St. Paul's on-the-Hill Episcopal Church 1527 Senseny Road Winchester, Virginia 22602 540-667-8110
St. Paul's on-the-Hill Episcopal Church 1527 Senseny Road Winchester, Virginia 22602 540-667-8110
Thank you for visiting our website. We invite you to visit us in person; we would be delighted to meet you. If you have any questions, give us a call or contact our priest by email at hspoth@gmail.com or send an email to our secretary at spothoffice@gmail.com.
Rector's Read returns, please join us Tuesday January 31st, 7pm to discuss: Living Faithfully in a Fragmented World, Second Edition From 'After Virtue' to a New Monasticism by Jonathan R. Wilson.
ANNUAL PARISH MEETING
FEBRUARY 5TH, 11:30am
Discerning a Call to Vestry Leadership
Each year our church elects three new vestry members to serve a three-year term. This year, we will also be electing one person to one-year term (the remain vestry term of a person who had to leave the vestry in 2010 with two years still on his term).While all church members can be leaders and have an important role, the vestry is responsible for the business of the church and the overall leadership of the parish. In the past several years, we have elected a slate of individuals who have discerned a call to serve on the vestry. Our rector assists those who are discerning a call to any ministry in the church, including a call to be on the vestry. The benefit of electing a slate is that we avoid the very difficult pastoral situation of someone standing for election and not being elected. In a church of our size, the results of having a member "lose" an election is particularly sensitive. If, however, five or six people feel called to be on the vestry in the same year, we will have an election and some will not be called. If after reading the information below, you feel called to be on the vestry, please contact our rector so that a time can be arranged to discuss your sense of call. If you do not feel called to be on vestry, but believe that you know of someone who may be called to this ministry, please give the person’s name to a member of the Vestry.
One of the important parts of discernment is that of knowing what is expected so that one can consider prayerfully if he or she is called to this particular type of leadership. Vestry members are expected to:
* attend church weekly (we offer four services so this is often possible even when one is away on occasion)
* attend an annual over-night vestry retreat to be held in February or March
* attend a monthly vestry meeting, normally the 1st Tuesday of the month, 7:00pm to 9:00pm
* support the programs of the church by attending most events
* support the rector
* give on average two hours a week to build up the ministry of the church
* serve as a committee co-chair or liaison to a committee
* serve as Vestry Person of the Day once every nine weeks (assist our clergy with Sunday morning organization)
* support the church financially by tithing (giving 10% of one’s income as an offering to God) or working toward the tithe as one is able – vestry members must turn in a pledge card annually
* be a team player and a good listener – a vestry member needs to be a good listener and be willing to support vestry decisions even if one is not in total agreement
The election will take place during our annual parish meeting on Sunday, February 5th. In order to stand for election, one must be a confirmed Episcopalian (or have been received into the Episcopal Church by a bishop) and have been a pledging member of St. Paul’s on-the-Hill and active in the ministry for at least one year before the election.
Adult Education/Formation
We resume Adult Education on Sunday January 1st. We will be discussing how the new world of Facebook, Twitter and other internet-related communities can be used by the church and by individual Christians to make faith connections. Is that even possible? We will watch several DVD presentations by the Rev. Adam Thomas, an Episcopal priest in his twenties, who has written a book entitled, Digital Disciple: Real Christianity in a Virtual World. Adam looks at both the good and not so good or challenging aspects of the virtual world. We will view the DVD presentations on both January 1st and January 8th. Following about twenty minutes of viewing the DVD, we will have time for discussion. During the remainder of January, we will discuss Stanley Hauerwas’ book, Sunday Asylum: being the church in occupied territory. The overall theme for January focuses on what it means to be a church community in our world today. Our Sunday Adult Education/Forum meets at 9:15am in the parish hall. All are welcome! Please join us!
Beginning Sunday,September 25th,we will resume two services on Sundays. The services are scheduled at 8:00 a.m. (Holy Eucharist Rite I or II) and at 10:30 a.m. (Holy Eucharist Rite II).
Adult education will be from 9:00 a.m. to 10:15 a. m. on Sundays.
The Saturday 5:00 p.m. service will continue to be held.
Just moved to the area? Our priest would be delighted to come and bless your new home.
Sunday School for Children
Kindergarten thru Middle School during our 10:30 Sunday Service.
Our program “Feasting on the Word” is based on readings we hear during our church services each Sunday. This exciting series is lead by these enthusiastic teachers and assistants; Brenda Wiens, Josh O’Hara, Linda Binder, Tricia Arthur, Mary Ann Herrmann, Amber and Barbie Hummer.
Book Club
The St. Paul's on-the-Hill book group meets on the 1st Thursday of every month. Please call Barbara Epperson at 662-5463 if you would like to join us and select a book for the group to read and discuss.
2012 Book Group Reading List
February
to be announced
Joan Inger
March
The Summer Guest by Justin Cronin
Joanne Killough
April
A Single Thread by Marie Bostwick
Barbara Epperson
May
The Help by Kathryn Stocket
Jan Ritter
June
to be announced
July
to be announced
August
An Acceptable Time by Madeline L'Engle
Jane Mauck
September
to be announced
October
to be announced
November
to be announced
December
Christmas party and planning for 2013
Adult Education - Christian Formation
Sunday Morning Adult Education, 09:15 am
Adult Education Sunday November 13th, we begin a five session study with Marcus Borg (on DVD) entitled: Embracing An Adult Faith, Marcus Borg on What it Means to Be a Christian. The first session is on “God,” Marcus Borg begins with the questions “who is God?” “what do we mean by ‘God’” and “what is God like?” We will watch the DVD for half an hour and then have a discussion of the topic/s raised for half an hour.
Book Description The first edition of Living Faithfully in a Fragmented World became one of the founding and guiding texts for new monastic communities. In this revised edition, Jonathan Wilson focuses more directly on lessons for these communities from Alasdair MacIntyre's After Virtue. In the midst of the unsettling cultural shifts from modernity to postmodernity, a new monastic movement is arising that strives to be a faithful witness to the gospel. These new monastic communities seek to participate in Christ's life in the world and bear witness by learning to live intentionally as the church in Western culture. This movement is about finding the church's center in Christ in the midst of a fragmented world, overcoming the failure of the Enlightenment project and our complicity with it, resisting the temptation to Nietzschean power, and building communities of disciples. This new edition is greatly enlarged from the original volume. It includes responses to critics of the new monasticism such as D. A. Carson, an entirely new chapter on the Nietzschean temptation, an afterword on properly understanding the new monastic movement, the dangers it faces, and the work yet to be done, as well as an appendix on the supposed post-modern agenda of Jonathan Wilson and Brian McLaren. For those striving to understand the path the church should take in this fragmented world, this book is essential reading.
Children
St. Paul's on-the-Hill is a friendly and welcoming place for children. Children are encouraged to join adults for worship! At the beginning of our services, our priest has a special prayer with them. Children's bulletins and crayons are offered to help them to connect with the scripture readings for the day in a fun way. For our youngest members, the nursery is available during the 10:30am Sunday service. Elementary-age children can attend Sunday School following the prayer with our priest at 10:30am on Sundays.
Youth Group
The Youth Group wrote this script and directed the action.
What is Lent?
Outreach
We take part in my local programs to help the needy of our area. In the fall of 2006, we expanded our Outreach Program to include gleaning. Over 20 of our members went to local orchards and collected apples from areas already harvested. The apples went to feed the needy of our area. Our children and youth are learning about the needs of others and helping by raising funds for the Heifer Project. We also started a feeding program called St. Paul's Table; currently we are serving in teams at the Salvation Army and at the Men's Mission. We walk in the Crop Walk each year. We take part in the Chain-of-Checks program; we support CCAP; we provide gifts for those in need at Christmas. On the first Sunday in January, 2008, we are opening a Food Pantry at our church, 1pm - 3pm. The Food Pantry will be open the first Sunday of every month. Our church is focused on helping others and we welcome your participation. Join us in serving Christ by serving our neighbors.
Directory
The church directory is available here. You must have the password to view the photos.
Handicap Accessibility
We strive to accessible to all! We have a ramp into the building and our main worship space is on that level immediately to your right when you come into the building. In the worship space, there is room designed for wheelchairs in first pew on the right side. One could also be in the back of the church or on the side of a pew. The unisex restrooms are immediately to your left when you enter the building. The second restroom is wheelchair accessible, although there are no handrails in either of the bathrooms. The priest's office, the main office, the nursery, and all the Sunday school classrooms are also on that floor. The parish hall, where we often gather for fellowship time, is downstairs. By driving around the back of the church, the parish hall is wheelchair accessible--a ramp provides access into the hall. If you were to visit us and provide suggestions for how we could be more accessible, we would welcome and value your input.
