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…
Have you ever had the experience of knowing that something was going to happen, but it seemed so far off that the reality of it didn’t register until it was right in front of you? This phenomenon can happen with wonderful things like a winter vacation you booked in the middle of summer. Or things that you would rather avoid, like the way that the tax filing deadline seems to sneak up on me quicker every year. When the event is suddenly on your doorstep, for better or worse, it becomes all too real and takes on a new and more intense meaning.
I’ve experienced a similar reality-shifting moment before a funeral starts, when the family is gathered in the Lady’s Parlor, chatting and engaging with each other almost like any other day, and then I show up in my robes to pray. The significance of the service we are about to have comes crashing in and tears start to flow. Reality cannot be denied.
We are in a similar place with the sale of our building. When we first started to talk about this all the changes seemed so far off, a year is a lot of time. Among the trustees and sales team who worked on the initial investigation, there was talk about what would happen if the building was on the market for 12 months and nobody wanted it. Yet the seemingly mammoth project of selling the building is suddenly a done reality. Now the equally large task of moving looms.
We are at a time in the congregation’s life when we need people who are committed to moving the congregation forward. We have had some very dedicated leaders steering this process of selling the building and organizing the discussions with St. Andrew’s they deserve our thanks. I am also grateful to those who have stepped in to offer their support in areas they feel skilled. Without these dedicated folks, we would not been able to accomplish what has already been done.
Yet we are at a transition moment between what was and what will be. The physical aspects of moving the congregation is only one part of the transition that selling the building brings. The other side of this transition is shifting our focus and re-energizing the congregation so that we move away from the narrative of death into new life that this change can bring. We need a few more people committed to seeing a new future for St. Paul’s to step forward and serve on the Council. The council needs people who have deep faith in God’s presence with us, who can debate the merits of an action, who are willing to listen to others, and ultimately people who want to help guide St. Paul’s into a new age. The Council will be making decisions and setting the vision for our congregation, developing the policies we need to go forward, and listening/watching for God’s call. The more diversity of voices and opinions we can populate our Council with the better. So, if you care deeply about St. Paul’s, please prayerfully consider what gifts you have to offer and if the Spirit is nudging your heart. If you feel even the slightest tug, please speak with me.
If you are finding yourself in a place of overwhelming grief at the sale and move, know that you are not alone. This is a big change and church buildings get vested with our personal memories of major life events. It is normal and OK to feel that loss. As someone said to me this week, I realized I was grieving the building, just like I grieved the death of my father or mother. Grief is not something to be avoided but is something to move through. For it is only by feeling and working through our emotions that we can release them and open ourselves to new possibilities and life. If you are struggling right now with all the changes, I encourage you to reach out too. Sometimes just having a listening ear and being reminded of God’s presence through prayer and practice can make all the difference.
Whatever you are feeling at this moment, be it overwhelmed, energized, or somewhere in between, it is important to know that all the moments that shift our realities eventually fade as the new reality becomes the new normal. May we capitalize on these moments that shake reality so that when we settle, we find ourselves in a place we want to be. So, we pray:
God in this time of transition,
We pray that you hold us and remind us that you are with us.
We trust that you are still leading your people
To still waters and lush fields, where we can thrive.
Open us to your call,
So that we may hear your voice whispering to our hearts
Showing us where we are to offer our gift
And then give us the courage to serve in your name.
This we pray in Christ’s strong name. Amen.
Featured In This July 25th Edition of St. Paul’s eNews
Worship This Sunday July 28th
Volunteers Needed
Council Chair Resignation
Office Closed For Holidays
Ecumenical Shared Ministry Update
FundScrip
Brown Bag Lunch Program
Pantry Program
Scholarships Available
Back To School Back Packs ~ School Supply Donations Wanted
Summer Service Schedule
Fall Youth @ Region Camp Event
Pickleball At Wilmot
Worship This Sunday July 28th
Please join Rev. Michelle for service this Sunday at 10:30am.
To view the bulletin in advance click here!
Can’t make it in person, join via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81834519740 Password: 657067
Volunteers Needed
Love St Paul’s? Feeling sentimental about our move? Put that emotion into action by helping to plan our move. Help recommend what moves with us, what moves on to others, and how we get it all moved. Cathy Davis and Ross Mathers have created a thorough inventory and need congregational voices to make a plan for Council that accommodates as many wishes as possible. Please volunteer to be one of those voices by notifying Meghan at 506-458-1183 or stpaulsoffice224@gmail.com
Council Chair Resignation
Dear St. Paul’s Friends,
I regret to inform you that I have stepped away from the Council Chair position and submitted my resignation from Council. I feel I owe you an explanation and some words of encouragement.
When I took on the Council role, we were still thinking that the sale and the move would take place in the first half of 2025. When we presented the 2024 budget it was “business as usual” for the rest of this year. I calibrated, as we all do, whether I would have the time and energy to commit to a leadership role until the next annual meeting, at which time I fully expected to step aside for a new leader who was integrated into and focused on the new shared ministry at St. Andrews. It made sense at the time!
Thanks to the heroic work of our Trustees, everything has happened much, much faster. This is a good thing and brings with it the need for an immediate uptick in energy. The Council is responsible for all matters related to the transition to the new ministry at St. Andrews.
This is going to take energy, coordination and focus and I have faith in the ability of this congregation to find and deliver all those things. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for myself. At this moment, with my work and personal commitments, I have no capacity to spare. For starters, of the 12 remaining weeks until the closing date, I am out of the province for 4 weeks and fully committed elsewhere for 2 others. That’s not the kind of leadership that will get this historic transition across the finish line.
My dad had a great saying for everything and one of his favorites was “Lead, Follow or Get Out of the Way”. I have chosen the latter. I will help in small ways when I can, and I encourage each of you to do everything within your capacity. Thank you so much for all your love and support over the last many tumultuous years. Smoother waters are just around the bend, and I know the rest of the leadership team – and hopefully some reinforcements – will get St. Paul’s there. ~ Jane
Office Closed For Holidays
St. Paul’s office will be closed on the New Brunswick Day long weekend, August 2nd– 5th. The office is also closed on Fridays throughout the summer. Emails will be monitored and responded to when possible.
Ecumenical Shared Ministry Update
Another month and another update from the Joint Ecumenical Shared Ministry Committee. July has seen the very surprising acceptance of an offer on our property. This, of course, has created ripples! Our target date for sharing with you a draft agreement between St. Paul’s and St. Andrew’s has been necessarily fast-tracked. We hope to have it ready for you by September, before we move to our new home. This agreement will set out how the two congregations will function as one in managing worship, shared financial commitments, human resources, and joint outreach programs. etc. Representatives of both congregations have been meeting regularly in recent months to discuss and make recommendations for their area of ministry. The Joint ESM committee has been compiling these recommendations to form the draft agreement, outlining the broad policies of the shared ministry.
The Financial ‘Policy shapers’, with Brad Webb and Ron Naugler representing St. Paul’s, have met again with their counterparts from St. Andrew’s. Together they have developed a plan for the two congregations to share expenses based on our audited revenues from the previous year. This cost-sharing split would be revisited every year after the independent financial reviews are completed and presented at the AGM.
Similarly, the Joint Ecumenical Shared Ministry Agreement will be revisited after each AGM. Plans that we now think will work, may not. And we may want to add things that we hadn’t thought of before we started sharing our ministry. The Agreement will be a living document, always able to be rearranged to suit the congregation’s needs at the time.
We can look forward to a very exciting and invigorating time!
FundScrip
The next deadline for FundScrip gift cards is Sunday, August 4th. If you have been travelling this summer, you probably need more gas cards. If you have had a lot of hungry visitors, you might want to replenish your pantry using grocery store cards. Kids will be back at school before you know it. Shop for school supplies with FundScrip gift cards. Click here to download the order form. With this order, we’ll now resume our regular deadline schedule on the first Sunday of the month. Watch for reminders in the weekly eNews and the Sunday bulletins. Remember: Shopping is fundraising for St. Paul’s.
Brown Bag Lunch Program
This week, the program needs proteins with flip top lids, granola bars, and pudding cups. Thank you for your continued support and generosity of this program.
Pantry Program
The Pantry program needs the following items this week: Kleenex, laundry & dish detergent, toothpaste & toothbrushes, tin foil, wax paper, saran wrap, pancake mix, syrup, ketchup, flour, white & brown & icing sugar, canned peas, & beans, pasta sauce, rice, spaghetti, pudding cups, salt, vinegar, Miracle Whip, large juices. Thank you for your continued support of this increasingly busy outreach program!
Scholarships Available
Wark/St. Paul’s Scholarships – Students who are members or adherents of St. Paul’s and who plan to pursue post-secondary studies this fall are invited to apply for financial support from the Wark/St. Paul’s Scholarship Funds. Details on eligibility and application guidelines are available at http://www.stpaulsunited.ca. Applications must be received on or before July 31st.
Back To School Back Packs ~ School Supply Donations Needed
St. Paul’s is collecting donations of school supplies to be distributed to students in grades 1-12 that utilize our outreach programs. Items needed include backpacks, lunch sets, reusable water bottles, lined paper, coil notebooks, large zippered binders, dividers, pencil cases, markers, highlighters, pens, pencils, scissors, glue, rulers, math sets, etc. A donation tax receipt will be issued for items with a receipt. Items can be dropped off at the office Monday through Thursday from 8am-3pm. Cash donations are also welcome! If you know of someone in need of school supplies, please let Meghan know so they can be added to the list. Deadline for donations is August 16th
Summer Service Schedule
Please join us for Summer Services
Everyone is welcome!
ST. PAUL’S UNITED CHURCH & Via Zoom
224 York St. Fredericton NB | Tel. 458-1183
Sunday Services at 10:30am
July 28th | August 4th
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81834519740 Password: 657067
View later: https://www.youtube.com/st.pauls
WILMOT UNITED CHURCH & Via YouTube
473 King St. Fredericton | Tel. 458-1066
Sunday Services at 10:30am
August 11th | August 18th | August 25th
https://www.youtube.com/c/WilmotUnitedChurch?app=desktop
Fall Youth @ Region Camp Event
From Friday, September 27th-Sunday, September 29th, there will be a youth event at Camp Wegesegum (360 Wegesegum Lane, Coal Creek, NB (just outside Chipman). This event is for youth from grade 6-12, and registration for the event is $75. There will be opportunities for worship, fun, and learning as together we explore themes of Truth & Reconciliation and the impacts, we all have in creating and deepening relationships in our communities. Financial Support is available. Contact rev.bowley@outlook.com for more information. To register your youth for this camp weekend, please fill in the linked registration form. If you prefer a paper copy, please reach out to rev.bowley@outlook.com. Registration Form: https://forms.gle/GycQ3bCPwJo6oJ989
Pickleball At Wilmot
Those who showed a keen passion for setting up Pickleball teams at Wilmot are invited to attend a short meeting to get organized for September directly after coffee and conversation time at Wilmot on August 11th and/or August 25th in the Parlor. Please leave a message at the office (506-458-1066) on what date you will be there. With thanks, Mary!
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 | Organists: Dr. Sharon Pond & Alexis Ervin
Church Administrator: Meghan Roebuck | Custodian: Jaedyn Williams