Wednesday Word: Paula Acton's St. Thomas Story

Paula Acton shared this message on Sunday. Paula is pictured here with her husband David.

Good morning! Thank you for this opportunity to speak with you today.

When Ron Wirt first asked me to speak about the stewardship campaign, of course, my reaction in my head was a resounding, “No way—what do I have to say? I’m a new member, there are so many other people who would be so much better than me....” But Ron is a friend and I wanted to support the church, so, here goes.

I’ll start with my journey to St. Thomas. I’ve been a church member all my life. I grew up in Wisconsin and went to the United Church of Christ, which my entire family, beginning with my great-grandparents, belonged to. I’ve also been a member of a Presbyterian church and a Lutheran church, plus I went to a Catholic Women’s college. My husband David and I were, most recently, members of a Methodist church here in Columbus. So, I think I have a pretty varied church background.

We have some good friends here at St. Thomas who had told us what a great church it is, so during Covid, David and I started watching the St. Thomas services online. We loved everything that we saw, everything that we read, and everything that we experienced with St. Thomas, and we officially joined in early 2021. In December that year, we were formally received into the Episcopal Church at a service conducted by Bishop Wright. That service was such a spiritually, significant experience for both David and me.

I have never felt that I belonged to a church as much as I feel I belong here. This is truly and finally, my church home.

David and I love how genuine, how accepting, how sincere, how engaged, how respectful, how inclusive, and how involved this church is. We appreciate all the services, programs, and activities and also, how so many things are available online. We have enjoyed everything we have been involved with here and have learned so much about our Christian walk. I especially want to thank Reverend Grace, for her extraordinary leadership and being the wonderful person she is; Denny Clark for leading the Adult Formation classes and all the other educational offerings with his marvelous theological background; Rick McKnight and the choir who bless us each week with their music; and all the staff who work so tirelessly behind the scenes.

To wrap up, I’d like to read something from the Episcopal Church website: ‘The Way of Love is a way of life…. it is a return to the ancient pathways and Rules of Life that followers of Jesus have observed for centuries.…. A Rule of Life is an intentional commitment to a set of practices that provide guidance, rhythm, and inspiration for living a beautiful, meaningful, and holy life. As we place these practices at the heart of our daily lives and join with companions who share the commitment, we grow more and more in the unselfish, hope-filled Way of Love that Jesus embodied in the world.”

That is what St. Thomas means to me, and that is why I have made an intentional commitment to support it. I hope you will prayerfully consider how you want to support this church through your time, your talents, or your treasures, so that St. Thomas can continue its mission of loving God, loving every person, and learning and serving together.