Worship/Music
What is the Purpose of St. Paul’s?
Jesus never intended the church to become an institution; he intended it to be a people of power, transforming the world.
Robert C. Linthicum, Building a People of Power
One still hears complaints about the "institutional church" —the very expression betrays a parti pris. But how would we know Christ without the institutional church? Who else would preserve the great secret of the gospel for us through the centuries, keeping it safe in the wilderness of opinions? We live in a world of institutions or in no world at all, and the institutional church is surely the greatest
institution the world has ever known. It is the mediating institution between the family we are thrust into and the government that is either forced upon us or chosen by us from a distance. It equips us with every grace, every insight, every support for a decent life and then, like so many parents, is disappointed but not surprised when we turn around and say—we don't need you, we can do this on our own, you are a fossil, an impediment.
Do we have more reason to trust experimental, free-floating forms of religious life? Give me an institution any day, a big sprawling, international one, where authority resides in structures and traditions and is not invested in particular personalities; where my own personality is of little account, and yet I get to keep it. The ship of faith has its anchorage in the world, and I thank Constantine for it.
Carol Zaleski, “Slow-motion conversion: How my mind
has changed” in The Christian Century, January 12, 2010
I love the Episcopal Church. I love how we worship, our tradition of Anglican theology, our ecclesiology that allows for all voices to be heard as we seek to discern God’s purpose and will for us in the world. I know that we need the institutional church as a way of keeping the faith. But I’m also aware of how maintaining the institution can take the place of actually being the people of God. At Annual Council this year, I realized that too often we talk about supporting the Diocese or Parish, instead of seeing the Diocese or Parish as there to support us in our ministries. I want us to support the Diocese and the National Church, and we need to support our work together as the people of St. Paul’s. I also know that our primary ministry is not maintaining these institutions, but rather for us to be people of power transforming the world in Jesus’ Name.
Like many things in life, this isn’t an either/or situation, but rather a both/and. We need both the institutional church and the church needs to serve its members. To reformulate the words of President Kennedy, as individual members of the church we need to ask what we can do to support the Church; but just as importantly, collectively, as the Church, we need to ask what we can do to support our members. Over this next year, we will be sponsoring a listening campaign here at St. Paul’s. We will make time to listen to each other and discover the many ways we are doing God’s work, and we will ask how we as a parish can support each other.
I see one of the primary purposes of St. Paul’s is being a community that helps us equip each other to be saints of God. Our worship together, our Bible classes and courses on prayer, our common outreach through the Soup Kitchen and sandwich ministries all of these are part of the ministry of St. Paul’s. They are visible signs of our life together. I also want to support the ministries we do outside of the parish: our vocations at work Monday through Friday, our personal ministries of volunteering in rescue squads or at the USO, ministries of care and compassion for the sick and shut-ins. I want us to celebrate and support each other in all that we do. For all of these are part of our purpose as members of St. Paul’s. In so many ways we are doing the work of God, being the hands and feet of Christ in a world longing for healing. How can we best support each other in this work?
Yours in Christ, Scott
Worship is the heartbeat of our community. We gather together each
Sunday morning to celebrate Holy Communion as the principal act of worship.
Holy Communion Rite I using traditional language is celebrated at 8:00
a.m. throughout the year. At 10:30 we use Rite II, contemporary language,
except during the seasons of Advent and Lent when Rite I is employed.
The choirs sing during the 10:30 services. During the summer this service
occurs at 10:00 a.m. We also have a service of Holy Eucharist on Wednesday
at Noon. Morning Prayer is said in the Church at 9:00 a.m., Monday through
Friday.
Anglican worship is based upon Benedict’s Rule of regular worship
throughout the day. Our prayer book consolidates these seven services
into two services of Morning and Evening prayer. Our Book of Common
Prayer is just that, it is a book that helps us pray together and regularly.
Morning and Evening prayer are designed so that all of us can read the
Bible and pray regularly each day.
Healing Ministry
On Wednesdays @ noon we offer healing prayer and anoiting at our Holy Eucharist Service.
Music
Music is an integral part of worship at Saint Paul's. The centerpiece
of the music program is the Adult Choir. The Choir of more than 25 singers
offers musical leadership in the classical style, centered in the rich
musical traditions of our Anglican heritage.
In addition to regular Sunday offerings, the choir provides special
music offerings throughout the year. The annual Lessons & Carols
service is patterned after the service begun at Kings College, Cambridge.
This is typically one of the best-attended services each year. In addition,
the combined choirs of Saint Paul's and Trinity
Episcopal Church, Portsmouth, offer a joint Choral Evensong each year.
Saint Paul's has reestablished its children's choir, which is participating
in services throughout the year.
We have been blessed with the gift of a new organ. This beautiful
instrument has 2 manuals and pedals, 24 stops, and 27 ranks. Completed
shortly before Christmas 2006, the organ has been a blessing both to
our parish and the local community. More information is available at
the following links: Mander Organs
St. Paul's Organ
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