The message for 2026: Change is continuity at St. Paul's
Photos courtesy of David Rotthoff
For the 156th time, St. Paul's gathered for its annual meeting on Sunday, Jan. 18.
We elected five new Vestry members, approved a balanced budget and shared much more about the changes that carried us through 2025 and promise to continue in 2026.
Here are the opening remarks from the senior warden, M.L Schultze. And you can click on this link for the complete annual report.
My formal report, like other very important ones, is in your annual report booklet, and I encourage you to please read them all. They capsulize the amazing efforts of St. Paul’s over the past year, and I’ll make reference to some of that this morning.
But the report, by definition, focuses on 2025 and I’d like to move our discussion ahead to 2026. Because change will be as much a part of this year as it was of last.
Not the draw-dropping kind as at our last annual meeting, when we learned Mother Robin was responding to a call from another parish, Christ Church in Warren. (St. Paul’s, by the way, remains deep in her heart. When any of us has seen her at Diocesan functions, she sends her love.)
We also learned that our former Senior Warden Extraordinaire Demi Carrothers had embarked on the path to the deaconate, and while we’ll do everything to support him, we already miss him on Vestry (especially keeping us on task). And we know his journey and training will take him to other parishes. Thank you and God-Speed, Demi.
Still, there are some wonderful points of continuity taking us into 2026, chief among them Father Joe and Mother Kay Ashby, who have so quickly become part of the St. Paul’s family, striking that wonderful balance of nurturing us as we are and encouraging us to move forward in our search for definition and clergy. They have embraced pastoral care and led our Christian education, and rolled up their sleeves at HOT, Courageous Conversations and anything involving food. Thank you, Joe and Kay.
Another wonderful point is the laity of this church, all of you who take up roles – and occasionally mops and brooms – simply because you know things need to get done.
We have five nominees for Vestry this year. Courageous Conversations is working on new projects with new partners in new space in St. Paul’s. Our community room is being transformed. Daughters of the King is hosting local and regional gatherings. H.O.T. lunches celebrate birthdays with cake and icecream. And we continue to be the church on speed dial when other churches and groups – from the League of Women Voters to Crossroads United Methodist -- need space and support for programs.
All of this is more evolution than revolution. But we do face some more immediate changes in 2026. Chief among those is Peggy Neidig’s retirement as our office manager and the keeper of all things. Peggy gave us plenty of warning that her retirement was coming, but no amount of warning could fully prepare us to pick up with no hitches all that Peggy has done over the past nine years. Peggy has asked that we not have a special retirement event because she in no way wants to imply that she is leaving St. Paul’s. And that is clear. She is one of those five Vestry nominees, she’s the newest member of Daughters of the King, she’s joined choir and Altar Guild. And, yes, come audit time, she’s promised to be available. Again, Peggy, we thank you!
Fortunately, we are blessed once again with talent and willingness in a St. Paul’s member: Tammy Patterson is joining our staff as part-time office manager. Tammy has been running her own landscaping business and has been working with Peggy throughout the last few months to adapt her business background to the sometimes weird twists and turns of Episcopal church finance and St. Paul’s practices. With Peggy and David Lewis as mentors, she is picking up fast.
But we are making up some ground lost when health forced Peggy to take more time off in the fall than she anticipated or wanted. So our monthly financial reports, which are used to build the year end financial reports, have some big holes that we’re still filling. We will be sending out a completed year-end statement to you all by the end of the month.
In short, though, we ended 2025 with money in the bank. Bittersweet as it is, Mother Robin’s leaving saved us money in the salary and benefits required of full-time priests. Our investments, while easing toward a more-conservative bend because of uncertainty in the markets, have done very well, allowing us to make some bottom-line gains even as we made the expected withdrawals from our endowment.
But we worship in a more than 100-year-old building, and boilers get cranky and roofs leak. The drastically needed work on the south wall was completed this week, and that bill needs to be paid. The work also revealed some other places in the sanctuary that need some TLC. We need to address some neglected areas of our building, such as the downstairs restrooms, and upgrade others such as lighting in the sanctuary to meet needs and become more efficient. Our back diocesan assessments need to be paid, the kitchen needs further repairs, and utility bills, as we all know, are climbing.
We also saw a small drop in pledges this year for the first time in years.
For those reasons, vestry approved a conservative budget this year that still requires a draw-down from the investments of $77,500. If the market does what it’s been doing, we will benefit. But we are not counting on it.
I’ve saved the most important update for all of us for last. Discernment.
A committee originally intended to think about new missions and projects for St. Paul’s morphed very quickly with Mother Robin’s announcement. And yet in many ways, it is doing what it was designed to do – to map a future for St. Paul’s that – while respecting our past – hears how and what and why the Holy Spirit is calling us to do now and for years to come.
They’ve formed a subcommittee to fully absorb ways the building of St. Paul’s can be adapted to be used by others. And they’re working in multiple directions to see how the spirit of St. Paul’s can best be nurtured and expanded amongst ourselves and throughout our community. A very important part of that, of course, is calling a clergy partner. But a call to clergy is only one piece. If St. Paul’s is to not just survive, but thrive, in the future, it needs to envision and live out something that draws an increasingly isolated and isolating world closer together and closer to God.
So, any time you see Kelli Green and Linda Heitger, Demi and David Swope, Rick Enslen and Molly Weisel and Doug Colmery, please let them know your thoughts, but also give them your thanks. They’re shouldering a lot and we need to support them in every way we can.
Thank you all for all you are, all you do and for all the ways you show love of St. Paul’s.
We elected five new Vestry members, approved a balanced budget and shared much more about the changes that carried us through 2025 and promise to continue in 2026.
Here are the opening remarks from the senior warden, M.L Schultze. And you can click on this link for the complete annual report.
My formal report, like other very important ones, is in your annual report booklet, and I encourage you to please read them all. They capsulize the amazing efforts of St. Paul’s over the past year, and I’ll make reference to some of that this morning.
But the report, by definition, focuses on 2025 and I’d like to move our discussion ahead to 2026. Because change will be as much a part of this year as it was of last.
Not the draw-dropping kind as at our last annual meeting, when we learned Mother Robin was responding to a call from another parish, Christ Church in Warren. (St. Paul’s, by the way, remains deep in her heart. When any of us has seen her at Diocesan functions, she sends her love.)
We also learned that our former Senior Warden Extraordinaire Demi Carrothers had embarked on the path to the deaconate, and while we’ll do everything to support him, we already miss him on Vestry (especially keeping us on task). And we know his journey and training will take him to other parishes. Thank you and God-Speed, Demi.
Still, there are some wonderful points of continuity taking us into 2026, chief among them Father Joe and Mother Kay Ashby, who have so quickly become part of the St. Paul’s family, striking that wonderful balance of nurturing us as we are and encouraging us to move forward in our search for definition and clergy. They have embraced pastoral care and led our Christian education, and rolled up their sleeves at HOT, Courageous Conversations and anything involving food. Thank you, Joe and Kay.
Another wonderful point is the laity of this church, all of you who take up roles – and occasionally mops and brooms – simply because you know things need to get done.
We have five nominees for Vestry this year. Courageous Conversations is working on new projects with new partners in new space in St. Paul’s. Our community room is being transformed. Daughters of the King is hosting local and regional gatherings. H.O.T. lunches celebrate birthdays with cake and icecream. And we continue to be the church on speed dial when other churches and groups – from the League of Women Voters to Crossroads United Methodist -- need space and support for programs.
All of this is more evolution than revolution. But we do face some more immediate changes in 2026. Chief among those is Peggy Neidig’s retirement as our office manager and the keeper of all things. Peggy gave us plenty of warning that her retirement was coming, but no amount of warning could fully prepare us to pick up with no hitches all that Peggy has done over the past nine years. Peggy has asked that we not have a special retirement event because she in no way wants to imply that she is leaving St. Paul’s. And that is clear. She is one of those five Vestry nominees, she’s the newest member of Daughters of the King, she’s joined choir and Altar Guild. And, yes, come audit time, she’s promised to be available. Again, Peggy, we thank you!
Fortunately, we are blessed once again with talent and willingness in a St. Paul’s member: Tammy Patterson is joining our staff as part-time office manager. Tammy has been running her own landscaping business and has been working with Peggy throughout the last few months to adapt her business background to the sometimes weird twists and turns of Episcopal church finance and St. Paul’s practices. With Peggy and David Lewis as mentors, she is picking up fast.
But we are making up some ground lost when health forced Peggy to take more time off in the fall than she anticipated or wanted. So our monthly financial reports, which are used to build the year end financial reports, have some big holes that we’re still filling. We will be sending out a completed year-end statement to you all by the end of the month.
In short, though, we ended 2025 with money in the bank. Bittersweet as it is, Mother Robin’s leaving saved us money in the salary and benefits required of full-time priests. Our investments, while easing toward a more-conservative bend because of uncertainty in the markets, have done very well, allowing us to make some bottom-line gains even as we made the expected withdrawals from our endowment.
But we worship in a more than 100-year-old building, and boilers get cranky and roofs leak. The drastically needed work on the south wall was completed this week, and that bill needs to be paid. The work also revealed some other places in the sanctuary that need some TLC. We need to address some neglected areas of our building, such as the downstairs restrooms, and upgrade others such as lighting in the sanctuary to meet needs and become more efficient. Our back diocesan assessments need to be paid, the kitchen needs further repairs, and utility bills, as we all know, are climbing.
We also saw a small drop in pledges this year for the first time in years.
For those reasons, vestry approved a conservative budget this year that still requires a draw-down from the investments of $77,500. If the market does what it’s been doing, we will benefit. But we are not counting on it.
I’ve saved the most important update for all of us for last. Discernment.
A committee originally intended to think about new missions and projects for St. Paul’s morphed very quickly with Mother Robin’s announcement. And yet in many ways, it is doing what it was designed to do – to map a future for St. Paul’s that – while respecting our past – hears how and what and why the Holy Spirit is calling us to do now and for years to come.
They’ve formed a subcommittee to fully absorb ways the building of St. Paul’s can be adapted to be used by others. And they’re working in multiple directions to see how the spirit of St. Paul’s can best be nurtured and expanded amongst ourselves and throughout our community. A very important part of that, of course, is calling a clergy partner. But a call to clergy is only one piece. If St. Paul’s is to not just survive, but thrive, in the future, it needs to envision and live out something that draws an increasingly isolated and isolating world closer together and closer to God.
So, any time you see Kelli Green and Linda Heitger, Demi and David Swope, Rick Enslen and Molly Weisel and Doug Colmery, please let them know your thoughts, but also give them your thanks. They’re shouldering a lot and we need to support them in every way we can.
Thank you all for all you are, all you do and for all the ways you show love of St. Paul’s.
Senior Warden's Report
From the annual report presented Jan. 12, 2025
Senior Warden
Demetrius Carrothers
The 2024 Vestry began in February 2024 at the Vestry Retreat held at St. Paul’s. The primary goals established were to get St. Paul’s policies and practices caught up and aligned with the canons of the Diocese of Ohio, increase St. Paul’s social media presence, to increase the number of servers for church service and to restart the service ministries of Greeters.
The first order of business for the 2024 Vestry was to update and revise the by-laws of St. Paul’s. A special by-laws committee, made up of vestry and non-vestry members of the parish, was formed. The revised by-laws were presented at the May 2024 Vestry Meeting and approved. The updated by-laws bring St. Paul’s up to date with 2024 terminology/ technology and with the canons of the Diocese of Ohio.
The protection of all but especially the vulnerable among us is an upmost priority at the national and diocesan level of the Episcopal Church. Thus, certain requirements for policies and practices have been passed to the Parish level. The Diocese of Ohio requires that parish leadership, staff, and volunteers that work with youth and/or vulnerable adults attend Safe Church training. The training covers issues of vulnerability, power, and healthy boundaries. Different requirements apply based on roles within the parish. Clergy and paid staff must complete all 21 courses, while lay leaders and volunteers complete eight Safe Church: Safe Communities courses. The 2024 Vestry along with the Staff have completed this training. The 2024 Vestry also developed and approved a policy for The Protection of Children and Youth per canonical requirements.
St. Paul’s hosted several events including Seeing the Face of God in each other Training in May 2024. This antiracism training is needed for members of the diocesan staff and volunteers who sit on diocesan committees. The Training is two full days and had well over 30 attendees with many of Vestry in attendance. The training encouraged and promoted extremely difficult and intense discussions. St. Paul’s also hosted the Mobile Consulate in October 2024 which saw 450 persons pass through St. Paul’s in two days. The Mobile Consulate provided local legal immigrants to renew and/ or check the status of their visas.
This Author attended the week-long College for Congregational Development held at Bellwether Farm in August 2024. The College of Congregational Development consists of two one-week sessions and the attendees must pass a test to graduate. The training taught various models on decision making, how to gather data, build consensus, conflict resolution and how to apply good business practices into church life. This model of organizational development is being implemented across many dioceses in the Episcopal Church. Church leadership should make a point to attend this training as it is offered in the future.
St. Paul’s was represented at the 2024 Annual Diocesan Convention by David Lewis, Cara Warren, and this author. Mother Robin was also in attendance as all Clergy are. The Convention saw two resolutions presented with one passing and the second sent back to the committee for rework. The resolution for clergy compensation was approved. The resolution for persons in a leadership position at the parish level be required to attend anti-racism training was sent back to committee. The delegates also heard reports from the various diocesan committees as well as vote on members of the various committees.
St. Paul’s Canton Ohio is beginning to see growth in ministries and in attendance. A very generous gift made in memory of Barbara Knowlin provided a much-needed update to the sound system at St. Paul’s. Having various Greeters was renewed at St. Paul’s. This allows David Lewis to tend to the audio and live feed for services and for various members of the parish to greet and welcome visitors and congregants. The Greeters began their ministry at the start of Advent and have been going strong since. St. Paul’s saw a significant increase in their membership roles as they welcomed 10 new members to St. Paul’s. St. Paul’s expanded its presence on social media. St. Paul’s is now on TikTok. Mother Robin hosts “Mondays with Mother Robin.” She shares inspirational video messages to appeal to all but with a particular aim toward the unchurched. These video messages are also posted to St. Paul’s Facebook account. St. Paul’s has also started a new tradition of Reverse Advent Bags. Thanks to Jeff Knowlin St. Paul’s collected well over a thousand items for the YWCA of Canton.
I would like to thank Mother Robin, the Staff and all the volunteers and lay leaders that have given of their own time to serve on committees, guilds, and ministries. Your efforts allow St. Paul’s to run smoothly. The giving of your time allows for the spiritually transformation we experience every Sunday and just as important allows St. Paul’s to serve its neighbors and the community in the various outreach ministries. Meals on Wheels serves over 900 meals a week by using our commercial grade kitchen. The N.A. and A.A. groups that use St. Paul’s as a meeting place help over 60 persons a week to maintain or achieve sobriety. H.O.T. Lunch averages over 60 meals a month for those in need. Thank you to the members of St. Paul’s for allowing me the honor to serve as your Senior Warden.
Respectfully Submitted:
Demetrius Carrothers
Senior Warden
Senior Warden
Demetrius Carrothers
The 2024 Vestry began in February 2024 at the Vestry Retreat held at St. Paul’s. The primary goals established were to get St. Paul’s policies and practices caught up and aligned with the canons of the Diocese of Ohio, increase St. Paul’s social media presence, to increase the number of servers for church service and to restart the service ministries of Greeters.
The first order of business for the 2024 Vestry was to update and revise the by-laws of St. Paul’s. A special by-laws committee, made up of vestry and non-vestry members of the parish, was formed. The revised by-laws were presented at the May 2024 Vestry Meeting and approved. The updated by-laws bring St. Paul’s up to date with 2024 terminology/ technology and with the canons of the Diocese of Ohio.
The protection of all but especially the vulnerable among us is an upmost priority at the national and diocesan level of the Episcopal Church. Thus, certain requirements for policies and practices have been passed to the Parish level. The Diocese of Ohio requires that parish leadership, staff, and volunteers that work with youth and/or vulnerable adults attend Safe Church training. The training covers issues of vulnerability, power, and healthy boundaries. Different requirements apply based on roles within the parish. Clergy and paid staff must complete all 21 courses, while lay leaders and volunteers complete eight Safe Church: Safe Communities courses. The 2024 Vestry along with the Staff have completed this training. The 2024 Vestry also developed and approved a policy for The Protection of Children and Youth per canonical requirements.
St. Paul’s hosted several events including Seeing the Face of God in each other Training in May 2024. This antiracism training is needed for members of the diocesan staff and volunteers who sit on diocesan committees. The Training is two full days and had well over 30 attendees with many of Vestry in attendance. The training encouraged and promoted extremely difficult and intense discussions. St. Paul’s also hosted the Mobile Consulate in October 2024 which saw 450 persons pass through St. Paul’s in two days. The Mobile Consulate provided local legal immigrants to renew and/ or check the status of their visas.
This Author attended the week-long College for Congregational Development held at Bellwether Farm in August 2024. The College of Congregational Development consists of two one-week sessions and the attendees must pass a test to graduate. The training taught various models on decision making, how to gather data, build consensus, conflict resolution and how to apply good business practices into church life. This model of organizational development is being implemented across many dioceses in the Episcopal Church. Church leadership should make a point to attend this training as it is offered in the future.
St. Paul’s was represented at the 2024 Annual Diocesan Convention by David Lewis, Cara Warren, and this author. Mother Robin was also in attendance as all Clergy are. The Convention saw two resolutions presented with one passing and the second sent back to the committee for rework. The resolution for clergy compensation was approved. The resolution for persons in a leadership position at the parish level be required to attend anti-racism training was sent back to committee. The delegates also heard reports from the various diocesan committees as well as vote on members of the various committees.
St. Paul’s Canton Ohio is beginning to see growth in ministries and in attendance. A very generous gift made in memory of Barbara Knowlin provided a much-needed update to the sound system at St. Paul’s. Having various Greeters was renewed at St. Paul’s. This allows David Lewis to tend to the audio and live feed for services and for various members of the parish to greet and welcome visitors and congregants. The Greeters began their ministry at the start of Advent and have been going strong since. St. Paul’s saw a significant increase in their membership roles as they welcomed 10 new members to St. Paul’s. St. Paul’s expanded its presence on social media. St. Paul’s is now on TikTok. Mother Robin hosts “Mondays with Mother Robin.” She shares inspirational video messages to appeal to all but with a particular aim toward the unchurched. These video messages are also posted to St. Paul’s Facebook account. St. Paul’s has also started a new tradition of Reverse Advent Bags. Thanks to Jeff Knowlin St. Paul’s collected well over a thousand items for the YWCA of Canton.
I would like to thank Mother Robin, the Staff and all the volunteers and lay leaders that have given of their own time to serve on committees, guilds, and ministries. Your efforts allow St. Paul’s to run smoothly. The giving of your time allows for the spiritually transformation we experience every Sunday and just as important allows St. Paul’s to serve its neighbors and the community in the various outreach ministries. Meals on Wheels serves over 900 meals a week by using our commercial grade kitchen. The N.A. and A.A. groups that use St. Paul’s as a meeting place help over 60 persons a week to maintain or achieve sobriety. H.O.T. Lunch averages over 60 meals a month for those in need. Thank you to the members of St. Paul’s for allowing me the honor to serve as your Senior Warden.
Respectfully Submitted:
Demetrius Carrothers
Senior Warden
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