What a Year

July 1, 2008

Dear St. Paul’s Family,

This message comes to you from Chicago, as my family and I spend a week here on vacation.  The trip over afforded me some time to reflect on the fact that today marks the one-year anniversary of my first Sunday as your pastor.  In many ways, it is hard to believe how the time has flown by so quickly!

I am grateful to God for the way that you have received me and my family as new residents of Cherokee and as partners with you in ministry.  Mostly, I am awestruck when I consider all that we have been able to accomplish together.  What a year it has been!  

•    After twelve years and $800,000 in sanctuary and campus renovation debt, we celebrated the burning of the church mortgage in May, relieving future generations of the church from the burden of indebtedness.

•    Worship attendance continues to track upward, consistently topping the 200 mark.   

•    Our fall stewardship campaign focused on joy-centered, faith-filled giving and successfully produced numerous new and increased pledges for this year.  Current levels of giving are exceeding last year’s pace.

•    You have been simply amazing in your generous spirit towards missions giving.  We achieved the status of “second-mile giving” toward the Iowa Conference Rainbow Covenant Missions Giving Program, a first for this congregation.  And as we finished the first quarter of 2008, we are well on our way to increasing our giving this year.

•    Your response to the needs of those affected by the floods and storms in this state has been remarkable.  You gave $1,500 toward storm relief, all of which will go to ministering to the needs of people in Iowa, and numerous people have signed up to offer their time and energy to serve in the Cedar Rapids area the last week of this month.

•    Thanks to a generous gift and your support, the sanctuary has been outfitted with new screens, projectors, cameras, and audio/visual equipment that surpasses many congregations in the connection.  We have an energized team of new volunteers that offer their talents weekly to the production and presentation of powerful worship media.  

•    Thanks to a dedicated team of parents and adult volunteers, ministry to youth has been re-energized.  We had a successful school year of monthly outings and gatherings at the church, and youth continued to invite their friends to experience what is happening at St. Paul’s.  We confirmed a large class of nineteen mid-high youth in May, celebrating this landmark moment in their faith.

•    We have dramatically improved the technological capacities of the church office, with a new user-friendly website, improved e-mail communications with the office staff, a weekly “Mid-Week Message”, and an iTunes podcast.  We were also able to replace a badly aged copier with a new, high-end model.

•    We have improved ministry to our shut-ins with new digital CD recordings of our worship services.  Shut-ins have been furnished with CD players, and several have already expressed their appreciation for the clear, crisp recordings.  In addition, video recordings of the service are brought to a local nursing home, where a number of residents – members and non-members among them – gather to watch the previous week’s service.

•    A new Environmental Stewardship Group was created last spring, and their leadership marked the Festival of God’s Creation Sunday with suggestions on how to be better stewards of the environment.  Your response was strong and positive.

•    There has been universal agreement that this year’s Vacation Bible School was the best VBS ever, ministering to a wonderful group of children with high energy, excellence, and enthusiasm.  There is already talk of making next year’s even better.

•    We have improved the “look” of  the church to outsiders, with new church name tags, a redesigned bulletin and newsletter, and a new church logo and letterhead.

•    We have improved the ministry of hospitality in the church by creating rotating teams of ushers and greeters that will provide better consistency and  communication in this important ministry.  

•    We have just concluded a very popular “What is a Methodist?” sermon series, with many people commenting on how they are now more fully able to explain to others why they are United Methodist.  Many small groups were formed to join in a 30-day “Month of Living Wesleyan” spiritual disciplines journey.

•    Many of you commented on how deeply moving several of this past year’s worship experiences were for you, including All Saints’ Sunday in November, Christmas Eve in December, Baptism of the Lord Sunday in January, and the Good Friday service during Holy Week.  Thanks go to a newly energized worship planning committee and music team for putting these services together.  

•    St. Paul’s 15-minute radio spot was enhanced with digital computer production and repackaged as “Daybreak: The Radio Ministry of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church.”  Many in Cherokee have commented on how meaningful this broadcast is to them.

•    You provided vital feedback to the 20/20 Vision Team with surveys back in February, with a terrific 25% percent return rate on those surveys.  The vast majority responded with very positive comments about the current state of the church.


Whew!  But here’s the best news of all.  Even with all of these past accomplishments to celebrate, there is reason to believe that the coming year will be even brighter:

•    Next month we will be celebrating our 150th anniversary, giving thanks to God for the heritage and history of this church and its ministry to the community.  We are inviting former pastors to come back and preach, including Rev. Bob Davis on July 27 and Rev. Ray Hampton on August 3.  Our big day is August 17, when we will have a grand celebration of the legacy and ministry of this congregation.  

•    Your “2020 Vision Team” will be concluding its work this fall and will present a plan to be adopted at Charge Conference.  This strategic plan will answer the questions, “What does God want this church to be and do by the year 2020?”  “What is God’s next great chapter for the people of St. Paul’s?”  The plan will include recommendations for resources, personnel, programs, and facilities.  And, it will suggest a clear, refined statement of mission and vision for the church to adopt.

•    St. Paul’s will continue to play an important role in the newly enlarged Northwest District of the conference, hosting important events such as the United Methodist Men’s Rally on July 19, an event with Larry Jane Kies, missionaries to Zimbabwe, on September 7, and a Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations workshop on September 20.  

It is an ongoing privilege to serve as your pastor, and to feed off the energy and enthusiasm so many of you are bringing to the work of building of God’s kingdom in Cherokee and around the world.  I look forward to another exciting year of ministry with you.

It’s great to be the church!

Magrey    


The Rev. Magrey R. deVega
St. Paul's United Methodist Church
531 W. Main St.
Cherokee, IA  51012
Ph:  712-225-3955
http://www.cherokeespumc.org


Psalm 100:1-5
1  Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.
2  Worship the Lord with gladness;  come into his presence with singing.
3  Know that the Lord is God.  It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4  Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise.   Give thanks to him, bless his name.
5  For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures for ever, and his faithfulness to all generations.



A SONG OF PRAISE
We continue our “Songs for the Soul” summertime sermon series on the Psalms with a tour of Psalm 100.  This beautiful passage calls us to praise God with a joyful noise, engaging the worship of God with great passion and humility.  Come hear a reminder of the true meaning of worship with a sermon titled, “A Song of Praise.”

STORM RELIEF UPDATE
Plans are coming together for a work team to serve in eastern Iowa at the end of this month.  The team is looking to spend about three days during the last week in July in the Cedar Rapids area.  There are about eight people on the team so far, and there is room for many others.  There is  particular need for people with skills in carpentry, electrical work, plumbing, and health care.  Volunteers must be at least 14 years old to participate.  If you are interested, please contact the church office.

MEN’S EVENT AT ST. PAUL’S  
We are privileged to be asked to host a gathering of United Methodist Men from around the district on Saturday, July 19, from 2:00-4:30.  All men in the church are invited to attend.  Volunteers are needed for parking, greeting, providing refreshments (snacks or desserts), and serving in the kitchen during the break.  Please sign up in the church office.