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Hello all. 

 

Welcome to May.  I hope you all enjoyed dancing around the Maypole yesterday or marching around your patio with your red flags.  Karl Marx described religion as the "opiate of the masses".  I'm sure he had great fun explaining that one to St. Peter.  Spring has sprung, complete with dandelions and allergies.    Everything seems to be a little early this year.  Time to get the lawnmower checked out and get our spring routine going.  Perhaps a couple of sheep? Very Biblical.  Fertilize and mow at the same time.  Let's start this edition with the big news.

 

Appointment of Interim Priest-in-Charge for St. Martin's - The Rev. Dr. Virginia C. Lane

Bishop Todd has appointed The Rev. Dr. Virginia C. Lane as the Interim Priest-in-Charge of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, from 1 July 2024 through 31 July 2025. The Rev. Dr. Virginia will offer part-time ministry throughout the Rev. Sarah's maternity leave. This will include the Sunday service and emergency pastoral care.

 

Attached is a pastoral letter from the Rev. Sarah on the occasion of the Rev. Dr. Virginia's appointment. By way of preview:

"Those who have not had the opportunity to meet the Rev. Dr. Virginia during her years of service at St. Paul's Cathedral will soon come to know her faithful ministry at St. Martin-in-the-Fields. Virginia+ is a gifted pastor; she will undoubtedly be a blessing to those in need of care."

As the start date of Virginia+’s ministry draws closer, further details about her schedule in the parish will be made available. 

 

What's in a name?    During the last evening of the spring term of our Christian Foundations  study the question arose as to when Saul the persecutor of Christians became referred to as Paul the Apostle?   I thought you might be interested in  Rev. Sarah's research.

"I did some research on the question concerning the name of Saul/Paul. I was incorrect in relating his name change to others that occur throughout Scripture where God is the agent of change (e.g. Abram to Abraham, Sarai to Sarah, Simon to Peter, etc.). Janet Collins aptly picked up on the fact that nowhere in Acts are we told that the Lord changed Saul's name to Paul, and it turns out that this is because He didn't! John Allan accurately located Acts 13:9 as being the pivotal verse where the Apostle is known as Saul beforehand, and as Paul afterwards. 

 

Here's why Biblical scholars think this is...

 

It was not uncommon in Paul's day and age for people to have dual names. Last night we read in the Christian Foundations workbook that, "Paul was a well-educated Pharisee who was also a Roman citizen (which was unusual)," (p. 103). Apparently Saul was Saul/Paul's Hebrew name, and so was associated with his Jewish heritage (cf. Philippians 3.5: "circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee,"). The switch to usage of his Roman name, Paul, coincides with his being sent off on his missionary journeys to the Gentiles with Barnabas. "

 

 

Mid-week BCP Holy Communion The 10:00 am Wednesday service of Holy Communion will continue through to the Pentecost Ember Day on May 22nd, before taking a break for the summer months. 

 

St. Paul's Social Services -  Thank you to everyone for your ongoing contributions .  I cannot overemphasize the importance of your consistent donation to St. Paul’s, they are so very grateful. I publish this weekly because the need doesn't go away.  Also, they can use small articles of clothing such as socks, gloves and hats.  They tell me they can use jackets and boots in good condition. It's still cold & sometimes wet .  They are not a clothing depot, but they like to keep an eye on their clients.

St. Paul's Social Services is an outreach program, a part of which is the St. Paul's Food Bank.  Your generous donations help support it. But where to leave your donations??  Look for the bin in the cloakroom marked "St. Paul's Food Bank".      Food of all descriptions should be the first priority.   Please give what you can.    In addition to food, toiletries, especially in small sizes are always useful.  Containers, plastic and reusable bags can be used as well.   Monetary donations are also well received as it lets them buy items which are needed but not always donated or they buy in bulk.  Like everyone else they are being hit by the rising price of food.  Please make cheques payable to St. Paul's Social Services.  Tax receipts will be issued directly by St. Paul's Social Services.

 

Milk Bags.   The ladies who are crocheting milk bags into mats for the homeless are still at it.  They are pleased to take as many as we can send them.  It takes a quantity of bags to make one mat.  Unfortunately, the need is great, and it keeps the bags out of the landfill.  Please put them in the bin marked "Milk Bags" in the cloakroom.  

 
Email Address  Please check that you have our correct email address in your contacts.  It is stmartinslondon@diohuron.org .  The old email address is no longer supported, and we will be losing access to it soon.  Also, if you change your email address, please let us know so we can update our records.
 

Readings for the Sixth Sunday of Easter

Acts 10:44-48, Psalm 98, 1 John 5:1-6, John 15:9-17

 

Parish Family Circle of Prayer –    As we gather this week we pray for the following members of our congregation and their families.

               Kerry & Marie Newton                                                Ron & Joyce Nicholls

               Gary & Heather Nickell                                              Gary & Maureen Nisbet

              

 And for all you Star Wars fans, May the Fourth be with you.

 

See you Sunday.

Ian 

Ian Haley,

Church Warden

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