Posted by stpauls on September 30, 2009 under Staff Blog | 
Thank you to all who helped out on Wednesday, September 30 at the service of blessing, commissioning, and sending of for the Rev. Emilie Smith, who will be serving as a missionary in Guatemala for two years. Thank you to the liturgical ministers, the musicians, the choir, and especially our very own music director, Dianne Warren. It was a wonderful celebration. Please continue to uphold Emilie and her support team in your prayers.
A prayer (BAS, p. 343):
Eternal Giver of love and power, your Son Jesus Christ has sent us into all the world to preach the gospel of his kingdom. Confirm us in this mission, and help us to live the good news we proclaim; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Posted by stpauls on September 27, 2009 under Bible Readings, Staff Blog |
Mark 9:38-50 ~ Reading for September 27, 2009
John said to Jesus, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.”
But Jesus said, “Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. Whoever is not against us is for us. For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward.
“If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and to be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into hell, where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched.
“For everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”
Posted by stpauls on September 24, 2009 under Staff Blog |
Our 5th Annual Advocacy Walk will take place on Sunday, 11 October, 2009. The exciting new walk route starts at the Church at 1:00 p.m. After a pleasant walk along the seawall and past Stanley Park Lagoon, we will return to the Church for coffee, goodies and awarding the prizes.
Come out and walk with Markus and others or support them with a pledge. Pledge forms are available at the church advocacy office or on the walk website. All monies raised go to support the church ministry work through the Advocacy Office and Homeless Outreach programs.
Any questions can be directed to Ellen Silvergieter, Advocacy Office Director at 604-683-4287.
Posted by stpauls on under Staff Blog |
Thomas Merton was one of the most prolific spiritual writers of the 20th century. A Trappist monk, his insights into the Divine are deeply profound and relevant for our day and age.
Join the Thomas Merton Society of Canada on October 7, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. for “Poetry at the Wired Monk” – a two-hour poetry jam-session featuring local poets Susan McCaslin, Diane Tucker, Sheila Rosen & others whose lives have been touched by Thomas Merton. Minimum donation: $5 at the door.
The Wired Monk coffee bistro is located on the corner of 4th and Trafalgar in Kitsilano.
For more information, please contact the Thomas Merton Society of Canada at 604-669-2546 or email tmsc@telus.net.
Posted by stpauls on under Staff Blog |
The Rev. Markus Dünzkofer, our priest, is away this weekend attending the Provincial Synod of the Ecclesiastical Province of British Columbia and the Yukon as an elected delegate from the Diocese of New Westminster. Please keep all the delegates in your prayers and please also welcome the Rev. Brian Heinrich, Lutheran pastor and street priest in the Downtown Eastside (Lutheran Urban Mission Society), who will preach and preside at the services on Sunday.
Posted by stpauls on under Staff Blog |
A big THANK YOU to everyone who donated to the Our House Roll-a-thon. Our energetic rollers, runners and walkers raised a little over $3,000, as well as having a happy day at the beach!
Have you picked up an Our House brochure from the back of the church yet?
Posted by stpauls on September 20, 2009 under Staff Blog |
Today is Stewardship Sunday. In a special way we will celebrate the ways by which we contribute in talent, time, and treasure to God’s work here at St. Paul’s. We will remember that “all things come from [God,]” and of God’s own (and not of our own) do we give back (cf. 1 Chronicles 29. 14). Stewardship, of course, is more than about “money.” But today we will focus on the fiscal aspect. Money keeps more than just the lights burning. It supports the many wonderful ministries here at St. Paul’s. At the 9.15 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. services member of the parish will share why they belong to Paul’s, why they give to this parish, and how we will spend the gifts we receive. At 8:00 a.m. service, there will be short, silent meditations after the readings.
A prayer (adapted from The Episcopal church of the Resurrection, Starkville, Mississippi):
Most gracious God, we give you thanks for every good gift we have received through the bounty of your love. Guide us along the path of giving that binds us together and connects us with you, the Great Giver. Creator and Sustainer of the world, accept our stewardship of time, talent and treasury for the work of your Church, so that in every act of mercy and justice we are acting as conduits of your love. Everything we are, and everything we have comes as a gift from your gracious hand – a gift which continues to renew us. Teach us again and again that our sharing of that divine gift does not diminish our life in terms of possessions, but instead enhances our life in terms of blessings and grace. Send your Holy Spirit to fill us with a sense of holy generosity, that we, as your Body of Christ, may bring the light of your eternal love in the darkness of a broken world. In thanksgiving for our life and for the life of St. Paul’s Anglican Church, we give glory to You, Lord God, the Source of all being, to Jesus Christ, Eternal Word, and to the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.
Posted by internetguy on under Contributors, Webmaster Blog |
Where does St. Paul’s spend money?
St. Paul’s has many wonderful volunteers, but we cannot count on volunteers to do everything. To keep the church and our ministries running smoothly, we need some paid staff.
The most obvious paid staff is clergy. A parish priest has six years or more of post-secondary education, is a scholar, educator, social worker and manager, is on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Our total costs for regular and relief clergy is around $98,000 per year.
In addition to our one full-time employee, we have several part-time employees: our music director, office manager, verger, accountant, advocacy office and labyrinth coordinators are all paid through our operating budget. In addition, we have a street outreach worker and summer students to do youth outreach for the advocacy office, who are paid through grants that Ellen arranges.
The second biggest expense is around $97,000 per year for the upkeep of the property itself. St. Paul’s is a beautiful building, but it is also an old wooden building. The hall next to it is in worse condition than the church building itself. The $97,000 covers utilities, heating, repairs, insurance, license fees and permits, taxes, and the verger’s salary.
The third highest expense may surprise some people. The Anglican Church of Canada is divided into 33 dicoeses; each diocese is made up of a number of parishes. Our diocese has a staff of 15, as well as its own ministries (the Mission to Seafarers, Primates World Relief and Development Fund, and the Diocesan Youth Movement are some). To pay the diocese’s expenses, all parishes in that diocese pay a share of their income to the diocese. We give around $54,000 per year to the diocese of New Westminister.
Our next biggest expense is $43,000 per year for administration and communication. This covers the phone bills, photocopier usage, salary for our office worker and accountant, stationery, postage, computer repairs and banking expenses. It also includes advertising the church in newspapers and with hotels, sending out Christmas cards, and hosting for our web site.
We spend about $16,000 on our labyrinth and $31,000 on the advocacy office each year. This covers the paid staff who coordinate the ministries, and other program costs.
The music which we enjoy each Sunday costs us about $16,000 per year. Most of that is to pay our music director and occasional relief organist, but that also includes $3,000 per year for maintaince of the organ and pianos, music licenses and occasional musicians (such as the brass quartet at Christmas).
We spend $6,000 per year on worship supplies and pastoral and educational expenses. This includes altar linens, candles, service books, bulletins, and lay education programs.
All told, these and other expenses add up to over $350,000 per year to operate St. Paul’s as an active, caring, outgoing, and engaged part of Vancouver and the West End, the diocese of New Westminster, and the Anglican Church of Canada.
Posted by stpauls on under Contributors, Webmaster Blog |
Why Do I give to St. Paul’s?
Two words: Dianne Warren.
I was brought into the church choir by Grace on my first Sunday here at St. Paul’s. By the second Sunday, I was suited up, feeling a little lost and singing for all I was worth. I still had no job, so all I was giving at the time was my time and talent.
My first Annual General Meeting for our church scared me. It was then that I learned how little we pay Dianne and that if things didn’t change our church had maybe 6 more years before it closed from lack of funds. It was then the choir started stacking the church committee so we wouldn’t lose any funding.
Wade mentioned that our music ministry is budgeted $16,000/year. This goes to keeping our organ working, the pianos regularly tuned, our music, the guest musicians, the substitute organists and Dianne’s own salary. If you do the math, Dianne gets paid less than a full-time fry cook at McDonald’s.
In every church, there are people that think all a music director does is choose their favourite hymns to play week after week. (These are usually the ones complaining that their favourite hymn isn’t being sung.) It’s more than that. Each week Dianne reads through the readings and psalms and has to choose hymns based on those readings. Though I will admit there are a couple of choice composers that seem to always have a relevant song. She then negotiates her choices with Markus and the choir (and not necessarily in that order).
Then there are the special services: finding music for Holy Week, Lessons and Carols, special Sundays like the Gospel Service or the Spanish farewell service to Emilie Smith, getting the choir to learn how to sing in new languages.
Her job is part politician. She has a number of artistic egos she has to keep happy or she won’t have a choir at all. We aren’t getting paid by the way. She has to balance the seasoned singers with the new singers. Find pieces challenging enough for those of us that need the challenge and yet easy enough that those who aren’t in an opera company or don’t have a master’s degree in renaissance music, let alone read music, can sing too. Did you know most of those stereotypes of tenors and sopranos are true?
Dianne puts in enough time to probably have this her full-time job but doesn’t get paid for it. She once said that if the music budget was cut she’d have to become just an organist without the choir or special music for services.
I had hoped in the past that giving of time, talent, and the occasional baked brie would be enough. Since being on the Church Committee, I’ve seen that it isn’t enough and so I am pledging not only to give my time and my talent, but also my treasure too.
Melissa Krull, Chair, Stewardship Committee at the 11:00 a.m. service.
Posted by Webmaster on under Contributors, Webmaster Blog |
I come from a proud (and maybe not so noble) nomadic people known as the banker family. Before I hit puberty, I had lived in 4 different cities and 2 provinces. Throughout all the moving, I had two constants in my life: family and church.
When I moved out, my mom pulled me aside and gave me a tear-filled speech. One of the things she said was, “Once you get where you are going, find the local church and get involved. Your church family is your family away from home.” That is what I did. I found St. Paul’s and before I knew it, I was part of the choir. I was asked to be on Church Committee this year and from there the insanity bug bit me and I volunteered to run the stewardship committee.
I know that the 9:15 a.m. is a tight knit group, very much a family. Anyone that is involved with church activities – the readers, subdeacons, movie night watchers – can tell you that you get so much more out of church when you are here more often than just Sunday service. Being more involved gets you closer to the extended family of the church.
As someone involved, I can tell you that being involved has opened my eyes. If I wasn’t part of the groups, I wouldn’t know what it really means to be part of St. Paul’s (Oh I’d think I did but I wouldn’t know how much St. Paul’s does and how much it really means to me and the community). Being involved also showed me how much is still needed. I see how much it takes to get our ministries working. I also see the financial need. It takes money to make special services: there’s no free music any more. Movies need to be rented; popcorn may be cheap, but it still costs money. Maybe it’s the banker family origins that let me see this.
My income is never guaranteed, week to week. I used to think that if I gave of my time and talent other people could open their wallets. I’ve seen the reports; too many people are cutting back and letting other people open their wallets. It doesn’t matter if I’m here to sing if there is no money to buy music or pay the organist, because I won’t be singing.
Ours is a different sort of family. The head of our family can’t get a job and buy our bread. It is up to us, the rest of the family to pitch in. A fiver here, a twenty there, maybe the Christmas bonus, we each have to do our part every week in order to keep the bread on the table and the furnace running. So here’s my plea: Get involved. See where your money is going, and maybe instead of buying that second pint of beer, save the money and put it in the offering plate. I am sure we can all give a little more.
Melissa Krull, Chair, Stewardship Committee at the 9:15 a.m. service
