This week @ St. Paul's UMC

Monday: 

9:00 AM, Office hours

6:30 PM, Board of Ordained Ministry Interviews (Pastor) 

Tuesday: 

9:00 AM, Office hours

 

Wednesday:  

10:00 AM, Wednesday Zoom fellowship

6:30 PM, Ash Wednesday service

7:30 PM, Choir practice

 

Thursday:

9:00 AM, Wired Word email 

9:00 AM, Office hours

11:45 AM, Ladies Lunch Bunch @ Old Santa Fe Grille

5:30 PM, Board of Ordained Ministry Interviews (Pastor) 

7:00 PM, God: Stories book discussion group

 

Saturday: 

5:00 PM, Bishop Oliveto on Facebook

 

Sunday: First Sunday in Lent

10:15 AM, Worship

12:30 PM, BBKC

5:30 PM, Just Love Lenten webinar

Scripture lessons for the First Sunday in Lent

The Three Temptations of Christ- Venice, San Marco, 12c. 

As we begin to make our way in the Sundays in Lent, we turn to Romans 10:8b-13 and Luke 4:1-13 for our lessons.    

February 27 @ St. Paul's UMC: Prayers

Joys:

+Dave Bishop is thankful for Lance attending the first week of the Louisville fire academy.

+Sandi Cook gives thanks for her mother's health following her hospital stay and current treatment in a rehab facility.

+Dave Bishop gives thanks for the celebration of life he attended for his Aunt Marion (101) in Pennsylvania.

+We give thanks for this week's birthday: Jayson Dupré, Jim Vander Vorste

+We are blessed this morning by Belinda Alkula (Zoom), Scott Glancy (slides), and Amy Abshire (liturgist).

Concerns:

+Sally Owen asks for prayers for Harry, who is in a in hospital in Denver following injuries incurred in a fall.

+We join with people around the world in praying for peace in Ukraine.   

+Lorie Courier shares: "They (friends of Lorie's niece, Patsy) thought they would be safe, as they are in a suburb of Kyiv. However, Olga and her two boys (and perhaps extended family) have moved to her pastor’s basement as her apartment isn’t safe.  Her husband and brother, both wounded in the battle for Crimea (2014) are separated, and are serving in the Territory Defense Force.

+Sandi Cook asks for prayers for the family of her friend, Nancy Dixon, following Nancy's death last week.

+Sally Owen asks for prayer for their nephew's wife who is from Ukraine who lives here while her mother and brother live in her home country.        

+We lift up in prayer for those continuing to work through the recovery from the Marshall fire.  

+We continue to offer prayers for those impacted by the ongoing COVID pandemic. 

A prayer for the people of Ukraine and Russia

Bishop LaTrelle Easterling, episcopal leader of the Baltimore-Washington and Peninsula-Delaware Conferences of The United Methodist Church, offered this prayer for the people of Ukraine and Russia at the Love Your Neighbor Coalition prayer service on February 26. 

Even on the mountain of the Lord, we are invited to be our authentic selves.

         For there is a season for everything under the heavens. 

There is a time to weep.

God always hears the cries of God’s children

God heard the cries 

In Egypt

In the wilderness

At the cross

In Ghana

In Aleppo

In killing fields across the globe

And in Kyiv, all of Ukraine, and Russia on this day.

Our Savior wept and our Savior weeps with us now.

We weep today for the souls suffering

fleeing bombs and bloodshed

seeking shelter and safety

clustering together desperately seeking refuge from cluster munitions

We weep today for civilians taking arms

seeking to protect their homes and homeland

defending their right to live in freedom and self-determination

sacrificing themselves for the sake of a war they did not create

which was begun on the altar of ego and vainglory.

We weep for tanks terrorizing the innocent

borders invaded

schools demolished

sacred spaces smoldering in the carnage

Sometimes tears are our only language.

They speak when we have no words.

They cleanse and heal.

They water the dry ground of

our wounded, parched souls.

They release the torrent of emotion that swells within us as

we watch in horror and cannot make it stop 

We weep as our savior wept, 

not out of weakness but out of love.  

We weep at the loss of innocence

We weep at the loss of peace

We weep at the loss of life

We weep at the loss

We weep

Our brothers and sisters in Ukraine and Russia do not cry alone;

the world stands with you

opening homes and hearts,

tables and tabernacles,

minds and mouths in solidarity.

And as we weep, may we examine ourselves,

for the greatest atrocities known to humankind

were first malformed and malignant desires

conceived within the human heart.

As our tears fall and our hearts break, may we live lives that transform

swords into plowshares,

spears into pruning hooks.

May we study war no more

and walk in your light.

Holy One of Israel

Receive our tears, and the groans

too deep for words as our prayer today.

Receive our weeping and send swiftly the peace and joy that comes with the morning.

 Amen.

Febraury 27 @ St. Paul's UMC: Announcements

Wednesday morning fellowship via Zoom continues every week at 10:00 a.m. Join here. https://us04web.zoom.us/j/454017451...

+In-person worship resumes for Lent, beginning with an Ash Wednesday service at 6:30 p.m. on March 2 and continuing on Sunday mornings at 10:15.

+Lenten devotionals are available outside the church office. They will also be available during the Ash Wednesday service. Stop by and pick up yours--and one for a friend!

+Our second virtual blood drive begins on Tuesday. Register at this link to participate. 

February 27 @ St. Paul's UMC: Worship

 

Transfiguration icon

Transfiguration Sunday

Today’s Meditation Verse: “This is my Son, my chosen one. Listen to Him.”         – Luke 9:35b

Welcome…Pastor Charles                

Prelude: “How Great Our Joy” – Lorie Courier

Call to Worship (Psalm 99:1-3, CEB)... Pastor Charles and Amy Abshire  

Leader: The Lord rules—the nations shake! God sits enthroned on the winged heavenly creatures— the earth quakes!

People: The Lord is great in Zion; God is exalted over all the nations. 

Leader: Let them thank Your great and awesome name. The Lord is holy!                                     

People: Strong king who loves justice, You are the one who established what is fair. You worked justice and righteousness in Jacob.

Leader: Magnify the Lord, our God! Bow low at God’s footstool! The Lord is holy!

Hymn: “Open My Eyes” 

 

Prayer of Transformation… Amy Abshire

 

Lord, I was a pile of ash and You made me a light for the world. I was a stone, and You made me salt for the earth. I was as lifeless as clay, and You made me part of the Body of Christ. I was sinful and You made me holy. I was nothing and You made me part of everything.

 

Lord, in you I am transformed and transformed still again. 

When the discouraged cry for hope, make me hope.

When the hungry cry for bread, make me bread.

When the thirsty cry for water, make me water.

When the suffering cry for help, make me help.

When the sick cry for healing, make me healing.

When the bound cry for freedom, make me freedom.

When the outcasts cry for love, make me love.

 

Lord who is hope who is bread and water, who is help and healing, who is freedom, and who is love, transform me anew, and so keep me close to You, as you transform the world. Amen.

–posted on the Catholic Relief Services website

Community prayer joys, concerns, and celebrations… Pastor Charles  

Pastoral Prayer / Lord’s Prayer… Pastor Charles 

First Lesson: Exodus 34:29-35… Amy Abshire

Musical Offering: “I Cannot Tell” – Hannah Gu

Epistle Lesson: 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2… Pastor Charles

Sermon: “The veil over us”... Pastor Charles

Hymn: “Just As I Am”

Words for the Journey… Pastor Charles 

Postlude: “Day By Day” – Alpha & Omega

“I No Longer Pray For Peace”

Byzantine orthodox icon (1132)
known as “Our Lady of Kyiv”

By Ann Weems

On the edge of war, one foot already in,

I no longer pray for peace:

I pray for miracles.

I pray that stone hearts will turn

to tenderheartedness,

and evil intentions will turn

to mercifulness,

and all the soldiers already deployed

will be snatched out of harm's way,

and the whole world will be

astounded onto its knees.

I pray that all the "God talk"

will take bones,

and stand up and shed

its cloak of faithlessness,

and walk again in its powerful truth.

I pray that the whole world might

sit down together and share

its bread and its wine.

Some say there is no hope,

but then I've always applauded the holy fools

who never seem to give up on

the scandalousness of our faith:

that we are loved by God......

that we can truly love one another.

I no longer pray for peace:

I pray for miracles.

Praying for Peace in Ukraine

 

All are invited to a brief prayer service for peace in Ukraine this Saturday, February 26th, 9AM PT/11AM CT/12PM ET, remembering that we have fellow United Methodists in Russia, Ukraine, and neighboring countries. Please register using this link with zoom info.

United Methodists Await Word from UMCs in Ukraine after Russian Invasion

Woman and child being evacuated from Sievierodonetsk

As Russia invaded Ukraine Feb. 24, church leaders in Europe waited anxiously for word on the safety of United Methodists in both countries.

“What a horrible day to experience,” said the Rev. Dr. Ullas Tankler, regional representative for the General Board of Global Ministries, in an email. “Right now, I am connected to Ukraine leaders via messages.” He didn’t specify what the messages might have said about the safety of Ukranian church members.

Currently there are some 1,000 United Methodists in Ukraine in 10 local churches, Dr. Tankler said. One of the churches is in Lugansk, a region invaded by Russia. There is also a mission to international students in Kyiv, the capital, which has been shelled.

Read more at this link.

Visit this link for a story from UM News.

Save the date

We will resume in-person worship on Ash Wednesday at 6:30 PM (with masks) as we begin the Lenten journey. The service will also be streamed live via Zoom, look for next week's News You Can Use for the link.

Appeal for peace in Russia-Ukraine conflict

Roland Fernandes is the general secretary of Global Ministries and UMCOR.

The General Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church is deeply troubled by the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and the ominous implications it has for escalating tensions between Russia and Western nations. We join many Christian leaders and organizations worldwide in deploring the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, and we ardently pray for a redirection of military action toward diplomatic measures to resolve grievances. United Methodists are people of peace.

The United Methodist Church has mission-founded congregations in both Ukraine and Russia, some from the pre-Soviet period and others dating from post-Soviet years. Both countries are geographically within the Eurasia Episcopal Area and relate to the United Methodist central conferences of Europe. Bishop Eduard Khegay, the resident episcopal leader in Eurasia, is based in Moscow.

We join with Bishop Christian Alsted of the Nordic and Baltic Episcopal Area and chair of our denomination’s Connectional Table in the prayer that conflict involving political matters will not break the unity between United Methodists in Ukraine and Russia.

Ties broken by Communism between Methodist communities in the Soviet bloc and the United Methodist denomination were reestablished in the 1990s through a number of mission initiatives related to Global Ministries. That work led to the inclusion of the whole of Eurasia into the organic structure of the church through the creation of the Eurasia Episcopal Area.

While Global Ministries has no administrative role in the affairs of annual conferences, districts or congregations in Russia or Ukraine, we are partners in mission with church units and projects in those countries. We have placed numerous missionaries and young adult Global Mission Fellows in the region over the years and accept applications for missionary and mission volunteer service from both countries. We currently have no mission personnel in Ukraine.

We pray for the peace and security of United Methodists in Ukraine and Russia and for all of their neighbors, and that tranquility will prevail over their lives and countries.  

The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), the humanitarian relief arm of Global Ministries, is in communication with partners in the region and actively exploring the coordination of humanitarian response in Ukraine. Support UMCOR’s international disaster response efforts by making a gift to Advance #982450.

UMC bishops call for peace in Ukraine

A pastoral letter from Bishop Alsted in light of the tragic events in Ukraine
 
Bishop Christian Alsted, who serves in the Central Conference that consists of Nordic, Baltic and Eurasian countries, including Russia and Ukraine, is offering a profound pastoral word on the crisis in Ukraine. 

"Peace, I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." – John 14:27
 
There is war in Europe. Russia has invaded Ukraine, which is a free independent democracy. 
War and violence are evil and always entail considerable human costs. The Christian message points to the path of reconciliation and never to war and violence, as a solution to conflicts. 

In the face of this evil, we pray for a logic different from the one based on geopolitical competition. We pray for a change of hearts and minds of leaders, we pray for de-escalation and dialogue instead of violence and war. 
 
The Social Principles of the Methodist Church say: “We deplore war and urge the peaceful settlement of all disputes among nations. From the beginning, the Christian conscience has struggled with the harsh realities of violence and war, for these evils clearly frustrate God’s loving purposes for humankind. We yearn for the day when there will be no more war and people will live together in peace and justice.
 
Our central conference consists of Nordic, Baltic and Eurasian countries, including Russia and Ukraine. The Christian Church is not nationalistic and our relations with our brothers and sisters in other countries are not limited by nationality or culture. We have deep relations with Methodists in Ukraine and in Russia, and although we are influenced by our culture and the political realities, we must never allow this to hinder or break our unity in Christ. 
 
We stand with the United Methodists in Ukraine in prayer for protection, reconciliation and peace. We pray for pastors, leaders and congregations in the United Methodist Church in Ukraine; may God grant that their witness of reconciliation and peace will bring strength and hope to the Ukrainian people. 
 
We pray for Bishop Eduard Khegay, bishop of both Russia and Ukraine, may God give him the wisdom and grace that he needs in his ministry and leadership under these challenging circumstances.
 
In the Nordic and Baltic episcopal area, Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania all have borders with Russia, and in addition, Latvia and Lithuania have borders with Belarus. In the Baltic states, in particular, the invasion of Ukraine causes great concern.

The United Methodists in the Nordic countries stand with the Methodists in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in prayer for protection and peace. May the Church's testimony of reconciliation and peace in Christ offer hope and strength to the people in the Baltic countries. 
 
In the coming week we will enter the season of Lent, which in the church is a time for prayer and soul-searching. I call on all our congregations to intercede for the people of Ukraine, and for the leaders in the world, who have the power to bring an end to war. I call on all our congregations to pray and fast for reconciliation and peace in the world. May God, in His grace, open our eyes to the things that make for peace, may He protect us all from the escalation and spreading of war, and may we follow Him on His path of truth and peace. 
 
May Christ have mercy on us all,
Bishop Christian Alsted

Here is the link to the statement

Delegates urge General Conference delay

Pointing to ongoing concerns around COVID-19, a group of General Conference delegates is urging a third postponement of the denomination’s top lawmaking assembly — this time to 2024.

“We strongly urge the Commission on the General Conference to postpone the General Conference until 2024, when it seems more likely that we could properly ensure the health, safety, and participation of all attendees,” said a letter to the commission signed by 170 delegates from around the globe.

The letter also expressed concern about an advocacy group’s initiative to cover some delegates’ travel to receive vaccines.

Read more at this link.

Staying warm on a frigid day

 

Lenten devotionals are available

Print copies of the 2022 Lenten devotional are now available outside the church office. Starting on Ash Wednesday, daily entries will be posted on our blog and on our Facebook page.

This week @ St. Paul's UMC

 

Monday: 

9:00 AM, Office hours

 

Tuesday: 

9:00 AM, Office hours

7:00 PM, Board of Ordained Ministry Interviews (Pastor)

 

Wednesday:  

10:00 AM, Wednesday Zoom fellowship

 

Thursday:

9:00 AM, Wired Word email 

9:00 AM, Office hours

5:30 PM, Board of Ordained Ministry Interviews (Pastor)

7:00 PM, God: Stories book discussion group

 

Saturday: 

5:00 PM, Bishop Oliveto on Facebook

 

Sunday: Transfiguration Sunday

10:15 AM, Worship

12:30 PM, BBKC