St. Paul Dove Saint Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church (The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod) 31 Washington Avenue Batavia, NY 14020 DECEMBER 2017 A Letter From Pastor Werk Dear members and friends of St. Paul Lutheran Church and School, At Christmas time there is a lot of focus on the shepherds and wise men and angels. They are a big part of every Christmas pageant. We remember what they did to announce and celebrate the good news of the baby Jesus birth. Who first announced the birth of Jesus? The angels. Who found the baby and shared the news with their community? The shepherds. Who traveled great distances to see Jesus for themselves and told people along the way who they were looking for? The wise men. It seems to me that we have grown content to let the shepherds and wise men and angels do all the talking at Christmas time. Sure the angels were heavenly heavenly messengers on a divine assignment. They were doing their job for God. But the shepherds were very ordinary, lower class working people. They were not exactly respected in any inner circles of society. And then there are the wise men. They are certainly upper crust people, wealthy and respected. But they are foreigners. They are outsiders. Yet every year we leave it to these people to pass on the Christmas story of Jesus and His birth. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Luke 2:10 (NIV) This little piece of the angel s message reminds us of something. This good news is for all people, not just a select few. And when anyone gets really good news, they are eager to share that news with someone else. The good news about Jesus is the same no matter who shares it. Jesus has come to save us from our sins and restore our relationship with God our Father. Jesus is the demonstration of God s love for us. That is good news that anyone can share. It doesn t matter who is doing the talking. Whenever the message is about Jesus, it is good news. The story of Jesus birth is good news that you can share too. I am sure there are people you know that could benefit from hearing this good news this Christmas. You don t need to be a shepherd or a wise man or an angel. Just be yourself and tell the story of our Savior Jesus being born into our world a little baby on mission to save us from our sins and give us life eternal. As long as the message is about Jesus, you have truly good news to share. On Wednesday, December 20 at 6:30 pm our St. Paul School children will present a Christmas program that will help get this message across in a very entertaining way. Come and see how clearly the story of Jesus comes across no matter who the messenger might be. We are a family of disciples using every gift that Jesus gives us to take the heart of Jesus to the heart of our community and to bring our community to Jesus. Pastor Allen Werk Church Allen A. Werk, Pastor (585) 721-4218 Louise Fleming, Parish Nurse Chuck Bobo, Custodian Michele Striejewske, Admin Ass t Office: (585) 343-0488 Fax: (585) 344-0470 Email: stpaulbatavia@gmail.com School Ann Werk, Principal, 4 & 5th (585) 343-0488 Jason Clark, 2nd & 3rd Jan Shetler, K & 1st Deb Porter, Pre-K 3yr & 4yr Donna Luce, Pre-K Aide Diane Cain, Speech Therapist Tess Garland, School Nurse Erin Dawson, Librarian Erin Glaus, Occupational Therapist Jamie Masters, Physical Therapist In this Issue December Worship Schedule Birthdays Poinsettia Orders Lutheran Hour Ministries Sr. Choir Rehearsals ER Singers Rehearsals Noontime Bible Study Quilters Ladies Night Out Praise Band Needs You Sign Language Choir Bell Choir Rehearsals Glimmer of Love Tree Stained Glass Windows School News & Events Sunday School News Note from Church Treasurer United Way Employee Giving LWML News & Events 5 Server Schedules 6 Monthly Calendar 7 2 3 4
Page 2 St. Paul Dove SPECIAL WORSHIP SCHEDULE 12/3 Glimmer of Love Tree Lighting Ceremony Advent Begins 12/10 ER Singers Christmas Musical 8:30am 12/17 Sunday School Christmas Program 9:45am 12/20 School Christmas Program & Bake Sale 6:30pm 12/24 4th Sunday of Advent 10am 12/24 Christmas Eve Festival Worship 7pm 12/25 Christmas Day Worship 10am 12/31 New Year s Eve 8:30am & 11:00am & Brunch 9:45a Listening Aid Devices Are available in the podium near the tower entrance to be used during services. Please help yourself. 12/1 Cole, Dick 12/1 Wahl, Megan 12/2 Klafehn, Pat 12/2 Scroger, Duane 12/4 Crupi, Tony 12/4 McComb, Peggy 12/4 Yandow, Sarah 12/5 Hinz, Ruth 12/5 Kabel, Nate 12/8 Berry, Jean 12/9 Hinz, Tim 12/10 Burch, Courtney 12/10 Burch, Nissa 12/10 Burroughs, Ron 12/10 Pangrazio, Susan 12/13 Clark, Rick 12/13 Coolbaugh, Jacob HAPPY BIRTHDAY! May the Lord bless you as you celebrate your birthday, and may His blessing follow you through the coming year! 12/15 Marchese, John 12/15 Rood, Ruthanne 12/16 Clattenburg, Al 12/19 Fleming, Paul 12/19 Marchese, Steven 12/23 Seward, Brenda 12/24 Kabel, Kyleigh 12/24 Taylor, Michelle 12/24 Weicher, Gabriel 12/27 DeMare, Daniel 12/29 Maier, Dylan 12/29 Maier, Erik 12/29 Maier, Trevor 12/29 Prospero, Joe 12/31 Berry, John 12/31 Weicher, Joanna POINSETTIA ORDERS Poinsettia plants will again decorate the altar for the celebration of Christmas. If you would like to purchase a poinsettia, order forms are available in the Narthex. They are $10 per plant and you can have the plant placed on the altar In Memory of a loved one or As a Thank Offering & Praise. Orders must be received by December 18th. Poinsettia s can be taken home after the Christmas Day Service. Thank you. DECEMBER 2017 December 3 "Advent Adventure" Sometimes our faith gets weaker, sometimes it grows stronger. Let's take this Advent to heart, and "live by faith, and not by sight." (Mark 13:24-37) December 10 "Prep Time" Preparing for Christmas is quite different than preparing for Christ. Today's Lutheran Hour message explores those differences. (Mark 1:1-3) December 17 "Life Narrows Down" John the Baptist had a passion for the Lamb of God. What's your passion in life? How far into the future will it take you? (John 1:6-8, 19-28 (John testifies to Christ)) December 24 "The Greatest Story Ever Told" What is your favorite story? This Christmas Eve Day, The Lutheran Hour speaks about God's greatest story. (Luke 1: 30-32a) December 31 "Children of Promise" Our identity as God's children encourages us to live in His grace, to embrace the freedom Jesus won, and to resist the ways of the world that strive to keep us captive. (Galatians 4:4-7)
Page 3 SENIOR CHOIR REHEARSALS By Kathy White, Sr. Choir Director Sr. Choir meets weekly in the organ loft between services at 10:20a 10:45a. We hope you will join us. ER SINGERS REHEARSALS By Ann Werk, ER Singers Director ER Singers will meet on December 3 & 10 at 5p. NOONTIME BIBLE STUDY By Jackie Blank, Bible Study Leader Who do you rely on? Are you independent & take care of everything yourself? Maybe you seek help when your situation is complicated or hard. There are times when it is easier if another person is offering help & support. What about your relationship with Jesus? Do you rely on Him at all times or only for the big stuff? On Tues., Dec. 5, we will study Jesus Christ Above All found in the Fall LWML Quarterly, pages 22-23. Come spend a little time looking at God s Word as we consider our relationship with God, looking at Isaiah 4 and other passages. Meet in the library, bring your lunch and join in a little social time before hand or eat your lunch during the study. All are welcome and a copy of the study is available. QUILTERS By Jackie Blank Can you help? The quilters could use you! Especially needed are people to tie or pin. You do not have to commit to coming every week. Even if you are available only occasionally, you can come and help provide warmth for those in need. If you have never worked with us before, we would enjoy having you come and see what we do. CLEAN donations are always appreciated and may be left at any time downstairs in the quilter s room to the left of the stage. We especially can use items for fillers to make the quilts warm. Some suggested donations would include blankets, mattress pads, comforters and other warm materials. They do not have to be in good shape as they will be covered with a top and bottom, but we do ask that they be clean. LADIES NIGHT OUT On December 7 at 6:30pm we will meet in Memorial Hall to do Christmas Crafts!! Join us for an evening of crafting and fun! Cost is $5.00 person to cover the cost of materials. We ll make 4 treat jars, an ornament (or two) AND a have a Cookie Exchange! Bring 2-3 dozen cookies and you ll take home 2-3 dozen cookies! Attendance is limited, so sign up asap at LWML table. PRAISE BAND NEEDS YOUR HELP The Praise Band needs your help. We are in need of any musicians or singers to lend their talents for worship during the Contemporary Service at 8:30 a.m. each Sunday. The goal is to have enough participants to create a rotation schedule which would allow everyone an opportunity to praise the Lord in our own special way. If you have any questions or want to find out what more is involved, please contact Kathy White or Tom Maier. SIGN LANGUAGE CHOIR REHEARSALS By Linda Eick, Sign Language Choir Director We will not be rehearsing during the month of December. BELL CHOIR REHEARSALS By Linda Eick, Bell Choir Director Bell Choir Rehearsals will be every Tues. at 6:30p in December, except on the 26th there will not be practice. We will be playing prelude on December 24th at 10:00 a.m. for the 4th Sunday in Advent Service. We will also be playing the prelude on December 24the for the Christmas Eve Festival Worship Service at 7:00 p.m. GLIMMER OF LOVE TREE LIGHTING CEREMONY Holidays are joyful and full of laughter and love for most, however, there are some whose hearts are missing time spent with loved ones who have either passed on or who are serving their country. If you would like to join us for a tree lighting ceremony in honor or in memory of a loved one please join us today when we will light the tree while remembering our loved ones this Christmas season. If you would like to have your loved one s name on the tree, please fill out a form. The donation is $5 per name. Names submitted after the date of the ceremony will still be added to the tree. All proceeds to go to help with the cost of the Stained Glass Window repairs. STAINED GLASS WINDOWS If you joined us on Sunday, Nov. 12 for the Voter s Meeting, then you know that the stained glass window above the altar is going to be repaired as it was voted on and approved. If you feel led to donate towards the repair, please be sure to pick up an envelope marked Stained Glass Windows from the ledges in the Narthex. Be sure to write Stained Glass Window on your memo line of your check. We thank you in advance for your generosity.
Page 4 Dec 5 School Board Meeting @ 6:00 p.m. Dec 15 Field Trip to Attica & Arcade Railroad Dec 20 School Christmas Program and Bake Sale 6:30 p.m. Dec 22 Jan 1 Christmas Break No School Thank you to those who came out to support St. Paul School at the City Slickers Sponsored Dinner. We made a total of $446.00. We are still offering the Main St. Pizza coupon cards at $10 each for those who wish to get a great stocking stuffer. Along with those, we will be offering the Alex s Chicken BBQ Tickets for $11 this year. Anyone interested in purchasing either tickets, please stop by the church office or reach out to any teacher. SUNDAY SCHOOL & THRIVENT ACTION TEAM FOR ALL BABIES CHERISHED St. Paul Sunday School children are working in conjunction with Thrivent Action Team for All Babies Cherished. The project is called BUCKS FOR BABIES. There are baby bottles in the back of the church you can take to fill with change. The children are then going to purchase the needed items to prepare the Welcome Baskets for All Babies Cherished. We will be collecting through December 31, 2017 and assembling the baskets in mid- January. There is a list of items needed on the display table in the Narthex. Please see Nadine DeMare with any questions. SUNDAY SCHOOL NEWS By Sally Scroger, Director Christmas decorating will be held on December 2nd at 9:00 a.m. All are welcome to join us as we decorate God s house for the season. The children will present their program entitled New Star on Sunday, December 17th during the Sunday School Hour at 9:45 a.m. Refreshments will be served following the program. Sunday School teachers will meet on Sunday, January 7th following the Early Service. It will be a short meeting. A NOTE FROM YOUR CHURCH TREASURER At the August Annual Voter s Meeting, a motion was made and passed to form a Committee to review the Church budget and could the Church commit to a specified dollar amount to the school. In an effort to determine whether the church can commit to a specific dollar amount to support the school, the committee was created for the purpose of reviewing the church and school budgets. The committee met twice to analyze the various factors involved and after much deliberation, we do not believe that the church can commit to a specific amount at this time. The school needs approximately $17,000 per month to operate (the largest percentage of that amount is salaries). The majority of income from tuition and other sources is in for this school year. Funds taken in this year cover approximately 6 months of operation. The church is basically operating month to month in terms of meeting regular expenses and other needs are looming in the background including a new boiler, repairs of the stained glass windows and resurfacing the parking lot. It is the committee s recommendation that we maintain status quo at this point and we would encourage the school and school board to continue to cultivate additional sources of revenue. UNITED WAY EMPLOYEE GIVING The United Way has a program called Employee Giving in which you can set up direct giving to St. Paul Lutheran School. If interested, go to site link below to sign up. https://www.uwrochester.org/uwdb/give/givenow.aspx
Page 5 St. Paul Dove D E C LWML NEWS By Sharon Wolff, President Calling all women and girls of St. Paul...come to our Holiday Dinner hosted by LWML. Bring a friend! It will be December 19th in Memorial Hall at 5:30 p.m. Those in bell choir are welcome to stop in and grab an appetizer, go to rehearsal and come back for a meal! It is sure to be a great evening of song, food, fellowship, devotions as we celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus. Our gifts of love will be individually wrapped snacks for the First Responders. LWML DECEMBER MEETING This Month s Theme: Windows of Mercy December 19 5:30 p.m. Gifts of Love: Snacks for First Responders Holiday Potluck Night UPCOMING EVENTS Quilters meet at 9am each Tuesday in the basement of the church. Newcomers are welcome and needed at this time. Bible Study is the first Tuesday of each month in the library. We meet again on Tuesday December 5. Join us early with a bag lunch to enjoy some time before we begin the study promptly at Noon. Ladies Night Out is the first Thursday of the month. Next meeting will be December 7, 6:30pm. The District Convention will be in Niagara Falls June 1-3, 2018. All women are encouraged to pray about attending this function of LWML. It is a great way to see how your mites are used, to build new relationships, to get soul nourishment, and to see what our District is all about. Any woman in the church who has not received the booklet with all the information for the LWML gatherings, please see Ann, Sharon or Jackie. LWML OFFICERS President Sharon Wolff Vice President Jean Berry Secretary Deb Porter Treasurer Evelynn Thielemann Christian Growth Ann Werk Refreshment Chairwoman Cheryl Schrader
SERVING IN DECEMBER 2017 GREETERS 3 E Nancy Dieterle L Canale Family 10 E Ron & Diane Burroughs L Chris, Pat & Steve Klafehn 17 E Cheryl Schrader L Dee Johnson Advent24 10am Frank & Marge Morse C. Eve 24 7pm Walt & June Warner C. Day 25 10am Hazel Brownell 31 E Nelson Foley L Barb Pangrazio LAY READERS 3 E Tom Maier L Darlene Hinz 10 E Charise Donahue L John Canale 17 E John Marchese L Dee Johnson Advent24 10am Sharon Wolff C. Eve 24 7pm None Needed C. Day 25 10am Sharon Wolff 31 E Sue Bobo L Wayne Grefrath COMMUNION ASSISTANTS 3 GREFRATH/EICK 10 WOLFF/WARNER 17 CANALE/BELL 24 10AM EICK/VAN NEST 25 7PM GREFRATH/EICK 31 E WOLFF/WARNER L CANALE/BELL COUNTING TEAMS 3 EICK / M. SEWARD 10 THIELEMANN / M. SEWARD 17 GAMIN / M. SEWARD 24/25 B. SEWARD / M. SEWARD 31 D. LATHAN/M. SEWARD ACOLYTES 3 E Dylan Maier L Chris Klafehn 10 E Maggie DeMare L Nathan Canale 17 E Maddie Gogolack L Henry Rigerman Advent24 10am Austin Williams C. Eve 24 7pm Chris Klafehn C. Day 25 10am Gabe Weicher 31 E Dylan Maier L Nathan Canale ALTAR CARE Cheryl Schrader & Sharon Wolff COMMUNION WARE DEC 3, 17, 25 & 31 : B. Seward & D. Johnson DEC 10, 24, 25, 31: N. Dieterle & D. Lathan ALTAR CARE DEC 3, 10, 17, & 24 AM = BLUE DEC 24 PM, 25 & 31 = WHITE USHERS 3 E Team 7 L Team 6 10 E Team 9 L Team 8 17 E Team 1 L Team 2 Advent 24 10am Team 3 C. Eve 24 7pm Team 5 C. Day 25 10am Team 4 31 E Team 7 L Team 6
Dec-17 St. Paul Lutheran Church & School Calendar Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2 9:00A - CHURCH CHRISTMAS DECORATING 1st Sunday in Advent 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 8:30A - CONTEMPORARY WORSHIP 9:30A - SCHOOL CHAPEL 9:00A - QUILTERS 6:30P - LADIES NIGHT 9:45A - SUNDAY SCHOOL & BIBLE CLASS 10:20A- SR. CHOIR REHEARSAL 11:00A - TRADITIONAL WORSHIP-LS 12:00P - BIBLE STUDY 6:00P - SCHOOL BOARD 6:30P - BELL CHOIR OUT 5:00 ER SINGERS REHEARSAL 2nd Sunday in Advent 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 8:30A - ER SINGERS CHRISTMAS 9:30A - SCHOOL CHAPEL 9:00A - QUILTERS 7:00P - MINISTRY TEAM SCHOOL TRIP TO ATTICA MUSICAL AND WORSHIP - LS 6:30P - BELL CHOIR 9:30A - CIRCUIT MEETING & ARCADE RAILROAD 9:45A - SUNDAY SCHOOL & BIBLE CLASS PASTOR MEETING 10:20A- SR. CHOIR REHEARSAL 11:00A - TRADITIONAL WORSHIP 5:00 ER SINGERS REHEARSAL 3rd Sunday in Advent 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 8:30A - CONTEMPORARY WORSHIP 9:30A - SCHOOL CHAPEL 9:00A - QUILTERS 6:30P - SCHOOL 10:30A - STATE ST. 9:45A - SUN SCHOOL CHRISTMAS PROGRAM 6:30P - ADMIN TEAM MTG 5:30P - LWML HOLIDAY CHRISTMAS PROGRAM MINISTRY 10:20A- SR. CHOIR REHEARSAL POTLUCK AND BAKE SALE 11:00A - TRADITIONAL WORSHIP-LS 6:30P - BELL CHOIR NO SCHOOL CHRISTMAS BREAK 4th Sunday in Advent 24 Christmas Day 25 26 27 28 29 30 10:00A - 4TH SUN IN ADVENT WORSHIP - LS 10A - CHRISTMAS DAY 9:00A - QUILTERS WORSHIP 7:00PM - CHRISTMAS EVE FESTIVAL WORSHIP NO SCHOOL CHRISTMAS BREAK 31 8:30A - CONTEMPORARY WORSHIP -LS 9:45A - NEW YEAR'S POTLUCK BRUNCH 11:00A - TRADITIONAL WORSHIP - LS