Rector Page
Wednesday, July 1, 2026
Dear People of St. Paul’s:
I want to express my deep gratitude for the lovely reception on Sunday. Thank you so much. The music was another blessing ~ just beautiful! And most of all, for YOUR presence, 94 people! Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I know it’s not always easy to jump through the hoops necessary to make it to church on Sunday. Please know that your efforts are appreciated. When we make time to appreciate God’s goodness in the everyday moments of life, we become so much better at recognizing His goodness every minute of our lives.
Once again, I wish you chesed, God’s loving kindness. God’s peace be upon you!
Nancy+
57. For Guidance
Direct us, O Lord, in all our doings with thy most gracious favor, and further us with thy continual help; that in all our works begun, continued, and ended in thee, we may glorify thy holy Name, and finally, by thy mercy, obtain everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Pg. 832 BCP
Wednesday, June 24, 2026
“In my beginning is my end.”
The second poem in T.S. Eliot’s Four Quartets begins like this: “In my beginning is my end.” It was written in 1940 during the air raids in Great Britain and speaks to the relationship between humankind, time and God. It moves through an ever-unfolding meditation on change ~ on beginnings and endings ~ in that mystery that we call life. It ends with the line, “In my end is my beginning.” Quite appropriate for me this week. The older I get, the more this poem resonates with me, the death of contemporaries, of friends who have in fact lived full lives, and now ~ they are just beginning a new life. Children moving away, leaving behind friends and family ~ and yet they are just beginning. Friends moving into retirement communities, leaving behind memories and things they loved and yet ~ they too are just beginning a new life.
So much of our everyday lives are made up of endings and beginnings. We need to take the time; we must make the time ~ to acknowledge and reflect on the process of transition. Some endings are big ones, moving away from a house or community, retirement, and some endings are small ~ the broken plate or cup, the loss of a favorite personal item, the loss of car keys, a hole in a favorite sweater. Some of our beginnings are big ones ~ birth of a child, marriage, new job, and some beginnings are smaller ~ starting a new book or hobby, trying a new recipe, beginning a new school year. Throughout our spiritual journey we continue with beginnings and endings as we seek to fulfill our baptismal promise ~ to “Grow into the full stature of Christ.”
And each ending and beginning reminds us of the importance in partnering with God ~ as God works to create something new. In the process, we learn to let go of the barriers we surround ourselves with in trying to protect the status quo. And we need to turn off the filters that prevent us from hearing the transforming message of a radical, loving God. Beginnings and endings may chart the course, but it is Jesus who comes to us, speaking words of comfort and hope. It is Jesus who demonstrates through his own life, death, and resurrection ~ just how much God wants to share life with us.
Sunday will be our last service together, and soon you will begin a time of new pastoral leadership. In some ways this is sad for me, I will miss each of you. In other ways ~ we must rejoice in the fact that God is doing something very new here. I am excited to be moving to Philadelphia. You are all excited to get to know your new priest. Most certainly as we heard in Eliot’s poem, “In my beginning is my end” and “in my end is my beginning.” And the source of all of our beginnings and endings ~ is found in God.
Hymnwriter Brian Wren wrote the lyrics for the song, “This is a Day of New Beginning.” Please read over the lyrics found in the Sunday leaflet. They are a beautiful tribute to endings and beginnings. At the end of the service on Sunday, we’ll sing the song together ~ as a congregation ~ as a faith community; as the Body of Christ gathered to celebrate endings and beginnings!
Many blessings my friends, Nancy+
Wednesday, June 17, 2026
Sometimes the relationships we form end without a physical death occurring. People go off to college, move away, start new jobs, return to the workforce or retire from the workforce, and suddenly that relationship is transformed. When you don’t share time together in the same way, and in the same place, things change. You grow in different directions. Although this is rarely acknowledged in the world, it is a reality of life. A poster I had long ago said: “People come into our lives for a reason, a season or a lifetime. Not everyone is meant to stay.” And this is an eternal truth. “To everything there is a season…” (Ecclesiastes 3:1) Some people remain in our lives for our whole lives, or their whole life. Some people remain for a short time, and others just slip in and out so quickly – but they usually leave footprints, sometimes big footprints. Acknowledging this truth and living into it as reality is far healthier than expecting to remain in contact with everyone you meet. It also empowers you to spend more quality time with those you truly love. And this brings us to the quote by Henri Frederic Amiel, you may have heard it before:
My friends:
Life is short, and we do not have too
much time to gladden the hearts of
those who travel with us, so be quick to
love and make haste to be kind.
And may the blessing of the One who
made us, and the One who loves us, and
the One who travels with us, be with
you and those you love this day and
always. Amen.
~Adapted from Henri-Frédéric Amiel (1821–1881)
My final Sunday with you will be June 28th. When I leave here, I will no longer be your priest – and will always consider you friends. You have all been so kind to me and will remain in my heart always. My goal for the next two weeks – is to leave well. Please say good-bye, which means, “God be with you.” Help me leave this place well. A good leave by the departing priest is one of the best indicators of a healthy beginning for the new priest, and that is what I SO want for St. Paul’s – a very good beginning.
As we move forward, Hayden’s first Sunday will be July 19th, and the very best thing you can do to honor me, and the work we have done together is to embrace him as your new priest and welcome him with all your heart. Don’t hold back. As a strong and resilient faith community, you have everything to gain and nothing to lose. This is a day of new beginnings! Many blessings, my friends. Nancy+
Wednesday, June 10, 2026
This week’s Gospel lesson (Matthew 9:35 – 10:23) reminds us of the mission of the twelve Apostles. An “apostle” is one who is sent or commissioned to carry out work on behalf of another. Jesus called these twelve people and gave them their “marching orders.” He gave them power and authority and sent them out into the world. The power of the Gospel – the Good News – was their only strength and protection. As we go out into the world to do the work that God has given each of us to do – our ministry and mission – Prayers can offer us strength and protection as well. The following is a Celtic prayer for mission:
Let us go forth
In the goodness of our merciful God,
In the gentleness of our brother Jesus.
In the radiance of the Holy Spirit,
In the faith of the Apostles,
In the joyful praise of the angels,
In the holiness of the saints,
In the courage of the martyrs.
Let us go forth
In the wisdom of our all-seeing God,
In the patience of our all-loving brother,
In the truth of the all-knowing Spirit,
In the learning of the Apostles,
In the gracious guidance of the angels,
In the patience of the saints,
In the self-control of the martyrs.
This is the path of all servants of Christ,
The path from death – to eternal life.
– Celtic Prayer –
May we all be richly blessed in our missions! N+
Wednesday, June 3, 2026
What is a “Collect?”
A “Collect” is a prayer that is meant to gather or collect the intentions of a faith community and/or the focus of worship into a succinct prayer. In this definition, the pronunciation emphasizes the first syllable, “CAH-lect.” It is somewhat different than the usual pronunciation of the word collect as in, “She will collect the rent.”
All Collects more or less fit into a pattern that was developed by Thomas Cranmer, the Archbishop who compiled the first Book of Common Prayer, in 1549. The format has 4 basic parts:
- An address to God and God’s actions in the world on our behalf.
- A request or petition.
- An invocation and doxology, offered through Jesus and affirming the Trinity.
- Amen ~ an opportunity for the people to affirm the presider, meaning: “So be it” or “We agree.”
We open our service with the “Collect for Purity:”
Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid:
Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly
love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
This particular Collect serves as a compact confession of sin. It reminds us of the need for penitence, and also for the forgiveness that we find in Jesus. Interestingly, it doesn’t ask for the presence of God, it assumes God’s presence. It also serves as an acknowledgement by the community that it is God who cleanses the heart through the Holy Spirit, and God who turns us toward Godself as we worship. It grounds our human activity in worship on the action of God through the Holy Spirit, not through the efforts of the community itself. In other words, it is God who transforms us into worshippers, and our purpose in gathering is to worship God.
We begin the Liturgy of the Word with a Collect of the Day. This is a special Collect that focuses on the theme of the lectionary readings. Our Collect for this coming Sunday, the 2nd Sunday after Pentecost will be:
O God, from whom all good proceeds: Grant that by your inspiration we may think those
things that are right, and by your merciful guiding may do them;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the
Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (BCP, pg. 229)
We are still using many of Thomas Cranmer’s Collects 470 years after the first Book of Common Prayer was written. For more information, please refer to: The Collects of Thomas Cranmer by: C. Fredrick Barbee and Paul F. M. Zahl, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co, 1999.
Wednesday, May 27, 2026
The Season after Pentecost or Ordinary Time
The lectionary will begin taking a new path during this new liturgical season after Pentecost. They begin to explore the demands of our baptismal covenant and our call to mission in the world. This is a time to give God glory by BEING the Body of Christ.
Every member of the Episcopal Church is a member of a missionary society, The Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the U.S.A. That is the full title of our Church. Whether we understand the imperative of mission according to the Great Commission:
19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit 20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Mathew 28:19-20
Or if we understand mission from the Great Commandment:
37 “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your
soul and with all your mind.” Matthew 22:37
Or a combination of the two, we are united in the call to serve as missionaries in the world. God sent Jesus into the world, and we are also sent into the world. Every Sunday you hear the “sending” at the end of the service, to go out and do the work that God has sent you to do. Think about this work during the season after Pentecost. What will you do differently?
“Let us go forth into the world rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Blessings, Nancy+
Wednesday, May 20, 2026
Pentecost
Pentecost is the last feast day of the Easter season. For the past seven weeks the lectionary readings have focused on the narratives of Jesus’ death and resurrection, ascension and the arrival of the Holy Spirit. You will notice that the Paschal Candle, which has been on the altar during the Easter season, will be put away after Pentecost until a funeral, baptism or the next designated celebration of baptism on All Saints’ Day.
In the Gospel lesson this week, the resurrected Jesus says, “Peace be with you,” to the disciples, not once, but twice. This phrase acknowledges the very human condition of stress, and it reminds us that God’s peace is the foundation of our lives. Jesus tells the disciples he is sending them out just as the Father has sent him. He invites them to receive the Holy Spirit and believes that God’s peace accompanies being sent with Spirit.
Have you ever felt a sense of peace after praying for discernment in a difficult decision? That sense of peace just might be a sign that you are on the right track in your decision-making process. The Hebrew word, shalom, means more than just an absence of conflict. It also means wholeness, inner tranquility, reconciliation, and a sense of harmony and well-being. God’s peace be with you this week, and many blessings on your sending. Shalom! N+
Wednesday, May 13, 2026
St. Paul’s has a long history of taking very good care of our youngest members. We are so blessed to have Julia Peoples as our education coordinator for children and youth. She does a fantastic job with the kids and is rarely recognized for her faithful work and patience.
Children are our biggest and most precious asset. Our church is not a “waiting room” for our kids. We help them realize that this is their home, a place where their spiritual development is encouraged and nurtured. This is their faith community, and they are an integral part of the Body of Christ at St. Paul’s.
This coming Sunday we will be celebrating our children and youth at the 10:30 service. Please join us and support our youngest members as they read, serve as acolytes, ushers and VIPs of our congregation. The following are two prayers for children from page 829 in the Book of Common Prayer:
Almighty God, heavenly Father, you have blessed us with the joy and care of children: Give us calm strength and patient wisdom as we bring them up, that we may teach them to love whatever is just and true and good, following the example of our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
God our Father, you see your children growing up in an unsteady and confusing world: Show them that your ways give more life than the ways of the world, and that following you is better than chasing after selfish goals. Help them to take failure, not as a measure of their worth, but as a chance for a new start. Give them strength to hold their faith in you, and to keep alive their joy in your creation; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Blessings, peace and thank God for our children and youth!
Nancy+
Wednesday, May 6, 2026
This coming Sunday we celebrate Mother’s Day. For some it is a special day and for others a pain-filled day. But everyone reading this is either a son or a daughter, and we all have mothers. We’ve all taken on the role of “mothering” at one time or another. So, let’s celebrate all those men and women in our lives who nurture, encourage and support us on our journey. Nancy+
A Mother’s Day Prayer
Let us pray for all the mothers among us today;
for our own mothers, those living and those who have died;
for the mothers who loved us
and for those who may have fallen short of fully loving us;
for all women and men who have mothered others in any way.
We pray for those who have served as our substitute mothers;
especially grandmothers, godmothers, aunts, sisters, cousins, and friends;
for the good earth that bore us and provides our sustenance.
We pray this all in the name of our great and loving God. Amen.
– adapted from Women’s Common Prayers: Our Lives Revealed, Nurtured, Celebrated (Morehouse Publishing, 2000)
Wednesday, April 29, 2026
Where To Find Help?
Sometimes, I feel like I don’t know the Bible well enough to use it when I really need it. The following chart is a list of scripture verses appointed for times when we need reassurance from our Creator. Use this chart to help you find your way to the guidance offered in this amazing resource. Many blessings on your day! N+
Afraid …….. Psa 34:4; Matt 10:28; II Tim 1:7; Heb 13:5,6
Anxious …….Psa 46; Matt 6:19-34; Phil 4:6; I Peter 5:6,7
Backsliding ………………………………… Psa 51; I John 1:4-9
Bereaved ………………………………….. Matt 5:4; II Cor 1:3,4
Bitter or Critical …………………………………………… I Cor 13
Conscious of Sin ………………………………………. Prov 28:13
Defeated ……………………………………………… Rom 8:31-39
Depressed ……………………………………………………… Psa 34
Disaster Threatens ….. Psa 91; Psa 118:5,6; Luke 8:22-25
Discouraged ……Psa 23; Psa 42; Psa 55:22; Matt 5:11,12; II Cor 4:8-18; Phil 4:4-7
Doubting ………………………………………. Matt 8:26; Heb 11
Facing a Crisis ………….. Psa 121; Matt 6:25-34; Heb 4:16
Faith Fails ………………………………………. Psa 42:5; Heb 11
Friends Fail ………………………… Psa 41:9-13; Luke 17:3,4; Rom 12:14,17,19,21; II Tim 4:16-18
Leaving Home ……………………….. Psa 121; Matt 10:16-20
Lonely …………………………………………. Psa 23; Heb 13:5,6
Needing God’s Protection … Psa 27:1-6; Psa 91; Phil 4:19
Needing Guidance ……………………… Psa 32:8; Prov 3:5,6
Needing Peace …………………….. John 14:1-4; John 16-33; Rom 5:1-5; Phil 4:6,7
Needing Rules for Living ………………………………. Rom 12
Overcome ……………….. Psa 6; Rom 8:31-39; I John 1:4-9
Prayerful ………………………………. Psa 4, 42; Luke 11:1-13; John 17; 1 John 5:14,15
Protected …………………………………… Psa 18:1-3; Psa 34:7
Sick or in Pain …………… Psa 38; Matt 26:39; Rom 5:3-5; II Cor 12:9,10; I Pet 4:12,13,19
Sorrowful ………………………….. Psa 51; Matt 5:4; John 14; II Cor 1:3,4; I Thess 4:13-18
Tempted …………………. Psa 1; Psa 139:23,24; Matt 26:41; 1 Cor 10:12-14; Phil 4:8
Thankful ………………….. Psa 100; I Thess 5:18; Heb 13:15
Traveling ……………………………………………………… Psa 121
Trouble, in ………… Psa 16; Psa 31; John 14:1-4; Heb 7:25
Weary ….. Psa 90; Matt 11:28-30; I Cor 15:58; Gal 6:9,10
Worried ………………………………. Matt 6:19-34; I Pet 5:6,7
Wednesday, April 22, 2026
Good Shepherd Sunday
This coming Sunday is Good Shepherd Sunday. Each year on the fourth Sunday of Easter, we have a gospel reading from the tenth chapter of the Gospel of John that describes Jesus as the Good Shepherd. The Psalm appointed for this Sunday is always the 23rd Psalm, and how appropriate for this time in our life. It is one of the most comforting and probably the most familiar of all the psalms. It vividly captures the idea of a life-long journey with God. From the beginning of the psalm it proclaims a personal relationship, an attachment with God. Our Shepherd knows us, and we will never be alone.
Being a shepherd has never been among the top ten most desirable occupations. They work outside and even in bad weather must do whatever necessary to protect the sheep from predators. Shepherds are entrusted with the care of someone else’s sheep, and if a sheep is attacked, killed or lost, the shepherd’s livelihood is in jeopardy. By comparing God to a shepherd, we are saying that our loving Creator gets right down into the muck and mire of life. Our God is with us and ready to brave the storms of life with us.
Sheep are not known for their common sense. They must be herded around for their own well-being. While they are often portrayed as cute and fluffy, up close and personal they are dirty and don’t smell very good. If we compare ourselves to sheep, we are admitting that we need God. We need to be herded and guided; to be cared for and protected. Left to our own devices, we’re not all that great. We need a shepherd because we can’t do it alone.
We’ve been through some tough times lately. The fear we experience is a very normal response to very abnormal threats. Amidst the fear and confusion in our world right now, it’s good to be reminded that God is with us, right beside us, and we are not alone. We need to abide; we need to dwell; we need to live in God during this time and always. And we need to remind each other of that presence.
In the end, God’s amazing grace and love offer us hope, and that hope is way stronger than any threat we will ever face. May our lives be ruled by that hope, and not by fear. And may we “dwell in the house of the Lord, forever.”
See you Sunday. Thanks be to God!
Nancy+
Wednesday, April 15, 2026
Educational Opportunities Galore!
Education for Ministry (EfM)
On the Holy Cow survey members of St. Paul’s indicated that Education was their most important priority. EfM is a program of group study and theological reflection. It meets each week for 9 months of the year. The entire program requires a four-year commitment. It is a wonderful way to grow in theological knowledge and understanding while building community within your EfM group. Lisa Silvis has completed the program and is willing to take on the training to be a leader. If you are interested, please call the office to put your name on the list. We need to have 6 committed students before we can be approved to be a training site.
HOPE Grief Support
Jennifer Zimmerman has offered to run a grief support group here at St. Paul’s. It has been offered here in the past and is an adult information support group to help cope with the death of a loved one. We will need a minimum of 5-7 people to run the group. If you are interested, please contact the office and ask to be put on the list.
Sunday Adult Education
Our Sunday Adult Education program is reading the book, The Sabbath by Abraham Joshua Heschel. He invites readers to rediscover the Sabbath not simply as a day of rest, but as sacred time. It is a weekly opportunity to step away from productivity and dwell in holiness, gratitude, and delight. Heschel writes:
“There is a realm of time where the goal is not to have but to be, not to own but to give, not to control but to share, not to subdue but to be in accord. Life goes wrong when the control of space, the acquisition of things of space, becomes our sole concern.” — Abraham Joshua Heschel, The Sabbath (2005)
With poetic insight and theological depth, The Sabbath challenges modern assumptions about time and invites us to experience rest as a gift from God and a foretaste of eternity. Please join us for shared wisdom on Sundays!
Wednesday, April 8, 2026
WoW! What an incredible Holy Week! We began with beautiful Palm Sunday services. Altar was gorgeous – those red paraments grab our attention. Thank you so much Altar Guild. You work quietly behind the scenes and rarely are you thanked for your tremendous dedication and efforts. We appreciate you. Readers did a phenomenal job with the Passion Gospel. Acolytes you are wonderful. Thank you all for your time and efforts.
Maundy Thursday – you did it! You were willing to participate as either an observer or participant and it was incredible to watch. Lucian played beautiful music. The service was so meaningful and then – once again, the Altar Guild went to work emptying the sanctuary. Brittany sang a beautiful piece by Samuel Barber, “The Crucifixion.” At the very end, Rachel placed the sanctuary candle on the bare altar and extinguished the light. It was a powerful moment.
Good Friday service was also well-attended (45). With the threat of rain, we moved the stations inside. “It was Friday, but Sunday was coming!”
And it did ~ Easter was a joy-filled celebration of the Risen Christ! The altar was covered with brightly colored flowers. 51 people celebrated with us at 8 am. We sang (!!!) and enjoyed music from the choir loft. We heard a recording of Nicole Mullen singing, “My Redeemer Lives.” (Google it and listen to it for yourself.) At 10 am the children (and some young-hearted adults) enjoyed an Easter Egg Hunt in the sanctuary. At 10:30 am we had a choir and amazing music. 151 people attended that service! Julia reminded us about VBS in first week of June. I reminded everyone that we are open every Sunday and would welcome their presence! At the dismissal, each person was given a mini–Risen Christ figure to put on their nightstand or wherever and remember that we worship a risen Christ and we are his hands and feet.
Holy Week, like every week, can’t happen without the active participation of so many people. I won’t list names because invariably I forget someone, but Jennifer, St. Lydia’s Guild, Altar Guild, Ted Howden and his crew, Jaime and Carmen, grounds clean-up crew, Dick and Val Wimbish, Arlene Gallagher, everyone who donated for flowers, readers, singers in the choir, Brittany, Elliot, Lucian, visitors, acolytes, Julia, Carolyn White, Hosts and hostesses, Eucharistic ministers, and everyone who came and participated in our services, and all I have forgotten ~ thank you for making this week so special.
Easter blessings upon you! Nancy+
Search Committee Update
Your search committee is interviewing candidates. We are committed to making sure we find the best priest for St. Paul’s. Please be patient with us as we will take as long as it takes to find the right priest for all of us.
Joyce, Rob, Mary, Ann, Andrea, Val and Craig
Wednesday, April 1, 2026
The Lord is risen! The Lord is risen indeed!
Our reading for Easter Sunday is John 20:1-18. And what a joyous reading it is! It seems there are three imperatives we can take away from this reading. First, the women are urged to believe. Even though this was something that seemed too good to believe, the angel reminds the women that Jesus promised them he would rise from the dead. His words offer an invitation to believe. We must take him at his word, AND BELIEVE.
The second imperative is that the women are urged to share what they have experienced. Their command from Jesus is: “Don’t be afraid. Go, tell my brothers to go to Galilee and they will see me too.” He wants the women to spread the Good News.
And the third imperative is to rejoice. This is the word that the Risen Christ greets the women with., REJOICE! We are called to worship God with Joy. The word “rejoice” means to be joyful or glad with one’s whole heart; to be whole in our wellness ~ mind, body and spirit.
Maybe this is the message we must receive at Easter. First, we must believe. After all, thought precedes action. If you believe you will act like a believer. Secondly, you must share the Good News, and if you have to, use words. And finally, you must rejoice. You may think you don’t deserve it, but open your eyes, open your arms, open your heart to God’s mercy and loving kindness. It’s there for you to embrace.
Grace and peace be with you. Rejoice! He is risen! He is risen indeed!
Nancy+