St. Paul’s Put-in-Bay Church Winter Bible Study:
Exploring the Book of Esther Sundays at 4 p.m.
Each Sunday afternoon in January, we will discuss the Book of Ester. Part of the discussion will be about “The men in Esther’s life.” Men are encouraged to join in the conversation. This bible study will use the Book of Ester found in the Hebrew Scriptures along with the portions found in the Apocrypha as a springboard to discuss ways we can study the bible and apply it to our own lives.
Participants are invited to stay afterward for a light supper. Each week we will look at a portion of Esther while learning about various topics related to bible study. All you need to bring each week is your bible.
The discussion group will meet in St Paul’s Parish Hall. Week 1 – Hebrew Scriptures and the Apocrypha; why two versions? How to use a Concordance as we read Esther. Week 2 – What portions of Esther are read in church services (discusses lectionaries of all denominations) What is exegesis and how to exegete Esther? Week 3 – a deeper look at the Hebrew and Greek portions of Esther.
Esther in the movies and in Music. Week 4 – We will enjoy seeing one of the movies about Esther using our new understanding of the text. Esther is a story of power struggles, love affairs, and some violence so leave the younger teens and children at home!
St. Paul’s Epiphany Pageant On Jan. 9th – the Church School and Bible Buddies of St. Paul’s will present an interactive Epiphany pageant on Sunday morning at the 10:30 a.m. worship service. There will be participation from the congregation as we see learn
about the journey of the wise men. All are welcome.
St. Paul’s Annual Meeting On Jan. 16th, at 10:30 a.m. St. Paul’s Annual Meeting will take place immediately following the service. The service will include our priest’s report to the congregation
Put-in-Bay Church Bible Buddies
A Christian education program for K-6th grades meets each Tuesday from 3:15 pm to 4:10 pm. Younger children may attend if they bring a parent with them. Each week we learn about important events from the bible through our activities, including Bible reading, an action, music, and a short video. Snacks are included.
The program runs in six-week cycles with a new process starting on January 3 rd. The theme of the January cycle is Fiesta! See pictures on our web page. All island children are welcome to participate.
Everyone asks why our signboard in front of the Put-in-Bay Church has the words “Rev Mary L. Staley, Priest-in-Charge?” It is a simple answer. The short answer to the question – the Bishop selected the title, and it is the norm here in northern Ohio. The Episcopal Church across the United States has three ways of identifying the priest responsible for the pastoral care of a congregation.
The clergy are identified as Rector, Vicar, or Priest-in-Charge, depending on how they have been invited to serve the congregation. Sometimes you will see the word Interim before one of these other terms. An interim typically comes for a short term with limited specific duties when a congregation is in between priests. A rector is a priest who has tenure.
Their agreement with the parish does not have a specific end date. Vicars and individuals called “Priest-in-Charge have different types of agreements. Here in the Diocese of Ohio, there are no Vicars appointed by the bishop, although you will find them in most other dioceses. Clergy who are not rectors are all called “Priest-in-Charge in this diocese.
They do not have tenure and normally begin with a three-year agreement to serve the parish. If a priest stays beyond three years, they transition to being the rector sometime during the initial three years. The current agreement between the vestry of St Paul’s, the Bishop, and the Rev Staley is that she will serve as St. Paul’s until 2013.
Put-in-Bay Church St Paul’s 150th Anniversary
St Paul’s 150th anniversary of the first service held in the church will be on October 4th, 2015. We are starting to make plans now for this and other significant events. This year we hope to add to our file of St Paul’s history as we prepare for this event. Some of the information is already posted on our website. Contact us if you have a Put-in-Bay Church story or account to share. Put it on your October 4, 2015, calendar.
St. Paul’s Steeple
The planned fall repairs to the steeple were completed just before the weather turned cold. If you look up, you will see a temporary cap on the top. Next spring, the top will be completed and a new weather vane, similar to the previous one on the Put-in-Bay Church, will be added. Weathervanes have a long tradition of capping Christian churches across the country.
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