“Each of us has probably had this experience, sitting in a pew in this beautiful sanctuary, and there was a moment of revelation: ‘This is it. This is my place.’ My moment first occurred forty-six years ago this month, with my wife Ellen and our eight-month-old daughter Anne. Something about the light, the sounds, the smells, the palpable energy in the room. Ellen and I looked at each other and thought, ‘This is it. This is our place.’ Of course we had no idea that we were on the first steps of a nearly half-century journey.
That journey encompassed all the intense joys and sorrows of life itself. It encompassed a cast of amazing characters, profound and brilliant, loving and warm, wounded and suffering, creative and accomplished, recovering and evolving, serious… and hilarious! Sometimes, all of the above. You know… St. Paul’s! We’ve said goodbye to beloved friends here. We get to welcome the newest members of the family. Our theology celebrates beauty, too. We’ve built and maintained and enhanced this lovely sanctuary as a visible representation of our faith and community. We’ve created a space of solace and refreshment in the midst of our very urban neighborhood. Anyone can enter this space, walk our labyrinth, and take a brief respite from the world outside.
As someone who’s been present at St. Paul’s for a long time, let me tell you: now is among the best times here. I couldn’t be more pleased and energized by our parish leadership. This parish exists because of, and is sustained by, all of us, every day. It takes love, and faith, and work, and we are that generous and giving community. It also takes money. Of all the things I support, St. Paul’s is the most central to my life and my identity. I hope that as you consider the place of St. Paul’s in your life, you will consider increasing your pledge as you are able. But whatever you decide, know that I give thanks for all of you, every day. After all, this is it. This is our place.””
If you are reading this webpage, this is our place because of you. Whether you’ve been here for decades or walked through the door for the first time today, you are why we are all here.
There are so many ministries at St. Paul’s. I want to list them here, just to give you an idea of all the different, vital work your pledge dollars will support in the new year:
Liturgy and Music: All voices, nourished in silence and raised in song
Faith Formation: study, learning, conversation, and fellowship for every generation
Neighborhood Action: St. Paul’s in the Neighborhood (SPiN), the Little Free Pantry (LFP), and partnerships with neighboring businesses
Stewardship: Anti-racism efforts, Care for Creation, and the Community Action Working Group
Pastoral Care: visiting those who are sick, and reaching out to families and friends at the edge of our community
Parish Life: Coffee hours, receptions, outdoor activities, and special events
Newcomers and Membership: welcoming and incorporating all newcomers
Buildings and Grounds: Work parties, maintenance of our mission base, and gardening
Your pledge dollars make every ministry possible. You give us what we need to lead the people in prayer and song, praising God “with trumpet sound, lute and harp, strings and pipe” (Psalm 150). You give us what we need to draw alongside our youngest members in the Godly Play liturgy and in ministries for (and by) our youth. You give us what we need to support their parents, to reach out to elders, to draw alongside unhoused neighbors, to find answers to our most vexing questions of faith, to organize for justice with other churches and nonprofits, to welcome visitors seeking a warm and meaningful faith community, to build authentic allyship with the first people who lived here, to baptize new Christians and marry happy couples, to visit the sick or lonely and sing “Alleluia” even at the grave, to care for this jewel of Uptown that has proclaimed the Good News from this street corner since 1903, to care for creation itself.
Click here to read Father Stephen’s stewardship letter in full.
