Our annual meeting and the St. Paul's Cross recipients for 2011

We had a terrific parish potluck supper Sunday evening, followed by the annual meeting. Vestry members hosted tables, and each table had a theme, ranging from "Happy Birthday" to "Canada" and a lot else. You just had to have been there. All of them were wonderful, and I table hopped a bit and sampled the delicacies at each table -- rector's privilege!

At the annual meeting, we reported on our finances (we finished the year with a small surplus) and gave reports on ministries and highlights from the year.

Then continuing a tradition begun last year, I gave The St. Paul’s Cross to seven individuals, and I will tell you more about them below.

I want to be clear about the purpose of this. Many, many people are deserving, and by singling out the few, I am aware that I am in danger of slighting the many.

So please do not think of this as an “award” for service. Rather, those chosen represent a cross-section of ministry in this church, and join with many as the backbone of all we are and do here. They have given of themselves in extraordinary ways but sometimes are not noticed. There are many people I could recognize, it was hard to keep this to seven. So please consider these seven servants as representatives of many.

There are also two caveats to this. Members of the staff are not eligible for the St. Pauls’ Cross, nor are current sitting members of the Vestry. Only one St. Paul’s Cross is granted per lifetime.

And so, with that, here are seven people we recognize and honor for their extraordinary service of ministry this past year:

Her life is founded in prayer, Scripture and service to her family, her church and her community. Her kindnesses are many, her heart gentle, her spirit caring, the very core of her being the epitome of grace. She is wise, witty and patient. In recent years, she’s been an office volunteer, led women’s Bible studies and our Generation Wise group for our retired members of St. Paul’s, and that is just a short list of all that she does and all that she means to us. It gives me great pleasure to give this year’s first St. Paul’s Cross to Louise Sinclair.

She probably would cringe at the word “evangelist” but she is exactly that in the best sense of the word. She’s helped bring many young families into our parish by simply being herself. Her ready smile and irreverent humor brings many through our doors. Her commitment to social justice is deep. She has worked on projects including PACEM and IMPACT. And for two summers, she has organized our Shrine Mont parish weekends. I am very pleased to give this St. Paul’s Cross to Cindy Cartwright.

His gifts of hospitality, humor and friendship represent the best of St. Paul’s. He has served on vestries, conducted adult education forums, and pitched in wherever and whenever he is needed. He brings others through our doors with his inviting gentle way. His commitment to the inclusion of all the baptized is deep, and his giving in the community is boundless. For many years, he has been here nearly every Sunday to coach our acolytes. And he is the founding president of our Integrity Chapter, the organization that works within the Episcopal Church for the full inclusion of gay, lesbian and transgender people in the life of the church. It is my honor to give this St. Paul’s Cross to Buck Smith.

She is a dynamo of energy and commitment, always looking for opportunities to build God’s kingdom in every avenue she can find both inside and outside the church. She exudes ideas and creativity at every turn, ranging from serving the homeless to arranging flowers. She can be found at St. Paul’s in the middle of the week -- and sometimes in the middle of the night -- picking up in-gatherings for the Salvation Army or nursing homes. She has brought drive and prowess to the organizing of the Flower Guild, and now as chair of our Ministry Beyond Our Walls team, she is bringing great drive to our ministries to the poor and neediest in our community. It is with tremendous gratitude that I present this St. Paul’s Cross to Joan Burchell.

He is a life-long learner and a life-long healer in the widest possible sense. With a lifetime of service in medicine, he has brought his considerable talents to bear in guiding our parish and diocese in understanding its responsibilities to the healing of the earth. He’s been a mainstay of our Stewardship team and our Green Team, and in his gentle way, continues to show all of us how the two are connected. He has served in many capacities, including on the Vestry, and as one of our un-official official photographers, he has for years documented the life of this church. It gives me great pleasure to give this St. Paul’s Cross to Dudley Rochester.

Her compassion is extraordinary, and her spiritual grounding is apparent by her words and actions. She meets people where they are, whether learned University professors, street people, choir members or befuddled clergy. Her willingness to do the hard work of caring for all of God’s people is truly inspiring, whether by singing in the choir or serving dinner at the Salvation Army. Her advocacy for the voiceless and the poor is towering. It is no exaggeration to say that she knows nearly every homeless person in Charlottesville by name. She’s organized our efforts with PACEM and reorganized our Ministry Beyond Our Walls team and outreach grants committee. It is a high honor to give this St. Paul’s Cross to Marsha Trimble.

She brings tremendous intellect, organizational skill, and a drive for excellence in all that she does. She is faithful and fearless. Her grounding in the life of the Spirit and her breadth of knowledge is apparent to all who come in contact with her. She has touched many lives in many places, from Bible studies, to committee work, to the councils of the Church and her work in the community. Here at St. Paul’s, during a time of great anxiety between rectors, her inner strength and firm hand on the helm helped guide this parish into our next era. She has the firm conviction that every member of this parish deserves the opportunity to participate, and she’s unafraid to ask anyone to do their part. In this past year, she brought that conviction to bear as she led our Stewardship Ministry Team in its first Every Member Canvass in many years. It is with tremendous gratitude that I give this St. Paul’s Cross to Virginia Ritchie.

St. Paul's Cross awards 2010

Earlier today, at our annual meeting, I began what I hope will be an annual tradition at St. Paul’s: An award to a few people who have given extraordinary service in the previous year. I want to call it the St. Paul’s Cross, and it will be a medallion that looks like our cross over here.

This cross, by the way, is the design of an artist from Earlysville, Anne Breaud. Her design is uniquely ours, no other church has it. She designed it several years ago for the seats in the chancel, and she recently created a new processional banner marking our centennial year. It truly is the St. Paul’s Memorial Church Cross.

But there is one catch about the award this year. We haven’t finished making St. Paul’s crosses. Medallions will come later to the recipients of the St. Paul’s Cross.

There are also two caveats to this award. Members of the staff are not eligible for this award, and this award is granted only once per lifetime. You may pick up another when you get to heaven.

This afternoon, I awarded first the St. Paul's Crosses to seven people for their extraordinary service of ministry this past year. There are many others I could recognize, so please consider these seven servants as representatives of each of you.

They are:

She has given many decades of humble service to St. Paul’s. She always has a smile and a good word to say about everyone. She is one of those “behind the scenes” people who make our worship celebratory and reverent. She has worked in our sacristy in good weather and bad, on Saturdays and Sundays, and many a weekday, ironing linens, cleaning chalices, changing candlesticks and organizing a cadre of wonderful people who follow her gentle example. It is with a profound sense of gratitude for her many years of service and leadership of the Altar Guild that I give the first St. Paul’s Cross to Jean Barnett.

He has a huge and compassionate heart. He has dedicated countless hours and many miles of travel to represent this parish in the councils of the Church. He carries with him extraordinary knowledge about the inner workings of the Episcopal Church and the Diocese of Virginia. He was recently elected to the Standing Committee of the Diocese of Virginia, which carries great responsibility not just for this diocese, but also for the church at large, as he will be voting on the confirmation of bishops throughout the Episcopal Church. He has guided our Centennial celebration with inspiration and creativity, and he has served as junior warden this past year. It is with thanks that this St. Paul’s Cross goes to Paul Brockman.

She has shown faithful and graceful commitment through her professional work, her example of life, and her courageous commitment to the full inclusion of all people in God’s kingdom. She has guided with compassion the students she mentors, and challenged us to think deeply about ethics and to act with integrity. She led a delegation from St. Paul’s that met regularly for months with a delegation from St. John the Baptist Church to wrestle with the hard issues of inclusion, especially of gay and lesbian people who have been left out by the church. She is one of the founders and guiding forces of our Integrity chapter this past year, and she was wonderfully warm, thoughtful and skillful as the moderator of our public talk with Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori in the Rotunda in January. It is with admiration and gratitude that I present this St. Paul’s Cross to Margaret Mohrmann.

He has demonstrated extraordinary commitment to the life and well being of this parish, and to the students of the University of Virginia. He is a prophet among us by steadfastly reminding us that the vision of the founders of St. Paul’s was to serve the students of the University, and that their vision must be our vision. He has led our university commission with aplomb, and shown personal compassion for the many students who walk through our doors. It is with thanks and deep respect that I give this St. Paul’s Cross to Ben Ray.

She has brought her extraordinary professional skills to the service of St. Paul’s, giving many hours, and collegially worked with other professionals our congregation. She and her team have gone back to the drawing board more than once to create an extraordinary gift to this parish and to the neighborhood around us. With great political skill, she has maneuvered through the labyrinth of Charlottesville City Hall to win approval of a design for a multi-use meditation garden that will be built this spring on our grounds once the snow melts. It is with gratitude that this St. Paul’s Cross goes to Joan Albiston.

This past year, St. Paul’s ventured off our corner and began cultivating a new relationship with the predominantly African American neighborhood a few blocks away. Many hands, much sweat, and a lot of topsoil went into building a community garden on 10 1/2 Street with the purpose of building friendships and giving the food away to neighbors and those the most in need. No one was more dedicated, more inspired, more eloquent, or showed more attention to the details than this individual, who somehow managed all this while a student at the University of Virginia. It is with great thanks that this St. Paul’s Cross goes to Michael Mahoney.

She has been a witness for justice and equality in her life, in the way she teaches her students, in the books she writes, and the friendships she makes. She is a giant among us, a truth-teller, while somehow always being calm in the eye of the storm and a compassionate friend to all who have the privilege of knowing her. And for me personally, she is a wise counselor, a gracious presence, and a wonderful friend. It is with tremendous thanks and great admiration that this St. Paul’s cross goes to our senior warden, Mildred Robinson.