St. Paul’s United Methodist Church 2131 Palomino Drive ▪ Warrington, PA ▪ 215.343.0230 ▪ stpaulsumcwarrington.org

Janet L. Saddel, Pastor Nancy Mongelli, Office Admin. ▪ Doug Tester, Organist/Choir Director ▪ Ray Washam, Handbell Choir Director

February 2018

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” ~John 3:16

Something rather unique will occur this month. In fact, the last time this happened was in 1945. This year Ash

Wednesday falls on Valentine’s Day. Although we don’t know for sure if the legends behind Saint Valentine are true,

it is interesting to read them, nonetheless. One legend involves the healing of a judge’s daughter, which led to the

conversion of the judge and his entire household to Christianity. Valentinus was arrested for proselytizing and was

sent to the Roman Emperor Claudius II. Claudius took a liking to him until Valentinus tried to convince Claudius to

embrace Christianity, whereupon Claudius refused and condemned Valentinus to death, commanding that

Valentinus either renounce his faith or he would be beaten with clubs, and beheaded. Valentinus refused and

Claudius’ command was executed February 14, 269.

Another legend holds that Valentine, who was a priest, defied the order of the emperor Claudius and secretly

married couples so that the husbands wouldn't have to go to war. The legend claims that soldiers were sparse at this

time so this was a big inconvenience to the emperor. Another legend is that Valentine refused to sacrifice to pagan

gods. Being imprisoned for this, Valentine gave his testimony in prison and through his prayers healed the jailer's

daughter who was suffering from blindness. On the day of his execution he left her a note that was signed, “Your

Valentine.”

Regardless of who the man was, it is apparent that he stood for the love of God, and to this day the calendar

reserves this as a day that is noted for love. As this holiday coincides with Ash Wednesday, I see this as a great

opportunity to think on the most perfect valentine ever given. Jesus is God’s love sent to us in flesh. We read in

1 John 3:1 “See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God.” And 1 John 4:9-12,

“God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through

him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our

sins. Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love

one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.”

There is no greater love than God’s love for us. Let us receive God’s valentine to us – let us bathe in God’s love –

let us drink it in – and let us share that love with each other, until it grows and spreads out from us and into the

world around us. Come and join us this Valentine’s Day – Ash Wednesday to receive God’s love. Join us every

Sunday and each Wednesday evening throughout Lent. Let us do all that we can to allow the love of Christ to grow

within us and allow God’s love for each other to grow. Let this Lent be one of love for God, for each other and for

the world.

See you on Valentine’s Day!

In God’s Great Love,

Janet

The Herald The Herald

Sunday’s…

Adult Sunday School/9 am Worship/10:30 am

Children’s Sunday School/10:40 am

Noisy Can Collection, the second Sunday of every month… Next collection: February 11

Prayer postcards are now available near the Prayer Book in the Sanctuary for you to send as a postcard to someone to let them know we have prayed for them in church.

Monday’s…

Trustees 7–9 pm/February 19/Library

Tuesday’s…

Church Council 7–9 pm/February 13/Cozens

Wednesday’s…

Women’s Bible Study 12-2/Cozens

Bible Study 7-8 pm/Cozens

What’s Happening @ St. Paul’s... Standing Meetings, Groups & Programs

Thursday’s…

Handbells 6:30 pm/Sanctuary

Choir 7:30 pm/Sanctuary

1st & 3rd Thursday’s & Saturday’s

Food Pantry/6-8 pm Thursday/10-Noon Saturday

Saturday’s…

Men’s Bible Study 8–10 am/Cozens/1, 3 & 5 Saturday

Like us on Facebook St. Paul’s UMC, Warrington

Hi Janet, We just wanted to say thank you again for your encouragement and for the opportunity/privilege to share about how God is working in Cambodia to draw people to himself. Everyone was just so kind and they made us feel very special. We really appreciate St. Paul’s prayers and support for the ministry and Mother’s Home. Please let everyone know that we are very grateful for the gift that you provided for the ministry as well. St. Paul’s will be in our thoughts and prayers. Sincerely, Greg and Jane Drebes

THE WOMEN OF ST. PAUL’S are excited to invite YOU to our WINTER EVENT

on Wednesday, February 7 at 6 pm

Bring a dish to share!

Our program will be Carl LeVo speaking about local history.

He writes the historical page in Monday’s Intelligencer about unknown stories of local history!

Because of this outstanding program, we are inviting all MEN as well!

Please bring your neighbors and friends for a most interesting evening!

Even if you didn't sign up yet, please just come!!! Sign up in the Narthex.

NARTHEX AND LIBRARY Please continue to keep our Narthex and Library in good condition after you've used them in any way. Returning chairs to original locations

and taking your belongings helps to keep these places pleasant looking for all who enter our Church Home! Thanks!

It's Snowing! Will we have Church Today? Our Trustees do their best to keep our facility

and parking lot safe. But we can’t possibly remove every bit of snow and ice, so we ask that

you use your own common sense about attending during inclement weather. We have two

means of finding out if our church services are cancelled (and the same for evening meetings

or Bible studies). You can call this Winter Storm Emergency phone number: 215.343.1693.

If services are cancelled, the message will clearly state as such. If you have a computer you

can access our website and a banner will be posted on the front page concerning closures:

www.stpaulsumcwarrington.org We trust that each person will use their own judgment and

not risk life and limb to get to church in difficult weather conditions. Know that you will be

missed and we will look forward to greeting you when you are able to come to church.

February 1 George Williams

19 Lynne Heaton

21 Louise Zalucki

23 Phyllis Davis

25 Betsy McCormick

Birthdays...

NURSES NOTES...

It’s February and American Heart Association Month and Journey activities abound!

On Sunday, February 11th after church for Fellowship time we will be doing healthy

snacks & taking blood pressures again. This will add up 40 mile/points toward your

Journey to Jerusalem. Hoping all of you are enjoying this challenge, making small

changes in your activity and eating habits all helps for a healthier you!

On Saturday, February 17th at noon we will be doing our Second Stopover in Rome,

Italy. Come bring friends and family to enjoy a delicious lunch with choices,

beverage and salad for $10!! As the date gets closer we will let you see what menu

options so they can be reserved ahead of time! Signup sheet in Narthex under

Parish Nurse.

So ‘Carry On’ as they say in England and hope we see you at our events this

month!!

Yours in Health and Faith,

Gwynne Bee, Parish Nurse

Join us for Lent this year. We begin our Lenten season with our Ash Wednesday service at 7:00pm

in our Sanctuary. This will be a service of hymns, scripture, ashes and communion. We will begin

our study of “The Call: The Life and Message of the Apostle Paul” with a video message from Adam

Hamilton [see the order form below for further information]. The following week we will gather for

fellowship around a pot-luck supper in Cozens Hall from 6pm to 6:55pm. We then adjourn to the

Sanctuary for a hymn sing, followed by Hamilton’s video and a discussion that follows.

Lent at St. Paul’s UMC

“The Call: The Life and Message of the Apostle Paul”

Each year during Lent, our church family gathers on Wednesday evenings to journey together as we grow

deeper in our faith. We will again be gathering each Wednesday as we hear from Adam Hamilton through a DVD

presentation. We will sing hymns and worship together, beginning on Ash Wednesday. In the weeks following, we’ll

gather in Cozens Hall for a meal, and then adjourn to the sanctuary for our study. Join us this Lent and experience a

season of spiritual growth and life-changing renewal while learning about the journeys of Paul and experience faith

through the name-sake of our church!

If you wish to purchase the book, the form is below for your order.

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

Order Form

Please make checks payable to: “St. Paul’s UMC” and either place your order form and check on the prayer

table, or place in the Pastor’s mailbox (clear box on the wall in the church office next to the Pastor’s door)

no later than 2/4/18. If we have three or more orders we will not need to pay for S&H and the cost is $13.00

Note: do NOT put in the offering plate.

Name: Phone: Email:

Quantity ­ x $13.00 =

Total enclosed: $

For the past few years we have studied with Adam Hamilton. We have traced the life

of Jesus from his birth The Journey, through his ministry The Way, to his death and

resurrection 24 Hours That Changed the World. What happened next? Follow the

journeys of Paul, beginning with his dramatic conversion, as he spread the Gospel

through modern-day Greece and Turkey. Travel to the early church sites and explore

Paul's conversations with the Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians,

Colossians, and Thessalonians. In this six-week study, you are invited to experience

faith through Christ's greatest teacher and missionary.

St. Paul’s Preschool News…February 2018

As I sit in the hallway looking over all of the children and their families, I was reflecting on the wonderful things that happened in 2017 and the amazing things that were to happen in 2018!

I know my last letter said goodbye to Mrs. Hendrix; however, I really miss her smile and kind words to me. Mrs. Jacobus was able to read my last letter to her at a retirement party that the teachers and staff had

for her. I heard that there were many hugs and tears. She is really missed.

Now I have a new buddy. Her name is Mrs. Dickson. She is loving and caring just like my other friends and has three kids of her own. She has twins, Gabi and Alex, whom are 15 and Scott, who is 7 years old. She is our new Office Manager and takes care of many things. Please stop by and say, “Hello.”

My little friends think that I can’t hear or see them but what they don’t realize is that all it takes is for me

to hear their wonderful voices and I come alive! The children thought that it took Christmas forever to arrive and honestly I felt like it was over so quickly. The first day back from their Christmas break my eyes and ears perked up. Everyone was so excited! They were sharing news about traveling to their favorite family spots, going to church to celebrate Jesus’ birthday, and what toys or clothes they received from Santa. The best part was hearing some of them singing, “Happy Birthday Baby Jesus!” One thing is for sure,

fun was definitely had by everyone.

I need to take the time to thank the Men’s Bible Study and the many volunteers who helped make the Angel Breakfast a success.

All my little friends and many families went to the Christmas Story and Sing-A-Long where they sang songs with Mrs. Ashman and heard about Quintilius from Pastor Janet. Ask her about that story if you don’t

already know. My friends also learned that helping people in need was a good thing to do, especially at Christmas. They and their families took angels from the Christmas tree and bought gifts to give to specific children, some at our Center and some in the community. We also had an ongoing collection for Mia, a year old little girl who has been at CHOP for much of her life and still goes back there from time to time. Mia is the granddaughter of Anne Reinheimer, longtime Coordinator at Extended Care, and has a sister in our program.

Now that it’s January, we can celebrate the fact that we have only had a few inches of snow and even a few warmer days! Of course my friends don’t like not having any snow because they can’t make snow angels or go sledding but I like it because then they are here every day.

We even had to postpone the Extended Care children and staff’s Christmas Show because of the snow. It was fantastic! The children sang holiday songs and the Christmas Story recreated by the cutest cast ever.

Their hard work practicing paid off!

Our 3/4 Preschool classes went on a field trip to the Bucks County Children’s Museum where they will had a great hands-on experience. The Tooth Buddy Tales dental health puppet show visited us and taught the children about good brushing habits. We will have the Barclay Readers coming. They are third grade classes from Barclay Elementary School that come several times each year to read to our students. A new session of

dance began on January 10th and Lil’ Sports will be resuming. Our Mom’s Group met on the same day as our restaurant fundraiser at Moe’s. Thank you all so much for your support! Hope you had a wonderful time. Don’t forget our Applebee’s Breakfast on February 3rd, 2018 from 8am – 10:00am. Many of our teachers and staff will be participating.

I’m wishing for laughter in the hallways, plenty of enjoyable days and tons of smiles!

Hugs and kisses from Paul E. Bear