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Saint Paul United Methodist Church

Phone: 540-382-2410 E-mail: info@stpaulvaumc.org Web: www.stpaulvaumc.org

St. Paul’s Pages

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

ST. PAUL’S PAGES Page 12

SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT

1

2Sunday

School-9am Worship-10am Disciple Fast

Track-5pm

3 4Prayer

Group-9am Joy Singers-10am

5Regular

Wednesday Schedule

6Shawl Min.-

10am 1st Thurs.

Luncheon 11:45

7 8

9Regular

Sunday Sched-ule

10 11Prayer Group

-9am

Joy Singers-10am

Circle 4-2pm

Circle 3-7pm

12

Regular Wednesday Schedule

13

Circle 5-10am

15

16Regular

Sunday Sched-

ule

Laity Sunday

17 18Prayer

Group-9am Joy Singers-10am

19Regular

Wednesday Schedule

20

UMM-6:30pm

21 22

23Regular

Sunday Sched-

ule

24 25Prayer

Group-9am

Joy Singers-

10am

UMW Exec.7pm

26

Regular Wednesday Schedule

27 28 29

30Regular

Sunday Sched-

ule

31

October 2016 From the Pastor’s Study

Inside this issue:

Saint Paul United Methodist Church

St. Paul’s Pages

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

September Birthdays 2

Adult Choir 3

Cub Scouts 4

Michelle’s News 5

October Birthdays 6

Bible Study 6

Tutoring Ministry 7

Undies Drive 8

Ministries for Fall 9

Word Search 10

Sept. Calendar 11

October Calendar 12

Grow in Faith.

“Growing Points,” was our sermon series this summer,

ending in August. We learned that God wants us to grow

in faith, growing deeper and stronger and purer in heart in

our relationship to God. How do we grow in faith? We

grow in three ways, using body analogy, in head, hand, and

heart.

The Head is for knowledge. We are called to grow in the

knowledge of God. “….grow in the grace and knowledge

of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”(2 Peter 318). Our

knowledge itself, however, is not the goal of the faith. I

remember one Bible study group. They met weekly to

study the Bible, bringing all different kinds of resources,

critical and intelligent material, to know God better. And

they enjoyed debating on different interpretations of the

Bible and on their understanding of God. I always felt

something was missing in the heart of that group,” what is

the point of all this debate?” Knowing God in Hebrew

term means knowing God by experience, in heart not just

in head knowledge or intellectual knowledge. Apostle Paul

spoke highly of the rich knowledge in the Corinthian

church(1 Corinthians 1:5). But he also spoke of strife and

division in the church caused by human knowledge. He

said, “knowledge puffs up but love build up.”(1 Corinthi-

ans 8:1). So we grow in hand.

The For Hand is for service. We are called to serve others

following the model of Jesus, “For the Son of Man did not

come to be served but to serve.” (Mark 10:44). We give

food to those who are hungry. We give clothes to those

Continued on page 2)

ST. PAUL’S PAGES Page 2

who are naked. We give water to those who are thirsty.

Churches go to mission fields at home and abroad. We

provide busy service programs and activities. But some-

times We are too busy doing it to cherish spiritual life in

ourselves, falling into the mindset of triumphalism, an atti-

tude of pride, arrogance, “we are better than you are and

we give, and you receive.” When service becomes just an

activity for its own sake in the church, losing its spiritual

dynamic, the church becomes just another social service

organization in the world, So we grow in heart.

The Heart is for our center, our character in love, growing

deep in our love relationship to God, and to each other.

Jesus gives us the greatest commandment. “Love the Lord

your God with all your heart and with all your soul and

with all your strength and with all your mind, and love

your neighbor as yourself.” (Luke 10:27). The goal of

growth in faith is to become like Jesus Christ, to be shaped

into the image of him (Ephesians 4:15), so that he can live

alive in us.

Growing in faith is our journey. John Wesley saw it as the

way of salvation by the grace of God, “Prevenient Grace,

Justifying Grace, and Sanctifying Grace. All these forms

of grace move us toward Christian perfection in love.

Love is manifested in who are and in what we do, faith

and good works, mission and service, personal piety and

social piety.

As the church of Jesus Christ, we grow together in the

head, in the hand, and in the heart.

(continued on page 3)

(Continued from page 1)

September Birthdays

Ruth Gregory—2

Jack Poff—3

Ellie Wade—3

Julie Rhudy—3

Jon Thomas—3

Nancy Badillo—7

Woody Nester—7

Diann Eaton—7

Evangeline Swain—7

Gloria Faith Cornish—8

Bill Streich—9

Gary Talkington—11

Janet Schleicher—11

Katherine Sherman—12

Allison Sherman—12

Faye Chrisman—15

Bill Payne—15

Denise Warren—16

Harold Akers—18

Bobbie Akers—18

Ron Barrett—21

Butch Phillips—21

Marjorie Vitale—22

Sarah East—24

Jackie Buhrdorf—26

Sonny Speed—26

Anna Lee Lawrence 29

Linn Feggeler—29

Norma Graham— 30

Page 11 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER

September 2016 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1

Shawl Ministry - 10:00am

First Thursday Luncheon –11:45

am

2 3

4 Sunday School—

9am Worship 10am

5 Church Office

Closed Labor Day

6 Prayer Group –

9:00am

7 Joy Singers-10am Dinner –6:00pm Children’s Choir-

6:30pm Bible Study-7 pm

Choir –7:15pm

8 Circle 3 –10am UMW Pot Luck Dinner-5:30pm

9 10

11 Sunday School –

9:am Worship—10am

Disciple Fast Tack Study

5:00 pm

12 Staff Parish—

7:00 pm

13Prayer

Group-9 am Joy Singers-10am

Circle 4-2pm Circle 3– 7pm

Worship Comm-7pm

14 Regular

Wednesday Schedule

15 Shawl Ministry

-10:00am UMM—6:30pm

16 17

18 Regular Sun-day Schedule

19 Church Coun-cil—7:00pm

20 Prayer Group-

9am Joy Singers-

10am

21 Regular

Wednesday Schedule

22 23 24

25 Regular Sun-day Schedule

26 27 Prayer Group-

9am Joy Singers-10am UMW Executive-

7pm

28 Regular

Wednesday Schedule

29 30

ST. PAUL’S PAGES Page 10

Word Search Puzzle

Word List:

Page 3 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER

St. Paul Adult Choir…

The time has come to again join together and make a joyful noise! St. Paul Adult

Choir practice will be every Wednesday night at 7:15pm in the choir room start-

ing on Wednesday, August 31. Our first Sunday anthem will be on Sunday, Sep-

tember 11. New members are welcome - no experience required! Come join us

for fun, fellowship, and singing for the Lord! See you on Wednesday, August 31!

More information contact Heather McClaugherty

at heathermcclaugherty@gmail.com

(continued from page 2)

“We will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and

there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their de-

ceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into

him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body joined and held together

by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its

work.” (Ephesians 4:14-16)

Grace and Love In Christ,

Paul Song, Pastor

ST. PAUL’S PAGES Page 4

W I T H IN PACK 145

Page 9 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER

Ministries this Fall for Children, Youth, and Family

Sunday School

PreK (Age 4) to 2nd Grade: K/1 Classroom 106

2nd to 5th Grade: 2nd/3rd Grade Classroom 105

6th to 12th Grade: Upper Youth Room

Parents Bible Study: Open Door Classroom

Wonderful Wednesdays

They’re back! And they’re back with a BANG! We will be following in the footsteps of

Paul as we discover the call with all of us to spread the Gospel. We will be using Adam

Hamilton’s “The Call” as a guide. Michelle is super excited about this as she studied

abroad in Turkey and has been to most of the sites we will be talking about!

Learn more about those controversial Pauline letters.

FOR ALL AGES! We will be meeting for dinner at 6 and be splitting into Children,

Youth, and Adults!

Home Sweet Home Gatherings

We are continuing to travel to different church member’s homes and learn about pieces

of their lives to inform our spiritual lives! We have learned how to change car oil and

about water imagery in the bible. We will continue on September 11 at Marietta

Hanks. September 25 we will be at Badillos’ as we travel to Puerto Rico and learn

about faith and culture!

Family Socials

Starting September 18th we will start having monthly Family Socials for our young

families. We will kick it off with indulging our Sweet Tooth. Bring one cupcake topping

(there will be a signup sheet so we don’t all bring sprinkles. As amazing as sprinkles

are, we don’t need 10 bottles of rainbow sprinkles. Or maybe we do. But variety is the

spice of life, right?)

More will be Launching as we move along. If you have any ideas or comments please

contact Michelle via email at michelle@stpaulvaumc.org or 382-5619.

C. Michelle West

Director of Children, Youth, and Family Ministries St Paul United Methodist Church

220 West Main St

Christiansburg, VA 24073

michelle@stpaulvaumc.org

ST. PAUL’S PAGES Page 8

St. Paul UMW and Montgomery County Christmas Store Mission Partnership

Imagine not having underwear! It’s something that most of us take for granted-

underwear. And although it does not seem possible, there are children who do not have

underwear because it is the last thing that some parents can afford. And even though it

isn’t obvious to others, the child knows. It affects how he feels about himself, it makes it

difficult to participate in gym class, and it makes it hard to face the school day with confi-

dence.

The Montgomery County Christmas Store is pairing with local groups, including St. Paul

UMW, in sponsoring an “Undies Drive” to collect NEW underwear in all sizes for chil-

dren and teens (2T-XL Adult). Boys really prefer boxer briefs. And larger adult sizes are

needed to fit many teens. Our goal is to provide 5 pairs of undies for each child who

qualifies for shopping at the Christmas Store in December. We need to collect 10,000

pairs of underwear for boys and girls!

A collection box for NEW underwear for children sizes 2T-XL adult sizes will be found at

each entrance to the St. Paul sanctuary. Please consider picking up a package or two of

underwear when shopping at Wal Mart, Target, etc. and placing them in the donation box-

es. This is an easy way to make a difference in the lives of our community’s youngsters.

Donation boxes will be available through October.

Page 5 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER

Hello All!

Can you believe I’ve been here for almost 3 months? It has FLOWN by. This summer

ended with a bang as we relaunched the youth and children, had our first Home Sweet

Home Gathering, and started Youth Sunday School. As the fall rolls in, we will contin-

ue to meet for Home Sweet Home Gatherings and the Children will begin their Sunday

School curriculum.

For Youth Sunday School this year, we will be exploring the ancestors of the bible. We

will learn about cultural influence, emotions of these people whom we hear about on

Sundays, and gain a better understanding of scripture as a guiding legacy for us in the

modern world. We will explore the ancestors of our faith by exposing the real, unpol-

ished, and unexpected personalities of both Old Testament and New Testament Charac-

ters.

For our Children, we will be following the lectionary! Did you know the Methodist

Church follows a schedule of which scriptures to talk about which week? What is the

story behind the changing fabric on the altar and pulpit? What do the scriptures really

mean? Children will be introduced to scriptural interpretation methods used by theolog-

ical scholars in a way that will engage with their lives.

Families are in for a real treat! We will be having family socials monthly and we will

be continuing our Parents Sunday School as well. Look out for an E-mail survey in the

coming weeks about how to best grow our Families ministries here at St Paul.

Finally, I want to thank everyone for the prayers, thoughts, candy, and love during Au-

gust while I was sick. Y’all are an amazing congregation and I am blessed God has

brought me here.

Agape,

Michelle West

Michelle's Fall 2016 Office Hours

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, 10am to 12:30pm

Also available by appointment

*Subject to change

.

ST. PAUL’S PAGES Page 6

October Birthdays Cathy Nester—2 Reba Ellen Worrell—2 Donna King—3

Brody Blount—7 Doris Nixon—7 Billie Jean Hill—8

Kim Song—9 Chelsea Sheppard—10 Janet Shelburne—12

Mary Adkins—13 Ann Rhudy—14 Sandra Ridinger—15

George Rust 111—19 Deanne Lane—20 Randy Gardner—21

Terry Mitchell—22 Mindi Duncan—22 Randy Sherman—22

Carrie Cozart—23 Dawn Bowler—24 Dorothy Meredith—25

Mike Byrd—27 Patrick Cox—27 Ed Sherman—27

Carol Campbell—29 Peggy Streich—30

St Paul UMC, Christiansburg offers Disciple Fast Track, 24 weeks

Bible Study of Old and New Testament.

Day time class meets each Wednesday 10:00AM, beginning Sep.21.

Evening time class meets each Sunday at 5:00PM,

Beginning Sep.11.

Contact church office 540-382-2410 or pastor at

pastor@stpaulvaumc.org

Page 7 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER

Tutoring Ministry

It’s a new school year at Christiansburg Middle School, and you are invited to be a part of

it… That’s right! You can become a vital part of our successful St. Paul tutoring team,

formed eight years ago in partnership with this school where all children are valued, all

children are taught, and the caring faculty/staff want the best for the children.

One very positive way to affect students is by volunteers giving one hour each week to

help students with their work. There is no better way to teach a child than to have one to

one assistance. Every class has a few children who would benefit from this extra help. It

may be reviewing for a spelling test. It may be going over math facts or helping children

to correct their test papers. It could be just listening to a child read to you. If you can read

this, you are qualified!

Times and days are flexible. Each tutor will be assigned to specific student(s)/teacher(s)

and all work will be prepared, so tutors only have to come with a love for children to find

a very rewarding experience each week. It is vital to have our volunteers for at least one

semester, so that true progress may be seen. Giving us a school year would be really great!

The stated goal of St. Paul’s tutoring ministry is to send to the school volunteers who will

give of their time in helping students improve their academic skills. On a deeper level,

though, the ministry exists to enrich the lives of children at that school through interaction

with loving, supportive adults.

Details are still being finalized, with tutoring sessions set to begin in September. Is God

calling you to just one hour per week in this important ministry? Contact Karen Poff at

382-2887 or kpoff57@gmail.com for more information or to join the tutoring team.

With a commitment to this ministry, and God’s help,

we will make a difference – one child at a time.