St. Joe's Dispatch | April 2nd, 2025
I. From the Desk of the Senior Warden
Dear St Joseph’s Community,
Greetings from your senior warden! As I am new to the role, and still don't know many of you, Vicar Lauren thought it would be a good idea to introduce myself, and some of the priorities on which the vestry will be focusing this year. I'll start by sharing some of my own story, because maybe my winding path to St. Joe’s looks something like yours. I was raised in Central Florida in the 1990s: the beating heart of the era’s evangelical revival. I saw Billy Graham at a football stadium, and I heard Christian rock at Disney World. I now see that subculture hid a repulsive underbelly, but I look back on it fondly anyway. It was not, though, the sort of faith that could survive a transplant to a secular Northern college. I spent a decade or so up North, with my confirmation necklace tossed into a drawer. After moving back South, though, I felt a church-ward pull. My wife Bethany and I attended Durham Friends Meeting, just down the road, for about a decade, and we were married under the care of that meeting.
A few years ago, and especially after having kids, I found myself wanting something different. It embarrasses me to write what I wanted. But if the Dispatch to a church community isn’t a safe space, then what is? I felt a call to God, and a call to Jesus. That’s how I found St. Joe’s, or how St. Joe’s found me.
I feel pretty certain that God called me to St. Joe’s. I feel much less certain that she called me to be senior warden. I’m sure, though, that Vicar Lauren did, and she can be persuasive, too. My main concern, when Lauren asked me if I’d consider serving in this role, was that I’m pretty new to St. Joe’s, and even to the Episcopal Church. One of the vicar’s responses was that many in our community are in that same position: this is a church full of newcomers, and full of people from different faith backgrounds. (Please stop me on a Sunday and say hello. I should be wearing a nametag, which you might not be able to see if I’m stooped down to manage one of my children, Oscar and Margot, who were baptized here last year.)
Because we have so many newcomers here, it might be useful to describe what a senior warden is, and what a vestry is, and what kind of things we do. Technically, I was elected by the parishioners to serve on the vestry, and the vestry elected me to serve as senior warden. I prefer not to think of myself as the primary lay leader of the church, but as the titular leader of the vestry. The vestry, made up of about a diverse cross-section of congregants (named below), is the truly significant body: the vestry has canonical oversight of most things that keep St. Joe’s humming. The vicar has charge over liturgical matters, the vestry over “temporal matters.” (In practice, of course, we have such wonderful clergy that most of church leadership is very much a team effort. At the same time, St. Joe's especially depends on lay leaders because, unusually for an Episcopal church, all of our clergy, indeed all of our staff, work for St. Joe's part-time.)
One of our main priorities this year is to think about the building & grounds at St. Joseph’s: what kinds of repairs we might need, what kinds of building projects we might undertake, how our land (the garden and the parking lot) can be best used, and how all of that might be paid for. Working on these questions is our Junior Warden, Isaac Lund; our standing committee on building and grounds, chaired by Sue Rice; and a wonderful new committee, which we’re calling the “Property Exploration Committee,” also chaired by Sue Rice. (This newest committee extends the work of last year’s similar property discernment committee, which was chaired by Deacon Kelly.)
But the vestry is thinking about smaller and more everyday issues, too: things like potlucks, childcare, nametags, programming, and more. I mention the many topics currently before the vestry because we want to hear from you! If you have thoughts or ideas, I encourage you to reach out, to me or to others on the vestry. My email is james.chappel@gmail.com.
I encourage all of you to find ways to engage St. Joseph's, beyond our worship services. I’m saying this not to make a pitch for help. Rather, I invite you to join fully into the life of St. Joe’s because St. Joe’s is a Church, and we’re members of it, in the most profound way that we can be members of anything. This isn’t like being a member of the AARP: we’re members of the Church the way that our hands and feet are members of our body. It can be hard to internalize that message, and it’s been one of the challenges for me in taking on this role. It’s easy to sometimes feel like the Church is really for other people, and that I don’t quite belong here. Maybe you’ve had thoughts like mine: “It’s that person over there, the one who was raised Episcopalian, and been coming for longer, and can sing all the harmonies—he’s the one who belongs here, and I’m just an interloper.” Maybe, like me, you struggle a bit with coffee hour and with socializing, and you’re prone to feel left out of things.
To be sure, the church relies on experienced members who know the particulars of St. Joe’s history, and who know the ins and outs of habits specific to the Episcopal church. But the church is also and especially a place of radical welcome. Here, and maybe nowhere else, you belong, absolutely and without question, as a child of God. And that belonging can and should take many forms, as you feel called. It might mean serving Communion or reading the Scriptures on Sunday; it might mean caring for, praying with, or generally getting to know our St. Joe’s children; it might mean serving grits at the Breakfast Ministry. You might feel that you’re not prepared to do these things, or that you haven’t been here long enough, or that those tasks are really for other people, or that you might not do a good job. I want to encourage you, though, to think about it differently. The church relies on imperfect labor from uncertain hands and love from uncertain hearts. There isn’t any other kind.
As we edge toward Holy Week, I've been thinking about how Peter, James, and John fell asleep when Jesus asked them to stay awake with Him. Even the closest friends of Jesus messed up from time to time. We all do, and we all will, in our service to the church and beyond (I have already made mistakes as senior warden that make me cringe). That's not the whole story, though: Peter, James, and John wake up when Christ called them. And He is about to call us, too, and give us a glimpse of a redeemed world. We are headed towards Easter Sunday: the most joyous day of the year. I’m grateful for the opportunity to celebrate it with you, and to deepen our shared ministry together throughout the Easter season and beyond.
Yours in Christ,
James Chappel (James.chappel@gmail.com)
The St. Joe’s vestry comprises:
Senior Warden James Chappel * Junior Warden Isaac Lund * Treasurer Elliot Krause * Clerk Lauren Norton * Members-at-large Paul Siceloff, Sarah Neff, Annalise Straw, Jonathan Jones, George Brine
II. Holy Week at St. Joe’s
Community Breakfast every weekday morning beginning at 7:00 am in the Parish Hall. Morning Prayer every weekday beginning at 8:15 am in the church.
***If you would like to serve in a liturgical role during Holy Week email Hannah and she can share different opportunities available.
Family Service: Wednesday, April 16, 5:15 PM, Parish House
Tenebrae: Wednesday, April 16, 6:00 PM, church
Maundy Thursday: Thursday, April 17, 6:00 PM, church
Night Watch: Thursday, April 17 beginning at 7:00 pm- Friday, April 18 concluding at 8:15 am before Morning Prayer, church. Sign up here.
Good Friday Liturgy: Friday, April 18, 6:00 PM, church
Holy Saturday: Saturday, April 19, 10:30 AM, church
The Great Vigil of Easter: Saturday, April 19, 9:00 PM, church
Dessert social in the Parish House following the Easter Vigil. Email CJ Surbaugh to sign-up.
Easter Sunday: Sunday, April 20, 10:30 AM & 6:00 PM, church
III. Announcements
Parish Potluck lunch * Sunday, April 27, immediately following the 10:30 am service outside (or, in the parish house if weather is terrible). If your last name starts A-I bring: salad/veggies; if J-R: cold cuts/cheese slices; if S-Z: dessert. Drinks and bread/rolls will be provided. Questions? Email Jan Krause. (Please note - there is no May potluck; it has been replaced by the newcomers’ soiree.)
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Casserole Bake for Breakfast * Saturday, April 5, beginning at 9:30 am in the Parish Hall. Questions? Email Fr. Lachlan.
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Song in a Weary Throat discussion * Monday, April 7 from 6:00-7:30 pm at Fr. Lachlan’s home. We will focus on chapters 26, 27, 31, 32, and 34. Questions? Email Fr. Lachlan.
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Breakfast Fundraiser Letter Writing * Help raise money for our breakfast ministry. We’ll gather to write letters and send emails to friends and family who might wish to sponsor a day of breakfast.
Thursday, April 11, 5:00-7:00 pm at the Vicars house with cocktails, mocktails, and savory nibbles.
If you cannot attend a gathering but wish to participate in fundraising (or have any questions), email Hannah and she will be happy to provide you with all the information you need to involve your friends and family in supporting our breakfasts.
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Parish Workday * Saturday, April 12 is our monthly parish workday! Our tasks vary each month depending on the season and changing needs outside and inside the buildings. No special skills are required. We will begin to work at 10:00 am-2:00 pm—but come anytime and stay for as long as you like. Questions? Email Isaac.
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Confession during Lent * Vicar Lauren or Fr. Lachlan will be in the Romanian church space, at the top of our Parish House, each Wednesday of Lent from 5:00 to 5:50 pm, for confession. If there is a sign on the door indicating that pastoral conversation is happening within, please wait in the vestibule. You may also email Vicar Lauren or Fr. Lachlan to make an appointment to confess at a different time, and they can provide suggestions about how to prepare for a confession.
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Spiritual Friendship Group for young adults (~20 to 39) * Wednesday evenings during the season of Lent. The group will gather following Evening Prayer at 7:00 pm at Julia’s house. During Lent, the group will be focused on going deeper in the season: into hope, grief, repentance, and reconciliation accompanied by the book of Lamentations. Email Julia for the address.
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Fellowship Opportunity for Folks 40 & Older * Newcomers and others! If you're 40+, please join us at our first monthly St. Joe's “Food & Fellowship” lunch! We will gather at The Refectory Cafe at 11:45 am on Wednesday, April 30, to enjoy each other's company and welcome newcomers into the weave of St. Joe's parish life. Questions? Please email Julia Hoyle or Frances Dowell.
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Newcomers Soiree * Friday, May 2, 5:00-7:00 pm at Vicar Lauren’s home. RSVP here. Questions? Email Lauren Norton. We hope anyone is new or newish to St. Joe’s will join us, and we also hope many who are not so new will join — exactly so that newer folks can meet some people who have been part of St. Joe’s a bit longer. All are welcome!
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Save the date for a three-part discussion of Spiritual Practices for Resilience and Resistance * at the vicar’s house, May 26, June 5, and June 16, from 7:00 to 8:30 pm.
IV. Art
V. Community Events
Ancestral Wisdom: The Struggle for Liberation * Friday, April 4- Saturday, April 5 featuring Dr. Sarah Azaransky, who will delve into the global roots of the civil rights movement with a discussion of her groundbreaking book, This Worldwide Struggle: Religion and the International Roots of the Civil Rights Movement. Learn more and RSVP here.
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Film Screening of The Last Partera * Sunday, April 6 at 1:30 pm at Cinema 1 at the Carolina Theatre. This lyrical feature film follows a 100-year-old traditional Costa Rican midwife, Doña Miriam Elizando, through her final years. Read more here about the film.
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Writing your Multigenerational Story with Dr. Zelda Lockhart * Thursday, April 10, 4:00-6:00 pm at the Nasher. Lockhart's work focuses on the power of nature to connect us across barriers and heal our generations. Her works include her novels Trinity, Fifth Born and Fifth Born II, and Cold Running Creek in addition to a collection of essays on writing titled The Soul of the Full-Length Manuscript. At this event, Lockhart will share the unanswered family questions that led to her genealogy research for Trinity and Cold Running Creek while leading attendees in an interactive experience. RSVP here.