Pastor Janet. Jan. 2016

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1 The Herald St. Paul s United Methodist Church 2131 Palomino Drive Warrington, PA stpaulsumcwarrington.org Janet L. Saddel, Pastor Nancy Mongelli, Admin. Assistant Doug Tester, Organist Ray Washam, Handbell Choir Director Pastor s Ponderings And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. Ezekiel 36:26 (NLT) Jan For ten years, the Style Channel ran a show called, Clean House, until its cancellation two years ago. It was a make-over for your home. The experts would come to a home in need of help and would get busy. Here is how writer Ted De Haas describes it: The experts in cleaning, organizing, remodeling, and painting sweep into a cluttered home with the purpose of leaving it more comfortable, attractive, and livable. The experts face the challenges of clothes strewn across the floor, bulging cabinets, closets filled from top to bottom, filled counter tops, and overflowing kitchens, bedrooms, bathrooms, and living rooms not a clean room in the house! The experts' first step is to take an inventory of all the "stuff." Then, decisions are made about what to sell at a yard sale and what to keep. The home's inhabitants hesitate and hold on to favorite clothes from years gone by, childhood keepsakes, space-taking trivia, but then they yield. The sale is held, and money comes in to help with the makeover. Then the family leaves, and the work begins. Rooms are cleaned out, redone for more efficiency and attractiveness, and repainted. Curtains are hung, cabinets set in, and walls decorated. A transformation takes place, and when the family returns, what a difference it makes! Any nervous anticipation quickly gives way to excitement and laughter when the family sees what's taken place. "Thank you, thank you," the family says often amid smiles and tears. As we enter a New Year, this is a perfect opportunity to take inventory of what is in our hearts. We need to look closely to see what stuff in our lives needs to go. Like those homeowners, sometimes we re reticent to let go of the things we ve been holding onto for years. But we don t have to do this alone. We have an expert, Jesus Christ, who will give us the strength and the power to do a makeover in our hearts and our lives. I pray that each one of us will allow the Holy Spirit to do new things in our lives, transforming us more and more into the image of Christ our Lord. May you have a healthy and blessed New Year! "See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you." Isaiah 42:9 (NIV) In God s Great Grace, Pastor Janet

2 What s St. Paul s... Standing Meetings, Groups & Programs Sunday s... 9:00 am Adult Sunday School 10:30 am Worship 10:40 am Children s Sunday School 6:30-7:30 pm St. Paul s Youth (SPY) Meeting every Sunday from 6:30 to 7:30 pm. We have active members participating in the Pocono Plateau Winter Retreat which is a great opportunity for fellowship and fun with other United Methodist kids. We have been meeting and active since October 2015 ~Events since October included: Regular meetings, Hayride, Hanging of the Greens, Cards to Shut-ins and most recently movie night "The Nativity Story." We welcome youth grades 7-12 to join us for fun, fellowship, food and missions. Upcoming Calendar (check the website for up-to-date information): January 3 No Meeting Holiday January 10 Regular Meetings Resume Thanks~Lisa Erb Lerb29@aol.com Noisy Can Collection, the second Sunday of every month Next collection: January 10. There are jars on the table in the Narthex if you need one. If you forgot your jar on the second Sunday or will not be in church you can drop it off at the church office. All donations are gratefully accepted even bills and checks. Thank you!!! Monday s... Trustees 7 9 pm January 18/Pastor s office St. Paul s Book Club..third 7:30 pm in the Library...will be meeting again on January 18. All are welcome! Tuesday s... Church Council 7 9 pm January 12, April 12, September 13 and December 13. Ministry in Motion 7 9 pm February 9, March 8, May 10, June 14, July 12, August 9, October 11, November 8. Thursday s/sanctuary... Handbell Rehearsal 6:30 7:30 pm Choir Rehearsal 7:30 9 pm Thursday s & Saturday s... Food Pantry Drop-Off Program For this Christmas season when many will not have enough to eat, we hope you will take several flyers about the Pantry and pass them on to your neighbors, family and friends. Let's see if we can collect even more food than our usual. Look for flyers on the Narthex tables and take a few please! First & third Thursdays 6-8 pm & first & third Saturdays 10 am-12 noon What the Food Bank Needs Dried pastas; 12 oz. can of tuna; 15 oz. can of beans; 100 grams of low sodium breakfast cereals; 18 oz. can of low sodium soups; 5 count box of healthy granola bars; 18 oz. jar of peanut butter; 29 oz. can of fruit; 12 packet box of instant oatmeal; 28 oz. box of prepared pancake mix; 14 oz. box instant brown rice; baby food purees; 14.5 oz. canned vegetables; holiday food items; 2.37 oz. container of spices; 6.5 oz. baked goods mixes; 32 fluid oz. box shelf stable milk; 2.5 oz. container cooking oils Saturday s Men s Bible Study and Breakfast 8 10 am first, third & fifth Saturday/Cozens Like us on Facebook St. Paul s UMC, Warrington

3 The Narthex Committee We are trying to keep our Narthex a welcoming place for all who enter! Please help us by returning chairs to the original positions and keeping clutter to a minimum. It is a common and important place for communication and those many methods need to be kept up to date and neat. Thanks to all for making all this happen so that we are proud of the way our Church welcomes everyone who enters our doors! Thank you to everyone who donated cookies for our friends at Neshaminy Manor and the residents in Greenleaf Nursing Home. Your kind donations greatly brightened their Holiday spirits. Thanks again, Sunshine Couple, Faye & Dan Wolfgang It's Snowing! Will We Have Church Today? Our Trustees do their best to keep our facility and parking lot safe. But we can t possibly remove every bit of snow and ice, so we ask that you use your own common sense about attending during inclement weather. We have two means of finding out if our church services are cancelled (and the same for evening meetings or Bible studies). You can call this Winter Storm Emergency phone number: If services are cancelled, the message will clearly state as such. If you have a computer you can access our website and a banner will be posted on the front page: We trust that each person will use their own judgment and not risk life and limb to get to church in difficult weather conditions. Know that you will be missed and we will look forward to greeting you when you are able to come to church. Rosanne Vassalotti and friends have worked hard to make our Library neat. You may browse the books and take anything you like. Either pass it on or return it to the Library when finished. Please support Rosanne by storing non-related library items elsewhere. Let s keep this small room welcoming for those who use it for small meetings regularly or on occasion. Thanks for your help!

4 St. Paul s Preschool News January 2016 I was dreaming of a white Christmas, but we got wet and warm instead. However, it doesn t really matter as the Christmas festivities were so exciting! My little friends were full of the spirit having made gifts and sung songs and carols. Decorations were in abundance as was excitement! Our families took angels from the Angel Tree and bought gifts for children associated with the Center and at the Methodist Preschool in Point Pleasant Beach, NJ who could use some help this year. Their generosity was amazing. They taught their preschoolers a valuable lesson about caring for and sharing with others that will stay with them. After the Angel Breakfast (many thanks to the Men s Bible Study group), the Sing-a-long and Story told by Pastor Janet and the Extended Care Christmas Show, all was ready for the big day. Many of my friends have not been back to school since Christmas, but some of them have. They were busy talking about how they celebrated and what Santa brought to their house. I can t wait for school to start so that I can hear from everyone else. The week between Christmas and New Year s Day is a little quieter here than normal. I am hoping that January will bring some snow! School will be back in full swing with so many new things to do and learn. The 3/4 preschoolers will be taking a field trip to The Bucks County Children s Museum in New Hope. This is a new trip for us and we are looking forward to it. The Tooth Buddy Tales puppet show will be here teaching us about dental health in an amusing way. The Mom s Group will meet on January 14th. That is the same day as our restaurant fundraiser at Moe s in Warrington. You can eat there from 11 to 9 and help your favorite preschool at the same time. I hope your Christmas was merry & bright and that the New Year will be a healthy, happy one for you. Hugs from Paul E. Bear

5 50th Anniversary of St. Paul's... Bob Strang: Hoagies When the sanctuary was built it was determined that a new organ was required. A committee was formed and determined an Allen electronic organ best met our musical and financial needs. The next challenge was how to pay for it. There was no money in the building budget for an organ so St. Paul s decided to be creative in paying it. We had a history of having hoagie sales much smaller ones conducted by the youth group and it was decided to try to pay for the organ with hoagie sales. The cost of the organ was around $10-11,000 and it was hoped that we could sell at least 1,000 hoagies per sale in 10 monthly sales at a profit of $1.00+ per hoagie. A great team of sales managers allowed us to exceed our goal and an equally great team of hoagie makers met early one Friday morning each month for 10 months to make the hoagies. The organ was paid for with ten sales and an extra sale was had to help with other unexpected expenses. When you hear the organ next time see if you can also detect the slight aroma of onions! Bob Strang St. Paul s is fortunate to have an Endowment Fund to be used by the Board of Trustees for significant church projects. Anyone can make a contribution at any time by writing Endowment on your check. A nice way to honor or memorialize someone is to contribute in that person s remembrance and a letter will be sent to the honoree or family telling them of the contribution to our church. This is a way to continue our church in perpetuity. The Endowment Fund Committee for 2016 consists of Judy Snyder, Chair; Scott Schwebel, Dan Richards, Bob Young, a representative from Trustees and Finance; the Lay Leader and Pastor are Ex-Officio members.

6 50th Anniversary of St. Paul's... Scott Schwebel: Affirmations In 1965, after Pastor Fred Brunner followed our moving van to 2132 Pinto Road and helped us unload, how could we say no to his invitation to join the new St. Paul's Methodist church in Warrington. The new St. Paul's Methodist Church was being built in Palomino Farms. The church was still meeting as Anna Cozens Methodist Church on Route 611 below Street Road (now Carpet Giant). As a lifelong Lutheran, at 25 years of age, I needed to find out what a Methodist was all about. I was directed to the Methodist Book of Discipline. As methodical Christians, the Methodist Book of Discipline has a definition and procedure for everything. It also contains a list of Methodist core value beliefs. The latest Book of Discipline is It is published every four years. The following is the Book of Discipline's core values section. Please read it and see if it describes your core values. After 50 years, I am encouraged and blessed to read this section again. May the Holy Spirit encourage and bless you as you read it and apply it. Scott Schwebel Basic Christian Affirmations. With Christians of other communions we confess belief in the triune God-Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This confession embraces the biblical witness to God's activity in creation, encompasses God's gracious self-involvement in the dramas of history, and anticipates the consummation of God's reign... The created order is designed for the well-being of all creatures and as the place of human dwelling in covenant with God. As sinful creatures, however, we have broken that covenant, become estranged from God, wounded ourselves and one - another, and wreaked havoc throughout the natural order. We stand in need of redemption. We hold in common with all Christians a faith in the mystery of salvation in and through Jesus Christ. At the heart of the gospel of salvation is God's incarnation in Jesus of Nazareth. Scripture witnesses to the redeeming love of God in Jesus' life and teachings, his atoning death, his resurrection, his sovereign presence in history, his triumph over the powers of evil and death, and his promised return. Because God truly loves us in spite of our willful sin, God judges us, summons us to repentance, pardons us, receives us by that grace given to us in Jesus Christ, and gives us hope of life eternal. We share the Christian belief that God's redemptive love is realized in human life by the activity of the Holy Spirit, both in personal experience and in the community of believers. This community is the church, which the Spirit has brought into existence for the healing of the nations. Through faith in Jesus Christ we are forgiven, reconciled to God, and transformed as people of the new covenant. Life in the Spirit" involves diligent use of the means of grace such as praying, fasting, attending upon the sacraments, and inward searching in solitude. It also encompasses the communal life of the church in worship, mission, evangelism, service, and social witness. continued on next page

7 We understand ourselves to be part of Christ's universal church when by adoration, proclamation, and service we become conformed to Christ. We are initiated and incorporated into this community of faith by Baptism, receiving the promise of the Spirit that re-creates and transforms us. Through the regular celebration of Holy Communion, we participate in the risen presence of Jesus Christ and are thereby nourished for faithful discipleship. We pray and work for the coming of God's realm and reign to the world and rejoice in the promise of everlasting life that overcomes death and the forces of evil. With other Christians we recognize that the reign of God is both a present and future reality. The church is' called to be that place where the first signs of the reign of God are identified and acknowledged in the world. Wherever persons are being made new creatures in Christ, wherever the insights and resources of the gospel are brought to bear on the life of the world, God's reign is already effective in its healing and renewing power. We also look to the end time in which God's work will be fulfilled. This prospect gives us hope in our present actions as individuals and as the Church. This expectation saves us from resignation and motivates our continuing witness and service. We share with many Christian communions a recognition of the authority of Scripture. in matters of faith, the confession that our justification as sinners is by grace through faith, and the sober realization that the church is in need of continual reformation and renewal. We affirm the general ministry of all baptized Christians who share responsibility for building up the church and reaching out in mission and service to the world. With other Christians, we declare the essential oneness of the church in Christ Jesus. This rich heritage of shared Christian belief finds expression in our hymnody and liturgies. Our unity is affirmed in the historic creeds as we confess one holy, catholic, and apostolic church. It is also experienced in joint ventures of ministry and in various forms of ecumenical cooperation. Nourished by common roots of this shared Christian heritage, the branches of Christ's church have developed diverse traditions that enlarge our store of shared understandings. Our avowed ecumenical commitment as United Methodists is to gather our own doctrinal emphases into the larger Christian unity, there to be made more meaningful in a richer whole. If we are to offer our best gifts to the common Christian treasury, we must make a deliberate effort as a church to strive for critical self-understanding. It is as Christians involved in ecumenical partnership that we embrace and examine our distinctive heritage. Salvation by Bob Salmonsen In only one Name In only one Way Listen and come, He calls you today Wanting all to receive His free gift of salvation He calls but not everyone listens not wanting His way The way is narrow and few travel on But those who continue find more than they knew Blessings eternal that will never be lost Kept safe in heaven for me to receive Eternal love awaits me sent from above Salvation is priceless God giving All Hopeless without Him turning my way Why do I wander away from His Love? When will I come home Why not today? Safe once more in His arms I will rest Only one God Only one Way Thank-you Lord Jesus Forgiving me All

8 St. Paul's Website We have been actively working to keep the website current so that it may be used as it was intended~a great resource for church members, with the most up-to-date information, dates and times. The announcement page always lists the big activity of the week. There are links to things like the blood drive to make registering simple. If you have something you would like posted to the website for your group or activity let us know and we will make it happen. Please check out the website and use this valuable resource. Thanks, Lisa and Nancy CALLING ALL WOMEN. 12 Days To a New You The program for our WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27 POTLUCK DINNER will be presented by two exciting speakers from Doylestown Hospital sharing ideas for after holiday/winter ways to improve our health! They ll tell us how we can make progress in 12 days!! mark your calendar now and call a couple friends or neighbors to join you on the 27th! Let s try to bring in some outside women who would enjoy this also. Marsha Young and Carol Shaw are co-chairing this winter event and need your support! Please tell them how you could help that evening so it all runs smoothly. We ll arrive at 5:30 PM for punch and proceed to our dinner at 6:00 PM. Look for a Sign-Up Poster in the Narthex to share the type of dish you ll be bringing. Transportation will be provided for those living nearby who don t want to drive at night. Be sure to come and enjoy some delicious food and also learn more about staying healthy! I want to thank the congregation for your display of appreciation to me in worship on December 20 th. While it is difficult to receive public accolades, I very much appreciated Louise s Children s Moment talk. Thank you for your most generous congregational gift and the Moments of Faith ~ Praying Sculpture. I have it on display in my office should anyone want to see it and the story behind it. Thank you all for your kind words and your touching cards. Your words of encouragement sustain me in difficult times. It is a privilege to serve the good people of St. Paul s. I thank you as well for all the birthday cards and the altar flowers! Thank you for being a gracious and loving church family. In Christ, Pastor Janet Thank you all for the very generous Christmas gift! I'd also like to thank you for your thoughts and prayers while my husband was in the hospital back in late Spring & during our move, you've been so kind and supportive, thank you. Nancy