We’ll be receiving new members at St. Paul! If anyone is interested in becoming a member at St. Paul, either by Transfer of Membership or Profession of Faith, please contact one of the pastors.

Quarters for Mission this Sunday will go to the World Hunger/Harvest Home Sunday Offering. Last week $147.00 was given to the Society of St. Andrew. Thanks for all of your support! 

We are truly grateful for all the gifts that were offered in our honor in October for Pastor’s Appreciation Month. From the heart of the St. Paul family, $2,080 was given to help our neighbors in need in the Chambersburg community. It is a joy to be in ministry with you! Together, all of us make a difference!
             Pastors Rick and Lenore 

 WORLD THANK OFFERING 

St. Paul United Methodist Women will be collecting the annual World Thank Offering on November 15 as part of the Affirmation of Stewardship at all three services. The World Thank Offering is an opportunity for personal thanksgiving and mission outreach. Through the years, mission has been the main focus of United Methodist Women and its predecessor organizations. Being in mission is sharing our lives and gifts with others so that all may be whole persons through Jesus Christ.  Mission is creating new persons and a new society as we do away with those things that create barriers or cause separation. Mission is Christ’s challenge to us to bring the possibility for food, shelter, and fulfillment to all of humanity. Please use the specially marked envelopes that will be in the bulletins for November 8 and 15 or note in the memo section of your check that it is for World Thank Offering.  Make checks payable to St. Paul UMW.  

Church Conference – Sunday, November 22  ~  Our Church Conference this year will be a Cluster event.  It will be hosted at Park Avenue UMC, Chambersburg.  All Members of St. Paul are invited and encouraged to attend this time of celebration.  It will begin with a potluck dinner at 5 PM.  Please bring a covered dish to share.  At 6 PM, the Conference will begin with a time of worship, followed by each congregation conducting its own Church Conference business.  We’ll be concluded by 8 PM.  Hope you will join us!

Hanging of the Greens: Please mark your calendars – Saturday, November 28, 2009 at 5:30 p.m. – Hanging of the Greens Festivities. St. Paul will once again begin the Advent Season with the Hanging of the Greens service beginning with dinner (please bring a covered dish to share) in the Family Life center at 5:30 p.m. followed by the Hanging of the Greens service at 7:00 p.m. in the sanctuary.  The service begins with a stark sanctuary but while hearing the Christmas Story and during the singing of Christmas carols transforms into a beautifully decorated room bright with candles, pine, holly, wreaths, and poinsettias. If you plan to attend this wonderful service and would like to participate in the decorating process please contact the church office no later than November 14^th.  Please provide your name and how many family members wish to participate.  Please join us to celebrate the Advent Season and the wondrous celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Coats for Neighborhood Center  ~  Cold weather is coming! Remember to save all adult coats, jackets and warm winter clothing for Neighborhood Center. Please bring your coats by November 30, 2009. The clothes are really appreciated, and it’ll warm you twice, both the thought and the giving. Please hang the garments in the Family Life Center hallway on the marked coat racks!  ~  Thank you 

CWU CHRISTMAS PROJECT  ~  St. Paul United Methodist Women will be participating again this year in Church Women United of Chambersburg’s Christmas Stocking Project.  Church Women United of the Pennsylvania Council of Churches initiated the Christmas Stocking Project over 50 years ago in 1951.  CWU of Chambersburg provides 250 – 300 stockings/bags that are distributed during the Holiday Season to the residents of Falling Spring Nursing Center, clients of Meals on Wheels, the Homeless Shelter, the Cold Weather Shelter, and possibly some other local organizations.
 

Flavored tea bags Snack-size bags of chips, cookies, pretzels  ~  Sugar-free candies (no chocolate!) Small game or small stuffed animal
Please note NO SOCKS OR KNEE-HIs and NO POWDER this year.  Once again, please DO NOT include glass containers, soap, or chocolate!!  Please DO NOT wrap the items.  They will be divided and 5- 6 items will be placed in a gift bag with a card from St. Paul.  We will be providing 10 bags for women and 5 for men.

Sunday, December 6

Fellowship Brunch

FLC  ~  11:15 AM

Please signup!!!!

Freewill offering to cover cost of brunch. 

PARENTS DAY OUT  ~  Parents would you like to go shopping knowing that your children (ages 2-10yrs) are in a safe fun environment. The St. Paul Youth Group is sponsoring a Parents Day out on December 12 from 10-4. Bring your child to the downstairs Sunday School area where they will to play games, read books, do fun crafts, have story time and lunch time. This is a donation event that helps the youth fund.

FINAL CALL FOR ITEMS NEEDED: In support of a local mission team from Chambersburg going to the Dominican Republic in January 2010 to care for those in need in that very impoverished part of the world, we will be collecting the following at the Chambersburg HUB through the end of November:

Vitamins (adult, child and prenatal), aspirin products (Excedrin, Anacin and baby aspirin), Ibuprofen, Hydrocortisone cream, antibiotic cream, antifungal cream, white petroleum jelly,  baggies (snack size),  and sample sized toiletry items (soap, shampoo, hair conditioner, toothpaste)

All items must be unopened in their original containers.  Items collected can be dropped off at the church Monday through Friday 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM or drop them in the Mission Central boxes on Sunday.  Thanks for your continued commitment to serving Christ by serving His people. 

In a joint effort with our brothers and sisters at the Salvation Army, we would like to support those in our local community by being bell-ringers for the Corp's local Kettle Campaign. St. Paul is committed to two Friday evenings--December 11th and 18th--from 5 til 9 p.m. We will be stationed at the INSIDE entrance to the Bon-Ton in the Chambersburg Mall. Couples, friends, families, Sunday School classes, small groups---anyone can volunteer an hour or two either night. No skills needed, only smiles and willing hearts. Contact Pastor Lenore to schedule your time. May we all work together this holiday season to make a difference in the lives of others.  

Mission Trip to Birmingham Alabama will be March 20-27 (Saturday to Saturday), 2010. We’ll be working through Urban Ministries, a mission of the Alabama UMC Conference, possibly doing home repairs for low income families, working in soup kitchen, after school program for children, and a community garden. Cost per person is $125.00. Information, registration forms, and a signup sheet are on the table in the FLC and the Narthex. Absolute deadline for signing up is February 1, 2010. This mission is for ages 12 and up. See Pastor Noll if you have questions.  

Mission Central HUB

Many of you might have noticed some movement in the Family Life hallway recently.  We are excited to say that we are well on our way to establishing our Chambersburg District Mission Central HUB here at St. Paul.  Many of you have asked about items that you might donate. I encourage you to continue to let me know when you have items that are still in good condition but that you are no longer in need of that you feel might be a blessing to another.  We will do our best to find a home for them.  As for specific items needed for the HUB, we are going to begin with the most immediate need requested by Mission Central—Health kits.  These kits are distributed locally and worldwide to many in need.  The items needed to complete one of these kits include the following: 1 hand towel, 1 wash cloth, 1 large comb, 1 nail file or fingernail clippers, 1 bath-size bar of soap, 1 adult-sized toothbrush (in original wrapper), and 6 band-aids (individually wrapped).  Consider giving one or more of these items to help us give to those who are lacking even the basics of life.  Collection boxes are available in the reception area and outside of the family life center for drop-off.

Material needed at Mission Central
Mission Central is in need of certain items for our UMCOR Relief Kits:
Health Kit: toothbrushes, nail files or clippers, sturdy large combs.
Flood Bucket: laundry detergent, household cleaner, bug repellant, air freshener, clothes line.
Layette Kit: sweaters, sleepers, receiving blankets.
Personal: shampoo, conditioner, hand lotion, toilet paper, paper towels, Kleenex, disposable diapers, razors, shaving cream, and deodorants.
There is a Mission Central container in the Narthex or bring to the office during the week. Thank you. 

Attention: When donating labels to the Neighborhood Center the following is needed: UPC Code for Campbell products and Front Label for Prego, Vlasic, Marie’s, Pace, Swanson, V8, Open Pit, and Pepperidge Farm.  

 Giant Gift Cards Available   ~   We have Giant gift cards available for purchase, and there's an added bonus! If you buy them through St. Paul, the church receives 5% of the total sale--a simple way to support the ministry of St. Paul Church. Cards are available in various amounts and can be purchased in the office during regular hours, at the reception desk on Sunday mornings or from Anne Boryan in the FLS. (Reminder: Cards are available year-round in the office and can be used for your own grocery shopping for that holiday party, family get-together or just your weekly grocery list.)

If there are persons interested in helping to provide transportation for folks to worship services and other church activities, please contact Pastor Noll.

 Please remember to inform the church office of any address, zip code, or telephone number changes. Thank you.

Parents of young children are invited to park in the Lower Level Parking Lot for easy access to the Children's Area  (including Nursery) during worship and Sunday School.

 Cell Phones for Soldiers  ~  For some of our soldiers, a phone card may be the only connection they have to home and we can help make that happen. Please donate your old, broken, or not usable cell phones, accessories, chargers, batteries, blackberry PDA’s and pagers to the church office. Geri Schaeffer will arrange for them to be shipped so they can be converted to free phone cards for soldiers.  This is a great project and one of the top items asked for by our troops in the war zone. They want to talk to their wives, husbands, children, parents, family members, and friends and we can help make that happen. If you would like to read more about the program please go to www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com/ on the web. There is no deadline to bring in your phones.