Senior Warden's Report
M.L. Schultze
2022 Sr. Warden
What will it take?
March 2022
In some ways, 2022 is a reset year. We’ve resumed in-person Sunday services and are gathering again on Fridays through Lent for Stations of the Cross. The Guild Hall is open for our monthly H.O.T. lunch with our Canton neighbors and for coffee hour after Sunday services. Wednesday Book Study is beginning a new video series, “Witness at the Cross.”
But 2022 also offers St. Paul’s a chance at more than a reset. It’s a chance to move ahead, revitalized and re-energized – fully understanding that we face challenges, but also opportunities.
Think of this as the year of: “What will it take?” What will it take to do the things that strengthen our ties to each other, to our community and to God? This doesn’t mean massive projects that require big money, long time-frames and dramatic changes in direction.
It means a range of ideas – some big, some small and some falling in the middle. It means inventorying the resources we have and the resources we need to respond to a challenge and grab ahold of an opportunity. It means consulting with the people and groups in the church and beyond, inviting them to join us and focus us.
It means arriving at a blend of actions that do what the Rev. Dr. Tricia Lyons identified at the Diocesan Winter Convocation as “micro and macro evangelism”: The experiences that strengthen our everyday foundation AND take us to the mountaintop.
It means purposeful joy – or maybe a joyful purpose.
Toward that end, the Vestry Retreat on Feb. 25 included an open-ended exercise, covering a table with ideas of short-, medium-, and long-term actions, things we can integrate into what we already do and things that can take us in a new direction.
The list is long. And it is incomplete, awaiting your input as well.
Vestry will be coming together at the next meeting (6 p.m. on March 21 in the Guild Hall), to select at least one from each category and to begin answering the question: “What will it take?”
March 2022
In some ways, 2022 is a reset year. We’ve resumed in-person Sunday services and are gathering again on Fridays through Lent for Stations of the Cross. The Guild Hall is open for our monthly H.O.T. lunch with our Canton neighbors and for coffee hour after Sunday services. Wednesday Book Study is beginning a new video series, “Witness at the Cross.”
But 2022 also offers St. Paul’s a chance at more than a reset. It’s a chance to move ahead, revitalized and re-energized – fully understanding that we face challenges, but also opportunities.
Think of this as the year of: “What will it take?” What will it take to do the things that strengthen our ties to each other, to our community and to God? This doesn’t mean massive projects that require big money, long time-frames and dramatic changes in direction.
It means a range of ideas – some big, some small and some falling in the middle. It means inventorying the resources we have and the resources we need to respond to a challenge and grab ahold of an opportunity. It means consulting with the people and groups in the church and beyond, inviting them to join us and focus us.
It means arriving at a blend of actions that do what the Rev. Dr. Tricia Lyons identified at the Diocesan Winter Convocation as “micro and macro evangelism”: The experiences that strengthen our everyday foundation AND take us to the mountaintop.
It means purposeful joy – or maybe a joyful purpose.
Toward that end, the Vestry Retreat on Feb. 25 included an open-ended exercise, covering a table with ideas of short-, medium-, and long-term actions, things we can integrate into what we already do and things that can take us in a new direction.
The list is long. And it is incomplete, awaiting your input as well.
Vestry will be coming together at the next meeting (6 p.m. on March 21 in the Guild Hall), to select at least one from each category and to begin answering the question: “What will it take?”
Thanks to Cara, one task has already been tackled: Tidying up the Narthex
Thanks to Clerk Cara Warren’s careful notetaking, you’ll find the list of the ideas below (Some are repeated because they came up more than once.) This list is separated by time frame, but Cara also has categorized them by the type of activity:
LONG-TERM
MEDIUM-TERM
SHORT-TERM
- Building and grounds
- Communications
- Inreach
- Outreach
- Services-Worship
- Spiritual Formation
LONG-TERM
- Support group for caregivers
- How do we minster to lapsed Catholics?
- Partner with Canton city on events planned for downtown, eg Earth Day celebration in Centennial Plaza
- Can we partner with someone with a small bus to set up rideshare with nursing home/wheelchair access?
- LGBTQ+ outreach
- How can we welcome and minister to AA and NA groups?
- How to minister to LGBTQ+ community?
- Hold concerts to grow awareness for our church and improve income
- Meditation time and space
- Na/AA meditation supports
- Sober House
- Engage with the arts community
- Increase access to livestream for members and non-members
- Clothing giveaway at HOT, hats gloves, etc.
- Partner with social service agency for clothing for adults
- Incorporate social service info at HOT
- Engage with Crossroads
- Further explore use of buildings by other groups
- Articles/presentation on items of interest (church architecture terms, instructional/informational Eucharist)
- Website beef up content
- Support StarkFresh grocery store
- Ecumenical faith alliance
- Transportation to church
- Memory garden
- Prayer time on schedule for open chapel
MEDIUM-TERM
- Finish community room
- Tutoring
- Host children’s African choir again
- List sign requesting specific ways to donate items or time
- Coffee hour list donations
- Dialog with other downtown churches
- Children’s books
- Bible study group
- Connect with downtown businesses & residents
- Refuge of Hope partnership clothing & volunteers/clinic
- Good karma cupboard
- Do we have ministries/knitting group?
- Revive spiritual formation classes
- Spiritual formation classes
- Outreach committee to do good works in community
- Community room showers & laundry
- Friendship center partnership
- More community projects missions
- Mission involving foster children
- Clean up day 2 x a year for the church
- Clean up day spring and fall
- Little library
SHORT-TERM
- Visitation committee to visit new prospective and existing members
- Return to and expand Courageous Conversations
- Revise mission statement
- MOW Monday route (additional route) they need delivery drivers towards Louisville
- Speakers to spread news of St. Paul's to other groups and get ideas for St. Paul's
- Hand out small flyers about our church at HOF parade
- Lights
- Shared vestry email box
- Lenten journey project
- Meditation or prayer at a set time
- Calendar and bulletin more explanation
- Sung responses in liturgy
- MOW
- Set goals measurable metrics for each vestry meeting
- Straighten up sanctuary/Narthex
- Prayer request repository in central location
- Additional services weekday mass and return to Evensong
- Evensong
- Wed night service
- Open 5th Street door
- Signs around the building (do we have our hours posted for services?)
- Signs outside building
David Lewis
Sr. warden 2019-2021
Thanks to so many
February 2022
We started last year with the hope and expectation that Covid vaccines would soon be available, everyone would get vaccinated as soon as possible and life as we used to know it would return. Unfortunately, 2021 did not turn out that way.
We have worked to keep St. Paul’s open as much as was possible and safe. We have struggled and still are struggling to understand how to open the church to minister to our congregation and to the Canton community and still be safe. We have been disappointed frequently with how much Covid has limited us.
2021 has, unfortunately, been a time of loss as we have lost several beloved members of our parish. We will miss them.
However, 2022 offers us the opportunity to seek out new avenues. As Fr. Phil noted in his report, we must look to change and find new ways to be “a radically welcoming community.”
2021 has also blessed us with our new Organist/Choirmaster, Edward T. Grimes. His music and playing are wonderful. We look forward to his contributions to our spiritual life in the future.
I would like to thank Fr. Phil for all his efforts to keep us going. I thank Peggy Neidig for keeping the office (and me) going. I thank Paul Schmucker Jr. for taking care of the building. I thank Barb Anderson for the difficult job of being the chair of the Search Committee (and thanks to the members of Search). I thank the Altar Guild for all the work they do to keep the Church beautiful. I thank Carol Sutek for her work as junior warden, Douglas Colmery for his work as treasurer, and M. L. Schultze for her work as clerk. I thank Vestry especially for putting up with me and the extra minutes of Vestry meetings. I also thank our parishioners who have continued to support St. Paul’s with their contributions and support through another difficult year. Thank you all.
David Lewis
Senior Warden
******************
Welcoming Edward T. Grimes
November 2021
November has been significant at St. Paul’s. We welcomed Edward Grimes as our new organist/choirmaster.
Edward has ambitious ideas for revitalizing our choir and returning choral singing to St. Paul’s. We have discussed and taken measures to have Covid protocols and safety measures to have choir and choral singing safely. This includes ordering special masks for choir and discussion of spacing of choir members.
One aspect of this discussion that Edward was insistent upon was a vaccine mandate for choir members. Obviously, vaccine mandates are an issue for some people. However, St. Paul’s has been modifying our worship experience for the last year and a half because of the risk of Covid infection. As part of the Vestry discussion to approve Edward as our organist/choirmaster, Vestry agreed with Edward and approved unanimously his request that all choir members be vaccinated.
At the last Worship Committee meeting (the committee of the senior warden, Fr. Phil, the organist and the master of acolytes that works out the details of worship at St. Paul’s for the coming months or seasons), Fr. Phil, Edward and others were concerned about the infection rate of Covid in Stark County that is going up and ultimately, we decided to wait before we re-started choir.
This discussion led to one at the November Vestry meeting, including whether vaccines should be mandated for everyone in the Chancel area, such as the organist, Fr. Phil, the lector and the crucifer. That, in turn, led to a lively debate over requiring vaccination for everyone attending services in-person. A motion to require vaccinations for everyone attending services unless they have a medical excuse failed by one vote. Vestry did then vote to have a vaccine mandate for servers in the Chancel area.
We are trying to reduce the possibility of Covid infection at St. Paul’s. So far, we do not think anyone has been infected at St. Paul’s. As this virus keeps surging back and infection rates are rising in Stark County, should we require all people who are attending St. Paul’s to be vaccinated? Let Vestry know your thoughts.
You may email the Church or mail the church with your thoughts. You may also call a Vestry member or call me (330) 294-0746 and let us know what you think. Thank you.
November has been significant at St. Paul’s. We welcomed Edward Grimes as our new organist/choirmaster.
David Lewis
Senior Warden
February 2022
We started last year with the hope and expectation that Covid vaccines would soon be available, everyone would get vaccinated as soon as possible and life as we used to know it would return. Unfortunately, 2021 did not turn out that way.
We have worked to keep St. Paul’s open as much as was possible and safe. We have struggled and still are struggling to understand how to open the church to minister to our congregation and to the Canton community and still be safe. We have been disappointed frequently with how much Covid has limited us.
2021 has, unfortunately, been a time of loss as we have lost several beloved members of our parish. We will miss them.
However, 2022 offers us the opportunity to seek out new avenues. As Fr. Phil noted in his report, we must look to change and find new ways to be “a radically welcoming community.”
2021 has also blessed us with our new Organist/Choirmaster, Edward T. Grimes. His music and playing are wonderful. We look forward to his contributions to our spiritual life in the future.
I would like to thank Fr. Phil for all his efforts to keep us going. I thank Peggy Neidig for keeping the office (and me) going. I thank Paul Schmucker Jr. for taking care of the building. I thank Barb Anderson for the difficult job of being the chair of the Search Committee (and thanks to the members of Search). I thank the Altar Guild for all the work they do to keep the Church beautiful. I thank Carol Sutek for her work as junior warden, Douglas Colmery for his work as treasurer, and M. L. Schultze for her work as clerk. I thank Vestry especially for putting up with me and the extra minutes of Vestry meetings. I also thank our parishioners who have continued to support St. Paul’s with their contributions and support through another difficult year. Thank you all.
David Lewis
Senior Warden
******************
Welcoming Edward T. Grimes
November 2021
November has been significant at St. Paul’s. We welcomed Edward Grimes as our new organist/choirmaster.
Edward has ambitious ideas for revitalizing our choir and returning choral singing to St. Paul’s. We have discussed and taken measures to have Covid protocols and safety measures to have choir and choral singing safely. This includes ordering special masks for choir and discussion of spacing of choir members.
One aspect of this discussion that Edward was insistent upon was a vaccine mandate for choir members. Obviously, vaccine mandates are an issue for some people. However, St. Paul’s has been modifying our worship experience for the last year and a half because of the risk of Covid infection. As part of the Vestry discussion to approve Edward as our organist/choirmaster, Vestry agreed with Edward and approved unanimously his request that all choir members be vaccinated.
At the last Worship Committee meeting (the committee of the senior warden, Fr. Phil, the organist and the master of acolytes that works out the details of worship at St. Paul’s for the coming months or seasons), Fr. Phil, Edward and others were concerned about the infection rate of Covid in Stark County that is going up and ultimately, we decided to wait before we re-started choir.
This discussion led to one at the November Vestry meeting, including whether vaccines should be mandated for everyone in the Chancel area, such as the organist, Fr. Phil, the lector and the crucifer. That, in turn, led to a lively debate over requiring vaccination for everyone attending services in-person. A motion to require vaccinations for everyone attending services unless they have a medical excuse failed by one vote. Vestry did then vote to have a vaccine mandate for servers in the Chancel area.
We are trying to reduce the possibility of Covid infection at St. Paul’s. So far, we do not think anyone has been infected at St. Paul’s. As this virus keeps surging back and infection rates are rising in Stark County, should we require all people who are attending St. Paul’s to be vaccinated? Let Vestry know your thoughts.
You may email the Church or mail the church with your thoughts. You may also call a Vestry member or call me (330) 294-0746 and let us know what you think. Thank you.
November has been significant at St. Paul’s. We welcomed Edward Grimes as our new organist/choirmaster.
David Lewis
Senior Warden