Roast Beef Dinner - Saturday Feb 27th

You will not want to miss the Sprint Roast Beef dinner. This Spring's dinner is a fundraiser for this Fall's Mission trip to Juarez. Enjoy roast beef, mashed potatoes, green beans, salad and desert; as well as great fellowship. See you in Fellowship Hall on Saturday February 27th, from noon to 7 pm.

Ash Wednesday Service - 2/17/10 7 PM

There will be a combined Ash Wednesday worship service, Ash Wednesday February 17th at Beloved Community UMC at 7pm. Our choir will sing, and Pastor Kathleen will be bringing the message. The church is very near LPUMC, located at 3115 Park. Click on the link below to get driving directions.

Adventures in Faith Begins February 18th

Come join us during this six week series to learn, develop relationships, and grow in your faith life. We will gather at 6:00 pm for a light shared supper and fellowship. At 6:30, we will share a devotion and prayer. From 6:45-8:00 pm, you can choose to participate in one small group faith adventure. This winter, the four choices are:

1. Bible Study: The New Testament
2. Book Study: The Externally Focused Church
3. Exploring Prayer
4. Crafts and things (bring your knitting, crocheting, or other crafts and visit while you make beautiful things together)

Childcare will be provided.
Sign up now by calling the church office at 771-9214, speak to a Pastor, or sign up during worship.

All Church Celebration - Sunday Jan. 31st

Join us on Sunday January 31st during Fellowship Time after the 10am Worship Service for a shared meal of hot soup and bread. Our meal will be followed by a celebration of our ministries in 2009 and a conversation about our direction for 2010. All Invited!

Stewardship Banner!

"I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of he least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." - Matthew 25:40 (NIV)

On January 17 the Stewardship Committee will introduce to the congregation a new concept in keeping track of our commitment to the many ministries that we support locally, nationally and throughout the world. The WCDANS have made a wonderful banner that will be displayed in the Sanctuary. This will serve as a visual reminder to the congregation of how faithful and committed we are to our many ministries.

The banner has a tree without foliage. Every time 2% of the funds for covering our portion of the cost to support these ministries is achieved, a leaf will be added. It will also serve as a testament to anyone who enters our Sanctuary that we are "...a church without walls, creating a visible sign of Christ's presence in our urban community and beyond."

Our prayer is that this tree will be full of leaves before Advent 2010.

Photos of LPUMC at Christmas

Lafayette Park UMC participated in the 2009 Lafayette Square Holiday Parlor Tour. One of our guests took some great photos of the church and the jazz band that was entertaining. Our thanks to Crystal Rolfe.



View all the photos . . .

Family Fun Night - International Winter Holdiay - Jan 16th

This will be our first "Family Fun Night". The theme for this event will be "International Holiday Celebrations". Come learn about different cultures and how they celebrate the holidays. Bring your favorite dish or family traditional dish to share. This is a potluck with the event starting at 6 p.m. with dinner.

• Do you know where the tradition of the Christmas tree originated?
• Do you know how Christmas/Holiday cards came to be a normal item in the fabric of our lives? NO it was not Hallmark!
• What about your own family traditions. do you know why you do certain things, or was it something your parents/grandparents always did?

Join us on Saturday evening January 16th to find our the answers to these questions and so much more.

Schnucks eScrip Community Card = $600

That’s right; purchases at Schnucks in 2008 have resulted in over $600 for LPUMC! Thanks to members and friends taking advantage of the Schnucks eScrip Community Card to raise money for LPUMC.

In case you have missed out on the opportunity to help LPUMC, here is how it works. Schnucks has setup the program to benefit schools, churches and other non-profits. At no cost to you or LPUMC; Schnucks will automatically rebate a percent of your purchases back to LPUMC. All you need to do is present a registered Schnucks eScrip Community Card when you check out. It is that simple.

Here is what you need to do:

1. Pickup a Schnucks eScrip Community Card at the Schnucks Service Desk or the LPUMC church office.
2. Register the Card at http://www.escrip.com/merchants/identity/schnucks/community_stl.jsp or call (800) 931-6258 (8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., CST, Monday-Friday). Indicate Lafayette Park United Methodist Church – Group ID# 500005538 as your organization.
3. Show the Card When You Checkout. Remember anyone can pick up a card and designate LPUMC as the charity of their choice! Also, if you already have a card and have designated another organization, you can split your purchases or change the organization by visiting www.escrip.com.

If you have any questions, please see Chris Finley or check out www.escrip.com

Christmas Eve Schedule - Dec. 24th

4:00 p.m. - Family Worship

This service will be an interactive family experience. It will include our carols and will focus on the Journey to Find Jesus, inviting the children to travel around the Sanctuary in search of the baby Jesus. The children will again be invited to serve Holy Communion.

9:30 p.m. - Fellowship Gathering

A Christmas Eve Fellowship Gathering will begin at LPUMC. Bring your family and friends to meet your church family and share Christmas cookies and hot chocolate.

10:30 p.m. - Music Program

11:00 p.m. - Candlelight Christmas Eve Worship

This is our traditional Candlelight Christmas Eve Worship, rich with sacred music provided by the choir, and the sharing of Holy Communion. Worship will conclude at midnight as candlelight is passed to everyone, and the darkened sanctuary is illuminated.

Come join us to celebrate the birth of Jesus!

Christmas Cantata - Sunday Dec 20th 10 AM

What is a Cantata? It's a composition for one or more voices usually comprising solos, duets, recitatives, and choruses and sung to an instrumental accompaniment that tells a story.

Please join us on Sunday December 20th for our annual Christmas Cantata. Instead of our usual worship, we will turn the entire service over to music. From Joy to the World, Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring, and the Glory of the Lord we'll have a full hour of special Christmas Carols.

Breakfast with Santa - Sat December 12th - 9:30 AM

Saturday, December 12 from 9:30-11:00 a.m.

Children under the age of 10 years and their parents are invited to join us in Fellowship Hall for a light breakfast and a visit with Santa.

Fun, food and pictures with Santa will be provided at no cost. Just come and enjoy!
Sponsored by the WCDANS and friends

Kingdom House Christmas Shop

Look for the Christmas trees in the hallways leading into the sanctuary. These trees are decorated with a wish list that has been provided from Kingdom House for their Christmas Shop.

The Kingdom House Christmas Shop serves needy families from the urban area through offering parents an opportunity to come and select age-appropriate gifts and clothing for their children from tables laden with new, unwrapped gifts and good clothing (new and used). Then mom or dad receive wrapping paper and ribbons, so they can lovingly prepare each gift and set them under the tree for their children. It's not just a gift for the child, but a gift of respect for the parent who is assisted in being the gift-giver.

We are collecting items for delivery on Friday, December 11th so they can get ready to distribute them. There is a large box next to each tree to place your donations.

On the back of the wish list is a list of times that they also need volunteers to help with the gift shop. If you have any time available, they would love the extra hands.

Thank you in advance for your extravagant generosity!

For more on Kingdom House>>

Progressive Dinner - Nov 14th

Come join us for a delicious dinner sponsored by the LPUMC Men’s Group on November 14th.

The tickets are $20 per person, and you can reserve your space now with an RSVP to Daron Smith or Jim Wilder. Proceeds will go to support our covenants with our sisters and brothers in Mozambique. Childcare will be provided at the church from 6 PM until 9 PM.

Walking Home . . . A Walk in Solidarity to End Homelessness - Nov 14th

Gather with those yearning to end homelessness in St. Louis.

When: Saturday, November 14 at 10am
Where: The Bridge, located at Centenary United Methodist Church
What: A Walk in Solidarity so wear your walking shoes…

The annual Walking Home event to be held this year on Saturday, November 14. If you walked last year, you may have had the opportunity to talk with a guest of The Bridge (then Centenary CARES) and have your eyes--and your heart--opened to the reality of homelessness in a way that no news story or compilation of statistics can do. There is no reservation required. Please bring as many friends and family members as are interested. There is no fee; we merely ask for a goodwill donation that will be used to fund The Bridge ministry.

Please join others in helping to increase awareness of the situation of those who are trying to find their way home.

Turkey Dinner - Saturday Nov.7

The annual Turkey Dinner and Holiday Bazaar is scheduled for Saturday November 7 from Noon until 7 PM. Stop by for lunch or dinner or in between. For $7 you'll be treated to turkey, dressing, potatoes, veggies, a desert and tea or coffee! Best deal in town!

Fellowship Hall is located in the lower level of the church. You can enter through the handicap entrance on Lafayette Ave. or through the side parking lot.

Operacion HOGAR VIM Team Returns!

Our Volunteers in Mission (VIM) team from Lafayette Park U.M.C. just returned from building a house in Juarez, Mexico for Operacion HOGAR. It was a wonderful week of sharing with our neighbors in Mexico. Despite all of the media blitzes reporting escalating violence in Mexico, we experienced the same warmth, hospitality and feeling of security and safety that we have always known in our travels there.

As we planned our trip, we considered the dangers and risks that we are sure many of you have also considered. We contacted our host, Jose Ramos. He assured us that the problems in Mexico occur with drugs and gangs, but that there would be no risk in the area where we were working or at the mission house. We did have a wonderful trip and a very meaningful experience during our week. We walked to and from the marketplace, the ice cream shop and bakery just as always.

When we were first introduced to the family for whom we were building a house, my first feeling was one of joy that we had gone forth with our planning. Jose informed us that we were only the 4th team that had come to Juarez this year. Normally he greets 40 teams each year. It was difficult to know that Jose and our maestros have had almost no work this year, and that the families waiting for safe shelter have been put on hold indefinitely.

My purpose for writing this letter is to inform you of our experience in Juarez last week and hopefully encourage your church to consider taking a team to Operacion HOGAR or sending funding to have a house built by the maestros. The future of Operacion HOGAR is at serious risk. It is too valuable a ministry to ignore on account of fear generated by sensationalism by the media.

Please prayerfully consider your continued support to Volunteers in Mission and Operacion HOGAR. I would be happy to assist your team or any interested individuals with planning for a trip or answer any questions that you might have.

In Christ,

Nancy Thuer
Missouri Project Coordinator, Operacion HOGAR

Youth Trivia Night 2009 - Oct. 17th

Are you Smarter than a Youth?

Who: The Gospel Rockers (Youth Group), Lafayette Park United Methodist Church

What: Trivia Night 2009

When: 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, October 17th - Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

Where: Fellowship Hall, 2300 Lafayette Avenue, St.Louis, Mo 63104

Sponsors: The Gospel Rockers (Youth Group) of LPUMC

Cost: $10 each seat or $80 for a table

Info: (314) 602-0318

Details: Reserve a table for this fun and “youthful” event. Questions will cover high school topics from geography, math, literature and even the 3-R’s. Come and join other adults to relive your high school years and see if you still remember things you learned as a youth.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Trivia starts at 7 p.m. Cost is $10.00 a person or $80.00 per table. Soda and popcorn are included, while supplies last. To reserve a table or for more information, contact Chad Johnson, Youth Director by calling 314.602.0318 or e-mail: lpyouth@sbcglobal.net.
Additionally, a silent auction will be available and mulligan’s will be for sale.

This event is an adult only event. This fundraiser supports activities of the Youth Group in the area of missions, conferences, service projects and just fun.

Come to the Pumpkin Patch!

Enjoy the Straw Maze!
Pick out the BEST Pumpkin!
October 10-31
Mon-Sat - 10:00am to 6:00pm
Sunday - Noon to 6:00pm

Special Events -
Saturday October 17th
CHILDREN’S FALL FUN FEST 10am-Noon,
BLESSING OF THE ANIMALS at 1pm
Bring your 4-footed, furry friends to the Patch!

To schedule the Patch for a class or group, call Pastor Sharon at 771-9214, ext 20.

Book of the Month Club - Oct. 19th

A new opportunity to grow in your personal and church leadership skills will begin on October 19.
 
This year, Pastor Kathleen will start a new leadership development opportunity.  We will meet one Monday evening a month to discuss a book we have read that month.  We will discuss the interesting things we have learned by reading the book and how we can use some of the information to strengthen and grow our ministry to the city of St. Louis.
 
This will require a commitment to read eight different books and to meet eight times between October and May.  We will also have an all-day retreat part of the way through the year to brainstorm and plan how we will implement what we have learned at the church.

We will meet at Pastor Kathleen’s home from 6 – 8:30 p.m. on those evenings; food and childcare will be provided.  Please contact Pastor Kathleen for more information and to let her know how many to plan for. The eight books have been carefully chosen by Pastor Kathleen. October’s book is How Full is Your Bucket? by Tom Rath and Donald Clifton.

Sunday School Begins - September 13th

We will kick off our new year in Christian formation for our children and youth on September 13. Please plan to bring your family to church at 9 a.m. to experience the stories of our faith through multi-sensory learning.

Youth Movie Review
Do you like to watch movies that make you think? Mid-high and Senior-high kids are invited to come to the new Movie Review. Meet in the Chapel downstairs. Bring your eyes, your brain, & your appetite!

Stories of Faith for Our Children
As our kids return to school, and our children and youth will learn great new things, how important that we continue to teach them the stories of our faith, too.

We’ll sing some, dance some, paint some, and pray some. This will be a multigenerational experience with kids of all ages. You are welcome to come and experience the stories of our faith!

Questions or want to get involved? Contact Pastor Sharon or Debra Crowe.