“Building a godly foundation in the hearts of children to sustain them for a lifetime.”
Children are a key focus and priority at St. Paul’s, and we encourage involvement at all ages. St. Paul’s parents find wonderful, clean spaces with organic opportunities for children to find new relationships with God in developmentally appropriate ways. Come join us in our recently renovated Children’s Wing where we can help your children become rooted in their faith.
Children’s Formation is comprised of the following ministries:
Nursery
St. Paul’s nursery is a safe, bright environment, with a warm and caring team of staff and volunteers to care for your child. Care is available on Sunday mornings from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. for children ages 9 weeks through age four. Snacks are provided.
Children’s Chapel
During the 10:30 a.m. service, children ages 4 through second grade have their own chapel service with a kid-friendly Liturgy of the Word which includes a short sermon and singing. Children will process out of the main service at a set time, as indicated in the weekly service bulletin. After interacting with the lesson of the day the children rejoin the congregation during the Peace.
Godly Play/Sunday School
Godly Play is a Montessori-based curriculum, held at 9:30 am on Sundays, that includes storytelling, interaction, exploration, and creativity to teach and enliven Bible stories. In Godly Play, for ages 4 through 3rd grade, marvelous things happen as children “work, play and wonder together at the awesomeness of God.”
Holy Eucharist Lessons
We offer a few classes yearly on the Holy Eucharist.
Vacation Bible School
In the summer, children ages 4 through rising 6th grade are invited to join our amazing youth and adult volunteers for themed Vacation Bible School. Our themes change yearly and have most recently included Surf Shack, Hero Central, Rolling River Rampage and Roar. Snack and T-Shirts are provided.
Acolytes.
The acolyte ministry trains our children to serve during worship and at the
altar. The acolytes gain experience with the liturgy, the priests and other
members of the worship ministries as they grow as individuals.
St. Paul’s Newnan Safeguarding Policies for the Protection of Children and Youth
St. Paul’s EYC (Episcopal Youth Community) embraces youth who are in the 6th through 12th grades. Our mission is to welcome everyone as we search for God in our lives through the Scriptures, prayers, outreach, and having fun together.
Acolytes.
The acolyte ministry trains our children to serve during worship and at the
altar. The acolytes gain experience with the liturgy, the priests and other
members of the worship ministries as they grow as individuals.
Our regular gatherings Include:
Sunday School (Sundays from 9:30 am-10:15 am)
6th and 7th grade youth meet weekly during the school year for Rite 13. Rite 13’s focus is to build self-esteem in the context of the Christian community and to prepare youth to be adults in the church. Rite 13 affirms the power of creative energy to explore thoughts and disciplines which allow individuals to effect change in the world.
8th – 12th grade youth meet weekly in the Youth Room. This group uses the J2A curriculum to continue their journey to be adults in the church, and they help plan the youth spring retreat and summer trip.
Stay Connected with St. Paul’s EYC:
Instagram: @stpaulsnewnan
Facebook groups: St. Paul’s EYC and St. Paul’s Episcopal
Remind Texts: text @6369fc to 81010 Diocese of ATL Policy for Safeguarding Children and Youth
St. Paul’s Newnan Safeguarding Policies for the Protection of Children and Youth
“If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. … We need not wait to see what others do.” — Gandhi
There are many ways to change ourselves, and volunteering at St. Paul’s is one of the best we can think of. Want to jump in with both feet? Offer to lead a ministry group, become a Eucharistic minister, or start a program you see a need for. Too much? Then, start small: sing in the choir, join the stewardship committee, or become a monthly coffee brewer!
Come, volunteer, and see if the attitude of the world changes toward you, or if your attitude toward the world changes others!
For volunteer opportunities, review the weekly bulletin, contact the church office, or Subscribe to The Constant Contact e-Newsletter.
Health and Healing
Daughters of the King:
The Daughters of the King is a prayer ministry open to the women of St. Paul’s. Evangelism, prayer, and service are our main goals. Any person can ask a Daughter to pray for them, for any reason, and we will continue to do so for 30 days. The Daughters generally meet the first Sunday of every month, after the 10:30 service. If you are interested in joining us, please contact the president, Jennifer Jones.
Grief Ministry:
This ministry assists the people of St. Paul’s who are grieving the loss of a close loved one. Four books and letters are sent to grieving parishioners upon the death of an immediate family member according to a recommended schedule.
Lay Eucharistic Visits:
The Lay Eucharist Visits ministry has expanded its service at Wesley Woods to weekly Eucharist and Prayers on Thursday Mornings at 10:30 am. Three Eucharistic Ministers were recruited to assist. They continue to make regularly scheduled Eucharistic visits to St Paul’s parishioners who are homebound. Please more information contact Bill Harrison.
Prayer Intercessors:
This ministry name was changed from Healing Intercessors to Prayer Intercessors. The Healing intercessors ministry’s purpose is to support parishioners through prayer. All prayer requests are held in confidence and can be for specific needs, needs of others, or unspoken. This ministry has blossomed this year. Membership has grown which has allowed them to be present in the transept before the 10:30 am service, during communion and after the 10:30 am service. Currently, the ministry is working to expand their ministry to make home visits to those requesting intercessory prayer at home. If you have a prayer request, questions about the ministry or would like to become a part of this ministry, please contact Anne Graner.
Online Healing Service Bulletin
Outreach
St. Paul’s has an active outreach community. We work to breathe life into our mission statement of seeking to see and serve Christ in all persons. We have a newly formed Outreach Committee and are working hard to create more quality outreach programs. Our overarching theme is to be ‘Rooted in Love’ in all we do for each other and for our community. We focus on the following outreach areas.
- Monthly Mission Market
- Community Grants
- Disaster Assistance
- Community Nonprofits and Local Churches Partnerships
- Work of our Hands Ministry that focuses on homelessness
St. Paul’s makes grants to nonprofit programs that provide basic needs to the most vulnerable of our neighbors. In addition to small grants (typically $2,500 or less), the Community Grants Ministry provides funds to organizations with local or regional affiliation, especially organizations with an Episcopal affiliation, organizations founded by St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, or organizations impacted by significant parishioner participation.
Angel TreeDuring the season of Advent, the Angel Tree is placed in the Narthex, covered in tags describing Christmas list items for needy individuals and families. Parishioners can take a tag and return the unwrapped item to the collection basket in the Parish Hall. The Angel Tree Team will use the items to create a display of generosity in the Parish Hall until the items are delivered.
Work of Our Hands Identifying ways parishioners can provide hands-on service and encouraging participation is the mission of this ministry. Our current outreach partners include:- Coweta Community Food Pantry
- One Roof
- Bridging the Gap
- NEST
This ministry provides a great opportunity to volunteer and help in one or more of these local community organizations.
For questions or comments, please contact Tammy Martin via email.Parish Life
The purpose of the Parish Life ministries is to provide opportunities within our parish for fellowship, spiritual growth, and celebration of special Holy Days of the liturgical calendar. For more information contact Elizabeth Pape.
Men’s Club:
The St. Paul’s Men’s Club was formed in 2007. The Men’s Club meets one Sunday a month at 6:00 p.m. for dinner and fellowship and is open to all St. Paul’s men and their guests. We host an annual BBQ sale & fundraiser, have prayerful conversations, take on special parish improvement projects and more! A yearly retreat of the Men is held where they spend time getting spiritually renewed. Contact Bob Heaberlin for more information.
Parish Library:
The mission of the library is to make books and other materials readily available to all St Paul’s parishioners and to provide support for church education programs. The library strives to make materials available that provide inspiration and knowledge to help individuals grow in their faith and to promote spiritual development. For more details contact Jennifer Jones.
Wednesday Night Suppers:
St. Paul’s families rotate teams that plan, prepare, and serve either home-cooked or restaurant-catered meals to church members and guests. Wednesday Night Suppers are a time to relax and take a night off cooking while enjoying the fellowship of others. People come not only to be in fellowship but also to use this as time to relax during the busy Wednesday night church programming. Volunteers can either be reimbursed or you can donate the meal.
Foyers:
Foyers Groups bring small groups of parishioners together to share meals and fellowship. Groups have autonomy to decide on meeting times and places, and the groups aren’t intended to do anything other than give members a chance to connect and get to know each other more deeply. Contact Marianne Lawhead. Welcoming had some significant accomplishments in 2023. First, our new visitor pew cards were finalized. These new cards have a QR code which allows visitors to enter their contact information directly into Realm using their cell phone. The new cards were used by about 15 families representing 42 individuals; 31 of whom transitioned into being members. We are still fine tuning our Welcoming pathway in Realm to help assist in following up and connecting with our guests. In addition, a welcoming brunch was held in the Spring during coffee hour to meet new members and their families. Plans for 2024 is to create a strong Newcomer environment that includes follow up and fellowship. A special thank you to Marianne Lawhead, Wendy LeVan, and Virginia Williams for their work on this ministry during 2023.
Welcoming:
St. Paul’s strives to make sure that all guests feel welcome while visiting or reaching out to St. Paul’s staff or ministry leaders. The following are the main ministries.
Coffee Hour:
Coffee hour provides our members refreshments during our fellowship time with our members and visitors following the 10:30 Sunday service.
Greeters:
The Greeters ministry continues to be a vital first point of contact for visitors and our current members on Sunday mornings. St. Paul’s greeters are the first line of contact for guests of St. Paul’s. They make sure that the door feels open to all who attend.
Java Crew:
Java Crew puts the coffee in coffee hour! This ministry group sets up St. Paul’s coffee service area and sees that fresh coffee is brewed and refilled during our coffee hour. Parishioners and guests can enjoy fresh coffee between our 8:30 and 9:30 am services. Many hands make tasks easier. If you would like to join Java Crew, please email Mindy Benefield at gacatfan@gmail.com.
Worship
Altar Guild:The purpose of the Altar Guild at Saint Paul’s is the care and preparation of the sanctuary and altar, vestments, vessels, linens, and supplies that are used in our liturgy. The objective of the Altar Guild is always “care, beauty and traditional correctness attended upon the worship of Almighty God.” Altar Guild members are responsible for the setup and clean up after all worship services, as well as weddings and funerals.
Eucharistic Minister:
The term “Eucharistic Minister”, or more properly a Lay Eucharistic Minister (LEM), is a lay person who assists the priest in administering the elements of Holy Communion, the consecrated bread and wine.
Flower Guild:
Members of the Flower Guild create fresh flower arrangements that are placed in the sanctuary each Sunday except during Lent and Advent and decorate the church for Christmas and Easter. They prepare additional flower arrangements for weddings, funerals, and baptisms.
Lectors:
Lectors read the Liturgy of the Word for the 8:30 and 10:30 am service and special services. The word consists of the Old Testament, Psalm, Epistle, and the Prayers of the People. This critical role helps to engage the participants in the liturgy.
Ushers:
The Usher ministry is a vital part of the worship service. Its purpose is to ensure that all visitors are made to feel welcome at St. Paul’s. This ministry provides usher services for both Sunday Services, Holy Week, Christmas Services, Funerals, and Memorial Services. The ushers also see that parishioners’ needs are met, that portions of the service (offering and Eucharist) flow smoothly, and that the church is left in good condition for the next service. In addition, the ushers also provide a sense of security for the church during the services.
Vergers:
A lay minister who assists the clergy in the conduct of worship, especially in the marshaling of processions. Vergers usually serve for the 10:30 am Sunday Services, Holy Week, Christmas Services, Funerals, Memorial Services, and other special services. For more details, contact Tony King.
“Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.” Colossians 3:16 Diocesan Policies – Exploitation Adults
