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THE MESSENGER GOOD SAMARITAN CHURCH NEWSLETTER VOLUME 110 ISSUE 11 NOVEMBER 2020 FROM THE PASTOR S DESK GOD S OVERFLOWING LOVE As I write this to you Amy Coney Barrett has just been confirmed to the Supreme Court the election is nearly here the Ray s just lost the World Series a second wave of Covid 19 looks like it is on its way our food pantry is being overwhelmed by an incredible volume of hungry guests and our justice ministry just voted to work on criminal justice mental health and affordable housing in the coming year because the local injustices in each area are growing dire All of this and we are about to set our clocks back and give ourselves an extra hour of 2020 which frankly doesn t feel like the best idea I mean who needs more 2020 In the midst of all of this I am meant to write to you about stewardship and giving But how are we supposed to talk about giving when so many of us feel scared uncertain anxious depleted and full of despair How are we supposed to talk about investing in the future when our imagination and dreams cannot even envision it We can t very well expect one another to pour from empty cups My very first children s sermon at my field ed congregation a little UCC in Princeton NJ involved empty cups I brought a walking stick a bowl and lots of child sized dixie cups Behind me I had hidden a pitcher of water I told the story of the Hebrew people s first weeks wandering in the desert after escaping slavery My story had a repeated refrain of whining We re tired and hungry and sooo thirsty the people whine at Moses who then dutifully relays their whines to God The kids listening smirked or laughed every time I got to the whining part which I greatly over dramatized They loved hearing a story about grownups whining In the story the Hebrew people have no idea where they were going They can t envision the supposed promised land They have run out of food They are quickly running out of water They literally aren t sure they can survive much longer They are so desperate and scared hungry and thirsty that they start to murmur to one another that they were better off back in Egypt as slaves under the rule of pharaoh a tyrant Then finally God decides to take pity on them God instructs Moses to take his staff the same staff that had parted the waters for them to walk through to freedom and strike a rock Water gushes forth Not just a trickle but a geyser of water To show this I lifted my walking stick and struck the upside down bowl my imaginary rock with a loud thud The children squinted at me clearly perplexed much as I imagine Moses followers were perplexed by his actions That upside down bowl looked about as likely to produce something to ease thirst as that rock Moses struck But then as I flipped the bowl over with one hand I reached behind my back to grab my pitcher of water with the other and the water started to pour into that rock turned bowl I poured and poured the sound of cascading water filling the sanctuary Then carefully I filled Dixie cups by dipping them in the bowl and pulling them out full to the brim for each child Continued on page 2 1

FROM THE PASTOR S DESK continued from page 1 GOD S OVERFLOWING LOVE handing the cups to them to drink This is when I realized I had made a minor faux pas with the leadership of the church The adults were now the ones squirming in their seats watching little hands grasp these far too full cups and slosh water all over the carpeted floor Yet as I explained to the pastor later I had to give the kids these cups brimming with water because that was the good news of the story that God didn t just give them a trickle to drink but so more than they needed so much it overflowed Of course the story continues that God feeds the Hebrew people as well God gives them manna bread that covers the ground each morning and when they want something heartier even provides them with quail There is always more than enough though whenever they try to hoard it it rots on them by the next day The irony of the story is that the miraculous rescue from slavery the water springing forth from a rock the food falling from heaven each morning none of it stops their whining The whining only abates for a time before they are right back at it again They have everything they need more than enough but the way is still unclear scary and they feel little control over their future so they keep complaining with glass half full or glass empty language As I think about this pandemic there have certainly been rocks that gush forth with geysers of life giving streams Our zoom worship services our popup events our phone conversations our beloved community groups our art projects together the connections we share our food pantry ministry our justice ministry even our anti racism conversations all of that has been so refreshing nourishing and restoring to me It is part of how God has quenched my thirst and my hunger for love community purpose and vision during this time We are in a wilderness time The way forward is unclear daunting and scary but my heart is full I hope yours is too I may still be tired exhausted really by all that this moment in history has asked of us but I have been fed a feast of God s love because I am part of this Good Sam community This community steeps me in God s love refreshes me as I weather the elements of our world and reminds me always of the larger story of hope into which God has invited me Through you I am able to see another reality overlaying our scary uncertain and unjust world a reality full of love an arch moving toward justice healing peace and wholeness In the quiet moments when I reflect on this when I stop whining and take stock of what I have been given I realize that my cup is not in fact as empty as it sometimes seems but very full overflowing and spilling over in fact As we head into yet another year that might include many more wilderness wanderings still I invite you to grow in awareness of the ways your cup is full Then let it overflow in the way you invest in building beloved community Yes our church needs your money time and talent to continue to be the church in this time but don t give to fill a need Give because you can t contain all that you have been given and need to let it overflow Give because keeping all of this love for yourself is about as impossible as stopping a river Give because you need to hope in and invest in a different kind of world a world of promise God s beloved community and see it come into even more fullness Give because this community of faith is where you go to fill up your cup and you want others to be able to fill their cups as well And if your cup feels empty attend to your own self care reach out for help let someone know you are feeling lonely or depressed let someone know you are food or housing insecure tell somebody you are not okay do this so that you can fill up and join us in the ministry God s overflowing love because even in the desert there are rocks ready to gush with water Pastor Jen THE THEME OF OUR 2021 STEWARDSHIP CAMPAIGN IS OVERFLOWING WITH LOVE During the next few weeks you will be getting information about the budget for 2021 and how to give of your time talents and treasures in a meaningful way to enrich the beloved community 2

SPOOKY FUN FOR ALL AT THE HALLOWEEN PARTY A huge thank you to Suzie Steger Barb Steger and Martha Taylor for all their hard work to bring us a fun evening of games scary stories costumes and yummy treats Our Fellowship and Outreach team continues to work hard to create a variety of events that to give us times of fellowship during this time of isolation Keep looking for Pop Up events that are advertised on the church website this newsletter and in the weekly eblast Thank you Eric Johnson for providing these screen shots of the participants of the Halloween Party 3

JUSTICE MINISTRY UPDATE PICTURED Octoberunder 26 2020600 FAST Network Members our interfaith social justice coalition qJust 8 12 SCREENS gathered virtually Monday night for the Annual Assembly and recommitted to fighting JUST UNDER 600 FAST NETWORK MEMBERS OUR INTERFAITH SOCIAL JUSTICE COALITION GATHER for more affordable housing a central pathwayTOfor behavioral health services and TONIGHT FOR OUR ANNUAL ASSEMBLY AND RECOMMIT FIGHTING FOR MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING A CENTRAL PATHWAY FOR BEHAVIORAL criminal justice in Pinellas County HEALTH SERVICES AND CRIMINAL JUSTOCE IN PINELLAS COUNTY The FAST network members of Good Sam held a virtual meeting on Tuesday October 20th to vote on the issues that were to be presented at the Annual Assembly Because the Assembly is virtual our Team Leaders were asked to tally votes in advance and submit them at the Assembly which was held on October 26 Fast has been working on three projects in our county Despite getting pledges of nearly 100 million for affordable housing from the county and city of St Petersburg over the last few years we know that we need to continue following up with both of them to make sure this money gets spent in the next ten years On top of that we want to be able to tackle other aspects of the housing crisis that have become even worse now that the pandemic hit such as evictions rent increases and even gentrification in our own neighborhoods Because of this at the Annual Assembly the Affordable Housing Committee recommended that we continue our housing work another year For the past two years we ve also been working on a central pathway that would make it easy for anyone with mental illnesses or addictions to get the help they need Because of the stress and isolation of the pandemic this mental health work is more important now than ever Despite commitments made by the county and mental health providers they still have not followed through to create the central pathway So we want to really make certain this pathway gets up and running as soon as possible Originally the mental health work was being done by the Criminal Justice Committee But our Criminal Justice Committee is also doing follow up work on racial profiling making sure that children get access to civil citations and working to increase access to adult civil citations as well So FAST recommended that it splits into two committees a Criminal Justice Committee and a Behavioral Health Committee FAST only has three research committees each year in order to make sure that we aren t overextending ourselves and that we have enough time and energy to be successful with the problems we decide to work on So this year we did not add another issue Our network members voted to support these recommendations and at the Assembly the majority of votes from all the member churches were tallied and the recommendation carried Now the hard work begins and will carry on until the issues are presented at the Nehemiah Action on March 22 2021 The committees will be doing research meeting with officials and proposing actions Network members who have an interest in one of these areas are welcome to attend virtual committee meetings How do we stand FAST TOGETHER Submitted by Bev Kelly CONGREGATIONAL MEETING SUNDAY NOVEMBER 15 2020 FOLLOWING OUR ZOOM WORSHIP SERVICE AT ABOUT 11 30 AM ZOOM ID 727 544 8558 WE WILL SELECT OUR NOMINATING COMMITTEE 4

BE SURE TO STAY CONNECTED MANY OPPORTUNITIES FOR VIRTUAL MEETINGS WITH PHONE OR COMPUTER ARE AVAILABLE 5

DURING TIMES OF STRESS OR LONELINESS REACH OUT ONLINE LET S STAND TOGETHER LET S BE THERE FOR EACH OTHER 6

HAROLD BROCKUS ON THE MOVE Harold Brockus our dear pastor emeritus was transfered on Wednesday October 28 from Bayfront Hospital to Suncoast Rehab Sarah Butz Mickey Moore Jim Moore and Pastor Jen all were there to speak briefly with Harold as they wheeled him out of Bayfront to put him into the transport vehicle They used precautions during their visit but made sure he knew they were there and that we all love him His daughter Sarah has shared with Jen Daysa about her father s health and says about her father Being 18 days in ICU has affected his brain so he is confused at times They can only feed so much information to him at a time Pray that his brain makes a full recovery He s very lucid in many many ways Just not sure if he ll be able to do his crossword puzzles again and play bridge again which is so sad These are the things that have gotten him through COVID Moving forward we will hire help so he ll never be alone no matter where he ends up Meaningful relationships are going to be more important now He is suffering from both heart and lung issues and his recovery will be slow So PRAY for this dear man who has meant so much to so many And if you can call or send a card to let him know how much we care OUR QUILT PANEL PROJECT HAS ENDED AND SARA BUTZ IS BUSY SEWING ALL THE PANELS TOGETHER TO MAKE AN ALTAR CLOTH FOR THE COMMUNION TABLE IN THE SANCTUARY But it is not too late to participate in the other summer Art Project painting a peace stone to place in the peace garden If you get a chance stop by the church and walk around the garden to see the stones already placed there 7

DON T MISS OUR NOVEMBER POP UP EVENTS 8

DON T MISS OUR FIRST IN PERSON EVENT Please remember that COVID 19 is still a threat We are practicing strict guidelines at this event There will be sanitation stations to use if needed Please stand back until others have left the station before approaching We ask that you bring your own chairs or contact us ahead of time to request one Please sit at least 6 feet preferably further from others and only in groups from within your own household Please be forewarned There is a paved accessible walk way all the way out to Turtlecrawl point but there is some walking required We know we will be tempted to draw closer together to greet each other since it is hard to hear from 6 feet apart We suggest you bring signs to hold up and greet others from a distance which say things such as I miss you So happy to see you I m thankful for you Bathrooms are within walking distance Continue to practice social distancing when visiting the facilities Our guest musician will be playing a variety of songs If you desire to express your appreciation for her music clap enthusiastically but please don t approach her to talk Please do not gather in groups to talk or walk around to chat Wear your masks the entire time we are together If you choose to bring snacks or food we ask that you not share with those from outside your household If you attend we ask that you make a small donation to help us cover the cost of the musician If we are all mindful of the rules we can have a safe and fun evening 9

THE 2020 HURRICANE SEASON All of the early forecasts for the 2020 hurricane season called for an active season As of early July we have had six tropical storms in the Atlantic hurricane zone Peak months for hurricanes are August and September Twenty named storms are forecast by the National Hurricane Center One of the most respected hurricane predictions come from Colorado State University s hurricane research center They are also predicting twenty named storms This is the earliest the Colorado State University research team has ever predicted 20 named storms The last time Colorado State University called for twenty or more storms was in an August update during the record breaking 2005 season You can check for updates and warnings from the National Hurricane Center www nhc noaa gov Submitted by Clarence Wilkinson HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS GUIDES AND SOURCES OF INFORMATION We received a limited number of Pinellas County s Hurricane Preparedness Guides this year due to the Covid Virus crisis There are a few copies of the printed guides available at the Good Sam food pantry The guide is also available on Pinellas County s Emergency Center s website www pinellscounty org emergency Our local television stations all have hurricane guides available on their websites They can be printed out if you so desire Here are the television station s websites WFLA www wfla com WFTS wfts actionnews com WMOR www mor tv com WTVT wwwfox13news com You may also wish to check out the Florida Presbyterian Disaster Assistance Network at www fladan org They are in partnership with Presbyterian Disaster Submitted by Clarence Wilkinson Assistance PCUSA 10

THANK YOU TO ALL WHO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT OUR MINISTRY 11

STAY INVOLVED BE A PART OF THESE SUNDAY EVENTS EACH WEEK 12

THANKSGIVING CARDS Due to sickness distance or lack of resources to join our zoom services these dear Good Sam members or friends are no longer able to attend on a regular basis They would love to hear from you with a Happy Thanksgiving card to let them know they are loved and missed This year more than ever we need to reach out in love and let them know that even in this time of COVID 19 when they are more isolated than ever that they are still in our hearts minds and prayers Also use your Good Sam directory to send to others in the congregation and let them feel your love James Anderson Rafael Catala 6510 Main Street Apt 112 Miami Lakes FL 33014 Dawn Johnson 5004 Springwood Avenue N Pinellas Park FL 33782 Theresa Segarra 11088 51st Avenue North St Petersburg FL 33708 Dotti Boake 1255 Pasadena Ave S Apt 1704 South Pasadena FL 33707 6222 Chris Johnson 38444 13th Avenue Zephyrhills FL 33542 3659 Georgann Schlosser 4200 62nd Avenue N 291 Pinellas Park FL 33781 Harold Brockus 121 56th Avenue South 502 St Petersburg FL 33705 Leslie Kille Rose Stauffer 6847 Surrey Trail Roxborough CO 80125 Scott Shaw 2411 13th Avenue N St Petersburg FL 33713 Anita Cape 5451 96th Terrace Pinellas Park FL 33782 Carol Eddie Kosinski 7615 62nd Street N Pinellas Park FL 33781 3210 Grace Forsythe 21 Conifer Lane Avon CT 06001 Gail Martin 17010 Dolphin Drive N Redington Beach FL 33708 Sophia Stringer c o Shadai Simmons 3450 52nd Avenue N St Petersburg FL 33714 Annie Gambino 1200 S Missouri Ave 336 Clearwater FL 33756 Harry Miller 2001 83rd Avenue North 1005 St Petersburg FL 33702 David Hay 4661 87th Avenue N Pinellas Park FL 33782 Gabe Oberholzer Cynthia Patterson 10050 62nd Avenue North St Petersburg FL 33708 Lewis Hill 13630 96th Terrace Seminole FL 33776 Nancy Roy Rudasill 9715 Mainlands Blvd Pinellas Park FL 33782 Ann Loren Hodson 3235 Pepper Ridge Drive Maumee OH 47375 13 Ted Cathi Swift Box 242 25 Government Dock Rd Norland ON Canada Ferris VanDien 390 Boca Ciega Point Blvd St Petersburg FL 33708 Bruce Barbara Wright family 4207 Haines Rd Lewisburg TN 37901 Steve Judy Zebos 9021 41st Way Pinellas Park FL 33782

PHOTOGRAPHY PROVIDED BY BEV KELLY FOOD PANTRY WORKING TO KEEP FOOD AVAILABLE TO ALL On the left Mirko Bratic our Good Sam custodian has offered his services to help unload food when it comes in and to move it around as needed Above Judy Friend s daughter Trish Spencer brings another car load of food to the pantry Even with donations coming in volunteers are still needed to do the shopping 14

qSarah Butz donated shelving Lewis and Mirko Bratic built them Then Lewis Hill Mirko and Jacob Spencer made room for the shelving Teamwork accomplished the goal PHOTOGRAPHY PROVIDED BY JUDY FRIEND NEW SHELVING GOES UP IN THE FOOD PANTRY qThere is some serious reorganization taking place in the Food Pantry so we can be more productive with the larger number of clients 15

BIRTHDAY AND ANNIVERSARY CLUBS As part of Stewardship we ask that those celebrating birthdays and anniversaries donate to Good Sam a dollar per year The following are the names of those in the Birthday and Anniversary Club for 2020 The total collected so far this year is 1 096 BIRTHDAY CLUB Jane Gaylord Jean Cooley Kate Hall Bill Cooley Judy Friend Carolyn Woodard Suzie Steger Bev Kelly FOOD PANTRY REPORT SEPTEMBER 2020 Number of days open to serve clients 12 Number of clients served Adults 815 Children 255 Total 1 070 Volunteers during September were Bev Kelly Ginnie Thompson Ginger Breitkreutz Kate Hall Carole Diehm Tom Fauquet Sarah Butz Beryl Fruth Judy Friend Lewis Hill and Jane Gaylord The number of households served in September was 384 The pantry has served 5 936 individuals in 2020 through September These numbers represent a dramatic increase due to the Covid 19 pandemic The good folks at Oakhurst United Methodist Church in Seminole had another Pop the Trunk food drive for our pantry on Saturday September 19 We welcomed Jeremy Wallace our seminary field education student to the work crew This was the fourth drive they had that benefited the Good Sam pantry They are holding a fifth drive for us on Saturday October 17 Sarah Butz and Beryl Fruth have been going on Wednesday afternoons to The Haven of Rest in St Petersburg since earlier this summer The Haven of Rest allows local food pantries to come for a distribution of canned goods and sometimes fresh produce and baked goods It is a surprise on Thursdays to see what was available for pickup on Wednesday Thanks to all who stop by the pantry to bring us food It is nice to see some of you in person again We have received many donations through the Good Sam website These donations along with the grant the pantry received from the Presbytery of Tampa Bay have sustained us as we have needed to make large Submitted by Kate Hall purchases from retail stores to keep us going Robin Becker Martha Taylor Ralph Madison Dick Hall Ginger Breitkreutz ANNIVERSARY CLUB Jean Adams Carolyn Woodard Dick Kate Hall Bill Jean Cooley Thank you to all who participate Submitted by Kate Hall CURRENT FOOD PANTRY NEEDS SOUPS VEGETABLES MAC CHEESE TREASURER S REPORT September Total Giving was 709 over Budget very good news The Total Income was 412 over Budget however the year to date income is more than 12 000 under Budget The expenses overall are much lower than Budget Since Head Start is back in session the electric and water usage have spiked At the end of September the balance in the Operating account was over 5 600 We needed to hang on to cash to pay the quarterly multi peril insurance premium and the Pastor s monthly pension and benefits all due on the first of October The investment with United Church Funds increased in market value by 22 349 60 over the third quarter 2020 This was after we took a distribution of 4 794 in August Good Samaritan has received two Covid related grants from the Presbytery of Tampa Bay The first received in September was for 5 000 for use in purchasing equipment for live streaming worship services The second was also for 5 000 and was for the Food Pantry The Presbytery has extended the grant application period through the end of the year allowing churches to make monthly applications Submitted by Kate Hall 16

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 Dawn Johnson Sophia Stringer Shaddai Simmons Drew Taylor and family Martha Taylor s son Kirsten Ginger Breitkreutz s daughter 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