St. Paul's News April 2002

2002

CHURCH WIDE CLEANING DAY

SUNDAY, APRIL 7, 2002

Come wear your work clothes to church

Sandwich fixin's will be furnished for lunch

Everyone is invited to come help us

Spruce up our church

Thanks to all who worked and contributed to make the Vacation Bible School fund raiser a success. We raised $655 to help towards buying materials for our 2002 VBS.

Daylight-Savings Time begins

April 7, 2002

The following is an excerpt from the Oklahoma Conference United Methodist Women newsletter:

LINENS

The call is out for new linens of all types. Our mission institutions supply clients with the things necessary to set up homemaking or begin again. This year the Oklahoma Conference United Methodist Women have the opportunity to help a young family, a single mother or perhaps grandparents have new linens for every room of the house.

KITCHEN - dish towels, hand towels, hot pads, dish rags

DINING ROOM - napkins (kitchen utility towels make great napkins for everyday)

BATHROOM - wash cloths, hand towels, BIG towels, bath sheets

BEDROOM - sheets (crib, twin, full or queen/percale or flannel), blankets, pillows, pillow cases, comforters, bedspreads

LIVING ROOM - throws, lap robes, afghans

GARAGE - utility towels, rags

The thought was to allow everyone to have a help in this worthwhile project. Just bring your items to the church - a box is set up to receive them.

Three Ways God answers prayers

1. Yes. I think your request can be arranged.

2. No. I have something better in mind for you. Your request would only make things worse.

3. Wait awhile. Some things take time and patience. Accept the promise that all things work together for good for those who love Me. Check Romans 8:28.

(copied from The Newsletter Newsletter)

United Methodist Women

Thursday, April 4, 2002

12:00 p.m.

Fellowship Hall

Easter Program:

Courageous Seekers of Shalom

Hostesses: Melva Ellis

And Helen Patterson

Bring bathroom linens for

UMW District Project

Peggy Duncan Circle News

Peggy Duncan Circle met at the home of Carolyn Garrett on March 21st with 12 members present. A devotion entitled Beekeeper from Daily Guideposts was given by Linda Warren. Beda Rowley did a study lesson entitled A Palm Full of Mercy. Refreshments were served . Carolyn's house was decorated with Easter Decor. Our next meeting will be April 18th.

Just a friendly hello

Or maybe a smile

Can take a dark day

And make it worthwhile.

Barbara Roller, Secretary

Easter Sunrise Service

Okemah Lake at JC point

6:00 am

(weather permitting)

Hope Circle News

Members of Hope Circle met on Monday night, March 24. In discussion we decided to put a tithe of all monies made into the General Fund quarterly. Plans were made to sell Okemah afghans and cookbooks on Saturday during Pioneer Days.

It was announced that there would be a church wide cleaning day of the church on Sunday, April 7, following worship. A sandwich lunch will be provided. Secret prayer pals were exchanged for the year.

Sally Wood gave a devotional thought from Barbara Johnson's book, "Joy for a Woman's Soul". Elayne Evans led the study and discussion of our new study book, "The Christ-Centered Woman". If this book sounds interesting to you we would cordially invite you to come join us on the third Monday evening of every month. Our meeting ended with listing those who needed our prayers.

Nancy Davault, Secretary

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? Does anyone have any ideas for fund-raisers to help send our youth and kids to camp this summer?? We are open to suggestions!

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The following article was taken from the 2002 Connectional Ministries Guide:

Apportionments based on Formula

"The world is my parish," John Wesley - the father of Methodism - said. And as United Methodists the world is our parish too.

Regardless of the size and location of your local United Methodist Church, it not only ministers to your congregation and community, it reaches out to the world, reflecting God's love to all kinds of people in all kinds of places with all kinds of needs.

Fulfilling the mission God has given us obviously requires money. And the money comes through local churches, including yours. Each church in the conference is given apportionments.

To make sure the apportionments are distributed as fairly as possible, a formula is used. The formula compares what your church paid with the total of what all churches in the conference paid on certain items for the past three years.

The items are: base compensation for pastors and associates; utilities and other housing related allowances for pastors and associates; travel allowance for pastors and associates; other cash allowances to pastors and associates; total compensation for diaconal ministers; other staff compensation; current expenses for programming; and other current operating expenses not included in the programming.

The total that all the churches in the conference paid for these items is divided into the total that your church paid for the same items. This produces your church's decimal. Then each item in the conference's budget is multiplied by your decimal to determine your church's fair portion - apportionment.

Your church's apportionments are based on what you spend for yourself in your local church. It is not based on your membership or capital expansion.

I will be loyal to the United Methodist Church and support it with my prayers, presence, gifts and services.

Men's Prayer Breakfast

Saturday, April 20, 2002

7:30 a.m.

Fellowship Hall

If you have not already turned in your UMMen Survey, please do so as soon as possible. The results of the survey will be made available at the breakfast.

Please pray for:

Carol

McKinleigh

Bill

Lloyd

Bob & Linda's granddaughter, Amber

Zada

Sarah

Polly

Aileen

Chandler

Betty

Ivan (Rita's Dad)

Lavon (Vicki's Mother-in-law)

Elma

Cynthia

LOGOS children & teachers

Youth Exploring Membership

Our presence:

Sunday School thru March 24 57

Morning Worship thru March 24 79

Gifts:

Received thus far in March $10,919.74

Expenses for March $11,841.36 Balance on hand 3-27-2002 4.72

Our Services:

Kenneth Lowery for buying the coffee for this month.

All those who contributed to our Amateur Night to make it a fun time for all.

Cavenotes …

The first time I looked at the weather prediction for this Easter, there was a bright sun on Sunday. Now the prediction has changed with an ominous dark cloud, lightning and rain replacing the bright sun. I do not think the sunrise service at the lake on Easter Sunday morning will be near as much fun in a cold drizzle or a loud thunder storm as it has been the past few years in the bright sun.

I started wondering about the day of resurrection, we might say the first Easter. What was the weather like that day? Was it a bright sunny day? That is what I have always imagined. That is the kind of day that fits the Easter message. Is that not one of the reasons we like being at the lake and seeing the sun rise over the eastern horizon? Our surroundings remind us of the women who "on the first day of the week, while it was still dark went to the tomb." And it reminds us that "the light shines in the darkness." A bright sunlit day is the kind I would have picked and surely God would have picked that as well.

What if the day was rainy? I remember a sunrise service with only three of us attending in the middle of a thunder storm with driving rain so loud that I could not even hear myself speaking. Maybe that is why only a few of the women and none of the men would go to the tomb at first. Maybe it why the guards were gone. Maybe that is why Mary could not recognize Jesus. Maybe it was raining.

Our warm feelings and sentimental pictures of Easter morning may depend on a bright sunny day. Surely the resurrection does not depend on a weather report, does it?

Grace and peace,

Don

Help wanted:

Web Master for our church's web site. You need Internet access to be able to do this. Contact Don Lehman for more information.

Audio Tech to operate the sound system during worship services. In service training provided. Contact Don Lehman for more information.

Know a good clean joke?

Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947), a brilliant philosopher and mathematician, once said, "I have always noticed that deeply and truly religious persons are fond of a joke, and I am suspicious of those who aren't."

Did you hear about the Christian woman who was reluctant to exercise? She said, "If God wanted me to touch my toes, He would have put them on my knees."

Recall Erma Bombeck's prayer: "God, if you can't make me thin, then make my friends fat."

The trouble with the fellow who snores in church is that he wakes up everybody else.

When the sometimes controversial preacher, Henry ward Beecher (1813-1887), was a pastor in Brooklyn, New York, he received a letter with two words on it" "April Fool." Immediately, Beecher wrote a letter to a New York newspaper describing the letter he had received and then commented, "I have heard of men who wrote letters and forgot to sign their name, but never before met a case in which a man signed his name and forgot to write the letter."

(Copied from The Newsletter Newsletter)

Signs of Inner Peace

1. An ability to enjoy each moment.

2. Frequent episodes of appreciation.

3. A loss of interest in judging other people.

4. Frequent attacks of smiling.

5. Accepting the love extended by others.

—Author unknown, found in The Old Apple Tree

Finance Committee Members: because the month ends on Sunday, Finance reports for the meeting on the 3rd will be available on Monday, April 1st.

The Agenda and reports for the Church Council will be available on Sunday before the meeting on Monday, April 8th.

Would you like to sponsor a child for this summer's church camp? Please let us know in the church office.

Free Parenting Classes