The Rev. Bill Padgett, may he rest in peace

Dear Friends in Christ -
Our beloved Bill Padgett died yesterday morning (Tuesday) at 10:20 a.m. Please pray for the repose of his soul and for his dear Martha. With Martha, we celebrate Bill's life and mourn his loss. The Right Rev. Andrew Smith will preside at Bill's Requiem Eucharist, which will be held here at St. Paul's on Saturday (1/26) at 11:00 a.m. in the Chapel. A lovely reception will follow in the parish hall.

It is Martha's ardent wish that, in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions be given to St. Paul's (25 Church Street, Shelton - 06484).

Thank you for your faithful prayers for Martha and for all of us who loved Bill.
Faithfully yours,
Janet+

PS - following is Bill's obituary, which will appear in the Connecticut Post on Thursday morning:

Rev. William Henry Padgett Jr.
PADGETT Rev. William Henry Padgett, Jr., age 83, of Shelton, died Tuesday, January 22, 2008 at St. Joseph's Manor, Trumbull. He was the husband of Martha (Mudge) Padgett. Father Padgett was born in Holland, Mich., April 7, 1924, a son of the late William H. Padgett, Sr. and the late Eulala (Davis) Padgett and had resided in Shelton since 1998, moving here from Waterbury. He was a World War II veteran of the Army Air Corps, serving as a pilot of a B-29. He graduated from Michigan College of Mining and Technology in 1948 and spent more than 35 years working for the DuPont Co. as manager of engineering, working mostly in Europe and South America. Following his retirement, he entered the seminary at Yale Divinity School and received his MS degree from Berkley in 1985. He was ordained to the Episcopal Priesthood in 1988. In his first assignment, he was sent to Waterbury serving first at two churches and then eventually included serving at four churches, Trinity in downtown Waterbury and St. Mark's on Hewlett St. and St. George's in Middlebury and All Saints in Wolcott. Following his retirement, Father Padgett took a temporary assignment at St. John's Church in Sandy Hook to fill in until the appointment of a permanent Rector, but continued there as Rector until 2001. He also had served as Assistant to the Rector of Christ Church, Stratford from 1998 to the fall of 1999. While serving in the Waterbury area, he served as a member of the Board of the Children's Community School in Waterbury. He was a communicant of St. Paul Episcopal Church of Huntington, and was a member of the Order of St. Luke, serving as Chaplain. His hobbies included, golf, bowling, snowshoeing, skiing, and traveling. Besides his wife of 59 years, he leaves a brother, Rev. John F. Padgett of Jenison, Mich. and several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his brother and sister, James A. Padgett and Myrtle E. Kalkman. A Requiem Eucharist will be held on Saturday, January 26, 2008 at 11 a.m. in St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 25 Church Street, Huntington with the Rt. Rev. Andrew D. Smith, Bishop of the Diocese of Connecticut as principal con-celebrant, assisted by the Rev. Janet C. Wagoner, Rector of St. Paul's. There are no calling hours. The Alderson Funeral Home of Naugatuck, 201 Meadow Street is in charge of arrangements. Friends are asked to omit flowers. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 25 Church Street, Huntington, CT 06484.

The message when there's no message

Dear Friends in Christ -

As we've rolled into this New Year, the Blog has been quieter than usual. What's happening? The truth is that God is so hard at work among us that I'm having a hard time keeping up! There's a great deal to be thankful for:
-- January kicked-off with an awesome 12-Night Party
-- the Vestry has wrestled with the budget (and the budget deficit) and has exciting news to put forward at the Annual Meeting
-- our long-time Parish Administrator, Chris, has retired and our new Parish Administrator, Nancy, begins work tomorrow (Monday, 1/21)
-- the parish Nominating Committee has finished its work and has a full slate of candidates to put forward for parish offices and vestry
-- the Healing Ministers and members of the Prayer Chain had a wonderful retreat on Saturday 1/12 at Mercy Center in Madison
-- the Senior High Youth Group had an awesome retreat the weekend of 1/11-1/13 at Lake Champion
-- we had a great visit with Bishop Laura Ahrens today; lots of folks said her sermon - inviting us to "come and see" was right on target
. . . and there's more . . . but it's time for me to sign off and rest up.
In my last blog post, I asked you to pray . . . keep praying - it's working!!
Faithfully yours,
Janet+

An invitation to prayer . . .

Dear Friends in Christ -

Every once in a while, a special opportunity opens up in front of us. We have one before us now. Financial pressures on St. Paul's are increasing. The Finance Committee has been meeting monthly throughout this year to manage income and expenditures. The entire Parish has been increasingly informed and involved in meeting our financial obligations.

Please pray for the VESTRY as they meet tomorrow morning. Pray that God will give us wisdom, courage and strength to live as He calls us to - as people of the light, called in 2008 to "Build God's Kingdom."

Your partnership in this good work makes all the difference.
Faithfully yours,
Rev. Janet+

Happy New Year!!

Dear Friends in Christ -

Today is the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus. We celebrate the name of Jesus because there is power in it.

The third of the Ten Commandments is "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain." God is not some school-marm in the sky waiting to scold us for swearing. The reason for this Commandment is that there is power in the name of our Lord, and we don't want to dilute that power by speaking the name of Jesus or God too freely.

Indeed, God wants us to harness the power of the name of Jesus by speaking Jesus' name in the midst of challenges and sorrows and pains. Speaking the name of Jesus' brings His power to us as surely as if we were calling a best friend to help us in time of need.

Try it. Call to Jesus by name next time you are afraid or angry or hurt or weary. And then experience Him coming to be with you - in the midst of it all.

"At the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow, every tongue confess him King of glory now; 'tis the Father's pleasure we should call him lord, who from the beginning was the mighty Word."
"Name him, Christians, name him, with love strong as death, name with awe and wonder and with bated breath; he is God the Savior, he is Christ the Lord, ever to be worshiped, trusted, and adored."

Faithfully yours,
Janet+