Volume XVII Issue 4 July/August 2017 Churchyard News Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, And I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28 St. Paul s Episcopal Church 2809 Flintville Road P.O. Box 225 Suamico, WI 54173 (920) 434-2247 stpaulsuamicowi.com Beloved in the Lord, How privileged Lin and I are to be a part of St. Paul s for a time! You have welcomed us most warmly, and we are grateful indeed. I am privileged to break the Bread and bless the Cup with you during your time of seeking the priest who will lead you and minister with you as together you grow the Body of Christ in Suamico. Throughout this time of discernment and transition, please remember that the ministry of the Church is not on hold; you are the Church and are already equipped to seek and serve Christ in all persons. Ministry to those in need of temporary shelter, the new work of Memory Café, the ongoing caring for each other, sharing together the worship of Almighty God these are all the warp and woof of the weaving of the picture that St. Paul s shows those both inside and outside the Church family. And in the midst of this godly activity, please remember also that it is summer. Make sure you find ways (NOT including sleeping in on Sunday morning!) to slow down a little bit and rest. We live in an increasingly frenetic society and need Sabbath time. God rested on the seventh day in the Creation story if God needs to slow down, I suspect so do those made in His Image. Take some quiet time to marvel at the beauty of the world around us; take some quiet time to appreciate and be with those who are special in your lives. Give thanks! Blessings. Fr. Jim+
P a g e 2 C h u r c h y a r d N e w s Church Camp On Sunday, June 18 th Deacon Nancy along with Fr. Jim said prayers and a blessing for Ethan Boehm and Conor O Donnell as they left for camp that afternoon. The boys returned home on Thursday, June 22 nd and they both had a great camp experience. Thank you to everyone at St. Paul s who makes all this happen for our children. ************************************************************************************ Wanted- Sunday School Teachers We are looking for a few Sunday School teachers to start this fall. We have 2 teachers that are not returning. If we have about 4 people to teach then you would only have to teach once a month. Please consider this great ministry for our children. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact or talk with our two current teachers, Dawn Stelzer or Michelle Hagerty. The first day of Sunday School is Sunday, September 10 th along with an Ice Cream social put on by the Women s Ministry.
V o l u m e X V I I I s s u e 4 P a g e 3 Our Dioceses Commission on Congregational Vitality (CCV) is coming to St. Paul s for a time of listening and discerning. Sunday, July 23, 2017 9:30am-12:30pm Our Vestry leadership is asking you to make an effort to participate in this conversation. It will be a time to explore our congregational life and vitality together, to dream about the future and to aid our Bishop and CCV in discerning the needs of congregations as they go forward with their work of providing a multipronged approach to equipping and sustaining vital congregations that are places that offer God s mercy and delight. Why the Visit? What s the purpose? A crucial first step for CCV is to engage each congregation in a conversation about vitality specific to their context: for parishioners to collaboratively assess the vitality and health of their congregation and identify both strengths and areas needing attention. Only by listening to the hopes and needs of our communities of faith can we discern what is desired and what is needed now and in the near future. The discovery and listening process aims to engage with a broad spectrum of each congregation for a discussion of congregational vitality; plant seeds for further discussion, especially among parish leadership; and capture a snapshot as to how the congregation perceives itself and areas it would like to address. The outcomes of this process will not only aid CCV in discerning how best to partner with congregations but has the added benefit of strengthening the spirit of congregational community and involving parishioners in the work to build and sustain health and vitality. This process is designed to engage congregations where they are, regardless of size, worship tradition, ministry, or positions on issues. The goal is not to make all congregations the same but rather to become the best each can be in their contexts and in ways that honor their traditions and values. It is our hope that you will find this time fruitful for planning and implementing changes or for strengthening existing processes. Background on CCV When this diocese was searching for a new bishop, one of the most important goals held up was the need to work together to build and sustain strong, healthy, vital congregations. That is a top priority of Bishop Matthew Gunter as well. To that end, last year Bishop Gunter, along with Executive Council, established a Commission on Congregational Vitality (CCV). This group has been meeting with the Bishop since then as they discern how we, the diocese, might live into our dream of healthy and vital congregations. One of the core beliefs of Bishop Gunter and CCV is that this work cannot be a single program or process rather a multi-pronged approach is needed. Congregations need tools and resources to meet their needs of growing more and more into vital communities of faith. At this point CCV envisions its work to be at least fourfold: collecting and disseminating best practices; hosting a variety of learning events and workshops at both the diocesan and deanery levels beginning in 2017; partnering with the Diocese of Milwaukee in Diocesan Church Development Institute; and identifying and developing a network of resource people and consultants who can work with individual congregations in a variety of areas such as communication, formation, stewardship and finances, vestry development, planning, and working with congregations in times of conflict or major change. The intention is to provide congregations with tools and support to be as healthy and vital as possible, regardless of size, as we strive to be faithful members of the Body of Christ. A Final Word from Bishop Matt Gunter I am truly excited about this work and hope you will be as well. In a world where church attendance and financial support seems to be decreasing we can choose to wring our hands or we can choose to find new ways to be God s people wherever we are planted. My aim, and the aim of this commission, is to seek new ways in which we might follow Jesus Christ and become more fully communities of God s mercy and delight. CCV s mission is to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ. Ephesians 4:12
P a g e 4 C h u r c h y a r d N e w s EPH & Barnabas House Update Our family is doing great! They have begun budget counseling with catholic Charities and are very excited to have an opportunity to learn some better money management tips. Dad is looking into finishing his associate s degree at NWTC because he only has a few classes left to complete the degree. The family is very excited about the Kroc membership and plan on making good use of the facilities for family outings. Dad does have a medical condition that he undergoes regular medical treatment for weekly. Our social worker for Barnabas says she has been told several times since entry into the program how blessed and thankful this family feels for the home that has been provided for them, and during her weekly case management visits she has been very happy with the condition the home is kept in. We delivered a birthday cake there on Wednesday, June 7 th for the 9 year old boy. EPH July Update On a Wednesday morning we learned of a mother and four children (one of which was 8 days old) living in her car. Due to the nature of the family s situation, our Salvation Army case management team asked if there was any way the family could be placed on Friday. The only home without a family had not been cleaned because the aging cupboards were in the midst of being refinished. At least that s what we thought. After placing a few calls, we learned that the home had been cleaned and that the start of refinishing of the cupboards was delayed a few days. A few more calls and volunteers moved in another twin bed, a crib, and made the beds. The family moved from their car and into a home with 48 hours. Just lucky? Stars perfectly aligned? Or God at work? Many are the plans in a person s heart, but it is the Lord s purpose that prevails. Proverbs 19:21 EPH Position Available EPH has a part-time position available for a team member to support our grant application process, direct mail campaign, and donor communications. If you are interested in more information please e-mail executivedirector@ephgb.org.
V o l u m e X V I I I s s u e 4 P a g e 5 C a l e n d a r : J u l y & A u g u s t 2017 Birthdays: July: July 1: Bill Verhaagh July 11: Mary Giesen Aug 7: Dana Hoffman Aug 9: Koltyn Blazer Aug 15: Lauren Pritzl Aug 26: Pat Hagerty Sun July 2-Sunday Service-9:00am Sun. July 9-Sunday Service-9:00am Sun. July 16-Sunday Service-9:00am Tues. July 18-Vestry Meeting - 5:00pm Sun. July 23-Sunday Service-8:00am CCV-9:30am-12:30pm Sun. July 30-Sunday Service-9:00am Anniversaries: July 2: Ron & Gail Revord Aug 6: Rob & Marlene Zastrow Aug 22: Brian & Nikki O Donnell August: Wed. Aug 2-Memory Café - 1:00-3:00pm Sun. Aug 6-Sunday Service-9:00am Sun. Aug 13-Sunday Service-9:00am Tues. Aug 15-Vestry Meeting-5:00pm Sun. Aug 20-Sunday Service-9:00am Mon. Aug 25-Deadline for Churchyard News articles Sun Aug 27-Sunday Service-9:00am
St. Paul s Episcopal Church 2809 Flintville Road P.O. Box 225 Suamico, WI 54173 Vestry Meeting Summary - June 20th Craig Stelzer continues to watch our shingles on the roof with so many storms lately with high winds. John Richardson is working on a plan for the flag pole area. He will begin working on this soon. The Vestry has two dates to pass on to the Congregation to attend the Commission for Congregational Vitality (CVV). They will need to pick one date so this can be completed. The tents are posted on Craigslist. The Vestry has agreed on the date for the Dinner for Fun-ds. It will be on Sunday, Nov. 5 th. We would like to book Townline again with a sit down dinner. There is NO Sunday Packer game that day. It is Monday Night football on Nov. 6 th.