St. Paul's United Church of Christ

Dear St. Paul’s Friends and Family,

“Listen!  A sower went out to sow.”  (Matthew 13:3b)

We are approaching the point in summer where I start to get mildly optimistic about the possibility of my garden actually bearing fruit.  Growing things has always been an awe-inspiring process for me.  It’s a real leap of faith each spring as we prepare the soil, plant the tiny seeds, and cover them with hopes that such a barren looking scene will coax forth life.  Life would be enough of a victory for me, but to imagine green beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, and the like come forth from our little piece of earth seems too far-fetched for consideration!  The reality is that our garden has never let me down.  We always get a little of something each year.  

Jesus shares with us the famous parable of the sower and the seeds.  It’s one of his most famous stories that gets us thinking about the kingdom of God.  We meet a generous and perhaps sloppy gardener who sows seeds everywhere.  Seeds fall among rocks, thorns, on a heavily trodden path, and on good soil.  Of course, those that fell on the good ground bear fruit, while the others perish.  

Jesus compared the Word of God with the seeds.  He’s not clear regarding what role we play in this parable.  We are the ground, but we could also be the sower, or a plant, or perhaps even, those travelers tramping on the seeds or plucking up the plants before they are fully grown.  Whichever role we may find ourselves playing (and truth be told, we may end up playing multiple roles throughout our lives), we exist in God’s garden.  

Regardless of what you believe, who you are, or what you have done with your life, we are all God’s children.  We are planted and grow in the soil of this world, and we receive nourishment and care from one another.  Jesus’ parable does not assign for us a passive role in God’s world, but rather an active part of growing and caring for others.  The fruits that Jesus imagines us bearing are acts of nurturing that helps others to grow and bear fruit.  We are called to water God’s beloved with love and sometimes pluck out the weeds of fear and harm that sometimes threaten our neighbors.  Our toil on Christ’s behalf in the world helps others to experience abundant life and grace.  Therefore, we are not only the soil, or seed, or nourishment, but called as co-creators in God’s kingdom.

May the Holy Spirit grant you wisdom for this sacred work that we share as Christ’s Body.   

Blessings on your journey!   

Pastor Matt

The Dolly Parton Imagination Library of Somerset County provides a free monthly book to children from birth to their fifth birthday who are enrolled in the program.  These high-quality, age-appropriate books help to foster a love of reading in children at a very early age.  Studies have shown that children who have their own books at home have higher literacy rates and do better in school.  A gift of $26 will provide a year’s worth of books for a child and a gift of $130 will sponsor a child for the entire 5-year program. Our congregation was able to bring Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to Somerset County 4 years ago.  Thanks to your support this important mission of our church continues to thrive.  Thanks for your support!

St. Paul’s vital ministries would not be possible without your support. Whether we are providing regular religious services, spiritual and emotional care to meet the needs of community members, food and housing assistance, musical opportunities for children, youth, and adults, or offering our building and congregation as a community resource, none of these ministries exist without the support of members and friends of St. Paul’s.

Please consider supporting our community work by giving in person or online.

Online monetary gifts may be given 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 support as we partner to do Christ’s life-giving work! 

Blessings,

Pastor Matt