A New Year - 2015

Service of Prayer for Christian Unity
Thursday, January 22, 2015 at 7:00 pm is the Day of Prayer for Christian Unity worship here at St. Paul's.  At least once a year, Christians everywhere are reminded of Jesus' prayer for his disciples that "they may be one so that the world may believe" (see John 17:21). Hearts are touched and Christians come together to pray for their unity. Many area denominations will come together for prayer, remembrance of baptism and for fellowship. This year, outgoing Bishop Leonard Bolick of the NC Synod, ELCA will be our preacher. He will just have returned from a trip to the Holy Land and his text is from John 14  -- the woman at the well. Please join us for a time of prayer for our unity in Christ. Offering will benefit CROP Walk of Durham and their efforts to provide clean drinking water.

Young In Spirit on the Road Again!
Young In Spirit will travel to the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh on Wednesday, January 14. The museum opens at 10 am so the group will gather at St. Paul's by 9:15 am. Lunch will be at the "Iris" cafe at the museum. There will be time to enjoy the permanent art displays before lunch. Call the church or sign up in the reception office if you would like to go.

Preschool & PMO 
St. Paul's Preschool and PMO is getting ready to host the Wednesday, February 4 supper. Money raised will go toward financial scholarships for families needing assistance to attend the preschool. They have also finalized class offerings for the 2015-2016 school year and are excited to be offering an additional class for 2 year olds! Registration forms and enrollment procedures can be picked up downstairs in the preschool space or downloaded from the web site. Registration begins January 12, 2015. We offer classes for children ages 9 months - 4 years old. Contact Amanda Stoen - preschool@stpaulsdurham.org for more information.

Valentines' Day Big Band Bash!
Come and enjoy the big band sounds of the Durham Jazz Orchestra on Friday, February 13, at 7-9 pm in Trinity Hall. The Durham Jazz Orchestra is an eighteen piece band with vocalists. They have been here several years and it has proven to be a wonderful evening of entertainment. You will hear the sounds of yesteryear and are invited to take a spin on the dance floor if you are so inclined. It is a great time to invite your loved ones to a fantastic event. If able, please bring some sweet or salty treats or desserts to share. A free will offering will be taken to offset the cost of the band.

Wednesday Night Suppers Chili Festival!
We already had a great supper on January 7 -- Chicken Pot Pie (homemade), salad bar, and desserts.  Now we get to look forward to our Chili Festival on January 21. This is a name change for our Chili Cookoff (everybody's was so good we couldn't award winners) so it is time for you to dust off those favorite chili recipes and cook them up. Supper begins at 6:00 pm so the chili should be here by 5:30-5:45 pm in crock-pots. Indicate if it is hot or mild, vegetarian or meat. We'll supply the corn bread, salad and desserts. Ya'll come out and enjoy our Chili Festival!

Bible Studies
We have two Bible Studies each week: Mondays at 7:00 pm with Vicar Daniel and Thursdays at 10:30 am with Pastor Scott.  Hope to see you here!

Worship 
Our Sunday worship continues at 8:30 and 11:00 am using Setting 3 of the ELW. Holy Communion is celebrated at each service.

January-February Notes

New Year Bible Study -- The Bible is the Book of Faith and we are going to embark on a year of getting to know our Bible better. We invite you to start with our list of short daily readings, by week, for the year. Hard copies are available in the foyer and are also listed on our website. Read and study the scripture. Then, join with others during the  Sunday School hour (9:45-10:45 am) to discuss the week's readings. The class meets in Trinity Hall with Pastor Anderson and others leading.

The Young In Spirit February gathering will be to see the play, "Steel Magnolias" at the Central Orange Senior Center, 103 Meadowland Drive, Hillsborough on Thursday, February 13 at 7:30 pm. Costs is $15 per person. Reservations are due by February 1. If you are interested, sign up in the reception office or call the church office at 919-489-3214.

Valentine Day Big Band Bash! Come and enjoy the big band sounds of the Durham Jazz Orchestra on Friday, February 14, 7-9 pm in Trinity Hall. Bring your friends to listen to the great sounds of yesteryear The dance floor will be open for all who wish to take a whirl. Donations of desserts or salty snacks would be appreciated.

Chili Cook-Off! It's winter and time for our annual Chili Cook-off! On Wednesday Night, Feb 5 we invite any and all cooks to bring a crock-pot of their chili -- all varieties are welcome! We provide all the rest of the meal. Serving begins at 6:00 so the chili should be here by 5:45 pm.

Dates to make note of:
February 19 -- Preschool Spaghetti Fundraiser Dinner in Trinity Hall at 6 pm! Come help raise money to build up our Preschool Scholarship Program and enjoy a great home-made meal. Activities for children as well.

March 4 -- Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper at 6 pm. Come celebrate before we begin Lent the next day. Enjoy pancakes, sausage, and applesauce in a Mardi Gras fashion.

March 5 -- Ash Wednesday worship services at noon and 7 pm

March 12, 19, 26, Apr 2, and 9 -- Light supper at 6 pm and mid-week Lenten services in the sanctuary at 7 pm.

Book bags for IHN

Another announcement for this coming weekend!

We were just asked to fill 4 book bags for IHN (Interfaith Hospitality Network). We have been given rather short notice, so we apologize.
There will be sign-up sheets available this coming Sunday, Aug 4. The items you will be signing up for will need to be brought back in by the following Sunday, Aug 11, so that they can be assembled. Please look for the sign-up sheets on Sunday, Aug 4.