Personal Reflection

Statement of Active Faith

How do our beliefs shape our actions?

This past year, St. Paul’s has experienced first-hand the rhetoric of hate disguised as Christianity. Our response to Christian Nationalism in our midst was and remains a deep commitment to following Jesus’ Greatest Commandment: Loving God and loving our neighbors as ourselves.

The vestry has used this moment to reflect on our own position of belief and action in the world. It is not enough to say what we are against. Rather, we feel strongly that we must state plainly what we are for, and why. 

Our response over these past months has been to create a Statement on Active Faith.

You can read more here.

Stewardship: Our House, Our Home

That's what St. Paul's is for so many of us.

This stewardship season, we're inviting every household to consider how we can care for the spiritual home we share.

Our households are different, and our gifts will be different, too. What matters is that each of us has a place in the life and future of St. Paul's.

Every household. Every gift. One St. Paul's.

This Sunday at a Glance

Stewardship Kickoff Sunday
9a- Rector's Forum: “Christian Mystics: History and Practice” Series Continues
9:15a- Choir Rehearsal and sing at 10a service
10a- Morning Holy Eucharist, Coffee Hour with Community Activity!
5p- Evening Celtic Holy Eucharist at St. Paul’s
8p- Zoom Compline

This Week at a Glance

Thursday- Zoom Compline, 8p.
Friday- Annual Convention; Zoom Compline, 8p.
Saturday- Annual Convention.
Sunday- See Above.
Monday- Rev. T is away; Yoga With Susan, 6:15p; Alcoholics Anonymous, 8p; Zoom Compline, 8p. 
Tuesday- Rev. T is away; Dance for Joy meet up group, 9a; Zoom Compline, 8p.
Wednesday- Rev. T is away; Al-Anon, 10a; Lunch at Woodbury Country Eatery, 11:30a; BethWood Training, 2p; Meditation with Rev. Tuesday, 6:30p; Zoom Compline, 8p.
Thursday- Rev. T is away; 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.

Now that our fire detection system is in place our ceiling tiles are being installed, both in the main room and in the restrooms.

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.

Committee Meetings.  Thursday, November 12, Property Committee (4p); Executive Committee (5p); Finance Committee (6:40 pm).

Vestry Meeting: Thursday, November 19, 6:30 pm, Seabury Room.

Word & Spirit Book Group
Tuesday, November 23rd at 7:15p in the Seabury Room

This past month we read Circe and talked about how our lives intersect with people we encounter on our journeys. Our November book is Zora Neale Hurston’s classic, Their Eyes Were Watching God. In conversation with the book we will ask: how far will we go to discover who we truly are?

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.

Special Offer: If you plan on purchasing a copy of the book, check this out! Our friends at the Little Fox Bookshop are offering a 10% discount for Word & Spirit book purchases! Just let them know at the register when you buy any of the titles on this year’s list.

New Advent Candle Stand - With the days still warm and the leaves turning spectacular color, most of us are not considering that the Season of Advent is moving up to the front of the liturgical calendar again, but it is! Anyone who serves or has served on the altar knows how unstable and rickety our current Advent candle stand has become. The congregation may have also noticed that the candles tend to tilt to one side or the other and will not stand upright in a stand that doesn’t defy gravity anymore. It is past time to replace it.

It seems appropriate to move forward with this goal in honor of Isobel Moore, an active and committed parishioner who lost her fight against metastatic liver cancer in April 2025. Isobel was involved in a number of St. Paul’s ministries, including, but not limited to Vestry, Choir, Lenten Pals, and Altar Guild.

We are hoping that the new candle stand can be purchased and dedicated to her memory on November 29, 2026, which is the first Sunday of Advent. If you are interested in donating to this memorial, please put a check in the offering plate with “New Advent Candle Stand” on the memo line, or speak to Karen Nash, either at church, or at 203-736-3596.

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.

Exciting and engaging programs are in motion for both Church School and Youth Group. Come and check us out!

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!

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