The E-pistle

May 31st, 2024

A Note from Father Sam

Dear friends in Christ,

I will be taking some time off in the coming weeks, first for a delayed Honeymoon for Brett and me, and then for a spiritual retreat with some former seminary classmates. I welcome this chance to rest in the midst of busy life, and I encourage you to find time for rest in this summer season, too. The Lord commands us—commands, really—to rest from our labors. I’ve always found the Sabbath principle, enshrined in the Ten Commandments along with seemingly more serious commands like abstaining from the worship of idols or things like murder, to be a little countercultural. We Americans, so in love with our productivity and efficiency, may find it hard to rest, from time to time. I am convinced that rest is a spiritual discipline that requires no less practice than prayer or praise or good works. So never forget to rest—to rest from your work, to rest from the assumption that these works will save us, and to rest in God’s great love for you.

I will be out of the country from Monday, June 17 to Friday, June 28. If during that time, you experience any emergency that should require pastoral care, please don’t hesitate to contact Senior Warden Jorja Marsden (home: 413-298-3945; cell: 413-441-0743) or if necessary, Junior Warden Martha Bodine (413-281-9772). The Wardens will connect you with another local priest.

I will be back for a couple days, including our parish picnic on June 30, before leaving for a week of retreat. During that time, I will be able to field any pastoral emergencies.

Enjoy these summer days, stay cool, and don’t forget to rest!

Peace,

Father Sam

Sunday, June 16th 2024

9:00 A.M.

Holy Eucharist

Collect for the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost:

Keep, O Lord, your household the Church in your steadfast faith and love, that through your grace we may proclaim your truth with boldness, and minister your justice with compassion; for the sake of our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Scripture for the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost: Ezekiel 17:22-24, 92:1-4, 11-14, 2 Corinthians 5:6-17, Mark 4:26-34

Serving this week, June 16th

Celebrant/Preacher: The Rev’d Samuel T. Vaught

Server: Darryl Lafferty

Lector/Intercessor: John Davies

Musician: Nancy King

Greeter: Martha Bodine

Fellowship: Carl Sprague

Altar Guild: Tracy Johnson

Serving next week, June 23

Celebrant/Preacher: The Rev’d Libby Wade

Server: Darryl Lafferty

Lector/Intercessor: Kendra MacLeod

Musician: Doug Schmolze

Greeter: Jim Wade

Fellowship: Patty Mellville

Altar Guild: Natalie Boyce

Parish Prayer List

Those who are ill or in need of intercession

Bruce, Charles, Linda, Veronica, Jeff, Karen, Lisa, Rosalind, Jacob, Kathleen, Doug, Holly, Rick, John, Lenore, Vicki, Donna, Cynthia, Eliza, Cindy, Lori, LaDawn, Elaine, Kit, David, Ann, Jessica, Heidi, Paul, Kate

Those who have recently died

Joyce Monachina, former substitute at SPCC

Tom Kelly, father of Lisa Kane

Brian White, brother-in-law of Piers Boyce

Those who have asked for our long-term prayers

Allie, Irby, Ginger, Joan, Duncan, Bernadette, Ray, Piers, Katrina, Rich, Karen, Michael, Khali, George, Barbara, Christy, John, Anthony, and Astrida

Those celebrating birthdays or anniversaries

Chris Marsden, Barbara McCue, Libby & Jim Wade

Diocesan Cycle of Prayer (Week of 6/2)

Congregations, Ministries, and Partners in Ministry

St. John’s Church, Northampton (The Rev’d Anna Woofenden, Rector; the Rev’d Jason Burns, Deacon)

Trustees of the Diocese

The Church and Wider Mission

Covenant of Friendship with the Diocese of Asante-Mampong (Ghana, West Africa)

Anglican Cycle of Prayer

Sun 6/16: Iglesia Anglicana de Chile

Mon 6/17: Diocese Gahini (Rwanda)

Tues 6/18: Diocese of Gambella (Alexandria)

Wed 6/19: Diocese of Gambia (West Africa)

Thurs 6/20: Diocese of Garissa (Kenya)

Fri 6/21: Diocese of Gasabo (Rwanda)

Sat 6/22: Diocese of Gboko (Nigeria)

Summer Bible Study on pause until July 10

Thank you to those who have participated in our first two Bible Studies of the summer! The conversations have been rich and insightful as we have explored the readings for each upcoming Sunday. Because Father Sam will be away for the next three weeks, Bible Study will be paused until Wednesday, July 10. See you then at 5:30 p.m. on the Rectory screen porch!

Reminder: Bring a lawn chair to Outdoor Worship

We had a lovely problem at our first outdoor worship of the year—we nearly ran out of chairs! If you have a comfy lawn chair at home, don’t forget to bring it along as we worship outdoors this summer. This will save the metal folding chairs and Adirondacks for those who need them.

Parish Picnic Sunday, June 30

Join us on Sunday, June 30 for a celebratory parish picnic following our 9:00 outdoor worship. At the Eucharist, we’ll celebrate the feast of St. Peter and St. Paul, one of our Patronal Feast Days, and then enjoy each other’s company over good food! The parish is providing hamburgers, hot dogs, veggie burgers, and buns. We invite potluck contributions of sides, salads, and desserts. There will be a clipboard at church the next two Sundays to sign up!

Join a Fellowship Dinner this Summer!

Would you like to deepen your relationships with fellow parishioners? Would you like meet new people at St. Paul’s over good food? If so, you are warmly invited to join one of the Fellowship Dinners hosted in the homes of parishioners this summer. There are eight dinners scheduled in the months of July and August in the various locales in which we live. Find one that works for you and sign up here

Questions? Contact Junior Warden Martha Bodine

Appalachian Trail Ministry to resume June 17

With summer quickly approaching, it is time once again to serve our neighbors hiking the Appalachian Trail through the AT Angels ministry in Sheffield. This year, St. Paul’s is on the “home team,” which means that we will be part of the volunteer crew on Mondays, Wednesday, and Fridays, together with Christ Trinity Church and the First Congregational Church of Sheffield. Please consider signing up for a few days on the trail this summer. There are various things needed to make the “trail magic” happen, most importantly, volunteers to offer the gracious ministry of presence that happens when we just show up! To access the online sign-up sheet, please email Father Sam. He will share your information with the team in Sheffield, and they will give you access to the sign-up. The ministry will run from June 17 to August 9. Thank you to Libby Wade and Peter Trapp for representing St. Paul’s at the organizing meeting in late April!

For the second year in a row, St. Paul’s is sponsoring a hole at the Human to Human Golf Tournament, a new annual fundraiser to support a wide variety of ministries throughout Western Massachusetts. Father Sam would like to issue an additional challenge: this year, let’s field a team of 4 players to play the tournament! If you enjoy golfing, you can represent St. Paul’s, raise money for important work around the Diocese, and have fun all at once! You can find more information here. And don’t let the registration cost deter you—the Vestry is happy to pitch in to make any registration possible.

Two Opportunities to Pray Together Each Week

Wednesday: Morning Prayer at 8:30am (Online)



Every Wednesday, a group of parishioners meet at 8:30am to pray Morning Prayer online via Zoom. All are warmly welcome to join via the Zoom link on our website. Thank you Darryl Lafferty for continuing to lead this weekly offering.

Friday: Intercessory Prayer at 8:30am (In-person)

Some may remember that several years ago, a group of parishioners met each week to pray for the needs of those on the parish prayer list. All are invited to join on Friday mornings in the church as we revive this tradition of intercessory prayer. Thank you Alice Wohl for your leadership in reviving this weekly offering.