CONNECTION. Pastor Michael J. Albrecht. August Let Us Pray

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1 Let Us Pray CONNECTION After the Divine Service on Sunday July 15, the Advisory Call Committee presented their report and recommendation to the congregation. It took a year of work and prayer, and then the ACC was ready to recommend that we call Pastor Thomas Volker. Immediately after the meeting adjourned, I called Pastor Volker on the phone to inform him that we had called him to be one of our pastors. He said he and his family were leaving on vacation the next day. He asked if he could bring his family over to Saint James, so they could see our church before they left on vacation. They came on Sunday afternoon, and Pastor Volker picked up the call documents in person, rather than waiting for them to arrive in the mail. He said he would normally have an answer for us within four weeks, but since he was going to be out of town on vacation, he would appreciate an extra week to consider our call. I told him to take as much time as he needed to come to a decision. In the cover letter that went with his call, I invited him to contact me and Pastor Critchley and Terese Thune and Pastor Stadler and President Deb Most with any questions. He will also consult with his wife, and with other pastors and with the members of the two churches where he is currently serving. While we wait to hear from Pastor Volker, let us pray. Let us pray that God s good and gracious will be done. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to lead Pastor Volker to accept our call. Let us pray for Pastor Volker s wife, Verna, and their children, Avery, Simon, Jonah and Sage. Let us pray for Mount Zion Lutheran Church and Saint James Lutheran Church in south Minneapolis - especially that if God brings Pastor Volker to our church, that He will provide another faithful shepherd to serve those two churches after Pastor Volker leaves. Let us pray that if Pastor Volker accepts our call, that he and his family will quickly come to feel at home here among us. Pastor Michael J. Albrecht August Church Staff Pastor Michael J. Albrecht malbrecht@saintjameslutheran.com Pastor Dale Critchley Cell: dcritchley@saintjameslutheran.com Pastor Richard H. Stadler Cell: rstadler@saintjameslutheran.com Terese Thune Youth Director tthune@saintjameslutheran.com Tom Rowland Organist and Choir Director trowland5726@comcast.net Shirley Hess Parish Nurse shrlhess@gmail.com Heather Wald Office Administrator hwald@saintjameslutheran.com General Address stjlc@saintjameslutheran.com Worship Services Sunday 9:00 a.m. Monday 6:30 p.m. Lord s Supper: 1st and 3rd Sunday and following Monday Bible Studies Tuesday 10:00 a.m. Saturday 8:00 a.m. divided as follows: Women: 2nd / 4th Saturday Men: 1st / 3rd / 5th Saturday 460 Annapolis Street West / West Saint Paul, MN 55118

2 ACC Update On Sunday, July 15th, the congregation voted to extend a call to Pastor Thomas G. Volker, to serve as our third full time pastor, in accordance with the job description previously adopted by the congregation. Pastor Volker currently serves at Mount Zion Lutheran Church and Saint James Lutheran Church in Minneapolis. The Advisory Call Committee appreciates all the support, prayers and confidence that they received from the congregation. Please keep Pastor Volker and his family and his two congregations in your prayers as he considers the call to Saint James. President Dean Nadasdy Retires Dean and Susie Nadasdy cordially invite you to attend a Service of Farewell and Thanksgiving as Dean retires from fulltime pastoral ministry. The service will be held on Sunday, August 19, 4:00 p.m., at Woodbury Lutheran Church, Valley Creek Campus, 7380 Afton Road, Woodbury, MN Light refreshments will follow the service. Please send letters and cards to Debra Connolly at debra.connolly@mnsdistrict.org or at Debra Connolly, Minnesota South District, Grand Avenue South, Burnsville, MN Funeral July 25 Augusta (Lou) Trowbridge Condolences to her children, Alan (Annette), Lee (Vicki), James (Beverly), Gary (LeeAnn), Thomas (Gayle), Peggy, her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. 2

3 Saint James Night to Unite BLOCK PARTY! Live Music by our own SonRise Ensemble This is our annual, outdoor party for our congregation and our community. Hundreds of Door Hanger invitations have been delivered to the surrounding neighborhood. Please come and enjoy this outdoor event while helping to give our neighbors a warm welcome. Bring your family and friends, too. TUESDAY, August 7, 6:00-8:00 p.m. Saint James Parking Lot Volunteer Help Needed: Set up - 5:15 pm to 6:00pm Take Down - after 8:00 pm Help to staff Welcome, Craft or Info Tables Hand out ice cream treats Signup Sheet at Welcome Center in Narthex or call Judy Murray (651)

4 Parish Nurse Notes The Mental Side of Health Everyone knows someone who s struggling with a mental health issue such as depression or anxiety. Upcoming Events August 26 - Kyle Keller "The Mental Side of Health" will present after the service. This will be a wonderful session to help us understand many issues facing people on a daily, lifetime basis. He is very interesting and eager to come and be with us. August pm - Blood drive A sacrifice of yourself to help someone else survive. Truly a gift. (Extra treats provided for this session!) Please sign up or go to Red Cross link and sign up. We will have a sign up available in narthex. Your help is very much appreciated! On August 26, after the 9:00 service, Kyle Keller will be offering a brief presentation on the mental side of health, to provide some basic information around psychological health, what it is and what it isn t, and tips for how to help support friends, family and loved ones who are experiencing such struggles. Kyle will share some of his own experiences with mental health disorders and the relationship between faith and mental distress. Kyle welcomes questions and feedback throughout the presentation and will allow time following the presentation to respond to any questions or concerns that you may have. Kyle is a clinical social worker, licensed mental health professional and was confirmed here at Saint James in In September, we hope to provide CPR training with certification. This is always a good skill to have in case of unforeseen events. It could save a life. "He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8 Blessings, Shirley Hess Parish Nurse Kyle Keller, MSW LICSW Ellie Family Services 4

5 Changing the Path: What Does Belief Look Like? Saturday Morning Women s Bible Study Jesus commissioned His church to make disciples of all nations, but what is a disciple? Once a person experiences welcome by the church, whether as a young child born and raised in the church or a youth or adult with no church experience who has found acceptance here, what s next? I can t emphasize enough the importance of this question. Churches tend to use service attendance as a measure of effectiveness, and while we can learn from those numbers, determining whether we re making disciples requires understanding what a disciple is. Literally a learner, discipleship is more than learning a series of facts. Jesus commissioned us to make disciples of all nations, then He told us how to do that: baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you (Matthew 28:19-20). Discipleship is an ongoing change in perception, recognizing that God has brought His eternal kingdom to us through Jesus Christ and does so every day in every situation, growing in our realization and confidence that Jesus is with you always, to the end of the age and recognizing the effects of that. The more we see the world through the eyes of God s love, the more it changes how we think, live, and interact with others, our goals, our desires, how we see ourselves, and more. That s spiritual growth, and unlike physical growth, it s a lifelong process. We also need to remember that God s will is that all would be saved and come to the knowledge of the Truth (1 Timothy 2:4), not that all would behave according to our expectations. That s great, since none of us do! God desires that we be His children. Expressing that relationship through our words and actions is the result of faith, but growing in faith is the goal. Faith, hope, and love will produce visible fruit, and we persevere with those who struggle and celebrate with those who triumph, knowing our triumph is not in our actions, but in and through Christ, the source and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). When God sows the seeds of His Word in us, it sometimes produces fruit and sometimes gets choked by the worries of this world. Constantly under attack by the devil, our culture, and our own sinful flesh, our perception of God s kingdom often gets clouded, and when we can t see where we are, it s easy to stumble, but since the essence of God s kingdom is love and forgiveness, God uses us to call each other to the cross to find that love and forgiveness again, to soak in our Baptismal blessings, to savor His ongoing presence with us through the Lord s Supper, and to again walk as those that God has freed from the chains of sin. ~ Pastor Critchley James & Proverbs The women will meet August 11 and 25 in the Fireside Room. The doors open at 8:00 a.m. Pastor Albrecht joins the group at about 8:30. We will continue our discussion of the Epistle of James in combination with selected chapters from the book of Proverbs. All women are cordially invited to join the discussion. Saturday Morning Men s Bible Study Genesis The men will meet August 4 and 18 in the Fireside Room, beginning about 8:00 a.m. Our conversation is based on Martin Luther s commentary on the book of Genesis. Donuts and bagels are usually provided. Bring your own beverage, if you like. All men are cordially invited to join the discussion. 5

6 2018 Youth Mission Trip Photos 16 youth and adults served and worshiped at Keweenaw Base Camp in the upper peninsula of Michigan. The youth helped a family in Dollar Bay with clean-up after extensive flooding caused major damage. The youth mission trip and camp staff also cleared an area in the woods to build a Gaga ball pit, and decorated birthday bags for the elderly. Ask any of the youth and they will give you the details about what we did. We even made the local news! Clockwise from top left: rolling logs from trees taken out by the flood (Olivia, Josie, Lyla and homeowner); Evelyn & Leif carrying a part of the Gaga Pit; Evelyn, Helen & Ingrid log rolling; digging out damaged septic system pipes; Jimmy using a sledge hammer; birthday bags for Friends of the Elderly; finished Gaga Ball Pit; Nick digging out the septic tank; power tools w/ty; power tools w/ Kes; power tools w/ Hannah & Ingrid. It s not too late! Sign-up today to attend, to volunteer or to donate to Vacation Bible School! VBS starts Monday August 6th at 8:30 a.m. Contact Terese with questions:

7 August 2018 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thurs Friday Saturday Saint James Lutheran Connection Submissions for the September issue are due August :00pm TreeHouse Support 5:00pm Koethe/ Sonderman Wedding Rehearsal 8:00am Men s Bible Study 2:00 p.m. Koethe/ Sonderman Wedding :45am Hymn Sing 9:00am Divine Service with Holy Communion 4:30pm Executive Committee 6:30pm Evening SonRise Contemporary Worship VBS: 8:30 11:30 a.m. 6:00-8:00pm 4:00pm TreeHouse Night to Unite Support 10:00 pm Lilydale 8:00am Women s Bible Study :45am Hymn Sing 9:00am Worship Service 5:30pm Pictures of Israel Tour (Congregation Invited) 10:00am White Pine 6:30pm Evening SonRise Contemporary Worship 7:30pm Evangelism 10:00am Ephesians Bible Class 2:00pm Wilder 514 2:45pm Wilder Memory Care 4:00pm Health & Wellness 4:00pm TreeHouse Support 9:30am Wilder :00am Bob Wodke Celebration of Life 8:00 am Men s Bible Study :45am Hymn Sing 9:00am Divine Service with Holy Communion 6:30pm Evening SonRise Contemporary Worship 7:30pm Elders 10:00am Ephesians Bible Class 6:30pm Stewardship 4:00pm TreeHouse Support 8:00am Women s Bible Study :45am Hymn Sing 9:00am Worship Service 10:15am Mental Side of Health Presentation 6:30pm Evening SonRise Contemporary Worship 7:30pm Vestry 10:00am Ephesians Bible Class 1:00-7:00 Blood Mobile 4:00pm TreeHouse Support 7

8 SAINT JAMES LUTHERAN CHURCH 460 ANNAPOLIS STREET WEST SAINT PAUL, MN RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED NON PROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT #559 TWIN CITIES, MN IN THIS ISSUE: Call extended to Pastor Thomas Volker VBS - August 6-10 President Nadasdy to retire The Mental Side of Health after church on Sunday August 26 Red Cross Blood Drive - August 29 Youth Mission Trip Photos Saint James National Night Out BLOCK PARTY! What do we need MOST to make our party a success? Lots of Saint James folks to come and warmly welcome our neighbors! PLEASE COME--THIS TUESDAY AUGUST 7, 6-8 p.m. Bring your friends and family, too 8