Offering Time and Talents
St. Paul's provides many ways to offer your time and talents to God's Good Work. Here are just a few of the ministries you can participate in at St. Paul's. Our charge as His people is to be good stewards of our time and talents. We hope to offer our parish diverse opportunities to answer this charge.
Mission & Outreach
"...to minister to the world beyond our doors"
The community of St. Paul's remains focused on the Great Commission...to preach the Gospel to all the world, as well as the Great Commandment to love our neighbor as ourselves. To this end, the Mission and Outreach Committee acts as a steering commission to direct the parish in both evangelizing and addressing human needs in the corner of the world in which we have been placed.
We have been involved in a variety of projects and work to support a number of other community and church groups, including:
- St. Paul's Clothing Nook: a project serving clients of Bethany Center, providing them with new and gently used clothes at no cost. Clothes are donated by parishioners and others; parish members volunteer to staff the Nook
- "Spring Boat Sail (Sale)" for the Friends of Sri Lanka, a tsunami relief group
- Pastoral Support Group to provide a helping hand to parish members and their families
- Welcoming Ministry to introduce the church to those who come through our doors in search of a spiritual home
- Mexico Mission trips by the Cathedral congregation's Mission team
Meetings are open to all parishioners to provide input and to work on specific events.
Bethany Hospitality Center
St. Paul's was instrumental in the establishment of the Bethany Hospitality Center, a walk-in day center for people who are homeless, transient, or otherwise in need. Located on the second floor of the parish Guild House at 27 State Street, Bethany Center provides a nutritious lunch, a sitting area, occasional holiday celebrations, and staff assistance for the Center's guests. Parishioners at St. Paul's are involved as members of the board of directors and as volunteers in the Center's programs.
Food Pantry
St. Paul's sponsors the Community Food Pantry which currently operates from St. Anthony's Roman Catholic Church on State Street. Donations of dried goods, hygiene supplies (soap, etc.) or canned food is always welcome. Please leave donations in the baskets in the Church Narthex. The items are blessed each week during the 10 AM service and then taken over to the food pantry.
Choir and Music
The St. Paul's Choristers trace their distinguished history back to the time of the parish's founding in 1804. St. Paul's Church had the first vested choir in the City of Troy, and has maintained a long tradition of fine music both for its worship services and for special musical events. The church was the site of the American premiere of Stainer's The Crucifixion around the turn of the 20th century.
For many years the choir consisted solely of men and boys but now it is open to men and women of all ages upon audition with the Choirmaster. The St. Paul's Choristers rehearse on the first and third Thursdays of the month at 7:00 PM and sing on Sundays at 10:00 AM as well as for special musical events throughout the year. These include Choral Evensong on several Sunday afternoons, as announced, our annual spring concert, occasional joint programs with other area choruses and special music for festival celebrations including Christmas Eve and Easter.
For more details, please contact Mr. Brian Hoffman, Organist and Choirmaster, at the Parish Office, (518) 273-7351, or through his web site: www.brianhoffmanorganist.com. There is a link there to contact Brian with any choir inquiries.
The Music School at St. Paul's
The Music School at St. Paul's offers quality music education to children between the ages of 7 and 11. As part of St. Paul's community outreach, all classes and materials are offered free of cost to the student. Meals are also provided to students between lessons.
Training Includes:
- Music Theory & Appreciation
- Vocal Technique
- Choral Ensemble
- Classical Repertoire
For more information go to www.stpaulsmusicschool.org
Sunday School
The new Sunday School at St. Paul's is designed to be:
- Educational.
- Fun.
- Intergenerational.
The Sunday School meets from 9am to 10am during the school year. We have moved the Sunday School to the parish hall to provide a larger space for music, game and craft activities.
The new curriculum is an exciting format that combines music, story-telling, games and crafts to teach the basics of the Christian Faith and the Bible.
Parents and older siblings are welcome to attend Sunday School.