The Ministry, November 2013 - St. Paul`s Episcopal Church

November 2013
Volume 21, No. 11
Each one should give as they decide, not with regret or out of a sense of duty; for God
loves the one who gives gladly.
II Corinthians 9:7
INSIDE
Giving Time/Talent
Can Deepened
One’s Faith
Page 5
St. Paul’s New
Website Launched
Advent Begins
December 1
Page 7
Page 11
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From the Rector
God Bless You with a Spirit of Thankfulness!
As I write this, I’m looking forward to November. Autumn is a great time of year with
nights somewhat cooler and days more moderate. The church is busy.
Our picnic at Chehaw Park was great fun. The annual pledge drive is winding down (we
should have final results in the December Ministry). There are four baptisms scheduled
for November 3, All Saints Sunday, and four more for November 24. We are beginning a
Children’s Choir to go with our outstanding Chancel Choir,
and the 6 o’clock Sunday service is growing.
Let us remember Veteran’s Day on November 11 (and the
Marine Corps birthday is November 10). We are blessed
with a large number of veterans in our parish and community. While we pray for the members of our Armed Forces
regularly, it is good for us to remember and thank our veterans and their families often.
Thanksgiving is, of course, November 28. In the Book of
Common Prayer, we find this:
Accept, O Lord, our thanks and praise for all that you have
done for us. We thank you for the splendor of the whole
creation, for the beauty of this world, for the wonder of life,
and for the mystery of love.
We thank you for the blessing of family and friends, and for
the loving care which surrounds us on every side.
We thank you for setting us at tasks which demand our best
efforts, and for leading us to accomplishments which satisfy
and delight us.
We thank you also for those disappointments and failures
that lead us to acknowledge our dependence on you alone.
Above all, we thank you for your Son Jesus Christ; for the
truth of his Word and the example of his life; for his steadfast obedience, by which he overcame temptation; for his
dying, through which he overcame death; and for his rising to life again, in which we are
raised to the life of your kingdom.
Grant us the gift of your Spirit, that we may know him and make him known; and through
him, at all times and in all places, may give thanks to you in all things. Amen.
May God Bless you and yours with a spirit of thankfulness.
Above, Fr. Lowery
preaching at a Clergy
Conference several
weeks ago in the chapel
at Honey Creek.
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Three Blakey Brothers—All Acolytes—Baptized
The three brothers are,
from left, Colin, Jacob, and
Cole. Behind them are
Mtr. Mollie Roberts and
Fr. Lee Lowery. On the
back row, from left, are
Tony and Kathy Blakey, the
parents, and Walter Kelley,
the boys’ Godfather.
Wren Seely—Fifth Generation Seely—Baptized
Holding Wren Seely, the
newly baptized, is Whitney
Seely, her mother. In the
center, holding the banner, is
Brandon Seely, the father.
To his right are Fr. Lowery
and Mtr. Roberts.
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Parish Picnic at Chehaw Park Big Success—Lots of fun!
Nominating Committee Formed for 2014 Vestry Election
A strategic process for electing Vestry members for 2014
has begun with the forming of a Nominating Committee:
Three Vestry members who rotate off—Dave Davies,
Billy Mayher, and Tripp Morgan—and seven non-Vestry
members—Kari Middleton, Brandon Rutledge, Annabelle
Stubbs, Jane Calhoun, Kay Rodgers, Allen Baggs, and
Sean Hendley.
The committee will seek a cross section of candidates,
who they will interview, asking each candidate the same
questions. Four people will be presented at the Annual
Meeting in late January as the recommended slate.
Nominations may be made from the floor.
John Dixon, who is completing a two-year term on Vestry
and is, thereby, eligible for election to a three-year term,
removed himself from the Nominating Committee. He
has indicated an interest in being reelected to Vestry.
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A Stewardship Reflection
Giving Time and Talent Can Deepened One’s Faith
Given by Dave Davies, Sunday, October 20, During the Annual Pledge Drive
Time. Talent. Treasure. We are given these three in different
measure by God. How we use these gifts and what we choose
to give back to God is Stewardship.
When Father Lowery asked me to speak about stewardship, I
was not eager to do so. Many of you know that my job is
Headmaster at Deerfield-Windsor School. A
large part of that job is finding financial support for the School. My fear was that if I
now started asking my fellow parishioners to
give money, everyone in town would run
when they saw me coming. But Father Lowery said that he wanted me to speak about
time and talent and that others would talk
about money.
When I moved to Albany and found St.
Paul’s, my plan was to worship two or three
times a month and sit in the back and not get
terribly involved. After all, I’m surrounded
by people at work all week and just wanted to
worship in peace.
there was that Summar guy again, calling me to tell me that I
had been elected.
Next, Dwayne said that folks enjoyed my voice when I did the
Vestry Member of the Week announcements, and he persuaded
me to join the Lector team. As we headed into the Rector
search, the Vestry asked if I would join the
Search Committee as liaison to the Vestry. I
did, and I hope that all of you are as pleased
with the results of the search as I am.
I tell you all of this not to pat myself on the
back for all that I am doing for St. Paul’s,
but to tell you how much this involvement
has done for me. It has made me a regular
attendee at worship, involved me with some
wonderful people, and deepened my faith.
At the beginning of the Rector Search process, Canon Logue urged us to pray regularly,
to ask the congregation to pray for the committee and the process, and to allow the
Dave Davies
Holy Spirit to guide our work. I am trained
But, to use one of my wife’s favorite expresas a scientist, and although I fully accept the
sions: “We plan; God laughs.” He clearly had a different plan, Episcopal trilogy of faith, reason, and tradition, I must confess
and He chose to use Dwayne Summar as his messenger.
that the reason piece often trumps the other two. I have done
dozens of searches for positions at my schools, and I believe
While being interviewed as a newcomer to St. Paul’s for the
that most of these decisions can be rationally resolved. Howparish newsletter, The Ministry, I mentioned to Dwayne that I
ever, there were times in the search where I felt as if I were in
play several instruments and sing. I also said that music had
one of those cars at the amusement park where the rider can
drawn me back to the church a few times when I had drifted
turn the steering wheel, but the car proceeds on the track that
away. Dwayne invited me to sit in with the Chancel Choir at a
someone else has designed. I was turning the wheel as much
rehearsal or two, and the next thing I knew, I was in the choir.
as I could, yet the process was going in its own direction.
That effectively ended my “two or three times a month” plan, There is no doubt in my mind that God directed all of our efas I couldn’t let my fellow choir members down, not to menforts and the end result, and as things turned out, we could not
tion my “conscience,” Dr. Inman, who would point out to me
have done better ourselves!
when I had missed a Sunday or two!
Each of you received the stewardship booklet in the mail reAfter about a year of attending St. Paul’s, I was urged by Anne cently. I found it to be a thoughtful and thought-provoking
Wilson and Dwayne to stand for election to the Vestry. This
publication that challenges each of us to assess our time, talent,
seemed like a true busman’s holiday to me—balancing budgand treasure and asks us to give back in whatever proportion
ets, trying to increase the number of people in attendance, and we are able. If you filled out the book hastily, I would urge
trying to raise funds were the very things that I spent all week you to get another one and spend some time with it. St. Paul’s
doing. I ran, mostly out of respect for Anne and Dwayne, and has some wonderful ministries and beautiful worship services.
thinking that I did not know enough people to have to worry
Commit yourself for what you can contribute to the church, but
about being elected. In fact, I was away the Sunday that the
also for what it will do for you and your relationship with God.
parish meeting and voting took place. A few days later,
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Lee Lowery, St. Paul’s rector, and Mollie Roberts, curate, celebrated the Liturgy for
the Loss of a Pet, on Saturday afternoon, October 26. The ashes of eight dogs were
scattered at the service. There are now 37 pets scattered in Barney’s Corner—33
dogs and four cats.
MEMORIAL GIFTS TO BARNEY’S CORNER
Jackson Pickett
Molly & Bill Swan
Dwayne Summar
Susan & Ed Dozier
Ally Bettis
Dwayne Summar
Lil Bill
Mari & Ted Wright
Soot Stubbs
Dwayne Summar
Gideon Brisbois
Dwayne Summar
Betty Jean Cannon
Barney’s Memorial Book
Whether your pet’s ashes have been scattered
in Barney’s Corner or not, you are invited to
have a photograph of your deceased pet in the
Memorial Book that is kept in the St. Paul’s
Room. We would like to have the pet’s
name and his or her birth and death dates.
Leave printed photos with Debbie Godwin.
The prints will be returned. You also may
send an electronic file to Dwayne Summar at
[email protected]. Also, let friends
who are not members of St. Paul’s know they
are welcome to have a pet’s ashes scattered in
Barney’s Corner.
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New Website Launched—www.stpaulsalbany.org
St. Paul’s new website launched Sunday, November 3, after
weeks of preparation.
down;

To the left, five Clusters are listed. Click on the name
of the Cluster and the ministries drop down; and

It is built around St. Paul’s ministries, using short copy 
that ends with contact information so folks can get
involved easily;
The information that might be most useful to a visitor
is found in the red bar that runs across the top of the
site.

With only one or two exceptions, all pages fit the
monitor screen, eliminating the need to scroll up and
The new site has these distinct characteristics:
With much input from the Clergy and Wardens, the new
site was built by Donna Becton (Majestic Pages). Donna
2014 Barney’s Run for Warriors Seeking Sponsors
On St. Paul’s homepage—bottom left-hand corner—there is 
a photo of “Camo” and a place to register for the January 11,

2014, Run at the Marine Base; also, a place to sign up as a
sponsor.

Camo is the service dog matched with our 2013 warrior.
The cost of training a service dog and his or her warrior is
$11,000.
$250 - $499 – Kennel Club Sponsor
$100 – $249 – Defender Sponsor
Any donation under $100 – Tail Wagger Sponsor
The benefits of each level of sponsorship are described on
the website. The benefits, among others, include having
your name and logo on our Facebook page, on the back of
the Run’s t-shirts, at the event, and in the publicity generated
about the event.
“Sponsorships are the key to our having a successful Run,”
said Lois Hunkele, who is working with Peggy Hawkins and
Dana DuVall to increase the number of 2014 sponsors as
Also, one may pay online using one of four credit or debit
well as the levels of sponsorships:
cards. Please make a check payable to St. Paul’s Episcopal
Church; for Barney’s Run. To receive recognition, the spon $1000 and Up – Top Dog Sponsor
sor deadline is November 20, 2013. All donations are tax
 $500 - $999 – Dog’s Best Friend Sponsor
deductible to the extent of the law.
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Congratulations Amelia and Asher
December
Birthdays
December 1
Bob Aderhold
December 2
Barry Bell
December 3
Martha Hester
December 6
Marjorie Morgan
December 7
Norma Ferdon-Eder
Lindsey Langstaff
December 8
Kathy Russell
December 11
Chet Clark
December 12
Mary Faulk
Gennie Marcus
December 15
Betsy Holman
Frances Smith
December 16
Carol Fullerton
December 18
Dana DuVall
Connie Meier
Blanton Mills
Gracie Swan
December 19
Burt Sorrells
December 20
Jackson Knight
Joe Morgan
December 22
Sally Anderson
Chris McNeese
December 25
Honey Hanson
December 26
Christine Racey
December 27
Bert Bacon
Lillian Parkman
December 29
Emily Stubbs
December 30
Oliver Hedrick
The story goes like this: at an EYC meeting one Sunday afternoon, Asher Davis told Fr. Lowery that she wanted to do a service project that would help folks who have too little—and they
decided on gathering blankets for the homeless who live in Albany. Asher invited her friend Amelia Middlebrooks, a new teen
at St. Paul’s, to be her partner. Called “Blanket Albany,” the
gathering of blankets and cash for purchasing blankets ended
Sunday, November 3, when the photo above was taken. The
photo itself speaks to the amazing success of these two young
women. Some 150 blankets are being distributed through various
Albany service agencies.
Diocesan Convention Back in Session
The 192nd Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia has
been called back into session in Dublin from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on
Saturday, November 16, 2013. The two agenda items are to pass
a 2014 Budget for the Diocese and to elect the deputies and alternates to the 2015 General Convention of The Episcopal Church.
St. Paul’s curate, the Rev. Mollie Roberts, has been nominated to
serve as a clergy deputy to the General Convention. She and Fr.
Lowery will attend the November 16 convention. St. Paul’s
delegates are Allen Baggs, Lillian Parkman, and Julian Price.
Provide a foster child with Christmas gifts. See Jessica
Rutledge between Sunday morning services. You also may
email, call, or text her at [email protected] or
706-340-2012. Unwrapped but bagged gifts are due no later
than December 4 and may be turned in earlier.
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Shepherding Our Seniors
Ben Hoopes: DWS Senior, Athlete, Traveler, and “Helper”
By Nealy Stapleton
Ben Hoopes is a Deerfield-Windsor senior, an athlete, a world
traveler, and a “helper.”
huge part of the culture. The vast majority of Thai elephants
are domesticated, used for logging, street begging, and tourism. Often, they are tortured into submitting to their masters.
The son of Jeanette and Jeff Hoopes, Ben was born in Albany
At the elephant refuge, Ben and his group learned about the
and has lived here all his life. He has one older sister, Kelly,
plight of elephants, they fed and bathed the elephants, prewho has graduated from Vanderbilt University and is currently
pared their food, and simply spent time with the elephants.
working on her Master of Accountancy degree at Wake Forest
They left the refuge and moved to an orphanage, where they
University.
worked on buildings and spent time with children. During his
Ben has attended Deerfield since he was in kindergarten. His down time, Ben became scuba certified.
days at school are busy. He takes AP Biology and AP EuroThe following summer, Ben traveled again with the group to
pean History, along with his other classes. He plays on the
Tanzania. There, they worked to renovate a classroom building
tennis team, mostly singles. This year, Ben is the Advertising
for children of the Massai tribe. “That was hard work, and it
Manager for the school yearbook. “I’m responsible for the ad
was very hot,” said Ben. After they completed the construcsales, taking pictures of school activities, and the layouts for
tion project, they climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro. “It took us eight
all advertising. It’s a great job, and I’ve learned a lot,” said
hours to climb to the top. As the air became thinner, we really
Ben. He is also treasurer of the Student Council, a member of
slowed our pace,” he said.
the Beta Club, and a math tutor.
Whether it’s helping his grandmother or little children in the
Several nights each week, Ben helps his parents care for his
Dominican Republic, taking care of abused elephants in Thaigrandmother by taking dinner to her. His grandmother lives
land, or repairing a classroom building in a remote area of Afon Sixth Avenue behind the Hoopes’ home on Fifth. “I really
rica, Ben Hoopes is a helper. He seems to understand the imenjoy visiting with her and hearing about her life. I walk over
portance of giving back, and he sees himself working in some
there and stay a while,” said Ben. He has a group of very
capacity for an organization that “helps people who cannot
close friends who enjoy music, football games, going to the
help themselves.”
beach, and just being together.
His college plans are not firmed up yet. “I have been accepted
to Alabama and Auburn. I haven’t heard from Georgia or
Vanderbilt yet, so I’m waiting for those letters,” said Ben.
He’d also like to go to Georgia. Wherever he goes, he thinks
he will major in business.
Young Life has been a part of Ben’s life in recent years. He
has attended Young Life camps, has gone on trips to Braves
games, and participated in other YL activities. He credits
Young Life with helping him have a closer relationship with
God. “Young Life is a great organization, and the leaders are
great people,” said Ben.
Travel is a big interest of Ben’s. A couple of years ago, he
went on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic with a group
from Augusta. “For a week, we organized Bible school for the
little kids. I’d taken two years of Spanish, but that didn’t help.
However, the people were so happy and welcoming that we
seemed to get around the language barrier,” said Ben.
For the past two summers, Ben has traveled with a group that
incorporated travel with service. His first trip with the group
was to Thailand. There, he worked at a rescue and rehabilitation center for abused elephants. In Thailand, elephants are a
Hannah and Dave Orlowski are Ben’s Shepherds. Here is
what Hannah had to say, “Dave and I are so excited that
we’ve been matched with Ben. He is such an amazing young
man. We’re still in the getting-to-know-each-other phase,
but we hope to establish a genuine bond with Ben that will
even go beyond his senior year.”
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The ad below is in the November/December issue of Local Church Connection,
a free regional, Christian-based magazine.
Memorial/Honor Gifts
December Anniversaries
Willa and John Inman
December 2
Mr. & Mrs. Eric Belusko
December 3
Mr. & Mrs. Bill Harrell
December 4
Mr. & Mrs. Joe Hunkele
Dwayne Summar
December 21
Dr. & Mrs. Cullen Richardson
Dudley & Sam Lippitt
December 22
Mr. & Mrs. Scott Marcus
December 29
Mr. & Mrs. Loring Gray
December 31
Mr. & Mrs. Harold Hudgens, Jr.
December 31
Mr. & Mrs. James A. Parr
In honor of their birthdays
Synovus Trust Company
Grace Girone
Jean McGuire
Jack Fisher
Hugh Donnan
Jo Jones
Betsy Seely
Pam & Jay Reynolds
Roy Manry
Pam & Jay Reynolds
Marian Haley
Pam & Jay Reynolds
Al Hobitzell
Pam & Jay Reynolds
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Advent Begins December 1—the Church’s New Year
By the Rev. Mollie Roberts
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
No, I’m not just really early in ushering in 2014. I am
wishing you a happy new year for the church year that is
about to begin. On Sunday, December 1, this year’s first
Sunday in Advent, we welcome the new church year.
There are two major cycles of seasons in the church calendar: the Christmas cycle and the Easter cycle.
The seasons in the Christmas cycle are Advent, Christmas,
and Epiphany, while the seasons of
the Easter cycle are Lenten, Easter,
and the Season after Pentecost. As
we know, Christmas day is always
December 25, but that date can fall
on any given day of the week. The
new church year that begins on the
first Sunday of Advent begins four
Sundays prior to Christmas.
Therefore, though the church year
always begins on a Sunday, the
date changes depending on the day
of the week on which Christmas
falls. This year, it is a nice and
tidy date, December 1, but next
year it is Sunday, November 30.
The season of Advent lasts three
weeks and as many days as is in
the week following the fourth Sunday until Christmas Day.
Christ the King of Kings. The church is called to live in
watchfulness and anticipation.
Advent means coming. The Advent readings continue the
end of time and Christ’s second coming motif. The idea is
to create an atmosphere of wakefulness, longing, and
preparation for Christ. We hope for the coming of Jesus
Christ to provide salvation by his life, death, resurrection,
and ascension. We may wait without shame or fear to rejoice at beholding his coming. By the second and third
Sundays, we will read about John
the Baptist. John cautions us to
repent in preparation for the first
coming of Christ, but we can hear
it as preparing for the second coming. And we will read of Christ as
the last judge.
Advent is a counter-cultural season, running against the dominant
current and also giving time to a
human experience that often goes
unnamed. Advent then is a season
of longing for something better and
is a part of our longing and dreaming for salvation. We have a sense
of incompleteness in our lives, and
we long for the completion that
Christ will bring. Advent allows
us to be in a dark place of waiting, it is integral to our
Christianity—we recognize that this is not the best place—
As always, the change of the church season brings a change the best is to come. Finally, by the time we get to Advent 4,
of liturgical color. The color of Advent is purple or blue.
we hear about the Christmas story which focuses on Mary
Like many parishes, St. Paul’s uses blue to help distinguish and Joseph and the approaching nativity of our Lord.
Advent from the more penitential Lenten season.
In truth we do not know the exact date of Jesus’ birth. In
Beginning with All Saints Day, as we near the end of the
fact, it may well have been in the spring. The December
Season after Pentecost, often called “ordinary time,” we
date was chosen to incorporate the pagan festivals common
turn our focus toward the second coming of Christ. Notice of the time, but more importantly, the date is during the
that the lectionary readings begin to focus on waiting for
dark time of year and Christ is the illuminator of the dark
Christ’s return. We’ll read about resurrection, the end of
season. The eschatological use of darkness, hymnody in
days, and the crucifixion. These readings reflect the esminor keys, and a pensive atmosphere helps to set the
chatological themes of Christ coming again in glory and
mood for the anticipation of our Lord.
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Worship Services
Clergy and Staff
Sunday
Rite I Eucharist at 8:00 am
The Rev. Lee Lowery, Rector
The Rev. Mollie Roberts, Curate
Rite II Eucharist at 10:30 am
Marcia Hood, DMA, Music Director
Contemporary Eucharist at 6 pm (Chapel)
Chris Hendley, Ph.D., Asst. Music Director
Kenneth Williams, Organist
Wednesday
Debbie Godwin, Parish Administrator
Holy Eucharist & Healing Service at 12:00
o’clock noon (Chapel)
Velma McClary, Housekeeper
Robert Clay, Sexton
St. Paul’s Vestry
Terms ending in 2014
Terms ending in 2015
Terms ending in 2016
Dave Davies
Walter Kelley
Tony Blakey
John Dixon
Lillian Parkman
Virginia Gray
Billy Mayher, Senior Warden
Fred Sharpe
Liza Pickett
Tripp Morgan
Ed Dozier
Dwayne Summar, Junior Warden