The EpistleSt. Paul’s Lutheran Church

July 2019

Gathered to Go . . .to study God's Word, Worship together; and to walk with Christ by loving, serving and nurturing all God's

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people where ever they are and whatever their circumstances.From Pastor Lori

 Dear Friends in Christ,

We have the opportunity to hear the Word of God every Sunday during worship.  As we listen to the different stories, poems, letters, and prophesies from the Bible, and hear them expounded upon in the sermon, we experience the promises and love of God.  

The Word of God is a beautiful gift.  It speaks life into the hearts and minds of its listeners by showing us how God has been bringing about His redemptive mission to the world.  It also invites us to take our place in this amazing life-giving mission.

Hearing the Word of God ushers us into a mysterious world that requires a child-like sense of discovery.   This can be a challenging task for those of us who have heard Scripture read most Sundays of our lives. We also have to be careful that we don’t allow personal and societal biases dictate what we do or don’t hear.

Saying a Prayer of Illumination before listening to Scripture and the sermon asks God to reveal His truth to us as we read and meditate on His Word.  This simple prayer invites the Holy Spirit to speak to us in a way that will train, challenge, teach and equip us to be followers of Jesus.

During the season of Pentecost, we will be incorporating a Prayer of Illumination into our worship service.  We will say it together to ask God’s guidance in making us attentive to what we hear. This prayer will remind us to put aside our tendency

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to ask, “Do I agree with this?’ and be open to the query, “What is God revealing to us?”

I pray that this practice will deepen the way you hear and respond to this precious gift.  May it illuminate what you hear, and serve as a conduit that allows God’s life-giving Word to slide through your ears and into your mind and heart.

Blessings,Pastor Lori

 Thank you to Cathy and Whitney Booth for the lovely tea they prepared in June.

Thanks to everyone who provided items for the “pink bag” collection.

SUNDAY BUS VOUNTEERSJuly is St. Paul’s month to ride the church bus for the Council of Churches. Sign up is across from the church office. Your help for this ministry is appreciated.

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Wednesday Morning Study GroupSimon Peter was a poor, uneducated, quick-tempered disciple who was full of doubts and fears.  He also possessed a passion that would change the world. As part of our continuing look at discipleship, we will be doing a six-week study on the life and ministry of this relatable disciple to discover how God can use ordinary people like us to make a difference in the world today. Join us on Wednesday mornings from 10:30-noon. Classes will meet on July 17, 31, August 7, 14, 21 and 28. Contact Pastor Lori if you would like to reserve a book or if you have any questions about the Wednesday Morning Study Group.

Ministry of CaringPastor Lori is in the process of developing a Ministry of Caring that will provided support and encouragement to the people of St. Paul’s through tangible acts of service and love.  This ministry will consist of a team of people who will work together to identify the needs and connect them to people who can meet them. Join her on Tuesday, July 9 at 7:00pm to share ideas and learn how you can become part of this new ministry.  Everyone is welcome! Contact Pastor Lori if you are not able to come to the meeting or if you have any questions about the Ministry of Caring.

LIVING GENEROUSLYThrivent Financial gives out t-shirts to their action team members with the slogan “Live-Generously”. I have to say that the members of St. Paul’s live generously with their time, talents, and treasures. We give of our time and talents working at Grandma’s Kitchen and preparing the wonderful meals served to the appreciative students and staff. Or maybe you have pitched in to help with Paul’s Place. Some have shared their time and talents making quilts for Lutheran World Relief or providing items and assembling baby and school kits for LWR. Our tables are overflowing with purchases for pet

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food, books, or items for the Living Well and other worthwhile causes.Your generosity has also given many monetary donations to a variety of local endeavors. In the first five months of 2019 we have given checks to these groups: Living Well $578.40; Milly’s Pantry $218.00; Keuka Food Pantry $213.00; Literacy Volunteers $226.00; Yates Christmas Program $232.00; Keuka College Mission Trip $500.00; Humane Society $61.22; Bundle Up Program $215; and Hope Fund $523 for a grand total of $2766.82.Also we have contributed to World Hunger to the tune of $3493.38 of which over $1200 came in through canning jars during the Forty Days in Lent. The rest off the World Hunger money comes in our first Sunday offerings of which a percentage goes to World Hunger. We also sent $53.00 to LWR for the shipping of quilts. On top of that we send $1701.42 to the Synod each month which is used in many ways, totaling $8507.10 through May.Members, let’s continue to Live Generously by contributing to the many programs we face in the future. We are a blessed group.Dan Malte, Treasurer

News from the Pews

June 23 begins the “green season” or the Time after Pentecost. This season continues until the first Sunday in Advent! Our paraments will be green for the majority of Sundays during this worship season, with the exception of festival Sundays.

During the month of July, the liturgy of our worship service will have many familiar pieces in addition to a few changes. Our Hymn of Praise will be a familiar hymn: Give to Our God Immortal Praise, ELW 848.  We will use portions of Setting Four for the Communion Setting. We will once again be saying the Apostle's Creed. “Lord, Listen to your Children Praying” will be sung before and after the Prayers of the People. The Offertory hymn and prayer theme from June 16 to July 7 will be “Hear us Calling”. Beginning July 14, the Offertory and the prayer theme will be

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“Lord, Please Help us Listen”. The litany will continue to be led from the back of the church before the Benediction and we will continue to follow the Light of Christ, sending us out of our worship space and into the world each Sunday as we sing the sending hymn.

You will notice that there will be two lessons each Sunday for July. Prior to the Assistant Minister reading the first lesson, there will be a Prayer of Illumination said by all of us, drawing us into hearing the Word of God read aloud.

One little change, (hang in there...we are flexible) will be the Announcements coming AFTER the Benediction, but before the sending hymn. This has been a suggestion heard from several in the congregation, so we would like to give it a try. It is the hope of the Worship and Music planning team, that the announcements will send us out to serve in the world around us after we have been fed by Word and Sacrament.  The Prayer requests will still come at the beginning of the service.

July 7  Two Services  8:00 AM 10:00 AM

    Psalm 40: 1-10 Luke 17: 11-19Faith is a practice of awareness of what God has done for us.

July 14 Two Services  8:00 AM 10:00 AM     Hebrews 1:1-14 John 1:1-5God still speaks to us. We can listen for God.

**July 21       ONE SERVICE    10:00 AM    (please notice the change)

This will be the day the mortgage is burned followed by a congregational picnic

     Hebrews 2:10-18 Matthew 12:46-50     Jesus was human and  had human experiences.

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July 28 Two Services   8:00 AM 10:00 AMHebrews 4:14-5:10   Matthew 26:36-40

Jesus, the Great High Priest, and serves humanity with humility and self-sacrifice.

We hope these notes help with worship services, knowing a bit ahead of time what is happening. Please feel free to contact the Worship and Music Team with any questions or concerns. God Bless us all as we worship together at St. Paul's.

 Greetings and thanks to all of you who have participated in the

Bishop Macholz Golf Outing and Dinner event and have helped us raise almost $50,000 over the past four years! Over these years, many clergy and multiple Youth Ministries have benefitted as a result from the Bishops Appeal fund and

we hope to share these stories with you between now and tee time.  Thank you

for your support, sponsorship and enthusiasm when buying raffle tickets, the wine pull, and helping me auction off whatever

comes our way!

 Early registration is now officially OPEN.

 This year’s event includes many, many new items.  Please pay close attention .

 New venue: Victor Hills Golf Club South – 1450 Brace Road, Victor, NY 14564New date:                       Monday, August 12, 2019

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New shotgun start:        11:15amNew free arrival food:    Bagels, donutsNew free lunch:              Hot dogs and hamburgersNew dinner time:           4:30pm under the tentNew treats:   Volunteers will be riding golf carts and selling what generally gets sold from a golf cart: water, soda, beer, candy.  ALL proceeds and kept and go to the Bishops Appeal Fund!

 The one item that hasn’t changed: PRICE. And our volunteers eat for free!

 For early registration: $400 per foursome before August 1, 2019.  This includes golf, cart, dinner, all contests on course, and 1 mulligan per player.  Each player can purchase 3 additional mulligans (can use the maximum total of 2 per side) for just $5 each, or an individual max of $15.

 For early registration: Dinner guests price is the same as last year: $30 per person.  Special needs will be honored (I fall in this category), just let me know.

 For tee or green sign sponsorship, this is also the same at $100 per sign, and a second sign is $75.

 Changing the venue and leaving our familiars was not what we wanted, but with price increases, other changes (shotgun start not promised for one) and what we found to be possible, Victor Hills became an obvious choice.  All things being equal, we’ll add $1,000 to the Bishop Appeal fund while providing more value for the golfers, more travel convenience for those coming from outside of Rochester, and still offering the golf outing and dinner at the same prices.

 Auction items and donations are always needed and welcomed.  If you frequent a restaurant, car wash, movie theatre, florist, dry cleaner, card shop whatever, wherever – please make an ask for

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free gift certificates for a very good cause.  If have an extra special bottle of wine waiting for a special occasion, this may be such an event.

 If you are unable to golf this year and still want to be involved, or if you know someone that might be willing to help, we need extra volunteers with all the newness and opportunities.  Together let’s make this year’s event the best one yet!

 Please feel free to call me at 585-749-4847 if you need anything. Thank you all very much and God’s peace, Keith

 WE HAVE DONE IT!! St Paul’s has paid off our mortgage at Lyons National Bank. The final payment was made May 30 in the amount of $1379.27. The mortgage was the last segment of payment for the church addition completed in 2005. A chronology of that project and funding:

2002: St Paul’s congregation and Council had a vision to improve Sunday School facilities and at same time, provide further outreach programs for the Penn Yan community. At an October Special Congregational Meeting, a building project was approved and Building Steering Committee (BSC) established.

2004: BSC provided plans for the project – remove old office building and Sunday School building, add 5500 sq ft addition to

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sanctuary, and increase parking lot. Ground breaking and start approximately May 2004.

2005: Project largely completed by summer, and church programs moved in.

2006: Payments through our construction loan completed. Sources of money to pay costs [approx $800,00]:

- Parishioner donations through gifts and pledges- Sale of mutual funds held by St Paul’s- Sale of parsonage on Hillcrest Drive- Small grant

Aug 17 – mortgage established to pay remainder of $280,000 balance. 9.75%

2013: Jul 26 – mortgage renegotiated for $173,000 balance. 5.50%

2019: Mid-May – last full mortgage payment made.May 30 – final payoffJuly 21 – a mortgage “burning” celebration

Through the course of our mortgage, we have used dedicated “Building Fund” donations to make monthly payments. And we have made extra principal payments each month, thus allowing early payoff of the note. In future, the “Building Fund” option remains available on offering envelopes. Any future donations to BF will go into a Capital Reserve Fund for preplanned infrastructure projects.

There have been few stewardship appeals over the past 5 years regarding the mortgage. Yet support for the Building Fund has always been there. Our congregation is blessed with generous stewards. And the results of that 2002 vision for improved

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community outreach are obvious in the multiple uses of our facilities today.

Paul's PlaceA respite care for folks in the community with dementia or Alzheimer's in order that their care givers can have a few hours to run errands or do something for themselves while their loved ones are engaged in meaningful activities.

That is the definition but it is so much more than that! We at St. Paul's are blessed to be the first site for Paul's Place, started by The Living Well. A site has recently begun in Dundee and a third will soon begin in the Rushville area.

At St. Paul's, we have many faithful volunteers who greet and visit with four regular “guests” from 10:30 to 2:30 the third Thursday of the month. Each month has a special “theme” and activities, crafts, and stories are planned for the guests; lunch is provided; and everyone enjoys visiting during the time together. Therapy Pets visit with us each month and music has been provided by some very talented visiting musicians! During Holy Week, a worship service with communion for all involved took place in the sanctuary. The time together is as rewarding for those volunteering as it is for our guests.

Lunches have been provided by those volunteering up to this point. We have two wonderful ladies in the kitchen who do the preparing, serving, and clean-up for us, but we will soon be asking you, the members of St. Paul's to help provide the necessary ingredients for our meals. There will be notices in the bulletin; announcements in church; and a sign up when the time comes. If this is a ministry you would would be interested in helping...your help will be appreciated.

If you have any questions, see Angie Bailey or Elaine Gleason and they will “fill you in”! Thanks be to God for this ministry

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opportunity to reach out and help others and share God's love to members of our community.

COUNCIL MEMBERS NEEDED

NOMINATIONS FOR CHURCH COUNCIL

Listed below are the names of the members of the Nominating Committee and also the list of Council and non-council positions that must be filled prior to the September Annual Meeting. Please look at this list and prayerfully consider offering your name to be placed on the ballot. Please talk to the members of the nominating committee and to the Council members leaving to see what is required of the position you might be interested in serving in. Your help is needed. Nominating Committee:Cathy Booth; Terry Jensen; Clem Nielsen; Whitney Booth; Sheila Disbrow; Karen Pinneo

Positions Expiring in 2019Unless otherwise noted these are all 3 year terms.

Whitney Booth -PresidentDan Malte - TreasurerCathy Booth – Worship/MusicLes Wood - PropertyTerry Jensen - Financial Secretary 1 year

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One member for Memorial CommitteeOne member for Audit Committee

  JULY BIRTHDAYS1-Terry Carlson2-Gary McFetridge, Zac Ekdahl4 – Angie Bailey6-Andy Nissen    7-Ritchie Lent8-Les Wood10-Kristie Christensen, John Dubbs11-Phyllis Peterson  14-Derek Archer16- Freida Bachowski18 – Ellyn Hodges 19- Elizabeth Lilyea23 – Brian Cummings24-Alvin Housel25-Tom Morse, Terry Jensen29-Terry Nussbaumer30-Jeremy Jensen31-Kristine Mattison  

JULY  ANNIVERSARIES1 - Dave & Charlene Nielsen (47)8 - Tom & Ruth Poore (58)       Charlie & Colleen Goodsell (13)12 - Dave & Jewel Goodsell  (44)25 – Charles & Geraldine Christensen (55)28-Brent & Katie Rodgers  (17)29 – Brian & Karen Fitzpatrick  (30)30 – Dan & Karen Malte  (53)

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31 - Greg & Cathy Booth  (43)

CHURCH PICNIC / MORTGAGE BURNING

Sunday July 21One service at 10:00am

Memorial for Harold ChristiansenDick Nielsen and Phil Darrow

In Honor of Don ShawLinda Shaw

In memory of Helmuth Maroscher, Jr.Anita Maroscher

 Blood Drive results

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The blood drive held here on June 4th collected 35 pints of blood and 4 first time donors.

Treasurer’s ReportJanuary 1 – May 31, 2019

Operating Account

Income $63,503.88Building Fund $16,732.50Total Income $80,236.38

General Expenses $71,697.36Mortgage Payments $19,251.77Total Expenses $90,949.13

Net -$10,712.75

Loan Balance as of 5/31/19 = $0.00

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