e-mail: stpaulsstoverstown@comcast.net
Pastor Martin e-mail:
pastorstpaulsstoverstown@comcast.net
Connect
Our Sharing Yarns ministry gathers to provide hope, love, and healing for people in our community through the work of the participant’s hands while exploring our own relationship with God through knitting and crocheting. The group meets on the second Tuesday of the month from 9-10:30 am, September through June, in our church parlor.Knitters and crocheters of all proficiency levels are welcome.
Creating prayer shawls and throws for those facing chronic or long-term health issues is an ongoing project of our Sharing Yarns group. Every year, the group also selects an outreach mission to share their handiwork with such as: the UCC Rainbow Scarf Project to raise awareness about violence, especially bullying against LGBT youth and young adults; winter scarves for Heidelberg UCC's community breakfast mission; preemie baby hats and blankets for York Hospital's NICU & Newborn Nurseries; and wraps for the Gift of Life Donor Program.
At St. Paul’s UCC (Stoverstown), we don’t just
believe our kids are the future—we know they are the NOW.
We endeavor to serve them as a vital and
integral part of our community and as gifted and growing spirits.
Our Church School teaches our kids the values of our life together.
They live important Bible stories, explore rituals that comfort them
and offer them structure and meaning, get a feel for the rhythms of
worship, sing and learn what it means to be a beloved part of our
faith family.
Our kids LOVE Sunday school and church so much
they ask their parents to come back again and again, and often have
to be coaxed to leave hours after worship has ended, before their
last game of tag in the sanctuary is over!
Church School begins at 9 am and ends at 10 am.
Every Sunday, kids come to worship with their families for All Ages
Worship. The nursery remains open to kids 3 or under.
Our nursery and classrooms are run by dedicated
members of St. Paul’s UCC. All teachers have had background checks
and been trained in our Safe Sanctuary policy.
Download a PDF of our Safe Sanctuary Policy
Parents with infants are most welcome in
worship on Sunday. As they get older and as you get more
comfortable, you can leave your little ones in our Infant and
Toddler Nursery. We’re here to help you with separation anxiety, so
don’t be afraid to ask. Kids usually transition from the nursery to
Church School at age 3.
We currently run a one-room Church School. Our Sunday School teachers meet with the students for 45 minutes and for 15 minutes they gather for singing.
Our youth group for grades 6 and up meets about once a month for fun, service projects and conversation about things that really matter. For more information, email Joy Gobrecht (joy101198@aol.com).
We offer events throughout the year that bring
all of the generations of the church together, from Sunday morning
conversation time and worship to Advent dinners, Easter breakfast,
and outdoor movie nights during the summer. Everyone, no matter
their age, has something to teach us about being God’s children and
growing in God’s ways of love.
Our music ministry both contributes to the
worship experience and is open to all who desire to participate.
Our Shalom Choir (Adult) is open to high school
and college students, and adults and sings regularly during the
worship service, September through June. We sing many different
styles of anthems. You don’t have to be able to read music. If you
like to sing but are not able to commit regularly, you are welcome
to join us for those times you are available. Practice is on
Thursday evenings at 7:00 pm.
Our Agape Band and Singers lead the
congregation during worship the first Sunday of each month. The band
is comprised of guitar, keyboards, woodwinds, and drums to accompany
the singers leading the congregation in several contemporary
selections. The band has been known to appear at other special
events in the area. Practice is on Thursday before the first Monday
of each month at 7:00 pm.
Woodwind, brass, and percussion add to the
worship experience during other special seasons and events.
Instrumentalists of elementary school age and on up are encouraged
to offer their services to our praise and worship of God. Please
consider dusting off any instrument you might have and joining in
sometime. Our St. Paul's Players band practices primarily for the
Christmas season. We create arrangements so instrumentalists of any
ability can play. Our brass players usually provide music for our
Easter Sunday worship.
We celebrate Communion 11 times throughout
the year. Anyone who wishes to experience Christ’s presence is
welcome to come to the Communion Table. No one is excluded. Yet
parents are the ones to discern whether their young children should
receive Communion. Children whose parents decide they are not ready
to receive Communion, but who come forward to the chancel with the
rest of the congregation, will receive a blessing from one of the
worship leaders.
Exploring Your Faith Questions through Prayer, Conversation, and Service
Our 2020-2021 Confirmation Quest is designed for middle schoolers and begins this fall. No church background is required. The curriculum will be planned around the faith questions of the participants, and help them grow in their relationship with God and with other people. Since the journey of faith is a journey of life, and not just of the mind, our Confirmation Quest will encourage participation in key practices of faith including different forms of prayer, worship, service to others, and reflection on stories from the Bible. In May of 2018 participants will have an opportunity to confirm the promises of Christian faith their parent(s) or guardian(s) made for them at their baptisms, or to be baptized and affirm for themselves their own faith in the God they have come to know best in Jesus Christ.
Just as coaches and schools expect a certain level of commitment from their athletes and students, so will be the case with our Confirmation Quest. The bulleted list below broadly indicates what you can expect over each year of this two-year journey.
· Confirmands and parents/guardians complete questionnaires about faith journeys, faith questions, interests, and learning preferences.
· 2 one-hour Confirmand and parent/guardian meetings
· Opening one-day retreat; visit hospital, nursing home, or funeral home
· General worship helping 6 times; read scripture 3 times; usher; help plan and participate in Children’s worship in October and Youth worship in May
· One day of service to community (such as a mini-work camp)
· 16 one-hour Sunday morning prayer and learning events each year
·
4 times
each year, talk with an older member of a congregation (preferably a
shut-in or someone in their 80’s or 90’s) about their faith and life
journeys
So you can learn more, we are planning an Orientation meeting following worship for you and your parent(s) or guardian(s) on Sunday, August 28 from 10:30-11:30 am.