Weekly ePistle

October 27, 2021

Worship at St. Paul's

In-person and at home

Sundays at 8:30 am

We are now worshiping in person here at St. Paul's, but for those who prefer at home worship, below is the link for live-stream Zoom:

https://zoom.us/j/98034316249

Meeting ID: 980 3431 6249

To dial in: 312-626-6799

Our next St. Paul's Ladies Lunch will be Thursday, November 4 at 11:30 am at the Rusty Nail Saloon, located at 4520 Ringwood Rd in Ringwood. Please let Lisa know if you are able to attend. Hope to see you there!

New Worship Time

Starting November 7

We're happy to announce that starting November 7th, our worship time will change from 8:30 am to 10:30 am! As part of our ongoing communication with First United, and with strong support from their congregation and Church Council, it was decided that they would move up their worship time to 9:00 am, and we would move to the later time of 10:30 am. We're hoping this time change will allow more families to attend St. Paul's.

This Sunday, October 31, will be at 8:30 am.

This time change also coincides with our one-year anniversary of sharing worship space with First United!

Words from the Warden

As you know, last summer we awarded $2000 scholarships to five First Generation MCC college students using money that we were awarded from the 2021 Vitality Grant. We have finally received information from MCC about the recipients, and while we will respect their anonymity, we would like to add their first names to our parish prayer list so that we can pray for their wellbeing and success. Their names are:

Autumn

Ashley

Yaqui

Kimberlee

John

In addition to their names, MCC has also shared their heartwarming comments upon learning that they were recipients, which I will be sharing with you in the upcoming weeks. To say that these young people were grateful is an understatement. I am happy to also announce that the Vestry has decided to apply for the 2022 Vitality Grant again, so that we can continue this important ministry. Our application will be submitted this week - we will let you know as soon as we hear something!

Beth Lukas

Sr Warden

From Deacon Deb

Friends,

Every now and then one happens upon a book that will be re-read and remain with us for a long time. I am currently reading such a book. The book is “Ladder to the Light” written by Steven Charleston. Steven Charleston is a voice of justice for Indigenous people, a member of the Choctaw Nation and has served as the Episcopal bishop of Alaska. Over the next weeks I plan to share excerpts from his spiritually rich wisdom. This week, what he has said about the power of love perfectly coincides with our Sunday gospel. In Sunday’s reading Jesus reminds us that the greatest of all commandments is to love God and love our neighbor. Surely Jesus knew the strength and power that is born of love.

Let your love be your strength. You do not need anger or judgment, for they are mirrors of the soul that say more about you than others. You do not need righteousness or correctness, for these pretenses are always transparent. You do not need superiority or power, for they will always betray you to false pride. When you feel called to stand for what you believe, take up love as your witness. Love will shine through with the clear message you wish to convey. It will withstand any pressure to compromise your truth or bend to deny that truth. Love will unite your friends in struggle and speak to the hardest heart with whom you contend. Let love be your strength and you can stand before lions and never fear.

(Steven Charleston, Ladder to the Light, pg 37)

In peace and with love,

Deacon Deborah

Christmas Cantata - December 19

with Winds Off the Lake wind ensemble

First United Methodist is planning a Christmas cantata and they are in need of singers! If you are interested in participating, please notify the office. There will be four Saturday practices: Nov. 20, Dec. 4, 11, & 18 from 9:00-10:30 am. The performance will be during the FUMC church service on December 19 at 9:00 am.