January - February 2012
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God’s purpose for us at St. Paul’s
is to be a nurturing
Christian community
worshipping and following God
by actively helping others
here and beyond our walls.
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Worship during the Season of Lent
The Season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, February 22nd, with the Service of Holy Communion and the imposition of Ashes at 7:00 pm. Lenten worship continues each Wednesday evening at 7:00, through March 28th .
On March 21st, instead of our regular mid-week service, the Wind Orchestra from Carthage College in Kenosha, WI will present a special concert. There is more information about the visit of these fine young musicians in this newsletter. Please check the details and find out how you can help that day.
“Making Sense of the Cross”
Mondays 7:00 – 8:30 pm
So what’s with the cross?
What does the cross say about God?
What’s the big deal?
Did Jesus have to die?
Join us as we discuss these questions and more every Monday evening through the middle of February. The new six-week series, “Making Sense of the Cross” is the third book in the Making Sense Series, written by David Lose from Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN. Each week we study a new chapter which guides our understanding of why the cross matters to the world and to us. Join us for exciting discussion every Monday evening at 7:00 pm.
Carthage College Wind Orchestra
Comes to St. Paul’s
The forty-five member Carthage Wind Orchestra, a select ensemble of woodwind, brass and percussion performers, will be at St. Paul’s on Wednesday, March 21st, for a 7:00 pm evening performance.
Carthage College has its roots here in Hillsboro; starting as the Hillsboro Academy, before moving to Springfield, Carthage, and then Kenosha, WI. We are pleased to host them on this stop of their spring tour.
We will need lots of volunteers to make this happen. While we normally have Soup and Sandwich during Lent on Wednesdays, we will need extra help on March 21st to prepare the meal for the orchestra. The students will be spending Wednesday evening in Hillsboro, and we will also need volunteers to provide housing for them. They will be placed in pairs, so we will be looking for those who can house two or more. Hosts will also be asked to provide breakfast at their home before bringing the students back to church to leave for their next concert.
If you can help with the meal, and especially with the housing, please call Marcia Sandlin (532-5284). And, of course, we hope all of you will be able to attend the concert at 7 pm on March 21st.
Dear Friends,
Some of you know, and most of probably do not know, that on many Tuesday mornings pastors from ELCA congregations in our area gather here at St. Paul’s for study and conversation. We’ve been doing this for several years, and even though the makeup of our group changes as pastors of the churches come and go, the friendship and support that develops from our time together has not.
We do book studies, or talk about the lessons for the coming Sunday, or share joys and challenges from our congregations, or even talk about our frustrations and the roadblocks that sometimes present themselves. We don’t always have answers to the questions that we raise, but we leave each week knowing that the care and concern of our colleagues go with us; and we are often renewed and recharged for ministry.
Yesterday, Pastor Kara Shaw, who was installed last summer as pastor of St. John Lutheran in Dorchester and Zion Lutheran in Shipman, shared news with us about Allison, her six-year-old goddaughter, and her continuing struggle with cancer.
Allison has an aggressive type of cancer and will soon be undergoing a risky radiation treatment. Pastor Kara asked that we keep Allison in our prayers which we will certainly do. And she also asked if we could spread the word about an event called “Valentines for Allison.”
Details about what each of us can do are printed in an article elsewhere in this newsletter, and I hope each one of you will be able to take part in this effort to help six-year-old Allison feel special and loved.
Kara’s request of our Tuesday morning pastors’ group reminded me, once again, of how connected we are as Christians. At St. Paul’s we are just one small part of “the church”, and there may be times when we feel like there’s not much we can do to have an impact in a hurting world. But then we see that we’re part of something much bigger. We are children of God, members of God’s family; and we hold hands with sisters and brothers all around the world.
God uses each of us and all of us to reach out and touch the lives of people all around us, and even a small thing, like a Valentine, can go a long way to share his love with another.
Yours In Christ, Pastor Ken
Thank You
Again, this Christmas, we are so thankful for your cards and gifts, and for the envelopes with monetary gifts for the pastor. You continue to bless us with your generosity, and I continue to be uplifted by the kindness of our family at St. Paul’s. Thank you. Pastor Ken
Help Brighten Valentine's Day
for a 6 year old !!!
Allison is a patient at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. She is 6 years old, and the goddaughter of Pastor Kara Shaw, pastor at Shipman/Dorchester. After 15 months of treatment that had some bumps along the way (big scary bumps), she was found to be cancer free. Everyone rejoiced and celebrated. At the three month scan still cancer free, more rejoicing and more celebrating. However, at the six month scan, just a week before Christmas, the doctors found more cancer. The type of cancer that Allison has is very fast growing and aggressive because of this it is extremely hard to treat and the doctors give her a 5% cure/survival rate. Through January and into February Allison will have to undergo a very risky type of radiation which should be completed the week of Valentine’s Day
Last year, Friendship Church in Cincinnati collected over 10,000 valentines which Allison still keeps in her room in big pink plastic totes. She regularly looks through the cards and you would not believe how much they make her smile. You can also find the event on Facebook by searching 2nd Annual Valentines for Allison.
Now Allison and her family are back home, and members of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Ironton, OH are leading the event. With Valentine's Day coming up, they thought it would really brighten Allison's day to get like a bazillions Valentine's cards. YOU CAN HELP???
We're asking everyone we know to consider mailing a Valentine's card for Allison that the church can compile and take up to the hospital for her. If you wouldn't mind picking up a card - or even making one - and bringing it to church by February 5th, we will collect and give them to Pastor Shaw to send to Allison. Thanks for helping out! We hope this will really help Allison to feel special and loved as every six year old princess should be!
Confirmation Class Schedule
Confirmation Class meets each Wednesday from 6:30-7:30 through February 15th. There will be no class on Ash Wednesday, February 22nd. And classes during Lent, beginning on February 29th, will be held from 6:15 to 6:45, before mid-week Lenten worship.
Eco Tips
Eco-tips offers ideas for being better stewards of God's creation. You can learn more from two interfaith environmental groups online at http://interfaithpowerandlight.org/ and www.greenfaith.org.
• General: The U.S. has 5% of the world’s population but uses 25% of its natural resources (Source: US EPA). How many earths would be needed if everyone on the planet used the same amount of resources as you? Find out by taking an ecological footprint quiz: www.myfootprint.org
Beyond Our Walls
In December . . .
In December our donations were given to support Lutheran World Relief and the work they do around the world.
In January . . . Lutheran Social Services of Illinois will receive our donations to help as they wait for payments from the state.
In February . . . February will turn our attention to the problem of world hunger as we support the World Hunger Appeal with our donations.
Requested Hymns From December & January
We continue to seek your input into the songs we sing on Sunday morning; and we do our best to sing the songs you request. In December and January we sang these requested songs:
Prepare the Royal Highway
On Jordan's Banks
What Child Is This
Silent Night, Holy Night
Brightest and Best of the Stars
of the Morning
All Hail the Power of Jesus Name
How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds
O Savior, Precious Savior
We Three Kings of Orient Are
What Feast of Love
Youth Group Meetings & Rend Lake Gathering
Many of our youth group members will be attending the synod Youth Gathering at Rend Lake from February 17th to 19th. Youth group continues to meet every other week on Wednesday evenings from 7:30 – 8:30. Our next meeting is January 18th.
Applying Bible Principles
Male peacocks are interesting creatures. They love to be noticed, so they spread their bright plumage for any and all to see (especially female peacocks!).
Many people are like that, especially when it comes to their financial support of the Lord’s work. They want people to notice their act of giving, when they give, how much they give, and the causes to which they give. Some even announce publicly how much they give, supposedly to challenge others to follow their pattern of generosity.
But is that God’s way? A simple examination of the sixth chapter of Matthew’s gospel reveals the answer. The Lord Jesus said that our giving is to be done secretly. If we take His instruction at face value, then it is apparent that we are not to let others know the extent of our giving. In fact, Jesus went so far as to say (figuratively, of course) that we shouldn’t even let one hand know what the other is doing when it comes to our giving.
Sometimes, our giving will be seen by men. Sometimes, that’s unavoidable. But Christ’s point concerns our motive. We should give to please our Lord, not in order to be seen by other people so that we receive their commendation or accolades. In other words, we are to avoid what one writer described as “advertised piety.”
A well-known evangelist said that the world has yet to see what could be accomplished for the sake of the gospel if we would quit being concerned about who gets the credit for what gets done in the kingdom of God. That includes our giving. In fact, one of the greatest tests for us as God’s children is whether we are able to give cheerfully of ourselves and our resources without getting the credit.
Unless we give by cash and choose to forgo a tax deduction for our giving (hmm . . . now there’s a novel idea!), probably the person who handles the church’s financial affairs will be aware of our giving. Otherwise, though, it’s a good idea to keep our giving a matter that’s between ourselves and the Lord. Actually, it’s more than a good idea. It’s something Christ said we should do. . . .
Soup and Sandwich
Before Mid-Week Lenten Services
Once again members of our congregation will be serving soup and sandwiches before Lenten Services on Wednesday evenings, beginning at 6:00.
Please join us for a light meal and fellowship before worship.
Salvation Army Bell Ringers
Thank you to everyone who contributed to the Salvation Army Bell Ringing campaign this year. The goal was exceeded with a total collection just under $10,000. And a very special thank you to the members of our congregation who gave of their time and energy to ring the bell at Capri IGA on December 10th
Mary had a Little Lamb
That’s My Story and I’m Sticking to It
It was a wonderful Christmas program, and we want to thank the children for all of their enthusiasm and the beautiful story of Christmas that they shared with us.
Thank you also to Kris Whitley, Carolyn Meier, Cassie Gunn, and all the Sunday School teachers and staff for their guidance and direction.
Special Candlelight Service
We rejoiced at the birth of our Lord in Bethlehem in a special way this Christmas Eve. The music of the voice and bell choirs led us in worship as we celebrated God’s great gift.
We want to thank every member of the choirs, Miranda Singler and Cassie Gunn, and our choir director, Andy Gibb Clark, for their many rehearsals and the gift of music that they shared with us on Christmas Eve. It was a Holy Night.
Vacation Bible School In June
The dates are set, so mark them on your calendar in big red letters, and then plan on bringing your children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews to St. Paul’s VBS from June 18th to the 22nd. We’ll start at 9:00 am and finish at 11:30 each morning. Mark your calendar now so nothing interferes. We’ll have more details later this spring.
Thank You
Thank you so much to all who donated to the Angel Tree collection. We were able to furnish presents for 7 children. We also put together food & treat baskets for 5 needy families that meet at St. Paul’s with the Learning Express program. It was very much appreciated. Thanks again.
Ladies Evening Out
The ladies of the church will be going out to eat on Thursday, February 2nd at 6 p.m. We have not yet determined where we are going but hope you will join us. Let Paula know if you will be going. More information will be available in a week or so. Hope to see you that evening.
Ladles of Love
Ladles of Love is now serving lunch every Thursday from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. EVERYONE is welcome to come to the Fellowship Hall and enjoy a hot meal of soup & sandwiches. Drinks and dessert are also provided. Please join us on Thursdays!
Meals on Wheels
St. Paul’s week for Meals on Wheels is January 16th – 20th. The list is full and is on the bulletin board for those who need a reminder when they signed up. Our next week for Meals on Wheels is March 5th – 9th. Be on the lookout for the sign up sheet in February.
Tuesday Sewing Group
As you may notice on the church calendar, Ladies Sewing & More is listed every Tuesday beginning at 9 a.m. There has been a very poor attendance for this activity in the past several months. We are asking that everyone make more of an effort to come spend 2 or 3 hours on Tuesday to get involved in projects that will make a difference in someone’s life. Just come for the fellowship if nothing else. You will be glad you did.
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