Grant to us, Lord, we pray, the spirit to think and do always those things that are right, that we, who cannot exist without you, may by you be enabled to live according to your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Readings

1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14
Psalm 111
Ephesians 5:15-20
John 6:51-58

Scott’s Schedule

August 20 - Office Hours, 9-12; Vestry Meeting, 6:30 – 8:30 pm

August 21 - Office Hours, 9-12

August 22 – Executive Group meeting 3:30 – 5 pm

August 24 - Sabbath Day

August 25 – Sabbath Day

Who’s Who at 10 AM
Verger – Doug Jenisch

Greeter – Dick & Jane Davis

Host – Marge White

Readers – Louise Pietsch and Bruce Lather

Psalms and Prayers – Judi Shank

Chalice Bearers – Pam Hanson and Joan Lawrence- Studebaker

Assisting Clergy – Bambi Koeniger

Nursery Care – Judy Barwood

Announcements – Holly Hall

Coffee Hour – Virginia Umland

Counters – Dick Davis and Jane Carroll

Altar Guild – St. Paul’s Altar Guild

Acolytes – Jonathan and Kathryn Brennan, Doug Jenisch

Prayer Requests

For the Church: Justin, Archbishop of Canterbury, Michael, our Presiding Bishop; Thomas our bishop, and Rob his NH colleague; Scott our Priest and Diana our Deacon; Trinity Church, Sheldon; Church of the Province of South East Asia.

FOR THE NATION AND WORLD

For us as a people, that we may uproot all forms of violence, discrimination and injustice, especially those based in racism, religious intolerance, gender and sexual bias and promote mutual understanding and trust. For our community partners who serve neighbors in need, and for the United Nations and all who work for peace.

For those bearing the responsibility of leadership, especially Donald our president, Phil and Chris our governors, our legislators and judges, and all who do the work of governance.

For those who serve in the Armed Forces: Alden; Ryan, Isaac, Eric, Tom, Terry, Jesse, Mick, Grant.

For refugees; for exploiters and the exploited; for those committing acts of terror,

that their hearts may be turned to peace.

For the sick: _____

For those asking our prayers: Janet Belding; Kathy Belding; Mary Davis and her daughter; Muriel Fish; Fred, Patsy, Marge, Alex and Isaac White and families; Diana; Bishop Michael Curry; Mary Benton, Benny Benton, Joan, Joyce and her family; Robert Cameron and family; Chris Howard; Jerry; Dan and Carol Leon; Eric, Amy and their new born baby; Lincoln Thomas; EJ; Samantha, James and Lexi; Mary Corrigan; Goel; Isaac and Carrol; Jay Burzak; Mary B.; Duffy; Nick; Michael T.; Sekula Duffy; Jim Sires;; Edwin and Eduardo; Geri; Candy; Betsy Townsend; Nate; Jon; Akash, Akhila; Nived, Jecin, Renjith, and Navathej, our godchildren in India; Jocelyn, our godchild in Honduras and the entire LAMB community; the poor and the oppressed, for the unemployed; for the homeless and the destitute; for refugees; for prisoners and captives; for those affected by the violence and natural disasters around the world, hurricanes, fires and floods.

For those who have died: Glenda Perkins; Robert E. Vogele; Dot Grout; Roger Vaughan; Aidan Nagle; Jack Belding.

In thanksgiving:; For this parish family; for vestry and their hard work; for all good gifts around us; for children and grandchildren; for the gift of faith; for the hope of peace.

Please contact Holly Hall with your prayer requests.

St. Paul’s Vestry: Pam Hanson (’19), Senior Warden; Greg Taylor (’19), Junior Warden; Holly Hall (’19); Rich Kremer (’20); Molly Castaldo (’20); Andrew Pillsbury (’20); Bev Barton (’21); Dick Davis (’21) and Geri Williams (’21).

Upcoming Events
Please send event and prayer updates to announcements.spc@gmail.com

                       August 21 – Vestry Meeting
                       September 9 – Welcome Back Sunday
                       September 23 – Quarterly Meeting of the Parish
                       October 6 – Parish Retreat

October 26 & 27 – Diocesan Convention

October 28 – Micah Event, Claremont Senior Center

November 3 – Holiday Bazaar

Parish Announcements - I would like to remind you that all announcements for the parish ‘announcements’ are to be sent to announcements.spc@gmail.com by Wednesday at 5PM. Please include full names and contact information. Jenny Thomas, our new office help person, will be the one collecting and editing the announcements on a weekly basis and it will be helpful to have everything in one place, not spread over multiple email accounts. Thanks, Scott.

Season of Creation - Beginning September, we will step outside of the normal readings for the Sundays after Pentecost. We will follow a special set of readings for the Season of Creation. The season begins September 1, the Day of Prayer for Creation, and runs through October 4, the Feast of St. Francis, who is the patron saint of ecology in many traditions. The theme of this year’s celebration is “walking together.” As siblings in Christ, we are on a pilgrimage to better care of creation.

Mark your calendar - Bishop’s Homecoming and Visitation is Sunday, February 10, 2019

A reminder - We as a vestry and a parish are continuing to listen to you and to the Spirit concerning the potential change and further exploration and further exploration of the future use of our buildings and grounds. As good stewards of the gifts God has given us, we understand that this is an ongoing conversation. If you have ideas or concerns about this subject, please feel free to speak to a vestry member or Scott. All thoughts and ideas are welcome. We really do want to hear from you. Thank you, Scott

Call for Retreat Planning Team: St. Paul's annual parish retreat will be held on October 6th at Camp Farnsworth in Thetford (13 minutes from St. Paul's!) Please contact Bev Barton or Geri Williams if you would like to be part of a collaborative leadership team. Please also pass on your thoughts--old favorites or new ideas.

Education for Ministry – EFM - We invite you to give consideration to your spiritual journey by exploring the EFM (Education for Ministry) program. EFM is a four year program that enables one to dig deeper into the Christian faith. the program of study includes the Bible, church history and theological study. What makes EFM unique is the time spent on reflection and how the ideas and insights revealed connect the traditional faith with one’s life experience. The most dynamic groups engage a variety of religions background, denominations and beliefs. The curriculum was developed by the Episcopal School of Theology in Sewanee TN It has been used for many years and in many countries. Sewanee provides annual facilitator training. If this intrigues you or if you have questions, call Leslie Black or Katy Chaffee who are facilitating a group that meets at St. Paul’s in White River Junction on Thursday nights 5:30-8:00pm beginning September 13th. Katy – 603-298-7623, katy.chaffee@gmail.com. Leslie – 802-272-9664, lblack117@comcast.net.

Listen Community Dinner -
September 17th will be our next Listen Community Dinner. A sign up sheet will be posted 8/18. We will plan on serving 110 meals with Tuna Noodle Casserole, (one casserole equals ten servings) and Chocolate Chip Cookies for dessert. Judi Shank, Holly Hall and two more volunteers are needed to help in the Listen kitchen 3pm-5:45pm.Our last Listen Community Dinner will be November 19th. The meal will be planned and organize by the Barwood family.

Scheduling Meeting Rooms – as we begin to move forward with the looking for and hiring of office help it is important that our parish meetings get on our calendar of events. This will be more critical as we move forward, but now is the time to get in the habit of requesting meeting space through the office. Our buildings get used by outside groups it is important that we avoid as many conflicts over space as possible.

Calendar Events

August 21 - Vestry Meeting - 6:30 - 8:30 in the Parish House. All are welcome to attend.

August 26 - Backpack Blessing - This is the day we will bless those everyday items, our calendars, keys, backpacks, etc., that help us live and ministry to the world beyond the church doors. When you arrive on the 26th, please place your items on the table in front of the altar.

August 27 – Bible Study - 7-8:30 PM in the parish house. We will be focusing on the readings for September 2, Genesis 1:1-25, Romans 1:18-23, John 1:1-14. This is a standalone session – no prior experience or involvement is necessary. All are welcome! For more information, please talk to Scott.

September 11 - Caring Ministries meeting – Caring Ministries is umbrella name that includes Prayer, Healing Prayer and Pastoral Ministries. If you would like to learn more information or would like to join either ministries, please come to our next meeting Sept. 11th..

September 17 – Listen Dinner - September 17th will be our next Listen Community Dinner. A sign up sheet will be posted 8/18. We will plan on serving 110 meals with Tuna Noodle Casserole, (one casserole equals ten servings) and Chocolate Chip Cookies for dessert. Judi Shank, Holly Hall and two more volunteers are needed to help in the Listen kitchen 3pm-5:45pm. Our last Listen Community Dinner will be November 19th. The meal will be planned and organize by the Barwood family.

September 23 – Quarterly Meeting of the Parish

October 6 – Parish Retreat – Mark Your Calendars today - All Parish Retreat date is Saturday, October 6th, 2018 at Camp Farnsworth in Thetford.

October 28 - Micah Celebration - United Valley Interfaith Project will sponsor the 2018 Micah Event October 28th at the Claremont Senior Center. The doors will open at 2:00 and the event will begin at 3pm. All organizations that are with UVIP members pick a 2018 Micah Hero, one who ' does justice, loves kindness, and walks humbly with God'. Please take time to consider a person you see every Sunday or a Parishioner who comes to church when they can, a person who fulfills these qualities. Names will be collected August 19th- September 16th. Names can be submitted to Scott and Vestry members. Our St. Paul's Micah Hero will be announced September 23rd. Holly needs help with selling tickets and collecting money to Micah Event. Please contact her if you can help. More information about tickets, sales etc will be shared in weeks ahead.

November 3 - Holiday Bazaar - Mark Your Calendar

General Announcements

UPDATE: Acolyte, Chalice Administrator and reader sign-up and training/Refresher - If you are interested in serving on a Sunday morning as and acolyte, chalice administrator or readers please sign-up on the sign-up sheet on the bulletin board near the narthex and speak to Scott. If you are currently serving in any of the 3 ministries above please plan to attend the Training/Refresher on the following dates. Acolytes – TBA. Chalice bearers – September 9. Readers – September 23. If you are unable to attend on the scheduled ministry training date, please contact Scott to schedule an alternative time.

Extreme Weather Survey - The Bugbee Center, Town of Hartford Community Resilience Organization and Antioch University are working jointly to determine the needs of older folks in the town of Hartford in extreme weather conditions. A short survey is located in the narthex concerning what and how you will or do contend with extreme weather conditions where you are currently living.

Help Wanted for the Retreat Planning Committee - Our all Parish Retreat is scheduled for Saturday, October 6th, 2018 at Camp Farnsworth in Thetford. If you have retreat theme ideas, activity ideas, and would like to a part of the planning team please contact Bev Barton. This is a great day of fellowship, relaxation and worship together.

Ride Ministry – If you have extra time and can help transport Parishioners to and from Sunday service and to church events, please contact Holly. We are looking for 6-8 people who can help with the our St. Paul's Church Ride Ministry.

Contemplative Prayer and Meditation - We welcome everyone including our neighbors to our Sanctuary for Contemplative Prayer and Meditation 5:30 to 6:30 on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month; we will gather on August 15th, September 5th and 19th. If you have any questions, please contact Holly Hall.

Caring Ministries - our next meeting will be September 11th, 7pm at Parish House. Caring Ministries includes Prayer, Healing and Pastoral Ministry. If you have an interest in any of these ministries, you are welcome to join our meeting September 11th.

Weston Priory Services - All are welcome to attend the Weston Priory services throughout the week and weekend. Please check their web page for Sabbath Days and Retreat Days when the Brothers do not hold services.

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St. Paul’s Vestry: Pam Hanson (’19), Senior Warden; Greg Taylor (’19), Junior Warden; Holly Hall (’19); Rich Kremer (’20); Molly Castaldo (’20); Andrew Pillsbury (’20); Bev Barton (’21); Dick Davis (’21) and Geri Williams (’21).

Ongoing Reminders

· Discretionary Fund Reminder – First Sunday of every month. Please be as generous as possible.

· Executive Group Meeting – every Wednesday 3:30-5:00pm -- Everyone is welcome to attend.

· Vestry meets – 3rd Tuesday of the month in the Parish Hall at 6:30pm. All are welcome to attend.

· Valley Terrace Church Service – Please join us! – The fourth Tuesday of every month at 3 PM.

· Knit and Purl Fellowship - meets 1st and 3rd Monday of the month at 6:30 in Parish Hall. Anyone who likes hand crafts are welcome to join in!.

· Bible Study – meets the 2nd and 4th Mondays of the month in the Parish House at 7 PM. We will focus each meeting on the lectionary for the upcoming week. This is a come as you can discussion group, you can do not have to come every meeting. All are welcome!

· St. Paul’s Concerned about Racial Justice group meets the 2ndTuesday of each month from 6:30-8:00. We meet in parish house. All are welcome to join us!

· Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) sponsors two regularly scheduled events open to the public: Mondays, 5:30 – 6:00 pm, on the corner of the green across from Hanover Inn, Vigil for Racial Justice.

Announcements for Sunday, August 19, 2018 The Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost – Proper 15, Track 1