ADULT FORMATION: Spiritual Practices in Daily Life, Sundays in the Chapel, 10:15-11:00 a.m. Join us as we begin this exploration of spiritual practices that you can take home with you, as well as how our Sunday worship informs what we can do on our daily walk with God and our neighbors. The Rev. Javier Almendárez Bautista will lead this week’s session on “Sacred Listening in the Public Sphere.” Next Sunday, May 6, The Rev. George Adamik will discuss “Confession: The Sacrament of Reconciliation.”
Half Truths: God Helps Those Who Help Themselves and Other Things the Bible Doesn’t Say, Wednesday evenings in the Youth Wing, 7:00 p.m. The Adult Formation Committee invites you to this video and discussion series. The video, by Methodist pastor and author Adam Hamilton, questions the Biblical basis for five common statements and why Hamilton finds that each statement contains partial truth. This Wednesday we’ll examine the statement: “God Won’t Give You More Than You Can Handle.”
APPALACHIA SERVICE PROJECT CHORE DAY (ASP): Need some help moving that mulch you just bought? Maybe you need some help in the yard or spring cleaning? ASP volunteers are here to help. To help fund our mission trip to Tennessee this year, we would like to help you with some of those spring chores on Saturday, May 12th from 8:00 a.m. to noon. We will fit in as many jobs as we can, but it is a first come first serve! Please contact Susannah Vitaglione at susannahv@gmail.com or 919-619-5103 if you would like to hire some ASP youth volunteers. (Please keep in mind that we won’t be using dangerous machinery or picking out poison ivy.)
Arts & Crafts Festival: Our 6th Annual Arts & Crafts Festival for Outreach will be held on Saturday, November 10, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. If you are interested in selling your handmade items at the festival, please contact Anne Babb at rbabb@nc.rr.com for an application or more information. Applications from St. Paul’s members must be received by May 18 to be considered for early acceptance. Please remember all items must be handmade by the vendor. For general questions about the festival, please contact Sally Moller at sbm2@nc.rr.com.
COFFEE HOUR MINISTRY HIGHLIGHTS: The Julian Gathering is hosting coffee hour in the Parish Hall following the 9:00 a.m. service today. This small group meets in the Cry Room on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month for contemplative prayer and discussion of the writings of Julian of Norwich. Stop by the Parish Hall to learn more about this unique opportunity for prayer and study.
Next week there will be a special coffee hour hosted by Children’s Ministries in honor of children’s Communion. Please stop by to enjoy coffee and refreshments and to celebrate this joyous occasion.
Ministry of Mothers Sharing (MOMS) is preparing two fall sessions: one for “Baby Moms” (infants through 5th graders) and one for “TNT Moms” (teens and tweens). The focus of MOMS is connection, support, and growth during the changes and challenges you will face on your motherhood journey. The groups will meet one evening per week for seven weeks starting in September and ending in October. See the website for more details as we get closer, and email Ann Lockhart at annlockhart1@gmail.com to get on the interested list or with any questions. Attention MOMS Alumni: we will be calling on you for logistical support, so watch your email. Thanks!
SENIOR MINISTRYArboretum Tour: Ready to enjoy a walk in a nationally acclaimed garden where the plants are especially adapted to our NC Piedmont climate? Come join the Senior Ministry for a docent-led tour at the JC Raulston Arboretum (4415 Beryl Rd, Raleigh) on May 17 at 10:30 a.m. The cost is a $5.00 donation, and parking is free. If you wish to carpool, meet at the church at 10:00 a.m. Following the tour, join us for lunch at Briggs in the Tryon Village Shopping Center. We plan on meeting there at noon. Lunch will be at your own expense. To RSVP via Sign-Up Genius, please go to the St. Paul’s website, or contact Jean Huey at jehuey@outlook.com or call 919-303-5769.
Resilience: The Biology of Stress & The Science of Hope, Save the Date: Sunday, June 3rd at St. Paul’s from 4:00 to 6:30 p.m. There will be a showing of this important movie, food, childcare, and a great discussion with fellow parishioners. Free! Details to follow.
PULSE MINISTRY: Guess Who’s Calling: Three times a year, the members of the Pulse Ministry will call parishioners to ask a couple of survey questions and jot down their responses. You may be one of these randomly selected parishioners! This is an awesome opportunity to share your opinion on two questions: (1) What do you like about St. Paul’s and (2) Are there any changes you would like to see in the services and/or programs at St. Paul’s. Often, we choose not to answer the phone if we do not recognize the phone number. If this occurs, Pulse members will leave a message stating that we are with St. Paul’s and have two questions about St. Paul’s that we would like your feedback on. Your responses can be anonymous if you choose. Only the clergy receive the information. It is valuable information in helping the clergy to detect trends and make positive adjustments for our wonderful community. Please return these calls!
NEW PHOTO DIRETORY: In celebration of St. Paul’s upcoming 60th Anniversary, we have partnered with Lifetouch Portraits to create a new photo directory. The signup is available online at https://booknow.appointment-plus.com/yclxe0ge/, and we will have individuals onsite on Sunday May 6th and May 13th between the 9:00 and 11:15 a.m. services to make appointments. The dates of the portrait sessions will be May 29th through June 2nd, and there will be some additional dates if needed. Each family / person that sits for a photo will receive a free 8×10 from Lifetouch. If you have any questions or would like to help with this fun exciting event, please contact Jill Cole at jillco0405@gmail.com or go to the St. Paul’s online signup link athttps://booknow.appointment-plus.com/yclxe0ge/.
MONTHLY DEVOTIONALS: Welcoming in Christ is the discipleship-stewardship emphasis linking St. Paul’s 60th Anniversary and the Anniversary Capital Campaign. To supplement this, each month a special devotional reflection will be offered. The theme for May is “Music and the Arts as Expression of Faith.” You can find these devotionals on our St. Paul’s website (www.stpaulscary.org). If you’d like to share your thoughts on a theme, you may email them to reflections@stpaulscary.org.
CHILDREN’S MINISTRIES
- The Children’s Little Brown Stewardship Basket is working toward our 2018 Note in the Pocket Sort Day, scheduled for June 3, 2018. We have collected $2267.11 toward our goal of $3000.00.
- Children’s Chapel will be held at the 9:00 a.m. service for children ages 3 through 2nd grade. Sunday School will be held at 10:10 a.m. in the Education Building.
- Communion Classes conclude today! Please meet Father Carr on the kitchen side of the Youth Wing after the 9:00 a.m. service.
- Pre-EYC wraps up its year with a family picnic / playground clean up today at 11:15 a.m. All current 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders and their families are invited to attend. Please bring a picnic lunch for your family and meet us on the playground.
- VBS Registration is filling up! Registration forms are available in the Narthex.
YOUTH
- Sunday School: The lesson today is entitled “Success & Failure: Failure Turned Upside Down.” Middle School meets in the Youth Wing (go straight there, snacks are provided) and High School meets in Room 10.
- EYC Tonight 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.: GAMES! Time to chill and have fun together. We’ll play board or card games or Wii if anyone can bring extra controllers. Also, there’s no one signed up for dinner, so bring a snack to share and we’ll make the lemonade.