ST. PAUL’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH
NEWSLETTER
P.O. BOX 625
CLAY CENTER, KANSAS 67432
ST. PAUL’S
NEWSLETTER
“CELEBRATE AND GROW WITH US”
HEAD OF THE CHURCH: JESUS CHRIST
Ministers: The Members of the Church
Bishop: The Rt. Rev. Dean Wolfe
Web address: www.episcopalclaycenter.org
________________________________________________________________________
NOVEMBER 2015
VOLUME 33 NO. 11
From the Vestry – Carolyn Garwood, Senior Warden
Count your blessings.
Count your blessings instead of your crosses;
Count your gains instead of your losses.
As you all know, we have sent Mother Lavonne and David off with tears, many
thanks, and God’s blessing for a safe trip back to Massachusetts. Now our work in the world
continues with us. I am reminded of when our mother passed away, there was no one
behind us to share with anymore or ask advice of. We were on our own!
The Diocese will be very important to us as we begin to plan to call a new priest.
The Vestry will be listening to all of you as we begin this journey together. In the meantime,
we need to be thinking of our Stewardship drive for 2016 and our finances for 2016. Bob
Long has accepted this task and will be our Stewardship chairman. Jeff Hixon will help, as
well as others in the parish.
We are blessed with many talented people in this parish and now we must all “step
up to the plate” with one goal in mind—keeping St. Paul’s continuing with it’s service to the
community and to each other as we begin this new transition.
Count your joys instead of your woes;
Count your friends instead of your foes.
Some highlights from the Vestry Meeting on Tuesday, October 20:
1. New duties for stewards Sunday mornings. Stewards assigned for the month will be
responsible for opening the Church in their month, example Jim Beck and Carolyn Garwood
this month. And making sure church is locked and lights and air turned off. This way one
person will not have to be responsible all the time.
Count your smiles instead of your tears;
Count your courage instead of your fears.
2. Second Sunday’s will still be designated Discretionary Fund Sunday’s, so that we will have
funds to help through the winter months if needed.
Count your full years instead of your lean;
Count your kind deeds instead of your mean.
3. November 29, 2015 will be our Stewardship Ingathering. This is the first Sunday of
Advent and new beginnings. Watch your mail for our stewardship letter coming in
November.
Count your health instead of your wealth;
Count on God instead of yourself.
4. Bids have been received for tower painting, which are significant, but necessary for
upkeep, and will probably be done first of year. Vestry will look at this again next month, so
please keep this in mind when preparing your pledge for 2016.
EVENTS FOR NOVEMBER
NOVEMBER 2015
DATE
TIME/SERVICE ACOLYTES
GREETERS
E.MINISTERS
ALTAR GUILD
11/01
All Saints
10 AM
Holy Eucharist
R.R.Adams
D.Long®
C.Brown ©
J.Hixon®
S.Ruthstrom
G.Ruthstrom
Jacob
Stan
COFFEE HOSTS: Mel & Donna Griggs
Jamie Bloomfield
STEWARDS: Sally Griffiths & Kim Fry
The Rev. Canon Torey Lightcap, Guest celebrant
___________________________________________________________________________________
11/08
Pentecost 24
10 AM
Morning Prayer
Ronda
COFFEE HOSTS: George & Janice Gregory
Jamie Keeler
G.Ruthstrom
B.Long®
R.Lloyd
K.Fry
STEWARDS: Sally Griffiths & Kim Fry
Jim Beck – Lay Message
___________________________________________________________________________________
11/15
Pentecost 25
10 AM
Holy Eucharist
Autumn
COFFEE HOSTS: Don & Carolyn Garwood
John & Deanna Turner
11/22
10 AM
Christ the King Morning Prayer
Lanie
A.Adams
T.Adams
C.Bloomfield®
G.Griffiths©
G.Beck®
B.Easterberg
A.Tholstrup
STEWARDS: Sally Griffiths & Kim Fry
The Rev. Kay Dagg, Guest celebrant
D.Turner
D.Griggs
B.Long®
D.Long
J.Randle
COFFEE HOSTS: Brenda Easterberg
Anica Tholstrup
STEWARDS: Sally Griffiths & Kim Fry
Carolyn Garwood – Lay Message
11/29
Advent 1
B.Long
10 AM
Holy Eucharist
Stan
COFFEE HOSTS: Gary & Sally Griffiths
Stuart Griffiths
Brian Bauer & Bobbi Patterson
S.Griffiths®
D.Griggs©
L.Mulroney®
S.Ruthstrom
G.Ruthstrom
STEWARDS: Sally Griffiths & Kim Fry
The Rev. Art Rathbun, Guest celebrant
______________________________________________________________________________________
Sunday, November 1st: The Rev. Canon Torey Lightcap will be our Guest celebrant at the
10 AM Eucharist. This is All Saints Sunday and those who have died this past year will be
remembered.
Monday, November 2nd: Kid’s in the Kitchen, 4-5:30 PM.
Wednesday, November 4th: Choir Practice, 5:30 PM.
Thursday, November 12th: Diabetes program, 5:30-8:30 PM. We need 2 volunteers to
assist the teacher in the class.
Sunday, November 15th: The Rev. Kay Dagg will be our Guest celebrant at the 10 AM
Eucharist.
Tuesday, November 17th: Vestry Meeting, 6:30 PM.
Wednesday, November 18th: Mobile Food Pantry at Shopko parking lot at Noon.
Choir Practice, 5:30 PM.
Deadline for December Newsletter.
Monday, November 23rd: Senior Commodities distribution, 1-3 PM
Sunday, November 29th: The Rev. Art Rathbun will be our Guest celebrant at the 10 AM
Eucharist.
Stewardship Ingathering.
A Prayer for Thanksgiving
Merciful and generous Lord, you open your loving hands and bless us
abundantly every day of our lives. Even when we go through dark times---suffering,
sorrow, pain, desperation—you assure us that your loving, everlasting arms will not
let us go. How generous are all your benefits, how supportive, how comforting to
experience.
Today we join with “the great cloud of witnesses” who once praised you on
Earth and now glorify you in heaven, offering our deepest gratitude for all the gifts
you so generously give.
Accept then our thanksgiving for your love, your grace and all the blessings
you bestow on us daily. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Report on Food Programs and Outreach – Donna Long
Kid’s in the Kitchen, a four week program, started on Monday, October
12 from 4:00-5:30 with 10 4th and 5th grade children, 2 instructors from
Harvesters, and Donna Long, Mary Bradfield and Sonia Cooper volunteer
teacher’s assistants in attendance. It was a great time! The lesson was about
Farmer’s Markets and an activity had the children, in small groups, make signs
for what they would sell at the market. Then we all went to the kitchen to
make a strawberry-mint drink that was healthy and very good. The kids
enjoyed the hands-on kitchen work, followed a recipe and learned about using
fresh herbs. It was great for me seeing young people at work, learning in our
basement class area and kitchen. This is an opportunity for families to see our
facility and benefit from our program.
The Diabetes program will be November 12 from 5:30-8:30. We need at
least 2 volunteers to assist the teacher in this class. Please contact me if you can
help.
St. Paul’s is fortunate to have been selected to have an intern from KState Social Work Program staring in January, 2016, to help us get a Help
Center started. Taylor will serve under Stuart Griffiths as supervisor and will
have at least weekly contact with Cherie Birkbeck, a retired social worker who
has agreed to assist with the program, which will involve helping Clay County
residents who are unemployed find employment and finding out from
employers what they need in skills and work habits. A resource listing will be
developed of programs already in place in the County to assist persons in
seeking employment. From that, we’ll determine what’s needed and what St.
Paul’s is able to provide. Anyone interested in helping with this program,
please let me know. I promise, there’s no heavy lifting involved in this
program!
This is Mother Lavonne and Dave’s new address:
26 Summerfield Drive
Uxbridge, MA 01569
Altar Guild – by Donna Long
Since Carolyn Garwood has become Senior Warden until the next
Annual Meeting, I have agreed to serve in her place on altar guild and as
Director until then as well.
We need to schedule a good cleaning before Thanksgiving and Christmas
so I’ve scheduled the weekend of November 20-21 and will have a to-do list
posted on the altar guild bulletin board. Altar Guild members can pick the time
they’d like to clean and just initial and cross off the job they have done. I will
be at the church on Saturday, November 21, 2015 at 10 AM with donuts and
coffee and Joan Randle and I will plan to set up for Thanksgiving then, after
cleaning. Any and all are welcome then, if the time suits.
Also, Altar guild members, please let me know if you’ll be available to set
up for Christmas Eve services at 1:30 PM on Wednesday afternoon, December
23 or to take down after the service. I’ll schedule volunteers for those times.
I look forward to working with you the next several months!
Routinely grateful
When a national day of thanksgiving was established on the fourth
Thursday in November, it was not because that was a particularly thankful day.
It was intentionally chosen precisely because of its arbitrariness to remind us to
say “thanks” on a daily basis for the bounties God has heaped upon our lives.
For Christians, every Sunday is a Thanksgiving feast day. Every Sunday
at worship, we give thanks for the greatest event ever to hit planet Earth, the
greatest “opening” in human history—the open tomb, testifying to Jesus’
resurrection. Every Sunday is Thanksgiving Sunday. Every Sunday dinner is
Thanksgiving dinner.
What we have
When we look at what we want, and then compare that with what we
have, we shall be unhappy.
When we think about what we really deserve, and then compare that
with what we actually have, we shall thank God.
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Clay Center, Kansas
~ November 2015 ~
◄ October 2015
Sun
Mon
Tue
1 Holy Eucharist 10 AM
2 Kid’s in the Kitchen 4-5:30 3 Birthday Donna Long
Adult Sunday School 11:30 PM
8 Morning Prayer 10 AM
9
10
Wed
5 Birthday Sue Caldwell
6
7
11 Birthday Stuart Griffiths
12 Diabetes program
13
14
19
20 Birthday Donna Fuller
21
26 Thanksgiving Day
27 Birthday Barney Rohde
28
16 Birthday Lavonne Seifert 17 Vestry Meeting 6:30 PM 18 Food Pantry at Shopko
Noon
Choir Practice 5:30 PM
Deadline for December
Newsletters
23 Senior Commodities
Adult Sunday School 11:30
29 Holy Eucharist 10 AM
Adult Sunday School 11:30
Sat
5:30-8:30 PM
Adult Sunday School 11:30
22 Morning Prayer 10 AM
Fri
4 Choir Practice 5:30 PM
Adult Sunday School 11:30
Birthday Ethan Lippe
15 Holy Eucharist 10 AM
Dec 2015 ►
Thu
24
1-3 PM
30
Notes:
25