Empowered by the Gospel of Jesus Christ, it is the Mission of St. Paul's to: Enrich Faith, Nourish Lives, and Demonstrate love in God's Name

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1 Empowered by the Gospel of Jesus Christ, it is the Mission of St. Paul's to: Enrich Faith, Nourish Lives, and Demonstrate love in God's Name September 2013 at St. Paul's Wed. Sept. 4-10:00-Comforters and Prayer Shawl Ministry Thurs. Sept. 5-6:00 Communications Comm. Sat. Sept. 7 & 21-9:00-Men's Club Breakfast & Bible Study-all men are welcome! Tues. Sept. 10-7:00-Council Sat. Sept. 14-Men's 7:00-Eggertsville Com. Org. Club set-up for BBQ Sunday, Sept. 15-6:00-Lutheran Campus Ministry stakeholders dinner in the Parish Hall. Wed. Sept O:OO-Outreach & Evangelism Thurs. Sept. 19-7:30-Choir rehearsal begins! No auoltions=just a desire to sing praise to God! Come and join us! Remember-if you're scheduling a meeting or an event, check the planning calendar on the board by the offices to make sure space is available! Or call or the Church Office: ( or office@stpaulseggertsville.org) Worship at St. Paul's I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the Lord" Psalm 122:1 Sept. I-15th Sunday after Pentecost 1O:OO-Holy Communion Deacon Mary Wolf Sept. 8-16th Sunday after Pentecost Pastor Steve's first Sunday 9:00 & 10:00-Holy Communion 10:00-Sunday School begins ELCA Day of Service-packing mealssee full details inside Sept. IS-17th Sunday after Pentecost 9 & lo:oo-holy Communion 9:00-Confirmation Class lo:oo-sunday School Men's Club Chiavetta's BBQ Sept th Sunday after Pentecost 9 & 10:00-Holy Communion 9:00-Confirmation Class 10:00-Sunday School Sept th Sunday after Pentecost 9 & 1O:OO-Holy Communion Pastor Chick Biegner 9:00-Confirmation Class 10:OO-Sunday School St. Paul's Nursery is staffed for the convenience of members and visitors by Christina Weber, a Peer Minister from the Olin House next door. She will begin September 8th for both services. St. Paul's is a congregation of the Niagara Frontier Conference of the Upstate New York Synod Of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)

2 PAGE 2 SEPTEMBER, 2013 iiiiihii._.iii~~ Friends and Members of St. Paul's, First, thank you. Thank you for your trust and confidence by voting "yes" ~~ back in June. It will be an honor and privilege to serve as a pastor on the. staff at St. Paul's in the next phase of this faith community's ministry. Second, in the weeks and months to come, together we will be defining what the role of pastor will look like, how it will function as part of the whole staff, how other staff positions will grow up around it and how existing staff positions will shape-shift as the mission and vision of St. Paul's is refined and redeveloped. I am a mission developer. As we build our relationship together, my hope and prayer is that each of you, by being an active disciple at St. Paul's, will develop your piece of the mission and clarify the vision that God has for you in this world and through the church. Third, I am available to you and in the weeks to come, we will figure out together exactly what that looks like. This is a new model for ministry that I truly believe will help us reach more people and buildlimpact the kingdom around us more effectively and efficiently. So while the shape will be different, I can promise you this: you will not be alone in your crises; you will be constantly prayed for; you will be visited when you are in need; every Sunday will be an opportunity to experience God in a new way and there will be someone there to lead the worship experience (myself, another pastor, a guest preacher, a Campus Minister, a Council member) and Holy Communion will always be offered. Fourth, my cell number is It is my mobile office and third arm. I don't often sit still for too long. Please use that number to contact me. I will be in my office at Spot coffee more than the office at St. Paul's Don't bother with my home land line. It's basically a 911 tool for my kids and I rarely check it. If I don't answer my cell, please leave a voicernail. If you just want me to call you back, don't leave a voic , I'll just see the missed call. I will return your calls as soon as I am available!! Fifth, let me add that we have exciting things planned for your spiritual growth and development through st. Paul's. Each Sunday worship in the fall starting on the 8th of September, we will focus on a piece of the mission and vision of St. Paul's and how God is calling us to live into it as individuals and a faith community. It will be awesome because Sunday School will be following along in it's first 8-week session. Yes, that's right Sunday School will now be in 8-week sessions to allow us greater flexibility, rest for our teachers, new teachers getting involved, new families only committing to shorter sessions and further creative ability. That seems like enough for one article really. So, here we go. I'm excited. And nervous. And trusting. And hopeful. And filled with ideas. And ready to get to know you and hear about God in your life! So I will focus on Jeremiah 29: 11 "For surely I know the plans I have for you says the Lord; plans to prosper you and not harm you; plans to give you a future and a hope." Still in One Peace, Steve

3 THE CALLER PAGE 3 September 2013 In our Congregational Family-President's Message Yes, fall is going to be here soon! It always makes me want to get back into the "normal" schedule of life. It is like heading back to school, you always look forward to seeing faces you haven't seen in a long time. I hope that's what is going to happen at St. Paul's. I know many of you have been waiting to come back until we have a new minister. Well your wishes have come true! Pastor Steve Biegner has been getting ready for all of us this summer and his first Sunday is Sept. 8. He has many exciting plans lined up for us, so come worship and get involved. Here are some other dates that you'll want to mark your calendars for: Sept. 8 - God's Work - Our Hands Sunday. We need volunteers to help pack dinners for the WNY Food Bank. Sept. 15 th - Men's Club Chiavetta's BBQ Sept. 29 th - Miles for Haiti Walk Oct. 6 th - Installation Sunday for Pastor Steve Oct. 27 th - Congregation Meeting (topic - reducing the number of Council members) So please put St. Paul's back on your schedule, we can't wait to start a new season with you! In God's Peace, lvil4n ;F[e,v"ib, Pv~ Pray fodhe Church! every ~ClyClt3:16 p.m. Gracious Father. we prcly For your holy catholic Church. Fill it with Clilhuth Cln~ pecice.where it is corrupt, purify it; where it is in error, direct it; where in Clnything it is amiss. reform it; where it is right, strenqthen it; where it is in need, provide for it; where it is divided, reunite it; For the sake of Jesus Christ, your Son, our Savior. Amen Thanks... From Mary Elizabeth Stewart-I wanted to thank church for the altar flowers. Please forward my thanks; I love daisies and am enjoying them. It's been a long couple of months and everyone's prayers and Pastor Alan's visits really meant a great deal. From Marge Bartholomew-Thank you for sending me the flowers from Sunday and thanks to Marilyn Emerson who gave them to my daughter, Lisa Priebe, to deliver to me. From Marilvnn & Ralph Quance Dear St. Paul's Folks, Ralph and I have smelled and admired the carnation arrangement delivered by Betty Arbogast. Many Thanks!

4 SEPTEMBER, ebaynews from Sara Gallagher September 2013 Since my last report, we sold some items in the second half of June and in July. No sales in August. Will begin selling again after labor day. Here is the list: Worship Schedule Sunday Mornings: 9:00 & 10:00-Holy beginning Sept. 8 Communion- Daily Prayer: 7:00 a.m. Tuesdays A collection of hundreds of post cards A copper kettle A group of 16 cookbooks Physician's Desk Reference 3 St. Paul's Cookbooks Vegetable steamer Starlight Through the Shadows antique book St. Paul's Memorial Fund Diabetic Travel Case Johnson Bros. Lemon Tree Vegetable Dish All the Salt & Pepper Shakers 8 balls of pink Fun Fur Do you want to honor the memory of a friend or relative? We are listing our St. Paul's cookbook for sale on a regular basis, trying to sell off the last of the supply from that 2002 fundraiser for our 175th anniversary. We've sold a few, and will continue until they are gone. We still have a full case of them. Our lot of salt and pepper shakers were sold. We didn't make a lot of money on them, but the buyer was super impressed and happy with the collection. Thanks to everyone who contributed. Contact me by atsarajg@aol.com To arrange for a Baptism To schedule a wedding date an~ pre-marital counseling sessions 'Anytime you or a family member is in the hospital (including having a baby!) I If there is a death in the family If you move or change your phone number (we have to pay the post office for returned rnaill) When you need to talk with a Pastor... When there's a situation you think we need to be aware of... I:2fSj The Memorial Fund of St. Paul's is a perfect way to do so! Envelopes and information cards are available in the narthex hallway and in the front narthex. Fill out the information on the card, place the card and your donation in the envelope and place it on the offering plate or mail it to the Church Office. find me at church, or call When Should You Call the Church Office? ~ Do you get our Updates? Every week (and sometimes more often!) -an update goes out from the Church Office to remind you of coming events, and to inform you of things in the life of the congregation that happen between Sundays. If you're not on the list receiving these and you would like to be, just contact the Church Office with your address ( or office@stpaulseggertsville.org) and let Mary know you want to be added. We need your permission to add your to the list. Visit our website: PLEASE If you are scheduling an event, contact the church office FIRST to check space availability! or office@stpaulseggertsville.org. Please contact Sara Gallagher if you have information that you want on the site: sarajg@aol.com if you're changing over from a land-line phone to a cell-phone only household, LET US KNOW how to reach you! Call the Church Office or office@stpaulseggertsville.org

5 St. Paul's Christian Education Update Septem ber 8th Greetings, "God's work. Our hands." Pastor Steve, Kristen, and I have put together an exciting plan for Sunday School this year. I'm glad to be able to share it with you now! We will be holding different sessions...,~ ""- for a month or two each time. Here's the plan for the first session, focused on St. Paul's Mission Statement: Sept 8: Empowered by the Gospel - Meal Packing for those in need. Sept 15: Making Connections - Get to know each other at Sunday School and introduce our mission statement, kids' style! This is also the Men's Group's Chiavetta's Dinner. To mark the 25th anniversary of the ELCA, congregations all over the nation will be joining in a day of service to their communities. St. Paul's will be participating by holding a meal assembly project to benefit the Food Bank ofwny. Following the 10:00 service on September 8 we are asking for volunteers to join our Sunday school kids and the peer ministers in assembling 10,000 meals. Ifwe have 40 volunteers, it should not take more than one hour. A sign-up sheet is in the narthex hallway. For more information see Ruth Lampe or call Sept 22: Enriching Faith Sept 29: Nourishing Lives October: Demonstrating God's Love: Each Sunday the children of S1. Paul's will work on a service project that will positively impact the community. All kids aged 3 through grade 5 are welcome to come to Sunday School. We all worship together at the loam service until the Children's Message (about 10: 15) and then we head out into classrooms to learn about our faith and demonstrate God's Love. Parents pick up children after worship (about 11 :00). We Need Your Help! If you'd like to help lead the children by being a teacher, or if you'd like to help with a Service Project during Sunday School, please let me know: adamlvc@yahoo.com. Also, a big THANK YOU to all the teachers, helpers, and kitchen crew who helped with VBS in July! We couldn't have done it without you, and you helped make VBS another fun, exciting, Joy-filled week. Looking forward to another year of sharing God's Love with you and the young people of St. Paul's. In Peace, :From the Parish. 'Register: Baptized. "6y water and" the Spirit" 'Rfiys Christopher :MosgeCfer TCiana J-foye :MacdOneC{ :Married "1vfiat <iod fias joined Dariene toqether" Connor & Scott 'Vafiue Church Office Hours - If you've ever come to st. Paul's during the day, only to be unable to gain access because no one answered the doorbell, the following are hours when you can be certain that someone is in the building. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday: '10 am noon; 1-4 pm; Wednesday: 1-4 pm. Of necessity, Mary's responsibilities sometimes cause her to leave the building to go to the bank, post office, etc. However, you can now be certain that she will be available during the above hours. Adam Arends Simply Giving: a simple and convenient way to give We invite you to consider signing up for electronic giving for the coming year. S1. Paul's relies on the financial support of our congregation and electronic giving offers an easy way to give on a regular basis. You can give on a weekly, biweekly, monthly, or semi-annual schedule, whatever works best for you. Forms are available in the Narthex Hallway. Please contact Mary Wolf for details.

6 BABY BLESSINGS BASICS Lutheran Charities if not US1 ~ 'JC.,Q..'I" r: (.~ who? if not now, when? ( 'ii!.," -e. Friends of Lutheran Charities, i Needs are: new or clean, gently-used clothing born to 3T, baby blankets, Bedding, sheets, etc., diapers, wipes, etc. Gift to Tops, Wegman's or Target to buy pers and supplies n~wcrib cards dia- No toys or baby equipment. There are many opportunities to plug into events supporting Lutheran Charities to benefit the various agencies and ministries LC helps to fund! Donations can be put in the shed off the parking lot at the back of the church at any time. Financial contributions are also appreciated so we can purchase needed items. Checks may be made payable to Crossroads and clearly marked for Baby Blessings Basics. St. Paul's Web Site Report/rom Sara Gallagher, Web Master For a long time now we have been saving the ebay earnings in order to upgrade our web site. Happy to report that in August we signed a contract with LocalEdge for them to design a custom web site for St. Paul's. The 16th Annual Lutheran Charities Golf Classic was a huge success. Thanks to all our churches and individuals that donated baskets for the raffle as well! (our "My Favorite Thing to Make for Dinner is Reservations" basket was very popular!) Coming Events: Pub for a Purpose! Monday Sept. 23 at the Buffalo Brew Pub (Main near Transit) Join the lunch crowd and 20% of the tab and all the tips go to LC! And the servers will be local Lutheran pastors! I Announcing the 2nd Annual: Muddy Viking: Run 4 Your Life - Sat. October 5th, 2013 at Lake Chautauqua Lutheran Center. Check out the updated registration at or join us in the discussion on FB at Muddy Viking: Run for your life. Last year we hoped for 300 and had to cut off registrations at 600! This year we're shooting for 900 participants to get "down and dirty" at LCLC! This was worked on for many months. We got proposals from two companies for web site design and development. We went back to the same two companies for a quote for a custom web site, and then we made a decision. It was a good thing we had this project in the works because the site that had been hosting our web site since it was first set up is closing on October 31 st. It was free, but not very powerful. We will be much better off with our new site with advanced features and links, for which we will pay a small monthly fee. Our new web page will be kept current through the efforts of a number of people instead of just one or two. It will have links to other social media page for St. Paul's like Facebook and Twitter. It will be easy to navigate and find what you are looking for. It will be designed with new artwork and will be specific to st. Paul's. The Evangelism and Outreach Committee has worked on this along with some in our congregation who have expertise. It's not too late if you are interested in participating in anything having to do with our web site. Speak to any of the following people- Ruth Lampe, Sara Gallagher, Vern Stein, Scott Walter, Scott Fierle or Pastor Steve- and you can be put in the loop. If you haven't already, check out our web site at and watch for it to change. Let us know what you think.

7 Miles. aplease join us!!.(','~miles for Haiti is a two hour run/walk around a loop on the... ~"~L' 1 bike path to support mission work at Grace School in Ile A Vache, Haiti. Zion Lutheran Church of Clarence Center ~t\~ has supported several groups to travel to this remote island off (I the southern coast of the Haiti mainland to work with the chil- or.~ ~.fclarence Ll'!I~bP ldren of Grace School and provide medical clinics to the families of the village. Now you can help support them too! Currently a new kindergarten wing is being built to accommodate more children and money raised by this event will help complete this building. Get your church involved! Sign up a team and enjoy some friendly competition among local churches to raise money for GRACE school and enjoy getting some exercise at the same time! Go to for haiti for registration and information THANKS! A huge THANK YOU to the following folks who helped and/or contributed to Vacation Bible School. Without them the food would not have happened. The record-breaking temperatu,res and high humidity made for a very challenging week in the kitchen! However, everyone rose to the occasion! Betty Arbogast Robert Menth Steve & Krisi DiPasquale Bertha Efstation Marilyn Emerson Sara Gallagher Dave Metz Dolores Shearer Christine Storfer Dave Wolf Thanks again to everyone, and God bless! Dorothy Menth, Coordinator

8 THE CALLER SEPTEMBER, 2013 Reaching Beyond St. Paul's The food for September is: Peanut Butter and Jelly Please pick up some when you do your grocery shopping. Thanks for your help! And gently used bedding needed for the "Threads zs" and household of Hope" linens are Linens Pantry. Shoes and Stuff for Nicaragua Thank you for your wondertul response to the drive for Nicaragua! 124 pairs shoes and 45 cubic feet of "stuff' which included clothing, pots & pans, medical supplies, health & beauty aids, toys, and much more! The scout collecting the shoes scored almost 2000 pairs for his Eagle Project! Stuff for the Peer Ministers I Four Peer Ministers will be living in the 9lin House again this year. Some are new, some are returning for another year. And as we did last year, we're collecting some basics to help them keep the House up and running and open for all college students in WNY to stop by, find some wifi, coffee, and Christian community. There is a box in the back narthex for your donationr' Thanks in advance! Paper Towels, Paper Plates, Cups, Napkins, Toilet Paper, Tissues Non-perishable Food (ramen noodles, spaghetti sauce, mac & cheese, pasta) Coffee supplies (K-cups) I Hand & Dish Soap Garbage Bags Tupperware (sealable containers) Candles WalMart gift cards Like to cook? You could help Lutheran Campus Ministry with your gift. Do you have a dish you like to prepare for about 20 people? The students gather for dinner, fellowship, inspiration and worship on Wednesday evenings at 6pm. Groups or individuals willing to help can contact the office at office@lcmwny.org or Hopefully you have heard about the ELCA Day of Service September 8th, recognizing the anniversary of the ELCA. One day of service, can you manage that? Something as simple as passing out water bottles to joggers. Or visiting a nursing home. Or taking a meal to someone homebound. Whatever you do is as boundless as your imagination. One request-after your service, please share your experience with me, or with Pro Debi Turley at Lord of Life, who is coordinating the Niagara Frontier in this endeavor, so we can include it in this fall's conference assembly program. By the way, the event isn't limited th to Sept 8, or even to one time. Be creative! God Bless you in your Service! Holy Trinity is trying to put together service work in the city, possibly at one of the hospitals, and Steve Biegner has 9,000 meal packages to be put together and will host participants at St. Paul's Eggertsville on the 8th. (see details on this elsewhere in this CALLER!) October 5: Mark Your Calendars This year our housing partnership with Group Workcamps is providing a one day opportunity FOR YOU to make a difference on the East Side of Buffalo. Your youth group, your men's (or women's) group, your congregation can adopt and paint a house or you can help on start of building Resurrection Park in Resurrection Village. Registration and more information at: hup://groupmissiontrips.com/the-bigday-ofserving/locations/buffalo,-nyl God's Work. OUf Hands. Marcia Brown, Mission Interpreter Dash's Receipts = Cash! Please remember to save your Dash's tapes over the summer and place them in the collection box in the back narthex. They continue to be a source of extra income for the Niagara Lutheran Health System Guild as they continue to enrich the lives of the residents at all the NLHS facilities. register

9 St. Paul's Lutheran Church Non-Profit Org. US Postage PAID 4007 Main Street Permit #3595 Eggertsville NY Buffalo New York ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED Coming in October Flu Shot Clinic sponsored by the VNA on Sunday, Oct. 13 from 9:00-Noon Special Congregational Meeting There will be a very short, but very impo1ant, congregational meeting on Sunday, October 27, after the 10 am service. Only one topic will be on the agenda: Downsizing our congregational council from 15 members to 9, gradually, over a period of 3 years. The rationale for this change will be discussed and a vote will be taken. Please make every effort to attend. Thank you. Reformation Celebration for Lutheran Campus Ministry Oct. dinner at 5:00 and service at 6:00 at Immanuel Lutheran in Tonawanda st. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church Vision Statement st. Paul's exists to witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are a caring congregation where people can experience the renewal of faith. We are committed to: being an enduring presence in this community and in the world; an educational Assemblers: process that is Biblically grounded; and to equip people for confident witness and an ability to apply faith to daily life. Pastor: The Rev. Stephen Biegner ( cell) Editor: Mary E. Wolf Dorothy Menth, Marilyn Emerson, Mary Karrer, Betty Arbogast, Dolores Shearer, Marion Schwertz, Marilynn Speich, Norma Stevenson, Joyce Chace Telephone: (716) Fax: (716) office@stpaulseggertsville.org Web: