​A Letter to the Parish from the Vestry

Brendan Murphy on September 8, 2020

I continue to be amazed and inspired by the countless ways in which we have all come together as a church family during this pandemic. Months ago, when it became apparent that we would have to take the unprecedented action of cancelling all in person worship and activities, St. Paul’s immediately transitioned to be a literal “church without walls”. We seamlessly began online services. Clergy and lay people quickly became adept in the use of Zoom and Facebook Live to allow commissions to meet, music to be enjoyed, children, youth, and adult faith formation to continue, and a sense of community to thrive. Each of our commissions has shown creativity in adapting its mission to allow us to continue to grow as individuals, and as a parish. It took all of us together to make this happen.

Recently I looked back on the church Facebook page at all the posts during this time. I encourage you to do the same. Full of heartfelt thoughts, humorous memes and parodies, pictures of our families and new pets, nature walks; they all tell a story of how we have been coping and lifting each other’s spirits. Our BINGO nights and drive thru Pig Roast have been fun ways to enjoy fellowship. We have called and talked by phone with each other and celebrated communion together through no-contact Eucharistic visits. Many have been starting their days with virtual Morning Prayer or ending with Evening Prayer. These, as well as Bible studies, and Ignatian Way groups, have enabled us to grow spiritually, and to form friendships we may otherwise have never known.

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Each week, we have received parish emails enumerating the many opportunities for spiritual growth, education, musical offerings, and outreach initiatives. As a parish, we have provided meals at Shepherd’s Heart and the Hot Metal Bridge faith community and distributed thousands of bags of groceries to our struggling neighbors in Carnegie. We have begun partnerships to further social justice in Pittsburgh and beyond. We have received tremendous numbers of donations to support our COVID-19 Relief fund which has provided assistance to organizations such as the South Hills Food Pantry, Trinity Walk-in Ministry, Hello Neighbor, Meals on Wheels and others, as well as supporting church operations.

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Understanding the many ways in which the pandemic has affected our children, Sunday School, Godly Play and Children’s Chapel have continued online throughout the spring and summer. Despite the disappointment of not being able to travel to West Virginia for the summer mission trip, our youth and adult missioners participated in a service week in August assisting with projects throughout the diocese and serving meals at two soup kitchens.

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Many of us have found joy in attending the outdoor services in St. Margaret’s Garden and at Old St. Luke’s. These will continue for the next several weeks. While we are away from the church building, much has happened. Volunteers have quietly planted and cared for new plants in St. Margaret’s Garden and completed other outdoor improvement projects including a playground renovation. Our sextons, Bill, then Matt V. and Matt W., have cleaned and completed many maintenance projects over the summer. St. Paul’s has been well-cared for during our absence.

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Most recently, St. Paul’s clergy and staff have responded to the strong desire among parishioners and the community to bring awareness and action for racial injustice and inequality. The five-week interfaith workshop inviting meaningful conversations with a variety of voices has been extremely well attended and formative. Beginning August 31, The Virtual Learning Center in the undercroft has been operating to allow 16 elementary and middle school children a safe place to complete their virtual schoolwork. This service is one more example of how St. Paul’s shares Christ’s love with our neighbor.

So, for as long as the pandemic continues to restructure our lives, the Clergy, Staff and Lay Leaders of St. Paul’s are committed to finding new ways to connect and serve our parish and the wider community. Good communication is essential! Please do not hesitate to reach out to Noah, Laura or any of our staff or vestry if you have concerns, ideas, or need to talk.

On behalf of the Vestry, I thank you for your continuing involvement and support. I pray for the safety and good health of all.

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Ginny Barnicoat
Senior Warden