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About Us -
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
The Mission of St. Paul’s is to:
Seek Christ, Serve Christ, and Share Christ throughout God’s Creation.
Seeking Christ is more than going to church on
Sunday or attending bible study. Through our baptismal covenant we promise
to seek Christ in all persons. The tough part is that word ALL. The
ALL includes ourselves. This means getting to know the self, forgiving,
and loving the self (sometimes the hardest task). The ALL means; working
hard to see Christ in the most difficult of our family members. The ALL
means getting to know people who are very different from us. We
acknowledge this is tough, but in Jesus we have the perfect example. We
are ready to be uncomfortable so that we can serve.
Serving Christ is more than buying groceries
for the local food pantry or putting an offering in the Sunday collection.
Our baptismal covenant calls for us to serve Christ in ALL persons. We
seek ways to serve each other within this particular community during
difficult times. We try to uncover ways to be of service to those
difficult persons who are family or friend. We strive to step out of our
comfort zones in order to serve those who are uncomfortable and on the
edges of society.
Sharing Christ comes out of our intentional
relationship with God. In our baptismal covenant we promise to share our
faith, our fellowship, and to break bread with each other. Our
spirituality is not centered on our individuality. Our spirituality has
everything to do with being in relationship with each other. We
acknowledge that being in relationship with each other is not easy.
Sometimes there are disagreements and hurt feelings. Christ showed us how
to love each other despite those disagreements. Like anything else this
takes practice and experience. As we get better we take this shared love
out into the world.
About Reverend Stacy Salles
Who am I? There is a hymn that expresses who I am
and where I am going;
“I know
not where the road will lead I follow day by day,
Or where it ends: I only know I walk the King’s highway.
I know not if the way is long, and no one else can say;
but rough or smooth, up-hill or down, I walk the King’s highway.”
So far the King’s highway has taken me on a journey
that involves the creative arts, natural sciences, law enforcement,
motherhood, and priest. These threads, combined with other essences of who
I am, have been and continue to be woven through the basic warp that is
God and the support of all God’s people.
For those of you who are more interested in my
qualifications: I began my college studies with Biological/Environmental
Sciences. I switched to an Art degree with a desire to become a Biological
Illustrator. Life is funny – I ended up working in the Michigan Department
of Corrections for over 17 years – and I loved it. I met some great people
on both sides of the law. My seminary studies took place at the Ecumenical
Theological Seminary in Detroit and Seabury-Western Theological Seminary
in Evanston, Ill. I was ordained a Deacon in Dec. of 2001 and priest in
June of 2003. I served as Assistant Rector at Trinity Church in
Belleville. I have been Rector of St. Paul’s since Nov. of 2006.
Vestry Meetings
The Vestry of St. Paul's, Romeo normally meets on the 4th
Thursday of the
month,
at 7:00 p.m., at the Church. All members of the parish are welcome
to attend. Vestry is the body that makes decisions and or supports all
things regarding the property, finances, visioning, and
leadership development.
Funerals
It is tradition that Christians should be buried from the Church. This
isn't always possible. Rev. Stacy has done funerals in funeral homes for
Christians and non-Christians. She has done funerals in nursing homes.
When a funeral is to be held for someone who was a member of St. Paul's, service times and other
information will be posted on our telephone voice mail or on our
Facebook page. Call the Parish
Office at 586-752-3212.
Weddings
Lots of people want to get married in a pretty
church. If you want to get married in a church you are literally asking
God to be a witness and a part of your marriage too. Requirements to be
married by Rev. Stacy at St. Paul's include Six sessions with Rev. Stacy
with regard to pre-marital counseling, reading a book "The Art of Being
Together"; serious conversation about becoming involved in a faith
community; and of course, the minimal financial costs of having a wedding at St.
Paul's. Rev. Stacy has done weddings in various parks or outdoor
settings. But she will only do weddings for those who are serious about
Baptisms - This is an ancient sacrament which
we, at St. Paul's, are always happy to celebrate. Before one is baptized
though, there needs to be a period of true reflection on the nature of
the commitment being made, by you as a consenting adult or on behalf of
a small child. Baptism is not about saving our self from the grips of
hell (or purgatory - which is not an Episcopal Doctrine). Baptism is
participating in a visible act, which uses the symbol of water, to say
to the world "I am claiming a new way to live, with the love, mercy and
guidance of God Creator, God the Son, God the Spirit: ONE GOD. And I am
claiming to be one with the community of Christians around the world.
Communion- also known as Eucharist is open to
all Christians who are baptized. We believe that we are baptized as
Christians rather than baptized into a particular denomination. If you
have been baptized in the Name of the Trinity (Creator/Father; Son, Holy
Spirit) being dunked in water three times or having water liberally
poured over your head three times, then you are welcome at our table,
whether you are Baptist, Methodist, Non-Denominational, Roman Catholic,
and the list goes on.
Children and Communion: Once there is a
baptism, that person becomes a full member of Christ's church, therefore
welcome to receive Communion. However, there are some parents who wish
their children to wait until they have a clearer understanding of what
they are participating in and other parents who see their children at
least understand they are participating in sharing a special meal with
all kinds and ages of people. Both have great theology. So, we leave it
to the parents to decide when their child should fully partake of the
Eucharistic meal. We do offer First Communion classes when there
are children or even one child who is interested in furthering their
understanding of the Body and Blood of Christ being shared in Community.
Confirmation Classes are held for those who were baptized
as infants and for people interested in Re-affirming their faith.We have
other classes for those who wish to be received into the Episcopal
Church
Those who are not Baptized or those who come from
other faith traditions or those coming from Christian denominations with
a different theology in regard to Communion and don't want Communion-
Are still welcome at the Eucharist to receive a blessing. God works in
all kinds of mysterious ways and each person's journey with God is their
own. It is very possible to still be a vibrant participant in the
community of St. Paul's as we all continue to work on our walk with
Christ.
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