St. Paul's Trumpet
September 5, 2024
“Generations of disciples, reflecting God’s love, to our community and the world.”
Dear Friends,
Be careful not to do your "acts of righteousness" before others, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven (Matthew 6:1).
Suppose that when the collection plate is passed in the church, we were to have musical accompaniment appropriate to the size of the offering each person was putting in. Can you picture it? The plate comes to one brother who puts in a big check, and we hear a trumpet fanfare, ending with the crash of cymbals. It passes to the lady next to him, and we get a French horn salute.
Now someone puts in another big check, and a tuba bellows out. The plate comes to a college student, and he observes the Passover. Silence. Next it comes to a little girl, and she drops in a dime. We hear a little flute in the background.
So on and on it goes as we hear trombones, drum rolls, triangles and oboes to signify the size of the offerings being given. A system like that would be most appreciated by those who put in the largest amounts of money, wouldn't it? Yet the thought of such a system strikes us as utterly preposterous, as well it should.
In Jesus' day, however, they did things pretty much just that way. Wealthy men made a great show of their giving because they wanted everyone to see how "generous" they were -- to the point of hiring trumpeters to herald their donations. Based on pride, it was too often a show-and-tell religion."
--Mike Cope,
Righteousness Inside Out
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:
Pray for Tom Ostlund as he recovers at home.
Prayers of comfort for the family of Gerald O'Harrow who passed on September 1st.
Prayers for the family of the PLSouth student that was killed in an accident this week.
Prayers for the families of the people killed in the Georgia school shooting.
Please pray for the following members of our church during the month of September.
Prayer Team
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.
Diaper Pantry Report
During the next few months we will be featuring various blessings happening here at St. Paul’s, so that we can celebrate all of the wonderful ways in which our church is blessing our lives and our community. We gathered input from a variety of sources to cover many different kinds of blessings, some you may not have even thought about, but know that there are more blessings than we could ever completely count. We will highlight just a few each week and the list will also be shown during the offertory time each Sunday.
Volunteer at St. Paul's
We are looking for volunteers, and you could be one of them! Interested in greeting guests at the welcome center, making coffee, learning how to work in the tech booth, or counting offering at St. Paul's? If so click the link below and let us know!
The Memorial Service for Gerald O'Harrow will be held at the National Cemetery in Omaha on: Thursday, September 12 at 1:30pm for any who wish to attend.
Memorials suggested to Papillion-La Vista Special Olympics or St. Paul's United Methodist Church, Papillion, NE.
Mission of the Week
Please support our local food pantries by bringing an item each week & putting it in the grocery cart in the West Hallway.
This week's wish list: Oatmeal, Dry Cereals, Pancake Mix & Syrup
Mission of the Month - Hygiene Bags for Night Watch
Salvation Army's Night Watch Program provides necessities for the homeless in our area. We partner with them throughout the year & they are currently in need of hygiene bags. Please put all items in zip-lock bags & drop them off at the table in the West Hallway.
Items for bags: Toothpaste full size, tooth brush, wash cloth, hand sanitizer, liquid soap, deodorant, shampoo, comb, razor, shaving cream, lip balm and rain ponchos.
Camp Fontanelle Work Days
To prep for their upcoming fall events, Camp Fontanelle will hold work days on September 7th & 14th. There will be a variety of projects and all are welcome to volunteer.
Start time is 9 am & lunch will be provided. Volunteers are invited to meet in the church's south parking lot at 7:45am to carpool.
If interested &/or have questions, call Mike Z. at 402-980-8181.
Diaper Wrapping Party
Our Diaper Pantry serves Sarpy County families in need, distributing an average of 1,150 diapers every week, and it continues to grow every month.
So, help us restock the pantry as we wrap over 30,000 diapers on September 29th. There are lots of different tasks for everyone, all are welcome!
Blood Drive - last chance to sign up!
Please SAVE the Date for the next Red Cross Bloodmobile at St. Paul's UMC on Sunday, September 8th!
You need to sign up ahead of time in order to give blood and there should be 56 days between donation appointments. Thank you for donating and saving lives!
Book Club
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:
- September 11 - The Bookwoman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson
- October 9 - First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston
- November 13 - The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict
Have you ever wondered about the differences between Power of Attorney, Medical Power of Attorney, Do Not Resuscitate, Living Will, Trusts, etc.? Come join us on September 18th at 1PM in the Chapel to hear a presentation by Catherine Swiniarskil, a lawyer at Elder Law of Omaha. She will be sharing information about legal documents and more as well as answering questions you may have concerning them. Following the hour session will be fellowship along with provided desserts and beverages in the narthex.
Women's Bible Study - New Book!
Women's Bible Study is starting a new book on September 26th! They will meet for 8 weeks on Thursdays at 9:00am in the Lower Meeting Room.
The book for this study is Amos: An Invitation to the Good Life by Jennifer Rothschild. Purchase your copy on Amazon here.
Reach out to Barb Thornburg if you have any questions.
A new year of Sunday School has launched! Each Sunday we have Play & Worship (Ages 3 - PreK), Sunday School (K-3rd Grade), and Club 456 (4th-6th Grade) during the 9:15am Service!
Please REGISTER your children for the 2024-2025 Sunday School Year, if you haven't already! If you have any questions, contact Pastor Rebecca Hjelle.
Children's Choir
Children's Choir will begin rehearsals this fall starting Sunday September 8th. Children’s Choir is open to children ages 4 through 6th grade. They practice on Sunday mornings after Sunday School at 10:20am upstairs in the Children's Choir room in the North Hallway. The Children’s Choir performs during worship services once a month.
Middle and High School Youth Ministry
Youth Worship: Sundays at 9:15am
Youth Group: Sundays at 6:30pm
Join us for Worship!
Live Stream Service Online
Ways to Give at St. Paul's UMC
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!
Office Hours
St. Paul's UMC, Papillion
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/