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 Dear Partners in Ministry,

I read an article in “Soujourners” magazine by Barack Obama in which he talked about how important his church is to him and why. Sen. Obama is a member of Trinity United Church of Christ on Chicago’s South side. It is an amazing church with amazing leadership and amazing outreach and mission. Their worship and hundred member African-garbed choir are pretty amazing too. They know who they are, they know the community and world where they work and they know in whose name they serve. Trinity UCC in Chicago is a beacon of hope.

I also just heard a presentation on a new UCC program to build church vitality (UCCVitality.org) which we will be using at St. Philip’s. Vital churches discern God’s mission. They know their neighborhood and its needs and they find a way to be of service. Vital churches foster discipleship. They engage in faithful worship and study/ They invite people in, welcome them and help them become a part of the church community. Trinity UCC does those things. We at St. Philip’s will be checking to see how we do.

And why do we care? Why do we want new people when that would mean we loose our favorite place in the pews? Why do we want to loose our parking space?

You know all the “right” answers but I want to boil it down. We welcome others to St. Philip’s because Jesus told us to and because we want everyone to experience God’s love and acceptance like we do. Sen. Obama writes about the welcome, the sense of purpose, the feeling of transformation that came to him when he found Trinity. That’s what we want to share.

Yours in Christ.

Pastor Sue

OUR NEW STUDENT PASTOR

 Dear Saint Philip’s Congregation,

Let me start out by saying how excited I am that I have been given this opportunity to be a part of the life of Saint Philip’s. Thank you all for welcoming me into the church and graciously giving me this much needed learning experience.

For those of you who I have not had the opportunity to introduce myself to I would like to take the opportunity now. I am a second year student at Eden Theological Seminary working towards my Masters of Divinity. I graduated in 2002 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education and Art from Spokane, Washington. After graduation I worked in the Spokane Public School System until 2004 where I then returned home to Kalispell, Montana for a year. That time away from Spokane and away from teaching gave me the opportunity to think about where and what I was being called to do with my life. Well the answer came quite unexpectedly and here I am as your Student Pastor for the year!

I hope this gives you a better understanding of who I am and where I come from and I hope that I will get an opportunity to learn more about each of you. I look forward to learning and growing along side each of you throughout my time at Saint Philip’s.

Again, thank you for this wonderful opportunity!

Many blessings,
Abby Hodges, Student Pastor

THANKS

Dear Friends of St. Philip’s,

You have no idea how your cards and notes have helped me get through the days I have been confined to my apartment.

On each leg I have a knee immobolizer, which goes from ankle to my hip. I have to wear them all the time even to bed. With stiff legs, when I walk, I waddle like Frankenstein, my Halloween costume.

So I can better enjoy the cards, I have decorated the wall with them.

Miss all of you.

Sincerely,
Elvira Rebienne

Thank you – your thoughtfulness means so much.

We appreciate the stamps. I will give them to Pastor Brueseke at Ebenezer Stone Church. Our church collects them too and he always sees that they are delivered to Germany.

Thanks.
Helen Benz

Thanks to all of you who brought desserts for the barbecue. We appreciate your work and donation – 42 desserts – 462 pieces!!

Dessert Committee

Greetings in Christ:

We give God the praise for continuing to place us in his children’s hearts. Your donation could not have come at a better time. Both the shelves and checkbook are low.

Your continuing support of the work we do help to touch many of our needy brothers and sisters. Your dedication to support in spreading God’s love through special projects like Backpacks for School, Adopt-A-Family, Thanksgiving meals, and other projects help to fill so many needs.

We truly thank you for being a child of the King, which listens to their Heavenly Father.

Remember if you wish for us to come and speak to a group, call me at home 385-5915 or work to set-up a day and time.

Please continue to keep us in your prayers whenever you talk with our loving Savior, that we remain effective and efficient in his service.

In Christian Service,
(signed) Johnniest B. Henry ( St. John’s UCC – North Grand)

KEEP IN YOUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS

Elvira Rebienne is still at home recuperating from her fall

Wanda Reidel at St. Anthony’s Hospital

John Schuette at Green Park Nursing Home

Elsie Frye at Delmar Garden’s South

Melba Schulz is home after a brief stay at the hospital

Ollie Lenz at St. Mary’s Hospital

David Jackson serving in Iraq

CHRISTMAS DEVOTIONAL

We had an overwhelming positive response to our Devotional Booklet for Lent written by members of St. Philip’s! It has been suggested that we write our own Advent Devotional and we think that is a great idea! Worship Committee is asking you to write about a special Christmas or Christmas experience you would like to share. Or, if you prefer, choose a scripture that is meaningful to you and write about that. Add a short prayer at the end, and you’re ready to turn it in to be included in our devotional. If you misplaced the sample copy that was enclosed with the bulletin on October 8 th there are copies on the credenza in the gathering space. Please turn all devotions in to Shirley in the church office by November 1, 2006! We are hoping to have 31 pages – one for each day in December. Please consider sharing a special Christmas memory.  

A DISCIPLES REFLECTION

Recently our Disciples Bible Class had their last meeting. It was a potluck supper and communion; a fitting end to our studies. We have completed two 32-week studies of the Bible. The first study was an overview of the Bible and the second concentrated on two Old Testament and two New Testament books. I believe it was one of the most worthwhile things I have done. It has sparked my interest in learning more about my faith, taught me the meaning of Sabbath and the necessity for it, and has given me a wonderful sense of Christian community. I want to thank Bob Leber for being our enthusiastic leader and Pastor Sue for her theological input. Hopefully, we will be continuing our studies next year. Come join us.

Nancy Krenning

When I signed up for the first Disciples class I did so with some doubts. I have taken Bible study classes before but did not get a whole lot out of them.

This Disciples class was a whole lot different. First it was rather intensive. We met for 2 to 2 1/2 sometimes 3 hours plus homework. But I got a “whole lot” out of it. The class started with Exodus and went thru books of the Old and New Testaments.

The second Disciples class studied more in depth Genesis, Exodus, Luke and Acts. These books gave me a better understanding of the beginning of Christianity and the impact Jesus had and is having on our lives. Of course my classmates added so much to my learning due to their backgrounds and what they contributed. And last but not least, the leaders. Their knowledge, preparation and teaching ability made me eager to go to each class.

I will probably sign up for future disciples classes and strongly recommend them for anyone who wants to learn about our faith and who will have the stick-to-itiveness to do the work required. I think you, as I have been, will be glad you did. And we have a graduation ceremony also.

Harry Jennings

Our disciple class has finished. Yes, it was hard at first, because it required homework, plus class time (almost like going back to school.) Not being used to doing homework it took a while to get into the groove. But, after two years, I will have to say it was worth it. It was a good learning experience of God’s World and Word. Our group was small and the others seem to be a lot more knowledgeable than me. So my experience was more listening and learning. It has opened me to the scriptures which now I listen more attentively to on Sunday when they are read. Since the group was small I felt a closeness to the others as we gathered every Thursday to learn and question what we had read and studied that week. Class time meant a lot to me, words do not come easy for me to explain what or how, but it is a feeling that I experienced when we were together. My understanding of the Bible has increased and hopefully wil continue to grow in God’s Words.

Prayerfully,
Shirley Jennings

Dear Congregation,

Let me take off my hat as pastor and just be one of the learners of the congregation. I want to thank you and Bob Leber and the members of the Disciple class for giving me an opportunity to participate without being the leader. I have found this year of “Disciple Bible Study” to be an amazing and wonderful experience. Not only did we learn but we also found community in our group gatherings. We learned from the books and the videos and from each other. When we offer this course again, and we surely must do that, I urge you to make the commitment to 33 weeks of study. Ask anyone who has taken one of the courses and they will say it was life changing.

Pastor Sue

Well it’s all over …for now! Our disciples Bible Study classes have ended…but I am left with this “Good Habit”. It is a habit I once had but slowly grew out of…I was consoled over its loss by telling myself I was doing plenty of reading and study to prepare for various things needed to carry out my vocational responsibilities. What I had lost was the habit of personal daily Bible reading and study to help me realistically make the word I found there meaningful in my everyday life. Slowly over these past two years the discipline returned. It was the best Bible study I ever had been a part of. It was made even better because I shared that adventure with five other people, Pastor Geoff, Pastor Sue, Harry and Shirley Jennings and Nancy Krenning. Each week I was amazed at how our discussing the weeks daily assignments and readings added to the depths and relevancy of the Word that was studied. Thanks fellow Disciples and thank you congregation of St. Philip’s and the Christian Education Committee for supporting it and getting me back into the HABIT! I rely on all of you as brothers and sisters in Christ to keep an eye on me. If you suspect I am slipping back into my old ways of procrastinating and making excuses about the HABIT, please nudge me back.

Yours in Christ
Bob Leber

FAITHFUL READERS BOOK CLUB

We are reading Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. This is part of her autobiographical series and deals with her experiences growing up as a southern black girl. This book speaks to many issues including the relationship between parents and children, child sexual abuse, and the search for one’s path in life. We will discuss it on December 10 th or 17 th.

MEMORIAL SUNDAY – NOVEMBER 26 TH

Memorial Sunday will be held on Sunday, November 26 th. If you have someone you want remembered at this service who has passed away this past year, please give the name to Pastor Sue or Shirley in the church office. We will need the names as soon as possible so we can get the items needed for the service.

HOLIDAY CRAFT FAIR UPDATE

Handmade items from Plowshares Crafts will be available for sale on Sunday, November 26 th – 11 am – 4 pm and Monday, November 27 th – 11 am – 6 pm.

Items will range from inexpensive to moderately priced with a good selection of items under $10, which would make great gifts for children to buy for teachers, parents and grandparents.

This is an opportunity to buy beautiful, handmade crafts, to get a head start on Christmas shopping and to help poor artisans from around the World.

Some of St. Philip’s most talented shoppers are working on this project, so we should have a great variety of items available. On November 8 th at 11 am a group of women from Women’s Fellowship will visit Plowshares Shop to pre-select items. For information, talk to Alice Hillyard.

SOUPS ON

On Wednesday, November 1 st we will be having a free soup lunch for members of the community and church members. It will begin at noon and everything is free! There will also be some entertainment. If you plan to come, please call the church office by Monday, October 30 th so we can plan on how many to prepare for. It will be a good way to get to know our neighbors.

BLANKETS NEEDED

Greetings in Christ,

We are asking your help in keeping some of our people warm this winter through two projects. If you could ask your friends and congregation to donate some gently used or new blankets, so our families who receive this will stay warm, it will be truly appreciated. We’re asking if you’ll have the in-gathering on November 12 th. If you can’t bring the blankets to us so you can see the pantry, just call and we’ll make pick up arrangements. The second project is winter gear for the children of Bryant Hill Elementary School. Some of the children come to school in the dead of winter without socks, caps, gloves, and or scarves on. And sometimes the little ones will have an accident while at school and they need a change of dry underwear to keep them from becoming ill. Again, you can call us and we’ll make arrangements for a pick up.

Thank you in advance for considering to do one or both of these special projects for us. Please continue to keep us in your prayers that we remain effective and efficient in His work. May God bless you.

In Christian Service,
(signed Johnniest B. Henry – St. John’s Community Services Ministry

GUYS AND DOLLS

Saturday, October 21 st meeting was cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances – we are switching to Plan B.

Come join us for lunch at Truman Elementary and see your tax dollars at work. Those who are going will meet at church at 8:40 a.m. to carpool.

We will meet at 9:30 a.m. in the lunchroom at Truman Elementary School where we can enjoy the fabulous murals of the Lindbergh Flyer Train that travels around the room depicting a great ride. The Artist is Eileen LaGrotta. We will be treated to a talk on butterfly gardening by a speaker from the Botanical Gardens. This will be followed by a drawing for attendance prizes.

Lunch will be served cafeteria style consisting of: turkey, dressing, and all the trimmings. The cost will be $4.00 per person.

Sign-up on the bulletin board if you plan to attend.

The November event will be a Chili Lunch served at 1 pm. There will be a meeting after this and games. The hosts for this event are Alice Hillyard and the Zielinskis. For more information call either Alice (849-1907) or Arlene (892-5082) There is a sign-up sheet on the bulletin board.

The Guys and Dolls Christmas Lunch Party will be:

Date: Sunday, December 10th
Time: 11:30 am – 3 pm
Place: Helen Fitzgerald’s on S. Lindbergh
Cost: $17.00 per person (this includes tax and tip)

Our menu will be: (choice of one)

• Chicken Mudega – chicken rolled in Italian bread crumbs, char-broiled with white wine sauce, topped with provel cheese, ham, and mushrooms.
• Eight Ounce Strip Steak
• Lemon Pepper Cod

Served with: House salad, oven roasted red potatoes, vegetable medley, bread, butter, coffee, tea and soda. Dessert will be provided.

Reservations and money due any time, but no later than Sunday, November 19 th. A sign up-up sheet will be posted on the bulletin board.

Committee: Jan Freese, Alice Hillyard, Virginia Hladnick, and Betty Moore

P.S. Each person please bring a $1.00 wrapped gift. 

CANDLELIGHT CHRISTMAS DINNER

Worship Committee is organizing its second Candlelight Christmas Dinner with worship following. It will be Friday, December 8 th at 6:30 pm. Please mark this date on your calendar. More information and sign-up sheets will be coming out soon!

THANK YOU !!

Just a note to thank everyone that submitted pages to be included in our 2006 Advent Devotional. This booklet with a reading for each day in Advent (and beyond, if we have enough), should be available for you to pick up November 19 and November 26. Pick up a copy and read about Christmas memories, prayers, hopes and dreams – all written by members of this congregation.

E-MAIL PRAYER CHAIN

We are compiling a list of e-mail addresses from members of the congregation who wish to be included in an e-mail prayer chain. E-mail addresses will be collected Sunday, October 29 th during worship. We will also circulate a sign-up list for members who wish to receive information updates via e-mail. If you missed signing up for either the prayer chain or the information update list, please call Shirley in the church office and let her know you want to be added to the list. As soon as possible, we will start both the prayer chain and the update chain.

WISH LIST

If you have an item on one of these wish lists, a contact person is listed. Please call them.

Worship Committee
Contact: Linda Kammerer
Donations of inspirational CD’s to begin a CD library for church use.

Willing Workers
Contact: church office
Clean white cotton sheets

Building and Grounds
Contact: Arlene Zielinski
Gently used working refrigerator for MPR

MANNA MARCH

Thanks to those of you who made an otherwise gloomy day much brighter. For the Sunday afternoon of Feed My People’s Manna March, rain was predicted. Unfortunately, this time the weatherman was right! The walk started at 1:00 pm and so did the rain. It poured down all afternoon. To top it off, this was the first time in the history of the Manna March and it’s predecessor, the Hunger Walk, that St. Philip’s only had one walker and collected less than one hundred dollars. The bright spot was that the following people donated because they cared about St. Phillip’s efforts to help their needy neighbors: Audrey Brill, Ellen Disseler, Alice Hillyard, Frances Kalbfleish, Nancy Krennings, Hilda Leonard, Lois Mohesky, Tom Nottelmann, Pat Siewing and Dorothy Vinyard. Thank you for bringing some sunshine into the lives of others.

LYDIA ’S HOUSE COMMUNITY MEAL

Wow! For once I am speechless. What a wonderful outpouring there was for St. Philip’s turn to take a meal to the forty women and children served by Lydia’s House! The variety and volume was outstanding. Thanks to these people who shared their cooking/baking talents, time and resources to help a very worthwhile cause. In random order they are: Sue Leary, Shirley Nottelmann, Joan Schumacher, Hilda Leonard, Lois Decker, Nancy Krenning, Pat Siewing, Judy Hickman, Terri Karcher, Kathy Shelton, Delba Engelhardt, Dolores Zikes, Alice Hillyard, Lois Mohesky, Ardelle Dischinger, Frances Kalbfleish, and Arlene Zielinski. I’m sure others also donated money but didn’t add their names to the envelope. You know who you are and I thank you too! Here’s an even more wonderful part – we didn’t need to use any of the money that was donated! So there is $45 to put toward the next meal. Rumor has it that we may be asked to do a meal just before Thanksgiving instead of our usual mid-December turn. If so, the money will go a long way toward turkey, etc. Thank you for all you did to make this a wonderful meal.

ADOPT- A- FAMILY

Our 2005 Adopt-A Family Program was a terrific success. Hundreds of families were helped with Christmas food baskets and bundles. With your help, our 2006 effort is anticipated to be just, if not more, wonderful than last year. We’re asking individuals, families, schools, organizations, churches, and businesses to provide boxes and baskets of food for our neediest clients. These packages normally include canned goods, non-perishable groceries, and a gift certificate to an area grocery store to cover the cost of meat and fresh foods for a holiday meal. You will be assigned a specific family as your “adopted” family. You decide the size of the family you wish to help. The age and sex of each of the family members are provided, should you wish to include extra items beyond the baskets of food. Instructions for the program and “your family’s” names will be provided (first names only, naturally).

On Monday, December 18, all Adopt-A-Family Baskets are dropped off by contributors at an assigned site, and, on Tuesday, December 19, “adopted” needy families will pick up their Christmas cartons.

The thought of someone being hungry, especially living here, is often hard to imagine for most of us. But, the poor and the hungry are with us. They are the elderly, alone and lonely, and often forgotten by the world. They are the children of broken homes. They are the disabled in body or mind. They are our neighbors. Maybe not next door, but maybe just down the road a little way. They are many.

Watch the bulletin board for details about how you can help.

BARBECUE PANS/DISHES

Pan/dishes from the barbecue dessert can be picked up on the table by the sanctuary doors. 

THE GOSPEL OF THOMAS (The Secret Gospel of Thomas)

Earlier in the Crier.. we noted that we would be offering another “Gnostic Gospel” class in the fall. It looks like schedules are too busy for fall but February looks good. We will plan and prepare for a class then on: THE GOSPEL OF THOMAS using the book titled BEYOND BELIEF by Elaine Pagels. Like before we will offer the class during the day and evening to better accommodate all of you who are interested. Please don’t feel like you’re causing extra work when choosing whatever class that meets your needs. What we have to share is worth whatever it takes to get all interested people together when they are best able to meet. The book in paper back costs around $13.00 and, is available at all major booksellers. The book has a section in the back which contains the full text of the translated 2000 year old Gospel found in the early 1950’s. The Gospel opens with a prologue like statement: “These are the secret sayings that the living Jesus spoke and Judas Thomas the Twin wrote down”. Here are a sample of a few of the 144 verses which make up the gospel. Verse 1 – “ Whoever finds the interpretation of these sayings will not taste death.” Verse 27 – “If you do not fast from the world, you will not find the Kingdom. If you do not observe the Sabbath day as a Sabbath day you will not see the Father.” Verse 67 – “ Jesus said, whoever knows everything but is lacking within, lacks everything.” If enough of you are interested maybe we could purchase a copy of the book for the library. Between now and February a lot of people could read it because it is an “easy reader”. It looks like the class can be done with one session per week for no more than five weeks. Let us know if you are interested in the class.

ATTENTION SHOPPERS

Schnuck’s is doing away with their Gift Cards as Fund Raisers programs. Once the current supply of cards is sold, we will not be able to get any more.

Do not fear.

The cards are being replaced by a “Community Card”. This will make things even easier for you.

• No longer do you have to remember your checkbook on Sunday mornings to buy the cards
• No longer do you have to fuss with cards that haven’t been activated as you stand in line
• No longer do you have to make the extra trip to church during the week to buy the cards if you forgot to do it on Sunday
• You can contribute to the church without buying the card

How the new program works:

• Pick up an e-scrip card from Bob at his table or at the courtesy counter at Schnuck’s
• Call the activation number provided or go online at the internet address provided (https://secure.escrip.com/jsp/supporter/registration/step1.jsp)
• Complete the required information (6 easy steps)
• Step 1 – when choosing the group, enter the zip code 63123, then scroll down to St. Philip’s United Church of Christ. (There are a ton of “St. Philip’s” listed from all over the country ), click next
• Step 2 – Enter the information in the red boxes, click next
• Step 3 – Select Schnuck’s from the drop down menu and enter the number on your e-scrip card, click next
• Step 4 – Enter any credit cards you wish to register. Do this only if you are comfortable doing so! Click next
• Step 5 – Register any Retail Credit Cards (Macy’s Office Max, etc.) you wish to register. Do this only if you are comfortable doing so! Click next
• Confirm your information, click next
• Whenever you shop at Schnuck’s, present either the credit card size e-scrip card or the key chain sized card
• The cashier will swipe the bar code on your card and you have just made a donation to your church

A bonus program:

• While on line to register your e-scrip card, if you feel comfortable doing so, you can register your credit cards. Any purchases you make with those credit cards at participating retail outlets will result in a contribution to the church.  

VOLLEYBALL SEASON 2007

We would like to invite you to participate in the 2007 Volleyball league. It will be run the same as the 2006 season, age groups are 11-14 and 15 and 15-18 years (as of January 1). The fee will be $165.00 per team. Registration with fees needs to be sent by December 3, 2006. This gives you plenty of time to get your teams together. Please make checks payable to St. Johns EUCC. Also, please do not include soccer fee on same check with volleyball fee, keep them separate. Include info on registration: church name, coach name and phone number, number of teams in each age group.

Note: We will collect rosters from each team with each student to sign the roster.

Address: St. Johns Ev. UCC Mehlville

11333 St. Johns Church Road

St. Louis, MO 63123

Any questions please call Donna Hylton at 314-729-0924 or 540-2047 or my Email is Pete58@charter.net. Thank you and let’s make it a great season. God Bless.  

UCC DIALOGUE ON PUBLIC EDUCATION

Enclosed in the Crier is a flyer regarding a UCC Dialogue on Public Education. It will be held on Sunday, November 19 th from 2:30 to 4:45 pm at Epiphany United Church of Christ. The special guest will be Jan Resseger, Minister for Public Education and Witness United Church of Christ. The panel moderator will be Jeanette Mott Oxford, member Missouri House committee on children and Families. All are welcome to attend.  

 NOVEMBER BIRTHDAYS

COMING EVENTS

November	1	Free Soup Luncheon 12 noon
		Guys and Dolls 8:40 am Truman Elementary School
		Choir Practice 7:30 pm
November	5	Communion Sunday
November	7	Bell Choir 7 pm
November	8	Choir 7:30 pm
November	9	Willing Workers 10 am
November	10-11	Youth groups overnite at Mo-Val – Laser Tag
November	12	Birthday Sunday New member class after worship
November	14	Bell Choir 7 pm
November	15	Choir 7:30 pm
November	18	Guys and Dolls – chili lunch
November	19	New members received
November	20	December Crier articles due
November	21	Women’s Fellowship St. Nick luncheon meeting
November	22	Choir 7:30 pm
November	23	Happy Thanksgiving Church office closed
November	24	Church office closed
November	26	Plowshares Craft Fair 11 am – 4 pm
November	27	Plowshares Craft Fair 11 am – 6 pm
November	28	Bell Choir 7 pm
November	29	Choir 7:30 pm

COMMUNITY EVENTS

(Check the bulletin board for more information on these events)

November 3 – Annual Eden Bee Dinner 6 pm

November 4/5 – Music/Mission Festival 9 am at Northwest High School

November 12 – Carondelet UCC Turkey Dinner 2-6 pm (by

reservation only – no tickets sold at door)

December 1 – Christmas Pilgrimage at Neighborhood Houses

December 31 – New Years Eve Dinner Dance at St. Johns Evangelical UCC 7 pm – 1 am 

  “DIDJA” SEE IT???????

Finally after all the time the “mousequin” (you humans call them mannequins) arrived from Mears & Mousebucks [that really took a long time to get here and I am sorry] I know several of you kept looking for it so you could see the “St. Philip’s Tee Shirt” someone made for me now it’s finally here and my shirt is now on display. There have been a lot of inquiries about it from my non-church mouse friends I invite in on a regular basis…in fact, there are so many questions that I am going to talk to Harry and Shirley Jennings about taking orders from my friends here in Concord Village. If you want to order one as a gift for your very own house, basement, or garage mouse, which you all have (but don’t realize) let Harry or Shirley know. The price seems a bit high but Harry and Shirley have reasonable interest rates on their financing package. Speaking of reasonable reminds me…Bob Kammerer (you know, the grocery card man) will be teaming up with Harry and Shirley and offering discount coupons toward the purchase of a Mouse Tee Shirt when you buy at Schnucks, Shop and Save, or Dierbergs Grocery Card. Bob has a generous range of discount coupons depending on the price and number of grocery cards you buy ($25.00, $50.00 or $100.00) For example….if you buy a mouse tee @ the low price of only $126.37 (includes S & H) and had purchased three $100.00 cards you would get .0005% discount on the price of your Tee. I know that’s more than what your Human Tees cost but we have higher parcel delivery fees in the mouse world than you do. Just think. When a MPS (Mouse Parcel Serve) brown truck hits the street chances of it making it to its destination are pretty slim. Sorry to say some of those little squashed specks you see on the street but don’t know what they are, are really…Yes!…MPS…Brown Trucks and contents. These accidents have raised MPS insurance rates so high they can hardly keep up. If we find that the high cost of the Tee Shirt begins to decrease the sale of the grocery cards we will have to remove this generous discount offer. Remember, Christmas is just around the corner. Think about how your very own personal House Mouse will feel on Christmas Even when they find the surprise Christmas Gift of a Tee Shirt you leave for them with their piece of cheese. Buy early, avoid the rush and don’t forget to get that discount by buying grocery cards from Bob Kammerer and getting the .0005% discount off on the $126.37 Tee Shirt price. I still haven’t figured out who the seamstress/tailor was who made my Tee but I hope if we get a lot of orders we can get them to make what we need. Oh my goodness! I just thought of something! What will Harry and Shirley do if they can’t find the person to make them?????? Oh well. Nothing is ever easy..is it??

I never get much mail but I do overhear a lot. I heard one morning something about those “silly mouse articles”. Well I guess some of my articles do have a lot of nonsense in them but I love to see humans smile. I am not sure why I am like that but I have learned a lot about smiling and laughter and humor in my lifetime. Let me close with a few quotes about laughter:

“WHEN WE SMILE OR LAUGH WITH SOMEONE ELSE WE LOOK INTO THEIR SOUL.” (What did you see?) “TO LAUGH AT WHAT YOU HOLD SACRED AND STILL HOLD IT SACRED IS THE HIGHEST FORM OF HUMOR”. (What do you hold sacred?) “WHAT SOAP IS TO THE BODY, LAUGHTER IS TO THE SOUL” (Showered the soul lately?) “YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE – BUT IF YOU WORK IT RIGHT ONCE IS ENOUGH.” (Thank God!) I think my many smiling friends at St. Philip’s help add a lot to each others life.

Your Church Mouse
Harvey

P.S. Let’s be patient with Harry and Shirley if they cannot find a supplier and deliver the Tees quickly.

LITURGISTS/CHILDREN’S TIME/ACOLYTES/USHERS FOR THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER

Liturgists

November 5 Abby Hodges

November 12 Dana Faerber

November 19 Lois Decker

November 26 Jennifer Larsen

Children’s Time

November 5 Kathy Shelton

November 12 Terri Karcher

November 19 Bob Leber

November 26

Ushers

 November 5 Church Council

November 12 Guys and Dolls

November 19 Stewardship and Finance

November 26 Women’s Fellowship

Acolytes

 November 5 Haylee Thibodeaux

November 12 Dawn Schillinger

November 19 Alex Balzer

November 26 Sarah Witte

BABY HIPPO

“Much of life can never be explained but only witnessed.”

-Rachel Naomi Remen, MD

NAIROBI (AFP) A baby hippopotamus that survived the tsunami waves on the Kenyan coast has formed a strong bond with a giant male century-old tortoise in an animal facility in the port city of Mombassa, officials said. The hippopotamus, nicknamed Owen and weighing about 300 kilograms (650 pounds) was swept down Sabaki River into the Indian Ocean, then forced back to shore when tsunami waves struck the Kenyan coast on December 26, before wildlife rangers rescued him.

“It is incredible. A-less-than-a-year-old hippo has adopted a male tortoise, about a century old, and the tortoise seems to be very happy with being a ‘mother’, “ ecologist Paula Kahumbu, who is in charge of Lafarge Park, told AFP.

“After it was swept and lost its mother, the hippo was traumatized. It had to look for something to be a surrogate mother. Fortunately, it landed on the tortoise and established a strong bond. They swim, eat, and sleep together,” the ecologist added. “The hippo follows the tortoise exactly the way it follows its mother. If somebody approaches the tortoise, the hippo becomes aggressive, as if protecting its biological mother,” Kahumbu added.

“The hippo is a young baby, he was left at a very tender age and by nature, hippos are social animals that like to stay with their mothers for four years,” he explained.

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. This is a real story that shows that our differences don’t matter much when we need the comfort of another. We could all learn a lesson from these two creatures of God. Look beyond the differences and find a way to walk the path together.

Found on the internet – July 21, 2006

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Philippians 4:13 --- I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

The road to success is not straight. There is a curve called Failure, a loop called Confusion, speed bumps called Friends, red lights called Enemies, caution lights called Family. You will have flats called Jobs. But, if you have a spare called Determination, an engine called Perseverance, insurance called Faith, a driver called Jesus, you will make it to a place called Success.

Pass it on!

Thanks to Sarah Spencer for this email message.

From one pumpkin to another !!!!!!!

A woman was asked by a coworker, “What is it like to be a Christian?”

The coworker replied, “It is like being a pumpkin. God picks you from the patch, brings you in, and washes all the dirt off of you. Then he cuts off the top and scoops out all the yucky stuff. He removes the seeds of doubt, hate, and greed. Then He carves you a new smiling face and puts His light inside of you to shine for all the world to see.”

This was passed on to me by another pumpkin. Now it’s your turn to pass it to other pumpkins. I liked this enough to send it to all the pumpkins in my patch.

From an e-mail message from a friend of Shirley Nottelmann

DO YOU NEED A LAUGH?

Moses, Jesus, and an old man were out golfing one day. Moses drives his ball and it bounced off a tree into a water hazard. So he parted the water and knocked the ball onto the green.

Jesus drives his ball and it bounced off two trees into the water. So he walked on the water and scooped his ball onto the green.

The old man drives his ball, it bounced off a tree into the water, the ball was eaten by a fish, the fish swam to the surface and was picked up by a bird, the bird flew upward and was struck by lightning, it crashed onto the green, the fish flopped out of its mouth, and the ball rolled out of the fish and into the hole.

Moses turned to Jesus and said, “I hate playing with your dad.”

Thanks to Philip Ricks for this one !

YOUTH PAGE

There are witches in my mailbox,
What am I to do?
I found them there this morning,
Doing things they shouldn’t do! !

How the witches got there,
I haven’t got a clue.
But they won’t be there much longer
Because I’m sending them to YOU ! ! ! !

You’ve been witch kissed !

Before the warts begin to spread, pass the kisses on instead.

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