St. Paul’s Vestry is made up of 16 church members elected to represent the parish when making decisions about the management, ministry and mission of St. Paul’s.

At our annual retreat in March 2010, the Vestry embraced the concept of “A Rule of Life” which was the topic of St. Paul’s 2010 Lenten Series. Such a “Rule” encapsulates our aspirations for living together as a Christian community. Based on ancient and modern monastic practice, a “Rule” typically consists of specific topics and the ways we wish to be intentional about them in our lives together.

As the Vestry’s “Rule” developed, we decided to shape it in such a way that other members of the parish could adopt it as well if they wished. The name we have given it, “Way of Life”, exemplifies its value as a tool for everyday living.

Following the “Way of Life” is:

• Voluntary;
• A powerful way to model what we believe as Christians;
• A simple, easy-to-use document where one chapter is read each day;
• An aid to reflection and, when necessary, refocusing our efforts when they fall short of our spiritual desires and goals;
• A non-judgmental guide that contains no provisions for assessment;
• A living document — meant to be reviewed and updated to maintain relevancy.
• A personal commitment between those who adopt it and our God;

The following are pages from the booklet created by St. Paul's Vestry, used by Vestry members on a daily basis as a reminder of the values we embrace and share.  In keeping with our desire to communicate openly, the Vestry invites you to read what we have written, to talk to us if you have any questions, and to consider adopting this “Way of Life” as part of your own guidelines for Christian living.