St. Paul's United Church of Christ

Dear Church Friends and Family,

“Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God.”

(Isaiah 40:1)

God is quite familiar with suffering.  Whether it was the suffering of his people while enslaved in Egypt, or their suffering under corrupt kings, or most poignantly, the suffering of God’s Son at the hands of the Romans, God has had an up close and personal experience with suffering.  For some of us, this type of message might seem like a strange one for Christmas, however, as we are working our way deeper into Advent the God who is familiar with our suffering is balm to many a weary soul.  

Even in the midst of a global pandemic, much of society is preparing as best as it can for the Christmas Season.  The days are being counted down, trees are trimmed, homes decorated, sales and shopping, and even reimagined Christmas parties and family gatherings.  Yet, in the church the Christmas Season is a ways off, not to begin until December 25th.  Advent is a different type of season.  It’s a time of watching and waiting to see how God will enter our world.  It’s a time to take stock of one’s life; a time to think about relationships.  It’ a time to give thanks, but also a time to repent life’s mistakes and even grieve losses.  

For an Advent people like us, it’s a very good thing that we have a God who not only understands us, but suffers alongside of us.  The prophet Isaiah imagines a powerful God who will come down not to conquer us, but to gather us up like a shepherd gathers his sheep.  If there’s one thing we’ve learned from Jesus Christ’s life it is that we aren’t spared suffering, but gathered, nurtured, healed, and eventually resurrected for a new life, a life with God and with one another for all eternity.  A life where suffering and pain has no more power over creation.

May you sense our Savior’s presence in your life; in your suffering, grief, confessing, and living each day.  Blessings and peace to you.  And as always, please call me if you need anything.  My number is 814-279-5504.

Advent Blessings,

Pastor Matt

Church Council had a special meeting on Tuesday evening to consider our status relative to holding services during the ongoing pandemic. It was a unanimous consensus that we should not at this time attempt to hold indoor worship services. This decision was made in light of rising numbers of cases in and around our county and out of concern for the safety of worshippers and worship leaders.

It is Council’s decision to “stay the course” with continuing to offer outdoor services in Shellenberger Park (weather permitting) as well as the virtual online and telephone services. Again, these decisions are not easy. We appreciate the feedback received from many of you. We have given prayerful consideration of the wide range of comfort levels and opinions. Each and every member and friend of our congregation is precious to us.
We are continuing to develop plans for what an indoor service might include for that time when we can once again worship together indoors with a reasonable feeling of safety. Church Council will continue to monitor changes in the number of cases as well as guidelines from reputable sources and authorities. The next scheduled meeting of Council is July 21. Please continue to monitor our website and Facebook pages for updates.
Please keep our church leaders in your thoughts and prayers as we continue to discern the appropriate measures, precautions, and ways to meet your faith needs and expectations.

Craig WeaverChurch Council President

The SAM van provides medical transportation to Somerset County residents.  Their routes include Johnstown, Pittsburgh, Altoona, Greensburg, and all points in between.  Since its beginnings in 2004 the vans have traveled over 250,000 miles and provided service to over 3,000 people at no cost to the rider.   

The SAM van is run by the Somerset Area Ministries and is supported by donations from individuals, churches and other organizations. If you are in need of this service or would like to volunteer to drive the SAM van you should contact Charles Olson at Grace United Methodist Church at 443-6354.

The congregation of St. Paul’s UCC continues to worship during the Pandemic. Beginning this Sunday, June 21, 2020 we will be holding in-person services each week at 10am, in Shellenberger Park, as the weather permits. We are following CDC guidelines, so wearing masks and social distancing are encouraged. Please bring a lawn chair if you plan to attend, a limited number of folding chairs and disposable masks will be available for those who need them.

Our online worship presence continues as well. We invite church friends and family to join us online for worship on Facebook and YouTube beginning at 9:30. The service will be available on demand on both platforms following their streaming at 9:30.

Facebook users should go to the church page, Saint Paul’s United Church of Christ and like us to follow church event. Here is the link for Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh3D9gXPMXUT5_LxQdoLgzA?disable_polymer=true&fbclid=IwAR1aG7XS7u_uoyFzhvlkBP5nhHYKJWQdZQcKx_6tz2F6dj2p6ZU8yCe7294

Please join us for our prayer vigil that begins on Good Friday evening and continues through Easter Day. Although we are distanced physically, let us draw to one another spiritually as we unite to pray for our church, community, country and world. The vigil can be accessed through clicking the link below.

The current COVID-19/Corona Virus pandemic has forced many individuals, businesses, and organizations to rethink how to accomplish day-to-day functions.  The church is no different.  

St. Paul’s continues to do vital ministry:

• Reaching out to the homebound & lonely
• Caring for the sick
• Comforting the dying & their families
• Working with the Somerset Area School District, Meals on Wheels, Somerset Area Ministries, and other agencies to ensure our most vulnerable community members are fed everyday
• Online children’s programming
• Online fellowship events
• Live-streaming and videos of worship services on Facebook & YouTube
• Launching a COVID-19 community mission fund to assist those in need because of social distancing, job loss, and illness
• Honoring our monthly mission partners

A number of our members and friends have asked for an online way to give, so we are pleased to offer this service through tithe.ly.  You can make a gift by accessing our website (see the “Give” button on the homepage or the button below), www.stpaulsuccsomerset.org.  You may also download the free tithe.ly app to your smartphone or tablet and customize it to meet your needs.  Although the service is free to the church, credit card and transaction fees are assessed to each gift, so when making an online contribution through tithe.ly, please consider using the bank funds transfer feature, which has the lowest fee of one percent per transaction.  For your convenience, you may also select the reoccurring gift option if you would like to make regular gifts to the church.  If you have any questions or need assistance using this service, please do not hesitate to contact Cindy, our financial secretary.  And as always, we still accept and appreciate your mail-in contributions!

We value your continued thoughts and prayers during these challenging times.  On behalf of the staff, and lay leadership of our church, we wish you good health and strength as we encounter each day together.  Relying on God and one another, we will get through this!

Blessings,

Pastor Matt

Sunday, February 23, 2020, during & after worship

Mardi Gras in the Christian tradition is a festive time of laughter and celebration right before the contemplative six weeks of Lent.  We will be celebrating our own Mardi Gras with some special surprises during worship.  Johnstown Brass Works will be with us providing some Dixieland style music.  Our Chancel Choir and the Children and Youth Choirs are preparing a couple of selections that will get us into the spirit.  We’ll follow worship with a special potluck brunch in Fellowship Hall, complete with King’s Cake cupcakes and a few special surprises!  You won’t want to miss the fun, so be sure to bring your favorite dish to share, a friend (if you’d like), wear colorful clothing, and be prepared for some enjoyable fellowship.

Sink Your Teeth into a New Experience at the Taste of the World Ethnic Food Festival!

We invite those who love food and adventure to join us for this FREE family-friendly event. Community members from countries such as Brazil, Egypt, India, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Thailand will be present to offer samples of their traditional native foods and share interesting information about their homeland. The Somerset Exchange Students will also be preparing and serving some of their traditional foods from France, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland.

Inspired by Fred Rogers, who stated, “We want to raise our children so that they can take a sense of pleasure in both their own heritage and the diversity of others,” the Taste of the World event will provide specific opportunities for children to explore the commonalities and celebrate the differences embedded in our community’s diverse cultures. Children and youth can explore the entertainment space offering games (take a swing at our pinata or try your hand at Mexican Bingo) and crafts from the representative countries. They can also visit the story corner and explore multi-ethnic and bi-lingual books.

St. Paul’s UCC, alongside of Love for the World, a group of church & local community members, is committed to empowering our community to love and care for our neighbors both near and far. It is our hope that through offering small bites of new cultural experiences, the Taste of the World event will carry forward the mission of building strong caring relationships with all those in our community.

Taste your way around the world by reserving your FREE ticket online at www.TasteoftheWorldFoodFestival.Eventbrite.com. FREE tickets will also be available at the door.

Add Taste of the World to your calendar. You won’t want to miss it!