Finding Inspiration By The Rev. Mary Luck Stanley The Spiritual Formation of Children and Youth For the past fourteen years, we have been intentionally working with our leaders to build programs to support the spiritual development of children and their families. This year we have some spectacular staff and volunteers lined up to lead Sunday School, Children’s Worship, Play Group, Nursery Care, and Youth Group. With so many children, and all the new babies in our parish, we are especially grateful to God for these blessings. Newsletter Cover Art & New Web Site The art on the newsletter cover was designed by Frank Perrelli of “Perrelli Fine Art and Design.” Frank has more than thirty years of graphic design experience, with sixteen years devoted to website development. Frank has designed a brand new website for our Church, and you can view it online at stpaulsbaltimore.org. Each week I will be updating the home page of the web site so that people can stay informed about upcoming events and news. The Forum I’m pleased to share the new Forum schedule for this fall, and I want to invite you to join us for these sacred conversations about life. Think of going to The Forum as a chance to enjoy some soul food, or time set aside to nurture your spirit. Consider making it a discipline to come to The Forum on Sundays, knowing that you will be fed, uplifted, and enriched by the experience. The Forum schedule appears in this newsletter, as well as on the new website. We have some amazing guest speakers joining us this fall. Please set aside this time to take care of your inner life, and to feel more connected with your faith community by participating in The Forum on Sunday mornings from 9:30-10:20. Uncovering the History of our Church’s Relationship to Slavery On November 4th at 9:00 a.m. all are invited to join me at the Church to stand up against racism. That morning the Trail of Souls Pilgrimage, sponsored by the Truth & Justice Commission of the Diocese of Maryland will bring two buses filled with Episcopalians who will visit three downtown parishes to hear about their research into their own histories of slavery. I will present research on the history of St. Paul’s Church and share what we have learned thus far. I’ve invited John Henderson to present about his research into Reverdy Johnson, whose memorial is in our Church. If you are yearning for an end to systemic racism, and you want to make an impact, here is your opportunity to do something important. Please join us that morning to host the bus loads of people who will be coming to Old St. Paul’s to hear us tell the story about the role of slavery in the founding of our Church, as well as the heroic stories of past Church leaders who worked for the abolition of slavery as well as the spiritual care of slaves in Baltimore Town. 2 You are warmly invited to our 325th Anniversary Celebration on the morning of Sunday, September 17th with a 1662 Prayer Book Liturgy at 10:30 a.m. Followed by a Festive Party Art Thou Ready for Our 325th Anniversary Celebration? On Sunday, September 17 we will have a special celebration of our 325th year. Since our Church was founded in 1692, our liturgy on that day will be drawn from the 1662 Church of England Book of Common Prayer. Not only will the wording be different, but you will experience a slightly different order and inclusion of items that we will not be used to. For example, they used to recite the entire list of the Ten Commandments each Sunday. The hymns as well as the choir anthems will be from that period. In addition we have hired two special instrumentalists who will play music from the 17th century. Some people might be in costume including the possibility of the Rector wearing a powdered wig (at least at the reception.) A festive reception will follow in the back of the Church. Join us. We are pleased to welcome visiting musicians, Mark Janello and JT Mitchell, who will help us to celebrate our 325th parish anniversary by offering their combined expertise and artistry in historic music from around 1692, the year of our founding. Mark Janello, harpsichordist and Chair of the Department of Music Theory at Peabody, has performed with the Baltimore Symphony and Bach Sinfonia, to name only two. JT Mitchell, baroque flutist and Master's candidate at Peabody, studies baroque flute with Gwynn Roberts and harpsichord with Adam Pearl. Entering his second year at Peabody, JT is quickly becoming a much sought after performer of early music throughout the region. Our visiting duo will perform before the service and afterwards during our celebration at the back of the sanctuary. What a treat! 3 Blessing of the Backpacks Sunday, September 24 during the 10:30 a.m. Service. All students, teachers, and educators are invited to come forward at announcement time to have their backpacks blessed for the new school year. This is an important time of year with many going back to school. Our church wants to pray for students, teachers, and educators to have a wonderful year. All ages are invited to participate. Kick off of our Education & Fellowship Programs All ages and stages are invited to join us on Sunday, September 24th, when we will start the new season of The Forum, Youth Group, and Sunday School. Children’s Worship As part of our worship ministry, this program happens during the 10:30 a.m. Liturgy of the Word, so that young children and parents can gather in the Undercroft for songs led by our musician, Joe Smith, with the Good News presented by the clergy. Newcomer Party Those who have joined the Church in the past year are invited to join us for a special party hosted by Gary Montgomery and Wayne Larson in their beautiful home. Save the date of Sunday, November 12 in the evening for this special event. The Greening of the Church On Sunday, November 26th, all ages are invited to stay after the 10:30 service so that we can enjoy decorating the church for Advent and Christmas, while sharing lunch together. Jeanne Neifert and Mary Luck Stanley are coordinating this event and we need the help of some volunteers. So let us know if you can assist with hosting the lunch, etc. that day. All others, adults and children and youth, are most welcome to stay and decorate the church for the holidays. There is no Education Hour on this date, FYI. Advent Wreath Making Event All ages are invited to join us on Sunday, December 3rd so that each household can create a beautiful evergreen Advent Wreath to adorn the family dinner table for the four weeks leading up to Christmas. Supplies will be provided for this event that will take place in the Undercroft. Volunteers are needed so contact Jeanne Neifert or Mary Stanley if you want to help us get ready, especially on the day before the event. We will be asking for donations to offset the cost of the supplies. Receptions after Church Thanks to Carrie Smedstad and her team of Hospitality Volunteers, we are back in the swing of providing great coffee and delicious treats every Sunday after the 10:30 service. Join us! 4 What’s Ahead? By The Rev. Mark Stanley, Rector 325 and Counting On Sunday, September 17 we are going to have a special celebration of our 325 years of worship and service as a congregation. Three hundred and twenty five years is a pretty long time. If a generation is roughly 25 years, then our congregation has been around for 13 generations. It was so long ago that the Salem witch trials were going on during the same year as our parish’s founding – 1692. For the liturgy on that Sunday we will be using the prayers from the 1662 Anglican Book of Common Prayer. The music will also be from the late 1600’s. After worship, we will have a festive party in the back of the church. And I have a powdered wig I plan to wear at the reception! This is an event you will not want to miss. New Staff You will read in this Newsletter about the new staff who are leading ministries in the fall. Audrey Gagnon brings a wealth of experience as she joins us as our Youth Minister. Jeanne Neifert has been part of our congregation and will be fantastic leading our Sunday School. Carrie Smedstad began last spring and we are thankful she will continue overseeing our receptions after church. John Walker will be our substitute organist while Katie El-Diwany is on Parental Leave. We are blessed to have these gifted leaders on our church staff. Asking for Two Hours and 15 minutes Again the fall I would like to make an appeal that everyone consider Sunday morning as a two hour and 15 minute experience. One hour of this time is for worship. Central to what we do as Christians is to be strengthened spiritually as we gather to offer our prayers and praise to God. Another hour is for the education. This is the chance for all ages to learn and grow in our faith. Please know that your regular presence at the forum and your children’s presence at Sunday School or Youth group makes a difference. That final 15 minutes – that is for fellowship after church! We have such a terrific community and here is an ideal way to greet new people as well as deepen ongoing relationships.