The Observer
The monthly newsletter of
CARONDELET UNITED CHURCH
OF CHRIST
7423 Michigan Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63111
314-353-0607
Website: carondeletucc.org
E-mail: carondeletucc@sbcglobal.net
Sunday School – 9:00 a.m.
Worship – Sundays at 9:00 a.m.
Reverend Brad Urban, Pastor
Reverend Michael Tooley, Minister of
Music
Donna Eime, Church Secretary &
Observer Editor
Office Hours:
Monday – Wednesday,
9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
1
*
This
Christmas,
end a quarrel.
Seek out a forgotten
friend. Dismiss suspicion,
and replace it with trust.
Write a love letter. Share some
treasure. Give a soft answer. Encourage youth. Manifest your loyalty in
word and deed. Keep a promise. Find the
time. Forego a grudge. Forgive an enemy. Listen.
Apologize if you were wrong. Try to understand.
Flout envy. Examine your demands on others. Think
first of someone else. Appreciate. Be kind; be gentle. Laugh
a little. Laugh a little more. Deserve confidence. Take up arms
against malice. Decry complacency. Express your gratitude.
Go to church. Welcome a stranger. Gladden the heart of a
child. Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth. Speak
your love. Speak
it again. Expect a
miracle.
Author anonymous,
but greatly appreciated
2
A message from the Pastor
Perhaps my favorite line among the many wonderful
Christmas carols is the last phrase of the first verse of O Little
Town of Bethlehem.
O little town of Bethlehem, How still we see thee lie!
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars
go by.
Yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting Light;
The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee
tonight.
In our own lives as we look out on what is ahead, we
all know both hope and fear, and we may even see them to
be two sides of the same coin. They are attitudes toward a
future that we cannot see, and in our hum
an imaginations, we could see our futures working out in any
number of ways. Perhaps, we might imagine, the future will
work out well and things will be and will feel o.k. Perhaps, we
also might consider, the future won’t work out in the way we
hope and we will be left scarred, hurt and without courage.
On my life journey, I carry hope and fear together. It’s
usually not one or the other. They are both on the same coin
and that coin can feel kind of heavy sometimes, and frankly
that heaviness can feel frustrating and troublesome. It’s hard
to look out at the future and not know, and to consider how
unsettled the world can sometimes seem to be, it can be
downright scary.
I think the reason I’m so drawn to that last phrase of
this wonderful carol is that it reminds me that Jesus meets me
where I am and meets all of us where we are. He meets our
hopes and our fears on those nights and days when his life of
love, of incomprehensible peace and of a joy that is much
more than mere happiness, is born anew in us. And in those
places where he meets us he reminds us again and again that
he is with us; he loves us; he will give us what we need to find
our way ahead. For me that reminder that he meets us in our
3
hopes and fears gives me the encouragement and strength to
find a way ahead even when I don’t know that way.
In this blessed time of year; upon this blessed and
battered earth, may we know anew the joy of meeting Christ
anew as he is born among us.
Peace and Joy this Advent and Christmastide,
Brad
Join us for our Christmas Eve
candlelight service
Thursday, December 24, at 5:00 p.m.
May God bless you and your family
with a joyous and peaceful Christmas.
From the staff of Carondelet UCC
Pastor Brad Urban
Reverend Michael Tooley
Donna Eime
4
Musings from the Minister of Music
Tragedy has once again brought great sorrow to our world.
As I write this, many of us have been watching the news from
Paris and wondering, “What is this world coming to…”
As I was preparing music for the start of the Advent season, I
remembered two wonderful German hymns written by Philipp
Nicolai. He was a Lutheran pastor who rose through the ranks
because of his powerful preaching. We will never know all the
success of his sermons, but two of his hymns live on in
greatness.
While he was pastor in Westphalia, the plague took 1300 of
his parishioners, mostly in the latter half of 1597, 170 in one
week. To comfort his parishioners, he wrote a series of
meditations which he called Freudenspiegel (Mirror of Joy),
and to this he appended the two hymns. In fact some have
said that one is the King and the other the Queen of German
chorales.
The first hymn is Wake, Awake, for Night Is Flying and the
second O Morning Star, How Fair and Bright.
It is truly amazing that under the daily stress of his life, daily
watching as his parishioners were falling to the plague, that
he could write of such joy.
O Morning Star, how fair and bright thou beamest forth in truth
and light, O Sovereign meek and lowly! Thou Root of Jesse,
David’s Son, my Lord and Master, thou hast won my heart to
serve thee solely! Thou art holy, fair and glorious, all
victorious, rich in blessing, rule and might o’er all possessing.
This German Lutheran pastor wrote both the words and the
music for these great hymns. Be sure to look them up in the
New Century Hymnal.
Rev. Michael Tooley, Minister of Music
5
Excerpts from the
November 2015 Council Meeting Minutes
President Kurt Siegel called the meeting to order. The minutes of
the October meeting were approved as were the reports of the Financial
Secretary and Treasurer.
President’s Report: Kurt Siegel asked for someone to chair the nominating
committee. Ron Wrinkle volunteered.
Pastor’s Report: Brad Urban
 The Missouri Mid-South Conference called its first female
Conference Minister, the Rev. Dr. Geneva (Ginny) Brown Daniel.
 He asked if anyone had heard any comments about the current
distribution method for the Observer. No one was aware of any
complaints.
House Committee:
 Russ reported that the hot water heater is not working. Council will
get bids for replacing it.
 A work day is scheduled for Saturday, December 5 th. They could
use many helpers.
Evangelism: The Free Store served 105 people in November. In case of
trouble with the soda machine, see Sharon Barnes or Cassie Rincker.
Choir: Council expressed thanks to Rev. Michael Tooley for arranging for
the jazz trio to perform at the anniversary dinner.
Elevator Committee: The concrete foundation for the elevator will be
poured November 17. Council looked at samples for the elevator panels
and flooring. Ramp flooring was also discussed. Ron Wrinkle will see that
cushions are altered to fit the 3 pews which have been shortened.
New Business: Kathy Wood reported that there is not enough money to
pay our budgeted benevolences for the year. Council voted to request help
from the Good Samaritan Committee.
Work Day
Saturday, December 5, 8:30 a.m. - ???
We could use some help!!
6
Elevator progress report
If you’ve been around church the last few weeks, you’ve seen
that parts of the building have really changed! As the elevator
and accessibility project continues, our faithful work team from
R.G. Ross Construction is well on the way to completing the
ramp in the front of the church (the ramp is ready for use, by
the way), and the foundation for the elevator has been poured
as the crew will continue over the next few weeks to construct
the pillars that will support the elevator itself. Though a good
portion of the work may be completed in the coming weeks, it
might be until after the start of 2016 before the elevator itself
is on its way to us for installation. We’ll just have to wait and
see on that. Of course, we’ll continue to keep you up to date
on the developments and any information that might impact
how you get around the building during the construction time.
For your information…
Due to the ongoing construction, there will be
very limited holiday decorations and
no Christmas tree this year.
Pairs ‘N Spares serve pancake breakfast
The Pairs ‘N Spares’ will host a pancake breakfast on
December 20 after worship. We will serve all-you-can-eat
pancakes, sausage, scrambled eggs, juice and coffee. Adult
tickets are $5.00; tickets for children 12 and under are $3.00.
7
Babies make a difference
Bret Hart, in his classic short story, “The Luck of
Roaring Camp,” tells about the birth of a baby on the American
frontier – a baby who made a radical change in a rough and
tumble mining camp.
The only woman in the camp, Cherokee Sal, died in
childbirth, leaving this healthy young baby to be raised by the
all-male camp.
They named the baby “Tommy Luck” and kept him in a
clean and whitewashed cabin. A quarantine was imposed on
those who wanted to hold Tommy Luck, so the rough men had
to clean up for the privilege of holding the baby.
Each act of cleanliness led to new measures to keep
the camp clean. Since the baby needed sleep, the camp
became more quiet and dignified, less noisy and boisterous.
The camp was no longer called “Roaring Camp”
because a baby changed the whole atmosphere of the camp.
So it was 2000 years ago in Bethlehem – a babe
changed the atmosphere of all who came to know him.
SHARE THE GOOD NEWS!
Shirley Brethauer, Evangelism Ministry Team
Evangelism Mission Project
From December 6 to 27
we will be collecting
non-perishable food items
for the St. Trinity Food Pantry
and Joint Neighborhood Ministry.
All donations can be put in the bins
downstairs under the coatrack.
8
POINSETTIAS
The Pairs-N-Spares will be selling poinsettias for
memorials and tributes. The cost is $10 each. We will take
orders through December 13th.
Poinsettias will be
displayed in the sanctuary on December 20 and 24.
See Sue Wrinkle to place your orders.
Anniversary dinner financial report
Receipts: $606.00
Expenses: $854.11
Annual Reports are due
NO LATER THAN
SUNDAY, DEC. 27.
Please start on your
report early so that you
can meet this important
deadline.
9
Get in the holiday spirit
The St. Louis County Community Chorus will present
“Everywhere Christmas Tonight.”
 Friday, December 11, at 8 p.m. at the Skip Viragh
Center on the Chaminade campus
 Sunday, December 13, at 3 p.m. at the Keating Center
at Kirkwood High School.
Please contact Pastor Brad or Donna Eime for tickets.
The St. Louis Metro Singers are performing “O Come Let Us
Adore Him.”
 Sunday, November 29, at Southwest Baptist Church,
Tamm and Watson, 7 PM.
 Saturday, December 5, at St. Paul UCC, Columbia, IL,
at 7 PM
 Sunday, December 6, at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic
Church, 3140 Meramec St., 3 PM
 Saturday, December 12, at 7:30 PM, at St. Anselm
Catholic Church, 530 South Mason Road
“Jazz to the World,” free Christmas concert by the Oikos
Ensemble at 2:00 p.m. Sunday, December 13, at First
Congregational UCC, Webster Groves
Christmas Mission Project
New mittens, hats, gloves, scarves and socks for
children and adults may be placed in the box in the
coffee room. Pairs ‘N Spares will deliver your
donations to Gateway Homeless Services and Joint
Neighborhood Ministry.
10
Ecumenical news
The Carondelet Ecumenical Council will sponsor a
birthday party for Jesus on December 12 from 10:00– 11:30
a.m. St. Trinity Lutheran Church will host the celebration.
The annual Martin Luther King, Jr. service will be held
at The Connection, 6701 Virginia, on January 17 at 3:00 p.m.
Refrigerators needed
The large refrigerator in the old carry-out room is no longer
working and cannot be repaired as parts are no longer
available. We are planning to replace it with one or two
household refrigerators. If anyone has a refrigerator they no
longer need, we would appreciate the donation of their
refrigerator.
Memorials and Tributes
IN MEMORY
OF…
DONOR
FUND
Kermit Winter
The Streibs
General
IN HONOR OF…
DONOR
FUND
The 3 men who lead
our church:
Pastor Brad Urban,
Rev. Michael Tooley,
and Kurt Siegel
Don Hudson
Free Store
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All men are invited to attend the annual
Men’s Brotherhood Christmas Dinner
December 5th at 6:00 p.m.
Pietro’s Restaurant on Watson Road.
Reservation deadline is Nov. 29.
Free Store news
We served 105 people this month and have moved
almost all our surplus clothing and other items to our new
location. This month the clothing racks will be moved.
If at any time the soda machine will not take dollar bills,
please come and see me or Cassie Rincker. It just means
that the machine is full of dollars. Cassie or I will be glad to
empty it so more bills can be used.
Blessings for the month,
Sharon Barnes and the Free Store Crew
Our church attendance
August – 181
September – 153
October – 145
Please join us!
12
Remember Our Shut-ins
If you would like to send holiday greetings to our shut-ins, here
are their addresses:
Elizabeth Bortscheller: Laclede Groves, 705 S. Laclede Station Road, #290,
63119
Harriet Forbes: Riverview Care Center, Room 402, 5500 So. Broadway, 63111
Juanita Grosse: Baisch Nursing Center, Room 115A, 3260 Baisch Drive,
DeSoto, MO 63020
Beth Hentchel: 701 South Laclede Station Road, Apartment G03, 63119
Virginia Rapley: Sherbrooke Village, 4005 Ripa Avenue, 63125
Charles & Marvin Weinreich: 2101 Union Road, 63125
Roy Windhorst: 2230 Pecan Drive, 63125
A note to our Caring Angels:
The upcoming holidays present an excellent
opportunity for contact. Share your love and
concern in this Evangelism Ministry.
Directory update
Alice Jockish: Orchid Terrace, 4474 Butler Hill Road, Room
311, 63128-3635, 314-240-2399 (cell)
13
What’s happening in our community
Join with our brothers and sisters in Christ for food, fun
and fellowship:



“O Come Let Us Adore Him” concert by the St.
Louis Metro Singers – November 29, December 5, 6,
and 12 at various locations
“Everywhere
Christmas
Tonight,”
concert
presented by the St. Louis County Community
Chorus – December 11 at Chaminade and December
13 at Kirkwood High School
“Jazz to the World,” free concert by the Oikos
Ensemble – December 13 at First Congregational
UCC, Webster Groves
See the bulletin board in the coffee room for details.
Dorcas celebrates anniversary
Nine members and 4 guests celebrated the Dorcas
anniversary with good fellowship and a delicious luncheon at
Café Telegraph on November 2.
We also conducted a little business. All the current
officers agreed to serve again next year. We also decided to
postpone the collection of our thank offering until December.
Sandra Hayes, Secretary
Articles are due December 20
for the January Observer.
14
Thank You
A BIG THANK YOU – to the workers who set up and cleaned
on Saturday, to the workers who prepared food and set up in
the kitchen on Sunday morning, and to the workers who
stayed and cleaned up after the anniversary turkey dinner.
Many hands make light work. It was a great dinner.
The Turkey Dinner Coordinators
Christmas Fund offering
will be received December 20
For 107 years, the Christmas Fund (formerly Veterans
of the Cross), has brought Good News to thousands of
individuals and families who have devoted their lives to the
service of our church, often at great personal sacrifice. This
annual offering supports ministries to low-income retired
clergy and lay employees as well as to active clergy facing
unforeseen financial crises.
We invite you to partner in this ministry. Included in
this Observer you will find a Christmas Fund envelope in
which you may enclose a donation for its ministry of helping
provide vital care for those who faithfully serve and minister in
our churches. We will receive this special mission offering
during worship on December 20. Thank you for your
generous support.
Treasurer’s Report
General Fund Receipts
and Expenses
Month of
October
Year-to-date
Receipts – Ourselves
Expenses – Ourselves
$13,516
$6,805
$69,646
$99,426
15
Sunday Morning Volunteers
Date
Ushers
Liturgist
December 6
Communion
Kurt Siegel
George Stealey
Glen Smith
Russ Streib
Don Hudson
Ron Wrinkle
Sharon Coppay
Anna Meppiel
Terri Siegel
Kathy Wood
Kurt Siegel
George Stealey
George
Stealey
Sharon
Barnes
Cassie
Rincker
December 13
December 20
December 27
January 3
Communion
16
Shirley
Brethauer
Coffee
Hour
Susan Frain
Pat Dooley
Bridgette
Alexander
Anna
Meppiel
Sue Wrinkle