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Progressive Spirit news

SEPTEMBER 2018 – VOLUME 9, ISSUE 9

ST. PAUL’S United Church of Christ

602 Garfield St., Laramie, WY 82070

www.laramieucc.org

307-742-7733

Pastor’s Bits and Bytes

Wow! It’s back to school

time already. I don’t

have any kids going

back to school, but we

do have many in our

congregation that are

going back to school,

back to teaching school,

and returning to the

University. We celebrate

our children’s program and

back to school, and back

to Sunday school on

September 16. That’s

going to be a very busy

day here at St. Paul’s. In

addition to the return of

Sunday school, there will

be a fundraising breakfast

at 9:00 am, and the youth

will be serving pancakes

and sausage links. They

had such fun last month

they wanted to do it again!

We will also have our first

discernment meeting after

worship that day, to

discern how we should

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September Events

September 25

o Communion Sunday

o Choir Sings

September 9

o Worship at Vedauwoo

September 13

o PFLAG meeting 6:30

September 16

o Youth Breakfast

Fundraiser

o Sunday School starts

o Sanctuary

Discernment Meeting

with lunch

September 23

o Council Meeting

All events are in the Church or

Church Basement, unless

otherwise noted.

______________

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approach needed repairs to our

sanctuary and our windows. Lunch will

be provided by the Administrative

Council, so come with an appetite

(after you fill up on pancakes before

worship) and ideas and suggestions.

This will be the first of a few meetings,

because we probably won’t get it all

discussed in one meeting.

On September 9, we will be once again

worshiping at Vedauwoo. We will leave

St. Paul’s about 9:15 and car pool up, or

you can grab a parking pass before

and meet us up there. We will have a

lunch of hotdogs and fixings provided

by the church. Please bring something

to share, and something to drink. Paper

goods (Plates, Utensils and cups) will also be provided. This is always a well-

attended worship service, and this year, if it’s like the last two, the weather

will cooperate and we will have a great time. We may try to get a hike

arranged after lunch if there is interest.

As I mentioned last month, we are seeking members of the church to serve

on the administrative council next year. It’s never too early to think about

helping us out. Your time and talents are always appreciated by everyone

here.

The worship team has been hard at work putting together meaningful music

for our weekly worship. However, they can use your help. If you have a

favorite hymn or music you would like to hear, please let Katie Uhl know, so it

can be incorporated into our worship service at some time. Over the next

few month, they are also going to be getting some special music

performances. Look at the weekly update for dates of special music.

Any immigrant who lives with you must be treated as if they were one of your citizens.

You must love them as yourself, because you were immigrants in the land of Egypt;

I am the Lord your God

(Lev. 19:34).

Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I

was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you

welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you

visited me

(Matt. 25:34-36).

Peace and Blessings to all,

Rev. Ken

7 – Mickey Uhl

11 – Brianna Given

21 – Betty Holmes

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Administrative Council Notes:

The Administrative council is hosting a discernment meeting on September 16 to discuss

ideas about how we can fix some problems with the sanctuary, and needed repairs that

need to be made to the sanctuary and the windows. Lunch will be provided, so please come

with your ideas. If you are unable to attend the meeting, please let your ideas be known to

the admin council members, or Rev. Ken. You can also email suggestions to the church

email, stpucc@gmail.com

Next meeting will be on September 23.

Back To School Bash

St. Paul’s participated in the back to school bash in Undine Park, sponsored by Big Brothers,

Big Sisters. Thanks to Joe, Kay, Brianna, Terri, and Don for coming out and helping me to set

up,

take down, and staff our booth. We had fun as well as giving out some information to many

about St. Paul’s.

PFLAG Laramie

PFLAG, or Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays continues to meet at St. Paul’s the

second Thursday of each month at 6:30 PM. Join the group as a friend and ally, or member

of the LGBTQ community. The next meeting will be on Thursday, September 13th.

Youth Group News The youth group will host another breakfast on September 16 at 9:00 am. Come have some pancakes and sausage links. The breakfast is a fundraiser for the youth group, so bring a donation if you can. The next meeting of the youth group will be at 4:00 PM on September 16.

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Daily Devotional If you would like to receive a daily email devotional, you may look at http://www.perfectpeaceandjoy.org/, a daily devotional that a friend of mine, and fellow UCC Clergy updates daily. Rev. John Gaudreau is a wonderful photographer, and many of the photos he uses are ones that he has taken. The daily update is something I look forward to every day. Take a minute to look at his website even if you do not subscribe to the daily email.

UW Homecoming is October 20 The annual homecoming parade (and game) is on October 20th this year. The Laramie Ministerial Association of All Faiths is urging all faith communities in Laramie to march together. So, there will be a float in the parade representing the faith communities that join in. Each faith community will have a sign on the float, and we can also carry smaller signs. The youth group will design our big sign, and we can either use the flags from the UCC that we used in the pride parade, or we can make some new ones. If you want to march, great! If you don’t think you can march but want to join us, you can ride on the float. More details will be printed next month, but mark your calendars now. The current plan is to meet at Canterbury house on 9th at about 7:00 am for coffee and donuts and ‘last minute’ sign adjustments. I hope that we have a strong contingent from St. Paul’s.

St. Alban’s Worship

We joined the members and priests from St. Matthew’s Cathedral for worship at St. Alban’s

in the mountains in August. We then went to the Laramie Lodge and enjoyed a potluck

luncheon, listened to cowboy and cowgirl stories about growing up in Wyoming, and even

saw a moose taking a bath in the pond out back. It was a great and enjoyable day for those

who were able to make it.

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Don’t forget to check out the Rocky Mountain Conference web page:

http://www.rmcucc.org

Youth Opportunity: Fall

Spirit-Spirit Spark Retreat:

Nov. 2–4 at La Foret August 16, 2018 | Cory Kibler

Registration is now open for Fall Jr/Sr-High Retreat at La Foret, Nov. 2–4, 2018!

From November 2–4, 2018 at La Foret, Junior and Senior High campers from across the Rocky Mountain Conference will converge in the Black Forest, creating a radically loving, sacred, and joyful community at our Fall Spirit-Spark Retreat. ALL youth grades 6-12 are invited!

Visit Event Page

Through large and small group activities, we’ll invite and inspire campers to dig deep to discern what they believe and why they believe it. Together, we’ll deepen trust—in ourselves, God, and others—and get in touch with our unique purposes for this life. By the end of the weekend, youth will return home with memories of La Foret magic, and faith in God’s ceaseless presence in their lives.

Register Your Youth Today!

Our vetted, trained, and committed staff have planned a special retreat that seeks to anchor youth in faith in the midst of our crazy world. They’ll facilitate powerful experiences, lead games, arts & crafts, music, worship, a dance, time in nature, and so much more. We can’t wait to see you there!

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He Took the World Seriously

Roger was a very curious child filled with questions. He wanted to understand the world. Fortunately, his church took him seriously and he never forgot what his pastor told him—“taking God seriously meant taking the world seriously.” The familiar scripture, “God so loved the world…,” meant that the locus for the Christian life was to be found less in tending the church and more in the political, ethical, environmental, economic, and community life of the world. Roger Nathaniel Pohl (1941-2017), born and raised in Chicago, graduated from North Park University, earned an M.A. in English at Indiana University and a Master of Divinity at Yale University. Later he served UCC churches in Minnesota and Michigan. His deep sense of purpose to make the world more just was accompanied by his knack for asking the tough questions while consistently working for justice. He knew how to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. During his pastorate in Lansing, he once helped organize children and youth of the community to cleanse the Capitol steps with mops and water after the Ku Klux Klan had been there. Pohl’s vocational journey culminated as executive director of the Ecumenical Center and International Residence at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor—nurturing a cross-cultural inter-faith setting with students from around the world. Throughout his life he traveled widely and took groups on global trips. He was deeply moved by his teaching experiences on the island of Mindanao in the Southern Philippines and encouraged Michigan clergy and church members to cultivate a “Philippine Partnership.” Interfaith issues, always linked to justice concerns, remained central to his life After Pohl’s death from pulmonary fibrosis, his family created the Pohl Legacy Fund for Southern Christian College in the Philippines. Click here to learn more. Contributor: Joanne Pohl

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St. Paul’s

United Church of Christ

602 Garfield St. Sunday Morning Worship at 10:00 a.m.

Laramie, WY 82070

Rev. Kenneth Ingram

720-289-2394

revken1957@gmail.com

Rev. Ken’s hours: Tuesday,

Wednesday, Thursday, and

Sunday mornings, or by

appointment

IF YOU KNOW OF ANY

ACTIVITIES AROUND

TOWN THAT YOU WOULD

LIKE MENTIONED IN THE

WEEKLY UPDATE OR THE

NEWSLETTER, PLEASE

SEND THE INFORMATION

TO REV. KEN AT

STPUCC@GMAIL.COM