If you would like

to place a poin-

settia on the altar

during Christ-

mas, please call

the church office

or e-mail

Retia

Denton at

retia.denton

@gmail.com for

more

information. Al-

so, if you would

like to place flow-

ers on the altar in

memory or honor

of a loved one in

2013, please con-

tact the church

office or Retia.

Christmas Traditions from the Rector

The other day, I was visiting the home

of a friend, when I was overtaken by a sud-

den attack of nostalgia. There, next to the

commodious chair into which I had been

invited to plop myself, was a beautiful

Christmas tree that had been lovingly

erected and decorated by the family just

days before. This particular tree was not of

the Frasier fir or Scotch pine variety – nor

was it intended to look like any of those

erstwhile mountain-dwelling conifers, like

the one Jenny and I put up the day after

Thanksgiving. Rather, from the tiny holes

drilled into the straight dowel “trunk,” radi-

ated branches of curly thin aluminum gar-

land.

When I nonchalantly commented on

the sparkling tree, my host told me that it

was likely the most expensive tree in the

house, (this family had several) having

been found at an antique shop after a

lengthy search. I suspect that for this young

family, the purchase of an antique tree was

a bit of an extravagance, but for me, like

one of those credit card commercials that

we’re seeing a lot of these days, the shiny

little tree was… priceless.

You see, the sparkle and light of that

living room Christmas tree reminded me of

other Christmases long ago. Back in the

olden days, when I was neither plump nor

bald, the Martindale family had just such a

tree. I think ours was taller than the one the

other day, but then, at eight, I was none too

tall myself. While other kids in our Phoe-

nix subdivision oohed and aahed over their

families’ decorated firs or pines, the five

children of the Martindale household gath-

ered around the shiniest, brightest, most

beautiful object in our lives. Each branch

was a riotous flurry of garland that ended

in a bell-shaped way that, to this day,

makes me think of angels’ trumpets.

At our house, the tree was pulled down

from the attic and erected in front of the

Inside this Issue

Parish News & Notes

Vestry highlights

Upcoming Events

EYC Happenings

Church Calendar and

Ministry Schedule

living room window sometime after the

Thanksgiving weekend ball games had

been completed (Dad was a real fan). From

then right up through Christmas, the even-

ing ritual for the Martindale clan included

the procession of the Martindale kids into

the living room, freshly scrubbed and paja-

ma-ed, where we lay flat on our backs,

each in our semi-assigned place on the avo-

cado sculptured-shag carpet, as Mom or

Dad flipped the switch on the color spin-

wheel light. For ten to fifteen minutes we

watched as light reflected from the thou-

sand aluminum facets of the tree to play

across the walls and ceiling – first blue,

then green, then yellow, and finally (my

favorite) red. I don’t remember how often I

fell asleep to that dazzling display, but I

know my youngest brother, Doug almost

always did exactly that.

I sincerely doubt if my Tennessee bride

will ever go for a bright aluminum tree, but

the sparkle and light of that living room

Christmas tree reminded me of another

Christmas long ago – a Christmas when the

God of creation did a decidedly not “the

way we’ve always done it” kind of thing.

The coming of Christ into the world dis-

plays in the only language we could possi-

bly understand, the depth and the breadth

and the dazzling wonder of God’s love for

us.

This year, let’s make it a point to invite

our neighbor, our co-worker, our friend,

our loved-one to be a part of the wonderful

traditions of worship we have in our Par-

ish. Let’s invite one and all to be part of

our Advent time of quiet preparation and

then let’s see if we can’t fill St. Paul’s for

the midnight celebration of Christmas like

they used to be fifty years ago. Let’s pro-

claim the joy of Christmas by sharing the

love of Christ with literally everyone we

know! After all, it’s tradition!

Peace and joy,

THE GOOD NEWS December 2012

Upcoming Events

Sundays—8 a.m. Holy Eucharist, Rite 1, 9 a.m. Choir Practice, Parish Family Breakfast,

10 a.m. Choral Eucharist, Sunday School. Coffee Hour following the service.

5:30 p.m.—Confirmation Class (We will not meet on Sunday, December 23)

Tuesdays—6 p.m. Saints, Sinners and Cynics, Rookie’s Sports Bar

Wednesdays at 12:10 p.m.—Holy Eucharist with Anointing for Healing

Saturday, December 1—Riverview School Pancake Breakfast with Santa, Parish Hall

Tuesday and Wednesday, December 4 and 5—Lifetouch Photos, Parish Hall

Thursday, December 6—5 p.m. St. Nicholas Mass

Monday, December 10—9 a.m. Packing boxes for Seamen’s Church Institute Christmas on the River.

1 p.m.—St. Ann’s Guild Christmas Party at Henderson Manor

Wednesday, December 12—6 p.m. Potluck Supper and program

Tuesday, December 18—5:30 p.m.—Vestry Meeting, Rector’s study

Wednesday, December 19—6 p.m. Dinner and program

Monday, December 24—5:30 p.m. Christmas Eve service,

10:30 p.m. Christmas Eve Midnight Mass followed by Wine and Cheese Reception

Tuesday, December 25—9:00 a.m.—Christmas Day Eucharist and Blessing of the Toys

Wednesday, December 26—No Wednesday service, Parish Office closed

Mark your calendars for the

Annual Meeting of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church Sunday, January 6 following the 10:00 worship service

Parish News and Notes

Thanks to the

EYC & their adult help,

our Altar really showed

the bounty of God.

The Dentons, the Hendersons,

and Larry Posey were among

the 75 to 80 Parishioners

that gathered for St. Paul’s

Thanksgiving Feast.

The Little Church in the Parking Lot The Downtown Henderson Christmas Parade has been

a Henderson tradition for as long as some people can

remember, and this year St. Paul’s will be a part of the

Parade in a big way. When the Parade kicks off at

10:00 Saturday morning, December 1, the order of

march will include a float featuring some of our

Parish’s children waving from the miniature version of

St. Paul’s that has been taking shape in the parking lot

for a couple of months.

The brainchild and gift of the Thomas family, the

“Little Church” as folks are calling it, built by Mark

Sellars and decorated and lighted for the big day by our

own Christmas celebrity, Ella. Come the parade, our

float will be floating on a trailer, and pulled by a John

Deere Gator loaned by Bill Gentry. Children from St.

Paul’s will be waving from the windows while Fr. Rich

drives the route, which starts at 5th Street, follows

Main south to Washington, then back north on Elm,

with Miss Ella riding shotgun.

After the parade, our “Little Church” will join the

Christmas Village in Central Park, to be our part of one

of the oldest Christmas traditions of our community.

Third Sunday for Outreach Our inaugural run for St. Paul’s new Third Sunday for

CCO campaign was a great (and sticky) success!

When Senior Warden, Susan Sauls floated the idea

of picking one commodity per month to help fill the

shelves at Henderson Christian Community Outreach,

we didn’t really know what we were doing—though we

knew full well that we were doing the right thing. And

when we chose as our first item the humble jar of pea-

nut butter, that deliciously gooey, but high-nutrition

staple of American life, we thought the congregation

might just say, “Huh?”

On Sunday, November 18, in addition to bringing

salads and casseroles and desserts for our Parish

Thanksgiving Feast, you also brought jars and jars of

peanut butter to share with those in our community

who need the basics. When the final tally was made

and the horse-bucket-full was loaded to fill those

shelves at CCO, our little family collected 61 jars of the

stick-to-the-roof-of-your-mouth comestible, totaling

1,117.6 ounces (not all of them were 18 oz. jars).

That’s 69.85 pounds—heavier than the Senior War-

den’s granddaughter, Hannah!

We can hardly wait to see what the Parish will do

with December’s Third Sunday gift: canned veggies.

Spreading Christmas Blessings Once again this year, Bill Gentry will be heading up the

team of St. Paul’s elves packing boxes for one of our

signature outreach efforts, Christmas on the River. Fr.

Kempton Baldridge, Chaplain for the Seamen’s Church

Institute has sent us word that we will be preparing

boxes for twenty-eight towboat crews working the

Ohio River, so Bill could use as many hands on deck as

possible Monday morning, December 10 beginning at

9:00 in the Parish Hall.

At 1:00 that same day (December 10) the women

of St. Ann’s Guild are gathering at Henderson Manor to

host the annual Christmas party with the residents.

Each year brings fresh fun with a familiar assortment of

cookies, cheese curls and punch, entertainment that

includes carols and other songs led by our own organist

and choir mistress, Evalyn Champion, and often a sur-

prise visit from “Elvis.” Oh, and one more thing: there

is always a warming of the heart for everyone, resident

and visitor, who attends.

And if you can’t make it to either of these opportu-

nities this Christmas, you can still give a gift. In addi-

tion to all the other ways our congregation gives to

Community Outreach, we’ve put a Sureway stamp

sheet on the table in the Parish Hall for you to attach

those stamps you get when you shop at the local gro-

cery chain. Every full sheet earns CCO another $10 to

help them stretch their tight budget a little further as

they help those in our community for whom even that

amount can be an absolute Christmas miracle.

Christmas at St. Paul’s 5:00 p.m. December 6 – St. Nicholas Mass

Christmas Eve

5:30 p.m. – Holy Eucharist Rite II

10:30 p.m. – Musical and Choral Prelude

11:15 p.m. – Midnight Christ Mass (Rite II)

Immediately following – Christmas Reception

9:00 a.m. Christmas Day

Holy Eucharist with Blessing of the Toys

Youth Happenings Leslie Newman—‘Tis the season to give thanks!

Thanks to all the generous Parishioners who donated

shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child this year.

Thanks to those who donated goodies to include in the

boxes. And thanks to those who gave money to buy

goodies to include in the boxes. Our EYC joined ranks

with the Presbyterian youth again this year to collect a

record 2,604 boxes from our area, going to children all

over the world.

All the youth did a great job, but special thanks go

to Jacob Deep who has helped with this project for sev-

eral years. The youth were so efficient stuffing, stack-

ing, and packing that there was enough time to enjoy

plenty of pizza and enough play time that they all prob-

ably slept well that night!

Thanks to Iris Gentry for spearheading the tradi-

tional EYC Altar decoration, to Ann Street for magno-

lia leaves, Thanksgiving cookies and lots of elbow

grease, and to Christy Mattingly for driving us to Cates

Farms to pick pumpkins. When we needed more pump-

kins, Sharon Cates generously invited us to come on

out and donated a gorgeous supply of pumpkins and

gourds. Iris said it all: “Somehow decorating the Altar

always comes together, and people say it is the best

we’ve ever done… every year.”

And thanks to Iris, Mike France, Larry Courtney,

Ellen Green, and Mischelle Stocum for helping the

youth dismantle the Altar when some of the pumpkins

were getting a bit soft. The kids love smashing the

pumpkins and shelling the corn, so thanks to Jackie

Burch for cleaning up the leavings on Monday morning

so we won’t end up with our own pumpkin patch.

Thanks to Fr. Rich for gathering the youth availa-

ble Thanksgiving weekend at Firedome for some pizza,

wings and fried mushrooms instead of turkey. It was

good to share a meal, hear what the youth were thank-

ful for, and fun for them to enjoy the arcade, too.

If you know someone for whom a Christmas visit

from our youth would provide welcome holiday cheer,

please let me know.

Essentially Episcopalian The kids of the Confirmation Class are continuing their

work and study in preparation for the Bishop’s visit on

January 27, and so are the adults participating in the

Episcopal Essentials series.

We will have our next potluck on December 12

followed by a talk about “How It All Works” in the

Episcopal Church, at the parish, diocese, and national

level. The following week, December 19 we’ll enjoy

Jenny’s taco supper and then hear more about how we

make programs and ministry work at St. Paul’s, includ-

ing a talk about the 2013 Operating Budget.

Whether you’re preparing for Bp. White to formal-

ly welcome you into the Episcopal Church or you just

want to know about how we get things done, join us for

the info—and for the food.

The Original St. Nicholas Because it is the anniversary of his ordination as a

Priest, Fr. Rich has made it part of his holiday tradi-

tions to celebrate the Eucharist on the Feast of St. Nich-

olas, December 6. He will offer a very brief celebration

at 5:00 pm that Thursday.

Everyone is invited to come celebrate St. Nicholas,

Bishop of Myra, but children are particularly invited to

hear how a very real person became a very real saint

through acts of kindness, generosity and Christian love.

For the children who attend, there will even be a spe-

cial treat from St. Nicholas!

Time to get your

2013 EYC Calendars

Once again, EYC calendars are for sale in the Parish

Office or in the Parish Hall on Sundays.

Only $7 each (5 or more @ $5 each)

For not much more than the price of a card, you can

say “Thanks!” to your kids, grandkids, teachers, hair-

dressers, mail carriers, the checker at Sureway, your

neighbors, the nurses in your doctor’s office, your ac-

countant, your lawyer, or even the person who helps

with your cell phone at the AT&T store!

The calendars are non-denominational

(despite my annual request for the Church Calendar)

so they’re also a chance for gentle evangelism,

not something that comes easily to Episcopalians!!

Make your checks payable to St. Paul’s Youth

(or cash is always good)

Financial Summary as of October 31, 2012

Pledged Amount to Date $112,500.00

Pledged Income received to Date $103,465.00

Other Operating Income to Date (plate, trust and other) $74,471.00

Operating Expenses to Date $173,851.00

Vestry Notes St. Paul’s Vestry held their regularly scheduled month-

ly meeting Tuesday evening, November 20 beginning

at 5:30.

The Vestry received Parish financial reports through

reflecting a small surplus of revenue over expenses

the end of October .

Junior Warden, Steve Pruitt reviewed the on-going

progress with the stained glass windows, celebrating

the congregations pleasure with the improvement so

far.

Steve plans to setup an inspection of the roof on our

rental property.

Holly Vickers and Larry Courtney provided a report

of the 2013 Operating Fund campaign. We received

77 responses with 61 pledges totaling $161,422 of

support for 2013.

Senior Warden, Susan Sauls expressed her delight

with the overwhelming response to our Third Sunday

collection for Christian Community Outreach. We

will have a new challenge each month.

Several Vestry members expressed their delight with

the turnout of 75-80 parishioners for our Thanksgiv-

ing Feast hosted by the women of St. Ann’s Guild.

Based on the response from the Operating Fund cam-

paign, the Vestry approved an Operating Budget of

$221,300 for 2013, with an additional $18,700 struc-

tured for non-operational use.

The next meeting of the Vestry is scheduled for

December 18 in the Rector’s study.

We Have a Budget for 2013! Because of your generous and timely pledges of sup-

port, St. Paul’s is blessed to announce the approval of

our Parish’s 2013 Operating Budget.

The foundation of our Budget is Pledged Income of

$160,000, up 19% from $135,000 in 2012. With what

we expect in unpledged personal giving, “Plate and

Pledge” income accounts for 85% of Revenue, with

investment income accounting for 11%.

The only compensation package that shows an ac-

tual increase is a 3% increase in Judy’s salary. The

Rector’s package is as established in our letter of agree-

ment at the beginning of this past year. In addition, the

Budget makes advances in our allocation to Building

and Grounds, Liturgical Life, and Parish Programs, and

includes an increase in our support to the Diocese of

Kentucky, and substantial repayment of funds bor-

rowed from Marrs Trust.

The 2013 Budget also has some changes in struc-

ture from previous years, separating out non-

operational income, those items that are not related to

the operation of the Parish for the current year, im-

portant for both an accurate view of what it costs to run

the Parish and for proper reporting to the Diocese and

the national church on our annual Parochial Report.

We have scheduled two opportunities for Fr. Rich

to brief the Parish on the 2013 Budget. The first will be

during our program on Wednesday evening, December

19, part of the continuing Episcopal Essentials series.

Then for those that cannot be here that evening, at 9:15

during breakfast on Sunday, December 23. That should

take some of the focus off the Budget for our Annual

Parish Meeting on Sunday, January 6 and let us con-

centrate on all the ministry we can accomplish.

Look for a reminder of your family’s scheduled time to

have your portrait done as part of St. Paul’s 2012 Di-

rectory. Plan to arrive a little early for your appoint-

ment to register and prepare, and allow enough time to

go through the options for your portrait package.

And if you never got around to sign up, there are

still a very limited number of sitting times available.

Please call Judy at the Parish Office to schedule your

opportunity to be part of our Parish Family Directory.

End of Year Reminder As 2012 draws quickly to a close, our accountant,

Donna Mulcahy reminds us that our friends at the IRS

insist that donations to be counted for 2012 must be

received in the Parish Office by December 31.

Fr. Rich plans to be in the Office Monday morning,

and when she checks the mailbox when she arrives

Wednesday morning, Judy will assume that the con-

tents arrived with Monday’s mail.

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church Staff

The Very Rev. Rich Martindale, Rector

Leslie Newman, EYC Director

Evalyn Champion, Organist/Choir Master

Donna Mulcahy, Bookkeeper

Judy Duncan, Parish Secretary

Phone—270-826-2937

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church 5 South Green Street

Henderson, KY 42420

www.stpauls-henderson.org

Prayer List Parish Family Our Family & Friends

Larry Rita Kathy Todd Jeff Carol

Betty George Bill June Peggy David

Bebe Dan Robin Rita Jerry Byron

Billy Marsha Brenda Jackie Darrell Mary

Hugh John Rich Gary Herb

Terry Jack Jean Mary Lou

Please Note: Because our newsletter is published on the

internet, only first names are listed.

Vestry Members Service Times Senior Warden Susan Sauls Sunday 8:00 Rite I

Junior Warden Steve Pruitt 10:00 Rite II

Treasurer Becky Carroll Wednesday 12:10 Rite II

Clerk Holly Vickers w/ anointing

Stewardship Holly Vickers and Larry Courtney

Building and Grounds Steve Pruitt and Louis Smith

Parish Life Susan Sauls

Communications Ellen Redding

Worship and Music Leigh Ann Wehr

Christian Formation and Youth Michelle Green