of St. Paul s United Church of Christ, Village of Attica

Transcription

1 of St. Paul s United Church of Christ, Village of Attica This month, I offer a slightly edited transcript from the Into the Mystic podcast on UCC.org by the Rev. John C. Dorhauer, UCC General Minister and President. The Wild Child of the Trinity Today, my podcast is an excerpt from the book Latin Evangelicas: A Theological Survey from the Margins by Loida Martell-Otero, Zaida Maldonado Perez, and Elizabeth Conde-Frazier. The excerpt is from the reflections on the Holy Spirit by Dr. Perez. I love the Holy Spirit. She is like the wild child of the Trinity, anywhere and everywhere moving, calling forth, and stirring things up. She is wonderfully illusive yet also fully present. She is untamable, full of possibilities and creative potential. She is and will be unconventional, even uncultured. She is the wonder that moves our questions from, what does this all mean? to, what shall we do? She can forever alter our lives and change our world. She is life-giving breath, wind, and fire. She wants to be encountered by all. She is calming Spirit amid the storm. She is wisdom. Much like a lingering question about which there was still much to ponder, the nature, person, and work of the Spirit eluded the early church's grasp. Today she still eludes ours. But I love this about her! As part of the Godhead, she reminds us that she cannot be had or possessed as many claim when they say, "I have, or I possess, the Holy Spirit" and therefore can order it about. Rather, it is we who are the Holy Spirit's temple. For, at the beginning, in the middle, and in the end, the Holy Spirit is about God's mission. That God is grace to us so that we can be grace to others is a biblical principle that permeates the Judeo-Christian scriptures. God blesses us so that we can bless the neighbor, the stranger, the friend and even the foe, to God's glory. We do not engage in this struggle out of a sense of entitlement. We are well aware of our own sinfulness. We claim no special dispensation or honors on the basis of gender or ethnicity. We are redeemed, loved, and called because of God's mercy. We thank the Holy Spirit's constant rumblings in us. For they give witness to our spirit that any and all gifts have their source in God who works, not on the basis of gender or status, but by and through God's own will and purpose. To claim anything else is to claim entitlement and to deny the veracity of what unmerited grace really means. As vessels of the Holy Spirit, we have experienced God's unmerited grace as a transforming agent who would have us be in the world as holy sacrament, a visible sign of God's abounding grace for the whole world. Thank you, Zaida. Your words move and inspire me. Friends, I invite you to enjoy this ride with the Wild Child of the Trinity on this, our journey Into the Mystic.

2 NEEDED Please make sure all newsletter submissions are in by this date. In the green folder on the office window or ed to: Ushers, Greeters, Layleaders, & Acolytes! Please consider signing up to serve the church one Sunday a month! Attica Food Link Distribution: Betty Watson Terry Schroeder...and others who are physically unable to join us. Why not call or visit, to let them know they are missed? Sept. 5th 10am-12pm St. Vincent s School Aud. Bring your own bags. Chuck & Dorothy s new address: 5077 Clinton St. Rd., Unit 1 Batavia, NY Home Phone: Carol Shreder s new address: The Cloisters Rm N. Maple ST Warsaw, NY ATTENTION: If you are a college student at any level, please the church with your college address. (OR If you are the parent of a college student, please the church your student s mailing address.) St. Paul s UCC gave away 40 backpacks filled with school supplies needed for each grade level from Kindergarten through 4th grade. We would like to thank everyone who gave donations; Mary West for many cookies & Dorothy Kellogg for getting clothing & books. We still have more backpacks & school supplies available; contact Marilyn Wilson if you know a child that still needs any. Thank you to everyone who has helped with this program over the years. Bible Studies will resume: Sept. & Sept. Sunday Bible readings: The message text is in bold; the first reading is italicized. September 3: Exodus 3:1-15 Psalm 105:1-6, 23-26, or Jeremiah 15:15-21 Psalm 26:1-8 Matthew Romans September 10: Exodus 12:1-14 Psalm149 or Ezekiel 33:7-11 Psalm Matthew 18:15-20 Romans September 17: Exodus 14:19-31 Psalm 114 OR Exodus 15:1b-11, or Genesis 50:15-21 Psalm 103:(1-7) 8-13 Matthew Romans September 24: Exodus 16:2-15 Psalm 105:1-6,37-45 or Jonah Psalm Matthew 20:1-16 Philippians 1:21-30

3 C.R.O.P. HUNGER WALK The Church in Attica is sponsoring a walk for hunger on Sat., September 30 th at 10am. Meet at the Gazebo in the Park. Registration begins at 9:30am. Starting on September 10 th during worship, you can register to walk OR pledge a walker. crophungerwalk.org PUT SOME ZING IN YOUR SING AND JOIN CHOIR! Rehearsals; Thursdays at 7:15 pm, beginning Sept. 7. Bell choir begins September 7th Please consider joining us for our 1st practice at 6pm. We welcome new ringers, no experience required. We greatly appreciate our returning members and warmly welcome new members! BBQ & BLUES EVENT Saturday, September 16, 2017 Epiphany UCC, 9365 Clarence Center Rd. Featuring the musical talent of The Growlers Blues Band from 4 pm 8 pm. Dinners include Pulled Pork and Pulled Chicken. Plus 50/50 Raffle and Basket Raffle. Tickets will be $20 and will go on Sale July 1, Contact the church at or Dave at

4 Spotlight on our youth On Sunday June 25th we honored our high school graduate, Kyle Best. Good Luck on your future endeavors Kyle! Photos curtesy of Debbie Best. We are very proud to announce that Meredith has been placed on the Dean's List for the 2017 Spring Semester for Niagara University's College of Hospitality and Tourism Management. Kathryn McPherson of Varysburg has been named to the Syracuse University Dean s list for the Fall 2016 semester. A GPA of 3.6 or greater is required to achieve this distinction. YOUTH MISSION TEAM-volunteers are needed to work at the SPCA on Sunday September 3rd from 10:00-11:30. We will be visiting with the cats and helping to maintain the grounds by painting a shed. If you are interested please sign up on the bulletin board in the Sunday school wing. If you have any questions please ask Lisa Knerr. & TEACHER INSTALLATION September 10, 2016 Students (3year olds to seniors) - Bring your Backpacks with you to worship on September 10th. We ll bless them and you for this next school year. Students entering 3 rd grade will receive their Bibles. Please consider signing up to be a Sunday school teacher for the school session. Teaching materials are provided for your use. Teachers are needed for: Nursery, Preschool - 1st grade, 3rd - 5th grade and 6th - 8th grade

5 St Paul s UCC Christian Education Meeting Sunday, August 6, 2017 The meeting opened with prayer from Pastor Laurie Members present: Laurie Bellucci, Tom Baker, Lisa Knerr, Mary West, Danielle Harvey, Pastor Laurie. Absent: Ruth Hopfinger Preschool Report (including financial statement): Debbie Bender/ Mary West- Request made to be included in church functions such as UNICEF, birthday for Jesus. Orientation is Sept. 9. 9:30-10:30 for 3yr.,9:00-10:00 4yr.AM, 11:00-12:00 4 yr.pm tuition contract was presented. Motion made by Tom Baker to re-instate teachers for Second by Mary West. Sunday School Report: Danielle Harvey-Teaching materials have arrived. There will be nursery and 3 classes - preschool -1 st (3 children), 3-5(5 children), 6-8(9 children). Sign up sheet to be created for teachers to sign up. Heiffer Report: Lisa Knerr- Spring Donation $50. Will request financial report for next meeting. Dunkirk Camp Report: Tom Baker- a $ 25. was included in a Thank you note from Marilyn Norton. Youth Mission Team volunteers at the SPCA on Sept. 3 rd. Thank you lunch will be held on October 1 st.concern was brought up about camp offering less church more adventure. Received thank from Kathleen Nolan. Other: End of Summer Bash Picnic- Aug. 27th games will include watermelon spitting seed contest, 3 legged race, relay race with straw & marshmallow, ladder ball game, water balloons, hoola hoops, giant ice cream sundae, peanut hunt. Rally Day- Sept. 10 th - Installation of teachers and blessing of backpacks. Will be presenting bibles to two children on that day also. Rummage sale will include bake sale-laurie will take care of advertisement with women doing sale. Advent Workshop- Nov. 26 th - tree ornaments and costumes for Christmas play. Christmas play and Jesus birthday- Dec. 24 th Laurie purchased Star Christmas Play. This will include playing of the bells. Confirmation Class invitations have been sent out. Next meeting Sept. 17 Adjourned with Lord s Prayer. Respectfully submitted, Lisa Knerr for Ruth Hopfinger From the Church Historians VOLUNTEER: to offer one s services of one s own free will We are entering an exciting period in the life of St. Paul s: vacations are over (sorry about that), our college young people are packing up their stuff and will be heading off to college, kids are nervous about that 1st day of school and the church readies itself for its late summer & fall schedule. The choirs (chancel & bell) will begin rehearsals, Sunday school classes will resume, Bible Study will start up. -And here is where volunteers come into play. Simply put There is a place for YOUR TALENT! Historically, St. Paul s has always answered God s call; it is one of the characteristics that makes St. Paul s the vibrant/spiritually alive Body of Christ it is! We went through the pictoral directory and remember 71 of YOU have served (you fill in the blank), some multiple times and in multiple positions. As your Church Historians we pray you continue the tradition. Your Church Historians, Floss & Charles

6 Sisters in Faith Sisters in faith is a spiritually based group doing outreach mission work for St. Paul s. Over the past few years we have knitted caps for babies in the hospital; held a scarf making class; made dresses for Africa; art smocks for the back to school picnic; held overnight lock ins for the youth of the church; made cards, pins and flowers for our shut ins, church members and others in the community and organize yearly Christmas caroling. Please come and join us at our first meeting, Thursday September 14 th at 6:30 in the lounge at church. This will be an organizational meeting where we plan our activities for the coming months. If you have ideas, please come, join our group, & share your ideas! Many thanks to Roy Ticen for once again arranging a trip to Sight & Sound Theater in Lancaster, PA. We all enjoyed seeing Jonah & the extended backstage tour that included the barns! It was fun getting to meet some of the animals we ve seen on stage over the years. Photos curtesy of Chris Kipfer.

7 SEPTEMBER The church has purchased an AED- automatic external defibrillator. This is a lifesaving device to be used during an emergency. On September 10th at coffee hour, I will display the device and demonstrate when and how to use it. I would like to offer a Basic Life Support class; which teaches first aid and CPR, to anyone who is interested. There will be a signup sheet at coffee hour and date for class will be announced at a later time. September is National Preparedness Month -A weather or other disaster can threaten your physical, mental, community, fiscal and spiritual well being. Protect yourself and your family, --Get emergency alerts on your cellphone and from a NOAA Weather Radio --Learn about local emergency contacts, plans and shelters and how to evacuate the area --make a disaster plan with all household members. Plan 2 escape routes. Don't forget about your pets --Learn how to prepare for specific disasters a --To protect your assets, buy the best life, house, renter's and car insurance you can afford --Put copies of personal, legal and financial documents in your emergency kit. Make an emergency kit which should contain: -A first aid kit, medicines and medical suppliers -Water- recommended is 2 gallons/day per person -A 3day supply of foods that won't spoil Week 1: September 1-9 Make a Plan for Yourself, Family and Friends Week 2: September Plan to Help Your Neighbor and Community Week 3: September Practice and Build Out Your Plans Week 4: September Get Involved! Be a Part of Something Larger September is also Prostate Cancer awareness month. Many prostate cancer symptoms are very similar to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BHP), prostatitis, erectile dysfunction, or overactive bladder. These include: Strong urge to urinate immediately Frequent nighttime urination Pain and/or burning when urinating Difficulty starting the urinary stream A weak urinary stream once it starts Dribbling after you re finished Pain in the genital and pelvic area Pain when ejaculating Blood in the urine or semen Frequent urinary tract infections The greatest risk factors for developing prostate cancer are increasing age (over 50), family history, ethnicity (African- American), and diet (high intake of meat and dairy products). One in eight American men will have prostate cancer during his lifetime. Prostate cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death among American men. Finding prostate cancer when it is still at an early stage offers the best hope for living cancer free for a long time. The most recent research shows the five-year survival rate for all men with prostate cancer is nearly 100 percent. The relative 10- year survival rate is 98 percent, and 96 percent for 15 years. A general practitioner or an urologist can perform a full prostate cancer exam. This would usually include a PSA blood test and digital rectal exam, also called a DRE. Please get screened and have your male family members get screened yearly. Sept 4th- Sept 10th- Sept 11th- Sept 15th- Sept 20th- Sept 29th- Labor Day-honors the American labor movement and the contributions that workers have made to the strength, prosperity, laws and well-being of the country. Grandparents Day Patriot Day- National Day of Service and Remembrance,[1] occurs on September 11 of each year in memory of the people killed in the 2001 September 11 attacks. POW/MIA Recognition Day- remember those who were prisoners of war (POW) and those who are missing in action (MIA), as well as their families. Rosh Hashanah- commonly known as the Jewish New Year. The Bible refers to the holiday as Yom Ha- Zikkaron (the day of remembrance) Yom Kippur- "Day of Atonement, "It is a day set aside to "afflict the soul," to atone for the sins of the past year.

8 Collect Supplies for Mission Trip to Nicaragua Mission Trip to Nicaragua 2018 This is a great opportunity to do a ministry with you Sunday school or entire church without leaving the country! Please consider donating to the 2018 Mission Trip to Nicaragua. Items or checks donated can be sent to: New York Conference Attn. Sueli Gaewsky (Nicaragua) 5575 Thompson Hall DeWitt, NY (We are unable to pick up items from local churches.) School Supplies Needed: Crayons Pencils Pens Glue Sticks Sharpies Erasers Children size scissors Pencil sharpeners Rulers with centimeters Pocket Flash Cards: Addition, subtraction, fraction, multiplication and division Math games for children in Spanish Children s books in Spanish Monetary donations will be accepted: Please write a check to: New York Conference Memo line: Nicaragua Mission Trip The Genesee Chorale, which draws singers from throughout Western New York in performance of sacred and secular music, is inviting anyone who like to sing to join us in an open rehearsal from 7-9pm Mon. Sept. 11th at St. James Church, 405 E. Main ST, Batavia. All voices and levels of experience are welcome Director Ric Jones and section leaders can help you learn the music. If you join the group, a small membership fee helps cover the cost of music; high school students are exempt from that fee. Our Dec. 2nd and Dec. 4th concerts will center around Christmas memories come join us and make some great musical memories. Rehearsals are Monday evenings. Further information is available on our website, GeneseeChorale.com, and our Facebook page. We look forward to hearing you!

9 5 Food Link. St. Vincent s Aud. Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 3 Worship w/ Communion 10am Youth Mission Team SPCA visit 10-11:30am 10 Worship 10am Rallly Day, Blessing of Backpacks & Teacher Installation Diane Storch Carl & Sharon Wuest 17 Worship 10am CE Meeting Newsletter Deadline Kathryn McPherson 24 Worship 10am 4 LABOR DAY OFFICE CLOSED 11 Preschool begins 9am Bible Study 7pm 18 Bible Study 7pm 25 Bible Study 7pm 10am-12pm Noelle (Barber) Britta Bible Study 10am 19 Deacons/ Trustees 6:30pm Council 7pm 6 7 Bell Choir 6pm Chancel Choir 7:15pm 20 Bible Study 10am Stephanie Silvernail Bible Study 10am Marie Lowe Rick Storch Nicole & Marty Breedlove 14 Sisters in Faith 6:30pm Chancel Choir 7:15pm 21 Bell Choir 6pm Chancel Choir 7:15pm 28 Bell Choir 6pm Chancel Choir 7:15pm Mano Ripstein Bubs Searle Chris Kipfer Tammy Green Mike Brazis 30 CROP Hunger Walk 9:30am Kathy Koers

10 St. Paul s United Church of Christ 11 Washington Street Attica, NY of St. Paul s United Church of Christ, Village of Attica St. Paul s UCC, 11 Washington Street Just around the corner, first block down from Main Street. Join us for Sunday Worship at 10:00 am Sunday School for children K-7th Grade - Nursery always open! No matter who you are or where you are on life s journey, you are welcome at St. Paul s. Reverend Lauran Heidenreich Call the church at ( ), stpaulunited@verizon.net or pastorucc@verizon.net Website: atticaucc.org 3 Communion, Youth Mission Team SPCA Visit 4 Labor Day- Office Closed 5 Food Link St Vincent s Aud 10am-12noon 7 Bell Choir 6pm, Chancel Choir 7:15pm 10 Rally Day, Blessing of Backpacks, Teacher Installation 11 Pre-School Begins, Bible Study Begins 7pm Upcoming dates to remember 13 Bible Study Begins 10am 14 Sisters In Faith 6:30pm 17 Christian Education Meeting Newsletter deadline 19 Deacons/ Trustees 6:30pm, Council 7pm 30 C.R.O.P. Walk 10am- Park Gazebo