NEWS
Raynaldo Brown’s Christmas Party Serves Over 35 Families in Annapolis
Raynaldo Brown had his annual Christmas party to support needy children and families on December 20th. This is a charity the Outreach Committee has supported for years. This year over 35 families were served dinner. Santa and Mrs. Clause came with lots of gifts for the kids and each one received 2 presents. St. Paul’s had about 5 volunteers to help with all the fun! Thanks to all for the continued support.
St. Paul’s Newcomers Class Starts January 7th!
“All possible care must be taken, that we hold that faith which has been believed everywhere, always, by all.” -St. Vincent of Lerins
January 7–February 25
Wednesdays
Evening Prayer at 6p (optional)
Sessions at 6:30p
Description: Catechesis is an ancient Christian tradition of education where believers are equipped to better understand their tradition so they can know God better and make him known to those they encounter. At St. Paul’s, we intend to promulgate this tradition in the context of the Anglican tradition. A successful catechesis will provide participants with an understanding of Anglican history, ecclesiology, theology, worship, authority, and spiritual formation based on age appropriate standards.
Outline:
Week 1 (Jan 7): Who Are We? Anglican Ecclesiology, Apostolic Succession, and the Threefold Ministry
Week 2 (Jan 14): How Did We Get Here? A History of Continuing Anglicanism
Week 3 (Jan 21): What Do We Do, pt. 1? The Eucharist and Baptism
Week 4 (Jan 28): What Do We Do, pt. 2? Reconciliation, Confirmation, Matrimony, Ordination, and Unction
Week 5 (Feb 4): How Do We Pray? The Rule
Week 6 (Feb 11): How Do We Think? Scripture, Tradition, and Reason
Week 7 (Feb 18): How Do We Live? The Church Calendar + What’s Expected of Me as a Church Member + Confirmation
Week 8 (Feb 25): Instructed Eucharist
From the Rector’s Bookshelf: True Love: Sermons for Advent by The Rev. Canon Glenn Spencer
The Rev. Canon Glenn Spencer, True Love: Sermons for Advent. The Anglo-Catholic Pulpit. Earth & Altar Press, 2025. ISBN: 9798273890121, x+60pp. $12.50.
Fr. Glenn Spencer, Rector Emeritus of All Saints Church (APA) in Charlottesville, VA
Fr. Glenn Spencer is the Rector Emeritus of All Saints Anglican Church (APA) in Charlottesville, Virginia where he served as the Rector for thirty-five years. Fr. Glenn is the way I got to St. Paul’s and for that, I am eternally grateful to him. I remember visiting All Saints multiple times over the years and, during one of those visits, he told me about an APA parish in Annapolis, Maryland that was looking for a younger priest to bring on staff and that he could make the connection if I wanted. I’m very glad I took his recommendation!
This book is short, but dense. There is a nice foreword by Bp. Chandler Holder Jones, the Presiding Bishop of the Anglican Province of America and our diocesan Ordinary who reminds us that “whether we consciously recognize it or not at any given time, that we are today in a struggle to recover and promote the old paths, the Old Time Religion” (i). Fr. Glenn’s preaching is characteristic of that recovery. The collection of sermons begins with The Sunday Next Before Advent, “Stir Up Sunday” as it’s often called, and extends through the whole Advent season. A great feature that augments the sermon is a list of questions after each homily that can be used for personal reflection or group study.
Historically, there have been many great Anglican preachers: Lancelot Andrewes, John Donne, Jeremy Taylor, John Wesley, John Henry Newman, Edward Bouverie Pusey, Henry Parry Liddon, Austin Farrer, Michael Ramsey, and many others. In modern times, it often feels like Anglican preaching has fallen into a state of disrepair. Preaching should not be confused with sentimentality, stand up comedy, academic lectures, or motivational speeches; it is the sacred task of proclaiming the Gospel to the Church. In this respect, Fr. Glenn is an expert preaching and his style is a blend of multiple things. They are learned, but not inaccessible, Catholic, but with an evangelical fervor, situated in a parish setting, but containing transcendent truths. If you’re looking for a book to serve as your Advent companion, consider getting Fr. Glenn’s book of sermons!
2026 Pledge Forms
As we look ahead to another year of ministry at St. Paul’s, we invite every member of our parish family to prayerfully complete a 2026 Parish Pledge Form. Your annual pledge is far more than a financial commitment—it’s a tangible expression of gratitude and faith, a way of saying “yes” to the work God is doing through our church. Each gift, no matter the size, helps us continue proclaiming the Gospel, serving our community, and deepening our common life of prayer, worship, and fellowship.
Submitting your pledge early is a tremendous help to our Vestry and Finance Committee as they prepare the 2026 budget. It allows us to plan responsibly, support our ministries effectively, and steward our resources wisely. Please take a few moments this week to fill out your form and return it to the parish office or complete it online. Together, our shared generosity makes possible all that we do for the glory of God and the good of His people.
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!
