St.

 Paul’s 
MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF ST. PAUL’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH
NOVEMBER 2010 — VOLUME 35, ISSUE 8
news
The Hidden Life today, in these difficult times, often has a
hidden agenda. Often, the hidden agenda is
selfish and self-serving. As times become more
Agenda difficult, the strategies are more devious, and it
becomes more difficult to get real information.
Church Events
Certainly we have been made aware of this in
By the Rev. Dr. Gordon F. Weller the election campaign this year. Candidates want November
to get elected. They will say anything. If they can
make you afraid of what the other candidate 1 4FS
will do, they don’t have to say anything about 3 OUTREACH COMMITTEE MTG.
what they will do. It’s all about power and prestige and has very little to do with what
is good for the country. The sad thing is that this style of campaigning seems to work 5 NEWCOMERS’ DINNER
despite our protests.
7 YOUTH GROUP RAKE-N-RUN
Television ads have gone the devious route for years. They use wealth, power, youth,
beauty, sex and being “in” for all the wrong reasons: they sell the illusion to get you to
9 B&PW
buy their products, not because their products are so much better or less expensive. It 16 ST. ELIZABETH
seems to work here, too, because they make it all look so easy, so good, and we’re so
gullible.
19 SILVER BELLS IN THE CITY

As we approach the holiday season, I would contrast the human agenda with the sacred
one. Humans can be so devious in getting what they want. And it is about what they
want. God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit want human happiness, too. It has been the
topic of theological talk from the beginning. Our understanding is that there is no hid-
(Continued on page 8)

Silver Bells Float:

A First for St. Paul's
By Debby Pierce
This year we will be entering a St. Paul's float in the Light Parade of Silver Bells. As the time draws near, we will need
help in preparing the float and, on the last days, preparing the vehicle hauling the float. The Parade Committee wants
enough lights to "dazzle" the crowd, and we plan on dazzling the crowd!
The Bell Choirs will have a concert in the Church after the parade, lighting of the tree and the fireworks. After (and dur-
ing) the Concert, we will be serving really, really good hot chocolate and cookies.
If you are interested in working on the float, bringing cookies or helping to serve the hot chocolate, please call Sally Law-
rence at 323-7211 or Debby Pierce at 394-4800. Please help us make this a success.
4 F’s
By Nancy Sheldon
Please mark your calendars and join us for the 4 F’s Group in 2010-2011. This year, our meetings are the first and
third Mondays of each month (*exceptions noted). Anyone is invited who has time in the middle of the day!
12 noon Eucharist 12:30 p.m. Lunch ($4.00)
1 p.m. Bible Study (Steve Lange) 1:15-2 p.m. Program
 November 1 – Programs by Altar Guild and on Kneelers
 November 15 – Overview of Lutheranism by Amanda Highben of University Lutheran Church
 December 6 – Someko Singers Christmas Celebration (with Melanie Walker and Emily Laub)
 *January 10 – Program on Australia, Fiji and New Zealand by Nancy Rudd
 *January 24 – Program on Autism, its causes and treatments
 February 7 – Visit to Ele’s Place (grief counseling for children)
 February 21 – Rites of Passage
 March 7 – Visit to Mt. Hope Assembly of God Church & Gideon Healing Center
 *March 9 (Ash Wednesday) to April 24 (Easter) – 5 Lenten Book Reviews
 May 2 – Visit the Buddhist Retreat Center (lunch & Eucharist at the Millars’)
 May 16 – Annual Picnic, book review, planning session at Nancy Sheldon’s

St. Elizabeth
By Debby Pierce, President
"The purpose of the St. Elizabeth
Guild of St. Paul's is to gather for
education and fellowship..."
The November meeting will be at
12:30 p.m., on Tuesday, Nov. 16
at Sally Lawrence’s home. If you
would like to join us, please call
Debby Pierce at 394-4800 or
485-5446 or e-mail
maxpierce@prodigy.net.
Evangelism and
Parish Life
By Sally Lawrence, Vestry
Member
By the time this article is in print,
Parish Life will have held its fourth B&PW
annual Family Game Night. Our
popular book read is next and will By Debby Pierce
take place in January or February.
We are still on the hunt for that per- The Business & Professional
fect book, so if you have a sugges- Women (B&PW) will meet on
tion, please contact Debby Pierce or Tuesday, November 9 at 6 p.m.
John Craig. in the Hill Room. Our guest will be
Jim Childs who will give a poetry
Evangelism is planning a Newcom- reading. Please call Debby
ers’ Dinner on Friday, November 5. Pierce for reservations at 394-
At that time ,we hope to make our 4800 or 485-5446 or e-mail at
new people feel at home and wel- maxpierce@prodigy.net. Join us
come at St. Paul’s. Now for our big for an evening with good
news, the Evangelism Committee, friends good food and good Fel-
with the help of Mike Young, sub- lowship.
mitted a successful float application
to the Lansing Principal Shopping
District. We are going to be in the
Silver Bells Parade!! This will take
place on Friday, November 19, so
mark your calendars. See Debby
Pierce’s article on what is needed.

Page 2
 St. Aelred’s Guild Has Its Own Therapy Dog
By Nancy Sheldon
St Paul’s began a ministry a number of years ago to offer spiritual friendship to members of our congregation in time
of need. We call it St. Aelred’s Guild and we have a small group of dedicated volunteers who offer spiritual friend-
ship through notes, visitation, prayer list management, Eucharistic visits, celebration of births, and phone calls to shut-ins.
The majority of our visits are to people in assisted living or nursing homes who usually are unable to come to church
because of age or health reasons. Maxwell, a certified Therapy Old English Sheepdog, who is often seen at St Paul’s
with one of his owners (Nancy or Pete Sheldon) regularly visits some of our seniors, and they love to see him come. He
loves to visit, too, as he gets so much attention! His specialty is “giving kisses” as he licks faces on demand and his size
is such that his large head fits perfectly in the lap of someone in a wheelchair, or he’ll lay his head on a pillow of
someone who is bedridden. Even though he is a boisterous three-year-old “adolescent” at home, he is trained to do
what he does and knows when he enters a facility what his job is and goes to “work.” He picks up the spirits of every-
one he passes, not just those whom he visits. We need to plan extra time for visits as it takes quite a bit of time just to
get in and out of the hallways. He loves his work and we love taking him!

Yes, the ERD Used Book Sale Will Return

By Sue Millar
Come mid-winter or early spring, we will again offer used books for sale to raise money for Episcopal Relief and Devel-
opment. This announcement will give you a heads-up to begin selecting books for which you no longer want to give book-
shelf space but will still provide good reading for others. Watch for details in future issues of St. Paul’s News.

Personal Needs Money Raised for

Collection
By Barbara Heany,
Vestry Member
The youth groups will be taking a
“Personal Needs” collection during
the month of November for the Ma-
plewood Center, a homeless shelter
for women and children. Some of
the items they will be collecting are
deodorant, shampoo, soap, tooth-
paste, and socks and underwear
for women and children in various
sizes, including plus sizes. In addi-
tion to the personal needs, the
“noisy offering” collection taken
these past few months will be given
to Maplewood Center. The youth
are hoping for an opportunity to
take their collections to the center
and have a tour of the facility.
Rake-N-Run
By Barbara Heany,
Vestry Member
St. Paul’s Youth Groups are pray-
ing for leaves. On November 7,
they will be grabbing their rakes
and running off to rake and bag
leaves at parishioners’ homes. This
youth group event will take place
immediately following the England
Choristers’ Brunch. Contact Barb
Heany at 420-5316 or Shelley
Sanford at 482-9454 for more
details. 
CROP
By Barbara Heany, Vestry
Member
The Youth Group would like to
thank everyone for their pledges of
support for CROP Walk 2010.
Thanks to your generous donations,
we far exceeded our goal of
$1,100, bringing in $1,580 for this
very important cause. CROP Hun-
ger Walks are sponsored by
Church World Services and help
children and families worldwide,
with 25 percent of the proceeds
staying right here in our own com-
munity to aid services such as Ad-
vent House Ministries, The Garden
Project and Volunteers of America,
among others.

Page 3
Youth Christian Education
By Shelley Sanford, Youth Christian Education Director
It’s hard to believe that it has already been a month since the children returned to the classrooms that remained empty
throughout the summer months, and they seem to be adjusting well to their new Church School schedule. Whether this is
the beginning of your child’s relationship with God or he or she is continuing to build on an already established rela-
tionship, St. Paul’s Youth Christian Education Program is helping children learn about Christian faith and church history
and tradition through bible stories, prayers, songs, games and crafts. Children are nurtured in faith and grow in knowl-
edge and experience due to the wonderful teachers that are encouraging their students, at any age level, how to
reach their potential emotionally, physically, intellectually and spiritually.

Embracing Our Nursery

By Nancy Sheldon
As a member of the Personnel Committee, I’ve been asked to facilitate a group of parents who have (or have had)
children in our nursery program with the goal of updating and improving our policies and procedures. Even though
we’ve had a warm and welcoming nursery for decades, we have been blessed with a “growth spurt” recently which is
increasing the number of infants and toddlers to be cared for each Sunday. What a terrific reason to take a fresh look
at our facility and our procedures to see what we can do to improve our care for these families. We’d like our nursery
to be the St Paul’s by nurturing and supporting families in caring for their children. We hope to have recommendations
for the Vestry after the first of the year.

3rd-5th Grade Youth Group

By Larissa and Larry Clark
It’s a fresh group of kids, a new year, and a time to gather to make new friends!! The youths will be discovering how
their lives connect with many of the Bible Stories in the Old and New Testaments. We met for the first time, Sunday,
October 10. We read, “In the beginning God put together the earth.” We talked about how youth group is “being
made.” And we had MaryLea Benson, Hilary and Andre come in to show us how they put together prayer quilts for
those in need.
Five youths showed up: Alex VanKoevering, Emma Clark, Grace Baer, Lydia Rose, and Anna Johnson. We would
love to have more youths come and join us. Our next gathering is Sunday, November 7.
Below is a schedule through December 2010, just a taste of what else the kids are experiencing
 November 7 “Rake and Run” Community Outreach
 November 21 “Peer Pressure & Two Bros.”
 December 5 “A Helping Hand”
 December 19 “A Helping Hand” continued, caroling at Senior Center/Children’s Home.
Come join us!

Page 4
 Financial Information as of September 30, 2010
By Julie Young, Treasurer

Pledge income in September was $28,191. This brings year-to-date total pledge income to $221,640, which is 67 percent of the
annual budget amount. Operations for September had a net loss of $3,101.

Transfers were required from the investment account into the operating account during September for a total of $20,000. The invest-
ment accounts/funds had a net gain of $32,420 for the month.

We have begun the process of putting together a budget for 2011. Anyone who is involved in a group or activity that is expecting to
use Church funds next year should submit a budget request. Please submit this information to me at your earliest convenience. You can
call me at (517) 505-4055 or email me at julielyoung@gmail.com. Thank you for your cooperation!

Vestry Highlights
On October 19, your Vestry met and:
 Started with dinner at 6 p.m.
 Called the meeting at 6:30 p.m.
 Receives the treasurer’s report (a synopsis is found
elsewhere in this issue)
 Heard an update on the pictorial directory (will be
out by December)
 Discussed the computer situation
 Heard about the float we will have in the Silver Bells’
parade
 Received a report from the Diocesan Convention
 Discussed the Vestry calling
 Received committee reports by title, including:
 Stewardship - two days into the campaign al-
ready have 42 pledges for $118,100
 Finance – Pledges behind – need letter
 Worship and Music – Instructed Eucharist planned
 Outreach – Thanksgiving baskets and mitten tree
on-going
 Youth Christian Education – Shelly is doing well –
programs for three youth groups planned
 Adult Christian Education Advent Series planned
 Building and Grounds – Painting, tuck pointing
and heating system fixed
 Parish Life – Game night planned
 Received Clergy Reports 

Requests for Prayer

We pray for those who are sick and in need: Cindy Robinson, Shelley Robinson, Mason Hill, Lois Caswell, Marjorie Belles, Barb
Powers, Skip & Marsha Macholz, Tom Foltz, Bill, Jan Bigham, Max Sutton, John & Grace Hawkins, Stephanie, Maureen, Noah,
Jared Miller, Pat Amundson, Emilio Garcia, Lloyd Law, Ray Benner, Andrea Ingraham, Jacob Thomas, Pat Reno, RuthAnn Lub-
ben, Leeland McMartin, Lee Kinney, Ellie Freed, Raymond White, Susan Irish, Marquerite Upham, Dottie Marie Stallcup-Harper,
Rick Hawkins, Fransico Duazo, and Gail Lynch.

We pray and remember those in the Military, serving in dangerous areas: Jeff Doorlag, Justin Murphy, and Adam Sheppard.

Page 5
 England Choristers and Parents to Host After-Church
Brunch
By Dr. Stephen R. Lange, Minister of Music
Come one, come all! Bring your appetites, a desire for camaraderie (and perhaps even a dish to pass!) to a Brunch
sponsored by the 2011 England choristers (yes, this summer a group of choristers will be traveling to Great Britain to
tour and study at a Royal School of Church Music Summer Course in Bath!). They’d love your support for this fund-
raising activity. Please sign up by the elevators if you’re willing to bring a dish to pass, and if you will stay and join
them for the fine food and fellowship! A free-will donation will be accepted to support their efforts. The brunch will be
November 7, right after church. Bring friends, relatives, neighbors! The more, the merrier! Thank you!

Chancel Choir to Present Special Music

By Dr. Stephen R. Lange, Minister of Music
St. Paul’s Chancel Choir will present selections from Missa Brevis in C Major, K. 258, by W.A. Mozart during the 10
a.m. service on Sunday, November 14. This mass was composed by Mozart in 1776, when he was only 21 years old.
The Choir will be accompanied by a string trio—two violins and cello—and organ.

Preparing for Christmas

By Dr. Stephen R. Lange, Minister of Music
In response to the extremely enthusiastic comments received about the time of fellowship, sharing and scriptural sleuthing
that occurred last Lent, The Adult Christian Education Committee is offering another series of sessions designed to help you
prepare for both Advent and Christmas in an enriching and stimulating way. The series, modeled after last Lent’s format,
will take place on four consecutive Sundays after church, beginning on November 21 and ending on December 12. We
will make every effort to have church end near 11 a.m., with the sessions lasting from 11:15 a.m. (yes, there will be cof-
fee and some sort of refreshments at each of the stations) until noon.
The first session will offer workshops designed to help you celebrate the richness of the Advent Season. There will be op-
portunities to make a Jesse Tree and ornaments for it, a Jesse Mural, Christmas tree ornaments, or an Advent log. For
those who would prefer, there will also be a session offered to look at the two Creation stories in Genesis. On the follow-
ing three Sundays, the groups will look at scripture that focuses on three of the main characters associated with Advent:
Isaiah, John the Baptist and Mary. These sessions are aimed at providing insights for the readings of Lessons and Carols,
which relate to these three characters and the Creation story. Please set aside these four Sundays to help prepare your-
self for the celebration of the Nativity on Christmas. Your presence and sharing of insights can help enrich each of our
spiritual lives!

Page 6
 Choir News
Special Dates to Save:
November 7 - England Chorister Brunch (All choir families are asked to provide a dish for the brunch. Sign-up sheets
to bring food and to eat at the brunch are available by the elevators.) Thanks!
Thursday, November 18, No Chancel Choir rehearsal
Wednesday, November 24 - Harvest Home Dinner (England Choristers to serve, Cherubs to sing) (Cherubs and Boys’
and Grace Choirs will rehearse only from 5:30 to 6 p.m.)
Thursday, November 25—No rehearsal for Chancel Choir

Singing Schedule
Date Choirs Date Choirs

November 7 Chancel Choir; High School Choir; December 19 Lessons and Carols:
Boys’ and Grace Choirs Cherubs; Boys’ and Grace; High
School; Chancel
November 14 Chancel Choir; High School Choir
December 24 Christmas Eve Family Service:
November 21 Chancel Choir; High School Choir Cherubs, Boys’ and Grace Choirs
November 28 Chancel Choir; High School Choir December 24 Christmas Eve Eucharist:
Chancel; High School Choirs
December 5 High School Choir; Boys’ and
Grace Choirs December 26 No Choirs will be vesting

December 12 Chancel Choir; High School Choir

Christmas Means Special Music at St. Paul’s

By Dr. Stephen R. Lange, Minister of Music
Although still nearly seven weeks away, Christmas is rapidly approaching! To help the congregation prepare for and
celebrate this feast, St. Paul’s will host or sponsor several musical events. First will be Silver Bells in the City, a commu-
nity-wide celebration of the upcoming holidays. St. Paul’s will sponsor a float for the parade and then open its doors
to the spectators for a half-hour concert of handbell music, provided by St. Paul’s Handbell Choir and the Handbell
Choir of Pilgrim Congregational Church, directed by John Broughton. The concert will be followed by free hot choco-
late and cookies for those attending.
On Friday, December 12, The Men of Orpheus will present their annual Christmas Concert. Directed by former parish-
ioner Gayle Pohl, this group of men will perform a wide variety of Christmas music, sacred and secular. The concert
begins at 7 p.m., and tickets will be available at the door.
On Saturday, December 18, The Lange Choral Ensemble will present its annual Christmas Concert. The program will
include works by G. P. Telemann, Rene Clausen, Bob Chilcott and others. The group will be accompanied by organ and
a small instrumental ensemble. The concert will begin at 7 p.m., and tickets will be available at the door.
And finally, St. Paul’s will present its usual Service of Advent Lessons and Carols on Sunday, December 19, at the 10
a.m. service. All of St. Paul’s Choirs will sing at this service, featuring readings and anthems appropriate to the seasons
of Advent and Christmas.
Page 7
 Mission and Outreach Activities St. Paul’s and the MDGs:
the Millennium
November Where is Christ calling you to help others?
Development Goals
Housing Assistance Fund, Fruit & Greens Sale
By the Rev. Deacon William Fineout
3 Outreach Committee Meeting, 6 p.m.
We are in the third year of our St. Paul’s eight-year
7 Mitten Tree ends outreach program to help make a difference in the
Millennium Development Goals established by the
14 ECW United Thank Offering
United Nations and supported by The Episcopal
14-21 Thanksgiving Baskets Church. Recently the Episcopal News Service reported,
“The United Nations' three-day summit on the Millen-
December nium Development Goals closed in New York Sept. 22
with promises of more money and more action to
5 Canterbury MSU dinner by St. Paul’s achieve the goals by their deadline.”

Sudanese Education Fund
Layette Gifts for the Christ child
24-25
Ongoing
1st Sunday Manna Sunday, loose and dedicated offer-
ings for street ministry, busing and work boots;
Youth Noisy Offering for local charities
Heifer Gift Cards
Prayer Quilts
CarsINC
Habitat for Humanity
Noisy Offering on the First
Sunday of the Month
By the Rev. Deacon William Fineout
The noisy offering of clanking and clinking coins continues to
be collected by our youth on Family Sundays, the first Sunday
of each month. In keeping with our St. Paul’s MDG 2010 pro-
ject of local agencies, the young people chose the City Rescue
Mission and its Maplewood women’s center as this year’s re-
cipient. Please remember to bring your loose change on the
first Sunday each month, as we support our children’s partici-
pation in the worship service and in outreach service.
The goals are a set of eight targets designed to re-
duce poverty, hunger, maternal and child deaths, dis-
ease, inadequate shelter, gender inequality and envi-
ronmental degradation by half. The world's leaders
agreed in 2000 to achieve the goals by 2015.
“Today we close the most significant global develop-
ment conference since the Millennium Summit ten years
ago,” U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon told re-
porters as the gathering was winding up. “And we
open the final five-year push until 2015.”
“We are committed to making every effort to achieve
the Millennium Development Goals by 2015,” leaders
of the U.N.'s member states said in the outcome docu-
ment that the summit adopted.
The leaders said that they “’recognize that without sub-
stantial international support, several of the goals are
likely to be missed in many developing countries by
2015.’" St. Paul’s has been doing its part by support-
ing Water for Life in 2008, Heifer International in
2009, and local agencies (like the City Rescue Mission
& Maplewood) for 2010. Input into our 2011 project
may be offered at the outreach committee meetings in
November and December for a recommendation to the
parish at the annual meeting. 

(Continued from, “The Hidden Agenda” page 1)

den agenda. God has tried to convey the essence of happiness from the beginning. His essence is in so many of the
stories of the Bible: true happiness is yours if you give it away, that is being more concerned about others’ happiness
and less about your own. Entering the Advent and Christmas seasons provides us with the truth we so long for and find
so elusive. You will find your happiness in what you give, not in what you strive for. Enjoy the seasons and find some-
one with whom to share your joy.

Page 8
Page 9
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

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St. Paul's Episcopal Church

Lansing Michigan
218 W. Ottawa
Lansing, MI 48933
Phone: 517-482-9454
Fax: 517-485-8621
Choir Room: 517-482-0369
Website: Stpaulslansing.org

The St. Paul’s News is a publication of St. Paul’s Episcopal

Church, Lansing Michigan.

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church Staff

The Very Rev. Dr. Gordon Weller, Rector
Dr. Stephen R. Lange, Minister of Music
The Rev. Richard Sauerzopf, Priest Assistant
The Rev. Deacon William H. Fineout
Ms. Mary Rodeck, Assistant Minister of Music
Ms. Kathleen Johnson, Office Manager

St. Paul’s News Editorial Staff

Christine Caswell, Editor
Lyn Zynda, Layout Editor

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