News & Views

A monthly publication of Lafayette Park United Methodist Church ◊ October 2010

A church without walls, creating a visible sign of Christ’s presence in our urban community and beyond

Happenings at
LPUMC Preschool Room gets a Facelift!
October 19
Church Council
Meeting

October 23
Blessing of the
Animals

October 24
Youth Sunday &
Breakfast by UMM

October 10 — 31
Pumpkin Patch

This Issue

Wilder View 3

Molly‟s Tribute 5

Homecoming 6-7
At the age of 32, our preschool room was looking old! So thanks to the
Financial Corner 8 inspiration and hard work of Miss Amanda Jones, our third year pre-
school teacher, our preschool is lookin' good! Thanks also to Danny
Earth Care 9 and Edna Coleman (Preschool Director) and all of the parents for put-
ting in countless hours to get the room ready for preschool to start in
Check It Out 9
September.
Calendar 11 Stop by sometime and see it for yourself.

Lafayette Park United Methodist Church 2300 Lafayette Avenue St. Louis, MO 63104 314-771-9214
Page 2
CHURCH
CONTACTS
Church Office Hours
Monday - Friday
9 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
314-771-9214
Pastor
Rev. Kathleen Wilder
lppastor@sbcglobal.net
Pastoral Assistant
Rev. Stephanie Leonard
slanaylast@hotmail.com
Church Secretary
Maria Lawrence
M-F 9:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
lpsecretary@sbcglobal.net
Newsletter Editor
Elena Greene
lpnewsletter@sbcglobal.net
Newsgroup
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lpumc
WebMaster
Chris Finley
chrisdfinley@sbcglobal.net
Preschool Director
Edna Coleman
lppreschool@sbcglobal.net`
News & Views
Editor
Elena Greene
Newsletter Production
Bob & Jeris Beane
Sunday Bulletin Production
Betty Disbennett
Mary Disbennett
Lafayette Park United Methodist Church 2300 Lafayette Avenue St. Louis, MO 63104 314-771-9214
LPUMC News & Views
Mission Giving Update
At this point we have paid 67.8% of our goal of giving beyond the church
this year. You might not know this, but after the civil war, the Methodist
Church started Black Colleges and Universities to help people who were
freed from slavery get a good education. This past week I had the oppor-
tunity of hearing the Chancellor of Clark Atlanta University speak. Clark
is one of the colleges that the Methodist Church started.
I have to tell you I was very impressed when I learned about Clark At-
lanta University. It is a prestigious University and it has graduate pro-
grams as well. They graduate 25 PHD candidates every year in various
fields from hard science areas, social work, and liberal arts. They are
working with the genome in cancer research and nanotechnology. The
Chancellor talked about their researching working to be able to say that
based on the information from our genomes we can identify which cancer
we are at risk or getting, when it would possibly impact our life, and what
treatment would be the best. They believe that within the next five years
their research will provide results that will enable them to say that no one
has to die from cancer anymore.
I spoke with the Chancellor after the meeting and was proud to be able to
tell him our church had already paid our apportionment for the Black
College fund through our mission giving. I thought you would like to
know that your mission gifts are not only helping people get an excellent
education, you are helping bring healing and life to people who are fight-
ing cancer.
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
 The people who helped host the September weddings.
 Everyone who helped with Molly’s service and luncheon.
 George Grove and friends for renovating the bowling al-
ley.
 The great gardeners that make our church look so wel-
coming.
 The people who helped with Home Coming!
 The people who help in the Boutique each week.
 The WCDANS for the ice cream socials.
 The Choir for their lovely music in worship.
October 2010 Page 3

From The Wilder View….

Can you believe it? I was in a store the other day and saw Christmas decorations already…Christmas in October!
It seems like the focus on Christmas and buying gifts happens earlier and earlier each year. There is a great pres-
sure to find the perfect gift and to be able to purchase the newest technical gadget possible. Yet, the real meaning
and purpose of Christmas is pushed into the background.

At Annual Conference this year, Michael Slaughter the pastor of Ginghamsburg, UMC spoke about something
they began several years ago. The idea was simple… “Christmas is not your birthday.” Pastor Michael invited
the congregation to begin to celebrate Christmas by recognizing that Christmas is the Christ‟s birthday and that our
giving and our focus should be on Christ versus seeing how many gifts we can buy for everyone else or for our-
selves. He challenged the church to give as much to missions that Christmas as they spent on Christmas gifts.
Over the next years, amazing things have happened through this church‟s focus; wells have been built in the
Sudan, schools built, and many lives have been saved!

At the last council meeting, I asked Lafayette Park to make a commitment this year
to celebrate Christmas by giving the gift of health and life. Malaria is a horrible dis-
ease that greatly impacts many people in Africa. It is estimated that it kills 800,000 chil-
dren each year in Africa.

You might remember that last summer God placed upon my heart a call to provide
mosquito nets for the people of Catembe. We quickly raised enough money to pro-
vide nets to the members of our sister congre- gation. I have since come to understand that the call
was for us to provide nets for everyone in Catembe.
Carol Kreamer, our mission coordinator for the Mozambique Initiative, told me recently about work that is happen-
ing with the United Nations Foundation. They have been piloting a mass deployment of mosquito nets to specific
areas. The nets are treated so that in addition to protecting people from mosquito bites, any mosquito that lands on
the net is dead within a few minutes. The result is an 82% reduction of malaria cases in the area that the nets have
been distributed. Catembe is targeted to be one of six locations in Mozambique to have nets deployed.

The council agreed that our focus for Christmas this year will be to raise money for mosquito nets for the entire
area of Catembe. The nets only cost $10 and they save many lives. I am asking you to become intentional about
ways that you can raise money between now and Christmas that can go towards the mosquito nets. The day after
council, I heard from members of the church who have pledged towards the nets. Jim and I will be making and
selling pumpkin pies during the holidays with the proceeds going towards nets. The Wilder children will be host-
ing a yard sale in the future to raise money towards the nets as well. As you have opportunities to make a donation
towards the nets, jot down what you did to raise the money. I think the stories behind our creative endeavors will
provide an additional blessing to our brothers and sisters in Mozambique. Our total goal is 2,000 nets we have
already sent in the funds for 200 nets from last year. We are already 10% there!
This Christmas the people of Lafayette Park will give gifts that reflect our gratitude for the gift of life we have re-
ceived through the birth of Jesus. Let the creativity, planning, and excitement begin!
Grace and Peace,
~Pastor Kathleen
Lafayette Park United Methodist Church 2300 Lafayette Avenue St. Louis, MO 63104 314-771-9214
Page 4 LPUMC News & Views

What Is Safe Sanctuary All About?

The definition of safe is free from harm or risk. Sanctuary means a consecrated place of refuge and protection. What an appro-
priate phrase for a church! We first established the Safe Sanctuaries Policy and Procedures to Prevent Child Abuse/Injury
several years ago in an effort to protect our children from inappropriate and dangerous situations. We began requiring that all
adults who volunteer with our children and youth become Safe Sanctuary certified. Certified adults have passed an online
training class sponsored by the United Methodist Church and have passed a background check. We also created an Offender‟s
Covenant including very specific guidelines that a convicted sex offender must follow in order to attend worship services and
church events. We needed to be prepared to handle church attendees who might present a risk. There were three choices:
Pretend they didn‟t exist, exclude them from our community of faith, or include them in a way that ensures the safety of our
children and permits these attendees to receive God‟s grace. Jesus made it clear that God‟s grace is available to all, and we
therefore chose the third option.
This summer we invited interested church members to participate in a review of the policies. The review committee recom-
mended changes that were unanimously approved by the Church Council on 8/2/10. The Offender‟s Covenant has been modi-
fied to apply to offenders who are under court-ordered supervision, and a second less restrictive Offender‟s Covenant was
created that applies to those who are not under court-ordered supervision. Please see Pastor Kathleen to learn more about our
Safe Sanctuary Policy. To become Safe Sanctuary certified, visit http://www.moumethodist.org/pages/detail/930 .

Letter from Arnaldo Rossanhane The Pumpkins Are Here!

I hope that this letter reaches you all in your best physical, mental,
and spiritual health and that the grace of God protects you from all
the dangers and perils that this world may continue to throw at us.
I, Arnaldo Rossanhane, 3rd-year pastoral and theology student, am
doing well spiritually and mentally, but physically I am not so well,
due to some visual problems I am having.
In terms of my academic improvement, I’m always trying to get
better and better in comparison with previous years of study. Your
financial help, your kind words, and your desire to help me succeed
in life have all helped me get by with the little that I have and have
allowed my academic work to continually get better.
You all are my spiritual parents, friends, brothers, and sisters, and I
feel like I have much more support through the help that you have
provided for me. Thus, I want to thank you all very much, and I hope
that God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit covers you all with Come get your pumpkins at the
his power and grace. pumpkin patch! The patch is
Arnaldo Rossanhane
open 10 a.m to 6 p.m Monday-
Cambine – 08/04/2010
Saturday and Noon to 6 p.m on

Lafayette Park United Methodist Church 2300 Lafayette Avenue St. Louis, MO 63104 314-771-9214
October 2010 Page 5

A Tribute to Molly McBride

From her
LPUMC Family
"Molly was one of the most amaz- She was a good mother.
ing women I have ever known," She was hard-nosed in the
said Pastor Kathleen Wilder of courtroom. I think she had
the Lafayette Park the respect of opposing
United Methodist counsel and her clients,"
Church . "She was Matt (her husband) said.
brilliant, she But "she was able to leave
sparkled, her
the work at the job and
smile, it could fill
come home and have a
a room."
good life with family."

Friend Agota Peterfy said since Molly's death she has recalled a
conversation they once had about why Molly would frequently end
conversations with the words: "I love you." "It was a very con-
scious thing on her part because she said, 'You never know when
something is going to happen, so I always make sure people know
how I feel about them,'" Peterfy said. "That's bringing me a lot of
comfort right now."

Rev. Robert C. Baker is a Lutheran

church pastor who knew the McBrides
though a Fox Park neighborhood as-
sociation. He said he often told her
children how pretty they were, and
then Molly would say "and smart, and
smart" because she emphasized it was
important to appreciate qualities that
are more than skin-deep. "She
showed a real depth of concern and
empathy and consideration," Baker
said.

Loved ones hope Molly McBride will

be remembered as someone who was
proud of her family, always fought
for the underdog in her work, and
never met a stranger.

Lafayette Park United Methodist Church 2300 Lafayette Avenue St. Louis, MO 63104 314-771-9214
 Page 6 LPUMC News & Views

Homecoming 2010

Contemporary Music by
Bethany Spaulding & Kerrie Casey
The Choir provides the “Traditional touch” with two beautiful
selections and special arrangement of Amazing Grace

SHIP
Dr. Aubey Jones “wows” the con-
gregation with Beethoven like we‟ve
never heard it before!

Dr. Jones shares the Joy of the

Lord — in his own dynamic style
— Inspirational and uplifting!

Music - Worship - & More….

Lafayette Park United Methodist Church 2300 Lafayette Avenue St. Louis, MO 63104 314-771-9214
October 2010 Page 7

...Re-Dedication of Renovated Bowling Alley

Pastor Kathleen with her son Andy
wait their turn on Lane 1 while
“Renevator” George Grove readies
himself for the competition. (right)

Cassie Coleman steels herself for this his-

toric toss, & demonstrates excellent form.
Jeris Beane, LPUMC Top Bowler of the
70‟s show us how it‟s done! (left)

CURCH FAMILY FELLOWSHIP

“Old Fashioned Methodist Potluck”

Lafayette Park United Methodist Church 2300 Lafayette Avenue St. Louis, MO 63104 314-771-9214
Page 8 LPUMC News & Views

“Good Sense” Financial Corner

Bethany Spaulding, CPA,CMA,CCSA,CRP

Pastor Kathleen recently encouraged us to be “real church” by:

 having meals together during the week and including those we don't yet
know well
 studying the Word together outside of Sunday morning
 joining our hearts in a common purpose to bind up the wounded around us
(be a shepherd to your block, make face-to-face connections, etc.)

These things all make up a healthy, real church. Our financial activity can help us assess
where we are now in making these a priority. As someone once told me, you can see
where your heart is when you look at your checkbook (or these days, your debit card
statement!). Where are our expenses? Are they spent helping others, making connec-
tions with others, and studying the Word of God? Our bank statements can be a wealth
of information to help us assess our priorities, for financial health will follow spiritual
health

Tip Of The Month Welcome To Our New Member,

Olivia Natwick
This month, try reviewing a
few bank and credit card state-
ments and look at what has
been spent for different types
of expenses. Ask God to help
you determine whether any
spending adjustments should
be made; and also what actions
you can take to enhance these
four components of “real
church” in your life.

Lafayette Park United Methodist Church 2300 Lafayette Avenue St. Louis, MO 63104 314-771-9214
 October 2010
Earth Care: Taking Small Steps?
All of us want to help God‟s world --
reaching out to the dispossessed and
impoverished, fighting to keep the
beauty of His creation unsullied -- but
the devil is always in the details. We
have to work within the constraints of
our lifestyle, our relationships and our
pocketbooks and begin to ask our-
selves, “How radical can I be?”
First, don‟t give up. God smiles when
we do the right thing. Even if all
seems lost, we must fight on the side of
what is right. Shifting from a comfort-
CHECK IT OUT!
Men’s Breakfast
2nd and 4th Sundays
after worship service
Website Update
Continue to look for updates on
the website. Checkout the Yahoo
photo pages. Comments? Con-
tact Chris Finley at
chrisdfinley@sbcglobal.net.
Inkjet and Toner Cartridges and
Cell Phones for Recycling - Don’t
forget to bring these items to the
Ministry Teams at LPUMC
Administrative
Church Council: Daron Smith
Board of Trustees: Steve Coffey
Publicity: Debra Crowe
Finance: Bethany Spaulding
Treasurer: TBD
Finan. Secretary: Maria Lawrence
Lay Leadership: Sharon Domke
Parish Relations: Nancy Thuer
Lafayette Park United Methodist Church 2300 Lafayette Avenue St. Louis, MO 63104 314-771-9214
able lifestyle to a life that honors God‟s
creation isn‟t always convenient or com-
fortable.
Secondly, you will actually make
money if you use compact fluorescent
light (CFL) bulbs. Just compare the
electricity bills! Admittedly, their slow
„warm-up‟ can be strange at first; and
some lights can be difficult to replace.
But each bulb helps, and that electricity
saved means less pollution all around.
Third, cut back on your use of plastics.
If you do use them, recycle them at the
church office! This helps our
environmental fundraiser.
Aluminum cans for Recycling
Look for can collection bin in
the parking lot.
Program
Youth Ministries: TBD
Education: Cindy Pillow
Outreach: Robin and Eric Merle
Missions: Nancy Thuer; Larry Heugatter
Worship: Jeff Jensen; Sue Meyers
Membership: Bill Byrd
Stewardship: Brenda Cook
Music: Kourtney Strade
Preschool Liaison: Cindy Pillow
Page 9
grocery store. You can recycle every bit
of flimsy plastic: plastic bags that held
the veggies in my grocery shopping, the
plastic bags wrapping my daily newspa-
per. This garbage is therefore prevented
from choking sea turtles and trashing
God‟s planet. Such efforts cost you
nothing.
So, we do small things, and we occa-
sionally gather the courage to do some
of the bigger things. And we are
blessed. Join us in doing the same.
For more information, check out
www.blessedearth.org
Simple Fundraisers
Schnucks eScrip Card
1. Pick up a Schnucks eScrip
Community Card at a Schnucks
Service Desk or LPUMC office.
2. Register the Card.
3. Show the Card at Checkout.
Macy’s Fundraising Card
Register your Macy’s card at
https://secure.escrip.com/jsp/supporter/
authentication/password.jsp
When you make a purchase, a per-
centage will be donated to LPUMC as
a fundraiser.
Other
Conference Lay Member: TBD
United Methodist Women: Jeris Beane
Historian: Tom Keay
Wills and Memorials: Larry Heugatter
Wedding Coordinator: Lynne Keay
October 2010 Page 10

Scriptures for October Convent

October Partners
October 3
October 3 North Hills UMC
Lamentations 1:1-6 Rev. Gerald E. Moore
Psalm 137 (UMH 852)
2 Timothy 1:1-14 North Park/Normandy UMC
Luke 17:5-10 Rev. Ronald Graham

October 10 October 10
Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7 St. Andrew UMC
Psalm 66:1-12 (UMH 790) Rev. Monica Jefferson
2 Timothy 2:8-15
Luke 17:11-19
St. Luke‟s UMC
Rev. Ann B. Mowery
October 17
Jeremiah 31:27-34
Psalm 119:97-104 or Psalm 19 (UMH 750) October 17
2 Timothy 3:14-4:5 St. Mark‟s UMC
Luke 18:1-8 Rev. John M. Gregory

October 24 Salem-In-Ballwin UMC

Joel 2:23-32 Rev. Suzanne L. Lyons
Psalm 65 (UMH 789)
2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18 October 24
Luke 18:9-14 Salem In Ladue UMC
Rev. David W. Kerr
October 31
Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4 Samaritan UMC
Psalm 119:137-144 (UMH 840) Rev. Nora S. Jones
2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12
October 31
Shaw Avenue, New Church Start UMC
THANK YOU Rev. Keith Scarborough
The response for the luncheon following the celebra-
The Connection/New Covenant UMC
tion of the life of Molly McBride was overwhelming. Rev. Tish Green
What a marvelous blessing, you as a church family,
gave to the McBrides. I will always remember the
love and respect that you showed. Thank you so very
much.
~Edna Coleman

Lafayette Park United Methodist Church 2300 Lafayette Avenue St. Louis, MO 63104 314-771-9214
Page 11 LPUMC News & Views

Calendar OUR WEEKLY SCHEDULE

October 10 Pumpkin Patch
Open thru Oct. 31st Worship Service
Sunday: 9:30 a.m.
October 12 LSRC meeting Communion: First Sunday of the Month

October 13 Daytime Bible Study

Daytime Bible Study - Wednesdays at 2 p.m.
October 13 Choir Practice Adventures in Faith - Thursdays at 6 p.m.

October 14 Adventures in Faith Service to our Community

October 19 Church Council Meeting
October 23 Blessing of the Animals
October 24 Breakfast served by
United Methodist Men
Preschool Weekdays at 9 a.m. during school year
CHARIS Tuesdays at 7 p.m.
Re-cycling: Aluminum (Blue bin outside)
Paper Recycling (Green bin outside)
Cell Phones & Print Cartridges (Fellowship Hall)

More Important Dates! “The Processional” Fork

LPUMC YEARBOOK is in the works. Cook Book
Pictures will be taken between Oct 24 and
Nov 7th. We plan on including weekend Our very own collection
days as well as a couple of evenings. Watch of favorite recipes of-
for specific dates and sign-up times through fered by the fabulous
the Church Announcements, the On Screen cooks from here at La-
Notice at Sunday Worship, in the News & fayette Park United
Views and List Serve. Methodist Church.

Available for the low

The FALL FAMILY FUN NIGHT will
be mid-Nov. Watch for more exciting details purchase price of $10.
in the next few weeks. See Edna Coleman to get your copy.

RMN MISSION STATEMENT: Reconciling Ministries Network is a na-

tional grassroots organization that exists to enable full participation of
people of all sexual orientations and gender identities in the life of the

Lafayette Park United Methodist Church 2300 Lafayette Avenue St. Louis, MO 63104 314-771-9214
 Lafayette Park United Methodist Church
A VISIBLE SIGN OF CHRIST’S PRESENCE IN OUR URBAN COMMUNITY AND BEYOND

Save the Date… As a people of faith, we recognize the

diversity of people created in the image of
September 19
Homecoming Celebration! God.
We welcome to this congregation people of
Join us this Sunday… any age, gender, race, ethnicity, sexual
 9:30am Worship Service
 orientation, socio-economic status, health
status, and any element of humanity
created by God.

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LAFAYETTE PARK UNITED METHODIST CHURCH Permit No. 2950
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314.771.9214
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or are the friend or loved one
On the Web
of a person who is HIV+ or has AIDS, www.lp-umc.org
you ARE welcome at LPUMC!