Rev. Steve Davidson 1250 Leonard Point Rd. Oshkosh, WI

Transcription

1 St. Paul s United Church of Christ Rev. Steve Davidson 1250 Leonard Point Rd. Oshkosh, WI stpauls@ntd.net weeks ago in church, I made the case for Mrs. Elson. Mrs. Elson is one of my saints. On the eve of All Saints Day, and for those unable to be with us that day, a brief summary: In the mid-fifties, I was a freshman in high school. In those days, families went to church. Period! I never bothered to ask my parents if we were going to church on a Sunday morning. That fall there were 25 of us in our Church Youth Class and no one willing to teach our class until Mrs. Elson agreed to do so. Our guess was that she had long since celebrated her 100 th birthday when she agreed to take on 25 know-it-all teenagers on a weekly basis. We tried every gimmick in the book to get her to quit, but she refused. Her eyesight was bad; she leaned on a cane, but she showed up every Sunday. I was too young and too stupid at the time to pay attention to what she said, but I remember her. I remember the sacrifices she made; and I remember she refused to give up on us. As a consequence, she made my list of saints! Push comes to shove, I m sure you could recall the Mrs. Elsons of your life, the ones who loved you when you didn t deserve it, the ones who loved you anyway. Where would we be were it not for the saints who stuck with us, who, by the example of their lives, led the way for us and made us better people?

2 On November 4 th, during our communion service, we will lift up to God the saints of this church who have died in recent months. And, if you have a saint not of this church who has died in recent months, we ll want to hear that name on the 4 th and give you a flower. Then a week later, on November 11 th, we ll recognize those saints who have served our country as part of our military. On that Sunday, we will observe the 100 th anniversary of the end of World War I. That war to end all wars came to an official end on the 11 th hour of the 11 th day of the 11 th month, We may not give our veterans a flower on Veteran s Day, but we ll give them something! If you re a veteran or know of someone who is, bring him/her to church! No veteran will leave the church that day empty-handed. Although I am not a veteran of the armed forces, I am a veteran of 50 years of ordained ministry, as noted in my October newsletter. I casually dropped the suggestion that maybe I ought to get a new car for my years of service. So far, that hasn t happened nor should it! A solid chunk of those 50 years has been spent in interim ministry. I need all my fingers to count up the number of years I ve served as an interim; I need all the fingers on my left hand and 2 on my right to count up the number of churches I have served in this capacity. It s been and continues to be a joy! Interim ministry is a called ministry, one that depends on the leading of the Holy Spirit. The shape of that ministry is defined by the calling body, which is the church. Because this ministry is temporary, as opposed to permanent, some make the mistake of going on holiday during the interim period. The thinking goes something like this: Interim ministry is temporary. Wake me up when the next permanent pastor shows up, and then I ll show up. I beg to differ. I beg to take serious issue with this attitude. Here s the deal: I m putting in the same number of hours (30) as your last permanent pastor. Our job descriptions are virtually identical. But more: During this interim period, we ve got to put together an attractive program and Church Profile that will catch the attention of potential candidates.

3 Obviously, we have no idea how long it will take to call the next permanent pastor, but our chances of calling that next permanent pastor will depend in large measure on what we do in the meantime. Where to begin? I ve got a suggestion: begin by showing up on Sunday. Begin by hauling your unchurched friends in here as well. Most of your neighbors, by the way, fit that description! And, as I announced a few Sundays ago: All visitors will get a multi-grain loaf of bread ABSOLUTELY FREE! So if you want a flower, show up on the 4 th with a name. If you veterans want to be honored on the 11 th, show up and we ll give you something. And, if you know someone who needs a FREE loaf of bread, tell em to show up anytime, With gladness, Steve HYMN NAME PAGE NUMBER/HYMNAL (optional) Your name (optional) Date (Place request in offering plate, /mail it or phone the office) CIRRICIONE, BRAD & BRENDA (#29) 11/04 PANOCH, PHIL & GLORIA (#50) 11/13

4 DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME ENDS SUNDAY, NOV. 4 th FESTIVAL OF GRATITUDE The annual Festival of Gratitude, which brings together people of all faith traditions, will take place at 7 PM on November 19 th at The Grand. Sunday, November 11 th Return your pledge card as we will dedicate our intentions to God. SALVATION ARMY BELL RINGING - Saturday, December 10 th (9 am 7 Fleet Farm) On Sunday, November 11th, we will honor St. Paul s veterans. Thank you for your service to our country. Salvation Army Adopt-A-Family The Adopt-A- Family Program, through the Salvation Army, allows us to spread some holiday cheer.

5 SCRIP News The 3 F s FOOD FAMILY FRIENDS If you are hosting a holiday party, you need food, etc. (USE SCRIP CARDS). If you re going to a party, you don t want to go empty handed. (GIVE A SCRIP CARD) as a way of saying thank you! Next SCRIP order due Sunday, November 4 th If you ve never ordered before, just call the office for help a very easy way to help St. Paul s financially. The Search Committee has mailed out questionnaires to all of you to begin our search for a settled minister. Thank you to those that have returned them. If you have not returned one yet, please do so at your earliest convenience. We understand some of the questions are difficult to answer but please do the best you can. If you need a new questionnaire, please call the office and we can get a new one to you. This is a very important step to securing a settled minister. Thank you! St. Paul s family, Thank you for your sympathy and kindness at this difficult time. We appreciate your thoughtful donation to ease our burden and provide a memorial for Tommy (Thomas J. Nabbefeld). A very heartfelt thank you Nachell Nabbefeld & family ST. PAUL S UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST Congregational Nominating Meeting September 30, 2018 President Ellen Becker called the Nominating Meeting to order at 10:30 AM with a quorum of church members and council members present. Pastor Steve opened the meeting with a song and a prayer. The slate of candidates for the 2019 Church Council was presented: Lowell Reepsdorf, Kristin Schafer and Kathryn Thomsen. A motion was made and seconded by Bobbi Reepsdorf and Shirley Tretow to override the By Laws that state how many candidates are needed on the ballot. Motion carried. A motion was made and seconded by Harley Tretow and Mary Schmitt to accept the names presented for the ballot. Motion carried.

6 A motion was made and seconded by Dennis Krause and Carol Cameron to accept Jack Meyer as a reappointed Fund Manager for the Sustaining Fund. Motion carried. Delegates for the NEA Annual Meeting and the Wisconsin Conference Annual Meeting will be determined later. The meeting was adjourned at 10:40 AM with the Lord s Prayer. Debbie Wriedt, Acting Secretary NOTE: The Congregational Meeting minutes above explain the fact that no Church Council ballot was necessary. Only three (3) names were presented to the congregation by the Nominating Committee. Because there are three (3) positions open for 2019, there was no need for congregational voting on this matter. BECK, JAMES 11/06 CAMERON, CAROL 11/07 BRITTON, BRAD 11/10 WRIEDT, DEBORAH 11/19 GOMACH, BOB 11/21 REICHARD, CHRIS 11/30 HAUSER, RUTH 11/17 Sunday, November 11 th is Stewardship Sunday Return your pledge card as we will dedicate our intentions to God. If you can t join us that day, please send your card to the church office. Your commitment helps the Church Council to plan financially for St. Paul's will be participating in the SALVATION ARMY S BELL RINGING PROGRAM Saturday, December 15 th Fleet Farm 9 am-7 pm A sign-up sheet will be on the communication center in the Narthex. Please consider helping out for a shift.

7 Those who are recuperating at home or in care centers: Jeanette Cummings, Eileen Redemann, Lori Abraham, Dorothy Hable, Carla Gearnhardt, Ruth Hauser, Karen Kentopp, Faye Lindemann, Curt Bahr, Ann Sheldon Haitian Student sponsored by St. Paul s: Corriolant Yves St. Paul s friends and family: Mary Jaynes sister Sue and daughter Carrie, Timmy Romanesko, Mike Hrnak We mourn with the family of Bruce Jovaag, son of member Jean Jovaag, who passed away recently. Services were held with Rev. Steve Davidson officiating. October 7 credence shelf flowers remembered Bev Petersen given by her family. It is that time of the year when I ask you to consider participating in our Adopt a Family program. I have asked for 2 families like I did in years past. We should have information shortly. Just like last year, I believe the items we won t be asked to buy include such things as boots, shoes, and clothes due to the difficulty of correct fit. Once the Giving Tree is put up in the Narthex, you will see suggested items the families have asked for. Information will also be in our weekly announcements. Thank you ahead of time for considering participating in this community outreach program. Blessings, Sherri Landig Anne Gassere for preparing October communion. Lowell Reepsdorf for continued tree cutting and clean up. Those who contributed to the Neighbors in Need offering of $242. Ellen Becker for cleaning/organizing the pew racks and for helping count the Crop Walk monies. Dennis Krause for keeping light bulbs, etc replaced as needed. To those who continue to bring in their used ink and toner cartridges. We earn cash for each one we recycle which helps with our office expenses. So far in 2018, 180 cartridges have been turned in for a value of $360 for St. Paul s! Keep up the good work! Chris Reichard for the monthly emergency equipment inspections. Those who participated in the annual CROP WALK on Sunday, October 21 st.

8 Veteran s Celebration On November 11 th, we would like to honor the Veterans of the church. Please submit a picture to the church office so we can put it on display POINSETTIA ORDER I would like to order (number) poinsettias Red White Pink Marble They will honor/remember (circle one) (Name) Given by: ENCLOSED is $14.25 for each plant. DEADLINE for ordering is Sunday, November 18 th (If you prefer to mail your order in, please have it to the office by Nov. 18 th, also.) St. Paul s folks are invited to Winter Magic Painting with Mimi sponsored by Emmaus ECC at St. Paul s on Saturday, Nov. 10 th from 1-4 PM. Mimi Maki is an artist who will conduct an afternoon of painting for anyone interested in trying their hand at acrylic art. She will lead us in painting a holiday scene. The cost is $30. Wine and cheese will be provided along with instructions, materials and a piece of your own art to take home. You MUST be registered so sign up in advance by contacting Angie Schafer at or aes0531@sbcglobal.net. ALL SAINTS MEMORIAL SUNDAY November 4, 2018 On Sunday, November 4 th we will remember friends/members of St. Paul s who have died within the past year plus those we wish to recall with affection. Call the office to submit your memorial request before Wednesday, October 31, 2018.

9 GREETINGS FROM THE FAITH FORMATION DIRECTOR This time of year we call fall has been very unusual. To think we have had snow flurries already in October is strange. Our leaves are almost off the trees. The colors have been intense when the sun was shining. And some of us have had to turn on our heat! We have been blessed with a wonderful crop of apples and pumpkins galore! And I wonder if you made it out to see that giant pumpkin the lady grew? So how does this all tie into faith formation? To be honest, it does in a little way. This year is unusual because we have not started any routine for faith formation. We are not meeting on Sundays nor are we meeting on Wednesdays. We don t have a curriculum or any plans formally in place. We have seen a few families in worship occasionally. Sadly, none were able to participate in the CROP walk. However, during our CROP walk today, Pastor Steve, Deb, and I discussed what we should/could do. We will be planning an event for Advent and the decorating of our tree. We want to sign up for the Salvation Army bell ringing sessions and have family participation, and lastly, hope to see lots of families at church on Sundays! Let s be like the pumpkins and apples and have families galore attending services at St. Paul s! To turn up the heat, we hope to start 2019 with faith formation activities! As we approach Thanksgiving, remember to count your blessings and thank GOD for what you have. Enjoy your meal and time together as a family. Blessings to you! See you in church! Sherri Landig Minutes from the Church Council s October meeting were not available for publication at this time.