St. Paul’s has joined the Mending Walls project as a sponsor and partner to support one of our 2021 Lenten Speakers Hamilton Glass, his team and this important work of imagination and reconciliation in our city.

In addition to supporting the city-wide vision and activity of the Mending Walls project, St. Paul’s has an exciting opportunity to add to our own continuing story and serve as one of their temporary public art sites.

During the weekend of October 15th-17th, the Mending Walls team will bring together local artists from different cultural backgrounds to our St. Paul’s grounds to transform plywood panels and canvas into works of art. The goal of the event is to bring more attention and awareness to the inequities of racism along with inspiring more people to get involved in the conversation.

• You are invited to show up at any time throughout the weekend from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., to visit and watch the artists work on their public art piece.
• Ribbons of Hope Installation | This is an opportunity to write a hopeful message of solidarity for our community on a ribbon and tie it onto the Church’s Sanctuary fence. Yellow ribbons will be used for this installation, as Yellow is associated with hope and can be seen in some countries when yellow ribbons are displayed by families who have loved ones at war. The hope is a display of ribbons around the church filled with the voices of hope for our community. As people attend the 3-day art event to see the artwork from the artists come to life, ribbons and markers will be provided for all who attend and would like to participate and write their message of hope.

To learn more, visit the Mending Walls project and the artists involved at mendingwallsrva.com and check out their social media @mendingwallsrva.

Join us Saturday, October 16th from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. for a guided walk on Richmond’s Slave Trail. This walk is a kind of pilgrimage that will be led for St. Paul’s by the Rev. Ben Campbell and Rev. Charles Williams, head of the Office of Black Catholics.

• The 2 ½ hour walk closes with reflection and conversation over box lunches at Capitol Square. The Richmond Slave Trail is a nearly 3-mile walk that runs from the Manchester Docks, where enslaved Africans both entered and left Virginia, to Robert Lumpkin’s Slave Jail and the site of the hanging of Gabriel, who attempted to complete America’s half-revolution in 1800.
• The 17 guides and plaques along the way tell the story of Richmond’s first 250 years of history – a history that was buried and hidden from the entire city until the first decade of the 21st century.
• NOTE: The Slave Trail Walk is appropriate for 6th Graders and older youth, but not for younger children.
• You will need to be able to walk 3 miles and go up and down steps.

Meet at the church at 9:00 a.m. A van will take us from the church to the beginning of the Slave Trail and then back. Please wear comfortable walking shoes and bring water bottles and snacks. Box lunches will be provided by St. Paul’s. Registration is required for this event with a limit of 20 people.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER. Currently Full. Please e-mail Rev. Gwynn Crichton to be put on the waitlist. We plan to offer another walk and discussion at another time in the future.

We invite you to join us for our monthly book club. The books for this fall will be based on the summer book reads suggested by our Community Engagement Committee. These books address topics of food security, global justice, and racial justice. Different members of this committee will facilitate the conversation each month.

Yellow Wife by Sadeqa Johnson, facilitated by Sue Bland and Gwynn Crichton

If you are interested in joining us for one, two, or all the book clubs, please REGISTER HERE. A zoom link will be provided upon filling out this form.

Book Club | Third Mondays | 7:00-8:30 p.m. | Zoom
September 20th | Born a Crime by Trevor Noah, facilitated by Barbara Holley and Michelle Walker
October 18th | Animal, Vegetable, Junk by Mark Bittman, facilitated by Sheena Mackenzie and Matthew Cole
November 15th | Yellow Wife by Sadeqa Johnson, facilitated by Sue Bland and Gwynn Crichton
December 20th | A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park and Ginger Knowlton, facilitated by Matt and Will Stehle

We invite you to join us for our monthly book club. The books for this fall will be based on the summer book reads suggested by our Community Engagement Committee. These books address topics of food security, global justice, and racial justice. Different members of this committee will facilitate the conversation each month.

This month we will be discussing Born a Crime by Trevor Noah facilitated by Barbara Holley and Michelle Walker

If you are interested in joining us for one, two, or all the book clubs, please REGISTER HERE. A zoom link will be provided upon filling out this form.

Book Club | Third Mondays | 7:00-8:30 p.m. | Zoom
September 20th | Born a Crime by Trevor Noah, facilitated by Barbara Holley and Michelle Walker
October 18th | Animal, Vegetable, Junk by Mark Bittman, facilitated by Sheena Mackenzie and Matthew Cole
November 15th | Yellow Wife by Sadeqa Johnson, facilitated by Sue Bland and Gwynn Crichton
December 20th | A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park and Ginger Knowlton, facilitated by Matt and Will Stehle

January-May, we will gather on the specified Monday at 7:00 p.m. to discuss the monthly book read. There will be some guided questions as well as space for you to share your thoughts about the book. We will meet for approximately an hour and a half. All are welcome.

Monday, February 22nd @ 7:00 p.m.

HRI-Sponsored – The Emancipation of Evan Walls by Jeffrey Blount

EVAN WALLS IS TERRIFIED by the birth of his first child because he doesn’t want her to suffer the isolation he had as a child. Seeing his torment, his wife, Izzy, prods him to explain. He tells of being a black child growing up in the racially charged 1960s. Inspired to overcome the racism and class status imposed on blacks, he dreams of a life bigger than that lived by most everyone he knows in the small Virginia town of Canaan.

This group will be facilitated by Adrian Luxmoore

Zoom Information: https://zoom.us/j/94265099761?pwd=eFh3dm5MNko4Mlo0U0ZxN0Zvc2pPdz09

Meeting ID: 942 6509 9761 | Passcode: 578123

CLICK HERE to RSVP

Upcoming Book Clubs on Mondays in 2021 –

January 25th @ 7:00 p.m. | MESSENGER by Liz Keller Whitehurst facilitated by Keli Shipley Cooper
February 22nd @ 7:00 p.m. |  HRI-Sponsored – The Emancipation of Evan Walls by Jeffrey Blount facilitated by Adrian Luxmoore
March 22nd @ 7:00 p.m. | The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion facilitated by Kia J Bentley
April 19th @ 7:00 p.m. | Bless Me Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya facilitated by Sarah Nolan
May 17th @ 7:00 p.m. | Practicing Imperfection by Rev. Dr. Charles T. Dupree facilitated by Charlie Dupree

This 90- minute virtual presentation by Keith Edwards is designed to help those who aspire to be allies for social justice to learn, reflect, develop themselves, and move toward action to be more consistent, effective, and sustainable aspiring allies for social justice.

Tuesday, January 12th at 6:00 p.m. – Keynote Address by Keith Edwards | CLICK HERE to RSVP.

Tuesdays in February at 6:00 p.m. – Four Deep Dive Sessions

E-mail Director of Community Engagement, Lynn Williams, with questions or for more information.