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THE MESSENGER GOOD SAMARITAN CHURCH NEWSLETTER VOLUME 111 ISSUE 2 FEBRUARY 2021 FROM THE PASTOR S DESK THE NEVER ENDING LENT Lent is a season that begins with a reminder of our mortality on Ash Wednesday and then plunges us into a time of introspection and reflection as we await the sunrise or Son rise of Easter During that season we go without Through fasting and abstinence we learn something about our love of God and neighbor or sometimes sadly the lack thereof Going without often teaches us about our own needs addictions selfishness greed and gluttony but it also teaches us about God s grace and provision A year ago when a global pandemic went from rumor to reality and we followed Jesus out of the church building into a virtual space we were in the middle of the season of Lent My last in person worship service with all of you was Ash Wednesday February 26 2020 In so many ways the season of Lent of 2020 never ended For months now we have continued to go without without the kind of community and outings to which we are accustomed without the touch and embrace of others without visits to and from loved ones without the comfort of familiar surroundings like our sanctuary For some of us we have even had to go without food or housing or income security Death and illness have been all around us reminding us constantly of our mortality Every time we get a sniffly nose or a scratchy throat we contemplate our mortality 1 The experience of Lent never ended even as Easter came and went Now here we are back at the beginning of another Lent never having exited the previous one February 17th marks the beginning of Lent 2021 Perhaps in some ways it is a relief As Anne Lamott puts it we have been an Easter people living in a good Friday world Perhaps now we can set down what has felt like a charade Much as we have wanted to many of us have struggled to be bright cheery people of resurrection We have struggled to hold onto hope or see the way into new life through this time Perhaps now we can drop the fa ade and just settle into that continued on page 5

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MEMBERS PLEASE PLAN TO ATTEND 3

STAY INVOLVED BE A PART OF SUNDAY WORSHIP EACH WEEK 4

TREASURER S REPORT I am happy to report that Good Samaritan finished 2020 in the black You may think that all you hear from your treasurer is doom and gloom and sometimes I feel that way myself It is reassuring that so many of you responded to requests for additional support at the end of the year to meet all of our obligations Thank you As you are aware we lost our beloved Pastor Emeritus Harold Brockus in November The church received notification early in December from an insurance company that we had been named as one of the beneficiaries of Harold s estate There were many forms to be filled out and there was a contact name and phone number for a local representative I had some questions and called the contact This turned out to be the financial advisor that Harold had worked with over the years Lance and his staff were so helpful they sent me an envelope containing all of the forms filed out needing only my signature as the church s representative They were handling the paperwork because we were one of three beneficiaries sharing in the annuity I was amazed to receive a check for 28 662 18 in late December very quick turnaround The Resource Development Team agreed that we should move 20 000 to the investment account with United Church Funds and retain the balance for end of year expenses and the first quarter multi peril insurance premium due on January 4 2021 United Church Funds was able to pull the 20 000 from our PNC Bank account on December 30 and it was in the investment for December 31 2020 report The ending balance in the investment account was 431 873 30 For the 4th quarter of 2020 including the 20 000 the Market Value had increased over 70 000 We were able to send both of our denominations 220 for the Christmas offering Now for the not so good news On December 21 I was at church and emptied the mail box I had been looking for the multi peril insurance billing for the new premium year I was shocked to find that the premium had increased by 32 The premium for 2021 is 20 027 The first quarterly payment of 5 006 75 was due January 4 2021 I had earlier had a letter from the Insurance Board detailing several reductions in coverage and cancellation of some The RD Team agreed to pay the first quarter premium since we had no time to explore other options We are now trying to find coverage elsewhere Submitted by Kate Hall 5 FROM THE PASTOR S DESK continued from page 1 grief that has been there inside of us since last February We ve been stuck in Lent and maybe now we can finally admit it And yet and it is a big AND YET the season of Lent is a gift In our frailty we find God s strength In our failures we find God s forgiveness In our despair we find God s hope In our grief we find God s comfort In our need we find God s forgiveness So I invite you into this season with me As a community let s walk through it together with intentionality and let s be honest with each other that this time we are not stepping into a new season but a season we have been in for too long I think we may just discover a gift in it And maybe just maybe this Easter will finally pull us out of our never ending Lent Please God let it be so Pastor Jen

WELCOME CHANCE MARTINEZ COLON Chance is a student at United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities where he is seeking his Master of Divinity in UCC Studies He also serves on the Student Leadership Collective and the Seminary Council Chance is a Medical Social Worker at Morton Plant Hospital and is the supervisor for a team of 55 people He is also active in the Florida Conference of the UCC where he currently serves on the personnel committee Prior to moving to Florida almost 5 years ago Chance and Enrique lived in South Carolina Originally from Alabama Chance has been active in ministry for as long as he can remember He preached his first sermon when he was 10 years old He is adopted and while both of his parents are deceased the lessons that they taught him about love and justice stay with him even to this day In his free time he enjoys travelling and just experiencing life with his husband Enrique and their Golden Retriever Frodo and their cat Avery He also enjoys the various opportunities that he has to provide pulpit supply at local congregations Chance is passionate about justice and social transformation work and the ministries of Good Samaritan Church were what excited him the most about his internship He is looking forward to getting plugged in and getting ready to work alongside all of you at Good Samaritan Church CHANCE MARTINEZ COLON WILL BE SERVING GOOD SAMARITAN CHURCH AS A SEMINARY INTERN FIELD EDUCATION STUDENT FROM FEBRUARY THROUGH AUGUST 2021 WE LOOK FORWARD TO GETTING TO KNOW CHANCE IN THE COMING MONTHS OUR BELOVED JEREMY WALLACE WILL CONTINUE WORKING WITH US UNTIL MID MAY 6

CONGRATS TO OUR VACCINATED GOOD SAMMERS As you all know it has been rather difficult to schedule a time to get a vaccine for COVID 19 whether it is the first or second dose But several of our members and friends have been able to successfully schedule and receive them Congratulations and we hope if you only have the first one that the second one is soon to come qRebecca Higman qRev Sue Sherwood qRachael Wells qLarry and Linda Rupp REBECCA HIGMAN ORDAINED Rebecca Higman whose family has worshipped online with us recently was ordained in an online live streamed ceremony on Sunday January 24 Pastor Jen Daysa had a part in the ceremony as well as many Presbyterian leaders and pastors from our area and from Tampa General Hospital where Rebecca serves as chaplain qParticipating clergy laymen and friends 7 qRev Rebecca Higman

THANK YOU TO ALL WHO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT OUR MINISTRY 8

FOOD PANTRY BEHIND THE SCENES Jim and Mickey Moore come most Tuesday mornings to the church s nursery and pack 44 bags for food insecure children Twenty of the bags go to the Head Start students Then the other 24 bags are distributed from the food pantry for children ages 1 11 Jim and Mickey work alone in the room so they are safe from the virus I wish they could see the children s faces when they carry their bag of healthy snacks home at the end of the week Thank you Jim and Mickey for your time The job is a little boring but so important to the children Your two hours a week takes one task off the long list of tasks done each week by the food pantry coordinators and volunteers Submitted by Judy Friend DEADLINE FOR MARCH 2021 MESSENGER IS FEBRUARY 15 Send all information for submissions to carolyn woodard 130 gmail com FOOD PANTRY CLIENT STORIES Client C This 55 year old homeless man has visited the Food Pantry once a week since the beginning of the pandemic He is an engineer and was working fulltime When Covid hit his company was forced to downsize and his job was eliminated He was able to find another position and worked only two weeks before that company was closed permanently Every week he came and shared with the staff at the pantry how his job search was or was not producing employment He continued to receive food and always stated his gratitude The Monday after Christmas he was one of the first people there His eyes were sparkling behind his mask and he very quietly announced that he had a job and would start at Home Depot on Tuesday He shared that he was first hired as going to work in the yard helping with lumber and other things stored there Then when it was noticed his experience as forklift driver he was asked to demonstrate his ability to operate it He said Not only did I get a job but I got a promotion and a raise before I even started We his temporary family stopped all we were doing inside the pantry and joined him outside clapping and cheering his success We encouraged him to continue visiting us until he was settled into housing He stood a little taller as he walked away quietly saying Thank you for caring about me Client D This small business owner comes each week for some food He always insist upon giving us 5 00 for a bag of food and his business card just in case someone needs his assistance He owns and operates a pressure wash business When the pandemic hit and people were not working his business crashed Every week we d greet him give him food and accept his business card and 5 00 It was important to him that he gave what he had We never intentionally want to damage someone s pride So we made the exchange and wished him well Last week he shared that his business is beginning to pick up We encouraged him to return next week Submitted by Judy Friend 9

ADVENT BOXES FOR FOOD PANTRY A big thank you to all who participated in the collection of foods for the Food Pantry adding something for each day of Advent The following delivered their Advent boxes to the pantry Behret Family Ginger Breitkreutz Steve Crist Judy Friend Beryl Fruth and Ginnie Thompson Katie Fullerton Jane Gaylord Bev Kelly FOOD PANTRY REPORT DECEMBER 2020 Number of days open to serve clients 12 Number of clients served Adults 1 219 Children 338 Total 1 557 Volunteers during December were Bev Kelly Ginnie Thompson Ginger Breitkreutz Kate Hall Carole Diehm Tom Fauquet Sarah Butz Beryl Fruth Judy Friend Katie Fullerton Kay Snyder Joni and John Melville Jean Krauss and Jane Gaylord Also helping to pack the 55 Plus bags for seniors were Mickey and Jim Moore Beverly Finn and Robin Becker The number of households served in December was 516 That means that 516 bags of groceries were given out in the 12 days we were open in December The pantry has served 10 455 individuals in 2020 Previously the greatest number of individuals served in a full year was 3 187 in 2015 The pantry volunteers wanted to have something special for our clients for Christmas Sarah Butz contacted the Save a Lot store in Kenneth City where we have been ordering food for the pantry The butcher offered to cut small hams costing 5 00 each Sarah picked up the hams early on Monday Dec 21 and we gave them out to families on that Monday and Tuesday There were enough of the canned hams donated for Thanksgiving left for us to give to couples and individuals Oakhurst United Methodist Church in Seminole continues to hold monthly Pop the Trunk food drives for our pantry on the third Saturday of each month Other outside groups and individuals have been bringing food to the Donations door We also continue to receive checks for deposit to the Food Pantry Fund As always thanks to all who keep this important mission running Submitted by Kate Hall Gail Martin Gab Oberholzer Sue Sherwood Suzie Steger Martha Taylor Jeremy Wallace Clarence Wilkinson Thank you to all who participated Submitted by Kate Hall CURRENT FOOD PANTRY NEEDS CANNED VEGETABLES SOUPS AND SALTINE CRACKERS FAST JUSTICE NEWS Our FAST Faith and Action for Strength Together justice group is winding up their research in our three focus areas of concern Affordable Housing Mental Health and Criminal Justice These committees will present their findings at the RALLY on March 8th 7 00 PM Each committee will be offering recommendations for specific action to those in authority at our NEHEMIAH ACTION on March 22nd 7 00 PM Both events will be a drive up event or online option If you choose to attend from your car you can listen to the Rally and Nehemiah Action on your car radio and watch on a large TV screen 10 in the parking lot of a designated church Otherwise you can watch on Zoom as we do for Sunday worship All of our network members will be attending and others are welcome Additional information will be provided in next month s Messenger Submitted by Bev Kelly

BE SURE TO STAY CONNECTED MANY OPPORTUNITIES FOR VIRTUAL MEETINGS WITH PHONE OR COMPUTER ARE AVAILABLE 11

THE MESSENGER of Good Samaritan Church 6085 Park Boulevard Pinellas Park FL 33781 727 544 8558 Email office goodsam church org Web Site discovergoodsam org Our Mission To Build The Beloved Community A Ministry of Hospitality Vision and Justice A Global Mission Church Check out Good Sam on FACEBOOK SESSION Katie Fullerton Clerk Kate Hall Treasurer CLASS OF 2020 Beryl Fruth Sarah Butz Sophia Stringer CLASS OF 2021 Lisa Ware Carolyn Woodard Vacant CLASS OF 2022 Clarence Wilkinson Beverly Finn Linda Rupp ST JAMES LIST Pray for one another that you may be healed James 5 16 Let us remember those members and friends who have asked for our prayers and those who are unable to attend worship Vicky VanDien wife of Ferris VanDien Dawn Johnson Sophia Stringer Shaddai Simmons Drew Taylor and family Martha Taylor s son Kirsten Ginger Breitkreutz s daughter the family of Harold Brockus Paul Brockus Dottie Boake Nancy Rudasill Jean Adams Eddie Kosinski Sandy Badger Donna Knight all the families in our community affected by COVID 19 whether through sickness or financial stress and Good Samaritan Church Jesus didn t reject people Neither do we CELEBRATING OVER 100 YEARS THE MESSENGER Newsletter of Good Samaritan Church Presbyterian Church USA More Light and United Church of Christ Open and Affirming Sunday Worship 10 30 a m Fellowship Coffee Hour Following Worship GOOD SAMARITAN CHURCH STAFF Rev Jen Daysa Pastor Rev Jean Cooley Parish Associate Position to be Filled Director of Music Ministries Rebecca Kessel Office Administrator Shelby Lamb Nursery Assistant Mirko Bratic Custodian Rev Dr Harold M Brockus Pastor Emeritus GOOD SAMARITAN MINISTRY TEAMS Resource Development Team Clarence Wilkinson Moderator Beryl Fruth Gretchen Ackerson Kate Hall Treasurer Liaison Care Team Ginger Breitkreutz Moderator Mickey Moore Jim Moore Beverly Finn Jane Gaylord Clarence Wilkinson Disaster Preparedness Liaison Justice and Mercy Team Rev Jean Cooley Moderator Gretchen Ackerson Lewis Hill Linda Rupp Sarah Butz Rachel Wells Judy Friend Clarence Wilkinson Kate Hall Food Pantry Liaison Bev Kelly FAST Liaison Spiritual Formation Team Debbie Rasmussin Moderator Judy Friend Chris Osberg Sarah Butz Rev Bill Cooley Lisa Ware Steve Crist Fellowship and Outreach Team Eric Johnson Moderator Jean Adams Carolyn Woodard Barb Steger Robin Becker Sandy Badger Annie Gambino Martha Taylor Personnel Committee Clarence Wilkinson Robin Becker Gretchen Ackerson Kate Hall Pastor Relations Committee Carolyn Woodard Moderator Chris Osberg Clarence Wilkinson Ginger Breitkreutz Lisa Ware Bev Kelly