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A Message from Pastor Evan – April 11, 2024

Rev Evan Dodge

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

Women Speak Sunday. Our worship service on April 21 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

A Message from Pastor Evan – March 21, 2024

Rev Evan Dodge

Dear St. Paul’s family:

Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ!

Our long journey through the season of Lent is almost over as we celebrate Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem on the first Palm Sunday.

This weekend you are invited to join us for the presentation of the Easter Cantata- May We Never Lose the Wonder- which takes us from that joyful entry on the back of a humble donkey through Jesus’ last days with his disciples.
Through sweeping music, powerful story telling, and drama our choirs will bring the story to life as we all prepare ourselves for the events of Holy Week and Christ’s resurrection on Easter morning.

Join us, Saturday, March 23rd and Sunday, March 24th at 7pm!

May you have a blessed Holy Week and joyous Eastertide!

Our Holy Week Services are listed below.

Peace and blessings,
Pastor Evan

A Message from Pastor Evan – March 14, 2024

Rev Evan Dodge

Dear St. Paul’s family:

I continue to give thanks to God for his presence and power here in our congregation. The Lord is moving in our church and I am grateful to be a part of that! Perhaps you have been attending for a short while or a long time and want to deepen your relationship with St. Paul’s church through membership. Joining a local church is a public expression of your commitment to serving God and others through the mission and ministry of a church.

If this is you, I’m so grateful! Please reach out to the church office (office@stpaulsbrick.org or 732-458-2080) or to Pastor Evan (pastorevan@stpaulsbrick.org).

We will have a new member orientation in the spring, and we want to reserve room for you! Come be a part of what God is doing here!

—

Blessings,
Pastor Eva

A Message from Pastor Evan – March 8, 2024

Rev Evan Dodge

Dear St. Paul’s family:

Henri Nouwen said: “When I trust deeply that today God is truly with me and holds me safe in a divine embrace, guiding every one of my steps I can let go of my anxious need to know how tomorrow will look, or what will happen next month or next year. I can be fully where I am and pay attention to the many signs of God’s love within me and around me.”

What a great spiritual truth for this season of the church year, and what great wisdom for living in our day and age. There is so much anxiety and uncertainty all around us, and we can either give into it and allow the world to toss us about here and there, or we can live into God’s love and will, finding in him a peace that is beyond human understanding.

As we continue through 2024, a year certain to bring a lot of anxiety, trust God. Pay attention to his work in your life. Let him guide each step.

Blessings,
Pastor Evan

News from Director of Family Ministries – March 8, 2024

“Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:9 Greetings from the great state of Kentucky! I have been attending my hybrid week at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore Kentucky. This is a requirement of my education.  But I can tell you all, it is also a privilege. To be surrounded by others who are seeking more education in the discipleship and teachings of Christ, gives me hope for our future. I am happy to say I still have a great deal to learn, and I thank you all for the support you have shown me in my educational journey. I will be preaching at Mid-week worship soon, it is a class requirement that I give a particular message this semester since I am taking a theology of preaching. I would appreciate support to come here my message and get your feedback after I speak. I will be speaking this Wednesday, March 13th at 7pm.  I’d love if you would join us. Thank you Blessings, Melissa Jensen
melissa jensen

St. Paul’s Podcast – A Conversation with Melissa Jensen

podcast
A new episode of The St. Paul’s Podcast is available!

Melissa Jensen, Director of Youth & Family Ministries, talks about her long history and involvement with SPUMC and her hopes and dreams for the youth and family ministries.

Check out the link or find The St. Paul’s Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Be sure to subscribe!

The direct Libsyn link to the podcast:
https://sites.libsyn.com/481068/a-conversation-with-melissa-jensen

News from Director of Family Ministries – February 22, 2024

mel and mike

Being as the edition of News From the Pews is the same date as my wedding anniversary I decided to share a bit about my own family.

Mike and Melissa Jensen…
We are a family of 2. But we were united as 1 on February 22, 2014. That was 10 years ago!

What a difference a decade makes!

We have been through ups and downs as a family. We have received great blessings, and been through some very big struggles.
But through it all, we have had each other.

I do believe that the strength of our marriage comes from the Lord’s instruction. So I have added that below. This was the Scripture on the back of our wedding bulletin.

The instructions within this scripture to both me and my husband has led and strengthened our marriage.

What the Lord has brought together let no man put asunder.

Blessings,
Melissa Jensen

Ephesians 5:22-33

“Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— for we are members of his body.

“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church.

However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband”

A Message from Pastor Evan – February 22, 2024

Rev Evan Dodge

Dear St. Paul’s family:

I continue to give thanks to God for his presence and power here in our congregation. The Lord is moving in our church and I am grateful to be a part of that! Perhaps you have been attending for a short while or a long time and want to deepen your relationship with St. Paul’s church through membership. Joining a local church is a public expression of your commitment to serving God and others through the mission and ministry of a church. If this is you, I’m so grateful!

Please reach out to the church office (office@stpaulsbrick.org or 732-458-2080) or to Pastor Evan (pastorevan@stpaulsbrick.org). We will have a new member orientation in the spring, and we want to reserve room for you!

Come be a part of what God is doing here!

Blessings,
Pastor Evan

News from Director of Family Ministries – February 15, 2024

Ash Wednesday 2024

“For dust you are and to dust you will return.” Genesis 3:19

This past Wednesday was a great start to lent! Our Lenten Lunches began and I was able to provide the soup for the first week. Our Lenten lunch team put out some very yummy appetizers and our time of devotion was very special.
I also had the great privilege of helping to serve at the evening Ash Wednesday service. This was very special as we continued the tradition of pairing our service with another congregation.
St. Paul’s has had a long standing relationship with the Church of Epiphany. We have joined in the Lenten season for many year, alternating who is the host church.
It is like our extended Christian family.
This year, I was blessed to read scripture from their pulpit and helped to distribute ashes to the congregation. It was wonderful to see our two congregations sitting together and beginning a new season of Lent.

I thank Pastor Evan and Father Mike for allowing me to be part of the service.
Let us all have a blessed and fruitful Lenten Season as we remember the earthly journey of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

And please join us for Lenten Lunches if you are available!

Blessings,
Melissa Jensen