On Wednesday, October 28, join us for an evening of prayer, pumpkins, and pizza! Immediately following our intergenerational, family-friendly 5:30 p.m. service of evening prayer in the chapel, all are invited to stay for St. Paul's annual pumpkin-decorating and pizza party. Bring your own pumpkin - we’ll provide the carving tools, along with stickers and paint for our younger artists. Halloween costumes are highly encouraged and awards will be given for the best single and group costumes! So come dressed to impress or get some laughs or both! Parishioners, friends, and neighbors are all welcome.

Parishioners, friends, and neighbors are encouraged to participate in IMPACT's Annual Assembly on Monday, October 26, from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. at Church of the Incarnation (1465 Incarnation Drive). St. Paul's is a founding member of IMPACT, a faith-based justice ministry coalition of more than two dozen local congregations with a proven track record of effecting positive change for the poor and marginalized in the Charlottesville area. We will gather with IMPACT's other member congregations to kick off the next year of doing justice together, drawing inspiration from testimonies and stories from neighbors yearning for a more just Charlottesville and Albemarle County.

St. Paul's families with kids of all ages are invited to gather for some fall family fun at Blue Ridge Mountain Maze on Saturday, October 17, from 3 - 5 p.m. We’ll have a private space for our group to gather in addition to enjoying the public maze, the “farmy fun zone” playground with farm animals, a private bonfire for youth group aged kids, and general fall merriment for all! Tickets at the door cost $16 for adults and $15 for kids twelve and under (financial assistance is available).

Calling all creatures great and small! Parishioners, friends, neighbors, and pets are invited to gather in the church on Wednesday, October 7, at 5:30 p.m. for a brief, beautiful, and potentially chaotic service of prayer, music, and blessings for our beloved animals.

After the service, join us for dinner on the lawn, and an award ceremony honoring the best dressed pets! To participate in the contest simply bring your pet in their finest, funniest, or most delightfully ridiculous attire. Following dinner, children are invited to help make treats for our feathered friends in honor of St. Francis’ love for the birds.

Bring your dogs, cats, rabbits, reptiles, stuffed animals, or any critter special to you. Rumor has it a horse may even make an appearance! If your pet can’t join us, bring a photograph instead. Blessings will abound for all!

The Zephyrus Early Music Ensemble (directed by Megan Sharp) will sing Choral Evensong – with music from Richard Ayleward, Philippe de Monte, and Gerald Near – for the 6:30 p.m. service on Sunday, October 4. Evensong is a form of Evening Prayer that draws from the medieval Latin offices of Vespers and Compline. This service is unique to churches of the Anglican Communion and has remained unchanged for centuries. Most of the service is sung by the choir to special choral settings of the liturgy.

Parishioners of all ages are invited to join a small group of University Fellowship students to explore how physical places shape our emotions, attention, relationships, and spiritual lives, through a series of “field trip” visits to different sacred spaces in the area. The first gathering will take place on Friday, October 2, at 6 p.m. at St. Paul's Ivy.

Inspired by the Celtic Christian idea of "thin places," places where the boundary between the earthly and divine seems especially thin, the group will gather at St. Paul’s, Ivy to experience the space together and consider what makes a place feel beautiful, peaceful, meaningful, or sacred. The evening will include a brief introduction, time for quiet observation and reflection, small-group conversation, and a closing discussion about how architecture, light, sound, material, history, and landscape shape our experience of sacred space.

On Sunday, September 27, guest organist Albrecht von Gaudecker (former St. Paul's organist) will present a 30-minute organ recital at 6 p.m., followed by Choral Evensong at 6:30 p.m. for the Feast of St. Michael & All Angels, sung by our Parish Choir (directed by Deke Polifka).

Albrecht will play the complete Symphonie No. 3 by French composer Louis Vierne, showcasing our amazing 1926 E. M. Skinner pipe organ. Evensong includes the St. Paul’s Service by Charles Villiers Stanford and Edgar Bainton's beautiful anthem And I saw a new heaven, as well as festive hymns and service music by Philip Radcliffe.

Choral Evensong, considered the crown jewel of the Anglican choral tradition, is a form of Evening Prayer that draws from the medieval Latin offices of Vespers and Compline. This service is unique to churches of the Anglican Communion and has remained unchanged for centuries. All are invited to this beautiful service of music and prayers. A reception with light refreshments will follow the service.

On Sunday, September 27, Dr. Mark Braverman will deliver the 2026 Koinonia Lecture, Talking About Israel And Palestine: The Challenge To The Churches In The Age Of Gaza, at 4:30 p.m. at St. Paul’s. The lecture will be followed by a reception in the parish hall. All are invited to attend our 6:30 p.m. Choral Evensong after the reception.

Dr. Mark Braverman was raised in the Jewish tradition, with deep family roots in the Holy Land. Since 2006 Dr. Braverman has devoted himself to the global church movement for Palestine, working with clergy, churches, and ecumenical bodies in the United States and internationally. He has published and lectured widely on Kairos theology, Christian Zionism, post-Holocaust theology, Christian-Jewish relations, and the call of the Palestinian Christians. Dr. Braverman will discuss the background for the current crisis and bring key texts from scripture to bear on the question of the biblical promises, the challenge of Christian Zionism, the weaponization of antisemitism, and the historic role of the church as a moral compass and force for change.

This year's Cville Pride Festival will take place on Saturday, September 26, at the Ting Pavilion. Parishioners are invited to stop by the St. Paul’s table anytime between 12:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. as we celebrate and share with our neighbors the good news of inclusive, LGBTQ-affirming Christian community. For more information, contact Assistant Rector Caroline Carolin at caroline.carolin@spmcuva.org.

Please join the newly-formed St. Paul’s Mses. & Moms, a group of St. Paul’s women of all ages (with and without children) looking for friendship, solidarity, and a delicious treat. The group will have its first meeting Friday, September 18, from 5-7 p.m. at Cou Cou Rachou. Questions? Contact Erin Micheletti at emicheletti@gmail.com.

Students are invited to stay after the 10 a.m. service for brunch outside the TUF Study Space (120 Chancellor Street – look for the tent). Students will have the opportunity to meet the other students members of St. Paul's, to tour the TUF Study Space, and to get to know University Chaplain Peter Kang.

Parishioners, newcomers, visitors, and friends are warmly invited to St. Paul’s on Wednesday, August 26, at 5:30 p.m. as we resume our Wednesday Evening Prayer service in the Chapel, followed by a Welcome Back Picnic. Help us celebrate as we begin our program year and welcome new and returning UVA students. The Primary, Junior, and Parish Choirs all resume rehearsals that day as well.

On Sunday, August 23, we will kick off our fall programming, including fellowship and Christian formation programs for all ages. The 6:30 p.m. evening worship service, followed by food and fellowship, will resume that day as well.

After our 10 a.m. service on Pentecost Sunday, May 24, all are invited to a reception on the front lawn, where we will celebrate and recognize the leaders and participants in all of our children's and youth ministries, from nursery through high school. The reception will include cupcakes for all!

St. Paul’s will observe Ascension Day (May 14) with a special Thursday edition of our weekly Tuesday Eucharist in the Chapel at 12:15 p.m. Bring a sandwich or bag lunch to eat in the courtyard immediately following the service.

Our annual Easter egg hunt will take place on the front lawn immediately following the 9 a.m. service on Sunday, April 5. Kids through grade 5 are invited to bring their own basket or bag and gather on the front steps for the hunt!

Palm Sunday Choral Worship Service

St. John Passion, by Bob Chilcott

Sung by the choirs of:

• St. Paul’s Memorial Church, Charlottesville

• Christ Church, Charlottesville

• St. Paul’s, Ivy

On Sunday, March 29, at 6:30 p.m., St. Paul’s will present a special choral worship service for Palm Sunday. Our Parish Choir, joined by the choirs of Christ Church and St. Paul’s, Ivy will offer Bob Chilcott’s complete St. John Passion. William Ferguson, tenor, will be the guest soloist, serving in the role of the Evangelist, narrating the story of Jesus's trial and crucifixion. The choir and soloists are accompanied by organ and cello, and there are several hymns for the choir and congregation within the hour-long work. The Gospel texts are paired with English poems from the thirteenth to seventeenth centuries expressing human responses to death, to life, and to humankind’s relationship with God and creation.

Parishioners, friends, and neighbors are invited to participate in IMPACT’s annual Nehemiah Action on Tuesday, March 24, at 6:30 p.m. at Charlottesville High School's MLK Performing Arts Center. This powerful event unites local faith communities in advocating for social justice in the Charlottesville area. Our presence shows a collective dedication to a more just community.

St. Paul’s is a founding member of IMPACT, an interfaith coalition of more than two dozen local congregations bringing a faith-based perspective to problems of injustice in Charlottesville and Albemarle County.

At the Nehemiah Action, St. Paul’s parishioners will join hundreds of others from various local faith communities to seek commitments from county officials on solutions for funding affordable housing and reducing public transportation wait times. IMPACT will also be exploring solutions on our new issue campaign focusing on neighborhood safety.

All parishioners are urged to participate in the Nehemiah Action regardless of previous involvement with IMPACT! We hope to see at least 150 St. Paul’s parishioners attend this year as we demonstrate our commitment to a more just Charlottesville. Please consider inviting at least three others to join you at this important event. Our presence shows a collective dedication to a more equitable community. Together, we can make a difference!

Parishioners, newcomers, and friends in their 20s and 30s are invited to sit together and enjoy soup and conversation at the first Common Hour Sunday of our Lenten series on faith and science on Sunday, February 22. Afterwards we will head to Cou Cou Rachou for refreshments and pastries. For questions or to be added to the 20s & 30s email list, contact the Rev. Caroline Carter: caroline.carter@spmcuva.org.