St. Elmo News
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Thursday, April 27
• Reznick art show, 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m., Fayette County Museum.
• ExxonMobil Annuitants, noon, Vandalia Ponderosa.
Friday, April 28
• Reznick art show, 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m., Fayette County Museum.
Saturday, April 29
• Reznick art show, 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m., Fayette County Museum.
• Fayette County HCE-sponsored program on child abuse, 1-3 p.m., Vandalia Northside Christian Church. Public invited to hear Fayette County Sheriff Chris Smith, Dana Andrews and Brandi Overturf. Refreshments will be served during a break. Free awareness ribbons will be available.
Sunday, April 30
• Five St. Elmo Ministerial Alliance Churches Impact Sunday worship service, 10 a.m., St. Elmo Elementary School, to impact St. Elmo and surrounding area; everyone invited to attend. See more info following the announcements.
• Reznick art show, 1-4 p.m., Fayette County Museum
Monday, May 1
• Reznick art show, 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m., Fayette County Museum.
• MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers), 6:30-8 p.m., St. Elmo Public Library. Child care and snacks provided.
Tuesday, May 2
• Reznick art show, 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m., Fayette County Museum.
• Friendly Neighbors, noon, Mary Ann’s Restaurant.
• Council of Catholic Women Mother/Daughter potluck, 6:15 p.m., St. Mary’s Catholic Church Parish Hall. All women of the church are invited to attend.
Wednesday, May 3
• Reznick art show, 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m., Fayette County Museum.
• Wright’s Corner Unit of Home and Community Education.
• Reverb Youth 56, 5:30-6:30 p.m.; Reverb Youth 78, 6:4508 p.m., St. Elmo Christian Church.
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.
Impact Sunday
April 30 is Impact Sunday for five of the churches in the St. Elmo Ministerial Alliance. These churches will combine for a 10 a.m. worship service at the St. Elmo Elementary School – Freedom Reigns in Christ Church, First Assembly of God, First Church of God, First United Methodist Church and St. Elmo Christian Church. Worship will be led by De La Croix. The public is invited to attend.
This is the first time churches in St. Elmo have gone together for a Sunday morning worship service.
4-H/HCE Sewing Day
Six young Fayette County 4-H members met the morning of April 13 at the Vandalia Extension Office to make pillowcases for Sheriff Chris Smith to give to child abuse victims and also for themselves. They were Annabel and Patrick Click, Anna Stine, and Isabel, Ivan and Ike Daiber.
This was a project of the Fayette County Home and Community Education, and the HCE members who helped were Flo Allen, Carolyn Grames and Phyllis Pryor of the Sefton Unit and Ashley Davis and Debbie Segrest of the Vandalia Day Unit.
A public program, “Child Abuse and Awareness,” will be given on Saturday, from 1-3 p.m., at Northside Christian Church in Vandalia. There will be several speakers. Punch and cookies will be served after a break.
Lunch Bunch
Present for the Lunch Bunch gathering at Mary Ann’s Restaurant at noon on April 13 were Wayne and Sandra Lovett of Brownstown, Pat Porter of Farina and Karen Denning, Arlin and Lillian Grobengeiser and Anna Jean Rhodes of St. Elmo.
Brownstown UMW
United Methodist Women of the Brownstown First United Methodist and the Emmanuel United Methodist held the monthly meeting the afternoon of April 13 at the Emmanuel Church. Anna Jean Rhodes of St. Elmo, Embarras River District UMW member-at-large and a member of the district nominating committee, was invited to talk about the district.
All district team members serve as shepherdesses and each district officer has one or more units. One shepherdess role is being a supportive mentor for each of her units.
President Carol Severns opened the meeting with prayer. Hostesses Connie Green and Carol Henna served refreshments of angel food cake, coffee and punch. Others present were Flo Allen, Phyllis Bruno and Betty Wright.
U of I Open House at Effingham
The University of Illinois had an open house the afternoon of April 13 in the Effingham Extension Office community room for the public to meet and greet Kimberly Kidwell, the new dean of the U of I College of ACES. Dr. Kidwell is the first female Dean of any College of Agriculture. The open house also celebrated the 150th anniversary of the University of Illinois, a land grant university created by the Morrill Act of 1862.
During the open house, those attending could go around the room where there were booths to meet the U of I Extension staff from the four counties in the Extension Council area. The booths had posters, literature to pick up and told about the programs offered and how they can better serve the public. Each Extension program had a hands-on activity for the public to interact with the staff. There were items given at several of the booths – measuring cups, measuring spoons, Extension water bottle, tiny screwdriver kit, jar opener, etc. At the Clay County 4-H booth, one could make a small magnet for the refrigerator.
A large variety of refreshments was served.
Past, Present and Future Art Shows in the Fayette County Museum
The Fayette County Museum in Vandalia had the annual Fayette County Schools Art Show April 14-18 in the museum upper level, Artworks Gallery. There were 789 entries – the most ever – from the following schools: Brownstown 198, St. Peter 50-plus, Vandalia Christian Academy 50-plus, Okaw Education Center 11, Vandalia Junior High 40 and Vandalia Elementary (grades 1,2,3,4) 431.
The present art show started with an opening session at 1-4 p.m. on Sunday, April 23 and will continue through Sunday afternoon, May 7. The special exhibit, “Fifty Years of Art,” is the work of Lynn Reznick of Vandalia.
The museum, at the corner of Gallatin and Main, is open from 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and from 1-4 p.m. on Sundays for special events.
Reznick has been sketching and painting a variety of subjects, including the landscape of Illinois, most of her life. She formalized her interest in art with a bachelor’s degree in painting from the University of Illinois and with a master’s degree from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. She continues to learn by attending numerous workshops.
The colors, mood and imagination of her work show her enthusiasm and joy for the beauty around her. The excellent skill of this fine artist is seen in private collections all over the United States, including Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, Iowa, Florida, Pennsylvania and Texas.
Lynn’s work has been regularly entered in many exhibits, which have given her numerous rewards.
The show has more than 122 entries – some are more than 50 years, 22 are on loan. Some will be for sale.
The afternoon of the closing, from 1-4 p.m. on Sunday, May 7, Historical Vandalia Inc. (owner and operator of the museum), will have members do an open house program upstairs.
There will be a program at 2 p.m., “Items Normally Not Seen in the Museum.” Subjects will be on the Civil War, genealogy, research, newspapers and historic clothing, and period dresses used for loan for special occasions and possibly other topics. Refreshments of cookies and lemonade will be served in the museum downstairs.
The third art show will be the Fayette County Annual Amateur Town and Country Art Show and Professional Art Show in the Artworks Gallery. The show will open at 1 p.m. on Saturday, June 17, with a critique by professional artist Jan Kappes of Arcola.
The show dates are June 17-25, and exhibit hours are 1-8 p.m. on June 17, from 1-4 p.m. Sundays, June 18 and 25, and from 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Free admission.
Entry forms with additional information are available at the Museum, entry form and check has to be postmarked on or before May 25.
Historical Vandalia Inc.
The Historical Vandalia Inc. Board met the evening of April 21 in the Fayette County Museum with the following present: President Steve Durbin, Donna Blair, Joyce Mueller and Mary Truitt of Vandalia, Marilyn Beyes pf Smithboro, Jim Brewer of Ramsey and Anna Jean Rhodes of St. Elmo.
In March 78 visitors registered at the museum.
Reports were given on the Fayette County Schools Art Show held April 14-18, which had 789 entries.
Historical Vandalia will have an open house on Sunday, May 7, 1-4 p.m., during the Reznick art showing. An hour-long program at 2 p.m. will be given by several on “Items Not Normally Seen in the Museum.”
Artifacts donated in March: Cumberland School 1899 framed photo, two 1929 reproductive copies of the St. Paul Telephone Co. directories, black & white 5-by-7 photo of Boyce Store and a black & white 4¾-by-7 photo of a different view, three store tokens from St. Paul Mercantile Co., booklet-Alphabetical Roster of Posts of the Department of Illinois G.A.R., books-“Best Lincoln Stories Tersely Told” and “One Hundred and One Famous Poems,” foundation stone from old Capps store, shoe box for Rhythm Step shoes, 1913 newspaper clipping with Shobonier School first four grades, newspaper clipping showing first group of students to attend Shobonier High School and clothes to loan out-two blouses, two shirts and two bonnets.
Embarras River District UMW Spring Meeting
“We are a Community of Women in Mission” was the theme of the Embarras River District United Methodist Women spring meeting held April 20 in the Watson United Methodist Church with 56 attendees from most of the UMW units in the district.
Food, fellowship and program resources were available at 9 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall. Singing the UMW Purpose song opened the meeting at 9:30 a.m. in the sanctuary. Watson UMW President Sharon Davis gave the welcome. District President Carol Kessler of Shelbyville introduced the president of the Illinois Great Rivers Conference United Methodist Women, Camille McCaskill of Shiloh.
Kessler presented Sherrill Brandenburg with a mission pin for her district office that ended in 2016.
After a devotion and prayer by Spiritual Growth Coordinator Searoba Mascher of Marshall, Treasurer Louella Christensen told about the Legacy Fund and mission cards. An offering then was taken for missions; it totaled $955. District officers then gave announcements.
The speaker, Director Pat Wright of the Midwest Mission Distribution Center at Chatham, talked on “Reaching Out Through Communication.”
Mascher then led in a memorial service for UMW members who died in 2016. Each unit that had one or more deceased members were called to the front and put a white flower in a vase. Brownstown lost Billy Anna Dugan, Altamont lost Lois Prosser and Effingham Centenary lost Ginny Summers.
Marlin Livingston, CEO of the Cunningham Children’s Home in Urbana, assisted by staff member Ginger McKee, talked about the home. Each year, it serves 350 youth and families and serves 120,000 meals. An Education and Research Center is being built. The April quilt show took in $74,000 for the home. Spirited Servant Awards given by the home included Altamont, Brownstown and Effingham
Units took the following donations for the home: men’s ankle socks; gift cards from Wal-Mart, Target, Meijer, McD’s, Jimmy Johns, Steak and Shake; and also Box Tops for Education.
After a lunch catered by Niemergs in Effingham, the group returned to the Sanctuary. Vice President Carol Martin of Effingham led in group singing.
Eric Smith and Caroline Johnson of the Lessie Bates Davis Neighborhood House in East St. Louis talked about the home that has 210 volunteers who help and the oldest volunteer is 99.
Units took the following donations for the home: socks for infants, children, youth, men, women; underwear for children; and canned goods.
Awards for 2016 were presented.
The Rainbow awards (units gave in all five mission channels, gave more in the five channels than last year and gave in all five channels last year) went to 11 units including Altamont First.
The Five Star awards (gave in all five channels) went to six units, including Brownstown/Emmanuel and Effingham Centenary.
2016 Mission Today awards went to 16 units, including Altamont, Brownstown/Emmanuel and Effingham Centenary in the LOVE category, three units in the JOY category and five units in the HOPE category.
Reader awards were given to nine units who reported on reading a total of 350 books. Altamont read 24 books, which included Plan 1 readers Louella Chrisrtensen, Joy Edwards and Marilyn Yakel, who each read five books. Effingham Centenary read 33 books, which included Plan 1 readers Kate Dickens 7, Cindy Montgomery 6 and Peggy Peters and Judy Straud, each 5, and kids reading group 8. Marshall First reported reading the most books – 146.
Embarras River District UMW Mission Study will be on Wednesday, June 21, in the Shelbyville First UMC. Fellowship and food will be from 9-9:30 a.m. and the program will be from 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. The study is “Climate Justice – Call to Hope & Action,” and the study leader is IGR Conference UMW Vice President Diana Goff.
Those attending are to take a gift of toiletries for both women and men, to share with the area shelters – DOVE (Shelbyville), Hope House at Charleston and SWAN (Effingham).
The salad lunch is a free-will donation, but the number attending needs to be known by June 16 by calling Kessler at 217-774-5318.
Those from this area attending the spring meeting were Connie Green and Carol Severns of the Brownstown/Emmanuel UMW, Louella Christensen, Shirley Harder and Marilyn Yakel of Altamont UMW and Anna Jean Rhodes of St. Elmo, ERD member-at-large.