Are you new here? Join us for Coffee with the Pastors, a family-friendly time of coffee and conversations with our St. Paul’s clergy and others in the Jones Building Lobby.

Holding Hope is a four-week Advent series, co-facilitated by Rev. Andrew Wolfe and Helen Spaw, intended for those who have experienced pregnancy or infant loss.

Each Sunday of Advent (Dec. 2, 9, 16 & 23, 12:15-1:30 pm), we will gather in the Fellers Room, S-312, to reflect on scripture passages and an accompanying devotion. In the midst of grief, we will offer a safe space where you can find support and comfort and open ourselves to the possibility of hope.

Whether parent or grandparent, we invite adults grieving the loss of a child due to miscarriage, stillbirth, or other complications of premature births.

For more details, contact Helen Spaw via hspaw@stpaulshouston.org or 713-528-0527.

Our popular Friday-night program for children 4 months to 5th grade becomes Kids Day Out during December. It includes a full schedule of games, crafts, play, snacks, lunch, and supervised activities from 9:30 am to 2:30 pm while parents enjoy an day on their own. The cost is $25/child/day ($5/each additional sibling). A light supper is served around 6:30. 

Kids Night/Day Out is available for families of St. Paul’s Church and School. Reservations, which are required due to limited space and staff, are accepted for each date up to two weeks in advance.

Please use this secure link to register and pay. For questions or special needs, please contact Ellen Edwards via eedwards@stpaulshouston.org.

Sales in the Jones Building Lobby Saturday, December 8, from 9 am to 2 pm.

Watch gingerbread house decorating any time between 10 am and 2 pm on Friday, December 7, in Fondren Hall (J-215).

Advent—the first season in the Christian calendar—is a time of expectation and preparation. This year, Advent begins on Sunday, December 2, and ends on Christmas Eve.

St. Paul’s annual Service of Advent Lessons and Carols takes us on a journey. We begin by recognizing the separation that we can sometimes feel from God (traditionally depicted as the expulsion from the Garden of Eden) but, as the service progresses, the scripture and music move us through words of encouragement and God’s promise of redemption to joyful anticipation of the coming of Christ into the world and into our hearts.

Interspersed between the beautiful and poetic scripture readings of the Advent season, St. Paul’s Choir and St. Paul’s Treble Choir will be singing music spanning five centuries of composition. Choral anthems will include:

• Drop down, ye heavens – Richard Lloyd

• Canite tuba – Francisco Guerrero

• Never weather-beaten sail – Charles Wood

• E’en so, Lord Jesus, quickly come – Paul Manz

• Song of Peace – Charles Stanford

• Angelus ad Virginem – Andrew Carter

Hymns sung by the whole congregation will include:

• Prepare the way, O Zion

• Come, thou long-expected Jesus

• Hark, the glad sound

The service will end with Charles Wesley’s exuberant affirmation of the coming of Christ: “Lo, he comes with clouds descending.”

All are welcome. Following the service, St. Paul’s Youth and families are hosting a dessert reception in the Youth Center.

Does your child have developmental, emotional, medical or learning differences? This parent group is designed to provide a time of connection and mutual support.  

First Sunday of every month 12:15-1:30 pm in J-204. Childcare is provided, and attendees are encouraged to bring a brown-bag lunch. You do not have to be a member of St. Paul’s to attend.

The group is led by co-facilitators Helen Spaw, who holds a Masters in Art Therapy and Creativity from New York's Pratt Institute, and Jennifer West, who is working on a graduate degree in counseling.

RSVP and questions to Helen Spaw at hspaw@stpaulshouston.org

Dr. William Martin, a decorated emeritus professor at Rice University and a well-known author, will speak to the Journeys Class on Sundays, December 2 and 16. For years, Dr. Martin wrote the religion column in Texas Monthly and he has also written for many prominent national publications. Both of Dr. Martin’s talks will focus on his acclaimed biography of Billy Graham.

Dec. 2, 2018:  The first talk, "A Prophet with Honor," will provide an overview of Billy Graham's life and ministry--the key developments that were part of his becoming one of the most important and influential religious figures of the 20th century and the major force in the growth of evangelical Christianity worldwide; his relationship with presidents (briefly); his role in enlarging religious freedom behind the Iron Curtain; the evolution of his stance on key social issues; the personal qualities that made this possible; and his legacy and the future of his organization under the leadership of his son Franklin. 

Dec. 16, 2018: The second talk, "All the Presidents' Man," will elaborate and go into greater detail about his relationship with presidents from Harry Truman to Donald Trump, associations that enlarged his fame and influence, increased his opportunities to do things that would likely have been impossible without those contacts, but that also exposed vulnerabilities and brought sharp and often deserved criticism. 

The Journeys Class invite anyone interested in hearing these talks to join them in the Fellers Room (S-312).

Looking for unique, hand-crafted gifts for Christmas? Shop the Missions Market on the Plaza throughout the morning of Sunday, December 2.

Fe y Esperanza. Order handmade tamales—chicken, pork, and vegetable. They will be ready for pick up from the Jones Building second-floor kitchen on Sunday, December 16.

Women’s Sewing Ministries at our sister churches in Bolivia. Colorful, hand-crafted goods, such as aprons, pot holders, purses and bags of all sizes, and tablecloths.

St. Paul’s Prayers & Squares quilt ministry. Christmas-themed tea towels and hot pads, heart-shaped zippered coin purses, luggage tags, microwave bowl holders, and snap trays.

Nepantla Life. Hand-crafted Chicana soaps and poetry by Elizabeth Santos.

Manna Bags. Filled with water, socks, snack items, toiletries, and a resource guide, these have been assembled by St. Paul’s members for giving to homeless people, in lieu of cash.

For more details, contact Amy Taylor, Director of Missions, via ataylor@stpaulshouston.org or 713-528-0527.

During December, our popular Friday-night program for children 4 months to 5th grade moves to Saturdays. It includes a full schedule of games, crafts, play, snacks, and supervised activities from 9 am to 2:30 pm while parents enjoy a day on their own. The cost is $25/child/night ($5/each additional sibling). A light lunch is served around noon.

Kids Night/Day Out is available for families of St. Paul’s Church and School. Reservations, which are required due to limited space and staff, are accepted for each date up to two weeks in advance.

Please use this secure link to register and pay. For questions or special needs, please contact Ellen Edwards via eedwards@stpaulshouston.org.

How do we understand and experience God's grace? What are the two sacraments recognized by The United Methodist Church? How can we show up for the everyday "sacramental" (holy) moments? We will explore these questions and more in this 3-part series, taught by Rev. Paul Richards-Kuan.

In August 2017, the floodwaters of Hurricane Harvey displaced many Houstonians, and many are still not back in their homes. You can help Houston families rebuild and repair their homes by serving on a weekend work team. No prior experience needed; volunteers will be trained on how to do these repairs. For details, contact Amy Taylor, Director of Missions, via ataylor@stpaulshouston.org

St. Paul’s School Parent Education Event 
Technology and the Family: Finding a Healthy Balance between Screen Time and Family Time

Dr. Kimberley Swales will discuss the impact that technology, media and video games have on the development of the whole child and the motivation center of the brain in particular.  She will also discuss the effects of technology and media on interpersonal relationships and the family. She presents both the research and the real-life application of these topics and how to implement changes in your own family.

Dr. Swales earned her Ph.D. in Marriage and Family Communication over 25 years ago. Dr. Swales was formerly a researcher and college professor but is now in private practice as a marriage, relationship, parenting and life coach. She has won a prestigious national award for her research on communication between men and women. She has been married for 22 years and has three children, so she brings a real life perspective to all of her talks and coaching on marriage, parenting and communication.

Cost: FREE | Parent Education Events are open to everyone. 

RVSP and reserve childcare

The book for discussion November 13 is Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker by Jennifer Chiaverini.. Note that this is a date change from the usual third Tuesday. The meeting location also has changed for this month to J-203.

Chapter One Book Group is open to anyone who enjoys reading and discussing a wide variety of books. The group usually meets the third Tuesday of the month at 7 pm in J-202.

The book for discussion at the next meeting, December 18, will be Less: A Novel by Andrew Sean Greer.

Decisions about selections for the next several months will be made soon. To recommend books for the group to read and discuss, please contact Linda Harmes at hblinda@hibit.com

To be added to the email list for group notifications, please contact Linda Harmes at hblinda@hibit.com.

Krystal Scott-West, Social Action Coordinator with the Texas Annual Conference United Methodist Women (UMW), will speak with the St. Paul’s UMW on Tuesday, November 13 at 10:30 am in J-204 (gather at 10 am).

Scott-West will talk about work with victims of human trafficking. She leads Bible studies and talks with the girls and women, many of whom are glad to tell their stories. She also gives them hygiene packets containing toiletries, a hand towel, and a wash cloth. 

Note the date change due to normal meeting date the same week as Thanksgiving.

You are invited to "All for the Common Good" Churchwide Stewardship Luncheon on Sunday, November 11, at 12:15 pm in Fondren Hall. 

Rev. Tommy Williams, senior pastor, will share about the milestones accomplished through St. Paul’s this year and where we anticipate God leading us in 2019. All are welcome to attend this informative and inspirational presentation while we enjoy lunch together.

Catered by Jim Benton of Houston, the meal will be family-style, serving your choice of:

1. Pot roast with rich brown gravy, carrots and potatoes seasoned with fresh herbs, green salad, and rolls. Dessert: apple caramel bread pudding.

2. Vegan/vegetarian: Kale pesto pasta with cherry tomatoes.

Tickets to the luncheon are $10/person. Make your reservation online (deadline extended!), or pay at the door.

While adults attend the luncheon, children (ages 3-5th grade) can participate in the Children’s Advent Art Festival in J-120 with a free lunch provided. Youth (6th-12th grade) have the option to attend the luncheon or assist the younger ones with their art projects. Nursery care will be available for babies and toddlers.

Our popular Friday-night program for children 4 months to 5th grade includes a full schedule of games, crafts, play, snacks and supervised activities from 6 to 10:30 pm while parents enjoy an evening on their own. The cost is $25/child/night ($5/each additional sibling).  A light supper is served around 6:30. During December, this activity becomes Kids Day Out.

Kids Night/Day Out is available for families of St. Paul’s Church and School. Reservations, which are required due to limited space and staff, are accepted for each date up to two weeks in advance.

Please use this secure link to register and pay. For questions or special needs, please contact Ellen Edwards via eedwards@stpaulshouston.org.

Join us at St. Paul’s in Fondren Hall for an event celebrating Wil Haygood’s new book, Tigerland. This event is free and open to the public.

Courtesy of Brazos Bookstore:
From the author of the best-selling The Butler—an emotional, inspiring story of two teams from a poor, black, segregated high school in Ohio, who, in the midst of the racial turbulence of 1968/1969, win the Ohio state baseball and basketball championships in the same year.

1968 and 1969: Martin Luther King Jr. and Bobby Kennedy are assassinated. Race relations are frayed like never before. Cities are aflame as demonstrations and riots proliferate. But in Columbus, Ohio, the Tigers of segregated East High School win the baseball and basketball championships, defeating bigger, richer, whiter teams across the state. Now, Wil Haygood gives us a spirited and stirring account of this improbable triumph and takes us deep into the personal lives of these local heroes: Robert Wright, power forward, whose father was a murderer; Kenny Mizelle, the Tigers’ second baseman, who grew up under the false impression that his father had died; Eddie “Rat” Ratleff, the star of both teams, who would play for the 1972 U.S. Olympic basketball team. We meet Jack Gibbs, the first black principal at East High; Bob Hart, the white basketball coach, determined to fight against the injustices he saw inflicting his team; the hometown fans who followed the Tigers to stadiums across the state. And, just as important, Haygood puts the Tigers’ story in the context of the racially charged late 1960s. The result is both an inspiring sports story and a singularly illuminating social history.

WIL HAYGOOD is currently a Visiting Distinguished Professor in the department of media, journalism, and film at Miami University, Ohio. For nearly three decades he was a journalist, serving as a national and foreign correspondent at The Boston Globe, where he was a Pulitzer Prize finalist, and then at The Washington Post. He is the author The Butler: A Witness to History; Showdown: Thurgood Marshall and the Supreme Court Nomination That Changed America; Sweet Thunder: The Life and Times of Sugar Ray Robinson; In Black and White: The Life of Sammy Davis, Jr; Two on the River; King of the Cats: The Life and Times of Adam Clayton Powell Jr.; and The Haygoods of Columbus: A Family Memoir. The Butlerwas later adapted into the critically acclaimed film directed by Lee Daniels, starring Forest Whitaker and Oprah Winfrey. He has received a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship, a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship, and the 2017 Patrick Henry Fellowship Literary Award for his research on Tigerland. He lives in Washington, D.C.

The Ordinary Life Women invite all women to lunch with them and their Muslim and Jewish women friends for a conversation about Moses, Jesus, and Mohammed.

This conversation is part of an intermittent series begun last fall with members of the Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom about what our faiths mean to us and sharing what makes us human.

“Our Muslim friends shared with us how important non judgmental attitudes and sharing love are to them,” noted Barbara Bruckner, the organizer of this series. “Come join in the conversation,” she added. “You will find new understanding and appreciation for the many things we share in common.”

Bring a friend and food to share to Fondren Lounge on Thursday, November 8, at noon.

The organizer has suggested that those planning to attend read these meditations from Richard Rohr’s Center for Action and Contemplation:

Judaism - Two Roles of Religion

Judaism - A Gracious God

Judaism - Prophetic Honesty

Judaism - Absolutes

Judaism - An Evolving Faith

Judaism - Hasidism

Judaism - Summary

Islam - A Way of Life

Islam - Walk Gently on the Earth

Islam - Holy, Nonviolent Struggle

Islam - Primordial Light

Islam - The Breath of God

Islam - Dying before We Die

Islam - Summary

From Catholic Missions to a Catalyst of the Pentecostal Movement: Four Key Moments in Houston-Galveston Christianity

Ted A. Campbell is a historian, an award-winning author, and an ordained elder in The United Methodist Church. He has served as pastor of United Methodist congregations, and has taught at the Methodist Theological School in Ohio, Duke Divinity School, and Wesley Theological Seminary. He served as president of Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary from 2001 through 2005, and now serves as Professor of Church History at Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas.

His published works include John Wesley and Christian Antiquity (1991), The Religion of the Heart (1991), Christian Confessions (1996), Methodist Doctrine (Abingdon Press, 1999), Christian Mysteries (2005), Charles Wesley: Life, Literature and Legacy (2007) co-edited with Kenneth G. C. Newport, The Gospel in Christian Traditions (2009), and Wesleyan Beliefs: Formal and Popular Expressions of the Core Beliefs of Wesleyan Communities (2010). His edition of the letters of John Wesley between 1756 and 1765 was published in 2015 as was another work entitled The Sky Is Falling, The Church Is Dying, and Other False Alarms.

RSVP to Elisabet Cruz by November 2 via ecruz@stpaulshouston.org or 713-528-0527.

The annual Willing Friends luncheon honors individuals who have included St. Paul’s Foundation or St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in their estate plans. 

This year’s luncheon in Fondren Hall at noon on Monday, November 5, will feature special guest, Christopher Betts, Director of Music at St. Paul’s. He will be introducing himself, talking about St. Paul’s music program, and sharing plans for the future.

Current Willing Friends and those interested in learning more about the Willing Friends Society are invited to attend this special event. RSVP to Elisabet Cruz by October 31 at ecruz@stpaulshouston.org or 713-528-0527.

In recognition of All Saints Sunday, this service remembers the faithful departed through beautiful music, scripture, and prayer. John Rutter’s transcendent Requiem will be sung by St. Paul’s Choir, directed by Christopher Betts, and accompanied by chamber orchestra and organ. Free and open to the public. 

St. Paul’s East End Missional Community is one of the sponsors for this annual block party in the historic Houston community of Magnolia Park. The block party honors the neighborhood’s cultural heritage by hosting a family-friendly celebration all can enjoy for free, highlighting the holiday of Dia De Los Muertos and its traditions.

Enjoy these activities at the block party, and more:

• LISTEN to live music from local artists

• LEARN about the rich history of the Magnolia Park neighborhood

• PARTICIPATE in traditional Dia de los Muertos altar-building

• SHOP gifts, clothes, and more, from local vendors

• EAT amazing food from local restaurants

• CREATE collaborative art celebrating the people of Magnolia Park

• TAKE PHOTOS with your friends in our photobooth to remember the day

Concessions available for sale by cash or card, and services for concessions offered in English and Spanish. Block party area is accessible to people with limited mobility.

For more details, contact Rev. Paul Richards-Kuan via prichards-kuan@stpaulshouston.org or (713) 528-0527.

Our hearts are heavy and our souls are saddened by the tragic news from Pittsburgh earlier today.

In order to lend our support and solidarity, in conjunction with the Houston Rabbinical Association and the entire Houston Jewish Community, we will be holding an outdoor candlelight vigil:

Sunday, October 28, 2018 at 7:15 pm
Evelyn Rubenstein JCC- back parking lot by the tennis courts
5601 S. Braeswood Blvd 
Houston, Texas 77096

Please help us spread the news to all of our friends and neighbors. All are welcome.

We pray for all the bereaved among us.

Street Parking may be necessary 

The Rev. Gregory Han
Director, Interfaith Relations
The Department of Interfaith Relations and Community Partnerships
Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston | A United Way Agency
3303 Main St. | Houston, TX 77002
O: 713-533-4904 | F: 713-520-4663
I: www.imgh.org | E: ghan@imgh.org
The Strength of Shared Beliefs

St. Paul’s annual Fall Fiesta, a community festival for all ages, will be held on the Plaza and Playground. There will be dozens of great activities, including carnival games, moonwalks, pony rides, facepainting, pumpkin decorating, prizes, craft stations, food, and music. Activity and concessions tickets may be purchased at the door ($10 for 25 tickets, cash only).

Visit or decorate the beautiful altar set up by the Fe y Esperanza community to celebrate Dia de los Muertos. All ages are invited to wear costumes and join our Costume Parade!

The fall festival unites our community for fellowship and fun—all ages from St. Paul’s church, Fe y Esperanza, St. Paul’s School, the After-School Program, Fine Arts Academy, MacGregor Elementary, and the wider community. Invite your neighbors and friends! 

Questions? Email Ellen Edwards, Director of Children's Ministry, via eedwards@stpaulshouston.org.