Celebrating Our Ministries

Have you ever wondered what happens behind the scenes on Sundays? Do you appreciate the order and beauty
of our worship services? Do you have a knack for caring for very special items? The Altar Guild is the ministry
for you! Our Altar Guild is a faithful group of men, women, and teens who assist the clergy by attending to all the details — the linens, the silver and brass, the candles, the wafers, the wine, and the placement of the items needed for every worship service. Our Altar Guild also cleans and replaces these essentials after services and as needed. The only requirements are a heart for serving God and a willingness to learn!  For more information, email the Altar Guild.

Do you enjoy serving others? Would you like to be part of our Sunday worship team, but you’re not sure about public speaking? If so, the Chalice Bearers ministry could be just the one for you!

At St. Paul’s, Ivy, our chalicists are lay ministers who have been authorized to administer the consecrated wine during a celebration of Holy Eucharist. As the bearers of Christ’s blood, chalicists play an instrumental part in our Sunday worship services, and often find great meaning and connection with the Holy by serving God and God’s people in this very special way. They serve under the direction of the clergy of the church.  For more information, email the Chalice Bearer Guild.

Have you ever wondered how youth like you get to serve as one of the worship leaders on Sunday mornings? Do you like to learn new things and work on a team? If so, and you’re in middle school or high school, the Acolyte Guild is for you!

Acolytes assist the clergy and vergers with all the details of the service and make sure everything goes smoothly. Serving as an acolyte is a great way to learn more about our worship by experiencing it from the other side of the communion rail. It’s also a wonderful way to further develop your leadership and teamwork skills!  For more information, email the Acolyte Corps.

Do you like to tell a good story? Do you enjoy public speaking? Do you have a gift for sharing Holy Scripture with others? Then the Lectors Guild could be the ministry for you!

At St. Paul’s, Ivy, our Lectors provide an essential component of our worship services by reading the first two
scripture readings, which usually include one from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament. Our lectors are instrumental in helping us hear and learn about the amazing story of our salvation week after week.  For more information, email the Lector Guild.

Do you enjoy meeting people? Are you the kind of person who can adapt to a changing situation quickly? The Usher Guild could be the ministry for you!

Our ushers are some of the first people to meet those who come to our worship services. They offer a smile and a warm hello while they hand out bulletins before the service begins. During the service, the ushers count and record attendance for the service and collect the offering. After the service, ushers count and deposit the offering before straightening up the pews for the next service.

Our Evening Ushers serve during the program year at our 5:30 p.m. Contemplative Evening Prayer and Choral Evensong services. Their duties are much like the morning usher duties, but they also set up and clean up the simple reception that follows these services.  For more information, email the Usher Guild.

Do you appreciate order and decorum in our worship services? Can you also be flexible and change course quickly? Our vergers assist with setup for services, lead our processions in and out of the church, and work with our acolytes and clergy to ensure everyone is in the right place at the right time during the service. Vergers are also called upon to assist the clergy when something surprising happens in the middle of the service, which happens
more frequently than you might realize! For more information, email the Verger Guild.

Do you love beautiful music? Can you make a joyful noise? The Music and Choirs program at St. Paul’s, Ivy has
opportunities for you!

Our Parish Choir is the heartbeat of our music program and brings richness and splendor to our worship services. The choir’s repertoire ranges from medieval to modern, and Anglican choral music to beloved, old-time hymns.

We are also greatly blessed by our Children’s Choir, which rehearses weekly and sings in Sunday worship services several times a year.

One of the best ways to support our growing music program at St. Paul’s, Ivy, is by joining the Friends of Music, who volunteer to support the St. Paul’s, Ivy Concert Series, which offers free concerts for the community three or four times per year.

For more information, email our Director of Music Ministries, Gabriel Rhys Simerson.

Learn how you can serve in our Music programs!

Do you enjoy spending time with our younger brothers and sisters in Christ? Do you have a knack for teaching
or mentoring? Would you like to be involved in the church and have a lot of fun at the same time? The Children’s Formation program could be the ministry for you!

There are many ways to serve in our Children’s Formation programs: teaching our youngest members in Godly Play on Sunday mornings, helping in Children’s Chapel, volunteering with Vacation Bible Camp or the annual Christmas Pageant, caring for our Children’s Library, and lots more!

To learn more about serving in our children’s ministries, please email Director of Children’s and Youth Ministries Austin Geelhoed.

Learn how you can serve in Children’s Ministries!

Do you enjoy working with adolescents and teens? Did you have an awesome youth group experience as a child, and want to share that with youth today? Are you good at organizing or helping at events? Youth Ministries may be just the spot for you!

You could offer to be a substitute for one of the adults at our Sunday night S’More’s and More gatherings, or chaperone the annual service trip to St. James School in Philadelphia. If you’re looking for a simple place to start, you might enjoy assisting with youth events, like Sundae Sundays and the annual Lenten Pancake Breakfast. Opportunities to be involved in our growing youth ministries are plentiful!

To learn more about serving in our children’s ministries, please email Director of Children’s and Youth Ministries Austin Geelhoed.

Learn more about our Youth Ministries!

Do you enjoy meeting new people? Do you have a knack for making others feel welcome? Are you like Buddy the Elf, and smiling is your favorite? Then the Red Door Guild is for you! Members of this group of fabulous greeters stand outside our big red doors every Sunday to greet people as they’re on their way into our worship services. The Red Door Guild is always on the lookout for those who are new or visiting our parish, to be sure they feel welcome
and receive important information about St. Paul’s, Ivy. The Red Door Guild warmly greets everyone who comes to St. Paul’s, Ivy, newcomers and long-timers alike!  For more information, email the Red Door Guild.

Learn how you can serve in Parish Hospitality!

Are you the kind of person who loves to plan a party? Do you enjoy hosting others for smaller events? Do you think our connections with each other and our visitors are important for the strength of our parish community? Then the Hospitality Committee is the ministry for you!

The St. Paul’s, Ivy Hospitality Committee creates and coordinates opportunities for fellowship at St. Paul’s, Ivy, including organizing special receptions, parish picnics, and parties. The Committee also manages our Sunday morning fellowship gatherings after each service, by monitoring the sign-ups for each, encouraging new hosts to give it a try, and serving as an extra pair of hands for fellowship hosts as needed.  For more information, email the Hospitality Committee.

Learn how you can serve in Parish Hospitality!

Are you looking for a hands-on way to make a real difference in our local community? The St. Paul’s, Ivy — Mt. Calvary Food Pantry is a great way to jump into this kind of service!

We are proud to partner in this ministry with Mt. Calvary Baptist Church. Together, we join our hands and hearts to serve our neighbors in need while deepening our relationship with each other. There are many different roles to serve in and many ways to serve, so we know you’ll find your place in this important outreach ministry.  For more information, email the Food Pantry.

Learn how you can serve in Community Outreach.

Do you have an interest in creative play, self expression, and art in a variety of forms, including gardening? Any or all of these interests could represent the ideal volunteer opportunity for you in a new partnership in ministry with Arc Studio at Arc of the Piedmont.

In this new partnership, Arc Studio and St. Paul’s, Ivy are bringing Arc Studio activities to western Albemarle County, broadening this vital ministry’s reach, to include both adults and children. The ministry will feature new forms of art making and community art programs, including the addition of gardening and nature-oriented activities, and the expansion of Arc Studio’s activities to include developmentally disabled children. St. Paul’s campus will serve as the community center for these activities, which may include weekend art creation; seasonal art-centered gardening and nature education; an arts creation children’s camp in the summer; art exhibits and other activities throughout the year.  For more information, email the Arc Studio at St. Paul’s, Ivy.

Learn how you can serve in Community Outreach.

PACEM (People and Churches Engaged in Ministry) coordinates space and volunteers to shelter for individuals in our community who are experiencing homelessness. More than 80 faith congregations and community groups and 3,000 volunteers in the Charlottesville area come together each winter to address the need for shelter by opening their doors, serving evening meals, giving financially, and providing companionship. Our volunteers work with PACEM staff to shelter the unhoused at St. Paul’s, Ivy for a two-week period during the October–April sheltering season. Volunteers are needed to lead our involvement; set up and maintain our space; prepare and serve meals; provide entertainment; and fellowship with our guests, typically thirteen to sixteen unhoused women.  For more information, email PACEM at St. Paul’s, Ivy.

Learn how you can serve in Community Outreach.

Do you love children and believe they are symbols of hope and promise for our future? Are you concerned that children in our foster care system have a pathway to happiness, health and a path to self-fulfillment? If this resonates with you, please consider celebrating our partnership in ministry with Piedmont CASA ( Court Appointed Special Advocates for children).

Piedmont CASA serves a six-county area, including Albemarle County, by supporting children from newborn to 18+, including abused and neglected children in our foster care system. Since 1995, through a professional staff and a network of trained, court- appointed special advocates, Piedmont CASA has provided much-needed stability for at- risk children, through the life of their cases. While fostering arrangements, social workers and schools may change, CASA Advocates are a steadying influence, providing critical continuity.  For more information, email CASA at St. Paul’s, Ivy.

Learn how you can serve in Community Outreach.

St. James School is a tuition-free, private Episcopal middle school that provides students with year-round academic,
physical, spiritual and creative nourishment while working to uplift the surrounding community. Through annual service trips, St. Paul’s, Ivy has built a relationship with the school by sending our youth (and adult chaperones) to help with projects around the school, spend quality time with the students, and have some fun, too! On the trip, our youth learn about some of the challenges facing the school’s surrounding community, and get inspired by the ways the school is changing lives, supporting families, and making a real difference every day. Fun group outings include trips to Reading Terminal and Penn’s Landing.  To learn more about St. Paul’s. Ivy Youth and St. James School, please contact Director of Children’s and Youth Ministries Austin Geelhoed.

Learn more about Youth Service Trips to St. James School.

Are you interested in loving and serving your global neighbors? The Nzali Mission Partnership could be a great ministry for you!

For over 15 years, St. Paul’s, Ivy has had a relationship with our sister parish, St. Paul’s Church in Nzali, Tanzania. Our recently renewed partnership with the village of Nzali is focused on a conservation agriculture project in conjunction with the Diocese of Central Tanganyika. The project is designed to increase food production and self-sufficiency of the village, while teaching and applying agricultural practices that reduce adverse effects on the environment and are sustainable for the long term.  For more information, email the Nzali Mission Partnership.

Learn how you can serve in Global Outreach.