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St Paul's United Methodist Church

On a Mission to Share God's Love in Our Community

No At Church Activities including worship until the Governor lifts the quarantine order.

Online Church Services & Giving

  • We will continue to update this list of church services available for you to attend online.  We’d appreciate suggestions from you for the list as well. Please send them to Online Services.  Here are a few entries to try:

Find a Methodist Church You can look up any UMC and check to see if they have an online service.

Check Google, Bing etc. for additional online services.

 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 

Online Giving

Memorial Day Update

Today is Memorial Day.  We hope it is a time of healing and remembrance for you and your family.  We also hope you will celebrate responsibly. Our parents, grandparents and those who came before them sacrificed not just a little time, social distancing or inconvenience.  Many gave their lives, were forever altered by the horrible things they endured or waited for those who never came back.  We have choices because they answered the call. 

Many thanks to all who suggested other graduates we should include in our celebration of Graduation 2020.  Betty Houston’s grandson Houston is a graduate this year and she promises a picture shortly. And we have pictures from Lazarus Sanchez’s graduation parade in Magdalena. Thanks to Mom, Anna Lear for sharing them. Please look for them below and email us at stpaulsocorro@gmail.com  if you have a graduate you would like St Paul’s to celebrate.
 
And finally a reminder that St Paul’s is not planning to resume services until at least July, maybe not even then if virus cases are still on the rise.   There are simply too many vulnerable people in our congregation and too much that would need to be done before we can return. 

Lazarus Sanchez graduated a week ago Friday from Magdalena High School in a unique, thoughtful, and FUN parade through the town. Many people parked along Highway 60 to cheer on the graduates and their families, and the principal (appropriately masked) handed out enlarged diplomas to the graduates for them to display proudly on their vehicles. Lazarus rode in the back of one of his dad’s trucks with his sisters Maggie and Johnnie (visiting from Georgia), and with his dad driving and me riding shotgun.

 

Laz plans to go to UNM in August; because of the uncertainty with residential halls, etc., he and two friends are hoping to rent a place so they can stay put even if we have a resurgence of Covid-19 and in-person classes are shut down. He’s interested in Environmental Science and is really looking forward to the university experience.
We’ve included an picture od Lazarus and his sister Maggie because Maggie has been accepted at the New Mexico School for the Arts in Santa Fe this fall (God willing) for her last two years of high school. Congrats to bothe Maggie and Laz.

More work on the Library/Study

As we shared last week we are working on updating the Library/Study in anticipation of the arrival of our new pastor, Cazandra MacDonald.  This week’s projects included getting solar film on the windows which will keep out much of the heat of summer, we hope.  If this film works well we will add it to other windows that need relief from solar gain.  We also put up new curtain rods and drapes.  The drapes are also thermal protective and can be closed for additional relief from the sun.  We’ve included before and after pictures to give you an idea of how things have changed. Almost done.

 

Cazandra’s Corner

 

  1. I’ve NOT ridden horses since an early age. I didn’t start riding horses until I was 46. I loved horses as a kid and played with horses instead of Barbie dolls.
  2. I taught middle school choir.
  3. Quilting is one of my favorite hobbies.

 

Education is in my blood. My father was an elementary school teacher, principal and superintendent and my mother was a teachers aide. Teaching middle school band was one of my life’s greatest joys. Sixth graders (Beginner Band) were my favorites because I taught them how to open their cases, put their instruments together, and make those first awful, glorious sounds on their instruments. Teaching is in my blood. Perhaps one of the aspects of teaching that has been most profound is when I teach/educate/advocate for people raising children with chronic illnesses. I have a strong belief that, “Once you have taught there isn’t much you can’t do.” My years teaching band were some of the most significant years of my life.

 

Which of the following statements is NOT true about Cazandra?

 

  1. I enjoy driving long distances.
  2. I once broke a record in discus.
  3. I prefer dogs over cats.

 

More to come next week!

 

Peace and elbows (hugs again one day),

Cazandra

 

 
Cazandra Campos-MacDonald
 
Shining the light of hope and encouragement

Visit my new website www.cazandracmacdonald.com and sign up to receive my monthly newsletter.
“Dear Hemophilia, Finding Hope Through Chronic Illness” is now available at Amazon.
 
Visit The Fishbowl! The podcast for leaders in ministry and the world 
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.”   Isaiah 43:1 (NRSV)

 

I’ll leave you with these wise words from a Tennessee Pastor which I got from a former Superintendant of Schools I worked for and still admire greatly.

A Post froma Tennessee Pastor:

I trust God…and I wear my seatbelt.
I trust God…and I wear a motorcycle helmut.
I trust God…and there are enough life jackets in my boat for everyone on board.
I trust God…and I use oven mitts with really hot dishes.
I trust God…and I lock my house at night.
I trust God…and I have smoke detectors in my house.
I trust God…and I take my prescribed medicines.and I will follow the best guidelines to share the task of flattening the curve.
Acting with caution and wisdom does not indicate a lack of trust in God
I trust God…

May 17th Update - Blessings St Paul's Community.
We hope your week has been healthy and spirit fed!

This is the time of year when at least some of you would be celebrating graduations if not for the virus restrictions.  St Paul’s usually celebrates graduates by recognizing them during the church service closest to local graduation dates.  We can’t be in church together this year but we can share with you information about our graduating seniors and ask that you find your own ways to connect and congratulate them.  Please check the grads section below and email us at stpaulsocorro@gmail.com if you have a graduate you would like St Paul’s to celebrate.

One last important bit of information before we send you on to the articles in this issue.  If you are on the prayer chain you already know that Henry and Melissa Newton and their family are mourning the loss of their daughter-in-law Laura who died suddenly Wednesday evening here in Socorro.  Please add the Newton family to your prayers and reach out to them with cards and other signs of your love for them.  You can send cards to 113 Mustang Drive, Socorro, NM 87801.  And please also remember to let us know if you or your family are in need of prayers and support.  God’s Love is always available here.

Our first graduating senior is Clayton Adams, son of John and Kirsten Adams in Lemitar.  Clayton is graduating from Socorro High School. During High School Clayton was active in FFA and golf.  His golf season was cut short this year when he required an ACL repair on his left knee.  His recovery was quick and you wouldn’t even know he had surgery. 

Right now Clayton is working at John’s uncle’s ranch in Oklahoma. He has been there since the middle of April.  He is not sure what his plans are at this time.  He decided to go work on the ranch to see if he really wanted to get an agriculture degree or if he was more interested in becoming a welder or lineman. 

He has fond memories of the mission trips he took with St. Paul’s youth group and he is still in touch with some of the youth members he met in California. 
 
Maiah Sager is the daughter of Jane and Salem Sager, and the grandaughter of Joyce Sewell.  Maiah was born March 4, 2002. She loves cats, cooking, baking, plants, sunset and twilight.  She plans to become a paramedic and travel abroad, and possibly move to Ireland or Scotland. 
 

Preparing for the New Pastor

As most of you know already we will have a new pastor come July1.  Hooray!!!  This change, with a number of other possibilities, has made us think about what we need as we look ahead.  On of the things that came to mind in the Comstock household was that the Library/Pastor’s Study (used to be the Parlor) needed a little cheering up.  So Pete and I volunteered to buy some paint and repaint the walls and ceiling in that space.  We’re happy to report that the walls and ceiling are looking mighty nice now that the job is done.

Other folks who have added to this project are Kenny Hoke, our Trustee Chair, who did the wall and ceiling repairs and who has spent some days this past week cleaning and spiffying up the hardwood floor in the study. Thanks Kenny

Henry Newton will be replacing the lights in the study and upgrading electrical in the near future. And we are adding a sun reflective film to the windows this week to cut down on heat and glare. Then we’ll add some drapes and new quarter round before bringing the furniture back.  We’ll share some more pictures when this is all done.   Many thanks to everyone who has worked on this project.

 

Cazandra's Corner

Answer to last week’s question. Which of the following statements is not true about Cazandra?

  1. I once broke boards with my feet.
  2. I am NOT an avid ice skater. I can’t stand up on skates! My husband is an avid figure skater.
  3. I taught English as a Second Language (ESL).

I changed careers in 2003 and became a National Patient Advocate for a specialty infusion company and worked for them for over 13 years. It is one of those moments when God gift wrapped a unique opportunity and put it in my lap. I’m glad I took it. My second act has been filled with advocacy for bleeding and rare disorders and I speak across the country to people with these illnesses. It is a significant part of my ministry. It’s amazing to see how ministry can happen outside of the church. You don’t have to use “churchy” language or recite scripture. When you are present for others, listening, acknowledging, and loving them, you are being used by the Divine in a way no one else can be used.

Question for the week. Which of the following statements is NOT true about Cazandra?

  1. I’ve ridden horses since an early age.
  2. I taught middle school choir.
  3. Quilting is one of my favorite hobbies.
 
Cazandra Campos-MacDonald
Shining the light of hope and encouragement
Visit my new website www.cazandracmacdonald.com and sign up to receive my monthly newsletter.
“Dear Hemophilia, Finding Hope Through Chronic Illness” is now available at Amazon.
 
Visit The Fishbowl! The podcast for leaders in ministry and the world Relaunching January 2020!
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.”   Isaiah 43:1 (NRSV)
 
 

May 10th Cazandra’s Corner

 

Answer to last week’s question. Which of the following statements is not true about Cazandra

1.     I once had a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL).

2.     I was NOT a baton twirler in the marching band. I played saxophone, was in the Color Guard and was the Drum Major my Senior year. My main instrument is the oboe.

3.     I was the President of the USA in Model United Nations.

 

I met my husband, Rev. Dr. Joe MacDonald in college. We had a long engagement and were married in 1992. We’ve been together over 30 years. We have two sons, Julian (23), who lives in Amarillo, TX and is a musical theatre major at West Texas A&M University and our youngest son, Caeleb (14), will start high school this coming year. Caeleb plays trumpet in the band and takes piano lessons. You will always see him with a sketchbook in hand. When our oldest son was born, he was diagnosed with Severe hemophilia A; a rare, genetic bleeding disorder. Caeleb has the same diagnosis. I found out after Caeleb’s birth that my older brother, Ronnie, died at five days of age from complications of hemophilia.

  Question for the week. Which of the following statements is not true about Cazandra?

1.     I once broke boards with my feet.

2.     I taught English as a Second Language (ESL).

3.     I am an avid ice skater.

 More to come next week!

 

Peace and elbows (hugs again one day),

Cazandra

 Cazandra Campos-MacDonald

 Shining the light of hope and encouragement

Visit my new website www.cazandracmacdonald.com and sign up to receive my monthly newsletter.

“Dear Hemophilia, Finding Hope Through Chronic Illness” is now available at Amazon.

TEDxABQ talk “A Prisoner of Hope”

Visit The Fishbowl! The podcast for leaders in ministry and the world Relaunching January 2020!

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.”   Isaiah 43:1 (NRSV)

A Letter from PPRC Chair

 Peter Comstock

 

Dear members of St. Paul’s,

The PPRC met with our new pastor on Tuesday of this week to begin a fruitful dialogue to help her prepare to start at St. Paul’s come July 1st . It goes without saying that this transition will be

unlike any other that St. Paul’s has experienced in the past. Cazandra and her family will be moving to Belen, where her husband will be the new pastor, on June 15th and be in quarantine there until June 30th unless the current health restrictions in New Mexico are changed before that date.

 

Given the current situation with the COVID-19 virus there are likely to be many other restrictions on what a pastor can offer a congregation because of the need to stay sheltered as well as limits on group size. So, the plan is to look at other ways of delivering a spiritual message on a regular basis. Time and changing conditions will dictate what those possibilities might be. What would be allowable today may not be allowable come July.

 

The one thing that you all need to think about is that this virus is not going away in a few months. It is going to take a lot longer for things to come to a new normal. However, in the meantime, it is the PPRC’s vision to adopt and adjust our plans so that the congregation will have as many options as possible to worship once our new Pastor arrives in July.

 

Blessings,

Peter Comstock

Chair, Pastor Parish Relations Committee

Blessings and Love St Paul’s people.   St Paul’s May 3rd Update

 

We hope you have had a good week and that everyone in your family is well.  Our Bible studies are going well and either group (Thursday, 10am Morning Bible Study or the Women’s Bible Study which meets a 6pm on Thursdays) would love to have you join them.  Email Darla Bejnar (dhBejnar54@gmail.com)  to be added to either group’s meeting.

 

Please keep St Paul’s Pastor Parish Relations Committee in your prayers this week as they will be meeting via Zoom with Cazandra Campos-MacDonald our new pastor.  Use your prayers to support them and Cazandra as they work on expectations, needs and dreams for St Paul’s.  In fact Cazandra has already decided to share some things about herself and hopes to continue dialoging with us so that when she arrives in July we will be very comfortable with each other.  Check out her first message to us below:

 

Hello to everyone! My name is Cazandra Campos-MacDonald, and I will be your pastor starting July 1st. I am very excited about coming to St. Paul’s. Until I arrive, I want to give you a little about myself over the next several weeks. Pastoral transitions are not always easy, but throw in COVID-19 and the fact that you have not had a pastor since September and it makes for a very different situation. Let me start with some of the basics.

 I was born in Corpus Christi, Texas and raised in Galena Park (a suburb of Houston). I had a great childhood, played on a softball league in the summers and was a big band nerd. I began playing oboe in the fifth grade and music was my focus throughout school. I was raised Catholic, but never truly understood much about Catholicism until I was a young adult. I attended Houston Baptist University (HBU) and graduated with a Bachelor of Music Education degree and taught middle school band for 13 years. I also was a freelance musician in the Houston area until 2006.

 

Question for the week. Which of the following statements is not true about Cazandra?

 

1.    I once had a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL).

2.   I was a baton twirler in the marching band.

3.   I was the President of the USA in Model United Nations.

 

More to come next week!

 

Peace and elbows (hugs again one day),

Cazandra

 

Please also remember to send us your prayer concerns including joys.  Send them to Suzanne Borchers (borchers.suzanne@gmail.com) and she will post them for everyone to share.

 

And remember to find a Sunday service to share with your family every week while we are unable to worship at St Paul’s.  Our website can hook you up with a good selection.   Or do some reading or praying on your own.  Maybe from the Upper Room magazine we mailed out this week. We’ve listed the Lectionary Readings below and they are also a good place to start.

 

Acts 2:42-472

Psalm 23

1 Peter 2:19-25

John 10:1-10

 

And finally a quote that Betty Houston sent us.  It came from the “New Mexico Farm and Ranch Magazine” last month.

 

“as any farmer knows, only too well, not one of us was promised we’d never face tough times.  But I do believe that the Lord gives us grace to face each day and to handle the tasks He has set before us. Let us each face this day with a heart to serve our neighbors, with endurance to finish the day’s work, and with courage to get up and do it again tomorrow.”

 

Blessings & Love,

 

The Leadership Team

 

A great article from Cazandra MacDonald who will be our new pastor 'hopefully" in July

Thoughts from a “Technical Director”
 
Cazandra Campos-MacDonald, Certified Candidate, Hamlin Memorial UMC, Farwell, Texas
I wear many hats in my local church. From leading worship, preaching, organizing events, teaching, and serving wherever there is a need, I am actively involved. Now I took on a new role out of necessity…” technical director.” My technical directing tools involve the use of an iPad, iMovie, and YouTube. It is hardly high tech, but for my small church, it gets the job done. But there is something that happened during these weeks of quarantine that surprised me.
 
I enjoy watching services throughout our conference. I get to see what the inside of the sanctuary looks like, hear music from different groups as well as hear pastors preach that I never heard before. Some churches stream their services without hesitation because it is part of what they did prior to COVID-19. Views capturing the pastor from different angles move seamlessly during a sermon. Close-ups of images from the church and people sharing music give the viewer a more interesting visual component to worship. And the sound is amplified by high tech microphones.
 
I’m just using my iPad. Is it enough?
 
The sin of comparison begins to rear its ugly head as I doubt the work that I continue to put out. I try my best to capture the hearts of the small team that assembles each week to worship but is it enough?
Yes, Beloved, it is enough.
 
Some of us have amazing technology at our fingertips with skilled individuals able to make the magic happen, while others struggle. Some of our communities prefer to not be online, so reaching them is more difficult. And when we do make the attempt to put a service or devotional online, technical difficulty get the best of our efforts.
 
If there is a week that the technology is not cooperating, share a link to another church in the conference. We are connectional! If technology is not an option, send a devotional via the post office. Perhaps you are in a small church…make weekly phone calls.
 
We are a connectional people in a vastly different world. Your efforts are enough. Don’t let comparison get the best of you.
 
Published in the New Mexico Annual Conference”s Weekly Newsletter for April 14, 2020
 

Our Easter Gallery

An Easter Experience shared by Kenny Hoke

Well, Easter Covid 2020 shall be long remembered. Yes, this Easter was different in many ways with no public gatherings, meaning no Sunrise Service, no Pancake Breakfast at the church afterwards, or Easter egg hunts for the kids. With all that was canceled, I volunteered to go ring Saint Paul’s Methodist Church bell here in Socorro, NM at sunrise. (I had no idea how many memories would come flooding back across my mind as the morning went on.)

I felt it was only right to make sure I was dressed in my Sunday finery, and no, that does not mean my pajamas. So Kristal and I went to the church bright and early and waited for 6:40 to roll around. There we were, me standing inside the church with hands on the rope and Kristal standing just outside the door. And the moment came. I pulled the rope and just like something from an old silent movie – there was no sound as about 10 feet of rope fell earthward from the ceiling. I turned to look at Kristal each with shocked looks on our faces. I said, “Now what?!” She said, “You better grab the ladder.” So here I am, dressed in me Sunday go-to-meeting clothes, heading to the shed to grab the BIG ladder to clamber up on the roof. After taking about two steps the thought came to mind of the house I lived in in California many years ago. From my front porch I could see the roof of the house across the street and one fine day I saw their 8 year old daughter on the their roof wearing a cape, with an umbrella in one hand and the leash hooked to the Cat in the other, all while wearing roller skates. Yes, roller skates! I think this came to mind as my own shoes I was wearing was a bit on the slick side for being on the roof. But I still managed to work my way up to the bell tower and open the door and start ringing the bell for the better part of a minute at sunrise-ish, all the while thinking of the old guy in that Western movie saying “I’ll wack that bell.”

When I got done with the ringing, while still sitting on the little ledge of the small doorway to the belfry, I stopped and took off my shoes figuring I would have better traction in just my socks and tossed my shoes on down.

After all of that came the realization that something needed to be done to try to fix the bell before the 11 o’clock hour when it was to be rung by others. But I did go home and change clothes first and get better shoes on. After all, I didn’t have a cape, or umbrella nor do I think my cat would go with me. But it made for a memorable Easter for sure! It was just as I finished the chore of fixing the bell that one of the lay leaders of the church called to say “He has Risen!” Through my laughter I was able to respond with “Yes, He has Risen indeed!” and then proceeded to tell her about the morning.