St. Peter s United Church of Christ 1 St. Peter s Net December 2018 St. Peter's United Church of Christ 111 East Orleans Street, Stillwater MN 55082 651-439-2160 Inside this Issue 1 Early December Events 2 More of What s Happening 3 From the Pastor 4 From the Council 5 December Calendar 6 Christmas Bazaar Our Vision: At St. Peter s, we re building a strong, multigenerational faith community. office@atpetersstillerwater.org www.stpetersstillwater.org Call to a Special Congregational Meeting Sunday, Dec. 2nd The Church Council is hereby announcing a Special Congregational Meeting to be held on Sunday, December 2nd, following worship (10:45 am). The purpose of the meeting is to approve the purchase of two new furnaces and the repair of the roof. We will also have an update on plans for investment of the proceeds from the Wisconsin land sale. We would very much appreciate your attendance. A Service of Celebration of the Life of Mary Gunderson All of Mary s friends at St. Peter s are invited to this special service to remember Mary on Sunday, Dec. 2nd at 1 pm. A time for conversation and light refreshments will follow.
St. Peter s United Church of Christ 2 More of What s Happening at St. Peter s... UCC Christmas Fund Offering Sunday, December 9th The last of the five annual UCC Special Offerings is the Christmas Fund, which is collected around Christmas every year. This fund is designated to help retired, disabled, or unemployed clergy or their surviving spouses with financial challenges. Many older clergy have very little income in retirement, so an unusual or unexpected expense like needing a new furnace or even a new pair of glasses may be very difficult for them. The Christmas Fund is a way for us to show our appreciation for the service and sacrifice our clergy have given by providing a little financial buffer. Please consider donating to support these dedicated people. An envelope for this Offering is included with this issue of the NET or you may pick one up at church. Create Some Holiday Hope! St. Peter s will be once again helping to brighten a local family s Christmas. Through Community Thread s Holiday Hope program we will be purchasing gifts and a holiday meal for a Stillwater family of five. Specific gift requests will be posted in Kress Hall shortly; please select one or more to purchase and return to St. Peter s by Sunday, December 16th. If you would like to participate, but are unable to purchase a gift, cash donations are very welcome; they will be used for a grocery gift card or to buy gifts that aren t selected. You can put cash or check in the offering plate marked for Holiday Hope or give cash directly to me; please make cash donations no later than December 9th. Thanks for helping to make Christmas special for one of our neighbors! - Kathleen Dennison, SPUCC Outreach Representative All-Church Family Christmas Caroling Thursday evening, December 13th Do you long to sing Christmas carols and enjoy going caroling? If so, we would love to have you join the group going caroling on Thursday, December 13th. We will meet at the church at 5:30 pm and proceed to the Stillwater Residence nearby for a fun time of carol singing. We plan to bring with us some gifts of candy and new warm socks for each of the residents - so it would be greatly appreciated if you would contribute in this way too. After caroling, we ll return to the church to enjoy a light supper together. Any questions, please contact Gina Buberl (gina.burerl@yahoo.com or 651-430-9480). Advent and Christmas Season Services at St. Peter s Sunday, December 2nd &9th We light the Advent candles and enjoy music of the Advent and Christmas seasons. Sunday, December 16th We all tell the story of the first Christmas for everyone through a special Christmas pageant. Thursday, December 20th, 7 pm A Blue Christmas service for anyone who might be struggling this year and want a quieter, supportive time to find hope and encouragement. Sunday, December 23rd We anticipate Christmas in an informal way in worship. Christmas Eve, December 24th Everyone is invited to gather at 4 pm for appetizers. (Bring something tasty if you can.) Christmas Eve worship with candles and carols will begin at 5 pm. Sunday, December 30th We ll continue to celebrate the gift of Christmas in informal worship.
St. Peter s United Church of Christ 3 From the Pastor... Advent is truly a remarkable season when you think about it. Just when the darkness in our Northern Hemisphere becomes the greatest, we announce, Look, there is light! Just when the cold is settling in around us we announce, Hey, there is reason for joy! Just when our days get most hectic and the expenses of life get greatest (what, with heat bills and gift buying and all) we say, Here s the REAL reason for hope and peace! We spend 23 days announcing it (that s Advent). Then we celebrate Christmas and God s gift of a lasting Light for our souls, a Friend to plant deep Joy in our hearts, and a Path (which that Friend provides the Light for) - which leads to perpetual Hope and Peace in our lives. No wonder Advent has been celebrated for some 12 centuries (although some say it goes back to the first Century C.E. and St. Peter!) So, how will you celebrate Advent? Here are some suggestions: create an Advent calendar to count off the days, place four candles in a wreath and light one each Sunday in Advent, pray with an Advent devotional (you can sign up for the UCC Daily Devotional at http://www.ucc.org/daily_devotional and they will provide an Advent devotion for each day) and/or erect a Chrismon tree (with symbols for the Christ Child on it or just use your own ornaments like stars and bells and angels and lights and wreaths, which are all Christian Christmas symbols). If nothing else, just try to take some time each day to admire the morning light as it arrives (maybe in your car as you drive to work) or the evening light as it fades (perhaps as you stand for a moment at the window before you draw the curtains). And be grateful that God does not leave us alone in the dark but God comes to us. That s the 1st Century and present century message we anticipate in Advent and celebrate at Christmas. We are not left alone to face life nor to live life. We are God s children and people of the Light. May Advent bring you new adventures in faith and understandings of God. And may Christmas bring you closer to understanding what God provides that is truly Life for all of us, as it s contained in Jesus, the one we celebrate at Christmas. Pictures from 2018 In hope, peace, joy and love, Pastor Nancy Clockwise from upper left: Community Leaders Conversation, VBS 2018, Trunk or Treat, WI Land Sale Signing, visit by Dave and Sarah, the therapy dog
St. Peter s United Church of Christ 4 From the Church Council... Highlights of the November Council meeting 1. The Council called for a special Congregational Meeting on December 2nd to obtain the Congregation s approval for the money spent for two new furnaces and for the money that will be needed to repair the church s roof and garage. Also, at the meeting, an update on the investment of our endowment will be provided. 2. There are plans for a Blue Christmas Service (for those anticipating a blue holiday) which will be held early in December. 3. We ll do the Adopt-a-Family again with Community Thread again this year. Gifts and Gift Cards are due to be in by December 16th. 4. Report on Community Leader s Conversation: Community Leaders and some members of St. Peter s met on November 1st. It was a positive meeting. Three specific areas of need were identified Affordable Housing, Mental Health, and Isolation. Ideas were collected as to what a small congregation like ours could do to address one of those needs. The Vitality Steering Team will follow up. Treasurer s Report SPUCC income and expenses January 1, 2018 through October 31, 2018 Submitted by Jenn Lanz (Bookkeeper) Actual Budget Change Income $117,959.62 * $78,655.00 $39,304.62 Expenses $109,997.10** $89,643.56 $20,353.54 Net $ 7,962.52 ($10,988.56) $18,951.08 *These numbers are inflated with money from the Land sales (Bike Trail and the rest of the parcel) in 2018. The entire proceeds of the Bike Trail sale ($12,635.00) and $15,000 from Land Sale money were placed in the General Fund (with the $15,000 as a General Fund Reserve). The remaining land sale funds (after loans were repaid) is in the SPUCC Memorial Fund until the Endowment Fund with UCF is finalized. 2018 income-to-date, exclusive of the land-related additions, is $68,616.79. ** $14,740.43 of this was an extraordinary expense to pay off, in full, our OPH assessment and LED project loans, which came from the WI Land Sale proceeds. Special Offering Envelopes for December You will notice two opportunities to contribute to specific St. Peter s causes in your December offering envelopes. The first is a Communion/Community Outreach envelope. This helps cover the cost of Communion supplies as well as giving us a small fund to finance some of our outreach activities or to use for things like grocery or gas gift cards for folks who stop by the church with short-term needs. The other December envelope is for Music. This helps cover the cost of our pianist, our music license (which allows us to use music not in our hymnals) and purchase of new music. Please consider using these envelopes to help fund some of the things that make St. Peter s special. 2019 Stewardship Campaign Update - Kathleen Dennison, Acting Financial Secretary Thanks to all who participated in the 2019 Stewardship Campaign by returning pledge cards and by enjoying a Pancake and Sausage Brunch on November 11. As you know, this is the time of year when the Church Council works on preparing the budget for next year and your returned pledge cards are very helpful in guiding us in that work and helping us plan how we will be able to Go forth into the world in 2019. If you intend to pledge but have not yet returned your card, it isn t too late! You are also welcome to email your pledge information to me (the Acting Financial Secretary) at kadennison@msn.com. - Kathleen Dennison
St. Peter s United Church of Christ 5 December 2018 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Dec 1 is World AIDS Day 1 10am 2pm Christmas Bazaar 2 Worship & Church School 10:45 am Special Cong l Meeting 1 pm Service for M. Gunderson 3 9am Yoga 4 5 6 7 8 Kevin/Bazaar Treats 6:30pm Council 9 UCC XMAS FUND OFFERING 9:30 am Worship & Church School 10:30 am Coffee Kaira/Cindy 10 9am-Yoga 11 12 13 5:30pm-All- Church Family Xmas Caroling & Party 14 15 16 Worship/Xmas Program 10:30 am Coffee & 17 9am-Yoga 18 19 20 21 22 Conversationn Shawna/Jodi M. 7pm Blue Xmas Service 23 8:45am Choir Informal Worship 10:30 am Coffee Gina/Gina 30 Informal Worship 10:30 Coffee Fritz/Joselle 24 No Yoga 4pm- Appetizers 5 pm Xmas Eve Worship 31 NoYoga 25 26 27 28 29 For Each Sunday: Usher in Blue Treats in Green Please have all contributions and/or requests for giving credit or reimbursement intended for 2018 in to the church by Sun day, December 30th. Thank you! Willing Workers 2 is now on a winter sabbatical. Their meet - ings will resume in the spring. ButterBraids available for sale at $12/each. Talk to a member of the Women s Guild to purchase a couple for your Christmas celebrations!
St. Peter s United Church of Christ 6 All-Church Holly Hall Bazaar Sat, December 1st We could use everyone's help and participation to make the Bazaar a success! * Please help us by baking especially the traditional Christmas cookies and breads and candies. Our bakery is well known in the community and we want to continue with our wonderful baked goods. If you don't wish to pack up your cookies, some church members will be at the church the Thursday before the event (November 29th) to set up and put cookie plates together. Please get your cookies to us by then and we will add them to the plates we put together. * We also need some people to help at the Bazaar in the bakery, craft, White Elephant and kitchen. A sign-up sheet is in Kress Hall to sign up for your preferred area. * Another popular area is our Silent Auction. If you have an item you would like to donate please contact Gina (ginabuberl@yahoo.com or 651-430-9480). We have received some very fun and generous donations for the Silent Auction in the past, so please consider helping out in that way. * Finally, if you have any leftover Christmas decorations - or ones that you no longer need or wantplease bring them for the White Elephant area. It is a very popular spot for shopping for that special decoration. Household items are also appreciated. The Bazaar is a really fun and festive event for the church so please plan to join us. Come to help, if you can, and to shop and enjoy our delicious homemade sloppy joes and wild rice soup lunch. - Gina Buberl Please Mark Your Calendar... St. Peter's United Church of Christ 111 Orleans Street East Stillwater, MN 55082 And Finally... The 2018 SPUCC Annual Meeting will be held January 27, 2019, following worship with a Potluck meal to follow. All reports for the 2018 Annual Report booklet are due in the church office by January 13 th.