This Sunday at a Glance

9a- Rector's Forum: “The Lord’s Prayer” Series continues
9:15a- Children’s Choir Rehearsal and sing during communion at 10:00 service
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- Zoom Compline, 8p.
Saturday-
Sunday- See Above
Monday- Yoga with Susan, 6:15p; Alcoholics Anonymous, 8p; Zoom Compline, 8p.
Tuesday- Dance for Joy meet up group, 9a; Song Circle, 7p; Zoom Compline, 8p.
Wednesday- Al-Anon, 10a; Lunch at Woodbury Country Eatery, 11:30a; Youth Group: Teens middle & high school age, 6p; Zoom Compline, 8p.
Thursday- Property Committee 4p; Executive Committee 5p; Finance Committee, 6:30p; Zoom Compline, 8p.

Spotlight: St. Paul’s History Day

This past Sunday afternoon, more than 50 people came to learn more about St. Paul’s history. Wrey Trompeter, Mariana Daniels, and Tom McMorran gave a fascinating three-part presentation that included: Facts about the history of Woodbury; the life, significance, and connection to St. Paul’s of the first Episcopal Bishop of the United States, Samuel Seabury; and the story of our church through the history of our ever-changing buildings. 

People from our congregation were joined by members of our community at large for an engaging and dynamic afternoon, followed by a wonderful reception offered by members of our hospitality team. It was a terrific reminder of the special place St. Paul’s Woodbury holds in the life of the Episcopal Church. The presentation made clear that our ongoing history is one that embraces change, and is maintained by generations of faithful community support. 

Special thanks to our presenters, to the Hospitality Committee, and our sexton Ron Crowcroft for making this experience such a success. None of this would have been possible without the faithful work of our parish archivist, Lois Zane. Lois has been tending our archives for over 40 years. Her careful curation and detailed notes have not only supported learning more about our common story - they have also been instrumental in our many building projects over the last ten years. We have been deeply blessed by her work, and by the team of emerging archivists - notably Wrey Trompeter and our ministerial intern Tom McMorran - for building upon this priceless legacy. 

Link to our website blog

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.

Let there be light! This week the painters finished the main room of the Lower Hall, and the electrician installed the beautiful new wall sconces. The overhead lights are in two banks which switch on or off. The seven sconces are dimmable to create atmospheric lighting for different uses. When off, the new wall sconces are subtle - you might not even notice them. 

Painting for the kitchen island is commencing. You might notice a sample of the kitchen island color, St. Paul’s blue, in the middle of the second picture. The paint on the walls in both the kitchen and the main hall is Linen White with white trim. The center island in the kitchen, including the cabinet drawers, will be our own blue. 

In addition to the painting and sconces, more work is being done to prepare and install the kitchen sinks.

In the next couple of weeks we will have the fire alarm system installed, the ceiling finished, and the rest of the flooring installed. 

The Lower Hall is on target to be completed by about the middle of the month. Then construction will take a break, and resume again after the new year.

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, 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 TONIGHT, 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 this evening, 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

Acolyte Informational Meeting, Sunday, October 11th after church 

Have you ever watched your friends up at the altar on Sunday mornings, dressed in white and carrying around fire, crosses, Gospel book, offering plates and more? Have you ever wished you could be up there too? Great news- you can! Join us on Sunday, October 11th right after church in the sanctuary, to talk about what it means to be an acolyte: time, commitment, training, showing up, and belonging. This brief meeting will answer all your questions. Please join us if you are new or if you are already serving as an acolyte.

Word & Spirit Book Group
Tuesday, October 13th at 7:15p in the Seabury Room

In September we read The Odyssey and talked about the ways journeys can change us. Our October book is Madeline Miller’s critically acclaimed novel, Circe. In conversation with the book, we will ask: What is life like for those who are left behind?

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.

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: 6th through 12th Graders: We meet the 1st, 3rd, and 5th Wednesdays of the month from 6:00 - 8:00 pm. Free 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