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St. Pau l ’ s Uni t ed Church o f Chr i s t

1250 Leonard Point Rd. Oshkosh, WI 54904 920-231-3080 stpauls@ntd.net www.stpaulsoshkosh.com

Interim Minister, Steve Davidson

THE JOURNEY OF ADVENT 2019 “No matter who you are, No matter where you are on life’s journey ….” (mantra well-known in UCC circles) I … Know … … the road well. The journey on the road that day, I knew not. While serving churches in northern Michigan, Rt. 31 is part of my parish, my link to the re-gional hospital in Traverse City. I have been on that road at all hours, but never behind an ambu-lance, transporting the love of my life.

A bright light beams inside that van. Caring people are there, attending to Carol’s broken leg. Moments earlier, we had been on holiday in Beulah, enjoying friends

and the splendor of autumn up north. When God painted northern Michigan in mid-October, God used all the colors of the palette.

The dawning hours of that day are thick with promise: for me, a run along familiar roads lined with towering evergreens and homes of friends now gone, but still close … and, for Carol, a morning with close friends. Dressed and ready to join Carol for a bite of lunch with friends, I hear a scream that echoes across the whole of Benzie County. Looking down from the landing of our rented, second-story apartment, I see Carol in a heap just inside the door.

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Coming off the street, she missed a step, landing flush on her right knee. She couldn’t move, the pain excruciating. Within a few minutes, she is on her way to Traverse City in an ambulance. I choke back hot, searing tears and a seizing terror. “Not now,” I tell myself. Now it’s all about Car-ol. Leaving Beulah, with the ambulance on ahead, I glance over and catch the fresh morning re-flections of Crystal Lake. I envision Carol walking lake trails, as she so often did, refreshing mind and soul, and capturing that refreshment in pastel. On up the road, we pass Fairway Drive. During our years up north, we repair to Fairway Drive at day’s end. Five years ago, we marked our 50th year together, with boys and families close. As part of that celebration, I assemble the younger (of 11!) grandchildren and stage a golf “outing.” With property on a golf course, with hackers marching up and down the fairways posing as golfers, our backyard becomes a graveyard for errant golf balls. We promise our grandkids “… a quarter for every ball you find and return to the driving range.” Off we go! Forty dollars later, we are back in the house with laughter and tall tales of who found the most!

Earlier this year, we welcomed Lily Fleur, Ian (our oldest grandson) and Annaka’s 2nd, and our 4th (count ‘em!) great grandchild. Carol and I are in serious denial about that! On down the road, with that east-leading light still before me, we pass the turnoff to In-terlochen, an internationally-known academy of the arts, drawing singers and players, dancers and artists from around the world.

My mind wanders to my mom, who departed this earthly realm on Memorial Day, just one week shy of her 104th birthday. Music was such an important part of her life. She stood in the choir loft of Seneca (SC) Presbyterian Church until she was well into her 98th year. The beloved Shaker melody states it well: “There is music in my mother’s house, there is mu-sic all around.” When we celebrated the 100th year of her journey, a reception was held at her church. After many express love and best wishes, she stole the show, grabbing the mic and singing, a cappella, mind you, the familiar refrains of “The Johnnie Appleseed Song.” A framed version of that song stood in her apartment (and now in our home!) as a daily re-minder that “… the Lord’s been good to me.” Before we commit her cremains alongside my dad’s in the Memorial Garden of the church, we sing a version of that song.

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Our journey continues as we approach the hospital in Traverse City. As the ambulance pulls up to the ER door, as the paramedics wheel Carol safely through that door, I have a license, finally, to lose it … and I do, wiping away a flood of pent-up emotions. I have often said to anyone who would listen, “If you can’t get along with Carol, there’s something wrong with you.” Through my unbiased eyes, of all the people on the planet, Carol is the least deserving of a busted femur! Five days later, following surgery and the installation of a metal plate, we begin the long journey home to southeast Wisconsin, assured by attending doctors of a full recovery. As she is discharged, nurses and aides and other beautiful people come rushing out, armed with blankets and pillows and ice packs and … comfort. Taking a deep breath, I say to those assembled, “You guys are just saints! You have no idea how much your care means to us.” And then, predictably, I lose it … again. With Carol safely stowed, with hugs all around, our journey continues. It’s time to go home. As we make our way across the UP and then south past Oshkosh and St. Paul’s UCC, which I continue to serve as interim, I feel a certain lightness of spirit, knowing that Carol and I are safe and well held by friends both near and far – that certainly includes you. When I finally wheel her into our lovely home at Cedar Community, West Bend, we find fur-ther signs of care in our refrigerator and in our living room … flowers, essential equipment - we are blessed. Within hours, a food chain is in place … and a stream of cards and visitors. The best gift un-der our tree this year will be Carol’s ability to put weight on that leg. It’s somewhat ironic that her break would occur at a time when the fabric of our nation would, also, be broken and torn. It was broken, too, when Mary and Joseph made their way toward Bethlehem. And yet: They continue on, perhaps buoyed by an inner Light, some assurance that in time, “ … the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,” just as the prophet said (Isaiah 40). As Carol’s healing continues, we join you in healing the brokenness that now overwhelms, but confident that, in the fullness of time, we will know God’s intended unity, and, Peace,

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“Thank you” for purchasing and ordering SCRIP cards this past year. We hope you will continue supporting SCRIP cards in the future. If you have never ordered or haven’t ordered in a while, please consider getting SCRIP in 2020. This is a GREAT fundraiser for St. Paul’s. If you are new to this program or need help, call our SCRIP Coordinator-

Carol Krause- @ 233-0993 or the church office. (Contest winners in the December contest

were Marcia Marks and Dennis Krause)

NEXT ORDER DUE SUNDAY, JANUARY 5TH

ST. PAUL’S COUNCIL MINUTES FROM 12/12/19

Members present were: Mike Bettcher, Deb Wriedt, Lowell Reepsdorf, Kathy Thomsen, Kris

Schafer, Barb Loomans, and Sherri Landig. Liz Joachim and Pastor Steve were also in attendance.

Mike opened our meeting with prayer due to Pastor Steve coming to the

meeting later. The minutes from last month’s meeting were reviewed. Kris

Schafer was also absent from the last meeting so minutes were adjusted. A

motion to approve the minutes with correction was made by Lowell and a

2nd by Kathy. Motion passed.

Treasurer’s report was given. After review, a motion to accept the report and pay bills as monies

are available was given by Deb and 2nd by Lowell. Motion passed.

Pastor’s report: Fall Fest went well

Asked for feedback for the Stewardship campaign

Pageant is coming up and looking for volunteers

Plan to go caroling after Church to the shut-ins

Last confirmation class for the year was 12/11/19

There will be a Christmas special offering

Suggested a potluck after the annual meeting

Suggested advanced warning about a possible land sale with it being included in the Tidings

and Annual report

There has been an inquiry about a private baptism

Intergenerational Events:

Still working on connecting with the Mosque personnel. Hope to have answers soon.

Will look into going to the Herd game in February and to revisit St. Vinnies again to assist like the

last time.

Committee Reports:

Building and grounds reports an issue with one of our boiler pumps. Gartman's is looking in

to this.

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Search committee shared the profile with Council. A motion to accept the profile as

presented was made by Kris and 2nd by Lowell. Motion passed.

No correspondence

New Business: Council discussed changing meeting day and time to 2nd Sunday of the month after service

for the months of January to May. We will try this.

Tree will be taken down on the 12th of January after the Emmaus service. We will ask if

they would like to assist.

Budget for 2020 was reviewed. Mike will be meeting with Liz to tweak some figures.

Kim DiGiorgio and Mike will meet to tweak land sale information prior to annual meeting.

Our meeting was adjourned with the Lord’s Prayer.

Respectfully submitted by Sherri Landig, secretary

On December 15th, a group of “singers” left the church after worship

and headed to the hospital and

homes of sever-

al St. Paul’s members to

share some Christmas mu-

sic. Included were the Joachims, Pastor Steve, Marcia Marks, Lynn Wood, Deb

Wriedt, Sherri Landig, Anne Gassere and Barb Jones. (The shut-ins even offered

us treats before we left!)

The Search Committee has finished the

church’s profile and it has been approved by our church council. We will be sending it to Rev. Jane Anderson at the conference for her approval and then she will add our church to the list of churches searching for a pastor. Please keep our church in your prayers as we start the next step of receiving resumes and conducting interviews.

Thank you, The Search Committee

Your 2019 Giving Statements will soon be available for pick up in the Narthex. Please pick yours up and save us the postage!

Worship bulletins on Sunday, December 29th

, were provided

in memory of Erv Hable given by Dorothy Hable.

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CHURCH MEMBER BUSINESS DIRECTORY

If you have a business that you would like to tell other St. Paul’s members about, please complete the form below and return to the church office. This will be published in the membership directory in January.

Last Name:_________________________________ First Name: _________________

Telephone:________________________________ Email: ______________________

Name of Business: ______________________________________________________

Type of business or service provided: _______________________________________

Business address: ____________________________________

City: __________________________ State: ________ Zip: ______________

Business Phone: _______________________ Business email: _______________

Business web site: _____________________________________________________

Those who are recuperating at home or in care centers: Eileen Redemann, Lori Abraham, Dorothy Hable, Carla Gearnhardt, Ruth Hauser, Ka-ren Kentopp, Faye Lindemann, Curt Bahr, Carol Davidson, Rena Gomach, Jean Jovaag Haitian Student sponsored by St. Paul’s: Corriolant Yves St. Paul’s friends/family: Mary Jaynes’ sister Sue and daughter Carrie, Mike Hrnak, Kim Mueller’s sister Bridget

Jean Jovaag and Rena Gomach were both hospitalized during December. Rena is now home and

Jean is at Bethel Home for rehab.

SALVATION ARMY BELL RINGING

Many thanks to St. Paul's members for ringing the bells for the less

fortunate at Piggly Wiggly on Saturday, December 14th.

The following members helped bring cheer to the holiday season:

Kathy Thomsen, Jim Beck and the Gasseres.

During worship on Sunday, December 15th, the

Christmas story was told by a bunch of “friendly

beasts.” A superb CAST OF CHARACTERS includ-

ed Jim Beck; Sara and Owen Spaulding; Annette

Reichard; Deb Wriedt; Allison, Jennifer and

Ryan Borgmann; Pastor Steve; Lynn Rollmann;

Anne Gassere and Sherri Landig.

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IF it is decided to

cancel Sunday

worship services

due to bad weather, there will be an updated

message on the church telephone answering

machine. Phone 231-3080 to get the latest in-

formation.

When you shop at OfficeMax in

Oshkosh or online, please provide the

church’s phone number (231-3080) when

asked if you have a rewards account set

up. Doing this will help contribute to-

wards the rewards that St. Paul’s accumu-

lates monthly to use on office purchases.

It is a huge help to our office and mainte-

nance bud-gets.

St. Paul’s Annual Congregational Meeting will be held on Jan. 26th, 2020 following

worship at 10:30 AM.

We will:

Review 2019 annual reports of groups and financial reports.

Review/approve a 2020 budget.

Hear Sustaining Fund reports.

Hear any business from the floor.

St. Paul’s Land Sale

During our Annual Meeting last year, one of the suggestions that came up regarding how we might be able to help with our financial situation was to explore the sale of the land that we own to the east of the church. Kim DiGiorgio Mueller has been doing some research on the potential sale of the land and will be sharing that information at our Annual Meeting on January 26th. Please join us for this information meeting.

We encourage you to set aside time for your church as it does its business

and charts its future.

A potluck lunch will be enjoyed together following the meeting – so please

bring a dish to pass!

MUELLER, KIM 01/07

KRAUSE, CAROL 01/22

ERDMANN, EVERAL 01/23

STANG, MEGAN 01/26

BETTCHER, MIKE 01/28

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Please Help Volunteers are needed for 2020 to prepare Communion once

a month. Please sign up in the Narthex. For questions or help, contact Lynn Rollmann or the office.

Are you over 70 1/2 and own an IRA? If you do, you have to take out a required minimum distri-bution (RMD) each year. Congress made the Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) for IRA hold-ers. In a QCD, an individual can fund gifts directly to charities from your IRA and count towards your RMD. Distributions that qualify as a QCD receive favorable tax treatment as they are not included in your gross income but count towards your RMD. Talk to your accountant for further de-tails.

Thanks to Jack Petersen who gifted St. Paul’s with a substantial gift of his Required Minimum Dis-tribution from his IRA. Because of his contribution, along with many others, we received enough gifts to finish the payments on our lawn mower.

If you have not taken your 2019 Required Minimum Distribution from your IRA, you can take all or a portion of your RMD and donate it to St. Paul’s. See Debbie Wriedt if you have any questions.

MEYER, JOHN & JANET (#55) 01/23 RUDY, LYLE & SHARON (#55) 01/23 WHITEMARSH, CHI (KEN JUNGWIRTH) (#13) 01/01

Lynn Rollmann and Barb Jones for December communion preparation and clean up.

Carol Krause for a great year of managing our SCRIP program.

Dennis Krause for his behind the scenes maintenance tasks including lighting repairs.

Annette Reichard for handling the poinsettia set up.

Rena Gomach for weekly computer preparation work for worship services and also to Bobbi Reepsdorf who is so willing to fill in when

necessary.

Sherri Landig for sound/computer screen work on Sunday mornings.

Sherri Landig for organizing the Adopt-a-Family program during the Advent season.

Jack Petersen for continuing to send birthday and anniversary cards to each member dur- ing the year.

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Anne Gassere for organizing Salvation Army Bell Ringing @ Piggly Wiggly.

Mike Bettcher, Sherri Landig, and Deb Wriedt for help with putting up the Christmas tree.

Lowell Reepsdorf for choosing, chopping and transporting the lovely Christmas tree to church and to Dorothy Hable for providing the tree for St. Paul’s.

Jim Becker, Deb Wriedt and Pastor Steve did the decorating of the tree.

Families that helped with special Advent readings on Sundays during Advent: Jim Beck, Borgmanns (twice), and the Boerner Family.

Remember John and Mary Boss given by Kathryn Thomsen

Remember Virginia Pommerening given by Victoria Schasny

Remember David Schmitt given by Mary Schmitt

Honor Art Pommerening given by Victoria Schasny

Remember Jack and Lorraine Becker given by daughters

Ellen Becker and Mary Schmitt

Remember Melvin Kluever given by Bruce, Barb, Brynna and

Devin Loomans

Remember Harley Tretow given by Shirley Tretow

Remember Ed Korducki given by Laura Jackson

Remember Rita Korducki given by Laura Jackson

Remember Phyllis Jackson given by Laura Jackson

Remember Faith Edward’s Family given by Faith Edward

Remember Zita Bober given by Mike and Cathy Bober

Honor family and friends given by Mary Jones

Remember David Schmitt given by Bob and Kris Schafer family

The Christmas tree was given by Dorothy Hable in loving memory of her husband Erv Hable, her sister Mabel Reichard and her brother Neil Starke.

The two large red poinsettias on the Credence Shelf remembered Mr. & Mrs. F. H. Below, Mr. & Mrs. Gordon Cameron, Bruce Cameron and Cameron Gassere given by the

Cameron and Gassere families.

Our Advent workshop was small in number this year be-

cause of the weather, but we did make some of the ornaments on

our tree this year. The stars, glitter balls and the crimsons were

made this year. We hope you enjoyed them. We also organized a

potluck meal after crafting.

All of the staff members at St. Paul’s say “thanks” to those of you who

contributed to our Christmas bonuses. We appreciate your thoughtfulness

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and enjoy doing our part in making St. Paul’s such a great place!

Liz, Nachell, Larry and sub organist Ginny Kippa.

2020

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1

2 Pastor in Oshkosh

Encore in Fellowship Hall

3

4

5 Worship @ 9:30 with

communion

SCRIP orders due!

11 AM ECC worship

6 Boy Scouts meet

7

8 Pastor in Oshkosh

9 Pastor in Oshkosh

Encore in Fellowship Hall

10

11

12 Worship @ 9:30

10:30 Council meets

11 AM ECC worship

13 Boy Scouts meet

14

15 Pastor in Oshkosh

16 Pastor in Oshkosh

Encore in Fellowship Hall

17

18

19 Worship @ 9:30

11 AM ECC worship

20 Boy Scouts meet

21

22 Pastor in Oshkosh

23 Pastor in Oshkosh

Encore in Fellowship Hall

24

25

26 Worship @ 9:30

10:30 Annual Meeting with potluck

11 AM ECC worship

27 Boy Scouts meet

28

29 Pastor in Oshkosh

30 Pastor in Oshkosh

Encore in Fellowship Hall

31

Going to church regularly does not necessarily keep a fellow from backsliding – but it is apt to

give him a little better traction.

Many church members are like the farmer’s well. It had only two faults: it froze up in the win-

tertime, and dried up in the summertime.

A smile is a curve that can set a lot of things straight.

Some minds are like concrete, all mixed up and permanently set.

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People are funny. They spend money they don’t have, to buy things they don’t need, to impress

people they don’t like.

Chuckles from a Churchmouse - Dianne A. Stever – Trinity UCC

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