St. Paul Partners A PUBLICATION OF ST. PAUL LUTHERAN CHURCH

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September 2017 VOL31 #2 St. Paul Partners A PUBLICATION OF ST. PAUL LUTHERAN CHURCH S P O N S O R E D BY D O N N A P E R O Serving in September Dear St.

While the season and routines are changing, we remain in the church season we call Pentecost, the season where we hear in the gospel lessons in worship how it is Jesus calls us to live as His

Paul we talk about that service through our mission statement which is composed of what I call the Four W s.

indeed remain an appropriate way for us talk about putting mission, VISIT US ONLINE SEPTEMBER 2017 ministry service action.

as well as those in the church family who have recently retired. On Friday September 8th we are invited to Lenoir-Rhyne University for the installation of the college s 12th President, Dr.

1 September 2017 VOL31 #2 St. Paul Partners A PUBLICATION OF ST. PAUL LUTHERAN CHURCH S P O N S O R E D BY D O N N A P E R O Serving in September Dear St. Paul Family, As the month of September is upon us, the weather will soon be getting cooler, the days shorter, school is back in session and fall/winter routines are underway. While the season and routines are changing, we remain in the church season we call Pentecost, the season where we hear in the gospel lessons in worship how it is Jesus calls us to live as His disciples. A big way we hear about disciple living is in sharing the love of Christ with a hurting world through acts of service. Here at St. Paul we talk about that service through our mission statement which is composed of what I call the Four W s. Once a year I have the Church Council evaluate our mission statement to see if we think it is still relevant and so far, every year the Church Council affirms that our current mission statement does indeed remain an appropriate way for us talk about putting mission, VISIT US ONLINE SEPTEMBER 2017 ministry service action. and into This month, as we worship on September 3rd, this is Labor Day weekend and so there will be an opportunity to participate in a Blessing of Hands as we recognize those who labor and volunteer as well as those in the church family who have recently retired. On Friday September 8th we are invited to Lenoir-Rhyne University for the installation of the college s 12th President, Dr. Fred Whitt at 10:00AM at the auditorium. For those who can make it this is an excellent opportunity to welcome him to our community. Also our Jr./ Sr. High Youth and parents are invited to an interest meeting during Sunday School on September 10th regarding the National Youth INSIDE this issue Pastor s Article... 1 Caring for our Members... 2 Birthdays & Anniversaries... 2 Bishop Smith s Message... 3 WELCA & Youth Notes... 4 Council Highlights... 4 Sept. Worship Assistants... 5 September Calendar... 6 Living Lutheran... 7 Homecoming... 8 StPaulStartown.org VOLUME 31 NUMBER 2 PAGE 1

Gathering to be held in Houston, Texas next June. There will be opportunities at this triennial gathering to witness the love of Christ and share it with others.

in prison know they are not forgotten and that Christ s love is there for them too.

Lutherans from North and South Carolina.

These are just some of the opportunities that will be available to us to put service into practice here at St. Paul and in the surrounding community.

11 Blanche Lowman Sept. 13 Steven Blackburn Sept. 15 Alexis Helton Sept. 17 Becky McNeil Sept. 18 Pam Jarrett Sept. 19 Kathy Frye Sept. 24 Chantae Lail Sept. 27 Joey Potter J.D.

Paul member Elsie Sanders. Sept. 10 Reggie & Almeita Helton Our Christian sympathy and hope in the resurrection is extended to the family Thelma Lutz who passed away August 29th. Dear St.

2 Gathering to be held in Houston, Texas next June. There will be opportunities at this triennial gathering to witness the love of Christ and share it with others. Look for information in the worship bulletins about how we can work at baking some homemade cookies for the prison ministry up in Alexander County as we continue this important ministry to let those in prison know they are not forgotten and that Christ s love is there for them too. Everyone is also invited to worship on Saturday September 23rd at 2:00PM at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Charlotte for a special Reformation 500 anniversary recognition service with fellow Lutherans from North and South Carolina. Then on Sunday September 24th we will be able to welcome our seminary partner Daniel Locke and his wife Sarah as they will be our guests for our annual homecoming worship service. These are just some of the opportunities that will be available to us to put service into practice here at St. Paul and in the surrounding community. I look forward to being with you as we Witness, Welcome, Worship and Work in the name of our Lord. Yours in Christ, Pastor Ralph Sept. 1 Elsie Sanders Sept. 5 Evie Warlick Sept. 10 Luke Warren Sept. 11 Blanche Lowman Sept. 13 Steven Blackburn Sept. 15 Alexis Helton Sept. 17 Becky McNeil Sept. 18 Pam Jarrett Sept. 19 Kathy Frye Sept. 24 Chantae Lail Sept. 27 Joey Potter J.D. Scott Our Christian sympathy and hope in the resurrection is extended to the family of Doug Leathermann who passed away August 19th after an extended illness. Doug was the nephew of St. Paul member Elsie Sanders. Sept. 10 Reggie & Almeita Helton Our Christian sympathy and hope in the resurrection is extended to the family Thelma Lutz who passed away August 29th. Dear St. Paul s Startown, Thank you so much for being our site church for our Agape Day Camp! Thank you for all the effort you have taken to organize our program at your church, breakfasts and a place to stay for our counselors as well as food for the cookout and service projects. We would not be able to run our program or this ministry without kindhearted people like you! Thank You, Kristin Slaybaugh HONORING THOSE WHO LABOR rd Mark your calendars for Sunday September 3 as this will be the Sunday before Labor Day. To recognize this milestone for those who labor and/or volunteer we ask you to come to church that day in your work or volunteer uniform. We will also recognize those in the church family who are recently retired. PAGE 2 Missed Birthday August 10 Savanna Herman Missed Anniversary August 18 Gary & Kathy Simmons 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

A PASTORAL MESSAGE FROM BISHOP TIM SMITH When Wendy and I lived in Berlin on our seminary internship in 1984 and 1985, horror stories of the Nazi Regime of the 30s and 40s in Germany regularly

There was the Lutheran pastor and his wife just outside of Weimar who insisted that they as teenagers had no idea what was going on up on the hill at Camp Buchenwald and that the thick greasy smoke

3 A PASTORAL MESSAGE FROM BISHOP TIM SMITH When Wendy and I lived in Berlin on our seminary internship in 1984 and 1985, horror stories of the Nazi Regime of the 30s and 40s in Germany regularly shocked us. There was the spouse of a retired pastor whose reach across the dinner table to pass us the bread revealed her concentration camp serial number tattooed on her wrist. There was the Lutheran pastor and his wife just outside of Weimar who insisted that they as teenagers had no idea what was going on up on the hill at Camp Buchenwald and that the thick greasy smoke was from some sort of manufacturing, not tens of thousands of bodies of Jews, homosexuals, the mentally and physically disabled, and resistors of the state being cremated within sight of their home. Oh, they had heard and read the rumors, but they just couldn t fathom that it could possibly be true. Some of the victims were flayed and/or beheaded before cremation, their skin transformed into macabre lampshades and their heads shrunken into ornamental trinkets. This was all not only acceptable but inevitable, the Nazis insisted, since these body parts came from clearly inferior human beings. Despicable. Dispensable, all for the common and greater good. You can t have a superior race, culture, or religion without carefully labeling and eventually oppressing, exploiting, and finally exterminating the inferior ones. The only thing more appalling than these and countless more graphic images of the evil that pervaded this chapter in history is that, with the small exception of the Confessing Church, this thoroughly Lutheran culture dominated by a Lutheran State Church regularly either refused to believe or looked the other way and remained silent. Churches were required to display swastikas as their altar paraments, and the huge majority complied. Virtually all protests were squelched by the Nazis themselves who quoted Martin Luther, reminding those concerned that all governments are instituted by God, and we are therefore to obey the governing authorities. After all, isn t that what Paul says in Romans 13? A notable exception, of course, was Lutheran pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer. He spoke and acted, boldly speaking the Gospel even to a totalitarian state. It eventually cost him his life. Bonhoeffer reminds us that silence in the face of evil is essentially endorsement or consent. You don t need me to rehash all the recent news. Charlottesville is only the tip of the iceberg of recent white supremacist hatred, the most blatant form of white privilege. Nine persons died at Mother Emmanuel Church in Charleston just three blocks from where I officiated at an ordination this past Saturday because they were black and a white shooter felt it his calling to start a race war to rid the world once and for all of non-whites. That shooter, by the way, was also an ELCA Lutheran. Across the country last fall and winter, Jewish Community Centers were targets of threats, vandalism and destruction. Three men were knifed (two lost their lives) this spring for standing up for a teenage Muslim woman against her tormentor. Hatred and evil are always lurking just beneath the surface, but something, perhaps someone, has unleashed them, empowered them, given them voice and encouragement and power again. These are troubled times. I will receive hate mail for this article, including from leaders in some of our Lutheran congregations in North Carolina. They will accuse me of stirring the pot, of inciting race riots like I and my kind did last fall during the Charlotte race riots. Folks will point to the banner on the ELCA web page that says Black Lives Matter and claim that the ELCA is supporting a hate group. And woe to anyone who mentions systemic racism, noting the extremely disproportionate rate of black vs. white in police stops, arrests, and incarcerations. It s an us vs. them world, and the us are entitled to take back our country, which includes, of course, making America white, Protestant, and heterosexual again. A pastor formerly in this synod lamented on Facebook this past Sunday, It s 2017, and I have to preach a sermon on why Nazism is bad. It really is unbelievable. And any group, white or otherwise, whose identity hinges on demeaning, exploiting, or destroying any other group is, let me say for the record, simply evil. Jews hated the Samaritans and wanted to blame them for everything. Jesus used the Samaritan as the hero in the story. He reached out to and lifted up women, foreigners, lepers, the unclean, and not only included but embraced them. As bishop of this synod and in all humility, I denounce the racist oppression and violence in Charlottesville and throughout our society. We Lutherans have a shameful history of quietism. We must speak out against the evil of racism and the selfrighteousness that always wants to blame someone else in order to elevate the sinful self. I urge you to talk in your communities and congregations about ways to address and help overcome racism. The ELCA has a helpful social statement on Race, Ethnicity, and Culture. Looking the other way simply won t do. Especially if you re white, silence is assent. PAGE 3

What s Cookin at WELCA? The Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America at St. Paul s are busy sharing their faith and doing God s work with their hands.

And this was after delivering all the Christmas in July school supplies that were donated by our congregation.

This month we are encouraging the congregation to bake cookies for our biannual Prison Cookie Ministry which benefits the inmates at the Taylorsville Federal Prison.

The women of WELCA will be gathering on Saturday, September 23rd to set up the Fellowship Hall for this special event.

Whitt became Lenoir-Rhyne University s 12th President on February 1, 2017. A native of Mt. Holly, NC, Dr.

4 What s Cookin at WELCA? The Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America at St. Paul s are busy sharing their faith and doing God s work with their hands. In August they created S more Love pouches for all the teachers, custodians, bus drivers and cafeteria workers at Startown Elementary School. And this was after delivering all the Christmas in July school supplies that were donated by our congregation. We continue to visit our homebound and fund the mailing of weekly bulletins to those who cannot attend our Sunday worship. This month we are encouraging the congregation to bake cookies for our biannual Prison Cookie Ministry which benefits the inmates at the Taylorsville Federal Prison. And, of course, we are excited about St. Paul s 2017 Homecoming on September 24th. The women of WELCA will be gathering on Saturday, September 23rd to set up the Fellowship Hall for this special event. Come and be a part of this active ministry on the second Monday of each month at 6:00 PM in the Conference Room. Dr. Frederick K. Whitt Dr. Frederick (Fred) K. Whitt became Lenoir-Rhyne University s 12th President on February 1, A native of Mt. Holly, NC, Dr. Whitt brings over 30 years of successful leadership experience in higher education to Lenoir-Rhyne. Most recently, he served as the founding Dead of the Beaver College of Health Science at Appalachian State University. Dr. Whitt and his wife Donna have been married for 38 years and a re the proud parents of two adult married sons. Dr. Whitt earned his Doctorate from the University of Tennessee, and his Master of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees from Appalachian State University. Dr. Whitt s Inauguration will be Friday, September 8th at 10am at Lenoir-Rhyne s P.E. Monroe Auditorium. The St. Paul Lutheran Church Congregation Council met on August 13th, 2017 beginning at 11:40 am. Devotions were led by Glenda Townsend. Motions Approved: Attendance Report July 2017 Congregation Council Meeting Minutes Treasurers Report to be filed for audit Pastors Report Ministry Team Reports Items of Interest: Discussion regarding rollover of funds from Mission Property CD to General Account Office Copier lease discussion Activated Council Nominating Team consisting of outgoing Council members Keith Frye, Kathy Frye, Adam Fincannon and Barbara Sloop Discussion regarding repairs of moisture issue in basement Next Congregation Council Meeting is scheduled for September 10th, 2017 at 11:30am. Meeting was adjourned at 1:13pm with the Lord's Prayer. Youth News For students interested in going to the 2018 ELCA Youth Gathering in Houston, Texas Please attend this meeting with at least 1 parent Rising 8th-12th graders are eligible to participate. Contact Pastor Ralph Kraft with questions or to RSVP (pastor@stpaulstartown.org) INFORMATIONAL MEETING Sunday, September 9am PAGE 4 THANK YOU BLACKBURNS! for hosting a splashing good time for the youth last week!

MONTHLY DUTIES SEPTEMBER WORSHIP ASSISTANTS Liturgy The Work of the People Offered Unto God USHERS Tim Lail Dylan Lail ALTAR GUILD Barbara Reed Barbara Sloop MONEY COUNTER (TELLER) David Miller Donna

5 MONTHLY DUTIES SEPTEMBER WORSHIP ASSISTANTS Liturgy The Work of the People Offered Unto God USHERS Tim Lail Dylan Lail ALTAR GUILD Barbara Reed Barbara Sloop MONEY COUNTER (TELLER) David Miller Donna Miller SUNDAY SCHOOL TELLER Judy Hoke COMMUNION (1ST, 3RD, 5TH) Keith Frye Kathy Frye COMMUNION (2ND, 4TH) Dewey Jones Betsy Lindler WEEKLY DUTIES September 3 September 10 September 17 September 24 GREETER Dick Walker Ann Walker Michelle Potter David Miller LAY READER Judy Hoke Richard Helton Betsy Lindler Wanda Helton PRAYER LEADER Keith Frye Richard Helton Libby Wells Pastor Ralph ACOLYTE Zoey Lail Kathy Frye Natalie Lail Cierra Lail CRUCIFER Tom Lail Judy Hoke Savannah Lail Dylan Lail CHILDREN S MESSAGE Kathy Frye Wanda Helton Mary Kraft Pastor Ralph PAGE 5

SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Labor Day Labor Day Council Reports Office Closed Recognition Office Closed Due 8:30am - Java w/ Jesus 9am - Sunday School

6 SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY Labor Day Labor Day Council Reports Office Closed Recognition Office Closed Due 8:30am - Java w/ Jesus 9am - Sunday School 10am - Worship 11:30am - Worship & Music Team 6pm - Handbells 7pm - Adult Choir 12pm - LIGHTs Meeting 10am - Inauguration of LR s President :30am - Java w/ 6pm - Cub Scouts 12pm - Jesus Ministerium 6pm - WELCA Meeting 9am - Sunday School & Youth Gathering Interest Meeting 10am - Worship 7pm - Boy Scouts 6pm - Handbells 7pm - Adult Choir 11:30am - Church Council :30am - Java w/ 6pm - Cub Scouts October Jesus Newsletter 7pm - Boy Scouts Deadline 9am - Sunday School 10am - Worship 6pm - Handbells 7pm - Adult Choir 2pm - 500th Anniversary of the Reformation Service at Covenant Presbyterian in Charlotte, NC HOMECOMING 6pm - Cub Scouts 6pm - Handbells 8:30am - Java w/ Jesus 9am - Sunday School 10am - Worship 11:30am - Covered Dish Luncheon 7pm - Boy Scouts 7pm - Adult Choir PAGE 6

Christ Alone by Martin Lohrmann Assistant Professor of Lutheran Confessions Wartburg Theological Seminary If you know Jesus well, it is enough, even if you know nothing else.

7 Christ Alone by Martin Lohrmann Assistant Professor of Lutheran Confessions Wartburg Theological Seminary If you know Jesus well, it is enough, even if you know nothing else. But if you do not know Jesus, whatever else you learn is nothing. These words were the personal motto of Lutheran reformer John Bugenhagen ( ). He was the head pastor in Wittenberg, Germany, a co-worker in the Reformation and Martin Luther s pastor. While it makes for a nice saying, what do these words mean for us today? With so many good things to know and learn in this world, has Bugenhagen said that only a certain kind of Christian knowledge is holy, useful and good? Are Christians the only ones who know true things about God and life? Questions like these help us consider the meaning of the Reformation slogan solus Christus, Christ alone. At first glance, Bugenhagen s motto and phrases like Christ alone can sound like salvation and wisdom belong to Christians alone. That is not what this phrase means. The good shepherd and merciful judge Many New Testament verses tell us that Jesus knows the people of this world better than we do. Jesus has sheep in other pastures (John 10:16), he promised salvation to the honest thief on the cross (Luke 23:43), and he welcomes into heaven those who never knew that they were serving him (Matthew 25:34-40). From this perspective, Christ alone is not a way to keep people from God. Instead, Christ alone is a word of freedom. When we are tempted to make salvation something we achieve through our holiness, Christ alone reminds us that Jesus is the only one who truly brings reconciliation, freedom and the life of God. When religious people including our churches want to define who is in or out of God s kingdom, we recall that Christ alone is the good shepherd and merciful judge. When we wonder what it will take to piece this broken world back together, we know that Christ alone gives the healing love that makes us whole. Christ alone is a word of freedom. When we wonder what it will take to piece this broken world back together, we know that Christ alone gives the healing love that makes us whole. For this reason, reformers like Luther, Philipp Melanchthon and Bugenhagen used the phrase Christ alone is our righteousness to show how Jesus uniquely cuts through all the obstacles that get in the way of reconciliation with God and our neighbors. The second generation of reformers used this same phrase in the Formula of Concord (Epitome, article 3) to affirm that no one and nothing else in creation sets us free from that which keeps us from God. Further, Christ alone does not minimize the other members of the Trinity but points to the unique work of God in Jesus Christ through the power of the Spirit. A claim to service It s true that Christ alone is a statement of faith that belongs to Christians. Even so, this does not need to create an us against them situation when it comes to other religions or viewpoints. We can share our experiences of Christ s goodness, using the same loving care that Jesus extended even to enemies. Being solus Christus people reminds us that Christ himself came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). In that light, Christ alone is not a claim to superiority but to service. What might this kind of sharing look like in practice? In a world full of big ideas and competing powers, we can join Joshua in saying, As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord (Joshua 24:15). When confronted with other sources of meaning in life, we can say with Paul, I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified (1 Corinthians 2:2). We can talk about what Christ alone means to us, even as we treat others with the same respect we would want to receive ourselves (Matthew 7:12). Besides religious faith, what do we make of other kinds of knowledge, like the arts and sciences, business and public service? Bugenhagen s statement about knowing Jesus doesn t displace the importance of these other fields. It does, however, suggest that Christian faith reshapes what we know in helpful ways. For instance, knowing Jesus invites us to consider not only which technologies we use but how we use them. Knowing Christ means not wondering if we should care about our neighbors but how we are effectively serving those around us. The Lutheran reformers knew that many things compete for our hearts. That is why they insisted upon Christ alone as the sole liberator and resting place for our lives. Their reforms of worship, church and society sought to keep the goodness and freedom of Christ central. In this way, Christ alone is a message of faith and freedom simple enough for children, yet deep enough for a lifetime of wisdom, growth and action. PAGE 7

org <<Address Here>> Homecoming Worship with special

8 St. Paul Lutheran Church STAMP HERE 3761 Startown Rd Newton, NC Phone: (828) <<Address Here>> Homecoming Worship with special guests PAGE 8 DATE CHANGE! Sunday, September 24 Daniel & Sarah Locke

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