Reflection on Life at St. Peter’s UCC – Barbara Grabert
In 1965 my husband and I moved our young family to this area from Mt. Vernon. There we were members of a larger UCC where we were active.
For about one and one half years we drive back and forth for services and special activities at the church. Then we started missing once in a while. Weather might be bad or someone not feeling well or not in the mood for a twelve or fifteen mile, one-way trip.
Occasionally during this time someone would say, “Why don’t you try St. Peter’s at Parker Settlement?” It would only be about four miles one way.
So eventually we did! What we found here was a church building full of people on Sunday morning. A large Sunday School. A very active Women’s Guild: a whole room full of ladies. A larger Brotherhood. A great Bible School in summer. The best I had seen since I was a child.
I wanted to be a part of this.
I wanted my family to be a part of it. So we moved our membership. And we were a part of things for a while. A few years. I belonged to Women’s Guild, taught Sunday School and Bible School and served on Church Council.
Then things kind of went wrong and we left for a few years.
We attended other church sporadically but nothing on a permanent basis except for a short period time in a large church in Evansville.
So, I can’t say why or how we ended up at St. Peter’s again but we are here! If you will look around you will see the church building is not full of people. The GBuild is 6-8 ladies; there is no Brotherhood and a very small Sunday School.
But we can change this! We are a people and a location of great possibilities when we can put aside our divisions between family and church members and focus on maturity and unity. There is a whole new world of new ideas and new ways of doing things. It may not be the same – but it will be good!
This is God’s house.
We are God’s people.
We have God’s work to do – and I think we can do it.
And I still want to be a part of it!
Reflection on Life at St. Peter’s by Jeanne Douthitt
Several weeks ago Karen asked in a group I was part of, why I attend St. Peter’s – and I said because I was raised here and confirmed here in 1959.
Well I have thought about that question. Why do I attend St. Peter’s? I think it is because I feel loved here.
My sister and I started here as children and were brought to church not by our parents – but by Emil and Lula Winterheimer. They brought us to Sunday School and we stayed for church with them. We didn’t have any family members coming here to St. Peter’s.
We moved here from St. Louis and would attend Sunday School and church when we went back to St. Louis to visit Grandma, Aunts, Uncles and cousins and there we would attend church as a family. When time permits we still visit Mellow Church when we can.
My sister and I were baptized at Mellow Memorial Methodist Church and although my brother was born in Evansville he was baptized at Mellow. My youngest sister Janet was born in Evansville and baptized here at St. Peter’s.
I remember the Sunday Janet was born. The nurse called Daddy to come to the hospital and he told the nurse to tell mother he would be there after he taught his Men’s Sunday School class. My father was not at the hospital when Janet was born.
And that day, the day of Janet’s birth, a special lady – Arletha – had asked my sister Joyce and I to spend the day with her and Nancy, Dianne and Carrie. That was a scary time for Joyce and me. Mother was in the hospital. We stayed until evening that day. I think that was the first time I felt loved here at St. Peter’s church as a child.
Then in 1959 I was confirmed here and remember the love of Flora and Gus Dierlam – loving us as teenagers. Flora taught Sunday School and Flora and Gus were youth sponsors. They had no children and put up with all of the teen-agers tricks.
Being early teens and going home with Harold and Elizabeth Motz, Lena and Gus Winterheimer after church, spending the day with them. They just loved me for who I was!
I also remember the great day May 17, 1964 when we dedicated the new church and the love we all felt that day.
When I went to school in Milwaukee in the fall of 1964 – all the cards, letters, stamps and care packages I received was a way to say “we love you.” I still have a letter that Elizabeth Ramsey wrote me at that time.
Being married here with the church family in attendance; the cards received when Annette was born. This made me feel loved.
Then on January 13, 1986: having breast cancer and a radical mastectomy with lymph nodes discovered as cancerous. That was the day Rev Ron McShirley moved. We didn’t have a minister at this difficult time – but the church family was here for me with your love. Nancy Scherer came and visited every day at the hospital. On a bad snowy day Ronnie and Nancy took me to chemo treatment. Having someone sitting with me while receiving treatment meant so much. I received flowers, many cards and lots of support and lots and lots of prayers from you.
And than a recurrence in 1998. I was scared. I had a young daughter to raise and asked God a million times to just let me live long enough to raise Annette! Now I have two grandchildren. Imagine radiation treatment not being that bad because you had a friend from church who was with you while you had treatment and showing you love.
I just want to praise the Lord now for my life and my church family and this beautiful day.
The death of my father in 1992 and you were here with prayers, cards, food and love.
And now all the support I have received since losing my job on December 28th.
And again, being and feeling loved in the past two weeks with mother in the hospital recovering from hip replacement. You all telling me you are praying for mother made me feel loved.
Why am I a member of St. Peter’s? Because of the caring and love I have felt here not only during the bad times but the good times also.
I couldn’t have made it all these years as a young child until now without your love. Thanks for loving me because we are brothers and sisters in Christ. You are my family and I feel loved here.
Thanks to you all and St. Peter’s family for loving me ALL the time in the good and bad times and when I have not been very loveable.
Reflection on Life at St. Peter's - Glen Saalweachter (coming soon)
Reflection on Life at St. Peter's - Donald Deutsch
Why is St. Peter’s UCC important to the community?
There are many reasons but I am going to comment on several.
FOOD PANTRY – The Food Pantry helps feed the less fortunate families in Posey County. Without the food pantry some of our neighbors may not have enough to eat and would be more prone to illness. The food pantry takes volunteers from the church and community to operate and maintain. I am sure this is a lot of work but I imagine the workers are feeling a lot of pride and satisfaction from volunteering their time to this worthy endeavor.
FELLOWSHIP – The fellowship enjoyed with each other in the activities of the church. I don’t participate much in a lot of the activities but I thoroughly enjoy working the booth at the Fall Festival. I am a member of the Nut Club but I always try to reserve some time that week to work in the church booth. I was a member at St. John’s UCC downtown during my teens before I went into the Navy. We had a very active youth fellowship group and it was always a highlight of the week. I was raised in that church but after I returned to Evansville, it did not seem to be the same place. I have heard Barb talk about how St. Peter’s was when you had to open the back doors to accommodate the crowd of people here to worship on Sunday mornings. It is not the same either. I would like to see St. Peter’s full again.
WORSHIP - A place to worship and hear the message of the Lord through Scripture and song. A friendly place and as you drive down the road St. Peter’s stands out as an inviting and friendly place. A place when God beckons us to come and worship.
SPIRITUAL SUPPORT – I attended occasionally but as my wife’s health deteriorated I was drawn closer to the church. Rev. Janis was here and provided a great deal of spiritual support to my family and me during the very sad and emotional time of her passing. I was very grateful for the support. The other week when we had the Peace Bubble here, I woke up that morning and thought I really needed a couple extra hours of sleep. Something kept telling me to get out of bed and go to church. I was not able to fall back asleep so I finally got up and rushed around to make it to church on time. I believe this was God telling me that I did not want to miss the program. I am very glad I attended church that morning. The Spirit of God is truly in this church.
In return for what the church gives us by being in this community, we must support the church as it supports us.
Ways of support are not always money; however, it also takes money for the church to be here for us when we need it to be.
We can support the church through working on committees, council and projects. Large churches have a lot of just members who provide financial support and a smaller group who provide financial support and active participation on committees, council, teachers, and projects. At St. Peter’s we need all the people to do all the things. I believe at St. Peter’s we have that.
Think about your financial commitment to St. Peter’s. A 10% increase in our weekly giving would mean about $5,700 additional funds. This would go a long way toward, for instance, the heating oil for the building. Think about how much a 10% increase would affect your weekly budget. If you give $50 a week it would only increase your giving by $5 per week. That is on the average of 3 cups of coffee or glasses of tea for the week at a restaurant. The 10% increase would probably not even make a difference in our daily lives. Think about more than a 10% increase.
In closing, I would like you to think about another concept that I use. I call it found money. What does found money mean to me? (Extra money that comes into my possession that I have not expected.) This could have different meaning to different people. I believe we all have found money at one time or another during the year. Think about sharing this money with God by donating a % of the find to the church. I use discretionary percentages based on how I receive the money. You would be surprised at how good this makes you feel and you may find that found money happens more often.
Please think about your commitment to God when you consider your gifts to St. Peter’s.
Reflection on Life at St. Peter's - Gary Saalweachter
In the past four weeks we have heard from four of our members on what the life of the church has meant to them. I must confes that it has surprised me how uplifting it has been for me to hear their stories.
Next week is Palm Sunday when we will bring our commitment cards to church. I hope we will think - reflect - on our life in the church, and rememer that we give out of faith and love and caring. Remember that giving is to be a joy andn ot a burden; and remember that if you are giving what you can, that is a lot.