St. Paul’s United Church
Our Mission: Glorifying God through Worship, Proclaiming the Gospel of Christ and Serving Others in Christ’s name.
From the desk of Rev. Michelle:
What kind of society are we called to build? Back in the beginning, after Cain had murdered his brother Abel, God asked him where his brother was. Cain answered, “I know not; am I my brother’s keeper?” Popular culture has in many ways followed the path of Cain, focusing me, myself and I. It seems that everyone asks first, “what is the benefit me?” and when the concern lays beyond or in conflict with what we want the refrain, “it is not my responsibility” quickly follows. For people of God and followers of Christ, this societal stance poses a problem. It is clear from scripture that God does expect us to be our brother’s keeper – or at least care for and put others interests on par with our own.
As Galatians 10:23-24, Paul puts it this way, “We are allowed to do anything, that is true, but not everything is good. We are allowed to do anything – but not everything is helpful. None of you should be looking out for your own interests, but for the interests of others.” (Good News Translation). It is true that we have freedom to express our wants, needs and desires, and living in Canada we are free to do almost anything we want to make these a reality. However, as followers of Jesus, we are called to voluntarily submit to use our freedom to the framework provided by God, which is love.
Once again turning to our scriptures, this time 1 John we hear; “Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister” (1 John 4:20-21) and “this is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters” (1 John 3:16). In a society that is only about “me”, this kind of thinking is counter-cultural. For many of us it doesn’t come naturally and when what is best for others runs perpendicular to our wants, that age old questions starts to surface: “am I my brother’s keeper?”
We worship a God who casts a vision of heaven on earth, where all are cared for, loved and valued. This isn’t the world we live in day to day, but is the goal. It is what we as God’s people seek to foster and build in our time and place. Submitting our freedom to Christ is one of the costs of discipleship, of engaging in the work that will allow for God’s vision to be manifest. It isn’t always easy, but the rewards of it are joy, peace and purpose! Could you really ask for anything more?
Next time you find yourself asking “am I my brother’s keeper?” Answer with a resounding YES. Then follow it up with another equally important question: What would Jesus do?
As we head towards this weekend, I pray that in the coming storm, let us pray,
God of love,
You don’t hold out an easy task for us,
to put others first, to possibly lay aside our desires,
Yet deep in our hearts we know, that when we do,
We come face to face with you
The weight of our burdens feels lighter,
The joy of purpose fills our souls
And we experience peace, seeing the good in the world.
Help us to live into your vision of heaven on earth,
in the coming days, let us practice your care,
reaching out to calm fears of the coming storm,
and by doing all we can to make sure people have what they need to stay safe.
This we pray in Christ’s name. Amen
Featured In This September 22nd Edition of St. Paul’s eNews
Worship This Sunday September 25th
Covid Procedure Update
Baptism, Confirmation and Membership
soup, bun and congregational Fun
World Wide Communion Sunday
Downtown United Youth Group
Bible Study
Sunday School Calling Children And Adults!
Toonies For St. Paul’s!
Pantry Program
Brown Bag Lunch Program
Orange Shirt Day/National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
FundScrip Orders Almost Due!
Upcoming Dates To Remember
Worship This Sunday September 25th
Please join us in person to worship at St. Paul’s Sunday at 10:30am. Covid protocols still in place are: masking, hand sanitizing, sitting in marked pews, and social distancing.
As always, if you are not ready to join us in person we hope to see you on Zoom – link is https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86854718551 Passcode: 165090
You can also join by phone only, if you don’t have a long distance plan charges will apply. All you need to do is call 1 647 558 0588 and follow the prompts to enter Meeting ID: 868 5471 8551 and Passcode: 165090
Covid Procedure Update
The board discussed our COVID protocols, weighing the information from public health, current COVID levels, and feedback received from congregation. As a congregation, we have a shared responsibility to each other. To date we have used the most protective option when dealing with sanctuary and church building. As we start to move to COVID being an endemic disease, the board felt it was time to take a small step towards loosening restrictions. As of this coming Sunday, people are asked to wear masks while moving around the sanctuary/church building, when singing and when social distancing cannot be maintained. Masks may be removed when sitting in your pew and while eating and drinking in the hall. Church meetings where distancing cannot be maintained or where there is poor ventilation, masks will still be required. Should the community COVID situation change drastically, the new policy for masks is not being followed, or public health recommendations change, this decision will be re-evaluated. Please note that public health it is still recommending wearing a mask in public indoors and when social distancing cannot be maintained, to reduce your chances of getting COVID.
Baptism, Confirmation and Membership
There are many ways to become part of the church, but for all the journey starts with baptism. If you have been baptized as a child, you would confirm your membership when you are able to understand what church membership means. If you are baptized as an adult, your confirmation happens the same day. If you have already been confirmed, you become a member of a different local congregation by transfer or affirmation of faith. Rev Michelle will be hosting baptism, confirmation, and membership classes this October for anyone looking to officially become part of St. Paul’s United.
Soup, Bun and Congregational Fun
This weekend is our first soup, bun and workshop. Even if you are not eating lunch, you are encouraged to join us for this congregational workshop. It will be a chance for us to connect with each other and explore what we value as a congregation. All while having fun. Your participation is vital as we move forward and the board looks at setting direction for the coming years. There is no cost for soup and bun, so come and enjoy. If you would like to make a donation to help off-set the costs, a free will offering basket will be provided. Looking forward to seeing you after worship on Sunday.
World Wide Communion Sunday
October 2nd is World Wide Communion Sunday. If you or someone you know is unable to get to worship and would like home communion, please contact Rev. Michelle @ 506-259-7602
Downtown United Youth Group
Downtown United Youth Group welcomes all Children in grades 4 and up are invited to Youth group which will meet 6:30-8:00 PM each Sunday starting September 18th. We are meeting at Wilmot for the Fall. Hope to see you there! For more information, contact Erin at Hayes.erin11@gmail.com.
Bible Study
Diving into scripture is one of the spiritual practices of our faith. The small group setting of bible study helps us to go deeper and explore areas of the text that would not be addressed on Sunday morning. Join Rev. Michelle on Wednesdays at 11:15am for bible study. We meet in the board room. Generally, sessions run 45min-1hour. This coming week’s scripture is: Exodus 14:5-7, 10-14, 21-29. You can also join online. Log in using this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88619319967. Passcode is 259190.
Sunday School Calling Children And Adults!
School aged children are invited to attend Sunday school running for the 2022/23 year. Please contact Erin Hayes (Hayes.erin11@gmail.com) for any questions about Sunday school. If you are an adult and have talents you wish to share, please see Erin Hayes to sign up to be a guest speaker this year. Are you an artist? Do you like to cook? Are you a good storyteller? Experience with drama or singing? Passionate about woodwork? The possibilities are endless of sills you could share. The model we are using this year means that your commitment could be as little as one day and that there would still be a regular teacher in the room while you are sharing your gifts and skills!
Toonies For St. Paul’s!
Hello everyone! Hope you enjoyed the summer. When you were thinking about St. Paul’s United Church while sitting on the beach or camping, did you happen to throw a TOONIE into your little vial? Well, now is the time to return those vials, hopefully before the end of September. Please write your name and the dollar amount on your vial. Drop it in the Offering Box on Sunday. This was an Anniversary project and all proceeds are tax deductible. Thank you for your participation. Enjoy the Fall season and hope to see you back to Worship at St. Paul’s. Donna Chauvin 458-5885
Pantry Program
The pantry needs the following items: white sugar, brown sugar icing sugar, oatmeal (bulk), individual instant oatmeal, sardines, canned turkey, coffee whitener, cookies, chunky soup, jello, granola bars, soda crackers, peanut butter, Cheez Whiz, pudding, tea, pick salmon and ketchup. Thank you for your continued support!
Brown Bag Lunch Program
The Brown Bag Lunch program is in need of juice boxes and granola bars. Thank you for your generosity!
Orange Shirt Day/National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
If you have not already done so, take your pen and write on September 30th, the word remember to wear orange. On this day, you are encouraged to wear an orange shirt and to participate in activities to promote awareness of the residential school experience and the impact it had on the indigenous communities over the century. It is also about bearing witness and honouring the healing journey of survivors and their families and to commit to the ongoing process of reconciliation. The Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action included recognizing a statutory holiday for this purpose. To this end, in solidarity with our first nations people, the national and regional offices of the United Church of Canada and St Paul’s will be closed on September 30th.
FundScrip Orders Almost Due!
Welcome back to our loyal shoppers who support this fundraising program by purchasing gift cards every month. Deadline for our first fall order is this Sunday, October 2nd. Order forms are available at the church office, in the Narthex or here . Please use a current order form as participating retailers and card values sometimes change. Remember: Shopping is fundraising for St. Paul’s!
Upcoming Dates To Remember
September 25th – Soup and Buns ~ Hosted by Worship. Congregational Workshop to follow – Our Values
October 2nd – Fellowship Hour ~ Hosted by Property
October 9th – Fellowship Hour ~ Hosted by Trustees
October 16th – Fellowship Hour ~ Hosted by M&P
October 23rd – Soup and Buns ~ Hosted by the Choir. Congregational Workshop to follow – Finding Focus
November 6th – 190th Anniversary Celebration
St. Paul’s United Church
190 Years of Glorifying God through Worship, Proclaiming the Gospel of Christ and Serving Others in Christ’s name
Contact Information
224 York St., Fredericton, NB E3B 3P1
Web: www.stpaulsunited.ca | Tel: 506-458-1183 | Email: stpaulsoffice224@gmail.com
Minister: Rev. Michelle Armstrong | Organist: Dr. Sharon Pond
Church Administrator: Meghan Roebuck | Custodian: Rusty Blakely