Copy
View this email in your browser

In this issue:

WEEKLY NOTES February 2, 2023

 
Greetings Saint Paul's Friends and Family, 

Our youth group ends most of their gatherings singing the song, Sanctuary.  Many of you may recall joining hands in a circle and singing this same song in UMYF, or at camp, or during a youth Sunday.  The words are:
 
Lord prepare me to be a sanctuary,
pure and holy, tried and true.
With thanksgiving, I'll be a living
sanctuary, for you.  

 
Throughout the Bible, we have God calling people to be holy, as God is holy.  The lyrics here remind us of Paul's words in Romans calling us to be "living sacrifices" and in 1 Corinthians, reminding us we are temples of the Holy Spirit.  

What does it mean to be holy?  If holy means "set apart" does that mean we are all to be monks on a mountaintop somewhere?  I don't think so.  

Between now and Holy Week, we will learn more about God's desire for holiness - what it looks like, and how God is also leading us to "wholiness" as individuals, and collectively.  We hope you join us for the journey.  

We LOVE being your pastors,

Pastor Latricia & Pastor Becky


P.S.  If you have a story of how God has brought healing and wholeness into your life, we want to hear about it.  How is your life different or changed because of Christ?  What does holiness look like to you?  Click below to share.  
Share Your Story

SUNDAY DETAILS

This Sunday is February 5th, and we will follow-up our "Do You Want To Be Made Whole?" series with looking at what "wholiness" looks like.  This Sunday, Pastor Latricia will be sharing about making space for God in our lives and we will celebrate Holy Communion together.

Join us for worship at either 8:30 AM or 11:00 AM in the Sanctuary, with the Sunday School Hour between from 9:45-10:45 AM.  Classes are available for all ages on our campus. 

We are moving toward live-streaming one of our worship services on Sunday morning.  Up until now we have been pre-recording our worship services during the week and posting the recording online on Sunday mornings.  During this in-between time, as we work toward live-streaming, we will be recording the live service and posting later in the day on Sunday.  Thank you for your patience as we make this transition.  

Order of Worship
Register Your Attendance
Be a Sunday Morning Volunteer

Shrove Tuesday Pancake Dinner

Hosted by the Youth Choir

Shrove Tuesday, also known as Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras (in French) and by many other nicknames, is the big hurrah before Christians start Lent, a season of prayer, penance and fasting in preparation for the Easter season.

In 600 A.D, Pope St. Gregory prohibited Christians from eating all forms of meat and animal products during Lent.  So people made pancakes to use up their supply of eggs, milk and butter in preparation for Lent, and the tradition continues today.

At Saint Paul's we will be celebrating with a Pancake Dinner, hosted by the Youth Choir.  There is no charge to attend, but we will be accepting donations to help the youth choir attend Music Camp this summer. 

(Please make reservations by Sunday, February 19.)

The dinner will be Tuesday, February 21, 2023, and serving will begin at 5:30.  Dinner will include pancakes, bacon, sausage, eggs, grits, yogurt bar and King Cake!

During dinner, we will be burning the palms from last year’s Palm Sunday processional for use in the Ash Wednesday Service.

Sign up to Attend

Ash Wednesday Service

On February 22nd we will gather in the Sanctuary to worship together as we begin the season of Lent.  Wednesday night dinner will still take place right beforehand in Sanders Hall.  We will start serving dinner at 5:15 PM.  The youth choir will be leading worship. 

Ash Wednesday emphasizes a dual encounter: we confront our own mortality and confess our sin before God within the community of faith. The form and content of the service focus on the dual themes of sin and death in the light of God's redeeming love in Jesus Christ.

Wednesday Night Dinners

Below is a link where you can make your reservation.  You can make your reservation weekly, or for the entire month.  You may also RSVP on the attendance pads during worship, or by calling the church office.  Please sign up no later than noon on Mondays.  Dinner is $7 for adults and $3 for children and you can pay at the door with cash, check, or text-to-pay, in the church office, or online when you make your reservation through the Weekly Notes.  Menu items include a salad bar, dessert, and drink.  

February Menu:
1/1 - Chicken Enchiladas
1/8 - Pork Adobo
1/15 - Beef Stroganoff
1/22 - Kielbasa with Vegetables
These dinners are a great way to get to know others in the church.  Keep scrolling for Wednesday Night Adult Classes!
RSVP for February Dinners

Palm Sunday Cantata

The Adult Choirs are presenting an Easter cantata “A Journey to Hope” on Palm Sunday, April 2, and would like to invite you to join us.  We rehearse the cantata music on Tuesday evenings from 6:45 PM-7:15 PM in the choir room.  There are books and practice CDs available. We hope to see you Tuesday at 6:45.
Contact Cynthia Prescott at prescottc1360@gmail.com or (850) 556-0168 for more information. 

Children's Ministry Updates


Each week the children's wing will greet and host nearly 150 people coming through our doors for one ministry or another.  Whether coming for directed play and learning in PMO, care in the postpartum support group,  or to worship on Sunday our church is caring for our community and building God's kingdom. It is a joy to be a part of all the action and we welcome all to join us!

Thank you for your faithfulness,

Bridget Weisbrod, Director of Children's Ministry
Open invitation to craft and create a note with a message from the heart. 
All materials provided. Contact Bridget at bridget@saintpaulsumc.org
Parents Morning Out (PMO)  kicked off "Alphabet boot camp"!  Currently enrolling ages 6 months- 5 years old.  Hours are: Mon -Fri. 8:45-12:15 and lunch bunch optional.  For more info. or to schedule a tour contact Director Beth Wilde (850) 559-1523
Parents Morning Out Info.
Date Night Sign UP
Kids@Art explored neon acrylic stamping and painting plus building musicianship skills.  It's not to late to jump into something new, happening every Wednesday from 4:30-5:30pm with early park play starting at 4pm. 
Contact Bridget with any questions at: bridget@saintpaulsumc.org
Kids@Art Sign Up

Youth Ministry

Last week was huge for us. We had Chili Cook Off! Our youth worked all morning throughout the Sunday School hour until about 1:30pm cleaning up from the event. Their hard work did not go unappreciated as we raised just shy of two thousand dollars for our Summer Mission Trip! This will go a long way to ensure our students have an affordable opportunity to grow through service this summer. Thank you so much to all those that donated, helped set up, clean up, or pitched in throughout the event. 

Here is what we have coming up:

Sunday, February 5th - Sunday School
Sunday School runs from 9:45 - 10:45. This week we will be starting a two-week series called "Limited Edition". Over the next two weeks, your students will learn all about what makes them "limited edition" and how they are created exactly as God intended. Parentsclick HERE to access daily devotionals to read with your youth this week! Doughnuts will be provided. 

Sunday, February 5th - Parent and Family Meeting 
This Sunday we are having our Parent and Family Meeting from 6-7pm in Sanders Hall. During this meeting we will release summer dates, talk goals for this semester, and have a time for questions. 

Wednesday, February 8th - Youth and Youth Choir
5:30 - Dinner in Sanders Hall
6:00 - Youth begins
7:00 - Youth ends / Youth Choir begins
7:45 - Youth choir ends

Sunday, February 12th - Super Bowl Party
Rooted will be hosting a Super Bowl party at the Rokitowski house!  The night will be full of football, food, yard games, and more.  The party will be for the first half of the game.  We are asking high schoolers to bring a drink, and middle schoolers to bring a dessert!  
Read this week's Youth Newsletter

Crafty Crop

Join us for Crafty Crop with some fun gal-friends February 3-4 in the Parlor!  Bring your projects and the table space will be provided.  Whether it is scrapbooking, card making, sewing, even organizing that pile of paperwork or working on your laptop... we all need time and space and friends to get it done!

The fellowship begins Friday at 4:00 PM.  You may leave your projects all set up to continue the fun on Saturday at 11:00 AM.  Any questions and/or to sign up, contact Jill Merryday (850) 443-9428.  Be sure to request to join the CraftyCrop@SaintPaul's Facebook Group if you would like notifications of our upcoming events!  A couple of spots may be available for this Saturday if you would like childcare.

How you can care for others...

Want to connect with others in the church who may need a word of encouragement or prayer? You can use the button below to access our current care and celebration list.  A thoughtful card or note would brighten a day and make a difference!  You may stop by the church office to pick up a printed list during office hours.  Our next Congregational Care team Meeting is Monday, February 13, from 10:30-11:30am.
Printable Prayer List and Address List
A reminder that we have online prayer gatherings on Sunday at 7:30 p.m., and Tuesday morning at 8:00 a.m. and all are invited to attend these.  The meetings are via Zoom, and you can contact Pastor Becky for the link, or click the link at the bottom of the Prayer Email that is sent out weekly.  If you would like to receive the weekly Prayer Email, click the tiny words "update your preferences" at the bottom of this email and then select the prayer email from the list of subscriptions.  
You can submit prayer requests by clicking the button below.  Prayer requests are always private unless permission has been given to share.
Submit Prayer Requests Here
Facebook
Website
YouTube
Copyright © 2023 Saint Paul's United Methodist Church, All rights reserved.


Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp