What if we talked to more people?

Throughout our exploration of how to grow our church, we have challenged our members to come up with both public and private “What if?” statements. Some of these have been shared, paper leaves hanging from the vine in the church’s narthex.

One of the earliest leaves carried a potentially loaded message: “What if we all talked to more people during coffee hour?”

The message, of course, is that to be truly open, friendly and welcoming, we have to be, well, friendly and welcoming.

This article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch drives this point home.

What do you think? What can we do as a church to continue growing, furthering our mission?

Get ready for VBS 2012, Operation Overboard!

Are you ready to “Go Deep with God”? That’s the theme of this year’s VBS. Mark your calendar now for July 23-27! Registration forms and a very special website will be available soon with more information. Ivy Chapel’s VBS is designed for kids in preschool through fifth grade.

Want to volunteer? We have opportunities throughout the week for a variety of roles, including crew leaders (Grade 6 and up) and storytellers, plus people to help out with crafts, recreation, music and snacks!

Ready to sign up? Click here to download the registration form. You can return the form to the office at Ivy Chapel.

Want more information? Want to sign up to volunteer? Drop us an e-mail and we’ll fill you in on all of the details, or talk to Erin Winship or Linda Lowry.

Wine Tasting and Spuds Dinner April 14

Ready to raise your wine IQ and help Ivy Chapel at the same time? Come to our Wine Tasting, April 14 at 6pm. It’s presented by Wines for Humanity, and 10% of the proceeds from the event will support Ivy Chapel programs.

After the tasting, hang around for a bit for one of our most popular social events of the year – the Spuds Dinner. It began years ago as a new member welcome event, but has become much bigger than that! Enjoy salad, baked potatoes (with toppings!) and, of course, decadent desserts.

All are invited to this free event. Stop by, help Ivy Chapel by buying some great wine, and get to know your friends at Ivy. Click here for more information.

Ivy Chapel Hosting UCC Gathering

Ivy Chapel UCC has the wonderful opportunity to host our St. Louis Association 2012 Spring Gathering. Members of our Council and Pastor Dan have been working with the St. Louis Association to arrange a meaningful and enjoyable evening. The gathering will take place on Thursday, May 3rd, from 5:30-9:00pm. We will be providing dinner, meeting space and childcare. We will need volunteers to serve, bake desserts, clean up, direct traffic, greet our guests, provide childcare, and more! Mark your calendars now for May 3rd!

Watch this website for more details about the gathering, and if you need more information or would like to help out at the event, get in touch with us.

Holy Week Worship at Ivy Chapel

Join us during Holy Week we turn our eyes, one again, to the cross to remember the sacrifice Jesus made for us and how his rising from the grave changed everything.

Maundy Thursday, April 5, 7:30 pm

Good Griday, April 6, 7:30 pm

Easter Sunday Sunrise Service, 6:30 am

Easter Sunday Worship, 10 am

Easter Egg Hunt!

We had a beautiful day for the Annual Ivy Chapel Easter Egg Hunt. Thanks to everyone who helped plan this fun event… and apologies to anyone who finds any still-hidden eggs in the heat of the summer.

The album below also includes photos from our Palm Sunday worship service.

Ivy Members Open their Hearts for Emmaus homes

The  annual Open Your Heart dinner-auction benefits residents of Emmaus, a faith-based organization serving more than 250 men and women with developmental disabilities in the St. Louis metropolitan area.  As in the past, this year’s event, held February 4, netted thousands of dollars to help supplement governmental funding for Emmaus.  For every $1 needed to cover program and operating expenses, there’s a 15 cent shortfall in state support.  The Emmaus Foundation is charged with raising funds to close the gap between government payments and actual costs.  The 2012 OYH gala raised just over $50,000.  Attending from Ivy Chapel UCC were Ronn and Dottie Foster; Rod and Judy Hertenstein; Carl and Marsha Ramey; Annie and Shyam Sampath; Nancy Litzinger; and Nancy Hawkins.

The first Emmaus homes were established in 1893 by members of the German Evangelical Church in Marthasville, Mo., to care for individuals with epilepsy and developmental disabilities.  Currently Emmaus operates nearly 50 homes throughout local communities and on its two campuses in St. Charles and Marthasville.  In 2011, Ivy Chapel UCC ‘adopted’ Ross House, a community home in Creve Coeur where six Emmaus residents live.  Ivy members and Ross residents are developing new relationships through this pilot partnership.

Thank you to Brandi Brown Photography for capturing the event in pictures, and for sharing the photos with us.