The Weekly Epistle TODAY S ACTIVITIES, SEPTEMBER 6:

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1 PLEASE KEEP IN YOUR PRAYERS: Rev. Floyd Bost, Carole Chilson, Mary Lee Earnhardt, Terry Eller, Louise Harkey, Peyton Holland, Jeff Leonard, Oleba Sebastian, and Barbara Upright The Weekly Epistle TODAY S ACTIVITIES, SEPTEMBER 6: The CHANCEL FLOWERS are given to the glory of God in loving memory of Jeri Basinger by her family. RALLY DAY! MEN S CHOIR AT 4:00 P.M. CHILDREN S CHOIR AT 5:00 P.M. HIGH SCHOOL FROM 5:00 P.M.-6:30 P.M. #SWAG/YOUTH CHOIR AT 6:00 P.M. NOMINATIONS COMMITTEE AT 6:00 P.M. Advance Tickets are available for Annual Fish Fry in September following Worship (see page 8). THIS WEEK S ACTIVITIES: CHURCH OFFICE WILL BE CLOSED MONDAY IN OBSERVANCE OF LABOR DAY. Meals on Wheels deliveries this week. Jill Earnhardt, RN, Parish Nurse is in the office Tuesday and Thursday this week. Staff meeting (Counting Room)...Tuesday at 9:00 a.m. CALLED CHURCH COUNCIL MEETING ON TUESDAY AT 6:30 P.M. IN THE CONFERENCE ROOM. BULLETIN ANNOUNCEMENT DEADLINE Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. Women s Choir (Music Room)..Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. WEDNESDAY EVENING WORSHIP SERVICE begins this Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. Senior Choir (Music Room)...Wednesday at 7:15 p.m. Confirmation/Parents (Sanctuary).....Wednesday at 7:15 p.m. Women of Faith (Counting Room) Thursday at 11:00 a.m. Lutheran Men s Annual Fish Fry (Picnic Shelter)... Thursday at 6:30 p.m. Grade School Youth will be cleaning up for Homecoming on Saturday from 10:00 a.m. 1:00 p.m. in the Picnic Shelter. The 20/40 s Group will have a breather from their children as the group meets at 5:30 p.m. at Go Burrito s (115 W. Fisher Street, Salisbury) on Saturday. Please RSVP Katie Curlee curleeksplc@gmail.com by Tuesday, September 8, if you will be attending so that the restaurant can prepare for the group.

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3 RECOGNITION OF SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHERS AND OFFICERS Dear Christian friends: Baptized into the priesthood of Christ, we all are called to offer ourselves to the Lord of the Church in thanksgiving for what he has done and continues to do for us. It is our privilege to recognize and support those who are engaged in the work of St. Paul's Lutheran Church, especially those in the ministry of Sunday School as Teachers and Officers. Representative: The following brothers and sisters in the faith have been asked to serve in a special capacity for the good of the entire faith community as Sunday School Teachers and Officers. I ask them to please stand as their names are read. Leaders stand as their names are read. Having offered yourselves in the Sunday School ministry of St. Paul's Lutheran Church, will you follow our Lord's example of humble service? Response: Yes, with God's help. Let us pray. Almighty God, source of wisdom and knowledge: Help us to study your Word diligently and to grow in your love and in all that is good. Support all who teach and all who learn, that together we may know and do your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 3

4 NEXT SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, ACTIVITIES: HOMECOMING SUNDAY - GUEST SPEAKER, REV. FLOYD BOST CHURCH COUNCIL AT 8:00 A.M. CHILDREN S CHOIR AT 5:00 P.M. KATHY KETCHIE GROUP AT 5:00 P.M. MIDDLE SCHOOL YOUTH AT 5:00 P.M. #SWAG/YOUTH CHOIR AT 6:00 P.M. CHRISTIAN EDUCATION COMMITTEE AT 6:30 P.M. HANDBELL CHOIR AT 7:00 P.M. Next Sunday is the deadline to turn in your TIME & TALENT FORMS. Extra forms are located in the Narthex. STEWARDSHIP STATISTICS Sunday School Attendance (8/30) 109 Sunday Worship Attendance (8/30) General Fund Offering Received (8/30)...$6,619 Other Offering Received (8/30)..$1,525 NOMINATING COMMITTEE Nominating Committee, consisting of: Josh Canup, Terry Eller, Brenda Julian, Donna Lyerly, Stan McConnell, and Alison Moore will meet today at 6:00 p.m. in the Conference Room with Pastor DJ Lura. At the meeting the committee will be preparing a list of nominees for the congregation council to be voted on at the upcoming annual meeting. THE CHURCH OFFICE WILL BE CLOSED MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, FOR LABOR DAY. Church Council will meet Tuesday, September 8, at 6:30 p.m. for a called meeting and on Sunday, September 13, at 8:00 a.m. in the Conference Room TIME & TALENT FORMS were available from the Narthex to pick up on Sunday, August 23. Those that were not picked have been mailed out. Please prayerfully look at where God is calling you to get involved in the ministry opportunities at St. Paul s. We really appreciate your filling this out ASAP as it helps prepare for Deadline to turn in your Time & Talent Form is September 13 (Homecoming). 4

5 PLAN NOW FOR HOMECOMING 2015! Homecoming 2015 at St. Paul's will be next Sunday, September 13, at 10:30 a.m. Rev. Floyd Bost, former pastor of St. Paul s, will be proclaiming God's Word to us. We are also happy to have Mack Williams, son of St. Paul's, sharing his musical talent with us again this Homecoming. St. Paul s Lutheran Church will be celebrating its 185th anniversary. Homecoming dinner will follow in the picnic shelter. Invite family, friends and former members now to be with us for this special occasion on Sunday, September 13. This is a wonderful time to renew old relations, update what is going on in the lives of others that have been special to us, and to make new relationships. Plan now to be a part of our Homecoming! A LL S T A N D I N G C O M M I T T E E CHAIRPERSONS (Christian Education, Evangelism, Family Life, Finance, Property, Social Ministry, Stewardship, and Worship & Music) WILL MEET ON Sunday, September 20, at 6:00 p.m. IN THE CONFERENCE ROOM. IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO ATTEND PLEASE HAVE A MEMBER OF YOUR COMMITTEE COME IN YOUR PLACE. Social Ministry Committee will meet Sunday, September 20, at 4:00 p.m. in the Conference Room. The Family Life Committee will meet Tuesday, September 29, at 6:30 p.m. in the Counting Room. WEDNESDAY EVENING SERVICES beginning Wednesday, September 9 6:30 p.m. in the Sanctuary Each Wednesday, starting on September 9, St. Paul s will offer a mid-week chance to refresh your spirit. The Worship Service will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Sanctuary, lasting between 30 and 45 minutes. We welcome everyone to come and worship with us! CONFIRMATION CLASSES for rising 7th-8th graders will begin Wednesday, September 9, at 7:15 p.m. with a parents and confirmands meeting in the Sanctuary with Pastor DJ Lura and Katie Curlee, Director of Youth Ministries. Each Wednesday the confirmands will meet at 7:15 p.m. in the Sanctuary and Sanctuary with few exceptions. All Standing Committees (Christian Education, Evangelism, Family Life, Finance, Property, Social Ministry, Stewardship, and Worship & Music) of the congregation will meet on Sunday, September 27, at 6:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall to look at our ministry needs and goals for the coming year and to come up with a new mission budget for the year The Finance Committee will meet at 5:30 p.m., half hour before this meeting. The Church Council will meet following the 6:00 p.m. meeting to finish preparing the 2016 Budget. 5

6 GIRL SCOUT NEWS The St. Paul s Girl Scouts will resume meeting each Tuesday evening at 6:45 p.m. (with few exceptions) beginning Tuesday, September 15. On the 15th the Girl Scouts will open with a ceremony in the Fellowship Hall. ROWAN HELPING MINISTRIES St. Paul's donated to the ROWAN HELPING MINISTRIES 20 pounds of Paper Goods for the month of July. Thank you all for your continued support and ministry! RHM item for September is Diapers though any item donated is accepted. The shelves are bare and they could use our assistance in filling them. WOMEN OF FAITH Women of Faith is a Bible Study group that meets the second Thursday of the month at 11:00 a.m. We use Popular Women of Faith Bible Study Series that feature popular authors such as Patsy Claremont and Margaret Meberg. Our next meeting will be Thursday, September 10, at 11:00 a.m. in the Counting Room. I invite you to join with us. We have a wonderful time of fellowship and learning what God s Word says about our lives. After the Bible Study we will eat lunch at Wendy s on Jake Alexander. Jill Earnhardt, RN, Parish Nurse Rowan Helping Ministries (RHM) Thank you to the many contributions of plastic bags for RHM. At this time RHM has requested that we refrain from bringing plastic bags due to their major contributions of bags. Watch your weekly Epistle for future needs! FRIENDSHIP CLUB NEWS DOUBLE FUN!!!!! The Friendship Club has planned two fun filled day trips for the fall season. For the first trip come and join us on TUESDAY, September 15, to All-A-Flutter Butterfly Farm in Highpoint, NC. Admission to the farm is $6.00 per person. We will stop at a restaurant on our way home. Lunch is on your own. Time to leave the church will be determined soon. On Thursday, October 15, join us for a motor coach trip to The Orchard at Altapass, NC. This is an historic working apple orchard in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The cost of the trip includes motor coach, driver's gratuity, catered lunch, hayride with story telling history of the orchard and surrounding area, live mountain music with clogging and other dancing if you so desire. You may pick your own apples or purchase them, along with jams, jellies, cider and other goodies from the orchard store. The cost of this trip is $40.00 per person. The view of the valley below is beautiful from the orchard deck. The leaf coloration should be good at this time. Hope to see you for these trips!!! 6

7 LUTHERAN WOMEN S NEWS Summer is over, and school is back in session. Some are crying, others are laughing; but no matter a new school year has started. The St. Paul s Lutheran Women wanted students to have what they needed, and for teachers not to have to spend money out of their own pockets. So, our school supplies drive has been going on and will continue until the end of August. On Thursday, August 20th, Alice Davis and I took what we already had collected to Elizabeth Koontz Elementary. Tally of supplies so far: 824 pencils, 45 boxes of crayons, 61 glue sticks, 18 boxes of pencil top erasers, 32 big pink erasers, 55 packs of notebook paper, 98 composition books, 8 packs crayon markers, 10 packs colored pencils, 22 bottles of glue, 9 pairs of scissors, 4 dry erase markers, 7 rulers, 4 boxes of Kleenex, 16 folders, 4 packs of construction paper, 5 pencil pockets, 3 packs Bic pens (30), 1 notebook, 11college rule composition books, 1 book bag, 1 timer, 1 calculator, 2 stay put pens. We did really well with this project, and we will maybe get more before this drive closes out. Thank you all for your help with this project. Children will have needed materials that they otherwise would not have. We do not have a project for September, we will try to get one of our July projects switched to September for next year. But September is busy anyway with Thursday, Sept. 10 th, being the Lutheran Men's Fish Fry, Homecoming on Sept. 13th. October is very busy at St. Paul's starting with the Old Timey Stew in Oct. 3, and then Women's Sunday on October 4th. We will be busy cooking for these events and conducting church service on Women's Sunday. Genevieve Baker will deliver the sermon on this Sunday, and the Women will take over all other duties for October 4th. Thank you to all the members of St. Paul's for the help and support that you so freely give to help us with throughout the year. God be with us all, Jane Webb St. Paul s Lutheran Women President The Hama Lingle Group will meet the 2nd Monday in September (14th) at 7:00 p.m. with Bonnie Bernhardt and Sandy Canup as hostesses and Betty Monroe as leader. The Bonnie Bost Group will meet Saturday, September 19, at 6:00 p.m. at Tim and Karen Deal s for a covered dish dinner. Paper products will be provided. ALL WOMEN INTERESTED IN SINGING THE ANTHEM FOR WOMEN'S SUNDAY ON OCTOBER 4 ARE INVITED TO JOIN THE WOMEN'S CHOIR WHO WILL BEGIN REHEARSAL ON WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, AT 6:00 P.M. IN THE MUSIC ROOM. The Kathy Ketchie Group will meet on Sunday, September 13, at 5:00 p.m. with Nicole Amos as hostess/leader at St. Paul s. 7

8 ST. PAUL S LUTHERAN MEN S ANNUAL FISH FRY Thursday, September 10th, at 6:30 p.m. in the Picnic Shelter Advance Tickets Required St. Paul s Lutheran Men s Fish Fry is another of our congregation s favorite events. Once again Ben Bernhardt, Phil Redding, Glen Amos and their team will prepare the best fish, hush puppies and fries to be found anywhere! This year the annual Fish Fry will serve as a fundraiser for Jeff Leonard who is awaiting a life changing kidney transplant. As such, a minimum donation of $8 for adults, $4 for those under 12 is requested. Additional donations will be accepted at the Fish Fry. Thrivent Financial is providing $500 in supplemental funds to the first $1,000 raised. Due to the large crowd expected, more fish will be prepared this year, however to know how many to prepare and to insure we don t run short, only a limited number of tickets will be sold at the event. Thank you for your understanding! Tickets will be available from St. Paul s Lutheran Men beginning Sunday, August 23 rd, continuing through Sunday, September 6 th. To make sure you aren t disappointed, buy your tickets by September 6 th. DaVita Dialysis will present a program about treatments and support services for patients living with chronic kidney failure. We look forward to another great Fish Fry great food, great fellowship, and best of all showing God s love as we continue to lift Jeff in prayer and support toward a successful kidney transplant. ADVANCE TICKETS FOR FISH FRY Please note that only a very limited number of advance tickets will be sold at the door at this year s Men s Fish Fry. This is to insure enough fish is prepared, and everyone is served. Please buy your tickets in advance to make sure you aren t disappointed. Thank you for your understanding. Tickets are available through Sunday, September 6 th, from Alan Beaver, Jimmy Earnhardt, Eric Barringer, Kenneth Whisnant, Travis Alligood, Dana Bost, Bill Behrendt and Tim Deal, and at a table on the lawn following worship August 30 and next Sunday. Tickets are also available through the church office. Lutheran Men assist with BINGO at the NC Veteran's Retirement Home The veterans at the NC Veteran's Retirement Home have showed much appreciation and enthusiasm for the BINGO hour St. Paul's Men have provided for them. This month, the Lutheran Men will be providing the Bingo on Tuesday, September 15, at 6:30 p.m. 8

9 UPCOMING YOUTH EVENTS FOR SEPTEMBER: September starts back our regular meetings for the Fall. All youth are invited to come join us in fun and fellowship through Christ as we live, serve, and learn more about a stronger prayer life, Bible studies, and each other. High School meetings for the month: Sept. 6 th and 20 th from 5:00-6:30 p.m. Middle School meet for the month: Sept. 13 th 5:00-6:00 p.m. Grade School meet for the month: Sept. 12 th from 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Grade School clean up for Homecoming in the Picnic Shelter. Sept. 20 th 3:00 p.m. we will be fishing at Tim and Karen Deal s pond. We will meet at their house. Pizza will be provided. There are no meetings on Sept. 27 th due to All Standing Committees Meeting that evening at 6:00 p.m. So many of our advisors are part of these committees including myself, I feel we would not be able to have an effective adult presences on this date. The youth will be participating in Trick or Treat So Others Can Eat through Rowan Helping Ministries (RHM). More information after Sept. 22 nd meeting provided by RHM in the Robertson- Stanback building. The Middle/High School will be meeting to discuss helping with Operation Christmas Child in Davidson County at one of their drop off sites. More info coming soon. Pastor DJ Lura, Alice Davis, and Louise Eller will be attending the 15TH ANNUAL GATHERING of Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ. The Annual Gathering will be held from October 4-7, in Dallas, Texas. A Theological Conference will be sponsored by LCMC through the Institute for Lutheran Theology before the Gathering which Pastor DJ will be attending. 9 GARDEN CLUB UPDATE Thank you! to the following who have already adopted flower beds to keep the church grounds looking beautiful: Craig, Marnita, and Jacob Parks (Statue in front of the Sanctuary) Jeanne & Tony Shaver (In front of the Fellowship Hall) Karen & Tim Deal (Old water fountain in front of the picnic shelter) Consider adopting an area as a part of St. Paul s informal Garden Club. Whether you just want to keep the weeds out or add plantings for color, you can make a difference that will be noticed by the congregation, visitors and all who drive by. If you would like to adopt an area, contact the church office or see Wilbur Canup or Tim Deal.

10 The Worst Best Christmas Pageant Ever! Back in December 1984, members of St. Paul's Lutheran Church presented Barbara Robinson's timeless classic The Best Christmas Pageant Ever! At long last, St. Paul's will be resurrecting this adaptation of this Christmas favorite, directed by Jared Gordon and Katie Curlee. A time honored tradition of the Christmas story will never be the same once the Herdmans - known as the worst kids in town - join the cast of the church's annual Christmas pageant! This treasured family tale will have you laughing with joy while capturing the essence of the holiday season and the true meaning of Christmas. An interest meeting will take place on Monday, September 14, at 7 pm in the Fellowship Hall. At this meeting, interested parties will be able to explore which characters they are most interested in playing, discuss the rehearsal schedule, and determine how members of St. Paul's can be involved to truly make this the BEST Christmas pageant ever! The casting call will take place on Thursday, September 17, at 7 pm in the Fellowship Hall. Members of St. Paul's are welcome to read segments of the script to best determine which role they will play. There is a part for EVERYONE - so come one, come all! ARREST THESE MERRY GENTLEMEN With great excitement, the Children's Choir would like to announce the presentation of Arrest These Merry Gentlemen on Sunday, December 6th, during our 10:30 am worship service. Sergeant Joe Sabbath is charged with keeping the peace in the sleepy little town of Bethlehem, and he likes things QUIET! When word reaches him that a band of rowdy shepherds is inbound from the fields outside of town, boisterously celebrating with wild tales of angels and such, he is determined to get to the bottom of this case! Of course, what he discovers is no simple "disturbing the peace" beef. It seems he's stumbled upon the caper that changed the world! An ultra-cool production that is fun and funny, but rock-solid with sound Biblical truth! Rehearsals for this musical will begin on Sunday, October 4th, at 4pm. Practice CDs will be available. Character roles will also be determined at this rehearsal. All children ages kindergarten through 5th grade are invited to participate! Through our budget, St. Paul's supports as an international mission outreach Resurrection Teaching Ministries, a local organization led by Dr. Paul Baker. RTM ministers to orphanages in Cambodia through an annual mission trip and educational assistance throughout the year to equip the children for a better life after they leave the orphanage. The annual mission trip was a success! The final updates are included in today s weekly Epistle to help us see how our support is being used to benefit the children and carry the message of Christ throughout the world. See pages for the latest updates from Dr. Baker. 10

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14 CAN YOU HELP US? In an effort to be available for the needs of the congregation, Pastor and I need your help. When there are stressors in your life especially health related concerns, we will make every effort to support you in your time of need. Please remember to let us know when a need arises. You can call the church office and leave a message with Genevieve and she will in turn call us. If your need is private in nature, you may call Pastor or me at the church office, on our phones, or . We realize that emergencies arise and not all of them happen during the daytime hours. Please know that you have a Pastoral Staff and we will do our best to accommodate your needs. Church office: (704) Pastor DJ Lura (704) or at splc.pastordj@gmail.com Jill Earnhardt (704) or at jearnhardtrn@gmail.com HOPE Thanks again for your help! Pastor DJ and Jill Have you ever experienced a time in your life when you did not know what you were going to do next? Have you suffered through the loss of a loved one and you felt like everyone around you kept going on with their lives when you are deep in your grief journey. Have you lost your job and you were unsure what you were going to do? Have you suffered through a divorce? Have you just felt like you have lost hope in your life? Are you suffering through a health concern? Are you a caregiver for aging parents and frankly you feel overwhelmed? If you have answered yes to any of these questions the newly formed Support Group, HOPE is for you. HOPE is a loving support group where you can come for an uplifting message and loving support. We all go through trials in our lives. Many of us have suffered alone and feel that we have been forgotten. Being a part of a Support group does not mean that something is wrong with you or that your faith is weak. It means that you are willing of accept all of the support that God has to offer to you through the love and support of others. HOPE will be offered the first Tuesday of each month. Our first meeting will be Tuesday, October 6 th, at 1:00 pm in the Counting Room. Please join me as we start this exciting new ministry. Please RSVP to me in one of three ways. You may call the church office at , at my home at or by at jearnhardtrn@gmail.com. This group is open to anyone. If you have someone that you know that would like to attend, please feel free to refer them to me or bring them with you. I am so excited about this ministry and hope that you are to. 14 Blessings, Jill Earnhardt, RN, Parish Nurse

15 CONTACT INFORMATION UPDATE PHONETREE SYSTEM TO BE INSTALLED SOON! In order to improve communication, St. Paul s will soon start using the PhoneTree system as an additional method to communicate reminders, schedule changes, event information, and other items of interest concerning the life of our congregation, and it s various groups. So that you receive the forms of communication you prefer, please fill out the following and drop in the offering plate, or return to the church office. You may choose to receive messages by any one, two, or all three methods: Name: I wish to receive voice messages by phone: Phone number: Do you want this number listed in the church directory? Yes No I wish to receive messages by text: Cell Phone number: Cell Phone provider: (AT&T, Verizon, etc.) Do you want this number listed in the church directory? Yes No I wish to receive messages by address: Do you want this address listed in the church directory? Yes No Check here if you prefer to NOT be included in the PhoneTree system If your mailing address has changed from what is currently in the church directory, Please provide it here: Thank you! 15

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