St. Paul Messenger In This Issue From the Pastor / Mission News ................... 2 Mission cont. / Memorials ............................ 3 Christian Ed / Youth ...................................... 4 Music Director / Child’s World ...................... 5 Messy Church / SPLASH-Lite ........................ 6 St. Paul in the Community ............................ 7

April/May

Be the Good News of Jesus Christ in the heart of Waterloo and extend that Good News throughout the world.

Holy Week at St. Paul

Palm Sunday, March 28—Live worship at 9:30 a.m. in the sanctuary and live-

streamed/recorded on St. Paul’s YouTube channel (St Paul UCC Waterloo IL).

Join us for a “Celebration Service for Palm Sunday,” which will begin with a

procession of the palms by our children. Pastor Bob Goddard will deliver the

Palm Sunday message.

Maundy Thursday, April 1—Recorded traditional Maundy Thursday worship with communion will

be available Maundy Thursday at noon on St. Paul’s YouTube channel.

Good Friday, April 2, 7:00 p.m.—Live worship at 7:00 p.m. in the sanctuary and live-streamed/

recorded on St. Paul’s YouTube channel. Join us for a service of darkness where we will be with Jesus

on the cross.

Easter Sunday, April 4, 8:30 & 10:30 a.m.—Live worship at 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. in the sanctuary

and live-streamed/recorded on St. Paul’s YouTube channel. Services will be identical. Because we

will be celebrating this resurrection service with COVID attendance restrictions in place, we are

offering 2 worship times. Both services will be identical and will feature special music and communion.

Because of anticipated higher worship attendance for these Easter morning services,

ADVANCED REGISTRATION to ensure a seat in the sanctuary is required. Call the church office

to sign up or sign up using the link on St. Paul’s home page of the website (www.stpaulonline.org). We

will have overflow areas if we exceed our maximum attendance level.

St. Paul to Welcome New Senior Pastor June 1, 2021 Pastor Jeff McCarn was unanimously voted in as St. Paul’s senior pastor at the

virtual congregational meeting March 7. Pastor Jeff, his wife, Bobbi and their

puppy Rena will be moving to Waterloo the end of May/beginning of June.

Pastor Jeff’s first Sunday with us will be June 6, 2021. We look forward to

welcoming Pastor Jeff and Bobbi and beginning this new chapter in the history

of St. Paul United Church of Christ!

Page 2 April/May St. Paul Messenger

What a powerful

time to beginning

our brief ministry

together: we enter

H o l y W e e k

to g e t he r —Pa l m

Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter! Of

all of the stories and parables of Jesus, THIS is the

story! Approximately one-third of each of the

Gospels is dedicated to this one week. That in

itself tells you that this is the important week.

I ask you to take time this week to read the Palm

Sunday through Easter stories in the Bible. If you

are afraid that you will miss something important, here are some readings from the four Gospels that

offer a glimpse of each day in Holy Week.

Palm Sunday Luke 19:28–40

Monday Luke 19:41–48

Tuesday Luke 20

Wednesday Mark 14:1–11

Maundy Thursday Luke 22:1–65

Good Friday Luke 22:67–71; Luke 23:1–56

Holy Saturday Isaiah 52:13–15; Isaiah 53;

Luke 23:56

Easter Sunday Luke 24

May living this week together prepare us for a

resurrection life.

If you need anything, please give me a call at the

church. I am in the office on Tuesdays, Thursdays

and, of course, Sunday mornings, but I will be

checking my voicemails daily.

May the peace of Christ be with you all.

Pastor Bob

From the Pastor Pastor Bob Goddard

April's mission is

DuBois Center,

the camp and

retreat center of

the Illinois South Conference located about an hour

and 15 minutes from Waterloo near DuBois, IL.

DuBois's mission—Growing together—in Faith, in

Respect for Ourselves and Others and in our Care

for Creation—says it all. DuBois has an exceptional

summer camp program and facilities for year-round

retreats and family outings, confirmation programs

and special interest groups. Everyone should try to

visit the camp, where St. Paul volunteers have been

active for years, providing members for the Outdoor

Ministries Team, ministry interns and summer camp

counselors, chaplains, nurses and campers and

helping on a myriad of work projects.

Our most important mission, though, is sending

young people to camp to experience God in nature,

other cultures and real Christian love.

Just the three to five days spent at camp

can make life-changing differences in a

young person's attitudes and outlook.

Right now DuBois is in need of remodeling materials

for its office and a new walk-in freezer compressor,

which alone will cost roughly $1,800. Please be

generous with your mission donations in April to

help DuBois continue its outstanding programming.

The Mission Project for the 2021 Easter

season is the Monroe County House of

Neighborly Service (HNS). HNS works

primarily with Monroe County residents in need of

assistance and operates via donations only.

Throughout the COVID epidemic, HNS has helped

an enormous number of clients with emergency

needs of food, rent, utilities, summer lunches, etc.

while most of its fund raising and food drives were

cancelled. SPUCC was a major sponsor of this local

organization when it started a few years ago and now

refers to HNS clients who come to our doors for

assistance. If you need assistance or know of others

who may need assistance, please contact HNS at 618

-939-8680.

Our mission for May is

Strengthen the Church, part of

Mission News April Mission: DuBois Center Lent & Easter: Monroe County House of Neighborly Service May Mission: Strengthen the Church

Page 3 April/May St. Paul Messenger

our commitment to 5 for 5. The Strengthen the

Church offering supports the expansion of ministry

and growth of UCC local congregations. Your

support of this offering will help the UCC fulfill its

commitment to creating a just world for all by

investing in new ministries and practices that meet

the emerging needs of local communities.

As God calls our congregations to be the church in

new ways, your generosity will plant new churches,

awaken new ideas in existing churches and develop

the spiritual life in our youth and young adults.

Mission News April Mission: DuBois Center Lent & Easter: Monroe County House of Neighborly Service May Mission: Strengthen the Church

MISSION PROJECTS 2021

Your Mission & Stewardship Committee has selected the following missions for 2021. Please contact a

committee member if you have suggestions for other mission considerations.

January Waterloo Area Churches Help Network $1,946.50

February Hoyleton Ministries $1,839.00

March *OGHS (Church World Service)

Lent, Holy Week & Easter Monroe County House of Neighborly Service

April DuBois

May & Pentecost *Strengthen the Church

June Kindercottage

July Child's World

August MKMH

September ISC Annual Meeting Offering October & World Communion *Neighbors in Need

November Blessing Baskets/Giving Tree to HNS

Thanksgiving TBD

December *UCC Christmas Fund

Christmas Monroe County House of Neighborly Service & Missions Fund

*Five for Five

Child’s World Fundraiser Make plans to enjoy some pizza and support Child's World Preschool on

Wednesday, April 7 at Papa John’s, 883 N. Illinois Route 3. Use promo

code: SSC014. A percentage of sales proceeds will go to the Child's World

Improvement/Scholarship Fund.

Memorials/Gifts General Fund in loving memory of Willard Wiggers and Lucy Van Scoyk

Community Meal Fund (MKMH) in loving memory of Willard Wiggers

Music/Choirs & Instruments Fund in loving memory of Lucy Van Scoyk

Monroe County House of Neighborly Service for Eleanor Krebel in loving memory of Kenny

Osterhage

SPLASH in loving memory of Willard Wiggers

Page 4 April/May St. Paul Messenger

As the snow melts and the

temperature slowly begins to

climb, it’s clear that spring is upon

us. As I see the colors of spring

begin to emerge, I am reminded

that God is all about making

things new. I also see this when I

consider the church calendar and

see the re-emergence and growth

of programming that has lain

fallow during COVID-19. Here’s a

look at the new beginnings we

have to look forward to in the

days and weeks ahead:

. . . in Sunday school

Sunday school will continue to

meet in the Parish Hall each

Sunday through April and May

during worship (EXCEPT on

Easter Sunday). There will not be

Sunday school on Easter so

families can worship together.

You can keep up to date on the

Sunday school happenings by

joining the Sunday school

Facebook group and/or reading

the Midweek email.

. . . at

SPLASH

We celebrated a

“soft” return to

SPLASH at the

end of March as we hosted

SPLASH-Lite sessions for small

groups of students from Rogers

and Gardner Elementary schools.

During each session students got

a chance to see some SPLASH

volunteers and re-connect with

them during Bible study, music,

recreation, crafts and STEM time.

We’re tentatively planning on

offering two more SPLASH-Lite

sessions at the end of April, which

will be open to previously

enrolled SPLASH students.

. . . with Messy Church

We returned to in-person Messy

Church worship in March, and it

was wonderful! Thirty individuals

participated in activities that

focused on Jesus’s teaching at the

temple as a child as we were all

reminded just how much kids can

do and teach.

We’ll be celebrating

the new life that

Jesus offers and

celebrating spring at our April

Messy Church, which will be held

on Wednesday, April 7 at 5:30

p.m. Families must sign up in

advance in order to attend as

attendance is capped due to

COVID-19 restrictions. You can

find the link to sign up in the

church Midweek or on the church

Facebook page.

Messy @ Home Kits are available

each month for any family unable

to attend our in-person Messy

Church worship. Visit the table

outside the church office.

. . . at VBS!

Save the date for June 1

through 4 for in-person VBS at

St. Paul. Details are still being

worked out, but look for more

information in early April about

VBS return in 2021.

Spring Is Upon Us! Dr. Jill Mayer

St. Paul Youth Group Andy Mayer

Jill, the youth of St. Paul and I want to

thank each and every person who made

our annual pasta fundraiser such a

success on February 14th. Over 60 meals

were prepared, and we made nearly

$1,000 for the Youth Scholarship Fund, which helps

send St. Paul children and youth to Camp DuBois

and also enables them to participate in other fun,

faith-building programs.

The St. Paul Youth Group continues to meet weekly

each Wednesday from 5:30 to 7:00. As a reminder,

all youth (no matter membership or parental

membership status) are invited to attend these

weekly meetings. We’ve been

discussing crossroads at our weekly

meetings throughout Lent and are

looking forward to continuing our

youths’ faith development throughout

the spring with discussions, games and video lessons.

As the weather continues to improve, we’ll be

planning more outdoor events for our youth, such

as local hikes and frisbee golf games at Konarcik

Park. Be on the lookout for more information about

events like these on the St. Paul Youth Group

Facebook page and in the Midweek email/church

bulletin.

Page 5 April/May St. Paul Messenger

As I write this, we are closing in on

Easter—the event that defines us as

Christians and a time when music steps

to the forefront of worship. Ah, but

here’s the rub: we can’t sing our

Hallelujahs in church. We can’t bellow

out “Christ the Lord Is Risen Today” at

the top of our lungs! So all we CAN do is make the

best of the situation. The event still happened. We

will celebrate that musically as much as possible.

The Bell Choir will record a song. The Chamber

Choir will record a song. The Contemporary Band

will record 2 songs. Linda and I will play and/or sing

our offerings to the Lord. It will still be memorable,

just different. Please join us for this very special day in the life of Christianity.

We are hopefully making our way out of this

pandemic. Every day we hear news about openings

and relaxations of rules. That doesn’t mean we are

done; it just means we are on the right track! I

looked back at articles from past Messengers and

found referrals to wonderful concerts we were

anticipating. I found references to our

fantastic charity auctions. I found

announcements regarding our SPLASH

kids and performances in church. None

of these will happen this time. But we

can see that it is possible they WILL

happen in the near future.

We as a staff are so proud of you because you have

stayed the course, obeyed the rules, attended when

you could, stayed home when you needed to, but

still supported St. Paul no matter what.

Speaking for myself, I look forward to a time when

musically we can get back to relative normal and start planning concerts, charity auctions and SPLASH

performances! I hope you do, too. We’ve made it

this far. Let’s hold on just a little longer, looking

forward to new leadership that is on the way and

preparing to “make a joyful noise to the Lord” as

soon as possible.

Notes from the Music Staff Gary Humphrey

Hello spring! Child’s World Preschool is

loving the sunshine of spring! We are

thrilled to be back outside! There are

endless opportunities to have fun,

explore and learn while being outside.

We began March with a celebration of

Dr. Seuss and Read Across America. We

love to incorporate Dr. Seuss books into our

classroom because they introduce rhyming words

and patterns. They also keep our attention with the

silly words and fantastic illustrations. We are blessed

to work so closely with the kindergarten team at

Zahnow Elementary, and they so graciously sent us

virtual story times that we watched in class to help celebrate Read Across America.

Spring has sprung with showers and rainbows! We

are learning how a rainbow is formed, the colors in

the rainbow and how they symbolize God’s promise

to us. The children are learning that Easter isn’t just

about the Easter Bunny, eggs and candy. We

will hold many discussions and celebrate the

resurrection (new life) of Jesus Christ.

Spring is a great time to talk about not only

the new life of Jesus Christ; it’s also a great

time to walk outside and see the new life

happening around us with the trees budding,

grass turning green and the baby birds

singing.

Child’s World Preschool’s registration for the 2021–

22 school year will begin on April 1. Are you or

someone you know looking for a safe learning

environment for a 3–5-year-old to grow and be

kindergarten ready? We would love to tell you about

our program. Anyone interested in Child’s World

Preschool may call us at (618) 939-7125, ext. 16 or

email us at childsworld@stpaulonline.org for more

information and/or to set up a tour.

Child’s World News Theresa May-Harwell & Jamie Brown

Page 6 April/May St. Paul Messenger

March Messy Church

March SPLASH-Lite

Page 7 April/May St. Paul Messenger

St. Paul Sponsors Fish Dinner for Vaccination

Volunteers at the Monroe County Fairgrounds

March 19

Easter Flowers for Easter Morning

Request Form

Given in: Memory of: _______________________________________________ OR Honor of: _________________________________________________ Given by: ____________________________________________________ Easter flowers are $20 each, and checks should be written to “St. Paul UCC.”

Easter Flowers for Easter Morning

Every Easter our sanctuary is beautifully adorned with spring flowers. We will be purchasing flowers and

greens to celebrate the beauty and hope of Easter. You may help us continue this tradition with a

monetary gift in memory of a loved one or in celebration of someone or something special. Please fill out a form on the Welcome Table and return to the church office.

Non-Profit Organization

U.S. Postage

PAID

Waterloo, Illinois

Permit No. 10

Change Service Requested

St. Paul United Church of Christ 200 N. Main Street Waterloo, IL 62298

Office Phone: (618) 939-7123 Office Fax: (618) 939-7144 Office Hours: 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. Monday thru Thursday Child’s World Preschool: 939-7125 Website: www.stpaulonline.org

Worship Services 9:30 a.m. (online on YouTube)

Christian Education Time 9:30 a.m.

All submissions for the next Messenger are due to the church office by 5/19/21. We reserve the right to edit submissions for publication.

Next Deadline: 5/19/21 Next Issue: 5/27/21

Scan QR code to give now.

Text stpucc to 73256 and follow instructions

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Holy Week at St. Paul

Maundy Thursday, April 1—Recorded traditional Maundy Thursday

worship with communion will be available Maundy Thursday at noon on

St. Paul’s YouTube channel, St Paul UCC Waterloo IL.

Good Friday, April 2, 7:00 p.m.—Live worship at 7:00 p.m. in the

sanctuary and live-streamed/recorded on St. Paul’s YouTube channel.

Join us for a service of darkness where we will be with Jesus on the

cross.

Easter Sunday, April 4, 8:30 & 10:30 a.m.—Live worship at 8:30 and

10:30 a.m. in the sanctuary and live-streamed/recorded on St. Paul’s

YouTube channel. Because we will be celebrating this resurrection

service with COVID attendance restrictions in place, we are offering 2

worship times. Both services will be identical and will feature special

music and communion. ADVANCED REGISTRATION to ensure a

seat in the sanctuary is required. Call the church office to sign up or

sign up using the link on St. Paul’s home page of the website

(www.stpaulonline.org).