Category: Announcements

Are You Ready for Our Egyptian Journey?
Join us in ancient Egypt!  You’ll explore Pharaoh’s Palace, experience thrilling “real life” dramas, play high-energy games, sample tasty snacks, and hear unforgettable music.  Plus you’ll meet lots of new friends!

St. Paul’s Children’s Ministries’ Vacation Bible School (VBS) is taking a journey to Egypt (by Group Publishing):
When:  July 26 – July 30, 2010, Monday through Friday
Time:   9:00am through 11:30am.
Who:  Children Preschool through 6th Grade are welcome to join us for on this adventure.

We plan to reinforce Bible learning by using a daily Bible Point supported by a bible story about Joseph and a related bible verse.  We also want to impress upon our children that God is active in our everyday lives….we just have to learn to look.  We’ll ask them to share their God Sightings everyday.  It may be as simple as hearing birds greeting the early morning, a delicious dinner the night before, a chance to go swimming with friends, a kind word from Mom or Dad, etc.

Daily themes:

Day: Monday
Bible Point: God gives us hope.
Story: Joseph interprets dreams in prison. (Genesis 40:1-23)
Verse: “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’” (Jeremiah 29:11)

Day: Tuesday
Bible Point: God gives us special abilities.
Story: Pharaoh puts Joseph in charge. (Genesis 41:1-40)
Verse: “In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well.” (Romans 12:6)

Day: Wednesday
Bible Point: God gives us wisdom.
Story: Joseph leads Egypt through famine.  (Genesis 41:41-42:5)
Verse: “If you need wisdom, ask God, and he will give it to you.” (James 1:5)

Day: Thursday
Bible Point: God gives us forgiveness.
Story: Joseph forgives his brothers. (Genesis 42:6 – 45:15)
Verse: “But you are a God of forgiveness, gracious and merciful, slow to become angry, and rich in unfailing love.”  (Nehemiah 9:17)

Day: Friday
Bible Point: God gives us a family.
Story: Joseph settles his family in Egypt. (Genesis 45:16 – 47:27)
Verse: “For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:26)

Registration forms for Egypt VBS are now available at the Welcome Center at St. Paul.  It does not cost anything to take part in this opportunity.  Please consider sending your children, your neighbor’s children, your nieces and nephews, or your friends’ children.

Come and let your children spend a while on the Nile!  They’ll discover that God never leaves them alone through life’s trials and triumphs.

One of the things I have always loved about retreats is the chance to get to know my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, and this year’s All-Church Retreat at Monte Toyon was no exception.  The retreat’s theme, “Conversations at the Well”, indeed opened up many opportunities to get to know everyone beyond the usual Sunday’s “Hi, how’s it going?”  The beauty of the way our cross-cultural discussions were led by Pastor Sun-Hee Kim and Shan McSpadden  allowed for each of us to get intimate, dig a little deeper and learn more about the cultures, traditions, and backgrounds of these faces we see every Sunday.  Who knew that Glenn Bautista was so funny?  Or that people from a range of age, gender, and ethnicity could still relate on so many levels?  It was truly a blessing to be in fellowship with those on the retreat, to play a rousing game of kickball, to take some time away from the busyness of daily life and to be with God among some of His most awesome creations.  -Melinda Bautista

It had been a while since I was able to be on retreat at Monte Toyon. When I arrived, I felt like I had only just been there last week! It was so familiar, so welcoming. The entire weekend was refreshing and relaxing, even while we exercised our brains in the sessions and stretched the limits of our understanding and caring for others than those of our own backgrounds. An awareness of differences in communication and relationships was recognized and developed and I learned much about myself this weekend. I am thankful for the ‘family’ feel we experienced at retreat and that we feel in our church. When all the noise and clash of daily urban life is eliminated, like at our retreat, we feed our souls and our relationships with God and with each other and our faith strengthens. God willing, I’ll be able to go to the next retreat, too! – Marty Trudell

On April 18, 2010, St. Paul members participated in the 2010 CROP Walk at Lake Elizabeth in Fremont. In case you didn’t make it out, watch the video below, made by Brian Bautista.
CROP stands for Communities Responding to Overcome Poverty and identifies interfaith hunger education and fundraising events sponsored by Church World Service. CROP Hunger Walks help to support the overall ministry of Church World Service, especially the grassroots, hunger-fighting development efforts of partner agencies in some 80 countries. CROP Hunger Walks help to provide tools of hope that empower people to meet their own needs. From seeds and tools, to wells and water systems, to technical training and micro-enterprise loans, the key is people working together to identify their own development priorities, their strengths and their needs — something CWS has learned through some 61 years of working in partnership around the world.

On October 17, 1969, a thousand people in Bismarck, ND, walked in what may have been the first-ever CROP Hunger Walk — and raised $25,000 to help stop hunger. Several other CROP Hunger Walks occurred soon thereafter, and before long there were hundreds of CROP Hunger Walks each year in communities nationwide.