On November 23, we welcomed five newcomers into church membership and one person who had his membership reactivated. You might not have been with us for the ritual of Reception. If that’s the case for you, then this article is for you. On the other hand, even if you were present, you might want to experience again the introductions composed by their sponsors:

Alex Schubert, introduced by sponsor Cathy Buerk. Alex was born and raised in Mascoutah, Illinois, where his family helped build St. John United Church of Christ. Alex went to Washington University where he got his MFA (Master of Fine Arts) degree so he could be a professor. He now teaches at Saint Louis Community College, Florissant Valley and Meramec. At one time, Alex lived in LA as a cartoonist, for 10 years, but when Frank was born, he decided LA was not a place to raise a child. Frank is 8 years old and is in second grade in Avery Elementary School, here in Webster Groves. Frank wants to be a cartoonist like his dad, but also enjoys writing short stories at home wonderful thank you

Ruthie Meyer, introduced by Rosemary Hensley. Ruthie joined the Lutheran Church, because of a friend, when she was 12. But quite a while ago she began looking for a more liberal church and noticed our Pride sign and decided to visit. And then she decided to join. She has two children, both married. One lives down the street and has her 11-year-old grandson. Of course, as a grandparent, you know that’s the pride of her life. As hobbies, she loves to paint and draw.

Esmeralda Castelblanco, introduced by sponsor BJ Kaul. Esmeralda was born and raised in Colombia, South America. She eventually moved to Spain and lived in Barcelona for 20 years or so. Esmeralda has earned both a Masters and Doctorate in her chosen field of microbiology. When she was offered a job at Washington University, she accepted and moved to Saint Louis where she’s lived about five years. Her concentration is in the field of lab and research work in diabetes. She likes living in Saint Louis and has very recently purchased a home in Webster Groves on Maple Ave. (She can walk to church!) She and her precious cat, Noah, will be moving within the next couple of weeks. Esmeralda got acquainted with this church by being in a class on our second floor in Tai Chi. And she looked around and liked what she saw, and came and worshiped, and she felt she found her home church. She’s quickly found activities to be active in. She’s already joined Lady Elect and made pies for Consecration Sunday, a couple weeks ago, and she’s signed up already for Hanging of the Greens. Esmeralda is a warm and energetic new member.

Daniel M. Smith, introduced by Charlie Schoenherr. Danny Smith is a man whose relationship with Jesus is very important to him. He was raised as a Catholic but always disagreed with their stance towards the LGBTQ community. Danny believes all people should be welcomed at the Table. He also believes that it is vital to work with others from various faith backgrounds. He also believes women should have equality in the church, and this is something that he didn’t find to be the case in the Catholic church. Because of these things, he set out to find a church that met these requirements. Eventually, he found the UCC and has stated many times that he has founded a new home here. Danny works as a hair stylist, giving me competition. He also has a degree in Education. He is currently going through the application process at Eden Seminary. He hopes to attain a Master of Divinity degree and become a UCC pastor. In his free time, he loves to go to Forest Park and walk the trails. He also loves to read. Danny is apt to quote Mother Teresa. One of his favors is, “I can do something you cannot. You can do something I cannot, so let us together do something beautiful for God.”

Chelsea & Edward Hoganson IV, introduced by Jenny Jones. Edward grew up in First Church, as he is my nephew, and his wife Chelsea grew up Catholic. A few fun facts about these two are: They actually live in the house across the street from the house I grew up in, and even more fun is they are living in the house Edward’s dad grew up in. So, small world! They have a daughter, Laney, my great niece, who was born on my mother’s birthday. And they also have a big lovable dog named Cowboy (That’s their first child.). Edward works for Rawlings as an account representative and Chelsea works at Mercy South as a patient advocate. Now, Edward works at Rawlings, but they actually both love sports and if you don’t see them here on Sundays, it could possibly be because they are traveling with their teenage Girls’ Softball team, so thank them for spending all that time with all those teenage girls. I also wanted to let you know that they are both great cooks, and they love to entertain. They will be hosting our Family Thanksgiving dinner, tomorrow night. (To Chelsea and Edward:) Thank you! (Returning to introduction:) They also have cooked for us many times at our family cabin which is south of St. Louis.

All of our new and reactivating members were introduced in worship. You can view these introductions at YouTube.com/@1stChurchWG