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Wednesday, February 18, 2026

The season of Lent has been observed as a time of preparation for Easter since about 325 CE. The word “Lent” is derived from a root word meaning “long days,” and alludes to the lengthening of days during this time of year. The color for Lent is traditionally purple which signifies a time of solemn preparation and humility in preparation for Easter.

Lent continues for forty days, significant because of the forty-day fasts recorded in scripture for Moses, Elijah and Jesus following his baptism. However, Sundays during Lent are not included in this count of forty days. Because…Every Sunday is a mini-celebration of the Resurrection.

So how are you going to observe Lent? Join us today for one of our Ash Wednesday services: Rite I held at 12 noon, Family Service at 6pm and Rite II with music at 7pm. Copies of our Lenten daily reading booklet, Living Well Through Lent, are available in the narthex (or download here).

Lenten Blessings, Nancy+

Wednesday, February 11, 2026

On Tuesday, February 17th, we celebrate Shrove Tuesday. The word “shrove” is derived from an Old English verb, “to shrive” which means “to hear confession” or “to grant absolution.” To shrive means to make time for the spring cleaning of your soul: all those “things done and left undone, things said and things left unsaid” ~ that are cluttering up your life. Shrove Tuesday, this spring cleaning of the soul, arrives just before Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, the season of penitence and reconciliation.

The tradition of eating pancakes and sausage on Shrove Tuesday dates back to the Middle Ages. Eggs and fat were forbidden during the fasting of Lent, so in one meal, the pantry is cleaned out prior to Ash Wednesday. In Germany the day is called Fetter Dienstag. In France and New Orleans, it is called Mardi Gras.

So how are you going to observe Lent? First, join us for the Annual Pancake Supper on this coming Tuesday, February 17th. It begins at 5:30pm. and is always a terrific fellowship event. Then come back on Wednesday, February 18th for one of our Ash Wednesday services: Rite I held at 12 noon, Family Service at 6pm and Rite II with music at 7pm. Copies of our Lenten daily reading booklet, Living Well Through Lent, are available in the narthex (or download here). And….we look forward to seeing you this Sunday ~ the Last Sunday in Epiphany!

Lenten Blessings, Nancy+

Wednesday, February 4, 2026

As a community, St. Paul’s has participated in the Souper Bowl of Caring for a number of years now. This is an opportunity for everyone to put their faith into action and help ease hunger in our community. We are also collecting monetary donations. 100% of the proceeds from this event go directly to the Katy Christian Ministry Food Pantry. It is a very efficient food/fund collection.

Our youth will be assisting with the collection. Please be generous. In the next few weeks if you see something on sale in the grocery store, pick up an extra, bring it to church and donate it to the Souper Bowl. We all use credit/debit cards but make a special effort to bring cash to church on this Sunday to drop into the soup pots our youth will use to collect donations. We can do a really good job on this ingathering if we organize ourselves and come prepared. If you won’t be here this Sunday, we will accept donations through February 15th.

Thank you in advance for your participation and donation! We will update you on our collection.

Nancy+

“Love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:39

Wednesday, January 28, 2026

In a former parish a parishioner came to me and said, “I have been in this church for 24 years, and I still feel like a newcomer. Why is it I am never asked to do anything? I feel like something is missing, like we aren’t working like a church should be.” This was a profound statement, and she was right. There was a little group of people who knew everything that was going on and the rest had to clamor to get information. And so we worked on connecting people.

Beginning this month, each vestry person will be given a shepherd list. They will be calling to check in on you. They want to know how you are doing and what is happening in your life. Not all the details…..just what you feel a church should know about you. Maybe your daughter is getting married or you have a new great-grandson or your son is going to college next year. Maybe you are recovering from knee surgery or would like communion to be brought to you. Maybe you are interested in a new ministry opportunity. Whatever…please respond and know that we care. Too often we feel, “It is none of our business,” but sometimes that is taken as “I don’t care.”

We care and to build the body of Christ…we will be calling you. Blessings upon you.

Nancy+

Wednesday, January 21, 2026

On January 23rd we celebrate the feast day of Phillips Brooks. He was born in Boston in 1835 and began his ministry in Philadelphia. After ten years he returned to Boston and served as Trinity Church’s rector. Eventually he was elected Bishop of Massachusetts. He was well-known for his warmth and tenderness, but it was his preaching that truly inspired many people. For me, his relationship with Helen Keller is most admirable.

In the early 1890’s, Helen and Phillips wrote letters back and forth regarding Keller’s questions about faith, God and spiritual guidance. In one of those letters, Helen told Bishop Brooks that she had always known about God, even before she had words to identify God. She knew that God was there. In her darkness and isolated existence, she knew she was not alone and felt God’s love. Eventually, when she learned language and heard about God, she said she already knew God.

This was the God that Phillips knew, the God that would come to a lonely child and speak to her without words but in a way she could feel and understand God’s love. Perhaps it was Helen he had in mind when he wrote the third verse of O Little Town of Bethlehem:

How silently, how silently
the wondrous love is given!
So, God imparts to human heart
the blessings of his heaven.
No ear may hear his coming,
but in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive him still,
the dear Christ enters in.

This says so much about our responsibility to nurture the spiritual life of children. Our spiritual journey is innate, but our formation can only happen with the guidance of those around us and the Holy Spirit. Brooks wrote: “Whatever happens, always remember the mysterious richness of human nature and the nearness of God to each one of us.”

“Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine” Ephesians 3:20

Nancy+

Wednesday, January 7, 2026

As a community, St. Paul’s has participated in the Souper Bowl of Caring for a number of years now. This year we are reminding you early. Spread the word! Do you have neighbors who might want to donate food or money, but do not attend a church? Invite them to participate. Collect food from your neighborhood and bring it to church on Sunday, February 8th. This is an opportunity for everyone to put their faith into action and help ease hunger in our community. We are also collecting monetary donations. 100% of the proceeds from this event go directly to the Katy Christian Ministry Food Pantry. It is a very efficient food/fund collection.

Our youth will be assisting with the collection. Please be generous. In the next few weeks if you see something on sale in the grocery store, pick up an extra, bring it to church and donate it to the Souper Bowl. We all use credit/debit cards but make a special effort to bring cash to church on February 8th to drop into the soup pots our youth will use to collect donations. We can do a really good job on this ingathering if we organize ourselves and come prepared on the 8th of February. If you won’t be here on the 8th, bring your donation early. We will accept donations through February 15th.

Thank you in advance for your participation and donation! We will update you on our collection.

Nancy+

“Love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:39

Search Committee Update – January 7, 2026

Happy New Year from your search committee!! We are diligently working to select a new priest. We have made some good progress as directed from the Office of Transition Ministry. We will be doing a couple practice interviews with Nancy Hauser and Mary Wilson to hone our interview skills. These will be done in January. After the practice interviews we will receive approved names of priests to interview. Once the names from the diocese are received the committee will go “dark” (this means we are mum) until the choice is announced to the congregation that a new priest is selected. There will be periodic general updates but nothing specific. Please keep in mind that it will take at least 3-4 months maybe longer after names are secured to do the interviews and visits. The confidentiality portion is to protect the candidate and their congregation as the candidate’s congregation may not know there might be a change. You as part of our search process are asked to pray for the committee’s discernment, pass along questions you want us to ask and most of all be patient as we work towards a candidate that will be the best for St. Paul’s.

Wednesday, December 31, 2025

Wow!

What amazing celebrations we have had this past week! Brittany and Lucian did an incredible job with our Christmas Eve services. The choir was fantastic and brought such JOY to the evening. Catherine’s harp was angelic and oh my gosh…that solo from Brittany ~ just brilliant! Lessons and Carols was a beautiful review of our season. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU all!

And a huge thank you to Jennifer for all her copying and putting the leaflets together, and to all who made our services possible ~ acolytes, lectors, Eucharistic ministers, altar guild, decorators, ushers, greeters, bell ringers, and YOU! We appreciate your presence and participation in our worship.

Blessings and peace be with you during this Christmas season.

Nancy+

Wednesday, December 24, 2025

It’s Christmas!

Please join us on Christmas Eve, Wednesday at 4:30 and 7:30. This year we are asking you to bring a donation for the food bank and place it in the manger in the narthex. We have a wonderful half-hour of Christmas music to begin the celebration and then our services. We will be live-streaming the 5pm service for those who cannot attend – see below for the bulletin. We hope to see you there!

When the song of the angels is stilled
When the star in the sky is gone
When the kings and princes are home
When the shepherds are back with their flock
The work of Christmas begins.
To find the lost
To heal the broken
To feed the hungry
To release the prisoner
To rebuild the nations
To bring peace among others
To make music in the heart.

~ Howard Thurman

Blessings and peace be with you!

Nancy+

Wednesday, December 17, 2025

The expectations of the season are crashing down upon us. Maybe it is time to just say, “no.” We must take this season back. If we don’t, the world will never do it. Over, and over again I need to be reminded that this is still Advent, a time to ponder, a time to be, and a time to acknowledge the presence of God among us. This short poem by Kay Halliwill helps me remember.

CHRISTMAS HUSH

May the quietness of Christmas,
The calm and holy hush
Of the Advent season,
Still our Christmas rush.

May our memories of the manger
Reassure us and ease the stress
Of troubled hearts in troubled times
With God’s peace and quietness.

~ Kay L. Halliwill

May the peace of God be upon you and remain with you through this holy-day season.

Nancy+

Wednesday, December 10, 2025

Poet Ann Weems has written:

Some of us walk into Advent
tethered to our unresolved yesterdays,
The pain still stabbing
The hurt still throbbing.
It’s not that we don’t know better;
It’s just that we can’t stand up anymore by ourselves.
On the way to Bethlehem,
Will you give us a hand?

This poem captures the experience of this season for those dealing with grief or loss. The season of Advent can be very painful for those who are experiencing the loss of a job, death of someone close, or a change in health or life circumstances. Paul offers ways to live out our faith in relationships. One verse seems especially appropriate at this time of year. “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.” In the case of a death, we can offer a hand to grieving friends and family by accepting their sadness and not expecting them to “get over it” in time to celebrate. We can talk about the person who has died, share special memories and encourage the person to share the sadness they are experiencing. We can be quiet, listen and pray for God’s help.

Only God can heal the deep wounds of grief and sorrow, but we can offer a hand. If necessary, don’t hesitate to suggest or help the grieving person seek professional help. St. Paul’s has a tradition of offering a service to acknowledge these difficult feelings. It is called Blue Christmas and will be held on Sunday, December 21st at 4pm (please note the new/earlier time to help get you home before dark). Please plan to join us. It is always helpful to have people present who may have experienced a death in the past and are now moving away from grief. They bring strength and hope to a group like this.

The service will be a simple service, with a Eucharist and will be about an hour long. Share this invitation with friends and please sign up so we have some idea how many might attend (sign-up sheet in the Narthex, email the office or call 281-391-2785).

Nancy+

Wednesday, December 3, 2025

It’s started. The mad rush has begun. Parties, gatherings, decorating, baking, cooking and all the other expectations of the season are crashing down upon us. Maybe it is time to just say, “no.” We have to take this season back. If we don’t, the world will never do it. Over and over again I need to be reminded, and so I am reminding you. Advent is a time to ponder, to be, and to acknowledge the presence of God among us. Read this short poem by Kay Halliwill, and use this Advent time wisely, to prepare your heart once again for the Holy Child of God.

CHRISTMAS HUSH

May the quietness of Christmas
The calm and holy hush
Of the Advent season,
Still our Christmas rush.
May our memories of the manger
Reassure us and ease the stress
Of troubled hearts in troubled times
With God’s peace and quietness.

~ Kay L. Halliwill

Mark your calendar and plan to share the Christmas Pageant and a Christmas Celebration Dinner with your faith community at St. Paul’s on Sunday, December 14th – pageant begins at 5pm followed by the dinner at 5:30pm. This is a great way to “still our Christmas rush.” May the peace of God be upon you and remain with you throughout this holy-day season.

Nancy+