God's Peace and Love be with You.
Per the Diocese, all Worship services and related gatherings are cancelled until further notice,
as a precaution against the COVID-19 virus.
Please be safe.
Per the Diocese, all Worship services and related gatherings are cancelled until further notice,
as a precaution against the COVID-19 virus.
Please be safe.
We invite you to use our Online Giving Tool.
During this time of suspended in-church worship, the Diocese of Ohio has partnered with Giving Tools to help facilitate online stewardship for St. Paul's and other parishes. Please click on the church icon at left to visit our Online Giving page.
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A Message from the Bishop Regarding In-Person Gathering Dear sisters and brothers in Christ, As we take cautious steps forward into this new reality of living with Coronavirus and COVID-19, the physical and spiritual safety of God’s beloved is foremost in my concerns and prayers. The desire to be with one another again in all the varied activities of life is great, and for many of us, the yearning to gather in worship, service, and fellowship is paramount. Our transition to in-person gathering must be careful and thoughtful, putting the well-being of others first, as Jesus taught us. Attached you will find a letter from the six bishops serving the two dioceses in Ohio outlining our common perspective, followed by a document describing requirements and suggested procedures for phased, in-person regathering in the Diocese of Ohio. It is important that you read the entire document to get a clear understanding of the process. Please remember that the progression may not be linear, as we may well have to return to a previous phase at some time. (continues below) |
Please join us on May 24th,
The Seventh Sunday of Easter at 10:30 a.m. for live streaming of our service from the sanctuary. Father Phil, Officiant and Preacher Bill Kendrick, Organist The bulletin will be posted below. May our live streaming opportunities be a source of comfort and renewal to you. Thank you for joining us. God's Blessings. Stay well and safe. Following the service, you may also view the stream as a recorded video on YouTube at the link provided. For instructions on closed-captioning, please click here. |
We have been in Phase 1 of this process since the suspension of public worship two months ago. Beginning on the Day of Pentecost, May 31, we will move into Phase 2. That does not mean that a particular congregation or communicant must resume in-person gathering at that time, only that it will be permitted, given suitable preparations. Each parish and individual’s decision will be particular to its own context and circumstances. For some, regathering may be appropriate, for others it may not.
If you have questions or concerns, please reach out for assistance. The bishops and staff of the Diocese are ready to help in every way possible.
Again, know that you are in my prayers always.
The Rt. Rev. Mark Hollingsworth, Jr.
Bishop of Ohio
A Follow-Up Message from the Bishop on In-Person Regathering
Dear colleagues and communicants,
I write following up to the regathering protocols you have received this week. Recognizing how complex and serious are our preparations for the care of God’s beloved in this pandemic, there are a few immediate reflections and clarifications that arise from our continuing conversations.
In the past 24 hours, it has been heartening and encouraging to hear of the patience, caution, and thoughtfulness with which clergy and lay leaders are approaching the possibility of in-person ministry and worship. Understanding that each “phase” refers only to what may be possible in a particular season of this new reality, it should be clear that the guidelines make no assumption or expectation for in-person gathering at any specific time. The timing of appropriate implementation will be specific to each congregation’s demographic, size, location, and context. Some parishes may explore outdoor options in good weather, others may continue sustaining community and participating in worship via internet and social media for weeks to come.
In looking ahead to what gathering physically for worship may look like, whenever that may occur, some have asked for clarification regarding the restriction on singing. For now, that prohibits all singing, including vocal soloists, even at an increased distance. Prerecorded vocal music is permissible, as it has been for online worship. In planning liturgies, however, I encourage a pastoral sensitivity to worshipers for whom the absence of participatory singing will be very difficult and urge you to avoid familiar hymns in familiar places that will be difficult for many not to sing. Instrumental music or prerecorded vocal pieces may be best suited to more contemplative moments in the service.
In some places, the use of woodwinds and brass in worship has been suspended for the same reasons as singing. This seems both prudent and responsible. It will be impossible to imagine all eventuality, but I have confidence that you will always err on the side of safety and caution in your decision making.
There has been an understandable question about what constitutes “deep cleaning,” as this is a term used in hospitals and other public facilities. The intention in our protocol is not to define a specific practice, but to underscore the need for conscientious sanitization. Please read the guideline to mean: Before any public use of church-owned spaces, congregations must thoroughly clean and appropriately disinfect each part of the church building that will be open to public use, including pews, bathrooms, doorknobs, light switches, stair railings, and microphones.
A thorough cleaning is expected before public use with special emphasis on where people will touch things. It is not necessary to clean the spaces of the building that will not be used until later. Those spaces must be similarly cleaned prior to their public use, which may be some months later.
Gratefully,
The Rt. Rev. Mark Hollingsworth, Jr.
Bishop of Ohio
If you have questions or concerns, please reach out for assistance. The bishops and staff of the Diocese are ready to help in every way possible.
Again, know that you are in my prayers always.
The Rt. Rev. Mark Hollingsworth, Jr.
Bishop of Ohio
A Follow-Up Message from the Bishop on In-Person Regathering
Dear colleagues and communicants,
I write following up to the regathering protocols you have received this week. Recognizing how complex and serious are our preparations for the care of God’s beloved in this pandemic, there are a few immediate reflections and clarifications that arise from our continuing conversations.
In the past 24 hours, it has been heartening and encouraging to hear of the patience, caution, and thoughtfulness with which clergy and lay leaders are approaching the possibility of in-person ministry and worship. Understanding that each “phase” refers only to what may be possible in a particular season of this new reality, it should be clear that the guidelines make no assumption or expectation for in-person gathering at any specific time. The timing of appropriate implementation will be specific to each congregation’s demographic, size, location, and context. Some parishes may explore outdoor options in good weather, others may continue sustaining community and participating in worship via internet and social media for weeks to come.
In looking ahead to what gathering physically for worship may look like, whenever that may occur, some have asked for clarification regarding the restriction on singing. For now, that prohibits all singing, including vocal soloists, even at an increased distance. Prerecorded vocal music is permissible, as it has been for online worship. In planning liturgies, however, I encourage a pastoral sensitivity to worshipers for whom the absence of participatory singing will be very difficult and urge you to avoid familiar hymns in familiar places that will be difficult for many not to sing. Instrumental music or prerecorded vocal pieces may be best suited to more contemplative moments in the service.
In some places, the use of woodwinds and brass in worship has been suspended for the same reasons as singing. This seems both prudent and responsible. It will be impossible to imagine all eventuality, but I have confidence that you will always err on the side of safety and caution in your decision making.
There has been an understandable question about what constitutes “deep cleaning,” as this is a term used in hospitals and other public facilities. The intention in our protocol is not to define a specific practice, but to underscore the need for conscientious sanitization. Please read the guideline to mean: Before any public use of church-owned spaces, congregations must thoroughly clean and appropriately disinfect each part of the church building that will be open to public use, including pews, bathrooms, doorknobs, light switches, stair railings, and microphones.
A thorough cleaning is expected before public use with special emphasis on where people will touch things. It is not necessary to clean the spaces of the building that will not be used until later. Those spaces must be similarly cleaned prior to their public use, which may be some months later.
Gratefully,
The Rt. Rev. Mark Hollingsworth, Jr.
Bishop of Ohio
Our secretary, Peggy, remains in the office Monday thru Thursday 8:00-Noon.
There are no office hours on Fridays.
The office email is stpaulsoffice@att.net;
and you may leave a message on the phone voicemail (330)455-0286
Address
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
P.O. Box 21333
(Please note that all mail must be sent to P.O. box. Mail sent to street address will not reach us.)
425 Cleveland Avenue S.W.
Canton, OH 44702
There are no office hours on Fridays.
The office email is stpaulsoffice@att.net;
and you may leave a message on the phone voicemail (330)455-0286
Address
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
P.O. Box 21333
(Please note that all mail must be sent to P.O. box. Mail sent to street address will not reach us.)
425 Cleveland Avenue S.W.
Canton, OH 44702
Social Justice Book Club meeting on “Evicted” for May 5 and on subsequent dates have been temporarily postponed until the “all-clear” has been announced. We will notify everyone as soon as events allow us.
If you plan on joining us, please forward David Swope with your e-mail address to: swopedavid@yahoo.com or call 330-312-4007 with contact information.
Thank you and stay safe. We will persevere!
D.J. Swope
If you plan on joining us, please forward David Swope with your e-mail address to: swopedavid@yahoo.com or call 330-312-4007 with contact information.
Thank you and stay safe. We will persevere!
D.J. Swope
We at St. Paul's welcome you.
We hope to be able to greet you soon in person, because that is a lot more fun!
Should this be your first contact with St. Paul's or any Episcopal church, we invite you to explore the Seekers Center, which offers a detailed look at our traditions, practices and the application of our beliefs in today’s world.
Please join our church family to see us firsthand in all-encompassing, loving action.
Our Mission Statement:
St. Paul’s is a radically welcoming Episcopal community in downtown Canton,
grounded in faith, called by God’s Love to minister to the world.
St. Paul’s is a radically welcoming Episcopal community in downtown Canton,
grounded in faith, called by God’s Love to minister to the world.
Links below presently suspended.
...For More News,
Calendar,
and Upcoming Events
...For our newsletter,
"An Epistle
from St. Paul's"
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from St. Paul's"
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Recently at St. Paul's:
Above: Members of Vestry for 2020, from left: Judy Arrington, David Lewis, Senior Warden; M.L. Schultze, Clerk; Karen Swope, Carol Sutek, Junior Warden; Dr. Richard Oloya, Patrick Weschler, Douglas Colmery, Treasurer. Photo by David Rotthoff.
Candlemas, February 2nd. Photos by David Rotthoff.
Above: Happy Anniversary to Dr. Richard and Dorothy Oloya ; Rick Senften and M.L. Schultze. Photos by David Rotthoff.
Above: Mt. Olive Baptist Church joined with St. Paul's to co-host the January 19th service in celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King. Rev. Eric Howard (at right) was our guest preacher. Photos by Rick Senften and M.L. Schultze.
Above: images from last Sunday's Annual meeting, which took place following a hearty repast. Photographed by David Rotthoff.
Above: St. Paul’s and the MacDowell Music Club co-sponsored the St. Nicholas Balalaika Orchestra in concert Sunday, Jan. 12 at St. Paul’s. The orchestra has appeared at St. Paul’s many times in the past and has always been immensely popular with the public. Photos by David Rotthoff.
Above: Elegant treats and elegant music at Sunday, January 5th's Epiphany Tea. Photos by David Rotthoff.
St. Paul is back in the house! Photo by David Rotthoff.
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Saint Paul’s hosted Soprano Suzanne Woods on Wednesday, December 4 as part of the church’s Concert & Compline series. Under the title of Ding, Dong, it must be Christmas, Ms. Woods offered a program of Christmas gems and light selections of the season. Photo by David Rotthoff.
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Above, left: This December, Pete Taflan and family celebrated his 98th birthday. Congratulations, Pete!!! Right: Happy Birthday to Linda Kendrick as well! (Hi, Bill!)
Another Successful Year for Thanksgiving Baskets!!!
Below: Volunteers sort through thousands of donations that came into St. Paul’s for the annual Thanksgiving Baskets distribution on Nov. 23. More than 1,100 local families received turkeys and bags of food to prepare their Thanksgiving dinners.
The interfaith effort including churches, synagogues and mosques has been underway for 40 years. Photos courtesy of David Rotthoff.
Below: Volunteers sort through thousands of donations that came into St. Paul’s for the annual Thanksgiving Baskets distribution on Nov. 23. More than 1,100 local families received turkeys and bags of food to prepare their Thanksgiving dinners.
The interfaith effort including churches, synagogues and mosques has been underway for 40 years. Photos courtesy of David Rotthoff.
The Feast of all Saints, Solemn Evensong Rite II.
November 4th, 2019
St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Canton. 150th Anniversary
St. Timothy's Episcopal Church, Massillon, 183rd Anniversary
St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Canton, 65th Anniversary
Photos by David Rotthoff.
November 4th, 2019
St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Canton. 150th Anniversary
St. Timothy's Episcopal Church, Massillon, 183rd Anniversary
St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Canton, 65th Anniversary
Photos by David Rotthoff.
Below: Additional Evensong photos by Bill Rand, St. Mark's.
Below: video of the Solemn Evensong choral performance, courtesy of M.L. Schultze.
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Left: Jefferson McConnaughey, acclaimed organist from Columbus, performed at Wednesday night’s concert and compline on St. Paul’s E.M. Skinner organ, which has been restored by Kegg Pipe Organ Builders. McConnaughey’s selections included “The Last Chord,” a poem by Adelaide Anne Proctor set to music by Sir Arthur Sullivan. “ I have sought, but I seek it vainly, that one lost chord divine, Which came from the soul of the organ and entered into mine.” St. Paul’s offers concert and compline the first Wednesday evening of each month beginning at 7 pm. |
Above: Opening Remarks from Senior Warden David Lewis at St. Paul's 150th Anniversary Celebration Dinner on Saturday, October 26th. Photos by David Rotthoff.
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Left: Artisans from Radiant Arts removed the Lady Chapel window and another along the south wall this week to begin their restoration. The Lady Chapel story of the Annunciation and Nativity is the oldest in the church. The Beach City company’s work restoring the nearly 100-year-old windows began with the image of Saint Paul’s above the balcony. |
Below: More repair of stained-glass windows:
Photos by David Rotthoff
Below: October 3rd's Concert and Compline featured Erin Byrne, soprano, and Joanne Fox, dulcimer. Photo by David Rotthoff.
St. Paul's presence was very strong during its annual Hall of Fame Parade outreach on August 3rd. Early risers handed out doughnuts, bottled water, and good will to bystanders. Photo by David Rotthoff.
Housewarming party for Larry and Vicki Simpkins on Sunday, July 28
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On Sunday, July 7th, the African Children's Choir appeared at St. Paul's during their "Just as I Am" hymns tour, and performed a riveting concert of music and storytelling! Details below. Photos by David Rotthoff, videos courtesy of Rick Senften and M.L. Schultze.
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Praise, thanks and a joyful noise
For three days this week, the sounds and dreams of 16 children from Uganda are filling St. Paul’s. Thanks to Olivia Johnson, our church is hosting the African Children’s Choir on their “Just As I Am” North American tour, beginning with a concert that drew 125 people in out of the pouring rain Sunday night. Children from Canton stood on the pews to join their counterparts from the other side of the world in a combination of song, dance and story telling ranging from traditional Ugandan rhythms to “This Little Light of Mine.” But children weren’t the only ones moving -- and moved -- by the performance. The evening raised more than $900 to to sponsor the choir, which is part of Music for Life -- a program begun by Ray Barnett in Uganda, which was then dominated by dictatorship and war, 35 years ago. Today the ministry extends to a half-dozen African countries. And while music is its backbone, the goal is education -- of both the children and the world. The children, most ages 7-10, spend six months preparing for their nine-month tours. When they return home, they’ll attend boarding school through university graduation, an expense their families could never afford. From there, as they told the audience at St. Paul’s, they’ll become doctors, nurses,teachers, scientists, police officers. For Music for Life, the goal is that they’ll become leaders of their home countries, and help counteract the stereotypes of those countries as places hopelessly caught in poverty, tyranny and greed. In Canton, the children are spending their days at the church, doing school work, enjoying favorite meals (spaghetti, top of the list) prepared by Beth Paynter, Carol Sutek, Judy Arrington, Brenda Denning, Bonnie Frazier, Nancy Suba and others -- and rehearsing for their next stop in Columbus. They and their chaperones are staying with host families -- the newest “aunties” and “uncles” in their lives. |
For more on Music for Life and the African Children’s Choir,
go to africanchildrenschoir.com. |
On June 23, St. Paul’s marked our 150th anniversary, as well as the dedication of our current sanctuary 96 years ago, with a family friendly picnic and ice cream social!
Newcomers and old friends joined us for the service (below left), music, games, food and fellowship, church tours and glimpses of St. Paul’s (and greater Canton) over the years. The festivities began at 12:15 p.m. at the spot where St. Paul’s took root in Canton 150 years ago: 425 Cleveland Ave. SW (below right).
Newcomers and old friends joined us for the service (below left), music, games, food and fellowship, church tours and glimpses of St. Paul’s (and greater Canton) over the years. The festivities began at 12:15 p.m. at the spot where St. Paul’s took root in Canton 150 years ago: 425 Cleveland Ave. SW (below right).
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Below, far left: Well over one hundred people helped us celebrate these two very special occasions. Below, left: the Lilly family was among those competing in a photo scavenger hunt and other games celebrating St.Paul’s and the Episcopal church. Below, right: a barbershop quartet entertained. Below, far right: friends from Mt. Olive Baptist Church, who have been our partners on the Courageous Conversations discussion of racial reconciliation, joined us for the picnic and ice cream social.
Preserving the stained-glass story of St. Paul's
Photo courtesy of David Rotthoff
Update: Jim Foltz of Radiant Arts met with the congregation on May 26 to outline the most immediate needs to repair and reinforce the stained-glass windows that illuminate our sanctuary. The estimated cost is about $23,000. We've had pledges for approximately half the cost and the Vestry is launching a matching-gifts campaign.
St. Paul’s has had more than three-dozen windows installed over time. The high-altar window and its more than 10,000 piece of glass was installed by the time the church was consecrated in 1929. The last of the windows were dedicated in 1946.
The window depicting our namesake, St. Paul, looks down over the balcony. It was dedicated in 1936 to the late Rev. Walter McCowatt, the dynamic priest who led St. Paul’s for nearly two decades and built our current church. The window faces west, which means its been battered by wind, snow, rain, hail and everything else Mother Nature has thrown at it over the last 83 years. For a complete list of the windows and their subjects, please see the News page.
Photo courtesy of David Rotthoff
Update: Jim Foltz of Radiant Arts met with the congregation on May 26 to outline the most immediate needs to repair and reinforce the stained-glass windows that illuminate our sanctuary. The estimated cost is about $23,000. We've had pledges for approximately half the cost and the Vestry is launching a matching-gifts campaign.
St. Paul’s has had more than three-dozen windows installed over time. The high-altar window and its more than 10,000 piece of glass was installed by the time the church was consecrated in 1929. The last of the windows were dedicated in 1946.
The window depicting our namesake, St. Paul, looks down over the balcony. It was dedicated in 1936 to the late Rev. Walter McCowatt, the dynamic priest who led St. Paul’s for nearly two decades and built our current church. The window faces west, which means its been battered by wind, snow, rain, hail and everything else Mother Nature has thrown at it over the last 83 years. For a complete list of the windows and their subjects, please see the News page.
