The mission of St. Paul s United Methodist Church is to Teach, Share, and Witness the Love of Jesus Christ

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1 The mission of St. Paul s United Methodist Church is to Teach, Share, and Witness the Love of Jesus Christ A Church Life-Cycle In the beginning the community was void and no local church to serve the people existed. God said there should be a worship center for the people in this community. He placed a vision in the hearts and minds of His followers and called them to form relationships with other Christians. Those whom God had called joined together to serve and praise Him. As their relationships grew they developed programs to increase their relationship with others bringing in new and other Christians. While the relationships and programs grew they realized they needed a building so the programs can grow and new programs can be started. They formed building committees to plan, purchase and build new structures for a worship center, class rooms, meeting rooms, kitchen, dining room and much more. The vision was working and the church was growing with new members coming to Christ. As the church prospered and became successful the visioning group looked at it and said, it is good. They were very proud of their accomplishment. New people joined with new visions but the visioning committee said the original vision is still good and did not need changing. The people stopped suggesting new ideas and the old visions started to die and the programs became less effective and declined to a point of none-existence. (Continued on page 2) Scripture Readings 2 Filling the Gap Irving School VBS 3 Parish Nurse 4 Birthdays Mark Your Calendar UMW Scholarships 5 Puzzle 6 Calendar 7 Page 1

2 (A Church Life-Cycle continued from page 1) When the programs declined so did the relationships. People started saying there is nothing there for them and they either moved to a different church or stopped going. With declining membership and an aging structure, the costs to maintain the property became too expensive and the condition of the structure deteriorated. Long time members remembered the structures as they were at their peak and did not want or feel changes were necessary. Improvements and repairs became less and less to the point it was too costly to make the necessary repairs let alone doing any improvements. What should have happened to keep from getting to this point? The essential point is that when the church was approaching or at its peak they should have realized that new visions should have been created allowing new relationships and new programs to develop. If you look at successful congregations you will notice that they are not afraid to try new ideas, change directions and forge new paths for their future. They are willing to build new structures and if necessary, tear down old structures to keep up with new and expanding visions, relationships and programs. Where do you see St Paul s on this Church Life Cycle curve? I am sad to say that I see us on the downhill slope somewhere near the vrps position. However, we are approaching the vrps position. Can we turn this around and where do we go from here? Yes, we can turn this around. We are not too old, too small, or too poor. We already have the main ingredient: Love; Love for God, Love for our community and Love for each other. Let s create new visions, start new relationship, and develop new programs to serve God and our community for Him. People need to see Christ In Action by our actions. We need to be the CIA church. We want others to see us as a vital church and wish they too could be part of a congregation who is making a difference for Christ. More to come August 2017 Pastor Danny Weekly Scripture Readings for August Week The Lesson (OT) The Response (Psalm) The Epistle (NT) The Gospel August 6 Genesis 32:22-31 Psalm 17:1-7,15 Romans 9:1-5 Matthew 14:13-21 August 13 Genesis 37:1-4, Psalm 105:1-6, Romans 10:5-15 Matthew 14: , 45b August 20 Genesis 45:1-15 Psalm 133 Romans 11:1-2a, Matthew 15: August 27 Exodus 1:8-2:10 Psalm 124 Romans 12:1-8 Matthew 16:13-20 Deadline for the September Ministry newsletter is Monday, August 21, 2017 Page 2

3 August 2017 Filling the Gap St. Paul s will again participate in the Filling the Gap Food Program. It will run for 2 weeks from August 7 to August 18, Monday through Friday, from 12 to 1 pm. A lunch and snacks will be provided from children 18 and under. Volunteers are needed each day to help distribute lunches. If you are interested in volunteering and being a part of this ministry of St. Paul s, please call the church office or talk with Nancy Nguyen. Irving School St. Paul s continues to partner with Irving Elementary School to assist in helping with school supplies and uniforms. They are in need of uniforms in all sizes red, white, or navy blue solid color polo shirts (no logos), and navy blue or kaki pants. We are asking for you help in collecting supplies needed. The following is an abbreviated list. A complete list is available from the church office. You are welcome to leave your donation on the table in hallway. For Students: Backpacks 24 count regular size Crayola Crayons Wide Ruled Notebook Paper Wide Ruled Spiral Notebook (70 count) Elmer Glue Sticks Scissors, Fiskars Pink Erasers 2 plastic ruler For Teachers: Post-it Notes Folders Expo Dry Erase Markers Clorox Wipes Hand Sanitizers Baby Wipes Kleenex St. Paul s is it s final two weeks of Hero Central Vacation Bible. Wednesday, August 9 is the last night. Thank you to Nancy Nguyen (Coordinator) and all of the volunteers who have helped make this years VBS very successful. 15 children have participated in Bible Lessons, Music, Science projects and Arts and Crafts. Do good! Seek peace and go after it. Psalm 34:14b Page 3

4 From the August 2017 What is elder abuse? Federal definitions of elder abuse first appeared in the 1987 Amendments to the Older Americans Act, however, these definitions are guidelines. Each state defines elder abuse according to its unique statutes and regulations, and definitions vary from state to state. Researchers also use varying definitions to describe and study the problem. Domestic elder abuse generally refers to any of the following types of mistreatment that are committed by someone with whom the elder has a special relationship (for example, a spouse, sibling, child, friend, or caregiver). Institutional abuse generally refers to any of the following types of mistreatment occurring in residential facilities (such as a nursing home, assisted living facility, group home, board and care facility, foster home, etc.) and is usually perpetrated by someone with a legal or contractual obligation to provide some element of care or protection. Elder abuse can affect people of all ethnic backgrounds and social status and can affect both men and women. The following types of abuse are commonly accepted as the major categories of elder mistreatment: Physical Abuse Inflicting, or threatening to inflict, physical pain or injury on a vulnerable elder, or depriving them of a basic need. Emotional Abuse Inflicting mental pain, anguish, or distress on an elder person through verbal or nonverbal acts. Sexual Abuse Non-consensual sexual contact of any kind, coercing an elder to witness sexual behaviors. Exploitation Illegal taking, misuse, or concealment of funds, property, or assets of a vulnerable elder. Neglect Refusal or failure by those responsible to provide food, shelter, health care or protection for a vulnerable elder. Abandonment The desertion of a vulnerable elder by anyone who has assumed the responsibility for care or custody of that person. Although there are distinct types of abuse defined, it is not uncommon for an elder to experience more than one type of mistreatment at the same or different times. For example, a person financially exploiting an elder may also be neglecting to provide appropriate care, food, medication, etc. Dolores E. Kinkead, Parish Nurse St. Paul s United Methodist Page 4

5 August 2017 Jonathan Nguyen... 1 Sandy Gray... 8 Jennifer Jepsen... 8 David Stowers Don Bradley Moore Alyssa Lamson Margaret nguyen Elliott Braynov Devin Hay Vernon Koerner Devyn Simpson Philip Koontz Candace Powell Taylor Phillips Vernon White Lesley Whitley Dana DeMarco Laura Nakhleh Tiffany Powell David Nienstedt Dalton Powell Jim Sterner Harry Carroll Jr Hillary Braynov Please mark your calendars for these upcoming events: North High Garage Sale on St. Paul s Parking Lot: August 4 & 5 Filling the Gap: August 7 18, Lunch 12 to 1 pm All Church Work Day: August 19, 9 am St. Paul s annual Garage Sale October 5, 6, & 7 United Methodist Women St. Paul s United Methodist Women will not meet during the month of August. The next meeting will be September 13. General meeting and program begin at 10:30 am followed by a covered dish dinner at 12:30 pm. Reminder: Continue to bring personal hygiene items for Women s Crisis Center. St. Paul s is now taking scholarship applications for the fall semester. Applications and the guidelines for receiving a scholarship are available from the church office. The application is due by Sunday, August 20 and scholarship will be given on Sunday, August 27, during the morning worship service. Page 5

6 August 2017 Page 6

7 August 2017 Sunday Services: 9:30 am: St. Paul s Sunday School 10:30 am: Coffee Time 10:45 am: Traditional Worship Service Page 7

8 S t. P a u l s U n i t e d M e t h o d i s t C h u r c h 1356 North Broadway Wichita, Kansas Phone: stpauls@st-pauls-umc.org Return Service Requested 2017 Pastor:... Danny Bye pastor@st-pauls-umc.org Administrative Assistant:.. Marsha Simpson marsha.simpson@st-pauls-umc.org Janitorial:... Pam Cooper Parish Nurse:... Dolores Kinkead parish.nurse@st-pauls-umc.org Office Hours: Monday, 9 AM to 12 Noon For prayer requests: prayer@st-pauls-umc.org Sunday Worship Sunday School... 9:30 AM Fellowship Time... 10:30 AM Traditional Worship Service.. 10:45 AM Church Office Hours Monday 8:30 am to 5:00 pm Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 9 am to 1 pm Closed on Friday Web page: stpauls@st-pauls-umc.org Phone: Fax: Page 8