St. Joe's Dispatch | June 26th, 2025
I. From the Desk of Lauren Norton, Vestry member
Dearests of St. Joe’s —
“Silence is God’s first language; everything else is a poor translation.” Thomas Keating, O.C.S.
I am a lover of words, a “word-nerd” if you will. I like reading words, writing words, speaking words, hearing words, singing words, and soaking in the meaning words bring me. It’s one of the reasons I worship in the Episcopal tradition. The Book of Common Prayer is rich with the beautiful words of our liturgies, and when I pray them aloud with others, I am drawn in deeper to God.
But I am also a lover of silence. I’ve lived alone with great swaths of silence for years now, and I can’t imagine any other way. But until recently, my prayers were never prayers of silence but always prayers of words. I had been taught to think of prayer as a conversation with God--me praising, thanking, and asking God, then waiting to hear what God said back to me. To be other than “active” in prayer meant I wasn’t doing it right.
Then I stumbled onto contemplative prayer. Contemplative prayer, centering prayer, breath prayer. All are names for practices which--though nuanced and distinct in some ways--share the commonality of silence. In each of them, we meet God by sitting in silence and resting in the Spirit. It’s spending quiet time with the Beloved with no agenda other than to love and be loved, to abide with God and open to the Spirit within us.
There are ways to begin silent prayer time (icons, Scripture, poetry), and ways to stay in it. Thoughts come and go, of course, when I try to sit in silence. Irritations and fears raise their gnarly heads, or I wonder what’s new on Netflix or think about what ice cream’s in the freezer. It happens. Thomas Keating, a Trappist theologian and one of the most influential architects of centering prayer, counsels that one should simply regard each thought as a boat passing by as you sit on a riverbank. Attach no judgment to being distracted, just observe the thoughts and let them go as they pass out of sight on the river of your consciousness. All that matters is your presence.
I am relatively new to this solitary practice, but I’ve also had the gift of sitting in contemplative prayer with others. It is a sacred experience and one we want to offer to the community of St. Joe’s.
In the fall, we plan to offer a bi-monthly silent prayer sit. There are two possibilities for day and time: 1) noon on a weekday or 2) Friday night at 6:00. If you are curious about contemplative prayer and think you might want to join us, contact me at nortonlauren89@gmail.com. Please state which of the two time slots you prefer. With that feedback we’ll commit to one of them and start the sessions mid-September.
I hope you’ll join us in what author David G. Benner calls “the purest form of response we can make to that remarkable invitation simply to be with God.”
Yours,
Lauren Norton
II. Announcements
Fellowship Opportunity for Folks 40 & Older * Newcomers and others! If you’re 40+, please join us at our monthly St. Joe’s “Food & Fellowship” lunch! We will gather at The Refectory Cafe at 11:45 am on Wednesday, June 25, to enjoy each other's company and welcome newcomers into the weave of St. Joe's parish life. Questions? Email Julia Hoyle, or Frances Dowell.
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St. Joe’s Families * Come join in some summer fun at the Barton-Phillips home, on Saturday July 12 at 10:00 am. We’ll have a slip ‘n’ slide, little splash pad, and kiddie pool, as well as snacks and drinks. Email Jamie to RSVP.
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Breakfast Reset * Breakfast will not gather the week of July 21-25 for a reset. During that week we will repaint the downstairs of the parish house along with other arranging and cleaning. If you are able to assist with these tasks during this week please reach out to Brent Heiser.
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Diocesan Intern * The diocese asks people discerning whether God is calling them to become priests or deacons to do some of their reflection in a church that’s not their ‘home church,’ in part so that they can be sure their call of love is to the larger church, not just to their particular parish. The diocese has sent St. Joe’s many wonderful discernment interns in recent years, and now blesses us with Eli Wanner, who will begin his internship with us this Sunday. Eli lives in Durham with his wife Jenna. He currently serves as the youth minister at Church of the Holy Family in Chapel Hill and holds a Master of Divinity degree from Duke Divinity School. He's very much looking forward to being a part of the St. Joe's community over the next six months! His chief Sunday presence will be at our evening service; he’ll also be pitching into children’s ministry and breakfast.
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Fr. Lachlan is away from June 20 until July 25 * He will be in London, visiting family and the archives of 19th-century architectural societies as part of his academic work at Duke. If you have questions about Breakfast, please email Breakfast Minister Katherine and Breakfast Intern Weston. If you have pastoral concerns, you are always welcome to contact Vicar Lauren, Deacon Jan, Deacon Kelly, or our Priest Associate, Miriam. For other concerns, email Parish Administrator Hannah and she will be able to point you in the right direction.
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Vestry Highlights
Behind the Scenes: Thanks to Patty Michaels for overseeing the installation of a new light in the church parking lot. The existing light pole is owned by the City of Durham but has been broken for years. Thanks to Patty's efforts, Duke Energy has installed a new light and the parking lot is now better lit. Thanks also to Paul Siceloff and Julia Hoyle for their detailed work completing a video inventory of church items. For insurance purposes a new inventory was required, and they spent a great deal of time cataloging the many items.
Staff Support: Senior Warden James Chappel and vestry member Jonathan Jones are in the process of gathering the letters of agreement for all staff members. It is good business practice to have the letters updated and on hand, but there's an equally important pastoral reason: for vestry to know the concrete number of hours staff members are being paid for so that we can adjust our expectations of them and their time accordingly. Every staff member works part-time, and it is the church's responsibility to honor the letter of agreement and support their overall well-being.
III. Art
IV. Community Events
Choral Evensong with Newly Composed Music * Sunday, June 29, at 4:00 pm. The Evensong will debut two original compositions written for the Duke Chapel Evensong Singers specifically for the service. The first is a musical setting for the service's Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis texts composed by Robert Lehman. The second is the anthem “We Sing of God, the Mighty Source” with music written by Gary Davison. Duke Chapel's Evensong worship service follows the Evening Prayer liturgy from the Book of Common Prayer with music from the English cathedral tradition.