of her, of each and every one of you, of all of us. And I am so thankful to be called to be your priest at this time, in this place.

Be well my friends. Stay cool and say your prayers.

Blessings,
Mother Michelle
priest@stpaulslaporte.org | 219-575-0226 (c)

News from the Red Doors - August 20, 2021

From your Senior Warden
Jean Burns

With the cooperation and hard work of many, plans and events for Celebration Sunday are coming to fruition. Bette Floyd,  Mother Michelle, Mike Konieczny, Sue Cummings, Sandra Provan, John Gouwens and the Worship Committee—all have made being chairperson a privilege.  It is my hope that each of you, with family and friends, will be at St.Paul’s on this special day to worship and share fellowship.

Thanks to Susie Richter,  St. Paul’s will play an active role in this year’s Sunflower Festival. The church will be open as in previous years; the street lawn will serve as a rest stop with free water and freshly popped corn. Home baked goods will also be available with monetary donations optional. Contributions of baked goods can be brought to the Parish Hall the day before or on the morning of the event. A reminder: Bring baked goods that will withstand what is likely to be warm weather.

What an achievement! Inside the sanctuary, masks are to be worn, but, with precautions in place, we are able to partake of both the bread and the wine as we celebrate the Eucharist. What joy to walk down the center aisle once again to receive the elements.

Lay ministers are visiting the sick and shut-ins; committees are meeting in person; Bible Study is at the church. We are eager to be together once again, but we are doing so carefully and cautiously.

With care to be fiscally responsible, we have not had to draw from the endowment for some months. However, with additional maintenance and normal monthly expenses, a draw will soon be necessary. Please help by keeping your pledge current, and if you are able, by increasing it.

The Vestry is reading and discussing G. Jeffery MacDonald’s book, Part-Time Is Plenty, a resource for churches with part-time clergy.  We look forward to sharing and implementing what we learn. Already it is clear that there is a part for each of us if we are to make St. Paul’s a church of vitality.

God’s blessings, Jean

This Week at St. Paul's
Mother Michelle Walker

Dear St. Paul's Family,

Greetings! In case I haven't shared this with you yet, Bishop Doug Sparks is scheduled to make his official visitation to St. Paul's on Sunday September 19th. A visit from a Bishop is always a good time for special celebrations including baptism, confirmation, and reception of individuals from other faith communities. We will be blessed to officially welcome our very own organist, John Gouwens, into our faith community on that day. John has been attending confirmation classes for some months (via Zoom on Tuesday evenings) and is excited to make St. Paul's his official home. Welcome John! You already bless us with your musical gifts and now you'll bless us with your membership as well.

If you, or someone you know, is interested in baptism or reception, please let me know.

I'm also excited to share some news about our Morning Prayer service and Guest Speaker for Sunday 8/29, but I'm going to save that for next week's newsletter.

I hope you are all well. I pray for you regularly. And I remind you again that I'm available for conversation, prayer, or otherwise as you request. Have a blessed day.

Blessings,
Mother Michelle
priest@stpaulslaporte.org | 219-575-0226 (c)

News from the Red Doors - August 13, 2021

This Week at St. Paul's
Mother Michelle Walker


Dear St. Paul's Family,

Good morning St. Paul's. I'd like to begin my message to you with an expression of gratitude for your prayers. Especially over the last week I have realized how it's much easier for a priest to give love and prayers to her congregation than it is to ask for and receive love and prayers. Thank you for reminding me that it works in both directions!

That said, I 've been sick with a respiratory virus over the last 1.5 weeks. My COVID test was negative, so it was a regular virus that leaves me, at this point, with a occasional cough. Otherwise I feel well and am not contagious. I plan to be at church on Sunday, masked except for the sermon, but will speak the liturgy to reduce my risk of coughing. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Second, as we all watch the news of the COVID Delta variant sweeping the nation, we'll also take note that LaPorte County has now gone red in terms of a High Level of Transmissibility (https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#county-view). Given that information, we request that you wear your masks throughout the entire service. This is not a requirement but rather the best precaution we can all take to keep each other safe. St. Paul's is a loving community. One way we continue to love each other is to do our best to keep each other safe. Thank you for doing that.

Third, we've ordered generic St. Paul's business cards to use in our evangelism efforts (see pictures below). We will bless 1,000 of these cards on 8/23, giving each of you 10 of them after the service, in an effort to share an invite to the beauty of St. Paul's easily in the community. Our request of you is to give out these cards. You can include a personal invitation with the card (verbal or written) or you can simply give them to people with a smile. The only preparation you need for this mission is to think about something you might say to a person should they ask what you love about St. Paul's. I like to call this "evangelism light"! We can do it!

Have a wonderful day friends. You remain in my prayers, especially as I look forward to being back with you this Sunday. Take care and be safe.

Blessings,
Mother Michelle
priest@stpaulslaporte.org | 219-575-0226 (c)

News from the Red Doors - August 6, 2021

This Week at St. Paul's
Mother Michelle Walker


This week I, and the Worship Committee (Jean Burns, Susie Richter, Sandra Provan, John Gouwens w/ Tom Konieczny included as Jr. Warden), have agonized over whether to require masks for the entirety of the service again or not. We know the Delta variant to be twice as transmissible (according to Yale Medicine). We also know that even vaccinated individuals can become ill with the virus AND transmit it to other people (vaccinated or not). I offer this YouTube link to an interview with Dean Brian Grantz of our Cathedral in South Bend as evidence. We also remember the great joy we all felt that first Sunday we were able to take our masks off.

So this is where we've landed for now, knowing this will shift and change with each bit of new information.

  • We will continue to allow congregants to remove their masks while sitting in their pew as long as:

    1. The congregant is vaccinated and

    2. The county status according to this CDC COVID tracking website, indicates LaPorte County status as Substantial or Lower. (As long as we're not red.)

  • Anyone and everyone is welcome to mask the entire time as they desire.

  • Everyone will remain masked during any movement from the pew.

That said, the altar party and clergy will resume masking, only removing masks for preaching, communion reception, and reading at the lectern.

We are all doing our best to remain safe as the science about this virus continues to be discovered. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we continue to make decisions with the best information available.

In other news, I'm pleased to share that our communion in both kinds process from last Sunday worked well. In fact, it worked so well that we are going to resume having people come forward for communion in general. Here are the notes from the bulletin for this Sunday:

Instructions for Holy Communion
All baptized Christians are welcome to receive communion. During this time of social distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, please note the following:

  • The priest will be masked and use hand sanitizer prior to uncovering the consecrated elements for distribution.

  • Individuals desiring communion, and who are comfortably able coming forward, are invited to proceed to the center aisle location to receive communion in either the bread alone, or in both kinds. (If in both kinds, bread first and then wine.)

  • Please put on your mask before leaving your pew and proceed in a socially distanced manner to the communion station. At the station, pull down your mask, receive communion, replace your mask, proceed to the wine station (if desired) and repeat.

  • Communion will be delivered to those individuals who indicate their desire to receive it.

  • The priest will receive communion, in both kinds, after everyone else has received.

As ministers of the altar it is our privilege to offer communion and we are happy to bring it to you in the pew if that makes receiving easier for you. Don't hesitate to let an usher know you'd like communion brought to you. The body and blood of Christ are for all of us desiring to receive it.

Be well my friends. Wear your masks more than you were wearing them. And pray, pray, pray for an end to this pandemic.

Blessings,
Mother Michelle
priest@stpaulslaporte.org | 219-575-0226 (c)

News from the Red Doors - July 30, 2021

This Week at St. Paul's
Mother Michelle Walker


Greetings. This News from the Red Doors is rather "newsy", so please bear with me as I share several bits of information.

Marriage Policy - On Tuesday 7/20 our vestry voted to approve the proposed marriage policy. If you'd like a refresher on the process we used to draft our marriage policy, please refer to this article from our June 4th News from the Red Doors. The policy is linked here and will also be available on our website shortly.

Red Doors - I'm excited to announce that we will once again be opening our Red Doors on Michigan Avenue for entry and exit. While I know it doesn't matter as much to us since we've become used to the Harrison Street entrance, it is a sign of hospitality to our guests to have our church doors unlocked for entry. Beginning this Sunday there will be a second sign-in sheet at that entrance. If you choose to come in that way, PLEASE sign-in. We need to maintain contact tracing until this COVID pandemic is history.

Tom Lewis - Tom informed me that due to his declining health he was moving to Alabama to live with his son. He was both relieved to be going and sad to be leaving. Tom wanted to be sure to let everyone know how much he has loved and appreciated his St. Paul's family over the many years, decades, he has attended. He sends us his love and prayers, and I offered the same to him from us. His cellphone number remains the same if you'd like to reach out to him. Please keep him, and his family, in your prayers.

Communion in Both Kinds - Beginning this Sunday we will again offer communion in both kinds. It has been nearly 16 months since most of you have had the privilege of the Blood of Christ and we are thrilled to incorporate it into our Worship in a safe manner. The Worship Committee reviewed the approach and this is our pilot process. After you’ve received the Body of Christ, while seated in your pew, if you desire the Cup of Salvation then please:

  • put your mask on,

  • enter the aisle,

  • maintain social distancing,

  • approach the communion station,

  • wait for your turn,

  • pull your mask down,

  • receive the individual cup from the LEM (Lay Eucharistic Minister),

  • consume the contents,

  • place your cup on the tray of used vessels

  • reposition your mask,

  • return to your seat.

We are excited to try out the process and welcome your feedback afterwards. We deeply desire to offer the Communion Cup in the safest possible way. By way of appreciation, I offer extra thanks to Sandra Provan who shopped the vessels, gathered the necessary items, helped me walk through the process, and agreed to be the LEM for the first few Sundays. Once we have the process down, we'll gladly train any other LEMs that would like to serve in this capacity.

Bible Study - Our Thursday Morning Prayer and Bible Study group will reconvene IN-PERSON the Thursday after Labor Day 9/9. We will be studying Bible Women: All Their Words and Why They Matter. We are looking for a way to also include people who might like to participate but don't find 9am on Thursday a good fit for their schedule. We are considering an evening offering (weekly) or perhaps a once a month offering either on Sunday mornings after church (I hear this has been done in the past) or otherwise. I have two requests of you at this time:

  1. If you'd like a copy of the book, please let me know. I've been able to purchase several used copies of them on Amazon for around $10, about half price. I'll be happy to order you one.

  2. If you'd like to attend a non-Thursday gathering, what fits with your schedule OR is your preference?

As always friends, I'm hear if you need me for prayer, counsel, or simply to sit together and be present to the Holy You are in my prayers, as I know you are in mine. Be safe and see you soon.

Blessings,
Mother Michelle
priest@stpaulslaporte.org | 219-575-0226 (c)