Skip to content

St. Elmo News

ANNOUNCEMENTS
Thursday, May 4
• Reznick art show, 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m., Fayette County Museum.
• St. Elmo Business Association, noon, Mary Ann’s Restaurant.
• St. Elmo Women’s Civic Club, 5:30 p.m., Mary Ann’s Restaurant. Officers will be installed and dues of $15 for 2017 will be collected.
Friday, May 5
• Reznick art show, 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m., Fayette County Museum.
Saturday, May 6
• Reznick art show, 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m., Fayette County Museum.
Sunday, May 7
• Last day of Lynn Reznick art show at Fayette County Museum, Vandalia, 1-4 p.m. Historical Vandalia Inc. Board will have a program from 2-3 p.m. – “Items Normally Not Seen in the Museum.” Refreshments will be served.                                                                                                      
• St. Elmo FFA banquet and alumni pie auction, St. Elmo Elementary Gym. Doors will open at 4:30 p.m., and a Joe’s Pizza and Pasta meal will be served at 5 p.m. to those who made reservations by May 1. The pie auction and FFA awards ceremony will start at 6:30 p.m.
Monday, May 8
• St. Elmo Lions Club, 6 p.m., Mary Ann’s Restaurant.
Tuesday, May 9
• American Legion, 7 p.m., Legion Home
• St. Elmo Community Park Board, 7 p.m., part Centennial Building.
• Fayette County Board, 7 p.m., Fayette County Courthouse, Vandalia.
Wednesday, May 10
• Reverb Youth 56, 5:30-6:30 p.m.; Reverb Youth 8, 6:45-8 p.m., St. Elmo Christian Church.
Thursday, May 11
• Lunch Bunch, noon, Mary Ann’s Restaurant.
• St. Elmo Public Library District Board, 7 p.m., St. Elmo Public Library.
• Fayette County 4-H Leadership Council, 7 p.m., Fayette County Extension Office.                                                
• Effingham Chapter #110 Order of the Eastern Star, 7 p.m., Effingham Masonic Temple.
• Fayette County Livestock Committee, 8 p.m., Fayette County Extension Office.
Birthday Luncheon & Dessert Auction
After the April 23 morning worship at the First United Methodist Church, a birthday luncheon was served in the Fellowship Hall. Twelve tables were decorated in the monthly theme and each one attending each sat at the birthday table; there were 40-some attending. Some volunteers provided veggies, salads and desserts to accompany fried chicken.
Other donated desserts were on the auction table – cakes, cookies, pies, lemon dessert, brownies and caramelized popcorn. After the meal, Pastor Dan Laack served as auctioneer. More than $1,000 wasraised (from the auction and donations) for camping and youth. The highest bid was $135 on a large package of cookies made by Brandy Maxey. Other dessert donors were Jennifer Burgess, Gloria Buzzard, Rene Edwards, Haley Fasnacht, Judy Fasnacht, Mindy Healy, Pat Laack, Kara Lamar, Brandy Maxey, Summer Maxey, Leatha Newberry, Anna Jean Rhodes, Marge Sperry and Linda Wolf.
HCE Board and Past & Present Officers
The Fayette County Home and Community Education Board met the morning of April 24 in the Vandalia Extension Office, with all the officers present: President Flo Allen and Panzi Blackwell of the Sefton Unit, Carol Bridges, Ashley Davis, Joyce Mueller, Debbie Segrest and Anita Smith of the Vandalia Day Unit, Donna Blair of the Bingham/Ramsey Unit and Anna Jean Rhodes of the St. Elmo Unit.
Past officers present were Lois Jackson and Phyllis Pryor of the Sefton Unit.
Reciting the Pledge of Allegiance opened the meeting for roll call, reading of the minutes and treasurer’s report. The 2017-18 budget was voted on to be submitted at the annual meeting.
The HCE membership in Fayette County is 106, and it includes Lucille Fisher of Altamont, a member of the Sefton Unit, whose birthdate is April 29 and she will be 104. A birthday card was passed around to sign for her.
The Get Acquainted Day auction made $440; the auction last year received $563 for the bids and $70 in donations. Those attending were to take a Make It, Bake I, Sew It or Grow It item to auction or make a donation of $5. If those attending did not take an auction item, donations would be greatly appreciated to help with the 2017-18 budget.
The annual meeting place has been changed. It was originally scheduled to be held at the Vandalia Northside Christian Church, but has been moved to Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Vandalia. The date is the same – Thursday, June 8. Registration is at 11 a.m. and a lunch potluck at 11:30 a.m.
Since the Unit of the Year plaque is filled, it was decided to not get a new one but to give certificates to each unit for the work done during the year – collections, donations, etc.
Units each will receive a report form and a Homemaker of the Year form.
They have to be returned to Anna Jean Rhodes no later than May 20, because the annual meeting is scheduled early in June.
A craft day will be held sometime in June to cut out slippers from blue jeans and plastic to send to Uganda children. It will be announced later.
After the meeting closed, all those present, except Blair, ate lunch at the Vandalia Old Capital View Restaurant and were joined by past board officers Mary Smith of the Wright’s Corner Unit and Shirley Klitzing and Carol Oldham of the Sefton Unit.
Lions Club
St. Elmo Lions Club had a great turnout for the annual Easter egg hunt at 2 p.m. on Easter Sunday in Deken Park. Aperion Care and Pagel Funeral Home supported the event, and all the club members who helped prepare and execute the event were noted.
Club members will be at strategic locations in St. Elmo from 9-11 a.m. on Saturday, May 13, for material distribution on diabetes awareness.
President Dave Maxey opened the April 24 meeting at Mary Ann’s Restaurant by leading in the Pledge of Allegiance and Pee Wee Denton led in prayer. Others present were Dave Cox, Don Crawford, Skip Heaton, Max Hollinshead, Holly Huffer, Mark Lash, Bob Lowe, Richard Lowe, Le Mar Marchman, Al Nevergall, Dee Newberry, Rex Reeder, Lloyd Stanley and Bob Wells.
St. Elmo HCE
Nine members answered roll call “Do you collect any of your favorite things?” at the St. Elmo Unit of Home and Communication April 25 meeting held at the St. Elmo Public Library: Sarah Beasley, Karen Denning, Loretta Heischmidt, Erna Koontz, Carole Krost, Mary Myers, Anna Jean Rhodes, Sharon Shelton and Karen Wegscheid. Beasley’s son, Kamden, was a guest. Angels and butterflies were mentioned most, but Myers displayed several coffee mugs, some from Germany.
Vice Chair Shelton opened the meeting with the Pledge Allegiance. Report on the county HCE board notes was given.
The special feature lesson given by Myers, “What We Collect and Why,” was not about collections kept; it was about what Fayette County HCE members collect and donate – plastic bottle caps and lids (every 400 pounds collected is donated to a church, park, school, etc. that wants a bench made); can tabs that can be donated to McDonald’s for the Ronald McDonald House; Box Tops for Education; and at least 25 more items.
Heischmidt gave the major lesson, “Extension Office.” Associated with The University of Illinois Extension Office are 4-H, Home and Community Education, Master Gardeners, Master Naturalists and DDDI (Distance Diagnostics through Digital Imaging)-Extension personnel are able to identify insect disease and weed pests associated with trees, crops, lawns and ornamental plants a mouse click away.
The county extension director is Carl Baker, office secretary is Debbie Boley, community worker/SNAP-Ed is Jo Stine, Extension program coordinator/4-H is Sarah Luce and Extension educator/youth is Tabitha Welch.
Japan Tasting Luncheon
Effingham County Home and Community Education members had a Japanese tasting Luncheon April 26 in the Effingham Extension Office. The attendance of 66 included three from Jasper County and the following HCE members from Fayette County: Flo Allen, Panzi Blackwell and Bonnie Kramer of the Sefton Unit; Sarah Beasley, Loretta Heischmidt, Anna Jean Rhodes, Shaeon Shelton and Karen Wegscheid of the St. Elmo Unit; and Ruth Brackenbush, Carol Bridges, Joyce Carter, Ashley Davis, Joyce Mueller, Edith Runkel, Megan Runkel, Debbie Segrest and Anita Smith of the Vandalia Day Unit.
April 26 is the birthday of one of the Jasper County attendees, Rose M., so “Happy Birthday” so sung to her.
Linda Schmidt, Effingham County HCE international chairman, gave the welcome at 10 a.m. The presentations were by Linda Soltwedel of the Wright Unit, who gave a talk and showed pictures on “Life in Japan; Elsie Voelker and Eloise McGuire of the West Center Unit did “Japanese Show and Tell” of items on a table display; and Schmidt, a mailbox member, showed pictures on “Japanese Food and Historical Sites.”
Next was the luncheon grace given by Mary Beth Hoene of the Wright Unit. The tables had chopsticks and other Japanese decorations.
The Japanese tasting menu included veggie sushi roll (pickled rice, seaweed and vegetables); smoked Alaskan salmon sushi roll; wasabi, ginger and soy sauces; tempura (vegetable lightly battered and fried, three kinds) with a dipping sauce in a covered container; udon noodle soup; osaka akonomiyaki (a savory Japanese pancake); fruit ganten; and green tea.
Fayette County HCE members thoroughly enjoyed the program and the very good and filling tasty meal.
Fayette County HCE Child Abuse Program
Child Abuse Awareness was a program sponsored by the Fayette County Home and Community Education for the public. It was held the afternoon of April 29 at the Vandalia Northside Christian Church and about 40 attended. HCE would have liked for the attendance to be many more to hear the two speakers, who each did an excellent job informing the audience on the subject.
The first speaker was Fayette County Sheriff Chris Smith, who said child abuse is committed every 10 seconds. After speaking about 20 minutes, he opened up for questions, and there were many.
The second speaker, Dana Andrews, is a grandmother who is foster mother to her 18-month old grandson, her son’s son. Andrews told how the baby was abused by his mother – often and very badly – before she became his foster mother. The story was very descriptive and heartbreaking.
Refreshments of at least five kinds of homemade cookies and punch were served in the church dining room after the programs.
Impact Sunday
For the very first time, five churches in St. Elmo went together for an Impact Sunday. It was held at 10 a.m. on Sunday in the St. Elmo Elementary gym. The 300 chairs were almost filled, and there was nursery/child care provided in another area of the school.
This was sponsored by the St. Elmo Ministerial Alliance that has five churches in St. Elmo – First Assembly of God (Bob Miller is pastor), First Church of God (Jeremy Smith is pastor), First United Methodist (Dan Laack is pastor), Freedom Reigns in Christ (Tim Caraway is pastor) and St. Elmo Christian (Thomas Fedgrigon is pastor). Also in the alliance is Evangelist Jim Giffin.
Worship music was by De La Croix of St. Elmo, who originally were in California. Eight songs were played throughout the service and the words were on a screen – “That Where I Am,” “Be Thou My Vision,” “I Saw the Light,” “King of Glory,” “Cannons,” Let My Life Be Worship.” “When It’s Been Said and Done” and “He Reigns.”
Methodist Dave Maxey gave the welcome and Freedom Reigns in Christ member Mark Duncan gave the opening prayer. St. Elmo Christian Church Carolyn Myers did prayer requests and concerns.
An offering was taken for the ministerial alliance to use when needed to help people in the community.
Each of the six ministers gave a five-minute message on the scripture John: 4:4-42 – Miller, Smith, Caraway, Giffin, Fedrigon and Laack.
Assembly of God Peggy Cox gave the Communion meditation. Communion was passed in each row.
Caraway closed the two-hour service with prayer.
 

Leave a Comment