Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
For a church of our size, our weekly attendance at Bible Classes and Sunday School is probably comparable to that of other Missouri Synod Lutheran congregations. It’s not bad, but it’s not great, either. It could be better. But then, every aspect of our church life – church attendance, participation in Church events and activities – could always be better. That’s true of every church I’ve ever known. It’s true of St. Paul, too.
Please don’t get me wrong, for I don’t want you to view these words as a complaint – not by any stretch of the imagination. But the plain fact of the matter is that God wants us to hear and study His Word. Not just for an hour or so on Sunday morning during the Worship Service, but often – frequently – repeatedly – in every day of our lives. That’s why we offer multiple opportunities to hear and study God’s Word in addition to the Divine Service:
- Sunday Morning Bible Class is held each week at 9:00 a.m. in the Church basement. The subject matter on Sundays is usually topical in nature. For example, prior to starting our current examination of what other denominations teach and believe, we studied creation, end times and the Person of God the Son.
- Sunday School for school-age children (through and including teens) is also held on Sundays at 9:00 a.m. This year the Sunday School students will be focusing on becoming more familiar with the Bible – the people, the events, the 66 books, and God’s overall plan for the salvation of His people revealed in every page of Scripture.
- Tuesday evening (6:30 p.m.) and Wednesday morning (9:00 a.m.) Bible Classes focus on study of specific books of the Bible and the events that they recount. Last Fall we studied the Book of Ruth and discovered that this short (only four chapters) book tells us much about God’s plan for the redemption of His people. For quite some time now we studied the history of the Children of Israel from the time of Joseph through the bondage years in Egypt, the exodus and 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, and finally their readiness to cross the Jordan River and enter the long-promised Promised Land. This week we will begin our study of the book of Joshua, learning what happened when they finally did make it to the other side of the Jordan.
Ask any of the current Bible Class or Sunday School attendees, and I think (or at least I hope) they’ll tell you that we have some great discussions in those classes. You don’t have to be a Bible expert to attend. Although we always encourage discussions, you really don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to. Listening … digesting … and learning … is good.
And so I’m simply making this request: sometime in the next few weeks, make a point to visit a Bible Class here at St. Paul and encourage all children – children, grandchildren or guests – to come to Sunday School. If you’re interested in learning more about one specific subject, just let me know and we’ll look at covering it in the future. We always have space for more people and we can always set up a few more chairs. I think you’ll enjoy the classes. And I guarantee that you’ll learn something new.
In Christ,
Pastor Terry O’Brien
LOOKING AHEAD...
Everybody loves a parade … and there’s no better place to watch the annual Pana Labor Day Parade than from right here at St. Paul. Once again this year we’ll be handing out free water and coffee to parade goers from the corner of Fourth and Kitchell Streets during the Pana Labor Day Parade on Monday, September 6. Be sure to stop by the tent and pick up some cool (or hot) refreshment.
St. Paul Choir Rehearsals begin on Wednesday, September 8. For what some would consider to be a relatively small church, St. Paul is blessed with a strong music program featuring both a Bell Choir and an Adult Choir. Rehearsals for both begin on Wednesday, September 8, with the Bell Choir meeting at 5:30 p.m. and the Adult Choir practicing at 6:30. If you’d like to learn more about one or both opportunities to serve our Lord through your musical talents, contact Carol Wilcox (Bell Choir) or Irma Waddington (Adult Choir).
The 2010-2012 Junior Confirmation Class classes will begin on September 12.
If you know of a young person in grades 6, 7 or 8 who would like to become a communicant member of St. Paul Lutheran Church, contact Pastor O’Brien. Classes will be held from September 2010 to May 2011 – and following a break for the summer, will resume in September 2011 in preparation for Junior Confirmation on Palm Sunday, 2012. Classes are one hour long and will be held each Sunday immediately following the Divine Worship Service.
St. Paul Sunday School Classes resume on September 12 at 9:00 a.m. All children and youth (ages 5 through high school) are encouraged to attend.
Saturday, September 25 is Fall Clean-Up Day at St. Paul. Beginning at 9 a.m., we’ll be doing some sprucing up both inside and outside the Church. In addition to general clean-up, projects will include removal of the bushes at the entrance/exit on Kitchell and the much-needed addition of lighting to the east end of the parking lot. Any and all volunteers are greatly appreciated!
The St. Paul Summer Picnic – originally scheduled for July 24 and postponed due to the dangerously hot and stormy weather – has been rescheduled for Sunday, October 17, beginning at 4:00 p.m. The picnic will be held at the Parsonage, but in the event of bad weather will be moved to the Church basement.
The annual joint Reformation Service sponsored by St. Paul and five other Central Illinois congregations will be held at St. Paul Pana this year on the afternoon of Sunday, October 31. St. Paul was instrumental in implementing this service in 1986, and the last time we hosted the service for our neighboring congregations was 2004. In addition to a mass choir to be directed by St. Paul Choir Director Irma Waddington, we will be responsible for providing a light meal following the service, and in early October we’ll be asking for volunteers to help with that meal.
Tour the Luther Sites in May 2011!
There is still room for a few more to join Central Illinois District President David Bueltmann and CID Church Extension Fund Director Dave Rohe on a nine-day tour of the historic German Luther sites, including the “home” of the Reformation, Wittenberg Germany. The group will tentatively leave Bloomington, Illinois on Tuesday, May 10, 2011, arriving in Frankfurt, Germany on Wednesday morning.
Participants will then spend the next eight days visiting the sites where Luther taught, preached and was instrumental in the reformation of the church. Sites to be visited include Worms, Leipzig, Eisenach, Eisleben, Berlin, Rothenburg, Mansfeld, Schmalkalden, Grimma, and especially Wittenberg. Included will be tours of the Wartburg Castle, Luther’s birth and death houses, the Luther museum, and the churches where Paul Gerhardt and Johann Sebastian Bach served.
This trip is scheduled for May 10-18, 2011, and an additional day may be added. The itinerary listed above is tentative, and some changes may be made to the final listing. There will be room for 25-30 individuals and hotel accommodations will be based on double occupancy. All travel in Germany will be by chartered coach driven by an English-speaking German Pastor. Breakfast (at the hotels) and evening meals are included in the cost of the trip. The tentative cost per person is currently estimated to be approximately $2,250.
If you are interested in participating, please contact Dave Rohe
at drohe@cidlcms.org, or call him at 217-793-1802.
Congratulations
...to all members of St. Paul Lutheran Church who are celebrating birthdays or wedding anniversaries during the month of June. Please send any additions or correction to Barb Turner in the Church Office.
September birthdays:
3 Amanda Hunter
3 Scott Turner
5 Mona Snyder
6 Lee Eilers
6 LouAnn Horsley
8 Maxine Gordon
9 Chris Eilers
9 Barb Hilton
9 Kerstin Kresin
9 Carl Marcin
10 Trudy Viconne
13 Chelsey Williams
14 Tom Bingaman
17 Bill Merrifield
23 Vernon Benson
25 Katelyn Lees
26 Audrey Miller
27 Rebecca Easton
28 Kelli Smith
30 Joann Miller
September Anniversaries:
2 John and Sonna Livesay (38th)
5 Randy and Nancy Ashcraft (39th)
5 Mark and Tracy Craig (19th)
9 Lynn and Chris Bishop (43rd)
Serving Our Lord in His House during June
Communion Assistant: Tim Karbach
Elder on Duty: Dr. Joe Marcin
Altar Guild: Cindy Schmitz, Carol Wilcox
Acolytes:
Sept. 5: Allison Kresin, Josh Simac
Sept. 12: Mackenzie Bingaman, Anna Simac
Sept. 19: Christa Bingaman, Allison Kresin
Sept. 26: Mackenzie Bingaman, Josh Simac
Ushers:
Adam Cross, Head Usher
Sept. 5: Rich Amling, Dan Lees
Sept. 12: Bob Grotts, Rick Wilcox
Sept. 19: John Livesay, Jerry Stone
Sept. 26: Steve England, Mark Miller
Greeters:
Sept. 5: Gene and Patty Craig
Sept. 12: Dan and Dodie Lees
Sept. 19: Bill and Georgette Merrifield
Sept. 26: Carolyn Koons, Pat Williams
