Kindred in Christ,

With a new year, comes a new way to get the news from St. Paul’s! We will continue to send out weekly notices, but the format is changing.

From now on, near the top will be title information, and if you scroll down to the corresponding number, you will find more details on the subject.

Weekly Announcements for January 7th, 2021

  1. Information to join us for worship through Zoom
  2. Planning for the New Year
    • Preaching Coverage
    • Lay Presiders
    • Emergency Pastoral Care
  3. 2021 Envelopes
  4. Financial Update
  5. Submitting Announcements in the new year
  6. Message from the FundScrip Team
  7. Brown Bag Lunches need everything

Scroll down to see more information on these announcements

  1. Information to join us for worship through Zoom: We continue to live into a hybrid worship, where we have seats available for those who would like to worship in-person, but will continue to offer streamed worship through Zoom. However you join us, we are glad to have you!. The Zoom link is: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85811548808  The password for this meeting room is: 200188 For those who would prefer to call in the number is: 1 647 558 0588 then use the Meeting ID: 858 1154 8808, and then enter the passcode 200188 when prompted

2. Planning for the New Year: We know that many of you have been wondering what the shape of the new year will be. Who will be preaching? Who do we call in case of a pastoral emergency? Fortunately we have had some dedicated volunteers doing this prep work so that from January to June, we are covered! Special thanks to Roger Miller and Janis Violette. Both have been instrumental in creating a schedule for the coming months.

Preaching Coverage: Each week we will welcome a guest preacher to guide us through the word. Some we will know well, and others will be new faces with new perspectives to share. Rev. Michelle has even agreed to come back once a month so that there is always a familiar face. Some of those preaching over the next 6 months include:

  1. Bev Sharpe
  2. Mike Bravener
  3. Heather Donnelly
  4. Bill Randall
  5. Rev. Rose-Hannah Gaskin
  6. and more!

Lay Presiders: You have seen these dedicated members of our own congregation from time to time over the last 4 months, but starting on January 3rd, we will have a Lay Presider accompanying the guest preacher every week! The people who have stepped forward to share in leadership are:

  1.   Beth Henderson
  2. Derrick Grant
  3. Ann Krause
  4. Jane Blakely
  5. Brad Green
  6. Mike Berry
  7. Ron & Lynne Naugler

Emergency Pastoral Care: Sometimes we go through hard times, whether it is wrestling with anxiety and depression and needing someone to hear you, other times we are in hospital and could use some prayerful company. May and June are still being worked on, but there is some time between now and then to ensure that there is coverage for your pastoral emergencies. For you Emergency Pastoral Care needs, we have the following individuals each taking a month at a time. Watch for their contact information in the announcements for the month they are covering.

  1. Rev. Bob Jones (January) 476-8020 Emergency Pastoral care
  2. Rev. Peter Short & Rev. Ellen Beairsto (February)
  3. Rev. Kay Clowater & Rev. Ellen Beairsto (March)
  4. Rev. Nathan Wright (April)

3. 2021 Envelopes are available for pick up in the Narthex on Sunday morning. Contact the office 458-1183 to pick them up during the week.

4. Financial Update: One of the things we have been worrying about a lot since the pandemic hit is how our finances are and how we look going into 2021. There is some good news to share with you all on that front!

First, as many of you know, we had quite a bit of clearing up to do with regards to the 2019 finances so that we knew how much was where. Thanks to the hard work of Dixie and Eric, the mess of year end 2019 has been cleared up, and we have a clear and organized understanding of the finances moving forward.

Second, in the past we have treated the low-income housing project as something separate from the church that we manage, but the Board and the church have changed the way that we understand that relationship. Now we treat it as a part of our mission, something that supports the church financially, while still ensuring that there is a healthy cushion of emergency funds should the houses need work or repair.

Lastly, there have been and will be some significant salary changes for St. Paul’s. For a large part of Rev. Michelle’s maternity leave, we have been topping up her salary, and that ended with the last pay. Also, with Rev. Richard transitioning to a different church, his salary will not be our responsibility moving forward. This will mean 6 months of breathing room for St.Paul’s, but we should not get too comfortable. It is also an opportunity to build, to prepare for Rev. Michelle’s return in June, and to find our focus as a community of faith that serves the downtown. We ask that our members continue to give as we build together.

5. Submitting Announcements in the new year: To get your announcement in this weekly notice, we ask that you submit them to the office with a small paragraph of detail by Wednesday of the week you want your announcement to run. Also include the number of weeks that you want this announcement in our weekly notice.

6. Message from the FundScrip Team                                                                               

Did you use up all your gift cards over the holidays? Do you use gift cards to pay for your groceries and other everyday needs? We’re ready to place our next order! The deadline for your order is Sunday, January 17. I will call you when the cards arrive to arrange pick-up or delivery. If you have any family birthdays, anniversaries, celebrations coming up in the next few weeks why not consider a gift card for a favourite store. And don’t forget Valentine’s Day (February 14). We won’t have another order before then so order a card now to treat your sweetie. Order forms are available at the church office, in the Narthex on Sunday or you can print a copy by clicking here http://www.stpaulsunited.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/POF_46258_NB_20210107105919197.pdf

 

FYI – Roots has increased its rebate to 15% (from 10%) for the month of January. New retailers now available: Aldo and H&M.

If you haven’t taken part in this program before, here’s how it works. FundScrip is Canada’s most successful Gift Card Fundraiser. The process is simple. You purchase gift cards through the church office to cover all your shopping needs . . . groceries, gas, hardware, restaurants, etc. Cards from over 200 retailers are available in different denominations from $5 at Starbucks to $500 at Staples, Home Depot and Home Hardware. Each purchase automatically includes a donation to St. Paul’s calculated as a percentage of the card’s value. There is no cost to you for this donation. You receive the full face value of every card you purchase. Just fill out an order form, take it to the office during the week or bring it to church on Sunday, and pre-pay by cash, cheque or e-transfer.

Shopping is fundraising for St. Paul’s!

7. Brown Bag Lunches need everything! pop top proteins including soup tuna ham chicken also juices and snacks. thank you very much.