St. Paul Monthly Newsletter for March 2013

St. Paul Lutheran Church

Monthly Member Newsletter for March, 2013



Pastor's Comments: Being a 21st Century Disciple of Jesus



Two thousand years ago, when a rabbi began teaching, he recruited a few students to train in his ideas and understanding of the Torah (the Law of God in the Old Testament) and the Prophets (the Old Testament books of the Bible written by or about prophets) and the Writings (Old Testament books like Psalms, Proverbs, Song of Solomon). The recruits were specifically chosen or accepted by the rabbi based on his assessment of their ability to understand his wisdom AND their trustworthiness in the faithful transmission of what he taught them. They were more than simply students. They were called “disciples” because it required disciplined learning and devotion to ONE teacher. A disciple is really a student that is exceptionally dedicated to one particular teacher and disciplines themselves in devotion to only that teacher’s words.

As Christians, you and I are called children of God, sons of God, the house of God, the priesthood of believers, the brothers of Jesus (Hebrews 2) and we are called disciples. We are students dedicated to ONE teacher, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. What is more, we strive to be as faithful as possible in transmitting His teaching to the world. Of course, this means we are in constant learning mode. As disciples of Jesus, there is no graduation date; we are always learning, learning and learning some more.

Our Lord Jesus said, “if you abide in My word, you are truly My disciples,” and “if you abide in Me and My words abide in you,” God is truly your Father, the One who hears and answers our prayers. Jesus’ Word is what makes us different from all other so-called religions and faiths. We simply do not mix Jesus’ Word with any other religious teaching or so-called “sacred writings.” We Lutherans began a journey almost 500 years ago to be people bound to and bound together by the Word of Jesus Christ and no other word. As your pastor, I encourage you to take the time to watch a particularly good video produced by a Lutheran group called 'John, The Steadfast.' In the video Pastor Bryan Wolfmueller talks about the importance of God’s Word as the defining aspect of what it means to be a Lutheran Christian. You will find the video on www.youtube.com. The title of the video is: “God’s Word is Awesome.”

Christ’s Peace be with you, Pastor White

Announcements from your Pastor: Set Up of Pastor’s Study (In-Progress)

Having received the go-ahead from the Church Council, I am slowly reformatting the conference room at the back of the church into a place for study, preparation for worship and for meeting with members for pastoral care. In time, there will be a place for you to come and visit with the pastor for whatever reason. Currently, things are being set up and I am using the space to prepare for worship services. I want to spend more time at the church, which will help me be more accessible to all of you and to the community. I need a couple of nice, comfortable chairs for folks to sit in. So, if you have something you can spare, please let me know.



Service Schedule for Remaining Lenten Season:

Service of Prayer & Preaching, March 6 St. Paul 7:00 PM Service of Prayer & Preaching, March 13 St. Paul 7:00 PM Service of Prayer & Preaching, March 20 St. Paul 7:00 PM

Palm Sunday Service, March 24 St. Paul 9:00 AM

Holy Week Services:

Maundy Thursday Service of Holy Communion, March 28, 7:00 PM, St. James

Good Friday Vespers, March 29, 7:00 PM, St. Paul

Holy Saturday, March 30, Individual Confession and

Absolution or Pastoral Prayer and Encouragement 3:00 – 5:00 PM, St. Paul

Easter Service, March 31st, 9:00 AM

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.



Potluck for March: Monday, March 11th, is our next potluck. Since it is the Lenten season, traditionally a time of giving up something we enjoy, it has been suggested by one of our members to have a meager menu of soup, salad, bread and desserts. We have done this in past years, and these items are still very delicious. The meal begins at 6:30 pm. Please bring a soup, salad, bread or dessert to share with others. Hope to see you there.





As an additional point of interest, please save the date of March 11th (Potluck night) and try to attend to hear some very critical information. At our March 11th Potluck, Mr. Joe Kramer from the Moore County Emergency Medical Service will instruct us on the use of our HeartStart automated external defibrillator (AED). Our machine is on the wall to the back north side of our church building. My brother recently had a heart attack at a bowling alley and, had it not been for an individual trained on the correct use of an AED, he would not be alive today. Please plan to attend this life-saving event. And, of course, the food is always excellent.

John Wake



Organ Concert: This wonderful concert was recorded by Leo Magiera, but it is too large a file to e-mail to those who would like copies. However, should anyone desire a copy, please provide Leo with a flash drive (2.0 GB or larger), and he will make a copy for you which can then be played on any MP3 player or copied onto a CD. Thank you, Sondra, for “bringing our New/Used organ to life.”



Notes from the desk of your Church Council President : None for March.



Habitat for Humanity Project: The Pines Chapter of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and Habitat for Humanity has scheduled Saturday, March 23 as the next work day for repairing homes in Moore County. We will only work on the outside of the houses, which limits some of the work that we could do. At this time, we only know that work will be done in several locations. As soon as I have more detail, I will pass it along. If you can drive a nail, use a paint brush or a rake, please consider helping out. We can do a great deal in our own community to reach out and help others. Usually lunch is provided. Please contact me, Henry Fuhrmann, at 910-695-0509 or email me at henryf@nc.rr.com to sign up or for more information.



Thanks, Henry Fuhrmann



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. Also please pray for Lloydene Meilbrecht, St. James. Prayers are requested for Marie Hagemeister, Rich Mancuso's aunt. Prayers of healing are requested for Kimi McDivett who is troubled with re-occuring skin cancer, and Jeanne Lloyd, friends of George and Pam Venet, who was recently found unconscious on the floor and is now undergoing tests.



Please continue to pray for Priscilla Loomis and add Amy Jensen (daughter-in-law of Louise and Roger) and Helen Klein (Shirley Wake's mom) who now has pneumonia.

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 March: 3/6 Pastor Denton White 3/15 Anne Fuhrmann

3/7 Dick Bock 3/21 Shirley Wake





Anniversaries in March: None reported to Karen (please see note immediately below)



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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.

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• St. James – LWML Meetings: In 2013, they will meet on the 3rd Saturday of each month. 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

A big “Thank You” to all who supported the Souper Bowl of Caring Project. Our church collected 104 cans of food and $70.00. These items were delivered to the Coalition, and they were very thankful.



Our next project will be the “Socks for Souls” collection that we have done in the past. Watch for more information as we receive it.

Thank you for your support, Louise Jensen and John Wake





Tax Information for IRA's: The “New 2012 Act” changes many individual tax provisions – IRA (Individual Retirement Account) distributions to charities. This provision has been extended for two years, through December 31, 2013. It allows taxpayers age 70-1/2 and older to make tax-free distributions, up to $100,000 each year, from traditional and Roth IRA's for charitable purposes. Two special transition rules apply for 2012. The first allows taxpayers to re-characterize distributions taken in January, 2013 as taken on December 31, 2012. The second allows distributions made to the taxpayer in December, 2012, to be treated as charitable distributions, as long as the amount is transferred to the charity before February 1, 2013. The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 (2012 Act) was signed into law by the President on January 2, 2013.



Information provided by John Wake

Our Giving of Time and Money: February, 2013



Average Sunday Attendance: 41 (Last February average attendance was 43)

(Thanks to all the members that are practicing the phrase “and next week, bring a friend”)



February: Offerings toward budget: $ 11,854 (does not include 2/28/13 service)

Budgeted disbursements : 12,475

Monthly budget: 12,654

Income vs. budget: - 621



Thanks to all for your continued support. Dick Bock



Mystery Bio Program: We are now 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 or wolfandwife@embarqmail.com.





Interesting Item from one of our Council members:



RECALL NOTICE:



The Maker of all human beings (GOD) is recalling all units manufactured, regardless of make or year,

due to serious defects in the primary and central component of the heart.



This is due to a malfunction in the original prototype units code named Adam and Eve, resulting in the reproduction of the same defect in all subsequent units.



This defect has been identified as "Sub sequential Internal Non-morality," more commonly known as S.I.N., as it is primarily expressed. Some of the symptoms include:

1. Loss of direction 2. Foul vocal emissions

3. Amnesia of origin 4. Lack of peace and joy

5. Selfish or violent behavior 6. Depression or confusion

7. Fearfulness 8. Idolatry

9. Rebellion



The Manufacturer, who is neither liable nor at fault for this defect, is providing factory-authorized repair and service free of charge to correct this defect.



The Repair Technician, JESUS, has most generously offered to bear the entire burden of the staggering cost of these repairs. There is no additional fee required. The number to call for repair in all areas is:

P-R-A-Y-E-R.

Once connected, please upload your burden of SIN through the REPENTANCE procedure.

Next, download ATONEMENT from the Repair Technician, Jesus, into the heart component.



No matter how big or small the SIN defect is, Jesus will replace it with:

1. Love

2. Joy

3. Peace

4. Patience

5. Kindness

6. Goodness

7. Faithfulness

8. Gentleness

9. Self control



Please see the operating manual, the B.I.B.L.E. (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth) for further details on the use of these fixes.



WARNING: Continuing to operate the human being unit, without correction, voids

any manufacturer warranties, exposing the unit to dangers and problems too

numerous to list, and will result in the human unit being permanently

impounded. For free emergency service, call on Jesus.



DANGER: The human being units not responding to this recall action will have

to be scrapped in the furnace. The SIN defect will not be permitted to enter

Heaven so as to prevent contamination of that facility. Thank you for your

attention!

GOD

P.S. Please assist where possible by notifying others of this important recall

notice, and you may contact the Father any time by 'Knee mail' !
Because HE Lives!


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