This Sunday at a Glance

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

This Week at a Glance

Thursday- Vestry Meeting, 6:30p; 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; Zoom Compline, 8p.
Wednesday- Al-Anon, 10a; Lunch at Woodbury Country Eatery, 11:30a; Meditation with Rev. Tuesday, 6:30p; Zoom Compline, 8p.
Thursday- 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.

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, September 17, 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. 

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. 

Thank you to the anonymous donor who made a large donation this week! This gift is appreciated now more than ever.

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

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: We had a great Welcome Back dinner on September 16th, with Church Spaghetti, Chicken Patty, Cookie Salad, and lots of fun!
  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