St. Paul's Christian Messenger News Letter for April, 2004

Income vs. Expenses

THROUGH FEBRUARY 2004

Income $38,741.10

Expense $42,613.74

Gain/(Loss) ($3,872.64)

Last year through February we had a loss of ($10, 932.64).

The gas bill and cost of snow removal is the major reason we had a loss after two months.

Increased Envelope Giving is the major reason our loss was not greater.

Junior Youth Group

In February, some of the Junior Youth Group members visited the Parker Home. Special thanks to Laura Fricke, Samantha Jones, Jaclyn Perry, Kaitlyn and Krystal Ramsen, Brittany Reen, and Catherine and Daniel Reeves for making valentine cards, praying, and singing for the Parker Home residents. Their visit really brought smiles to the people.

Our next meeting, we collected a large amount of food items, which Dawn Ramsen dropped off at Our Lady of Lourdes St. Vincent DePaul Food Bank. The kids did a great job passing out flyers in their own neighborhoods and collecting so many food items! Dawn Ramsen shared an article and related scriptures from A Purpose Driven Life – You’re No Accident with the kids, which prompted some great conversation. They also created and played two inventive games!

On March 7, we showed the movie Finding Nemo and had a prayer circle and pizza!

We hosted Youth Sunday’s Worship Service on March 21, as well as hosted the Coffee Hour!

Donna Fricke

Happy Easter Season
From the Sunday School

As the spring weather makes a valiant attempt to usher out the remnants of a cold winter, the joy of the Easter Season is soon to be upon us. The children participating in the workshop rotation of the Sunday School are currently midway through the story of Palm Sunday, this year’s Easter rotation story.

The highlight of the Palm Sunday rotation will be, on April 4, 2004, a Walk Through Presentation of the Entire Holy Week staged in the Chapel Wing of the Sunday School and utilizing four rooms as well as the hallway. This performance will be for the benefit of the entire Sunday School and any welcome visitors. The production, direction and part-time narration will be in the capable hands of Linda Shanabrook and the cast will consist of the Senior and Junior Youth Groups and the Seventh & Eighth Sunday School Class. For the benefit of those who have already witnessed the Mel Gibson theatrical version of the Passion. We guarantee a far less crimson rendition especially concerning our star performer, Phil Ruperto, as Jesus. Hopefully, we will be successful in generating a video of the performance which will be available for a future presentation to the entire Congregation.

Future scheduled rotation stories are “The Parable of the Sower” beginning April 18 and “Pentecost” proceeding on May 23. Beginning with the Easter Sunday Service, the monthly Sunday School chapel services will be incorporated with the Sanctuary Worship service until the commencement of the Sunday School year. Pastor Rich has suggested that he will arrange to have some elements of the current rotation story included with the regular worship service.

June 20, 2004 will end the current Sunday School year. Within the near future, Pastor Rich and I will be meeting to discuss the 2004-2005 Sunday School schedule and a tentative list of Bible stories for the prospective workshop rotation. Imminent consideration will also be given to the possible inclusion of access to the internet in the computer workshop and some imaginative planning toward decoration of certain areas of the Sunday School. We welcome any and all suggestions and ideas from interested parties toward the improvement of the Christian Education Program for children and any offers of time and talent toward these ends will be appreciated as always.

My regret is sincere in announcing that LuAnn Bacchetti and Heidi Corrente will not be returning in the Fall of 2005 as our Pre-Kindergarten teachers. Both ladies have done an excellent job, over the past several years with the youngest group of our Sunday School children and their participation will be sorely missed. We wish the best to both LuAnn and Heidi and hope that they will return to our Sunday School family at some point in the future. For the present, we will be seeking volunteer replacement teachers for both positions.

In closing, I wish to offer my thanks to all who have participated in the St. Paul’s Sunday School Program to this point in time. Our mission remains that we will tend to the Christian Education needs of our children and leave no child of our community behind. Have a Happy and Safe Easter Season.

God Bless and Protect our Children

Pete Herral
Sunday School Superintendent