St. Paul Lutheran Church Monthly Newsletter for June 2012

St. Paul Lutheran Church


Monthly Member Newsletter for June, 2012



• Pastor's Comments: The gardenias are in full bloom. Our small garden lining the south side of the walk leading to our front door is home to several beautiful gardenia bushes. In the morning, when hardly a breeze stirs, the scent of the gardenias greets everyone coming to our home. There is just something about their aroma. No ostentation, no pretense or hypocrisy can be found in the slight, yet unmistakable, fragrance of the blooming gardenias. We love these particular flowers and are so thankful that those who come to visit with us when they bloom always have the kindest comments about them.

We have found that, to keep them healthy, takes a bit of work. Jean and I love our little garden, but we are not gardeners. We don’t enjoy pulling weeds, spraying for insects, pruning, and all the other chores that go into having healthy plants like our gardenias. But enjoy it or not, we have to work at keeping our plants healthy and strong by doing the hard work and the monotonous labor that keeps them healthy enough to bloom and give us and others the joy of their glory.

Let’s think of our congregation as a beautiful garden. Imagine for a moment that each one of us is a treasured plant the Lord has placed here. He has placed us here to cultivate us and develop us. It is His joy to take care of us and to have our lives bloom for the good it brings into our little part of the world. His way of pruning is through the preaching of His Holy Law. It gives us repentant hearts that cast off the sins that we know are bad for us and others. In His beautiful Gospel, He waters us and nourishes us so that our character will bloom in good works borne of faith. The aroma of our lives, lived in faith, makes this world a better place for others. The Lord has planted His garden here at St. Paul. Each of us is His work. As His hand cultivates our lives, we, too, will live the unpretentious and genuine lives that greet others and bring a little happiness to them in life’s journey.
Your Pastor, Denton White


• Sermon Recordings: Sunday sermons are being digitally recorded in audio format. They are available to members or anyone interested. Requests should be made by specifying the Sunday sermon date you want. Please send your requests to: Leo Magiera at Lmagiera@earthlink.net.

• Eagle Scout Project: One of our members, Chase Sammons, worked on a leadership service project which benefits the community. His Eagle Scout project was to organize and complete a “prayer garden” for use by church members and other folks from the surrounding community. Chase and several friends and church members showed up on Saturday, April 28th, to help with his project. Please feel free to sit in this garden, if you have a chance, and reflect on the beauty of our Lord's creation, while expressing your private prayers. Chase is now waiting to hear from the panel of Scout Board Members to learn if he has successfully passed his Eagle Scout position.

• Volunteer Reminder: We do enjoy having snacks available after the services. Please remember to sign up to bring some goodies to enjoy with coffee.

• Potlucks on Hold: We will not have Monday potlucks for the summer months. They will resume in September. An alternate suggestion for a Monday social event for June, July and August would be to attend the Sandhills Community College 2012 Summer Jazz Concert Series. The music is really great ! These dates are: Monday, June 11, Monday, July 9 and Monday, August 13. Concerts are held on the campus lawn and admittance is free. They do offer a picnic BBQ plate beginning at 5 PM at a cost of $7/plate. The concerts begin at 6:30 PM. You need to bring chairs or a blanket to sit on. If it rains, the concert is moved to Owens Auditorium on campus.

• Weekly Bible Study Schedule Announcement: Since many in our congregation travel during the summer months and the pastor is still undecided concerning when he will take his vacation, we will set our sights on beginning Bible Study classes in the Fall, after the Prayer Retreat in September. St. James' Weekly Bible Study is ongoing and open to everyone. It meets at St. James at 6:00 PM on Wednesdays. They welcome everyone.

• Mystery BIO's: Our first mystery couple met while attending college. They previously resided in Cincinnati, Ohio. Retirement, golf and beautiful weather brought them to Pinehurst. They were members of Resurrection Lutheran Church in Cincinnati before moving to NC. She served in the Education field and he was in Business. They enjoy reading, doing some painting (easel type) and mostly playing golf. They also enjoy spending time with their grandchildren when they can. They don't have any pets at present. They have a daughter, Kristen, who is a veterinarian, and a granddaughter Mia (4 yrs. old) and a grandson Simon (2 yrs. old), and Kristin and family reside in Duluth, Georgia, where their son-in-law owns a business. They enjoy golfing in Arizona, California, Florida and Hilton Head, SC.





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Our second mystery couple met at New York Telephone Company in Manhattan. Before moving to Southern Pines, they resided in several areas: Poughkeepsie NY, Cary NC, and Vass NC. He actually was transferred to Cary by his employer in NY and then retired to our area. Their previous church affiliation was Our Savior Lutheran Church in Southern Pines. His work before retiring was with IBM. Their joint interests/hobbies are golf, reading and doing puzzles. They have two daughters: Judith Holt of Oxford, NC, and Joanne Ross of Creedmore, NC. Their grandchildren are Jessica Holt of Cary, NC, and Michael and Zeb Page, grandsons who live in Creedmore. Their favorite places to visit are Disney World and Myrtle Beach.


• Notes from your Church Council President:

1. I would like to thank all of you who have placed your orders for the new hymnals. Our council treasurer reports we now have orders for 50 hymnals, but we do need 80 to handle our needs at this time. If you have not already placed your order, there are still order forms on the table in the back of the church.

2. We have now purchased a new copier, truly needed. Our old copier could not be repaired because parts were no longer available. Monies received from Thrivent were very helpful with this purchase. Also, the copier supplier was very kind in giving us a good price.

3. Just a reminder about the organ fund. We are nearing the half year point, and we have not reached the halfway point on our $5,000 challenge. Please think about adding a few extra dollars each week to your offering and designate it for the “Organ Fund”.

4. At the time you are reading this newsletter, Pastor White and I will have attended the LCMS Southeastern District Convention in Virginia Beach, VA. The theme of the convention was “Till All Have Heard – Connecting People With Christ.” We will have elected a new Synod President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer.

George Venet, your Church Council President



• Prayer Requests: If you have a prayer request, put it in the pastor's mailbox or send it via email or call on his phone. Help your pastor care for you. Nothing is as powerful as prayer. Please keep Jim Roberts in your prayers and George Venet's brother, Bill, who recently suffered a stroke. Also please pray for the family of Larry Leslie of St. James (he was called by the Lord on March 19), Matt Sobel, a nephew of the Jensens, and also Patricia McCarthy.


• Pastoral Office Hours: Please call or email Pastor (dentonwhite61@nc.rr.com) for an appointment Monday through Friday if in need of pastoral assistance/guidance. You may request to be met at St. Paul Church or at your home.


• Ladies Bible Study / “Eve Circle”: The Thursday women's Bible study group is called “Eve Circle.” We meet on the first and third Thursday of each month, beginning at 5:45 pm. We will do a Bible study on the first Thursday and a Service Project on the third Thursday. “Coffee with our Savior” will be used as our Bible Study plan, and then we'll go out for dinner afterwards. Our Service Projects (done on the third Thursday of the month) will vary, and we will bring our own dinner so we can continue to work on these projects the entire evening. Anyone is welcome to join us for one of both of these monthly get-togethers. (Shirley Wake/Louise Jensen)

• “Friends of St. Paul Name and Address List”: There is a copy of our present members and friends list on the desk in the back of church. Please review this list and mark any changes or corrections on it. From time to time, John Wake will make the changes/corrections and put new copies on the desk in church. (John Wake)


• Birthdays in June: 6/1 Char Magiera 6/17 Nora Sinclair

6/2 Sondra Nelson 6/24 Arleene Perry

6/10 Kay Beran


• Anniversaries in June:

 6/5/65 Glenn & Ethel Ahrendt 6/14/47 Priscilla & Joe Loomis

6/7/58 Sandy & Jim Manninen 6/21/68 Chris & Alan Mimms

6/11/55 Marge & John Buttons 6/21/69 Jean & Terry Davis

6/11/60 Anne & Henry Fuhrmann

Congratulations to all, but a special Happy 65th Anniversary on 6/14 to Priscilla and Joe !!! ☺



• Weekday Bible Study: St. James Church, Wednesdays from 6 to 7 pm.



• Prayer Ministry: St. James invites you to gather for prayer on Saturdays, 10:00 am.


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• Organ Fund: Please keep in mind that we do have a fund in place to collect money for the replacement of our aging organ. Consider giving to this important fund to keep the beautiful music continuing to our Lord's glory. Folks have been generous in giving, but there's still lots more funding needed to upgrade our organ. And, keep in mind, we are challenged by one of our members to collect a total of $5,000 by the end of the year, and then they will match the $5,000. Such a deal !

• Choral Recruits: In line with providing beautiful music to our Lord's glory, our little “choir” is looking for new recruits. If you feel that you can hold a tune and would like to try us out, please join us Sundays at 8:30 am when we begin rehearsing before service. We really need new voices in all areas. (Contact Sondra Nelson or Karen Dickens)


• Food for Coalition: St. Paul donates cans of stew, vegetables and fruits to the Coalition in Southern Pines. Please place these items in the basket in the back of the church.


• Thrivent Financial News: It gives me great pleasure to announce that John Wake has agreed to be a Congregational Advocate for St. Paul. He will be backing up Louise Jensen who is the Lead Advocate. They will interface with the Pines Chapter Board of Directors for any Thrivent Financial activities. I am also happy to announce that the Pines Chapter Board of Directors has approved a donation of $50 for two new hymnals for St. Paul.


The five churches that make up the Pines Chapter of Thrivent for Lutherans will again sponsor a “Socks for Souls” event. Each church will collect new socks of any size and gender during the months of July and August. On Wednesday, August 29th, we will all get together at Out Savior Lutheran Church for a pizza and packing party. The socks will be distributed to a local charity that services our community. Please support this activity and join us on August 29th.

Thanks, Henry Fuhrmann, President, Pines Chapter and John Wake, Congregational Advocate

• A message from the Hoeppners (Karen Dickens' cousins): Beth and Dave have been at home in LaPorte, IN, for a few years, enjoying working in their yard and being with family and volunteering in the community. They had been doing a type of missionary work in India for the LCMS in 2009 and 2010. They took numerous religious posters to many schools there to help teach students Bible stories before the actual school classes began. They gave several presentations at St. Paul during their trips back and forth, and St. Paul members were very generous in their donations to help them get materials. They are so thankful for this. But, now they have had a few years to be at home and the “missionary bug” has bitten them again. On August 24th, they will leave for the Philippines to spend time at the three Lutheran schools there and talk to the teachers and administrators, viewing materials they are using at present and accessing their resources to make lists of what they want and need to communicate more effectively the story of God's love.



When they return home in September, they will advise us about their trip and let us know if there are any resources we could help them purchase through the Concordia Publishing House. CPH hopes to have a gift

registry that could be used for online donations for some of these resources. They don't need to fund-raise this time for their salaries (as the assignment in India did not include salaries), but they still need your prayers as they travel. While praying for them, please include the teachers in the Philippines and in India.


• Our Giving of Time and Money: May, 2012

Average Sunday Attendance: 38

Offerings for May totalled: $ 6,321, plus $ 264 from members and friends of Thrivent Choice dedications.

Total offerings YTD: $ 35,458, plus $ 1,007 in Thrivent Choice Dollars.



We continue to progress toward the goal of achieving $5,000 in contributions to our Organ Fund between April 1st and year end 2012. When we accomplish this, one of our member families will contribute an additional $5,000 to the fund. During May, we received $665 for the Organ Fund, so now we have $1,235 toward the challenge. We have seven months, (31 weeks), to gather the remaining $3,165 to meet this matching fund challenge.

Eighteen member families and friends of St. Paul have underwritten the cost of 50 new LCMS Service Books, and another two have been pledged by the Pines Chapter of Thrivent. Our goal to be able to cover our present needs would still be 80. So, please keep this goal in mind when filling your envelopes.

As you can see above, you have been generous and faithful in your giving to the general budget, as well as our special offering requests. Please remember St. Paul over these coming months should you be on vacation or away from Sunday worship.



• Mystery Bio Program: We are presently doing something called “Mystery BIO” at St. Paul. This is to offer some background information about yourself/selves so that other church members can become more acquainted with you and your life before St. Paul. If you haven't already, don't forget to pick up your “Mystery BIO” form on the desk in the back of the church. Then you can either slip it in my mailbox at church in a sealed envelope, or email me the information or call me at home (910) 295-6063, and I will include your BIO in one of the next monthly newsletters. Thanks, Karen Dickens. Email is: wolfandwife@embarqmail.com   (that's a Q not a G in my email address).









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• Newsletter Items: If you have any news/articles you want included in next month's newsletter, please advise me ASAP, or right after the last Sunday of the month. Karen Dickens (910) 295-6063.



• A Few Interesting Tidbits: One of our parishioners, who admits to being a person “born into the Lutheran faith”, offers some possibly familiar notions of Lutherans from the Midwest, and how they feel about singing and other things. The first example is: If you ask an audience from New York City to sing along on the chorus of “Michael Row the Boat Ashore,” they will look at you with daggers as if you asked them to strip to their underwear. But, if you ask a group of Lutherans, they'll smile and row that boat ashore...up on the beach...and down the road !



Lutherans are bred from childhood to sing in four-part harmony. It's a talent that comes from them sitting on their parent's lap during choir rehearsal and hearing the alto or tenor version in their little ears. It's natural for Lutherans to sing in harmony. They are too modest to sing solo, but when singing with a large choral group with many, many voices, they feel it is an emotionally fulfilling moment. These same Lutherans are the sort of folks you could call upon when in deep distress. If you were dying, they would comfort you, if you were lonely, they would talk to you, and if you are hungry, they would bring you a tuna noodle casserole.



Church secretaries have been known to mis-type some notices in the church bulletins. Example: This evening at 7 pm there will be a “hymn sing gathering” in the park across from the church. Bring a blanket and come prepared to sin . Another typo would be: The pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the congregation would lend their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday. One more: Our potluck supper is Sunday at 5 pm – Prayer and medication will follow.



More fun “Lutheran” tidbits and some church newsletter typos will be offered in a future newsletter.

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CONTACTS



Pastor Denton White: Home: (919) 577-9989 Cell: (919) 609-8687 Email: dentonwhite61@nc.rr.com

Mailing address: 808 Barneswyck Drive, Fuquay Varina, NC 27526

Music Director: Ms. Sondra Nelson (910) 692-6979



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• Our mystery folks for June are: Bio #1: George and Pam Venet

Bio#2: Anne and Henry Fuhrmann