The Spire

A publication of First United Methodist Church

St. Charles, MO www.fumcstcharles.org

Volume 45 Number 13 July 13, 2016 Articles for the July 27 Spire are due in the church office by July 20.

You may email them to fumc_stcharles@sbcglobal.net with the word Spire as the subject.

VBS—First Church in Ministry to Children

It started somewhere in my unconscious. While I was getting ready for the day—and before I was ever aware of it—a song kept going through my head. The realization that a song was inside of me was quickly followed by the recognition of the song. It was one of the songs that we've been singing this week in Vacation Bible School! "God is with me wherever I go. Oh, oh, oh, oh; oh, oh, oh. God is with me wherever I go."

This week, the ministry of the people of First Church has seen 74 children, ages 3-6, learning stories about Jesus, experiencing the community of Christ's body, and the joy of worshiping God with others. How much will they remember of what they learn? I don't know. What I do know is that it will stay with them as a means of grace, as a way of God working in their lives to bring them into a more mature relationship as they grow in grace.

I know, by way of my own testimony, that the songs of faith and the stories of faith formed me. I can't tell you, for instance, when I first learned the story

that I shared with the children in Bible Story time yesterday—the story of Jonah. But it IS down deep inside of me. Our stories make us and shape us. This is what we are doing together in ministry. It's faith formation. As adults, we short-change the world when we don't give careful attention to how we're forming disciples from the very earliest stages.

I'm proud that First Church is doing so much for the children of our church and community. It does make a difference. It will make a difference. This we can know: "God is with me wherever I go. Oh, oh, oh, oh; oh, oh, oh. God is with me wherever I go."

I look forward to seeing you Sunday as we share in the baptism of another child of God, and welcome another new family with children into our church.

Summer Blessings, Bart

PS: We have another VBS planned for older children, starting August 1st. We still need host families. Could you consider being one?

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July 11-15—Vacation Bible School July 16—Mount Carmel worship service August 1-5—Eagle Lake Summer Day

Camp August 21—Bible Sunday for kindergar-

ten and third grade students September 29-30—Church of the

Resurrection Leadership Institute

A Look Ahead

Staff

Rev. Bart Hildreth, Ph.D.

Rev. Debby Bartley Rev. Peter Norton

Rev. Dr. Ken Gottman

Rev. Brint Hilliard Margaret Love Carolie Owens

Sharon Byers Karla Curry Stacey Davis

Jim Nichols Patti Adams

Larry Ruebling

Pat Williams Sally Jacobsen

Kerri Johnson

Staying Connected

Our deepest sympathies are extended to

the families of those who have recently

passed away:

BIBLE SUNDAY IS

AUGUST 21

On Sunday, August 21, kindergarteners and

third graders

will receive new "Deep Blue Kids" Bibles

during the 9:30 worship service.

If your child is entering

kindergarten or 3rd grade and would like to participate in the

Bible Sunday presentation, please email Children's Minister,

Meg Love, at fumc.childrensministryteams@gmail.com. You will

receive an email confirmation.

Sweet Cara fell asleep reading her new Bible.

The Smith family at the death of Steve Smith on July 2, 2016, brother of Mark (Diane) Smith.

The McMillin family at the death of Conrad McMillin on July 8, 2016,

husband of Jeanette McMillin.

A Successful Red Cross

Blood Drive

There are many ways we can be in ministry with others and touch the lives of people we will never know.

On Sunday, June 26, 18 people donated blood, offering hope to those who will receive their life-saving blood.

Thank you to those who were able to donate blood, those who wanted to donate but were unable to do so, and to

those of you who assisted in any way throughout the morning.

We are especially grateful to Peggy Booker for saying “yes” when asked to lead the event and for her dedication to making sure the morning was a positive experience for everyone.

Join Us for Worship at Mount Carmel

Saturday, July 16th

Please join us for worship on Saturday, July 16th with our friends at Mount Carmel Retirement Center!

Our own Barbara Kryvko will be bringing the message, “Lord, Teach Us to Pray.”

We will gather in the Mount Carmel lobby about 9:30 a.m. to

“walk and roll” residents to their chapel. Please join us as we

sing, pray, celebrate communion and share the Good News! We expect to have our friends back to their rooms about 10:30 a.m. Please email Joan Crenshaw at joancren71@gmail.com (or call

636-699-8764) so we know to count on you!

Welcome to the family

Macy Kathleen Dorn, born June 29, 2016. Macy is the daughter of Laura

and Andrew Dorn; the granddaughter of Kathy and Jeff Craig and Susan and Larry Dorn; great granddaughter

of Suzanne and Haven Craig; niece to Andrew and Michael Craig and Alex

Dorn; cousin to Abel and Haven Craig.

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ANNOUNCING A NEW SOCIAL ENTERPRISE IN ST. CHARLES

There’s a new bakery in St. Charles, selling DELICOIUS handmade artisan bread and rolls! Bridge Bread on Main is open for business at 419 South Main Street. This is a perfect way to enjoy wholesome baked goods, with nothing artificial added, AND support the bakery which provides supportive employment for people experiencing homelessness.

Information on how you can volunteer and be an active servant at Bridge Bread on Main will be shared in the next Spire.

Below is Bridge Bread on Main’s recent press release, which provides more information about the ministry.

Bridge Bread Bakery Expands to St. Charles on July 1

Providing More Hope to the Homeless

Community Invited to Ribbon Cutting on July 12 at 4 p.m.

ST. CHARLES, MO ­ Bridge Bread Bakery, a social enterprise designed to provide supportive

employment for people experiencing homelessness, will open the doors of a new storefront at 10 a.m. on Friday, July 1, 2016. Bridge Bread on Main, located at 419 S. Main in St. Charles,

will provide handmade artisan bread and rolls using simple, wholesome ingredients with nothing

artificial added.

Fred Domke, the driving inspiration behind the program, started Bridge Bread in 2011 with his

wife, Sharon, after being inspired by a discussion of poverty at their church, Lafayette Park

United Methodist. Bridge Bread has six bakers and has signed on over forty churches as distributors. Last year they opened a retail location on Cherokee Street in St. Louis and now

they are expanding to the new shop on Main Street in the historic neighborhood of Old St.

Charles.

Domke says that the real purpose of Bridge Bread “is not about making bread.” “It’s about

making jobs,” he said. “It’s about giving people employment that matters. It’s about letting

them do something that they’re proud of — and let me tell you something, these guys make great bread!”

Bridge Bread Bakery is a Missouri nonprofit corporation with Federal 501(c)(3) charitable status.

About three quarters of proceeds from product sales goes to the bakers’ wages and one quarter pays for ingredients. There is no other paid staff. Rent, utilities and insurance are covered by

donations.

Bridge Bread invites the public to their ribbon cutting ceremony on Tuesday, July 12 at 4 p.m.

Attendees will have an opportunity to meet some of the bakers and sample their breads, sweet rolls and brownies.

continued on page 4

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Bridge Bread’s mission is to help the disadvantaged engage in a financially rewarding effort that enhances self-worth, promotes dignity and enables them to help themselves.

Hours of operation are from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m.

Tuesday through Friday, from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m.

on Saturday and from 12 until 5 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, call Bridge Bread on Main

at 636.757.3577, visit their website at

www.bridgebread.org or check out their Facebook page at www.facebook.org/bridgebreadonmain.

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Finke Memorial Scholarship

First Church was happy to award the Finke Scholarship to two deserving High School Seniors again this year. On May 1st we honored the following students in our church service along with

other scholarship winners:

Jordan Johnston, daughter of Diane and Randy Johnston, is a graduate of Orchard Farm High School who will be attending SIUE in the fall studying nursing.

Brandon Overstreet, son of Harold and Sandy Overstreet, is a graduate of Orchard Farm High School who will be attending Hannibal LaGrange University majoring in music education.

Our prayers go with these young people as they start the next chapter of their lives and we

hope they keep the Lord and the love they have shared here at FUMC close to their hearts. If

anyone is interested in donating or giving a memorial to this Scholarship Fund, please contact

the church office. We would like to see this scholarship program continue for many years to

come.

LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE 2016

Church of the Resurrection (COR) brings together clergy, church staff and volunteers who share a passion for renewing churches. The Leadership Institute, held this year on September 29 & 30 is a great opportunity for the staff and lay leaders of First UMC to grow as a team and improve skills for reaching more people for Jesus here in St. Charles.

A group from FUMC will leave St. Charles on September 28 at 6:00 p.m. to attend the conference. We will stay at the Pear Tree Inn in Overland Park, Kansas. Cost per room is $70 per night.

If you want more information about attending the conference with our group, please contact Rev. Peter Norton at 636-734-3694 or 636-947-0066.

For more information about the Leadership Institute please see li.cor.org.