Our Hurting World - The Messenger July 2021 - St. Paul's UMC

The Messenger
                                 July 2021
                                 St. Paul’s United Methodist Church
                                        3334 Breton Road, S.E.
                                       Grand Rapids, MI 49512
                                        Phone: (616) 949-0880
                                       Pastor: Rev. Bri Desotell
                                  Email: pastorbri@grstpaulsumc.org
                                         office@grstpaulsumc.org
                                    Website: www.grstpaulsumc.org

              Our Hurting World
                           JULY HURTING WORLD OFFERING

  The July Hurting World Offering will go to Red Bird Clinic for Community Health.
This is a program providing health programs for low income, underinsured, people in
remote mountain areas in the Appalachia. This is an important program of Red Bird
                                    Mission.
         Please prayerfully consider your contribution to this vital ministry.

The Thursday Evening Women’s Bible Study group—will meet on July 22nd at 6:30pm. We will gather in
the church parking lot for a time of visiting and prayer. Please bring a lawn chair and join us.

Finance Committee: 6 month member statements will be available in church on Sunday, July 18th. If you
are not currently attending church, you may contact Christine Bonk to have it mailed.
Email: xbonkster@yahoo.com
Phone: 616-304-5509

Financial Update for First 5 months of 2021

                   January—May, 2021                     Budget                       Over (Under) Budget

Income             $75,188                               $75,822                      $(634)

Expenses           $83,789                               $90,185                      $(6,396)

Net Income         $(8,601)                               $(14,363)                    $5,763

Our income is $634 less than budgeted; expenses are $6,396 less than budgeted; therefore, the bottom line is
better by $5,763 than the budgeted loss of 14,363.
Submitted by Evelyn Mingle, Finance Chair

                                             Thank you!
Thank you so much for all the prayers for Curt and I during these last few
months. After a scan last week, the pulmonologist and oncology radiologist
told him to come back in 6 months for another scan. Things looked very
good.
Evelyn Mingle

Thrive thanks you once again for the use of the church sign and the downstairs space for us to
celebrate our 10th Anniversary! We had a wonderful time with refugees from around the
world! A special thank you to Glenn for his help in preparing for our celebration. Soon we
will have videos posted on our Facebook page if you would like to see music and testimonies
of our time together.
Search: thrive: a refugee support program. God bless you all!

Troop 200 High Adventure

On June 10th, 2021 Troop 200 from St. Paul's United Methodist Church, went on a high adventure
to Isle Royale National Park. We did have a couple of incidents like a broken toe (just to name one
of them) but the views were worth it. We saw a lot of wildlife and flowers. We hiked about 20 miles in
total and returned on the 17th.

Welcome to Our New Pastor!

   Dear friends, I am so excited to be in ministry with the people of Grand Rapids: St. Paul’s
United Methodist Church! I grew up in the Upper Peninsula but did my undergraduate work
    at Hope College, just down the road in Holland, MI. I received a Master of Divinity from
    Duke Divinity School in North Carolina; I also have a Master of the Arts in Spiritual For-
   mation from Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary in Illinois. I have been in ordained
 ministry for fifteen years; St. Paul’s UMC will be my third appointment and the fourth con-
                     gregation with whom I’ve been blessed to be in ministry.
 My passions for ministry include preaching, leading worship, teaching, spiritual disciplines,
 and helping others discover their God-given calling and use their gifts for ministry. I believe
 that the church must not only take care of our members but needs to look beyond our walls
   and be a vital part of our community. I love people, and I am looking forward to getting to
                                          know all of you!
 In my free time, I’m a creative person. I enjoy knitting, crocheting, drawing, painting, read-
   ing, and creative writing. Our family also enjoys travelling and looks forward to travelling
again once it’s safe to do so. Closer to home, I love to go for walks; walking is one of my favor-
                               ite physical and spiritual disciplines.
  I am married; my husband Mike is also a United Methodist pastor. Together we have three
 children. Our daughter Michaela is 11 years old and in the fifth grade; she loves competitive
swimming, robotics, reading, and is a gifted creative writer. Our daughter Braeleigh is 6 years
   old and in kindergarten; she loves swimming, making slime, and anything related to Elsa
    from Frozen! We also have a son Carl, who was diagnosed with leukemia as a baby. Carl
   passed away in 2013 when he was one year old; his love and courage remain an important
                                      part of our family story.
  When Carl was diagnosed with cancer, my mother-in-law moved in with our family to help
 keep the world spinning for our then 3-year-old daughter. ‘Grandma Cathy’ has stayed with
 us, making us a multigenerational family. Cathy enjoys baking, gardening, and diamond art;
               she is looking forward to meeting our new friends in Grand Rapids.

I am already in prayer for you, the saints of St. Paul’s UMC, and I anticipate discovering with
       you all that God has in store for us together. May God bless you and keep you.

With faith, hope, and love in Christ, Pastor Bri Desotell (pronounced /bree/)

July Birthday’s

Rachel McWilliams—4th
Wayne Whittington—5th
   Barb Stafford—6th
  Linda Carrick—12th
  Momo Logan—26th
    Bob Deal—28th