The Spirit of St. Paul

Transcription

1 St. Paul Ev. Lutheran Church 116 North Thomas Street Gilman Illinois Address Services Requested What s Inside Inside Cover December 2018 Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage Paid Permit #17 Gilman, IL Pastor s Ponderings & Parish Nurse News 1, 3-6 News & Notes 6 Council News & Financial Report 7 Our Church Family 7 Letters to St. Paul 8 Daily Bible Readings 9 Calendar 10 Birthdays & Worship Assistants The Spirit of St. Paul A Publication of St. Paul Lutheran Church of Gilman Illinois December 2018 Advent Series - God With Us This year we will focus on words of the Prophet Isaiah as he points to Emmanuel - God With Us. On December 2 we explore God as the potter we the clay. Through faith in Jesus, we are formed as a new creation as God shapes us according to his will. December 9 brings the Shepherd. Jesus the Good Shepherd came to lay down his life and rise from the dead to bring forgiveness and eternal life. On December 16, the Sunday School students will share their Christmas message. On Wednesday, December 19 we find God as our living branch. Jesus, a shoot from the stump of Jesse, was born into the family tree of King David. By faith we are the branches, and Jesus our true vine. December 23 marks the fourth Sunday in Advent. On this day we learn that God leads us according to his Word. Jesus is our way back to God, our way to eternal life. Quiet Christmas Christmas can be a very busy season from many people. It can also be a lonely season for some. While the world is celebrating, some of us are struggling to find peace. Some of us are just looking for a quiet evening in the midst of the noise. The service has been revised this year with a few new additions. Please join us on Wednesday December 5 for our Quiet Christmas service. Christmas Schedule Our Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services will continue with the God With Us theme. The 6:00 pm Christmas Eve worship will be oriented towards families and children. The story of the birth of Jesus will culminate in the lighting of candles and the singing of Silent Night. The 10:00 pm will be built around carols as well as candle light. These services are scheduled to allow you celebrate with your family and friends before or after worship. Christmas Day we gather at 9:00 am. Many people find worship on Christmas Day to be especially meaningful. A new service of Lessons and Carols will be held on December 30 and January 2. This year we will include a short history of many carols as well as scripture readings. There will be no worship on Wednesday December 26. Please join us and invite your friends as we celebrate - God With Us.

2 Advent God With Us Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly, 0 But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." 2 All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 3 "Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel," which means, "God is with us." 4 When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, 5 but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus. Matt 1:18-25 We are probably most familiar with the Christmas story from the Gospel of Luke. That story includes the stable and manger, the animals and shepherds, and the singing angels. That story warms our hearts and reminds of Christmases long ago. But this story from Matthew is equally stirring. Joseph found himself in an awkward situation. But an angel came in a dream and explained the plan. The virgin will conceive and bear and son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means, God is with us. The difference between Christianity and other religions centers on the important fact that God took on human flesh and blood and lived here on this earth. The fancy theological term in incarnation. That is important. We believe that God is not some distant deity who pulls levers and pushes buttons, or who gave the world a spin and walked away. God is Jesus Christ who lives among us. Some Christmas Facts and Trivia The Germans made the first artificial Christmas trees out of dyed goose feathers. Each year more than 3 billion Christmas cards are sent in the U.S. alone. All the gifts in the Twelve Days of Christmas would equal 364 gifts. The true love mentioned in the song Twelve Days of Christmas does not refer to a romantic couple, but the Catholic Church s code for God. The person who receives the gifts represents someone who has accepted that code. For example, the partridge in a pear tree represents Christ. The two turtledoves represent the Old and New Testaments. Most of Santa s reindeer have male-sounding names, such as Blitzen, Comet, and Cupid. However, male reindeers shed their antlers around Christmas, so the reindeer pulling Santa s sleigh are likely not male, but female or castrated. In A.D. 350, Pope Julius I, bishop of Rome, proclaimed December 25 the official celebration date for the birthday of Christ. According to the Guinness world records, the tallest Christmas tree ever cut was a 221-foot Douglas fir that was displayed in 1950 at the Northgate Shopping Center in Seattle, Washington. The traditional three colors of Christmas are green, red, and gold. Green has long been a symbol of life and rebirth; red symbolizes the blood of Christ, and gold represents light as well as wealth and royalty. Contrary to popular belief, suicide rates during the Christmas holiday are low. The highest rates are during the spring. The season of Advent has gotten lost in the ever-expanding Christmas season. We can t really change fact that Christmas sales begin on November 1. As consumers, we have led the charge. But we can carve out time in this busy season to ponder and prepare our hearts and minds for the coming of the Christ-child. The theme for the Advent services this year is God With Us. Come as we prepare and celebrate together the coming of the baby God With Us. The world s largest Christmas stocking measured 106 feet and 9 inches (32.56 m) long and 49 feet and 1 inch (14.97 m) wide. It weighed as much as five reindeer and held almost 1,000 presents. It was made by the Children s Society in London on December 14, Christmas trees have been sold in the U.S. since Christmas trees usually grow for about 15 years before they are sold. Norwegian scientists have hypothesized that Rudolph s red nose is probably the result of a parasitic infection of his respiratory system from our Parish Nurse, Mary Ann Schuler

3 Christmas Caroling Come join us on Friday evening, December 14 at 5:45 p.m. as we go Christmas Caroling at our local nursing homes and the homes of a few of our homebound members. All ages are welcome. We'll gather in the Parish Hall to share rides and meet back there afterwards for cocoa. Feel free to bring snacks to share. Way to Honor Loved Ones Throughout our lives many people bring light to our paths. This year our Lutheran Youth Organization will be providing a very special way to remember those who have been a blessing to us. For a donation of $5.00, the group will provide a luminaria with the name of a loved one placed on it. The luminaria will line the entry to the church on Christmas Eve. Luminarias may be given in honor of someone living or in memory of someone who touched your life in the past. If you would like to purchase a luminaria, stop by the table the LYO will have set up in the parish hall in the weeks before Christmas. A Reminder About Cancelled Events As winter approaches, we want to remind everyone of our policy regarding cancelling worship and other church events when the weather is particularly bad. It was decided if Iroquois West schools close due to weather, we will also cancel all events at the church for that day. You Are Invited! What better way to enjoy the Christmas season than with Madrigal music and wassail? Join Central High School and Nash Madrigals for their annual performance on Saturday, December 8 and/or Sunday, December 9. There will be dessert and wassail offered while you enjoy the Nash Madrigals and then the audience moves to the auditorium for the Central Madrigals performance/show. Saturday dessert begins at 6pm and performance begins at 7pm. Sunday dessert at 1pm and performance at 2pm. Tickets are $5 in advance and $7 at the door. Eva McGill has put a sign-up sheet on the counter. If you would like to go with our group and let Eva get the tickets for you, please sign-up by Sunday, December 2. G.O.D.'s Food Pantry Holiday Hours Christmas Changes are as follows: There will be morning (9:00-Noon) hours and evening (4:00-6:30 p.m.) hours on Tuesday, December 18 and we will be closed on Tuesday, December 25. New Year Day No change to hours on Tuesday, January 1, We will be open 9:00-Noon. 3

4 Contributions to St. Paul & 2019 Offering Envelopes If anyone would like their year-to-date donations to use in tax planning for year-end, please contact our Financial Recording Secretary Jill Ritzma at or Individual information is available at any time during the year for those with different fiscal year-ends. Please remember that all donations for St. Paul to be included in your 2018 Contribution Report need to be turned in to the church by December 30, which is the last worship service of the year. Offering envelopes for 2019 will be available soon on a table in the hallway. Please feel free to pick yours up. If you haven't had envelopes in the past and would like some or if you have any questions, please contact Jill. Our church offers electronic giving, which allows you to make donations on a scheduled, automatic basis. To set up electronic donations, simply complete the Simply Giving authorization form found on the counter in the Information Center in the hallway and return it Jill or to her mailbox in the Church Office. Donations can be debited automatically from either a checking or savings account. Take a Walk We have all heard that regular exercise, including walking, is beneficial to our health. Don't let icy streets or frigid winds keep you from walking. Feel free to come to church and walk. You can walk around the parish hall, do a figure eight from the parish hall to the sanctuary, or spread out walking in the basement. It is always around 60 degrees in the building. There is not ice on the floor and no biting wind in your face. There is a group that walks Mondays and Fridays from 6:30-7:30 a.m. and they welcome others to come and join them. Contacts are Carol Hanlon & Rita Gray. The building is open from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday and many other times during the week. Feel free to call first ( ) to make sure the doors are open. Stay fit this winter. Each year the St. Paul Church Council makes a special offering available for those who wish to give towards a Christmas bonus for our pastor. Special Christmas for Pastor envelopes are available in with our regular offering envelopes, but plain envelopes may be used as well. If you would like to use a check, please make it out to St. Paul Lutheran Church with Pastor s Bonus on the memo line. Gifts may be placed in the offering plate or mailed to St. Paul Lutheran Church, 116 N. Thomas St., Gilman IL All gifts will be combined with those of others from the congregation and a check will be given to Pastor Pete Hinrich at Christmastime. We have also been asked how to give a Christmas bonus for Lynne Culkin, as she has served our congregation in many ways this past year. Gifts for Lynne can be put in a plain envelope marked Lynne s Christmas Bonus and placed in the offering plate or mailed to the church. Or you may put it in your regular offering envelope and designating an amount for Lynne s Bonus on the other line. If you would like to write out a check, please make it out to St. Paul Lutheran Church.

5 St. Paul Women of the ELCA All St. Paul Women are Invited to a Christmas Gathering A very special Christmas Gathering is being planned for all St. Paul women! Come and enjoy a Soup & Sandwich Supper, followed by a Christmas craft demonstration by Cathy Perzee. The date is Tuesday, December 4 and the time is 6:00 p.m. If you are planning to come and we hope you will please sign the sign-up sheet on the Information Center counter in the hallway. There is no cost for this fun and relaxing evening. December Circle Meetings Prayer & Faith will have their Christmas Meeting Tuesday, December 11 at 7:00 p.m. Women of Hope will meet Tuesday, December 18 at 7:00 p.m. Rita Gray is Bible Study leader and Julie Brault is hostess. We are just starting the book Traveling Light and new members are welcome! Sewing Circle will not meet this month. Lutheran World Relief UPdate St. Paul members are a giving congregation and we thank them for all the Lutheran World Relief items that were sent on October 26 from our church. St. Paul members sent 60 quilts, 100 personal care kits, 128 school kits, 7 baby care kits, 10 fabric kits, and 35 pounds of soap. People worldwide will benefit from your generosity. Thank you to our quilters, who meet the first and third Thursday morning each month: Mary Ann Schuler, Ruth Schroeder, Barb Uehle, Kris Ritzma, Phyllis Mason and Donna Schuler. Thank you to St. Paul Women of the ELCA for providing $50 for shipping and for buying the donuts that were served to the helpers when the truck was loaded. Thank you to Lynne Culkin, who created a Thrivent Action Team event which helped to buy what we needed. Also, thank you to Amy Voigt for doing some of the shopping. And thank you to everyone who gave money so we could finish all the kits. Thank you to the confirmation class and parents who helped load the truck: Sam McMillan and Lisa; Marin Miller and Doug; Emma McGill and Bob; Calli Kraft, Kyle and Landon; Dylan Hylbert and Vitor Haase. A special thank you to Donna Schuler, who heads up our Lutheran World Relief effort at St. Paul. 5

6 Church Council Meeting Highlights It was noted that Glaucia Haase is also helping with opening for the Sunday School students. Area clergy from Bradley, Bourbonnais, Crescent, Clifton and Gilman are working together for future plans for confirmation and for men's and women's ministry. The One Year To Live retreat at Camp Shaw-wa-na-see was held with seven area men attending along with staff from several states. Next year's OYTL retreat has been booked at Camp Shaw for October 11-13, We need to be looking for someone for sidewalk snow removal. A few more handicapped parking spaces will be added to the north side of the church. Mark Classen was received as a new member. A discussion was held regarding the possibility of forming funeral guidelines due to potential trends of families not engaging the service of funeral directors. Treasurers' Reports October 31, 2018 General Fund Beginning Balance -11, Receipts 17, Disbursements -14, Interest 4.29 Ending Balance -9, Repairs & Maintenance Beginning Balance 30, Receipts Disbursements -0- Ending Balance 31, Commitment to Missions Beginning Balance -0- Receipts Disbursements -0- Ending Balance Worship and Evangelism chose God With Us as the theme for advent services. Christmas Eve services will be at 6:00pm and 10:00pm, with a 9:00am service on Christmas day. The Quiet Christmas service will be December 5, and there will be no Wednesday evening service on December 26. There will be a service of Lessons and Carols on the Sunday after Christmas. The Sunday School program will be December 16 and the theme is "Starry Starry Night". A brunch will follow the program. Mark Houck will speak with the nominating committee of Deb Preisser, Deb Bayston, Ron Ritzma and Bob Kraft about positions to be filled at the annual meeting in January. Church Council Church Council Officers President: Mark Houck Vice President: Dan Mushrush Secretary: Nina Hubert Church Council Members Cindy Guttendorf Eva McGill Dale Warmbir Treasurer: Larry Pfotenhauer Financial Secretary: Jill Ritzma Church Staff Church Office /Voic Church Prayer Requests stpaul4133@sbcglobal.net stpaul_pastor@sbcglobal.net Pastor Pete Hinrich Home Cell stpaul_pastor@sbcglobal.net Administrative Assistant Julie Brault Office Hours Tuesdays & Thursdays 8:00 to 3:00 stpaul4133@sbcglobal.net Our Church Website: 6

7 New Member Received We would like to extend a warm welcome to Mark Classen, who was recently received as a new member. Special Birthday One of our members, Edna Carriger, will be 92 on December 23. If you would like to send her a card, her address is: Edna Carriger Merkle-Knipprath Nursing Home 1190 E 2900 North Road Clifton IL In Our Prayers We extend our Christian sympathy to the family of Michael Billingsley, who is the son of Helen Billingsley. Michael died November 4. We also pray for the family of Lila Parsons, who died November 15. She is the mother of Paula (Dale) Warmbir. Services were held Tuesday, November 20 at Rosenbaum Funeral Home in Gibson City with Pastor Hinrich officiating. If you have any news to share with our congregation or if you notice any errors or omissions, please contact Julie in the church office at Thank you! Thank you for the cards, visits, and well wishes as I celebrated my 90 th birthday. I appreciate my church family very much. Ivadelle Meints I would like to say thank you so much for your cards and notes for pastor appreciation. Thank you also for the coffee hour for my SAM installation. I have been truly blessed to be part of this congregation. Lynne Culkin 7

8 Daily Bible Readings for December Saturday December 1 Luke 21:20-24 Sunday Dec 2 First Sunday of Advent Jeremiah 33:14-16 Psalm 25: Thessalonians 3:9-13 Luke 21:25-36 Monday Dec 3 Numbers 17:1-11 Tuesday Dec 4 2 Samuel 7:18-29 Wednesday Dec 5 Psalm 90 Thursday Dec 6 Philippians 1:12-18a Friday Dec 7 Philippians 1:18b-26 Saturday Dec 8 Luke 9:1-6 Sunday December 9 Second Sunday of Advent Malachi 3:1-4 Luke 1:68-79 Philippians 1:3-11 Luke 3:1-6 Monday Dec 10 Isaiah 40:1-11 Tuesday Dec 11 Isaiah 19:18-25 Wednesday Dec 12 Psalm 126 Thursday Dec 13 2 Corinthians 8:1-15 Friday Dec 14 2 Corinthians 9:1-15 Saturday Dec 15 Luke 1:57-66 Sunday December 16 Third Sunday of Advent Zephaniah 3:14-20 Isaiah 12:2-6 Philippians 4:4-7 Luke 3:7-18 Monday Dec 17 Isaiah 11:1-9 Tuesday Dec 18 Isaiah 11:1-9 Wednesday Dec 19 Micah 4:8-13 Thursday Dec 20 Hebrews 10:10-18 Friday Dec 21 Hebrews 10:32-39 Saturday Dec 22 Luke 13:31-35 Sunday Dec 23 Fourth Sunday of Advent Micah 5:2-5a Luke 1:46b-55 or Psalm 80:1-7 Hebrews 10:5-10 Luke 1:39-45 [46-55] Monday Dec 24 Nativity of Our Lord Isaiah 9:2-7 Psalm 96 Titus 2:11-14 Luke 2:1-20 Tuesday Dec 25 Nativity of Our Lord Isaiah 52:7-10 Psalm 98 Hebrews 1:1-12 John 1:1-14 Wednesday Dec 26 2 Chronicles 24:17-24 Thursday Dec 27 Proverbs 8:32-36 Friday Dec 28 Psalm 148 Saturday Dec 29 Psalm 147:12-20 Sunday Dec 30 Psalm 147: Chronicles 1:7-13 Mark 13:32-37 Monday Dec 31 John 8:

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10 Worship Assistants Acolytes 12/2 Sam McMillan, Reka Ritzma 12/9 Emma McGill, Marin Miller 12/16 Dylan Hylbert, Owen Pree 12/23 Chase Ritzma, Reka Ritzma 12/24 6 pm Nathan & Zac Alvarez 12/24 10 pm Calli & Abby Kraft 12/25 volunteers needed 12/30 volunteers needed Sunday Lector Bernie Hinrich Ushers Zach Borchers Frank Gagnon Ron Ritzma Rolland Zachgo Communion Assistants 12/2 Deb Monk, Barb Uehle, Kristin Borchers, Tim Nuss 12/9 Lynne Culkin, Debra Bayston, Jackie Fink, Ruth Schroeder 12/16 Lynne Culkin, Cathy Thorne, Dane Thorne, Maggie Thorne 12/23 Dan Mushrush, Nina Hubert, Bob Kraft, Bernie Hinrich 12/24 6 pm Lynne Culkin, Patti Houck, Deb Monk, Carson McGill, Jackie Houck, Jill Ritzma, Carol Hanlon, Cindy Guttendorf 12/24 10 pm Cindy Guttendorf 12/25 Cindy Guttendorf, volunteer needed 12/30 Cindy Guttendorf, Kris Ritzma, Ron Ritzma, Ryan Ritzma Treasurer s Helpers Ron & Kris Ritzma Altar Guild 11/26-12/2 Joyce Bork, Debra Bayston, Jan Schuette, Charlene Schleef 12/3-9 Deb Preisser, Nina Hubert, Deb Monk, Phyllis Mason 12/10-16 Ruth Schroeder, Peg Classen, Jill Ritzma, Brenda Bargmann 12/17-23 Patti, Beth, Jackie Houck, Carol Hanlon, Lisa Miller 12/24-30 Mary Ann Schuler, Julie Borchers, Kris Ritzma, Tamie Miller 12/31-1/6 Joyce Bork, Debra Bayston, Jan Schuette, Charlene Schleef Wednesday Worship Assistants 12/5 Debra Bayston 12/12 Frank Gagnon 12/19 Lisa Miller 12/26 no service 10