Church Voice

Our mission is to express the message and spirit of Christ
through Christian worship, education, discipleship, evangelism and charity, and in all we do glorify God and share God’s love.

2010 Council Members-President-Bill Spieth, Vice President-open, Clerk-Jan Mahan, Buildings and Grounds-open, Business Mgr.-Vern Olson, Christian Education-Bobbie Dimock, Fellowship- Dixie Mitchell, Finance-Jim Mahan, Membership-open, Memorials-Joan Bleck, Music-Marjorie Wright, Pastoral Advisory-Nancy Patton, Salty Christian Crafters-Marlene Maxon, Social Concerns-Peggy Anderson and Valerie Jirik, Stewardship-open, Supper Club-Al Frank, and Worship-Elizabeth Webb.

The financial balance sheet shows revenues of $151,153.04 and expenditures of $240,117.09. We have total assets of $488,650.30. This year we spent $88,964.04 more than we took in.

The budget for the first half of 2010 was approved. It includes almost $10,000 for the consultant Jonathan Krogh of LAMUS who has been employed to help us decide our best course of action. It also includes funds for a professional assessment of our building and equipment so we can anticipate any large expenses, and for advertising in a Homewood Chamber of Commerce publication and improvement of our web site.

Rev. Krogh, the consultant described to us the ways in which the congregation will be kept informed as to the progress of the Steering Committee. There is a packet of materials regarding Rev. Krogh, LAMUS, and the whole process available at the reception desk.

The members of the Steering Committee are: Harriet Thomas-Williams, Elizabeth Webb, Nancy Patton, Mary Kay Spieth, Al Frank, Bobbie Dimock, Jim Anderson and Jan Mahan.

You are encouraged to call any of the Council members or the Steering Committee members if you have input.

On that day the Steering Committee will serve lunch after the 11 am worship and Jonathon Krough, of Lamus Consulting will update the congregation on the accomplishments of the committee and the groups future goals and plans.

On Sunday, February 14, 2010, Rev. Hartzog announced to the congregation that he would be leaving us effective Monday, February 15, 2010. At the regular Council meeting on February 15^th, the Church Council and visitors exchanged great ideas about how we should proceed over the next several months. The meeting resulted in the following plan which starts immediately.

Beginning Sunday, Feb 21, 2010, Rev. Paul Hedburg will be providing worship leadership at our 8:30 and 11:00 services. We anticipate that he will be with us at least through Easter. Rev. Dederer of First Presbyterian Church of Homewood and Rev. Hedburg will be covering pastoral emergencies. In the event of an emergency, you are asked to contact Council President Bill Spieth 217-5027 or Worship Chairperson Elizabeth Webb 997-0694, and they will notify the pastors of your situation and arrange for a timely response. The Caring and Sharing Committee and other volunteers will be working diligently to continue visitation of our shut-ins.

As we move into the season of Lent, we will again be participating in mid-week worship at First Presbyterian Church on Wednesday evenings at 7:30 PM. Rev. Hedberg will also represent St. Paul at these services and will work closely with Rev. Dederer. We will also join them for Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services. I am very grateful for the immediate offer of help from Rev. Hedberg, Rev Dederer, and other spiritual leaders in the immediate community. Details on the Lenten activities are on the back of this letter.

The Steering Committee will continue to work with Rev. Jonathan Krogh to evaluate the needs of the current church and to plan for the future. Over the next six weeks Rev. Krogh will be in conversation with a number of our members and sharing with the committee the strengths of our congregation that will be the foundation on which we will build. From that information the committee will determine priorities and tasks that will shape our direction. Once that phase of the work is complete, we will have a clear picture of the kind of Pastoral leadership that will best suit our needs and a search process will begin. It is vital that this process not be rushed, or entered into without careful assessment. On Sunday, March 14^th Rev. Krogh will be speaking to the congregation after the 11 am worship service at a lunch sponsored by the Steering Committee. He will give an update on the progress the committee has made and will explain plans and expectations for the coming 2 to 3 months.

While Rev. Hartzog’s departure was sudden and unexpected, the leadership of St. Paul Community Church believes in the spirit of resilience in our congregation. It is the collective strength of the body of Christ that will move us into the future. We ask that each of us keep the positive aspects of our church at the forefront of our thoughts, comments and prayers.

The word for the future is “JOY”. We are feeling “JOY” in our hearts, “JOY” as we begin to stand up and go forward, and “JOY” for the future success of St. Paul.

Hello members and friends

The constitution of St. Paul Community Church of Homewood”, in Article V – “Government”, Section 1 – “Authority” states:

“The supreme legislative and administrative authority of the Church is vested in the membership itself, assembled in meetings duly and legally called, as provided herein”

To all who are members of St Paul: this means YOU! YOU! are the supreme legislative and administrative authority of St. Paul. This means that YOU! are responsible for what St. Paul does, what direction St. Paul takes, what type of Pastor we have, right down to what kind of music is used in worship.

St. Paul is not ruled by a higher governing body, is not ruled by the Pastor, nor is it ruled by the church council. It is ruled, and governed, by YOU!

St. Paul is also a democracy. This means that the majority rules. We can get into trouble when a small number of members make up that majority. Do YOU! really get involved in the decision making process at St. Paul? Do YOU! attend congregational meetings? Do YOU! attend council meetings? Committee meetings? Are YOU! a member of a committee, or a chair person? Do YOU! read council or committee minutes? Do YOU! understand our financial condition? Do YOU! talk to council members and give them your ideas?

I believe that, as a responsibility of membership, we all need to get more involved in the governing of St. Paul. Yes, that means me, but it also means YOU! If we are to grow and become a more vibrant church we all need to increase our participation in determining St. Paul’s future.

To get YOU! more involved, our governing structure needs to become more transparent. Your council members’ names are posted in the Gathering Room. The council meeting is the third Monday of the month at 7:30 pm in the Gathering Room. All of YOU! are invited. In future issues the committee meeting times and places will be published and YOU! will learn who is on those committees. Minutes of meetings and financial reports will also become readily available to YOU! Remember, there are no bad questions.

St. Paul is going through a transition period. We are working to determine our strengths and how we can build on those. Plans to get us from now to greeting a Senior Pastor must be developed. We will be determining the type of Pastoral leadership needed to shepherd us toward accomplishing our goals. And not to be forgotten, our fiscal responsibilities must be constantly monitored. YOU! as a member of St. Paul have a responsibility to be involved in these areas. To begin to fulfill YOUR! responsibility, circle March 14, on your calendar, and attend a free lunch after the 11 am worship and hear from Rev. Jonathan Krogh, who is leading the effort to determine our strengths. He will report on the Steering Committee’s progress to date, and will explain future plans and expectations. PLEASE BE THERE!

The leadership of St. Paul Community Church believes in the spirit of resilience in our congregation. It is the collective strength of the body of Christ that will move us into the future. We ask that each of us keep the positive aspects of our church at the forefront of our thoughts, comments and prayers. Together, with His help, we can embrace them.

The word for the future is “JOY”. We are feeling “JOY” in our hearts, “JOY” as we begin to stand up and go forward, and “JOY” for the future success of St. Paul.

God Speed to All, God Speed to St Paul!

Your church now has the group SINGING VAGABONDS to put smiles on the faces of our home-bound ‘shut-in’s’ - singing old familiar songs right in your living room. Call Bob Hewett 647-1721 (from Caring and Sharing) and we’ll come ‘a-singing’.

In writing the Worship Committee Annual Report, I forgot to mention my gratitude to Susan Sullivan who ushered during the summer and continues to fill in during the 11 o'clock service when she can. Thank you Susan. Also, thank you to Bill Spieth for initiating prayer vigils for us. We have had two so far for those who have been in dire need of prayer and support. We will continue prayer vigils during Lent.

Saltie Christians will meet on March 2nd. The meeting will be held at St. Paul in the Gathering Room at 12:30 p.m. to discuss the seventeenth chapter of our book “The Faith Club”. We have been enjoying this book very much. All are welcome. It isn’t necessary to have the book or have read it.

If you would like to donate altar flowers, please call Bev in the church office. We have a price arrangement with Homewood Florist which is very reasonable and the flowers are always very pretty.

Easter Lilies are available for $15 this year. Please contact Mary Kay Spieth at (708) 280-1772 to order one. The deadline for ordering is March 28th.

Thank you, everyone, for your continued support of our Monthly Ministry for the South Suburban Family Shelter. Look for the “Spring Fling” display during March. Our Monthly Mission will be to donate umbrellas. Please bring these donations to the Gathering Room and place them in the box by the elevator door.

- Donations of $625 have been made to Aunt Martha’s and Jones Memorial in the name of all the St. Paul members.

- Watch for the information and envelopes concerning One Great Hour of Sharing. The collection will be taken during the March 14th church services.

- Please see the attached letter from Mr. Mike Wasserberg, the Executive Director of South Suburban PADS.

- A special thanks goes to Linda Schmidt for all the work she does in helping us help others. Beside working on the Thanksgiving Baskets, she organizes the monthly donations to the South Suburban Family Shelter, the Christmas Family Gift drive, and handmade our St. Paul valentines. Currently, she is attending meetings be cause St. Paul will host Crop Walk this year! Please let her know how much we appreciate her leadership in helping us all be able to help others!

- The Crop Walk Rally day will be held Saturday, March 6th at 10:00 a.m. in the Gathering Room of St. Paul. This Rally Day is a time for everyone who wants to be a leader/captain of a Crop Walk team to come pick up the envelopes with all the information about how to participate/walk/sponsor. We will also be in need of cookie donations for the actual Walk Day that starts off from St. Paul Community Church on Sunday, April 25th, at 12:30 p.m. Please contact Linda Schmidt at 755-0610 with any questions or donations. Thank You!

WE ARE ON THE LOOK-OUT FOR THE MYSTERY PERSON who anonymously donated a beautiful basket filled with yarn, great

patterns, knitting needles, etc. to The Salty Christian Crafters. We want to express our appreciation and send a big, warm "thank you"

Watch also for news to be shared soon concerning our plans for a Spring/Summer Craft Sale. We want to focus on items such as net

market and beach bags, summer cover-ups, items for the beach, etc. If you have any ideas or requests for things you could use, please

be sure to let us know. Also, we continue to meet at 1:00 on Mondays and would welcome anyone who would like to join us.

We have patterns, needles/hooks, yarn and friendship and fun to share, so please join us.

Our prayers and hugs continue to go out to each of you. If a prayer shawl or lap robe would be a good thing for you, please be sure to

Coats, hats, mittens, blankets.

It is getting very cold outside—especially at night! Do you have a used blanket or jacket or warm sweater that you don’t wear or use anymore? Need room in your closet? You don’t need to go out and buy anything new. PLEASE DONATE! Bring any WARM item to church for us to give to the homeless. It doesn’t have to be new, but preferably in halfway decent shape and somewhat clean. It will be deeply appreciated by those who have no warm place to lay their heads.

Thank you to all who have contributed so far. You have been extremely generous!

Country Breakfast

Join us March 21st for our country breakfast in Community Hall. Pancakes will be served between 9:00 and 10:30 a.m. In addition to the delicious pancakes, there will be sausage, biscuits and gravy, scrambled eggs, and beverages. Tickets are $5 per person or $12 per family.

Supper Club this month, is March 16th at 6:15p.m. It’s a time filled with food, friends and fun. This month’s Supper Club program will be presented by Linda Schmidt for a Line Dance demonstration and Home Maintenance by Kirk Powers. Everyone gets a chance to get up and dance then sit down and find out about important home maintenance! Bring your own table service and a dish to share. Call your reservation to Margaret Breach at 798-8220 no later than February 12th.

SUNDAY MORNING FELLOWSHIP is in need of YOU! Please sign up on the sheet on the kitchen door for a time slot. Lessons in coffee-making provided and many hugs of gratitude doled out! Call Dixie Mitchell (755-9317) or Bobbie Dimock (957-3166) for more information.

Parking

There are several parking spaces available for commuters. St. Paul asks for a monthly donation of $30 or a daily rate of $1.50. These donations are tax deductible. Please call Beverly in the church office at (708)798-0700 to register and get your parking pass.

Our Thoughts and Prayers are with:

Special Concerns:

Larry Bendle, Charlotte Boethe, Don Callendar, Linda Cookingham (mother of Gina Pierdzioch), Ray Sutorius, and Larry Weston (Marlene Maxon’s brother).

Continued Prayers:

Gary Crosoli, Mary Eichler, Ed Frangella, Newt Haney, Peder Hedberg, Bob Hewett, John Huegel, Beverly Hughes, Don Hunt, John Jansen, John Juskevice (Betty Frangella’s father), Matt & Gina Koswenda, David Smith, Lisa & Mark Popelka, Barbara Sailor, Lou Sauter, Pat & Jack Seibert, Wilma Snyder, Margaret Stapley (Mary Kay Spieth’s sister) and Joy Wikberg.

Our prayers and condolences to the families of Vanita Crews who passed away Feb. 20th and Mary Neander Feb. 11th.

Envelopes

Envelopes are available to pickup in the Narthex.

Marti Breach is asking for donations for bingo prizes for the adult day care that she volunteers for. Anything will do. For more information, please call Marti at 957-3664.

March Birthdays

Happy Birthday to:

3/2 Lynn Welsh

3/4 Jeremiah Peterson, Eric Anderson

3/5 Mary Eichler, Debra Pikert

3/7 Valerie Jirik

3/11 John Miller

3/13 Jessie Gillies

3/14 Rachel Olson

3/16 Cheryl Rhodes, Timothy Rhodes

3/17 Steven Kun, Kyle Arrivo,

Brandon Morrison, Aaron Morrison

3/18 Donald Lo Conte, Marjorie Reckley

3/19 Martin Arrivo

3/20 Richard Lewis, Jeffrey Schultz

3/23 Lizbeth Morrison, Rick Stevens

3/24 Cindy Clegg, Dustin Dunigan

3/26 Philip Ehlebracht, Andrew Schmidt 3/27 Herbert Rentschler

3/30 Sarah Spieth

Please call the church office to let us know your anniversaries and birthdays so we can celebrate yours!

Service Men and Women

Please include these great people in your prayers:

CPL Preston Everson, Marlene Maxon’s Marine grandson

Sgt. Edward McDonough, neighbor of Mary Kay and Bill Spieth.

Dixie’s grandchildren:

Senior Airman Julia D. Rossney

Airman Jason A. Rossney

MA3 Jennifer K. Rossney

From the editor: We are always looking for new ideas to cover in The Voice. If you have any suggestions please contact Bev.

Voice Deadline for April Issue: March 19th

Caring and Sharing

Caring for SPCC members & friends is an integral part of our church ministry. The Caring & Sharing committee needs volunteers to help give rides to church on Sunday mornings, and phone calls and/or delivering meals to shut-ins. Our next meeting is March 24th at 9:15 a.m. If you have needs/concerns that we can help with, please call the church office at 798-0700.

Meet the Church Council

These are the leaders of your church. Please bring to them your questions, your concerns, your joys and your ideas! If interested in any vacant position, please contact Bill Spieth at 217-5027.

Finance Committee: Jim Anderson, Miriam Bramschreiber, Cliff Cressey, and Sue Mitts

Social Concerns Committee members: Nancy Patton, Linda Schmidt, Eileen Stevens, Lynn Stroup,