St Paul Church

As you have probably already noticed, our website has recently been updated. With this change, we are in need of people to help keep it up to date! It’s not difficult; if you can fill out an online form or send an email, you can help with this! (There are also printed instructions available for you to use until you are familiar with how everything works.)

For those high school students that enjoy computers, updating and maintaining this new site would qualify as community service hours, so please contact April in the church office or Randy Filer if you would be willing to give it a try.

We will be concluding this school year’s Awana gatherings on Friday, May 30th at 6pm with a pizza party and awards presentationl. We invite parents and all of our volunteers to be in attendance that evening to help us celebrate a wonderful first year! We will start up again in September, and we hope that many volunteers will again say “YES!” to the young people of our community by giving of your time, talent and/or treasure to help train them to know, love and serve the Lord.

If you will be attending the Pizza Party, please sign up on the bulletin board or let Deanna Babler, Diane Schurch or the church office know so that we will be sure to have enough pizza for everyone!

Special invitation to all of our members and friends: please join us at 7pm on Friday, May 30th. We will present special awards to each of our club members and conclude with ice cream for all! We hope to see you there!

Summer Sunday School classes for the Pre-K through High School age will be different this summer beginning June 1. The individual classes will be taking the summer off; however, there will still be meeting/activity time for the children who attend and all age groups will be combined as one teacher will plan some type of story/activity for those who attend. Junior High and High School students who would like to attend are welcome to help during this time. The Board of Christian Education wanted to continue to offer a meeting time for children, but several teachers desired to have a break in the summer and that is what prompted the change. So parents may continue to bring their children as there will be a meeting time, but all age groups will be combined.

In the Fall we are planning a new rotation model which is a center-based approach to teaching Sunday School using different activities or themes, similar to Bible School. The Board of Christian Education are looking for more volunteers to help with Sunday School in order to get this program off to a super start. If you would like more information and want to help in some way, please contact Karen Kleckner or call the church office. Watch for more updates in the summer months.

On Sunday, May 4th, St. Paul Church of Epleyanna welcomed 5 young people into our Family of Faith. Please continue to pray for these young people as they continue their walk of faith.

We would also like to thank the mentors for their hard work and dedication to these young people. You have given of yourself and have made na impact on the lives of these 5 confirmands! Thank you!

The Church Council has approved the offering for June 22nd to be designated to Thomas and Rhonda Curry, missionaries to India. The Curry’s will speak during worship on August 17th. Following is more information about the Curry’s:

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St. Paul will be participating in a number of parades in the coming months: Dakota’s Day in the Park Parade on June 7th, Davis Days on June 14th, Day in Rock City on July 19th, and Durand’s 4th of July Celebration.

One of our goals is to make our ministry at St. Paul much more visible in our communities. We will be using the Bible School Theme – “God’s Big Backyard” – so if you have ideas for the float, please contact Mary Jane Zimmerman, Worship Committee Chair or the church office. Thanks!

The Board of Christian Education has decided to sponsor an offering for the Freeport Pregnancy Center through the month of June. There will be a box in the narthex along with plastic baby bottles (12) for you to take home and place your loose change in.

Not only will be collecting monetary donations, but we would also like to collect diapers and wipes, baby foods and cereals, maternity and baby clothes, etc.

Freeport Pregnancy Center is

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On June 12th from 8am to 5pm, St. Paul will be hosting LifeLine Screening. LifeLine Screening is America’s leading provider of quality health screenings. These tests quickly detect arterial abnormalities, which can cause disrupted blood flow. The screenings are fast, accurate and available at an affordable rate.

The following screenings are available to you in a complete wellness package:

• stroke screening/carotid artery
• abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) screening
• peripheral arterial disease (PAD) screening
• osteoporosis screening

If you would like to schedule an appointment for this screening, please call LifeLine Screening at 1-800-324-1851 as pre-registration is required.

We want you to help us grow our Women’s Ministry here at St. Paul Church of Epleyanna. We want to refresh ourselves through relationships with each other and with God, and are planning an event for ladies only during the month of July! Details are still in the works, but it plans to be a great day! We will let you know that date as soon as we can!

However, a date you can mark on your calendar now is October 10th and 11th. This weekend will help women disciver God’s dream for their lives at the Extraordinary Women’s Conference. This conference will

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A Congregational meeting was held after worship and a potluck meal on May 18th to vote on the proposed Constitutional amendments made by the Church Council due to our new membership in the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference.

The first order of business, however, was making Pastor Dick our Transitional Minister instead of our Interim Minister. The motion was accepted and ballots were passed resulting in 56 “yes” votes and 0 “no” votes.

After a review of the changes that were made to the proposed constitution, President Randy Filer asked for any questions or discussion. Seeing none, a motion was made and seconded to accept the changes to the constitution. Ballots were passed resulting in 61 “yes” votes and 0 “no” votes. So, the constitution that you all received in the mail, is now the official constitution of St. Paul Church of Epleyanna.

Are you interested in becoming a member of St. Paul or renewing an old relationship? If so, Pastor Dick will be offering a new membership class for those that wish to join the Fellowship of St. Paul Church of Epleyanna. If you are interested in attending the class or would like more information, please speak with Pastor Dick or contact the church office.

On Sunday, April 20th the Board of Christian Education recognized all those involved in the SundaySchool department at St. Paul. Thank you to the following:

• Preschool/Kindergarten: Karen Kleckner, Tina Schlueter, Valerie Wymer
• 1st/2nd Grades: Deanna Babler, Amy McKee and Laura Miller
• 3rd-5th Grade: Mary Jane Zimmerman and Chad Goeke
• 6th-8th Grade: Terry Goeddeke and April Zettle
• High School: Diane Schurch and Jeff Wymer
• Fellowship Class: Joanne Meinert, Lois Niedermeier, Carol Olsen, Ron Welling
• Faithful Workers: Mabel Bechtold and Merlin Meinert
• Piano Players: Diane Lawson, Jan Kloster, Terry Goeddeke, Sally Kuhlmeier
• Adult Superintendents: Joyce Figi and Jean Bechtold
• Junior Department Superintendents: Vicki Thomas and Nancy Figi
• Youth Fellowship Advisors: Patti O’Haver and Kevin Ludeking
• Junior Choir: Amy Meier

Our Christian Education Department would not be what it is without you! Thanks again, and may God continue to bless you!

The new photo directory should be available for pick-up on Sunday, June 15th if all goes accordingly. It is scheduled to mail from the company on June 10th. Again, we apologize for the delay, but hope you enjoy it.

The Davis, Dakota, Rock City Red Cross Blood Drive will be held June 13th from 2pm to 6pm at St. Paul. Anyone 17 years of age, weighing at least 117 pounds are welcome; 16 year olds must have parental consent. Walk-ins are welcomed, but if you’d like to make an appointment, please call Dorothy Schlueter or Helen Schneeberger.

Blood is always needed, especially during the summer as people are traveling and there are more accidents resulting in the need for more blood donations.

This year, the Annual Conference of the CCCC will be held in Buffalo, NY, July 21st through 24th. Pastor Dick and Randy Filer will be attending the conference as our church will be admitted into the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference during the conference. If you would be interested in attending too, or would like further information, please contact the church office.

The Youth Fellowship will meet on June 8th and 29th at 6pm for a time of fellowship and fun. We will also be planning some of our summer activities, so come with ideas and dates that you are available! See you there!