Who is St. Paul?

epistle What is a Gentile?

our patron, our guide

Who is St. Paul?

Loving: worship

Living: mission

Learning: formation

Final Thoughts: A Mission to the

Gentiles

Worship Opportunities

A Gentile is simply a non-Jew. Follow-

ers of Jesus found themselves separating

over which were formally Jews and le-

gally “in the club” and those that were-

n’t. Some groups practiced conversion

while others did not.

Paul teaches us to worry less about the

boundary lines because God is doing

something amazing with everyone.

Don’t worry about who is in and who is

out because there really is no “in” and

no “out”. We are all one in Christ.

the A seasonal publication of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church

Issue 1.6 in this issue >>>

Paul is a complicated figure. A

very complicated figure. Scholars

devote their careers to learning

and naming who Paul is. There is

no way I could define Paul in

short a place as a newsletter arti-

cle or a sermon on Sunday.

We also need to know who he is

because his name is on the pro-

verbial door. We have named the

building and the congregation

after him. We say that this is his

church. I believe in truth in ad-

vertising, so if we walk around

calling ourselves St. Paul’s Epis-

copal Church, we ought to know

at least something about this so-

called St. Paul, shouldn’t we?

Rather than comb through all of

the details (which would certain-

ly make for a great program,

wouldn’t it?), let’s stick to the

most significant aspect of who

Paul is and move on from there.

In his letters, Paul describes his

ministry as a mission to the gen-

tiles. If we remember, the follow-

Ordinary Time

Continued on page 2

Paul saw his ministry

as a mission to the

gentiles.

or months I’ve been trying to find the right space for this: to explore the nature of Paul, the character of Paul. To be hon-est, I’ve sort of put it off. I’ve done so for pretty selfish reasons.

There is so much to Paul and so much to cover that I didn’t really know where to begin.

F

Back to School!

2

The Epistle

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church

115 N. Sixth St. St. Clair, MI 48079

T: 810.329.3821 F: 810.329.1166

office@stpaulstclair.org

stpauls1885@sbcglobal.net

stpaulstclair.org @StPaulStClair

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Rev. Drew Downs

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Phillip Lundman

To have a submission considered for the upcoming issue of the Epistle, please contact

Rev. Drew at rector@stpaulstclair.org

Or call 810.329.3821

Next issue: November 3, 2013 Submissions for this edition are due

by October 28, 2013

Supporting St. Paul’s

Ask us about the many ways of giving: pre-authorized giving, weekly envelopes, offer-ings at services, annual gifts and bequests.

Drop by/Mail in: 115 N. Sixth St

St. Clair, MI 48079

Call: 810.329.3821

We are always being moved to explore what it means to be disci-

ples of Christ. This includes what it means to love one another.

New Wednesday Healing Service Beginning on September 11, we will have a weekly Holy Eucha-

rist with prayers for healing at noon on Wednesdays in the nave.

Adults and Children Sing! Our congregational choir, which is open to all people, returns

this month to lead our congregation in song. It meets each Sun-

day morning at 8:30. An additional children’s choir is in devel-

opment.

All Saints’ Day November 1, 7:00 pm The church celebrates this major feast on November 1. Though it

is often observed on the first Sunday after the 1st, the Book of

Common Prayer instructs that we may celebrate that Sunday in

addition to the feast. Join us Friday, November 1st at 7 pm!

Continued from page 1

worship >>>

Loving Sharing in community

ers of Jesus were all Jewish.

In the succeeding years, as it

describes in the book we call

The Acts of the Apostles, the

disciples were torn between

proclaiming the Good News

as Jesus taught “to the ends of

the earth” with the idea of

conversion: they had trouble

because what Jesus asked

them to do was so unlike what

they were taught in Syna-

gogues about this one particu-

lar thing.

We know that Paul made great

efforts, particularly in light of

how he would be treated by

his peers and by his own peo-

ple to challenge the status quo.

Paul was convinced the Good

News was for everybody. And

perhaps most importantly, that

the Good News must be com-

municated in a way that would

include everybody. Not just

the insiders.

In my time with this congre-

gation of St. Paul’s, I am more

convinced than ever that we

have a commitment to not on-

ly hearing the Good News, but

to sharing it with everyone in

word and deed. That we fol-

low in our patron’s footsteps

in declaring that all are to be

included. And that we live out

our lives in such a way that

GOD’s generosity is known

by everyone.

The Rev. Drew Downs

3

mission >>>

formation >>>

Church Leadership

WARDENS

Sally Beck Myron Kubbe

VESTRY

Al Barnes Jacquie Ebelt

Cortney Paddock Ken Rands

Michelle Weaver

ALTAR GUILD

Pat McNamara

BUILDINGS & GROUNDS

Tom Jubb

CARE/SHARE

Cortney Paddock

CHILDREN’S FORMATION

Jacquie Ebelt

THRIFT SHOP

Jackie Rands

TREASURER

Michelle Weaver

ORGANIST

Carrie Stewart-Gulan

RECTOR

The Rev. Drew Downs

Saving lives with pop cans Our Spiritual Care Share Ministry is collecting returnable cans

and bottles as a fundraiser for Nets for Life, a ministry through

Episcopal Relief and Development that gives mosquito nets and

training to those in our global community that are most effected

by insect-born diseases.

Gathering in Spirit and Creativity The Diocese of Eastern Michigan took its next step in living out

its mission in practice by gathering to welcome the Spirit and ex-

plore where it is moving us, with clarification of ministries and

leaders. There is more to come!

Halloween Party I think we had more fun being a stop on the Trick-or-Treaters’

path last year than our guests! Help make it even better this year!

Living Living into God’s mission

Learning Opening ourselves to hear the Holy Spirit

This Fall, we are beginning several new opportunities to learn and

grow in our faith. In addition to our Sunday morning time, which

allows us to learn what it means to be a disciple in community, we

have several more opportunities coming to live that out.

Book Group In October, we will kick off a reading group which will meet to

discuss a common book. The first book will be announced shortly.

October 16 at 6:30 pm -The Living Room

Sunday Morning Formation Each Sunday, we gather between the services to explore the story

of Scripture.

Sundays at 9:15 am -The Living Room

Reflections posted at spbiblestudy.wordpress.com

Bible Studies Late Fall, we will be offering small group Bible studies that will

meet at times and places of the group’s choosing. Stay tuned!

Individually scheduled

4

Perhaps the most intriguing thing about Paul’s understanding of liv-

ing a life of faith is that he was aware of two concurrent missions:

the mission of God and the mission given to Paul. He recognized

what God was doing and that God had called him to a specific thing.

That specific thing wasn’t just to go out to preach at “the other”. It

was to change the very nature of their identity: rro erase the stubborn

line between inside and outside. It was a bold and risky move that

changed the entire course of history.

There is good reason that Paul is our patron: because this is also our

work. Like Paul we are not to only go out into the world or to wel-

come outsiders in, but to be a people that is for everyone, that blurs

the lines of separation (Galatians 3:28), and that is changed and

moved and loved by who we become. We are called to be people

who erase expectations and divisions.

A Mission to the Gentiles

In The Next Issue

Giving Thanks

Waiting

Following in the footsteps of Paul

thoughts... final

Contact us at 810.329.3821 stpaulstclair.org

coming soon >>>

SUNDAYS Worship

8:00 am & 10:00 am

Bible Study

9:15 am

Children’s Formation

10:00 am

Preschool Care

10:00 am

And a new nursery will be

open soon!

Worship Opportunities In Ordinary Time

Visit our Facebook page for more!

www.facebook.com/stpaulstclair

WEDNESDAY HEALING SERVICE In September a healing service of Holy

Eucharist will gather at noon on

Wednesdays.

ALL SAINTS’ DAY 11/1 7:00 pm

Join us on Friday, November 1 for our

celebration of All Saints’ Day, one of

the seven principal feasts!

Happy Halloween!