St. Paul Epistle
www.stpaul.org Volume 99, Issue 7 November 1999
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
Thanksgiving - I wonder what images and thoughts that word brings to your mind. Fall? Family? Football? Food? Fun? Funerals?
Thanksgiving - Our lives are enriched and nourished by many things - some joyful, some sad, some important, some trivial. Probably for most of us Thanksgiving is a time for family gatherings and lots of food - perhaps, sadly for some, an empty chair at the table. But, certainly, for God's Old Testament people and for those New Testament pilgrims whom we recall at this holiday, this word meant much more. For them, even in the midst of heartache and scarcity there was Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving - it's a special time of the year for God's people to set aside time and ceremony and ritual for giving thanks - giving thanks for the big things of life like forgiveness of sins through Christ ... hope in the face of death because of the One who died for us and rose again ... security in the knowledge that we are beloved and never forsaken children of God. It's also a time for giving thanks for the little things of life like music and organs ... our homes and loved ones ... clean sheets and food in the freezer ... places to work and communities of people gathered for worship and ministry.
Thanksgiving - but, mostly, it's a special time of the year set aside to give thanks to the One who breathed the breath of life into us (no matter what our individual circumstances) ... to give thanks to the One from whom all things come (no matter what our individual circumstances)... to give thanks to the One in whom we live and move and have our being (no matter what our individual circumstances)... to give thanks and sing songs of praise to God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Thanksgiving - it's also a time for me to thank God for you - for giving me a place to minister and to lead ... a place to love and to be loved. Thank you!
Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ!
Rev. Daniel Deutsch, Pastor
Pastoral Ramblings A monthly (or seasonal, as thecase may be) rambling ofthoughts ... thanks ... thingscoming up ... things to thinkabout, etc.
"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. So far this year, we have 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 and the Trinity Episcopal Sunday Night Supper program. This past month's contribution went to the Sunrise Mission here in Alpena. 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.
Annual Meeting - We met for our annual gathering to share reportsand hopes and plans for the coming year on the last Sunday of October. Since there was not time to compile information from that meeting, a full report will be included next month. In the meantime, both Leslie's and my reports for that meeting are included in this month's newsletter for those of you who were not able to pick up an annual report at church. If you have any questions about those reports, please feel free to call.
Bishop Hansen - Bishop Gary Hansen, Bishop of our North/West Lower Michigan Synod will be here at St. Paul for an evening meeting with lay people of our Sunrise Conference. You are invited to attend. The meeting will be an opportunity for Bishop Hansen to report on the national ELCA convention which was held this past August in Denver and for you to ask questions of our Bishop. The meeting will take place at St. Paul on Monday evening, Nov. 22, from 7-8:30 p.m.
Contributions - The weekly and monthly financial contributions each of you make to St. Paul are vital to the ongoing life and ministry of this congregation. They are vital to our hopes and plans and dreams for the future. And with this coming year filled with hopes for some additional programs and pastoral ministry, we need your increased support and prayers. But, beyond our giving out of our current incomes for current needs of the Lord's church, we also are blessed by our government and our tax codes with incentives for all of us to include the church's future ministries with income that will carry beyond our physical deaths. To that end, St. Paul has established a Trust Fund to oversee and care for the investment of funds given through wills and estates and charitable annuities that can benefit the ministry of St. Paul in this community for many years to come. There are brochures in the kiosk (round bulletin-board) as you enter the church that describe these opportunities. If you have questions about how to take advantage of these opportunities, please feel free to call Phil Straley (356-4531), advisor to the Trust Fund Committee or Pastor Deutsch. May God bless your efforts at sharing some of your blessings with the ongoing ministry of our Lord through St. Paul.
Emergencies - If you have need of emergency pastoral care and I or Leslie Nye (356-6109) are out-of-town or unavailable for any reason, please call Rev. Martha Hartman at (354-5647), Rev. Owen Williams at (356-0957), Rev. Doug McCormick at 736-3642 or Rev. Lorraine Sundin at 356-5879. Martha is Pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Barton City, Owen is Pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Alpena, Doug is Pastor of New Life Lutheran Church in Hubbard Lake and Lorraine is Pastor of Spruce Lutheran Church. They have all agreed to be available for emergency pastoral needs.
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 those at local Nursing homes - Tendercare: Jim Hartman, Loretta Kowalsky, Matilda Ohlrich, Marilyn Stephan, Agnes Sonnenberg, Cleo Sonnenberg, Alma Welk, Mildred Benac, Dorothy Sims - Sally's Care Home: Jeanette Diemond, Otto and Hattie Kelm, Jim O"Brien, Eileen Werner - Other Care Homes: Ruth Schrader, Helen Kihn, Louise Cochrane, Alice Standen, Alice Bluck, Helen Martinson, Hilda Sommerfield. Remember those living at Luther Community Manor: Martha Beck, Erna Golder, Betty Killin, Viola Marquardt, Dorothy Schiler, Virginia Kraft, Delores Stevens. Remember those living alone at home. Remember the sick and the hurting who are unable to join us in worship this month: Evelyn Siegert, Cathy Dohn, Ione Anderson, Mabel Jury. Jesus said, "Inasmuch as you have done it to the least of these, my brethren, you have done it to me." (Mt. 25:40)
Stephen Ministry - St. Paul has recently enrolled in the Stephen Series. The Stephen Series is a program used today in over 6,000 congregations through out the world. It is a program whose purpose it is to train and organize lay people of the church to do caring ministry. Those who vounteer to become involved in this ministry will learn skills and develop their talents for bringing Christ's healing love to people who are grieving, depressed, lonely, shut-in, etc. Several people from St. Paul who have already or will volunteer to be leaders in this program will be attending a seven-day intensive Leader's Training Course in San Antonio in February of next year. They will then return to train members of St. Paul who would like to participate in this program. If you have an interest in or questions about either being trained as a leader or as a Stephen Minister, please feel free to call me or Les Nye.
Thanksgiving Worship - This year we will worship together on Thanksgiving Eve with Grace Lutheran Church at Grace Lutheran. The time is 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday evening, Nov. 24. Our choirs will sing together and we will celebrate the Eucharist. Please join us!
Thanks - For all of you who are involved in the many ministries of this congregation ... for all of you who carry out our mission "to be an expression of God's compassion in our community and beyond" ... for all of you who keep me and my family in your prayers ... Thank you.
God's richest blessings to each of you as we as we sing songs of Thanksgiving to God this month!
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If you are like me, when you see the words 'healing service' you just skip over to them to the next paragraph. I always thought, "I'm not sick, so that doesn't apply to me".
On the rare occasions that I would have the sniffles, or a flu bug and I read the words 'healing service', all kinds of images popped into my mind. Images of huge auditoriums, and hundreds of people pretending to be sick, crippled, blind, or deaf. Images of loud speakers, microphones, spotlights, and television cameras. Images of someone with out stretched arms shouting 'heal' over some poor soul who passes out or has the 'demons driven out of them'. Images of that same person 'waking up' and finding that they suddenly can see, hear, or walk. Those are the images that would go through my mind.
When Pastor Dan said that the healing service was on my list of responsibilities, I cringed and almost told him and God to get someone else. Since then, I have found myself learning yet another lesson in this school of life experience. One more time I've learned not to judge situations based on my misconceptions or lack of experience.
I thought that you needed to be physically sick in order to come to a healing service. Was I wrong! People come to a healing service for a variety of reasons. Some are physically ill. Others have broken spirits or are depressed. Some might need to recover from a bad relationship. Others may need to mend feelings from something that happened forty years ago. Some may be grieving the loss of a spouse, child or friend.
The healing services at St. Paul Lutheran Church do not involve spotlights, or television cameras. We don't ask for a list of your ills as you walk in. No donations are taken. No shouting is heard. And there certainly aren't hundreds of people in attendance.
Just what DOES happen during a healing service, here at St. Paul? On Sunday, November 21st at noon, come and experience it for yourself.
Leslie Nye
Pastoral Assistant
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HARVEST DINNER
A Huge Thanks goes out to the co-chairpersons, Gerry Wyman, and Dorothy LaFleche for all their work in organizing and preparing such a delicious meal. Thanks also to everyone who donated items for the dinner and to all of the workers who came forward and worked so hard to make our dinner the success it was!
Scouting News: Congratulations go out to the Webelos Den of 3092 of St. Paul Lutheran Church who took First Place in the Thunderhead District Fall Camporee. The event was held October 8th- 10th. The boys were tested on knot tying, first aid, leaf identification, the Cardinal Points of a Compass, Fire Building and correctly packing for a camp out. This year participants were Jared Helwig, Joe Tews, Travis Donakowski, David Veasy, Tommy Hunter, Kenneth Vince, Andrew Sucharski, and Brent Dickson. They bettered their second place finish from last year. Well Done young men!
World Relief: Thank you to everyone who brought in items for Lutheran World Relief! We sent many boxes again this year to help the world relief program.. A "thank you" is also sent out to the ladies who made all (125)of the beautiful quilts, and to everyone who packed the boxes and loaded the truck. Thankyou so much.
WELCA Christmas Celebration All women of St. Paul Lutheran Church are invited to a Christmas Celebration and Dinner to be held on Thursday December 9th at 6:00 pm. Please make your plans now to attend. Invite a friend and enjoy the occasion to visit with old friends and meet new ones. Watch the bulletin for details.
POINSETTIA ORDER FORM
The red poinsettias will be branched plants with 5/6 flowers in 6" pots at a cost of $6.00 per plant to be ordered and paid for by November 24th. The plants will be delivered to the church and may be picked up after the service on Sunday, December 27th.
PLEASE CIRCLE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING:
In memory of In celebration of To the Glory of God
(Please write the names of your loved ones clearly)
____________________________________
_____________________________________
From:_________________________________
_____________________________________
Quantity ordered: ________ Phone No. __________________
Amount paid: ______________
You may give my plant to a shut-in Yes______ No________
I can deliver to the shut-ins Yes _______ Phone __________________
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October 31, 1999- Annual Report
To the people of God at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Alpena, MI:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ!
This has certainly been another year filled with grace and peace and opportunities to share that grace and peace. It doesn't seem possible that a whole year has flown by since last fall.
Highlights of the past year:
Working with the Outreach Committee to restore the Church sign ... making plans for new signs both outside and inside our building ... participating in major radio and newspaper advertising that was partially funded by the ELCA ... producing promotional brochures for use with visitors ... continuing work on hospitality issues ... Working with the Educational Committee to increase SS and 9:20 worship activity ... planning for joint work with Grace Lutheran that will encompass our Confirmation, Youth and Early Communion programs ... hosting another Auction with New Life Lutheran that benefited Habitat for Humanity programs in Alpena and Alcona counties ... Working with the Trust Fund Committee to publicize our activities ... producing a new brochure for use within our congregation ... Working with the Church Council, Property Committee and R & R Committee to complete, plan, publicize and prioritize projects for renewing and renovating our church Working with the Call Committee to search for additional pastoral staffing ... planning for additional pastoral help in the short-term with the contract with Les Nye to serve as a Pastoral Assistant ... Working with the Worship Committee to plan, promote, differentiate and continue with our four worship services ... completing, analyzing and utilizing a survey of our congregation concerning our worship practices ...
Plans for the coming year:
To build on the foundations of this year in each of the previously mentioned areas; To develop and further the new relationships with Grace Lutheran Church in our Youth, Confirmation and Early Communion programs; To work with a Stewardship Committee continuing to promote the new "Simply Giving" program and to develop and promote new programs for helping our people grow in their Stewardship (managing) of God's gifts; To continue to search for ways to better utilize our facilities, particularly our Educational building; To direct, promote and lead in the development of "Stephen Ministries" here at St. Paul - a program for training lay people to develop and use their gifts in intentional and compassionate ministry to the hurting in our midst; To facilitate the ongoing repair, renewal and renovation of our congregational property by encouraging the work and ministries of the R & R Committee, the Property Committee and the Church Council; To continue to carry out the normal pastoral care functions with the help of Les Nye and hopefully additional pastoral staff as God sees fit to bless us - the hospital and shut-in ministries, care of the dying and bereaved, baptismal and marriage ministries, etc.
Continued "Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ!" In His Name,
Pastor Daniel Deutsch
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Pastoral Assistant Report
"To be an expression of God's compassion in our community and beyond" is the mission statement of our congregation, here at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Alpena, Michigan. Each time we open a Sunday bulletin those are the first words we see.
In the last two months, those words have taken on new meaning for me. I don't just skim over them now like I did before. Instead, they are constant reminders to me.
They remind me that I am a member of a faith community, the community of St. Paul Lutheran Church - a wonderful community of believers. A community of people with a wide array of gifts and talents that I respect and appreciate more and more each passing day.
They remind me that this wondrous gift of love is not to be kept, but to be shared - shared not only with the members of our congregation who believe, but also with those beyond the county lines of Alpena, and more importantly, with those who don't know God.
These words are a reminder that God works through the most unlikely and ordinary people - people just like you and me. Every time a meal is served at a soup kitchen, communion given to a shut in, a prayer said with a hospital patient, a Bible study held, a worship service is led, a Sunday school program is discussed, or a new ministry begun - every time these things are done we are expressing God's love and compassion in concrete ways the world can see and understand.
I am also reminded that I need to pause and give thanks. Thanks be to God for each of YOU. Thank YOU for allowing me to serve my God, by serving YOU, His people. Thanks be to God!
Your Servant in Christ,
Leslie A. Nye
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Pastoral Acts
On October 3 1999, LOGAN JAMES METZKE, son of Kristen & Jason Metzke was baptized with sponsors Andrea Metzke and Corey Dahn.
On October 17, 1999, AARON GREENWOOD DIAMOND, son of Ellsen and John Diamond was baptized with sponsors Owen and Kristi Werth.
On October 24, 1999, JACOB PAUL WILKIE, son of Jackie and Paul Wilkie was baptized with sponsor Shelly Gingras.
DANIEL MICHAEL HALL & ANGELA LYNN KRAWCZAK were married October 16, 1999. They were attended by Stacey Nickowski and Craig Smith.
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The Operation Blanket Group wish to thank each and everyone who helped us with this project by donations of material, cash and time. We had many nice blankets made up for the October 16th World Relief pick up. We hope to do the same in the next year. Many Thanks.
ADVENT DESSERT December 4, 1999 6:30 Following Worship Details to follow soon.