St. Paul’s Episcopal Church

Newnan, Georgia

2024 Parish Profile

Seeking to See and Serve Christ in All People

An Invitation

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, located in Newnan, GA (approximately 40 miles southwest of Atlanta) is seeking a new rector, following the retirement of our prior rector, Rev. Hazel Smith-Glover. Our parish reflects the full beauty and diversity of God’s creation. We are bound by the simple command to “Love thy Neighbor,” and as Christ taught, everyone is our neighbor. Within our church walls, theological and political views may differ, yet all are heard and valued because we love each other as God loves us.


We encourage and invite you to learn about our parish, our heart, and our future aspirations. We look to lovingly embrace a new leader – a leader who will inspire us, challenge us, and love us as we strive to bring Christ’s light to the community and world around us.


Perhaps God is calling you to share our futures together.


Who We Are

St. Paul’s is a diverse community dedicated to loving each other and welcoming anyone seeking to answer the call to “Come and See.” We range from parishioners who were married in our beautiful church who have baptized children and grandchildren here, to individuals, couples and young families who have recently found us. We seek to be a haven for anyone seeking healing. We are intellectually curious and interested in creative, inspiring approaches to Christianity. Our political views and life experiences range broadly. As a community we are united in Christ through values of social justice, inclusiveness, and the hard work of loving and living our faith in this world.


We are a story of vitality beyond the number of worshippers in pews on any Sunday. Ours is a story based upon our shared belief in faith in action and in the power community.


We welcome parishioners and visitors of all races, ethnicities, sexual orientations and levels of prosperity.


What We Seek in Our Next Rector

We seek a warm, compassionate, and approachable rector who enjoys being with us and wants to lay roots in this community. We hope for an authentic, prayerful, self-aware person who enjoys thoughtful conversation as much as we do. We seek someone who models empathy while leading us to grow in Christ and helping us to deepen our bonds as we grow individually and as a parish. We hope for someone who can offer guidance as we discern and develop a sense of common mission and calling.


Compelling, relevant preaching is important to us. We seek someone who offers new insights into our Scripture and tradition while engaging our reason to help us think about what our faith means in our lives.


We are looking for someone with a strong pastoral presence, someone who is able to offer counsel and care to individuals and to inspire us to work together to provide care to each other in our parish and community.


We would like a rector who communicates well, is an excellent listener who values and practices openness and transparency, and who, like us, values reconciliation over division.


We seek a rector to help us in our goal of establishing more programs and groups that expand our sense of community and relationships with one another, to engage our members in programs on church grounds and in the community, and to establish an environment which encourages the attendance of families.

Listening Sessions

The Nominating Committee conducted numerous listening sessions to solicit input directly from our members. The sessions encompassed a wide range of perspectives, including the importance of community involvement and the church's mission, the significance of a rector's preaching ability, the need for a strong focus on youth ministry, and the desire for a rector who is both approachable and engaged within the church and wider community. Participants emphasized the importance of effective communication, the church's outreach activities, and the necessity for a rector to be well-versed in addressing diverse needs. Furthermore, there was a consensus on the preference for a rector who is committed to a long-term tenure and is capable of fostering a sense of togetherness within the church.


Ministries

Worship

Worship is the heart of St. Paul’s. Our worship is centered on the simple, yet powerful liturgy of the Eucharist. We welcome all those who hunger to know God. We want our services to inspire us through prayer and preaching to know the presence of Christ in the world during the coming week. We include ushers, acolytes, crucifer, vergers, lay readers, Eucharistic Ministers, Altar Guild, Flower Guild, St. Paul’s Choir, St. Cecilia Children’s Choir, and clergy in leading services, in the church, and in planning and orchestrating worship.


Our Services and Formation


Sundays

Every Sunday, St. Paul’s begins worship quietly at 8:30am with an intimate, spoken Holy Eucharist Rite One service. This is followed by Christian Formation programs for all age groups at 9:30am.The 10:30am Rite Two worship service with music is generally regarded as a family service with the largest number of parishioners attending. The liturgy is varied, with a distinctive rite suitable for each season.


A team of healing intercessors is available in the chapel to pray for and with parishioners at the 10:30am service.


Mid-Week

We offer a mid-week morning healing Eucharist service.


On the third Tuesday evening of the month, parishioners gather for centering prayer

in the chapel.


Special Services

Several services hold special meaning to the parishioners at St. Paul’s throughout the year: Blessing of the Animals, held each October; Youth Sunday, led by the parish children and teens; and the Stations of the Cross service, also led by parish youth. Other special festal services are held at Christmas and Easter.


Health & Healing

Recognizing that mind, body and spirit are interrelated, St. Paul’s Health and Healing ministry seeks to promote wholeness and health among God’s people through the actions of our faith.


By utilizing the diverse talents and gifts of St. Paul’s parish, we can seek to meet the needs of people in difficulty. Whether by preparing meals for families experiencing the joys of a new birth, sharing in grief of loss, offering communion or a cheerful bouquet of flowers at the bedside of a shut-in, the Health and Healing Ministry provides love, hope and comfort by showing the love and grace that God has shown to us.


Within the walls of our church, the ministry provides pamphlets for those experiencing life events. Every Sunday in the chapel, healing intercessors offer prayers and anointing. Outside of the physical church, our community and the world feel the care of St. Paul’s when prayer shawls are made for those in crisis or illness and the elderly and shut-ins receive communion from Eucharistic visitors. The pedal pushers deliver flowers and cheer. St. Paul’s prayer card ministry sends notes to our community and around the world to those we know well and those we have never met, signed by parishioners who come together in prayer for their health and healing. Additional ministries and initiatives include the Daughters of the King Prayer Ministry and “Community of Hope International” pastoral care training.


formation

Beginning at the nursery level and continuing through Christian Formation for adults, St. Paul’s offers rich programs focused on spiritual growth. St. Paul’s nursery program provides care to children during the Christian Formation hour and the following 10:30am service. Our Sunday formation for children begins with Godly Play during the 9:30 formation hour. Godly Play is a Montessori-based Christian education program for children ages 4-10. St. Paul’s also offers a lay-led Children’s Chapel during the first half of the 10:30 service. The children then rejoin the congregation at the Peace. There are many beloved annual formation programs for children, including the St. Cecilia Children’s Choir, Vacation Bible School, the Annual Easter Egg Hunt organized by our older youth, and the Christmas Eve Pageant.


St. Paul’s EYC for teens, which is led by Deandre Bruton, our newly hired Director of Youth Ministries, meets on Sunday mornings before the 10:30am Service and frequently has programming following Wednesday Night Supper. Our teen youth programs focus on spiritual growth, outreach, and relationship building. These groups also are active in the youth programs through the Diocese of Atlanta including Happening, camps at Camp Mikell, and other Diocesan youth activities.


St. Paul’s prides itself on its robust Acolyte and youth lay reader programs that allow our teens and children to play an active role in leading worship. Continuing to grow and strengthen our Children’s and Youth Formation programs is another Parish priority identified in our recent survey and focus sessions.


Our adult formation program meets on Sunday mornings between services, and St. Paul’s members or our Seminarian lead parishioners in discussions on various aspects of Christian life, ranging from biblical teachings to spiritual, literary and artistically-themed programs. Bible study and other spiritual program series are frequently offered in conjunction with many Wednesday Night Suppers.


outreach

Helping those in need is at the heart of our understanding of the Gospel. Reaching beyond our doors to help our neighbors – near and far – has always been a priority for St. Paul’s with ongoing programs like dancing with our friends from the Rutledge Center (intellectually and disabled adults), food donations for the Salvation Army, support for foster care families through our Angel Tree gift-giving, and holding blood drives for the American Red Cross. St. Paul’s members are involved in over 20 non-profits, including the Coweta Samaritan Clinic, One Roof Ecumenical Alliance Outreach, and the N.E.S.T overnight warming shelter.


The largest consensus of our recent Parish survey was the congregation’s desire to add more opportunities for hands-on outreach service. And a follow-up Outreach survey determined that this year’s church-wide focus should be on alleviating hunger and food insecurity. With those goals in mind, we are partnering with local food pantries, shelters and other nonprofits addressing these needs to create more chances for parishioners to act and serve. We also are forming a disaster response team.


“Rooted in Love” is the theme for our revitalized Outreach ministries. We hope that our new rector will be rooted in love with us to serve others.


parish life

From the Eucharistic table to the parish life table, we open our faith home to everyone to enjoy nourishment of both body and soul. Opportunities to connect and share our personal spiritual journeys abound at St. Paul’s. The first person you will encounter as you enter the doors of St. Paul’s on Sunday mornings will be a welcoming member of our parish. A warm smile or handshake will welcome you and sets the tone of hospitality we are known for at St. Paul’s.


Our weekly Coffee Hours that follow each Sunday service are a time when we catch-up over coffee and cake, welcome visitors, and meet new members. On Wednesday evenings from September through May, Wednesday night supper is held in the Parish Hall between Children’s Choir and Adult Choir practices and is followed by regular youth and adult formation studies. Our youth also lead various special events throughout the year including Blessing of the Animals, Easter Egg Hunt, Trunk of Treat, and a Pancake Supper on Shrove Tuesday.


We frequently come together as a large family to share our food, our stories, our faith and our mission throughout the year for celebration receptions, garden parties, parish picnics, and an annual Epiphany party. Several smaller groups such as Daughters of the King, Men’s Club, and Foyers Groups, to name just a few, meet regularly for fellowship and fun and are a great way to meet new people.


stewardship & welcoming

  • Mary Kate Parks Mason Scholarship
  • Annual Pledge Campaign
  • Coordinating New Member Events

communications

  • Performing updates to the St. Paul’s Website
  • Coordinates weekly emails, service bulletins & service announcements
  • Assists with REALM (Parish Management System)
  • Assists Communications Director with Audio/Visual, Digital Signage, and telecommunications needs
  • Posts regular updates to the St. Paul’s Facebook page
  • Facilitates publishing of occasional articles in the local newspaper
  • Manages the St. Paul’s YouTube Channel


Financials

St. Paul’s has a strong history of financial stability and we pride ourselves on being good stewards of all that is entrusted to us. A brief summary of recent financials, pledges, and membership numbers may be found below. The nominating committee, in coordination with the vestry, will be more than happy to answer any more detailed questions regarding our financials and membership.

Our Church Home: History & Facilities

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church was established in Newnan, Georgia in 1892, first meeting in a hall on the Courthouse Square, then moving to a traditional white frame church in downtown until 1914 when services were discontinued, and the property sold. In 1944, three Coweta County residents met with then Bishop Randolph Claiborne about the need in our community for an Episcopal Church. Services were held as an unorganized mission in the Swinton Hotel and the WCOH radio studios. In 1955, St. Paul’s was admitted to the Diocesan Council as an organized mission, and Bishop Claiborne permitted the church to retain the original name of St. Paul’s. As growth continued steadily, Reverend John Robinson Bell became the first resident Vicar in 1960, and the parish constructed a church at our current location, holding the first service on Easter Sunday, 1961. In 1976, St Paul’s became an independent parish. In 1983, ground was broken for a new nave and parish hall that was consecrated on Easter Sunday, 1984.


What began as a small mission continued to grow in size to become a powerful force for God’s word, love and grace. In 2000, led by then rector Reverend Russell Kendrick, the Parish planned a multiphase renovation and construction of a 350 seat church under the “A Journey of Faith” campaign. Reverend Kendrick, a former architect, helped us to pour our love of God into the design of the new space. The Right Reverend J. Neil Alexander, Bishop of Atlanta, dedicated and consecrated the church in September 2003. Thanks to pledges prior to construction and stewardship in the years following completion, we retired our Diocesan loan in 2013 and our bank debt in 2014, in accord with St. Paul’s mission and ideals. Between 2011 and 2023, under the leadership of Priest in Charge, the Reverend Allan Sandlin and his successor as rector, the Reverend Hazel Glover, St. Paul’s continued to make renovations and investments in our worship and formation facilities, purchasing additional adjoining acres and renovating our facilities.


Recently, we have added a robust video production system to support live-streaming of services and parishioners who cannot worship in person, the construction of a warm and inviting children’s wing, the addition of a modern playground, the full renovation of our Parish Hall (adding meeting rooms, AV capabilities, and modernizing to a commercial kitchen), a welcoming foyer space, and a covered porte-cochère. All of these recent additions were completed with support from our generous parishioners and were paid in full, with no debt being assumed by St. Paul’s.

We give thanks that our well-built and much-loved church stands on a firm foundation. We give praise to God for blessing us with the resources and talents to be good stewards of our beloved church home. This congregation is a warm and welcoming one. St. Paul’s eagerly anticipates the selection of a new rector and the continued evolution of our faith journey.


In addition to a full-time rector, St. Paul’s staff includes the following:

  • Parish Administrator (Part-time)
  • Children, Youth, & Families Director (Full-time)
  • Organist/Choirmaster (Part-time)
  • Music Associate (Part-time)
  • Communications Director (Part-time)
  • Financial Assistant (Part-time)

Our Community: Newnan & Coweta County

Located about 30 miles southwest of Atlanta, Coweta County is only 25 minutes from the world’s busiest airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Coweta County’s population in 2020 of 146,158 ranks 17th within the state of Georgia and is among the 50 fastest growing counties in the United States. Newnan, established in 1828 as the county seat, had a population of 42,549 in 2020, and boasts a vibrant downtown square with wonderful dining experiences, thriving boutiques, galleries, and monthly markets. Newnan’s six National Register Historic Districts contain some of Georgia's most beautiful homes. The downtown square is connected to growing mixed-use and retail developments, featuring national chains and independently owned restaurants and boutiques, by the Linc Trail and the City Trolley that runs daily trips.


With year-round biking and walking trails and beautiful city, county and Georgia State parks, Newnan is home to large outdoor sporting communities. Newnan has skating, water sports, pickleball, tennis, soccer, football, baseball, and softball facilities and several disc golf courses. At least one weekend a year, Coweta County is the capital of cycling in Georgia when Newnan hosts the Annual Rock & Road Festival with mountain biking, century riding and criterium races, a soapbox derby, live music, a car show, vendors and craft beverages. The 2,910 acre Chattahoochee Bend State Park showcases a spectacular tract of wilderness in northwest Coweta County along 5 miles of the Chattahoochee river for hikers, paddlers and campers. The Linc Trail is a 26-mile network of paved paths creating a linear park to provide people with access to bicycle and pedestrian trails, alternative transportation, and connectivity.

Newnan nurtures a longstanding love of the creative spirit.Visual, performing and musical artists make their homes in this community, many of them at St. Paul’s.Main Street Newnan holds several sidewalk artists’ markets on the square each year. The City Cultural Arts Commission hosts wonderful performances in the beautifully renovated Wadsworth Auditorium and free jazz concerts and plays in Greenville Street Park during warmer months. The 40 plus year old Newnan Theatre Company features a full 8 show season, youth programming, an improvisational comedy group (N.I.T.W.I.T.S.), interactive murder mysteries, and special events. The Nixon Centre for the Arts is a state-of-the-art performing arts venue dedicated to supporting artistic expression in our community. To achieve its mission, it both acts as classroom extension for Coweta County Schools and hosts performances by national, regional and local artists.


The McRitchie Hollis Museum, the Coweta County African American Heritage Museum, and the Carnagie Library offer opportunities to explore culture and history with annual events and community activities like the Newnan Burns Scottish Heritage Weekend, Black History Month events, and Southern Lit Fest.


Downtown Newnan, Georgia

In March of 2021, a violent and destructive EF4 tornado swept through downtown Newnan causing extensive damage to numerous historic homes, businesses, and schools. The true spirit of the people of Newnan and Coweta County was quickly revealed as the community came together to clean-up and rebuild. Those efforts are still underway over 3 years later. Many parishioners of St. Paul’s donated their time, resources, and talents to help those in need following this devastating event.

Education


Great schools are the heart of Coweta County. With nationally recognized award-winning public schools (19 elementary, 7 middle schools, 3 high schools), private schools (Central Christian School, The Heritage School, The Carolyn Barron Montessori School, Trinity Christian School), the community is served with many options for not only grades pre-kindergarten through grade 12, but also with higher education through the University of West Georgia, West Georgia Technical College, and extension campuses for Mercer University and Brewton-Parker College. Coweta County is also home to the Central Education Center (CEC), a workplace readiness partnership with local businesses for high schoolers.


Healthcare


From clinics to medical specialists in unique fields, rehabilitation centers, and hospitals, Coweta County is able to provide outstanding medical services. In 2015, Coweta County was designated as a “Healthcare Center of Excellence” because of the number and quality of hospitals, clinics and specialty health services available here. Piedmont Newnan Hospital opened a new facility in 2012 and continues to add and enhance current services to meet the needs of Coweta’s growing population. Piedmont Healthcare is also a certified member of the MD Anderson Cancer Network. City of Hope (formerly Cancer Treatment Centers of America) Southeastern Regional Medical Center continues to expand and grow as it serves patients from around the country. HealthSouth Newnan is an inpatient rehabilitation hospital for patients who have suffered severe functional impairment. The Coweta Samaritan Clinic also provides healthcare services to the uninsured.

Dr. Heather Turner, St. Paul’s member, pictured with some of the many St. Paul’s babies she has delivered.

The Diocese of Atlanta


The Diocese of Atlanta is a vibrant, diverse and expansive faith community, with 120 different parishes and worshiping communities focused on worshiping a living and loving God and working for a better world in the name of Jesus Christ. There are some 50,000 members in nearly 25,000 households in the 10 convocations that make up the diocese.


The Diocese of Atlanta also operates Camp Mikell, a youth-focused camp in North Georgia. Camp Mikell hosts various youth programs throughout the year including Summer & Winter camps, Happening, and New Beginnings. The youth of St. Paul’s have a strong history of active participation in the numerous events at Camp Mikell.


We are a Christian community blessed with vibrancy, variety and vitality. Our diocesan bishop is the Right Rev. Robert C. Wright, who was elected by the diocese in June 2012 and then ordained and consecrated Oct. 13, 2012.


The Offices of the Bishop are at the Cathedral of St. Philip in Atlanta.


We have more than 200 clergy who are under Bishop Wright's oversight, and nearly as many who come from other dioceses, plus an abundant supply of lay ministers. Each year members from parishes across the Diocese, including St. Paul’s, gather at the Cathedral in Atlanta for the annual Council.



Bishop Robert C. Wright

The reports below provide some insight into the residents of Coweta County living within 15 minutes of St. Paul’s.