Issue 10 ~ NOVEMBER 2016

We are passionate followers of JESUS, making disciples by eagerly connecting the community with the faith, hope, and love that transforms.

Pastor Andy Ritchie, SPL Associate Pastor

www.stpaullakeland.org

Hey! My first newsletter article for St. Paul. (Whoot! Whoot! Whoot!).

Before I get into this, I need to start with something very important, and that is thanking you

all for your prayers for Michelle and for our transition here to Florida. Some of you have gone to

great lengths and some have done so many little things, I cannot begin to remember everything or

thank you all individually so; Thank you ALL, be it big or small!Thank you ALL, be it big or small!Thank you ALL, be it big or small!Thank you ALL, be it big or small! Please know how appreciative we are

for your kindness and prayers.

By the time you read this, two major events in the moving process have likely occurred. First,

on Oct. 22nd the moving truck should have pulled in front of the home. If it made it, that is a blessing

because that means it’s about 3-4 weeks early. We are hopeful that everything is intact and no

breakage especially to my fishing rods. Secondly, I hope as you are reading this that my wife,

Michelle, finally arrived safe and sound.

On to other things! You probably think to yourself... that as a pastor, with all the time I spend

in the Word of God, my time of prayer and of study must keep me pretty spiritually grounded and

without many struggles—I’m thinking that would be wrong. It is easy

to make that kind of assumption, but I have found over the years, I hit

“dry spots” as I call them—times when maybe everything is going

smoothly, but spiritually I am as dry as the valley of bones in the book

of Ezekiel (chapter 37). How can that be? I have found that when I prep

for sermons and Bible classes, spend time in prayer for others, dig

into researching some topic or burning question, a lot of that study is

head knowledge. That is important stuff to do, but if I do not take

time to digest it and apply it to my own life, asking God what does he

want me to take away from this, I end up as dry bones. Even pastors

need to take time to slow down, get into the Word, journal a bit, meditate on something, read some-

one else’s devotions besides just doing our prep stuff. My relationship with the Lord suffers when I

am not in the Word and in prayer for my own growth, even though I am in the Word every day. Does it

not make sense? Well, think about a person who struggles with bulimia. They eat and eat and then

vomit it back up. The food they eat does not have the effect on the body it needs to have. The body

slowly begins to starve itself to death. The body becomes as dry bones. Pastors can gorge them-

selves on the Word of God, but if it’s only for vomiting back to others then the spirit slowly begins to

dry out.

Why am I sharing this with you? The same can happen to you and I don’t want that as your

new pastor and new friend. Make sure you are spending some quiet time with God. I know your life is

busy. I know you have plenty to do, but taking a little time to feed yourself will give you the strength

to carry on each day so you do not dry out. It does not have to be much. A simple devotional that

takes 5 minutes is a good place to start. Turn off the radio or TV and enjoy a cup of coffee while

sitting on your patio, talk to God there. Reflecting on a verse from the Bible and what God is saying

to you in that quiet moment is excellent. Journaling for a bit and looking around to see what God is

doing in your life and the life of those you love brings perspective. Like I said, it does not take much

but it pays great dividends. Don’t let yourself dry out, be refreshed by spending some time with the

Father who loves you as you are. —God Bless, PA

November 2016 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Connecting at St. Paul

Connecting is published monthly by

St. Paul Lutheran Church 4450 Harden Blvd.

Lakeland, FL 33813 stpaul@stpaullakeland.org

863-644-7710

♦ SENIOR PASTOR

Ron Pennekamp

♦ ASSOCIATE PASTOR

Andy Ritchie ♦

HMONG PASTOR Zong Yang

♦ MINISTER OF MUSIC Gloria Klockziem

♦ DIRECTOR OF

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION Nick Moss

♦ DIRECTOR OF VISITATION

Peter Herbert

♦ PRINCIPAL

Robert Boyd

♦ EARLY CHILDHOOD

Cynthia McBride-Tillman

♦ SERVICES

Sunday Morning 8:30am Worship 9:45-10:45am—

Children’s Ministries & Adult Community Groups

ten47am Contemporary Worship & Children’s Church

Communion Weekends 1st, 3rd, 5th

Mid-week Service 6:30pm Wednesdays

♦ HMONG SERVICES Sunday Morning

9am Choir & Bible Study 10:45am Worship

“CONNECTING THE COMMUNITY

TO CHRIST”

scan for website

Many Reasons to Give – Many Options for Giving

Ever wondered how someone could give all their wealth to the family they love, while

at the same time giving all of it to ministries that are special to them?

When two people fall in love and become one in the holy union of marriage, they

typically share all that is to come, including material wealth. Most couples hold wealth in

joint ownership. A few with considerable property might plan to separate assets in order to

conserve taxes or maintain administrative protection. Yet in most cases, people commingle

their property because it reflects their attachment and commitment to each other.

There also exists an emotional attachment, especially in connection with “objects of

our bounty.” Generosity and giving are natural expressions that communicate the message, “I

love you. You belong to me.” Giving can flow both during life and after.

Those who hear the Call of God’s love through faith, have similar connections that

often transcend human ties. For some, generosity steeps up from the conviction that all that

they have is a gift. For others, the desire to share and give comes from deep within the heart.

Sadly, decisions to act on such aspirations often don’t get made because of a lack of knowing

how to proceed or the resolve to get started.

All of us have more options to structure gifts than is often understood. A relevant

question to ask is, “What is the most effective way to give in each circumstance?” Answering

this question often requires advisors who understand methods and vehicles that govern

economic, tax and legal processes. But we find that many people don’t discuss this with their

professional advisors. This means they may miss the best ways to match their generous intent

with the optimal charitable vehicle.

Have you ever thought about seeking spiritual counsel on these gifting issues as a part

of the process? Charitable advisors can help you align your hopes for blessing others with the

most effective financial strategy for your particular situation.

For more information, contact Jim Pennington, SPLC Gift Planning Counselor, at 863-

370-0305 or james.pennington@lfnd.org.

ST PAUL FOOD PANTRY For the month of October our school children brought in food pantry items

as their chapel offering each week. These offerings are greatly appreciated

and needed as we serve many in our community who are hungry. For the

months of January – September 2016 we served 992 households, containing

3,511 people in those households. That’s an average of 110 households per

month that have 3 to 4 people in each household. Each household receives one

bag of groceries per month. Our food pantry is open 4 days a week in the morning for anyone

to come and get a bag of food.

This month we are having a food drive called “Give a TON!” We are asking our

church members to consider bringing in food items each Sunday to help keep our pantry

shelves stocked through the holidays. For the month of November, a scale and table will be

set up in the church lobby for you to weigh your donations as you drop them off. We will

keep track of the number of pounds of food donated. If you would prefer to make a monetary

donation, each dollar you give will count as 1 pound of food. Please memo

your check “Pantry.” Let’s see if we can collect a ton/2,000 pounds of food!

Here are some pantry item suggestions: Pasta, pasta sauce, mac & cheese,

cereals, peanut butter, jelly, canned ravioli/meats, soups, rice, boxed meals,

canned fruits, canned vegetables. (Paper grocery bags are also needed.)

Thank you for helping feed the hungry in our community!

NOVEMBER 5 8am-2pm

Drop off your unwanted treasures in good condition for our

Fall Rummage Sale Oct 30-Nov 4.

Come help sort and price on Thursday & Friday before the

sale. Call Jackie Wilhelm, 863-646-5863, if you can help.

Back in September, the Jr. Girl Scout Troop #4610

used proceeds from their previous cookie sale to

buy items for the St. Paul Food Pantry. All these

girls a3end SPL and the majority of them have

been "SPL" Girl Scouts since Kindergarten (Daisies,

Brownies) and are now in 4th grade (Juniors). For

the next two years, they will use their cookie pro-

ceeds to support a community project and assist

the troop with expenses to take an overnight trip

to Savannah, GA, where the founder of Girls

Scouts (Julie3e Gordon Low) was born. It is a his-

toric site operated by the Girl Scouts and will be a

fun and innova<ve experience for our girls. Cookie

sales start in January!

FRESH WREATH FUNDRAISER Our SPL Youth are

selling fresh Balsam Fir

Christmas Wreaths

ranging in price from

$28 to $48. Proceeds

will go toward scholarships for the MS & HS

youth gatherings, mission trips and NYG 2019.

Order forms are available at the Welcome

Center. All orders and money must be in by

November 6. Your wreath will be available for

pick up the week of December 5.

The Insanity of God is the true story of missionaries Nik and

Ruth Ripken. After the death of their son, this ordinary couple

journeys into the depths of the persecuted church, asking the

question—IS JESUS WORTH IT?

How does faith survive, let alone flourish in the places of the

world that are overcome with the darkness of sin, despair and

hopelessness? Join the Ripkens as they tell the story of being

taught by believers in persecution “how to follow Jesus, how to

love Jesus, and how to walk with Him day by day even when it

doesn't make sense."

The film is based on the best-selling book Insanity of God

(BH Publishing) and is released in association with the Interna-

tional Mission Board (IMB).

We will have a simulcast showing of this movie on

November 13 at 7:00pm in the Youth Room.

MOVIE EVENT

Tickets are FREE (but only 100 are available) and must be

picked up at the Welcome Center or in the office.

Last month the Sisters in Study group put together the Fall care pack-

ages that were sent to our college-age students. Money from a

Thrivent Ac<on Team helped supplement the cost of supplies.

Talks with Luther Volume 5

When I leave the house in the morning to

head out for the day, the last thing I do is find

my li3le buddy Luther. He is usually back in bed

with the covers up over him and his head s<cking out. He

tries to hide, but he gets to wagging his tail under the

spread and it gives him away every <me. This is aDer our

<me of coffee and devo<ons, breakfast and geFng

dressed. So I go in to Luther, sit down with him and tell him

it’s <me to pray; I have to leave and you need to behave

while I am gone. So he stops wagging his tail and bows his

head so I can pray for our Father to protect him and our

home.

It really is quite a site to see a Dachshund actually bow

his head while I say a prayer. I hope it is in reverence to our

Lord. Some<mes he looks like he is in trouble. Maybe he

has a guilty conscience! But don’t we all? Okay Luther, I got

the message from the Holy Spirit about Volume 5 of Talks

with Luther!

Yes indeed, the Reformer writes a great deal about

conscience. We all from <me to <me have an a3ack of

guilty conscience about something we did or didn’t do,

something said or not said. Luther actually defines

conscience as “not a power designed to act but a power to

judge, one that judges acts. Its proper work is, as Paul says

in Romans 2:15, to accuse or excuse, to charge with guilt or

to absolve from guilt, to make fearful or secure. Its office,

therefore, is not to do but to sit in judgment on what has

been done or is to be done; this makes a person wither

guilty or innocent before God.”

As I talk to our family of members here at St. Paul,

some<mes I come across someone who is bothered by

something they did or failed to do that causes an a3ack

of conscience. They feel guilty for not helping someone.

They may have said something to someone that hurt or

offended at the <me and it bothers them later. There are

so many things that plague all of us and cause us to feel

guilty later. This is where the Law and the Gospel become

confused in our minds causing the Gospel to lose its power

to comfort. But Mar<n Luther cau<ons against this as a

Chris<an.

“The Gospel must rule the Chris<an conscience.

Because these folk mix Law and Gospel, they can only be

subverters of the Gospel; for either Christ will stand and

the Law will fall, or the Law will stand and Christ will fall.

For Christ and the Law agree in no wise and cannot dwell in

a conscience at the same <me.”

The writer of Acts in the New Testament tells us in

24:16 “I strive always to keep my conscience clear before

God and man.” So what is the author saying? Do things

according to the teachings of our Lord and Savior Jesus

Christ. You know, do unto others as you would have them

do unto you? That way, if you treat and deal with others

as you would want to be treated, your a3acks of

conscience will be less and less. ADer all, everyone wants

to be treated fairly, decently and with love and caring.

Verse 24 con<nues, “and let us not give up mee<ng

together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us

encourage one another, and all the more as you see the

Day approaching.”

If you feel you have wronged someone and it is both-

ering your conscience, go to that person and se3le the

ma3er. If someone has wronged you, forgive them. Your

conscience will be clear and you will take the burden off

the other person. Remember, you are a child of God, one

of His saints here on His earth. We are to love God with all

our hearts and also show that love to others.

Remember, a clear conscience is a wonderful thing.

Living life according to the saving grace of our Lord is a

wonderful, upliDing and spiritual thing! Don’t let a guilty

conscience plague you. Let Jesus take that worry, that pain

and that guilt. You will feel so much be3er and you will

pass that feeling of walking in the light on to others. It will

just come out! The Light always does!

Li3le Luther wags his tail and mumbles something. It

almost sounded like he said Amen! Wow! A Wiener Dog

full of the Spirit! —In Christ! Peter Herbert

Thank you, to everyone who helped kick-off our Adopt a Grand-parent, Adopt a Grandkid Ministry. On October 9th, our volunteer grandparents and their school families joined us at the ten47 service for a special prayer and blessing from Pastor Ron. It’s not too late to sign up for this ministry. Contact Cynthia Tillman in the office, ctillman@stpaullakeland.org. Our second event will be a Thanksgiving Feast on November 16th at 6:30pm in the Fellowship Center. Grandparents, students and their parents will enjoy fellowshipping together over some delicious food. I look forward to the monthly activities and watch-ing the friendships grow. We have some special requests and will try to honor and fulfill them. Please continue to pray for our new ministry. We ask for your patience along with your prayers.

—Cynthia Tillman, Early Childhood Director

Connecting at St. Paul . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . November 2016

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1

9am Heritage 6pm Signing Class 6:30 Trustees 6:30 Women’s Self-

Defense Class

2 8:25 CHAPEL K-8 9:15 CHAPEL PK 9:45 CHAPEL ECEC 5pm Bells of Joy 6pm Confirmation 6:30 Choir 6:30 ALA-NON 6:30 WORSHIP-C

3 7:15am Men's Group 8am Rummage Setup

11:30 SPL Dismissal Parent/Teacher

Conferences 6pm Church Properties

6pm CancerCare

4 NO SCHOOL

Parent/Teacher Conferences

8am Bulletins 8am Rummage Setup Middle School Retreat

at Lake Yale

5 8-2pm Rummage Sale Middle School Retreat

at Lake Yale

Move Clocks back 1 hour

6 8:30 WORSHIP -C 9:30 Hmong Bible Study

9:45-10:45 CG 10am Baptism Class 10:45 Hmong Worship

ten47 WORSHIP -C

7pm Adult Volleyball

7 5pm Fall VB 6-7:30 FPU 6:15 SIS 6:30 Knitting Ministry

8 9am Heritage 11:30 Lunch Bunch

@ Peking House 6pm Signing Class 6:30 Lay Ministers

9 Celebrate Veterans 8:25 CHAPEL K-8 5pm Bells of Joy 6:30 Choir 6:30 ALA-NON 6:30 WORSHIP-C

10 7:15am Men's Group

9:15 CHAPEL PK 9:45 CHAPEL ECEC 12pm Ladies Share 5pm HR / Finance

6:30 Katie’s Ladies 7pm Marty’s Men

11 8am Bulletins 8:15 PTO Meeting

12

13 8:30 WORSHIP 9:30 Hmong Bible Study

9:45-10:45 CG & CM 10:45 Hmong Worship

ten47 WORSHIP 7pm “Insanity of God”

Movie Showing 7pm Adult Volleyball

14 5pm Fall VB 6-7:30 FPU

6:15 SIS

15 9am Heritage 6pm Signing Class 6-9pm Ministry

Architect Summit 6:30 School Board

16 8:25 CHAPEL K-8 9:15 CHAPEL PK 9:45 CHAPEL ECEC 5pm Bells of Joy 6-9pm Ministry

Architect Summit 6:30 Adopted Grandparent Feast

6:30 Choir 6:30 ALA-NON 6:30 WORSHIP

17 7:15am Men's Group 12pm Ladies Share

18 8am Bulletins 6-9pm MS Youth

19

20 8:30 WORSHIP-C 9:30 Hmong Bible Study

9:30 BAKE SALE 9:45-10:45 CM & CM 10:45 Hmong Worship

ten47 WORSHIP-C

21 NO SCHOOL

KIDS CLUB OPEN 8-5:30 Chess Camp 5pm Fall VB 6:30 Knitting Ministry

22 NO SCHOOL

KIDS CLUB OPEN 8-5:30 Chess Camp

9am Heritage 6pm Signing Class

23 NO SCHOOL

KIDS CLUB OPEN

8am Bulletins 8-5:30 Chess Camp

5pm Bells of Joy 6:30 Choir 6:30 ALA-NON 6:30 THANKSGIVING

WORSHIP

24 CLOSED

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

25 CLOSED

26

27 1st Sunday in Advent 8:30 WORSHIP 9:30 Hmong Bible Study

9:45-10:45 CM & CM 10:45 Hmong Worship

ten47 WORSHIP

28 12pm Esther Circle 5pm Fall VB

29 9am Heritage 6pm Signing Class 6-9pm Ministry

Architect Summit 6:30 Endowment

30 8:25 CHAPEL PK-8 9:45 CHAPEL ECEC 5pm Bells of Joy 6:30 ALA-NON 6:30 ADVENT

WORSHIP 7:30 Choir

DECEMBER Newsletter articles due.

C= Communion CG = Community Group CM = Children’s Ministry FPU = Financial Peace U HS = High School MS = Middle School SIS = Sisters In Study VB = Volleyball

Baptism Class Sunday November 6th from 10:00-10:45am This is for anyone interested in Bap<sm for

themselves or their child. Parents are encouraged

to bring their children. We will meet in the Soul

Surfer Room which is off of the lobby of the

Worship Center. By a3ending the class you are not

obligated in any way, but offered an explana<on

on what we as Lutherans believe and teach

concerning the great giD of Bap<sm.

VETERAN’S DAY CELEBRATION

NOVEMBER 9 We welcome veterans of the United States Armed Services to a special

chapel worship and reception on Wednesday, November 9, at 8:25 AM in the Worship Center. All veterans in our congregation are invited to attend.

NON-PROFIT

ORGANIZATION

US POSTAGE

PAID

LAKELAND, FL

PERMIT NO. 85 4450 Harden Boulevard, Lakeland, FL 33813

Thanksgiving Eve Worship

Wednesday, November 27 at 6:30pm

Bring an offering of canned goods

for our food pantry

“Give thanks to the Lord, for His love endures forever.” 1 Chronicles 16:34