St. Paul’s United Methodist Church August 2014

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Music Makers Choir—Children who are ages 3 through

1st grade are invited to attend “Music Makers Choir” on Wednesday nights. They will sing, learn Bible stories, and have play time. The group usually has 2 performances, one at Christmas and the second in the spring. Join in the fun!

Bible 101 for Kids—Jill Mouk will teach the Bible 101

class for students in 2nd – 4th grades on Wednesday nights beginning on August 28 from 6:00-6:30pm in the Confirmation classroom. Students will learn to recite the Books of the Bible, identify the Ten Command-ments, have “Bible wars” to find scripture the fastest, and study Bible stories. During Sunday School classes we stress the meaning of scrip-ture and emphasize the Bible message. This class will focus more on Bible “basics.” Children will have fun through competitions while learn-ing at the same time!

Club 56 is a ministry for stu-

dents in the 5th and 6th grade. They will meet on Wednesday nights with Elizabeth Wells Accardo and Julie Fontana in the Club 56 room. They will have a short lesson, play games, and perhaps have some community outreach projects throughout the year..

Youth—August is here! The St. Paul's UMYF will be starting up

their Wednesday Night Bible Group 6 p.m. on August 20th! Join Charles and other youth group members for a time of learning and fel-lowship. See you there!

Family Meal Time—Join us for Wednesday night dinner

starting at 5:15p.m. Enjoy fellowship and decompress with a meal you don’t have to prepare. Look for a list of meals in upcoming bulletins.

Adults—will meet in the New

Song Sanctuary at 6p.m. for a mid-week refresher. Free your mind of schedules and worry by focusing on worship and scripture.

St. Paul’s Financial Report - YTD June 2014 General Fund Income $372,743.00 General Fund Expense $378,422.94

What a wonderful opportunity to share our blessings! Whether cooking or serving, many find the experience of feeding the hungry very rewarding! Serving 205 people in June were Jill Mouk, Charlotte Moore, Dana Taylor, Nann McMullen, Heath Work, Hadrian Work, Evelyn McClelland, Monica Cagle, Lisa Keyes, Carter Keyes, Sadie Keyes, and Kathy Wells. Serving 251 people in July were Ellen Breed, Monica Cagle, Debbie Cuthbert, Janet Henley, Evelyn McClelland, Charlotte Moore, Dana Taylor, Nancy Wallace, Heath and Hadrian Work, and Kathy Wells.

Join us in the months to come if you would like to cook, serve, or provide some muscle while shopping for ingre-dients. Contact Kathy Wells to volunteer.

St. Paul’s is updating our website. Look for exciting changes coming soon! Hopefully you will find our website easy to access, regularly updated information, and a brand new look. Our official launch date will be Sunday, August 10th. So warm up your wi-fi and be one of the first to log in and see the transformation!

www.stpaulsmonroe.com

Please consider joining the St. Paul's Chancel Choir. Come join a ministry that sings weekly for our worship and twice per year with a chamber orchestra. It will enrich your life as well as that of the congregation.

There are no expectations: you do not need to be able to read music or have prior vocal training. Just come give of your time and talent.

If you are interested, you are invited to our Chancel Choir party on Wednesday evening, August 6th at 6:30p.m. at the lovely home of Chuck and Margo Morgan (2610 Indian Mound Blvd.).

You can still pledge!

If you have not turned in a Pledge Estimate card and would like to do so, please call Pat in the church office at 322-4454 M—Th.

Hello friends,

Christian ministry: To nurture and to be nurtured—it’s all about human relationship.

It’s that exciting time of year again when members of our church’s family begin returning from their sum-mer vacations, getting ready for the return to school, and gearing up for Neville High School football! It’s also a great time to re-engage in the mission of our church—“Nurturing one another in Christian love through all that we do”— by providing nurture through one of our Outreach Ministries, by receiving nurture through one of our Spiritual Development Ministries. Besides the ongoing ministries of our Sunday Schools and men’s, women’s, youth and children’s groups, our Wednesday night program will resume on August 20. If you hadn’t been involved on Wednesday evenings, perhaps you would consider joining the choir. New to us this season are the men’s and women’s retreats, and the Covenant Bible Study. I pray that you will pray for these ministries, and find a place for you to be nurtured in Christian love. There are many valuable missions that we support and the list is long! We will begin concentrating on The Mission of the Month: ULM Wesley Foundation in August, Delta Grace Mission Trip in September, To-Do at the Zoo in October, Coat and blanket drive in November, Covenant Relationship with Willie Berman in December. I pray that you will pray for these ministries, and find a place for you to nurture others in Christian love. Our Invitational Ministries will just plain be new this fall! JoAnne and the team will guide all of us to invite others, not only into our church, but also into a relationship with Jesus Christ so that all may be so nurtured. As we serve Christ together in these ways of loving, learning and living to-gether at St. Paul’s, may we all be led to a fulfilling life in Jesus Christ.

Peace, my friends… Tim

A Special Offering supporting the ULM Wesley Foundation (Campus Ministry) will be taken during worship on Sunday Aug 24. Wesley Foundation Director Rev. Alan Johnson will be our guest preacher on that day. This type of offering is new to this church; please read on… The Wesley Foundation at ULM is committed to raising up a new generation of Christ-followers who are devoted to the cause of the Kingdom and who will engage the world around them as they seek the will of God. As an authentic Christian community, we are committed to building disciples who will pursue peace, seek justice, and offer grace. It serves over 100 students each semester by providing wor-ship, a home-cooked meal, and discipleship groups on a weekly basis. It helps non-local and international stu-dents acclimate to Monroe, and last year sent over 50 students in mission to Mexico, Guatemala, Lake Provi-dence, & Colfax. This summer, students are serving in youth ministry, Christian camping, and Mexico missions. Besides this Special Offering, St. Paul’s members can help this vital ministry in many ways: provide a week-day meal consisting of an entrée and a dessert during each semester, hands-on assistance with building mainte-nance and repairs, and participating on mission trips with the students. Our Outreach Ministries want to accomplish two goals with this mission this year. The first is to strengthen the relationship between our church members and college students that are so close to our home through these and other hands-on ministries. The other goal is to provide significant financial support because this and other Wesley Foundations in LA have received a significant cut to their operating budget. Please consider this as one of your top-of-the-list contributions this year! The Sportsman's Auction is set for Thursday, August 14th at Lea Joyner UMC. The doors open for the si-lent auction at 6:30 PM. Dinner will begin at 7 PM with at live auction to follow. Tickets are $30. Folks can con-tact Alan Johnson (318-801-4448) or Derek Kennedy (318-614-5856) for tickets.

To the People of St. Paul’s

We appreciate your kindness and the spirit of generosity that you have shown to us in many different ways over the past three years.

The love offering that you sent us with was incredibly gracious and is helping us get set-tled into our new home, and creating a new space for ministry. Thank you again!

Love, Chad and Meredith

To St. Paul’s UMC Congregation from Bob & Gloria Oehmichen

Just a note to all, to say how much we have enjoyed being members of St. Paul’s UMC. When we joined this church we experienced an outpouring of friendship and acceptance that made us feel really welcome. You are indeed, a welcoming church. By the time you read this, we will have relocated to Hattiesburg, MS to get closer to our son, daughter-in-law and their family in Long Beach, MS. They, along with our daughter (in Maryland), have been “strongly” suggesting for a long time now, that we consider making this move. Recognizing that next year, both of us will be crossing (in football terms) the 80 yard line, and on an “exponentially increasing” velocity toward the “end zone”, we decided we should make the move, and do it now while we are still healthy enough to do it ourselves without the need of their help. And so we want to say that as Christians, we love all of you, and wish only the best for you and St. Paul’s going forward. You have new opportunities with current clergy, who will be testing new ideas for all of St. Paul’s membership, to bring the attendees of all three services closer together as one body in Christ. One of the (National) United Methodist Men’s most important responsibilities is to work with, and along side of, our clergy in bringing men to Christ. The oncoming year at St. Paul’s will present many oppor-tunities to do just that. We pray that each of you will seize one of these opportunities to help pave the way. We wish you well, and we will stay in touch with our information regarding our new church home there.

God bless, Gloria and Bob

IT’S TIME TO WORK ON OUR ADVENT DEVOTIONAL STORIES.

St. Paul’s Advent Devotional booklet is a long-standing tradition. Each year our church members submit stories and anecdotes to be included in a devotional that is used for devotionals for the 24 days leading up to Christmas. Anyone can make a submission.

Your submission should only be between 300 and 500 words with a scripture and a one or two sentence prayer at the end.

You can write about something from your childhood, a story shared with you from a friend, a revelation you have discovered through prayer, an observation in the workplace, inspiration from an event, etc.

Deadline for submissions is October 31.

Call Carolyn Trawick if you have any questions or need guidance for your submission. 322-3647 or e-mail your devotion at ct1938@aol.com

DeSiard Street Mission

This month, the UMM cooked for around 132 people. They served about 157 meals. The volunteers this month included Lynda and Bob Burns, Brent Chappell, and Jake Metzger. August 21, 2014

All of you who are thirsty, come to the water!—Isaiah 55:1a

I’ve been thinking a lot about water lately. When I arrived, one of the first things I noticed about Monroe is all the water. A drought and water restric-tions have been the norm for me for years now, so I find myself awed almost daily by the beauty of the Ouachita, Bayou DeSiard, other natural water features and even the fountains here at St. Paul’s. These together with the all the green grass and towering trees have been a refreshing change from the concrete in Dallas. Water is an ever-present source of life in Scripture from beginning to end, in his-tory, and in our world today. Genesis 1 and 2 speak of God moving over the wa-ters as a wind and of the rivers beside the Garden of Eden and Revelation 22 speaks of the River of Life. I have learned that Monroe was founded as a Fort on the Ouachita and profoundly impacted by the steamboats that traveled it. In certain parts of the world populations are so dry and parched that wars are fought over water. Do you ever feel just totally parched even when you are surrounded by water? I know I have. One of my favor-ite scriptures tells a story about a woman who is really thirsty, not only for water, but for love and accep-tance. Many of you probably know the story of the woman at the well found in John 4. A woman who has been either rejected by her community or is afraid of rejection comes to the well for water that will temporarily re-lieve her thirst. It was here she meets Jesus who says : "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life." -John 3:13-14 What do you do when you are thirsty? I don’t mean what is your favorite sports drink, juice, water or even how sweet your tea is….but where do you go when your soul is dry and hot? It is my prayer that St. Paul’s is a place you can come and encounter the living water that is Jesus Christ, and the love of a nurturing community but it doesn’t end there. It is our hope that this water can become a well within you that not only helps to satisfy your thirst, but that you will also share this water with those around you. I know that even in knowing Christ there are times when we are dry. This is part of the reason that we are in relationship with one another…so that we can share our wellsprings and refresh our spirits. I am excited to share with you that on August 20th we will resume Wednesday night worship from 6:00-6:25pm in the chapel (Room 101). This brief service will include quiet music and an opportunity for prayer. Frequently a brief meditation/devotion will be shared as well as the sacrament of Holy Communion. Come and join us and invite someone else, to join us at the dinner table at 5:15, to encounter the Living Water in worship, to fill others and to be filled. JoAnne Pounds, Associate Pastor

Dear St. Paul’s UMC, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for your gen-erous hospitality in welcoming me to Monroe and to St. Paul’s UMC. I am happy to be here. I have been impressed with all the cards, visits, flowers, gifts, kind words, handshakes, hugs and food that have been shared with me. I have also been especially touched by the warm welcome from the Staff-Parish Relations Committee in helping with a smooth transition, the Trustees work in preparing our beautiful par-sonage for me, and the welcome breakfast prepared by Jeff and Jill Mouk. I am humbled by this outpouring and truly look forward to our continued time in ministry together. JoAnne

Circle of Friends Circle - We meet the 1st and 3rd Sundays of each month in the Parlor at 5:00p.m. Everyone is welcome. Join us.

Joy Circle - Our next meeting will be on September 9 at 6:00p.m. in the Parlor. Debbie will lead our discussion after a light meal. All you have to do is bring a smile and a prayer request.

Mary Henry Circle - Our next meeting will be on September 23 at 9:30a.m. in the Parlor.

Harmony Circle - Our next meeting will be on September 18 at 6:30p.m. in the Parlor.

*If you are not currently a member of a women’s circle, come join us! All women and their friends are welcome to attend the circle meeting of their choosing.

SAVE the DATE UMW LADIES!

August 23- District Mini-Mission u, at Claiborne UMC, West Monroe. If interested contact Jane Ellett at

318-387-9771.

Here are pictures from the General Meeting Covered dish Salad Luncheon at Angie Nicholson’s home on June 24. The house was beautiful, the food was yummy, and the meeting was a great success!

NEW Beth Moore Bible Study The New Testament believers carried the Spirit of God as they walked along the shores of Thessalonica, just as

you carry that light today. Join us as we explore ways to shine brightly as we study 1 & 2 Thessalonians with

Beth Moore in this 9-week study. Classes will begin in September. Classes will be offered on Thursdays at

11:30am and Monday evenings at 5:30pm. Look for sign up sheets in late August.

ALL CHAIRPERSONS: SAVE THE DATE & PLEASE HAVE YOUR REPORTS READY.

St. Paul’s United Methodist Church has formed an Endowment Fund Committee that will work with the con-gregation of St. Paul’s and with the Louisiana Methodist Foundation on Estate Planning and Planned Giving. The goals of the committee are to educate our members on the many programs of the Foundation that may offer immediate income and tax benefits now and, often, income to our heirs later. Our goal, also, is to en- courage our faithful families, who have long sustained our church, to proportionally remem- ber St. Paul’s when it is time for Estate Planning.

Please watch for more information weekly on these topics in the church bulletin, and feel free to seek information from your Endowment Fund Committee lay members: Don Dur- ham, Johnny James, Marshall Napper and Chuck Casteel.

50+ CROWD

SAVE THE DATE! SEPTEMBER 18-21 Grab a friend and plan to go to Sunflower, Mississippi, with a St. Paul’s team! Mission opportunities abound in this poverty stricken area. The mission team will work on homes of many who have lost hope and do not know what tomorrow brings. All skill levels needed! If you can push a broom, you qualify! If interested let Tim know or call Kathy Wells.

MEALS ON WHEELS Cream of Mushroom soup Cream of Chicken soup Rotel tomatoes Diced tomatoes Sweet green peas pop-top cans of Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup Lg. Gal. cans cut green beans (Sam’s) Lg. Gal. cans tropical fruit (Sam’s) 1 lb. boxes Velvetta cheese 1 lb. boxes Angel Hair spaghetti

GRACE PLACE Cans of corn, peas, and green beans Cans of tropical or mixed fruit Bags of parboiled rice Vegetable oil—any brand 5lb bag of Martha White self-rising white cornbread mix.

RAYS OF SONSHINE Remember to bring a bag of dry beans to drop in the donation basket the first Sunday of the month. Just bring the bag forward on your way to receive com-munion. Baskets are located near the altar in the Tra-ditional Sanctuary.

Here are just three of the organizations we, at St. Paul’s, support regularly. Here are a few items you can donate to aid our efforts. Just add one or two to your shopping cart on your next grocery run and bring it with you to church THIS Sunday. Think of the difference you can make in the life of someone in need.

If you would like to participate in any of the following, call Kathy Wells, 387-0168 or Julie in the church office. Looking for a way to serve God’s people? Join us on a mission to Mexico August 27-31. Everyone has a gift to

share! Over the years we have formed a strong covenant relationship with Willie Berman and Manos Juntas (a ministry of the Methodist Church of Mexico). This year the mission team will travel to Rio Bravo, which is only 15 minutes away from McAllen, Texas. With so much work to be done for people on the border, and 10 volunteer spots still remaining, won’t you answer God’s call and be part of the

solution? Don’t wait. Call soon. Ever been to Sunflower, Mississippi? Well, now is your chance to participate in a mission closer to home. You are

invited to join a mission team from St. Paul’s as we travel to Sunflower to work with Delta Grace, a min-istry serving the poverty stricken area of the Mississippi Delta region. The mission is scheduled for Sep-tember 18-21 and is only 3 hours away. All skill levels are needed…everything from smiling, cooking,

painting, building, weeding, etc. Plan to join us for all or part of the 4 days. Contact Tim Neustifter or Kathy Wells for more information.

“We are the hands and feet of God”

THE FOOD BANK THANKS THE PEOPLE OF ST. PAUL’S:

Thank you for the children you feed. Thank you for all you do.

Richard G. King, The Food Bank of Northeast Louisiana

Covenant Is Coming to St. Paul’s this Fall!

Covenant is an in-depth group bible study in which people read and discuss the Bible together, learning how to love God – and others – better. It differs from other Bible studies, like the Disciple Bible study series, in that it em-phasizes the biblical concept of covenant as a unifying pattern throughout the entire Bible. It underscores the unique relationship that God chooses with us and His people.

Covenant covers both Testaments – discussing books from the Old and New Testament – in a way that shows interconnectedness of scripture as a whole.

St. Paul’s will offer this brand new Bible study beginning in Septem-ber. The study consists of three 8-week sessions. Participants may do one 8-week session or all three of the 8-weeks sessions. Partici-pants will have 20-30 minutes of required reading daily. Study guides are $20 for each 8-week session or $50 for all three. For the first session, we will offer two different class times . Jeff Mouk will lead a group on Monday evenings beginning September 8 at 6:00p.m. Rev. JoAnne Pounds will lead a group on Tuesday eve-nings beginning September 9 which will begin at 6:30p.m. The sug-gested class size for the Covenant Bible study is 8-12 people. Sign-up sheets are available in the Narthex or you can contact Jill Mouk by email at jill@stpaulsmonroe.com or by text/phone 318-381-0609.

Dates for the subsequent session will be an-nounced later in the year.

It’s that time of year! Sixth grade confirmation classes will begin next month. During this 32 week series of classes, students will learn about John Wesley, Holy Communion, Baptism, grace, the Social Principles of the Methodist church and much more! This is a time when students learn to take responsibility for their own faith. Lessons about prayer, salvation, and living a life to follow Jesus Christ are also taught to nurture students into relationship with Christ. If you would like to know more about St. Paul’s Confirmation classes, please contact Jill Mouk by phone (322-4454, or 318-381-0609) or by email jill@stpaulsmonroe.com.

Confirmation Parent Meeting: Sunday, August 24 at 4:00pm in the Parlor

August means that school is back in session...and that means football is right around the corner! We will be having our Friday Night Lights event kick off after the Neville Jamboree on Friday, August 29th from when the game ends until 11:30 pm. All students are welcome as well as adults. There will be fire pits, marshmallows, grilled hotdogs, more chip options than you can imagine, and enough cookies to choke out Santa Claus himself. The dates for the Friday Night Lights events are August 29th, September 19th, October 3rd, October 17th, & October 24th for the regular season. More dates will be added for playoffs. SEE YOU THERE!

A group of 10 women traveled to Gulf Shores, Alabama in June for a long weekend of study, retreat, “girl-time,” and some great food! The study for this year’s retreat was Living a Life of Balance through which topics of balancing work and rest, balancing faith and works, balancing wants and needs, and balancing our wishes and God’s will were all discussed and studied through scripture. During the retreat the emphasis is always about prayer, seeing God, and loving one another and this year’s retreat was no excep-tion. Next year’s retreat will take place June 24-28. Mark your calendar and plan to attend! Pictured here are Monica Cagle, Lisa Keyes, and Lisa’s mother, Denise Lewis studying to prepare for class on the retreat.

On Thursday, June 12, Lillie Joyce and Alex Peters went with Jill Mouk to the Food Bank of Northeast Louisiana, the Ronald McDonald House, Grace Place, and the dog shelter to learn about the many mission opportunities in Monroe. Following a fun lunch at Wendy’s, the group and others assembled bags for Meals on Wheels.

More pictures from the General Meeting Covered dish Salad Luncheon at Angie Nicholson home.

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