Published Monthly by Saint Paul s Evangelical Lutheran Church, 371 Wolcott Hill Road, Wethersfield, Connecticut 06109

Transcription

1 Saint P a u l s Epistle Published Monthly by Saint Paul s Evangelical Lutheran Church, 371 Wolcott Hill Road, Wethersfield, Connecticut May 2006 Volume 64, Number 5 The picture shown here is a detail from Caravaggio s EASTER FAITH AND HUMAN DOUBT Supper at Emmaus. Born Michelangelo Merisi, this The Gospel reading for the 3rd Sunday of Easter is Italian Baroque painter preferred the realistic to the stylfrom Luke 24, and includes a post-resurrection appearized and tried to give his subjects an everyday look. ance of Jesus to his disciples. Prior to this reading, Jesus What is depicted here is that moment when the two has appeared to the women (whose account of his anonymous disciples (only one is shown in this detail) appearance was considered an idle tale ), to two anonyrealize that it is the risen Lord that has just broken bread mous disciples in the town of Emmaus, and to Simon with them. The man standing (top left) is the host who is Peter. In this reading Jesus appears to the remaining disobserving the scene with some curiosity. Jesus (beardciples with a mixed reception. less) has his hand outstretched as he blesses the food. I don t know why I m drawn to the description of the The disciple seated, is gripping his chair in amazement. disciples response, for Luke says that when they saw His forward-leaning stare is a mixture Jesus, in their joy they were disbelievof revelation and disbelief a spiritual ing and still wondering. In their joy kind of shock and awe. they were disbelieving. As Christians, our lives, too, are a Why the disbelief? Was it that they mix of faith and doubt. Like the discihad yet to fully grow into their faith? ples in Luke s Gospel, there is often a Was it that they didn t trust their senses tinge of disbelief in our Easter-inspired or the evidence before them? Was joy. To be honest, I often wish I could Jesus appearing (and thus his resurrecsee Jesus in the flesh. I wish I could tion) just too good to be true? Or is this touch the scarred hands and wounded a reflection of something even more side. I want something tangible in basic to real faith: that it often exists which to anchor my faith, yet am forced side by side with doubt? to live by a promise one that has been I am reminded of that passage in passed from one generation to the next Mark s Gospel (9:14ff) when Jesus is for nearly two thousand years. confronted by a distraught father who And what is this promise? That in wants him to cure his possessed son. Jesus, God s love for us is stronger than The father cries out, if you are able to death. That through the eyes of faith, do anything, have pity on us and help we, too, can witness the risen Lord in us. Jesus responds as if he is offended Detail of Supper at Emmaus the simple breaking of bread. And that by the if of this request. If you are by Caravaggio, 1601 even in the depth of the deepest doubt, able! All things can be done for the we can experience the transcendent heights of joy. one who believes, Jesus states. The father then pleads, Pastor Hugh Haffenreffer I believe; help my unbelief! Total human honesty. Faith is a bit like a wet bar of soap, the harder you try BISHOP S APPEAL: BLESSING SUNDAY to grasp its meaning, the more likely it is to slip from Don t forget: The Bishop s Appeal Blessing Sunday your fingers. Faith is never supported by proof. By it s is May 21! very nature it exists in the vacuum created by the absence All families shortly will be receiving a pledge card of, and at times the impossibility of any proof. It clings for the Appeal in the mail. Please give this your prayernot to objects we can see, touch and measure. Rather it ful consideration and then plan to bring your pledges clings to a promise given. And its grip belongs not to our with you on the 21st. hands but to our hearts.

2 NEW MEMBER S CLASS A New Members Class is scheduled for Sunday, May 21 from 4:00 to 5:30PM. This class will introduce to any who are interested in exploring formal membership, who we are, what our mission is, and what opportunities we have available for becoming involved in that mission. Those who are unfamiliar with the basics of Lutheran faith will be given the opportunity to explore this, too. At this gathering a date and time will be chosen for the 2nd part of this class. Also, a convenient date to receive new members will be chosen. Those who are interested are encouraged to talk directly with Pastor Hugh Haffenreffer ( ). THE FUTURE OF THE EPISTLE Starting in September, the look and distribution of our Epistle will undergo a major change. Because too many families receive their mailed Epistle so late in the month, making much of the information useless, we will make the following changes: those who are able will be encouraged to pick up their Epistle at Church; a printable and complete version of the Epistle will be downloadable from our website; and finally, for those who still wish it delivered directly to them by mail, they will be sent 1st class. Our hope is that most will want to pick them up at Church or download them from the internet. What this will mean is that the deadline for including material in the next-month s Epistle will be strictly enforced. Furthermore, when possible, all articles should be submitted electronically by or on floppy disk. CONFIRMATION Confirmation will be celebrated on Pentecost Sunday, June 4, at the 10:30 service. Please keep our confirmands in your prayers as they near the end of their formal instruction and plan their entry into adult membership at St. Paul s. Our confirmands are Evan Seip, Jennifer Bunnell, Kyla Anderson, Kristina Homick, Rebecca Malinguaggio, Amanda Viola, and Crystal Brozynski. BREAK-IN AT ST. PAUL S On Thursday night, April 20, St. Paul s was broken into and the offices were ransacked. It is clear that the thieves (or thief, we don t know) was looking for cash and found none. In addition to a few marred doors, and one broken office door window, the only thing of real value that was stolen was our new data projector. The good news is that things are always repairable or replaceable, unlike people, and no one was hurt. This break in follows on the heals of similar crimes that occurred at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Middletown and Our Savior s in Newington, among others. Our Lord calls us to pray for those who persecute us. I believe this includes those who steal from us. GREATER HARTFORD CONFERENCE ANNUAL MEETING On Monday, May 15th at 7 PM at Concordia Lutheran Church in Manchester, the Greater Hartford Conference will hold its Annual Meeting. It is hoped that the business portion of the meeting will be minimal so that we might more fully celebrate the ministry of Pastor Paul Henry, who is retiring as our Dean for the past 16 years. Please plan to attend this meeting and celebrate the contributions of this great Pastor. We will miss his leadership and humor! SYNOD ASSEMBLY VOTING MEMBERS NEEDED This year s Annual Synod Assembly will take place from Thursday Saturday, June 8-10, 2006 at the DCU (Digital Credit Union) Center, 50 Foster St., downtown Worcester, Mass. At the present time we are looking for 1 male and 1 female voting member to represent St. Paul s. Those who are interested in attending, please talk with Pastor Hugh. BISHOP PAYNE TO VISIT IN JUNE Mark your calendars now! Bishop Margaret Payne will be visiting St. Paul s on Sunday, June 18. While she will not be preaching (she claims she wants the opportunity to hear her pastors preach, hmmmm) she will be available for conversation. More details will follow. NEW HYMNAL UPDATE By now most of you should know that the ELCA is publishing a new hymnal called Evangelical Lutheran Worship (ELW). This red hymnal is designed to replace the green and blue hymnals that we presently have in our pews. During May and June, St. Paul s is encouraging its members and friends to donate one or more hymnals so that we can eventually pre-order 210 for use in worship. Each hymnal will cost $ If you would like to donate one, please use the form that is included in this Epistle. You might consider donating one in memory of a loved one, in honor of a special occasion, or for any reason at all. Each donated hymnal will include an appropriate book plate with an inscription identifying the donor and the person or occasion being remembered. 2

3 Evangelical Lutheran Worship My Gift for the New Hymnal/Service Book Amount $ (Each hymnal costs $17.50) Name If desired, you may designate your gift: Given in memory of Given in honor of cut or separate at this line Evangelical Lutheran Worship My Gift for the New Hymnal/Service Book Amount $ (Each hymnal costs $17.50) Name If desired, you may designate your gift: Given in memory of Given in honor of cut or separate at this line Evangelical Lutheran Worship My Gift for the New Hymnal/Service Book Amount $ (Each hymnal costs $17.50) Name If desired, you may designate your gift: Given in memory of

4 Bring your lunch! We eat when we hear the noon town fire whistle. Please call either Jan Pergande at or Lillian Doerschler at SUNDAY CHURCH SCHOOL On the Road to Discipleship Sunday School continues with our Rotational Units. Our last unit is Dig into the Bible. We will finish for the summer on May 21st. Many thanks to the dedicated teachers: Nancy Malinguaggio, Pam DiNatalie, Rebecca Malinguaggio, Jackie Prill, Heather Christensen, Debbie Viola, Amanda Viola, Joanna Piscitello and Melissa Cheyney. Thank you for your dedication and support of Christian Education. In September we will begin with a unit called Life in Bible Times and then a Christmas unit with the Nativity Festival. Help is needed to teach, organize and lead the Celebration Sundays. Please help us out. Thank you, Alice Ruppar Have a great summer and remember to include GOD in you vacation plans. OUR CHURCH YARD Are you a person who loves working in the yard? Would you like to be involved in keeping the church grounds beautiful? If yes, you can help from late spring through fall. Each Thursday from 10AM 2PM (weather permitting) we are here planting, weeding, trimming, raking, shoveling, and doing anything that needs to be done outdoors. Lawn mowing is contracted out. Meanwhile, indoors a group of people will be working on craft items for our fall fair in October. Either the landscaping or working on hand-made crafts can also be done at your own time and convenience. If you would like to take care of a particular piece of the church property and maintain it during the church season, that would also be a welcome addition. USHERING NEWS Did you notice.who was doing ushering duties for the month of April including the Lenten and Easter services? They were our confirmands: Evan Seip, Jennifer Bunnell, Kyla A n d e r s o n, Kristina Homick, Rebecca Malinguaggio, Amanda Viola, Crystal Brozynski and Amanda Toccaline. As co-ordinator of ushering services, I was so proud of them carrying out their duties in a thoroughly professional and knowledgeable way they were a delight to witness. Hopefully, this will not be the last time we see them, but a beginning and continuation of this meaningful part of our service. On behalf of St. Paul s congregation and myself, I extend a big Thank-You to our Confirmands. Louise Lostocco GREETINGS FROM THE SUNNY SOUTH FROM BARBARA AND CARL KJELLBERG This sure is a busy Spring. Carl and I decided to put our home of 8 yrs. up for sale and, much to our amazement, it sold in 4 days and we are moving back into the Raleigh area. Living out here in the countryside of Youngsville has been fun, but it is time to be closer to family, friends, church and (as we get older) to be closer to doctors as well. We will be moving on April 27th. We would love to hear from any of our old friends from St. Paul s; we think of you all often. Our new address is: 612 Brittany Bay East, Raleigh, NC Our will remain the same: barbarakjellberg@earthlink.net and our new phone number will be: We will be doing extensive renovations on our new home (which is 25 yrs. old a custom-built home for a builder and is a ranch with an acre of land and a 3-car garage). The renovations will be done before we move into it so we will be camping in our RV for several weeks at a nearby lake and commuting to the house each day to participate in the renova-

5 tions. We are still coming to CT this summer, but probably not until mid July. We are also expecting the birth of our 2nd grandchild (due date May 1st). The excited parents are Steven and Julie, and they are having a little girl this time. Alex was 5? in Sept. so he will be a real big help to Julie. Our new home is only 2 miles down the road from their house so it will be real convenient to help out with the baby. That s the news from North Carolina. We are looking forward to seeing you all in July. Until then, we would love to hear from you at our new house. Our best wishes to you all until we see you in the summer. Love, Barbara and Carl Kjellberg THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!! From Ellie and Charlie Bengtson From December 13 until April 13, and still recovering!! A lesson learned Watch your step! Don t fall! (old bones take a long time to heal!) Hopefully, in another month or so, I ll be walking again. During the past four months, Charlie/Russ and I have been blessed and amazed by the support, love and concern that we ve received from family, friends and neighbors. St. Paul s members have been an especially important part of these long, hard frustrating and painful weeks. Visits, calls, cards and notes, flowers, books, messages, manna meals, music and laughter have lightened our load and kept us aware that this too shall pass! (one of C/R s favorite sayings) Ongoing prayers, home communion, tapes and encouraging words helped keep us trusting in God s healing presence in our lives. So we thank our St. Paul s family for all the ways you have loved and supported us during this time of recovery. We are truly blessed! With love and thankfulness, Ellie and Charlie Bengtson And, also For many months, prayers have been said on behalf of little Cameron St. Paul, as she received chemotherapy for liver cancer. A successful liver transplant was performed, more chemotherapy followed, and Cameron is a healthy child again. She will be two years old in May. Cameron s parents are grateful for all of those who have prayed so faithfully for their daughter. Thanks to all of you who believe in the power of prayer! Thank you Jimmy French for your help in the Church building. HAPPY BIRTHDAY IN MAY 2 Jeremiah Bengtson 12 Jacob Turek 5 Bill Caughman 21 Shirley King 7 Louise Lostocco Mark Olson Dot Vanturas 28 Elizabeth Baumgartel 9 Russell Bengtson 29 Bob Bowman AnnMarie Grottke Joan Kratzer 10 Linda Anderson 30 Jerry Vaillancourt Harriett Fritsch Helen Peterson Jennifer Farley YOUTH IMPORTANT DATES: May 7 Plant Sale 13 Car Wash/Bake Sale 21 Stock sale Congratulations to Heather and Eric Christensen for the safe arrival of daughter Cara on Sunday, April 23 at 6 lbs 10oz!

6 S T. PA U L S MEMBERS IN SERVICE FOR MAY A C O LYTES: Linda Anderson, Coordinator, May 7 Gretchen Schultz 14 Jamie Piscitello 21 Amanda Piscitello 28 Jay Vi o l a Jun 4 Kaitlin A n d e r s o n A LTAR GUILD: Linda Anderson, Coordinator, May 7 Helen Peterson, Mary Susla 14 Mary Procyk 21 Carol Farley, Harriett Fritsch 28 Jennie Dotts, Betty Lamo Jun 4 Ann French, Winnie Sawrun ASSISTING MINISTERS: Kathy Coyle, Coordinator, May 7 Mark Bierbaum 8AM, Steve Harz 10:30AM 14 Emily Lourigan 8AM, Patty Bengtson 10:30AM 21 Kathy Coyle 8AM, Jim Newmark 10:30AM 28 Art Bruce 8AM, Jerry Vaillancourt 10:30AM Jun 4 Sallyann Wolf 8AM, Kathie Daly 10:30AM COMMUNION A S S I S TA N T S : Sue Agne, Coordinator, May 7 Kathie Daly 14 Curt Leonard 21 - Penrose Wo l f 28 Helen Peterson Jun 4 Gloria Brocker EUCHARISTIC MINISTERS: Kathy Coyle, Coordinator, Month of May: Sallyann Wolf, Gloria Brocker F E L L O W S H I P HOUR HOSTS: Helen Peterson, Coordinator, May 7 Pam and Jody DiNatalie 14 Debbie and Amanda Vi o l a 21 - Kathy and Mike Coyle 28 Sallyann and Penrose Wo l f Jun 4 Ellie and Charles Bengtson F I N A N C E : Mary Procyk, Coordinator, May 7 Mary Procyk 14 - Helen Peterson 21 Lois Wo y 28 Harriett Fritsch Jun 4 Penrose Wo l f L E C TO R S : Lillian Doerschler, Coordinator, May 7 Louise Lostocco 14 Joan Kratzer 21 Judy Gerken 28 Winnie Sawrun Jun 4 Joshua Vi o l a N U R S E RY: Ann French, Coordinator, May 7 Crystal Brozynski, Roxie DeBlois 14 Joanna Piscitello, and girls 21 M a rgaret DeBlois and girls 28 Jun 4 Crystal Brozynski, Roxie DeBlois TAPING OF S U N D AY S E RV I C E: Crystal Brozynski, Coordinator, Month of May: Jan Perg a n d e U S H E R S : Penrose Wolf, Coordinator, 8:00AM ( ) Louise Lostocco, Coordinator, 10:30AM ( ) Month of May Les and Emily Lourigan 8:00AM Carol Farley, Bob Bowman 10:30AM

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8 Epistle Saint Paul s SAINT PAUL S EV. LUTHERAN CHURCH 371 Wolcott Hill Road Wethersfield, CT RETURN POSTAGE GUARANTEED/ ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED Non-Profit Organization U.S. POSTAGE PAID HARTFORD, CT Permit No TIME VALUE Please Expedite Delivery SAINT PAUL S EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH CHURCH SCHEDULE Worship: :00 & 10:30 a.m. Sunday Church School: :00 a.m. Adult Study Class: :00 a.m. OFFICERS AND STAFF Rev. Hugh R. B. Haffenreffer, Pastor...Office: (860) Emergency: (860) Council President...Brian Beckwith Treasurer...Russell Correll Financial Sect y...mary Procyk Minister of Music...Melissa Cheyney Superintendent of Sunday Church School...Alice Ruppar Office Secretary...Marianne Doolittle MINISTERS...ALL THE PEOPLE OF SAINT PAUL S! May 7 Plant Sale after both services 13 Car Wash/Bake Sale 21 last day of SCS Jun 4 Pentecost/Confirmation May 2006