News from the Red Doors - November 26, 2021

Vestry and Warden Opportunities

Greetings all! It's the time of year when we start planning for 2022 leadership changes. We have been blessed with wonderful leaders and are looking for a few more. If you would be interested and willing to serve on vestry, we will welcome two new vestry members for 2022. We are also looking for a Junior Warden for next year, with the promise of lots of assistance should you step into this role.

Please prayerfully consider whether you're ready to help St. Paul's in this next year of ministry in LaPorte. Contact Jean Burns, Tom Konieczny, or Mother Michelle with questions or to volunteer. Thank you!

An Update on our Church Buildings for Collaborative Partnerships (CBCP) Gathering

On the afternoon of November 17, four members of CBCP met with Mother Michelle, Jean and Tom for one of the culminating activities of the project, the onsite visit. For the first hour we seven toured, measured, discussed and evaluated our spaces. How could they be shared in partnership with others in our community? In the second hour we discussed what we had observed on the tour, specifically in relation to both our strengths and our limitations. A parish profile, developed by CBCP based on interviews with our committee, helped us focus on the many opportunities for a historical church, in a downtown setting, even with our small numbers. If we had doubts, they abated in the third hour.

For that final, third, hour we invited community leaders to join us: Mayor Tom Dermody; Maria Fruth, Healthcare Foundation; Shannon Walker, Unity Foundation; Jaunda Kneller, Service League, and Mike Drayton and Tim King, La Porte County Symphony. We began with a tour of the facilities for the six of them and then sat down with Bob Jaeger, Karen DiLossi, Sarah Jones, and David Frederick of CBCP, and our three for a lively, productive discussion of ways we might share our space with groups or individuals in the community. The enthusiasm from our guests was amazing and gratifying. The day could not have ended on a more positive note. We all agreed: this was not the end; it was just the beginning. We are so excited that we now have a
request from the Service League that St. Paul’s become their official meeting site—just the beginning.

- Jean Burns, Sr. Warden

This Week at St. Paul's
Mother Michelle Walker

Dear St. Paul's Family,

I hope you each had a lovely celebration of Thanksgiving.

This Sunday marks the beginning of Advent (and Year C in the Revised Common Lectionary). Advent is a season of waiting and expectation, a time of anticipating the birth of the Christ child, and if we're honest it's also a time filled with many activities and expectations. I pray for you, for all of us, to step into this season with intention and with hearts full of gratitude for the many blessings we've received in this year. May we ever remember to take time to pray and be thankful for all that we have.

Enjoy this beautiful, cold, snowy Black Friday whether you shop or not. (I'm in the NOT shop category, unless I make any online purchases!)

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

Announcements & Requests

Please note updated time is now 12:30pm on Tuesdays!

Join us, Tuesdays in Advent, for an exploration of the Anglican Rosary. Beginning on Tuesday, November 30th, for four Tuesdays, we will gather in the church at 12:30pm for an introduction to and prayer with the Anglican Rosary. Praying with beads is an ancient and cherished practice that predates Christianity, especially by individuals who appreciate movement or tactile contact to help focus their mind.

The mother of a priest colleague has graciously and lovingly made us 30 rosaries for our prayerful journey. They are beautiful, simple, and a wonderful tool for prayer. An interesting aspect of the Anglican Rosary is that the prayers can easily be changed for the season or circumstance. For our exploration we will be using Praying with Beads: Daily Prayers for the Christian Year by Nan Lewis Doerr and Virginia Stem Owens (Amazon link here). We will be praying evening prayers specific to each week of Advent. There is no need to purchase the book to join us as we will have a printed handout for your use. You might love it so much you will be excited to have the prayers for the whole year though.

I hope you will join us for this prayerful exploration. Each gathering will last less than 30 minutes and will be broadcast on our St. Paul's Zoom and via Facebook. Rosary beads and prayer handouts will be available the first evening, Tuesday November 30th (or Sunday November 28th if requested). As we step into Advent, that season of waiting and expectation, may we do so prayerfully and with intention.

News from the Red Doors - November 19, 2021

Vestry and Warden Opportunities

Greetings all! It's that time of year when we start planning for our leadership changes for 2022. We have been blessed with wonderful leaders and are looking for a few more. If you would be interested and willing to serve on vestry, we will welcome two new members for 2022. We are also looking for a Junior Warden for next year, with the promise of lots of assistance should you step into this role.

Please prayerfully consider whether you're ready to help St. Paul's in this next year of ministry in LaPorte. Contact Jean Burns, Tom Konieczny, or Mother Michelle with questions or to volunteer. Thank you!

This Week at St. Paul's
Mother Michelle Walker

Dear St. Paul's Family,

As we prepare to celebrate the last Sunday in Liturgical Year B, and the feast of Thanksgiving, I am reminded of how exceptionally blessed we are. While November, and Thanksgiving in particular, is always a time to reflect upon how beautiful life can be, it is exceptionally true this year. We have homes, food, a safe and warm place to worship, dear friends & fellow believers, vaccinations, and the ability to be together in-person ... even for a meal. We've spent more than 1.5 years in ministry together and God keeps pressing us onward. There are new doors opening and new possibilities on the horizon. We are blessed indeed.

This Sunday as we celebrate "Christ the King" Sunday we are reminded that we worship a Savior who is indeed king in every best sense of that role AND so many more. We prepared for our Thanksgiving celebrations, whatever they may be. For some of us, Thanksgiving will be filled with lots of people we love around a common table and (perhaps) more hustle and bustle than we can bear. For others of us, Thanksgiving will be more quiet, maybe even solitary, as we remember or yearn for that hustle and bustle again. Regardless of how you spend the day, remember to count your blessings. Remember you are never alone, even when you aren't with other people. And above all, give God thanks for his magnificent glory and his deep abiding love for YOU!

I hope to see you on Sunday. We are so blessed when we are in community with each other. And don't forget that Sunday, 11/21 at 4pm we will share in our Thankfulness Dinner. Just come. It's going to be delicious!

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

Announcements & Requests

Join us, Tuesdays in Advent, for an exploration of the Anglican Rosary. Beginning on Tuesday, November 30th, for four Tuesdays, we will gather in the church at 12:30pm for an introduction to and prayer with the Anglican Rosary. Praying with beads is an ancient and cherished practice that predates Christianity, especially by individuals who appreciate movement or tactile contact to help focus their mind.

The mother of a priest colleague has graciously and lovingly made us 30 rosaries for our prayerful journey. They are beautiful, simple, and a wonderful tool for prayer. An interesting aspect of the Anglican Rosary is that the prayers can easily be changed for the season or circumstance. For our exploration we will be using Praying with Beads: Daily Prayers for the Christian Year by Nan Lewis Doerr and Virginia Stem Owens (Amazon link here). We will be praying evening prayers specific to each week of Advent. There is no need to purchase the book to join us as we will have a printed handout for your use. You might love it so much you will be excited to have the prayers for the whole year though.

I hope you will join us for this prayerful exploration. Each gathering will last less than 30 minutes and will be broadcast on our St. Paul's Zoom and via Facebook. Rosary beads and prayer handouts will be available the first evening, Tuesday November 30th (or Sunday November 28th if requested). As we step into Advent, that season of waiting and expectation, may we do so prayerfully and with intention.

News from the Red Doors - November 12, 2021

This Week at St. Paul's
Mother Michelle Walker

Dear St. Paul's Family,

Good morning St. Paul's family. The phrase "when it rains, it pours" is on my mind this morning as I sit down, uncharacteristically behind schedule, to prepare our News from the Red Doors. For me these last weeks, months even, have been a whirlwind. Tomorrow marks our Diocesan Convention and the (hopefully successful) event I plan for all year long. Your prayers are appreciated! I'm expecting and praying for things to calm down a bit after tomorrow.

That said, I have been remiss in catching up with several of you who could use some extra time, prayers, and conversation. I welcome the opportunity to catch up with you over the coming weeks. So if you have been holding off reaching out to me because I've been so busy, NOW (well, Monday!) IS THE TIME to call, text, email, or otherwise locate me. I'm eager to minister to you in the varying ways you might find helpful.

In St. Paul's current events, please consider the following reminders:

  • Pledge cards are requested by this Sunday, November 14th. We will celebrate our stewardship completion next Sunday both in service and with our Thankfulness dinner.

  • Next Sunday, November 21st, at 4pm we will share our gratitude at our Thankfulness Dinner. Susie is busy arranging the menu, decorations, and more. I hope you will join us for this precious time of fellowship.

  • Our November food drive for the Salvation Army is in full force. Don't forget to bring some food for donation.

  • Our Christmas Gifts for Girls 12-15 years Collection is also in full force. Please consider bringing in a new unwrapped item for donation.

I have two other exciting bits of information to share with you as well. The first is that this Wednesday afternoon we have our site visit from the leaders of the Church Buildings for Collaborative Partnerships (CBCP) team. We have invited 5 civic leaders to be present as well. They will tour our facility and brainstorm with us ideas for more actively engaging the community that surrounds our building. Pray for the wisdom of the Holy Spirit to be evident to us and for all of our courage to consider new ways of ministry. I will invite our project team of Jean Burns and Tom Konieczny to offer us an update after the meeting.

The second is also fun and exciting. As many of you may already know, our beloved Winnie Eyrick has served on the St. Paul's altar guild for a very long time. In fact, in looking back through the years, Winnie admits she has been in one altar guild or another for nearly 7 decades. With our blessing, she has retired from active service but continues to be a consultant in every way. (For instance, she was the ONLY one who noticed that I wore the chasuble backwards last Sunday! Now you better all be watching me for that.)

In honor of her many years of service, and our love and appreciation for her, a new Lectionary/Gospel book has been purchased for use on our regular Sundays. The current gold one contains a different translation than we read on Sunday mornings, although we will continue to use it on Holy days. We will be dedicating this new book, and thanking Winnie for her faithful ministry, this Sunday during the service. I hope you all will attend. It will be a moment to cherish.

On that note, have a blessed day everyone. Be careful with, but not fearful of, our first snow of the season this weekend. And keep praying ...

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

Join us, Tuesdays in Advent, for an exploration of the Anglican Rosary. Beginning on Tuesday, November 30th, for four Tuesdays, we will gather in the church at 6pm for an introduction to and prayer with the Anglican Rosary. Praying with beads is an ancient and cherished practice that predates Christianity, especially by individuals who appreciate movement or tactile contact to help focus their mind.

The mother of a priest colleague has graciously and lovingly made us 30 rosaries for our prayerful journey. They are beautiful, simple, and a wonderful tool for prayer. An interesting aspect of the Anglican Rosary is that the prayers can easily be changed for the season or circumstance. For our exploration we will be using Praying with Beads: Daily Prayers for the Christian Year by Nan Lewis Doerr and Virginia Stem Owens (Amazon link here). We will be praying evening prayers specific to each week of Advent. There is no need to purchase the book to join us as we will have a printed handout for your use. You might love it so much you will be excited to have the prayers for the whole year though.

I hope you will join us for this prayerful exploration. Each gathering will last less than 30 minutes and will be broadcast on our St. Paul's Zoom and via Facebook. Rosary beads and prayer handouts will be available the first evening, Tuesday November 30th (or earlier by request). As we step into Advent, that season of waiting and expectation, may we do so prayerfully and with intention.

News from the Red Doors - November 5, 2021

This Week at St. Paul's
Mother Michelle Walker

Dear St. Paul's Family,

The month of November is offering us extra opportunities to be in community with each other and to care for the least amongst us. I am happy to share a few of them with you here, along with a few announcements.

Masks, On-Off-ON AGAIN - With LaPorte County back in Orange, please wear your mask throughout the entire service again. It's always better to be safe than sorry. And if you haven't yet received your booster shot, consider that soon. I'm heading in for mine the week of 11/15!

Pledge Cards - Please don't forget to return your pledge cards for 2022 by Sunday, November 14th, as our Stewardship Campaign chair person, Margie Bender, requested. Your contributions, however big or small they may seem to you, help St. Paul's to continue to offer services here in LaPorte. Please prayerfully consider what you can give for 2022. (Blank pledge cards are available at the usher stand at the Harrison Street entrance.)

Time Change - Don't forget that Daylight Savings Time ends at 2am on Sunday November 7th. Be sure to set your clocks back before going to bed Saturday night OR you'll be early enough to join the choir (which would also be a wonderful thing!).

Open Plate 1st Sunday - This Sunday, the first Sunday of November, all open plate offerings will be contributed to the priest's discretionary fund.

Salvation Army - Our food drive contributions ebb and flow over the year, even though they are always in need. During this month of gratitude, please be extra aware of how you might contribute to this ministry to help feed the needy in our own backyards.

Christmas Giving Opportunity - Sue Cummings contacted the Salvation Army social worker to see how we could support their ministry this Christmas season.  The most needed gifts are for girls ages 12 - 15 years.  They offer a "Christmas Toy Teen Shop" for this age.  Mothers pick out gifts for their daughters.  Suggested NEW items are: wallets, purses, ear buds, fuzzy socks, scarves, or other things girls this age might enjoy. 

Please consider how you might help this ministry by donating one or more of these unwrapped items.  A collection box will be placed by the Harrison Street entrance with a deadline of November 30th (so they have time to get the "store" set up before December 13th).  You have always been a  generous group and these small things will make some girls very happy.  Contact Sue Cummings if you have any questions.  

Thankfulness Dinner and Stewardship Celebration

In the past we have offered a Harvest meal, which was a combination of a St. Paul's meal and a community dinner. For this year, due to COVID, we will have a Thankfulness Dinner and Stewardship Celebration for our St. Paul's family only. (We will still be offering a November community dinner, see below.)

Please mark your calendars for Sunday November 21st at 4pm to join us for an early Thanksgiving meal with our St. Paul's family. Be sure to bring along any family you have at home and enjoy some delicious food and fellowship, in thankfulness for all we have and especially as a celebration of our successful stewardship campaign. Contact Susie Richter with questions or to offer assistance.

Community ToGo Dinner
Our next community ToGo dinner is November 23rd at 6pm. As I mentioned in a previous email, it was joyous to experience the excitement and appreciation of the people that participated. And the food was delicious. Please consider how you might best help support this ministry by cooking, volunteering, making a monetary donation (labeled specifically for Community Dinners), and always by prayer. It is one more wonderful way we can give back to our community.

Thank you St. Paul's, for the beautiful faithful people you are. I delight to see your smiling faces (or eyes) in church on Sunday mornings! Be blessed.

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

A Stewardship Letter from our Senior Warden
Jean Burns

                                                                                                                    November 2021

Dear Members of St. Paul’s Family,

First, thank you for your faithful commitment to St. Paul’s. Without your gifts of time, talent, and money, our doors would no longer be open. A small congregation can be a powerful force as we have demonstrated. I suspect that, like me, you want St. Paul’s to be here, thriving, long after we are gone. Having been a faithful member for more than sixty years, I pray that St. Paul’s faith community will continue doing God’s work. I was confirmed here, my children were baptized here, raised here, married here; my husband’s burial service was here. St. Paul’s is my church home; its members my church family. I am doing all I can with my time, my talent, and my money to ensure the future of St. Paul’s. I know you will do the same. What does God have in store for St. Paul’s? I do not know, but I want us to be open and ready for whatever it is.

How blessed we have been with the gift of an endowment. For many months we managed financially without having to dip into it. However, this is no longer the case as our income does not cover our expenses nor does it make it possible to increase our outreach programs. We are resuming our community dinners, but, I ask again, how much more could we do? You already make amazing contributions to support the church, but it is my hope and my prayer that each of you will consider, as we worship God together, how you might increase this support with your time, your talent, and, yes, with your money.

We have a beautiful, historical building, a faithful, energetic priest,  and a small, but committed congregation. What can each of us do so that St. Paul’s not only survives, but thrives?

God’s blessings,

Jean Burns

This Week at St. Paul's
Mother Michelle Walker

Dear St. Paul's Family,

This week I was overwhelmingly blessed by our community dinner. While I know it was significantly different than what we did in the past, I witnessed many wonderful things:

  1. Our St. Paul's group was mighty. We had plenty of food and lots of volunteers. It was a joy to peek into the parish hall windows (I was outside) and see the vibrant hum of people caring for other people. THANK YOU to everyone to helped in big and small ways.

  2. We fed people. We fed people who were hungry, who remembered and appreciated the wonderful meals we've provided in the past, and who were thankful for an opportunity to simply be in community with others. (I also answered a few questions about being a female priest!)

  3. Most importantly, I witnessed the fruits of this ministry from before the pandemic. Several of the "regulars" were there, and they were thankful. They talked about how lovely our meals were and are. They expressed their delight at seeing us again. And they remembered the people of St. Paul's with fondness.

I praise God for our ability to restart this ministry and ask his blessings upon it. I thank Mike and Margie for their good work in planning and to everyone who made a dish or helped in anyway. I'd guess we saw between 15-20 people, many who took meals for a partner. All of these people will help spread the word for our next community dinner. We learned a few tips about relaunching, especially in terms of advertising, and expect this wonderful ministry to continue to grow.

Now, what are you willing to prepare for our Tuesday November 23rd dinner?

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

News from the Red Doors - October 29, 2021

From Your Senior Warden, Jean Burns

Dear Members of My Church Family,

As I write this morning, I am reminded of how grateful I am to be a member of St. Paul’s family. We are a small, but stalwart and faithful group that, I believe, shares my dream of new, exciting, ministries and growth. You may recall, our diocese joined the Diocese of Indianapolis in the Church Buildings for Collaborative Partnership program. As a member of the project, St. Paul’s committee, Mother Michelle, Tom, and I participated in four introductory/ instructional/ sharing sessions.

And now the climactic event. On November 17 during an on-site visit, our church properties will be assessed for space sharing by our committee, members of the community, and members of the Thriving Congregations project team. I am hopeful that the results will guide us in using our historical property in new ways. I believe our size does not limit the many exciting possibilities for St. Paul’s. What new ministry would reach the needs of our own neighborhood, located as we are at Michigan and Harrison? What new ministry is a dream worth pursuing for St. Paul’s? What new ministry would inspire and excite you? We encourage you to share your thoughts, your ideas, your dreams, your gifts for St. Paul’s.

What a joyful lunch members of the Altar Guild shared a week ago. It was truly a special occasion. Winnie Eyrick, at 12, became a junior member of the Altar Guild of her parish in New York. She subsequently and faithfully served as a member of the Altar Guild and as a friend and mentor to all of us for over 70 years. It was such a privilege to thank her and recognize her service. What a blessing she is! In tribute to her, a new Gospel/Lectionary has been ordered to replace the outdated one we have. Inside, a book plate will honor her long and significant ministry. We are looking forward to using the new Lectionary for the first time on November 14.

Two groups in our church, the Vestry and the Thursday Bible Study are engaged in book studies. I am thoroughly enjoying both. As I reflect, I smile, grateful that I still able to read, think, and learn, all an abundance of my own life. The Vestry is reading and discussing, a chapter at a time, Part-Time Is Plenty, by Jeffrey MacDonald, who argues that churches with part-time clergy cannot only survive, but thrive when the members of the congregation become responsible for many of the duties traditionally delegated to the clergy. Carefully planning and oversight are needed, but a more vital, thriving church is attainable.

The second book, Bible Women: All Their Words and Why They Matter is guiding the discussions of Bible Study on Thursday mornings. Compared with the number of named men of the Bible who speak, there are relatively few named women. However, the women’s voices are there and important, many of them ahead of their time and setting precedents. I was unfamiliar with the daughters of Zelophehad before reading their story in Numbers. I certainly did not know that their persuasive words have been used as legal arguments for women’s rights. How eye opening and inspiring to read and discuss the stories of these women.

On the fourth Sunday of each month, the words of one of these women are the subject of discussion during coffee hour. If you haven’t been to coffee hour lately, please give it a try. The gatherings are informal and welcoming.

Mother Michelle’s words from last week’s newsletter are with me as I close. I am grateful for the abundance in the lives of all of us. As God guides us, may our abundance flourish.

God’s blessings, Jean

This Week at St. Paul's
Mother Michelle Walker

Dear St. Paul's Family,

This week I was overwhelmingly blessed by our community dinner. While I know it was significantly different than what we did in the past, I witnessed many wonderful things:

  1. Our St. Paul's group was mighty. We had plenty of food and lots of volunteers. It was a joy to peek into the parish hall windows (I was outside) and see the vibrant hum of people caring for other people. THANK YOU to everyone to helped in big and small ways.

  2. We fed people. We fed people who were hungry, who remembered and appreciated the wonderful meals we've provided in the past, and who were thankful for an opportunity to simply be in community with others. (I also answered a few questions about being a female priest!)

  3. Most importantly, I witnessed the fruits of this ministry from before the pandemic. Several of the "regulars" were there, and they were thankful. They talked about how lovely our meals were and are. They expressed their delight at seeing us again. And they remembered the people of St. Paul's with fondness.

I praise God for our ability to restart this ministry and ask his blessings upon it. I thank Mike and Margie for their good work in planning and to everyone who made a dish or helped in anyway. I'd guess we saw between 15-20 people, many who took meals for a partner. All of these people will help spread the word for our next community dinner. We learned a few tips about relaunching, especially in terms of advertising, and expect this wonderful ministry to continue to grow.

Now, what are you willing to prepare for our Tuesday November 23rd dinner?

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