www. snowbound! t...2011/01/13 · www. january 13, 2011 saintpaulsbrookfield.com (203) 775-9587...
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www.saintpaulsbrookfield.com (203) 775-9587 January 13, 2011
† SNOWBOUND!
T uesday nights Grief
Group was cancelled.
Wednesday’s morning
service was cancelled, the
office was closed and the
Vestry meeting was
rescheduled for next
Wednesday night.
T he pa rk ing and
driveway are now clear, but
please use caution as we
resume full operations, until
the next big one……
Drive carefully.
† This Week at St. Paul’s
Thu., Jan. 13 - 1:00 pm - Dorothy Day Hospitality House Ministry, Danbury
7:30 pm - Music Night, Sanctuary
Sat., Jan. 15 - 7:30 am - Men’s Prayer Breakfast, Parish Hall
10:00 am - St. Paul’s Quilters
Sun., Jan. 16 - Second Sunday after Epiphany
8:00 am - Traditional Eucharist
9:15 am - Adult Christian Education, Guild Room
9:15 am - High School /Young Adult Bible Study, Youth Lounge
10:30 am - Sunday School
10:30 am - Contemporary Eucharist
6:00 pm - Junior High Youth
7:30 pm - Senior High Youth
Mon., Jan. 17 - 7:00 pm - Stephen Ministry Supervision
7:00 pm - Stephen Ministry Training
Tue., Jan. 18 - 9:15 am - Ladies Bible Study, Guild Room
Wed., Jan. 19 - 10:00 am - Holy Eucharist and Healing
7:30 pm - Vestry Meeting, Guild Room
Thu., Jan. 20 - 7:00 pm - Healing Team, Guild Room
7:30 pm - Property Committee, Tuck Room
7:30 pm - Music Night, Sanctuary
† Analee Kirner Reports on Year in
Africa
Last Sunday
Analee Kirner gave
a video presentation
and answered
questions after
both services
in a packed
Guild Room
about her just
completed year
long teaching
mission trip to
Tanzania.
† Happy Birthday to You!
D avid Carli, Lauren Emmett,
Nathaniel Hill & Selma Lindsay
all blow out the candles tomorrow, Friday.
Matthew Barackman & Terri Dority
celebrate Sunday. Ken Mott turns a year
old and wiser on Monday. Have a blessed
day each one of you!
CHURCH SCHOOL NEWS
† Prayers for Livingston Family
M any of you remember when Deryck
Livingston was our family and youth
minister here at St. Paul’s. He contacted us earlier in
the week that “My father Clayton died Sunday. He left
us a great legacy of faith and compassion. I know he's
still with us, somehow. It has been good to connect
with family and friends to reflect on his life.” Please
keep Deryck, Serena, Gennie and Katryn in your
prayers. [email protected]
† Official Prayer of the Sword Points Editorial Board
A lmighty God, keep us, we pray thee, from thinking of ourselves more highly than we
ought to think, and ready at all times to step aside for others, that the cause of
Christ may be advanced; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
† 225th Anniversary - St. Paul’s History
The Rev. Andrew D. Buchanan
A fter serving St. Paul’s for 32 years, George Crocker retired in September 2002. A
search committee was soon formed and began
the process of defining our congregation and the criteria
we sought in a replacement. We came to greatly
appreciate the gentle ways of the Rev. George Hall who
had been called as supply priest, but we anticipated a
very long process before a new rector could be chosen.
But not long into that process the diocesan
placement officer reported that “we have a perfect fit for
St. Paul’s,” and we were introduced to the Rev. Andrew D. Buchanan, who had been serving
as assistant at Trinity Episcopal Church in Tariffville, CT. After his interview there was just
one voice of doubt on the Vestry
(which had always insisted on a
c o n s e n s u s p r o c e s s f o r
decisions), probably reflecting a
concern about his youthful
appearance. But listening to
samples of his sermons on tape
overcame all reservations, and
an immediate call was issued.
Because the diocese has a rule
against an “interim” priest
becoming rector, Andy began
full-time service with us “priest-
in-charge” in March 2003.
About two years later he was
confirmed, and as rector he
served St. Paul’s growing (and
younger) congregation until August 2009 when he was called to Galilee Episcopal Church in
Virginia Beach.
Andrew Buchanan, a fifth-generation Californian, had been raised in the small town of
Bishop, California, where his father is an Episcopal priest. At the age of about 11 or 12 he
felt called to the priesthood through a sermon by his then-rector, the Rev. Christopher Kelly.
Andy eventually found his way to Trinity Episcopal Seminary in Pittsburgh, but on the way
he spent most of a year in Dunblane, Scotland, studying classical bagpipe music. On more
than one occasion the St. Paul’s congregation has been thrilled to be led in procession by the
skirl of the pipes!
Look for more about Fr. Andy and his family in next week’s Sword Points!
Fr. Andy’s youthful appearance was a hit with many!
† Week Link
(or Link of the Week!)
A re you ready for “Keyboarding with Kirsten.”
That’s the name of a new and unique exercise
program that will be offered by our music ministry in
coming weeks. Beginners will start out with
“Chopsticks,” but will quickly advance to Handel’s
“Messiah.” Click here to see a sample of this workout
technique. Kirsten’s top students will give recitals
during the Offertory on Sunday mornings!
† This Date on the Church Calendar
Hilary, Bishop of Poitiers 13 January 367
H ilary of Poitiers (315-367) lived during the great
controversy between Athanasius, who taught that the Son
is fully God, equally with the Father, and Arius, who denied this.
Hilary is sometimes called
"the Athanasius of the West."
He was bishop of Poitiers, and
when he refused to sign a
condemnation of Athanasius,
the Arian emperor Constantius (one of the sons of
Constantine) banished him to Phrygia in 357.
His exile lasted three years, during which time he
wrote several essays, including On the Trinity. Finally
the emperor was forced to send him back to Gaul
because he was causing such difficulties for the Arians
in the East.
In 364, he journeyed to Milan
(Milano), where he engaged in
public debate with the Arian
bishop Auxentius, and persuaded
him of the error of his ways.
by James Kiefer
The Healing Ministry offers
House of Prayer (longer
periods of prayer) on a
Saturday each month
between 2:00 P.M. and
4:00 P.M.
Walk-ins are welcome and you
may also request prayer by
appointment.
We pray for any need
including: relationships,
physical healing, emotional
healing, finances, family and
generational healing.
If you have any questions or
would like further info, call:
Lynne Donnelly,
860-354-3725,
Diane Hannah,
860-355-9119,
or the Parish Office,
203-775-9587.
† Paid Summer Internship
T he University of the South in Sewanee, TN is
inviting undergraduate students at colleges and
universities across the U.S. to apply for a summer
internship there from June 6 - July 31. There are 12
openings, three of which are set aside specifically for
minority students interested in ministry. Students
interested in exploring vocations in ordained ministry or
service with nonprofits are encouraged to apply.
$2,400 stipend included. Applications due by March 1,
2011. More info here.
† Your Prayers Are Requested For…
I t is such an intimate time when praying for the health and well being of others and
such a privilege. The people that we lift up to The Lord are part of our hearts for all
time. Please pray for...
.….Dot Blake, convalescing from a stroke at Filosa in
Danbury.
…..peace of mind for those carrying heavy prayer burdens.
…..Tom Balash, long time member of the Men’s Prayer
Breakfast, who is continuing his healing at home.
…..restoration of eye sight for John Skewis.
…..healing for Lynne Donnelly’s grandson Andrew who is
having oral surgery.
…..our “snowbird” members of St. Paul’s.
…..Nigeria! That the peace of Christ will dominate the Church, that faithful followers of
Christ will not retaliate in the face of brutality. That all of the schemes of the evil one will
be thwarted (several bombs that were set in Christian areas recently but did not
detonate.) That the mission community would be a shining light in the darkness. That all
Christians and missionaries would place their total trust in the Lord, and be moved by His
Spirit in all decisions for their families and futures.
…..our choir and musicians.
† Annual Meeting On January 23rd
N otice is hereby given of the 227th Annual Parish Meeting of Saint Paul’s Church,
174 Whisconier Road, Brookfield, Connecticut, on Sunday, January 23rd, 2011, in
the Parish Hall, at 9:00 am. The Priest-In-Charge will make appointments and elections will
be held for various Vestry positions. Nominations may be made from the floor at the
meeting. Communicant members of the parish over sixteen years of age are eligible to vote
at the Annual Parish Meeting.
There will be the traditional
Holy Communion service at
8:00 am and the Family Holy
Communion Service at 10:30
am. Sunday School classes will
be held at their normal time at
10:30 am. There will be no 9:15
A.M. Christian Education Class.
There will be a brunch for
the parishioners prior to the
meeting. A sign up sheet is on
the table in the back of the church if you would like to help with set up, clean up or
preparation of food to bring in. Recipes for the egg dish are also on the back table. We
will also be needing breakfast breads. Please make every effort to sign up as many hands
make the work easier for everyone. If you have any questions, please call Mary Allen at
203-775-6633.
† Announcement Deadlines….. For the Sunday bulletins please submit your
information by the preceding Monday to [email protected]. For Sword Points
please submit it by Wednesday afternoon each week to [email protected].
† Not So Liturgically Speaking
Deaconesses
[This column was intended for last week’s issue, but due to a computer glitch could not be
completed in time.]
A t our January 5th Wednesday morning service and Bible study we celebrated
Harriet Bedell, an Episcopal Deaconess who died in 1965, and discussed the office
of Deaconess. It is mentioned in Romans 16:1-2, one of the readings of the day: “I
commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church at Cenchreae, so that you may
welcome her in the Lord as is fitting for the saints, and help her in whatever she may require
from you, for she has been a benefactor of many and of myself as well.” Note that in the
Greek the word deacon is feminine here, though more commonly masculine.
In 1970 the Episcopal Church began ordaining women as Deacons, but as early as the
1850’s some of our dioceses began admitting women as deaconesses. They were not
ordained and their primary functions were often in nursing and
teaching, both in the mission fields and where the church was more
established; but they also received theological training and served
as worship leaders and preachers. They also commonly wore a
habit, similar to that of a nun, though somewhat simplified (as in the
attached picture of Miss Bedell).
Historically, Deaconesses were common in the Eastern
Churches (and in some times and places in the West) until about the
13th century. Surviving records suggest that in some areas they
were considered fully ordained in the same manner as male
deacons, but in others they were thought of as laywomen with
special functions. For the most part they do not seem to have been
nuns, but it was common for abbesses and some other leaders in convents to be deaconesses
also. At one time they word a headdress similar to early mediaeval versions of the bishop’s
mitre; and it has been speculated that this garment was retained by abbesses when
abandoned by other deaconesses and then passed on to abbots and bishops.
In modern times the office of deaconess was revived in German Lutheranism in 1836,
and came to American Lutherans in 1849. As noted above it spread to the Episcopal Church
a few years later, and also spread through Europe and through other reformed churches in
the same time frame.
In this Church the office essentially disappeared after 1970, with many former
deaconesses becoming ordained deacons; but in its day it was an honorable ministry that
made important contributions to the life and mission of the Church.
- Fr. Bill Loring, Scholar in Residence
† “Who’s That?”
O ur submitter, says, “I hope it’s not too obvious.” But, we
don’t think so. Submit your answers or guesses by e-mail
to: [email protected] and be prepared for another
unique, historic and great age appropriate prize.
If you would like to submit a picture for “Who’s That?” send it
by e-mail to [email protected], Or you can give it to
Fr. Joe or the parish office. We’ll scan them and get them right back to you.
† Final Thought Below ……
† This Sunday’s Readings (click on the red links below to go directly to the text)
Isaiah 49:1-7
1 Corinthians 1:1-9
John 1:29-42
Psalm 40:1-12
T his week the Adult Class will resume its series on the “39 Articles.” Classes meet
Sunday mornings at 9:15 AM in the Guild Room.
† Pick Up Your Copy Today!
Synthesis CE Study Guides will be available at the back
of the church.
† Choir Practice for Sword Points Readers
(click on the red links below to begin practice on this Sunday’s hymns)
Opening Hymn Christ, Whose Glory Fills the Skies
Gospel Response The Light of Christ (use links on bottom of page)
Offertory Hymn Jesus Calls Us O’er the Tumult
Closing Hymn Ye Servants of God, Your Master Proclaim
L ast week we sang “Blessed Assurance” and in this column we wrote briefly about
the writer of the lyrics, Fanny Crosby.
One of our Sword Points readers contacted us noting that Fanny
was a local product. A little research shows that she was born just
over the border nearby in the town of Southeast, NY and that she is
buried in Mountain Grove Cemetery in Bridgeport, CT. At six weeks
old, she caught a cold and developed inflammation of the eyes. The
family physician was not available, and a quack who came in his place
recommended mustard plasters as treatment. The botched procedure
blinded her. She was one of the most prolific hymnists in history,
writing over 8,000. Because some publishers were hesitant to have so
many hymns by one person in their hymnals, Crosby used nearly 100
different pseudonyms during her career.