Saint Paul's Calendar of Events

	Join Us For Worship REGULAR SUNDAY SCHEDULE 10:30 am Worship with Children's Worship 11:35 am Coffee Hour Communion* (1st Sunday of Month) Early Service Begins SEPTEMBER in the Chapel (one Sunday per month) An additional Sunday Worship service begins the third Sunday of September 9/21/08. Held in the Chapel, this 8:30 a.m. service will offer communion. The Worship Committee wishes to explore this once a month service (the third Sunday of each month) as an alternative to the former monthly Thursday morning communion service. Plan to attend and stay for coffee/tea and Christian Education following this service. See Below for the Following: Worship Highlights for August/September Journey of Faith Meetings - Events Groups Sacred Conversation on Race from our Conference Minister
Communion GLUTEN-FREE COMMUNION WAFERS* Wafers free of gluten, wheat, dairy, egg, sugar, nuts, and corn are now available. Look for them in the communion platter located in the center.
WORSHIP HIGHLIGHTS August 31 Labor Holiday Weekend Sunday, Sept. 7 Rally Day 10:30 a.m. - Gather Us In! Intergenerational Worship (5 generations!!!!!) Communion Served. Reconnect with the faith community, invite others seeking a church home and commit to strengthening the ministry at St. Paul's UCC. We are in a new era of church history. Children’s special activity second half of worship—Explore our new Sacred Story Tent Luncheon following worship. Register Pre-school and Elementary youth for Sunday School which begins the following Sunday. Children’s games led by St. Paul’s UCC Youth Group Sunday, Sept. 14 Sunday School Begins 10:30 a.m. - Intergenerational Worship with Sunday School to begin 11:00 - 11:45 a.m. During Coffee Hour, Confirmands will share a photo montage of their August Retreat "Finding the Sacred in the Ordinary". Sunday, Sept. 21 New Member Sunday 8:30 a.m. - Morning Prayers with Communion. This once-a-month worship service in the Chapel is contemplative in style and about 45 minutes. This is a different order of worship than the 10:30 a.m. intergenerational service. Enjoy "Fair Trade Coffee" and a sweet treat following this service. 10:30 a.m. - Intergenerational Worship and New Member Sunday. Celebrate several new members as they commit to the life of this faith community. Welcome each one during our "Coffee Hour" following the 10:30 worship service. Sunday, Sept. 28 Worship and the Arts 10:30 a.m. - A Worship and the Arts Focus with special appreciation for staff-member Patricia McKee as she concludes her position as Director of Children's Worship. During Coffee-Hour we'll thank Patricia for the gifts she has brought to this community.
JOURNEY OF FAITH Starts Again Sep 17 Journey of Faith is a Christian Education program, offered each Wednesday evening. Beginning at 6:00 p.m., a simple organic meal is served, followed by learning sessions (6:30-7:30 p.m.) for children, youth, and adults. We close with a song and a prayer. WEDNESDAYS (6:00-7:20 p.m.) Meal: 6 - 6:30 p.m. (Organic ingredients) Learning Session: 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. (We’re on break 9/3/08 & 9/10/08)
MEETINGS - EVENTS
Working Women - 1st Monday 6:00 pm Finance Committee - 2nd Tuesday at 5:30 pm Executive Committee - 2nd Tuesday at 7:00 pm Church Council - 3rd Tuesday at 7:00 pm Building & Grounds - 4th Tuesday at 10:30 am Childhood Center Committee Steering Committee (4th Thursday at 6:00 p.m.) Worship & Continuing Ed. (Sunday July 13)
GROUPS
Debtor’s Anonymous - Tuesdays at 7:00 pm Women's 12-Step Group - Thursdays at 5:45 pm Men and Women's AA Group - Friday at 6:00 am Men's AA Group - Saturday at 9:00 am Overeaters Anonymous - Fridays at 6:15 pm
Sacred Conversation on Race Please read the letter below from our Conference Minister. This invitation to begin a sacred conversation on race was launched Sunday, May 18th in worship. Rev. Norma Rae Hunt read part of the Pastoral Letter on Race, written by our national UCC leaders, in addition to preaching on this topic. (Look for future conversation on this important subject.) Dear Colleagues in Ministry, The United Church of Christ, through its national office, has issued a call for congregations to begin a sacred conversation about race on Sunday, May 18, 2008. The United Church of Christ is urging this national dialogue for the purpose of fostering a spirit of healing and unity in our churches and in our communities. Congregations are encouraged to “develop a months-long process in order to set aside the necessary time and attention needed to structure a sacred conversation about race.” www.ucc.org/sacred-conversation/. We in Minnesota are especially fortunate to have the gifts of our Conference’s Emmaus Antiracism Team to support us in this critical work. Over the four years of its existence, the Emmaus Team has developed resources that are truly transformative and healing, allowing congregations to engage openly the often-silenced reality of racism in a manner that creates a deeper sense of community and commitment by congregational members. The Emmaus Team has agreed that all Team members will be available to help plan and facilitate sacred conversations about racism in the upcoming months. If you are interested in having two members of the Emmaus Team visit your congregation, meet with your clergy cluster, or otherwise be involved with you in this work, kindly contact Herbert Perkins at hperkins01@msn.com or 612-558-0452. The Emmaus Team has also developed a packet of materials that may be used as a beginning point for these sacred conversations. These have been posted on the website of the Minnesota Conference www.uccmn.org. Additional materials will be available in the weeks ahead and others can currently be found on the national website: www.ucc.org/sacred-conversation/. Let us enter into this work with the knowledge that our Conference seeks to be a place of extravagant welcome and evangelical courage. Let us enter into this work grateful for the company we have in the Emmaus Antiracism Team. Sincerely, Rev. Dr. Karen Smith Sellers Conference Minister