DEAR FRIENDS 

St. Paul’s is off to the Holy Land!  We announced at the Auction and I spoke about it again in my sermon this past Sunday that we are planning a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.  We are using Nick Mancino’s company Journey’s Unlimited.  Here are the basics:

• 10-day trip, January 20th ―29th, 2020 (These things are often announced a year in advance to give people time to plan)
• In Galilee:  Capernaum, Church of the Annunciation, Mary’s Well, Valley of Armageddon, Caesarea; Roman Theatre and Aqueduct
• Around Jerusalem:  Magdala (home town of Mary Magdalene); Baptismal site on the Jordan River; Roman ruins; Jordan Valley and Jericho; Bethlehem and the Church of the Nativity; 
• Masada:  Fortress of Masada; Dead Sea (including a boat ride); Qumran (where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found)
• Jerusalem:  St. Stephen’s Gate; Pool of Bethsaida; Via Dolorosa; Church of the Holy Sephulchre; Gabbatha Pavement; Jewish Quarter; Dome of the Rock; Western Wall; Israel Museum; Museum of the Dead Sea Scrolls; Mount of Olives; Chapel of the Ascension; Garden of Gethsemane; Kidron Valley; Mount Zion; Room of the Last Supper; King David’s Tomb; Garden Tomb; and Calvary
• These are just the highlights, there is much, much more!
• $3,198.00, which includes roundtrip airfare from NYC, and breakfast and dinner each day.

This is an extraordinary opportunity.  The last time I went on a tour to Europe, it was $3000, plus the air fare, and airfare in this tour is included, as well as all other travel, two meals day, and other amenities.  Also, there is a $100 discount if you put down a deposit by April 20 of this year. It’s an excellent package.  I have never been to the Holy Land, but I am told by those who have been that it is a life-changing experience—to visit the places where all those Bible stories took place and to walk where Jesus walked!  I am very excited, and I hope that you are as well.  Three people, including myself, are already committed, and six more of your fellow parishioners have expressed an interest in joining us.  If you have any questions, please ask me or Nick Gjeca, who is not only a familiar face at St. Paul’s but also the representative of Journey’s Unlimited who is handling our tour.  Please give it your prayerful consideration.
 
Yours in Christ,
Fr. Wallace
 

WILLING HEARTS AND HANDS (AND ARMS) NEEDED!

8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Saturday, January 12 

The 3rd-floor apartment in the Rectory will soon be undergoing some renovation work, so Fr. Wallace is moving to the 4th-floor apartment, and we need ALL HANDS to help with schlepping his stuff up one flight.  Many hands make light work.  If you can help, please coordinate with Madge Willner, mwwillner@rcn.com, 718-596-9573.

GUEST PREACHER AND CELEBRANT THIS SUNDAY 

Father Wallace will be away this Sunday visiting another parish as part of his work in the Diocesan Congregational Development Institute.   St. Paul’s is honored to welcome our own Lilo Carr Rivera to the pulpit as guest preacher and Fr. Garenton to the altar as Celebrant.  Please thank them for their willingness to serve.

WE ARE SO CLOSE! 

Pledges for 2019 continue to come in.  We are now at 96% (!) of our stewardship goal for 2019!  Won’t you help us take us over the top?  2019 pledges can be made at any time.  Pledge cards are available on the table in the back of the church, or may you pledge through the website.  For those of you who have already pledged for 2019, your pledge envelopes are available on the table in the rear of the church.

ANNUAL MEETING

Sunday, January 27, immediately after the 11:00 am mass

The list of the members in good standing who have Seat, Voice, and Vote at the Annual Meeting of the St. Paul’s Church (founded in 1849, incorporated 1850) is posted on the bulletin boards in the Parish Hall.  Please check to see that your name is there.  If you find an error, please contact Rob at rob@stpaulscarrollst.org or call the church office.  In order to vote at the Annual meeting, you must 1), be a baptized Christian an at least 17 years old; 2), attend St. Paul’s as your regular place of worship; and 3), have a record of giving.  

BLESSED CHALK FOR HOUSE BLESSING 

If you did not receive a piece of chalk, which was blessed this past Sunday on the Feast of the Epiphany, they are still available.  See Fr. Wallace for the chalk and the accompanying instructions and prayer.

BLANKETS AVAILABLE

Blankets are available in a bin in the back of the church for those of you who might get cold during the winter months.  Ask an usher to help you find them, and please thank Gaston Musella for providing them for us.

UPCOMING CONCERT:  THE PARK SLOPE SINGERS

2:00 p.m., Saturday, January 26

The Park Slope Singers, under the direction of Timothy Parsons, will offer Schubert's Mass in G and Mozart's Requiem, K.626, here at St. Paul's on January 26 at 2:00 p.m. Balint Varga and Jason Weisinger will be accompanying the chorus using Carl Czerny's piano 4-hand arrangement. Featured soloists are Sarah Hawkey (Soprano), Kristin Gornstein (Mezzo-Soprano), Lucas Levy (Tenor) and Brian Mextorf (Bass-Baritone).  A number of singers from Der Konzertchoir Niederschönhausen of Berlin will join the chorus, marking the beginning of an international partnership between the German choir and the Park Slope Singers that they hope will result in many future collaborations! A reception will follow immediately after the concert.  The same program will be offered the following day at Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, 7420 4th Avenue, in Bay Ridge at 3:00 p.m.  Tickets:  $15; students and seniors, $10.  Advanced tickets may be purchased at parkslopesingers.bpt.me.

PRAYERS FOR ST. PAUL’S DURING THE TRANSITION AND RECTOR SEARCH 

As you read the Eblast each week, it is a good opportunity to take 30 seconds and offer a prayer for St. Paul’s during its transition and for the members of the Search Committee. Prayers to that effect will be included each week in the Eblast.

• For St. Paul’s:
  O God, by whom the meek are guided in judgment, and light riseth up in darkness for the godly: Grant us, we beseech thee, in all our doubts and uncertainties, the grace to ask what thou wouldest have us to do, that the Spirit of wisdom may save us from all false choices, and that in thy light we may see light,, and in thy straight path may not stumble; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen. 
• For the Search Committee: 
  Eternal God, the foundation of all wisdom and the source of all courage:  enlighten with your grace the Search Committee of this congregation, and so rule their minds, and guide their counsel that in all things they may seek your glory and promote the mission of your Church, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

THIS COMING SUNDAY: January 13, 2019

The First Sunday After the Epiphany:  The Baptism of Our Lord

• Appointed Readings and Sermon
  • The First Reading—Isaiah 43:1-7
  • Psalm 29
  • Epistle—Acts 8:14-17
  • The Gospel—Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
• Guest Preacher—Lilo Carr Rivera
• Guest Celebrant—Fr. Linwood Garenton 
• Music
  • Mass Setting: Willan—Missa de Sancta Maria Magdalena
  • Organ Prelude: Pastorale—Joseph Jongen
  • Hymn at the Entrance: “Songs of thankfulness and praise,” Hymnal, 135
  • Offertory Anthem:  “Of the Father’s Love Begotten,” arr. Alex Canovas
  • Hymn at Communion: “The sinless one to Jordan came,” Hymnal, 120
  • Hymn after the Dismissal: “Christ, when for us you were baptized,” Hymnal, 121
  • Organ Postlude:  Pièce pour grand orgue, W. 28—Joseph Jongen