St. Paul Epistle
www.stpaul.org Volume 2001, Issue 5 May 2001
Easter Words of Hope for the month of May
May is always a very special time of the year for many of us. It is a month of new life and renewal for the earth. It is a month of greenness and graduations. It is a month filled with recognitions and special celebrations. It is also the month that contains a special day of remembrance called "Mother's Day."
This year, Mother's Day falls during the midst of the Easter season - the 5th Sunday of Easter. The season of Easter contains seven Sundays and runs through May 27. During this Easter season we will be surrounded by the words and hopes of St. John as he shares a vision of things that are yet to be. All of the Second Lessons for this season come from the book of Revelation. We will be surrounded by those words of the angel that still ring in our ears, "He is risen; He is not here. Come see the place where they laid Him." We will continue to be surrounded by the message of a season in which our fears and anxieties are quieted and our hopes and our dreams illumined by the cross and the empty tomb.
It is appropriate that Mother's Day falls in the season of Easter. These special days of remembrance take on an added dimension for us who have heard those words of hope and built our lives on their truth. We not only look back with fond memories, we also look forward with confidence to that promised reunion. Because He lives, we too shall live. And for those of us who can only visit a grave or recall a memory, that is surely good news - the best Mother's Day present of all. Have a special month of celebration and remembering.
Grace and Peace to you,
Rev. Daniel Deutsch, Pastor
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Pastoral Ramblings
A monthly (or seasonal ... or occasional, as the case may be) rambling of thoughts ... thanks ... things coming up ... things to think about, etc.
Easter Season - This year, all of the Second Lessons appointed for each Sunday come from the great vision of St. John called the Revelation. During this season we will focus on these readings for our themes. The entire book of Revelation is a series of visions of hope for people who are experiencing pain and heartache, separation from loved ones and despair. Join us each week as we share these visions. It would be helpful if we all came prepared for worship by reading ahead the theme lesson from Scripture that will be used each week. Following is a list of the Second Lessons assigned for each Sunday: Second Sunday of Easter (April 22), Rev. 1:4-8; Third Sunday of Easter (April 29), Rev. 5:11-14; Fourth Sunday of Easter (May 6), Rev. 7:9-17; Fifth Sunday of Easter (May 13), Rev. 21:1-6; Sixth Sunday of Easter (May 20), Rev. 21:10,22 - 22:5; Seventh Sunday of Easter (May 27) Rev. 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21.
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions about Stephen Ministry -
What Exactly is Stephen Ministry? Stephen Ministry is a ministry in our congregation in which trained and supervised lay persons, called Stephen Ministers, provide one-to-one Christian care to individuals facing life challenges or difficulties.
Who is Involved? Stephen Leaders are the ones who oversee and direct our Stephen Ministry. They recruit, select, train, organize, and supervise our Stephen Ministers, identify people in need of care, and match them with a Stephen Minister. We have 6 trained Stephen Leaders. They are: Pastor Dan Deutsch, Pastor Kurt Jensen, Emily Jensen, Mary Lou Deutsch, Georgene Hildebrand, and Leslie Nye. Stephen Ministers are the care-givers.
They have been through 50 hours of training in Christian caregiving, including general topics such as listening, feelings, boundaries, assertiveness, and using Christian resources in care-giving. In addition, their continuing training and supervision covers specialized topics such as ministering to the divorced, hospitalized, bereaved, and aging. We currently have 9 active Stephen Ministers who have been commissioned and are involved in care-giving. They are: Jim Anderson, Iris Arthur, Chuck Connolly, Joyce Hines, Denise Hoeksema, Shirley Houston, Ellie Larson, Jerry Sloan, and Marion Urlaub. Care receivers are the recipients of Stephen Ministers' care. They are people from our church or community who are experiencing divorce, grief, loss of a job, loneliness, hospitalization, terminal illness, or any of an endless number of other life difficulties. Stephen Ministers usually meet with their care receivers once a week for about an hour for as long as the care receiver will benefit by the relationship.
What Do Stephen Ministers Do? Stephen Ministers are caring Christian friends who listen, understand, accept, and pray for and with care receivers who are working through a crisis or a tough time.
Are Stephen Ministers Counselors? Stephen Ministers are not counselors; they are trained lay care-givers. Their role is to listen and care - not to give advice or counsel. Stephen Ministers are also trained to recognize when a care receiver's need exceeds what they can provide. When that happens they work with care receivers to help them receive the level of care they really need.
Can I Trust a Stephen Minister? Trust is essential to a caring relationship, and Stephen Ministers are people you can trust. Confidentiality is one of the most important principles of Stephen Ministry, and what a care receiver tells his or her Stephen Minister is kept in strictest confidence.
Why the Name Stephen? The name Stephen comes from St. Stephen, who was the first lay person commissioned by the apostles to provide caring ministry to those in need as recorded in Acts 6.
What's the Pastor's Role? Pastors will always be the primary care-givers, but there is no way pastors can meet all the needs for care. God has called all of us, not just pastors, to minister to one another. Stephen Ministry multiplies ministry by turning pastors and others into people who train and equip lay people to provide caring ministry as well.
Where Did it All Start? Stephen Ministry has been around since 1975, when Kenneth Haugk, a pastor and clinical psychologist, began it to multiply the care-giving in his congregation in St. Louis, Missouri. We are one of more than 7,000 Stephen Ministry congregations from more than 90 denominations. Stephen Ministry is an international ministry headquartered in St. Louis.
How Can Someone Receive Care from a Stephen Minister? Pastor Dan is our Stephen Leader who coordinates referrals. If you or someone you know could benefit from the care of a Stephen Minister, you can talk to him, or to any of our other Stephen Leaders. Any of our Stephen Ministers would also be happy to help you through the process. (If you want to talk about Stephen Ministry for someone else, make sure you get his or her permission first.)
How Much Does it Cost? Stephen Ministry is a care giving ministry available to our members and this community without charge.
How can Someone Become a Stephen Minister? Begin by talking with one of our Stephen Leaders or Stephen Ministers and they can tell you more. We will be training a new class of Stephen Ministers once each year, and we plan to begin our next training class this coming August. Stephen Minsters make a two-year commitment to train and serve.
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Service opportunity - There is a newly formed group of St. Paul members who provide a complete meal for members of the congregation who have just been released from the hospital when they return home. We are looking for additional volunteers to cook and/or deliver meals. If you are interested or know of someone who would like a meal following their hospital stay, please call Arlene Williams, 356- 0598 or Lori Ludwig, 356-4753.
Hospital calls - If you or a loved one is going to be in the hospital for surgery, tests, etc., please call the church office to let us know. We will add you to the published prayer list in the bulletin (if you wish) so that others can join in prayers for you. Also let the church office know if you would like to be called on for prayer while you are at the hospital. Thanks for helping us out with this important ministry.
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 Matilda Ohlrich, Marilyn Stephan, Agnes Sonnenberg, Cleo Sonnenberg, Alma Welk, Helen Townsend, Jeanette Diemond, Eileen Werner, Ruth Schrader, Alice Standen, Alice Bluck, Helen Martinson, Hilda Sommerfield, Erna Golder, Betty Kollin, Viola Marquardt, Delores Stevens and Jeanette Pernie, Vi Bailey, Hilda Kelley, Margaret Kreutzfeldt, Grace McKay, Lila MacMillan, Bessie Nordguard, Pauline Olsen, Ardath Thorburn, Edna Zielinski, Mildred O'Brien, Evelyn Siegert, Marie Kirschner, Inez Owens, Russ Robb, Leona Warren, Sam Kramer. Jesus said, "Inasmuch as you have done it to the least of these, my brethren, you have done it to me." (Mt. 25:40)
"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. Vincent De Paul, St. Bernard's Soup Kitchen, the Salvation Army, Area Special Olympics, Sunrise Mission, AGH Cancer Center, Camp Mich-i-luca, Call-Us-For-Help, Hospice of NE Michigan and Hospice of the Sunrise Shore, United Way, ACC Volunteer Center "Christmas Wish List", Trinity Episcopal Sunday Supper.
This past month, our local mission offering was sent to a leadership class at ACC under the direction of one of our members, Matt Dunckel, who are traveling to Haiti this month of May to help in construction work of a school there - part of a Christian mission project. We will receive reports from this group when they return. 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.
Thanks - a special word of thanks to all of you who continue to support and pray for and be involved in the ministry of God's people at St. Paul. The long list of people from Altar Guild ladies, Funeral luncheon preparers and servers, Counters, Newsletter stuffers, Choir members and worship leaders and assistants, those who care for and look after our property, those who teach and care for our young people, those who pray for shut-ins and special needs ... the list is endless. There would be no ministry here without each and every one of you. Thanks also to those of you who returned your "Time and Talents" survey. We will be in the process of compiling and organizing those over the next few months. All of these and all that we do as God's people here at St. Paul is in order to "be an expression of God's compassion in our community and beyond." That is who we are and what we do here. Thank you for your involvement.
God's gracious presence be with each of you as we continue to be surrounded by all the wonderful signs of new life this Spring!
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WE REMEMBER IN OUR PRAYERS: Inez Owens, Marie Kirschner, Russ Robb, Annette Miller, Lorraine Mather, Dick Bobolts, Alfred Kirchoff Sr., Gladys Wagner, Mildred O'Brien, Dave Szejbach, Sandra Scheffler (niece of Shirley Houston), Craig Essenberg (friend of Gail Houston), Dave Carpenter (friend of Gail Houston), Clarence Millard (Alwina's husband), Barb Boehm (sister of Cherri Fletcher), Jodi Headley (daughter of Sandy Johnson), Catherine Meske, Brandon Wyman, Randy Lough, Norma Panknin, Lois Cramer, and Louis Lay.
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How do you understand the book of Revelation? How does it impact our lives today? Can we use it to predict the future? Recently there have been a number of popular books and films that have grappled with questions like these: The Omega Code, Schwartzenegger's End of Days, the Left Behind book series and movie, among others. Most of these dramatic fictional stories play on people's fears about the end of the world. They look at Revelation and other books in the Bible as codes that can be deciphered to predict the chain of events that will bring about the end of the world. But did you know that Revelation is a letter written to seven churches in Asia near the end of the first century? Since the original audience was not 21st century Americans, we need to put ourselves in the shoes of the people who first read it. How would they have heard and understood it in their situations? When we read the letter through their eyes, we gain a better sense of what it can mean for us today.
Revelation is a book filled with bizarre visions that "comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable." Some of those early churches were going through terrible persecution and suffering. Others had gotten too comfortable and fallen asleep spiritually or listened to false teachers. This letter brought words of hope, encouragement and challenge to people in several different situations. In our worship services during the season of Easter (through the end of May) we will be focusing on several of the "praise passages" in Revelation where John finds himself standing in the presence of God and the risen Christ. Then, through the months of June, July, and August, we will take an in-depth look at the entire book and wrestle with what it means for us in a Bible study series on Sunday mornings at 9:15 am. Come join us in the fellowship hall downstairs for an adventure through one of the wildest books in the Bible!
"Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses..."
Do you remember Pastor Paul Moeller? He served as pastor of St. Paul from 1931-45. His wife Iris died peacefully on April 1, 2001, at their home in Kensington Place, Lutheran Village of Columbus, Ohio. They had been married for 68 years. Iris was a former teacher, originally from Continental, Ohio. She married Paul a year after he began serving St. Paul Lutheran. After their time here in Alpena, Paul served as executive director of the Lutheran Children's Home in Waverly, IA, as pastor of Hope Church in Dayton, OH, and then was elected District President of the ALC Ohio District. He retired from that post at the end of 1974. My father (who is the chaplain at Lutheran Village) tells me that Paul and Iris moved to Lutheran Village in 1998. Let me know if you would like to send your condolences to Rev. Moeller.
On a brighter note, Patricia Lull has recently accepted the position of Dean of Students at Luther Seminary. Pat was the assistant pastor here at St. Paul from 1979-84. She later served a parish in Athens, OH before taking a position on the faculty of the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago. Our congratulations to Pat and to Luther Seminary!
God's peace and resurrection hope to all of you this Easter season.
Pastor Kurt Jensen
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A Brief Note from Les
THE LIFE YOU'VE ALWAYS WANTED is the name of the book written by John Ortberg that your church council is currently reading. At each council meeting, right after devotions, the last reading assignment is discussed. The sub- title for this book is "Spiritual Disciplines For Ordinary People". "It's realizing that God meets us not in a monastery but on Main Street, and that all of everyday life has the potential to be lived as if Jesus himself were the one living it......Life on the edge, that fills our ordinary world with new meaning, hope, change, and a joyous, growing closeness to Christ...." is a good description of this book. Interested? There are a couple of extra copies in the library just waiting for you to browse through.....
CARE NOTES: Care Notes are short (6 or 7 pages) easy to read booklets that are available on a variety of topics. Some of the Care Notes we have in the library are: Losing Someone Close, Making a Loving Life Support Decision, Being Sad Isn't Bad When Someone You Love Dies, What Is A Funeral, Peer Pressure As A Teen, and Handling Anger. They are written for young children, teens, and adults. Browse through them the next time you go by the display stand in the narthex, or the bookcase by the library, or in the library itself. Maybe you know of someone in a specific situation who could use one by all means, help yourself and pass them along! If you don't see any on a specific subject, ask Les, she has more stashed away, or could order some for you.
DOESN'T IT GET BORING TO GIVE THE SAME SERMON FOUR TIMES IN A ROW? It probably isn't as difficult to preach the same sermon four times as it is to hear the same sermon four times just think, Marvis and Sandi hear the same sermon four times each weekend!!! Due to the amount of time spent in sermon preparation, it would be an irresponsible use of time to have more than one person tie up 10-15 hours per week in sermon writing. NO, WE DO NOT GET OUR SERMONS OFF THE INTERNET!!! By having one person responsible for preaching on a weekend, it frees up the other two on the pastoral staff to do things like facilitate another adult ed offering, or be an extra set of hands where they are needed, or even to help out at another parish.
SO, IF YOU ALL TAKE TURNS PREACHING, WHY DO YOU (LES) ALWAYS DO THE HEALING SERVICES? Because I treasures this particular ministry, and the Pastors have graciously allowed me to continue this.
WHO IS ON THE WORSHIP COMMITTEE AND WHAT DO THEY DO? Those serving on the Worship Committee are: Ruth Nensewitz, Marion Dunckle, Iris Arthur, Barb Williams, Marvis McNeil, Sandi Sims, Shirley Houston, Pastor Dan, Pastor Kurt, and Les. The purpose of this committee is to help facilitate and enhance your worship experience at St. Paul. I know they would appreciate hearing from you if you want to share your thoughts on worship.
I hope that this month, some of your questions have been answered. Until I got into this church business, I know I always wondered about some of these things, but never bothered to ask....
Maybe you want to see more liturgical questions discussed in future newsletters....Let me know.....Other questions or comments? Talk to me!
Your Servant in Christ,
Leslie Nye, Pastoral Assistant
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Sunday Morning Adult Education Opportunities
Bible Study with Bill Urlaub currently working through the Gospel of Luke This group meets in the lounge each Sunday at 9:15 come to dig into the Word!
Parenting by Heart A 6-week interactive course for parents that began Easter Sunday (April 15th) and runs through May 20th. This course addresses frequently-asked questions that parents have such as: How can I be a successful parent? (there is one secret ingredient) How can I end my child's defiant behavior? (there are five options) How can I pass along my spiritual values to my child? (there are 3 steps) How can I maintain influence with my kids as they get older? (it's all based on just one thing)
The course is free (thanks to a generous donation) and includes a workbook to help take home what you learn. Come join other parents by the big screen TV in the fellowship hall each Sunday morning at 9:15 through May 20th. Breathe new life into your parenting skills! Be a better parent and raise better kids by relearning the basics.
Exploring Revelation Sunday mornings at 9:15, June 3rd - August 26th. What's the book of Revelation all about? Why is it so weird? Can you use it to predict the future? How does it apply to my life? Come explore with us in the fellowship hall this summer.
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Council Corner: The Church council met April 17, 2001. The meeting began with Devotions, followed by study of the first chapter of "the Life You've Always Wanted". We also had a presentation by Matt Dunkel regarding his student group from ACC who are going to Haiti to help build a school. We voted to give the local mission funds to this group for April to help with their trip. We also decided to hold a special morning session on May 19 to discuss some urgent issues. The kitchen leaked again during the recent bad weather. Prior to instituting ceiling repairs we will need to track down the source. Our financial status was reviewed, and we are about $7000 in the red so far this year. Due to reserve funds we have been able to meet our expenses, but will need to do better if we are to keep up.
Dana Panknin, Council Secretary
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Lutheran Outdoor & Retreat Ministry in Michigan 2001 summer camping season is less than 3 months away. Registration began January 15, 2001 and there is still space available at both Michi-Lu-Ca and Stony Lake. The Day Camp program continues to be in high demand and other than the first week of July, we have a waiting list of interested congregations. We hope to hire enough staff to add additional Day Camp teams to accommodate those on the list. We are seeking both counselors and support staff for both camps as well as the day camp program. A full season commitment is preferred but other possibilities will be considered. Contact the LORMM office or web site for an application. In addition to staff, we are always looking for your support of our ministry. Both Lutheran Brotherhood (LB) and Aid Association for Lutherans (AAL) have matching fund programs that could double your gift and many of your fund raising efforts. If you would like to have a representative of LORMM at your service or meeting, contact the LORMM office. The search for a full-time, year-round director for Stony Lake has generated much interest and we hope to fill the position in the next several weeks. The search for an Executive Director for LORMM continues and resumes are still being accepted. To continue to keep things moving forward, Crystal Collins has agreed to extend her contract as LORMM Administrator until the end of September. Please let her know how she can be of help to you. LORMM office: (517) 886-1419, email address: lormm@iserv.net and web site: www.luther95.org/LORM-LMI.
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RUSSEL L. ANDERSON joined our Lord in eternity on March 30, 2001. His funeral service was held here, St. Paul Lutheran, April 2, 2001.
FRANK R. KELLEY joined our Lord in eternity on April 6, 2001. His funeral was held April 10, 2001, at Bannan Funeral Home.
DELMER O. HAMANN joined our Lord in eternity on April 9, 2001. His funeral was held at St. Paul Lutheran on April 14, 2001.
DELBERT R. KELSCH joined our Lord in eternity on April 15, 2001. His funeral was held April 17, here, at St. Paul Lutheran.
Baptized on April 7, 2001, LUCAS ALEXANDER CROSBY, son of Lorin and Tamyra Crosby. His sponsors were Sandra & Jim Dault and Debra & Jerry Shipe.
Baptized on April 22, 2001, ALISON RENEE SAMP, daughter of Robert and Sandra Samp. Her sponsors were Bob & Kelli Paczkowski and Sheri LaFrance.
ERNEST BEDFORD & DIANE ZASKE were married March 31, 2001. They were attended by Daniel Bedford and Dahna Burrone.
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ATTENTION ALL GRADS... We are requesting the names, graduation dates, and institutions of learning and future plans of those who will be graduating from high school, college or special training this year. We look forward with pleasure to sharing the accomplishments of our St. Paul members and their families as they reach their educational goals. If you know a graduate who would like to share their graduation news with us, please call or write the parish office: 356-1658 or 727 S. Second Ave., Alpena, MI 49707. The information we collect will be shared in our June Newsletter.
Plans are being made for the 2001 WELCA Conference at the New Life Lutheran Church, Hubbard Lake, on Saturday, May 19, 2001. Registration will begin at 9:30 a.m. and the program at 10:00 a.m., finishing at approximately 2:00 p.m. The theme for the day will be "Women of Faith- Doing God's Work." You may call Phyllis Yuill, 727-9165, to make a reservation by May 5. The luncheon cost of $6.00 may be paid at the conference. We really do hope you will join us for a Spirit-filled day of storytelling, sharing, singing and support!
Great memories and long-lasting relationships in the Lord are but a few of the blessings we depart with after two years as adult leaders of the Senior High Youth Group FLY. We have decided to step down as youth group leaders effective May 2, 2001. We want to thank the senior high youth of both St. Paul and Grace for opening your hearts to us. We all feel that it is time for a change in leadership for this group and our prayer is that the Lord would touch the heart(s) of anyone interested in accepting this important call within the church. Yours in the Lord, Rod and Lisa Borchard, Dave and Claudia Werner, Jim and Amy Townsend.
Alpena General Hospital has notified us that they are no longer able to provide us with the names of patients from our congregation who are admitted to the hospital. New federal privacy regulations make the hospital reluctant to continue this practice.
If you would like a visit from a pastor while you are in the hospital, please call the church office prior to your admission or surgery so that we can arrange to visit you. We will have no other way of knowing you are in the hospital.
The hospital staff will still be very willing to contact St. Paul if you have an emergency and would like to see a minister. Also, you will be able to contact us from your hospital room if you have forgotten to call us in advance of your admission.