09/01/23
Therefore, my beloved, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
1 Corinthians 15:58, NRSV
For many years I worked in the business world. At the age of 16 I worked at Woolworth’s in the record department. Yes, I said record department. Does anyone remember 45 rpm records and 33 1/3 rpm albums? If not – Google it! Anyway, to be sweet 16 working in the record section was a sweet gig. All the teenagers would come in looking for the latest records. And the boys would try to sweet talk me into a discount!
Over the years I worked as a transcriber, encoder, sales tax agent, and Amway rep. I worked for over twenty years in accounting, going from bookkeeper to controller, all the while holding down my primary (and favorite) job as a mother. Oh, I know what a good day’s work is!
When I answered God’s call to pastoral ministry, suddenly a good day’s work looked quite different. Being at the bedside of dying saints, taking Holy Communion to nursing homes, hospital visits in the middle of the night, weekly worship, weddings, funerals, baptisms, counseling, sermon preparation, Bible studies, board meetings, back to school events, VBS, the rhythms of church. A good day’s work.
Why do we work - what is the purpose? Think about this - what if we are divinely placed wherever we are, whether making minimum wage or 6 figures. What if it is more about what we bring to work, than what we get out of it? What if our jobs are places where we can have the most impact in the world for Christ? What if we saw our work as worship?
And for our retired folks - do we ever really retire? I’ve seen some of you – making dressers for Home Sweet Home, serving at LifeWise & Epworth. Some of you are busier in retirement than when you were working a job!
God honors our labor. Nothing that we do in the Lord is in vain. So keep planting seeds and wait for the harvest (of souls) to come!
I invite you to join us this Sunday for worship. The month of September is dedicated to the Psalms, and Rev. Michele Sue Williams will get the month started for us with a message on Psalm 8.
The Psalms Praylist
is a podcast of the Psalms. From September 1-30 you can tune in and hear the reading of Psalms, each and every day! Thanks to some wonderful folks, we will hear a variety of voices praying the Psalms. All you do is listen and pray. The podcast can be accessed in 2 ways – thru a program called Spreaker or on Podbean:
For Spreaker: go to www.spreaker.com. In the program’s searchbar type in: Psalms Praylist. The logo is:
For Podbean: go to www.podbean.com. Search for: Psalms Praylist.
Both programs have an app, if that’s easier for you to utilize.
Trivia Night & Silent Auction This year we will celebrate 55 years of ministry at the UMC of Green Trails! The celebration begins with Trivia Nite on Friday, Sept. 15. The donation is $25/person or $200 for a table of 8. Put a team together with family and friends (including your kiddos) and let’s have some friendly competition! There’s also an e-giving line item for Trivia Night.
***SILENT AUCTION DONATIONS NEEDED***
The Family Trivia Night Task Team is looking for donations for the silent auction fundraiser that will occur Friday, September 15, 2023 during Trivia Night. Donations can be brought to Amanda Hughes or Jei Evans at the church. Here are some ideas of donations: Tickets or gift cards to restaurants, spas, sporting events, gyms, hotels, destination vacations, airline tickets, concerts, movies, theater events, pet daycare, etc.
New donation items might include jewelry, original pieces of art, congregation talents and services (babysitting, pet sitting/walking, cleaning, baking, tutoring, photography, event planning), games, puzzles, pop culture items, new release books, etc.
The Trivia Night Task Team will have a sign-up sheet in the Narthex lobby for attendance and for donated items. Email Amanda Hughes: amanda.hughes@att.net, or call: 314-920-5724 with questions.
55 for 55 Our anniversary fundraising goal is $55,000 in honor of 55 years of faithful service and generosity. I invite you to consider how you will participate in giving. Whether it’s $5, $500, or some multiple of 5, no gift is too small (or too large!). There is a line for 55 Anniversary giving on our e-giving site, or you can write “Anniversary” on the memo line of your check. We will culminate our 55th Church Anniversary celebration on Sunday, November 5, with worship and dinner. Let’s celebrate 55 for 55!
Anniversary T-shirts You can pre-order your t-shirt starting today! In fact, there will be an Anniversary table in the Narthex lobby for all things Anniversary. You can order a t-shirt, sign up for Trivia Night, donate to the Silent Auction, and sign up to volunteer at the table.
Church Picnic Save the date for our Church Anniversary Picnic: Sunday, October 15, after worship! The t-shirts will be in by then, so order yours soon.
New Small Group for parents dropping their kiddos off at Sunday School! No need to leave or hang out in MPR, we have a room and a wonderful group of parents for you to connect with! The room is located between the Nursery and the Children’s room on the main level. Grab a cup of coffee or tea and have some great conversations!
WOW Returns! Wednesday, Sept. 6, marks the return of WOW (Word on Wednesday) our churchwide Bible studies. We will have 2 classes from which to choose – Lea Doyel will lead Enough by Adam Hamilton, and I will lead a class on the Psalms. Dinner will be at 5:45p (potluck) and class will start at 6:30p.
Grandparents Day We’ll celebrate our wonderful grandparents on Sept. 17 during worship!
Back to Church Sunday will be on September 24. This is a great opportunity to gather family, friends, and neighbors and invite them to church!
Stay in the Know! Don’t forget to pick up this month’s Memory Verse Card and other information at the Welcome Center or the Coffee Station. Just our way of helping you to stay in the know!
Worship With Us ~ Sundays at 10:00am
In-house:
14237 Ladue Rd.
Chesterfield, MO 63017
or
Online:
Sunday School for all ages at 9:00am!
Blessings,
Pastor Linda
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