The Paulinian focus

Exploring a new administrative structure

structure

structure

as

Building toward the future:

In order to “change our congregational DNA” as we implement our growth plan to “reinvent St. Paul’s”, the pastor has presented a focus on “meeting less, but accomplishing more” by exploring alternative administrative structures that may reduce the number of meetings and eliminate some of the multiple leadership roles that so many of our present leaders are burdened with. Three separate structures will be explored and, if the Church Council is in agreement, a six-month trial of the chosen new administrative structure will be implemented in 2017. After the trial period, we will evaluate the change and its effectiveness. Watch the Paulinian for updates on this important process.

Significant Leadership Change

At our recent Charge Conference we essentially “rolled over” all

officers with one significant exception – Chair of the Church Council.

After serving well for a number of years and overseeing significant

changes to our agenda, Nancy Perricone is ready to hand over the

reins of shepherding our Church Council to Tom Doty.

Many thanks to Nancy Perricone for your faithful service.

Many prayers for Tom Doty as he accepts this challenging position at

a critical time in our transition “From Surviving to Thriving.”

BI-MONTHLY NEWSLETTER | ST. PAUL’S UMC NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2016

Calendar

11/6- Communion

11/8 – General Election Office Closed

11/9 - Finance Meeting *

11/10 - Trustees Meeting *

11/13- Operation Christmas Child

shoebox collection @ 10am service

11/16 – Council Meeting *

11/20- Combined SS UMC Thanksgiving Service @

St. Marks UMC @3pm

11/25 - Church Office Closed

12/2- South Shore Band Christmas Concert @ 8pm

12/14 – Finance *

12/21 – Council Meeting *

12/24- Christmas Eve Service

@10pm

All meeting with * Start at 7:30pm

Food Pantry News

We have 15 new families since our last update.

We’ve served a total of 65 families in recent months. Our growth can be attributed to the grace of our Lord

as well as the dedication and service of our beloved Jean Stricklin.

Faithful supporters can donate food as well as cash. We do try to supply meat to many, including

Chicken, Beef, Sausages, Ham Slices and Hot Dogs.

A special Thank You to those who continue to donate their time to organize/put food away, go shopping

and make set-ups for our families in need.

If you would like to volunteer to help in the food pantry, Contact Jean Stricklin through the church office.

(718) 227-2485

Music Ministry Opportunities

Whether through participation in traditional choirs or

our new Praise Band, we encourage those with

musical ability and interest to consider joining the

Music Ministry here at St. Paul’s.

. Traditional Music

Contac Organist/Choir Director,

Nancy Paugh (718) 984-3965

if you want to participate in the

music offerings of Traditional

Worship.

Soloing, singing with the choirs

or playing an instrument to

enhance service music and

hymns are great ways to deepen

the worship experience for both

others and oneself.

Alternative/Contemporary

Contact Pastor Joe if you want

to participate in providing the

music that permeates our new

Alternative/Contemporary

Worship.

If you like to sing or play guitar,

bass, drums (or another

instrument) and are willing to

devote a couple of hours weekly

to practice, we welcome you to

consider becoming part of the

Praise Team.

.

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Choir Notes Rehearsals are Sundays at 9:15am

and Thursdays at 7pm (unless otherwise noted)

November DECEMBER

11/3 12/8

11/10 (6:30 – 7:15pm) 12/15

11/17 12/22

Christmas Eve the Choir should arrive

1/2 hour before the service starts

Reinventing St. Paul’s Coming Soon

2 track Sunday worship services featuring each a

“traditional” and a “contemporary/praise” format

A remodeled and modernized sanctuary featuring full

audio/video integration

Greater seating comfort

Welcoming handicap accessibility directly into our

sanctuary and throughout our campus facility

And that’s just the beginning- stay tuned for much

more exciting news about our continuing plan to

energize our neighborhood through faith, family and

service

“Many hands make

light work”

- John Haywood

Matthew 25:40

‘Truly I tell you,

just as you did it

to one of the least of these

who are members of my family,

you did it to me.’

.

From Pastor Joe Grace and peace to you all

from the God who creates us in love, redeems us in love,

and sustains us

on our daily journey in love. .

Having had the opportunity to meet and hear from our new bishop, Thomas J. Bickerton, on three separate occasions in September and October, and remembering the advice we received from Rev. David Gilmore about changing our DNA as a congregation, three major themes emerged which stuck with me:

1 – loving and valuing every person and

welcoming their individual gifts (believing that everyone is, indeed, gifted) is the bedrock principle that draws people to Christ and enables significant and lasting church growth;

2 – developing an active and concise mission statement around which every activity of the church is organized and focused eliminates “going through the motions” of doing things because “we’ve always done it this way” and reduces the stuff that saps our energy through busyness that does not advance the mission of a congregation;

3 – a commitment to excellence in all things while still operating in a climate of graceful accountability is the most difficult task for most congregations to tackle as they seriously seek to change their DNA.

Going forward with our “From Surviving to

Thriving” plan, all three of the above conclusions MUST be internalized and put front and center if we really want to change our congregational DNA. In the coming year, these basic principles will need to be lifted up again and again so that St. Paul’s courageously may push through the natural resistance to significant change that is so much a part of the congregational DNA that we need to change.

A proposed change in our administrative structure that is designed to “meet less while accomplishing more” is one development related to #2 above. Essential to that process is the need to revisit the St. Paul Mission Statement which was last revised in 2011.

As we focus our efforts around a new mission statement, #3 above becomes so important in developing new programs and retooling existing programs. It is better to do a few things well than to do many things poorly. Less is more when delivered with a commitment to excellence.

But we must remember that the bedrock principle of all that we do is #1 above. Loving, valuing, welcoming EVERY PERSON is the primary work of the Body of Christ, the church.

Like Jesus, let us be about our father’s business. Grace and peace,

Pastor Joe

Welcome! St. Paul’s UMC hopes to be a growing congregation with room for you.

Paul’s is an historic congregation that has served the community

of Tottenville for 157 years. We want to honor that legacy of

faith while also reaching out to new generations. As a

consequence, we are committed to building toward the future in

multiple ways, some of which you can read about elsewhere in

this edition of our newsletter. We invite you to consider

becoming a regular part of the faith community that gathers here

at St.Paul’s.

The motto of the United Methodist Church, especially here in the

New York Annual Conference, is:

Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors

To those of us here at St. Paul’s that means EVERYONE is truly

welcome. We have no litmus test of what you must believe or

how you understand what it means to be a follower of Jesus.

YOU ARE WELCOME HERE!

Sunday School St. Pauls currently offers

Sunday School for children ages 4 – 14

Sunday School starts @ 10:15am If you or anyone you know is interested

please call the church office

ANNOUNCEMENT

Once again St. Paul’s is happy to participate in Samaritan

Purse’s Operation Christmas Child. Details were published

in the last edition of The Paulinian. Please bring your

completed shoe boxes to the church on Sunday November

13th to the 10am worship service. We have volunteers who will

deliver the shoe-box gifts to the distribution center on

Monday, November 14th

If you or anyone you know would like to receive our church

newsletter The Paulinian please have them contact Dawn in

the church office (718) 227-2485 to fill out a Paulinian

request form.

Nancy Paugh and the members of the Choir would like to

thank UMW for having their stoles cleaned.

If anyone would like to participate in our Traditional worship

service as a worship leader contact Nancy Perricone

@ (718) 317-7258

UMW Soup Sunday will be on 11/6

Get well wishes to: Donna Scotti & Joan Chapman after their

Knee replacement surgeries. Nancy Perricone after

her recent hospitalization and Caroline Clark after her recent

surgery.

Prayer requests for healing for Ryan Boschi ,Sarah Boschi ,

Bruce Knigge and Sloane Drayson – Knigge.

To all my friends at St. Paul’s thank you for the birthday

greetings offered by so many, your signatures on my card

brought back so many wonderful memories.

Love, Joyce Slaight

Dear Ladies I am so blessed to have each one of you in my life.

Thank you for the beautiful Razzore’s Gift Basket from UMW.

Thank you for the continued prayers. God bless each of you.

Love, Nancy (Perricone)

Thank you, Sheryl Clark, for putting up the Fall decorations in

the sanctuary. Everything looks beautiful.

Our Website has a brand-new look, please log on and check us out

@ saintpaulsumc@verizon.net.

South Shore Band Annual Holiday Concert

Friday, December 2, 2016 @8pm

St. Paul’s UMC Sanctuary

7558 Amboy Road, Staten Island, NY

Tickets are available from any band member with a limited number available at the door

Suggested donation $10 per Adult & $4 Per Child Under 12

at the door only

Hospital Visitation note

If you or a loved one are hospitalized and would like a visit from Pastor Joe, please call the church office @ (718) 227-2485 Due to HIPA laws, hospitals no longer notify churches/clergy when a member is hospitalized. It is the responsibility of the patient or family to notify clergy of your desire for a hospital visit personally.

St. Paul’s

United Methodist Church

7558 Amboy Road

Tottenville

Staten Island, NY 10307

Church Phone: 718-227-2485

Parsonage Phone: 718-984-1542

Fax: 718-689-2004

E-mail: saintpaulsumc@verizon.net

Website: www.stpaulsumcsi.org

Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors

The Paulinian September-October

2016

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

Address label goes here

The Weekly Schedule

Beginning September 11, 2016

our two-track schedule will be as follows:

9:15am Choir Rehearsal

10am Traditional Worship

10:15am Sunday School

11-11:30am Fellowship/coffee time

11:30am Alternative/Contemporary Worship

Food Pantry open 9am - 1pm on Wednesday & Thursday

Pastor off and Office Closed on Mondays

Office open most weeks on Tuesday - Friday 9am - 2pm