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St. Elmo News

ANNOUNCEMENTS
Thursday, March 30
• ExxonMobil Annuitants, noon, Litchfield Maverick Restaurant.
• U of I Unit 21 Extension Council, 7 p.m., Effingham Extension Office.
Saturday, April 1
• This Saturday is the deadline to enroll in Fayette County 4-H and the deadline for selecting projects.
Sunday, April 2
• Wolf Creek United Methodist Churches Lenten Service, 4 p.m., Haley Chapel Methodist Church, east of Bluff City on U.S. Route 40. Pastor Dave Arnold will give the message. Refreshments will follow the service.
Monday, April 3
• MOPS (Mothers of Preschool Children), 6:30-8 p.m., St. Elmo Public Library. Childcare and snacks will be provided.   
Tuesday, April 4
• Remember to vote! Polls will be open from 6 a.m.-7 p.m.
• Friendly Neighbors, noon, Mary Ann’s Restaurant.
• St. Elmo Community Park District Board Meeting, 7 p.m., park Centennial Building.
• Council of Catholic Women, 7 p.m., St. Mary’s Catholic Church Parish Hall.
Wednesday, April 5
• Wright’s Corner Unit of Home and Community Education, 1 p.m., Loudon Town House.
• Reverb Youth 56, 5:30-6:30 p.m., Reverb Youth 78, 6:45-8 p.m., St. Elmo Christian Church.
• St. Elmo City Council, 7 p.m., city hall.
Thursday, April 6
• St. Elmo Business Association, noon, Mary Ann’s Restaurant.
• St. Elmo Women’s Civic Club, salad supper and membership drive, 5:30 p.m., St. Mary’s Catholic Church Parish Hall. Story teller, Pam Chase, will give the program, All women interested in becoming a member of the St. Elmo Women’s Civic Club are invited, but don’t take a salad – the meal is being provided by club members.
American Red Cross Blood Drive
An American Red Cross blood drive is scheduled on Monday, April 10, at St. Elmo High School, from 9 a.m.- 2 p.m. All units collected count toward the high school scholarship program.
Call 1-800-Red Cross (1-800-733-767) to schedule your appointment or search online for sponsor code: StElmoComunity.
Future Announcement of Ministerial Alliance
Pastors of the churches in the St. Elmo Ministerial Alliance have been meeting on Wednesdays and have set Sunday, April 30, as a special day – Impact Sunday. The churches will combine for a morning worship that will be held in the St. Elmo Elementary Gym at 10 a.m. More will be given on this later.
Historical Vandalia Inc.
Two art shows will be held in April in the Fayette County Museum in Vandalia, upper level. The Artworks Gallery sponsored shows were discussed at the March 20 meeting of Historical Vandalia Inc. held in the Museum.
The first one is the Fayette County Schools Art Show Thursday, April 13-Tuesday, April 18, for students in grades K-12. The hours of the museum are: 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday through Saturday; the art show will be open from 1-4 p.m. on Sunday, April 16.
 The schools in the county have recently received letters concerning the information needed. The children’s artwork can be taken to the museum on Saturday, April 8, and Monday, April 10.
The second art show will start on Sunday, April 23, and run through Sunday, May 7, and the art shown will be by Lynn Reznick of Vandalia.
From 1-4 p.m. on Sunday, May 7, the Fayette County Museum will have an open house. At 2 p.m. on the upper level, there will be a program, “Things You Don’t See on a Museum Tour.” Various kinds of items will be shown and explained.
Present at the board meeting were President Steve Durbin, Donna Blair, Joyce Mueller, Phil Shroyer and Mary Truitt, all of Vandalia; Marilyn Beyes of Smithboro; Jim Brewer of Ramsey; and Anna Jean Rhodes of St. Elmo.
The museum had 62 visitors sign in in February.
Artifacts donated to the museum since the last board meeting include: issue of the April 1863 “The Illinois Monthly Magazine;” Hood’s 1892 Sarsaparilla calendar; a pitcher and bowl set; “Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address” pamphlet; copy of Gettysburg address in Lincoln’s handwriting; pamphlet “Four Days in May”; bridal pattern chamber pot; “The Rivels” book; “The Man Without a Country” book; Wakefield’s annual booklet; replica of a $1,000 bank note from 1840; 33 various 1850-1900 receipts, letters, bills, envelopes, notes and deeds of Frank and Elkhana Smith;
Also: 5th  and 7th Army shoulder patches of World War II; gold colored World War II lighter; ordinance officer insignia; gold colored men’s ring; small yellow hand-held push button fan from the World War II era; red and white ribbon bar with three battle stars; silver star with screw on back; bronze star with screw on back;1946 Egyptian Legionnaire newspaper; flap from American Red Cross Prisoner of War food pack box; 16 Stars & Stripes newspapers; two green pouches with seven pairs of plastic World War II glasses; cloth armband with LANDWACHT on it; brown military collar with orange and silver patches on each end and shoulder bar; two red pennants with swastika symbols; and a wooden musical instrument covered with hand-carved figures, round, 10¼  inches long.
St. Elmo HCE
“What is your favorite scent?” was the roll call at the March 21 meeting of the St. Elmo Unit of Home and Community Education held at the St. Elmo Public Library. Several scents were named, and cinnamon is popular. Present were Sarah Beasley, Loretta Heischmidt, Erna Koontz, Carole Krost, Mary Myers, Anna Jean Rhodes, Sharon Shelton and Karen Wegscheid. Beasley’s son Kamden, was a guest.
Minutes of the February meeting were approved as read. Fayette County HCE board notes were read.
Several members volunteered to make five desserts for the Fayette County Extension Foundation Spaghetti Luncheon that will be from 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 26, in the Brownstown Elementary School cafeteria.
The Annual Get-Acquainted Day will be on Tuesday, April 11, in the St. Elmo First United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall. Registration is 9 a.m. and a brunch potluck at 9:30 a.m. St. Elmo and Bingham/Ramsey Units will help with the annual auction. HCE members are to take a Bake It, Make It, Sew It or Grow It item for the auction.
Members were reminded to take old blue jeans to the Get-Acqauinted Day; they will be used to help make shoes for Uganda children.
Fayette County 4-H members and some HCE members will go to the Vandalia Extension Office 9 a.m. and/or 1 p.m. on Thursday, April 13, to make pillow cases for abused children. They will be given at the Fayette County HCE-sponsored “Child Abuse” program that will be from 1-3 p.m. on Saturday, April 29, at the Vandalia Northside Christian Church.
Fayette County HCE members have been invited to the Effingham HCE Japan program that will be given from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. on Wednesday, April 26, at the Effingham Extension Office. Fuijyama Japanese Restaurant in Effingham will prepare a Japanese luncheon; the cost for each attendee is $5 and reservations have to be made before April 19. Five of the members present are planning to go; those who were not present will be contacted.
Beasley gave the special feature, “Essential Oils,” and passed around several different samples of oil.
Shelton gave the major lesson, “Aging – Everyone’s Doing It, I’m Positive I’m Aging.”
There was discussion on both lessons.
For refreshments, Beasley served several kinds of Girl Scout cookies and Sprite.
The April meeting will be back on the fourth Tuesday, April 25, at the St. Elmo Public Library.
UMW District Officers Meeting
The Embarras River District United Methodist Women Leadership Team met on March 22 at the Centenary Methodist Church in Effingham for the second planning meeting of the year. At 9 a.m., Effingham UMW provided coffee, orange juice and a variety of goodies. President Carol Kessler of Shelbyville opened the meeting will all singing the Purpose of United Methodist Women. Spiritual Growth Searoba Mascher of Marshall did a devotion on eggs.
President Kessler reported on attending the conference officers meeting. The 2018 Assembly of UMW is titled The Power of Bold with a goal to draw 8,000 women; the Illinois Great Rivers Conference’s goal is for 188 to go. The annual celebration of conference UMW will be at the Springfield First on Saturday, Oct. 7.
Some of the conference time spent was on many things that included the following: Evolve into the 21st century with social and injustice issues, use the website to spread the UMW story, partner with other groups in other churches and community groups in town, UMW should be involved in the Aug. 1 Southern Illinois solar eclipse.
Secretary Nancy Sperry of Nokomis had the previous minutes for each one. Reports were given by Treasurer Louella Christensen of Altamont, on communications by Cheryl Murphy of Marshall, on program resources by Rose and Sabrina Lyttle of Marshall, on nominations by Joan Miller of Mode, on spiritual growth by Mascher, on social action by Shirley Harder of Altamont, on education and interpretation by Linda Trent of Charleston, on membership, nurture and outreach by Ione Elliot of Shelbyville, on Cunningham Children’s Home by Bessie Slifer of Mode and Jo Sanders of Marshall and on Lessie Bates Davis Neighborhood House by Margie Eisenbarth of Nokomis and Evelyn Icenogle of Toledo. Nominations Committee Class of 2017, Linda Connelly of Paris, and class of 2018, Anna Jean Rhodes of St. Elmo, were present.
Vice President Carol Martin of Effingham will be in charge of the spring district meeting on Thursday, April 20, at the Watson UM Church.
The district mission study will be on Wednesday, July 19, at the Shelbyville First UMC. The next meeting of the District Leadership Team will be on Wednesday, July 21, at the Effingham Centenary.
Board of Education
The St. Elmo Board of Education met at 7:30 p.m. on March 20 in the unit office, and the following consent agenda items were approved: minutes of the February meeting, bills and financial reports, and monthly administrative reports.
The board approved the annual Illinois High School Association Membership, the annual South East Purchasing Cooperative agreement for 2017-18, the amended 2016-17 school calendar and proceeding with the development of a modified grading scale and an Honors Course Plan.
A letter of retirement from Karla Drewes, effective at the end of the 2016-17 school year, was accepted.
A special meeting was set for Wednesday, March 29, at 8 p.m. for a student disciplinary hearing.
Extension Foundation Spaghetti Luncheon
The annual spaghetti luncheon fundraiser for the Fayette County Extension Foundation was held from 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. on Sunday in the Brownstown Elementary School cafeteria. The cost was a free-will donation and more than $1,400 were received. The county 4-H Clubs had a bake sale and made almost $250. The final figures will be given later after the expenses are paid. The Extension Foundation appreciates all of the participants – donors of various items, adult and 4-H workers who helped in any way and those who just went to eat to help with the fundraiser.
Wolf Creek Cluster Lenten Service
The fourth Wolf Creek Cluster Lenten Service was held at 4 p.m. on Sunday at the St. Elmo First United Methodist Church. Joann Maxey played the prelude on the piano, Pastor Dan Laack gave the greeting and opened with prayer. Maxey was pianist for the hymns – the first one was “Where He Leads Me.”
Ed Wofjer, pastor of the Altamont circuit churches, told about the offering that will be divided between the Brownstown Food Pantry and the Vandalia Lighthouse Pregnancy Center. The total of the offering at the first three Sundays is $722.54.
Wojner and ushers Dee Newberry and Holly Huffer collected this Sunday’s offering.
Willie Duel, pastor of the Altamont First United Methodist Church, gave the message. After the closing hymn, “The Old Rugged Cross,” Laack gave the closing prayer and benediction.
Everyone was invited to the Fellowship Hall for refreshments of a variety of finger foods and desserts and a time of fellowship.
It was noted that the Marlys Thomas’s birthday was Sunday, and “Happy Birthday” was sung to her. She noted that she is several days older than her husband, Don Thomas, pastor of the Brownstown First United Methodist Church and Brownstown Emmanuel UM Church, whose birthdate is April 11, and he tells he is married to an “older woman.”
The next Lenten Service will be this Sunday at the Haley Chapel UMC. The pastor, Dave Arnold, will be the speaker.
 

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