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St. Paul United Methodist ChurchJournal This page contains occasional entries about St Paul UMC,
Methodism, or Christianity in general. Check back here for newly posted
entries. A You Tube Video of Alison Krauss singing "A Living Prayer": Just because . . . Rocky Mountain United Methodist Annual Conference, June 24, 2008: It must be June because the annual church conference takes place this month. The UMC is broken into geographical regions called conferences, and each year the conference holds a conference where clergy and lay representatives meet to discuss and vote on business and policy matters. This year's meeting was held in Denver, where most of them are held. The Rocky Mountain Conference covers the entire states of Colorado and Utah, and the lower half of Wyoming, and most of the largest churches are located in the Front Range communities of Colorado. In contrast, out here in Utah United Methodists are much sparser in number, so we end up traveling to Denver for the conference. The website for the conference is http://www.rmcumc.org/ , and you can visit the link to find out more about the conference and the conference. United Methodist General Conference, April 26, 2008: Once every four years the United Methodist Church has a denomination-wide conference called General Conference. Delegates from all over the world convene in one location to do the policy and legislative work of the church. I bring this up because it is going on at the moment in Fort Worth, Texas. Unlike some other denominations, United Methodists do not have one, or even several persons in charge of making policy and theology. The thousand or so delegates to the General Conference, composed of equal numbers of clergypersons and lay persons, make the theological and policy decisions in much the same way as a legislature makes laws - by debating, lobbying, and voting. Because of the importance of the decisions that affect United Methodists world wide, the Conference is subject to a lot of scrutiny by interested members and others in the Christian community. It even occasionally attracts the attention of the news media, especially when the Conference deals with hot button issues like, say, gay marriage. If you would like to find out what is going on at General Conference, please click on this link to access the General Conference web site. Josh Groban - Ave Maria, March 30, 2008
Easter Sunday, March 23, 2008: St Paul UMC is honored to welcome Sotto Voce, the acapella quartet, to be a part of our Easter worship service at 11:00 am. If you have heard Sotto Voce sing, you know what a treat is it. Don't miss the chance to hear them sing and to worship the risen Christ! Good Friday, March 21, 2008: St Paul will have a Good Friday service at 7:30 p.m. The service will feature Scripture readings of the lasst words of Christ before he died, and a selection of traditional Good Friday hymns. Please join us to remember the crucifixion of our Savior. Crusader, March 16, 2008: Last Sunday, St. Paul hosted a representative from the Campus Crusade for Christ http://utahcru.com/ She told the congregation about the work they are doing at Utah colleges and universities as well as around the country. I've got Photos (Part 3) , January 21, 2008: Here are ten pictures taken at the Sotto Voce and Wesley Bell Ringers concerts back around Christmas. For more info on the concerts, just scroll down the page some.           I've got Photos (Part 2) , January 21, 2008: It took a snowy Martin Luther King jr. holiday to give me time to do some more photos for the Journal. Here are three from Wayne and Iris's wedding back at the end of July. (Yes, it has been that long.)   
I've got Photos, January 7, 2008: I have been meaning to put some photos on the web site showing the various goings on here at St. Paul, but have never found time until now. The first three photos show the plumbers replacing the water pipes in the basement. You may recall my Journal entry from last summer about our pipes breaking and flooding the basement (see Disaster Strikes, June 3, 2007: below). We decided to replace all the exposed water piping to prevent a repeat. (Most of the water piping was originally installed on the walls rather than in the walls.) After some generous donations by members and friends, we got the nice fellows at Dave Passey Plumbing to do the job in October. Also in October, Pastor Carol performed the wedding of Eric and Katie at a reception center in Draper. The bottom two photos show Carol performing the wedding ceremony and being escorted by the father of the groom. Belated congratulations to the bride and groom and their families.     
Christmas in Copperton, December 17, 2007: I mentioned the Christmas in Copperton celebration below in conjunction with the other activities at St. Paul in December. I just got a link to the website of Anderson Photographic Services. David Anderson took photographs of the celebration and the decorations that Copperton residents put in their yards and on their houses this Christmas, and posted them here. He is selling copies of the pictures if you are interested. I noticed two pictures of Pastor Carol. From the website: "On December 17, 2007, Copperton had its second annual Christmas celebration. All 3 churches joined together to make this a festive event. The children performed the Nativity play, and we remembered our veterans with Russell Ray introducing the veterans that were there with us. We heard some of the history of Copperton, and Rob Lannie wrote and sang a song called "Copperton, My Hometown". It was most inspiring. There were lots of tasty goodies afterwards. At 8:15 PM the National Guard did a fly over with their helicopter." Epiphany, January 6: Epiphany, meaning 'appearance' or 'manifestation', is a Christian feast intended to celebrate the "shining forth" or revelation of God to mankind in human form, in the person of Jesus. Some Christians commemorate the visitation of the Magi (Wise Men, We Three Kings) to the child Jesus on this day, while others use the day to commemorate the baptism of Jesus as an adult. January 6 was set by Christians as the date of Epiphany as early as the year 361, or maybe even before. Epiphany is the traditional end of the twelve days of Christmas, which by the way, begins on Christmas rather than ends on Christmas. If you are interested in knowing more about Epiphany, click on this link to Wikipedia. Christmas Day, 2007: A lot has happened in the last month at St Paul, and I'm just now writing about it. Because we have been busy. Between family, work, and church activities, December has been a total frenzy. Where to start?
Thanksgiving, November 22, 2007: What do you do for Thanksgiving? I'm talking about the verb thanksgiving, not the noun Thanksgiving. According to Wikipedia "Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day, is a traditional North American holiday to give thanks at the conclusion of the harvest season. Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States and on the second Monday of October in Canada." Wikipedia is referring to the noun rather than the verb. The thing rather than the action. Most Americans have a traditional dinner with family and friends on Thanksgiving, and maybe watch some sports, or play with the grandkids. Or maybe scan the paper for good sale on Friday and get out the Christmas decorations. But how many of us actually give thanks? And if we do, how do we give thanks? One way to give thanks is to say a prayer thanking God for all the thing we have gotten in the last year, and all the good things that have happened to us and the ones we love. I would say that is a good thing - a first step, but only the first step. Thanksgiving is a verb too, and a verb denotes action. So to me, true thanksgiving, means doing something. Did you donate a turkey to the food bank? Did you invite someone living alone to eat dinner with you? Slip a dollar into the Salvation Army kettle in front of the store? Then you doing thanksgiving, the verb. We all need to be reminded that our hands are the only hands that God has on earth, our money is the only money that God has on this earth, and that we are the only Bible that some people will ever read. Happy Thanksgiving! Sharing our Building, November 21, 2007: For the last couple of weeks, St. Paul has been sharing our building with a group of Adventists who needed a place to worship. It has worked out well so far because they do their thing on Saturdays, and we do our thing on Sundays. It is good to have the building used more, and we are looking forward to learning more about them as they learn more about us. Wesley Bell Ringers, Nov. 1, 2007: The latest St. Paul newsletter is on the website and one of the events we are proud to host is a concert in December is a concert by the Wesley Bell Ringers of Christ UMC in Salt Lake City. For 40 years the nationally acclaimed Wesley Bell Ringers (grades 9-12) have provided ministry through music to our congregation and community. The Bell Ringers go on tour every summer to different regions of the U.S. or Canada. They have rung their way through all 50 states and most Canadian provinces. They perform monthly in church and extensively along the Wasatch Front. The group generates funds for the tour through fundraising events throughout the year. (from the Christ UMC web site)Any donations we collect at the concert will go toward replacing the flooring in the basement multipurpose room. The linoleum on the floor is original to the church and is in pretty bad shape. And that was before the water pipe breakage last summer (see Disaster Strikes, June 3, 2007: entry below) caused many of the tiles to pop loose. Also in December, Sotto Voce, the acapella group that has performed several times at St. Paul will host another program of seasonal music. As with their concert last December, money and donations of pet supplies are requested. The donated money and supplies will go toward the care and feeding of the pets of AIDS victims in the local area. (See Journal entry from December, 2006 for more information.) We are proud and honored to host both the Wesley Bell Ringers and Sotto Voce, and hope that both concerts are full houses. Needless to say, the public is welcome. Nothing but Nets, October 2, 2007: St Paul is joining other United Methodist Churches in the Rocky Mountain Conference to raise money for the Nothing But Nets campaign to purchase mosquito nets for people in areas of the world plagued by malaria. So far, we have collected about $200, which will buy 20 nets. From the Nothing but Nets website: "Malaria is a disease caused by the blood parasite Plasmodium, which is transmitted by mosquitoes. Infected humans experience flu-like symptoms that can result in coma and death. Malaria, from the Medieval Italian words mala aria or “bad air,” infects more than 500 million people a year and kills more than a million— one person dies about every 30 seconds. The disease is particularly devastating in Africa, where it is a leading killer of children. In addition to being home to the deadliest strain of malaria and the mosquito best equipped to transmit the disease, many areas in Africa lack the proper infrastructure and resources to fight back. The disease is a self-perpetuating problem with large-scale impact on societies and economies. Malaria accounts for up to half of all hospital admissions and outpatient visits in Africa. In addition to the burden on the health system, malaria illness and death cost Africa approximately $12 billion a year in lost productivity. The effects permeate almost every sector. Malaria increases school absenteeism, decreases tourism, inhibits foreign investment, and even affects the type of crops that are grown." Please consider donating to this worthwhile cause, either through St. Paul or from the website. Refrigerated Air, August 13, 2007: There was a time in America when the words "Refrigerated Air" were a common sight on signs of motels, movie theaters, even restaurants. (Picture below courtesy of James Lilek's blog). 
In the old days, and I'm dating myself to a certain extent, refrigerated air, or air conditioning as we call it today, was a luxury item. Especially in the southern part of the U.S. where summers are long, hot, and muggy. Back then, most people had fans, and some had swamp coolers - but swamp coolers don't work very well in humid parts of the country. Only rich folks had refrigerated air, so movie theaters, restaurants, and motels advertised refrigerated air to a perspiring cleintele anxious to spend some time out of the sweltering heat. I remember from my childhood in Oklahoma seeing the signs on various businesses. My favorite signs had the letters covered in snow with icicles dripping off of them to emphasize the cool aspect of "Refrigerated Air". Since it was first built as a Army chapel in the 1940s, St. Paul has not had refrigerated air. We have fans - ceiling fans - floor-standing oscillating fans - small portable fans, to move the air around. We have also had a swamp cooler or two, that might or might not have been actually used as such in the past, but most certainly collected dust in the back storage rooms. Summer Sundays were kinda hot, and everyone was glad to go downstairs to the cool basement after worship service was done. But this June we finally had the money to install a nice, modern, energy efficient refrigerated air system. It got it's first real workout at the wedding of Iris and Wayne (more info to follow eventually.) The difference is really noticeable. Now I'm looking for a sign with snow and icicles on the letters to put up out front. Crossroads Urban Center Sunday, July 15, 2007: Adam Burgett from Crossroads came to speak at church on Sunday. We took up a collection for Crossroads after his talk. The results:
I checked the Journal page entry from last July to see how that compares to what we dontated then. Here is what I wrote last year:"First, an entire truckload of stuff for the thrift store plus 79 pounds of food. Most of the food items you contributed were put onto empty shelves so they really make a difference. Your generous offering of $110 was also received. You will be pleased to hear that an anonymous donor has matched your offering so your monetary gift ended up being $220." So it look to me like we bested our donation from last year. One of the things that Adam spoke to us about is the Community Food Co-op of Utah, a project of Crossroads. The description on the web site says We are a volunteer-powered, nonprofit food buying network, bringing people together for food, community & savings of up to 50% on high-quality fresh foods. There currently is no organization in Copperton that is a part of the Co-op, and St. Paul is interested in knowing if there is sufficient interest to become involved. If you think you might be interested in having the Community Food Co-op available in Copperton, please contact Pastor Carol at 860-3974. More information is available on the Crossroads Urban Center web pages. Furniture Donation Received, June 29, 2007: St Paul received a donation of twelve wooden benches, two tables, and a desk from the S.K. Hart property management firm. We moved them to the church on the 29th. This will increase the seating in the back of the sanctuary for special events and will be more comfortable than the old folding chairs we have been using. Thanks to Heather and Donna at S. K. Hart for all their help in securing the furniture. Air Conditioner Installed, June 24, 2007: The central air conditioning was installed last week, so now our sanctuary is more livable in the hot summer months. This will be a big improvement when we have a large gathering such as a wedding or concert in the afternoons or early evenings during the summer as the fans we used to use didn't work well in a room full of people. Thanks to everyone whose dontations made the AC possible. Wedding Pictures from May: Pastor Carol officiates at Julie and Brad's wedding in the family back yard.    
Disaster Strikes, June 3, 2007: We got to church to find that one of the water pipes in the basement had ruptured and was spraying water. It was a deluge of seemingly biblical proportions. Our historical church building has historical plumbing as well, and one of the old galvanized iron water pipes had rusted through and split open. A bookshelf full of books was drenched and there was an inch of water over most of the basement floor. Our workship service was cut short as the congregation members went to work with mops and shop vacs to clean up the water mess. Pastor Carol held a short communion service to remind us of why we were there. Three hours of work later, we set out fans to dry the basement and all the books were put on tables to dry out. We hope to salvage most of the books, several of which were old Methodist Hymnals. 60th Anniversary/ Historical Register/ Memorial
Walk celebration, June 2, 2007: The 60th anniversary and Historical
Register celebration was a great success. Held Saturday evening in conjunction
with the three church progressive dinner that involved us and the Catholic and
LDS churches, we had a great turnout of well over a hundred folks. Our part of
the dinner was the dessert and we went through three large sheet cakes and
served cookies when the cake was gone. Article about St. Paul 60th anniversary and Historical Register, May 28, 2007: The Salt Lake Tribune has an article about St. Paul in the West Valley Close Up section. Here is the link. (Hurry, the link will rot in a couple of weeks.) Licensing Day, May 6, 2007: Sunday, May 6 was a great day for St. Paul. District Superintendent Glenda Ullmer was here to intall Pastor Carol as a Local Licensed Pastor.  And what better way to celebrate in the Methodist Church but with a pot-luck dinner? 
For those of you who aren't familiar with all the various forms of United Methodist clergy and lay leadership positions, here is a quick primer taken from a brochure called "Certified Lay Minister."
2007 Apportionments Paid!, April 22, 2007: Each United Methodist Church is assessed an annual apportionment to pay for such things as maintining the Conference office, supporting the Bishop and staff, funding national programs and missionary outreach overseas, and various other things. St Paul has been paying it's assesment in monthly installments with the goal to have it totally paid by the end of the year. Pastor Carol challenged us to step out of our comfort zone and commit to paying the entire apportionment now, rather than waiting until the end of the year. So that is what we have done. This is one way we are committing to fully participate and support our United Methodist system of connected churches. It also demonstrates our continued growth and vitality as a church family. (And it just feels good, sort of like paying off an outstanding credit card bill.) One Billion Bulbs, April 23, 2007: We have been gradually changing out the incandescent light bulbs in our church building with compact fluorescent bulbs as a way to keep our electricity bill manageable (as well as reducing the load on our 1940's era wiring system!). There is a website called One Billion Bulbs that is promoting compact fluorescent lights as a way of reducing pollution and saving energy, so I registered the bulbs we have changed out so far on the site. Clicking on the site lets you see what the effect of changing out a bulb is in terms of electricity savings, etc. 60th Anniversary Celebration on June 2, 2007 St Paul will be celebrating our 60th anniversary in our current location and building in a special ceremony to be held June 2. We will also be dedicating the Historical Register plaque. Look here or on the "Upcoming Events" page for additional information as it becomes available. (Posted April 16, 2007.) A Historic Day for St. Paul UMC, March 13, 2007:We got a letter last week from the Utah Board of State History informing us that St. Paul's church building has been placed on the National Historical Register as of February 21, 2007. Visit the Church History page for more info on the building. We plan to get a plaque to put in the church to let everyone know. We are also looking at other things, such as brochures and tours of the building for those that may be interested. Ash Wednesday Service, February 21, 2007 at 7:30 p.m. :There will be a combination Ash Wednesday and healing service at St. Paul at 7:30 p.m. Everyone is welcome to attend. Ash Wednesday is the day after Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras) and marks the beginning of the season ofLent. Lent extends through Good Friday which is April 6th this year, with Easter Sunday on April 8. All the links above go to Wikipedia articles and if you click on all of them you will know a bunch about this season of Christianity. Pie Social, February 19, 2007: Come visit St. Paul on Presidents Day, February 19 from 2 to 6 p.m. for our annual pie social. Enjoy a free piece of pie and something to drink and visit with your friends and neighbors downstairs at the church. A voluntary collection is being taken with the proceeds going to providing something for the service people in Iraq. Update: We raised over $260! Thanks to all who donated and had a piece of pie. Bible Class starting February 18, 2007: Pastor Carol will be leading a class about the Book of Genesis Sunday mornings at 10:00 a.m. downstairs. To accommodate the class, worship is being temporarily moved to 11:00 a.m. Please join us for the class and worship. Article in Salt Lake Tribune - January 24, 2007: Click here to reach the article about our December 17 benefit concert performed by the quartet Sotto Voce. The link will quit working in a couple of weeks, so don't wait. Church Phone - January 7, 2007: We recently disconnected the telephone in the church office. We weren't really getting much use from it since there usually isn't anyone in the office except on weekends. And the phone line or wiring had malfunctioned and wasn't working anyway. The new phone number for St. Paul now is (801) 860-3974, and should provide a faster response than the old fixed phone line, which was mostly just useful for leaving messages. Christmas Eve Service Update - January 7, 2007: We had about 35 folks attend the Christmas Eve candle lighting service, and want to thank everyone, especially the visitors. We heard that several people saw the news report about St. Paul UMC on Fox 13 news, (where they erroneously reported that we were having a 10:30 p.m. Christmas Eve service) and were there at 10:30. We would like to apologize to anyone who was inconvenienced by the mixup and invite you to come again some Sunday morning at 10:00 a.m. We would love to get the chance to know you. Don't worry, the previous Journal entries are still here! - January 1, 2007: I just decided to start a new page with the new year. The Journal page for 2006 and 2005 is here. . |
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