Ecclesiastes 3
by Carol and Charles Morello, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Virginia

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 speaks about seasons and changes: For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven (vs. 1). As the East Range Episcopal Churches come to the end of the year 2006, many things will be changing.

After over 3½ years here, the Rev. Pat Gillespie will be leaving her position as Rector of the East Range Episcopal Churches. Pat will be Total Ministry Mentor at St. Mary’s, Tower & Ely. While St. Paul’s has selected Total Ministry, St. Paul’s has not selected its mentor. St. John’s has opted to walk a different path than Total Ministry. Pat will no longer have a pastoral relationship with St. John’s (a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing– vs. 5).

For the first time since the 1890s, with the arrival of regular clergy to serve our churches as “rector”, all three of our churches will not have a rector in their future. We have all selected in one way or another to minister to our congregations and our communities from within our congregations. Some of us will raise up individuals to be local priests, others will (to use a phrase David Allen used last Summer during our discussions of the future) “pay someone to do our Christianity for us.” As Ecclesiastes writes, a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted (vs. 2).

As each of us writes the year 2007 on our checks, the cluster of churches known as East Range Episcopal Churches will no longer have a constant strand of connective tissue through their priest and a common direction – something that has stretched back at least to the time of Dan Swenson’s pastorate on the Range in the 1960s. Our three churches, like three siblings, will leave the nest of family and step out into the world as independent individuals, each serving Christ as we feel called. As Ecclesiastes writes, a time to break down, and a time to build up; (vs. .3).

With the end of a unified connective tissue among our congregations and the dissolution of the concept of the East Range Episcopal Churches, the era of East Range Epistle also comes to an end. As best as we have been able to ascertain, The Epistle began under the Rev Roger Weaver when there were congregations in Eveleth, Hoyt Lakes, Tower, and Virginia. Since then St. Stephen’s (Hoyt Lakes) has closed and St. Mary’s (Tower) has expanded to a vibrant community in Ely. As Ecclesiastes writes, a time to be born, and a time to die; (vs. 2).

As the concept of unified East Range Episcopal Churches ceases, each of us begins a new personal faith walk and a faith walk within our home congregations. In the discernment process at St. Paul’s (our home congregation), Carol and Chuck have both been called to be in different parts of the Total Ministry Team. Should we accept these calls, they will consume our time and our talents as we help at St. Paul’s as they grow in their walk with Christ. The Epistle has been published on a regular basis since late 1995 and we have been producing an automated version since early 1996. After nearly 11 years (and about 110 issues) and after the bonds have been loosed that formerly tied our congregations together, the unity of community of our congregations working together has ended (a time to seek, and a time to lose, vs. 6).

The reasons for one newsletter to serve all three congregations no longer exists. In the coming years, each congregation according to its own wishes and desires will communicate with its parishioners in its own way – just like the other individual congregations in our diocese and in the Episcopal Church (a time to keep, and a time to throw away, vs. 6).

Our personal “newsletter ministry”, which began in 1984 in Stuttgart, Germany, and journeyed through several years for the Episcopal Bishop for the Armed Forces and with St. Margaret’s in Woodbridge, VA, will, with this issue, come to an end in its paper version. Thank you for being loyal readers in this, our ministry and our journey.

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven
Peace — Friede — Pax

Carol & Chuck

Pat's Pastoral Notes ...

The Rev Patricia Gillespie

Lost Dreams and New Beginnings

Most of us like to have some idea where our lives are going -- hopes and dreams about what’s down the road in this journey we call life. We often build our lives on those dreams. And then things change.

Relationships change, jobs change, even churches change, and we grieve for the loss of our dreams.
Advent is full of change, as we move toward Christmas and the church begins a new year. For Mary and Joseph, journeying toward Bethlehem, a dream was about to be born, though perhaps it didn’t turn out just as they’d planned. The disciples’ dream about Jesus as their victorious Messiah didn’t turn out as they’d planned either. The Bible is full of stories of human hopes and dreams lost.

The Bible, however, is God’s story. It is a story filled with glorious surprises in the midst of broken dreams. In the messes we make of our lives, in those lost and broken dreams, God brings new birth and new life over and over again.

We have an Advent, a new beginning, in our churches now. Our dream of a traditional, rector-and-parish ministry didn’t turn out as we’d planned, and I grieve for that lost dream. Yet I trust that the winds of the Spirit are bringing us new beginnings and blessings. You will be beginning a new kind of ministry, as I am also. It is Advent. As we journey toward Christmas and new year, new dreams will be born in our lives. And like that baby born in the messy stable so long ago, the surprising birth will overflow with blessing.

God, you shape our dreams.
As we put our trust in you
may your hopes and desires
be ours
and we your expectant people.
Amen.

Pat +

East Range Episcopal Churches' News

Preachers’ Group

The next Preachers’ Group meeting will be on Wednesday, January 17, 2007 at 6:30 PM at St. Paul’s. If you are interested in preaching or finding your voice, contact Pat (218-638-1206).

Christmas Pageant

This year’s Christmas pageant will be held on Sunday, Dec. 17 at 10:00 at St. John’s in Eveleth. The youth group is creating a completely new pageant this year & hopes to have participation from ALL youth & children, as well as any adults who could help as choir members, actors, dancers or musicians. We will hold our 1st pageant meeting on Sun. Dec. 3 at noon. We will assign parts & determine what music is used depending on which musicians can participate. The youth group has the skeleton of the script done, and has allowed for flexibility in the planning to accommodate whatever gifts & talents people bring to the meeting. This will require a bit more planning & rehearsing than in the past, but we hope to make it as easy for those involved as possible. There is a great deal of excitement among the youth doing the planning, and they hope others will feel the same & join in. If you have questions, contact Gail Coon (218-744-5138 or 218-744-5099).

Episcopal Environmental Stewardship Commission

The next meeting of the Environmental Stewardship Commission will be on January 5-6, 2007 at St. Andrew’s by-the-Lake, Duluth. If you are interested in attending, please contact Chuck Morello (218-744-1615) or visit the website: http://www.env-steward.com

Sheltering Arms Award

At its 8th annual Children’s Leadership Award ceremony, held at the Woman's Club in Minneapolis on Thursday, November 2, the Sheltering Arms Foundation honored three exemplary Minnesotans who have shown incredible commitment in their work to improve the lives of children and youth.

Gail Coon of St. Paul's was one of this year’s recipients of Sheltering Arms' Children’s Leadership Awards. Gail as director of the Great Northern Teens Encounter Christ (TEC), has been “a consistent, positive and loving presence to youth in Northern Minnesota” for decades. She has been the adult director for the Great Northern TEC since its inception in 1973. According to her nominators: “She maintains a lay, volunteer, youth-led ministry through her energy and ability to engage others. Her work has touched thousands of teens within the Diocese through her guidance, leadership and uplifting force.”

Diocesan Convention

Here are some observations about the recent Diocesan Convention in Duluth:

214 of 235 Lay Delegates attended (and it was the first time in Chuck’s memory that all three of the East Range Churches had a representative there).
142 of 297 Clergy attended
3 of 9 Regional Youth Delegates attended, including Erick Olson of Region II.
13 Children and 109 Visitors were present

The convention had the slogan “In sure and certain hope” and had three main activities: The opening banquet, a business session, and the Market Place

Banquet Speaker

Bishop Charleston’s speech at the banquet (also mentioned in St. John’s Vestry Notes) was simultaneously humorous and envigorating to those who listened. He made three main points:

Where are we going? Wherever we as Christians are going, we are going together. We may squabble the whole way (just like a family does); but, we won’t march in lock-step. We all need to remember that no matter how insane any of us may feel we are, there is someone else in the group who agrees with us. Most important is that whatever one may envision, it needs to be envisioned as a community and not as individuals.
When we are traveling together we are trying to get someplace. We need to ask ourselves what the reason or purpose is for this journey. As Christians we travel in faith.
Whenever and wherever we go, we will go sing-ing, rejoicing, and in happiness. We will seek to achieve the joy and happiness that Christ gave to us through his disciples.

His words and use of humor set a tone for the rest of convention which gave everyone an opportunity to re-examine their approach to the work of Jesus Christ in the Diocese of Minnesota.

Business Session

The election of Gail Sheddy (St. Mary’s/Ely) was the first time in over a decade that someone from the East Range Churches was elected to a diocesan position.

The budget presentation ran into only one major snag, when a presenter from the Diocesan Trustees was unable to answer whether the Trustees are managing funds in a manner consistent with the Millennium Development Goals.

The Bishop’s Commission on Mission Strategy was an outgrowth of the Metro Mission Strategy Team (MMST) created before last year’s convention. After several months of work, the MMST decided that any growth strategy planned for the congregations in and around the Twin Cities could only be effective if the entire diocese entered into the dialog. The resulting effort will be handled regionally and will include meetings with every congregation in the next few months. At table discussion after this presentation, we were to discuss the following questions:

What would be lost if the Episcopal Church in Minnesota were to disappear?
What are the three most important things that God is doing in your congregation?

Discussion at my table was quite lively.

The Millennium Development Goals (MDG) were presented visually to cover each of the 8 goals. At the end there was a short video of Laura Amendola (St. Paul’s/Duluth) discussing her involvement as one of two individuals representing the United States at a UN event discussing the MDG. As St. John’s has outlined in its Vestry Notes, an offering of 0.7% is not hard for any of us to do for our share.
The presentation on the 75th General Convention of the Episcopal Church covered both legislation passed and legislation that did not make it to both houses (and thereby did not pass). There was also a presentation about the election of the Right Reverend Katharine Jefferts Schori as the new Presiding Bishop. In a sad commentary on some individuals inability to have a female shepherd, several dioceses (some almost immediately after her election) have petitioned to have some other (male) bishop provide the bishop’s oversight for them [guess they hadn’t heard Bishop Charleston’s speech somewhere else! – Chuck.]

The Market Place:

Exhibitors were set up in the Market Place area. Among the exhibitors were members of the former St. Edward the Confessor Episcopal Church, Duluth, with items from the church that were available for the taking. Also in the Market Place was the silent auction. In the final analysis, the silent auction brought in $4,259 for application to the MDG.

At the close of the convention, it was announced that the 150th Convention of the Diocese of Minnesota, to kick off its susquecentennial year, will be on October 26-27, 2007at the River Centre in St. Paul. The keynote speaker will be Garrison Keillor.

If you have concerns about how things are done or about what is happening in the Diocese of Minnesota or in the Episcopal Church, you can make a difference by getting involved at the diocesan or national level. If you don’t get involved, you don’t have a reason to complain or criticize. To get involved talk with Jane Kingston, Gail Sheddy, Chuck Morello or Pat Gillespie.

ECW Christmas Party

ECW will hold its annual Christmas Party as a pot luck luncheon, on Saturday Dec 9 at 12:30 PM at Shirley Coe's residence. Please contact Shirley (218-741-0253) to arrange what dish to bring. All women of the East Range Churches are welcome.

St. John's Episcopal Church News

(Submitted by Jane Kingston)

Reminders and Notices

Attention & Achtung! For all who donated to either the ECS Clothing Drive or MDG Silent Auction, In-Kind Donation Forms for your personal 2006 income tax filing convenience are available on the ledge beside the downstairs door.

January 28 Annual Congregational Meeting and Potluck in the undercroft following regular service.

December ECS Project: Winter Hugs for Kids – Provide a warm winter hug to a child. Give him or her a brand new matching set of mitts, hat, and scarf! Every child deserves to have the clothing he or she needs to feel warm and safe during the winter season. Many of the families Episcopal Community Services serves can’t afford new hats, mittens and scarves to fit their growing children each and every year. You can provide a warm winter hug to these children! Pick up just one set the next time you’re at the store, or collect many!

January ECS Project: Cabin Fever – Collect new and gently used books and videos for young people (ages 6-17; G, GP, & PG-13 only, please!) in ECS care at the Residential Youth Services in Bemidji. It’s COLD and the young people stay up to nine months, so your gifts can make their winter a lot brighter. When you give, it helps to combat your own cabin fever! Remember, videos and books go on sale after Christmas!

Please leave your contributions on the shelf beside the side door at Saint John’s.
(Note: If St. Paul’s has any contributions, call the Kingstons 218-744-3833 for pick up – and Thank You so very much!!) This is the miracle that happens every time to those who really love; the more they give, the more they possess. – Rainer Maria Rilke

Vestry Notes

From the meeting of November 6, 2006:

Monthly: expenditures $2,114.30, receipts $448.75, monthly ($1,665.55), checking account balance $9,222.44.
YTD: expenditures $22,386.20, receipts $14,016.12, budget ($8,370.08).
Interfaith Power and Light’s sponsored viewing of An Inconvenient Truth report: 12 attendees and good discussion.
UEC Stewardship Campaign solicitation: Motion carried to donate $50.
Snow removal: NHarvey will contact Reese Coldagelli.
Vestry 2007: As Gail agreed to run for another 3-year term, and Jane agreed to serve an additional year, no recruiting is required.
Subscriptions 2007: check on Forward Day-by-Day booklets, Today’s Reading Lectionary inserts, and Calendars. Pledge envelopes will be ordered.
Income tax receipts for in-kind donations are available for everyone who donated items to either the ECS clothing drive or the MDG Silent Auction. .
Erickson Fund request for Ely Christian Education Group: Motion “From the Erickson Fund, provide a one-time $250 donation to the Ely Christian Education Group, and simultaneously provide a one-time $250 donation to the TEC/Youth Group under the leadership of Gail Coon” carried, contingent on concurrence of St. Paul’s vestry and St. Mary’s Bishop Committee, or that of each Senior Warden.
Mother Pat indicated she is willing to provide Supply services for St. Paul’s, but not St. John’s, for logical and understandable reasons. Therefore, should St. Paul’s choose Mother Pat for supply services next year, no sharing of supply costs is possible between St. Paul’s and St. John’s. Potential supply candidates: Fr. George Porthan, Marta Maddy, Doug Morrison-Cleary, Margaret Thomas, Gretchen Pickeral, an Anglican priest in Brainerd, or, if no Episcopal priest is available, local ELCA ministers. The Senior Warden is responsible for contact and scheduling.
Worship Leader training is forthcoming, TKingston, CMoore, DHarvey, and JKingston having expressed interest. Linda Davis’s training is current. Senior Warden is working with Sally Cummings at Christ Church in Grand Rapids.
Subscriptions: Last year, although the shared subscription for Today’s Reading Lectionary inserts saved us some money, delivery from St. Paul’s to St. John’s was not always accomplished on a timely basis, resulting in St. John’s missing several inserts over the year. It may be better to subscribe separately. We’ll also check into costs, needs, and options for the Forward Day-by-Day booklets and Calendars (one complimentary copy that comes from the Church Pension Fund may be sufficient).
Vestry decided not to share Telephone costs next year – instead a parishioner’s number will be listed. NHarvey will contact potential candidates to serve as our “Telephone Minister.” However, we will continue sharing Epistle and Miscellaneous (if any) costs, and anticipate cost reductions in both as compared to 2006.
Ham Dinner: everyone, please help St. Paul’s by putting in as much time as you can!
Diocesan Convention keynote presentation by Bishop Steven Charleston message: Episcopalians (1) travel TOGETHER; (2) travel with a MISSION; & (3) travel with JOY and SINGING!! Sensational address will be provided on DVD to each congregation, compliments of Holy Trinity in I-Falls! It should be available in December, at which time we’ll discuss viewing, possibly during an upcoming service.
Gail Sheddy was elected to Standing Committee – Congratulations to our friend, Gail!

ention: Stained glass cross $100 (opening bid by Bishop Jelinek!); Pillow cases $25; Coasters green $5; Coasters red $10; Cookbooks (3): $70!! Thank you, thank you, Gail Hallstrom and Jane Petik!! Our little churches items were as good and plentiful as any of the big churches, and, if anything, superior!! Unsold items go to ECS holiday program for families in need. MDG donations (checks marked “MDG”) can be given directly to ERD, which will direct appropriately. These donations are designed to help the poorest of the poor. Guidelines:

Gross Income	0.7%
$10,000	$70
$20,000	$140
$50,000	$350
$80,000	$490
Time per week:	70 minutes

Pooled Investment Fund yield through September is 7.5%! The fund holds $22 MM in 159 accounts, our Whitman Fund being one of them.
inancial Factoids: 16 out of 108 congregations get ACG relief; no change in ACG formula (based upon 2005 Parochial Reports), health insurance, dental insurance, other benefits, or supply clergy rates; COLA +3% for 2007.
Rectors Report
Mother Pat said she and St. John’s were somewhat of a mismatch, and that she may have made some mistakes; but she is looking to the future. She is already doing some grieving. She is proud of this church and the way in which St. John’s vestry confronted and handled difficult issues especially over this past year. She will pray hard for St. John’s and truly hopes it will blossom and grow!

News of St. Mary's Episcopal Church

(Submitted by Mary Groeninger)

New Website

St. Mary's has revised and updated its website. Check it out at http://www.speravi.com/stmary.

Gifts That Give Sale

The Gifts That Give Sale will be held Dec 2, 10 AM - 2 PM at Ely Presbyterian. We will once again host a SERRV table. Volunteers are needed to help with set-up the day before or with selling on the day of the sale. Please let Pam or Mary know if you can help.

Education for Ministry

Education for Ministry (EFM) winter meeting dates are: Dec 16; Jan 6 & 20; and Feb 3.

Wednesday Night Discussions

Wednesday Night Discussions will not meet again until January 3 when we will discuss Tom Brokaw’s The Greatest Generation. We are also actively seeking other titles of interest; if you have any ideas, please share them with Mary or David. Until further notice, all meetings will be held at Ely Presbyterian.

Bishop’s Committee Notes

From the meeting of October 7, 2006:

The treasurer’s report of June 18 – Sept 18 was presented. We had receipts of $4,719.59 and expenses of $3,615.18 with net assets of $19,562.44. For the year we have a deficit of $777.50 but are making a Comeback.
Mary Brown Environmental Center. We have been approved by the diocese for 2007. We are working on a retreat schedule and it is filling up. There will be a booth at the diocesan convention and we will be selling T-shirts and sweatshirts.
Education. The Ely Christian Education group is going very well. There is a great spirit and around 65 students. We had anticipated 30. EFM has begun with our mentors Mother Pat and Eunice. The Wednesday night ecumenical study group is still going strong and meeting at the Presbyterian Church.
Ministry Development. The Total Ministry team will be called and in place by December 8, 2006 with formation beginning in January 2007.
The Piano has been picked up and a replacement piano will be delivered soon. We have made half of the payment.
There will be a Silent Auction at the diocesan convention and the MBEC will offer for auction a long weekend visit for a family of up to 4 to the MBEC, including a free day of guided fishing on Fall Lake, some babysitting, a tour of the International Wolf Center, etc.
The Commission on Ministry will be visiting on Friday evening, December 8, 2006 probably at St. Paul’s, Virginia.
There was a motion that St. Mary’s would be open to consider to share Total Ministry Options with St. Paul’s, Virginia. The motion passed unanimously.
There was a motion to accept the 3 Point 2007 Budget Calculations formulated at a joint meeting on Sept 19, 2006. The motion passed unanimously.
We recognize in 2007 we will continue to share with St. John’s the Whitman Fund and to share with St. Paul’s and St. John’s the Erickson Fund.
There was a motion to accept the renewed 3 Point 2006 Budget Calculations in light of Mother Pat moving to half-time. The motion passed unanimously.
There was a motion to Request $500 from the Erickson Fund for the Ely Christian Education group for the 2006-2007 school year. The motion passed unanimously.
Vicar’s Report:
Total Ministry Mentors are very excited about St. Mary’s decision to do Total Ministry. Good Job!!!

From the meeting of November 11, 2006:

The greater part of the meeting was taken up with a congregational call to Total Ministry. Nominations to various team and congregational ministries were made by all members of the congregation present that day, in an exhausting but exhilarating process. Onward and upward!
The proposal to give $250 each from the Erickson Fund to Ely Christian Education and Gail Coon’s youth group was unanimously approved.
Pat’s proposed salary for total ministry mentor and clergy supply was accepted and unanimously approved.
Dick Borgstrom reported that the budget was in good shape, projecting that we will end 2006 with income exceeding expenses.
Advent and Christmas Services: A special Advent service of carols and readings, based on the Mexican tradition of Los Posados will be held December 16 in place of our regular communion service.
Christmas Eve services will be held at 2:00 PM in Ely and 4:30 PM in Tower. Holy Communion service will take place as usual on Saturday (Dec 23) at 5:00 PM.
Beginning in Advent, we will be using the Book of Common Prayer on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays, continuing use of the New Zealand Prayer Book on the others.

Annual Meeting

St. Mary’s Annual Meeting will be held after services on January 13. Potluck dinner slightly before and during the meeting.

News of
St. Paul's Episcopal Church

Poinsettias

Poinsettias for St. Paul’s can be ordered for $10 each. They come in red, pink, white, marble, and peppermint. The plants will be used during the Christmas services & then can be brought home or left at the church. Contact Gail Coon (218-744-5138).

Annual Meeting

St. Paul’s Annual Meeting will be on Sunday, January 14, 2007, following the service.

Ham Dinner Observations

Here are some numbers from the Election Day Ham Dinner. We served 213 take-outs and 348 dining room meals for a total of 561. We still have some tickets that are not accounted for and a couple bills not yet received, but as of 11/15 we have a profit of $3289.69. St. Paul’s budgeted $3000 income from the ham dinner so we should be really close to that amount. George Munig definitely sold the most tickets & inspires us all. I’ll post the final numbers in the parish hall when it is all tabulated. All that being said, the most important “facts” about the ham dinner simply cannot be put into accounting formulas. Here is what I observed. Throughout the whole event many people took on tasks they have never done before, and did them very well. During the day we had new silverware rollers & roasting pan lifters. At serving time we had a new ham slicer, a new dishwasher, guests in the serving line, new ticket takers at the door, and a new ticket seller (with a Daisy assistant) out in the lobby. We also had a wonderful influx of folks serving the beverages & bussing the tables. Everywhere I looked I saw acts of kindness & hospitality happening. And, our dinner guests? Well, there was a lot of eating, and a lot of smiling & laughing, and a lot of good conversation. All was well.

I know several members of the church think it is time to retire the ham dinner...that there are not enough people to do the work. But, I think there are some compelling reasons to keep going. First of all is the camaraderie among all the workers & a chance once a year to gather almost all the members of the church. The youth & children of the congregation know they are needed & valued, and that is a marvelous thing. The community of Virginia and the surrounding areas continue to support this event, and for many it is obviously as much a social thing as an “eating” thing. But there is one reason I find the most important. For several years members of St. John’s in Eveleth have been coming over to help with this dinner. It has been a much-needed and much-appreciated collaboration. Now our two congregations are facing a lot of changes, mainly in the “delivery system” for our worship. While we are working all that out, I think it is vital that we keep some consistency in our shared and cooperative ministries, such as the ham dinner, choirs, and Christmas pageant. I personally would miss the “bonding” that comes from shared hard work, and I think our church communities would lose something of great value...a chance for true servant ministry.

Gail Coon, Ham Dinner Treasurer

Vestry Notes

Unofficial Minutes of the November 14 Meeting:
Planning:

	December 17:	Christmas Pageant at 10 a.m. at St. John’s
	December 24:	Christmas Eve service at 9 p.m.
	January 14:	Annual Meeting

Buildings & Grounds, Restoration:
Dorothy reported a leaking pipe in the basement had necessitated calling Heisel Plumbing, and that an anonymous benefactor had taken care of that bill.

Youth:
Gail reported that the youth had met the previous Sunday and had eagerly viewed and participated in the total ministry discernment process, noting and adding to the lists of possible ministers on the sheets posted in the sanctuary. She said they also began planning for a new and different Christmas pageant to be held this year at St. John’s

Region II and Diocese:
David said a function of the Diocesan Commis-sion on Mission was to visit all churches to elicit opinions on future directions for the larger church. He said Margaret Thomas and Jeff Nelson would be holding a joint session with St. John’s and St. Paul’s, and that when a date and time are decided vestry should plan to participate in that along with other willing members of the congregation.

Rector’s Report:
Pat said she was pleased with the spirit and progress of the total ministry discernment process as it has unfolded so far. She presented a breakdown of costs to St. Paul’s if she were chosen as mentor. The total expense for 1 year would be $24,144.

Treasurers’ Reports:
The vestry discussed the October report for St. Paul’s submitted by Barbara Strickland. Again it appears that by using General Fund savings from the Elizabeth Prout bequest we will cancel out this year’s deficit and finish 2006 in the black.

Old & New Business:

The vestry discussed possible replacements for senior warden and two vestry positions for next year.
Lynne moved that St. Paul’s agree with St. Mary’s and St. John’s that from the Erickson Fund, the 3 churches provide a one-time $250 donation to the Ely Christian Education Group, and simultaneously provide a one-time $250 donation to the Youth Group under the leadership of Gail Coon.
After discussion and the reading of a letter from Marlene Munig on the selection of a mentor for total ministry, Deanne moved that the vestry allow the newly formed team to recommend its mentor. [A basic team is expected to be determined by Dec 8] Dorothy seconded the motion, and it was approved.
Pat led the vestry in the next step in the Total Ministry discernment plan. Working from the guidance provided by members on Sunday, Nov. 12, the vestry prayerfully helped identify potential ministers for St. Paul’s. Those discerned will be contacted by mail and asked to participate in further considerations of their possible calling to these ministries.

U.T.O.

The final U.T.O totals were 107 Pennies, 153 Nickels, 205 Dimes, 216 Quarters (these were really, really, very, very, heavy and broke the box!!!!!!!!), $214.64 in Checks and $52.00 in Paper Currency, for a total of $349.86. Tyrus and Auriel learned how much a little change in a box can add up to be if you put the boxes all together.

Auriel, Tyrus & Kathy Garrett

Thank You

A great “Thank You” to everyone who made pies and came to enjoy pies at St. Paul’s 2nd Annual Pie Sunday on November 19th.

St. Paul’s Women’s News

Women’s craft meetings will resume in January after Epiphany. We will meet at the church in the lower level to work on projects , including some fabric cutting for quilts. The next monthly lunch will be on the 4th Wednesday, January 24, at Chestnut on Main Restaurant in the Coates Hotel.

Next Epistle

Getting Input to The Epistle

Ecclesiastes 3
by Carol and Charles Morello, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Virginia

Pat's Pastoral Notes ...

Lost Dreams and New Beginnings