This Sunday at a Glance

9a- Rector's Forum: “The Lord’s Prayer” Series continues
10a- Morning Holy Eucharist, Coffee Hour
5p- Evening Celtic Holy Eucharist at St. Paul’s
8p- Zoom Compline

This Week at a Glance

Thursday- Zoom Compline, 8p.
Friday- Vestry Retreat; Zoom Compline, 8p.
Saturday- Vestry Retreat
Sunday- See Above
Monday- Yoga with Susan, 6:15p; Alcoholics Anonymous, 8p; Zoom Compline, 8p.
Tuesday- Dance for Joy meet up group, 9a; Word & Spirit Book Group: The Odyssey, 7:15p; Zoom Compline, 8p.
Wednesday- Al-Anon, 10a; Lunch at Woodbury Country Eatery, 11:30a; Zoom Compline, 8p.
Thursday- In it Together Poetry for Two Voices, 6p; Zoom Compline, 8p.

Each week we will be sharing information about the progress made in our Parish House Renovation here in the newsletter. For more information about the project, click here.

Painting is underway in the Lower Hall! The walls are primed and getting their first coat of Linen White with white trim and doors. Meanwhile the textured flooring for the ramps is being installed soon. We are getting closer and closer to the end of the first phase of our overall renovation project, on target to be completed after the first week of October. 

These weekly updates are part of our A Place to Belong campaign renovations. The campaign includes: Total renovation of our Lower Hall, including: flooring, ceilings and LED lighting, window repair, mini-splits, food preparation and creative use space renovation, adding accessibility ramps, bathroom renovations (including ADA restroom), appliances, and furnishings; Upstairs renovations including: Bathrooms near the Pearson Room (including ADA restroom), new flooring from the entryway, throughout the Pearson Room and extending to the Seabury Room; new ceiling and LED lighting, painting throughout including both stairways, and new furnishings.

Vestry Retreat: Friday, September 25-Saturday, September 26 at Camp Washington

Committee Meetings.  Thursday, October 8, Property Committee (4p); Executive Committee (5p); Finance Committee (6:40 pm).

Vestry Meeting: Thursday, October 15, 6:30 pm, Seabury Room.

‘In It Together: Poetry for Two Voices’ Open Mic and Food Drive at St. Paul’s Church in Woodbury on October 1, 6-8 p.m.

Orenaug Mountain Publishing of Southbury and Woodbury Poet Laureate Katie Baker are teaming up for their third open mic and food drive at St. Paul’s Church in Woodbury on Thursday, October 1, from 6 to 8 p.m.  The event is titled “In It Together: Poetry for Two Voices.” Guests and participants are asked to bring food and toiletry items for St. Paul’s pantry.

The event will feature Bailey Quinn, poet laureate of Middlebury, and Ron Dukenski and Carol Burgess, both of Southbury, Quinn will read a selection of her recent poems; and Dukenski and Burgess will perform excerpts of their dialogue titled “My Dearest Friend--The Letters of John and Abigail Adams” staged readings.

Images of Bailey Quinn, Ron Dukenski, and Carol Burgess

Word & Spirit Book Group

The list is out! Word & Spirit Book group is starting up again on September 29th for another year of engaging and rewarding reads! This year’s theme is Journeys. Each month we will ask a different question as we read novels that explore different kinds of journeys and the people who embark on them.

Word & Spirit is a book club dedicated to exploring the nature of the sacred in literary fiction. Reading fiction has been shown in multiple studies to increase empathy. When we engage in a story from another person’s perspective, we gain insight and appreciation for the lives of others and for the human condition.

This year our meetings will take place on Tuesday evenings from 7:15-8:30pm except where date changes are noted. We will gather in the Seabury Room. Bringing snacks to share is encouraged! All of the books we will read together are available through the Woodbury Public Library and the Southbury Public Library. 

America 250 Celebration Concert with Tony Nalker and Bob McDonald! Friday, October 16th at 7:00 pm. 
Purchase Tickets Here

You won’t want to miss this very special fundraiser concert, “The House I Live In:  An American Songbook for an American Birthday.” Selections will include beloved standards, Sinatra, and Broadway classics. You’ll hear two amazing musicians, Tony Nalker, pianist and Bob McDonald, baritone vocalist. (Plus, a special guest appearance by Rev. Tuesday on vocals!) 

On Friday, October 16th, at 6:30 pm the doors open for a chance to purchase raffle tickets for numerous gift baskets in the church's Parish Hall. The concert starts at 7:00 pm, followed by a reception when raffle tickets sales will continue before the drawing commences at the end of the evening.

As we would love to fill our beautiful church, please "Each one, reach one." In other words, please let your friends and families know about this event. They won't be disappointed!

Before retiring from the Army, Tony and Bob performed regularly at the White House and for visiting dignitaries from across the globe. Tony continues to perform widely and currently serves as jazz pianist with the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra and the National Symphony Orchestra Pops. He is also the pianist for Hal Leonard Publishing’s Jazz Play-Along series which has produced nearly 200 CD’s/books. Bob is a familiar face to the Washington Capitals fans, now in his 31st season of singing the National Anthem for the team. He also has performed the National Anthem for other DC sports teams, as well as the Super Bowl and World Series. He is also a regular fixture of the Washington DC musical theatre and cabaret scene.

New Start Ministry - On May 27, 2026, Allan (one of our refugee family members from South Sudan) passed his Connecticut DMV driving test and received his license.

A Message about our Little Free Pantry- Our Little Free Pantry is being used heavily right now — about 75–90% of the food is gone every two days. 

We know that even a generous donation will go fast. Your offerings to the pantry mean so much to so many. Thank you for your continued and sustained support. Click here to learn more!

Coat Drive - Our friends at IRIS are gathering coats and warm winter gear for clients - adults and children. St. Paul’s is happy to be a drop-off location for these much-needed donations. They will also take unopened packages of diapers and women’s sanitary supplies.

New and gently used items only - all items must be clean and in good shape, with matching pairs (mittens, socks, gloves). 

Items can be dropped off in the box under the coat rack in the parish hall. Thank you for your generosity in loving our neighbors.

A Message from our Mohammad Daad Serweri at IRIS:

With winter just around the corner, we would really appreciate it if your group could participate in our coat drive. This will help us provide warm coats to our clients and their children this winter. Please see the attached flyer, and don’t hesitate to reach out to me directly if you have any questions or would like more information. Thank you so much for your continued support!
Best,
Daad

SPANISH CLASS

The UU Church in Meriden is offering group Spanish classes on Zoom. If you are interested in learning Spanish or in improving your Spanish, please register using this form: https://forms.gle/iuWiS9Z2gtcABpQr6 no later than Oct. 5, 2026.

Details: Classes are weekly for one hour on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays mid-morning and early evening. Classes will begin in October and run as long as students are interested. Cost is $20 per week, with an initial commitment of 5 weeks. Scholarships and financial aid are available through Rev. Tony. The teacher is a queer native speaker based in Costa Rica. Classes will be grouped by ability and need at least 5 students to schedule.

Welcome back to Children’s Ministries! 

As summer break draws to a close, St. Paul’s is gearing up for a new school year, with Church School, professional Nursery care, Acolytes & Children’s Choir! 

Church School is underway! Classes start at 10 am on Sundays - drop-off activities begin at 9:45. 

• This year’s Church School program will emphasize the stories of our faith and values using hands-on, experiential learning. With skits, music, art projects, community service activities and more kids will grow in their understanding of what it means to Love God and Love Your Neighbor as Yourself. 

• In addition, the Church School room will be once again open during coffee hour so kids can continue to work on projects, enjoy a quiet place to relax, or play while caregivers enjoy fellowship together.

• Church School is open to kids in Grades 1-6. Registration and sign-in at drop-off are required. Register Here!

Acolytes: Is your child interested in being part of our Acolyte Program? Please be in touch with Bart Geissinger, our Liturgical Coordinator, to learn more.

Children’s Choir: Children and Youth are warmly invited and encouraged to be part of our Children’s Choir. Contact Kristin Daigneault, Music Director, for details. 

Professional Nursery Care for children ages 0-5 will has resumed - welcome back to Nicole! Parents and caregivers are welcome to make use of the nursery in the meantime. Please note: All children must be supervised by a parent/caregiver while children are in the nursery. Registration is required. Register Here!

Youth Group meetings: Incoming sixth graders, get ready!! Welcome to our newest middle schoolers! Our next meeting is on Wednesday, September 30th from 6-8 pm. Kids in grades 6-12 are warmly invited to join the fun. Dinner is always provided. Questions? Reach out to our Youth Minister, Deb Tickell, youth@stpaulswoodbury.org. For last-minute questions, text at (623) 340-7474.

As a valued and beloved member of the St. Paul’s community, we invite you to continue your support of the church by adding St. Paul’s to your estate plan. For more information, please reach out to Peter Bowles, peter.bowles356@gmail.com.

Blessings to you in this sacred, ordinary time.

In Faith,

Rev. Tuesday+

rector@stpaulswoodbury.org