Welcome to
St Paul’s United Methodist Church
Socorro, New Mexico
Contact Us:
Current Activities
Mid-week Pastor’s Newsletter and Devotions
Thursday Morning Bible Study 10AM
Thursday Evening Women’s Bible Study 6PM
Sunday Worship via St Paul’s YouTube page
Communion 1st Sunday of the month
In-person worship resumes Oct. 4th
St Paul's to resume In-person worship Oct. 4th
St Paul’s will resume in-person worship at 10am on Sunday, October 4th. We will be following Covid-19 guidelines which you can find below.
Meet our Pastor
Weekly Reminders
- Mid-week Pastor’s Newsletter (MailChimp)
- Pastor’s Office Hours – Thursday 10am – 3pm (check the church calendar as the day may occasionally change)
- Thursday Morning Bible Study 10am (Zoom) email stpaulsocorro@gmail.com to be added to the group
- Women’s Bible Study 6pm (Zoom) email Darla Bejnar (dhbejnar54@gmail.com)to be added to the group
- Sunday’s Worship Bulletin will be sent in a MailChimp posting after the worship Service is posted to YouTube on Saturday evening.
- Sunday Worship via YouTube (posted Saturday evening)
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Our Task Force is busy preparing for the reopening of our church. It is a time of excitement and a bit of aprehension. I know that everything will look different as we pay attention to the changes needed in order to comply with state guidelines, but I have seen churches reopen successfully and am hopeful that all will go well here at St. Paul’s. If you are comfortable, join us for worship on Sunday, October 4th at 10 am. If you prefer to wait, that is completely understandable. St. Paul’s will continue to offer an online version of our worship service so that you may continue to be connected with our community. Please read the weekly Mailchimp newsletters and keep informed by visiting the website. If the governor’s orders change, we may need to delay opening. This is an ever-changing process, so please be patient and keep everyone making decisions in prayer, both for our church leadership and government officials.
We will have an announcement in the paper letting our community know that we will be open for worship on the 4th. Please spread the word and invite someone who has not been in church prior to the pandemic. Sometimes people just need a friendly invitation. Keep an eye on your mailbox. Our Task Force will send you a letter with more detailed information about gathering for worship.
Would you like to see some familiar faces you’ve not seen in a while? Join us on Sunday’s for Zoom Fellowship. We meet from 11 – 11:30am and spend time catching up with each other. You don’t have to stay for the entire half hour and can jump in or out at any time. Please email myself (pastor@spumc-socorro.org) or Edna (embc48@gmail.com) for the Zoom login information.
Our knitters, contemplative prayer group and jam group are meeting! Let me know if you have any questions about these groups and how to get involved. Small groups are at the core of Methodism. They provide a place to be in friendship and fellowship with others. If you have any ideas about starting a new small group, give me a call. I would love to hear what is on your heart.
My door is always open. If you ever have any questions or concerns, please give me a call at 575-322-0528.
Grace, peace and elbows,
Pastor Cazandra
Help us help our community by giving online
We have activated our online giving system and we hope that you will use the button below to access the Online Giving page. Because we are obligated to provide a record of your donations you will need to register for this online service and set the parameters for your account. We are hoping that you will take advantage of this service especially while we are practicing “social distancing”. You can choose from credit and debit cards, ACH direct withdrawal and text messaging. All of these services require a small fee. Please help us get as much of your donation to St Paul’s as possible by using the ACH method if you can (it has the lowest fees) and/or agreeing to pay the extra fee involved. This will mean so very much to our mission programs. If you need help please contact us at: Online Giving Help
Returning to Church Letter
September 24, 2020
Opening for St. Paul’s UMC, Socorro
St. Paul’s UMC will resume worship services in-person on Sunday, October 4th, at 10:00 a.m. We will follow the recommended plan as prescribed by the CDC (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/organizations/guidance-community-faith-organizations.html). The nursery will remain closed. As always, if you are sick or uncomfortable gathering, please stay home. Pastor Cazandra will continue to record and post sermons and devotionals on YouTube for you to view.
Reopening is a fluid situation. If there is a new outbreak of the virus that affects Socorro County, we may need to return to on-line worship. Watch your e-mail and our web page, www.spumc-socorro.org, for information. There are some changes to “business as usual” that we need to follow to allow for safe in-person worship. They are as follows:
- There will be signs directing you where to enter and exit. Please follow these signs with the help of the ushers. Access to the sanctuary will be through the main, sanctuary doors only.
- Masks are required. Children 24 months of age and older are required to wear a face covering.
- Hand sanitizer will be available upon entering and exiting the building.
- Attendance will be taken. We respectfully request that any positive COVID test after worshipping at St Paul’s be reported to Pastor Cazandra so that those in attendance with that person can be notified immediately. The person’s identity will remain confidential
- We will fill the sanctuary from front to back and empty it from back to front.
- You will be directed to and from your seat. We will sit only in every other pew, and parts of the seated pews will remain blocked off to ensure proper social distancing. Ushers will show you to your seats. Please sit only where instructed (family units will be seated together).
- The offering plate will sit on a table at the back of the sanctuary. Please place your tithes and offerings in the plate as you leave the service.
- Please refrain from congregating in the sanctuary lobby, or aisles before or after service and refrain from handshakes or hugs during this time. Our safety demands exceptional care.
- The Fellowship Hall and kitchen will be closed. If the sanctuary reaches capacity, we will have seating available in the Fellowship Hall where the service may be watched on the television. Please do not bring drinks or food into the sanctuary, fellowship hall or kitchen.
- Please refrain from touching others while on the church premises. This is difficult, but to keep everyone safe, it is necessary.
- There will be no paper, pencils, or Kleenex in the pews. If you need these things, please bring them with you and carry them out with you. There will be a trash can by the exit for your convenience.
- All information will be in the bulletin, including prayer requests and offering envelopes. There will be no Bibles, hymnals, or songbooks in the pews.
Please abide by these guidelines so we may keep everyone safe. We look forward to seeing everyone on Sunday.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Cazandra and the Re-opening Task Force (Peter Comstock, Edna Comstock, Gloria Tacker, Kenny Hoke, Darla Bejnar, Henry Newton, Steven Hunyady, Lynn Brandvold)
Brothers and Sisters in Christ
Wouldn’t it be nice to hear from our St. Paul’s musicians? If you are a musician and would like to share a song, hymn, etc. with the congregation, there is a way to do this. We can post your musical offering to the website, on our YouTube channel and Facebook page. If you would be willing to share your talent with us, please let me and/or Lynn know. If the technical aspect of sharing online is daunting, our resident sound man, Steve Hunyady, has graciously offered to help. You may reach Steve at hunyady@gmail.com or 505-450-3239. I know that our congregation would love to see familiar faces.
I still have plenty of room for Front Porch or Zoom visits. If you would like to visit with me, please sign up at the blue box below. If you want to drop by the church on a Thursday for a few minutes, feel free to do so, but call me to make sure I am in the building. You may always reach me via email at pastor@spumc-socorro.org, or call 575-322-0528.
Stay safe. Wear your masks, wash your hands, and take care of yourselves. May your week be filled with love and joy.
Grace, peace and elbows,
Pastor Cazandra
A Simple Guide for Worshiping at Home
St. Paul’s UMC Socorro – Pastor Cazandra Campos-MacDonald
September 27, 2020