A Shovel to Spare?
Thank you to whomever brought in the shovels. We have two of them AND hope to not need them much (wishful thinking right?).
Save the Date - Annual Meeting on 1/16
Our Annual Meeting is scheduled for this Sunday, 1/16, immediately after the dismissal. We will remain seated and move directly into our business meeting, keeping it as brief as possible. Please plan to attend. We must have quorum in order to conduct our business, which primarily includes passing a budget and electing leadership for 2022.
If, for any reason, in-person attendance is not the best choice for you, please feel free to join us on Zoom. While it's not like being in the building, Zoom attendees do count toward quorum and are eligible to vote. The link is available below and will be opened up directly at the end of worship:
Hard copies of the report will be available at church on Sunday, and here is also an electronic copy.
Thank you for helping us tend to the business of the church.
This Week at St. Paul's
Mother Michelle Walker
Dear St. Paul's Family,
On Monday - Wednesday of this week I was in Crawfordsville attending the January session of my Wabash Pastoral Leadership Program training. I don't talk about the program much as there always seem to be many other things demanding our attention. Since last January we have learned about the following topics:
Adaptive Pastoral Leadership (making small shifts that yield large returns, over time)
Community and Pastoral Well-Being
Demography and Immigration
Indiana's Changing Economy
Education in Indiana
Hunger and Poverty.
By the end of 2022 we will also cover:
Administering Justice
Healthcare
Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation
Your (my) Leadership.
At every reasonable opportunity we are provided information for both the state as a whole and for LaPorte County specifically. I've learned a great deal about both. I've learned a great deal about myself, and the other faith traditions present at the table. This program encourages pastors to live into the relationships within the community as a necessary extension of our ministry and to partner with other local organizations to provide help.
It is a significant commitment of my time and energy and is well-funded by the Lilly Endowment, whose mission is to care passionately for the people and communities of Indiana. I'm immensely thankful for the chance to ground myself in the city and county of LaPorte. The information I'm learning is forming me as a preacher, pastor, and priest. I pray that this all reflects well on the success and longevity of St. Paul's.
This Sunday we will hold our annual meeting, looking at our successes in 2021, electing our leaders for 2022, approving a budget that outlines how we spend our money, and above all looking to the future. While there is no specific 5-year plan for growing St. Paul's, I am increasingly confident it will happen through the community connections we are fostering. I expect to continue loving and caring for each of you, to the best of my ability, while we all strive to more tightly integrate the faith community of St. Paul's with the community outside our walls. I hope you will join us on this journey, and bring along a few friends! See you on Sunday!
Blessings,
Mother Michelle
priest@stpaulslaporte.org | 219-575-0226 (c)