This Week at St. Paul's
Mother Michelle Walker
Dear St. Paul's Family,
The month of November is offering us extra opportunities to be in community with each other and to care for the least amongst us. I am happy to share a few of them with you here, along with a few announcements.
Masks, On-Off-ON AGAIN - With LaPorte County back in Orange, please wear your mask throughout the entire service again. It's always better to be safe than sorry. And if you haven't yet received your booster shot, consider that soon. I'm heading in for mine the week of 11/15!
Pledge Cards - Please don't forget to return your pledge cards for 2022 by Sunday, November 14th, as our Stewardship Campaign chair person, Margie Bender, requested. Your contributions, however big or small they may seem to you, help St. Paul's to continue to offer services here in LaPorte. Please prayerfully consider what you can give for 2022. (Blank pledge cards are available at the usher stand at the Harrison Street entrance.)
Time Change - Don't forget that Daylight Savings Time ends at 2am on Sunday November 7th. Be sure to set your clocks back before going to bed Saturday night OR you'll be early enough to join the choir (which would also be a wonderful thing!).
Open Plate 1st Sunday - This Sunday, the first Sunday of November, all open plate offerings will be contributed to the priest's discretionary fund.
Salvation Army - Our food drive contributions ebb and flow over the year, even though they are always in need. During this month of gratitude, please be extra aware of how you might contribute to this ministry to help feed the needy in our own backyards.
Christmas Giving Opportunity - Sue Cummings contacted the Salvation Army social worker to see how we could support their ministry this Christmas season. The most needed gifts are for girls ages 12 - 15 years. They offer a "Christmas Toy Teen Shop" for this age. Mothers pick out gifts for their daughters. Suggested NEW items are: wallets, purses, ear buds, fuzzy socks, scarves, or other things girls this age might enjoy.
Please consider how you might help this ministry by donating one or more of these unwrapped items. A collection box will be placed by the Harrison Street entrance with a deadline of November 30th (so they have time to get the "store" set up before December 13th). You have always been a generous group and these small things will make some girls very happy. Contact Sue Cummings if you have any questions.
Thankfulness Dinner and Stewardship Celebration
In the past we have offered a Harvest meal, which was a combination of a St. Paul's meal and a community dinner. For this year, due to COVID, we will have a Thankfulness Dinner and Stewardship Celebration for our St. Paul's family only. (We will still be offering a November community dinner, see below.)
Please mark your calendars for Sunday November 21st at 4pm to join us for an early Thanksgiving meal with our St. Paul's family. Be sure to bring along any family you have at home and enjoy some delicious food and fellowship, in thankfulness for all we have and especially as a celebration of our successful stewardship campaign. Contact Susie Richter with questions or to offer assistance.
Community ToGo Dinner
Our next community ToGo dinner is November 23rd at 6pm. As I mentioned in a previous email, it was joyous to experience the excitement and appreciation of the people that participated. And the food was delicious. Please consider how you might best help support this ministry by cooking, volunteering, making a monetary donation (labeled specifically for Community Dinners), and always by prayer. It is one more wonderful way we can give back to our community.
Thank you St. Paul's, for the beautiful faithful people you are. I delight to see your smiling faces (or eyes) in church on Sunday mornings! Be blessed.
Blessings,
Mother Michelle
priest@stpaulslaporte.org | 219-575-0226 (c)
A Stewardship Letter from our Senior Warden
Jean Burns
November 2021
Dear Members of St. Paul’s Family,
First, thank you for your faithful commitment to St. Paul’s. Without your gifts of time, talent, and money, our doors would no longer be open. A small congregation can be a powerful force as we have demonstrated. I suspect that, like me, you want St. Paul’s to be here, thriving, long after we are gone. Having been a faithful member for more than sixty years, I pray that St. Paul’s faith community will continue doing God’s work. I was confirmed here, my children were baptized here, raised here, married here; my husband’s burial service was here. St. Paul’s is my church home; its members my church family. I am doing all I can with my time, my talent, and my money to ensure the future of St. Paul’s. I know you will do the same. What does God have in store for St. Paul’s? I do not know, but I want us to be open and ready for whatever it is.
How blessed we have been with the gift of an endowment. For many months we managed financially without having to dip into it. However, this is no longer the case as our income does not cover our expenses nor does it make it possible to increase our outreach programs. We are resuming our community dinners, but, I ask again, how much more could we do? You already make amazing contributions to support the church, but it is my hope and my prayer that each of you will consider, as we worship God together, how you might increase this support with your time, your talent, and, yes, with your money.
We have a beautiful, historical building, a faithful, energetic priest, and a small, but committed congregation. What can each of us do so that St. Paul’s not only survives, but thrives?
God’s blessings,
Jean Burns
This Week at St. Paul's
Mother Michelle Walker
Dear St. Paul's Family,
This week I was overwhelmingly blessed by our community dinner. While I know it was significantly different than what we did in the past, I witnessed many wonderful things:
Our St. Paul's group was mighty. We had plenty of food and lots of volunteers. It was a joy to peek into the parish hall windows (I was outside) and see the vibrant hum of people caring for other people. THANK YOU to everyone to helped in big and small ways.
We fed people. We fed people who were hungry, who remembered and appreciated the wonderful meals we've provided in the past, and who were thankful for an opportunity to simply be in community with others. (I also answered a few questions about being a female priest!)
Most importantly, I witnessed the fruits of this ministry from before the pandemic. Several of the "regulars" were there, and they were thankful. They talked about how lovely our meals were and are. They expressed their delight at seeing us again. And they remembered the people of St. Paul's with fondness.
I praise God for our ability to restart this ministry and ask his blessings upon it. I thank Mike and Margie for their good work in planning and to everyone who made a dish or helped in anyway. I'd guess we saw between 15-20 people, many who took meals for a partner. All of these people will help spread the word for our next community dinner. We learned a few tips about relaunching, especially in terms of advertising, and expect this wonderful ministry to continue to grow.
Now, what are you willing to prepare for our Tuesday November 23rd dinner?
Blessings,
Mother Michelle
priest@stpaulslaporte.org | 219-575-0226 (c)