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.

The Pastoral Advisory Committee met on two occasions to review with President Bill Spieth the names of individuals to be considered for the Pastoral Search Committee.

I am both humbled and excited by the responsibility that has been placed in my care as the chairperson of the Search Committee. I am grateful to all of you for your strength and resilience and your courage to move ahead in hope.

I look forward to a time of spiritual growth and a closer fellowship with the members of the committee and the whole congregation as we work together in the Search and Call process.

There are a number of things the committee must do before we begin receiving profiles from candidates. We will complete a Church Profile that provides demographic information about our community and congregation, information about St. Paul Church’s history, and an overview of the type of candidate we are seeking. This profile will then be reviewed and approved by Council.

The Finance Committee has been asked to present to the PSC a range of salary for the position. This will guide our search with regard to a full or part time candidate. Then we must determine the scope of our search, whether it will be local, regional or national and then seek profiles from a pool of candidates that fit those criteria.

Then we begin to receive and review profiles (perhaps 100 or more), conduct interviews with candidates, review sample sermons, and narrow the field to 3-4 possible candidates. At that point, background checks will be done and references will be checked. When the committee has selected one final candidate for consideration, information will be presented to Council for their approval.

The PSC will provide to the Council monthly updates and will share that information with the congregation in Sunday worship, the Voice and on our web site. There is no secrecy in the process. However, for the protection of the candidates and St. Paul, information about specific candidates must be held in confidence until a final selection has been reached.

I am grateful for the willing spirit with which each member of the PSC has agreed to serve. They have done so out of dedication and love for St. Paul Church. Please make it a habit to express your appreciation, offer words of encouragement, and include them in your prayers.

HELLO FRIENDS

First let me say “Happy Summer” to all of you. May it be a safe, sane, and glorious time in your life.

You know that “Today is the first day of the rest of your life.” Well, this is the first summer in the new life of St. Paul. We have many, many great things going for us as we march forward in discerning God’s will for St. Paul Community Church, but we need to focus more on coming together as a group.

The church is more that just a building. It is the whole of all the members. By the way “church member’ is defined as “a religious person who goes to church regularly.” I will let each of you determine what the word religious means to you. The important part is “goes to church regularly”. I know the summer brings vacations, travel and other events that make missing Sunday Worship unavoidable. On the other hand, when you can be here, it is your duty as a member to be here, not only for yourself but for the rest of us to grow off of your spirituality.

Enough of my rambling, but keep in mind that “The chain is only as strong as its weakest link.” See you Sunday morning.

Our efforts and prayers are for the renewal of St. Paul and we need everyone’s help to move forward. Many challenges and opportunities await us. Together, with His help, we can embrace them.

The Salty Christians have a new book to read which should prove to be interesting and provocative. We meet the first Tuesday of each month at church or a member’s home. We do not meet in July and August. So our next meeting is Sept. 7th at 12:30 p.m. We invite all again, men and women. We’re pleased that John Mooi consented to lead us in our discussions this fall. We’re a casual and open minded group and look forward to you joining us.

From 6-20 through 6-25, St. Paul hosted a group of adults and teens from Cincinnati. The group of 12 were in the area to do mission work in the Hammond and Gary area. They used the north kitchen and the PACT room for their evening meals and to prepare their lunches for the next day. They gave me this note as they left:

The 12 travelers from Lakeview U.C.C. just outside Cincinnati, Ohio want the congregation at St. Paul Community Church to know how much we appreciated your hospitality this past week. As we worked each day at the different sites of Lakeshore Area Regional Recovery of Indiana it was a treat to come to your church for dinners and to be able to use your kitchen to prepare lunches for the following day.

As churches everywhere struggle to define new directions and paths to growth, know that in your sharing we feel linked with you and energized by your sharing with us. As we continue to share and connect in such ways the spirit of love grows and our mission grows clearer.

God’s peace be with you all and know this place and its people are appreciated.

Social concerns will have a special project at the end of August. School supplies will be collected and passed out to the needy students in our area. We are working with New Holy Cross Baptist Church. They have an entire program to celebrate “Back to School”. We have volunteered to collect pencils, notebook paper, folders, colored pencils, crayons, children’s scissors and erasers. These items go on sale during the summer and we hope you are able to take advantage of sales. Bring your back to school supplies on any Sunday until the end of August! Please drop them off at the reception desk. Thank You. Elizabeth Webb

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.

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.

We are offering an incentive to current commuters. If you refer someone to St. Paul (as a full time parker), and they stay and pay for at least two months, St. Paul will offer a 2 month credit on your monthly requested donation of $30.

Our Thoughts and Prayers are with:

Special Concerns:

Charlotte Boethe, Maurine Donohew, Justin Hewett, Elizabeth Hunt, Ray Suturious and Ashley Frances Steingraeber.

Continued Prayers:

Gary Crosoli, Ed Frangella, John and Olga Huegel, John Juskevice (Betty Frangella’s father), Lisa & Mark Popelka, Pat & Lou Sauter,

David Smith, Larry Weston (Marlene Maxon’s brother) and Bob Williams (Harriet’s husband).

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.

July and August Birthdays

Happy Birthday to:

7/3 Myron Thomas

7/7 Peggy Anderson

7/8 Frank Wright

7/12 Dian Schulz, Doris Waldschmidt

7/14 Brittany Powers, Cheryl Williams

7/16 Helen Girolimon

7/19 Charlotte Bothe

7/22 Laura Sesol

7/29 Eleanor Hunyady

7/30 Robert Springer

8/1 Barbara Olson

8/3 Howard Bramschreiber

8/9 Cliff Cressey

8/10 William Luke, Bill Spieth

8/11 John Huegel, Edith Storrie

8/12 Kayla Kushel

8/14 Daniel O’Leary

8/15 Marion Babbitt

8/18 Mark Mitchell

8/23 JoAnn Hofmann

8/26 William Mitchell III

8/29 William Mitchell II

8/30 James Anderson, Robert Hentschel, Vince Stanfa

8/31 Robert Eichler

A significant number of our members do not have their birthdays or anniversaries entered on our database. If you believe you do not get your birthday or anniversary recognized please notify Bev at the church. For those that are sensitive, your age and date of birth are never listed on any of our reports.

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 September

Issue: August 20th

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 July 28th 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

Membership Committee: Elizabeth Webb, Bobbie Dimock, Nancy Patton and Beverly Hughes

Pastoral Advisory Committee members: Will Anderson, Nancy Patton, Jim Mahan, Elizabeth Webb, and Vern Olson

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