St. Paul's Episcopal

Ministries of St. Paul’s Church

Acolytes– Acolytes enhance the Service by leading the Liturgical ministers in procession by carrying the cross and candles.  In some churches they are known as altar servers.

Altar Guild– Altar Guild members ensure that all vessels and linens are prepared for each of our Services.

Card Committee– The Card Committee sends out cards to our parishioners reminding them of our prayers in times of difficulty as well as celebrating joyful occasions with them.

Book/Movie Discussion– The Book/Movie Discussion takes an in depth look at a book or movie that challenges us in our spiritual journey.

Budget/Finance– The Budget and Finance Committee is responsible for developing our yearly budget as well as making monthly reports to the Vestry.

CHAP– CHAP, our Community Hygiene Assistance Program is part of our CHOW pantry   providing people with a variety of personal hygiene and school related supplies.

C.H.O.W. – In conjunction with Broome County Council of Churches, St. Paul’s runs a bi-weekly food pantry stocked by the CHOW warehouse and through donations of our church and congregation.

Christian Education Committee– The CE Committee coordinates our Sunday School Program as well as supports our teachers.

Counters– Our counters are responsible for tallying and recording tithes and offerings.

Flowers and Candle Memorials– The flowers that adorn our altar each week and the candle that burns in the sanctuary are given to in remembrance of, celebration of or thanksgiving for a loved one or event.  The Sanctuary Candle burns to remind us of the presence of our Lord in the Consecrated bread and wine in the aumbry.

Gould Allocation Committee– The Gould Allocation Committee investigates Gould grant applications and in turn makes recommendations to the Vestry.

Gould Investment Committee- The Gould Investment Committee is responsible for managing our investments.

Gould Scholarship Committee– The Gould Scholarship Committee, made up of 3 community members and the parish priest, reviews applications for and votes on the recipient of our Gould Scholarships.

Hospitality “Hour” After each Sunday service everyone is encouraged to visit with their fellow parishioners over coffee, tea and doughnuts.  Note: The post 10:00 service “hour” is about 20 minutes long as it is follwed by the Rector’s Forum. 

Ice Cream Social– On the second Wednesday of August, the neighborhood gathers for a free Eunice Barton Memorial Ice Cream Social  on the lawn of the church. The ice cream is graciously provided by the family of Eunice Barton.

Lay Assistants– Lay Assistants are confirmed persons of the congregation who assist the priest during worship services as well as serve as lectors and chalice bearers.

Lectors– Lectors proclaim the Word of God in our Sunday Services.

Memorial Fund– Funded by donations in memory of a loved one or simply to express thanks, the Memorial Fund is used to purchase needed items for the upkeep or upgrade of the church.

Movin’ On Luncheon– The Movin’ On Group is a monthly social group of the parish’s widow and widowers that meet for lunch, support and conversation.  Lunch is prepared and served by volunteers of the church.

Music Program–

• Ÿ Chimes 4 Jesus: This group is for our elementary-age children. We meet on Sundays after the 10 AM Service for about 20 minutes to prepare an anthem for the coming month. The children learn to read music from a large chart and use either our chimes or hand bells. This is often a child’s first introduction to reading music and playing with a group. All beginners are welcome; we teach you what you need to know.
•    Junior Bronze: This is a hand bell group for those teens/adults who already play an instrument and can read music. This is a great starter group for adults who would like to try out a bell ensemble. Their goal is to play four times a year.
• Ÿ The St. Paul’s Ringers: This choir uses our 3 octave set of hand bells and chimes to provide an anthem once a month during the 10am Service. We meet Thursday evenings at 6 PM in the choir room and rehearse for an hour. No experience necessary…just the ability to count to 4 and know your right hand from your left!
• Ÿ Adult Vocal Choir: Our vocal choir is comprised of teens and adults who enjoy singing. We do a wide variety of music, ranging from unison to SATB arrangements with an emphasis on contemporary composers. We rehearse on Sundays at 9:00 AM in the choir room. No audition necessary…all are welcome.

Prayer Chain– Our prayer chain is a network of individuals who receive prayer requests and thanksgivings, forward them to the next available person in the network and pray immediately for each request.

Sleeping Bag Project: A group of our members gather to make sleeping bags from donated blankets and sheets for the homeless. Once made, the sleeping bags are donated to the Volunteers of America for distribution. 

Stewardship Committee– The Stewardship Committee is responsible for our annual campaign and a monthly stewardship article in our newsletter.

Sunday School Teachers– Our teachers are called to carry out the baptismal mandate to teach the Gospel.  The “catechist” comes from the Greek word for “echo”. They echo the Word of God.  They are teachers, faith companions, and storytellers. We have three Sunday School classes for our youth from Pre-K through high school.  We have two teachers per class and use a Lectionary based curriculum.

Treasurer– The treasurer, appointed by the vestry, oversees our church finance’s.

United Thank Offering– The UTO is a ministry of the Episcopal Church supporting missions and ministry throughout the Episcopal Church and invited Provinces of the Anglican Communion in the developing world for the mission of the whole church.  The UTO nurtures the habit of giving daily thanks to God as we recognize our many daily blessings.  Those who participate in the UTO discover that thankfulness leads to generosity.  The UTO is entrusted to promote thank offerings, to receive the offerings and to distribute the UTO monies to support mission and ministry throughout.  UTO Sundays occur in both the Spring and Fall.

Ushers– Our Ushers greet those entering the church, hand out bulletins, help with the offering and guide us at Holy Communion.

Women of Church– The Women of Church gather together on a monthly basis from September to June.  They host events, invite speakers in and also assist in many of our outreach activities.

Worship Committee– The Worship Committee meets with the Rector throughout the year to discuss innovations to our worship.