CONNECTION. Pastor Michael J. Albrecht. June The Presentation of the Augsburg Confession June 25, Church Staff

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1 The Presentation of the Augsburg Confession June 25, 1530 CONNECTION I will also speak of Your testimonies before kings and shall not be put to shame (Psalm 119:46) In the Fall of 1979 I went to Uppsala, Sweden to study at Stiftelsen Biblicum. When the end of October rolled around, I was surprised that Swedish Lutherans did not celebrate Reformation Day. When I asked why not, they explained that they celebrate the 25 th of June, the anniversary of the Presentation of the Augsburg Confession. After all, the 95 Theses that Martin Luther nailed to the door of the Castle Church never were included among the Lutheran Confessions, but the Augsburg Confession is often called the Queen of the Lutheran Confessions. It was a hot day in Augsburg, Germany in the year Emperor Charles V had called meeting to work out a reconciliation between the Lutherans and the Roman Catholics, because he wanted to unite all of his subjects and raise an army to defend his empire against the Muslim Turks who were knocking on the gates of Vienna. Luther did not come, because Emperor Charles had declared him an outlaw, so it was not safe for him to come. Luther sent his close friend and co-worker Philip Melanchthon. So it fell to Melanchthon and a few others to draw up a document that would express what the Lutherans believed and taught. If we had to boil the Augsburg Confession down to one sentence, we could say, Jesus is Lord. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. There are significant differences between Lutherans and Roman Catholics, but as both Roman Catholics and Lutherans say in the Nicene Creed, We believe in one holy Christian and apostolic Church. If you want to read the Augsburg Confession, I will be happy to give you a copy. It s only forty pages. All you have to do is ask. Pastor Michael J. Albrecht June Church Staff Pastor Michael J. Albrecht malbrecht@saintjameslutheran.com Pastor Dale Critchley Cell: dcritchley@saintjameslutheran.com Pastor Ralph M. Rokke rrokke@saintjameslutheran.com Pastor Richard H. Stadler Cell: rstadler@saintjameslutheran.com Terese Thune Youth Director tthune@saintjameslutheran.com Shirley Hess Parish Nurse pnstjlc@saintjameslutheran.com Heather Wald Office Administrator hwald@saintjameslutheran.com General Address stjlc@saintjameslutheran.com Worship Services Sunday 9 AM Monday 6:30 PM Lord s Supper: 1st and 3rd Sunday and following Monday Bible Studies Tuesday 10:00 AM Saturday 8:00 AM divided as follows: Women: 2nd / 4th Saturday Men: 1st / 3rd / 5th Saturday 460 Annapolis Street West / West Saint Paul, MN 55118

2 Outdoor Service and Church Picnic Sunday, June 26 th The pavilion at Cherokee Park is reserved once again for our annual Church Picnic. There will be an indoor service at Saint James at 9:00 a.m. The outdoor service is scheduled to begin at 11:00 a.m. The Monday SonRise Service ensemble and other musicians will provide music. The Vestry will be installed during the service. At noon, the traditional picnic lunch will be served. Dick Miller and his crew will once again be grilling hamburgers, brats and hot dogs. Families with last names beginning with A-M are asked to bring a dessert to share and those with last names beginning N-Z are asked to bring a salad to share. Please label your dishes and serving utensils. Remember to bring a blanket or chair. Tickets will be sold before and after the service at $6 per person and $3 for children under twelve. There will be door prizes and many activities for the whole family to enjoy, including the legendary egg toss! Come visit with old and new friends and enjoy the worship, the food, the fellowship, and the great outdoors. Sanctuary Renovation Project Begins Both Sunday morning and Monday evening worship services will be held in the Fellowship Room during the construction of the Travertine stone tile wall behind the altar. This will give us an opportunity to go back to the early days of our congregation. When the Reverend Carl Bolle came to be our first pastor in 1928, services were held in the undercroft, as he liked to call it. This continued for fifteen years, until the construction of the sanctuary in When this project is complete, we will have a beautifully renewed sanctuary space in which to worship, and a renewed sign of the congregation s commitment to continuing the heritage of Saint James and to extending the ministry of the Gospel into the future. How can I help? Volunteers will be needed after the church picnic on Sunday June 26 to begin clearing out the chancel in preparation for construction. Since we will be acting as our own general contractor, the people of Saint James will be responsible to remove the dossal curtain and everything that adorns the chancel area. The altar and 2 the communion rail and the chancel floor will be protected by plywood, and plastic will cover the carpet and some of the pews. There will be brief announcements in our services on the last three weekends in June to explain what is coming and how you can help and how the project will impact our worship. John Fahey and Mark Reichenbach have agreed to serve as the Project Managers, and they will be responsible to communicate with the workers. During the construction, access to the sanctuary will be restricted, because safety will be a priority. We want to do all we can to avoid accidents. Services to be held in the Fellowship Room Monday, June 27 Sunday, July 3 Monday, July 4 No SonRise service Sunday, July 10 Monday, July 11 Sunday, July 17 Monday, July 18

3 Martin Luther: Art and the Reformation The Minneapolis Institute of Art will host a traveling exhibition of art and historical artifacts from the time of the Lutheran Reformation. It will be on display from October 30, 2016, to January 15, Self-Defense Class Offered at Saint James Join us on June 14, from 6:00 8:00 p.m. for an evening with a coach from the Minnesota Kali Group. The MN Kali group is located in Minneapolis and provides classes on various techniques of self-defense. Dress in athletic wear, but feel free to take it easy or sit out any drills that seem too strenuous for you. Sign up at the Welcome Center in the Narthex. Contact Shirley Hess with any questions at shrlhess@gmail.com. Exhibition Overview (from the Minneapolis Institute of Art website): Five hundred years ago, one man took a stand that shook Europe and changed the world. Now you can see the story of Martin Luther and the Reformation brought to life through astonishing artworks and historical objects, traveling outside Germany for the first time ever. Luther used art and the newly invented printing press to challenge Europe s leaders and spread a revolution of religious, cultural, and societal change. This exhibition includes paintings, sculpture, gold, textiles, and works on paper as well as Luther s personal possessions and recent archaeological finds that shed new light on an explosive era and the man who ignited it. Saint James is arranging for two bus trips to the Minneapolis Institute of Art for guided tours of the Martin Luther exhibit. One trip will be on Thursday evening, November 3, 2016, at 7:00 p.m. The other will be on Sunday afternoon, November 13, 2016, at 2:00 p.m. The cost will be $20 per ticket, plus bus fare yet to be determined. A sign-up sheet for those who want to attend will be posted in the church narthex in June. Also, you can call Heather at the church office to put your name on the list. Jam Session June 9 5:30-7:30 p.m. Would you like to investigate singing or playing music for the Monday Evening SonRise services? We are testing 6-8 new pieces at a Jam Session in the Sanctuary, Thursday, June 9th, 5:30-7:30 p.m. The group will decide if the songs should be included in our worship. No pressure if you decide that this is not your cup of tea. Contact Pastor Stadler so he can prepare a set of music for you rstadler@saintjameslutheran.com Saint James Lutheran Connection Submissions for July issue are due June 14. 3

4 DiscipleQuest Spotlight: Spiritual CPR In April, Saint James offered CPR training to train or refresh us on how to help preserve the life of someone who is dying. The week before, the 7 th Grade DiscipleQuest Trainees received training how to administer an emergency Baptism to give eternal life to someone who is dying. While the church calls pastors to administer the sacraments publicly, a pastor may not always be available in a life-and-death situation. In those cases, we remember that Baptism was given to the whole church, not just pastors, so any Christian can baptize. If someone called on you to perform an emergency Baptism, would you know what to do? If not, feel free to ask one of our 7 th grade trainees! And then come talk to Pastor Dale about completing the Priestly Powers mission of DiscipleQuest to get trained in that and more! Confirmation Class of 2016 Brianna Dusterhoft Paulette Lambert Nick Tilson 4

5 Tuesday Morning Bible Study: Reading Romans Saturday Morning Women s Bible Study Last summer we considered chapters nine, ten and eleven. This summer we resume our study of Romans in chapter twelve. The Apostle Paul urges us to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice. How do you do that? Why did God s Old Testament people sacrifice animals as burnt offerings? Why don t we do that anymore? How has Christ s death on the cross changed the way we worship today? The one holy, Christian and apostolic Church is the Body of Christ. What is the difference between arms and legs, eyes and ears? God gives different gifts to different people. Do all of your gifts last a lifetime? Do some gifts come to you later in life? What do we say about the Church every time we say the Creed? Your comments and questions are encouraged All are welcome. Monday SonRise Service Joins Sunday Worship Underground in July During the first three weeks of July, a new front wall will be installed in the Saint James sanctuary and the sanctuary will not be available for worship. The Sunday services will be conducted in the Fellowship Room July 3, 10 and 17, the same space where Saint James worshiped for the first 15 years of its existence. The Monday Evening SonRise Ensemble will be setting up their instruments in a corner of the Fellowship Room and joining the Sunday worshipers in this nostalgic re-creation of our history each Monday night. Because preparations for the removal of the dossal curtain will begin on Monday, June 27 th, the Evening SonRise Worship services will move into the Fellowship Room for that Monday night service. There is no Evening SonRise service on July 4 th, but there will be worship in the Fellowship Room on Mondays, July 11 and July 18 underground. The Evening SonRise Ensemble has also been asked to provide music and singing leadership for the Sunday, July 10 th service. Why not use this déjà vu experience to invite friends and relatives to come to the underground worship services and experience what many of our veteran members remember doing for 15 years, from 1928 to 1943, before our sanctuary was built. 5 Reading Romans The women will meet on June 11 and 25. The doors open at 8:00 a.m. and Pastor Albrecht joins the group at about 8:30. Chapter 14 addresses questions about what we might call a kosher diet. Why did questions about eating meat cause so much controversy in the church at Rome? Did the church in Corinth have similar questions? Who are the weak in faith? Who is supposed to welcome the one who is weak in faith? Do we have similar issues in the church today? All women are cordially invited to join our discussion. Saturday Morning Men s Bible Study The Epistle of James We will meet in the Fireside Room at 8:00 a.m. on June 4. Donuts and bagels are usually provided. Bring your own coffee, if you like. Chapter two begins by comparing the way rich people and poor people are treated in church. Do we welcome visitors regardless of their social status? James reminds us, Love your neighbor as yourself. Selfishness comes naturally to most of us. It takes more effort to love other people in the same way that we already love ourselves. How do the Ten Commandments help us? Do you want to be judged without mercy? How can James say that mercy triumphs over judgment? All men are cordially invited.

6 Parish Nurse Notes Scents and Scensitivities Use of fragrance in products has risen in recent years. The number of people affected by scents and fragrances has also risen and can be a real problem for some people. Recently, there have been people in our church as well as other churches who have come forward telling about problems caused by fragrances in church. People can react to scents in various ways. People may get a headache from perfumes or fragrances, some can begin sneezing or get watery eyes. Others become dizzy, weak, or sick to their stomach. People with lung problems may have trouble breathing and begin wheezing and coughing. Other reactions may include itching or hives. So many products use fragrance. Hair products, lotions, soaps, home sprays, cleaning products and laundry soaps and dryer sheets. We all may experience some sensory overload with the number of products to which we are exposed. This continuous exposure can become a significant problem for people with sensitivities and allergies. What can be done to avoid annoying and sometimes health-affecting fragrances? The person who is affected can move away from the offensive fragrance, but this can be awkward when you are with a group of people (church, a classroom situation etc.). An air purifier may be helpful to help remove offending particles in a smaller space. A fan can help blow the fragrance or odor out of personal space. Try to communicate to people the need for a fragrance-free environment. It may be helpful to refer them to this article. It can be difficult and embarrassing to ask people to change something in their personal hygiene practice, so if someone should ask you, please be accepting and gracious. In our own church, there are folks who are affected in a very negative way by fragrances. It is common for people to use cologne, perfume or lotion to smell nice, but we don t want to cause problems for people in the sanctuary, so they are reluctant to attend church for fear of a reaction. It is a sensitive subject, but necessary to bring into awareness. Please consider wearing minimal fragrance in church and other areas that can be close and confined. So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them. Matthew 7:12 Your thoughtful consideration is appreciated; comments are invited to Shirley Hess, Parish Nurse, shrlhess@gmail.com or Thank you. May God bless you each and every day and may we all give thanks for all His abundant gifts. Blessings, Shirley Hess, Parish Nurse. 6

7 New Resource: Linked Family When couples ask me to officiate their weddings, I tell them, I don t do weddings. I do marriages. Anyone with $30 and an address can perform a wedding, but marriage is a lifelong commitment that benefits significantly from outside help. We start with marriage education, which is not the same thing as counseling. Marriage and parenting require improvisation. Training and access to useful resources can drastically improve married life and give confidence to couples who face tough parenting decisions. To that end, I m launching a new resource for couples and families of all shapes and sizes: Linked Family, a collection of tips, strategies, links, and resources to strengthen marriages and families. Resources will include articles, video, and more. Topics will include couples, parenting, personal growth, family activities, special needs parenting, and family discipleship, always in the context of the unconditional love of God. I will post content and links on the church website followed by a monthly newsletter with links to those articles. Readers can discuss the resources via the comments field below each article and invite their friends into the discussions. To get the monthly Linked Family newsletter, sign up at linkedfamily.4gvn.us. To get instant notifications of new articles and resources as they re posted, follow Saint James on Facebook or Twitter. Pastor Dale Critchley May Funerals May 19 Harry Erik Hansen Condolences to Jean, his wife of nearly 62 years, his daughter Chris and her husband Leo Rickertsen, and his grandchildren Sarah and Dane. May 20 Alice Krengel Condolences to her daughter, Angela (Lonny) Hall, her sons, Rick and Trevor, and her sisters, Diane (Hans) Reinhardt, Sue (Brad) Brown, and Carolyn (Wayne) Franklin. Pre-Service Hymn Sing It is a summer tradition at Saint James, when we have only one 9:00 service on Sunday mornings, to give people a chance to request their favorite hymns. We take 15 minutes or so before the service begins to sing some of your favorites. If you hear singing when you arrive for church, that does not necessarily mean that you are late for church. Come on in and join the unrehearsed choir. 7 May 26 Emmett Parker Condolences to his friends Mark & Juli Kinzer and Sofie and Jim Kinzer.

8 Vacation Bible School Find Your Way Saint James Lutheran Church 460 W. Annapolis St. West St. Paul, MN (Church is located two blocks west of Smith Avenue on Annapolis) August 1-5, :30-11:30 am each day Saint James VBS Presents Bible Lessons with: Skits, Videos, Puppet Shows, Fun Games, Songs, Crafts, lots of Lively Singing, Music & Fun-filled Ways to Learn Bible Passages! Message To Parents: The safety of your children is very important to us. For the safety of your child, we ask parents & caregivers to bring their children directly to the teaching area where their teacher will be waiting for them and then personally pick up your child and sign them out at the end of V.B.S. at 11:30 am each day. Maps and signs inside the building will help parents remember where their child s class is located. If parents wish to have their child escort him/herself out of the building at the end of VBS, they can indicate that desire on the registration form below. Active games & refreshments will be served each day, so if your child has dietary restrictions or physical limitations, please indicate those details on the registration form. THERE IS NO CHARGE for our Vacation Bible School. Saint James offers our VBS to the community the way God offers salvation to our world freely. If parents wish to help contribute to the cost of materials, T-shirts, buttons, arts and crafts and refreshments, they are certainly welcome to do so, but it is not required. It is our custom to gather a mission offering on Thursday of VBS, that serves the needs of children. A letter will be sent home on Wednesday explaining this year s mission project, we invite families to participate in it. No pressure will be put on the children to participate. Also all children & families are invited to attend a special worship service at 9am on Sunday, August 7th where families can hear the children sing some of the songs that they have learned during VBS! We use photos from VBS without names in promotional materials. Please submit a written request to the church office if you want your child s image excluded. Our prayer is that Vacation Bible School will help children realize God s great love for them. God reveals this unconditional love through Jesus Christ, our Savior! Thank you for filling out the registration form completely so we can serve your child s spiritual welfare in a safe, fun-filled, exciting atmosphere. Thank You! Vacation Bible School Registration Form Aug. 1-5th, 2016 Return to: Saint James Lutheran Church 460 W. Annapolis Street, West St. Paul, MN phone: questions??? Please tthune@saintjameslutheran.com (Please Print) CHILD S NAME: Age: Birthdate: Grade Next Fall: Address: City: State: Zip: Parent s Name (s): Phone: Phone (8:30-11:30 a.m.) Home Church: My Child Was Baptized in a Christian Church: (Circle One) Yes Name of Church in which child was baptized: Has Child attended Saint James VBS before? (Circle One) Yes No Person(s) Authorized to pick up child from VBS each day: No / (Name of person) (phone) (Relationship to Child) (Name of person) (phone) (Relationship to Child) / (Name of person) (phone) (Relationship to Child) (Name of person) (phone) (Relationship to Child) I authorize my child to escort him/herself from V.B.S. at 11:30am each day (Circle one) Yes No Parent s Signature: Date: Should my child become injured or ill during VBS at Saint James, I give permission to medical personnel to provide medical treatment as required for the health and safety of my child. I accept full responsibility for all costs incurred thereby. Signature of parent/legal guardian: date List ALL allergies & health conditions/concerns (food allergies, bee stings, diabetic, asthma, or anything that limits activity or that we 8 should be aware of.)

9 VOLUNTEERS FOR VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL 2016 Find Your Way August 1-5, :30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Daily (teachers hours will be 8:15am-Noon daily) Saint James Lutheran Church W. Annapolis St., West Saint Paul, MN WILL YOU PLEASE HELP? Our congregation at Saint James generously offers our Vacation Bible School program each August free of charge! Our VBS is a dramatic summer outreach program to the youth in our church & to the youth in our area! Because we offer it freely as Christ offers His Love to us freely we rely on financial support & over 60 volunteers each year to make our VBS possible. We want to make sure we have enough teachers, teachers assistants, registration staff, musicians & craft workshop volunteers to properly cover the children we hope will attend VBS this summer. We plan for upwards of 150 children to attend each year. Are you free to help in some way, as a teacher, a helper, a prayer-partner, or with financial support? We will mail invitations to all of our previous VBS students and our current Sunday School students. In addition, we hand out invitations in our neighborhood. Will you please help with this exciting community event? Please look at the opportunities below and please plug in where you can help. To insure the safety of youth in our church Saint James requires background checks for all volunteers who work with children. Find your niche and plug in! Thank you! VBS VOLUNTEER FORM 2016 Find Your Way August 1-5, 2016 NAME: ADDRESS: PHONE: INSTRUCTIONS: Mark each area with an X SPIRITUAL SUPPORT Pray regularly for V.B.S. FINANCIAL GIFT to help pay for our regular costs of Tshirts ($1500), water bottles ($200) & other snack & craft supplies. $ Donations of frozen bread dough (for our baker!), black sharpie markers, SPECIAL SERVICES Give rides to children who need them Serve as a nurse or first-aid resource each day "Adopt" un-churched children & families & encourage them to attend Sunday School after V.B.S Help register students on first day Monday morning Take photos during V.B.S. each day Print & prepare photos for viewing Create a DVD of photos & video for VBS (for Fri) REFRESHMENTS FOR V.B.S. Organize teams of volunteers to prepare & serve each day Help purchase & prepare Refreshments each day Help serve Refreshments on : Mon: Tues: Wed: Thurs: Fri: DECORATE CHURCH FOR VBS THEME Paint church windows (during last week in June) Set up craft areas & decorate in narthex & fellowship hall PUBLICITY AND PUBLIC RELATIONS Help assemble invitations for mailing Help hand out invitations to homes Make posters & post them around town Produce photo/story for local papers (by July 5th) Advertise our VBS on the website & through TEACHING STAFF Teach a class (Age 16 minimum) Grade preferred Second choice Assist teacher in class (Must be confirmed) Grade preferred Second choice ARTS & CRAFTS: (We have the projects already made! No special experience necessary!) Conduct a craft workshop each day Assist with a craft workshop each day GAMES: Help organize games that fit each lesson Assist running games each day for children (outside) SINGING & MUSIC: Help lead VBS attendees in enthusiastic singing Accompany singing on instrument? BABY-SITTING: Babysit teachers children each day during V.B.S. PLEASE RETURN THIS to the church immediately, 9 so we can properly plan for V.B.S. THANK YOU!!

10 A3 All Ages Activity Celebrating the Ascension of Jesus in May with rocket building & launch day! Save the Date: Summer Youth Events Contact Terese ( , for more information or to sign up for these events! June noon - Canoeing & Kayaking June 13th-17th - Theater Week June 11am - Church Picnic June 7pm - Mission Trip Meeting June 9am - Valley Fair July 10th-16th - Chicago Mission Trip July 7pm - High school Bible Class Bonfire July 7:30pm - VBS Volunteer Meeting July noon - VBS Volunteer Meeting July 29th-31st - VBS set-up Aug 8:30am - VBS Sept 9:15am - Sunday School begins Sept 5pm - Confirmation begins Sept 23rd-25th - A3 Event Camp Croix 10

11 June 2016 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 10:30am Good Samaritan :00am Men s Bible Study :00am Divine Service with Holy Communion 6:30pm Evening SonRise Contemporary Worship 10:00am Romans Bible Class 7:00pm Education Committee Meeting 5:30pm Jam Session 10:00am Lilydale 12:00pm Kayaking/ Canoeing/Sailing 8:00am Women s Bible Study 3:30pm Noack/Fox Wedding 5:30pm Noack/Fox Wedding Rehearsal :00am Worship Service 10:00am White Pine Inver Grove Heights 6:30pm Evening SonRise Contemporary Worship 7:30pm Evangelism Committee Meeting 10:00am Romans Bible Class 2:00pm Wilder 514 6:00pm Self-Defense Class 9:00am Wilder 512 9:00am 12:00pm Exploring Hope Theater Camp :00am Divine Service with Holy Communion 6:30pm Evening SonRise Contemporary Worship 10:00am Romans Bible Class 7:00pm Stewardship Committee Meeting 5:00pm Hess/ Livingston Wedding Rehearsal 7:00pm Family Game Night 8:00am Women s Bible Study 3:00pm Hess/ Livingston Wedding :00am Worship Service 11:00am Outdoor Worship & Church Picnic at Cherokee Park 6:30pm Evening SonRise Contemporary Worship in Fellowship Room 7:45pm Elders/Vestry 10:00am Romans Bible Class 6:00pm Youth Committee Meeting 7:00pm Mission Trip Meeting 11 9:00 am Valley Fair