St. Paul Lutheran Church
Monthly Member Newsletter for January, 2013
Pastor's Comments: In Him We Live and Move and Have Our Being
We have to depend on others to do things for us that we simply cannot do for ourselves. Most of us depend upon the farmers to provide our food, everything from bread to lemons, from sugar to bacon. If those farmers up and quit their jobs, we’d all be in a world of hurt. We literally depend on those individuals to do something for us that most of us just aren’t in a position to do for ourselves. All of us depend on the members of our Armed Forces. From the highest ranking officer to the lowest enlisted grade, each person plays a role in the protection of our lives, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, that we simply cannot do for ourselves. Can you imagine what it would be like if, in a moment, the blink of an eye, each one of us were responsible to protect our liberty, our property, our very life from any and all enemies?
God, in Jesus Christ, does for us what we simply cannot do for ourselves. Life is His gift to us. Every breath is of His ordination. Every beat of our heart is of His demand. Life is sacred – all life is sacred – because it is God’s doing. Each one of us is a sacred life to God, and He gives immortality to each of us as a gift (not a right) through Jesus Christ. Why? Because He loves us.
Bo Giertz, a faithful Bishop in the Lutheran Church of Sweden, wrote of one profound implication of Jesus’ love for us: “When Christ came to us as our Brother, it meant He would suffer death. We were so different and so far away [from God] that the abyss could not be bridged by anything less than Christ’s death. He partook ‘in flesh and blood’ (Heb 2.14) so He, who was God, would be able to suffer and die. It was the only way that ‘He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil’ (Heb 2.14).” You and I cannot cease aging. We cannot cure ourselves of disease and maladies. We cannot control our sinful impulses that wash upon our minds as regularly as waves slide upon the shores. But we have a Hero who has defeated ALL our enemies. Jesus Christ has done for us what we cannot do for ourselves. He gives us His victory now through His Word and Sacraments, but a day comes when He will give us His victory as Eternal Life!
Right now, we live by faith in the Son of God who loves us and gave Himself up for us (Gal 2.20). We put all our faith in His ability, His strength, His will for us, and His steadfast love for us. Come what may, we are led by the Spirit of Christ to Christ as He is given to us to trust in the pages of Scripture by our heavenly Father. Our life may, at times, seem out of our control because it is out of our control. But it is never – ever – out of the control of the One who gives us life today and who gives us Eternal Life...Jesus Christ.
Christ’s Peace be with you, Pastor 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.
Volunteer Reminder for Sunday SNACKS: We do enjoy having snacks available after the services. Please remember to sign up to bring some goodies from time to time to enjoy with coffee.
Reminder for Other Signup Sheets: There are signup sheets for Sunday flowers, opening and preparing the sanctuary, reading liturgy, setting up communion/altar, communion assistant, and “greeters”. Please check over some of these sheets to see if you can help out. The signups for some items have been limited.
Poinsettias for 2012: We are so very thankful to all of you who donated poinsettias to the beautification of our church sanctuary. These folks are listed below:
In Honor Of In Memory Of
Sandy and Jim Manninen Erik & Lindsey
Arleene Perry Loved Ones
Carole and Charlie Faas Loved Ones
Ruth and Roger Fromm Our Parents
Pam and George Venet Daughter/Grandchildren
Pam and George Venet Our Parents
Denton and Jean White Granddaughter
Denton and Jean White Grandson
Pat and Dick Bock Our Troops
Roger and Louise Jensen Parents and Son
Jean and Terry Davis Jean's Parents
Jean and Terry Davis Terry's Parents
Carl and Marge Krause Grandchildren
Carl and Marge Krause Grandchildren
In Honor Of In Memory Of
John and Carol Schneider Loved Ones
Rich and Chris Mancuso Our Families
Bruce and Sandy Shepherd The Needy
John and Shirley Wake Loved Ones
John and Shirley Wake Our Parents
Anne and Henry Fuhrmann Our Parents
Anne and Henry Fuhrmann Anne's Sister
Elsie Jasinski Husband Ron
Nora Sinclair Alex Sinclair
Mary Chapman Bob Chapman
Kay and Jeff Beran Loved Ones
Karen and Chris Dickens Our Family in IL
Karen and Chris Dickens Beloved Parents
Potluck for January: Monday, January 14, is our next potluck. No special theme, just bring a dish to pass. Because we think of January as a cold month, soups would be a great item to bring. Our social starts at 6:30 PM. Hope to see you there!
Weekly Bible Study Schedule: Study of 1 Corinthians resumes January 8, at 7:00 PM.
Chase Sammon's 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. In mid-August, the Review Board checked over his project and granted him the Eagle Scout Merit Badge confirmation. In February, 2013, the Eagle Court of Honor will be presenting him with the actual Merit Badge and Elizabeth says many family members will be coming in from out of town to be here for this presentation. She will keep our congregation apprised of the details for this ceremony.
Notes from the desk of your Church Council President
The 2013 Church Council Officers
During the Council Meeting held on December 12, 2012, the new Officers were elected for the year 2013.
The election results for Officers of the 2013 Church Council are as follows:
President: George Venet
Vice President: Rich Mancuso
Secretary: Henry Fuhrmann
Treasurer: Dick Bock
Asst. Treasurer: John Wake
First Trustee: John Schneider
Second Trustee: Kay Beran
This story was sent to me and I would like to share it with you. I have another story also which will be published in next month's newsletter.
WHY GO TO CHURCH
A church-goer wrote a letter to the editor of a newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to church every Sunday. "I've gone for 30 years now," he wrote, "and in that time I have heard something like 3,000 sermons. But for the life of me, I can't remember a single one of them. So, I think I'm wasting time, and the pastors are wasting theirs by giving sermons at all."
This started a real controversy in the "Letters to the Editor" column, much to the delight of the editor. It went on for weeks until someone wrote this clincher:
"I've been married for 30 years now. In that time, my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals. And, for the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals. But, I do know this. They all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to do my work. If my wife had not given me these meals, I would be physically dead today. Likewise, if I had not gone to church for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead today!" When you are DOWN to nothing..... God is UP to something! Faith sees the invisible, believes the incredible and receives the impossible! Thank God for our physical AND our spiritual nourishment!
When Satan is knocking at your door, simply say, "Jesus, could you get that for me?"
Prayers Requests: If you have a prayer request, put it in the Pastor's mailbox at church or email it to him or call him on his phone. Help your pastor care for you. Nothing is as powerful as prayer. Please pray for Patricia McCarthy of St. James and Barbara Nelson and Frank Nelson of St. James (Sondra's sister and brother). Also please pray for Lloydene Meilbrecht, St. James. Prayers are requested for Marie Hagemeister, Rich Mancuso's aunt.
Mystery BIO: We have run out of Mystery BIO reports, so if you haven't yet filled one out for us, there are blank forms on the desk in back of church. This information is meant to help other members learn a little bit more about you before coming to Pinehurst and also other miscellaneous information you wish to share. In a few months, if no new forms are turned into me, I will begin re-running the list of those I have received in the past. Karen Dickens
Pastoral Office Hours: Please call or email Pastor (pastorwhitelcms2.10@gmail.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”: Our group has begun to meet on Thursdays, at 5:45 PM at the church. We invite any ladies that are interested to please join us. We have Bible study from 5:45 PM until 6:45 PM. Then we go out to dinner somewhere. Our Bible study is on the first Thursday of each month and a “good will” project is done on the third Thursday of each month. Our upcoming project is yet to be determined. We would welcome any newcomers and ideas ! (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 January:
January 2: Ruth Fromm
January 13: Sandy Manninen
January 5: Chris Dickens
January 22: John Schneider
January 7: Roger Jensen
Anniversaries in January: None reported to St. Paul
Please Note: If we have missed anyone's birthday or anniversary during the last year, please let Karen Dickens know. These dates were initially obtained from the “Membership Profile Sheets” pastor asked all the church members to fill out in July of 2011. If you came to us after that date and need to get a profile form, please let Karen know so we can add your information and birthday/anniversary dates to our spreadsheets. Thank you.
St. James – LWML Meetings: Their kickoff meeting was held Saturday, November 17th at 12 noon at St. James in Southern Pines. In 2013, they will meet on the 3rd Saturday of each month. That puts the January meeting on the 19th. Some of the ladies bring lunch, because they have the prayer meeting before the LWML get-together. They have had 10-12 women at their previous meetings and would definitely welcome more. Any questions, call Phyllis Marion at 673-2215. She still has a few mite boxes available if you are interested.
St. James 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.
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 a.m. 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. This is a very important donation, as there are those right in our immediate area that are homeless and hungry.
Thrivent Financial News: SOUPER BOWL OF CARING
On Sunday, February 3rd, Louise Jensen and I will be collecting monetary donations or canned goods for local food banks through the “Souper Bowl of Caring Program.” This program utilizes Super Bowl weekend in America to mobilize people to fight hunger and poverty in their local communities.
You may bring your contributions starting Sunday, January 20th. Special boxes will be placed in the church lobby to collect your canned goods. Monetary donations – checks may be made payable to our church and marked on the MEMO line “Souper Bowl of Caring.” 100% of the money and food collected is given directly to a local charity! This project is supported by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans.
Thank you for your support, John Wake
Our Giving of Time and Money: December, 2012
Average Sunday Attendance: 42 YTD average attendance: 41.04
Offerings for December totalled: $ 13,373.70
St. Paul has been truly blessed with the generosity of our members, friends and guests. Total financial gifts during 2012 were $94,224, compared to $76,223 last year. Excluding offerings of $12,452 for the Organ Fund and the Lutheran Service Books, that is still an increase of 7.3% above last year's total gifts. Thank you to all who have been faithful in your worship attendance and giving. Please look in your mailboxes for
your year end 2012 giving statement. It should be there by Sunday, 1/13/13. Please let Roger Jensen
(roger15@windstream.net) know if you have any questions about your year-end statement.
Our Council Treasurer, Dick Bock, provides the 2012 Budget dollars below:
Regular offerings toward budget: $ 72,131
Organ Fund Donations: 11,069
Hymnals: 2,100
Undesignated Stock Transfer 10,000
Checking acct. bal. 1/1/12 for budgeted items: 2,807
Checking acct. bal. 12/31/12 for “ “ : 1,839
Thrivent Choice Dollars: 1,504
Organ Fund balance: 9,342
Mortgage balance with LCEF: 264,575
Any questions or comments on the above, please call or see Dick Bock. Happy New Year !
Big Thanks ! Section: First of all, thank you to Shirley and John Wake for getting all the Christmas boxes and the tree down from the areas of the attic. This is not an easy task. Also, a big thank you to the large group of members that showed up at the December potluck to decorate for Christmas. The church looked great!
And, we must give a big thanks and shout out to Grace and Ron Behrens who, after seeing the great need in Robbins (when they worked on the Habitat project), had the great idea to try and supply turkeys and other foods to those in real need at the Baptist Church there. They not only used our donations to buy the turkeys and food, but they personnally delivered it to Pastor McNeil who distributed the items. Caring job well done!
Organ Recital: Mark your calendars for Sunday, January 27th. At 4:00 P.M., our church will host an organ recital. This will not be a normal recital. Everyone attending this recital will be involved by singing some great hymns. You won't just sit there and listen to Johann Sebastian Bach or Ludwig van Beethoven. Sondra has selected several wonderful musical scores that will demonstrate the wide range of notes/tones/and special sounds that our new (used) organ is capable of making. If you have a favorite composition or hymn you would like included in this recital, please contact me. John Wake
Mystery Bio Program: We are presently out of bio information sheets from congregational members. If you haven't already filled out a bio form, 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, 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).
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
CONTACTS
Pastor Denton White: Home: (919) 577-9989 Cell: (919) 609-8687 Email: pastorwhitelcms2.10@gmail.com
Mailing address: 808 Barneswyck Drive, Fuquay Varina, NC 27526
Music Director: Ms. Sondra Nelson (910) 692-6979
