The Good News October 2016 St. Paul United Church of Christ 31654 Mound Road Warren MI 48092 586/264-4777 Worship Service Sunday, 10 am Rev Jacquie Patt, Pastor Office Hours: M-Th, 9am-1pm www.spuccwarren.com email: stpauluccwarren@gmail.com Rev Jacquie Patt 248/561-4052 pastorjpatt@gmail.com Pastor Jacquie Patt The season of autumn has officially arrived. Autumn has a distinctive change of personality from spring and summer. The reason autumn is often called fall is not necessarily because leaves fall from the trees. This is the season when the earth slowly falls away from the sun, and light rays are lessening. This lost light, will spring back to us in six months. The amount of sunlight reaching the earth's surface determines the kind of changes that take place each season. Autumn has a beauty to it, that holds fragments of the other seasons. Even while forecasting an end to the lush green summer with fruits, vegetables and flowers; we are still gifted with some warm, green moments. While some people dread the approaching winter season, there are many people who claim autumn as their favorite season. As we face the sometimes painful reality that nothing lasts forever, autumn teaches us humility and reminds us of letting go. The change of seasons can be a metaphor for life. Everything is moving, flowing on into something new. Each season's entrance and departure is part of the gracious turning of the circle of life. Autumn leads into something new, as the next season returns. As you know, part of my responsibility as an Interim/Sustaining Pastor is to help us through a time of discernment; discerning our next steps as a Congregation. After I started in May, the Transition Team asked that we wait until September; to begin reviewing and discerning our next steps. With our recent changes regarding music; I recommended during our September Consistory meeting, that we focus on worship and our community through the Christmas season. And then in January, that we reassess the next steps in the discernment process. The Consistory agreed with this suggestion. Continued on Page 5
Page 2 Consistory President s Report Erich Regier On Sept 13, St. Paul held its monthly Consistory meeting. Attendance was small, but it was a good meeting. We reviewed the Church s finances and things are doing pretty good. After the sale of the Parsonage, we held a few thousand dollars in the checking account for emergencies. After a few months now, we will be looking at investing most of that money back in with the rest. As many of you know, the Consistory decided not to continue the services of Suzanna Canales. The Consistory will be looking for a replacement in the coming months. We are still in the process of trying to replace the small section of pavement in the back by the dumpster. It is a small job and we are having a difficult time finding a company that will do it. Some gutters back by the Women s Fellowship Room were cleaned out as they were full and we had some issues with water in that room. In the coming weeks, we will be working on fixing the floor and all the loose tiles. Also, we are going to start replacing several lights in the Fellowship Hall. The lights are old, and the ballasts are going bad and are hard to find replacements for. The Rummage Sale went very well. Even though the weather was not the greatest, we still had a good turnout. Don t forget we have our first roast beef dinner coming up. Please put it on your calendar and invite your friends. As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to let me know, or any of the Consistory members and we will try to answer them. 6 Jan Coleman 11 Jeremy Grawburg Betty Jean Wolgast 19 Phyllis Grant 25 Dorothy Felson
Page 3 FALL FUNDRAISING DINNER Friday, October 21, 2016 4:30-7:00 PM MENU Roast Beef, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans, St. Paul s Famous Cole Slaw, Rolls & Butter, Cake, and Beverages Tickets Adults - $10.00 Children under 10 - $5 To make reservations, please call the church office at 586/264-4777 by Monday, Oct 17. You may either send money in advance or purchase your reserved tickets when you arrive. Carry out orders will also be available. Mable Adamson Evangelical Homes 14900 Shoreline Dr Sterling Hts MI 48313 Phyllis Grant 28848 Tawas Ct Madison Heights MI 48071 Esther Hornyak St. Anne s Mead 16106 W 12 Mile Rd Southfield MI 48076 Virginia Park Sunrise of Troy 6870 Crooks Rd, #224 Troy MI 48098 Wally Paczkowski 36333 Garfield, Apt 115 Clinton Twp MI 48035 Joan Pinegar 11200 River Rd Warren MI 48093 Anne Pyciak Cherrywood Nursing Ctr 2372 15 Mile Rd, C204-2 Sterling Hts MI 48310 Mae St Clair 42250 Hayes, #108 Clinton Twp MI 48038 Dorothy Zink Hope Landing Assisted Living 1252 North Cochran Charlotte MI 48813
Page 4 Pint $3.00 Quart $6.00 Sign Up Sheet on Countertop Available Thurs, Oct 6 Our Condolences are Extended to the Family of Sylvia Aud-Polulak Betty Wolgast, Diane Schuster & Sue Regier It is about 6pm on Saturday, Sept 17 and we are all dog tired! But it is a good tired. We all worked so hard all week and especially today. Was it worth it - YOU BET IT WAS!! To hear all the good things said about our church and all who worked the sale made our hearts swell with pride. We help so many people with our rummage, soup, bread and baked goods. We had some people come early on Thursday and Friday because they would be out of town and didn't want to miss our sale. There was a young couple who sat on the floor and packed bags and bags during stuff-a-bag and then bought the whole box of hangars. They really needed the clothes. We will never know how many lives we change or make a little better with our treasures. Thanks to all who helped - I think everyone who comes to St. Paul's on Sunday has helped sometime during this past week. We had so many helpers/bakers/dishwashers/plumbers/carry-outers I just can't remember when we had such a great turn-out of help. Thank you all for all your help, prayers, laughs and love for your community. We are a great church and we will continue to do great things in the future. Look for the results on the bulletin board. Thanks!! Brandon Ebel NO ARTICLE THIS MONTH If you would like to write to Brandon or send him a card, his address is: Ebel, #752523 Thumb Correctional Facility 3225 John Conley Drive, Lapeer, MI 48446
Page 5 Pastor Jacquie Patt We have had some significant changes during the past couple of years. When I have had times of change or uncertainty, I have found it helpful -- to share my thoughts with a trusted friend, to give myself time to reflect and renew, and to come to worship and other community activities. I also pray these familiar words of Thomas Merton: "My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore, I will trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone. If you have any questions or want to talk, please let me know. Blessings of Grace Sunday, Oct 9 at 2:30pm Hope United Church of Christ 35127 Garfield PETS should be safely restrained. Refreshments will be served. Happy Sweetest Day! Sat, Oct 15 Wednesday, Oct 5, 2016 4:30-6:30 pm