You are in danger of enthusiasm every hour, if you depart ever so little from Scripture; yea, or from the plain, literal meaning of any text, taken in connection with the context; and so you are if you despise, or lightly esteem, reason, knowledge, or human learning; every one of which is an excellent gift of God, and may serve the noblest purposes.
~ John Wesley (A Plain Account of Christian Perfection, 1777)
—photo by Scott Glancy
Global Ministries connects the church in mission through the work of evangelism and church revitalization, missionaries, global health, and humanitarian relief and recovery. Every contribution makes a difference in this vital work and brings hope and healing to the world.
Read more at this link.
But these days it no longer seems silly to me to have given superfluous care to the plastic ones. Yes, they were from the dime store; yes, they were mass produced and unremarkable. But this is not a reason against giving them a small share of glory, laud, and honor. In meticulously unwrapping them during Advent and rewrapping them at Epiphany, I was taking time to hold each one in my hand and remember what it represented. It was my love for this family tradition and for this sacred story that made them worth cherishing.
This Advent, let us take time to cherish all the humble items in our lives that bear witness to this sacred story.
—Claudia Mills
9:00 AM, Office Hours
5:00 PM, 5280 Synchronized Swim Team
Tuesday:
9:00 AM, Office Hours
Wednesday:
9:00 AM, Office Hours
10:00 AM, Zoom Fellowship
5:00 PM, 5280 Synchronized Swim Team
7:30 PM, Choir practice
Thursday:
9:00 AM, Office Hours
11:45 AM, Ladies Lunch Bunch @ Murphy's - Louisville
Sunday: Second Sunday of Advent
8:30 AM, Bell practice
8:45 AM, Adult class
10:15 AM, Worship
11:30 AM, Fellowship
12:30 PM, BBKC
Fast forward a number of years to a Christmas time when my sisters, our husbands, and our children gathered at my parents’ house for Christmas. One of the things on the agenda for the evening was visiting the live nativity scene at my parents’ church. That evening we loaded up into a couple of cars and rode down to the church. There on the wide lawn on the side of the church building was a life-size wooden shed, and to its side was an animal enclosure. That was a new twist to this tradition. In the enclosure, were sheep, cows, and there was even a donkey. Our children practically tumbled out of the cars to study the people representing the holy family and visitors who came to see the Christ child that holy night. Then they saw the animals. My mother quietly said, “Do you recognize our Jenny?” Our farm manager had loaded up the donkey and brought her to the church to participate in the reenactment of the nativity, and she behaved as if she knew this was a holy moment for all of us.
I hope Mary’s donkey was more gentle than the farm’s, but for one moment in time our Jenny was a sweet representation of that donkey who had carried a young, pregnant woman to Bethlehem where she gave birth to our Savior.
–Angela Baker
+We give thanks to everyone who turned out last Wednesday to offer their assistance as our church was transformed into a celebration of the season!
+Scott Glancy was happy to share that Selma Adevu has completed medical school and is now Dr. Adevu!
+Belinda Alkula gives thanks for the generous response to the needs of those recovering from the Marshall fire and for the needs of Fairview HS students & staff.
+We give thanks for this week's birthdays: Marcus Berlin and Wendy Wheaton.
+We are blessed by those who served this week: Belinda Alkula (video), Steve Bainbridge (usher), Tim Cook (adult class), Lorie Courier (piano), Etta Levitt (Zoom usher), Kathy Lloyd (Zoom host), Claudia Mills (liturgist/Mitten Tree), Bob Muckle (Advent wreath), Myrle Myers (fellowship), Ron Revier (choir), & Chris Wahl (Mitten Tree pianist).
Concerns:
+We lift up in our prayers those from St. Paul's who are traveling during the holidays.
+Scott Glancy asked for prayers for Kami B. who is experiencing health issues.
+Bob Muckle asks for continued prayers for a member of his staff, Michele, who is experiencing decling health.
+We join with many across the nation in mourning the 126 deaths and 268 injured due to gun violence this past week.
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| We are ready! |
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| EFFA Love Wreath & The Mitten Tree |
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| Lending a hand for the Chrismon Tree |
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| We go to great lengths for our church |
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| Fellowship time fun! |
To give online click here.
As we enter Advent this year, we might ask, what appeals to us more than smelly sheep and cutesy angels and a ragged couple traveling with a newborn? Is the Nativity story still relevant for us today? In the following days, if you read the accounts in this devotional guide, you will see that it still is.
—Rebecca Glancy
This devotional has been prepared especially for your use during the seasons of Advent and Christmas. Each day during Advent (starting November 27), a reflection, written by a member or friend of St. Paul’s UMC, will speak of the Nativity of Jesus through reflections on the people, animals, and objects present in the Nativity sets we know and love.
Starting on Christmas Day and continuing through the Twelve Days of Christmas (December 25—January 5) and on the Day of Epiphany (January 6), Pastor Charles has chosen music from Charles Wesley, "Hymns for the Nativity of Our Lord" (London: Strahan, 1745). These are presented to remind us that God’s presence amongst us doesn’t end with the unwrapping of the last present on Christmas Day.
These devotional entries will be available daily online on this blog and on our Facebook page, @boulderstpauls.
In the days and weeks to come, take a moment from your day and consider: “How does the Nativity speak to me today?”
Help us to be patient in long lines, to show kindness in crowds, to have respect and selflessness in all situations.
Grant us Your protection as we travel on this busy day.
Do not let the spirit of greed and consumption overtake us this shopping season.
Let us remember to provide for someone’s needs, and not just their wants.
Remind us to be thankful for all that we have; especially the people in our lives that we will be shopping for.
Help us to keep in mind that Christmas is about the love that Christ has for us and not just about giving and receiving gifts.
We thank you for the means and ability You have given us to shop for our loved ones.
We pray for the wants of the poor and for those who have no one to be with them this Christmas.
Grant us your love and mercy throughout the entire Advent and Christmas seasons. Amen.
- O. Eugene Pickett
Taking part in tonight's flurry of activity were: Amy Abshire, Pastor Charles & Belinda Alkula, Steve & Sandy Bainbridge (with Quinn, Aiden, & Nova), Martha Batch, Lorie & John Courier, Larry Esposito, Sandra & Jim Jordan, Steve & Michele Matthews, Claudia Mills, Bob Muckle, Ron & Suzanne Polacek, Ron Revier, Gary & Brenda Smith, Jim & Joey Vander Vorste, Chris Wahl (with Kataleya & Madilyne), Greg Wahl & his friend, Natalie, and Judy Waller.
Thanks to the Batches for providing the pizza feast and to Angela Baker for some delicious cookies. Thanks also goes to Angela for arranging for her handyman to tote all of the holiday decorations up from the basement yesterday!
It is the nature of the divine savour which is in you, to spread to whatsoever you touch; to diffuse itself, on every side, to all those among whom you are. This is the great reason why the providence of God has so mingled you together with other men, that whatever grace you have received of God may through you be communicated to others; that every holy temper, and word, and work of yours, may have an influence on lo them also. By this means a check will, in some measure, be given to the corruption which is in the world; and a small part, at least, saved from the general infection, and rendered holy and pure before God.
~ John Wesley (Discourse 4 on the Sermon on the Mount)
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| 2021 Mitten Tree |
Please bring your items to church between November 27 and December 11, and leave them on or near the Mitten Tree in the back of the sanctuary.
Thank you for supporting this ministry!
Please R.S.V.P. by November 27 to Belinda Alkula via email.
The board of the denomination’s finance agency, the General Council on Financial and Administration, already was preparing to send the lawmaking assembly the lowest budget since the 1990s. On Nov. 18, by an 18-2 vote, the GCFA board approved shrinking the proposed four-year budget even further to a total of about $373.7 million for the years 2025-2028.
The current proposal requires significant cuts to all funds that support denomination-wide ministries — including general agencies and bishops.
The new bottom line marks a reduction of more than a third — more than 38% — from the denomination-wide budget that General Conference approved in 2016. It would be the lowest budget to come before General Conference since 1984, when the denomination had far fewer members on the African continent and had yet to establish Africa University, now supported with denominational funds.
Ultimately, General Conference — now thrice delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic — will have final say on the denomination’s next four-year budget when it meets in spring 2024.
Read more at this link.
Read more at this link.
9:00 AM, Office Hours
5:00 PM, 5280 Synchronized Swim Team
Tuesday:
9:00 AM, Office Hours
Wednesday:
9:00 AM, Office Hours
10:00 AM, Zoom Fellowship
6:00 PM, Decorating the church
Thursday: Thanksgiving Day
Sunday: First Sunday of Advent
8:30 AM, Bell practice
8:45 AM, Adult class
10:15 AM, Worship
11:30 AM, Fellowship
12:30 PM, BBKC
+Pastor Charles gives thanks for those who attended yesterday's Church Conference.
+We give thanks that our church blog had its 2,500th post last Monday.
+Pastor Charles & Belinda are blessed to celebrate their 25th anniversary this week.
+Sandy Bainbridge is thankful for the Ukrainian family doing ginger bread houses this afternoon at Cafe` Sole.
+Angela is blessed with "air kisses" from her grandson, Cam.
+Sally Owen gives thanks for the time she spent in Salida and for the beauty of Colorado.
+Belinda shared a card of thanks from Rupali Hoffman (Fairview HS) for the support St. Paul's is sharing with the students and staff.
+We are blessed by those who served this week: Amy Abshire (liturgist), Belinda Alkula (video), Steve Bainbridge (usher), Sandra Jordan (flowers), Hyeji Park (piano), Etta Levitt (Zoom usher), Kathy Lloyd (Zoom host), & Suzanne Polacek (bells).
Concerns:
+Joan Cooper asks for prayers for Debbie Kessler who is having health issues. The Kesslers were members of our congregation for many years and Debbie was in the Youth Group.
+Amy Abshire and Steve & Martha Batch ask for traveling mercies for upcoming trips.
+We lift up those killed and injured in the shooting at Club Q (Colorado Springs) last night.
+Pastor Charles asks for prayers for those in our community dealing with economic challenges.
+We join with many across the nation in mourning the 160 deaths and 389 injured due to gun violence this past week.
