Mathew 5:8
God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God.
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
A lot of you have heard me say recently, ―"This is a lot to say grace over." That can mean several things – I guess I first heard the phrase (and I don't recall who said it) referring to a huge meal spread on the dining table. These days, I generally use it to refer to St. Paul's. God has put a lot on our table and we are faced with both great opportunities and great challenges. It's a lot to say grace over!
Our ministries with the community are bearing fruit, with several folks from Dina's Beginnings class planning to join a confirmation class this winter and spring and consider joining our congregation. You are invited to join the group as they explore more of the basics of Christianity and Methodism. You'll find an article about the class later in this issue of Paul's Patter.
The new Alternative Worship Service (on the third Sunday of each month) is well attended and provides a less formal atmosphere for worship. Family Night activities on Fridays are well attended. Our food ministries (BreadLine, KoCo, Community Lunch, etc.) provide vital support and fellowship for many. Parkersburg Urban Ministries continues to be a lifeline for so many who find themselves in need of emergency assistance.
Our music program is second to none! You've already enjoyed a Christmas concert that was breathtaking in its beauty. There is a lot more coming this year. And the variety of musical styles is widening all the time. Just to give you a hint of what's to come, there are scores laying around our offices that range from spirituals to rock to opera to rhythm and blues. If you like good music, don't miss a Sunday morning – and watch for upcoming concerts!
Christian Education is doing well here, too! We have Sunday School classes that embrace the traditions of our faith, that serve as a thought provoking forum for those who are exploring new understandings of God and Church, and even for those who wish to delve more deeply into the sacraments.
But we can't stop and rely on what we've done, there is much before us. We need to find new ways to do what we're already doing in social justice ministry – and do it more efficiently and with new sources of funding. Our building is a major obstacle for some who seek what we offer. Handicap accessibility is a major issue for some areas of the building. A lot of these issues simply aren't fixable, so we need to look hard at what we do where and determine if the way we've always used the building is the best way to utilize the space we have.
We know that we have to build a vital ministry with children and youth. The ―UMYF Reunion Dinner‖ held in January speaks loudly that SPUMC can – and has – done great things with young people. We have to get back at that work! The Church Council has already allocated funds to staff a full-time Director of Youth and Children's Ministries, and we expect to fill that position very soon. We'll be starting almost from scratch, but we envision a vital ministry with children, youth, and their families.
Our stewardship campaign for 2012 was one of the most successful ever – but we know that our financial base will have to
grow by at least $25,000 to $50,000 in each of the next two years just to continue to fund what we're doing now. While we were only able to pay 12.84% of our mission obligations in 2011, we are committed to paying 50% in 2012, 75% in 2013, and being in a position to pay 100% again by 2014 (and do note that this is a full year ahead of the schedule we first adopted!).
The Rev. Dina Andrews has been a part of our church family for years – first as a volunteer, then as a candidate for ministry, and now as a seminary student and ministry intern commissioned for ministry by the conference. Dina has all but completed her educational requirements (and you'll be invited to drive with us to Delaware, Ohio in May to join the celebration as she graduates from The Methodist Theological School in Ohio) and we expect that The Rt. Rev. William Boyd Grove, O.S.L., Resident and Presiding Bishop of West Virginia, will formally appoint her to St. Paul's in the next
few weeks.
Dina is working toward ordination as a Deacon in The United Methodist Church. This is a long process, and the goal is finally in
sight! Dina is now in residency, and will be eligible to sit for her final examinations (written and oral) in 2014. There aren't a lot of Deacons in our denomination (only 14 in West Virginia, plus 4 – including Dina – who are in the process toward ordination), so we're all learning what it is that they do and how they fit into the local congregation's ministry. A United Methodist Deacon is ordained clergy who has one foot in the Church and one foot in the world. Their primary task is to connect the two realms in which they work.
As a clergy staff, Dina, Lisa and I are working together to change our worship leadership assignments and style to more accurately reflect Dina's position and office. For congregations fortunate to have a deacon on staff, it is the deacon who gathers up the concerns and petitions of the people in prayer. It is the Deacon who reads the Gospel lesson in the liturgy, and who sometimes preaches the Word. Its the Deacon's sole prerogative – even in
the presence of a Bishop – to pronounce The Exultet (the proclamation of Christ's resurrection from the dead) at The Great Easter Vigil. And it is the Deacon who sends the people into the world for ministry from the service of worship.
So, there is much before us to ―say grace over‖. Because we are faced with so many opportunities and challenges, and because there is great change coming for St. Paul's – whether we want it or not – I called us into a period of prayerful discernment and planning in my annual State of the
Church address on January 22nd. I believe that we need to prayerfully develop a strategic plan to manage the coming growth and change that is surely part of St. Paul's United Methodist Church. Here, in our third century of service, we face what may be our greatest challenges and opportunities. We are up to the task!
It is my intention to gather a team of persons who are willing to join in prayer, study, research, and discernment over the coming months and develop a strategic plan for our mutual ministry. I may approach some of you and ask you to serve. I asked, on January 22nd, that those who feel God's call to this work write to me and describe that call as soon as possible. Within an hour of that address, one youth and one young adult had indicated that they were feeling the call and planned to write a letter of application.
The Strategic Planning Team, as I'm calling it, should expect to meet weekly for several months. Folk who are called to this work should expect to be
called daily to prayer for St. Paul's and to have both research and study assignments. I believe that the team will be most effective if it has youth, young adults, middle adults (like me!) and seniors as members. I believe that God is calling six to twelve people to serve in this ministry. If you are one of those, please write to me as soon as possible (postal mail is great, but e-mail is fine – brent.sturm@gmail.com – but please don't just tell me; I'm a
forgetful pastor!).
Even if God is not calling you to the hard work of serving on the Strategic Planning Team, please be in prayer every day for the ministries and the future of St. Paul's. The Rev. Robert Manley gathered folk who's names we don't know to start this ministry in 1799. For 213 years we have worked to clothe the naked, feed the hungry, free the oppressed, and proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ. Those years have been easy and hard, marked by
painful division and remarkable unity, and filled with God's grace.
I believe that there are great days of ministry ahead for St. Paul's. I invite you to join me on the journey – in prayer, in stewardship, and in service.
“The best of all is, God is with us.”
Grace and Peace!
The Rev. W. Brent Sturm, O.S.L.
Senior Pastor
The Rev. Dina Andrews
Deacon
The Rev. Lisa Taylor
Associate Pastor
