messenger - Grace Lutheran Church

Volume 50
Issue 9
August 28, 2014
Rev. Thomas Hartwig 651.252.1130
Church office, Brenda 651.451.1035
website: www.grace-ssp.org
Page 12
MESSENGER
A publication of Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church
149 8th Ave S in South St. Paul, MN 55075
September 2014
“Unless I see the nail marks in His hands and put my
finger where the nails were, and put my hand into His
side, I will not believe it” (John 20:25). I’ll believe it
when I see it.
That is in stark contrast to what we read in the Bible,
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and
certain of what we do not see.” How can we be sure
and certain of things we can’t see, can’t prove?
Think of a father and child playing the game where
the father stands behind the child and tells him to fall
backwards. The child, unable to see his father, still
trusts that he is there and is certain that his father
won’t let him hit the ground. The child leans back
and falls, fully convinced that his father will keep his
word and catch him, because his father has always
proved trustworthy.
Sure and Certain of the Unseen
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for
and certain of what we do not see.
Hebrews 11:1
It is amazing that with only a few clicks on a computer,
we can dramatically alter photos. Such capabilities have
led us to be a bit more wary. We find ourselves saying,
“Unless I see it with my own eyes, how can I believe
that it hasn’t been touched up? I’ll believe it when I see
it.”
Often this cynical attitude can touch our spiritual life.
How can I believe that God loves me and knows what is
going on in my life considering all troubles and disappointments I have to deal with?
“Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain
of what we do not see.” Though we did not see the
creation or the crucifixion, though we were not present to witness the Savior rising from the Easter
tomb, though we have not heard His actual voice forgiving our sins and promising His return, we believe.
How can we be so sure and certain? God’s word is
true and trustworthy. Our forgiveness is certain because Jesus did die and rise from the dead. God’s
love for us today and every day is sure. Every promise our Father has made about our eternal future, He
will keep.
Faith is sure and certain of unseen things simply because it takes God at His word.
It doesn’t take much for us to see where one of Jesus’
own disciples was coming from when he replied,
I’m under
a lot11:1”
of stress.
“Hebrews
Worship, Bible Class
and Sunday School
September brings big changes to most
families, as school is now in session,
activities get going, and schedules become crowded.
It is an exciting time!
Our church is no exception. Our Christian educational
programs move into high gear, with confirmation instruction, Bible classes, Sunday School and Pioneers
starting.
Worship
Our Sunday morning worship services will continue
throughout the year at 9:00 a.m. the Word of God is
the focus of every Christian who wants to grow in his
faith and his ability to serve the Lord with his life, his
time, and the opportunities that are given. Monday
evening services at 7:00 p.m. have been
appreciated by many, and will continue throughout
the year, except during seasons when we offer other
midweek services, such as during Advent and Lent.
Please make it a priority to come to worship each and
every week, to be strengthened by God's Spirit as he
comes to us in Word and Sacrament!
Sunday School
and Sunday Bible Class
Each Sunday at 10:15 a.m. our children will stay for
Sunday School, and adults are
invited to Bible Class. It all begins on September 14!
The Adult Bible Class will undertake a study entitled
"The Living Church," which will be an overview of the
early
history of the Christian Church as described in the New
Testament. This is also a great time for fellowship and
refreshments!
Midweek Bible Study
On Wednesdays you are invited to our midweek Bible
Study hour at 7:00 p.m. Beginning on September 17 we
will open a study of "Law and Gospel," concentrating on
the purpose, meaning and use of these two great doctrines of Scripture, with an emphasis on identifying and
applying both.
Our busy lives are made less complicated when we allow the Lord of our lives to teach us. Come to worship,
to learn, and to grow!
Blood Drive Update
On Monday, August 18, we at Grace had
our annual blood drive.
Sixty-one appointments were scheduled
and forty-two pints of blood were collected.
Our goal was fifty-two and therefore we
did not meet our goal this year.
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Messenger
The Messenger is on our website each
month. If you would like to help save
printing/mailing costs and have the Messenger emailed to you, contact the office
at Brenda’s email, which is
[email protected].
Flowers
The flower chart is posted on the inside
door to the west coat room. October
through December are completely empty.
If you would like to beautify our altar on a
certain Sunday, please fill in the date or
call the church office.
Meditations
The current Meditations is on the spin
rack in the lower narthex. We have
many issues, so please help yourself!
Missing
If your birthday or anniversary has been
missing from our lists, please contact
the church office, and we will add the
date to our records.
Military
Hospitalized
If you are admitted to the hospital, have
someone contact the church office, and
Pastor will come see you. The hospitals
do not contact the churches because of
privacy issues.
If you know of any members of our congregation or family members now serving in the military, please contact the
church office (651-451-1035) with
names and addresses.
Recycle
Ice Cream Buckets
Don’t throw away your large ice cream
buckets. We will be saving them here at
church. Many people wanted to borrow
one for their chili during On the Road
Again.
We will try to make buckets available this
year.
Old Meditations and Portals of Prayer
may be saved for the prison ministry at
the Mission for Visually Impaired.
Drop off your old copies in the church
office or in the box marked devotion
books in the west coat room. The
church office hours are 8:30 a.m. to
3:00 p.m. weekdays.
Address Change
If you move and have a change of address, please contact the church office at
651-451-1035.
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Page 10
Finance Secretary Report – July, 2014
Fund Updates
July General Fund Receipts
Monthly Average Needed to Meet Our
Projected Budget
$13,182.50
$16,894.08
YTD General Fund Receipts
YTD Average Needed to Meet Our
Projected Budget
$114,739.15
$118,258.58
YTD Total Receipts 2014
$143,486.98
YTD Total Receipts 2013
$132,673.14
Debt Reduction
(to date) $22,272.00
goal: $50,000.00
Major Repair Project Fund
(to date) $18,075.12
Outdoor Electric Sign
$11,910.00
JULY’S ATTENDANCE
Sunday, July 6
Monday, July 7
Sunday, July 13
Monday, July 14
Sunday, July 20
Monday, July 21
Sunday, July 27
Monday, July 28
9:00 a.m.
7:00 p.m.
9:00 a.m.
7:00 p.m.
9:00 a.m.
7:00 p.m.
9:00 a.m.
7:00 p.m.
70
25
90
30
78
24
92
24
Communion:
Communion:
65
22
Communion:
Communion:
69
21
Thank the Lord as He continues to strengthen the hearts of His people through the Word
and they in turn respond with their gifts of love.
Thrivent Choice Dollars
Thrivent Choice lets you help choose where
some of Thrivent Financials charitable outreach funds go by directing Choice Dollars
and by participating in Voting Events. Eligible members are designated Choice Dollars
based on their insurance premium, contract
values, and Thrivent volunteer leadership.
Thrivent members who received letters in the
mail with “x” number of dollars can designate their “Choice Dollars” to Grace now if
they choose.
If you have a computer, you may go on-line at
www.thrivent.com. For the organization search,
use only this information: “Grace” “55075”
“Minnesota”. This will help you find our church in
the listing.
The program will continue to be available for
eligible benefit members by calling 1-800-8474836 (at the beginning of a new year or quarterly in January, April, July, and October) to
again direct your designated Choice Dollars.
Since the program began, we have received
$14,005.00. Thank you!
Eligible members may call Thrivent (800847-4836) and say, “Thrivent Choice.” You
can use your new Thrivent ID card which
was mailed to each member with a unique
number on it. This program’s automatic recurring direction feature was discontinued.
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COMMITTEE REPORTS
Visitation Committee
I’m nearing the second month of my
recovery, which is slow. I can better
understand how our homebound survive. It is tough to look at the four
walls which close in on you. You
really can’t understand the hardship unless you go through it.
The days are endless.
This is the reason we plead for more people on our Visitation
Team. The need is great, and we all are not getting any
younger! It would mean a lot for our homebound if we could
get more people to visit and brighten their day.
Our church needs helpers in all areas! Couldn’t some of you
just spend one hour a month. It would make a big difference.
Please consider this!
Visitation Committee
Ken Wallert
Evangelism Committee
The Evangelism Committee met on August 14, 2014. The
meeting was opened with prayer. The minutes from our
last meeting were read and approved.
We discussed the list of prospects from our guest book.
We are making progress in contacting these people.
Dennis reported the new sign for church will be shipped
the week of August 22. We will be looking for a few men
to help unload the sign from the truck. Thank you, all
who helped get things ready for the new sign!
We will be sending letters to children who attended Vacation Bible School inviting them to Sunday School.
The meeting closed with prayer. Our next meeting will be
September 11, 2014.
Lori Neujahr, Secretary
Sound and Video
The Lights, Camera, Action Committee would like to
thank Dan Dahlke for volunteering and being trained for
the video camera. We will now be able to have a threeperson rotation. If operating the video camera interest
you, please do not hesitate to call the church office. A
four-person once a month rotation would be wonderful.
Craft & Quilt Day
This month’s Craft & Quilt Day was a total fellowship day.
We always start the day with a show and tell about any new
projects we have going. We did not get the sewing machines
out at all. We watched a YouTube video on making a scarf
while trying to help a gal with her new yarn project. We were
not successful.
The Lights, Camera, Action Committee has a volunteer
opportunity at the Town Square Television studio with
helping put our worship service on Channel 16. No prior
experience at all is needed and there is training available.
You may contact the church office if this volunteer opportunity interests you and in turn enables us to put our worship service on the cable network more easily. Please
consider this special ministry opportunity.
Our group is very blessed with material donations and each
month a few gals organize the cabinet space. We find new
pieces to use the next month. It was a very fun relaxing day
for all.
Ladies, please join us with your project/s or even come to
visit on Saturday, September 13, anytime from 9 to 4.
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St. Andrew’s Lutheran Preschool
St. Andrew’s has a preschool on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds. The hours for the school are
9:00 to 11:30 a.m. The students must be potty trained. The cost is $135 a month, and there is a $50 registration fee. To
register or to discuss before/after school care, please contact Joan Tjernagel at 651-285-7226. The school is located at 1001
Holley in St. Paul Park.
Pastor Dan Lindner
[email protected]
Office 612-378-1346
True North WELS
Campus Ministry
www.truenorthwels.org
Address 1313 5th St E #328
Box 33
Minneapolis, MN 55414
All college students in the Twin Cities are invited to join True North WELS Campus Ministries
Sunday worship opportunities.
10:00 a.m. Worship Service
St. John’s Lutheran Church
610 Broadway St NE
Minneapolis, MN 55413
11:30 a.m. Worship Service
Commons Hotel
615 Washington Ave SE
Minneapolis, MN 55414
Students, please check the website (www.truenorthwels.org) for the latest news and updates.
1200 Oakdale Avenue
West St. Paul, MN 55118
651.455.1521
www.stcroixlutheran.org
Monday, August 25, was the first day of the 2014/2015 school year. At the end of the
opening service, President Gene Pfeifer informed the group that approximately 482
students were attending St. Croix. They are from Minnesota, the Midwest, the United
States, and seventeen countries across the world.
He went on to say that two new college credit courses are being offered this year.
They are AP Chemistry and the second high school STEM class of Principles of Engineering. With these two new classes, there are 13 college credit courses being offered
at St. Croix.
Four new teachers were installed along with the new administrative assistant for the
Middle School. Construction has begun on the new dorm with the foundation hopefully being poured on this opening day. The plan is for students to start moving into
the new dorm around spring break.
God’s blessings on the 2014/2015 school year.
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SCHOOL NEWS
St. John Lutheran School
St. Paul
September 2014
“Shaped to Serve”
Isaiah 64:8 “Yet, O LORD, you are our Father.
We are the clay, you are the potter;
We are all the work of your hand.
Wildcat News & Notes
771 Margaret Street · St. Paul, MN 55106
phone: (651) 771-6406 · email: [email protected]
www.stjohnev.net/school
William Scharf, Principal
The above verse has been chosen as our theme for the
2014/2015 school year.
St. John Lutheran School offers
We are excited to begin a new school year with a new principal! Principal William Scharf began working at St. John
the middle of July, 2014. Mr. Tony Drkula, our former
principal, began his new job at St. Croix Lutheran High
School, on July 1, 2014. We wish both of them God’s
richest blessings in their new positions.
Three 1/2 days—Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays,
Online Newsletter:
Visit our new online Parent Connection newsletter for the
latest news and information about St. John Lutheran
School: stjparentconnection.blogspot.com.
1
2
4
5
12
23
24
26
Kindergarten 4 Program (K4) (for four-year-olds):
9:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
Kindergarten 5 Program (K5) (for five-year-olds):
5 full days—Mondays through Fridays,
9:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
All students in K4 through grade 8 will begin school on
Monday, August 25, 2014. We do have openings in all
grades; K4 through grade 8. Please call (651) 771-6406
for more information.
Crown of Life School
West St. Paul (WSP)
Martin Luther College
New Ulm
September
September
Labor Day, no school
District 197 bus service begins
Pre-K & APE begins
Sports pictures after school
Good Samaritan
Matins & Muffins and Panera
School pictures
School pictures
No bus service
13 New Ulm Community Day of Play 10:00 to 2:00 p.m.
26-28 Homecoming Weekend
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Tuition Assistance
Our congregation is blessed to have several
very good WELS schools in our area. As we
work to raise our children in the ways of our
Lord, we have the option of sending them to
several WELS elementary, middle, and high
schools very close to home. As individual
members and as a congregation, we have been
very supportive of our area WELS schools
with the time, talents, and treasures our Lord
has provided. Your support is truly appreciated.
As families explore the option of providing
children with a Christian-based education,
they can find the financial aspect too large a
hurdle to cross. To assist and support our
families in crossing that hurdle, our congregation has budgeted tuition assistance for children at the elementary and middle school levels. Additionally, we have established the Tuition Assistance Fund to assist families with
WELS high school tuition. If you are thinking
of sending your child to an area WELS school,
please feel free to contact the church office to
learn more about the financial support our congregation might be able to provide.
We can all support high school tuition by designating your special offering envelope for the
Tuition Assistance Fund. The money provided
through this fund is distributed on a need basis. As tuition costs have increased each year,
the need for assistance follows.
Young People’s Society - Relay for Life
Our Young People’s Society (YPS) again sponsored the Walking with
Grace team for the 2014 Relay for Life in the South St. Paul area.
This year the relay was held at Fleming Field Airport. It was a beautiful day and night for the relay. We had many visitors at our campsite; and we had one of the largest groups at the Relay for Life, which
was very evident when it was time for the team photo! We enjoyed
many games, movies, pizza, and lots of walking.
Carol Weber tried to win the Sasquatch Calling contest. She made it
to the finals, and we believe that she actually called a sasquatch out of
its hiding!
Our Prize Wheel was very popular for our on-site selling. Overall, our
team earned 4th place for our fundraising efforts. This year we surpassed our fundraising goal of $4,500, raising over $4,800. So far,
Relay For Life has earned over $52,000.
This year was also a tremendous milestone in that this was the
10th anniversary for the South St. Paul area relay, and it has earned
over 1 million dollars for the American Cancer Society.
We are very blessed to have a congregation who has been very supportive of Relay for Life, and look forward to next year's event.
Feel free to contact Shelly Forester if you are interested in helping
with Relay for Life next year, or contact Kelly Hemmelman if you
would like to be a team member for Walking with Grace.
Thank you.
Kelly Hemmelman
To assist our budget committee in its work,
please let the church office know if your child
will be attending an area WELS elementary or
middle school.
Aluminum
Please continue to collect and drop off aluminum cans.
The proceeds benefit the Young People’s Society and the Pioneers.
Deposit the aluminum in the large grey/green “storage shed” under the
fire escape behind the church garage.
Please do not leave items near the alley by themselves because others
will help themselves to the cans.
Thank you!
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Join the ladies of the Grace Guild and Grace Ladies Aid
You Are
Invited!
Topic: What is Alzheimer’s Disease?
Wednesday, September 10, at 7:00 p.m.
Grace Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall
149 8th Avenue South, South Saint Paul, Minnesota
This presentation and discussion offers participants:
A starting point for understanding Alzheimer’s and dementia
Answers to frequently asked questions about the disease
Answers to questions about God’s goodness
Presenter: Pastor Curt Seefeldt, author of “It’s Alzheimer’s—It’s Time for Extraordinary Love”
Contact Brenda for more information:
Email: [email protected] ● Phone: (651) 451-1035
** All men and women of the congregation are invited not just the ladies groups members.
Would You Like A Good Home-Cooked Meal?
Golden Agers invite you to lunch
on the third Thursday each month.
On The Road Again
Can you believe that it is almost fall? On the first
Saturday of October, South St. Paul will be having their
annual fall festival titled On The Road Again. Mark
your calendars with the date, October 4.
The Ladies Aid and Grace Guild will be accepting
donations of chili and bars. Watch for more details
coming in our weekly bulletins.
Grace Church has a group called the Golden Agers for
anyone who is over 55. The Golden Agers would love to
have more of Grace’s members join them.
This group meets at noon on the third Thursday of each
month. It is a wonderful time for fellowship as well as
the enjoyment of a delicious hot meal. We have a good
mix of both men and women. Pastor also joins us for
some spiritual enrichment. The cost for the dinner is
$7.00.
Join us for on September 18 at our next gathering.
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Photo Contest Update
Thank you to the members of Grace for your participation
in the 2014 Vacation Bible School (VBS) photo contest
voting! Concordia Supply shared on their website that
more than 70 entries and over 2,000 votes were cast
throughout the summer.
Martin Luther College Ladies’ Auxiliary
The Martin Luther College Ladies’ Auxiliary will hold
the National Auxiliary meeting
Saturday, October 25.
There will be interesting workshops, speakers, and worship in the Chapel of the Christ.
If you haven’t seen the campus lately you are in for a
treat. They just finished a new entrance into the student
union that does not involve stairs.
It’s fun to eat along with some students who are going to
be our future pastors and teachers. Come and learn about
what’s happening with our college in New Ulm.
One photo received the most, with more than 500 votes.
The winner is Immanuel Lutheran Church in Washington,
Missouri, with their submission of Gangway to Galilee
Opening!
With the overwhelming participation in the contest, the
staff at Concordia Supply decided to award five additional
churches with a $20 gift card to Concordia Supply. The
following were winners: FBC Locust Grove (Hidden
Cross Waterfall), Carlyna Suhartono (Humphrey in the
Wilderness), Holy Trinity (Gangway to Galilee), Jones
Memorial COGIC (Our Kids are our Decoration), and
Canyon Creek Baptist Church (Weird Animals). Photos
submitted by these churches are on Concordia Supply’s
website.
Thank you again to everyone who voted for our church
Vacation Bible School picture. Also, thank you to all the
volunteers who made the VBS week rewarding for almost
forty young people.
Mobile Apps
WELS now offers mobile apps for both the iOS and Android platforms. WELS ONLINE collects devotional and
educational audio, video, and text content from WELS.net
in an easy-to-use application.
Mission Wearhouse Thrift Store
Christian Life Ministries has a thrift store which helps support the ministry. This thrift store has a need for dishes, pots
and pans, furniture, bedding, shoes, jewelry, men’s neckties,
and paper bags with handles. If you have a few small items
to donate, contact the church office to make arrangements. If
someone has good quality furniture to donate, he can phone
the thrift store and arrange for a pick-up.
The contact information number is 651-917-4149. The
address is Mission Wearhouse Thrift Store, 2756 Lake
Shore Ave., Little Canada, MN 55117.
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