Blessed to Be a Blessing

What would happen if you began to look, REALLY look, at all the blessings God has given you?

What if you began to look at the way St. Paul’s has blessed you?
What would you discover?

. a new insight
. a person who cares
. a beacon of hope

A book of blessings will be written by you, and all the people who make up St. Paul’s in celebration of our

130th anniversary

this October.  You will each have a chance to write personal statements of how this faith community has blessed your life.  New members, and new generations will be able to read it and see how the hand of God has written His love in bold letters on our lives.

A New Pastor

A new pastor came to town and was canvassing the neighborhood. All went well until he came to one house. It was obvious that someone was home, but no one came to the door even after he had knocked several times.

Finally, he took out his card, wrote on the back “Revelation 3:20” and stuck it in the door.

The next day after service, as he was counting the offering he found his card in the collection plate.  Below his message was a notation “Genesis 3:10.”

Upon opening his Bible to the passage, his face turned red, and he let out a roar of laughter.

Revelation 3:20 reads: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock.  If any man hears my voice, and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with me.”

Genesis 3:10 reads: “And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked.”

Thank Yous To...

The following for serving dinner at Elijah’s Promise on Sunday, August 4:

Our Thanks To...

Rita Migliore - who kept our Head Wise Guide and all the other Wise Guides focused and motivated.   Rita starts every January planning for the year’s VBS program.  All the time she spends before VBS starts goes unnoticed but is gratefully appreciated because it ensures a super VBS experience for all of us.

Thank You So Much…

Thanks to all the people who helped out with VBS crafts during the hottest VBS week in history!   To Laura, Sandy, Pat and Christina, and the “Kitchen Ladies,” Grace, Shirley and Margaret - I couldn’t have done it without you!

Elana

Sunday School News

St. Paul’s U.C.C. Sunday School will begin the new term on September 15, 2002. Parents are reminded that all children attending Sunday School this year must be registered.  Sunday School is for three year olds to 8th grade.  Registration forms can be found in this month's issue of the Tidings, at the Church Office, in the Narthex and at Sunday School.  Please complete and return the registration form before September 15.

Our new term promises to be an exciting one, as this will be the second year of the Workshop Rotation system for grades one through six.  The new Bible Story four week rotation schedule for 2002-2003 will be as follows:

September 15 The Days of Creation
October 13 The Ten Commandments
November 10 Esther - The Girl Who Became a Queen
December 8 The Birth of Jesus
January 5 Feeding the 5000
February 2 The Prodigal Son
March 2 The Resurrection of Jesus
March 30 The Walk to Emmaus
April 27 Pentecost

This year, special emphasis will be placed on the children learning the books of the Bible and the Biblical Verses pertaining to each of the scheduled rotation Bible stories.  Frequent visits by “Mr. Bible”, one of the new additions to our Puppet Theatre troupe will be a big help in making this learning experience fun as well as educational.

A new Science rotation Workshop will be introduced on an intermittent experimental basis.  There will be more cooking experiences, for the children, through the Arts and Crafts Workshop (a new Bible Story Cookbook has been added to our Sunday School Resource center). The Computer Workshop will be expanded to include Bible passage reading and study in coordination with the software programs and a discussion and question/answer period will be included in the time frame for the Video portion of the Story Telling Workshop.

As in the past, the Sunday School will encourage and welcome any members of our Church family who are willing to occasionally serve as helpers (Acolytes and Shepherds).  We will definitely be looking for help in the Computer Workshop and the Story Telling Workshop.  If you enjoy working with computers, telling stories to children or watching a movie, we have a place for you.  An added perk to participation in the Video Theatre is that you get free popcorn and juice during the video portion.

We are also on the outlook for volunteers to act as substitute teachers or helpers in the Pre-K and Kindergarten classes.  Anyone interested in helping out in these areas, please see Pete Herral or Barbara Petry prior to the fall term or at the Church Picnic.

That’s all for now.  See you soon at the Sunday School.  As a gentle reminder, please do not forget to complete and turn in those beloved registration forms.

God Bless All

Communion/Small Group

A recent sociological survey revealed that the main reason there is so much unrest in the world is people lack communion.  They were not referring to the sacrament, but the lack of intimacy people have with God and each other.

Are you interested in participating in a small group of adults who desire a deeper relationship with God and the closeness of friends. Contact Pastor Rich 732 828-0020.

Plans are to start a small group on Wednesday September 25th. The resource that will be used is Cynthia Herald’s study of the Psalms entitled Intimacy with God.

There will be a limit of twelve people.

Practical Daily Wisdom

Wednesday’s 1 p.m. Bible Study will resume on September 18th in the Confirmation Room.

Our Fall study will be Proverbs.  Proverbs offer practical wisdom for everyday life and provides helpful advice on every aspect both good and bad.  Some topics covered will be pride, humility, justice, love, friendship and family.

Baptized Children
at the Lord’s Supper

Should Children be permitted at the Lord’s table?  40 years ago this question would not have come up in most Protestant churches.

Today many churches have and are studying this question seriously. And many members of these churches believe baptized children should be allowed and encouraged to participate in the Lord’s Supper.

This fall we will be taking a Biblical look at this issue.  Our desire is to follow the dictates not of tradition or opinion but of the Word of God.

Please participate in this tough issue that confronts the church.