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St. Elmo News

ANNOUNCEMENTS
Wednesday, Dec. 7
• Wright’s Corner Unit of Home and Community Education Christmas party, 11 a.m., Mary Ann’s Restaurant. Members are to take items for the Caring and Sharing boxes.
• St. James Hornets 4-H Club, 7 p.m., Christmas party. Those attending are to take an item for the Caring and Sharing, a gift for a gift exchange and finger food.
Thursday, Dec. 8
• The Lunch Bunch, noon, Mary Ann’s Restaurant. For a gift exchange, those attending are to take a $10 gift that will work for a man or woman.
• The St. Elmo Library District Board, 7 p.m., St. Elmo Public Library.
• The Effingham Chapter #110 Order of the Eastern Star, 7:30 p.m., Effingham Masonic Temple.
Friday, Dec. 9
• Last day to collect items for the Clothing Give-Away. See more information in the Clothing Give-Away article that follows the future announcement.
Saturday, Dec. 10
• Clothing Giveaway, 8 a.m.-noon, Freedom Reigns in Christ Church. Also available will be ham sandwiches, hot dogs, cookies, coffee and Kool-Aid.
Sunday, Dec. 11
• Santa Claus will be at the St. Elmo Community Park Centennial Building, 3-5 p.m. The building is decorated for Christmas, and pictures can be taken with Santa. The Avena Township Park Board will appreciate donations of brownies, cookies and snacks, and they need to be taken to the Centennial Building by 2 p.m.
Monday, Dec. 12
• The Elementary Christmas Program, 7 p.m., high school gymnasium.
Tuesday, Dec. 13
• All Caring and Sharing collections have to be completed by this date. See the Caring and Sharing article that follows the future announcement.
• The St. Elmo Unit of Home and Community Education will leave at 4:30 p.m. to go to the Richard’s Farm at Casey for the Christmas party.
• The Avena Township Park Board, 6 p.m., St. Elmo Community Park Centennial Building.
• American Legion Post #420, 7 p.m., Legion Home.
• The Fayette County Board, 7 p.m., Fayette County Courthouse, Vandalia.
Thursday, Dec. 15
• Exxon/Mobil Annuitants, noon, Vandalia Ponderosa.
• Friendship Quilt Club, 7 p.m., St. Elmo Public Library.
Future Announcement
An American Red Cross Blood Drive will be held 3-7 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 16, at the St. Elmo Elementary School. Everyone who attempts to donate will receive a complimentary T-shirt, while supplies last.
Individuals who are 17 years of age (16 with parental permission in some states), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health are eligible to donate blood. High school students and anyone age 18 or younger must meet additional height and weight requirements. There is no upper age limit. It must be 56 days from the date of your last whole blood donation or 112 days from the date of your last double red cell donation. You may not give blood if you have received Red Cross notification asking you not to do so.
Clothing Give-Away
The Freedom Reigns in Christ Church started collecting items for the Clothing Give-Away on Dec. 5 and will continue from 8:30 a.m.-7 p.m. through this Friday . The Give-Away will be from 8 a.m.-noon on Saturday.
Clothing left outside of the church will be disposed of. Furniture, knick-knacks, etc., also will be accepted. For more information, call Melissa Carson at 829-9301 or the church at 829-9757.
Caring and Sharing
St. Elmo Lions Club is collecting items for the Caring and Sharing Christmas baskets that will be ready for distribution on Saturday, Dec. 17, at 9 a.m. at the Avena Town Hall. The baskets will provide deserving families with a Christmas dinner complete with all the trimmings plus gifts for the children.
Churches, businesses, groups, organizations and individuals can help in any of the following areas:  donate non-perishable food items; collect and donate new and like new toys, puzzles, games; collect and donate mittens, hats, gloves, scarves, socks; collect and donate teen items; or donate Christmas decorations and disposable dinnerware. Monetary donations to purchase perishable food and special gifts can be made at the Caring and Sharing account at Fayette County Bank.
The Avena Town Hall will serve as the collection site. All collections should be completed by Tuesday, Dec. 13. Arrangements for pickup and delivery to the collection site can be made by calling any St. Elmo Lions Club member or 829-9729.
Every effort will be made to reach those who are handicapped, elderly or under privileged in any way. The club is accepting names of those individuals.
Santa’s Secret Elves
The St. Elmo City Hall has a tree that lists children (age and other information) who need Christmas gifts. If you would like to be one of Santa’s Secret Elves, stop in at city hall. Gifts must be turned in by Dec. 20.
Fayette County HCE Board
The Fayette County Home and Community Education Board met the morning of Nov. 28 in the Vandalia Extension Office with the following present:  Flo Allen, Panzi Blackwell, Shirley Klitzing and Phyllis Pryor of the Sefton Unit, Anita Smith and Debbie Segrist of the Vandalia Day Unit, Evelyn Probst of the Bingham/Ramsey Unit, Anna Jean Rhodes of the St. Elmo Unit, Dorothy Harpster of the St. Peter Unit, Irene Reed of the Wright’s Corner Unit and Joyce Moore of the Wheatland Unit.
Blackwell presented each one with a sack she had decorated for Christmas, and it held an orange, peanuts in the shell and a variety of candy. She also served miniature cream puffs and county Extension Director Rachelle Hollinshead had made coffee. The Extension office is closed to the public on Mondays and Tuesdays, but when the HCE Board meets someone is present to have the office open.
The main item on the agenda was to select the place for the HCE Board Christmas party that usually is held on the third Monday in December. Members voted to go to the Vandalia Ponderosa back room at 11 a.m. on Dec. 19. Instead of a gift exchange, they also voted for each one to give $5 for the Pregnancy Center.
Members were reminded that the HCE Certified Volunteer Hours (CVH) they have earned for the 2011 year are to be turned in to President Allen no later than the end of December. Volunteer hours can be counted (organizations, blood drives, church, dinners for funerals or weddings, etc.), but family activities cannot be counted.
After the board meeting, the following went to lunch at the Liberty Olde Towne Cheese Shoppe in Vandalia: Allen, Harpster, Klitzing, Probst, Rhodes and Smith.
Lions Club
The annual Caring and Sharing distribution sponsored by the St. Elmo Lions Club will be held on Saturday, Dec. 17, at 9 a.m. at the Avena Township Hall in St. Elmo.
This was discussed at the Lions Club meeting held the evening of Nov. 28 at Mary Ann’s Restaurant. The club still has some of the bags of Heath Candy bars left for sale and they can be bought at Fayette County Bank.
Plans were finalized for the club’s annual Christmas banquet and scholarship awards program that will be held at 6 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 19 at Mary Ann’s Restaurant.
President Bob Wells opened the meeting at 6 p.m., and Richard Lowe gave the meal blessing. Others present were Don Crawford, Lewis Crawford, Kent Denton, Roger Fulk, Jim Giffin, Bob Lowe, Dave Maxey, Charles Moore, Dee Newberry, Rex Reeder, Lloyd Stanley and Randy Wolf.
Women’s Civic Club
Members of the St. Elmo Women’s Civic Club did not have a regular meeting Dec. 1, but went to the Vandalia Ponderosa for a dinner and Christmas party. The hostesses were Lucille Koeberlein, Ann Rowland and Elizabeth Stoner, and the tables in the back room were decorated with poinsettia centerpieces and napkins.
After the dinner, President Pat Porter asked that members who had made sales of fruitcakes, nuts and candy should turn the money in to the treasurer, Stoner.
Those attending took food items for the Caring and Sharing program.
For the program, Karen Denning had a Christmas bag decorated in a snowman theme and read a storybook on snow. Each time snow was mentioned, the member who had the bag had to pass it to the person next to her.
After many rounds of passing the bag, Denning ended the story. and the one who had it got to open it and keep the gifts inside. Susan Belden received a snowman kitchen towel and a snowman cookie.
Denning also read a humorous article, “T’was the Week After Christmas.”
Those present had a good time visiting. The 13 present, in addition to Koeberlein, were Rowland, Stoner, Porter, Denning and Belden included Norma Engeljohn, Sheila Himes, Debbie Hough, Sharon Howard, Mary Myers, Anna Jean Rhodes and Carolyn White.
On Nov. 30, the St. Elmo Women’s Civic Club was in charge of decorating the Christmas trees at the Friendship Manor Nursing Home. Those helping decorate a tree in the main dining room and the Alzheimer’s wing were Karen Denning, Debbie Hough, Mary Myers and Pat Porter.
The Thursday, Jan. 5, meeting will be at 7 p.m. at the St. Elmo Public Library. The program will be a travel log given by Mary Myers and Libby Kessel.
Fayette County Museum Exhibits
The Fayette County Museum in Vandalia is decorated for the holidays, and the special exhibits for December are “Christmas Past” and “Lincoln Prints.”
Thirteen items were donated to the museum in November, and they included an advertising thermometer, a Civil War discharge paper, a Western Union telegram, hair-waving clamps, books and newspaper articles.
The museum gave a tour to Vandalia Junior High seventh-grade students and welcomed 130 visitors during November.
This Saturday, the Fayette County Museum will be open until 7 p.m. to welcome visitors who attend the Vandalia Statehouse Christmas Open House.
Through December, regular hours of 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and 1-4 p.m. on Sunday, will be observed, except on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, when the museum will close at 1:30 p.m. It will be closed all day on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.
The museum is located at 301 W. Main St. in Vandalia. The phone number is 283-4866.
Great-Grandchild Baptized
A great-grandchild of Richard Lowe and Maybelle Barnes was baptized on Nov. 27 at First United Methodist Church – Levi Nelson Lowe, son of Shawn and Ashley Lowe of Denver, Colo.
Three-month old Levi’s sponsors were an uncle, Nicholas Boyden of Denver, Colo., and an aunt, Morgan Lowe of Chicago. The Rev. John Eisfelder performed the baptism.  
Other relatives present at the service were the following:  Levi’s maternal grandparents, Tom and Lila Boyden of Spokane, Wash.; his paternal grandparents, Connie Barnes and Bob Lowe of St. Elmo; and other paternal relatives, Ted and Shannon Moss, Darby, Sydney, Cassidy and Kelly, Richard and Julie Lowe and Benjamin, John and Betty Lowe, and Roger and Sereta Barnes, all of St Elmo; and Beth Lowe of Waco, Texas. After the service, all went to the home of Connie Barnes, who served dinner.
Polio Survivors and Friends
Polio Survivors and Friends of East Central Illinois had the December get-together on Saturday, Dec. 3, at the Effingham Ryan’s Restaurant. They did not have a meeting, just enjoyed visiting.
Those present were John and Teresa Flinn of Wheeler; Marian Martin of Altamont; Vicki Robinson of Mason; Betty O’Dell of Mattoon; Betty Anderson, Annie Barber, Glee Helms and Jim and Mary Lou Replogle, all of Charleston; Anna Jean Rhodes of St. Elmo; and Bob and June Myers of Neoga.
They will not meet again until Saturday, March 3, at 1 p.m. at the Sarah Bush Lincoln Education Center, Mattoon.
Royal Neighbors Christmas Dinner
At noon on Dec. 3, the Royal Neighbors of America Camp #5784 held the annual Christmas dinner in the First Church of God S.H.E.D. One hundred and six people attended the dinner catered by Niemerg’s of Effingham, and they were asked to take food and/or toys for the Caring and Sharing program sponsored by the St. Elmo Lions Club.
Entertainment was given by the Singing Strings. Tables were decorated with poinsettias and 30 were given as door prizes.
Camp activities reported since the previous year:
December 2010 – RNA paid for the ham for the Christmas dinners prepared by churches in the Ministerial Alliance for shut-ins.
January 2011 – A ham and bean dinner was served on New Year’s Day and matching funds were collected for the Viramontes benefit.
February – A Valentine tea was held at the Lutheran Care Center, Altamont.
March – started making Easter baskets.
April – Completed the Easter baskets and delivered them to two area nursing homes, Friendship Manor at St. Elmo and Lutheran Care Center at Altamont.
May – Collected and bought Bingo prizes and helped residents play Bingo at the Altamont Lutheran Care Center.
June – A Mother’s-Father’s Day dinner. Celebration at the Altamont McDonalds for Camp member’s birthdays.
July – Collected school supplies for the grade school.
August – Teddy bears were given to the Fayette County Health Department. Also, collected and bought items for the Lighthouse Pregnancy Center at Vandalia.
September – Made a Labor Day float for the parade. Also, bought items for a company of soldiers who lost everything.
October – Held one of eight funeral dinners that were sponsored this year.
November – Paid for Thanksgiving turkeys that were put on the plates of food prepared by churches in the Ministerial Alliance. Bought numerous items that were sent to the Veterans’ Hospital in Marion.
This year’s Nation of Neighbor’s Award was presented to Natasha Miller of Altamont. Natasha is pursuing a nursing degree that will enable her to care for others, including, but not limited, to RNA members. To receive this award, nominations must be submitted to RNA headquarters in Rock Island by a member of the RNA, along with a detailed explanation of how funds will help empower women. Both the nominator and nominee must be over 18 years of age and previous recipients and employees are not eligible. The deadline to submit an application was Sept. 30.
Pagel Funeral Home Open House
The C & A Pagel Funeral Home held an open house on Saturday. They served a variety of cookies, cinnamon rolls and candy, and had three door prizes, which were won by:  $20 gift certificates to Mary Ann’s Restaurant, Rita Stein, Debbie Jo Ann Hough and Harold Koeberlein; and $30 gift certificates to St. Elmo Foods went to Karen Denning and Ray Morris.
United Methodist Church
A guest speaker delivered the message, “Hide and Seek”, at the First United Methodist Church the morning of Dec. 4. He was Matthew Bauer of Beecher City, son of the Rev. Paul Bauer of Beecher City.
Matthew came from the New York area a couple of months ago and is now living in his
dad’s home. He is an author, teacher and worship leader with a passion for helping people to discover and live out their identity and calling in God’s Kingdom.
He is a gifted pianist, guitarist and vocalist, and has been writing, playing and performing music for nearly 20 years, leading others in the presence of God through his worship. Also, speaking to congregations around the country, and through his new book, “The Journey of Freedom,” he is touching lives with messages of freedom, healing and hope, making a powerful impact in the Body of Christ. For more information  you can go online to www.journeytofreedombook.com and www.mattbauer.org.
The chancel choir, led by Kathy Spitler, sang “Shine on Us.”
The children’s Christmas program will be presented in the church sanctuary at 10:35 a.m. on Sunday, Dec.18. A come-and-go candlelight Communion will be held from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 24. On Christmas Day, there will be no Sunday school, but the worship service will be at 10:35 a.m. and there will be a march to the manger.
 

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