The Messenger July 2016 OTW NEWS BARNYARD ROUNDUP! This is the theme for our Kids Bible Club to be held Tuesday through Thursday, July 12-14th, from 5:30-8:00pm. Dinner will be served followed by storytelling, crafts, games, music and a visit from some live animals. The themes for the three days are: Jesus cares now and forever, Jesus provides now and forever, and Jesus leads now and forever. There is a variety of ways that you can become involved and help with this awesome project! Stop at the OTW table to sign up and/or pick up a registration form for your children or grandchildren, 4-11 years of age. HURTING WORLD St. Paul s United Methodist Church 3334 Breton Road, S.E. Grand Rapids, MI 49512 Phone: (616) 949-0880 Email: grstpaulsumc@gmail.com Website: www.grstpaulsumc.org McCurdy Ministries is located in the poorest county in New Mexico. Twenty five percent of the adult population does not have a high school education. There are a medical clinic and a hospital staffed with United Methodist nurses and doctors serving the public. The school has several programs including a free breakfast and lunch program. In 2012 McCurdy had 540 students enrolled in K-12 public school, which was a two hundred and twenty seven percent increase in enrollment. Their needs are many. Their goal now is to complete construction of a new building and to renovate other buildings. Please be generous and prayerfully consider a contribution to this special ministry.
Page 2 The Messenger In the wake of recent current events, I got overwhelmed and had trouble focusing my prayers. Maybe you had a similar experience when you heard that a friend is battling cancer or sat with your grief after a loved one died. Maybe you struggled to find the words when you learned of yet another incident of senseless gun violence or watched as vicious hate mongering took over American and geopolitics. Sometimes our bodies breathe sighs too deep for words and the things we need to say to God get lost in the fury of thoughts running through our brains. Sometimes we get stuck. These are the times when God asks us to rely whole-heartedly on the Holy Spirit to intercede for us and carry our message forth (Romans 8:26). When I get stuck and need to remember the promises of my faith, I use an image or words that other people have written a piece of art, a published prayer, or poetry as a tool to guide my conversation with God. One of the poems I ve been reading as part of my daily devotional life is The Peace of Wild Things, by Wendell Berry. I read it and then recite Psalm 23 like my life depends on it. I invite you to do the same. The Peace of Wild Things Wendell Berry, "The Peace of Wild Things" from The Selected Poems of Wendell Berry. Copyright 1998. When despair for the world grows in me and I wake in the night at the least sound in fear of what my life and my children s lives may be, I go and lie down where the wood drake rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds. I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief. I come into the presence of still water. And I feel above me the day-blind stars waiting with their light. For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free. In His Service Pastor Erin May 2016 Statistical Report St. Paul s General Fund Balance INCOME EXPENSE NET (+-) May $18,742 $14,460 +4,282 BEGINNING BALANCE 01/01/2016 YTD BALANCE 05/31/2016 NET (+-) YEAR TO DATE $111, 714 $113,318 1,604 SAVINGS $ 6,976 $10,694 +3,718 Average attendance: May: 92 Budget and Fund report available upon request
St. Paul s UMC Page 3 OUR YOUTH ARE HUNGRY...AGAIN! Our Youth are hungry again! To provide a meal go to: Takethemameal.com, Username: youth; Password: youth. Or contact Bill Cummings at williamcumings@outlook.com. ENVELOP US WITH LOVE! In June the youth are going on a summer mission trip to the Music City, Nashville, Tennessee! We need our church family to Envelop us with Love! Please consider making a donation to help kick off our 2016 fundraising campaign. Check out the white envelopes on the bulletin board in the narthex. POP CAN DRIVE We will be collecting pop cans and bottles throughout the month. Let us help you with that tedious errand and earn some money along the way. Please remember to check for the MI 10 cent deposit, remove lids and rinse out the cans and bottles before depositing them in the green container located in the coat room. Thank you for your support! PINK FLAMINGOS The youth group has a flock of 50 pink flamingos that are ready to decorate the lawns of St. Paul s and Wyoming Park UMC members this summer. We hope to run this fundraiser through July as we make our final fundraising push to pay for the summer mission trip. Please see Bill Cummings or Pastor Erin for more information about how to flock, your family, friends, and neighbors. We are happy to make arrangements for anniversaries, birthdays, graduations, retirements and any other special occasion you can think of to show our youth some love and support! Thank you!
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 7pm Stephen Ministry 4th of July 7pm SPRC 7pm Trustees 9:30am Rachel Circle 7pm Church Council 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Kids Bible Club 1pm Needlecraft Kids Bible Club 10am Caregivers 6pm John Knox V. Kids Bible Club 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Newsletter Articles Due 7pm -Mosaic W. Book Club 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Mission Minute 7pm -Church Council 31
THIS AND THAT Brunch Bunch will meet on Friday, July 8, at 9am at Wolfgang's. All women are welcome! If you have questions please contact Peg Edvenson @ 455-8167 or pedvenson@gmail.com. Rachel Circle will meet on Wednesday, July 6, at 9:30am at the Omelette Shop. John Knox will be collecting canned fruits and vegetables for the month of July. As always any donation is appreciated. Team 2 volunteers on Thursday, July 8, at 5:45pm. The Food Pantry is unable to use anything that has been opened or has expired. Please check before donating. Thank you for all your support! DESTINATION DEVOTIONS Planning a summer trip? Take along a Scripture passage befitting your vacation to use for devotions and prayer time (all NIV below): In the mountains: The mountains and hills will burst into song before you (Isaiah 55:12). At a lake, perhaps on a fishing trip: They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. Come, follow me, Jesus said, and I will send you out to fish for people (Matthew 4:18-19). Near an ocean or river: Let the sea resound let the rivers clap their hands (Psalm 98:7-8). In the desert: They looked toward the desert, and there was the glory of the LORD appearing in the cloud (Exodus 16:10). In the woods: Blessed is the one whose delight is in the law of the LORD. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season (Psalm 1:1-3).
The MESSENGER St. Paul s UMC 3334 Breton RD.,SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49512-2798 (616) 949-0880 Email: grstpaulsumc@gmail.com Rev. Erin Fitzgerald, Pastor We are on the Web! www.grstpaulsumc.org Nonprofit Organization U.S. POSTAGE PAID Grand Rapids, MI Permit No. 142 Change Service Requested INSIDE THIS ISSUE: OTW 1 Hurting World 1 From the Pastor 2 Just the Facts 2 Youth Events 3 Church Council 4 Calendar Insert This and That Insert Church Council Staff Comments Erin Fitzgerald reported: 1) She is applying for a $500.00 grant from the West MI Annual Conference to be used for Bibles, Vacation Bible supplies and education materials. 2) Erin will be preaching on the parables of Jesus this summer. If anyone has a favorite parable they d like covered, let her know. 3) Erin is not going on the youth mission trip. She ll be gone July 3 & a week in August while she, Joel and Michael attend a conference for clergy and their families at Lake Louise. Worship Sharon Gould: 1) After Erin s sermon series on parables, she will preach on characteristics of a fruitful congregation. 2) They are continuing to look for ideas to include children and make our service more intergenerational. 3) Erin has asked to develop plans for a Children First Worship the first Sunday of each month. Hospitality & Over the Wall Pam Gombert reported for Roni McNeil: 1) Members are asked to sign up for coffee. 2) Vacation Bible will be July 12 through 14. Missions Orlan Lehmann: 1) The Hurting World Offering for June is to assist flood victims in Texas. 2) July s offering will go to the McCurdy ministry in New Mexico. 3) We are no longer collecting Spartan UPC labels. SPRC Tom Orsborn: 1) Pastor Erin s ordination took place on Sun., June 12. 2) Recommendations have been made for an increase in Pastor Erin s housing allowance if temporary housing is needed until permanent housing is obtained and also for money to cover moving expenses. These will require approval at a special church conference. 3) St. Paul s Annual Charge Conference will be Sunday, October 16 at 12:30 pm at St. Paul s. Finance Financial reports were presented, with no questions being asked. Trustees Glenn Gould: 1) Trustees have ok d the estimate from Nugent Builders for repair of the column at the main entrance. 2) Pastor Erin and Joel have been renting a home for the last 4 years; however, their landlord is not willing to renew their lease and is planning on selling the home soon. The church must provide housing or a housing allowance for its pastor. Given current conditions in the rental market, our pastor s housing allowance would need to be significantly increased. After consideration of the alternatives, the Trustees are recommending that a parsonage be purchased using the $112,000.00 we have in an account specifically for that purpose. Glenn Gould made the motion To call a charge conference for 2 purposes: 1. To ask the congregation for the authority to purchase a parsonage, 2. Consider revisions to our pastor s compensation package. Tom Orsborn seconded. Motion passed. A question was asked as to how this effects Joel Fitzgerald. His housing allowance from Wyoming Park would be used to help pay the mortgage and/or utilities at St. Paul s parsonage. St. Paul s would be the sole owner of the parsonage. If St. Paul s would get a new pastor, we wouldn t have that money from Wyoming Park to help pay expenses. Covenant Concerns/Praises -- 1) Regarding nursery staffing, the bulletin only lists one nursery worker. Is there one or two, as was promised? One worker is paid, but a second person who volunteers is present. 2) A question was posed whether the tall tables violate building codes regarding egress from the narthex and library. They do not. Miscellaneous 1) Tom Drake s appointment to SPRC has been approved. 3) Dave Gombert presented a report on Annual Conference in Lansing with both the West Michigan and Detroit Conferences in attendance. Next year, a unified Michigan Area Conference will meet in Traverse City, combining business from churches across the state. The meeting adjourned with prayer requests being heard and prayer.