THE

SP RE

Dear St. Paul’s family,

Summer has come and gone. What have been your stories this summer? If they are like the Payne stories, they have included death as well as life. They have included endings as well as beginnings. Ups and downs. Mountains and valleys.

I admit also that the Payne stories have been played out by very imperfect people. No surprise there, right?

Yours too, you say?

I guess that is why I appreciate the Bible so much.

Eugene Peterson notes that when we read scripture, "we find that we are not being led to see God in our stories but to see our stories in God’s.”

Like our own stories, our Bible stories are filled with flawed and very, well, human people. And yet—and this is the theme you can't ignore when you work through these stories in order—God never lets us down. God's covenant is renewed over and over and over again.

This fall I invite you to join me in exploring the whole biblical story from start to finish—starting in Genesis, and working our way through the Old Testament until Christmas, then working through the Gospel of Luke and Acts next spring.

On September 11, Kickoff Sunday, we will begin with Adam and Eve. Theirs is a beautiful story gone horribly wrong. With Adam and Eve, God had

every right to bring the human - Divine relationship to an end. Instead, God decided to make a new beginning.

As we go through the stories of the Old and New Testaments, we will see this happening over and over again. Adam and Eve, Abraham, Joseph, Hannah, Samuel, David…. God just does not give up on us! That is Good News!

I am looking forward to spending this precious time of worship with you, as we consider our stories in the midst of God’s.

Blessings,

Pastor Joe

400 Wayne Ave., Defiance, OH 43512 www.defiancestpauls.org

Church Office, Kristine Bartley: 419-782-3751 secretary3751@defnet.com

Hours: Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 12 p.m., 12:30 - 4:30 p.m.

ISSUE | September | 2016

9/02 Rosie Hall

9/02 Colin Moats

9/03 Heather Hogan

9/03 Stanley Strausbaugh

9/05 Dawn Rath

9/05 Lauren Ellis

9/05 Jacob Wolfe

9/07 Jaime Iliff

9/07 Brent Renollet

9/07 Jed Calvert

9/07 Jeremy Frank

9/09 Brynn Hale

9/10 Dick Coffman

9/10 Amy Pflug

9/10 Linda Crawford

9/11 Tamara Florence

9/11 Tristan Hogan

9/12 Stan Yoder

9/12 Celena Frederick

9/13 Carolyn Crutch

9/13 Sarah Truesdale

9/15 Maxie Lambright

9/15 Joanne Pion

9/16 Louis Sabo

9/16 Bob Palczewski

9/16 Kyle Gutman

9/16 Scott Stafford

9/17 Mandy Eberle

9/17 Michael Shock

9/18 Zackary Wieland

9/18 Josh Wiles

9/19 Jeremy Edmonds

9/19 Caden Craft

9/20 Shirley Baldwin

9/20 Aaron Buhrer

9/21 Zackary Hanson

9/22 Roberta Folland

9/22 Charlotte Florence

9/22 Scott Lee

9/22 Nicholas Eberle

9/22 Roston Peters

9/22 Owen Webb

9/23 Phillis Sanford

9/23 Kamryn Frederick

9/24 Jane Boehm

9/28 Richie Peters

9/28 Mary Potts

9/29 Peter Lundberg

9/29 Natalie Welker

9/04 Mr. & Mrs. Michael Hogan

9/05 Mr. & Mrs. Jeremy Otte

9/09 Mr. & Mrs. Kable Derrow

9/11 Mr. & Mrs. Jack Wahl

9/17 Mr. & Mrs. Scott Stambaugh

9/19 Mr. & Mrs. Cliff Lucas

9/19 Mr. & Mrs. Frank Craig

9/19 Mr. & Mrs. John Curtzwiler

9/20 Mr. & Mrs. Stephen Snavely

9/21 Mr. & Mrs. Shaun Mack

9/21 Mr. & Mrs. Benjamin Webb

Monday, September 12, 2016

6 p.m. - SPRC in Rm 104

7 p.m. - Trustees in Rm 103

Monday, September 19, 2016 6:30 p.m. - Finance in Rm 112

7:30 p.m. - Ad Council in GP

Church Office will be

closed Monday, September 5,

2016

Megan Smith & Tyler Schilperoot in the birth of

their son, Asher Hendrick, born on July 23. Proud

grandmother is Connie Dodson.

The family of Alice Yant

The family of Betty Goller

The family of Margie Beach

The family of Alan Clingaman

PLEASE SIGN UP

Please take note of the sign up sheet on the

bulletin board outside of the Lounge. We are

looking for people to take turns watering the

flowers outside and also people to take turns

picking up the weekly donuts. Thank you!

STEPHEN MINISTRY

LIBRARY NEWS

A recently acquired book, The Long Road to Good-bye, written by Floyd Fought, a former Defiance Dis-trict United Methodist Superintendent, recounts the journey that he and his wife, Wilma, experienced together for 15 years on her road from diagnosis with Alzheimer’s disease to her complete healing to eternity. This book is written as a manual to assist those caring for someone terminally ill, serves as a devotional guide, and is a great inspiration for any-one dealing with someone with an incurable disease. This book is a quick, easy read that will benefit any-one who may be dealing with a terminally ill situa-tion or will face one in the future years. Check out is in the church library.

There are times when each of us needs the care

of another person, a Christian friend, a Stephen

Minister! Some of those needs may include be-

ing hospitalized, terminally ill, people moving in

or out of our community, aging and elderly,

those with disabilities, separated or divorced,

birth or adoption of a child, job crisis, grieving a

death or loss, homebound, and many other

needs. Don’t go it alone, but call Pastor Joe at

419-782-3751 to receive confidential, Christian

care of a trained Stephen Minister.

The Stephen Ministry Team meets on

the third Wednesday of the month at 4 p.m.

in St. Paul’s library. The next meeting will

be held on Wednesday, September 21,

at 4 p.m.

Landree Kay Nicely, daughter of Jason & Holly

Nicely baptized on July 24, 2016.

Theodore Frederick Weber, son of

Chris & Kristen Schultz Weber, on

July 31, 2016.

FOOD PANTRY

The Food Pantry has been very busy this summer. In July

we hosted a community cookout in conjunction with the

Preschool VBS; over 140 people were served. This time

of the year is also busy with fresh produce. We have an

abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables that our clients

really appreciate.

The youth groups from St. Paul’s and St. Paul Lutheran

helped in the food pantry this summer.

What a great group of young people who show their love

for Jesus by serving others.

The Food Pantry is now using PantryTrak. This makes

our registration and client record keeping paperless. This

is a great time saver during the pantry and makes report-

ing statistics easier and more accurate.

CONGRATULATIONS TO:

SYMPATHY EXTENDED TO:

BAPTISMS:

Attention Knitters, Crocheters and Crafters

The Crafters is a group of women who enjoy knitting,

crocheting, embroidery, etc. We meet every Tuesday

at 9 a.m. in the lounge beginning September 13. In

the past we have made hats for WIC, hats, mittens and

scarves for the mitten tree and lap robes for the Veter-

an's home. At present our mission projects are hats,

mittens and scarves, and lap robes for Veterans. We

also work on our own projects and enjoy each other's

company.

Anyone is welcome. If you are unable to join us and would

like to work on any projects, one of us would be happy to

come pick up finished projects. Call Diana Harbourt --

419-796-0098.

Ruth Circle & Susanna Circle will be meeting together

on Wednesday, September 7 at 1 p.m. in the Gather-

ing Place to pack the Festival of Sharing Mission Kits.

We will have the UMW Executive meeting following.

The Tuesday morning Women’s Bible

Study will begin Tuesday, September 13

at 10 a.m. in the lounge. Come join us!

Welcome to the 50-20 Bible Study group on

Wednesday, September 14, at 6:15 p.m. in the

church lounge. Any woman is invited to at-

tend. We will be using the book, It’s Good to be

Queen, by Liz Curtis Higgs. You can pick up a copy

at a bookstore of your choice, order on Amazon, or

call the church office if you cannot secure a copy

yourself. Those of you who have already given Jane

Scott your ordering instructions are taken care

of. It’ll be so good to get back in the swing of Bible

Study after a long, hot summer. See you all on Sep-

tember 14!!!

Fall Kick Off Sunday

September 11, 2016

Tossed salad

Roast sirloin of beef

Chicken breast w/without

lemon caper sauce

Hotdogs

Green beans

Oven roasted redskins

Ice cream

Wednesday Night Meals

September 14

Salad bar

Pork steak w/without BBQ sauce

Corn

Scalloped potatoes

Hot dog sandwich

Dessert

September 21, 2016

Salad Bar

Grilled chicken breast

Baked potatoes

Green beans

Hamburger sandwich

Dessert

September 28, 2016

Salad bar

Hamburger steak w/without

grilled onions

California blend

Hash brown casserole

Pulled pork sandwich

Dessert

Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. Meals are $6

We are a community of

Jesus-followers

empowered by the

Holy Spirit to love God

and love others.

SEPTEMBER 4 - 8:45 a.m. Michael & Stephanie Wahl DuWayne & Paula Roth

SEPTEMBER 11- 8:45 a.m. Evelyn Manahan Mary Jane Allen Andre Ciccotelli SEPTEMBER 18 - 8:45 a.m. Jane Scott Sandy McKinney Olivia Moats Madi Shock

SEPTEMBER 25 - 8:45 a.m. Bill & Karen Zirkle John & Lea Rohrs

SEPTEMBER 4 - 11 a.m. Peter & Nancy Lundberg Jerry & Judy Ingle

SEPTEMBER 11 - 11 a.m. Clip & Linda Clippinger Andrea Mouser Marge Case SEPTEMBER 18 - 11 a.m. Murel & Melissa Lloyd Elayne Yoder

SEPTEMBER 25 - 11 a.m. John & Pat Yeoman Denny & Jan Caryer

COMMUNION

STEWARDS

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 4

8:45 a.m. Megan Shock Madi Shock

COMMUNION

STEWARDS

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 4

11 a.m. Royetta Otto Elayne Yoder

ALTAR FLOWERS $35

SEPTEMBER 4 Steve & Susie Miller SEPTEMBER 11 Jack & Diane Wahl SEPTEMBER 18 Carl Garland SEPTEMBER 25 Jeff & Sue Strausbaugh

BULLETINS $25

SEPTEMBER 4 Jerry & Becky Latta SEPTEMBER 11 Larry & Royetta Otto SEPTEMBER 18 SEPTEMBER 25 Steve & Susie Miller

FELLOWSHIP TIME $20 SEPTEMBER 4 Rick & Shirley Witteborg SEPTEMBER 11 John & Pat Yeoman SEPTEMBER 18 Bill & Pat Rose SEPTEMBER 25 Rick & Denice Edmonds

Liturgist 8:45 a.m.

SEPTEMBER

4 Megan Shock

11 Marian Kauffman

18 Madi Shock

25 Ian Weber

Liturgist 11 a.m.

SEPTEMBER

4 Pat Yeoman

11 Clip Clippinger

18 Mike Snyder

25 Jan Craig

GREETERS SCHEDULE FOR SEPTEMBER

At Lakeside for Youth one of my youth asked me this,

"Pray for me that I don't lose my faith.“ We immediately

placed that request before our Lord and Savior. After

that, I wondered about this feeling. Why do we fear to

lose faith and how can we assure that we don't?

A mere week after this request came to me I sat praying

that I could be of help for our youth as they move and

grow closer to God. Then, I picked up Mere Christianity

by C.S. Lewis. I've read it many times and it always has

a new treat in store for me. Today did not displease. As

it addressed this very question!

Here is my paraphrase of C.S. Lewis on faith. What takes

our faith? It is not reason. Reason is often solid. What

trips up faith is imagination and our emotions. It is a

battle between faith and emotions.

In the next few days or weeks following Lakeside or any

mountain top experience, you will have moments where

your mood will rise up against your faith. It is like your

emotions will carry a full out "blitz" on belief.

You may actually want to lie, you may not want to serve

others, you may not want to be with fellow believers, you

might say, "No, I don't really need to read the Bible eve-

ryday." C.S. Lewis says, “Faith is the art of holding on

to things your mind has accepted, IN SPITE of chang-

ing moods.” Re-read that sentence, please.

So what are we to do? First, realize our moods change.

Second, remind ourselves and each other the importance

of our faith. As Lewis puts it, "hold before your mind the

realities of Christianity." This holding before your mind

comes though devotions, prayer and song.

We MUST be continually reminded of what we believe.

Let's help each other. Send out a text. Pray with your

friends. Together as we hold God close in our mind, we

do not have to be afraid to lose our faith. Instead our faith

will grow and grow.

Defiance St. Paul’s Youth is on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Remind and Google

calendars. See Marcella if you have questions about our social media presence.

Addicted to God

A post from the blog www.defiyouth.wordpress.com by Marcella Ciccotelli

SHEILA WALSCH

SAVE THE DATE!!

2016 Reaching Women Conference

Saturday, September 24, 2016

NEW! Marathon Performing Arts Center

Findlay, Ohio

www.reachingwomen.org

MISSION KITS

The following items are needed for Mis-

sion Kits. Please place your items in the

alcove across from the Gathering Place.

Drop off by Sunday, September 4.

Health Kits:

Nail files or nail clippers

Toothbrushes

Hand towels (not dish towels)

$1 for toothpaste

Layettes:

T-shirts or Onesies

Diapers & pins

Gowns or sleepers

Receiving blankets

Baby wash cloths

School Kits:

70 page notebooks

Pencils

Crayons (24)

Pencil Sharpeners

Rulers

Watch for the sales of these items

this summer!

Thank you for supporting Pack and Troop 70! Troop 70 has had a busy summer having visited Philmont High Adventure Camp and hiked over 110 miles in 12 days! The boys then attended summer camp earning 12 merit badges. This August they completed both canoeing and kayaking merit badges. They are now working on Nuclear Energy merit badge in order to attend the Davis- Besse Fall Camporee in September. September 8 is join Scouts Night at all area schools. Pack 70 is open to all those in grades 1 -5 and Troop 70 for those in grades 6 and up. If you know any youth interested in the fun outdoor events listed above and more, contact Marcella or Dave Ciccotelli at 419-618-5582. Come try it out!

St. Paul’s Vision:

We are a community of Jesus-followers empowered by the Holy Spirit to love God and love others.

St. Paul’s Mission:

To make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

Congregational Letters

Thank you so much for allowing us to be a part of your worship

service on Sunday and for providing us with lunch afterward. We

are thankful for the opportunity to share our music with you, and

for your generosity. We hope we can continue singing with you in

the future. Thanks again, Defiance College Chamber Singers

NONPROFIT

U. S. Postage

PAID

Defiance Ohio

Permit No. 192

400 Wayne Avenue, Defiance, Ohio 43512

E-mail us at secretary3751@defnet.com

Web Site www.defiancestpauls.org

Ph: 419.782.3751 Fax 419.782.9977

September 2016

Return Service Requested

ST. PAUL’S UNITED METHODIST CHURCH