St. Paul United Church of Christ 101 South Perry Street ◦PO Box 147◦Wapakoneta, OH 45895 Phone: (419) 738-2215 Fax: (419) 738-2076 Email: [email protected]Website: www.stpaulucc.com www.facebook.com/StPaulWapakoneta The Link March 2015 40 THINGS TO GIVE UP THIS LENT Have you given something up this Lent? Many of us have grown up around the practice of making commit- ments to live more simply during this holy season. We hear of people giving up every manner of culinary vice—ice cream, chocolate, red meat, etc. Some choose to give up other creature comforts like televi- sion, video games, or Facebook. Historically, it has been a time of penitence. We look more closely at the story of Jesus. Lent is a time when we prepare our- selves to experience Christ’s Passion—to recall his suf- fering and death. But we cannot stop there. During this forty-day journey, we look toward Calvary. But we should never forget that, when journeying with Christ, the road does not end at the cross. The purpose of this season is not merely to explore Christ’s pain and death, but to prepare for the new life that comes with resurrection. In the end, our Lenten journey is about leaving behind the things of this world that cause de- struction and grief, and striving toward those things that are life-giving for ourselves and others. And so I have some suggestions for things we might attempt to give up this Lent. In honor of the forty days of Lent, I have listed forty things most of us—and the whole world, for that matter—would be better without. Try giving up some of these this season: Rev. Becky Sunday will be out of the office from Wednesday, March 11 through Thursday, March 19 while she travels on a mission trip to El Salvador with Dr. Alan Mikesell, Rev. Adrian Sunday, Nancy Newland, and others from Northwest Ohio Association. All pastoral concerns should be directed to Rev. Elaine Mikesell dur- ing this time . 1. Fear of failure 2. Your comfort zone 3. Impatience 4. Assigning blame 5. Winning the argument 6. Greed 7. Over commitment 8. Under commitment 9. Going it alone 10. Entitlement 11. Keeping up with the Joneses 12. Apathy 13. Hatred 14. Negativity 15. Going through the motions 16. Looking out for “number 1” 17. Bitterness 18. Ignorance 19. Distraction In the words of our namesake, the Apostle Paul, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, what- ever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if any- thing is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” (Philippians 4:8). Let go of the things that threaten who God has called us to be, and hold onto what brings light and life. May God bless you this Lent and beyond. Peace, Pastor Becky 20. Complaining 21. Giving up 22. Mediocrity 23. Words that hurt 24. Busyness 25. Perfectionism 26. Loneliness 27. Disunity 28. The Quick Fix 29. Worry 30. Idolatry 31. Resistance to change 32. Guilt 33. Envy 34. Judgment of others 35. Getting even 36. Despair 37. Putting God in a box 38. Narrow-mindedness 39. Holding grudges 40. Pride
Transcript
St. Paul United Church of Christ 101 South Perry Street ◦PO Box 147◦Wapakoneta, OH 45895
Have you given something up this Lent? Many of us have grown up
around the practice of making commit-ments to live more simply during this holy season. We hear of people giving up every manner of culinary vice—ice cream, chocolate, red meat, etc. Some choose to give up other creature comforts like televi-sion, video games, or Facebook. Historically, it has been a time of penitence. We look more closely at the story of Jesus. Lent is a time when we prepare our-selves to experience Christ’s Passion—to recall his suf-fering and death. But we cannot stop there.
During this forty-day journey, we look toward Calvary.
But we should never forget that, when journeying with
Christ, the road does not end at the cross. The purpose
of this season is not merely to explore Christ’s pain and
death, but to prepare for the new life that comes with
resurrection. In the end, our Lenten journey is about
leaving behind the things of this world that cause de-
struction and grief, and striving toward those things that
are life-giving for ourselves and others. And so I have
some suggestions for things we might attempt to give
up this Lent. In honor of the forty days of Lent, I have
listed forty things most of us—and the whole world, for
that matter—would be better without. Try giving up
some of these this season:
Rev. Becky Sunday will be out of the office from
Wednesday, March 11 through Thursday, March 19
while she travels on a mission trip to El Salvador with Dr.
Alan Mikesell, Rev. Adrian Sunday, Nancy Newland, and
others from Northwest Ohio Association. All pastoral
concerns should be directed to Rev. Elaine Mikesell dur-
ing this time .
1. Fear of failure 2. Your comfort zone 3. Impatience 4. Assigning blame 5. Winning the argument 6. Greed 7. Over commitment 8. Under commitment 9. Going it alone 10. Entitlement 11. Keeping up with the
Joneses
12. Apathy 13. Hatred 14. Negativity 15. Going through the motions 16. Looking out for “number 1” 17. Bitterness 18. Ignorance 19. Distraction
In the words of our namesake, the Apostle Paul, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, what-ever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if any-thing is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” (Philippians 4:8). Let go of the things that threaten who God has called us to be, and hold onto what brings light and life. May God bless you this Lent and beyond.
Peace,
Pastor Becky
20. Complaining 21. Giving up 22. Mediocrity 23. Words that hurt 24. Busyness 25. Perfectionism 26. Loneliness 27. Disunity 28. The Quick Fix 29. Worry 30. Idolatry
31. Resistance to change 32. Guilt 33. Envy 34. Judgment of others 35. Getting even 36. Despair 37. Putting God in a box 38. Narrow-mindedness 39. Holding grudges 40. Pride
The regular meeting of St. Paul Church Council was held on January 12, 2015 with 12 members present. Highlights of council’s actions are as follows:
Motion was made to replenish Pastor’s Dis-cretionary Fund.
2015 Budget was reviewed.
A resume was received for Faith Formation position. Referred to personnel for review and report at a later date.
Faith Formation Board announced Feast’s new start date of February 4, 2015.
Discussion was held concerning ways to show gratitude and appreciation to volunteers and staff.
Announced that Tiffin College is offering Bibli-cal courses to lay members at a cost of $75.00. The current offering is on the Old Testament.
Mission committee reported Lori McKean will be attending their March meeting to discuss the summer lunch program.
Discussion concerning declining membership and attendance was held.
Slate of nominees to replace out-going council members was announced.
Next meeting will be Monday, February 9, 2015 at 6:00 pm in the Multi-Purpose room.
Church Council Minutes of Special Meeting from February 7, 2105
Council Members held a special meeting for the purpose of planning and goal setting. The following priorities were discussed:
Educating the congregation and promoting among staff & committees the Ministerial Priorities estab-lished in 2014. Coordinating activities to support those priorities.
Growing participation among members and grow-ing membership.
Educating members about the Church’s finances and inspiring generous giving of both time& talent and money.
Regular Church Council Minutes from January 12, 2015
Council approved funding for the summer lunch min-istry to be started this year. Funding shall be pro-vided from the Mission Endowment.
The Trustees lead a discussion regarding the exterior steps to the basement. A number of falls recently lead to the recommendation that this exit shall be used for emergencies only and that the stairs in the breezeway shall be used instead.
The Elders reported on the efforts of the Worship and Arts committee to create a schedule involving more members of the congregation in serving as Acolytes, Lectures, Greeter, Sound Board Operators and Nursery supervisors. More participation is needed and provides for a richer worship experience.
The Deacons reported that the Living Endowment Board shall be providing information to the congrega-tion regarding the Endowments, the purposes of the Endowments, and opportunities for regular and end-of-life giving.
The Deacons also reported that the Stewardship Committee study issues related to declining pledging and giving. Consideration of both declining participa-tion and monetary gifts shall be discussed. Continued education and information about the reach and im-portance of our Ministry in the lives of members and our neighbors.
Mark Jarvis reported that presently there were 2 can-didates for the full time Director of Faith Formation and Worship Arts position. The part time Associate Pastor position has been posted but at present, there have not been any candidates identified.
Regular Church Council Minutes from February 9, 2015
Welcome our Council Members for 2015 President—Mark Jarvis V-President–Susan Bartlett Treasurer-Jane Myers Council Sec.-Tami Zewz Elders-Betty Wiedenbein-(Head) Jack Preston Deacons-Melanie Webb-(Head) Harold Poppe Kay Wellington Jim Hearn Sr. Trustees-Dan Bennett-(Head) Ruth Frazier Phil Schlenker
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COMMUNITY NOONTIME LENTEN WORSHIP SCHEDULE:
For our community Lenten services this year we are using the theme, “The Parables of Lent.”. All ser-vices are at 12:00 noon on Wednesdays at St. Joseph Church, with lunch following:
Date: Message: Lunch Served By: February 18 Fr. Pat Sloneker—Ash Wednesday St. Joseph Catholic February 25 Rev. Joy Miller and Rev. Mark Bauer—“Receive the Word” Trinity/St. Mark’s Lutheran March 4 Rev. Kim Seiberling—“Receive the Treasure” First United Methodist March 11 Rev. Neil Brady—“Receive Mercy” First English Lutheran March 18 Rev. Rodney Ritchie—“Receive Grace” Salem United Methodist March 25 Rev. Adrian Sunday—“Receive Forgiveness” Buckland UCC & St. Patricks April 1 Rev. Becky Sunday—“Receive the Sacrifice” St Paul UCC
We will once again be sharing services for our holy days in Lent with our neighbors at First Eng-lish Lutheran Church and St. Mark’s Lutheran Church. We hope you can share in the following services:
Maundy Thursday Service—April 2, 2015, 7:00PM at First English Lutheran by Becky Sunday
Good Friday Service—April 3, 2015 7:00PM at St. Paul UCC by Pastor Mark Bauer Easter Sunday Celebration-April 5, 2015—Services at 8:15 and 10:15. Easter
brunch at 9:00
LENTEN BIBLE STUDY Lenten Bible Study will continue through April 7. It will be held every Tuesday at 7:00PM, (except March 17 at which time Pastor Becky will be in El Salvador). The study is entitled “The Common People Heard Him Gladly,” and is an exploration of how Jesus ministered to ordinary folks, touching their lives in extraordinary ways.
All are welcome!
With the wind chill of –4° and more snow coming, the place to be Sunday, March 8th will be the YMCA. From 5:30 - 7:30 you can swim or shoot baskets, anything is better than being outside. We will have pizza, pop, and give out door prizes with a basket for donations for the pizza. Invite your friends and come have some fun!!!!
Please make note that there is a one hour early dismissal for Wapak City Schools on Wednesday, March 18th, 2015. On that day there will be no trans-portation or homework tables for FEAST. Those that usually have transportation from school will need to send a note that day regarding what your child should do.
This season, we want to honor the Grandparents at
Auglaize Acres, The Gardens and Wapakoneta Manor.
Haehn Florist would like to honor grandparents again this year. You can adopt one resident for $20.
Your $20 purchase will include one floral design and one Mary Kay pampering product for either a man
or woman. You may donate in any dollar increment. Our goal is to adopt 198 residents.
Many seniors are forgotten after the Holiday Season. We will visit with each resident when delivery is
made. Hopefully, this will brighten their day! Haehn’s is always amazed at the generosity of people
and they welcome your participation for this program. Please call or text Dena at 419-234-3481 or sub-
Flowers are being provided at cost from Haehn Florist. NO PROFITS are being made. Please make
checks payable to Dena Wireman.
LET THE MEANING OF EASTER SHINE
THROUGH GIVING
Dear Parents and Members of the Congregation,
This letter is to inform you about the Feast Easter mission project to help feed those in need at God’s Storehouse.
This project was initiated several years ago by Laura Kinstle. Following that tradition
of giving as well as witnessing our faith and the resurrection of our Lord Jesus on Easter, we desire to send this message and Easter dinner gifts again this year. Please help by donating:
Boxed scalloped potatoes or au gratin potatoes Canned vegetables or canned fruit Boxes Desserts Boxed bread mix (rolls, muffins, or cornbread) Jello mix Jelly Beans/Easter candy There will be a table in Timmermeister Hall to collect the donated food items on Feast
Wednesdays or the food may be brought in anytime. We are also in need of monetary donations to purchase the hams. Therefore, with the
food donations, each family will be able to have a complete ham dinner to celebrate this Easter holiday.
Our youth will assemble the Easter Gift Bags on Wednesday, March 18th. If you have any questions, please call the church office at 419-738-2215.
Thank you!
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by Laura Kinstle
During this season of lent and with Easter approaching, we think of Jesus at the cross and the suffering he endured for our sins. I am going to go back a little and start at the beginning of this story. Each day I find it necessary for me to take a nap in the after-noon. On that particular day I had been ex-periencing a great deal of pain so a nap is just what I needed. This nap was the kind of nap where you fall asleep so hard, you dream. I dreamt where I was alone and met someone who had a lot of physical challenges like me. We were going to get married in our church and there were some naysayers who did not think we were the material to get mar-ried. But, we were married anyway. People made fun of us because I was going around in a wheelchair and my husband had a great deal of trouble walking. But, I knew God had put us together for a purpose. Wait, this actu-ally is my husband and me. I also dreamt about the church and how I stood up for my love of Jesus. With that I woke up from my nap and the title of my arti-cle was set in my mind. It was “Would You Stand at the Cross of Jesus?”. It was as if God had put it there for this purpose.
As I thought more about this title, I wondered if you would stand at the cross for Jesus? Would you defend those less fortu-nate than you, of another color or sexual pref-erence if other people around you put them down. Would you defend the church if some-one started to gossip about the church and not become involved in the discussion and only further the gossip more? Would you stand up for yourself as a Christian when oth-ers were putting the values of a Christian down? Would you instill in your children the love of Jesus and that Jesus is our savior? When I ask myself these questions, I have no doubt in my mind that I would defend Jesus in every circumstance. But sometimes we find ourselves going along with the flow and not even tell others what happiness we have found in Jesus. As Christians, we can express our love for Jesus by going to church regularly, listen-ing to the sermon and singing the love of Je-sus through hymns. Then do we continue to practice this until we are in church again? I hope at this Lenten season, you would stand at the cross for Jesus and die for our sins as he did for us. Then, his death would not have been for nothing.
WOULD YOU STAND AT THE CROSS
“He is your praise; he is your God,
who has done for you these great
and awesome things that
your own eyes have seen.”
~ Deuteronomy 10:21
We will have a Christian Education/Faith Formation Team meeting on Monday, March 2nd at 6PM.. We will be making final plans for the swim party and dis-cussing any Easter activities. Also dis-cussing how FEAST Spring Semester is going. All are welcome!
St. Paul Youth! Our deepest sympathy and condo-lences to the friends and family of Helene Brown, who passed away on Thursday, February 19, 2015.
HARPER NOEL AZBELL was baptized on Sunday, February 8, 2015 at the 10:15 service. Harper is the daughter of Kendra Azbell. Grandparents are Mark & Kiim Azbell.
Godparents: Samantha Hoelscher & Thomas Braun.
CONGRATULATIONS!!!
03/01/1969 Harry & Sheri Sherman 03/13/1976 Warren & Deborah Bailey 03/19/1994 Jonathan & Angela Merricle 03/20/1982 James & Ellen Brautigam 03/24/1973 Rob & Barbara Frische 03/31/1979 James & Barbara Smith
03/01 Mary Jane Merricle 03/01 David Ward 03/01 Tom Shaw 03/02 Charles (Ed) Lee 03/02 James Kaeck 03/03 Thomas Lee 03/03 Jeff Adkins 03/03 Heather Dearinger 03/07 Sean Runkel 03/08 John Nieter 03/08 David Brautigam 03/09 Vickie Knoch 03/09 Sara Kohler 03/10 Todd Byer 03/11 Sharon Campbell 03/11 Don Webb
03/12 Dawn Rankin 03/13 Jennifer Brown 03/13 Erin Fisher 03/15 Mary Frische 03/17 Cheryl Bailey 03/18 George Herman 03/18 Amy Schoolcraft 03/20 Devin Holtzapple 03/20 Dakota Wilges 03/21 Elisha Smith 03/22 Vicki Winkler 03/26 Josh Wellington 03/27 Chris Wells 03/27 John Berg 03/29 Michael Ebersole 03/29 Diane Ferguson
The next book club meeting will be held at THE GARDENS on Tuesday, March 17th at 7PM. The book for this month is “A Common Life-The Wed-ding Story” by Jan Karon. The
story continues with the grand advent of Mitford, Father Tim Kavanagh & Cynthia Coppersmith getting married. Of course with all that entails a wedding, who knows what and if it will happen. Come join us on the 17th (fitting well that it is St. Patrick’s Day) to see all the characters of Mitford come together for some laughter and celebrating love.
Women’s Guild will begin meeting again on Tuesday, March 10th at 1:30PM. All women of the church and their friends are encouraged to attend. If you haven’t been able to attend a meeting, we would love to have you join us. Maybe you have recently retired, just became an empty nester or a mom who just needs an afternoon out. COME SEE what we are all about!
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Circle Three will be meeting at Coffey Cup at 11:30AM on Thursday, March 19th. All are welcome.
WOMEN’S GUILD BOOK CLUB MEETING
New member classes will be March 22nd and
29th at 9:00AM in St Paul UCC library; new
members will be received on Palm Sunday,
March 29 at the 10:15 service.
NEW MEMBER CLASSES
Circle One will meet the first Thursday of every month September through May. The next meet-ing will be on Thursday, March 5th at 1:30PM in the Multi-Purpose room. We welcome new-comers. If you have a free afternoon, please join us. We’d love to have you!
CIRCLE THREE
CIRCLE ONE
The Called to Care Committee will meet imme-diately following 10:15 worship on Sunday, March 8 in the Multi-Purpose Room.
CALLED TO CARE
What is One Great Hour of Sharing®? One Great Hour of Sharing, as part of Our Church's Wider Mission, is the special mission offering of the United Church of Christ that carries God’s message of love and hope to people in 138 countries. The UCC works with international partners to provide sources of clean water and food, education and health care, small business micro-credit, emergency relief, and advocacy and resettlement for refu-gees and displaced persons. OGHS also sup-ports domestic and international ministries for disaster preparedness and response.
How is the United Church of Christ's offering used? More than 60 percent of the UCC's offering supports international development initiatives, including annual support for mis-sionaries. Currently there are 9 OGHS sup-ported missionaries working in disaster relief, health care, education, and agricultural devel-opment. The offering funds disaster prepared-ness and response, and disaster related vol-unteer initiatives in the U.S.
ONE GREAT HOUR OF SHARING
SHIPSHEWANA INDIANA BUS TRIP
On Thursday, September 17, 2015 we will have a bus trip to Shipshewana, Indiana. The cost of the trip is $75.00 due by August 1st. It will include a Amish style lunch at Blue Gate Restaurant & the Musical Half Stitched by Wanda Brunstetter. Please sign up now in the breezeway or contact Nancy Freymuth at 419-738-5415, or send check to 13140 Co 25A Wapakoneta, Ohio 45895
