Bulletin for 01222023

Senior Pastor e Reverend Robin Hinton

Technical Administrative Assistant: Tiffany Grier

Order of Worship .................................................................................................... 4-5

Scripture ...................................................................................................................... 6

Guest Preacher Reverend Anthony L. Trufant. .......................................................... 7 News & Announcements ............................................................................................ 8 St. Paul’s 136th Church Anniversary – Save the Date! January 23rd ........................ 9 Pillars in Action ........................................................................................................ 10

Chester County Commissioners Proclaim MLK Day – St. Paul’s ......................... 11 Breast Cancer and Prostate Cancer Zoom – January 28th ....................................... 12

Marriage Ministry Valentine’s Day Dinner- February 18th .................................... 13

Bible Study ............................................................................................................... 14 Youth Church – 2nd & 3rd Sundays ........................................................................... 14 Church School Corner ............................................................................................. 15 Delta Sigma Theta 2023 Scholarships -Valley Forge Alumnae Chapter ................ 16

Ministry Volunteers – AV, Safety & Security, Ushers, Youth Ministry, Nursery ............. 17 COVID Protocols for Worship ................................................................................. 18 Prayer Line Monday – Friday .................................................................................. 19

Pastor Croft’s Monday Prayer Call .......................................................................... 20 Giving ...................................................................................................................... 21 Scholarship Fund ..................................................................................................... 21

Health & Wellness Ministry Seeking Youth and Young Adults for Educational Videos ........22 Members in Nursing Homes, Hospitals and Convalescing at Home ....................... 23 Health & Wellness General COVID Guidelines ...................................................... 24

YouTube ................................................................................................................... 25

FEMA COVID-19 Funeral Assistance ................................................................... 26

Social Security. ......................................................................................................... 27 Reach Out to St. Paul’s ............................................................................................. 28

Sunday, January 22, 2023

“We don’t need another political uprising. We don’t need another conqueror on the scene. What we need is a special word, that will bond within our hearts and give us direction from above. We need a Word from the Lord. A Word from the Lord. Just one Word from the Lord, will remove all the doubts and cause the sun to shine and give peace of mind. Speak Lord, Speak Lord.”

The Ministry of Preaching

12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. 14 Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15 If the foot would say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear would say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? 18But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many members, yet one body. 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and those members of the body that we think less honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our less respectable members are treated with greater respect; 24 whereas our more respectable members do not need this. But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior member, 25 that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it. 27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.

Reverend Anthony

Trufant

L.

Senior Pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church (EBC) of Brooklyn, New York

For the better part of his life, Anthony L. Trufant has served in various leadership positions with dynamism and dedication. Since Nov. 1990, he has served as the Senior Pastor of the 4,000 member Emmanuel Baptist Church (EBC) of Brooklyn, known for innovation, excellence, and life-transforming practices. He has partnered with the leadership and membership of EBC to equip people to enjoy a better life and make a bigger impact— locally, nationally, and globally. Through his public speaking, pastoral counseling, and workshop facilitation, Trufant continues to help people make sense of their lives and take great strides towards fulfilling their personal and professional dreams. Equally important, he has completed training and received certification as a conflict resolution mediator, an executive coach with John Maxwell, Inc., and a pastoral counselor at Post Graduate Center for Mental Health. He is currently pursuing additional certification as an executive coach with IPEC. Since 1997, he has consulted around the USA, the Caribbean, South America, and Africa (Nigeria and South Africa) on organizational and leadership development. Additionally, he has lectured and/or spoken at Long Island University, Morehouse College, Cornell University, University Pennsylvania, Princeton Seminary, Colgate Rochester Divinity School, and Ursinus University. Furthermore, he has taught as an adjunct professor at New York Theological Seminary and Auburn Theological Seminary, both in New York City. He is the founder of Rethink and Retool, and has hosted the annual conference since 2010. The purpose is to familiarize urban pastors with the practical and conceptual resources needed to lead their respective churches better.

Reverend Trufant is a graduate of Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA, (B.A.); Colgate Rochester Divinity School (M.Div.), Rochester, NY; and Seton Hall University, of East Orange, NJ. (M.A., Strategic Leadership & Communication). Moreover, he is completing a Doctorate in Transformational Leadership at Bakke University, Dallas, TX. Through executive coaching and organizational consulting, his greatest joy is arming individuals and organizations with the tools essential to translating their dreams into reality. He is married to the former Muriel Goode-Trufant, the Managing Attorney for NYC Law Department, and the father of two young adult daughters, Sharise and Toni.

It is also noteworthy that Reverend Trufant is the nephew of Reverend Amos C. Brown who served as Pastor here at St. Paul’s from 1966 -1970.

136th Church Anniversary January 22, 2023

Four Pillars in Action

What a blessing it is to celebrate 136 years of Resilience in Faith. From our humble beginning as the Baptist Colored Mission to St. Paul’s Baptist church today, we have sustained growth and continued to build on the foundation of our church founders. Today, St. Paul’s, under the leadership of Reverend Dr. Wayne E. Croft Sr., is actively engaged on multiple fronts simultaneously through the efforts of different ministries here at St. Paul’s. We are prayerfully living and manifesting the 4 Pillars of the Church. Some of our programs include:

Global Missions

➢ We have been on missions to Haiti and Puerto Rico following devasting earthquakes in those areas

➢ Our Women’s Ministry provided 100 dresses as part of the Uganda Dress Project - making dresses for young girls in need in Uganda

➢ Traveled to Mississippi following hurricane Katrina

➢ Collected and sent truck loads of water to Flint, Michigan at the peak of the water crisis In that city and took a bus load of St Paulians there to provide direct support

Outreach

Our outreach programs have grown significantly over the years and that is both an indication of greater need and of the increased number of volunteers to meet those needs

➢ At the height of the Pandemic we held a forum to educate the community and help dispel myths about the vaccine and health disparities. This effort directly led to over 200 people in our community getting vaccinated that otherwise would have opted out

➢ Our men have volunteered over 1000 hours of service at the West Chester Food Cupboard and continued that effort through the Pandemic

➢ Provide assistance to those in need in the community at Thanksgiving and Christmas

➢ Toy drives at Christmas. This past Christmas being one of the most successful to date. The Youth Ministry works with Toys for Tots sorting and distributing toys

➢ Clothing drives for local shelters

➢ Providing transportation to/from church for recently released inmates through our prison ministry

➢ Project Cure (Commission on Urgent Relief and Equipment) – our volunteers helped in sorting and boxing medical supplies to be sent to Ukraine

Discipleship

➢ Our Pastor, Dr. Croft, as a full professor of Homiletics at the United Lutheran Seminary is bringing others into ministry and teaching and encouraging them to step out on their own path. We have in just the last 3 years seen several ministers from St. Paul’s move on to lead their own churches

➢ We have graduated multiple classes of St. Paul’s students from Church Leadership certificate programs at ULS and many have moved into positions of leadership within the church

➢ During the Pandemic (for 11 months) we implemented Project Hope, a weekly hosted zoom call, to provide the community a platform to express how Covid was impacting their lives. Authorities in their respective fields in Medical, Hospitals, Education, and other Industries to address Covid questions

Social Justice

➢ The church has hosted forums, open to the community

o to meet and dialogue with candidates looking to be elected to local offices

o to dialogue and address relationships with local police agencies

➢ The church is a base of operations for over 400 volunteers for the annual MLK Day of Service. Children and adults of different races and religions come together for one purpose, to serve

➢ The church is a voice in the community supporting multiple causes and events

o We have been actively present at court proceedings for various situations impacting our community and stood with families seeking justice

o Participated in protests and marches for local and national events

o Pastor Croft has served as President of the West Chester NAACP

West Chester County Proclaims Martin

Luther King, Jr. Day

January 16, 2023.

The Chester County Commissioners proclaimed January 16, 2023 as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in Chester County. The proclamation urges all citizens to participate in community projects connected to the teachings of Dr. King, and to unite behind efforts that foster racial, cultural and community harmony. The Commissioners choose a Chester County organization to present the proclamation to that recognizes and honors the legacy of Dr. King through their actions of community service. St. Paul’s Baptist Church was asked again to receive the proclamation. This took place January 11th at 10:00 AM.

Commissioner Michelle Kichilne, Rev. Dr. Richelle Gunter (St. Paul's Baptist Church), Reverend Dr. Wayne E. Croft Sr. (Pastor, St. Paul's Baptist Church), Commissioner Marion Moskovitz, Commissioner Josh Maxwell

Many people in the United States have some protection, or immunity, against COVID-19 due to vaccination, previous infection, or both. This immunity, combined with the availability of tests and treatments, has greatly reduced the risk of severe illness, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19 for many people.

The CDC has stated “We’re in a stronger place today as a nation, with more tools—like vaccination, boosters, and treatments—to protect ourselves, and our communities, from severe illness from COVID-19. We also have a better understanding of how to protect people from being exposed to the virus.”

Because we have better tools to protect ourselves against COVID19, the CDC has lifted most COVID19 restrictions. However, we are recommending that we gradually reduce mitigation strategies against COVID 19 for our congregation.

Our first step is that we will no longer require social distancing for our Sunday services. We will still require masking at all times while in the sanctuary. We will continue to encourage anyone who is feeling ill to please stay at home. We are requesting people who are immunocompromised or have other chronic illnesses to wear N95 protective masks. We encourage everyone to get vaccinated and boosted.

We will continue to closely monitor COVID 19 data locally and nationally over the next few weeks. We will revisit COVID19 mitigation strategies for St. Paul’s Baptist in October. We thank you for your cooperation.

St. Paul's Baptist Church Relaunch Committee

HEALTHAND WELLNESS COVID GUIDELINES

Based on new scientific data, the CDC has revised its isolation and quarantine guidelines regarding COVID-19 infections and exposures.

Important terms used in these guidelines.

· Isolation- refers to the behavior after a confirmed COVID infection via testing

· Quarantine- refers to the time following exposure to the COVID virus

Length of Isolation Length of Quarantine How long to wear Mask when around others

If test POSITIVE AND REMAIN ASYMPTOMATIC

If test POSITIVE AND SYMPTOMATIC

If and individual is EXPOSED to COVID, ASYMPTOMATIC, and is unvaccinated or completed primary series, but has not received booster

If an individual is exposed to COVID and is fully vaccinated and boosted

5 days N/A 5 days after completionof isolation

5 days as long the individual does not have a fever/ other symptoms are resolving

N/A 5 days after completion of isolation

N/A 5 days *If symptoms develop the individual should immediately quarantine until testing can confirm that symptoms are not present.

N/A does not need to quarantine if symptoms develop the individual should immediately quarantine until testing can confirm that symptoms are not presentVD

For a total of 15 days after exposure

When to Test

5 days after exposure

15 days 5 days after exposure

COVID Funeral Assistance

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought overwhelming grief to many families. At FEMA, our mission is to help people before, during and after disasters. We are dedicated to helping ease some of the financial stress and burden caused by the virus.

Under the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021 and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, FEMA will provide financial assistance for COVID-19-related funeral expenses incurred after January 20, 2020.

We are working with stakeholder groups to get their input on ways we can best provide this assistance, and to enlist their help with outreach to families and communities. FEMA will begin to implement COVID-19 funeral assistance in April.

Additional guidance is being finalized and will be released to potential applicants and community partners as soon as possible. In the meantime, people who have COVID-19 funeral expenses are encouraged to keep and gather documentation.

FEMAwillbeginacceptingapplicationsforFuneralAssistanceon Monday,April 12, 2021throughthededicatedcallcenter.

Who is Eligible?

To be eligible for funeral assistance, you must meet these conditions: The death must have occurred in the United States, including the U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia.

The death certificate must indicate the death was attributed to COVID-19. The applicant must be a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national, or qualified alien who incurred funeral expenses after January 20, 2020.

There is no requirement for the deceased person to have been a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national, or qualified alien.

How to Apply

COVID-19FuneralAssistanceLineNumber Applicationsbeginon April12,2021 844-684-6333|TTY:800-462-7585

HoursofOperation: Monday -Friday

8a.m.to8p.m.CentralTime

If you had COVID-19 funeral expenses, we encourage you to keep and gather documentation. Types of information should include:

An official death certificate that attributes the death directly or indirectly to COVID-19 and shows that the death occurred in the United States, including the U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia.

Funeral expenses documents (receipts, funeral home contract, etc.) that includes the applicant’s name, the deceased person’s name, the amount of funeral expenses, and the dates the funeral expenses happened.

Proof of funds received from other sources specifically for use toward funeral costs. We are not able to duplicate benefits received from burial or funeral insurance, financial assistance received from voluntary agencies, government agencies, or other sources.

How Funds are Received

Ifyouareeligibleforfuneralassistanceyouwillreceiveacheckbymail,orfundsbydirectdeposit, dependingonwhichoptionyouchoosewhenyouapplyforassistance.

ONE H1 HAGERTY BOULEVARD WEST CHESTER, PA 19382 19382

PHONE: 610-692-2446 FAX: 610-692-7582

EEMAIL: CHURCHOFFICE@STPAULSBAPTIST.ORG WWW.STPAULSBAPTIST.ORG