The Epistle www.stpaulcalhan.org October 2015 St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church, 1450 5 th St., Calhan, CO 80808 719-347-2798 Pastor s Letter for October- - 2015 Dear sisters and brothers in Christ, Peace be with you! It is getting close! In 2017, we will celebrate the 500 th anniversary of Martin Luther s posting the 95 theses on the Cathedral door in Wittenberg, Germany. Already, the church is planning its celebration for this historic event, which many regard as the fire that ignited the Reformation. We celebrate this day on October 31 with the Sunday just prior to that date as Reformation Sunday. This year we will recall this important day on October 25, 2015. It is disputed whether Martin Luther actually nailed these statements to the door of the church, but it is not disputed that they contain his hopes and dreams of a reformed church. From that day and from his writings and his prayer to change the Roman Catholic Church of his day, a reforming movement continues to this very day. We are called Lutherans but Martin Luther would much have preferred that we were all called Christians. He did not want to begin a new church but rather, as the word denotes, REFORM it. Luther s understanding of grace and gift and freedom has stood the test of time. It is only by God s grace that we are saved. We cannot by any means live totally and completely as God would desire and we cannot by our own will live into an eternity. We often talk about works and how believing enough, praying enough, serving enough, praising enough will never allow us access into God s glorious kingdom. Rather, we are promised a place in God s kingdom because of Jesus death, resurrection, and ascension. We are not saved by accepting Jesus into our hearts, because by Love, Jesus is already there. Rather we are saved because Christ has accepted us and gave his life for us. Sometimes, this understanding of God s grace gets those of us who hold tightly to it in trouble with other Christian sisters and brothers. The prevailing thought is: Well, in that case why live holy lives? Why attempt to live as Christ wanted us to live? Why pray? Why worship? Why bother each week to thank God and ask for God s forgiveness. These are all reasonable questions. But.. but.. it is our belief that because of God s grace and love, Christ s death, resurrection and ascension, Jesus promise to come again and to bring us home we pray, praise, feast on God s Word, take and eat Jesus very body and blood; serve and live lives out ON THE INSIDE... 2 Birthdays & Anniversaries / Preschool News 4 Calendar 3 Social Ministry 5 Servants
Page 2 October 1 Paul Kernan 5 Hunter K. Burch 6 Jo Kitchen 7 Sally Fosha 15 Janice Peterson 16 Carla Turner 18 Khloe Bartling 19 Parker Burch 23 Stacie McCrary 28 Austin Strobel 29 Kristi Heikkila Linda Slothower 30 Lloyd Kitchen 31 Richard Neitzel Karen Rau Cohen Slothower continued from front page The Epistle of thankfulness for all God has done for us and the promised life to come. Reformation Sunday offers us the opportunity to renew this belief and promised grace. It is another opportunity to offer thanks to God by lives that are not manipulated by the latest faith fad or the domination of others who insist that we accept Jesus into our hearts first. That is not grace. I invite you to join your sisters and brothers each and every Sunday as we gather to thank God for the love and grace poured for us each and every day again and again. I will look forward to seeing you all around the table of Grace. I am your shepherd and servant, +Pastor Tim Happy Anniversary 8 Brenda / Kevin Nielsen 12 Jenny / Jake Bartling 24 Linda / David Slothower +Please let me know if a birthday or anniversary has been missed. amfowler@skybeam.com Thank you.
The Epistle Page 3 SOCIAL MINISTRY MUSINGS Submitted by: Nancy Rowles What a whirlwind month it was! There were several projects going on that St. Paul members were involved in Six cellophane wrapped baskets/items donated by members of St. Paul were delivered to Lutheran Family Services (LFS) in Colorado Springs for the silent auction at their Innkeeper Dinner on Saturday, Sept. 19 th. The dinner is an annual event to raise money for the wonderful programs that LFS offers here in Colorado: refugee services, adoption and foster care services, and senior services. Three of the baskets were of books, one baby quilt, one of fall gardening objects, and one of Fair Trade/Equal Exchange items. The total. estimated value of the baskets/items was $245.00. Thank you to those who donated these things! The ELCA God s Work. Our Hands National Day of Service on Sunday, September 13 th was a fruitful effort here at St. Paul to minister to others. It began with Pastor commissioning the congregation to love and serve others in our efforts during the afternoon. Following a potluck meal of juicy burgers, members chose from the three options available for service: quilting for Lutheran World Relief; letter writing to service personnel, college students, and shut-ins; and cleaning up the Juris Slovak National Cemetery. Supplies and costs were paid for by a Thrivent Action Project grant. Twenty-six members participated in the activities: 19 for the cemetery clean-up, 4 for quilting, and 3 for letter writing. This is the first year that alternatives were provided to the main service activity. Positive comments were expressed and they will be offered again next year. Many thanks to all who participated and gave of their time and talents! Check out our new updated website at stpaulcalhan.org! Carolyn Gardner, our St. Paul webmaster, has given the website a new look in order to be more attractive and user-friendly to perspective members plus keep it current with news and photos from recent events. Efforts will be made to show members (with their permission, of course) engaging in the activities and happenings that make our community here at St. Paul special. Upcoming events will also be publicized, so be sure to check back often to keep up with the latest at stpaulcalhan.org! Although it is barely October, Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Each year, the Ministerial Alliance works hard to provide funds for Thanksgiving meals to area families whose sparse budgets do not allow for any extras at this holiday time. The cost for an average-sized family of four is $50 (some family units are larger or smaller) although any amount will be gratefully accepted. The Ministerial Alliance will issue gift cards to redeem at Woolseys (for food only) to those families who qualify. Donations may be money or checks made out to St. Paul and deposited in the offering box in the Narthex. Please consider giving towards this community effort to assist others in our midst. The deadline to donate money is Sunday, November 15 th. God s Work. Our Hands.
Page 4 The Epistle 1 2 3 4 19 th Sunday after Pentecost 5 6 7 8 10:30 - *Kidsight Vision Schreening 9 10 Youth Group planning meeting. After Worship 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 20 th Sunday after Pentecost 1pm Bible Study @ St. Paul 12pm-Fostering Hope 5:30pm-Venture Crew 18 St. Luke Evangelist Sunday School 19 20 6:45 - Council 21 22 23 24 Fundraiser Spaghetti Dinner for Guy Sheets 5-7pm 25 Reformation Sunday Annual Congregational Mtg. +Quilting 5:30pm-Venture Crew November 1 10am - Worship 26 1pm Bible Study @ St. Paul 27 28 29 30 31 All Saints Day
The Epistle Page 5 Tasks October 4 October 11 October 18 October 25 Acolytes Guy Sheets Ryan Slauenwhite Christopher Soulier Robert Yirku Altar Guild Asst. Minister George Fosha Sally Fosha Carolyn Gardner John Heikkila Cantors Jim Buranosky Craig Phipps Carl & Diana Strobel Stacie McCrary Darcy Wallace Deb Drew Nancy Rowles Communion Stacie McCrary The Strobels The Bartlings Gregg Doan Hospitality Deb Yirku Ginger Flynn Lector Offering Counter Deb Drew Andrea Fowler Kristi Heikkila Patty Jolly Della Mussey Jeanette Bartling Sally Fosha Ushers Strobels Gregg Doan Austin Strobel The Sheets Family The Bartlings THE EPISTLE Published Monthly by St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church 1450 5th Street Calhan CO 80808 719-347-2798 Andrea Fowler, Congregation Assistant / Editor Pastor Tim Bettger Pastor Tanya Luiten Preschool Director COUNCIL MEMBERS Nancy Rowles President AJ Fowler Vice President Tammy Phipps Secretary Heather Sheets - Member Bob Wusk - Member www.stpaulcalhan.org Office Hours: 8:00 am to 12:00 pm, Tuesday -Friday Pastor Office Hours: 8:00 am to 10:00 am - Mon 9:00 am-12:00 pm - Tues, Wed, & Thur. St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church Mission Statement We at St. Paul Lutheran welcome everyone, equip for discipleship, and send everyone out into the world to make a difference in Jesus name.