St. Paul Epistle

February 2002
Volume 2002, Issue 2

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

The coming season of Lent will again bring new opportunities for strengthening our faith and for deepening our ties with one another. We are excited about the opportunities for learning and sharing that this season of Lent will bring to all of us at Grace and St. Paul.

Again this year we will have a morning service at St. Paul at 11 a.m. followed by a luncheon and an evening service at Grace at 7 p.m. (Except for Ash Wednesday and Holy Week when we will each have our own services). The theme of both the morning and evening services this year will revolve around the Lord's Prayer which is the topic of study for the confirmation class this Winter/Spring quarter. The morning service at St. Paul will be more adult-oriented and the evening service at Grace will be more youth- oriented. Attendance at the evening services is required of all 7th and 8th grade confirmation students.

The Lenten schedule of worship and learning for both congregations is as follows:

February 13, Ash Wednesday - Worship at St. Paul at 11:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. (With Holy Communion and Imposition of Ashes). - Worship at 7:00 p.m. at Grace

February 20, Lent I - "Our Father...Hallowed Be Thy Name" - Worship at St. Paul at 11:00 a.m. followed by a luncheon (all invited). - Worship at Grace at 7:00 p.m.

February 27, Lent II - "Thy Kingdom Come...Thy Will Be Done" - Worship at St. Paul at 11:00 a.m. followed by lunch (all invited). - Worship at Grace at 7:00 p.m.

March 6, Lent III - "Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread" - Worship at St. Paul at 11:00 a.m. followed by lunch (all invited). - Worship at Grace at 7:00 p.m.

March 13, Lent IV - "Forgive Us Our Trespasses..." - Worship at St. Paul at 11:00 a.m. followed by lunch (all invited). - Worship at Grace at 7:00 p.m.

March 20, Lent V - "Lead Us Not into Temptation...Deliver from Evil" - Worship at St. Paul at 11:00 a.m. followed by lunch (all invited). - Worship at Grace at 7:00 p.m.

March 28, Maundy Thursday - Worship at St. Paul at 11:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., traditional Maundy Thursday services of worship with Holy Communion and Stripping of the Altar. - Worship at Grace at 7:00 p.m.

March 29, Good Friday - Community Tre Ore service at St. Paul Lutheran from 12-3 p.m. - Evening worship at St. Paul (traditional Tenebrae service) at 7:00 p.m.

Please call either Grace or St. Paul if you have any questions. May God bless your deepening spiritual life as He provides us with food for the journey this coming Lent!

In His name,

Rev. Daniel Deutsch, Pastor of St. Paul
Rev. Kurt Jensen, Pastor of St. Paul
Rev. Owen Williams, Pastor of Grace

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.

Come and Grow With Us is the theme for three 90-minute sessions for new and prospective members that will take place here at St. Paul.

You are invited and encouraged to attend if you have recently joined St. Paul by transfer from another Lutheran Congregation or are thinking about becoming a member in the future or simply enjoy worshiping here and want to explore the possibilities of membership. We will spend time getting to know one another, reviewing basic beliefs of the Christian Church from a Lutheran perspective and talking about ways in which we can be actively involved in growing as disciples of Jesus Christ through the mission and ministry of our congregation. The three sessions will be held on Wednesday evenings during Lent - March 6, 13 and 20 from 6:30-8:00 p.m. We will meet in the lounge. Please call the church office by March 4th if you wish to take part in this class or if you have any questions.

Stephen Ministry - It's your ministry! It is an important way we at St. Paul care for one another. If you are going through a difficult time, consider having a Stephen Minister. If you know someone else who is facing difficulties, suggest that they request Stephen Ministry. Stephen Ministry belongs to all of us!

Stewardship - Please remember your pledge to "Give Glory to God" this year. The cards you filled out and returned are on the altar in a basket and we are reminded of our financial Stewardship each week as we worship. If you did not get an opportunity to fill out a pledge this year, cards are still available in the church office.

Gifts and Thanks - We continue to be blessed by those who have wanted their commitment to the ministry of St. Paul to continue after their deaths. Gifts from the Nensewitz and the Woerpel estates continue to enable us to do some special things and have money available for special ministries that are outside our budget. We thank God for those who want to continue to contribute to the ministry of St. Paul as they enjoy the physical presence of their Lord. If you have questions about how you might contribute to the funding of ministries through your wills and trusts and estates, please feel free to contact myself or Phil Straley who is the advisor to our Trust Committee.

"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 our 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 $500 of our 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, Call-Us- For-Help, United Way, ACC Volunteer Center "Christmas Wish List", Trinity Episcopal Sunday Supper, the Haiti Project, Habitat for Humanity, and the Red Cross. Thank you for your continued support as we reach out to touch others with God's compassion.

Lent - A collegial comment from a colleague continues to be appropriate for this season of Lent. "Lent is not a time to begin Christian discipline. It is a time to intensify it." What is your Christian discipline that you intend to intensify during Lent. If you are forgiving as a Christian, can you intensify your attempts to forgive? If you are giving as a Christian, can you give more? If you are kind as a Christian, can your kindness be multiplied? If you pray regularly as a Christian, can your prayer life be intensified? If you volunteer as a Christian, ... Lent is not a time to give up something. It is a time to add to it. It is a time to intensify our efforts to follow Christ. These are worthy thoughts for this season of Lent!

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 Marilyn Stephan, Agnes Sonnenberg, Jeanette Diemond, Ruth Schrader, Helen Martinson, Hilda Sommerfield, Art Maggert, Erna Golder, Betty Kollin, Viola Marquardt, Delores Stevens and Jeanette Pernie, Irene Smith, Vi Bailey, Hilda Kelley, Margaret Kreutzfeldt, Lila MacMillan, Bessie Nordguard, Pauline Olsen, Ardith Thorburn, Edna Zielinski, Marie Kirschner, Inez Owens, Russ Robb, Leona Warren, Nancy Bromund. Jesus said, "Inasmuch as you have done it to the least of these, my brethren, you have done it to me." (Mt. 25:40)

Babies and Baptism - The Sacrament of Holy Baptism is a special event in the lives of the child, the family, the godparents and the church. In order to help us better understand what God is doing through the Sacrament, we continue to hold regular 1-hour classes led by trained teachers. These classes include a video, a review of the service of Holy Baptism and an opportunity to ask questions about this Sacrament. Parents and godparents are both invited to come to these meetings. Most of us who look forward to having a baby spend time in various kinds of birthing classes or parent- to-be classes to help us prepare for the event. The church also needs to prepare us for the event of new birth through the waters of Holy Baptism. If you are expecting a child in the coming months or have recently given birth, you are asked to call the church office to sign- up for one of the following classes being offered during the coming months: March 10 or May 12. All classes will meet during the SS hour (9:15-10:15 a.m.) in the library on the 2nd floor of the educational building. These dates will continue to be published in the weekly bulletins and the newsletter.

Prayer Chapel - Our prayer chapel is open for your use anytime that the church is open - and that includes the normal church office hours of 8-4 p.m. weekdays, 6:30-9 p.m. Mon-Thursday evenings while there are other activities scheduled at St. Paul. Please feel free to take advantage of these times. There are resources available there for times of private prayer and meditation.

Communion Schedule - We continue to celebrate the Sacrament every weekend at alternating services. The 8:00 a.m. Sunday service offers the opportunity to receive the Sacrament weekly at a formal, liturgical service. It is also offered at the 5:30 p.m. and 9:15 a.m. services on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of each month and at the 10:30 a.m. service on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of each month and at all services on the 5th Sunday of any month. This information is published each week in our bulletin and in the Saturday edition of the Alpena News. Please feel free to call if you have any questions.

God's richest blessings to each of you as we continue to experience the light of the Christ in each of our lives during this special season of Lent!

PASTORAL ACTS

EILEEN F. WERNER joined our Lord in eternity November 28, 2001. Her funeral was held at Beck Funeral Chapel on December 2, 2001.

SIMON "SAM" KRAMER joined our Lord in eternity on December 10, 2001. His funeral was held here, at St. Paul, December 14, 2001.

ELLEN J. BEHNKE joined our Lord in eternity December 15, 2001. Her funeral was held at Bannan Funeral Home on December 19, 2001.

ALICE L. BLUCK joined our Lord in eternity December 16, 2001. Her funeral was held December 19, 2001 at Wachterhauser Funeral Home.

HELMUT H. GRABOW joined our Lord in eternity on December 31, 2001. His funeral was held at St. Paul Lutheran on January 4, 2002.

WILLIAM G. PIPER joined our Lord in eternity on January 3, 2002. His funeral was held on January 7, 2002 at Bannan Funeral Home.

GRACE MCKAY joined our Lord in eternity on January 12, 2002. Her funeral was held at Wachterhauser Funeral Home on January 15,

On January 12, 2002 PAIGE MORGAN SUMERIX was baptized, daughter of Ivan and Barbara Sumerix with sponsors Larry and Kelli Sumerix.

On January 26, 2002 Kevin Lockman was baptized with his wife, Karla.

CRAIG CARPENTER AND ERIKA WONG were joined in marriage on December 29, 2001. They were attended by Travis Carpenter and Adam Wong.

2001 Contribution Statements Year end statements are now available upon request. You may stop by the church office or call and we will prepare a statement for you.

Are wedding bells in your future? All couples planning to be married at St. Paul this year are invited to attend a Preparing for Marriage class on Saturday, Feb. 9th, at 10:00 a.m. We will meet in the fellowship hall downstairs. Please register at the church office or by calling 356-1658.

We are looking for Sunday school teachers for next year for several grades. Please feel free to stop anytime to observe the different classes. If you are interested in more information please contact Joanne Gallagher or Andrea Dutcher or any other Sunday school teacher.

Call Committee Update: On Tuesday, January 22, the Church Council met in regular session. On the agenda was a proposed Congregational Profile which was developed by the Call Committee through several months of study. After discussion, the Council unanimously accepted the profile and gave the Call Committee the approval to proceed in the call process. Within the next several weeks, the profile will be submitted to Bishop Gary Hansen who will be reviewing it and then searching for suitable candidates to become our Lead Pastor. Copies of the Congregational Profile are available from the church office and will also be posted in the near future at our web site (www.stpaul.org). If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact any member of the Call Committee: Norm Becker, Judy Beyer, John Diamond(Chair), Mary Dunckel, Jeff Hoeksema, Shirley Houston, Mike Kindt, Rodney Lang, Augie Matuzak, Don Smith, Don Urban, David Werner, Harry Werth.

Dishes
Dishes are piling up again in the buffer room. Please pick up your cake pans, pie plates, and casseroles so you have them available the next time you want them.

EASTER FLOWER CROSS
The beautiful Easter flower cross will be assembled again this year for our
Easter worship. It requires a minimum of 45 lilies and 60 mums
to cover the cross and decorate the church.
The last day to order is February 25.

Easter Lily, 6-7 bloom - $ 8.00 Yellow 6" Mum - $ 8.00
Number of Plants ________ Number of Plants________
Quantity Ordered: ________ Amount paid: __________

Please Circle One of the following
In Honor of           To the Glory of God             In memory of

(Please print the names of your loved ones clearly) _________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
From:_______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

Phone:_____________________________

______You may present my flowers to a shut-in.

Please use a separate piece of paper for each additional flower order.


 

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