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THE MESSENGER GOOD SAMARITAN CHURCH NEWSLETTER VOLUME 111 ISSUE 10 OCTOBER 2021 FROM THE PASTOR S DESK UNFULFILLED CALLING Sometimes God gives us a nudge or a shove toward some kin dom work We get this sense or this clarity that there is work we need to be about Sometimes it is very particular Other times it is more general But always it pulls on us and won t let us go For some it is powerful calling that they need to be about the work of feeding the hungry I know many of our food pantry volunteers have heard that call and responded in the past year even when energy food and volunteers ran low you have persisted because that call in your life was powerful Others of you have felt a powerful call to do something about racism the lack of affordable housing or mental health care or a number of other community problems I have watched the way you have dove into our justice ministry and have kept putting pressure on our officials to do the right thing even when you yourself were feeling depleted and having a hard time showing up The call urged you forward A call can be like a nagging parent who won t relent until you do what it asks of you but what do we do when we have a call and there seems to be no way to live it out For some of us this pandemic has brought on a crisis of purpose identity call and vision What if your gift was hospitality or throwing parties reaching out to strangers or welcoming people in your home What do you do with that call now What if your gift was loving and caring for your children and family members but now they won t get the vaccine and you don t know how to talk to them about it without creating deep divisions What do you do with that call now I too have experienced this Prior to this pandemic I was feeling a powerful sense of call to build community through meals and meal based worship I was intrigued at the way sharing food can knit us together and be a great equalizer I had set out on a sabbatical journey to explore that more while you too explored that at home and then as you know that was cut short very prematurely Now obviously large gatherings of unmasked people sitting at table and sharing a meal aren t advisable or safe In fact thousands of years of mealsharing culture and traditions may be shifting going extinct or at the very least put on pause as a result of the massive history making earth shaking events of the past two years For me this has created a bit of a crisis of calling In an era when church as we know it is dying out and needing resurrection I was so convinced that meal based worship would be one of the shapes the church of the future would take and that we could be part of that I was convinced that returning to our roots in meal based worship could fulfill some of the hunger for community we see today in a way that traditional worship cannot I was convinced that in our postmodern society as we move away from belief based faith 1 communities uniting around a meal could still bring us together and allow us to explore and learn the Jesus way together with greater freedom and inclusivity Now I find myself wondering was I completely wrong Is this not the direction God is taking me us after all It has also created a crisis of identity and calling for our congregation When our strongest unifying core values and sense of call as a congregation have been those of inclusion hospitality and community how do we do that in a world where hospitality looks nothing like it used to and gathering in community often feels unsafe How do we reach out to our wider community when attending community events or creating them isn t loving of our neighbor I have found myself coming to God and asking why did you nudge and shove us so hard toward this calling if there was going to be no way to live it out I feel frustrated and confused my vision for our church a bit clouded I felt something similar years ago when Carolyn Woodard then the chair of Pastoral Search Committee called me to inform me Good Sam had decided to call a different pastor Though I can t fully explain it I had felt such a powerful sense of call to Good Sam from the moment I read the posting on the National UCC website but then some of my paperwork got delayed at the National Office and my application was late getting to the Good Sam search committee By the time they received it they had already found another pastor about whom they were very excited I remember asking God Why in the world did I feel so drawn to this congregation if they are not the congregation for me Then Carolyn called me three weeks later Things had fallen through with the other pastor the committee was devastated but they wanted to talk to me more about continued on page 7

OUR UPCOMING WORSHIP SERIES ASKS THE QUESTIONS Where does it hurt This questions is explored October 3 Don t miss it 2

MORE QUESTIONS TO COME IN THE SERIES What do you need Where do we go from here These questions are explored October 10 24 Don t miss it 3

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TWO SOBERING DAYS IN MONTGOMERY AL Beryl Fruth Ginnie Thompson Katie Fullerton and Gretchen Ackerson spent a sobering two days in Montgomery Alabama visiting the Peace and Justice Center Monument The National Memorial for Peace and Justice and The Rosa Parks Museum They shared that the Pinellas County memorial definitely hit home Submitted by Gretchen Ackerson rThe Pinellas County memorial gave the names of two men killed here John Evans in 1914 and Parker Watson in 1926 Some names are lost forever R qStatue commemorating Rosa Park s famous bus ride 5

HYBRID WORSHIP THE NEW NORM As you know church looks a lot different these days Some folks appear on screen in a Zoom meeting hosted by one of our volunteers Some folks appear as a black box with their name in the middle and some appear only as a phone number Then there are those who attend in person but are seated at least 6 feet apart from their neighbor perhaps next to a family member in the sanctuary and wearing a mask We no longer sing in the sanctuary and we try our best to be careful around other attendees so that we stay safe and healthy All of these changes reflect our desire to express our love for our friends and neighbors in this time of uncertainty and change We are blessed that our church leadership has seen the need to follow the CDC protocols in our worship as well as in our food pantry one of our most active teams during the pandemic Our own Dr Beryl Fruth has advised us throughout this time and we ve been blessed to have her wisdom to fall back on Our denominational leaders have also led in these actions by letting us know that safety is their priority and they are led by their faith and by their respect for the science involved in these protocols We are proud of our members and friends at Good Sam who have taken the steps to get vaccinated have been willing to wear masks and social distance exhibiting your devotion to building the beloved community more than any words you could ever say Thank you to all who remain faithful to this ministry and for rolling with the changes that we ve had to make It is RECENT LOSSES FROM OUR GOOD SAM FAMILY Many of you have heard us share in worship recently that long time Good Sam member Steve Zebos died Steve had moved to assisted living this past year after his wife qOn August 29 Jeremy Wallace hosted the Zoom portion of our service and led a time of fellowship afterwards qOn September 26 Eric Johnson hosted the Zoom portion of our service and led a time questions afterwards that were in response to our current ministry series precious to see your smiling faces each week on Zoom in person or even your name in a small black box Submitted by Carolyn Woodard Judy s passing Of course he did so with that amazingly positive attitude we all knew and loved in Steve Ever the coach Steve always saw the best in people and encouraged them to reach of their dreams We will miss him tremendously Our hearts and prayers are with his friends and family especially Steve s four children Julie Barrett Sara and Chris The grief of any loss during is heightened during this pandemic For those who knew and loved Steve and Judy it has been two major losses in a short period time As we grieve we also take comfort knowing that Judy and now Steve are held in the eternal care and love of God just as they were in life Steve s daughter Sara Sally has informed us that no public memorial will be held but the family will hold a private graveside service 6 Condolences may sent to Sally Swastek 1326 West Wellington Ave Chicago Il 60657 I also want to inform you of Good Sam

FINAL 2021 HURRICANE FORECAST IS IN EXPECT A VERY ACTIVE STORM SEASON Colorado State University has issued their final forecast for the Atlantic basin hurricane season including the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico They stated that sea surface temperatures in the subtropical North Atlantic region are above normal Usually above normal sea temperatures in these waters portends an active season is ahead of us in August and September Elsa s development and intensification so early in the season is suggestive of an upcoming active storm HURRICANE NAMES FOR THE 2021 ATLANTIC SEASON Ana Henri Odette Bill Ida Peter Claudette Julian Rose Danny Kate Sam Elsa Larry Teresa Fred Mindy Victor Grace Nicholas Wanda If there are more than 21 named storms there will be additional names provided by the World Meteorology Organization member Ann Hodson s death Though we received word in the spring of her passing we were unable to confirm until recently Our hearts and prayers go out to her Husband Loren and all of Ann s friends and family A Snowbird Ann was only with us seasonally but we always enjoyed Ann s enthusiastic strong loving presence Her absence will be felt As with Steve we take comfort even as we grieve that Ann is held in the eternal embrace of God now just as she was her whole life long Finally many of you heard the news in church on Sunday that our newest church member and former intern Jeremy Wallace lost his mother Jackie Wallace this past weekend Many of you have asked for Jeremy s 7 season In modern history only five hurricanes have developed in early July in the Caribbean each one was followed by a very active major hurricane season For example Hurricane Emily developed in July 2005 which was followed by Katrina in September of 2005 The updated forecast for 2021 calls for 9 hurricanes of which 4 of these will be considered a major hurricane They are calling for 20 named storms this season five have already formed by July 7 2021 The probability of at least one major hurricane making landfall are 43 for Florida and 43 for the Gulf Coast from the Florida Panhandle westward to Brownsville Forecasts are important in that they remind us of the reality of living on the Florida coast every year there is a possibility that we will experience potentially dangerous storms including hurricanes One storm can make for a very bad season I urge you to have a plan and be prepared for the season Please be sure to pick up the 2021 Hurricane Guide in the narthex of the church or at the food pantry These guides are updated every year Good Samaritan Hurricane Information for 2021 The Pinellas County Hurricane Preparation Guide for 2021 continues to be available in the narthex at Good Samaritan Church The information is also available at https www pinellascounty org emergency allhazardguide htm Submitted by Clarence Wilkinson address If you wish to send cards or condolences to Jeremy they may be sent to this address Jeremy Wallace 10200 Gandy Blvd N 916 St Petersburg 33702 Submitted by Jen Daysa

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TREASURER S REPORT The total of pledges collected in August were under budget by 2 603 The budgeted withdrawal of 5 000 from our United Church Funds account did not occur We had sufficient funds to cover operating expenses at the time and we will be making a withdrawal later for the new roof We received a water and sewer statement from the City of Pinellas Park that was for over 1 400 The expected amount was 220 There were 2 leaks in the Head Start areas of the Fellowship Hall Lutheran Services Florida had a plumber make the repairs They reimburse us for 50 of our utility costs I am waiting to see the statement for the current period We received a small donation from AmazonSmile in August They donate a small percentage of the purchases made by those who have linked the Good Sam Federal ID number 591305272 to their Amazon accounts With the Christmas shopping season coming up please consider linking Good Sam to your accounts On the horizon for the Resource Development Team are the Stewardship campaign and the 2022 Budget Submitted by Kate Hall FROM THE PASTOR S DESK continued from page 1 NEWS The house meetings have been held the concerns listed and submitted to FAST We are looking forward to our first countywide event The ANNUAL ASSEMBLY will be held Monday October 26 at 7 00 PM on zoom All network members and others interested in the work of this justice ministry are urged to attend The concerns from our house meetings will be listed and all network members will vote for the ones they want FAST to address in the coming months Network members will be given information about registration and voting through email How do we stand FAST TOGETHER Submitted by Bev Kelly possibly becoming Good Sam s pastor and the rest as you know is history Part of me keeps expecting something like that to happen again I keep waiting for that phone call that will let me know that God hasn t just placed this call on my heart and the congregation s heart in vain but has a reason I keep waiting for something to shift and open up and for me to see that there is a way to live out our call to hospitality community building and meal sharing after all live it out now not just in the future when if things return to normal In the meantime I m not giving up because the call is just that strong I m getting creative and figuring out ways to live it out now My new Vlog the Contemplative Foodie is one way I can continue teaching people the Jesus way through food I know we will find other ways as well I wonder where you are finding obstacles in the path to your calling s I wonder what you are doing with that frustration Have you been able to chart a path around the obstacles and find new ways to live it out Have you given up on your calling will God even let you give up on it Are you just waiting for the path to open up again I would love to hear from you Pastor Jen NEW MEMBER JEREMY WALLACE On September 5 we welcomed a new member Jeremy Wallace into our Good Sam family It was a ground breaking event in that this was our first member in take by Zoom Jeremy will be a Member in Discernment meaning he will be actively moving toward his ordination A team will be established at Good Sam to be there both to advise him and to listen to him during this process His work with us as a field intern was wonderful and we are so excited to continue with him on this journey 9

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 2021 The total collected so far this year is 667 BIRTHDAY CLUB Jane Gaylord Barb Steger Jean Cooley Kate Hall Judy Friend Martha Taylor Bev Kelly Suzie Steger ANNIVERSARY CLUB Dick and Kate Hall Bill and Jean Cooley Thank you to all who participate Submitted by Kate Hall DEADLINE FOR NOVEMBER 2021 MESSENGER IS OCTOBER 15 Send all information for submissions to carolyn woodard 130 gmail com PANTRY SCHEDULE The Pantry Steering Committee met at noon on Monday September 27 to discuss the Food Pantry hours We voted to stay open only Mondays and Thursdays The situation will be reviewed periodically as needed but we have found that we are serving the same number of families in two days as we had in three Since volunteers come from a small pool and it takes six to eight volunteers to staff each shift we find that 3 days is too much Submitted by Kate Hall FOOD PANTRY REPORT JULY 2021 Number of days open to serve clients 9 Number of clients served Adults 812 Children 208 Total 1 020 Volunteers during August were Bev Kelly Ginnie Thompson Ginger Breitkreutz Kate Hall Carole Diehm Tom Fauquet Sarah Butz Beryl Fruth Judy Friend Joni and John Melville Lewis Hill Robin Becker Beverly Finn Kay Snyder Jacob Spencer and Jane Gaylord The number of households served in August was 378 100 more than in July That means that 378 bags of groceries were given out in the 9 days we were open in August For the first 8 months of 2021 we have served 8 623 individuals For the past several months we have had residents of the assisted living facility next door walking over to the pantry asking for food The Pantry Steering Committee has discussed this situation Since the residents do not have access to kitchen facilities and we do not know what their dietary restrictions are there is very little that we feel we can give them They tell us that they are not given enough to eat We have put together small bags containing a small shelf stable milk cereal bars and crackers In August we had 27 visits from the facility s residents They are not included in the numbers reported above The Pantry received a second check for 2 000 from The Chapel on the Hill We also received a check from them in March Volunteers from AARP Florida brought us cases of fabric bags with zipper closings that their organization had used as thank you gifts for renewing memberships We find these most useful for our many homeless clients Our good friend Isabell Caruso from Pass a Grille Community Church has again brought volunteers from the church and from Smith Associates Real Estate to help with the delivery from Hope Village of the USDA foods Our church custodian Mirko Bratic also pitches in to help bring in the food 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 Some of the regular donors ask us what we most need and bring those items the next time they deliver to us As always thanks to all who keep this important mission running Submitted by Kate Hall 2021 FOOD PANTRY CLIENTS 1400 1075 750 425 100 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun July Aug Sep Oct CURRENT FOOD PANTRY NEEDS Nov Dec CANNED VEGETABLES AND CANNED MEAT PRODUCTS 10

PHOTOGRAPHY PROVIDED BY JUDY FRIEND NEW ROOF qVolunteers from Pass A Grill helped at the Food Pantry not in order Tom Fauquet Dane and Cindy Petersen Scott and Casey Kirkpatrick Liz Barnes Drew Glaser and Guillermo Marquez Their hard work is much appreciated 11 On Wednesday November 3 barring any issues with the weather Acoma Roofing will begin work on reroofing our sanctuary You may have noticed that we ve had some damage to the ceiling and some water spotting from leaks so we are going ahead to perform this much needed maintenance and repair Because of so many leak issues and costs over the years due to the skylight the session has voted to have the roofer cover it Once that is done the session will manage any lighting issues that might need to be addressed in the sanctuary and upgrade as needed Upon completion of the roof we will also hire a company to come in and do the necessary repairs on the ceiling Your session takes the stewardship of God s house as a sacred responsibility and are doing all we can to make sure the buildings and grounds are maintained

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 2021 Lisa Ware Carolyn Woodard Vacant CLASS OF 2022 Beverly Finn Linda Rupp Clarence Wilkinson CLASS OF 2023 Sarah Butz Beryl Fruth Chris Osberg 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 Jeremy Wallace and family Ferris VanDien and his wife Vicky VanDien Dawn Johnson Sophia Stringer Shaddai Simmons Jo Jo and Amanda Byrd Drew Taylor and family Martha Taylor s son the Brockus family Dottie Boake Nancy Rudasill Eddie Kosinski Sandy Badger Donna Knight Harry Miller Carolyn Woodard and 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 Mikal Mancini Director of Music Ministries Rebecca Kessel Office Administrator Position to be Filled Bookkeeper Shelby Lamb On furlough through Summer Nursery Assistant Mirko Bratic Custodian Rev Dr Harold M Brockus Pastor Emeritus GOOD SAMARITAN MINISTRY TEAMS Resource Development Team Clarence Wilkinson Moderator Gretchen Ackerson Celeste Behret Beverly Finn Beryl Fruth Kate Hall Treasurer Liaison Care Team Ginger Breitkreutz Moderator Beverly Finn Jane Gaylord Jim Moore Mickey Moore Clarence Wilkinson Disaster Preparedness Liaison Justice and Mercy Team Rev Jean Cooley Moderator Gretchen Ackerson Sarah Butz Judy Friend Lewis Hill Linda Rupp Rachael Wells Clarence Wilkinson Kate Hall Food Pantry Liaison Bev Kelly FAST Liaison Spiritual Formation Team Carolyn Woodard Moderator Jean Adams Sarah Butz Steve Crist Rev Bill Cooley Judy Friend Chris Osberg Debbie Rasmussin Fellowship and Outreach Team Eric Johnson Moderator Sandy Badger Robin Becker Annie Gambino Barb Steger Suzie Steger Martha Taylor Personnel Committee Gretchen Ackerson Robin Becker Kate Hall Clarence Wilkinson Pastor Relations Committee Carolyn Woodard Moderator Ginger Breitkreutz Bev Kelly Chris Osberg Lisa Ware Clarence Wilkinson