St. Paul’s is a vibrant parish with many opportunities to grow in faith through worship, formation, outreach and fellowship. There are also many ways for our members to serve God and others by getting involved in the following ministries of the church.
For more information and a referral to the leaders of any of these ministries, contact Betsy Reiners, Membership Coordinator, at breiners@stpauls-ws.org.
Acolytes—Acolytes serve as crucifers, servers and torchbearers during services. Youth acolytes are organized into teams led by adult volunteers who coordinate their teams’ service schedules. Adult acolytes serve as needed at weddings, funerals and other services.
Agape Host Ministry—The members of this ministry assist those who have lost loved ones by extending the care and comfort of Christ’s love to them and their families at the time of the funeral. These hosts are present with the family before, during and after the service.
Altar Guild—Members of the Altar Guild prepare the church and the chapel for the celebration of the Eucharist and for all other services, making sure linens, sacred vessels, vestments and communion supplies are all maintained and available.
Archives and Records Management Team—This group is dedicated to documenting the history of St. Paul’s and managing, restoring and preserving church artifacts and archives.
Backpack Program—The Backpack Program is a weekend nutrition program which provides breakfast and lunch for the neediest children at any given school. St. Paul’s has run its Backpack Program in collaboration with the Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina and South Fork Elementary School since April 2011.
Bookshop—The Bookshop offers Christian-themed books, Bibles, cards and gifts for sale. The shop is staffed by volunteers who typically work one day each month. Profits support outreach programs at St. Paul’s.
Buildings and Grounds Committee—This committee works closely with the church staff to identify and prioritize projects for maintenance and improvement related to St. Paul’s buildings and grounds. Proposals for work are evaluated and recommendations made to the Vestry for approval. The staff then oversees the implementation of work. Several volunteers maintain gardens on the church grounds.
Caring in Community: Mental Health and Wholeness—St. Paul’s is collaborating with Duke Divinity School to envision and enact new practices and programs related to health and healthcare, to promote the health and well-being of communities, and to walk faithfully with people living with mental and physical illness or disability.
Chalice Bearers—Chalice Bearers assist the clergy at services of Holy Eucharist throughout the year. They are licensed by the bishop to administer consecrated wine to the congregation.
Choirs— The music ministry at St. Paul’s is an opportunity for service, musical education and spiritual enrichment for all ages based in the Anglican choral tradition. Its primary purpose is to enrich the worship of God. All the choirs sing every Sunday for services September through May as well as for the primary Feast Days and often for diocesan services. Special services include Choral Evensong, A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols for Christmas, and the Feast of Lights for Epiphany.
Christian Formation for Adults—Christian formation is a life-long process that involves the various aspects of our communal life together, such as liturgy, prayer, pastoral care, outreach and Christian education. The Adult Christian Formation Committee coordinates a variety of spiritual formation opportunities on Sunday mornings for adults at St. Paul’s. In addition, the committee plans weeknight classes and seasonal events and helps facilitate small groups.
Christian Formation for Children—The Children’s Ministries relies on its volunteers to be the face, hands and heart of love to the many children who step through the doors of St. Paul’s. Volunteers act as chaplains and helpers, formation class teachers, event helpers and committee members.
Christian Formation for Youth—Whether it’s Sunday morning formation leaders, EYC volunteers, drivers, cooks or prayers, our youth ministry is always looking for people who have a heart for expressing the Jesus way to our young congregants. Our mission and vision challenge us to create a community of love and acceptance without worry of judgment or prejudice. If you are all about expressing St. Paul’s as “a house of prayer for all people,” then youth ministry might be for you.
Communications Committee—The Communications Committee advises and works with the Communications Director on all aspects of communications within and beyond the parish. Members include professional communicators as well as others who share an interest in supporting effective communications at St. Paul’s.
Crisis Ministry—The Crisis Ministry provides financial assistance to low-income people with significant health issues who are often referred by local health agencies such as Cancer Services, the Department of Social Services and Sunnyside Ministry. The Crisis Ministry is made possible by the Stedman Funds through The Winston-Salem Foundation.
Ecclesiastical Arts—The Ecclesiastical Arts Committee is concerned with maintaining the historic, liturgical and architectural integrity of St. Paul’s church and grounds. This includes recommendations to the Vestry for expenditure of funds from the Ecclesiastical Arts Fund to support various long-term or permanent architectural, decorative or liturgical enhancements.
Education for Ministry (EfM)—EfM is a four-year program offered by the School of Theology at Sewanee, The University of the South. EfM equips lay persons responding to the call to Christian ministry. Participants study Old Testament, New Testament, Church History and Theology.
Episcopal Church Women—Episcopal Church Women (ECW) is a national Episcopal organization that helps the women of the Episcopal Church carry on Christ’s work of reconciliation in the world and gives women a variety of opportunities for leadership in the life, governance and worship of the church. The ECW sponsors several women’s circles as well as a number of service and fund-raising projects throughout the year.
Eucharistic Visitors—Eucharistic Visitors are licensed by the bishop to administer the consecrated bread and wine to those who are unable to come to church. Some visit parishioners in private homes while others visit them in assisted living and health care facilities.
Faith and Justice Committee—The Faith and Justice Committee works to educate parishioners and the wider community about the Gospel’s call to become a community of justice, advocacy, action and service in Jesus’s name.
Finance Committee—Those who serve on the church Finance Committee provide financial oversight, guidance and recommendations to church staff, clergy and the Vestry. The finance committee usually meets once a month.
Flower Guild—Guild members arrange altar flowers for all services in the nave and chapel at St. Paul’s.
Foyers—Foyers dinner groups offer a great way to get better acquainted with the St. Paul’s parish family. Self-managed groups of eight to ten parishioners get together regularly over the course of the year for food, fun and fellowship.
Funeral Receptions Committee—This committee ministers to bereaved families by setting up and serving refreshments at receptions following funeral services at St. Paul’s.
Guild of the Christ Child—This ministry serves parish families expecting or adopting a child. For many years, the Guild has been a warm and loving presence, helping welcome newborns and newly-adopted children into the parish by offering prayers, notifying clergy of the new arrival, providing “care packages” and a meal, and by sending cards on the children’s birthdays and the anniversaries of their baptisms.
Healing Prayer Team—Team members offer prayers for healing of body, mind and spirit on request at services of Holy Eucharist.
Hospitality Committee—The Hospitality Committee’s purpose is to set up, decorate, serve and clean up after parish receptions, dinners and special events. The committee also consults with individual committee chairs about set up and decorations for their committees’ events.
Jail and Prison Ministry—The Jail and Prison Ministry conducts a worship service at the jail one Sunday each quarter. Trained volunteers participate in the service, read lessons and Prayers of the People, and sing and play hymns. This ministry gives volunteers the opportunity to bring the Gospel to those on the margins of our society.
Kids’ Café—The Kids’ Café Ministry is a partner with Second Harvest Food Bank’s Children’s Nutrition Program. The goal is to feed students’ bodies, minds and spirits. Three evenings per week, students in grades K-12 receive an evening meal followed by a homework session guided by volunteers who assist the students with daily assignments, school projects, test preparation and remedial help in reading and math.
Lectors—Lectors read the Old and New Testament Lessons and Prayers of the People during services throughout the year.
Library Guild—The Library Guild welcomes people who like to work with books and with each other. There are a wide variety of jobs for volunteers, including some that can be done at home, some that need to be done at the Library, some that are scheduled and some that you can do on your own time.
Memorials Committee—This committee manages and disburses money that the church receives as memorial gifts. Applications are accepted for review for various projects, and the committee makes recommendations to the Vestry for the final decision on disbursement.
Men’s Ministry—The Men’s Ministry offers adult men opportunities for fellowship, discipleship and service throughout the year. The Dudley Colhoun Men’s Prayer Breakfast meets on Friday mornings year-round. From September through May, teams of 10 to 12 men take turns preparing Sunday breakfast for parishioners. The ministry sponsors a Monday night dinner series September through May.
Office Volunteers—Parishioners regularly serve by answering the telephones and helping with administrative tasks for a few hours each week.
Outreach Funding Advisory Committee—This committee makes recommendations to the Vestry for financial outreach support from the Stedman Fund, administered by The Winston-Salem Foundation, and from the St. Paul’s Fund, which is drawn from undesignated gifts to St. Paul’s.
Planned Giving Committee—The Planned Giving Committee develops strategies to encourage planned gifts to St. Paul’s and oversees St. Paul’s 1876 Society, which honors those who have informed the church of their intentions to include St. Paul’s in their plans.
ReadWS—The mission of ReadWS is to reach, teach and advocate for struggling readers by training tutors, educators and parents to use the evidence-based best practices of a multisensory literacy approach. We focus on students who are at an economic disadvantage.
Recovery Committee—The mission of the Recovery Committee is to educate parishioners about the disease of addiction and the paths to recovery with the goal of fostering a caring and approachable congregation supportive of those who are affected by this devastating illness.
ROSES Visitation Ministry—A joint effort of the Senior Adults and Stephen Ministries, “Reach Out and Serve Episcopal Seniors” pairs visitors with home-bound parishioners. After attending an orientation session, volunteer visitors typically make monthly visits lasting from 30 minutes to an hour.
Scouting—St. Paul’s sponsors Boy Scout Troop 910 for boys in sixth through twelfth grade and Cub Scout Troop 910 for boys in first through fifth grade.
Senior Adults—The Senior Adults Ministry offers fellowship, pastoral care and support to the parish’s senior adult population. Activities such as monthly luncheons, overnight trips and local outings are offered. The Senior Adults Minister calls on seniors in hospitals, nursing facilities, homes and retirement communities and counsels families on senior-related issues and available community resources. Sick, homebound and hospitalized parishioners are offered communion by clergy and Eucharistic Visitors each week. Holy Eucharist is celebrated the first Thursday in every month at Salemtowne and Arbor Acres communities.
Stephen Ministry—Stephen Ministry is a program that equips lay persons to provide confidential and distinctively Christian care one-on-one to those experiencing various kinds of life needs and circumstances such as illness, divorce, loss of a loved one or loss of employment.
Stewardship Committee—The Stewardship Committee is concerned with current gifts and annual giving campaigns at St. Paul’s.
Summer Enrichment—For more than four decades, St. Paul’s has sponsored a Summer Enrichment Program for first through ninth graders who live in the Thurmond Street neighborhood and those who attend St. Paul’s Kids’ Café during the school year. The program provides a positive setting in which the children can develop self-esteem, establish healthy living skills and learn to appreciate God’s gifts. The four-week program runs from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. weekdays in July. Paid staff members manage the program and welcome volunteers who prepare lunches, teach classes and offer field trips and other opportunities for the students.
Ushers—Ushers welcome people, hand out service leaflets, collect the offering, assist with directing people during communion and pick up leaflets at the conclusion of the service. Scheduling is flexible, and the total time commitment is left to the individual.
Welcome Committee—The Welcome Committee greets, introduces and incorporates visitors and newcomers into the life of St. Paul’s. They are available at most Sunday services and other special services. The committee also sponsors social events for visitors and newcomers throughout the year.
Young Adults and Young Families—The Young Adults and Young Families Ministries serve parishioners in their 20s, 30s and 40s, married and single, with and without children. The groups plan formation, service, fund-raising and social events throughout the year.
Youth Ushers—Youth Ushers are sixth and seventh graders who assist adult ushers at the 9:00 a.m. Sunday services during the school year, handing out leaflets and collecting the offering.