Ministering to each otherOpportunities to participate in the family life of Saint Paul's Parish.

Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. Bless those who persecute you;bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another, do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. Romans 12:9-13.

Our Lord, Jesus Christ, teaches us how to be Christians, our Patron Saint, Paul, and the Apostles teach us how to be a church. We, in the Episcopal Church, believe that the church is not a building or even an institution, but the people of God. Jesus taught us to love one another as he loved us by washing the feet of his disciples the night before he was crucified. In doing so, he showed us that Christian love is shown in how we treat each other, how we come together in worship, and in fellowship. We celebrate together. We mourn together. We give thanks for each other.

Pastoral Care

One hand holding another in care.The Pastoral Care Ministry began as a small group of parishioners visiting the sick, homebound, hospitalized and nursing home residents of our parish. The team who provide this service are primarily retired parishioners with compassionate souls. They have expanded their ministry well beyond the bounds of our parish, visiting nursing home residents with no church affiliation, no family and no community contacts. The group provides weekly visiting, Christmas presents and cookies, birthday cards and remembrances to their community on Easter, Thanksgiving and other special occasions. Many of the people who are visited have contact with no one else from outside the nursing home.

Lay Eucharistic Visitor

Paten and cholice laid out on corporal for bedside Communion.A group of Lay Eucharistic Visitors augment the Pastoral Care group. These are people who are trained in this ministry and licensed by the bishop to take Holy Communion to those who aren't able to attend church services. Lay Eucharistic Visitors extend God's table to all communicants of Saint Paul's. The Visitors join Father Tom and Deacon Charles in making sure the people of the parish can have Holy Communion even when they can’t get to church on Sunday. If you feel called to this special ministry of care and outreach, talk to Father Tom or Deacon Charles about it.

Episcopal Church Women (ECW)

Episcopal Church Women (ECW)Episcopal Church Women are women of all ages, ethnic origins and socioeconomic backgrounds who hold a variety of views. However, the common denominator of our members is love of God and the wish to do His work.

Mission - Centered in congregations, the Episcopal Church Women (ECW) empowers women to do Christ's ministry in the world. Programs supported by ECW chapters include advocating for social justice; eliminating human trafficking, working to reduce poverty, supporting education, and striving to reconcile the world to God.

Saint Paul's ECW members look after each other and send cards to the sick and shut-ins. They also organize luncheons for other occasions such as recitals and funerals. Every woman in the parish is automatically considered a member in ECW. ECW meets once each month at 12:45 on the last Wednesday of the month.

Men's Breakfast

The men's breakfast group.On the second Saturday of the month the men gather at 8:00 a.m. for a great American breakfast and for guy talk. This jovial band of brothers has a lot of fun talking about everything from the uses of duct tape to the latest jokes on the Internet. Having no agenda, but enjoying each other's company, this group is open to any male in the parish

Saint Paul's Saturday Morning

Women of Saint Paul's enjoying presentation during Saint Paul's Saturday Morning.Meeting the same Saturday as the Men's Breakfast, Saint Pauls Saturday Morning is an informal gathering of women who meet to share fellowshiop with each other and are presented with a prepared program. Topics range widely and have included gardening, suggested books, music, quilting, prayer, and lots more. Since this is an informal group, there's no joining, just show up on the second Saturday of the month at 10:00 a.m. and enjoy.

Hospitality

Two parishioners at a serving line, serving food.Beginning with coffee hour after Sunday Services, Saint Paul's offers a number of ways you can find hospitality and friendship. Coffee hosts volunteer for a Sunday and make the coffee and often bring treats. Several times a year, Foyers Groups will organize. These groups of eight—usually four couples—rotate visiting each other's homes for dessert or simple refreshments in order to get to know each other better. Even long-time members learn something new about from their small groups. Our Parish Life Ministry (also known as the "Party People") organizes activities throughout the year, generally around some meal—breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Just as Jesus broke bread with his disciples and became knoown to them, so we come to know each other in the breaking of bread and in fellowship.
Hospitality at Saint Paul's is not limited to just those in the parish. Once each year the parish puts on an Emergency Worker Appreciation Day and prepares and serves meals throughout the day to fire fighters, police officers, Emergency Medical Technicians, as well as the dispatchers and others who serve our community in times of urgency—often risking their own lives to save others.