Present & Pliable.....

Revive, Renew, & Reach

Even as I sit in my office this afternoon I am in prayer for our congregation in this latest wave of Covid. We have had 10 members test positive over the past few weeks. I get it, it is all overwhelming. Here is my prayer that I share with you.

Jesus, during Your ministry on Earth You showed Your power and caring by healing people of all ages and stations of life from physical, mental, and spiritual ailments. Be present now to people who need Your loving touch because of COVID-19. May they feel Your power of healing through the care of doctors and nurses.

Take away the fear, anxiety, and feelings of isolation from people receiving treatment or quarantining. Give them a sense of purpose in pursuing health and protecting others from exposure to the disease. Protect their families and friends and bring peace to all who love them.

By: Kristy J. O’Hara-Glaspie and Elisabeth Rickard of World Vision (US).

In these moments friends we still turn to God. This season is not about blaming others. I am often asked “what can we do?” We are reconciled in prayer. I am grateful to be your pastor; we count on you to carry the Church and her people in your prayers. Prayer is what we do.

The reality is also that we do things to love God, ourselves, and our neighbor. I have asked each of you to have a conversation with your physician and decide on your vaccine status based on current medical knowledge. That is what we can do to stop the spread of this virus.

As previously mentioned, if you feel ill, please stay home and catch us on livestream. Judy Phillips is standing by to help you if you need help watching on Livestream. Please call her at 719-469-8915.

We pray for you and Christ’s Church and all God’s people proclaim, Amen!

Peace, Pastor Glenn

The Pastor will be in Israel from 1 to 15 Feb 2022

During this time, please contact the church office at 830-895-2212
with any needs you have, and they will be directed to the proper source.
There will also be a local pastor on standby for any pastoral emergencies that may arise.

The Methodist Men's group led by Jerry Peebles, will meet Wednesday, January 19, at 9:00a.m. in the Fellowship Hall. Please come if you are able and stay for coffee with the pastor at 10:00a.m.

Coffee With The Pastor

Monthly on the third Wednesday at 10:00 in the parlor. Next meeting is on January 19. There is no agenda, just a time of welcome and hospitality.
Open to the congregation & would love for those who are new or returning
to come and enjoy.

Good Neighboring Experiment will begin on Saturday, January 8, 2022 with a virtual meeting from 10-11 am. The Good Neighboring Experiment is about learning how to connect with our neighbors and the community by using small experiments in welcome and hospitality but also to learn the gifts and needs of our community. If you are interested please call the church office or Pastor Glenn – 325-374-5258.

Have you noticed that the Sunday flower arrangements are larger and fuller! This allows the Care Givers team to deliver larger bouquets to our home bound which brings bigger smiles to their faces.

Our team also plans to continue sending birthday cards, letting them know they are remembered! Thank you to the entire Care Giver Team for your weekly visits and flower deliveries and to Debbie Taylor for her support and help with the group to serve the home bound.

Safe Gatherings – 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 Sanctuary training with 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 online at https://safegatherings.com/

JANUARY ALTAR RAIL MISSION EMPHASIS

As always, we begin our monthly mission emphasis calendar for the new year with our good friends at CAM (Christian Assistance Ministry). CAM is operated by a coalition of more than forty churches here in Kerr County and serves the people of our area with a food pantry, a used clothing shop and limited financial aid which helps pay utility bills and
first time prescription costs. CAM also hosts monthly food fairs in the parking lot of the facility and other activities during the year. This wonderful organization depends completely on private and organizational donations to meet operating costs and to continue to serve our community. Our congregation has been very generous in supporting CAM throughout the year but in January, we make it our special point of emphasis.

Thank you for supporting this important mission!

Mustard Seed Ministries

We continue to meet at Light on the Hill on Mondays at 9:30a.m. - 11a.m.

On the last Monday of each month at 9:00 am, we volunteer for “Mega Food” where families receive about 100 pounds of fresh, dry, & canned goods. St. Paul’s volunteers gather at Light on the Hill (Mt. Wesley). If you have any questions or would like to volunteer, please contact the church office: 830-895-2212.

Thank you church friends for giving your time to help feed those in need!

We had and amazing Christmas service in music, lessons, & carols. The generosity of our church amazes me. We raised over $6,000 for local charities and checks for $1533.73 will be delivered to The Doyle Center, Light on the Hill (food ministries), The Hill Country Youth Ranch, and Christian Assistance Ministries. Thank you!

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)

UMW MEMBERS PLUS (+) VISIT MISSION BORDER HOPE IN EAGLE PASS

December 14, Pastor Glenn, Dwayne Brown and Tony Wedig accompanied UMW members Lois Shaw, Lynette Wedig, Alecia Smith, Cindy Hanson, Marylin Davis and Dolores Schroeder to get a first-hand look at the ministry of Mission Border Hope. The current mission of MBH is to assist legal refugees who have cleared the initial steps in the asylum-seeking process (Customs, Immigration and Border Patrol) and are moving on to be with sponsors/relatives while they wait for their asylum hearings. They come from Central and South American countries and countries in Africa. ly about 2% are from Mexico.

At MBH, the refugees receive an orientation and food and make arrangements for their transportation. Some stay overnight.

Housed in a building that once served as a United Methodist Church, the Mission will soon move to a very large metal building where showers and bathroom facilities will be installed. It is on the outskirts of Eagle Pass.

Volunteer opportunities are available at MBH, so we’ll keep you posted. Our visit ended riverside with Pastor’s Glenn’s hand- dip in the water to bless each of us as we remembered our baptisms.

Hi Everyone!

I am excited to say that we have changes coming soon!!

The Trustees has approved the upgrade/replacement of the Tricaster which is the equipment I use to mix what you see on the screen, the audio, and the camera for the Livestream. Included in this project is a new camera and controller. The expected time frame of this installation is within the next 2 months.

Trustees has also approved to have installed a replacement projector and screen for the front of the house and a new projector and screen for everyone up on the chancel area, so they don’t have to turn around to see the screen. This will be after the first project is completed, so I am not sure the time frame at this time at this time, but we are excited for the upgrades as I am sure everyone will be.

In regular news, I will be out of town on the 30^th. At this time, there is no plan to Livestream on that Sunday as Skipper will not be able to help. Someone will turn on the sound system and everything will be old school for that week. Be prepared to sing some old favorites! Thank you everyone for understanding that we cannot always find a replacement to run the equipment.

I am also going to be working on a Technology office out in the Gray Building. I will be able to work on some of the computers and equipment that we have as well as keep my files in a better location at the church. With this change, I can schedule time to help people with any technology issues at the church if assistance is needed.

Have a great week and see you Sunday!!!

Be Blessed!
Judy Phillips
Technology Coordinator

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.

Damon & Linda Faught 1/26

VISIT YOUR LIBRARY

By: Rosalie Pinson

NEW YEAR!" to one and all, here at St. Paul's UMC, and neighboring community. We are all grateful for the LORD'S BLESSINGS of this past year, which include Covid-19 vaccines, good rainfall in 2021, and a new Pastor.

If you received a good book (or DVD) at Christmas, please consider donating it to St. Paul's Library after you have finished with it. We appreciate donations of new, or gently-used reading materials, or other audio-visual items.

Thank you to our book donors of 2021: Ruth Steele, Jerry Peebles, Jeanine Kenworthy, Rosalie Pinson, Connie Fluegel, and some anonymous donors.

With a NEW YEAR, comes "NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS." Why not make a resolution to come visit your church library? Come in and look over the many genres of books and other materials: DVDs, Books on CD, Large Print items, etc. Peruse the collection, and check out something new and of interest to you. We look forward to seeing you, and please, do have a great year of reading in 2022!

HAPPY NEW YEAR !! HAPPY READING !!

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

Local Ministries We Support Year-Round

Christian Assistance Ministries (C.A.M.)
We are currently in need of jackets & blankets. Men's outdoor clothing & shoes,
plus kids & young peoples clothes are needed. Sorry we cannot accept homemade items.
You may drop these off in the CAM box in the Fellowship Hall.

For more information found in this newsletter or on our
calendar of events please visit our website at www.spumctx.org
You can also find links to to upcoming Sunday Live Streams and much more!Find us on Facebook! @StPaulsUMCKerrville