St. Paul Partners A PUBLICATION OF ST. PAUL LUTHERAN CHURCH SPONSORED BY MARIE SCRONCE IN HONOR OF THE HOMEBOUND MEMBERS

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "St. Paul Partners A PUBLICATION OF ST. PAUL LUTHERAN CHURCH SPONSORED BY MARIE SCRONCE IN HONOR OF THE HOMEBOUND MEMBERS"

Duane Fletcher
5 years ago
Views:

MARCH 2018 volume 31 number 8 St. Paul Partners A PUBLICATION OF ST.

Paul Family, As we continue through the month of March with our Thy Will Be Done series, it all leads up to the most holy week of the year.

It starts with Jesus triumphant entry into Jerusalem and ends with his death on a cross. It is the week that includes Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. It is the week that precedes Easter Sunday.

1 MARCH 2018 volume 31 number 8 St. Paul Partners A PUBLICATION OF ST. PAUL LUTHERAN CHURCH SPONSORED BY MARIE SCRONCE IN HONOR OF THE HOMEBOUND MEMBERS Thy Will Be Done Through the Holiest Week of the Year Dear St. Paul Family, As we continue through the month of March with our Thy Will Be Done series, it all leads up to the most holy week of the year. As we move through the last week of the month, it will be the last week of the season of Lent. It begins on Palm Sunday and ends on Holy Saturday. It starts with Jesus triumphant entry into Jerusalem and ends with his death on a cross. It is the week that includes Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. It is the week that precedes Easter Sunday. For Christians it is indeed the most holy week of the year. During Holy Week, Christians commemorate the Passion of Christ who died on Good Friday in reparation for our sins and anticipates the celebration of his rising on Easter Sunday. Thus, while Holy Week is solemn and sorrowful, it also anticipates the joy of Easter through the recognition of God s goodness in sending His Son to die for our salvation. This year for Holy Week here at St. Paul we will begin with worship on Palm/Passion Sunday by processing in with palms and hear the dramatic reading of Christ s Passion in narrative form led by our youth from the Gospel according to St. John. On Wednesday of that week at 6:00PM there will be a service of healing offered for all as an opportunity to worship, pray for the sick and to be anointed with oil as you are personally prayed for in your life. Maundy Thursday we will again offer the opportunity for foot washing for those who desire prior VISIT US ONLINE StPaulStartown.org INSIDE this issue Pastor s Article...1 LTSS Tour...2 Cookie Drive Thank You...2 Birthdays & Anniversaries...2 News...3 WELCA & Youth Notes...4 Council Highlights...4 March Worship Assistants...5 January Finance Report...5 March Calendar...6 Bishop s Reflections...7 Holy Week Schedule...8 MARCH 2018 VOLUME 31 NUMBER 8 1

to worship. We will then worship around the theme God s Will & Joyful Service. We will also offer the upper room for Holy Communion and conclude with the traditional stripping of the altar.

This all of course leads us to the Easter celebration where we observe and experience how the story unfolds as we gather at sunrise at the cemetery with our brothers and sisters from St.

We will gather back at our church for festive worship at 10:00AM around the theme God s Will for the New Creation.

Now one else can take your place when it comes to participation in these services.

2 to worship. We will then worship around the theme God s Will & Joyful Service. We will also offer the upper room for Holy Communion and conclude with the traditional stripping of the altar. On Good Friday we will have our traditional Tenebrae service including the adoration of the cross around the theme God s Will Is Done. In other words It is finished. This all of course leads us to the Easter celebration where we observe and experience how the story unfolds as we gather at sunrise at the cemetery with our brothers and sisters from St. Paul Reformed Church and then to the Reformed Church Fellowship Hall where they will provide a full Easter breakfast for us this year. We will gather back at our church for festive worship at 10:00AM around the theme God s Will for the New Creation. Remember the only way to truly appreciate Easter joy is to first experience Holy Week. Don t let this week (or this month) go by like any other. Now one else can take your place when it comes to participation in these services. Yes, these are extra worship opportunities that may not seem convenient but then again it certainly was not convenient for Jesus to go to the cross. This is a time that can deepen our faith lives and help us grow spiritually. I look forward to being with you this month and especially during Holy Week as we put our mission into practice to Witness, Welcome, Worship and Work in the name of our Lord. Yours in Christ, Pastor Ralph Mar 2 Mar 3 Mar 10 Mar 11 Mar 13 Mar 14 Mar 17 Mar 20 Mar 22 Mar 28 Mar 29 Margaret Bowman Jonathan Jarrett Sterling Jarrett Patty Burris River Jarrett Bill Abernathy Johnnie Fulbright Savannah Lail Keith Frye Edith Lerch Noah Lindemann Gail Blackburn John Warren Robin Fincannon Another Record!! The USA may be setting records at the Olympics in South Korea but the bakers at St. Paul Lutheran Church have set a record also. No, maybe not in figure skating or giant slalom but we baked a record 142 dozen cookies for the Kairos Prison Ministry. Your flour, sugar, eggs and other ingredients liberally seasoned with love and care brought the tangible, sweet joy of God s love to the inmates at the Taylorsville Federal Prison. We may never exactly know who or how the treats affected these men but because of you, they do know they are God s children, loved by Him and by St. Paul members. THANK YOU! Mar 24 Brad & Barbara Arrowood Please Note: If we have missed your birthday or anniversary, please let the church office know so we can update our records. office@stpaulstartown.org or (828) ext. 301 Seminary Tour Opportunity - Pastor Ralph and Wanda Helton are currently putting together a trip for touring the Lutheran Seminary campus in Columbia, SC. This would be a full one day trip probably on a Monday or Thursday. Please use the sign-up sheet to indicate your interest. 2

Dear Pastor Ralph and Church Family, Mere words or a simple thank you cannot adequately convey the joy in my heart or the appreciation I daily feel -- all because of you, my brothers and sisters in

May God bless all of you -- I hope to see you soon. Sincerely, Gail Bowman A big thank you to all who came out in support of our youth at the pancake breakfast.

See your bulletin to place your order or call the office (828) 464-3853. Order Deadline is March 18th!

3 Dear Pastor Ralph and Church Family, Mere words or a simple thank you cannot adequately convey the joy in my heart or the appreciation I daily feel -- all because of you, my brothers and sisters in Christ. The dozens of cards, unnumerable phone calls and prayers have sustained me thru this recovery process. Thank you to all those who stepped up and in to fill my small activities. May God bless all of you -- I hope to see you soon. Sincerely, Gail Bowman A big thank you to all who came out in support of our youth at the pancake breakfast. Thanks to your generosity, we raised over $1,500 for our youth fund! Easter Lily Orders Easter lilies may now be ordered through the Church Office. Cost is $10, bowed and wrapped. See your bulletin to place your order or call the office (828) Order Deadline is March 18th! 5 loaves and 2 fishes Over 2000 years ago there was no refrigeration, no canned goods, no plastic wrapped bread but our Lord was able to feed the multitude on one afternoon and still had leftovers. Today, we do have the ability to preserve food for days, weeks and even months. Because of these inventions, it is even easier to follow Christ s example of sharing. During this special Lenten season we at St. Paul can SO easily share our treasures by donating nonperishable food to benefit our Catawba County neighbors through ECCCM. Please bring a can or bag a week and deposit it in the specially marked baskets in the Narthex or Fellowship Hall. And, of course, you can also make a monetary contribution which will be used to purchase food at drastically reduced prices and donated to our total donation. Please, follow Christ s example by feeding our neighboring families. It s Not Too Early!!! It may be only the first of March but it s not too early to start making plans for our Annual Community Day. Once again we will have the joy of reaching out to our Startown neighbors, showing God s love (and ours) for everyone in our neighborhood. We have already reserved 4 inflatables, including a brand new 62 foot obstacle course, a Disney Princess bounce house and a Monster Truck bounce house. We will continue our planning for another successful outreach event but we will need YOU to help us make this a memorable time for everyone. Please reserve May 5, 2018 as a day to share your faith and blessings with your friends and neighbors. Look for sign-up posters to be erected soon and add your name to this fun activity. 3

WELCA At Work Toboggans, Gloves and Socks, Oh MY!! WOW! Our winter accessory drive ended with terrific results, all thanks to your selfless giving.

vests, 16 shirts, 2 pairs of pants, and 1 pair of tights were delivered by Pastor Ralph and Barbara Sloop to Startown Elementary School.

God bless you as you have blessed these young people.

is Already Shaping Up National Youth Gathering in Houston, TX Wednesday June 27 Sunday July 1, 2018.

The newly formed Prayer Shawl Ministry will meet on March 12th & March 26th at 9am in the Conference Room The St.

Devotions were led by Dick Walker; Mission Moment was led by Pastor Ralph.

4 WELCA At Work Toboggans, Gloves and Socks, Oh MY!! WOW! Our winter accessory drive ended with terrific results, all thanks to your selfless giving. The 84 hats, 9 scarves, 16 ear warmers, 52 pairs of gloves, 99 pairs of socks, 91 pairs of underwear, 1 pair of thermal underwear, 3 jackets, 2 sweaters, 2 vests, 16 shirts, 2 pairs of pants, and 1 pair of tights were delivered by Pastor Ralph and Barbara Sloop to Startown Elementary School. Because of each of you who donated so generously, our area students will be warm and toasty through the final days of winter. God bless you as you have blessed these young people. 4 Lenten Evening Prayer Services Sundays during Lent 6:00pm - Soup and Sandwich Supper 6:45pm - Lenten Evening Prayer Mark Your Calendars as the Summer of 2018 is Already Shaping Up National Youth Gathering in Houston, TX Wednesday June 27 Sunday July 1, Camp Lutherock Sunday July 8 Saturday July 14, 2018 Agape Day Camp Monday July 16 Friday July 20, 2018 Kure Beach Retreat Thursday July 26 Sunday July 29, 2018 The newly formed Prayer Shawl Ministry will meet on March 12th & March 26th at 9am in the Conference Room The St. Paul Lutheran Church Congregation Council met on February 11, 2018 beginning at 11:35am. Devotions were led by Dick Walker; Mission Moment was led by Pastor Ralph. Motions Approved: Attendance Report January 2018 Congregation Council Meeting Minutes Treasures Report to be filed for audit Pastors Report Ministry Team Reports Items of Interest: Community Day Date: May 5, 2018 Synod Assembly - June 1 & 2 in Raleigh, NC / Dewey Jones & Joyce Herman will accompany Pastor Ralph this year Planting Hope Taster event at St. Stephens ELCA on 2/11/18 - Pastor Ralph and Robin Fincannon planning to attend Property Team will proceed with repairs of basement storage room moisture issues Next meeting is scheduled for March 11 at 11:30am. Meeting adjourned 12:40pm with the Lord s Prayer.

MONTHLY DUTIES MARCH WORSHIP ASSISTANTS Liturgy The Work of the People Offered Unto God USHERS Dick Walker Ann Walker ALTAR GUILD Barbara Reed Barbara Sloop MONEY COUNTER (TELLER) Marty Coulter

5 MONTHLY DUTIES MARCH WORSHIP ASSISTANTS Liturgy The Work of the People Offered Unto God USHERS Dick Walker Ann Walker ALTAR GUILD Barbara Reed Barbara Sloop MONEY COUNTER (TELLER) Marty Coulter Glenda Townsend SUNDAY SCHOOL TELLER Wanda Helton COMMUNION (1ST, 3RD, 5TH) Michelle Potter Mary Kraft COMMUNION (2ND, 4TH) Joyce Herman Dewey Jones WEEKLY DUTIES March 4 March 11 March 18 March 25 SENDER David Miller Dewey Jones Sharon Frye Keith Frye LAY READER Wanda Helton Kathy Frye Barbara Sloop Karina Coulter PRAYER LEADER Richard Helton Libby Wells Pastor Ralph Wanda Helton ACOLYTE Keith Frye Conner McNeil Zoey Lail Natalie Lail CRUCIFER Kathy Frye Everly McNeil Tom Lail Savannah Lail CHILDREN S MESSAGE Pastor Ralph Pastor Ralph Pastor Ralph Pastor Ralph 5

6 SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY pm - A.A :30a - Java with Jesus 6pm - Cub Scouts 6pm - Girl Scout Council Reports 8pm - A.A. 2pm-4pm - Potter 9am - Sunday School Leader s Meeting Due Today Bridal Shower 7pm - Boy Scouts 10a - Worship 6pm - Handbells 11:30a - Worship & Music Team 6pm - Soup & Sandwich Supper 6:45pm - Lenten Evening Prayer 7pm - Choir 11 - DST Begins :30a - Java with Jesus 9am - Prayer 8pm - A.A. Shawl 9am - Sunday School; Confirmation 10a - Worship 11:30a - Church Council 3p - Eagle Scout Ceremony 6pm - Soup & Sandwich Supper 6:45pm - Lenten Evening Prayer 6pm - WELCA 6pm - Cub Scouts 7pm - Boy Scouts 12pm - Lutheran Trinity Village 6pm - Handbells 7pm - Choir Easter Lily Order 6pm - Cub Scouts First Day of April Newsletter 8pm - A.A. Deadline! Spring Deadline 7pm - Boy Scouts 8:30a - Java with Jesus 6pm - Handbells 9am - Sunday School 10a - Worship 6pm - Soup & Sandwich Supper 6:45pm - Lenten Evening Prayer 7pm - Choir Palm Sunday 9am - Prayer 6pm - Healing Maundy Good Shawl Service Thursday Friday 8:30a - Java with Jesus 9am - Sunday School; Confirmation 10a - Worship 6pm - Cub Scouts 7pm - Boy Scouts 7pm - Choir 7pm - Maundy Thursday Worship 7pm - Good Friday Tenebrae 9am - Appoint Sanctuary for Easter 6

The penitential seasons of Advent and Lent have always been renewing for me. They are headed somewhere, for all their reservation, to something hopeful and joyous.

7 The penitential seasons of Advent and Lent have always been renewing for me. They are headed somewhere, for all their reservation, to something hopeful and joyous. Even more appealing to me is their invitation to discipline. Sometimes, I fear, we Lutherans are so steeped in the absolute grace of God, the ultimate inefficacy of our works, and the freedom of the Gospel that allows us to sin boldly our justification that we neglect the spiritual disciplines to which the Gospel calls us, or else we set them aside as one optional part of our whole life rather than the essence of our whole life in Christ, i.e., nurturing that relationship with Jesus as he freely comes to us. Lent actually comes from an old Anglo-Saxon word Lencten, as in lengthen, referring to the lengthening of days or springtime. It begins on Ash Wednesday, 40 days (not counting Sundays always days of resurrection) before Easter. Easter on April 1 this year, and Ash Wednesday is February 14: April Fools Day and Valentine s Day! The sermons practically write themselves this year! The date of Easter fluctuates, determined as the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox, which means the first Sunday after the first full moon in spring. Lent is about spiritual renewal and growth. For me, spiritual renewal boils down to paying attention to the truth of God s claim on us in baptism, paying attention to God s presence in our lives, and paying attention to opportunities we have each day to be the presence of God for others. The word Christian appears in the New Testament only twice. The word disciple occurs 269 times! Discipline and disciple come from the same root. To be a disciple is to be a person of discipline. To pay attention. To focus. ELW s Invitation to Lent announces to the congregation on Ash Wednesday, As disciples of the Lord Jesus we are called to struggle against everything that leads us away from love of God and neighbor. Repentance, fasting, prayer, works of love, self-denial, quiet meditation the disciplines of Lent help us to wage our spiritual warfare. I invite you, therefore, to begin on this solemn first day of Lent to recommit yourselves to this struggle. Many find that giving something up for Lent is a helpful and tangible practice of such discipline and a constant reminder of the ultimate sacrifice of Christ to which this season is heading. Some prefer to take something on instead of giving something up, but, let s face it it s the same thing! Every yes is a no, and every no is a yes. If we add something to our plate, something else, therefore, won t fit on the plate. One year I wrote a short thank-you note each day during Lent to people whom I really appreciate but whom I had never really adequately told. In any case, the disciplines of Lent are never intended to imply earned righteousness; they are meant to be our response to God s great love for us in Christ. They do not bring God closer to us. They bring us closer to God. Lent is intended not as morbidity but as the Church Year s dose of reality therapy. In our introspection, the deeper we look inside, the more darkness we discover. We are mortal, and in the meantime we are sinful. Lent drives us inward so that the ugliness we find in there drives us outward to the saving work of Christ, accomplished in the cross and resurrection. The core of the Christian message is the gospel ( good news ), which presupposes the bad news of sin and death and the power of the devil. Ash Wednesday reminds us of our mortality, that we are dust, and its extended confession and lack of absolution reminds us of our sinfulness, calling us to repentance, to turning back to God. Our own life of suffering servanthood as we live in this relationship is our discipleship in the world. May Lent s call to discipline and renewal to you be less of a heavy burden and more of a gracious invitation to return to the Lord your God. It s where we belong and where we are most authentically the beloved ones we are created and redeemed to be! Walking with you, Bishop Tim Smith 7

St. Paul Lutheran Church 3761 Startown Rd Newton, NC 28658 Phone: (828) 464-3853 www.stpaulstartown.org STAMP HERE <<Address Here>> 2018 Holy Week Schedule Sun.

8 St. Paul Lutheran Church 3761 Startown Rd Newton, NC Phone: (828) STAMP HERE <<Address Here>> 2018 Holy Week Schedule Sun., March 25 Palm Sunday (10am) including a dramatic reading of the Gospel Wed., March 28 Healing Service (6pm) Thur., March 29 Maundy Thursday (7pm) including foot washing Fri., March 30 Good Friday (7pm) Sun., April 1 Easter Sunday Sunrise Service (at St. Paul s Park, 7am) Breakfast (at St. Paul s Reformed, 8am) Festive Worship (10am) 8

St. Paul Partners SPONSORED BY WILLIE HUFFMAN TO THE GLORY OF GOD

St. Paul Partners SPONSORED BY WILLIE HUFFMAN TO THE GLORY OF GOD MAY 2018 volume 31 number 10 St. Paul Partners A PUBLICATION OF ST. PAUL LUTHERAN CHURCH Planting Hope, Part II SPONSORED BY WILLIE HUFFMAN TO THE GLORY OF GOD Dear St. Paul Family, As the season of Easter