St. Paul Epistle
www.stpaul.org Volume 2000, Issue 4 April 2000
Dear Disciples of the Crucified and Risen One:
Once again it is time for us to walk with Jesus through the historical events of our Christian faith. The experiences of Holy Week and Easter offer to all of us who relive these events the greatest gifts that God has to offer us - life and salvation
Holy Week begins with the contradictory moods of Palm/Passion Sunday - the wild cheering and waving of palm branches by the hopeful crowds ... followed by the gradual desertion of Jesus by all in the events that led to the cross. Special services remember these events:
April 20, Maundy Thursday - Worship at St. Paul (note change of place) at 11:00 a.m., a traditional Maundy Thursday service of worship with Holy Communion.
- A Seder meal at St. Paul at 6:00 p.m. followed by Holy Communion and the Stripping of the Altar at 7:30 p.m. in the Sanctuary (Attendance is by reservation only for the Seder meal (a free-will offering will be taken). All 7th and 8th grade Confirmation students and parents are required to attend. The first additional 100 people to make reservations may also attend.
- April 21, Good Friday - Community Tre Ore service at First Congregational Church from 12-3 p.m. This service is sponsored by congregations in our community including St Paul and Grace Lutheran, Trinity Episcopal, First United Methodist, First Presbyterian and First Congregational Churches.
- Evening worship at Grace, 7:00 p.m., at St. Paul, 8:00 p.m.
We move from the darkness of Good Friday to the light of Easter with services of hope and resurrection joy:
Easter Saturday - April 22 - 5:30 p.m. - An Easter Communion Celebration Easter Sunday - April 23 - 8, 9:20 and 10:45 a.m. - Easter Communion Celebrations
The season of Easter lasts for a week of Sundays ... seven Sundays ... the celebration of resurrection to eternal life too awesome an undertaking for just one Sunday. So the season of Easter begins this year on April 23 and runs through June 4 - each Sunday a mini-celebration of the Easter message of hope and new life brought by the resurrection of Jesus Christ!
May God's gracious Spirit surround you and hold you as you relive these great events in the life of our faith through the worship of this community of faith.
Grace and Peace to you,
Rev. Daniel Deutsch, Pastor
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Pastoral Ramblings
A monthly (or seasonal, as the case may be) rambling of thoughts ... thanks ... things coming up ... things to think about, etc.
We dedicated the new Prayer Room on Sunday, March 12. All were invited to join in procession to the Chapel at the end of the 9:20 service. It is certainly a quiet and inspirational place to spend time alone with the Lord. There will soon be some kneelers and devotional prayer books in place for our use. Thanks go out to so many whose hopes and dreams, dollars and hard work have provided physical renewal of the basement space for scouts and choir along with this space for spiritual renewal. Along with your gifts to the R & R program, memorial gifts in memory of Howard Kelm, Otto Kelm, Vern Kingsbury and others, and money earned by the ladies who are involved in the annual Bazaar held in November have provided the needed funds for construction and furnishing of this facility. The prayer room is always open for private meditation and prayer. We dedicate this space to the glory of God and the memories of those who await us in His presence.
Good Friday to Easter Prayer Vigil - We are attempting a new venture this year. It seems appropriate to inaugurate the use of our new Prayer Room with a prayer vigil. Certainly the period of Good Friday to Easter is a good time for a congregation to be in continuous prayer as we contemplate our Lord's actions for us. There will be available in the prayer room during this time period devotional and prayer material and suggested directions for spending an hour alone with your Lord in prayer. On the Kiosk (bulletin board) in the entrance to church you will find a sign-up sheet with times from the end of our Good Friday evening worship (9:00 p.m.) until just prior (5:00 p.m.) to the start of our first Easter service on Saturday evening. These time periods will be in one hour increments and we are looking for two people to fill each time slot. Please call me if you have any questions about this new Prayer Vigil.
Stephen Ministry - The four Stephen Leaders (Mary Lou Deutsch, Georgene Hildebrand, Leslie Nye and myself) have been meeting since our return from San Antonio (an intense experience, excellent material) to develop structure and responsibilities for ourselves and a time-line for implementation of the program here. This program is a highly structured long-term program that I think will provide great benefits for those who participate as Stephen Ministers, for those who receive their care, for the congregation as a whole, and for the community at-large as the Care Receiving part of the program grows and expands out into the community. It will require much prayer and effort on the part of the leaders and a 2-year commitment that will include the 50 initial hours of training on the part of the Stephen Ministers. Much of the next 2-3 months will be taken up with an increased publicity program, the application and interview process for those who want to be commissioned as Stephen Ministers, and a thorough preparation for teaching on the part of the leaders. Please keep us and our congregation in your prayers as we begin this new and exciting venture together.
R & R - A full report of the status of our various Renewal and Renovation projects was given by Harry Werth at all worship services on the weekend of March 11/12. Please keep the work of this committee in your prayers as plans for the next phase of renovating our facilities are developed. If you missed services on that weekend, the report is posted on the Kiosk in the entrance to church.
Early Communion Workshop - We will be holding another Early Communion Workshop for 3rd- 4th graders and their parents on Saturday, April 29, from 9:30-1:00 p.m. The workshop will be held at Grace Lutheran Church. If you are interested in attending, please call the church office to sign up. Parents and students must attend together.
"An Expression of God's Compassion in our community and beyond" - That's who we are and what we do as God's people here at St. Paul. That is the heart and soul of our mission statement. We need to continue to be aware that every month we send 11% of all of your offerings to St. Paul to our Synod for support of seminaries and colleges and missionaries, etc. - all of those things that we can't do alone but can do together with other congregations of our church. In addition, in order to support God's work done in our local community, we send 2.75% of all of your offerings to a local ministry. The Church Council decides each month where that money is to go and we look forward to continuing to support local ministry opportunities this coming year. This past year, we sent contributions to St. Bernard's Soup Kitchen, Area Special Olympics, Call-Us-For-Help, the Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity, the nearby community of Comins where a tornado wrecked homes and lives this summer, the Trinity Episcopal Sunday Night Supper program, the Sunrise Mission and the Alpena General Hospital Chapel Fund. Your contributions for this year so far have been sent to the ministries of St. Vincent De Paul, St. Bernard's soup kitchen and the Salvation Army. Contributions to local ministries average $500- 600 each month. Thank you for your continued support as we reach out to touch others with God's compassion.
Prayer ministry - As you pray daily, lifting up your lives and the lives of those around you to His care, please keep in mind the elderly and the lonely and the ill of our congregation.
Remember: Jim Hartman, Loretta Kowalsky, Matilda Ohlrich, Marilyn Stephan, Agnes Sonnenberg, Cleo Sonnenberg, Alma Welk, Dorothy Sims, Mabel Jury, Dorothy Schiler, Helen Kihn, Helen Townsend, Jeanette Diemond, Hattie Kelm, Margaret Knechtel, Jim O'Brien, Eileen Werner, Ruth Schrader, Louise Cochrane, Alice Standen, Alice Bluck, Helen Martinson, Hilda Sommerfield, Martha Beck, Erna Golder, Betty Kollin, Viola Marquardt, Virginia Kraft, Delores Stevens, Jeanette Pernie, Viola Glennie, Frank & Hilda Kelley, Margaret Kreutzfeldt, Grace McKay, Lila MacMillan, Bessie Nordguard, Pauline Olsen, Ardath Thorburn, Edna Zielinski, Evelyn Siegert, Ione Anderson, Marie Kirschner, Inez Owens, Alvin & Leona Warren, Cliff Wyman. Jesus said, "Inasmuch as you have done it to the least of these, my brethren, you have done it to me." (Mt. 25:40)
God's richest blessings to each of you.
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A brief note from Leslie Nye, Pastoral Assistant
LARGE PRINT HYMNALS: Just a reminder....due to a generous memorial, we now have large print Lutheran Book of Worship and With One Voice hymnals available to use during worship. The hymnals are located in the narthex and in the front of the church, on the stand in front of the piano. Please feel free to use these. If there aren't any available during the service you attend, let the church office know so we can order more.
CHILDREN'S BOOKS: "Where is Heaven?" "What do we do at a funeral?" "How come I feel so sad?" "I miss my Grandpa so much." "When will I see Grandma again?" Death and grief aren't easy subjects to deal with. When children start to ask questions about death or dying, we adults can get pretty uncomfortable.
Because of a generous gift from Elaine Kingsbury in Vern's memory, we now have a selection of children's books that deal with the topics of death and grief. These books are available to help you and your questioning child through a difficult time. No one has all the answers, but these children's stories may help.
If or when a death occurs in your family, and your child is asking questions, please feel free to stop by the church office and borrow this bag of books. There are several stories available for various ages of children. In the future, we hope to add some videos to the bag as well.
MINISTRY OF THE MONTH: Each month we will be highlighting one of the ministries that are present at St. Paul. Not only will a specific ministry be noted in our newsletter, but there will be special prayers, appropriate hymns and temple talks during worship services as well.
Last month, we heard from Harry Werth, speaking on the plans and dreams of the R & R Committee. We read in our newsletter "The Story of a Quilt", and highlighted the ministry of the Tuesday Morning Quilters.
Just off the top of my head, I was able to think of over fifty different ministries that happen here at St. Paul. Each of these individual ministries are fulfilling our mission statement "to be an expression of God's compassion in our community and beyond." Isn't it exciting to see all of the ways we serve God!!!!
Your Servant In Christ,
Leslie Nye
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Prayer
Two women, not good friends, but more than mere acquaintances, wound up in the same aisle at the grocery store. After the usual small talk of catching up on each other's lives; the older of the two, said "It is so strange that I would run into you today. You have been on my heart for the last couple of days. I'm not sure why, but you have been. Dear, know that I'm praying for you. I'm not so sure why, I am praying for you."
The younger woman, after taking a deep breath and pasting a saccharin smile on her face, said "Well, I guess a prayer never hurts, that's kind of you. Thank you. I'd better be going, I have so many things to do today...."
The two parted and continued with their shopping. The older woman, seemed a little puzzled when she turned to say good bye and saw her young friend indignantly marching off to the next aisle. The wise older woman shook her head and smiled although she seemed to be talking to herself, she was saying a silent prayer "Well Lord, I STILL don't know why I'm praying for her, or what's going on her life, but she obviously needs something that I can't give her, but you can. Let her feel your arms around her. Give her the strength she needs to deal with whatever the burdens are she's dealing with."
Meanwhile, down another three aisles, the young woman was still in a snit as she was tossing items in her cart, checking off the list. She seemed to be talking to herself as well. "Just who does she think she is ..... praying for me. Honestly, if I need a prayer, I'll do it myself, I don't need anyone else praying for me. After all, I pray for other people all the time I don't need help with praying...Besides, I wonder how she knows what I'm going through right now. I've done such a good job of keeping my problems to myself haven't I?"
As the day wore on and the young woman continued checking off her list of things that needed to be done, the initial anger she had felt after the grocery store incident slowly turned from boiling rage, to an annoying simmer. But she was so busy doing her chores, taking care of what needed to be done, dealing with her silent struggles, that she didn't really notice.
At day's end, as she was putting the last load of laundry away and contemplating a cup of tea with her evening devotions, the young woman stopped in her tracks dropping the armful of towels she was holding. Suddenly, she felt as if she was being gently hugged by such strong arms but she knew she was alone in the house. A sense of peace came over her like a tidal wave. The wise older woman's words from this morning were swirling around inside her head. "... know that I am praying for you".
As she was picking up and re-folding the towels, the young woman's heart was singing a song of thanksgiving as loudly as the tears were running down her face. Once more, she found that she was talking to herself ..... "Out of all the people in the world who need God's help, she's been praying for ME....how awesome....." Suddenly the worries about bills, car repairs suspicious mammogram results and impending surgery didn't seem so overwhelming. She knew she would be given the strength to deal with all of them.
The young woman's devotions that night were fairly short and pretty simple. "God, you are just so awesome. Thank you. Thank you for listening when I pray. Thank you for listening when other people pray too....And God, thanks for the hug. It's just what I needed. Amen."
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PASTORAL ACTS
VICTOR W. KNECHTEL joined his Lord in eternity on February 28, 2000. His funeral was held March 1 at Bannan Funeral Home.
MILDRED "MILLIE" BENAC joined her Lord in eternity on March 5, 2000. Her funeral was held at St. Paul Lutheran Church on March 8.
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We would like to thank the 50 people who worked so hard to make the Potato Pancake Supper a great success again. We could never do it without all of your help and to the 300 people who came to the dinner. It is all greatly appreciated and Vern would have been so proud to know it all went so wonderful. Thanks again! Alice Gapske & Elroy Eagling
ALTAR CARE CLEANING: We will be cleaning the Altar area and polishing the brass and silver on Tuesday, April 11th at 9:30 a.m.
The Church Newsletter Deadline will always be on the 20th of every month, so please be sure to turn in your information to the church office by then. Thank You.
2000 WELCA Conference
The year 2000 WELCA Conference will be held at Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church on Saturday, May 13, 2000, registration and fellowship at 9:30 a.m. and worship at 10:00 a.m. The theme is "Women of Mission," with guests Dr. Phil and Christy Jordan showing slides of their year's stay as missionaries in Slovakia. Bring your mothers, grandmothers, daughters, aunts and nieces. With many new pastors in the Sunrise area, bring your pastor too.
FLY April Events
Sunday, April 2, 8:45 a.m. - Will be taking orders for Hoagie Sandwiches between the 8 & 9:20 services. Wednesday, April 5, 6:30 p.m. - FLY Regular Meeting at St. Paul Lutheran, Denise Timrick - Service Project Saturday, April 8, 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.- Hoagie Sandwich making at St. Paul. Hoagie Sandwich distribution in late afternoon. Wednesday, April 19, 6:30 p.m. - FLY Regular Meeting at St. Paul
Vacation Bible School
Lights! Camera! Action!
Help Wanted: Mark your calendars for June 19-23, 2000 when St. Paul's Church will be transformed into HOLYWORD STUDIOS for this year's VBS. To make our production a big hit we're looking for Production Assistants - A.K.A. Teachers and helpers. All ages are welcome! Requirements: a love for God and children...No experience necessary. Lesson plans are provided! If you can volunteer your time - 9:30 - 12:00 p.m. for the week, a day, or a few hours please contact Denise Hoeksema at 354-7509.
Registration: Plan now to have your kids star in God's Story! They will have lots of fun with this year's theme - Holyword Studios - as they learn that God's Word is our script for life. We will have another opportunity to share God's love through a mission project with Operation Kid-to-Kid. So mark June 19-23, 2000 on your calendars and look for registration forms coming later in April!