Revive, Renew, & Reach

When I’m stressed, I need to decompress. I’ve made a point of continually asking myself where I am right now.  I find it healing to close my eyes and imagine peace and rest over the last two years. It has all been so mind boggling.  When my mind is buzzing and I am trying to clear my thoughts, my need for restoration happens. But when I rest, I am being restored both literally and figuratively.
I examine what is “mine to do” and where I need the church to come in. I examine my heart and consider how I can restore my inner self. During Lent, it is common to give things up with a goal of growing closer to God. We consider what obstacles are keeping us distant from God and look for ways to remove them.
So, as we continue in the season of lent, it might be helpful to first look to our inner beings and ask these questions:

1. How am I drawing closer in loving relationship with God?
2. Can I be with people to seek their gifts and abundance?
3. What brings joy in the presence of God that I can increase?

The first (and best) spiritual practice we can continue during Lent in a troubled world is to both talk and listen with God every time our hearts are muddied by our fears or anxiety (I am admittedly part of that group). When the news is devastating, pray. When fear seems overwhelming, talk to the Lord. When sadness sets in, cry out to God.  Then listen for God’s response
But it is not the last spiritual practice we should take on. This is a time of both picking up and putting down. We prune dead branches so better fruit can grow. As prayer helps us to declutter our hearts, what are we called to do with that space?
During Lent our Sermon series is called “Come Walk With Me” we are following Jesus’ walk as recorded in the Gospel of Luke as He “sets his face toward Jerusalem.” Jesus traveled light, not weighed down by the worries of the world, so He could focus on what really mattered. Helping. Healing.
As I walked the Via Delarosa (the way to the cross), I prayed we will turn toward the light of the world, reflect upon his light, and soak in His Word so we might be changed and transformed, and so we can share the peace of Jesus with others.  As we soon shift toward the life of Eastertide, I hope we all look to the resurrection as our source and inspiration.  Jesus did something no other god (notice the small g) could.  He rose from the dead.  His rising and assentation to heaven is the unique element of Christianity.
Restoration is what we are offered, God’s grace walks with us in both our joys and difficulties of the world.  Thanks be to God, soon we will see the world through the opening of an empty tomb. 

Peace, Pastor Glenn

  Forty Days of Lent… There is significance to the 40 days of Lent, the days between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday (excluding Sundays). This is the period of Jesus ministry where we can explore what it may be like to “Come Walk With” Jesus. From the temptation to the cross.

Our project in prayer and reaching out with our church and the Kerrville community continues through April 16.  Each day during Lent we will put a white cross at the front of the church.
Please call the office at 830-895-2212 to schedule a time to add a cross.
If you are not physically able to do so, you may come to the church anytime during Lent to pray over the crosses. After all, prayer is what we do.

Here is our special service schedule for Lent:

• April 10 – Palm Sunday Cantata “Come Walk With Me” – 10:30 a.m.
• April 14 – Holy Thursday Service with Communion – 5:30 p.m.
• April 15 – Good Friday Taizé Service – 5:30 p.m.
• April 17 – Easter Sunrise Service in front of the church – 7:00 a.m.
• April 17 – Easter Sunday Flowering of the Cross Service – 10:30 a.m.

All services will be in our sanctuary. Sunrise service will be in Fellowship Hall.
All services will feature our full choir. All services will be livestreamed, except Sunrise service.

Hello everyone! Things are bubbling and cooking (sorry Mom was a home ec teacher) in music land here at church. We are getting more excited about our music for Holy Week and Easter. There is still time if you’d like to join us. In fact, we have added a few faces to Cantata practice. If you would like to join the singing, we meet on Wednesday evenings at 5:30 and Cantata practice is 6:15 to 7. Yes, we are getting closer and need to add a little time, so we are using the last 45 minutes of choir practice.

We could use a few ringers for bells too, if you’d like to learn a really fun skill. I have a few ringers on vacation and could use a little help if you’d like to try it. It’s a really fun group of people and they would welcome you.

Lastly, I and my family will be taking a vacation after Easter. We are booked for a Viking cruise called Paris to the Swiss Alps. Jessie Putnam will fill in for me for the two Sundays we are gone, also Wednesday rehearsals. The choir will be in good hands. So, no one is ill (I’ve lost weight because I’m on Weight Watchers) or having a problem, just having the first vacation since February of 2020.

Fingers crossed that all goes according to plan. But according to our Viking hosts, we are following excellent Covid protocols and actually things are a bit more lax in many European cities. This company never puts their guests in harms way, and will cancel or re-book if something happens to put anyone in danger. They do a great job taking care of folks.

Prayer Requests from the People

As a reminder, prayer requests need to have the following information:

• First and Last Name of the person for whom we are praying
• Relation to the person submitting request
• Name of the person requesting the prayer and a phone number for questions

When using the online prayer request module, please put the person's Name (first and last) as the Prayer Title.  This will help us quickly determine if the request is new or an update on a previous request for that person.

 Morning Prayer with the Pastor is Wednesday, April 6 in the sanctuary.

    Pastors & Professionals Meeting                     
   Tuesday, April 19, 10:00 a.m. at Mt. Wesley

Coffee With The Pastor

Coffee with the Pastor is on Wednesday, April 20 at 10:00 a.m. in the parlor.  It is open to the congregation & would love for those who are
new or returning to come and enjoy.
 

Our Butterflies Sunday School class led by Amy Luhrs, is learning about blessings during this Easter Season.  They are  busy painting stained glass crosses to put in their yards. The balloons symbolize the blessings that are abundant and countless when you live by faith.
 

   The first response in any ministry is to “do no harm.”  We currently have six people approved through the Safe Gatherings process.  If you serve in this church and serve vulnerable adults, children, or youth then part of our ministry is completing Safe Gatherings training which is helpful for understanding the responsibly of our volunteers.  The registration fee is covered by the church and there are three sessions that can all be completed online.
For more information, contact the church office or go online to register at https://safegatherings.com/.
For more information on Rio Texas Safe Steps and TRUSTed con Confianza policies and training links please go to www.riotexas.org/safestep.   

VISIT YOUR LIBRARY

By: Rosalie Pinson

Did you know that our local St. Paul's United Methodist Women's unit houses their reading program collection in our church library?

These books are checked out in the same manner as all other books (use the "date due" stamp & sign the check-out card.)

You are encouraged to look over the UMW book collection next time you come into the library.

New books from the UMW Reading Program have recently been purchased by our UMW unit, and have been processed & added to the UMW book collection.

These new books will be featured at the April UMW meeting. Some of the titles include: "Finding Jesus at the Border," "The Boy Who Delivered Joy," "The Moment of Lift," and "Separated at the Border."

These and other UMW books promote various themes, such as: Social Action, Nurturing for Community, Education for Mission, Spiritual Growth, etc.

The UMW book section is located just inside the library door in a bookcase on the right wall, close to the librarians' work room. Come in and "check them out."

If you have any questions, please contact Rosalie Pinson, Librarian -- or Jeanine Kenworthy, UMW Reading Program Chair.

Your library is staffed Thursdays, 9:30 to noon, and is open on Sundays. If it is locked, please ask someone in the church office to open it for you.

UMW….oops, that’s UWF, UNITED WOMEN in FAITH To Meet!

Yes, we have a new name, and 800,000 women worldwide will be known as members of UWF. After extensive research, the change is part of an update of the organization that includes new and improved programs to nurture current members and welcome new women to join to put their love in action on behalf of women, children and youth. A new logo (shown) was adopted.

The St. Paul’s unit of UWF will meet Tuesday, April 12 at 1:30 P.M. in the church parlor. President Lois Shaw will present the program Holy Bold Women Lead. All women of the church are invited to hear the program and business discussion of upcoming projects.

IT’S THAT TIME!………………………………………………

Members of the Endowment Committee are ready to make annual awards from the St. Paul’s Hook Scholarship Fund to deserving applicants. Recipients must be “a member of St. Paul’s or be an active participant in St. Paul’s youth or children’s activities.” Guidelines and application forms may be obtained in the church office or online. DEADLINE TO APPLY IS APRIL 30, 2022.
 

The Care Givers team has had an abundance of flowers to deliver in March thanks to the beautiful altar arrangements and Dawn and Denny Menck.  If you know someone who is home bound or in a long-term care facility and you think they would enjoy a beautiful bouquet, please let Pastor Glenn or Debbie know and we will add them to our list.  Because of COVID, we are currently unable to visit within the long-term care facilities, but we continue to deliver the flowers.  We hope to be able to visit soon.

If you or someone you know would like to join the Care Givers team, feel free to join us on Monday mornings at 10 am in the Fellowship Hall.  And thank you to the congregation for your support.

ST. PAUL’S RECEIVES LEGACY GIFT

We have been blessed to receive a $2,000 gift from the Katherine Hodge (Roth) Living Trust.  Katie, Vicki Clancy’s aunt, was a long-time member of St. Paul’s and gave her heart and time chairing the Care Group and serving in many other ways.   

This money, added to the Endowment/Memorial Funds, will help to assure the continuation of ministries and new projects to serve others. We are indebted to the many donors whose Endowment gifts have demonstrated their love for God and His church.  If you are interested in making a Legacy gift to St. Paul’s, contact Pastor Glenn or any member of the Endowment or Finance Committee.  (Brian Mitchell chairs the Endowment Committee, and Doug Wilbourn, Finance.)   

APRIL ALTAR RAIL MISSION EMPHASIS      
Mission Border Hope

Border Hope is a non-profit service mission rooted in the United Methodist Church mission of making and multiplying disciples of Jesus Christ that transform the world. With our mission, we want to reach more people, more diverse people, and more- younger people that seek to find the living Christ through mission to the vulnerable. Click the Logo for more information.

Thank you for supporting this important mission!   

Local Charities we support with financial contributions and/or volunteers!

• Light on the Hill
• Christian Assistance Ministry
• Hill Country Youth Ranch
• Doyle Center
• Kids Advocacy Place & Crisis Center Shelter
• Mission: Border Hope
• The Dietert Center (meals on wheels)
   

  ---

  ---

   

Hi Everyone!

April is here and Easter is just around the corner!! Such a busy time of year for everyone – spring cleaning inside and out, planting gardens, going for more walks as the days warm up and grow longer. I hope everyone is enjoying the beautiful springtime weather!

Our new upgrade equipment for the Tricaster and streaming camera is now installed, and we are working out a few minor kicks and learning curves with the upgrade. We can already see a huge difference in the online viewing with the new camera. Below are some photos to see the differences that I have seen. I know my phone camera does not justice to the difference, so you should come to Worship and see!!!.

We will be phasing out our old Livestream.com account for various reason, including compatibility. At this time, we are not able to stream directly to the Livestream.com account as we have in the past. However, I am now able to stream directly to the website on Sunday and also to our Facebook page. After the service, I will upload the video to the Livestream.com account for viewing there if you prefer. Video and audio are also available on the website sermon page with the corresponding week. This change is less clicks to get to a place for viewing the Sunday (and other) services and a lot less work downloading/converting files for viewing. Please be patient as we work to get everything right again.

The new projector is also installed and this is much sooner for installation than originally quoted to us for late April. I truly hope everyone sees a difference with this new projection system.

If there is another platform you would like to see us stream on instead of Facebook (like YouTube) please let me know. I want to make our services available wherever is most convenient for everyone.

As Holy Week approaches, I am working hard to make sure all the information is put out timely and everything is ready for each service. Please be patient, but also do not hesitate to let me know if I have missed something.

Have a great week and see you Sunday!!!

Be Blessed!

Judy Phillips

Technology Coordinator

Difference streaming with new camera:

OLD:                                                   NEW:

Difference in projector:

OLD:                                                      NEW:

Online Giving!

This is a fast, easy and secure way to make contributions to the church. The website is partnered with PayPal to provide a secure checkout process and protect your information.
The link to the Giving Online form is found on the Home page of our website.  We are charged a small processing fee which you have the option to help us cover with your contribution. This is completely optional, however, please be aware if you choose not to help cover the processing fee, the amount that the church receives your contribution less the amount of the processing fees.
Example: a $20 contribution has a $0.91 processing fee. If you choose not to cover this, then what the church will receive is $19.09.

      Carlton & Anita Biermann  4/24
      Jose & Kitty Perez             4/27
 

Upcoming Events