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St. Thomas United Church of Christ | 17842 Wild Horse Creek Rd. | Chesterfield, MO 63017
636-532-3556 | http://stthomasucc.org/ | [email protected] or [email protected]
MAY 2017
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Pastor Rev. Margaret Diz Philip
Council Kelly Day, pres.
Neil Glaser, treas. Liz Konneman, sec.
Dale Konneman, grounds Bill Fyock & Janet Moehsmer,
bldg. fund Carol Fyock, member-at-Large
Music Director June Jones Custodian Neil Glaser
Office Admin. Gail Schneider
Ladies Guild, Bible Quiz...…..…..…..2
Monthly Ministry, Open House.....3
Luncheon Pics……….......…………...4-5
Council Contacts, Prayer List...…....6
Food Pantry Needs.……...……..….....6
Calendar………………………….….….…..7
About Us………………………….………...8
Surely the disciples had to grieve for Jesus – he was after all their beloved rabbi. He had taught them an alterna-tive way to live without giving in to Ro-man oppression. He taught them to heal those who were in pain, to include into their circle those who were out-casts and hated, to feed those who were hungry - with very little. He taught them how to live God-centered, life-giving and meaningful lives, but… What if grieve was all they did…? What if the disciples stayed behind the locked doors of that house where they hurriedly gathered right after the cruci-fixion? What if they had carried on their love of Jesus by honoring him, praising him, singing songs, telling stories about him and praying to him in that same room – week after week? What if they went out into the world pretending they did not know him and never carried forth the good news by feeding, loving and tending God’s
people? What if nobody bothered to write down how they each had experienced his love or to record how special and empow-ered he had made them feel? What if they constantly asked them-selves, “How can we get more people to come inside and worship him with us?” What if they never recognized them-selves as an expression of the body of Christ with a life-changing message of love and through whom God is reach-ing out in love to the world? It would have been a shame and a tragedy if all they did was focus on Je-sus’ death and forget about his life. Surely they had to grieve, but WHAT IF THAT WAS ALL THEY DID…?
“What If?” “After breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you
love me more than these?” “Yes, Master, you know I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” He then asked a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you
love me?” “Yes, Master, you know I love you.” Jesus said, “Shepherd my sheep.” Then he said it a third time: “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter,
upset that he asked for the third time, “Do you love me?” answered, “Master, you know everything there is to know. You’ve got to know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.” John 21:15-19
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LADIES GUILD SPRING
LUNCHEON 2017
This year, the theme for the lunch-eon was “Holidays on the Calendar.”
Each table chose a holiday and a corresponding song:
April Fool’s Day - Why Do Fool’s Fall in Love? -Virginia Glaser, Betty
Lindauer & Laurie Winckel
Easter - Easter Parade - Carol Partlow Fyock & Gloria Pettijohn
Mother’s Day - “M” is for Mother - Marilyn Coffman & Colleen Motz
Flag Day - You’re a Grand Old Flag - Ellen Brandon, Karen Bellville &
Donna Dollgener
First day of Summer - Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot
Bikini - Debbie Brune & Gail Schott
First day of Autumn - Shine on Harvest Moon - JoAnn Barton &
June Jones
Halloween - The Addams Family - Margaret Philip, Gail Schneider &
Meara Schneider
New Year’s Eve - What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve? -
Terry Gelhot & Janet Moehsmer
Pictures from the luncheon can be found on pages 4-5.
(Ladies Guild will not have a regular meeting in June. Be thinking about
what you can make for the Guild-sponsored Country Store at the
Chicken Dinner!)
WHY DON’T STREETLAMPS HAVE EARS? “Mom!” my 3-year-old self hissed at 6 a.m. “Why don’t street-lamps have ears?” My mom later wrote (in a 1974 article) that she peered at me sleepily, silently asking a question of her own: “Seriously?!” That year I amused — and exasperated — my parents with countless questions: “Why did sister leave one shoe here and one there?” “If God is up in heaven, how did he make the grass?” “Why are dandelions yellow?” To that query, Mom re-plied, “I guess that’s how God wanted them” — and wrote, “In our house, we let God answer many of our questions.” I still have questions: Why is my dynamic young friend dying of cancer? Why are a parent’s own children sometimes hard to love? How can we end war, poverty, sex trafficking? Should we donate money or save for college? How, exactly, does sal-vation work? Sometimes science or professionals are God’s instruments to answer my questions. Sometimes answers come quietly to my heart — and sometimes they don’t come at all. Faith doesn’t mean never questioning. It means trusting enough to ask, even when a question seems silly or pointless. Thanks, Mom and Dad, for teaching me by your loving exam-ple that God always welcomes my questions.
-Heidi Mann
BIBLE QUIZ
Acts 17 describes Paul speaking about God to the people of Athens in front of — incredibly! — a site that still exists. What is that site? A. The Panathenaic Stadium B. The Areopagus C. The Acropolis and the Parthenon D. The Temple of Hephaestus
(See Acts 17:22)
3
MAY MINISTRY— THE LITTLE BIT FOUNDATION
“Eight miles. A distance that can be traveled by interstate in as little as 18 minutes has a difference in life expectancy of as much as 18 years. The reasons are many – violence, poor living conditions, lead exposure, limited access to nutritious food, inadequate supply of primary care and Medicaid providers – with a devas-tating consequence: a child born in the Jeff- Vander-Lou neighborhood of North St. Louis can expect to die an average of nearly two decades sooner than a resident of Clayton. Little Bit has made it our mission to help close these gaps for the children of St. Louis, not only to make them better students today but improve their opportunities for success into adulthood.
The Little Bit Foundation is an army of supporters giving, serving and advocating for impoverished chil-dren in St. Louis. Our philosophy: when you remove the barriers to learning, you give a child hope for the future and empower them to reach their dreams.
Our distribution model is one of a kind. At each of our partner schools, (not just in the Jeff-Vander-Lou neighborhood but in over 20 schools in downtown, north city and county and south city) we establish Little Bit Boutiques, where students are visited weekly by a consistent team of volunteers, who deliver essential items and take time to engage and encourage each child. Additionally, Little Bit teams, at times in concert with program affiliates, organize literacy events, health and wellness screenings and education, and other integral programs to serve the needs of the whole child – body, mind and spirit.”
In May, we will support Little Bit’s “Books & Buddies” program (books and stuffed “buddies” used in Pre-K through 2nd grade classrooms to bring comfort and security to children as they learn to read.) Some Hallmark stores and book stores carry these. You can also purchase online at Kohl’s website (search “Kohl’s Cares” from their home page) and click Free Store Pick-up. Please keep in mind the reading level of your choice.
Thank you to all my extended church family that was far too gener-ous getting the microwave, splash shield, toaster, bacon pan, and a very nice Weber grill. I appreciate it all very much, and will think of all of you whenever I use any of them. I'm going to have an open house on Sunday May 7th after church, so around 12 or 1230, for all church friends to come by and see the house. Hope to see you all soon and thanks again.
Tim Jones
4
April Fools Day
Easter
Mother’s Day
Flag Day
5
New Year’s Eve
First day of Autumn
Halloween
First Day of Summer
6
Current Needs:
Jelly
Canned Chicken - CRITICAL
Cereal
Pasta Sauce - CRITICAL
Tomato Products - CRITICAL
Size 5 & 6 Diapers
Baby Wipes
Tampons - CRITICAL
DECISIONS MATTER
Good and evil both increase at com-pound interest. That is why the little decisions you and I make every day are of such infinite importance. The smallest good act today is the cap-ture of a strategic point from which, a few months later, you may be able to go on to victories you never dreamed of. An apparently trivial indulgence in lust or anger today is the loss of a ridge or railway line or bridgehead from which the enemy may launch an attack otherwise im-possible.
—C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
President Kelly Day 314-307-7890
Treasurer Neil Glaser 636-391-0279
njglaser@a .net
Secretary Liz Konneman 636-458-5643 [email protected]
Buildings & Grounds Dale Konneman
636-458-5643 [email protected]
Building Fund Bill Fyock
Janet Moehsmer
636-536-7351 [email protected]
636-458-1058 [email protected]
Member-at-Large Carol Fyock 215-300-4629
COUNCIL CONTACTS
If you have knowledge of someone on the Prayer List who no longer needs our prayers,
please let us know.
Content removed for web edition
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Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
1
2 *Jason
Mueller
1:30pm Center-
ing Prayer
3 10:45 Ladies
Guild
4 *Adam Brock
*Bill Fyock
5 *Lauren Mudd
6 *Leah
Schnatmeier
7
8
9
10
*Cindy Crosby
11
2pm Book Club
12 *Jack Reich
13
14 Mothers Day
*Helen Pike
15 +Terry & Gail
Schott
16
1:30pm Center-
ing Prayer
17 *June Jones
18
19
20
21
22
23
24 +Keith &
Linda Bopp
25
*Justin Vaughan 26 *George Pike 27 +Brad &
Heather Mudd
28 *Gloria
Pettijohn
29 Memorial Day
30
31
*Kelly Wainman
May
201
7
8
PLEASE PLACE STAMP HERE
S t . T h o m a s U C C 1 7 8 4 2 W i l d H o r s e C r e e k R o a d C h e s t e r f i e l d , M O 6 3 0 0 5 w w w . s t t h o m a s u c c . o r g
Phone: 636-532-3556 E-mail: [email protected]
God is still speaking,
Mission Statement
We are St. Thomas UCC, a caring faith community welcoming all to share with us. You will find us supportive, nurturing, and encouraging. Our worship is traditional yet contemporary, applying scripture and Christ’s teachings to eve-ryday life. Accepting all who come as family, we are St. Thomas UCC.
Value Statement
We are a close-knit welcoming community. We cherish and honor the tradi-tions of our 100 years past. With respect and compassion we work together. We strive to grow in our faith by serving the community. We embrace and cel-ebrate our youth and the promise of each new generation of God’s children. We seek God’s blessings and wisdom in the joys and challenges of our daily lives. We grow in our understanding of Christ’s teachings while being respectful of our differences.
Vision Statement
We seek to :
Invite others to join in our faith journey Explore worship opportunities Enhance our fellowship and service outreach Expand our use of technology Increase our community involvement
Worship: 8:30 (summer) & 10:00 am (all year) 11:00 am Fellowship Time We are ADA Accessible. Childcare is provided during Worship.
Office Hours: 10 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Please call first if you need to stop by! Office Phone: 636.532.3556
About Us
