A Reconciling Congregation having
Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors
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Just recently I read the following story that I thought had a great message:
“Two seeds lay side by side in the fertile spring soil. The first seed said, “I want to grow! I want to send my roots deep into the soil beneath me, and thrust my sprouts through the earth’s crust above me. I want to unfurl my tender buds like banners to announce the arrival of spring. I want to feel the warmth of the sun on my face and the blessing of the morning dew on my petals!” And so she grew big and strong.
The second seed said, “I’m afraid. If I send my roots into the ground below, I don’t know what I will encounter in the dark. If I push my way through the hard soil above me I may damage my delicate sprouts. And if I were to open my blossoms, a small child may pull me from the ground. No, it is much better for me to wait until it is safe.” And so she waited. A yard hen scratching around in the early spring ground for soil found the waiting seed and promptly ate it.
So, which seed are you? When you think about it, all of life is a risk. Everyday we make choices that have consequences and risks attached. As disciples of Jesus Christ we are called to take the risk to have more faith than fear, to give our whole heart to God, and to respond when Jesus calls out to us, “come, follow me”. So, what are you willing to risk in order to grow deeper in your faith? Our mission as a church is to “Make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” In other words, we commit to making God's love real by not just saying we will be a faithful people but by actually living our faith out in:
- welcoming to our community persons of every age, gender, race, sexual orientation, physical or mental ability, ethnic origin, socioeconomic or marital status
- making a commitment to fan the flames of our faith in deeper Bible study and being part of a small group that helps connect our faith to every area of our life
- hearing God’s call and claiming our ministry to serve within the church no matter our age or ability
- taking our faith into the world as a disciple of Jesus who isn’t afraid to let it shine for everyone to see
We are called to risk, stretch, and grow as we realize that being a disciple of Jesus Christ is not just a part of our life, but is in fact our whole life lived in and through the love of God as we enthusiastically, passionately, and contagiously share that love. I challenge all of you to take some risks as we continue to grow in our faith, thrust ourselves out of the comfortable soil and feel the warmth of God’s love on our face.
In God’s Love,
Pastor Tim
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WORSHIP TIME
We are holding two in-person worship services on Sundays at 8:30 am and 10:30 am.
We will once again be holding our Outdoor Worship during the summer. On those Sundays, the live-stream will be at 8:30 am. See the article below for dates of our Outdoor Worship services.
If you are not able to watch the service live on Sunday morning, there are several ways you can watch it later:
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All of our worship services are saved and posted on our Facebook page - www.facebook.com/StPaulsUMC.Point.
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Our worship services are also on Youtube. Just go to our church website – www.stevenspointumc.org and click on "Worship" from the drop-down menu of the "About" tab on the top of the home page. It will take you to our YouTube channel that has a collection of our worship services
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OUTDOOR WORSHIP AND INTERGEN MINISTRY
People of all ages love Outdoor Worship and for good reason!
- Music and liturgy that early-readers and non-readers can easily participate in;
- Intergen Readers Theatre of all ages for Scripture readings;
- Bubble Prayers;
- Engaging activities for all ages to enhance the message of the morning.
Outdoor Worship welcomes people of all ages to a relaxed worship time outdoors surrounded by the varied and beautiful gardens on the St. Paul's--The Springs grounds.
Join us this summer as we worship in God’s creation. Outdoor worship is held at 10:30 am on the south side of the building by the Growing Kindness Gardens.
If you are interested in sharing music, readings, activity-planning, please let the Outdoor Worship planning team know--talk with Pastor Tim, Vern Walters, Yvonne Chojnacki, and Laura Courtright. We look forward to hearing from you!
OUTDOOR WORSHIP SCHEDULE at 10:30AM
August 27
September 10
Please bring your own lawn chairs, blankets, or whatever you need to be comfortable.
We will be live-streaming our 8:30am service on Facebook on these Sundays.
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BLESSING OF THE BACKPACKS AND NEW SCHOOL YEAR |
St. Paul's-The Springs UMC would like to celebrate the milestone of a new school year with a Back-To-School Blessing on Sunday, August 27 - 10:30am, at the Outdoor Worship Service.
We'll be offering blessings on students, educators, school staff, their backpacks and bags. Backpack tags and school goodie bags will be given to all students that attend the service. The backpack tag is a constant reminder that God is with students in their daily life and that their church family will be praying for them throughout the year.
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August 19, 4-6 pm. For all youth entering Jr. High, exiting Sr. High and all grades in between! RSVP by August 17 to Laura Courtright at lauracourtnight@gmail.com or via Facebook Messenger.
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ALL CHURCH PICNIC
The annual Church Picnic will happen on Sunday September 10, 2023 after our 10:30 am service.
Everyone is Welcome! More information coming soon.
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POTLUCK SUNDAYS
Potluck Sundays are returning soon! The event is coming this fall, starting in October. Workers are needed! Sign-up sheets are located in the Narthex
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MEET & GREET
Meet & Greet workers are needed! Fall sign-up sheets are located in the Narthex.
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2023-2024 CONFIRMATION CLASS
We would like to begin organizing a confirmation class for 2023-2024 and we want to invite our youth to participate. Confirmation is open to all youth in seventh grade and above. In the United Methodist church we baptize infants with the parents, sponsors, and church taking vows to watch over and raise the child in the Christian faith. When that child grows up there comes a time when they have to speak for themselves and make a public decision that they will be a faithful disciple of Christ and member of the church. This time is called confirmation. Confirmation classes will begin sometime in mid-September and run through May with a confirmation service being held in late May.
If you have a youth who has not been confirmed in seventh grade or above please contact Pastor Tim (tobrien@stevenspointumc.org) or Laura (lauracourtright@gmail.com).
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S.H.A.P.E.
Thank you to everyone who has met with Tonya Kowalski at her listening sessions. If you have not done so already, please return your S.H.A.P.E. sheet to the church as soon as possible. If you have not yet received your S.H.A.P.E. packet, Tonya will be available after both services on August 27 to give you one.
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ARTREACH IS AT ART IN THE PARK - YOUR HELP IS NEEDED!
Our Arts Ministry will be at this year's Art in The Park Celebration at Pfiffner Park on September 16 with fun, community-building activities for all ages! We are looking for volunteers to help with the event. If you are interested in helping with a two-hour shift, please contact Laura Courtright at lauracourtright@gmail.com, 715-340-45423, or Facebook Messenger.
ARTREACH POP-UPS - EXPRESS YOURSELF AND BUILD COMMUNITY WITH ST. PAUL'S - THE SPRINGS' ARTS OUTREACH MINISTRY
We've gathered our art supplies and are ready for fun and fellowship--Join Us in the Growing Kindness Garden from 6-7:30pm on August 28 for community art activities and an Ice Cream Social! ArtReach Pop-Ups are FREE, Designed for All Ages and Open to the Community!
ArtReach is on Social Media - Follow us on Instagram @artreach.outreach and you can Scan Here to connect on Facebook:
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“FUN IN THE SUN”
Mark your calendars and plan to attend our “Fun in the Sun” events held on Mondays beginning June 12th through August 28th, 6:00-7:00 pm. Here is the remaining August schedule:
August 21 - Drum Circle
August 28 - ArtReach Pop-up & Ice Cream Social
All Events are FREE and Designed for All Ages! Children to be accompanied by their adults.
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OPEN DOOR BISTRO SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES
Beginning this fall, the Open Door Bistro will be held on the first Wednesday of each month from 5:30 – 6:00 pm. The Bistro service team needs volunteers to help in a variety of ways including food preparation, coordination of service, dishwashing, and clean-up. The commitment is not ongoing and varies depending on the tasks. If you are coordinating or preparing a meal, you may be scheduled only once during the season whereas those volunteering for clean-up duties may be scheduled 3-4 times.
Please consider how you might be able to help with any of the following and watch for the insert in the bulletin to sign up.
Ways to help:
- Prepare one menu of your choice
- Prepare or assist with food prep for one meal such as a taco bar, a potato bar, or pancake supper
- Coordinate a chili cook-off
- Prepare sandwiches for a soup and sandwich meal
- Prepare salad bar ingredients
- Dishwashing
- General clean up
For questions or to discuss your interest in serving on the Bistro service team, please contact Sandy Shave (715-592-4346) or Stephanie White (715-347-0367). Thank you for your consideration.
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THANK YOU!
Thank you so much for the celebration of my ministry over the past 26 years on Sunday. It was great to see everyone! Thank you for the kind words, cards and gifts. I have enjoyed being in ministry with you and am looking forward to continuing to be in ministry with you, just on a little different level.
Thank you again! ~Yvonne Chojnacki
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OFFICE UPDATE
Starting the week of August 21, I will be working solo as the church's Communication Services Coordinator and Office Administrator. I'm very grateful to Yvonne for the time she spent training me and for the congregation members who have stopped by to wish me well. Everyone has made me feel comfortable in my new job, and although no one can replace Yvonne, I'm confident I'll succeed in my new position!
With my addition, there will be slight changes to the office hours starting August 21. See the new hours below:
Monday - Thursday: 9:00am - noon, 1:00pm - 4:00pm
Friday: Office will be closed
Though the office will be closed on Fridays, the building will remain open for those who need to use the space. Please call the office if you'd wish to use the church building on a Friday.
Thank you again for the warm welcome. I look forward to serving the church!
Kristen Deadwyler
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PLEASE REMEMBER TO CONTINUE
TO SUPPORT OUR MINISTRIES
You can give by one of the following:
1. You can mail your check to the church office at 600 Wilshire Blvd., Stevens Point, WI 54481
2. You can use ACH. If you don’t have that set up & would like to, please contact the church office (715/344-3557) and we will help you with that or email us at finance@stevenspointumc.org.
3. You can use Bill Pay through your bank. This is a free service through your bank. They draw the money from your bank account and send the church a check as you direct them to, whether that be weekly or monthly. This way would save you on postage.
4. You can go to our website www.stevenspointumc.org and there is a button that says “Donate”. That will take you through the steps to use your credit or debit card. If you continue down on that page, you can also text on your phone to give.
Our Director of Finance is Ardis Burke. If you have any questions or problems, please let us know at finance@stevenspointumc.org or 715/344-3557.
PLEASE NOTE: Ardis’ office hours will be Monday and Wednesday 11:00am – 2:00 pm.
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LOOSE COINS
The Loose Coin Offering for August is in support of One Big Tent. The money collected will help our neighbors in need. Be sure to label your envelope so your coins/currency will be deposited into the correct account. If you are submitting a check, please write "One Big Tent" in the memo portion of the check. Thank you for supporting this important ministry. See the article below for more information on One Big Tent.
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SENIOR TIME BY SENIORS
Please consider joining this group. They meet on the first and third Tuesdays of each month at 11:00 am. Bag lunch at noon. Discussions are wide ranged. If you have a particular request, we’ll do our best to work it into a session. The next meeting will be on September 5.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact:
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NEEDED: Would you like to recycle your empty prescription bottles to a good cause? Just rinse and remove labels and deposit them in the box in front of the office. Ghana Clinic LOVES them!
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VISITATION
One of the responsibilities, among many, that I take very seriously as a pastor is visitation. I consider it a sacred time to visit someone in the hospital, nursing home, or in their own home. It is time where I can get to know someone better and really talk about spiritual issues one on one.
Please let me know if you have gone into the hospital, are in need of a home visit, or what your specific needs are that I can help you with. I’m also willing to bring communion to any of my visits.
I want you all to know that I am here for you. If you are struggling, need to talk, or have
any need whatsoever for a pastoral visit please call me on my cell phone (262-388-4635), at the office (715-344-3557), e-mail me ( tobrien@stevenspointumc.org ) write me a note (600 Wilshire Blvd), or mark that you would like a visit on one of the attendance cards in the pew on Sunday morning.
I will continue to make visitation my top priority and continue to respond to every request as quickly as possible. It is an honor to be here as your pastor and I’m committed to being here for you as a pastoral presence representing the Good News of Jesus Christ that gives us hope and heals us all.
Pastor Tim
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SPIRITUAL FORMATION TEAM
Spiritual formation is growing and being formed in our faith. It is becoming more and more like the image of Jesus we reflect to our world. This happens in many ways through prayer, Bible study, small group discussion, retreats, devotionals and many other ways. As part of our Revitalization Plan we would like to form a new team that would lead us on the journey of growing in our faith. Some of the tasks of this new team would include:
- Developing a Discipleship Pathway for our church community as the guiding resource to help people grow deeper in their faith.
- Working with the Worship Team to utilize the labyrinth during Advent/Lent/Other times.
- Developing spiritual formation retreats – speakers, authors, musicians, etc.
- Assessing interest and offering training to begin small groups – for families – men’s small group – women’s small group – topical small groups.
- Offering resources to equip people to discuss Jesus out in the community.
- Encouraging and providing resources to groups/ministries that meet or use the building, and to incorporate a time of spiritual formation in their agenda
- Producing bi-monthly programs in the Plover area focusing on faith and life. Examples: worship for seniors who are in care facilities, outreach to ethnic groups, a program featuring a speaker with a faithful message, etc.
If you are interested in serving on this team, please talk with Pastor Tim.
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REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT TEAM UPDATE
Our Refugee Resettlement Team, which is a combined team of our congregation with Good Shepherd Lutheran church and members of our community, is continuing to work with the Bipendu family who are from the Democratic Republic of Congo. This family is a single mother with six children from ages 6 to 17 and they have been a joy to get to know. They have been joining us in worship on a regular basis so I hope you have introduced yourselves to them. The mom of the family just got a job with Metro Market, which is great news. The kids will be starting school soon and we are trying to get them involved in some Fall sports.
We will continue to work with the family in six areas:
• Housing and welcome
• Transportation
• Health
• Education
• Cultural adjustment
• Jobs and finance
Our goal is to help this family move towards being self-sufficient. We could always use
more help so if you are interested please talking with Pastor Tim or Mary Schultz who are the team coordinators. If you would like to make a financial contribution to support our refugee family that would be appreciated. Please put Refugee Help on the memo line of your check.
Please continue to pray for our new family and all the refugee families in our area they are working hard to adjust and make a new life in our community.
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ITEMS NEEDED FOR REFUGEE FAMILIES
Please bring items to Rooms D/E in the Discovery Zone and place on tables in front of the table signs.
Shampoo/Conditioner
Ethnic shampoo/Ethnic conditioner- for our African families
Body Wash for shower
Hand Soap
Laundry Detergent
Bleach
Dryer Sheets (Not bleach dryer sheets)
Dish Soap
Cleaning Supplies
Paper Towel
Toilet Paper
Diapers- size 4
Baby Wipes
Pillows
Twin Sheets
Plastic Bags (garbage/food size)
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KWIK TRIP CARDS
Our fundraising program will be changed. Kwik Trip is selling a new Grocery Only, used in the store card that will give us 15% back for Holiday Baskets.
Regular and Fuel Only cards will still be offered at 5% profit for us. You can continue to use your gas card in the store also.
If you normally buy grocery or snack items at Kwik Trip, we suggest you buy the Grocery Only as we will raise money faster for Holiday Baskets. Thank you for helping us with this mission. As always, you receive 100% of your purchased card to spend.
We are grateful for church members who have purchased Gas Only cards for people in need in our community who come to our church for help. You can buy a $10 card to help others by giving that money to Yvonne in the office or Cathy. Then the cards are ordered.
You may purchase your Gas or Grocery cards in the office or contact Cathy Martin, 715-340-8426 or jcmartin@charter.net for assistance.
Thank you for your giving.
Helping others on a mission,
Mary Martha Circle
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FUEL ONLY GAS CARDS
We give $10 gas cards to people who need help getting to a doctor’s appointment, job interview, etc. If you would like to donate toward gas cards that are given to those in need, please write “Gas Cards” in the memo section of your check payable to “UMC.”
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ONE BIG TENT
“Connecting the church to the community through the love of God”
One Big Tent, our joint ministry of area congregations reaching out to our neighbors in need, continues to grow as we are helping more people out of our offices (1039b B Ellis St.) in
downtown Stevens Point.
One our neighbors we have been helping is a very complex situation. They are a brother and sister who are currently homeless dealing with mental health, addiction and disability issues. They are very well known to all the agencies that offer help to our neighbors and unfortunately they have made some unhealthy choices. Like many of those who we help in the homeless community, they come with big problems that don’t have easy answers. For example, people become and stay homeless for a variety of reasons like lack of affordable housing, low paying jobs, and a lack of mental health and addiction resources to name just a few. The way we are helping them is to be a safe place where they can come for a shower, charge their phones, and have conversation to help them sort through the issues they are facing on that day. They are also taking advantage of our newest ministry, Laundry Love, to get their clothes clean.
I wish I could say that this situation is unique, however, we work with lots of people who are struggling with many difficult long term issues. The power of this ministry is the way we can help people in small ways by having an open heart and a willingness to listen. This is why this ministry exists so that we can build relationships with those who come for help as we listen to their stories and walk with them in their need. We also work hard to connect them with local non-profit agencies and community resources/information that already exist to support people
when they are struggling.
I would like to ask for your continued support of this important ministry in our community in the following ways:
1) Please pray for those in need as we work with them and for the companions and clergy
who give their time to help find solutions.
2) Consider if you would like to be a companion talking with and working with people to
help them. We offer training and only ask people to volunteer for a 3-4 hour shift once a
week. Also, we pair you with a clergy person who is there to support you. For example, I
(Pastor Tim) volunteer every Wednesday with a member from Beloved Community from
8:00 a.m. to Noon. If you are interested, please talk with Pastor Tim.
3) Consider being a member of our One Big Tent Board as a representative of our
congregation helping to guide our organization. This board meets on the fourth Thursday
of every month at 5:15 p.m. here at our church.
4) When it is appropriate, we do provide financial support to help with rent assistance, car
repair, buying medicines, etc. We work with people to identify what they can contribute
and we make up the difference with what they owe. We could use your financial support
to help us meet these needs. If you would like to make a financial contribution, please
make the check out to our church and put, “One Big Tent” in the memo line.
Thank you for your prayerful and generous support of this important ministry to make God’s love real to all our neighbors.
Pastor Tim
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BROWN PAPER BAGS
Operation Bootstrap is in need of brown paper bags. If you have any you would like to donate, please bring them to the church and place in the south coatroom. If you have any questions, please call the church office (715/344-3557).
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FAIR TRADE COFFEE SALE
You can find all Fair Trade products in the church office. Call the church office (715/344-3557) if you would like an item pulled for you and placed in the church exchange box outside of the church building for you to pick up.
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WAYS TO HELP
We are all looking for ways to share God's love. Here are some samples of things you can do:
Interfaith Food Pantry – We have the grocery cart in between the entrance doors on the south side (school side), Monday through Thursday, 9am-3pm. Here is a list of their urgent needs: Canned Fruit, Canned Vegetables, Cereal, Pasta, Pasta Sauce, Peanut Butter and Jelly.
Call church people or neighbors – Just a friendly phone call can make someone’s day.
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St. Paul’s-The Springs UMC
600 Wilshire Blvd
Stevens Point, WI 54481
(715/344-3557)
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Campus Ministry - UWSP
Stevens Point, WI 54481
(715/340-4523)
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