MIDWEEK November 2, 2016

PASTOR KARIN IS ON RETREAT THIS WEEK AND NOT AVAILABLE. PLEASE CONTACT THE OFFICE WITH YOUR QUESTIONS OR NEEDS FOR ASSISTANCE.

WEEKLY GATHERINGS  Office Hours 9 AM – 2 PM Monday-Friday  Sunday School for all ages at 9:45 AM  Boy Scouts Mondays at 7 PM

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Seeking Serenity 12 Step Meeting Tuesdays at 6:30 PM Chancel Choir Rehearsal Tuesdays at 6:45 PM Heartsong Rehearsal Tuesdays at 7 PM Handbell Choir Rehearsal Wednesdays at 7 PM TOPS Meeting Wednesdays at 6 PM NAMI 4th Thursdays at 7 PM Fridays Pastor’s Sabbath Daisy Troop various Fridays AA Meeting Saturdays 7 PM

UPCOMING SPECIAL EVENTS  THIS Friday, November 4 JOY Event w/Guest Speaker Keith Sparks at Ann Raymond’s Home at 7 PM  Sunday, November 6 Youth Group Meeting – Game Night at St. Paul’s from 6-8 PM 1

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Tuesday, November 8 Election Day Communion Service at 6:30 PM Sunday, November 13 Family Advent Event at 4:30 PM Monday, November 14 Finance Team Meeting at 6:30 PM Thursday, November 17 NAMI Meeting from 6-9 PM [instead of November 24] Saturday, November 19 Habitat for Humanity Adult & Youth Work Team Springlake Project from 9 AM -3 PM Saturday, November 19 Youth Group Bake Sale Stay Tuned for Time & Place Wednesday, November 23 at 7 PM Community Thanksgiving Service Sunday, November 27 First Sunday of ADVENT Tuesday, November 28 Charge Conference at 7 PM Sanctuary Saturday, December 3 Hosting Christmas in Odessa at St. Paul’s w/Wildwich from 10 AM–3 PM Saturday, December 24 Christmas Eve Worship at 5 & 7 PM Sunday, December 25 Christmas Day Worship at 11 AM

Sunday, NOVEMBER 6 at 8:30 & 11 AM ALL SAINTS SUNDAY I Believe in the Communion of Saints—

What the Apostles’ Creed Means for Our Faith Focus Scriptures: Ephesians 1:15-23; Hebrews 12:1 11 AM Baptism of Cole William Tokash Pak-a-Sak Sunday & Blood Pressure check this Sunday

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Our Yellow Hat offering goes to El Ayudante Child, Yesprin Nursery is available at Both Services upon request

We welcome GAIL GARNER who will be signing ASL for the 8:30 service on November 6, November 13, November 27, December 11 & December 18. If you know of someone who needs American Sign Language please invite them to worship! Worship Coordinator Ushers: June Stemmle

Liturgist & Announcements: Greeters: Acolyte: Com. Set-up: Kathy Chas

Com. Servers: Carole Harmon

8:30 AM Paul Loder, Greg Apps, John Harmer, Todd Korb, Alan Martin, Dave Sydnor, Dave Pearl Spencer Korb Carol Pearl Bradley Sutton Cathy Blanco 2 Chalices 1 loaf + plate of non-gluten Brian McNelis & Keith Sparks

Choir Com. Servers: Young Disciples: Word in Song: Flowers: Janet Rowley Fellowship: Jackie Connell Counters: G. Guessford

Brian McNelis

11 AM Denis Shaffer, Dean Hatton, John Harmon & Charlii Miller

Steve Johnson Don & Linda Mueller 3 Chalices 1 loaf + plate of non-gluten Amanda & Steven Alberding Jeanne Buckworth & Sharyn Sheats Brenda Shaffer Shall We Gather at the River

Helen George, Karen Douty, Daphne Martin, Carlotta Cline, Alicia Collins, Marilyn Jones & Cindra Holland Sandy Urstadt & Carolyn Stanley

STEWARDSHIP 2016: I’m IN 66 Pledges for $141,008 This is approximately ½ of the congregation and staff who are pledging their support of St. Paul’s. GOALS: We have over 300 congregants…What would it say about our life as disciples if each congregant/family, each staff person, even those who aren’t members—if everyone pledged SOME THING…a 100% participation rate. That would be ALL IN! So far this is what your commitments thus far will support in 2017 [with estimated cost of living increases:  Conference Apportionment $22,533  District Office Contribution 608 3

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Costs for Annual Conference 200 Staff [all except pastor] 73,000 Office expenses 6,500 Church Utilities 9,000 Church Maintenance & Structural 6,225 Communications & Advertising 1,000 Health Ministries 400 ASL Ministries 1,200 Missions operating [beyond 4,025 Yellow Hat Family Ministries 9,410 Youth Ministries 1,000 Music 3,182 Worship Arts 1,000 Property Insurance & Workman’s 6,000 Comp Computer upgrades 1,000

KUDOS TO:  Huge thanks to our Stewardship chairperson Brenda Shaffer who helped to organize and plan our campaign, did a bucket load of hands-on work, as well as inviting folks to offer their testimonies.  Eric Gustafson, Susan Haberstroh, Kenzel Messick, Barbara Lynn Manlove, Mark & Sue Holden, Vicki Spence, Cheryl & Courtney Martin, to everyone who brought casseroles and everyone else who assisted with the Celebration Brunch.

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TO TITHE OR NOT TO TITHE A great link to look at scriptural aspects of tithing and giving is http://www.christianbiblereference.org/faq_tithe.htm

FINANCIAL PEACE UNIVERSITY Are you like more than 70% of the US population and are living paycheck to paycheck? Would you like some peace of mind around your finances, plan for your kids’ college and your retirement—and to live a generous life? Sure the church can ask us to give, but what if we have some financial concerns…lots of bills, some debt and we just can’t seem to save? One of the greatest gifts that the church can give to its members is financial peace—or at least a path toward financial peace. If you could eliminate approximately $5300 in debt and save $2700 in 90 days, would it be worth a $100 investment and an investment of your time for 90 days? On average this is what 5

graduates of the Financial Peace University by Dave Ramsey—a biblically-based model for healthy relationship with financial resources—do in just 90 days. This is not a gimmick---it is a well-planned, BIBLICALLY-BASED method of eliminating debt and saving so that we all can be more generous. And you don’t have to be in debt to benefit from this dynamic course. EVERYONE can benefit from any life stage. If you are interested in accomplishing this, contact Pastor Karin.

MUSIC MINISTRY NOTES This Sunday we celebrate All Saints Day (a holy day in many protestant denominations including the United Methodists) with the majestic hymn - For All the Saints. First written in 1864 as a processional hymn by William Walsham How, it became increasingly popular after Ralph Vaughn Williams wrote a new hymn tune setting for it in 1906 (the hymn tune setting that we still use today). Howe was an Anglican Bishop who also wrote O Jesus, Thou Art Standing and We Give Thee but Thine Own. Williams was a prolific English composer of symphonies, chamber music, opera, choral music and film scores. Almost everyone who has heard or sung this hymn in worship or at a funeral would agree that it has one of the finest hymn tunes of the 20th century. Accordingly, it now appears in over 400 hymnals. When originally written it had 11 verses. Today most hymnals have between 4 and 7 verses due to the relative length of each verse. This Sunday we will sing four. The hymn reminds us that saints are not just dead persons who displayed extraordinary faith during their time on earth. Everyone who has died accepting Jesus as their Lord and Savior with the promise of resurrection and everlasting life is a saint. As Robert Louis Stevenson once observed -- “Saints are simply sinners who kept on going.” In any event, hope you will join us this Sunday as we celebrate All Saints Day at St. Paul’s. It is truly a holy day where we pause and remember ALL the saints and most especially those members and friends of St. Paul’s who died this past year and who were sinners that kept on going until they went on before us. As always please contact me at [email protected] or at 443.786.9010 if you have any questions about the music ministry at St. Paul’s. Blessings,

Blessings, Shelley

WE WILL CELEBRATE ALL SAINTS SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6 6

UPCOMING SERMON SERIES  NOVEMBER: I Believe—What the Apostles’ Creed Means for Our Faith  ADVENT: ODD & AWED—or maybe SHOCK & AWE

TWO CONGREGANTS ARE NEEDED TO ATTEND WITH PASTOR KARIN GATHER TO GROW – SCATTER TO SERVE Moving Toward A Perfect Union With Justice for All! December 3, 2016 9 AM – 1 PM Simpson UMC, 907 Centerville Road, Wilmington Guest Speaker Rev. Dr. F. Willis Johnson Pastor of Wellspring Church in Ferguson, MO and Author of the upcoming book: Holding Up Your Corner: Talking About Race in Your Community A lite lunch will be provided.

JOY EVENT Mark your calendars for Friday, November 4 to hear our own Keith Sparks speak on church safety, as well as personal safety. Join us at 7 PM at Ann Raymond’s home, 573 Whispering Trail, Springmill, and some delicious desserts will be served. Keith is a Retired Senior Sergeant of New Castle County Police, currently a Background Investigator and a member of St. Paul’s Church and Safety Committee. A JOY signup sheet is in the Narthex.

HONORING THE EIGHTIES SATURDAY, JANUARY 7, 2017, 4–8 PM, ODESSA FIRE HALL, DINNER & ENTERTAINMENT TO THE SHEPHERDS: From October 15 through November 23, tickets will be on sale for family and friends of the honorees so that we can guarantee those people seats with their honoree. Please contact your honorees to obtain number of tickets needed, collect the ticket money, and purchase these tickets from Carolyn Stanley, our ticket chairperson (302) 378-3703. Remember, this is not a fundraiser. The tickets simply cover the cost of dinner. Our honorees are guests of St. Paul’s. Tickets for all others will go on sale November 27 through December 18.

ELECTION DAY HOLY COMMUNION 6:30-7 PM Sanctuary We may not agree on everything, but surely we can come together in unity around the Table which Christ has provided for us. Join us as we pray for one another and for our nation.

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As a young woman in South Carolina, I vividly remember the first election in which I could vote. Living two hours from my home in Greenville, I drove one Monday night from Winthrop College, where I was studying, in order to vote the next day. This was only a few years after Aug. 6, 1965, when President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act, which outlawed discriminatory voting practices adopted in many states after the Civil War. Southern states predominantly had employed literacy tests, poll taxes, grandfather clauses and other tools to keep African-Americans from voting. As a young woman born and raised in the South, I was no stranger to the racism that fueled these practices and the difficult work it took to defeat them. While landmark political and legislative outcomes were born out of the struggle, the Civil Rights movement did not begin as a legislative revolution. The passage of the Voting Rights Act followed the tireless and bold actions of countless individuals, communities and organizations – including many churches – standing up for voting rights. I remember the sense of responsibility and consciousness of my own human dignity in contributing to society. My family and The United Methodist Church had instilled in me the value of making the world better through voting. As an 18-year-old, I knew that my grandmothers, my mother and my aunts were born into a world in which they could not vote. When I first did so, other communities had just recently secured the enforcement of suffrage: the right to vote in political elections. We might know the word suffrage to mean the right to vote, but the second definition is worth noting: suffrage is also a series of intercessory prayers and petitions. Voting offers a way to create change, but it can also be an act of prayer and faith. Citizens of the United States will head to the polls on Tuesday, November 8th, and voting will occur on different days in different months in countries around the world. May we remember both definitions of suffrage and continue to vote prayerfully at all levels and for all offices so that we might transform the world. You can read my full reflection on voting as a prayerful act in Interpreter Magazine here.

General Secretary of UMC General Board of Church & Society The General Board of Church and Society (GBCS) is one of four international general program boards of The United Methodist Church. The General Board has headquarters on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. and at the Church Center for the United Nations in New York City. The General Secretary of the Board is Rev. Dr. Susan Henry-Crowe.

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The General Board is defined by its five areas of ministry: (1) Public Witness and Advocacy (2) Administration (3) Ministry of Resourcing Congregational Life, (4) United Nations Ministry, (5) Communications. ...The message of salvation brought by Jesus Christ binds us together as a people and sends us forth to bring healing in the midst of strife, justice in the midst of brokenness, and love in the midst of hate. As United Methodists, we are called to invite people to enter into a community of faith responsive to a vision of justice ministries that is biblically and theologically grounded, and to invite United Methodist congregations to play a prophetic role in bringing God’s vision to reality. Our mission is to advocate the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the church and society.

UPCOMING YOUTH EVENTS This Sunday from 6-8 PM at St Paul's is Youth Group game night. Bring a friend or a game or both!

BONFIRE! We had great weather and about 20 kids. Lots of good food, played some games like corn hole and capture the flag, played music and built some bonds of friendship. It was a great evening.

YOUTH BAKE SALE to help pay for January Youth Rally…Saturday, November 19 –time & place to be determined. Congregation: Please sign up in the Narthex to make baked items. Youth (Jr & Sr.): Sign up to work at the table.

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY YOUTH WORK DAY… Saturday, November 19 from 9 AM-3 PM. Sign up in the Narthex and bring your best worker self to the site. Pizza will be provided when 6 or more youth show up to work!

THIS IS LOVE… YOUTH RALLY, OCEAN CITY, MD JANUARY 6-8, 2017 Sign up NOW to get early registration price. $50 deposit is due to the office by November 13---THIS IS A FIRM DATE!

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FAMILY LIFE DEPARTMENT UPDATES from Vicki Spence ALL SAINTS SUNDAY – NOVEMBER 6 KIDS…on your way to your Sunday School room check out All Saints Day game on the wall. How well do you know your Saints??? During the month of November Pastor Karin will be talking with us in worship about what we believe—in particular the Apostles’ Creed. Be on the look-out for the Apostles’ Creed on the Lower Level—Those who can recite it by the end of November will be rewarded with a special surprise! Get those memory skills tuned up!!

NOVEMBER 13 FAMILY ADVENT EVENT from 4-5:30 PM in Fellowship Hall—Are things this time of year ODD? Or should we be AWED? Join us for fun crafts, Advent preparation and find out! Bring your family and friends!

WE LOVE OUR KIDS We at St. Paul’s welcome children of all ages to worship. We are happy and excited to see little faces and hear little voices throughout the service. We do recognize that parents may have times when they want children to participate in Nursery activities. At both services, after Young Disciples, trained Nursery workers will go downstairs to welcome any children until they return for communion with their families. Please feel free to participate in the ways that best meet the needs of your family.

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JOYS & CONCERNS: Please take the opportunity to go to the website (www.stpaulsodessa.org) to complete a prayer request—it is the most convenient, 24-7 way to get your concerns on our prayer lists. Please alert the office when someone can be taken OFF the list by emailing [email protected]. Submitting a Prayer Request is the best and most assured way that your request will be added to the mid-week and worship folder but for HIPAA reasons PLEASE get permission before adding. We do our best to keep up with the needs of our congregation, but we may not always have up-to-date information. If you or a loved one are in need of a pastoral visit, please call the church office to schedule. RECENTLY ADDED: RECENTLY ADDED Jeanne Buckworth, Geraldine Mullins, Sharon Sweetman, Joanne Tidwell, Adam Lex, Prayers for Hurricane Matthew victims, Refugees everywhere, Victims of violence, the dire situation in Aleppo, Syria CONTINUED PRAYER Pam Whitmer & Bun Slaughter Kayla family on loss of her Dick Vanderloo Bill Douty other, Lena Smith Kelly Swab Madeline Parker Eleanor Cleaver Zoe Haupt Hansa Christian Janet Rowley Mary Ann Seal Chip Johnson Bucky Buckworth Mark Johnson Diane Jones Emerson Hickey Kristi Owen Linda Pritchett Paul Leipold Thomas Lewis Irmgard Sukalo Calbazana family on Phil Sousa Elaine Bramante the loss of Al’s Debby Kuhinski Eric Blakely father, John Willard Bryson Aston Morris Family of Jefferson Dot Anothy & Family Hudson Haws Davis Jeff & Kresta Foster Bryan Kerr Laura Lassiter Oliver Sherree Paul Whittenberger Brian Wells Jim McCall Dennis Martin Leila Siddique Robyn Allen David Dean Hatton Sandy Guyer Pat Smith Butch Vanderwende Ginny Pickett Justine Broehl Candido Souras Regina Schiavi Lisa Vig Kelley Jones Jessica LeBlanc Walt Leipold Mel Dernberger Blanche Bailey Sheridan Outten Larry Messick Norm Herron Merle Ciesielski Ashley Gouge Michael Whitehead Jean Keane Kenneth Brophy Mario Semmler Bill Glass Kim McClain Donna Maggie McCombs Dot Coleman Kristin Jones Celeste Cox Ankit Gohil

BIRTHDAY November

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Morgan Gottleib Gene Messick

ANNIVERSARIES

November November

November

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Nick Pompeo Joseph Scherer Dick Sommer

2 Ike & Ginny Guessford 11

NOVEMBER MISSION FEATURE: IT’S MASHED POTATO TIME OUR GOAL: 105 boxes of mashed potatoes by Sunday, November 27 to deliver to Bethesda UMC for Christmas Food Baskets. Start this Sunday, even as you shop for PAK-A-SAK. Baskets will be in the narthex for your donations.

PAK-A-SAK this Sunday! Think kids’ lunches and comfort foods: peanut butter, jelly, soups, crackers, pasta dishes, canned veggies.

YELLOW HAT OFFERING of $415.25 from Sunday went towards Deaf Outreach, Inc.

MISSION RIGHT HERE! SATURDAY, November 19 at 9 AM Offer a hand on the latest Habitat Build! Join your fellow congregants to make a difference in Middletown.

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Just a friendly reminder to be super vigilant whenever opening attachments or emails from anyone unknown (or an unknown/unexpected attachment from someone that you do know). Randomsware attacks are the new popular virus and they basically encrypt your entire computer and all of your files and hold them for ransom until thousands of dollars are paid, with no workaround. There are some tips and links below after this affected several departments at Virginia Tech. This is also a link with some helpful tips: https://www.nomoreransom.org/prevention-advice.html

GENTLE OFFICE REMINDERS  Pastor Karin’s email is [email protected]. The office email is [email protected] –please note that they are different.  Pastor Karin wants to give you her complete attention when you have questions or matters to discuss. In order for the Pastor to devote 100 % her attention to your needs and concerns we kindly ask that you avoid addressing these matters at Sunday worship time and that you contact her during regular office hours from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. or make an appointment so that she can give you the attention you deserve. Please honor Pastor Karin’s Sabbath day which is Friday.

The highly-renowned Raleigh Ringers will be in our area, November 13 at 3 PM at the Seaford High School Madden Auditorium in Seaford DE. Doors open at 2:30 and tickets are $30 each. This is a great opportunity for you to hear dynamic ringers!

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