St. Paul Lutheran Church 721 Twelfth Ave. Huntington, WV The Rev. Jennifer Obermueller, Pastor October 2013

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1 St. Paul Lutheran Church 721 Twelfth Ave. Huntington, WV The Rev. Jennifer Obermueller, Pastor October 2013 The Mission of St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church is to celebrate and proclaim to all the saving grace of Jesus Christ through word and deed. On October 31, 1517, All Hallows Eve, Martin Luther, amid holiday bonfires and celebrations on the darkened streets of Wittenburg, Luther put up his 95 Theses, or arguments. These 95 Theses were his statements about the state of the church, the Holy Roman Empire and God's work in the world. Luther knew that his fellow professors would be both partying and going to church the next morning. He knew that as these professors and other people traveled through town, celebrating Halloween and All Saints Day, they'd walk by the church bulletin board. On the Wittenberg church bulletin board were the words that announced not just the beginning of a political and church revolution, but God's daily revolution begun in Jesus Christ: "When our Lord Jesus Christ said repent, he willed the entire life be one of repentance" (from Luther's 95 Theses). Repentance and forgiveness do not come through payment to the church. Nor do they come through good acts or even changing one's habits, although such change may come. Instead, Luther would later argue, forgiveness of sin comes about through God's own choosing--specifically the "man of God's own choosing," Jesus Christ (from Luther's hymn, "A Mighty Fortress). Forgiveness comes as a free, sheer gift, given for you. God frees us from the power of sin and death. And when God makes us free, we are free, indeed (John 8). Baptized into Christ, freed from the power of sin and death, we face each new day claimed and loved by God. But as Luther well knew, our old selves, the ones who don't trust, the Old Adam and Old Eve, are good swimmers. Each day we run the risk of being tempted to not trust, to believe that evil has the upper hand, to loose confidence in God who loves us no matter what. It is for that reason that the life of faith, the life of repentance (and forgiveness) is a daily one. Each day we remind ourselves and each other that God is in charge, and we (and the world and the devil) are not. Luther (and C.S. Lewis and others after them) said, "Mock the devil and he will flee from thee." We have no reason to fear. God is in charge. God in Christ Jesus has won the battle. We Happy Reformation Day (and Halloween). -Pastor Jennifer Obermueller

2 Invite Your Neighbors and Join Us For Kids will have the chance to wear their costumes an extra time and receive treats at Trunk or Treat 6-8 p.m., Fri., 10/25 in the St. Paul parking lot. We need people to decorate their car trunks and bring candy to hand out to children from the neighborhood. We also need greeters. We will have a great time! In addition to costumes and treats we ll have games, take home items and emergency service vehicles for kids to tour. If you would like to volunteer to hand out treats, dress up or help in any way, please contact Jenny Murray at (740) Please plan to come! Music Program To Be Presented by Marshall Professor The community is invited to hear pianist Dr. Henning Vauth, Assistant Professor of Music at Marshall University, and two of his students perform a concert entitled, "Brighten the Way Through Classical Music." This free concert, sponsored by the Music Art Department of the Women's Club of Huntington, will be at 10:45 a.m., Wed., 10/16 at St. Paul Lutheran Church, th Avenue, Huntington, W. Va. For information, please call Carolyn Becker (304) Why Celebrate Halloween (other than for the excellent costumes and candy)? Halloween's religious origins are rooted in harvest and in autumn celebrations of the resurrection (Michaelmas, Harvest, All Saints, etc.). Halloween anticipates God's victory over sin and death even as we face the darkness of an oncoming winter. Shepherding God, you are the source of life and health. Gather together all people who feel removed from you because of illness, crisis, or fear especially Ladonna, David, Britney, Julie, Bonnie, Rex, Barbara, Jane, Margaret, Obrokta family and Linda. 50+ cereal Page 2

3 Women of the ELCA (WELCA) Monongahela Valley- Mountain/Ohio-Kanawha Cluster Invites You to a Women s Retreat called Tuning In To God Who: Women (Invite a friend!) When: October 26 October 27, 2013 Where: Tygart Lake State Park with Reformation Service at Church of the Covenant and Lunch Why: Spiritual refreshment and fun Registration form deadline October 1, 2013 After almost three decades of ministry and presence at St. Paul and in the community, we said goodbye and Godspeed to Jan and Rick Wilson at worship on Sun., 9/22. To stay in contact, their new address is: 1336 Golf View Drive, River Falls, WI rwilson231@aol.com Moving? Changing your address or phone number? Please keep us up to date. Contact the office at (304) or us at judy@stpaulhuntington.org or wayne@stpaulhuntington.org. If you are planning to move out of the area and/or transfer your membership, please let us know that, too! We d like to be able to say goodbye in worship and bless with Godspeed. the Book of Ruth in October WHEN? Thursday from noon - 1:45 p.m. WHERE? Library (education wing) WHAT? Drop in at any time. Bring your own brown bag lunch. We ll read and study the Book of Ruth. MARK YOUR CALENDARS. ALL ARE WELCOME. Page 3

4 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 5:30-7 pm Brownies :30 pm Girl Scouts Decorate for Harvest 12 2:30 pm Wedding/ Reception 13 HARVEST pm Writers 15 5:30-7 pm Brownies 16 noon Music Program Woman s Club cancelled Conference Pastors Mtg :30 pm Girl Scouts pm Trunk or Treat REFORMATION 28 6:30 7:30 pm Scouts Service Meeting Page 3 Page 4

5 Gain confidence in your financial future with an annual review A lot can happen in a year. The economy can fluctuate. Markets can swing up or down. Your personal and professional life can change. That s why it s important to schedule an annual financial review. A review usually takes less than an hour and it s worth every minute knowing that it can help you: Evaluate life changes and how events like getting married, having a baby, buying or selling a home, getting a new job or retiring can affect your current financial strategy. Ensure your assets are protected by: Congratulations to Ben Jones! Ben Jones received his Eagle Scout award during worship on Sun., 9/15. In addition to years of work and service, Ben's Eagle Scout project included building picnic tables and benches and a BBQ grill for St. Paul. We are blessed by Ben's presence and ministry, as well as the ministry Pat and Cindy Jones. We give thanks to God for Ben! Reviewing your protection coverage. Establishing an emergency savings fund. Determining if you have the right insurance coverage in place, like disability income insurance, to protect your income. Review your retirement strategy. Are you maximizing your retirement contributions? Does it make sense to consolidate your IRAs and 401(k)s? Will you have enough income to last throughout your retirement? Find out. Evaluate your investments. This includes calculating the return on each of your stocks, bonds and mutual funds and making sure you re satisfied with their performance. It s also important to ensure that your assets are diversified. 1 Review estate strategy options. If you want to protect your family and support the causes that are important to you, it s essential to make sure your beneficiary information is current and the appropriate legal documents 2 are in place. Stay on track with your financial goals For more than 100 years, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans has been helping members be wise with money and inspiring them to live generously. A financial review can help you stay on track with your financial goals so you can look to the future with confidence. Schedule a review with a knowledgeable Thrivent Financial representative today. Contact Eric Weimer, Financial Associate, FIC, CLTC, at (304) or eric.weimer@thrivent.com today, or visit Thrivent.com. 1 Ron Pease 3 Clarice Kumlien 5 Josefine Landgrave 6 Kathy Rea 7 Abigail Bell 7 Joel Gensler 7 Ernest Golder 7 Brandy Korstanje 10 Andrew Wellman 12 Jan Wilson 15 Lisa Kelley 16 Cameron May 26 Warren Dumke 28 Will Lindberg 28 Janet Grimes 31 Dolly Oshel Page 5

6 The Rev. Jennifer Obermueller, Pastor St. Paul Lutheran Church 721 Twelfth Avenue Huntington, WV OCTOBER 2013