St. Paul Epistle
www.stpaul.org Volume 2000, Issue 8 August 2000
Dear Friends,
I don't know where this summer has almost gone. Here it is time for the August newsletter already and people are beginning to gear up for school and fall activities and new programs, etc. Does time go faster as one ages???
This is such an exciting time for us here at St. Paul:
As if all of that were not exciting enough, the Lord God visits us every week this coming month! He touches us with His love ... with His forgiveness ... with His healing power. He touches us through the speaking and sharing and preaching of His word. He touches us through the gifts of one another's lives. He touches us with the bread and wine of the Holy Meal. He touches us through each one of you, so it is essential for the good of all of us that you be present!
Looking for you in worship,
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.
Thank You! How do I express thanks for such an overwhelming outpouring of love on the occasion of my 30th Ordination Anniversary? Words seem so inadequate to express the shock and surprise. Thank you for your caring ... for your presence and presents ... for the worship and the singing and the eating ... for all the work done by so many people to keep all of this from me (the little white lies for which I issue a blanket absolution) ... for this place surrounded by you and the best staff I have ever worked with in ministry together ... Thank You!
A Service of Installation for the Rev. Kurt Jensen as a called Pastor of St. Paul has been scheduled for Sunday, August 20, at 10:45 a.m. Please note that this will be the only service for Sunday morning on that date. There will be no 8 or 9:20 a.m. services of worship for the morning of August 20. The Saturday evening worship service will take place at the regular time of 5:30 p.m. The Rev. Dan Ward, Assistant to the Bishop, will be here to preside at this celebration which will be followed by a light luncheon reception. Please set aside this Sunday to join us and thank God for His gifts of pastors to His church.
Church Council Retreat - What a true pleasure it is to serve with this dedicated group of men and women who share their gifts of caring and leadership and vision with our church. We spent the day (Saturday, July 15) in retreat, conducting regular Council business and, then, brainstorming and sharing the pros and cons of many options that might provide incentive for parents and children to worship together and give time for pastoral involvement in the educational program of Sunday morning. We are still in the process of finalizing the proposal for Church Council approval, but I can share with you that there will be a number of additions for families to our worship and educational programs that we are excited about for both Sunday morning and Wednesday evening.
"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 each year. Your contributions for this year so far have been sent to the ministries of St. Vincent De Paul, St. Bernard's soup kitchen, the Salvation Army, Sunrise Mission, Special Olympics and the Alpena General Hospital Cancer Building Fund. This month we will be sending the local mission money to Camp Michi-luca. 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 remeber: Louise Cochrane, Jim Hartman, Matilda Ohlrich, Marilyn Stephan, Agnes Sonnenberg, Cleo Sonnenberg, Alma Welk, Dorothy Sims, Mabel Jury, Dorothy Schiler, Helen Kihn, Helen Townsend, Jeanette Diemond, Margaret Knechtel, Jim O'Brien, Eileen Werner, Evelyn Siegert, Ruth Schrader, Alice Standen, Alice Bluck, Helen Martinson, Hilda Sommerfield, Martha Beck, Erna Golder, Betty Kollin, Viola Marquardt, Virginia Kraft, Delores Stevens, Jeanette Pernie, Ione Anderson, Viola Bailey, Frank & Hilda Kelley, Margaret Kreutzfeldt, Grace McKay, Lila MacMillan, Bessie Nordguard, Pauline Olsen, Ardath Thorburn, Edna Zielinski, Marie Kirschner, Leona Warren. Remember the sick and the hurting who we pray for and name weekly in the Sunday bulletin. Jesus said, "Inasmuch as you have done it to the least of these, my brethren, you have done it to me." (Mt. 25:40)
Memorial Items - I have been asked from time to time how the Memorial Gift program works and how items can be added to our Memorial list. Many years ago, in order to prevent a proliferation of small items with name plates scattered throughout the church, the Church Council became involved in developing an approved list of needed items for our worship, educational or fellowship life together as a congregation. Throughout the years that has worked extremely well and allowed us to purchase things we would not otherwise be able to. These past few years, the Memorial Fund has been used to purchase new choir robes, hymnals, office furniture, prayer chapel furnishings, landscaping, pew cushions, etc. Each month, the Church Council reviews the status of Memorial items and adds to the approved list as needed. Currently approved as items that may be contributed toward are Kitchen Appliances, Office Furniture for Pastor Kurt's office, renovation of a Statue of Christ, Curtains for the Educational Bldg., and Central Air Conditioning for the Sanctuary. We try and keep at 5 least items on the list and use the Memorial funds as they become available. We are always, also, open to suggestions for the use of Memorial funds. Suggestions can be made to any member of the Council or Pastoral Staff. Please feel free to call me if you have any questions about how our Memorial Fund functions or how the money donated in memory of loved ones is used.
God's Grace and Peace to you - Pastor Dan
COUNCIL CORNER
June 14, 2000
When the council met on June 13, the most exciting item on the agenda was the Call Committee bringing the news we've all been anxiously awaiting. They recommend that we present the congregation an opportunity to vote on extending a call to Pastor Kurt Jensen. We have had very positive feedback both from references and our own contacts with him. There will have been a letter sent before this is published, announcing a July 1 & 2 special meeting to consider this. If you see this before the vote, come out to participate.
In other action, we learned that much of the signage has been done at the picnic grounds. Also, the fire escape work has been done, completing this phase of our outside renovation. Inside, we have a new grill for the kitchen, courtesy of the pancake dinner. We will be giving this month's local mission donation to the AGH Cancer Center. The annual Church Council retreat will be on July 15. We will combine our regular meeting, review and analysis of the goals set at our last retreat, and work on ways to get our children and teens more involved in worship service. The 9:20 service coincides with Sunday school, and often means that children and parents do not worship together.
July 2000
The July council Meeting was combined with the annual spring council retreat, which we were too busy to do in the spring this year. We had a long and productive meeting, lasting all day at Presque Isle North Beach House. We were joined by members of the call committee for part of the day as well. One of the important issues that we discussed was the upcoming stewardship campaign which will last for about six weeks and end with a consecration Sunday. We are looking forward what people feel they are able to contribute to committees, music, etc., not only in financial stewardship. As expected, n ow that we have a full pastoral staff, we have a shortfall between donations and budget. We spent over half of the day starting to work out how best to utilize our facilities and staff in encouraging families to worship as a unit, increase adult education, allow time for the pastors to teach on Sunday morning, and improve worship experience in general. We already have much that is good to build on. The next council meeting is August 15, at 7:00 pm.
Respectfully, Dana Panknin Council Secretary
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PASTORAL ACTS
DON J. KUCHNICKI joined his Lord in eternity on May 25, 2000. His funeral was held May 31 at St. Paul Lutheran.
HARRY L. FERRIS SR. joined his Lord in eternity on July 8, 2000. His funeral was held July 11 at St. Paul Lutheran Church.
LORETTA M. KOWALSKY joined her Lord in eternity on July 17, 2000. Her funeral was held July 20 at St. Paul Lutheran Church.
ROBERT LEE WORTH and ASHLEY LYNN FROGGETT were married June 10, 2000. They were attended by Casey Meredith and Julie Jett.
RYAN RABEAU and JEANNI PALMER were married June 24, 2000.
JEREMY ARTHUR WINTERSTEIN and SARAH CATHERINE MOE were married July 1, 2000. They were attended by Nathan Phillips and Wendy Blixt.
On July 1, 2000, MADELINE MARIE KIME was baptized, daughter of Andrew Kime and Rebecca Hardy, with sponsors David Szejbach, Natalie Hardy, Jacci Gonzales and Adam Hardy.
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The WELCA Officers for the coming year 2000/2001 are: President - Mary Steinke Vice President - Kay LaCross Secretary - Brenda Rosenberg Treasurer - Betty Werner Secretary of Growth - Sharon Anderson Secretary of Action - Theresa Stoppa Secretary of Community - Marian Urlaub The installation of the officers will take place Sept. 10th at the 9:20 a.m. worship service.
Esther Circle potluck picnic will be Tuesday, August 1st - 5pm. At Sharon Anderson's on Lakewood Drive. Hope you can join us.
Attention All Women! The Synod Women's Fall Retreat will be September 29 & 30, 2000 at Kettunen Center in Tustin, Michigan. It is entitled "Changes and Transitions in 2000." Registrations forms are available in the church office for anyone interested.
The WELCA Board Meeting will be August 14th at 7:30 p.m. The General Meeting will be September 13th at 7:30 p.m. There will be a guest speaker, Carol Cadarette, from Shelter Inc. She will speak on the services and operations Shelter provides.
The 5th Triennial Convention entitled "Listen, God is Calling" will be held in Philadelphia, PA on July 11-14, 2002. Mark your calendar, start saving your pennies and invite a friend to attend with you!
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Congratulations to Kristen McDonald who graduated from Eastern Michigan University with a Bachelors of Science Degree. She has a provisional Michigan Elementary Teaching Certificate with an endorsement in Special Education - Hearing Impaired. She will be teaching in the Saginaw Public School system.
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TROOP 92 - BOY SCOUT NEWS
Troop 92 has been active and involved for the last couple of months! In May and June, not only did we go on campouts, we helped the city plant flowers, assisted the State Police in a search, walked in the Memorial Day Parade, manned a booth at the Riverfest, and finally helped the Optimist's with parking at the Bump & Run. On July 4th we quenched the thirst of hot holiday patrons as we manned a food/drink wagon at Starlite Beach. On July 23-29 the Troop went to Camp Tapico. Upcoming events - Boy Scout Campout on August 18 - 20.
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A gracious and warm welcome to Pastor Kurt and Emily Jensen as they get settled in Alpena. Pastor Kurt was extended the Call to serve as a Pastor at St. Paul as a result of the overwhelming positive vote on the July 1st weekend's Congregational meeting. He has accepted our call and began his ministry among us the first part of July.
Pastor Kurt graduated from Luther College, Decorah, Iowa, with a B.A. in English in 1995 and from Luther Seminary, St. Paul, MN, with an M. Div. in 1999. He interned at First Lutheran Church in Cresco, Iowa, where he was ordained into the ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) on July 22 by Bishop Gary Hansen, Bishop of the North/West Lower MI Synod.
His wife Emily also graduated from Luther College in 1998 with a major in Communication and then recently graduated from Luther Seminary with a Masters degree in Youth and Family Ministry. Kurt and Emily both enjoy the outdoors and are excited about making Alpena their new home.
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Greetings from Pastor Kurt
As most of you know by now, after prayerful consideration of the interviews and discussions with Pastor Dan, Les, and the Call Committee, I have decided to accept your Letter of Call. We have really sensed God's leading in this entire call process. Emily and I are excited about beginning our life and ministry here in your midst. We cannot express the depths of our gratitude for the warm welcome we have received.
We arrived on the evening of the Fourth and got together with John Diamond and his family to walk down to the beach. "Everyone's real excited to have you here," John said. "In fact, we've put together a little fireworks show to celebrate your arrival..." We were duly impressed. I'm still not so sure that all those fireworks were just for us, but we certainly have appreciated your hospitality and generosity as we get settled here in Alpena. It's been fun to visit folks in their homes for dinner, and we've enjoyed the meals people have brought to our home as well. We're looking forward to many years of ministry here, should the Lord tarry.
Drop in and introduce yourself to me at the office, or stop by our house at 303 E. Baldwin to say hi to Emily or both of us. (It may take several times for me to get your name straight, so be patient with me.)
May God bless our ministry together in the years to come.
Kurt Jensen, Pastor
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A Brief Note from Les:
L.A.R.C. WORSHIP SERVICE: If you didn't get a chance to attend the service held here in Alpena on June 14th at Trinity Episcopal, you missed a beautiful worship event. Our choir, under Sandi's direction, with Marvis accompanying, sang with choir members from all the churches involved. What a moving piece of music! Lots of tears were created as we listened to or sang this particular piece.
It was also a privilege for me to attend the Ecumenical Service held in Gaylord on June 18th at St. Mary Cathedral in Gaylord. At this service, all four bishops in their official regalia were present.
You know how Lutherans don't sit in the front row except for weddings or funerals--well this staunch "back pew" Lutheran sat in the front pew--and had the opportunity to actually watch the bishops sign the covenant!!!!! It was so moving--especially to watch the facial expressions of the bishops and all the others as they signed the covenant. It was an experience I won't soon forget!!!!!
If you happen to run into Bruce or Peggy LaFleche or Brian or Tina Hand, or Myra Hasse, ask them about the service and how they felt when they signed the covenant. I'm so glad they were there to participate.
SUNDAY/MONDAY WOMAN: This is the title of a GREAT new magazine published by Augsburg Fortress. A sample copy was given to each circle and another sample copy has been left in the narthex for you to browse through. This is a woman's magazine with an emphasis on faith and spirituality for the REAL WOMAN of today's world no matter what role she plays, or how many hats she needs to juggle wearing.
Some of the regular columns include: Doable Devotions (devotions that can fit into a busy lifestyle), Get a Grip (quick tips), Ask Katie (advice column), Reviews (of videos, music, books) and Up for Discussion (variety of current topics); just to mention a few.
If you are interested in subscribing, let us in the office know. If you haven't seen a copy of this exciting magazine, stop by and Les will loan you hers. Or check out the sample in the narthex. This is a great publication for ALL WOMEN of ALL AGES with ALL LIFESTYLES! Check it out!
"SING TO THE LORD A NEW SONG..." Psalm 149:1 Some of us sing beautifully and some of us make a joyful noise. Some of us are in the choir, but most of us aren't. Whether or not we make a joyful noise, or sing like an angel when we lift up our voices together in praise to our Lord God hears a beautiful new song!
As you are marking your calendar for Fall, and scheduling your life for the next few months, why not consider adding 'CHOIR PRACTICE, THURSDAY, 7-8:30 p.m.' to your weekly routine beginning September 7th.
Think about it...Call Sandi (356-4080 after 6 pm) if you have questions....Pray about it....
Your Servant in Christ,
Leslie Nye
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Stephen Ministry
By Georgene L. Hildebrand
Seventeen years ago, I was married and living in Midland with 3 small children. I first heard about the Ministry in our church and the pastor asked me if I wanted to become involved as a minister. It was a perfect fit for me; was an active member of the church and wanted to grow. I was drawn to consider that I was really part of the sainthood of all believers and our call was to be of service. I pondered the possibility in my heart and I was also very nervous about being considered. Was I good enough? Skilled enough? Worthy to be a part of this? Holy enough? I needed to fill out an application and talk with the pastor??? I figured that my desire and eagerness would be of help.
Within a month, I realize that I was not in a position to help . . . but to receive. My husband was laid off unexpectedly from work and secured a position in New York. I went from part time work to full time work, running a household with 3 children, five and younger, and nearly close to tears daily. This instability caused me to question almost everything. My recollection of these very trying months is somewhat of a blur. I needed support, even though I had a great family, my pastor had enough insight to offer the help of a Stephen Minister. She did not: watch the kids or wash my dishes or help me parent. She did: have tea at my table, listen to my frustrations, walked with me through tough times of being lonely and vulnerable, gave sparing advice when I asked and listened with an empathetic ear, and for sure kept me in her prayers. She provided a presence and a calm to get through some of the times I found overwhelming.
After two moves, several states, and 3 years later, we settled into a small growing church that attracted many families who moved after a year or two. Our church needed a lay ministry and my friend Marian and I set out to develop this program. I still had a deep desire for the ministry but the timing was right to not only be a Stephen Minister but provide leadership as well. We established the program and through the spirit of God grew emotionally and spiritually through our experiences. We trained 12 ministers, then 14 ministers, and over the many years added people who wanted to be part of this growing ministry.
To be in the presence of:
These were the people who have entrusted their deepest pain with a Stephen Ministry. Lay ministers who provided a safe harbor and the comfort of a friend.
We had no answers, we provided no cures, we could not chase away the hand of death or the pain of loss, yet we brought and we received the very presence of God in those relationships. God was in the midst of all of it, as I trust that God is with us always, even to the end of the earth. As a caring Christian, in that we can find our peace.