St. Paul's

United Church of Christ

March 2017

Newsletter

Church Office Hours

Monday-Friday: 9:00am-4:00pm

Pastor Mike Roth: Tuesday-Friday

Pastor Erica Roth: Tuesday-Thursday

Doug Gilliland: Monday-Thursday

Erica Faust: Tuesday-Thursday

St. Paul’s United Church of Christ

5508 Telegraph Road

St. Louis, Mo 63129

314-892-3332

Karol.collins@sp4u.org

Website: sp4u.org

I recently read an article in “Influence” magazine written by Scott Hagan, co-founder of Real Life Churches

based in Sacramento, California. The article, I believe, speaks truth into the moment we find ourselves in at St.

Paul’s. On the one hand we have represented here what he calls the honor generation. These are people and

leaders that have worshiped at St. Paul’s for a long time and who desperately want to preserve what has been; to

honor our past. These people tend to place a high value on honoring something proven rather than something

new. Then we have what he calls the energy generation. These are people and leaders who are struggling to pro-

mote a church feeling that is more relevant to a new generation. They place a high value on putting energy into

something innovative. There can be more than half a century separating these two groups in age. If not looked at

through the eyes of faith, a church can quickly become spiteful and toxic as the older crowd sees the younger as

rogue and the younger sees the older as rigid. Sadly, this rogue verses rigid standoff is occurring in churches all

over America.

I want you to hear that this need not be the case. I want you to hear that there is a reciprocal beauty that

happens when a proven life meets a promising life; when a younger group values the story an older generation has

to tell while, at the same time, the older generation sees value in the discovery a younger generation can provide.

Honor and energy need not be enemy combatants. God meant for them to coexist and actually be in harmony with

one another. And there is scriptural evidence for this.

In the second chapter of Acts, on The Day of Pentecost, there is a reflection of the inseparable relationship

between honor and energy. In this scripture bystanders are trying to intimidate Peter because they see the new

followers of faith in Jerusalem speaking different languages and acting as if they are drunk. It is in that moment

that Peter stands up with the other eleven and raises his voice to address the crowd. He says, “Fellow Jews and all

of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These people are not drunk,

as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: ‘In the last days,

God Says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see

visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit on

those days, and they will prophesy.’” In this passage we see this wonderful relationship between honor and ener-

gy. Peter is quick to share what the prophet Joel had spoken long ago and, at the same time, links it to the sights

and sounds of what was happening right then and there for those who were witnessing it. It was a continuation of

Joel’s Spirit filled message given centuries earlier. The only thing which ultimately separated Joel and Peter was

time.

Change never feels nice and tidy. We grieve what we feel we have lost before we celebrate what God has

helped us gain. When honor and energy compete for the same space, a church can become sidetracked and inef-

fective. But if we allow the Holy Spirit to show us the true pattern of biblical honor and energy, the above ques-

tions will no longer stress nor distract us as the local church.

A question to consider: Do you find yourself asking, “How will this affect me?” or, “How will this affect God’s King-

dom?”

Yours In Christ,

Rev. Michael R. Roth

Lenten Soup Suppers and Mission Partnership Speakers... Throughout Lent we will be having Lenten Soup Suppers on Tuesday evenings from 5:30 –6:30 p.m. We want to encourage everyone to bring your families and friends out for a relaxing even-

ing of NO COOKING! At 6 p.m. you will be invited to move to another room to hear a guest speaker share about one of the ministries or mission sites we partner with throughout the year. You can feel free to listen in or you can continue enjoying time around table with friends and

family. Each evening a church group will be hosts and will provide soup, bread/crackers and desserts. (There will always be some PB&J as well!) Our guest speakers will be from Eden Seminary on March 7th, Emmaus Homes on March 14th, MoVal Camp on March 21st, Every Child’s Hope (ECH) on March 28th and Lydia’s House on April 4th.

Come and experience God around table this Lent!

Sunday School News

Our learning for the past

month has focused on the Mira-cles of Jesus. This Sunday is the 1st Sunday

of the month so kids will worship with their fami-lies. In March, our lessons will focus on the Parables

of Jesus. Our Sunday School class schedule: 9:00—Nursery & Multi-age Class 10: 30---Nursery, Pre-K/K Class & School-age

Class Kingdom Bucks Program Kids earn a buck

every time they attend Sunday School. Bucks can be redeemed for prizes and gifts 3 times per year (Palm Sunday, Rally Day and Advent Fest).

The Sr. High Youth Food Pantry is

once again up and running on the 4th

Wednesday of every month from 6:30-

8:30 p.m. Contact Mark Carter at

314.585.8526 for more information.

Church camp schedules

and registration forms

are available on the bul-

letin board across from

the main church office.

Church Camp has been known to change lives and lead

young people to proclaim a life of faith! It is WORTH

checking out. There are camps for kids of all ages and

even family camps or opportunities to attend with your

grandchildren! Scholarships are available through St.

Paul’s (contact Pastor Erica or Miss Erica) or through

Camp MoVal itself.

SALT (4th-5th grade youth)NEWS:

Sunday, March 12th: We will have a

mystery event at the church all af-

ternoon. Lunch will be served and

fun shall be had by all. Stay after

church, bring a change of clothes

and prepare to get comfortable and

crazy! Ends at 3:00 pm.

April 21st-23rd: Weekend mission trip! We

will be traveling to Linton, IN (Saron UCC)

We will leave Friday around 5 p.m. and re-

turn Sunday around 6 p.m.

The entire trip should only

cost $50.00. More details

soon!

SAVE THE DATE

VBS 2017 Rome: Paul and the Underground Church

June 12-16

*Staff Registration is now open! Volunteer form is

here or you can pick one up on the bulletin board

outside Erica Faust’s offcie. (We need your help!

Be a part of the FUN!)

*Child registration will begin April 1.

Sock Hop Friday, March 31st 7:00-10:00pm

St. Paul’s UCC Social Hall Music for the 1950’s through today!

Admission-pack of new men’s or women’s sock All socks will be donated to

local homeless missions Please invite family and friends!

Kidz Choir

We will be singing and ringing in the March 26

10:30 service. Rehearsals are Sunday mornings

10 - 10:30 a.m. in the lower level Theatre room.

We are hoping to offer CPR Classes at St. Paul’s on

an ongoing basis. We are looking for a certified in-

structor that might be interested in partnering with

us.

Know of anyone? Please con-

tact Pastor Erica with info!

“Table Talk” will be on Thursday,

March 2nd at 6:15 p.m.

This is a time for women of all ages to

get together, share a snack (or two)

and fellowship at table! Relaxed, fun, God-filled time!

We meet in the Adult Lounge East. ALL women are

welcome! See you there! (Our April meeting will be on

the 6th—mark it now!)

DOG (Disciples of God) News:

Sunday, March 19th: MOVIE

NIGHT!!! We have a movie thea-

ter at St. Paul’s! It is downstairs

and accessible by elevator. We will gather at

6 p.m. to watch a movie and eat some popcorn! Should

be done around 8:30 or 9 p.m. Family welcome.

Middle School Youth Group

Sundays: 5:30 meal, 6 p.m.

Youth Lesson, 7 p.m. Free

time (Ends around 7:30 p.m.)

March 5th: Underground Church! Wear Black.

March 12th: Come and see!

March 19th: No Youth Group—Spring Break

March 26th: Come and See!

April 2nd: Come and See!

Are you interested in joining St. Paul’s or at

least learning more about us? We will be holding

New Member Classes following the Lenten Soup Sup-

pers on March 14, 21 and 28th from 6:30-7:30 p.m.

All three classes will be different and

focus on different aspects of being a

member of St. Paul’s. We invited

you to contact Pastor Mike or Pastor

Erica with questions or if interested.

St. Paul's Handbells

Our handbells are learning some new tunes and

we could use a couple of substitute ringers that are

able to fill-in when a regular ringer is absent for

rehearsal or performance.

Worship Team

New congregational tunes for blended worship

include "Be Enthroned" by Bethel Church, Redding, CA;

"Great Are You Lord" by All Sons and Daughters.

Sanctuary Choir

Good Friday, April 14, The Sanctuary Choir with

Strings, Harp and Flute will perform "Seven Last

Words" by Michael Trotta. Our guest soloists are So-

prano, Rebecca Drury and Baritone David Four-

nie. The emphasis is on the seven final phrases that

Christ said while hanging on the cross.

Invite friends and family!

Children & Family

Ministry Serve

Opportunities

A growing and thriving min-

istry needs lots of volun-

teers. Volunteering brings us together and gives us a

place to connect with the church family. Please consider

sharing your time and talents with the children and fami-

lies of St. Paul’s.

Teach Sunday School once per month (Pre-K or

School-age, 9:00 or 10:30, lessons, materials & sup-

port provided)

Help in our nursery once per month (9:00 or 10:30)

Provide a meal for the middle school youth group on

Sunday evening (contact Pastor Erica)

Chaperone a youth group event (assisting a staff

member)

Share/Teach a skill with a youth group

Prayerfully consider being a mentor to a confirmand

during the 2017-2018 school year.

VBS 2017 staff member (youth going into 6th

grade—adults of all ages)

Can’t be here the whole week of VBS? We need vol-

unteers to work just a few days during the week.

Can’t be here at all during the VBS week? How

about volunteer to do some work at home---putting

craft kits together, making decorations, etc.?

VBS 2017 Volunteer Sign-Up Form Thank you for volunteering for VBS 2017. We are looking forward to a wonderful week of sharing God’s love

with others. Some things you need to know:

VBS 2017 is June 12-16, 2017----9:00 a.m.-noon. Volunteers are expected to be able to attend all days of

VBS.

Each day will begin with a staff meeting at 8:15 a.m. All staff members will be expected to attend daily

staff meetings.

Serving at VBS is most importantly about serving---serving God and serving others. A lot will be expected

of you as a VBS volunteer.

All youth volunteers will be required to attend a VBS training meeting on Monday, June 5, at 6:30 in the Heritage Room. If you are not

able to attend this meeting, you must make arrangements to meet with me at another time to be properly trained.

All adult volunteers (18 years & older) are required to have a Missouri Highway Patrol background check per our St. Paul’s Safe Child

Policy. The form is attached and should be turned in with this form to Erica Faust or the Church Office.

Depending on the area that you are assigned, additional training/informational meetings might also be required.

Volunteers will be accepted and assigned on a first come/first served basis. I will do my best to assign you to one of your top 3 choices.

Please turn this form in ASAP and please mark all dates on your calendar so that we don’t run into scheduling conflicts.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------

Please complete all of the following and return to Erica Faust ASAP.

Questions? Please contact Erica Faust at ericafaust@sbcglobal.net

Name: ____________________________________________________________________

Phone #: ____________________________________________________________________

Cell Phone #: ________________________________________________________________________

E-mail Address (self and parent): ____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

T-shirt Size (circle one)

Adult S Adult M Adult L Adult XL Adult 2XL

Volunteer Choices

**Please number your choices 1-5, 1 being want you would like to do best and so on.**

Additional Volunteer Opportunity for Non-Crew Leaders

Would you like to be part of the singing/dancing team that will help teach/lead the songs at the beginning and end of VBS each

day? We are looking for middle schoolers & high schoolers who are willing to rehearse a few times per month between now and the begin-

ning of VBS. You will be able to be a part of this group in addition to serving in a regular VBS position.

Yes, I would like to be on the worship leading team.

YOUTH VOLUNTEER POSITIONS ADULT VOLUNTEER POSITIONS

Crew Leader (must be at least going into 8th grade) Games Co-Leader

Games Helper Marketplace Co-Leader

Marketplace Helper (Crafts/Projects) Drama Co-Leader

Drama Helper Movie Co-Leader

Snack Co-Leader

Snack Helper Pre-School Games Co-Leader

Preschool Helper Pre-School Drama Co-Leader

Preschool Games Helper Registration Table/Floater

Making her own box

for valentines! Healthy foods for healthy

teeth.

TreeHouse

March 2017

Valentine’s Day Fun!

Chef Evan!

Dinosaurs need baths too!

Play til you drop!

We celebrated Dental

Health Week!

So many girls, so little

time!

We love to dress up!

Lovin’ during Chapel time!

Dr. and Dr. in training!

We had a wonderful time

at our Valentine’s Day Ball

in the Heritage Room!

We love our BABIES!