CIRCUIT RIDER NEWS ST. PAUL S UNITED METHODIST CHURCH. St. Paul s Annual Planning Conference

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1 ST. PAUL S UNITED METHODIST CHURCH January February 2015 HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM ST. PAUL S UMC RENO St. Paul s Annual Planning Conference Please mark this important date on your calendars and we would like to emphasize that this planning conference is open to all and we encourage everyone to attend. This is an important opportunity to learn and provide valuable input on our Church s future. Open hearts Open minds Open doors WE RE ON THE WEB! When: Saturday, February 7, 2015 Where: Thurman Hall Who: All are invited and encouraged to attend Time: 9:00 am to Noon Child Care and Lunch will be provided INSIDE THIS ISSUE: ST PAUL S NEWS EDUCATION GIRLFRIENDS OF THE CHURCH LAY LEADER FINANCE ADMINISTRATIVE COUNCIL CALENDAR 6 INSIDE STORY 6

2 PAGE 2 ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL Following our stewardship campaign of Bearing Fruit for Jesus, we wrapped up 2014 in a bundle of Activating Advent for each of the four weeks focusing on HOPE, LOVE, JOY and PEACE. To spark discussions, we used visual images from art works that depict stories from scripture and a word study comparing and contrasting the definition of the word for the week from the common English dictionary and the Bible. Our goal is always to be spirit led as we attempt a glimpse of the world around us through God s eyes. This year our stretch goal for Activating Advent and celebrating Christmas was being alert for the opportunities to meet Jesus again as if it were the first time. We also added a new feature for Adult Sunday School by posting each week s recap/reminder on our St. Paul s website blog in addition to regular distribution via . Check it out! We ll begin 2015 celebrating EPIPHANY SUNDAY which is the date on the Christian calendar traditionally recognized as the day MARY LAW the wise men arrived with their three gifts. The rest of the year we will continue to follow the Christian calendar and revised common lectionary. The best way to describe Adult Sunday School is to borrow a metaphor made famous in the movie Forrest Gump life and Adult Sunday School is like a box of chocolates you never know what you re gonna get. Everyone is invited to come, see, hear and taste what God has in store for you! We meet every Sunday morning in Noah s Ark between 9:00am and 9:45am. The doors are open and all you need to bring is an open mind and open heart. HIIWYS (HOW IS IT WITH YOUR SOUL?) Our small group/support group meeting Sunday, January 18th will include learning about and making Christian Prayer Beads. We will meet in Noah's Ark 15 minutes after the end of 10am worship service (about 11:45) and be led by Pat Lawrence. While HIIWYS is sponsoring the activity, it is open to other church members as well. Bring a sack lunch and join us! Our February meeting will be a schedule change. On Saturday, February 14th, we are a hosting dinner and karaoke get-together in Thurman Hall from 5pm to 730pm. Whether you're "gifted with singleness" or struggling as a "party of one", all singles are invited. Pizza, salad and chocolate fondue will be served. We're hoping attendance will include folks from other churches as well. Contact: Judi Jensen, Jolie Pardew or Mary Law. EDUCATION Sunday School children had a busy Advent, learning about Jesus birth from the book of Luke. They were encouraged to express their creative side through several art mediums, including watercolors, chalk and playdough. They had a dress-up center and became Marys, angels, donkeys and more. Thank you Jolie and Kristen for the concept and carrying out the art projects. Thanks Mike Clymer for putting it into video form so we could share it with the congregation. After Christmas, we talked about the gifts we received, what special gifts we might give to Jesus and made birdfeeders as gifts to some of God's feathered friends. We also had the chance to raise money for Heifer Project. Thanks to everyone who supported our bake sale. With those proceeds and money the children earned at home, we had enough to buy a JUDI JENSEN sheep, chicks, ducks, tree seedlings and honeybees (but no partridge in the trees). Susan Doctor will have a full report on congregational giving to Heifer Project later in January. We are averaging children each Sunday and can always use help. If you're not comfortable teaching, other areas of need include set up and clean up or donating supplies. Would someone be willing to help send postcards to absentees? Or help us pass out and update our registration forms? Contact Judi Jensen or Jolie Pardew for more info!

3 PAGE 3 THE GIRLFRIENDS OF THE CHURCH 2014 REPORT LINDA SAUNDERS Officers: Sheila King, Chair; Linda Clark, Co-Chair; Georgia Clymer, Treasurer; Linda Saunders, Secretary. Thank you, Sheila King, for your hard work and effort on behalf of Girlfriends of the Church. For President- Ruth Stacy; Vice-President Linda Leep, Secretary- Linda Saunders; & Treasurer- Georgia Clymer Social Events sponsored in 2014: --Valentine s Day Celebration (Feb. 14); Easter Brunch Buffet (April 20); Mother s Day Celebration with Basket Auction (May 11); Fathers Day Breakfast (June 15); Harvest Festival (October 31 st ); Soup Luncheon (Nov. 23); Ornament Exchange (Dec. 13); Cookie Exchange (Dec. 6); Gingerbread Houses (Dec. 7). Other Events and Activities: 12 Comfort Food Fridays (2 nd Fridays); 250 Charlie Bags distributed for the Homeless, with an increase in demand & distribution noted last year!; Blue Moon Sundays (Thanks Kristen Scurry for spear-heading this.) Knit and Crochet group (usually 2 nd and 4 th Sundays) includes Prayer Shawl Ministry and making warm hats for Charlie Bags- Alice Griffin, new chair with Michelle Dunn & Lisa Lee as co-chairs; Heart to Heart Card Ministry new Chair for Wendy Calkin; Grief Ministry; Birthday Cake Ministry; Food Bank help for regional food distribution center; School Backpack kits for UMCOR valued at $50 each; dinner cooked for Guests at Ronald McDonald House... Awards & Recognition- UMCOR fund donations in the names of Carol Leamy & Brittany Filler were given. With George Clark receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award! Assisted with/hosted: Four memorial services for members and Food and Clothing Barrels. Financial Contributions/Allocations for 2014: In addition to activities describe above, our thanks and gratitude go to our faithful cooks and attendees at Comfort Food Fridays- we now have $11, in funds for the landscaping project!! Goals and Visions: A. Increase in church participation in both small group and church-wide activities in 2015, to include increasing Girlfriends membership and meeting attendance; B. Increase in distribution of Charlie Bags to 300 per year; C. Continue promotion of neighborhood and community-wide activities, such as supporting Peavine School, and combined activities with other churches (concerts, community enhancement projects) D. Building the GFC landscaping fund by at least $2,000 per year through Comfort Food Friday dinners, with a goal to begin project in 2015 or 16. GFC met its goals set for 2014! January 3: Ruth Stacy 4: Gene Golish 6: Wayne Baldwin 12: Donna Noble 14: Terry Golish 14: Kenny Shepherd 25: Kristen Scurry 26: Lenny Clark 27: Linda Clark February 5: Charlie White Eagle 13: Howard McMaster 20: Laurie Hillin 23: Roxanne Berston 23: Susan Doctor 23: Tim Iveson 28: Bill Strohschein HAPPY BIRTHDAY! COMFORT FOOD FRIDAYS January 9 Meatloaf Dinner MENU February 13 Stay Tuned Cost: $7.00 FREE for Children under 12 5:30-7pm in Thurman Hall

4 PAGE 4 LAY LEADER LITANY MIKE CLYMER Here we are, at the beginning of a new year. Have you noticed that the days are getting longer? The temperature may be colder, but because of daylight hanging around for more of the day, we have a tiny, tiny hint of beautiful days to come. It s fresh and it s growing. Once again we have the opportunity to look afresh at our future, evaluate where we are, and plan where we want to go. Do you have a New Year s resolution? OK if not, are you going to make one? I ve got some hints for you to have a successful resolution. Don t make a resolution of I m gonna lose weight! That is doomed for failure. How much weight? By when? Instead, set measurable and achievable goals, like I m gonna lose 4 pounds a month until I ve lost 20 pounds! NOW you have something to measure as you reach for a specific goal. My example was about losing weight, a very common new year s resolution after the binge holidays. How about setting a goal to grow closer to God? Set your measurements by small steps, like praying every morning, reading a chapter of the bible daily, or giving your time to one of the thousands of jobs available at the church. As for me, I don t set New Year s resolutions. Let me tell you a little secret the church has a time for setting resolutions built right into their liturgical calendar! It s called Lent! I find Lenten disciplines much easier to achieve because I am calling on God to help me. He helps me forget my past and concentrate on my future with Him. But wait! There s more! I ll tell you another little secret God gives us a brand new day every 24 hours! We get to wake up each morning with a hint of a beautiful day to come. It s fresh and it s growing. Start each day praising God and setting a resolution for that day. Mandisa is a Christian singer who has a major hit out now called Good Morning. I could never say it better than her lyrics: Wave away my yesterday Cause I'm leavng it behind me. Hello sunshine, come what may. I feel something new inside me. I hear the birds singing Now my alarm's ringing Get up, get up, hey! It's a good morning! Wake up to a brand new day This morning, I'm stepping, stepping on my way Good morning, You give me strength, You give me just what I need And I can feel the hope that's rising in me. It's a good morning Shalom! FINANCE NEWS LINDA LEEP The finance team is busy closing the books for last year. After looking at the forecast for 2015, we will have to tighten our belts. We will be challenged to come up with more resourceful ways to meet our budget needs this year. Please attend the planning conference in February to share your creative ideas. Keep looking up!!

5 PAGE 5 ST. PAUL S ANNUAL PLANNING CONFERENCE NORD YAMAUCHI Our Growth and Sustainability - How Can You Get Involved? We continue to evolve as a congregation and face many successes as well as challenges in our quest to do God s will. Many Churches in our Conference and throughout the nation are dealing with similar situations where growth and sustainability are at the forefront of discussions and concerns. We at St. Paul s have been very fortunate in previous years to enjoy more successes than challenges and we feel blessed that our achievements are due to the planning and support we receive from all members of our congregation. As we move into 2015 it is incumbent upon all of us to provide the necessary support and participation so we can collectively move towards growth, sustainability and vitality. Back in 2012 we decided to focus on four different areas for our goals and objectives. These focus areas are: Mission and Ministries Through our missions committee we will establish goals for short term and o n g o i n g m i n i s t r i e s. Missions and Ministries will be geared towards local and global outreach with an emphasis on children and youth. We will also increase our efforts to establish a greater number of small group outreach ministries in the next 5 years. Administrative and Operational Our infrastructure needs to be supportive of the changing needs of our congregation and not be an impediment towards the advancement of our goals. A main area of focus will be on technology and the greater utilization of technological tools to improve our ability to reach, teach and spread the word of God. Our annual goals for our administrative and operational committees will embody the mission and vision of our Church. Our People Through our people we will be able to spread the word of Christ and seek to attain the vision we developed for ourselves and God. Our annual goals will be to involve more members through ministries, prayer and worship, lay leadership development and other programs. We will explore and utilize internal and external resources to train and develop members in different disciplines of Church life with the intent of promoting personal growth and allowing members to share the Gospel of Christ in a better way. Collaboration As a small church we recognize our limitations in reaching the larger masses of people to whom we want to minister. Through collaboration with other local churches, community organizations, CA NV Conference and the United Methodist Church we can create strength in numbers and touch a greater number of people to spread Christ s Gospel. people Our annual goals will include plans for collaborative efforts with organizations who share our common interest in doing God s work. It is time to re-visit these focus areas and find creative and resourceful ways to energize ourselves and create new opportunities for all. Amongst other topics we will have discussions about these four focus areas and will be soliciting ideas for making St. Paul s a better Church. This year we have scheduled our Church Planning Conference for Sat., February 7 from 9:00 am to noon. Lunch and child care will be provided. Delivering Gift Bags at Manor Care

6 ST. PAUL S UNITED METHODIST CHURCH 1660 Grandview Ave Reno Nevada Phone: Fax: office@stpaulsumcreno.org WE RE ON THE WEB! Sundays 8am 9am 10am Early Worship Service Adult Sunday School Late Worship Service Children s Sunday School Wednesdays 7:30am Study Group at Carrow s 7pm WEEKLY SCHEDULE Holy Macrels Rehearsal Third Saturdays 6:30pm Worship Service CALENDAR OF SPECIAL EVENTS FOR A COMPLETE LISTING VISIT ST. PAUL S WEBSITE JAN 1 JAN 2 JAN 9 FEB 6 Happy New Year! Office is closed Bunco in Thurman Hall at 7pm Comfort Food Friday in Thurman Hall 5:30-7pm Bunco in Thurman Hall at 7pm MEETING SCHEDULE AFTER LATE SERVICE First Sunday Girlfriends of the Church Second Sunday Mission Committee Third Sunday Administrative Council Fourth Sunday Education Team 2nd & 4th Sundays Knit Wits FEB 7 FEB 13 FEB 14 All Church Planning Meeting in Thurman Hall 9am-3pm Comfort Food Friday in Thurman Hall 5:30-7pm HIIWYS Singles Valentine s Party in Thurman Hall 5-7:30pm