the spirit of saint paul

December, 2015 Volume 50, Issue 11

A R C C

Merry Christmas From

the staff of

St. Paul Lutheran Church

Christmas Eve Worship with Holy Communion 5:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.

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St. Paul Lutheran Church

A Reconciling in Christ (RIC) Community

Phone: (505) 242‐5942

Fax: (505) 242‐7067

Email: info@StPaulABQ.org

Website: www.StPaulABQ.org

Pastoral Care Emergency Phone : (505) 249‐9859

Calico Bu erfly Preschool Phone: (505) 242‐4504

Email: calico@StPaulABQ.org

Sunday Service 9:30 a.m. Holy Communion

Personnel S P

Patricia L. Holman

D M P Seth Hartwell

O Beverly Pe t

C B P D Doreen Kleinsasser

O A Sandy Bulloch

P M Leroy Mar nez

Saint Paul Lutheran Church, as a community of faith in Christ,

is radically welcoming, strives for jus ce, and

loves its neighbors as itself.

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Table of Contents From the Pastor ................................................................................................. 1

Welcome New Members ................................................................................... 2

Visita on Ministry Alert ………………………………………………………….…………………..2

A Note of Thanks from the Disques ................................................................... 2

From The Congrega on President ..................................................................... 3

Poinse as ......................................................................................................... 4

Calico Bu erfly Preschool .................................................................................. 5

Albuquerque Interfaith ...................................................................................... 5

Hunger and Christmas Giving ............................................................................ 6

Adopted Families ............................................................................................... 7

Sunflower Orphanage ....................................................................................... 8

Communion Bread Bakers ................................................................................. 9

Friends Feeding Friends ..................................................................................... 9

From the Music Director.................................................................................. 10

St. Paul Sewing Group ..................................................................................... 10

Council Highlights ............................................................................................ 11

Deaths ............................................................................................................. 11

Calendar and Worship Assistants Schedule .................................... white insert

Luther House Newsle er .......................................................... lime green insert

BULLETIN & NEWSLETTER DEADLINES (except as otherwise noted)

_________________________________________________ SUNDAY BULLETIN: Each Wednesday at 9 a.m. JANUARY NEWSLETTER: December15 at 9 a.m.

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From the Pastor Christ Light in Every Direction

Advent began on Sunday 11/29/15 and as in years past we lit the first candle on the large wooden Advent wreath. This year our readings take a slightly different approach to marking the weeks before Christmas– no candles of “joy/hope/peace/love” or verses of “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” Instead this year our readings are adapted from a liturgy by the Rev. Jan McClary Ro‐swell (UMC). Each Sunday leading up to Christmas relates to one of the four global direc‐

ons.

North – where the land grows dark this me of year, sunlight disappearing un l the earth turns again toward spring – we turn our prayers to include those for whom this season is especially difficult because of the struggle with poverty or depression, and for that place in us all which struggles in dark‐ness…

South – where the deserts wait for rain, and those barren places where hope is alive with the beauty of a single bloom ‐‐ we give God thanks for the gi s of simple barren places and pray for the coming of Hope….

West – where the traveling sun sets in glory, promising a me of gentle sleep, the direc on represen ng strength for the people of the future….

East – the rising sun announces a new day dawning for God’s people the Church, with Christ the Morning Star as our guiding light….

Come worship with us this season as together we celebrate Christ who is Light radia ng in every direc on, Light for all the world! <>< Pr. Pat Holman

Thanks Are In Order : John Adolphi for hanging the ladders in the back hallway and the Christ‐

mas tree cross on the wall in the closet. It is great to have them off the floor!

Jan Krakow for coordina ng the fun Advent Intergenera onal event in November.

Kay Schoenefeld who once again organized the Adopted Families Giving Tree effort for Christmas.

Our mid/high youth for suppor ng the younger youth in faith forma on ac vi es this fall.

Dana Mullen, and Peter and Kathie Boissiere for reorganizing the youth group this fall, and for the youth who are taking the lead in conversa on and ac vity planning.

(con nued)

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For the folks who stepped forward to teach YFF (Sunday school) classes this fall. Please sign up with Pastor Holman to help with winter and spring sessions.

And to all of you who are stepping forward to lead and serve in countless ways to keep the beacon of welcome that is St. Paul shining in our city. <>< Pr. Holman

Please welcome our newest members of St. Paul: Kelly Yaple, received as a confirmed member transferred from St. Luke Lutheran Church, ABQ NM, whose St. Paul sponsors are Susan Matsui

and Dave Lund; Phil Wangberg, received as a confirmed member transferred from All Saints Lutheran Church, ABQ NM, whose St. Paul sponsors are Hal and Shirley Nilsson; and Ella Lorelei O’Malley, daughter of Laura Jacobs‐O’Malley and Cur s O’Malley, and sister to William, being received as a bap‐

zed member as Ella was bap zed on Sunday 6/14/15 at Messiah Lutheran Church in Fairview Park, OH and her bap smal sponsors are Mark and Michelly O'Malley.

Visita on Ministry Alert The Coordina ng Commi ee of St. Paul's Visita on Ministry is asking mem‐bers who would like to learn more about this ministry to watch for future informa onal materials in newsle ers, etc. You may also call one of the three members of the Coordina ng Commi ee: Herb Korff, Sharon Howard, or Karen Oligher for conversa on.

Dear Friends and Fellow members, We are thankful for your prayers and cards during our recent illnesses. They are truly appreciated by us. We are slowly recovering and hope to go home soon. We are looking forward to returning to Sunday wor-ship services with you. ~Fred and Helen Disque

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From The Congrega on President By Roger Hein

The me has flown by. As I end my year as President, I want to thank each member of the Congrega on for the trust you granted me and the help and encouragement given by each of you. It has been a drama c year full of change and growth for Saint Paul – our fa‐cili es have become even more welcoming with the addi on of the labyrinth; we faced our dwindling volunteer resources with the shi to a single service year‐round; our Gathering of Missions and Ministries has grown into its po‐ten al for sharing informa on and shaping our path forward; we had our eyes opened via the Synod‐led Comprehensive Ministry Review; and maintained opera ons despite major personnel changes. We did all this together, with a hug and a smile. My thanks to all our staff and volunteers who made this all possible – despite the stresses and turmoil. At our fall mee ng on December 6th we will present a balanced budget, devel‐oped with “ground‐up” input from or various staff and ministry members. It was not balanced without pain, but the reality is that our year over year shrinking resources and depleted opera onal reserves makes the deficit spending of the last few years supportable. We will also vote on a revised Cons tu on and discuss our path forward on the affirma ons and recommen‐da on from the Comprehensive Ministry Review. Our final item of business will be the elec on of new members of the Council, the nomina ng com‐mi ee, and vo ng members to the Synod Assembly. Although I look forward to welcoming our new Council members, it means we must say farewell to dedicated members. Nancy Jenkins will complete her three‐year commitment as President‐Elect, President and Past President; she served us all well and I have appreciated her quiet dedica on to always doing the right thing. Ma Pe erson will also complete his three‐year service on the Council. Diana Mullen and Peter Boissiere are comple ng a one‐year commitment but have offered to con nue their service. This year will also mark the comple on of six years of service to our Congrega on by John Adol‐phi on the Council – two years as President, three years as Treasurer and one‐year a Council Member. Please join me in expressing our thanks and appreci‐a on to all these dedicated members of our Congrega on. Early this year I posed three ques ons, here are my answers:

What Do We DO? A myriad of phenomenal things (See the Transforma‐onal Profile wri en in prepara on for the Comprehensive Ministry

(con nued)

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Review) especially given our dwindling volunteer resources. What Can We DO? Unfortunately, not as much as we have been, unless

we increase our mutual par cipa on and, yes, financial support. What Should We DO? Work together and dedicate ourselves to the mis‐

sions and ministries of Saint Paul. Remember it is WHY we gather; not HOW or WHERE we gather.

Thank you again for the faith held in me, the support you have provided

me, and honor you bestowed on me by allowing me to serve as your

President.

It is that me again – POINSETTIAS!!! We are trying something new this year. Please sign up at the Welcome Center to BUY or to BRING a Poinse a to grace our Christmas Eve worship. The deadline for signing up to bring or to pay St. Paul to purchase your poinse -as is Sunday, 13 December 2015, so that we have me to prepare the infor-ma on for the bulle n. A er that you may certainly contribute a plant any‐way but we cannot guarantee your contribu on will be listed in the bulle n on Christmas Eve. If buying one or more, the cost is $10 each, payable to St. Paul. Write

“Poinse a” on the envelope or memo line. If bringing in a poinse a, please have it here by Sunday morning, 20 De‐

cember 2015, so we can decorate for Christmas Eve a er worship that day.

In either case, if you want your plant designated in memory/honor of some-one in par cular, please note that on the sign-up sheet. You may take your plant home a er worship on Christmas Eve – we will have plants s cks for labeling your plant to help assure you get your own plant back ‐‐ or you may designate it to be given away. Thank you! <>< Pr. Holman, for the Worship and Music Commi ee

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December is a special month at Calico Bu erfly Preschool. Our curriculum theme is “Celebra ons around the World”. It is a wonderful me to learn about our own and other cultures, beliefs and customs. James 1:17 is our bi‐ble memory verse, “Every perfect gi is from God”. Calico Bu erfly Preschool will be closed on December 24 and 25 to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior. We will also be closed on January 1 to bring in 2016, the new year. Calico wants to extend apprecia on to everyone that helped with two very special events that were held this fall. *On Saturday, October 24 we had St. Paul members and Calico parents and friends helped with spreading 10 yards of sand on our playground. What an accomplishment in just a couple of hours. We are so apprecia ve of every‐one’s hard work. It has made the playground a safer place for our children to play. *Our Fall Fes val was held on November 5. It was a tremendous turnout from St. Paul congrega onal members and Calico families. We grossed over $900. Calico will receive matching funds from Thrivent a er the expenses have been deducted. Thank you to everyone that a ended and enjoyed the fellowship and good food. The Calico Bu erfly Preschool staff wants to wish everyone a very blessed Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

Albuquerque Interfaith By Ivan Westergaard

KEEPING THE FAITH FOR OUR CHILDREN'S FUTURE

Celebra on Dinner and School Bond Walk On Sunday, December 6, Albuquerque Interfaith will host its Celebra on Din‐ner at RFK Charter High School. A elegant, fine meal, prepared by the the Culi‐nary Arts Program at RFK, will be served a er appe zers and a raffle of unique items (a ride in a 1927 Model T Ford, gi cards to spas, restaurants and coffee shops, art items, etc.) at 5 p.m. Following the meal will be brief presenta ons by local civic, religious and business leaders, with entertainment inter‐spersed. A tax‐deduc ble dona on of $125 will support the work of A.I: strengthening rela onships in congrega ons, suppor ng the bond elec ons for good buildings for our children, building a work‐force intermediary, stay‐ing on‐top of the need for behavioral health services, etc.

By Doreen Kleinsasser

(con nued)

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A.I. will organize three Saturdays in January to do "Get ‐ Out ‐The ‐ Vote" walks for the school bond elec on (Feb. 2, with early vo ng in January). In‐s tu onal members at the A.I. mee ng on Nov. 12 commi ed to 187 walk‐ers, with more to come as the dates get closer. Our mo va on is our chil‐dren and providing them with the best in buildings and equipment for a good educa on. Walkers will be provided with voter lists, bond informa on and polling places for early vo ng. Will you walk for our children? For more informa on, contact Jeff Sorensen, Else Tasseron or Ivan Westergaard.

Camino de Vida Christmas Party Our mission congrega on in the South Valley, Camino de Vida La no Minis‐try, will have a party for their children and the children of the neighborhood, in the a ernoon of Sunday, December 6. St. Paul and the other Lutheran and Presbyterian congrega ons in Albuquerque have provided toys and gi cards that will be given to the children. 150 children are expected. Thanks to all who helped make this possible.

Mar neztown Halloween Party "Many Thanks" go out to St. Paul folks who contributed cash for the food, or toys, and gi cards for the children who came to the Halloween event at Second Presbyterian Church, a er "trick or trea ng" at designated houses. This annual event is sponsored by the Mar neztown Work Group (St. Paul, 2nd Presbyterian and San Ignacio Catholic Churches). Well over 100 chil‐dren, many accompanied by their parents, par cipated in the games, food and fun at the party. Over the years, the Mar neztown Work Group has focused on flooding, infrastructure and housing issues. Presently, the con‐cern is retaining the area's historical iden fica on and assuring single family housing (R‐1) zoning for the neighborhood in the new planning process that the City is involved in. ~See Ivan Westergaard for more informa on.

Hunger and Christmas Giving Dear fellow members and friends of St. Paul, A teacher told me that a li le boy told her on Friday that he had to eat an extra big lunch, “because there is no food in the fridge at home". There are many families in New Mexico who do not have enough to eat, and not all schools have the 'backpack for the weekend’ food program. Many of us have family and friends who really lack nothing. May I encourage you to se‐lect a different gi ? A gi to the Storehouse or to the Roadrunner Food bank may speak to their heart and will help the problem of poverty in new Mexi‐co. For those who live far away, maybe a gi that goes farther away may speak to them. Look for the ELCA Good Gi s catalog at the Welcome Center. Please know that God loves the cheerful giver. ~ Else Tasseron

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Adopted Families By Kay Schoenefeld

I want to thank the daughter of an elderly St. Paul member who passed away not too long ago. The daughter knew her mom had given many things to Adopted Families, so when it came me to find a home for some of her mother's things, the daughter thought of our project. Among the things she gave us were some medical supplies; all of the supplies have already been passed on to folks who needed them. The other items are in our storage unit and, I'm sure, will soon be passed along to families in need. Our Christmas “giving” tree is now in the lobby. We have go en wish lists from several families. This includes the mom and her Down syndrome son I wrote about last month. It also includes a single mom we've known for sever‐al years. She is caring for five kids; one of them is her biological daughter and the other four belong to rela ves who are currently not able to care for them. There are also several families who live in the southeast part of town and are going through tough and stressful mes. They were referred to us by the counselor they are seeing. On the tree there are tags for gi cards and for specific gi s. If you choose to help, please return the wrapped gi s by Sunday, Dec. 20. If you would like to donate money instead, please make checks payable to St. Paul and mark them for Adopted Families. Thank you in advance for thinking of these folks during a me of year that can be very difficult for them. We con nue to have a special need for adult diapers (size medium for wom‐en), and we can always use furniture, toilet paper, laundry soap, dish soap, toothpaste, tooth brushes, shampoo, cleaning supplies, TVs, blankets, bath towels, sheets, dishes, silverware, pots and pans, lamps, and anything else useable. If you have large items to donate, call Kay to arrange for pickup; bring small items to the narthex coatroom (by the Adopted Families sign). To donate money, make checks payable to St. Paul, mark them for Adopted Fam‐ilies and place them in the Sunday offering or church office. . Thank you! Kay Schoenefeld, 281‐4037

Kay Schoenefeld, 281‐4037 Cheri and Ted Parson, 291‐8394 Dave Lund Susan Matsui Bill and Paula Eglinton

Randy and Marsha Kearney Paul and Mary Thompson Fred and Helen Disque Pat Cur n Hal and Cheryl Schultz

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Sunflower Orphanage By Hal Schultz

I must admit I’m both amazed by and very grateful for the gener‐osity of so many individuals at St. Paul who have purchased bags and other things created by the children at Sunflower. Yesterday Alicia reported that over $1000 had been raised from sales of items that I brought back from my recent trip. Thanks to all of you. These funds well pay the bills at Sunflower for more than a month. It always takes me a few days to process in my mind all the impressions and experiences from a visit to our Phnom Penh connec on. The children are, for the most part, healthy and doing well. They are just star ng a new school year. The oldest are already thinking about the examina ons they well need to take when they complete high school. Students that do very well, will have an opportunity to a end a good university on scholarship, so it’s a very im‐portant event. The exams last for 2 ½ days and are very comprehensive. I have received sugges ons from several St. Paul members that I find ways to introduce the individual children at Sunflower to all of you in a more personal way. So during my visit I interviewed each of the children. I well share the content of those interviews over the next several months. The first interview is with Srey Han. I will share my notes pre y much as they are and of course there is a significant language barrier, so please excuse the “less than perfect” English. I WAS 9 years old when I first came to Sunflower there were about 10 children then. Before I came to Sunflower I stayed with my mother’s sister. I was al-ways sick all the me. . When I was taken to the hospital by my mother’s sister I was given a blood test. The doctor said I was HIV posi ve. Everyone was very scared. My rela ves were very poor and were afraid about HIV. They are discrimina on. When I first came to Sunflower we lived in a small room in Phnom Penh. We had support from a doctor in Japan. We had a Japanese lady to take care of us. When I asked Srey Han "do you like it here? ". Her eyes light up. "Yes, I like". About my future, I would like to be a tailor, design clothes, make bags. When I asked if she would like to con nue to stay at Sun-flower, tears came to her eyes. Yes, yes, I want to stay. What do I do? I do cleaning and cooking. I like to supervise the children. They must listen to me. There is no problem. I really like to work with the children. I asked Srey Han about what she would like to see happen in her in the future. Again, her eyes filled with tears. She says that she has an idea that someday she would like to have her own home and have a family and have a job so she can afford to live. Maybe I could have a business some day. I would like to get married.

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Communion Bread Bakers CALLING ALL BREAD BAKERS! (Current and possible new bakers) It’s that me of year again to reach out to all bread bakers. Our current schedule runs through January 31, 2016, but I will need to start pu ng the schedule together in December. We have

several great recipes to share; typically, ones’ turn to bake comes up about once every two months. We have a fairly flexible schedule if there are dates you know that you won’t be available. If you like to bake, you would enjoy this because the bread is fairly easy to make and it’s a rewarding experience. If you are interested in helping bake bread or have any ques ons, please email or contact me from the informa on listed below. For current bread bakers, please let me know if you’re able to con nue baking for this special part of our ministry. Please contact Kris e Peterson. inkimage@swcp.com or kanpeterson@aol.com Cell: 505 264‐6424

Friends Feeding Friends Through the “Friends Feeding Friends” program, St. Paul has provided the dinner meal served the first Thursday of every month at Project Share, a pro‐gram that was started in 1984. Earlier this year Project Share joined up with St. Mar n’s Hospitality Center to expand and improve service to those in need. Project Share is now able to reach more clients, and for the first me St. Mar n’s shelter is serving three meals a day. Project Share is now closed, but beginning the second week in December, we will be providing the dinner meal at St. Mar n’s Hospitality Center. Due to the move, we will not be providing a meal in December, but will be back in ac on January 7th (Randy Kearney’s group). St. Paul has three teams, each providing four meals a year (drinks, main dish, salad, dessert, fruit, and bread) at St. Mar n. The three team leaders are Nan‐cy Jenkins, Cheryl Schultz, and Randy Kearney. The program would not be possible without all of you who volunteer. Of course, we are always looking for others to get involved. If you can cook, we need you on a team. If you just have an hour or so of free me on the first Thursday of the month, we always need people to help transport and serve the meal. St. Mar n’s is located at 1201 3rd St. NW, Albuquerque, NM. Dinner is served between 5 and 6 p.m. We also gladly accept any dona ons to help defray the costs (a check can be made out to “St. Paul Lutheran church,” with “Hospitality Fund” noted under remarks). ~Marsha Kearney at 505‐899‐9705 or marshakea@aol.com

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From the Music Director By Seth Hartwell

Congratula ons St. Paul! I am so excited about the Youth Faith Forma on program which was revamped and rescheduled in August. We have seen a surge in a endance due to a me change which was previously scheduled from a pre‐service to a post‐service slot. I would like to thank everyone in‐volved in that decision for their hear elt thoughts and delibera ons. We can look back and see that involvement and par cipa on is up and stronger than ever. This change has been a boost to Youth Music as well. You can see this manifested monthly during worship post‐sermon for our Worship Adventures presenta ons, as well as our upcoming Christmas pageant December 20th during worship. As always, youth par cipate in music making every Sunday at 10:50 a.m and the Chancel Choir rehearses Thursdays at 7. Any child or adult has an oppor‐tunity to lend their voice to the LORD. Peace.

St. Paul Sewing Group The Christmas holiday season is here. It’s the me of year when we get to clean out the closet and distribute quilts and lap robes “sewn with love”. Thanks to the reless work of those involved, dona ons of fabric and sewing supplies, and funding through Thrivent’s “Care Abounds in Communi es” pro‐gram, we are able to show others how God cares for them. This would not be possible without everyone’s involvement and generosity. Come join us! We usually meet the third Tuesday of the month in the Fellow‐ship Hall from 9:30 a.m. un l 2:30 p.m. This month we will be mee ng at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, December 15th and having our Christmas luncheon around 11:30 a.m. Any ques ons, contact Marsha Kearney (505‐899‐9705) or Susan Latella (505‐508‐2001).

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Your Council:

Voted to help sponsor a table at the Albuquerque Interfaith annual cele‐bra on dinner the evening of December 6th.

Received the ini al report on the work of the Nomina ng Commi ee which is seeking addi onal candidates for some posi ons.

Took assignments to follow through on connec ng with the “Time and Talent” volunteers.

Approved the expenditure of some property funds for purchasing needed tools for property maintenance and safety.

Heard about the second successful youth event this fall and of plans for purchasing and se ng up luminarias for Christmas Eve worship.

Approved the expenditure from the Seminary Support Fund of $600 in support of a member from one of our mission partners, Cristo Rey Lutherano Church in El Paso, who will be a ending seminary.

Planned for the December 6th Congrega on Mee ng, and in that regard, struggled with ongoing concerns about financial issues that affect the future of ministry at St. Paul.

Discussed at length the best ways to share informa on, ideas, plans and hopes with the whole congrega on in order to solicit everyone’s wis‐dom about reimagining the path forward in this, St. Paul’s 125th year.

~Shirley Nilsson, Council Secretary

11‐17‐2015

God’s comfort and peace to: The family of Steve Neumon who died 11/11/15 ; his service was held at St. Paul on 11/16/15.

The family of Michael Redstrom who died 11/7/15; his service was held at St. Paul on 11/18/15. The family of Joan Jones who died 11/17/15; her service was held at St. Paul on 11/24/15.

Congrega on Council

R H , President, Liaison to Finance 

A R -F , President‐Elect, Liaison to Calico Bu erfly 

N J , Past‐President 

G F , Treasurer

S N , Secretary 

S S , Financial Secretary 

P P H , Senior Pastor 

D M

P B

K B  

C M  

M P

P E

J A

C S

As a Reconciling in Christ (RIC) Community, this congregation specifically welcomes gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered persons

as partners on the journey of faith.

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