A Message from the Director of Family Ministries – May 23, 2024

“After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.
And they cried out in a loud voice:

‘Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb.”
Revelation 7:9 &10

The past three days I attended a Worship Conference with some members of St. Paul’s. We learned quite a bit and got to experience all different kinds of worship during an open mic night on the last night.

We will bring many of these ideas to our Mid-week Worship Service as well as elements for our Sunday Services, if applicable.

However, two things stuck with me the most. And these I will make an effort to put into practice.

  1. We ALL have a purpose and as the body of Christ, we must support everyone’s part together to make the body whole.
  2. We need to try and be of ONE voice. To worship together no matter creed, color, or station in life, let us all be united in the sacrificial worship to our Lord Jesus Christ.

Blessings,’
Melissa Jensen

worship conference 1

(Pictured here are the happy faces of youth leaders getting candy after the conference that they don’t have to share!)

A Message from Pastor Evan – May 16, 2024

Rev Evan Dodge

Dear St. Paul’s family:

This is something I wrote last year for a publication on whose Editorial Board I serve. I hope it blesses you this Pentecost.

Peace in Christ,
Pastor Evan

http://https://firebrandmag.com/articles/the-church-needs-the-holy-spirit?

A Message from the Director of Family Ministries – May 16, 2024

Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it. Proverbs 22:6

This Past Monday we had a bitter sweet celebration as we wished our very own Bryan Koehler a fond farewell as he follows his calling.

Bryan will be pursuing his career working with youth age children and directing them in the way they should go.

Bryan started at St. Paul’s as a youth in my early years of leading youth ministry. He has grown into a very thoughtful and greatly spiritual man, and I know no matter where he goes, the lessons he learned here at St. Paul’s will go with him.

And we will treasure all of our memories with him in our hearts.

Good Luck Bryan! We wish you ALL the best!

youth 20240511 a

youth 20240511 b

A Message from Pastor Evan – May 9, 2024

Rev Evan Dodge

Dear St. Paul’s Family,

One of my favorite projects is being on the lead editorial team for Firebrand magazine. This is a periodical centered in the Wesley tradition, emphasizing the authority of Scripture, the orthodox teaching of the church, and intellectual virtue. I wrote something on the Ascension of Christ, which we will observe Sunday. May it bless you!
(And subscribe to Firebrand magazine. Its free!)

https://firebrandmag.com/articles/heaven-meets-earth-the-ascension-of-christ

Peace in Christ,
Pastor Evan

A Message from the Director of Family Ministries – May 2, 2024

Vacation Bible School Volunteers WANTED

We are getting close to summer You know what that means??? VBS is happening once again! We have a great new program called Firelight and we are excited to have Melissa Jensen and Judy Tomes as co-directors this year.
Our dates will be July 29th – August 2nd. We are also, of course, once again, desperately looking for adult and youth (currently in 6th grade or older) volunteers! If you are interested in helping, please reply by email at
melissa.familyministries@stpaulsbrick.com

In your reply please include your full name, the days you are available to volunteer and the preferred grade level / activity you’d like to help with (if you have one).

If you have no preference on where you are placed that is fine too!
We will try to accommodate class preferences, but we appreciate flexibility to fill all areas and stations.

If you have any questions, please let us know! We look forward to hearing from you soon! Thank you! 😊

Your 2024 VBS Directors
Melissa Jensen and Judy Tomes

VBS 2024

A Message from Pastor Evan – May 2, 2024

National Day of Prayer Event 2023

Dear St Paul’s:

What a joy to worship with our brothers and sisters at Living Faith Bible Church on National Day of Prayer.
We had a great time of worship and prayer focusing on the following concerns: church, family, education, military, workplace, government, arts and culture. Pray for these areas year round!

We hope to join together for more worship and prayer opportunities throughout the year.

Peace in Christ,
Pastor Evan

A Message from Pastor Evan – April 25, 2024

Rev Evan Dodge

Dear St. Paul’s family:

Toward the start of each year, our dedicated Staff/Parish Relations team and I work together on setting goals for our shared ministry. This allows for clarity and collaboration as we seek to introduce people to a deep relationship with Jesus Christ. To that end, I want to share with you a few things we will be working on in 2024 (and maybe beyond!).

First, we will be looking at worship opportunities for our community. We celebrate and look forward to how God will continue to bless our midweek worship. We will continue to grow our online presence and explore new worship endeavors. Individual and family schedules and priorities have changed so much over the last few decades, making it imperative for churches to be flexible and creative in reaching people with the good news.

Secondly, we will seek to nurture shared worship and ministry opportunities with area churches. I celebrate our developing relationship with Living Faith Bible Church and hope to partner with other area churches for future endeavors, both in worship and in outreach.

Thirdly, it is our desire to see more opportunities for spiritual formation and Bible study. One sign of a healthy church is people growing deep in their faith and sharing together in small groups. This is vital for us as believers and as a church as we move forward.

As we make progress, we will communicate and celebrate it together. Ultimately, all of this is understood in the context of stewardship – being good caretakers of the numerous resources with which God has entrusted us. When we commit our time, talent, and treasure to furthering the gospel of Jesus Christ, we are being obedient to God’s call on our lives as individuals and as a community of faith. I call on you to pray for me, our church, and to commit yourself this year and beyond to being a generous disciple of Jesus Christ.

Peace in Christ,
Pastor Evan

A Message from the Director of Family Ministries – April 25, 2024

INFORMATION ABOUT FAMILY MISSION TRIP

We will be having a informational meeting about the family mission trip we will have this August to continue work at the Gretna Glen Camp Grounds.

This trip is for ALL AGES and FAMILIES!!!

The informational meeting will be April 29th at 6pm in the youth room.

Melissa Jensen- Director of Family Ministries

Gretna Glen Camp and Retreat

A Message from Pastor Evan – April 18, 2024

Rev Evan Dodge

Dear St. Paul’s family, I want to highlight two upcoming events in our church:

This week is Women Speak Sunday. Our worship service will feature the leadership of women; our district superintendent, Rev. Ronell Howard, will be leading worship and preaching. You do not want to miss this wonderful worship experience where we honor and give God thanks to the many ways women lead us in ministry.

National Day of Prayer. Thursday, May 2 is National Day of Prayer. This is a day Christians across the nation will set aside time to pray for local and national concerns. Our church will be open during the afternoon for your own personal prayer, and we will have a joint National Day of Prayer service at Living Faith Bible Church at 7 PM.

May God bless us as we continue to seek him!

Pastor Evan