BUILDING THE HOUSEHOLD OF FAITH
Beloveds in Christ,
The establishment of the household of Faith at St. Paul’s continues to be a joyful endeavor. We’re as busy as an anthill and reveling in diverse ministries and social opportunities. Our Spanish language Eucharist, now over a year old, is seeing growth; and we are also seeing an increase in the number of children attending Sunday worship. Our acolyte guild is hatching, and, of course, we continue to revel in the ordination of the Reverend Miguel de Jesús Rangel as a deacon in Christ’s Holy Catholic Church.
“So then, you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.”
I invite you to make your 2023 pledge to the mission and ministry of St. Paul’s.
LEGACY GIFTS: In addition to annual pledges, Legacy gifts are St. Paul’s best hope for establishing a true endowment generating an annual 4% restricted draw (roughly) for parish endeavor. Canadian and U.S. Trusts, Wills and Estate planning mechanisms offer straight-forward methods by which to provide a legacy gift to St. Paul’s.
PROPERTY GIFTS: For those in Mexico considering gifts of real property, it is important to know that such gifts must be directed to Amigos Anglicanos A.C. This, our Asociación Civil, permits property gifts for the use of St. Paul’s. Because the Mexican government legally owns the land upon which all churches are built, gifts to St. Paul’s Asociación Religiosa is not the way to successfully leave property to the parish, nor is it sufficient to designate the church in one’s estate documents.
You will find an electronic pledge card appended to this letter. Hard copy pledges may be placed in the collection plate, dropped at the parish office, or mailed to
St. Paul’s Church, PMB 141A, 220 N. Zapata Highway #11, Laredo, Texas 78043-4464. My deep appreciation for your commitment to further the work of God in and through St. Paul’s Church.
Faithfully yours,
The Reverend Canon George F. Woodward III
Rector
“In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.”
About the Turkey Trip:
Dear Pilgrim Friends,
There has been no greater champion than our patron, St. Paul, for the faith of Christ; and apart from his relentless vision and determined spirit, Christianity would never have permeated the Gentile world, and all the earth, with the power and force to which we bear witness.
Paul was a complex man; eminently practical, capable of soaring mysticism, and always ready, at whatever personal cost, to tutor his diverse and far-flung flock in the Way of our Lord. He laid siege to my imagination early in life, and I remain very much in his grip.
One particular privilege of the two years I spent living in Turkey earlier in my priesthood was to acquaint myself with the Steps of St. Paul and with the many sites in Asia-Minor, the cradle of Gentile Christianity, that he influenced.
Turkey is, quite apart from the legacy of St. Paul, a spectacular landscape traversed by many of the world’s oldest civilizations, each leaving a distinct imprint. Hence, one wends through centuries and cultures within the span of hours as one journeys through that amazingly varied terrain, host to ancient and classical architectural splendors, soaring minarets, and innate natural beauty.
I invite you to walk with me in the ‘Steps of St. Paul’ and through the winsome terrain of contemporary Turkey, reliving the memories of our April 14 – 29 trip. Your spirit will find freshened engagement, your vision will be re-struck, and you will know and feel with yet greater poignancy your own feet threading the pilgrim path.
The Reverend Canon George F. Woodward III
Rector
