St. Paul's Trumpet

The Trumpet for today is from a daily devotional that I read every morning that is distributed by Father Richard Rohr. In this entry, Mirabai Starr offers us thoughts about daily life and spiritual connection.

Our Families Are Teachers

Spiritual teacher Mirabai Starr considers how our imperfect families and relationships are

opportunities to practice divine love, acceptance, and compassion: It’s hard to give up our fantasies of a life where beauty is built in and we don’t have to work at finding it. It’s easy to recognize the presence of the sacred in the saintly hospice chaplain who turns your mother’s deathbed into a temple…. But what about your boring job, your addicted partner, your hometown that feels more like a strip mall than a community? What about your dining room table at dinnertime?

One of the things it means to be an ordinary mystic is to bow at the feet of your everyday

existence, with its disappointments and dramas, its peaceful mornings and luminous nights, and

to honor yourself just as you are…. A mystic finds the magic in the midst of the nitty-gritty, the

crusty spaghetti sauce pot in the sink and the crocus poking out of a spring snowfall, the unsigned divorce papers on the kitchen table and the results of your latest blood work on your computer screen.

I know that’s not always easy. I am continually challenged to stop arguing with reality and instead soften into what is. For instance, my students may think I’m wise, but my kids seem to think I’m a dork. I don’t love this disconnect. Like you, maybe, I set myself up with an array of preconceived notions about the kind of family I would like to make, and then beat … myself [up] when things don’t work out the way I envisioned. Through accepting reality, we find a greater capacity to love what is.

Over time, I learned to let go of my fantasy of the perfect family and to find beauty, meaning, and wholeness in the heart of reality. Unpredictable, ever-changing, humiliating, and humbling reality. I began to take a look at the white supremacy embedded in my liberal self-image, noticing the odor of a white savior complex rising from my resentment that my brown children did not appreciate all I had done for them. Eventually, I even came to love unlovable me, against all odds.

Chances are, if you are a parent, whether adoptive or biological, you too have experienced the

collapse of your parenting fantasies. You also have received an open invitation to accept the kids you have and forgive the parent you are, with a degree of humility bordering on humiliation and a dash of humor that can sometimes carry maniacal overtones…. This is the human condition. And at the very center of your own shattered dream, the face of the sacred flashes and glimmers. The holy disaster is a beckoning. Come. Enter the fire of love and let it remake you again and again. To be an ordinary, everyday mystic is to take your rightful place on the throne of what is.

Blessings,

Pastor Chad

To submit a prayer request, complete the Prayer Request Form below. You will have the option to share your request with the congregation via this location in the Trumpet or to keep the request private - meaning it will be shared with our pastoral care team. The form is available in the Trumpet and on our website.

If you have any questions or difficulty using the form, please contact the Church Office at 402-339-3308 or admin@stpaulspapillion.org

Prayer Requests:

Prayers for all those affected by the wildfires in California.

Submit a Prayer Request

Please pray for the following members of our church during the month of January

Prayer Calendar-January

Your prayers are important to us and we have a team of people dedicated to praying for you. This team responds to urgent prayer requests, and prays each day following our monthly calendar. If are currently a member of the prayer team, or would like to start receiving those email prayer requests, please click the link below to be added to this ministry team.

On Tuesday, January 14th we started our 2025 Spring Semester at the Papillion Creative Arts Academy with 32 students and nearly a dozen teachers/assistants/volunteers! This semester we are offering 6 different classes for kindergarteners through adults. Classes include: Art Exploration (2 sessions), Create Your Own Comic Book, Beginning Embroidery, Cooking 201, and Page to Stage. Below are just a few pictures from our first week together -- we're already having a great time learning and creating together! Thank you for your continued support of PCAA and for helping us reach so many young people in our church and community!

PCAA Director: Rebecca Hjelle-Penner

PCAA Advisory Board: Barb Thornburg, Celeste Pille, Diane Adams, Deb Kelly, Michelle Keller, and Sara Marquiss

Thank you all for your generosity in 2024 by giving to St. Paul's Church and its ministries. As we start a new year, we are actively working in the office to finalize our records for last year to the best of our ability. 2024 Giving Statements will be generated and mailed to your address on file (we only mail physical copies, if you would like an electronic copy you will need request one from the main office).

Statements will be mailed in mid to late January, so please look for them to arrive around the end of the month in your mail. If you do not receive it by mid-February or have any questions about your statement please contact Lily in the main office or call (402)-339-3308.

Thank you.

Thank you to all you indicated an increase in your Pledge for 2025, however if you give online or by direct debit through your bank, you will need to manually update the amount being deposited each time. Please login into your Vanco Account (Online) or fill out an updated Bank ACH form (direct deposit) available in the office.

If you have any questions please contact the Treasurer or call the main office. Thank you.

Please participate in Club 456's food drive for the All People's Food Pantry by bringing the following items this week.

This week's wish list: Seasonings & Condiments - Salt, Black Pepper, Stock cubes, Honey, Tajin, & Dried Chiles

St. Paul's visitation program helps us keep over 30 of our members stay connected to our church and their faith journey. Just by simply offering a ride to someone or an occasional visit can make all the difference.

We are actively recruiting volunteers be apart of this vital ministry. If you are interested learning how you can be more involved please contact the church office.

On Saturday, January 25th the United Methodist Men will host breakfast at 8am in the Fellowship Hall. All members are welcome as well as members from other United Methodist chapters.

The program will be given by Dave Harvey on The Least of My Brethren.

All Readers Welcome! The St. Paul's Book Club meets on the 2nd Wednesday of the month at 1:00 p.m. in the library. If a single book sparks your interest or you can only make it once in a while, we would still enjoy your insights and love to have you join us!

Upcoming books:

• February 12 - The Women by Kristin Hannah

• March 12 - The Rose Code by Kate Quinn.

Nominations are now being taken for St. Paul’s Man of the Year, 2024.

Please submit your nominee to the church office, or Charlie Walcutt, Paul Ebisch, Mel Morton.

It is necessary to include a brief narrative as to why the individual is so deserving, how he has served our church, family and community.

Anyone can nominate a Man of the Year Candidate, but only St Paul's Men will be voting.

Nominations close February 17th, 2025, Presidents Day.

Youth Worship: Sundays at 9:15am

Youth Group: Sundays at 6:30pm

Not everyone can go to church in person, even though they want to. If you are someone who can't attend or would rather worship online, you have many options. You can watch our live stream of the 9:15AM service on our website, YouTube, or Facebook!

Your financial gifts help sustain the mission and ministry of our congregation as we "reflect the love of God to our community and the world!" There are several different ways that you can give to St. Paul's, the details are below, and we are happy to answer any questions you may have along the way.

1. Online Giving – This is a safe and convenient way to support St. Paul's with either a one-time or recurring gift. Click here to set up your account, and if you need assistance, contact our St. Paul's Treasurer, Cindy Balentine.

2. Cash or Check –On Sundays during worship, you can place your cash or check in the offering plates or offering box. There are offering envelopes in each pew and in the back of the Chapel so that you can designate your gift. Checks should be made out to "St. Paul's United Methodist Church" and designations can also be noted on the memo line. You can also mail your gifts to St. Paul's at 324 S. Jackson Street, Papillion, NE 68046.

3. Automated Bank Withdrawals –This form of giving allows your bank to withdraw money directly from your designated account and transfer it to St. Paul's UMC. There are no fees involved and it's as simple as filling out a form -- contact the Church Office or St. Paul's Treasurer, Cindy Balentine to get started!

4. IRA Distribution or Savings giving –This is another wonderful way to help sustain the ministry of St. Paul's UMC. It requires you to work with your bank or broker to determine the details, but you can also contact our St. Paul's Treasurer, Cindy Balentine, to get an outline of this process.

Every gift helps make a difference -- thank you for your generous support of St. Paul's United Methodist Church!

The church office is open Monday - Thursday, 8:30am - 3:00pm.

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Email: adminasst@stpaulspapillion.org
Website: stpaulspapio.org
Location: 324 South Jackson Street, Papillion, NE, USA
Phone: (402) 339-3308
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stpaulspapillion.org/