St. Paul's United Church of Christ May 2016 Newsletter · 5/2/2017  · Sappington arn 1015 S. Sappington Road all Ruth Haefner 314-846-8795. ... A schedule for 2016-2017 will come

St. Paul's

United Church of Christ

May 2016

Newsletter

Church Office Hours

Monday-Friday: 9:00am-4:00pm

Pastor Mike Roth: Tuesday-Friday

Pastor Erica Roth: Tuesday-Thursday

Pastor Gail Robins: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday

Erica Faust: Tuesday-Thursday

St. Paul’s United Church of Christ

5508 Telegraph Road

St. Louis, Mo 63129

314-892-3332

[email protected]

Website: stpauloakville.org

Pastor Erica will be leading a 4 week adult Bible Study

to go along with our June Preaching Series. “CAVE EN-

COUNTERS” will meet on Wednesdays from 1-2:30

starting on June 8th and running for 4 weeks. We will

explore how the images of caves are used in the Bible,

find out about some significant events that happened

in caves and talk about our own ‘cave’ experiences.

Dear Friends,

Pastor Gail, Pastor Erica, and I all receive a lot of com-

munications from people who feel like they are in

deep trouble. They might call us, text us, e-mail us,

stop us in the hall, or come in for a personal visit.

Sometimes they’re depressed, overcome with fear,

feel as if they are unable to function in daily life, suc-

cumbing to abuse, thinking dark thoughts, or feel too

panicked to figure a way out of their situation. In

short, they’re drowning in darkness, unable to see the

light anymore. Have you ever been to a place like

this? Maybe your are in one right now feeling as if

you are at your wit’s end, at the end of your rope, feeling as if you are unable to go on, ready to give up, or just

going through the motions of life. Have you ever felt as if your connection to the light of Christ has gone out?

If you are in such a place we want to help you find hope again.

Erica and I like to do several preaching series each year so this year we decided to do one in conjunction with our

Vacation Bible School program this June. The theme this year revolves around the image of Caves. We wanted to do

something which connected to that cave image but was relevant for Adults on Sunday mornings. Caves, like life, can

sometimes feel dark, damp, and lifeless. Ancients thought it was through caves that one accessed the underworld.

However, the Bible paints a very different picture of Caves. Caves are mentioned 33 times in the Bible and in

most of those passages they are portrayed as places which provide sanctuary, refuge, hope, life and direction. That

sounds pretty good to someone who feels as if they are lost.

For the month of June we will be going on our own “Cave Quest” together; Finding Our Way Out of the Dark Places

in Our Lives. The series will be:

Week 1: Remain Calm

Week 2: Discover A Light Source

Week 3: Pick a Direction

Week 4: Be Set Free

No matter where you are on your life’s journey, chances are that either you or someone you know finds themselves

in a dark place. Come discover the way out. “Cave Quest” begins Sunday, June 5.

Yours In Christ,

Pastor Mike

Ladies Day Out

May 18 @ 11:30

Sappington Barn

1015 S. Sappington Road

Call Ruth Haefner 314-846-8795

Sr. High Youth will be collecting items to put

together Homeless Care Kits to carry with us

on our 2016 Mission Trip to Louisville, KY.

We invite everyone to bring items from the

following list and drop them in our marked

tub in the Narthex during the months of

May and June. We will put the kits together on Wednesday,

June 29th at 7 p.m. during our normal youth group meeting but

invite individuals and families to join us. You can take a kit or two

to carry around in your car as well! THANKS!

Suggested Items: Baby Wipes, toothpaste, toothbrushes, socks,

bar soap, germ-x, washcloths, gum, Ziploc gallon bags, Ziploc quart

bags, quarters, bottled water, granola bars, playing cards, combs,

lotion, cracker sandwiches, band-aids, deodorant, Q-tips, chap-

stick, small mouthwashes, mints, string backpacks, razor, scarf,

hat, gloves...

SALT (4th-5th grade youth) NEWS:

SALT will not be meeting over the summer.

A schedule for 2016-2017 will come out

around early August and activities will start in September! If it

rained and we had to postpone ooey-gooey night then our make-

up date is Saturday, May 28th at 6 p.m.!

Middle School Youth Group will meet on May 1st and May 22nd at

5:30. May 22nd will be the last meeting of the year. We will have

one or two summer activities that will be announced as they are

planned. A 2016-2017 schedule

will come out around early Au-

gust and weekly meetings will

resume in September!

We will be having Confirmation on Sunday, May 15th and will be

honoring High School and College Graduates

on Sunday, May 22nd. If you have or know of a

graduate, please let Pastor Erica know so we

make sure we don’t overlook anyone! We will

only be having one service at 9:30 a.m. from

May 15th all the way through the Summer.

Sr. High Youth will be raffling off:

4 X RED BIRD CLUB Tickets for

Tuesday, May 17th

Cardinals Vs. Rockies

7:15 p.m. Which includes parking and is a $540 value!

Raffle tickets are $1 for 1 chance or $5 for 6 chances and will be

available Sunday, May 1st—Sunday, May

8th! Pick them up at Sunday Worship or

at the BBQ! Winning ticket will be drawn

on Sunday, May 8th after the 2nd wor-

ship service.

Our DOGs (Disciples of God) group (for DDA) will meet

on Sunday, May 22nd from Noon-2:30 p.m. for a picnic.

We will eat together, play some picnic games (including

BINGO). Fried chicken and more!

Summer Worship Time Change

The Church Council has decided beginning on May 15 we will have

one Sunday Worship time,

9:30am

through Rally Day,

September 11th.

Missouri History Museum Bus Trip June 28

We will leave church on the bus at 9:30 and return at 2:30.

3 new exhibits at the History Museum, “The Little Black Dress”, “Rt. 66” Views of Main Street, and “Where did you go to High School?” followed by lunch at the Boathouse in Forest Park.

Sign up sheet in the Narthex, please join us!

T-ball and Softball Sign Ups

T-ball and Softball sign up sheets are posted on the bulletin board in the hallway leading from the social hall to the church office. Sign

ups will continue through Sunday, April 24th.

The age divisions are T-ball 5-7 year olds, softball 7-10, 11-Up years of age on

May 1, 2016. All games are played on Monday (Softball) and Wednesday (T-ball) evenings. Play begins May 23rd.

Depending on number of sign-ups, softball teams/games can be pickup in nature where everyone plays and enjoys the fellowship of

youth and parents from other churches as well as our own.

Please sign up early so we can complete the rosters and find volun-teers for coaches in time for league play.

VBS 2016

June 13-17

9:00 a.m.-noon For kids age 3--5th grade

6th grade and up can volunteer to be part of our team. Volunteer to be part of our team. It's a great way to connect with our church family and it's LOADS of FUN! VBS 2016 Volunteer Form

Child Registration forms can be found on the bulletin board outside the church office and in the Narthex.

Confirmation News Confirmation Sunday is May 15 at 9:30a.m. Please attend to support and welcome our 13 Confirmands into our church family. Lots of Thank you’s to pass along:

to Lynn Schmittgens for helping the Con-firmands make their Confirmation stoles.

to Linda Sharamitaro for helping the Con-firmands create their Confirmation ban-ner.

to Lola Roesch, Ginny Van Horn and Dina Right for providing and sharing meals with us this past month.

To Mike Right for helping chaperone our Confir-

mation trip to Chicago.

Save The Dates May 6&7 St. Paul’s BBQ

May 14 Spring Work/Planting Day

May 15 Summer Time change-1 service 9:30

May 15 Confirmation Sunday

May 22 Honoring Our Graduates Sunday

June 13-17 VBS-Cave Quest

September 11 Rally Day & church Picnic

Sept. 24-25 Family Camp Mo-Val

Nov. 11-13 Women’s Spiritual Retreat

Perpetual Memorial Trust Fund

Each year the Perpetual Memorial Fund donates 25% of the

interest in makes to Major Building Maintenance fund, 25% is

reinvested in the Perpetual Memorial fund and 50% is given

to committees that need money to fund their projects.

The Perpetual Memorial fund committee is now accepting

requests . The money must be used foe projects or purchases

that will benefit the church and where there is no money cur-

rently available. Committees must be duly elected St. Paul’s

church committees or groups. Requests must be submitted in

writing by any member of the board providing detailed de-

scription, costs, & reason for project or purchase. All mem-

bers of the committee need to be aware of and agree on re-

quest before submitting. Funds are limited. Unapproved re-

quests from last year may be resubmitted.

Please submit all requests by June 15, 2016

The Young At Heart invites you to to join us on May 17

at 11:30 AM in our usual location at the church. Bring a

sack lunch with drinks and desserts to be provided. All

seniors and friends are welcome.

Sunday School News

May lessons will focus on stew-

ardship and mission. Kingdom Bucks Program Kids

earn a buck every time they attend Sunday School. Bucks can be redeemed for prizes and gifts 3 times per year (Palm Sunday, Rally Day and Ad-

vent Fest)

Family Camp

Sept. 24-25

Camp Mo-Val,

Union, MO

Calendar Link:

http://73936384.view-events.com/calendar/

calendar.aspx?ci=G1H2O9G1N8L6O9L6I3

TreeHouse May 2016 “Grand” Parents

Day

2016

As part of our annual Week of the Young Child Celebration, the TreeHouse kids treated their grandparents to a donut and fruit breakfast in the social hall!

2-3 year old exercising fine motor muscles playing with spring

flowers and buttons!

Learning through play!

Very funny Ethan!

Grandparents are the Best!

Mackenzie rockin’ and rolllin!

Fine motor fun with jelly bean and toothpicks!

River is so proud of his art.

Open ended art!

Firefighter Maxwell at your service!

Two firefighters are better than one!

Carson examining our classroom creature.! Balloon Art !

Baby House Fun!

Fun IN the Sensory Table!

Sharing is fun!

...and then he said... Emilia starts with E!

Measuring length. Look! A Worm!

Dinosaur Patrol!

Tummy time!!

May 2016 is certainly going to be an exciting time for us! We will celebrate our TreeHouse

mothers with a lovely breakfast in the Heritage Room.

On Friday May 27th, we will mark the end of our school year with a Graduation Cer-emony in the Sanctuary and

our annual family picnic afterwards.

Please keep all of those who are leaving us in your

prayers!

We Love You!