St. Paul s Ambassador

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1 St. Paul s Ambassador A newsletter making Christ Jesus known, looking forward to May 2017 So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us. 2 Corinthians 5:20 Toward a Vision for Ministry in 2027 The Congregation Council, at its recent retreat, has decided to move forward with the development of a long range vision for the future of St. Paul s. This process will likely take about months to complete. Why do long range planning? Planning is essential for a congregation to focus its future direction and mission. Just as our ancestors did 190 years ago, we are thinking about the future direction of our congregation. This vision will serve as a roadmap to the future, providing direction and focus. The oft quoted Failures don t plan to fail, they fail to plan is quite true. When a group of people share a common vision, the excitement is contagious. What is involved in developing such a vision/plan? To be effective, a long range plan must be rooted in our strengths and our collective gifts. The beginning stages of this process will involve many conversations. The Long Range Planning Team will engage members, leaders and staff in discussions about our strengths, weakness and opportunities for mission. You should expect to have multiple opportunities to give input to this Team of people, especially in response to the question, Why are we here? As these conversations continue, no doubt some common threads of thought will naturally emerge. After a few months of such input, the Team will begin to craft a statement that summarizes the Vision of the congregation. This will be further enhanced as a statement of Mission gives substance to the Vision. The Team then goes to work on specific objectives that will engage the people of St. Paul s in living out its Vision and Mission. At each step, the emerging Vision, Mission and objectives will be shared and discussed with Council and Committees as needed. Who will be a part of this Long Range Planning Team? The Team will be composed of about 7 members of the congregation (plus the pastor) who are appointed by the Congregation Council. The criteria for selection of this Team s members will be by nature rather subjective we will trust in the Holy Spirit to guide this selection and the entire process of developing a plan. If you are interested in being considered for the Team, see me or Linda Hawkins. What happens when the Team has completed its work? The Team s work is finished when the Long Range Plan/Vision has been approved by Congregation Council and the congregation at a specially called meeting. When it is finished, expect a great deal of excitement for working together for the fulfillment of the objectives of the Plan. The Vision and Mission statements will guide all future decisions of the Congregation Council, Committees, staff, and members of the congregation. Once again, why do Long Range Visioning? I have personally seen the energy and excitement that results from the development of a long range vision and plan. Think of the beauty and power of a common and clearly articulated vision for our future together. God is calling us anew each day to God s mission in this community and the world. Remember this Team and St. Paul s in your prayers. May God bless this time of growth and excitement in our congregation! St. Paul s Ambassador May Peace, Pr. Jeff

2 Gathering News Remember in prayer Please remember in prayer our members and friends who are experiencing illness, all who are in hospitals or nursing homes, those who serve in the military, and families who are grieving the loss of a loved one. Special care: Elizabeth Arnett, Max Bowers, Evelyn and Elwood Funkhouser, Hope Funkhouser, Mertie Funkhouser, Butch Hosaflook, and Evelyn Whalen. Children s Time Volunteers are needed to help with Children s Time. If you are interested, see Pastor Jeff or Phyllis Lytton. Altar flowers Altar flowers for Easter and for April were given to the glory of God and in memory of loved ones lost and in honor of Vivian Fisher. Altar flowers in May are given to the glory of God and in memory of Elwood Whittington. New Holy Communion Setting We are now using Setting 8 during the worship service. You can pick up a CD in the narthex, and listen to it to become familiar with the music. New Members Pastor Jeff is preparing to receive some new members in May. If you are interested in membership, please contact Pastor May. The Greatest Story Welcome to The Greatest Story, an introduction to the Bible. Each Sunday, 9:15 am 10 am, we will share conversation about this big-picture overview of the Bible. See how your story connects with God s story! You are part of the greatest story! Thank you! Nathan Miller thanks everyone at St. Paul s for the exam week care package. Gene and Louise Dellinger thank everyone for their cards, calls, and visits during Gene s recent hospitalization. Lutheran Family Services of Virginia thanked St. Paul s for our gift of $2,094. It will be used to support the Minnick School in Harrisonburg. Good Shepherd Program St. Paul s is supporting the Good Shepherd Program that helps seniors in need with non-food paper, hygiene, and cleaning products. Reusable bags have been obtained, and your help is needed to pack them. Please contact Becky Jenkins, St. Paul s coordinator. Thank you for your contributions to this ministry! Luke s Backpack/Food Pantry Thank you for the single-serving food you provide to Luke s Backpack! In March, the Bread of Life Food Pantry served 64 families (184 individuals) for a total of 4,011 lbs. of food. Boxed macaroni and cheese is needed. St. Paul s Ambassador St. Paul s Lutheran Church, Jerome Parish 4109 Jerome Road, Edinburg, VA Office Contact Pastor Jeff May at (cell) or (home) stpjerom@shentel.net Web site: Facebook: Our mission is to be a living example of God s love. The Rev. Jeff May, Pastor Oma Gail Simmons, Organist Dara Booher, Pianist Congregation Council Linda Hawkins, Vice Chair Shelby Boyden, Secretary Anna Barb Matt Booher Gail Dawson Karen Doane Nancy Evans Pat Good Miranda Hawkins Becky Jenkins Keith Knupp Orville Smoot Youth representative: Jean Getz Articles for the St. Paul s Ambassador are welcomed from members and friends of the congregation. Please submit your articles to the church office or to Gail Dawson at gdawson22824@yahoo.com. Attendance and Offerings St. Paul s Ambassador May Date 2017 Worship Attend Worship Offering Sun Sch Attend Sun Sch Offering 3/15 27 $45.00 Lenten Service 3/19 82 $1, $ /22 22 $52.00 Lenten Service 3/26 78 $1, $ /29 28 $51.02 Lenten Service 4/2 76 $3, $ /5 36 $ Lenten Service 4/9 84 $2, $22.00

3 From the Faith Community Nurse Corner Let s talk about stroke. Stroke is the 5 th leading cause of death in the US. Approximately 800,000 people have a stroke each year. Stroke is more common in women (60%) than men (40%). What causes stroke to occur? Strokes occur due to a problem with the blood supply to the brain; either a vessel is blocked (ischemic stroke) or a blood vessel ruptures (hemorrhagic stroke). This is a medical emergency and treatment must be sought as soon as possible. Early recognition and intervention lead to better outcomes. Ischemic strokes are the most common, accounts for 85% of all strokes. Blockages are frequently caused by blood clots which can be formed by fatty deposits in the vessels. Hemorrhagic strokes are caused by ruptures which can be caused by conditions like hypertension, trauma, blood thinning medications, and/or aneurysms. How can I tell if someone is having a stroke? The acronym F A S T is the best way to remember the signs of a stroke. F=Face drooping: does one side droop when someone tries to smile? A= Arm weakness: if someone tries to raise both arms, does one arm drift downward? S= Speech difficulty: if trying to repeat a simple phrase, is their speech slurred or strange? T= Time to call if any of these are observed. It is important to know that the clock starts running with the first symptom. Ideally, a person should be treated within 3 hours of the onset of symptoms. The sooner the treatment, generally the prognosis will be better, and you are less likely to experience lasting damage or death. So how to prevent or reduce the risk of stroke? Healthy living: that is, healthy eating. Less fat; if diabetic, good control of your blood sugar; maintain a healthy weight; be active; do not smoke; limit alcohol use; and if you have any medical conditions, do not forget to take your medication, and follow your doctor s orders. For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. 2 Timothy 1:7 Jeannie Coffman, Shenandoah Valley Lutheran Ministries Faith Community Nurse St. Paul s Interesting Teens & Tweens (SPITT) Both youth groups (5 th 7 th graders; 8 th 12 th graders) continue to meet on the third Sunday of every month. Both groups are planning more funraisers to raise enough funds for all of the youth now attending the synod events and those planning to attend the 2018 ELCA Youth Gathering in Houston, TX. A number of youth fun-raising ideas have been proposed: Bingo Night with a meal; prizes could be donated prizes. Paint Nite in November may be held again. September 9, evening - have music in the Pavilion along with food of some kind, possibly ice cream (Homecoming is Sept.10). Offering babysitting for the young families sometime. We welcome your thoughts about these proposals, and would be interested in hearing your suggestions! The youth would like to plan a congregational trip to one of the following: Sight & Sound; Busch Gardens; a baseball game; or another activity. To date, our youth have participated or will participate in the following: Lost & Found, Nov = Izzy, Emma, Kylene, and Trevor Winter Celebration, Jan = Jean and Felicia 7th Day, Mar = Olivia, Breanna, Eli, Odane, and Isaac Youth Assembly, June 2017 = Jean Kairos, June 2017 = Jean, Emma St. Paul s Ambassador May

4 Easter 2017 A Retirement Gift for Bishop Jim Mauney Many from across our synod have told me that they would like the opportunity to express through a monetary gift their appreciation for Bishop Jim Mauney s 29 years of service to us in the VA Synod. And I want to join them! In 1988, Jim Mauney began his service as an Assistant to Bishop Bansemer; and in 1999, he began his service as our Synodical Bishop. During the years of his ministry, he has honed a vision that has inspired and equipped us to be Ambassadors for Christ; visited each of our congregations to celebrate a milestone in joy or to comfort in times of grief; led Pharaoh, Pharaoh to the delight of generations of our youth at Winter Celebration; worked with countless call committees; journeyed three times to Papua New Guinea; led 18 synod assemblies; become a senior and respected member of the ELCA Council of Bishops; and in his gregarious, warm, and sensitive ministry to us, put about 25,000 miles a year on his synod car! With the knowledge of our synod council, Pr. John Wertz and I are coordinating a synod-wide invitation to those who might like to join us in contributing to a retirement gift to be presented to our beloved and faithful bishop. We will present a personal check to Bishop Mauney during the Friday evening of our upcoming synod assembly. Thank you for considering our invitation to join us in honoring Bishop Mauney with a retirement gift! Pr. Chris Price Note: Gifts may be submitted to St. Paul s marked "Bishop Mauney gift. Regarding the Banquet: If you would like to attend the banquet on Friday evening, June 9th (6:30 pm) honoring Bishop Mauney (in Salem, VA at Roanoke College), please register online at or speak with Pastor Jeff. The cost is $ St. Paul s Ambassador May

5 Quilts & Kits It s Lutheran World Relief Quilt and Kit time! Please consider offering gifts to help LWR provide lasting solutions to poverty, injustice, and human suffering. Baby care kits, school kits, personal care kits, fabric kits are requested. Instructions for making each of the kits can be found at Mission quilts and fleece tied blankets are also welcomed. The kits will be collected here and delivered to a local collection point in June. On Friday, June 2, Shenandoah County s Relay for Life teams gather on the grounds of Massanutten Military Academy. The luminarias you have donated will be lit in honor and in memory of family and friends who have experienced cancer. Join us in Woodstock starting at 6 pm Friday, June 2 and continuing through 6 am Saturday, June 3. Please see Phyllis Lytton if you would like to purchase luminarias for the Relay for Life. Birthday Dinner! Join us for the annual Birthday Dinner on May 6 (Saturday) at 6 pm in the fellowship hall. The entertainment for this Birthday Dinner will be a little different this year. We will have an Antiques Road Show theme! Bring antiques to be appraised (not sold) like that old water pitcher that has been in the cabinet since Great Aunt Bertha lived there, or the painting that nobody claims that s been hanging in the spare bedroom. An auctioneer from Laughlin Auctions will do the appraising. We need your participation! This will be fun! St. Paul s Ambassador May

6 ST. PAUL'S LUTHERAN CHURCH NON - PROFIT ORGANIZATION JEROME PARISH U. S. POSTAGE & FEES PAID 4109 JEROME ROAD PERMIT #14 EDINBURG, VIRGINIA EDINBURG, VA CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED Welcome to St. Paul s Lutheran Church in Jerome, Virginia! Worship with us every Sunday at 10:30 am / Learn with us every Sunday at 9:15 am May 6: May 7: May 9: May 14: May 20: May 21: May 28: Jun 2: Mark Your Calendar! Upcoming Events for St. Paul s (Saturday) Annual Birthday Dinner, 6 pm Holy Communion, 10:30 am (Tues) Congregation Council meeting at 7 pm Holy Communion, 10:30 am (Sat) Youth yard sale Holy Communion, 10:30 am. Young Families group lead hike to the falls Holy Communion, 10:30 am (Fri) Relay for Life, 6 pm to 6am Sat, Massanutten Military Academy, Woodstock St. Paul s Ambassador May