Another Great Year!

November 8, 2011

Dear St. Paul’s Family,

For those not present at our recent charge conference, I’d like to share my annual pastor’s report. Celebrate with me all the wonderful work that God is doing through your faithfulness and commitment, as we anticipate a great year to come.

Pastor’s Report
St. Paul’s UMC Charge Conference
October 27, 2011
Magrey R. deVega

Once again, this year’s pastor’s report is in the format of our mission statement, adopted as part of the 20/20 Vision Plan in 2008. Let’s celebrate all of the wonderful ways that we put God’s love into action in 2010!

WORSHIP: We worship with joy, because Christ is among us and deserves our praise.

St. Paul’s continues to offer dynamic worship services that honor God. Worship attendance continues to be strong, and lay people faithfully serve as liturgists, children’s sermon providers, tech support, and hospitality. Thanks to Chancel Choir director Larry Hunecke, Bell Choir director Joe Vanetta, Praise Band director David Klee, and Children’s Choir director Linda Christensen, St. Paul’s continues to offer music that is excellent and joy-filled. Earlier this fall, we honored the memory of Tom Kruse, our long-time director of the bell choir, who elevated that ministry to a high level of performance.

This summer also saw the service of Rev. Ron Kitterman as our visiting preacher, as I participated in a 12-week study leave funded by the Lilly Endowment. We thank Ron for his excellent work during this time. Finally, our sermon series have been varied and relevant, and have included series titled, “More to Life,” “Why the Cross?” “Strength for Tough Times,”” and “Joy!”.

GROW: We grow in our faith, practicing every day what it means to be a follower of Jesus.

This year has seen marked growth in our church membership. So far this year, we have received about forty people into the church, many of them by profession of faith. This is a reflection of God’s work in the lives of people through the ministries of this church and the welcoming spirit of the congregation. We give thanks to God!

We also launched some new Bible studies this fall, including a new senior high mid-week teen time. Thanks to Craig Schmidt and Monica Cowan for their wonderful leadership and guidance for the kids. We also started a new class on the New Testament and a monthly “Meet the Methodists” orientation to the church. Both classes have gotten off to very strong starts.

Ministry to children and youth continues to be vibrant and active. The youth went on a Ski Trip in February, and did a service project at the Midwest Christian Children’s Home last December. The Children had another wonderful Vacation Bible School and Children’s Sabbath, and raised money for Iowa Flood relief.

CARE: We care for each other as an encouraging, supportive, and growing family.

Last December, we launched a brand new outreach ministry to grieving families in Cherokee. In cooperation with Greenwood Funeral Home, we hosted a Service of Remembrance for those who lost loved ones over the past year. Bethlehem Lutheran, Memorial Presbyterian, and Immaculate Conception Catholic Church all participated in a service that was so well-received that we have been asked to participate again this Christmas.

The Helping Hands program, under the guidance of Sheree Hausmann and Marlene Kelly, continues to link the skills and energy of people in the congregation with those in need. The Visitation Program continues to link lay visitors with shut-ins and homebound persons. They receive audio recordings of the service and a bulletin, and check on them for pastoral and personal concerns. We are grateful for the wonderful team of visitors who make these connections every week.

St. Paul’s continues to be the epicenter of care for people seeking wholeness and health. We host several Alcoholics Anonymous groups throughout the week, as well as Moms on Meth, and Narcotics Anonymous.

As always, our Funeral Luncheon Team continues to provide an amazing level of generous hospitality for families grieving the loss of loved ones. Theirs was a formidable task repeated dozens of times over the past year, and they provided wonderful luncheons with grace and warmth. Thanks to Phyllis Parrott and Jean Anderson for their coordination.

SHARE: We share with others to meet their physical and spiritual needs, and invite all people to faith in Christ.

Earlier this year we celebrated the achievement of another Third-Mile level of giving through the Conference’s Rainbow Covenant Missions program. We are on track for another high level of missions giving, and inaugurated several new giving opportunities. The Alternative Gifts Catalog debuted last Christmas as a unique way of giving gifts to loved ones. It included the Heifer Project, the Wilmot Wells Project, Church World Service Blankets, and Cherokee Needy Children. We also supported Krista Taylor, daughter of former pastor Ray Hampton, in her work with Africa Inland Mission in Kenya. We took up first-time offerings for Builders Call and the Bishop’s FIT Challenge, and continued to serve a vital and active role in the annual Iowa Conference Ingathering.

Of course, March featured another successful Great Cherokee Pancake Day Race and Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper. The event raised the visibility of both St. Paul’s and the town of Cherokee, and raised $1,000 for the two local food pantries. We continue to see an amazing response to Soles4Souls, an initiative that collects shoes of any size, style, or condition and sends them to needy people around the world. To date, you have contributed 1,969 pairs of shoes in the last 18 months! And, we continue to serve the community around us by hosting events for civic groups such as the Girl Scouts, 4-H, the Foster Care Review Board, and the American Legion.

This year we participated for the first time in the Cherokee Hot Dog Days, sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce. The response was tremendous, as large crowds stopped by our booth and received information about Vacation Bible School. That likely contributed to the nearly 75 kids we hosted in VBS this year!

Also, our weekly Daybreak radio broadcast continues to run every Sunday morning on KCHE, reaching out to many people unable to come to church. The fifteen-minute program serves as a wonderful teaching medium and an evangelistic tool for the church.

Finally, this past year saw St. Paul’s boldly embarking on its next great wave of campus improvements, thanks to the successful “Together in Faith” Capital Campaign. We have made amazing strides towards energy efficiency and handicap accessibility thanks to the generosity of the congregation. In August, we were able to remove the two dead boilers and replace them with three high-efficiency units, which should drastically reduce our annual gas costs. We also dramatically reduced the debt on the parking lot, which adds a number of new spots on the accessible west entrance of the church. And thanks to Don Witcombe and the excellent work of the Trustees, we have seen improvements to the west stained glass windows and the kitchen storage room.

Once again, these are exciting days to be a part of St. Paul’s UMC. I count it a deep privilege to have served another year as this church’s pastor, and I look forward to another great year of putting God’s love into action!

Grace and Peace,

Magrey

The Rev. Magrey R. deVega
St. Paul's United Methodist Church
531 W. Main St.
Cherokee, IA 51012
Ph: 712-225-3955
Email: mdevega@sp-umc.org




MAGREY IN FLORIDA THIS WEEK
I am in Leesburg, Florida this week to serve on the Florida Conference Board of Ordained Ministry. I am reviewing candidates for ordination and will be back Thursday afternoon. I can be reached by e-mail throughout my time away, and in the event of an emergency, please contact the church office.

WORSHIP THIS SUNDAY: GIFTS FOR THE KINGDOM
This Sunday we continue our stewardship sermon series on the parables of Jesus with a look at Luke 12:13-21. We’ll learn about a man obsessed with material possessions so much that he lost sight of the treasures that really matter.

YOUTH CINNAMON ROLL SALE
This Sunday the youth will be selling cinnamon rolls and other breakfast items for their annual fundraiser. All the proceeds will support their service project to the Midwest Christian Children’s Home in Peterson, Iowa, in December. If you would like to donate items for the sale, please contact Karla Wilkie.

SALVATION ARMY BELL RINGING SIGN-UP
For the first time, and in conjunction with one of our initiatives adopted as part of our 2020 Vision Plan in 2008, we are inviting people to sign up to ring bells for the Salvation Army’s “Red Kettle” this Christmas. Check out the display board in the narthex this Sunday to sign up for slots on Saturdays during Advent at Hy-Vee, Fareway, and K-Mart. Put God’s love into action and help raise money for those in need!

THANKSGIVING LUNCHEON NOVEMBER 20
Celebrate Commitment Sunday with us and plan on joining us for our annual Thanksgiving Sunday luncheon on November 20. We’ll provide turkey and all the fixings, and we’ll take up a free-will offering.