NEWS
What Percentage of My Income is God Calling Me to Give? Thoughts on Tithing
Each year, our parish enters a season we call of Stewardship. It’s a time not to talk about paying bills, but to reflect together on what it means to live generously before God. Too often, conversations about stewardship begin with budgets and end with guilt. But Christian giving is so much more than a line-item discussion; it’s an act of worship. When we give, we aren’t simply supporting an institution; we’re responding to a relationship. We are offering back to God what already belongs to him, and in that offering we are drawn more deplying into the mystery of his love. The real question of stewardship isn’t “What does the parish need to balance its budget?” It’s, “What percentage of my income is God calling to give?”
All true generosity begins in gratitude. Every good thing we have—life, family, work, friends, a parish community—is a gift. When we give, we’re not trying to buy God’s favor or pay him back; we’re simply saying thank you. Christian stewardship begins when we realize that our possessions were never ours to begin with. They are entrusted to us to that we might reflect God’s own generous nature. Gratitude opens our hands.
Scripture consistently connects giving with our relationship to God: “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matt 6:21). In other words, giving is a way of placing our hearts in God’s hands. When we set aside a portion of our income for the Lord, we are making a tangible act of trust. It’s one thing to say, “God will provide”; it’s another to live as though that’s true. For this reason, giving isn’t primarily about supporting the local church because it’s really about spiritual formation. Just as prayer deepens our dependence on God, generosity deepens our trust in his provision.
To give is to participate in God’s work of redemption. When we give to the work of the Church, we’re joining in the story of salvation being written here at St. Paul’s and beyond. We have the privilege of seeing lives changed, children catechized, the hungry fed, the lonely visited, and the Gospel proclaimed. Therefore, giving is a privilege, not a burden. It’s a concrete way for us to respont to God’s call by saying “Lord, here I am. Use me.”
In the Old Testament, God’s people were commanded to give ten percent as a sign of covenant faithfulness (Lev 27:30-34). Under the New Covenant, giving is no longer about law; it’s about grace. God’s grace frees us from legalism and empowers us to go beyond it. For some, ten percent may be a stretch; for others, it may be the starting point of a deeper journey into generosity. The key isn’t for us to ask, “What’s the minimum requirement?” but, “What portion of what I’ve been given reflects the generosity of God towards me?” When we ask “What percentage of my income is God calling me to give?” we’re really asking, “Lord, how can I more fully entrust myself to you?”
My hope is that you come to see this year’s Stewardship Campaign not as a necessary evil but as a spiritual opportunity. It’s a season to take stock of God’s blessings and to rejoice in sharing them. When we give, we discover that generosity isn’t loss, but liberation. We find joy in giving because in giving, we mirror the God who gives himself to us completely in Jesus Christ.
In just a few weeks, we’ll have Stewardship Sunday when we hear about the importance of giving and receive the annual pledge forms. Take time to ask the question honestly: What percentage of my income is God calling me to give? Not out of guilt, fear, or pressure, but out of gratitude, relationship, privilege, faith, and joy. Let this year’s campaign be a celebration of God’s abundance, not a worry about scarcity. Because the more we give ourselves to God, the more we find that he has already given everything to us.
Planting Day
St. Paul’s is honored to have received a grant from Unity Gardens. We were one of 18 organizations that were awarded a grant for fall 2025. Our application requested $870 to plant four native trees (willow oak, red maple, flowering dogwood and hackberry), 15 native shrubs (5 viburnums, 9 Gro-low sumac and one Carolina rose) and 12 native perennials (Black-eyed Susans). These plants will provide shade and wildlife habitat, enhance the beauty of the campus and increase stormwater remediation. The plants were chosen for their high environmental and wildlife value with the help of Alison Milligan, a Master Naturalist, Master Gardener and Watershed Steward. Alison will also procure the plants for us at wholesale prices. This past Saturday, volunteers gathered to plant the plants. Thank you to everyone who showed up!
The Slate of Vestry Candidates for 2025
Edward Appiah
I am Edward Appiah and my family and I reside in Odenton. I did have my formative years in Ghana, West Africa. I moved to the United States in 2001 for further studies and worshipped at another Episcopal Church for a while. I started attending St. Paul's a little over a year ago after a desire to visit for years. I do enjoy the mass with the 1928 missal and I have continued to attend St. Paul's since my first visit. I work in IT and coach soccer in my spare time. My wife Elsie, Abigail (11) and Andrew (8) have enjoyed the fellowship with the St. Paul's community and I would be honored to serve on the Vestry
Jim McDonough
Jim McDonough is a graduate of the United States Military Academy and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He served a full career as a United States Army officer. During his active military service, he held a number key assignments, to include command at every level from platoon (a rifle platoon in combat in Vietnam with the 173rd Airborne Brigade) through company, battalion, and brigade. He served abroad in Vietnam, Korea, Germany, Belgium, and Italy, in addition to living in Iran, Syria, and Italy as a child as the son of a U.S. Army sergeant stationed abroad. He concluded his career in command of the Southern European Task Force (SETAF) Infantry Airborne Brigade (later flagged as the 173rd Airborne Brigade) with operational deployments to Africa (Rwanda/Zaire/Uganda) and the Balkans and crisis contingency missions in Eastern Europe, parts of the Middle East, and most of Africa. In addition to his troop assignments, he taught political science and foreign affairs at West Point, served as the executive officer to the Army’s Chief of Intelligence in Europe (LTG Jim Williams), military assistant to the Supreme Allied Commander, Europe (General John Galvin), the Director of the School of Advanced Military Studies and, at the direction of the Chief of Staff of the Army (General Gordon Sullivan), as head of the team and the principal writer of the U.S. Army’s warfighting doctrine (Field Manual 100-5: Operations), the Army’s central doctrinal document. His military decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal, the Bronze Star for valor, two additional awards of the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, Senior Parachutist wings, and the Ranger Tab.
He retired after 27 years in uniform (as a colonel) and immediately thereafter went to the White House staff where he served from 1996 to 1999 as Director of Strategy for the Office of National Drug Control Policy, the agency that leads the nation’s efforts to reduce drug abuse and its consequences on the American people. He was a key player in the conceptualization, planning, and execution of national drug policies to reduce the demand for and cut the supply of illegal drugs in America.
From 1999 to 2006, he was the Director of the Florida Office of Drug Control for Governor Jeb Bush. Over a period of seven years, the rates of youth use of illegal substances decreased significantly, treatment of the addicted was expanded, and interdiction and counter smuggling efforts increased. During that same time, he was also the state official charged to bring down the Florida suicide rate since there is a strong nexus between suicide, substance abuse, and mental illness. Over a period of five years the rate of suicide decreased from approximately 13 per 100,000 to 9 per 100,000.
Amid a crisis of corruption in the Florida prison system in 2006, he was appointed (overnight) by Bush as the Secretary of Corrections, overseeing an agency with a cadre of 28,000, a prison population of 90,000, a parole and probation offender population of 160,000, and a budget of $2.5 billion. Focusing first on corruption (the preceding Secretary was sentenced to eight years in federal prison, his deputy to 3 years), he systematically went through the over 160 prisons, work camps, and related facilities rooting out the rot and replacing it with better people and appropriate systems to ensure operating efficiencies, a high degree of human decency, and a high standard of ethics. Reappointed to the job by the succeeding Governor (Charlie Crist) he competed his reform efforts and retired from the position in 2008.
Jim McDonough remains active in supporting national security and other public causes. In 1997 he served as editor-in-chief of the Report of the National Defense Panel, a Senate commissioned effort to set a strategy for the first 25 years of the 21st century. In 2005 he served as editor of the Report of the Overseas Basing Commission, a Congressional appointed effort to review the global basing system to ensure America’s global military commitments and contingencies. Both these reports were adopted in whole or in part by subsequent administrations.
He was the senior fellow of the JEHT Foundation (JEHT stands for justice, equality, human dignity, and tolerance). From February to June of 2008 he served by appointment of Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal as the transformation team leader to address serious problems concerning mental illness, drug addiction, and developmental disabilities among the population of New Orleans and its surrounding three parishes that had persisted and worsened in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. He was the Chairman of the Florida Parole Qualifications Committee, served as a Guardian Ad Litem, and represented the 2nd Judicial Circuit for the Florida Association of Drug Court Professionals. He is currently working on two books -- one on his reform efforts within the Florida Department of Corrections and one on the Rwanda genocide of 1994.
He is the author of many professional articles and has published three books; Platoon Leader (also a movie), The Defense of Hill 781, and The Limits of Gloryand holds several awards from both his civilian and military experiences. He was the boxing champion in the welterweight class at West Point in his junior and senior years and received the Academy’s award as its best all-around boxer in its graduating class of 1969.
Susan Schulte
My husband John and I have been members of St Paul’s for 15 years and attend the 8:00am service. I serve on both the altar guild and the ladies guild. In the past, I served on the Strategic Planning committee. I try very hard to live by and be an example of the Christian values I have learned. It would be an honor to work with the Clergy and Vestry of St Paul’s.
I have done many things in my life. Worked in banking, managed and worked our horse farm in South County. I was president and managed our online prosthetic and orthotic educational bookstore. I was an EMT and certified fire fighter, and then, president of the Ladies Auxiliary, president the ladies golf league in our community and am now chair of the golf committee for our community.
John and I have been married for 52 years, have three children, six grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
St. Paul’s to Receive Unity Gardens Grant
Good news! St. Paul’s submitted an application for a Unity Gardens grant to plant native plants and we were one of 18 organizations that were awarded a grant for fall 2025. Our application requested $870 to plant four native trees (willow oak, red maple, flowering dogwood and hackberry), 15 native shrubs (5 viburnums, 9 Gro-low sumac and one Carolina rose) and 12 native perennials (Black-eyed Susans). These plants will provide shade and wildlife habitat, enhance the beauty of the campus and increase stormwater remediation. The plants were chosen for their high environmental and wildlife value with the help of Alison Milligan, a Master Naturalist, Master Gardener and Watershed Steward. Alison will also procure the plants for us at wholesale prices.
The Willow Oak will be planted near the front driveway entrance where we recently lost a tree due to damage, and the Dogwood will be planted across from it to enhance the entrance. The Red Maple and the Hackberry will be planted in the area in front of the garden/columbarium to provide shade and additional stormwater remediation. The shrubs will be planted to provide stormwater remediation and the perennials will be planted at the end of the main parking lot to add pollinator support and beauty.
We will have a planting day on Saturday, October 11th (rain date October 18th) from 9 am until noon to get the plants in the ground. Members and friends of St. Paul’s are invited to participate. Volunteers, including families with kids, will have the opportunity to learn proper tree planting technique as well as take home information about native plants for use in their own yards. Karen Royer will organize the planting day and direct the volunteers. Coffee and donut holes will be provided. We hope to see you then!
The Eucharistic Fast
Have you ever heard of the Eucharistic fast? Unfortunately, in our modern world, it’s not only a discipline that has been too frequently laid aside, but forgotten entirely. According to the St. Augustine’s Prayer Book—a helpful devotional supplement to the Book of Common Prayer—the Eucharistic Fast is the abstention from food to prepare for the reception of Communion. Traditionally, this fast began Sunday at midnight and included all forms of food and water. However, this has been tweaked in modern times.
This brief post will attempt to explain the biblical and theological reasons for the Eucharistic fast, to survey he history of the practice, and to offer some modern adaptations to help us better practice the fast so that we can better prepare our bodies and souls to meet our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Sacrament.
As far back as the book of Exodus, God’s people are called to self-preparation before approach God. At Mount Sinai, God through Moses gave the people of Israel a liturgy to prepare themselves:
“Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes, and be ready against the third day: for the third day the Lord will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai” (Exod 19:10-11).
This careful preparation is transposed into the New Covenant around the Eucharistic meal per 1 Corinthians 11:27-29:
“Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.”
Further, both Testaments are unified in their emphasis on fasting as a way of humbling ourselves before the Lord (Joel 2:12; Matt 6:16-18). It’s important for us to remember that when we attend the Eucharist, we are attending the Wedding Supper of the Lamb (Rev 19:6-9). If one ought to carefully prepare to attend an earthly banquet, how much more should we prepare to attend a heavenly one? We can use this mode of preparation to express our reverence for the Body and Blood of Christ.
The Eucharistic fast is an ancient and venerable tradition. In its current form, the fast stretches all the way back to at least the fourth century. St. Augustine spoke of it in a letter to his friend Januarius saying:
“It has pleased the Holy Ghost that, in honor of so great a Sacrament, the Body of the Lord should enter the mouth of the Christian before any other food, for it is the custom observed throughout the world” (emphasis added).
This practice was retained in the medieval period as well. Even during and after the Reformation, many Anglicans continued to observe the Eucharistic fast. In his brilliant book The Worthy Communicant, Jeremy Taylor (1613-1667) commends the Eucharistic fast as an ancient practice, prescribing it alongside a regimen of devotional activities for each day one receives Communion. These other devotional activities include giving God thanks to receive “the sacrament of Christ himself,” making a general confession of your sins in a way that makes you keenly aware of God’s mercy, make acts of general contrition[1], worship Jesus, throw away unholy and earthly thoughts to better focus on heaven, while watching the Communion liturgy “behold with the eyes of faith and of the spirit, that thou seest Christ’s body broken upon the cross, that thou sees him bleeding for thy sins,” etc.
While the fast is commended to Anglicans, it is not required in our Canon Law or by the Book of Common Prayer. As a result, it’s helpful to look how other churches handle the Eucharistic fast. In 1953, Pope Pius XII adjusted the rules for Roman Catholics regarding the Eucharistic fast in a way that relaxed many of the rules. For example, he allowed communicants to drink water before receiving Communion. He also laxed the fasts for those who were sick, traveling, or employed as physical laborers. In 1957, he adjusted the starting time of the fast from midnight to three hours before receiving Communion. In 1983, the Roman Church adjusted the length of the fast again, requiring at least one hour of abstaining from food before reception.
One of the great things about the Anglican tradition is that it is collaborative and highly pastoral. As a result, the Eucharistic fast may not be a “one size fits all,” uniform rule. However, we would encourage that at the very least, we fast for one hour before receiving Communion. For those who are able, the traditional fast might be a richer mode of preparing to receive the Eucharist.
But it’s important that we not perform the fast just to tick off boxes; instead, we should use the fast to help us develop discipline and reference. Fasting should be a kind of physical prayer and offering to God as a way of communicating our longing for him. Fasting should help us approach the Altar with greater reverence. The physical hunger we experience during the fast should remind us to hunger for the Bread of Life.
Some practical tips for keeping the Eucharistic fast:
Don’t bite off more than you can chew (pun intended): if you are elderly, sick, or a manual laborer, please don’t try to do too much. Consider making alternative sacrifices instead of abstaining from food.
Start small: If you’re new to fasting, try starting with just an hour before Communion and adding more time as you experience success in keeping your discipline.
Coffee counts: Yes…technically coffee does count as breaking the fast. But water is okay. This is why Anglicans enjoy a hearty coffee hour after the service.
Teach children gradually: If you have children, they can begin to learn to fast in ways that are age appropriate. Older children can probably begin participating in the fast, but it might be good to teach younger children incrementally or by engaging in an alternative sacrifice.
Remember, the Eucharistic fast is not about legalism, it’s about love. When done well, the fast encourages us to come to the Altar with joyful anticipation.
“O taste and see that the Lord is good” (Ps 34:8a).
[1] The Act of Contrition according to the St. Augustine’s Prayer Book: “My God, I am very sorry that I have sinned against thee, who art so good. Forgive me, for Jesus’ sake, and I will try to sin no more” (28).
Notes from the 2025 Synod of the Diocese of the Eastern United States of the Anglican Province of America
This past week July 29-31, the parishes of the Diocese of the Eastern United States of the Anglican Province of America gathered for synod in Greenville, South Carolina. The theme of this year’s gathering was missions.
The business portion of the synod began with Bishop Chad’s state of the diocese address. The APA is growing. The Diocese of the Eastern United States has grown by 2% since last year and the overall province has grown by 1%. The Bishop also pointed out that we are seeing a revival of interest in traditional and liturgical worship. Currently, the diocese has 29 persons enrolled in the formation process to prepare for ministry. He also enthusiastically informed us about the continued positive relations between the Anglican Joint Synod churches—the APA, Anglican Catholic Church, and the Anglican Church in America. Recently, the ACA has decided to merge with the ACC which is an exciting development. In keeping with the theme of missions, Bishop Chad urged us to remember that the Church’s mission to go into the world to preach the Gospel is a reflection of God’s very essence and character. Moving forward, missions churches are going to be an important part of the APA’s mission. To that end, Bishop challenged the diocese to resolve to establish a new mission in each deanery in the next three years.
Some other highlights of the business portion of our meeting included the appearance of retired Bishop Walter Grundorf who has been battling cancer. It was fantastic to see him and his wife, Mary. Archbishop Mark Haverland of the Anglican Catholic Church was also present and greeted the synod. We also met the 2026 diocesan budget through parish pledges.
You can watch the synod proceedings here:
Liturgically, it was a full week. Each day included Morning Prayer, Holy Communion, and Evening Prayer. The Synod Mass was at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church in Greenville. Bishop Chad’s cousin is the Pastor there. It was an amazing facility.
The Mass itself was phenomenal. Bishop Chad’s cousin processed with the Altar Party and said a few words about their youth and spiritual formation. You can watch the Mass here:
Liturgically, each of the St. Paul’s priests had roles in the various services throughout the week. Fr. Dennis was the reader at Solemn Evensong on Wednesday night, Fr. Wesley led a sung Matins on Thursday morning, and Fr. David was the emcee at the Synod Mass.
Overall, it was a wonderful time of fellowship, an efficient business meeting, and a beautiful time for worship with our brothers and sisters in Christ from across the diocese. Also, it is important that we give a special thanks to our synod lay delegates: Ken Sabel and David Smith. It was a pleasure to have them and it should be encouraging to the parish to know that they attended to the synod with great diligence and care.
To close, it would be good for everyone in the parish to pray the Collect for Missions (BCP 38) as frequently as possible:
O God, who hast made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on the face of the whole earth, and didst send thy blessed Son to preach peace to them that are far off and to them that are nigh; Grant that all men everywhere may seek after thee and find thee. Bring the nations into thy fold, pour out thy Spirit upon all flesh, and hasten thy kingdom; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Summer Catechesis Night Schedule
The goal of Adult Catechesis is to equip Anglican worshippers with the necessary understanding of our faith, our shared practices, and our history. Catechesis is religious formation based on doctrine. As such, it should encompass many different areas: dogmatic theology, liturgical theology, moral theology, biblical theology, historical theology, and missiology. We will provide catechesis based on cycles, moving from one topic to another in order to provide comprehensive formation for our parishioners.
June 18-July 16: Biblical Theology - The Four Senses of Scripture and Lectio Divina
Week 1 (June 18): The Literal Sense of Scripture and Lectio
Week 2 (June 25): The Allegorical Sense of Scripture and Meditatio
July 2 - Break
July 9 - Break
Week 3 (July 16): The Tropological Sense of Scripture and Oratio
Week 4 (July 23): The Anagogical Sense of Scripture and Contemplatio
Cycle 5 (August 6-September 10): The Faith Delivered to the Saints - The Ante-Nicene Fathers and Early Heresies
Week 1 (August 6): The Episcopacy and St. Igantius of Antioch + St. Clement of Rome
August 13 - Break
Week 2 (August 20): Justin the Martyr vs. the Pagan World
Week 3 (August 27): Irenaeus vs. the Gnostics
Week 4 (September 3): Cyprian vs. the Novationists
Week 5 (September 10): Tertullian and the Fathers vs. Marcionism
