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

Transcription

1 S a i n t P a u l s E p i s t l e Published Monthly by S aint Paul s Evangelical Lutheran Church, 371 Wolcott Hill Road, Wethersfield, Connecticut December 2007 Volume 65, Number 1 SYMBOLS OF GODS PROMISE We continue this month by highlighting two more of the symbols that adorn our stained glass windows. Facing the altar they are found to our right, in the window above the choir and in the window above the piano. In the Hand of God window, we God s hand is found in the traditional two fingers curled and two extended pose of divine blessing. As the hand comes from a golden triangle, we are reminded that God our Father is one part of the Holy Trinity, symbolized by the triangle. What does this window remind us? As in the words of Psalm 48, Your name, O God, like your praise, reaches to the ends of the earth. Your right hand is filled with victory. (Emphasis added.) It is in the nature of God to care for his people like a father: protecting, guiding, defending and holding. This promise was not only to the people of Israel as they were freed from enslavement in Egypt by God s mighty hand and outstretched arm. (Deut. 5:15). This promise is there for us, too. Advent is a time of waiting for this promise to be fulfilled in our midst. God s mighty hand is to take on human flesh in the tiny fragile hand of a baby Jesus. And that tiny hand would one day be pierced by the nails of crucifixion God s mighty act of love done for you and me. In our Alpha and Omega window we find the Greek letters Α (alpha) and Ω (omega),the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet superimposed one on the other. These letters remind us of the words in Revelation, I am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty. (Rev. 1:8) In the The Hand of God Window at St. Paul s Church remind us of the con - stant guiding presence of our heavenly Father. The Alpha and Omega window reminds us that Jesus is the first and last, the beginning and the end. King James Version of the Bible, we find these words in Rev. 1:11 coming from the mouth of Jesus. Thus, the Α and Ω, whether superimposed on each other or found separately, refer to Jesus, who is the beginning and the end, the first and last. Why is this important? What promise do two Greek letters hold? They promise us, among many other things, that no matter what life may hold, our faith in Jesus is rock solid. He is from the beginning and will be there at the very last. When all other things in life are impermanent, when relationships can often prove unreliable, when the life we hoped for seems fragile and fleeting, Jesus, our Alpha and Omega, is rock solid there for us, no matter what. And when our faith is rooted in him, it is founded in something that is stronger than death itself. Advent is not merely a time of idle waiting. It is a time of preparation, too. December 16: Star Of Love Christmas Pageant: 10:30AM No 8AM service on the 16th. December 16 at 4PM: Christmas Caroling followed by Pizza! December 24: Christmas Eve! Special Christmas Liturgy and Candlelight: 6 and 10:30PM December 30: One service at 9:30AM Continued on next page

2 Like Lent, Advent offers us the opportunity to prepare our hearts to receive our Lord, who comes to us in the finite and fragile form of an infant, and yet who holds a promise infinite love and eternal life. As we look around at the symbols of our faith, let us take in their message of hope. And the promise born in our Lord is sure. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life. Those who conquer will inherit these things, and I will be their God and they will be my children. Now that s a gift worth waiting for. Pr. Hugh Haffenreffer STAR OF LOVE CHRISTMAS PAGEANT 2007 On Sunday, December 16, at 10:30AM, the Sunday Church School will present Star of Love, a Christmas pageant for the whole congregation. This new Christmas Pageant was introduced last year for the first time and is quite different from the Nativity Festival of past years. It will involve the whole congregation as we, together, celebrate in story and song the birth of our Lord, Jesus. Please plan to invite your family, friends, and neighbors to this special Christmas treat! Please note: There will be no 8:00 service on the 16th. WE SAY GOODBYE TO SETTING TWO! Rumor has it that some people have been staying away from worship because of their dislike for ELW Setting Two. While we can t imagine that anyone would go to that extreme, we do recognize that Setting Two has not been one of our favorites. And so we say goodbye for an indefinite while. Starting in January we will bring back one of our favorite settings, Setting Five from the Blue Hymnal, With One Voice. We hope that this change will bring the alleged boycotters back home to worship where they belong! CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICES SOMETHING NEW! On Christmas Eve, St. Paul s will try something new. Instead of a typical worship service, using a setting from the ELW, we will celebrate Jesus birth with a setting based on the St. James Christmas Service. The St. James Christmas Service has set the words of the traditional liturgy to familiar Christmas carols. Our 6PM service will be geared a bit more toward children and families including a special Christmas message with Marvin. The choir will present festive Christmas anthems to further set the tone. At 10:30, we turn the lights down a bit lower and have a more reflective service. Both services will include Holy Communion. (In an effort to learn from the wisdom, faith and insight of our fellow members, we invite you to submit an essay or letter for inclusion in the Epistle. We thank Emily Lourigan for sharing her discovery.) SOMETHING I VE DISCOVERED There used to be a time when I would come to church and sit and fidget through the announcements. Why can t we just get going with the service? I don t want to sit here while we hear about the food drive and the men s breakfasts. They take up too much time. Then when the music and hymns started it seemed we were finally getting to the worship part -the reason I came to church in the first place. One Sunday, I am not sure when, it came to me. The announcements are part of the worship service. When Les and I came to St. Paul s, one of the things we loved about the congregation was its feeling of community. It seems to me the way that sense of community is fostered is through hearing about what s going on in the congregation. How else would I know if someone needed prayers or if the Bible Study was going to happen on Wednesday? The cookie swap is coming up in December and I didn t know about it till today. There will be a special service after Christmas-I wouldn t have known about that until the epistle came out and then other plans might have been made. What I am trying to say is that I have come to appreciate the announcements as a way to find out that Christ is moving through our congregation and that they are indeed a form of worship as much as the hymns and the prayers. I am grateful the Holy Spirit has shown me that it is possible to worship in more than one way. In Christ s love, Emily Lourigan 2

3 A Christmas Service for the Congregation and its Children St. Paul s Evangelical Lutheran Church Sunday, December 16, :30AM

4 D E C E M B E R DECEMBER BIRTHDAY S 3 Charlotte Homick 4 Richard Carlson 4 Carolyn Champagne 5 Kenneth Baumgartel 7 Carole Hughes 11 Christine Wittkop 11 Serge DeBlois 15 Edith Anderson 15 Brian Beckwith 15 Jim Newmark 16 Dot Matteson 17 Ursula Barr 18 Julie Perry 18 Bethann Vogt 19 Helen Kanupka 20 Mary Baumgartel 26 Peter Vanturas 28 Charles Bengston 30 Timothy Ruppar FOOD PANTRY DONATIONS Many thanks to all who donated food for the needy during November. As a result, our food pantry is well stocked and we have donated food to other food pantries in the area. We will be posting a shopping list on the bulletin board to advise what we need in the future for our food pantry. Outreach Committee CHRISTMAS CARD TREE This Christmas, instead of sending Christmas Cards to your church family, place one card on the Christmas Card Tree and donate what you would have spent in postage and cards to the Fuel Fund to help needy families with their winter fuel bills. The need is increasing, as are costs of fuel oil which is estimated to top $3.00 per gallon this winter. Donations received through December will be sent to Operation Fuel. To donate, make your check out to St. Paul s Church and place Fuel Fund in the memo. Donations may be placed in a separate envelope or in your weekly offering envelope (marked accordingly). Many thanks to all who supported my efforts for the CROP Walk that was held on Oct. 28th. I was able to raise $265 for the cause. Your generosity is greatly appreciated. Blessings, Kyla Anderson. Thank you to the Thursday Group for all that went into the 81 items delivered to the Hawkwing Project in Glastonbury. The items will reach Native American Indian families in South Dakota such as, large & small quilts, hats, booties, gloves, mittens & vest. Blessings, Winnie Sawrun. YOUTH FUNDRAISER The 3rd Annual Cookie Swap sponsored by the St. Paul s Youth. Wednesday December 19th, 7:00 p.m. SHARP Come fill your container for $10.00 and help support our church youth group. Look for the signup sheet will be in the fellowship hall. 4

5 Christmas Poinsettias Once again we will be creating a Memorial Garden for Christmas Eve. If you would like to have a poinsettia plant included in the garden, please make sure your name and the names of those you wish to remember are listed clearly on an envelope (either the one enclosed or one of your own). Also please indicate on the envelope whether you wish to take your plant following the late service on Christmas Eve or have it donated to one of our homebound members. It is most important that you let us know ahead of time whether or not you are taking a plant since all remaining plants will be delivered to our shut-ins. The poinsettias will be ordered from Patrissi s Nursery in West Hartford. The cost will be $10 per plant. Please have your Christmas envelope into the Church Office by December 17. The Flower Chart for 2008 is up in the hall leading into church. If you would like to have flowers placed on the altar for a worship service, please designate the Sunday of your choice by writing your name and the accompanying words that you would like to have printed in the bulletin for that day. Donors may have one or both bouquets following the Sunday services. Available flowers are delivered to those members who are ill or shut-in or who are celebrating special times of joy. Altar Flowers are ordered from Dillon-Chapin Florist, 161 White Street, Hartford, for a cost of $35.00 (two bouquets), but donors may use a florist of their own choosing. Two families may agree to sign up for the same week and share the expense of the flowers if they wish to. If you wish to contribute for Eternal Candle inserts, a $10 donation will provide inserts for one month. SUNDAY SCHOOL NEWS The Children and Teachers have begun to get ready for the Christmas Pageant, Star of Love, which is scheduled for Sunday December 16th at the 10:30 AM service. Children will all need to be at the dress rehearsal on December 15th from Advent is fast approaching. On Sunday December 2nd we will be making Family Advent Wreaths. Please plan to on staying and help make a wreath for your family. Please mark your calendars with the enclosed dates as not to miss any of the Joyous Blessing the season brings. Have a Merry Christmas to all families. Alice Ruppar 5

6 ST. PAUL S MEMBERS IN SERVICE FOR December 2007 ACOLYTES: Linda Anderson, Coordinator, Dec 2 - Gretchen Schultz 9 - Amanda Piscitello 23 - Kaitlin Anderson 24 - Jay Viola 6 PM 24 - Volunteer Needed 10: Erica DeBloise ALTAR GUILD: Linda Anderson, Coordinator, Dec 2 - Jennie Dotts, Betty Lamo 9 - Ann Baledes, Elaine Strecker 16 - No Communion 24 - Anderson, Intravia, Farley, Howe 30 - Volunteer Needed ASSISTING MINISTERS: Kathy Coyle, Coordinator, Dec 2 - Jerry Vaillancourt - 8:00 Kathy Coyle - 10: Mark Bierbaum - 8:00 Kathy Coyle - 10:30-10: Emily Lourgan - 8:00 Kathie Daly - 10: Mark Bierbaum - 6 PM - Jim Newmark - 10: Art Bruce - 8:00 Kathy Coyle - 10:30 COMMUNION ASSISTANTS: Sue Agne, Coordinator, Dec 2 - Lillian Doerschler 9 - Art Bruce 23 - Judy Gerken 24 - Volunteer Needed 10: Carole Hughes EUCHARISTIC MINISTER: Kathy Coyle, Coordinator, Dec - Debbie Howe, Suzanne McDonald TAPING MINISTRY: Crystal Brozynski, Coordinator, Dec - Carole Hughes FELLOWSHIP HOUR HOSTS: Winnie Sawrun, Coordinator, Dec 2 - Debbie & George Howe 9 - Linda, Kyla, & Kaitlin Anderson 23 - Winnie Sawrun & Lillian Doerschler 30 - Helen Peterson & Harriett Fritsch FINANCE: Mary Procyk, Coordinator, Dec 2 - Harriett Fritsch 9 - Cindy Seip 16 - Bob Bowman 23 - Lillian Doerschler 30 - Betty Lamo LECTORS: Lillian Doerschler, Coordinator, Dec 2 - Sue Agne 9 - Carol Bruce 23 - Winnie Sawrun 24 - Vicki Anderson 6 PM - Jim Newmark 10:30 PM 30 - Judy Gerken NURSERY: Ann French, Coordinator, Dec 2 - Russ Correll 9 - Crystal Brozynski, Roxy DeBlois 23 - Heather & Jared Christensen 30 - Russ Correll USHERS: Brian Beckwith,8:00AM Coordinator, Louise Lostocco, 10:30AM Coordinator, Dec 2 - Leslie & Emily Lourigan - 8:00 - Dave Bayek - 10: Leslie & Emily Lourigan - 8:00 - Carol Farley - 10: Leslie & Emily Lourigan - 8:00 - Bob Bowman - 10: Volunteer Needed 30 - George Howe - 10:30 6

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8 Saint Paul s Epistle SAINT PAUL S EV. LUTHERAN CHURCH 371 Wolcott Hill Road Wethersfield, CT RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED SAINT PAUL S EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH WORSHIP SCHEDULE 8:00 and 10:30AM Sunday Church School 9:00AM OFFICERS AND STAFF Rev. Hugh R. B. Haffenreffer, Pastor...Office: (860) Cell Phone: (860) pastorh@stpaulswethersfield.org Office Manager...Janet Vasel: secretary@stpaulswethersfield.org Council President...Brian Beckwith Treasurer...Russell Correll Financial Sect y...mary Procyk Minister of Music...Melissa Cheyney Superintendent of Sunday Church School...Alice Ruppar REMINDERS: Star of Love Christmas Pageant! Sunday, December 16 at 10:30AM NO 8:00AM service on the 16th Christmas Eve Services: 6 and 10:30PM One service on December 30 at 9:30AM December 2007