WEEKLY NOTES March 23, 2023
Greetings Saint Paul's Friends and Family,
Y'ALL!!!!!! This has been a month... and it's not over! So many amazing things are happening and we just want to make sure you're in the know. Here are just a few MARVELOUS March highlights:
- The steeple is up and we will have a formal dedication THIS Sunday, March 26th!
- Live-streaming is here! We'll be live this Sunday at 11am.
- Our new bishop is coming! He'll be preaching this Sunday at 11am (just in time to be livestreamed. Whew!)
- SPUMC is now officially a member of the Capital Area Justice Ministry. We'll be recognized at the Nehemiah Action happening this Monday, 3/26. Have you registered yet?
- The parking lot is being paved next week (3/26 - 3/31)/ Yes! The entire parking lot will be re-paved next week.
With so much happening, we want you to check out the notes this week, register for things, and keep praying! God is showing up in marvelous ways through each of you!
With gratitude and appreciation,
Pastor Latricia & Pastor Becky
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SUNDAY DETAILS
This Sunday is March 26th, and there is a lot happening on our campus!
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. Bishop Tom Berlin will be sharing the message during the 11:00 service. There is a lunch after the 11:00 worship service. We are hosting the Bishop and other guests. You may register for that lunch at the link below if you did not already do so last Sunday on the attendance pad.
Afterward, there will be a worship service at 2:00 p.m. to kick off the Florida Advocacy Days. We hope you can join us for this as well.
This Sunday we plan to live-stream the 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. services to both Facebook and Youtube! Thank you for your patience as we made this transition, and for those who helped make it happen.
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Bishop Berlin Visiting
On March 26, 2023, Bishop Tom Berlin will be visiting Tallahassee. He will be preaching at our 11:00 a.m. worship service. Saint Paul's UMC is also hosting a lunch for him, and hosting another worship service at 2:00 p.m. that afternoon for the kick-off of Florida Advocacy Days. We will have an official blessing of the new steeple while he is with us. You can read more about Bishop Berlin HERE.
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Palm Sunday
The Covenant Chancel Choir will be presenting "A Journey to Hope", April 2, Palm Sunday at 11:00 a.m. in the Sanctuary. This cantata was inspired by the great tradition of spirituals. Join us as these treasured songs of faith guide us from Jesus' baptism by John to Palm Sunday to the Crucifixion and finally to his glorious Resurrection!
The 8:30 a.m. service will be centered around the service of Communion, and will include a morning sermon.
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April 6 - Maundy Thursday
Dinner & Communion at 6:30 PM in Sanders Hall
There is no cost for this meal. Come and worship together as we remember the final night Jesus shared with his friends before he was arrested. We will have a simple meal of soup and bread (vegetarian and gluten-free options will be available). We will collect an offering that will be split between Capital Area Justice Ministry and Manna on Meridian.
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Everyone is invited to come to the Nehemiah Action rally of the Capital Area Justice at Monday, March 27th. Our church is joining in this ecumenical effort to make the Tallahassee area a more just community. We will ask our elected representatives to support grassroots policies for increasing the availability of affordable housing and reducing gun violence. We will meet to carpool from Saint Paul's at 5:50 p.m. to leave at 6:00 p.m. If you are going to drive please come to our church and offer others a ride. If you don't wish to drive, please come and carpool with us.
We have donated $1,800 from our church to our partners in Christ in Yaguaramas Cuba for their pastor's salary and the completion of their parsonage. Thank you for your prayers and support for this church which also prays for us continually.
We have also donated $1,250 to Impact@FAMU, Wesley Foundation. They have recently celebrated the completion of their very own gathering space, The Impact House, at 2023 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.
Thank you, Church, for your support for our refugee family. They are getting settled in their new home which you have furnished for them. We look forward to having this family as our guests at our Easter Jubilee, on April 1.
Thanks,
Rev. David Gill,
Chair of the Missions Committee
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Nehemiah Action Assembly
Capital Area Justice Ministry is an ecumenical team of faith communities in the Tallahassee area that work toward making policy changes and holding elected officials accountable so that those most vulnerable in our community are cared for and treated justly.
This year, we are focusing on two issues affecting our community: gun violence, and the lack of affordable housing (particularly for those with very low and extremely low incomes).
“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?
(Isaiah 58:6)
We want as many people as possible to come to this annual assembly. When we show up, it shows our leaders that these issues are important to us. Last year, Saint Paul's had about 8 people in attendance. We would love to double or triple that number this year. If you plan to come, please register below. We hope to see you there!
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Cheers to kick-off Bike Project next Sunday
The Cheers Sunday School Class will make a major announcement at both worship services this Sunday urging Saint Paul’s to support Bicycle House, a Tallahassee non-profit that provides bikes, free of charge, to those who need them. Cheers will be urging the congregation to donate old bikes which can be refurbished and made available to folks in our community. Like they did last Fall with Undie Sunday, the Cheers Class will be singing a new song to kick-off their Bike Project.
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Elder Care
Since 1970 Elder Care Services has been working to improve the quality of life for seniors in our comunity. You can help fulfill this mission through your contributions of basic items which allows those with limited incomes to have the ability to pay for medications, utilities and rent.
Your contributions could be monetary or some of the following basic items:
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Toilet paper
Paper towels
Cleaning supplies
Canned fruits
Canned chicken
Nutritional drinks
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Canned soups
Cereal
Peanut butter
Pasta
Rice
Canned vegetables
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During the winter many elderly are in need of space heaters and blankets and their summer needs are fans to help keep them cool. Your contributions may be left at the church office and monetary contributions can be made by check payable to Saint Paul's United Methodist Church designated to "Elder Care."
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Current Volunteer Needs at Saint Paul's UMC:
Tech Team Volunteers:
As of March 26th, we are live-streaming our worship services! With our new system in place, we need additional volunteers to operate the worship technology that helps us effectively communicate both within the Sanctuary and to those who join us remotely. For each service, we need one person to handle sound and another to handle video, slides, etc. Technical aptitude is helpful, but the important requirements are to be reliable and attentive. Training will be provided. The more volunteers we have, the fewer shifts each one needs to take on. Contact Jay Wirth at jaywirth@gmail.com.
Front Desk Volunteers:
We currently have an open shift on Thursday mornings in the church office. Front desk volunteers answer the phones, take messages, and perform light administrative tasks as needed. We are also seeking a few back-up volunteers that we can call on if someone is unable to make their shift. Contact Linda in the office at (850) 385-5146 or at linda@saintpaulsumc.org if interested.
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Do you have a spare push mower?
Our refugee family from Guatemala is all moved into their home, and they need a small working lawn mower so they can take care of the yard. Contact David Gill at davidmurrahgill@gmail.com.
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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.
March Menu:
3/29 - Sun-dried tomato chicken
April Menu:
4/5 - Baked Potato Bar (with Beef Tips & Gravy)
4/12 - Cheesy Vegetable Pasta (with Italian Sausage)
4/19 - Meatloaf
4/26 - BBQ Ribs
These dinners are a great way to get to know others in the church. Keep scrolling for Wednesday Night Adult Classes!
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Opportunities for Lenten Discipleship
We have three opportunities for you to grow in community and discipleship this Lenten season. Thursday mornings in the chapel at 7am, we have a time of prayer and devotion led by Dora Thomas. Tuesday mornings at 8:30am at Ology Northside David Gill and Nic Fugate are leading a Men's reading and discussion group. On Wednesday evenings after dinner, from 6:30-7:30pm your pastors are leading a discussion group around the weekly sermon themes and pulling in some of the stories and lessons from Pastor Latricia's time in Israel. We hope that you are taking this time during Lent to reflect on your own spiritual practices and that you are finding ways to connect with God, others, and yourself.
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Peace & Justice Pilgrimage: May 5-6, 2023
Please join us as we return to Montgomery, Alabama to visit the National Memorial for Peace and Justice and the Legacy Museum. See the sign-up link for more details and to reserve your spot.
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The first day of spring has sprung and we're starting the season off with a shout out for all the Sign Ups!
VBS Sign ups are open and we have limited space in each class. Please sign up early to save your spot and cheer on your friends to join us for this fantastic week.
Extreme Explorers is also back! Open to upper elementary age children and volunteers.
PMO Summer Sessions registration is open.
With open hearts we welcome all to join us in all that we do.
With Love,
Bridget Weisbrod, Director of Children's Ministry
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Saint Paul’s has spirit, how about you?! "Taste & See that the Lord is Good"! This is our VBS focus; exploring how God is working in our lives in connection with the 5 senses. It's going to be a super sensory fantastic week, sign up now to save your spot!
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Calling all rising 3rd- 5th graders to join us for a new adventure each day as we explore nearby natural parks and attractions. We plan to travel to the Florida Caverns, Redemtive Love Farm, Wakulla Springs, and the Wacissa River! Click to below for more info.
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Easter Jubilee
Join us on April 1st for our annual Easter Jubilee! We will have a bounce house, cake walk, face painting, egg hunts (10:15am at Generations Park for the elementary kids, and 10:30am at the preschool playground for the littles), a lady bug release, cake walk, and SO MUCH MORE!
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There's something to smile about each morning in PMO. Recently our kiddos have been planting seeds in the Children's garden, making flower crafts and learning how important it is to care for all of God's creation.
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Kids@Art invites all grade-schoolers to build their worship art skills with us every Wednesday from 4pm - 5:30pm with pick up at Generations park.
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Last week we enjoyed Spring Break and finished our off week with Sunday Night Youth. We studied Jesus' reinstatement of Peter in Sunday School, ate dinner together, played "Try Hard Trivia", Worshiped, and talked about pursuing God's call on our lives after Pastor Becky's message. A good and full day to get us ready for the end of this month!
Here's what we have going on this week:
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Bicycle House Project - Saturday, March 25th 9:30am-1pm
We have teamed up with our Cheers Sunday School class to support local organization "The Bicycle House". The Bicycle House has been providing bikes to those in need of transportation for over a decade. We will be volunteering to help take apart and clean donated bikes so that they can be fixed up and given to those in need. At the end of our time the Bicycle House has cycling instructors who will take us on a short bike ride for some fun after we are done working.
The Cheers Sunday School class has generously offered to provide us lunch after we return from the Bicycle House. Drop off will be at 9:30 outside of Sanders Hall, and pick up will be at 1pm outside of the Parlor (there will be a group in Sanders Hall). Make sure your youth wears clothes that can get dirty, and closed toe shoes. Click HERE to register your youth for this service opportunity.
Sunday, March 26th - Sunday School
Sunday School runs from 9:45 - 10:45. This week we will begin our new series "Before I go". This series studies the meaningful conversations Jesus had with the people around him before his death and resurrection. This week, the youth will be pushed to remember what Jesus has both done and is doing in their lives. Parents, click HERE to access daily devotionals to read with your youth this week! Doughnuts will be provided.
On Saturday, April 1st, Rooted will be helping lead our Easter Jubilee! We will be leading various stations at the event and will be responsible for the prep of the easter egg hunt.
We will be preparing for the event on March 31st, from 6-8pm in Sanders Hall. This night will be an easter egg stuffing party complete with dinner, music, and good times!
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Ed Stripling, a beloved member of Saint Paul's, entered eternal rest on March 18, 2023. Our prayers are with Sue, Adlai, and their family. The service will be graveside at Roselawn Cemetary on April 1 at 3:00 p.m.
Retired Elder, the Reverend Bill McLoud, died on March 17, 2023. He is survived by his wife, Cindy McLoud, and his son, Brian McLoud. His service is in the process of being planned. Notes of sympathy may be sent to Cindy McLoud, 135 N. Ojibwa Road, Monticello, FL 32344, or, to her email address: skyangel1948@gmail.com. Rev. McLoud served at Saint Paul's from 2001-2004.
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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, April 17, from 10:30-11:30am in room 326.
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Join us in prayer...
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.
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You can submit prayer requests by clicking the button below. Prayer requests are always private unless permission has been given to share.
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