st. paul ev. lutheran church & school may 2012 newsletter · lutheran church & school may...
TRANSCRIPT
Heaven IS for real, but it’s not the end of the world…”
“Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received
Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two
men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into
heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you
saw Him go into heaven.”
-Acts 1:9-11
It is the Easter season celebrating Christ’s victorious resurrection from the dead. And, in a
few weeks, we will celebrate the Ascension of Jesus. This week in confirmation class we had
a lively discussion about the angels’ words to the apostles after the Lord ascended. What is
the ultimate hope of Christians? To die and go to heaven? Well, yes…but that’s not the full-
ness of our hope!
Christ did not rise from the dead so that when we die, our souls could go to be in heaven. No.
Christ died and rose, ascended and will come again, in order to renew the creation, and “on
the Last Day He will raise up me and all the dead, and give unto me and all believers in
Christ eternal life. This is most certainly true.” This is the fullness of Christian hope – the
return of Christ in the same way He was taken up into heaven and the resurrection of the
body to the life of the world to come!
To be sure, Scripture does testify that when a believer dies, his soul goes to rest with Christ in
heaven. But as every writing in the New Testament shows, Scripture reveals very little of
what “heaven” is really like, and (more importantly), “heaven” is not the great hope and
promise of the Christian message at all! Rather, the return of Christ in glory is the time when
God’s good work, begun in us, will come to completion (Phil 1:6), and the creation itself will
be set free from decay into the glorious freedom bestowed on God’s children (Romans 8).
Did you know that there will be a generation of Christians who won’t die and go to heaven?
1 Thessalonians 4 says: “For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and
remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Him-
self will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of
God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up
together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the
Lord.” I don’t know about you, but I hope I’m part of that generation of Christians! The
return of Christ in judgment is not something we should be afraid of… (cont. on page 2)
From the Heart of Your Shepherd
St. Paul Ev. Lutheran Church & School
May 2012 Newsletter
Page 2 St. Paul Lutheran Church & School
(cont. from page 1)
One problem with making dying and going to heaven the fullness of our hope is that it turns
death into a friend. In the reality created by the Apostle Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy
Spirit, death is an evil invader, and the last enemy that the Lord Jesus will one day fully over-
throw (1 Cor. 15). But God did not create man to live with his soul radically separated from his
body! God made man body and soul together a living being.
God’s full plan of salvation in Christ means eternal life now, and on the last day, full bodily holi-
ness and immortality for all believers and for the whole cosmos. Our bodies are important to God.
They are created by Him. They have been redeemed by Him. They are temples of God’s Spirit.
God’s promise in Christ is to redeem them and raise them to everlasting life. They will be perfect-
ed, glorious bodies, conformed to the image of Jesus Christ!
Heaven is for real, but it’s not what we look for and long for. Let “heaven” refer to the interim
state of the soul between physical death and physical resurrection. When we die, our souls go to
heaven to rest in Christ and that’s good and far better. But heaven’s not the ultimate hope of the
Christian! It’s not the end of the world. Perhaps the Nicene Creed sums it up best: “I look for the
resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world (in the Greek: “age”) to come.”
God bless,
Pastor Grams+
Please join us for Bible study on Sunday morning. We are discussing these issues while studying
the Great Resurrection Chapter – 1 Corinthians 15.
Page 3
Upcoming Events:
May 5th: IGA Brat Fry Fundraiser, please let Rachel know if you can help out by Thursday, May 3rd.
May 17th: Ascension Ice Cream Social hosted by the youth group after the Thursday night service. mark it on your calendars to come and help out.
May 19th: Plant Sale - we will have a plant sale during the Luxemburg Rum-mage sale in Brian and Rachel's driveway. We will need helpers from 7:00 am to 4:00 pm and also before to dig up and pot plants. If you can help the day of the sale please let Rachel know. If you have plants to donate or would like to help pot plants contact Joe Kramer at 680-1855 or Rachel.
May: Movie Night - it will probably be on the 5th or 19th after the fundraiser events.
We are looking for someone to host the event.
June: Road-Side Clean-Up
June 15th-16th: Relay for Life
June: Noah’s Ark
July 7th: IGA Brat Fry Fundraiser
All upcoming fundraisers will help participants who what to go to the 2013 National Youth Gathering in San Antonio raise funds. If you are planning on attending it is encouraged that you participate in as many fundraisers as possible. If you would like more information about any of these events or would like to be on our email and distribution list, please contact Brian or Rachel Patrycia at 737-2592.
St. Paul Softball Tournament
We will be having our St. Paul Softball tournament on Friday and Saturday, May 11th & 12th.
This is our only fundraising event to support our athletic fund.
Please come out and enjoy the games and hot dogs.
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Christian Service Guild
St. Paul Lutheran Church & School
The Christian Service Guild will be collecting USED EYEGLASSES and
EYEGLASS CASES for the Mission Outreach Short Term organization.
These items will be brought to the LWML Convention in June. There is a
plastic box in the narthex to collect these items. THANK YOU!
FOOD FOR THE NEEDY: St. Paul Christian Service Guild will be collecting food for the needy. There’s a great need for paper products, ketchup, and canned fruits, but anything is greatly appreci-ated. A box will be in the narthex April 26-29, May 3-6 and May 10-13.
2ND ANNUAL ST. PAUL RUMMAGE SALE: Mark your calendars for the 2nd annual St. :Paul rum-
mage, craft and bake sale on aaugust 4th & 5th. We will again accept all itmes from furniture to no
longer needed baby clothes, from tools to sporting goods, household goods to toys. Bring it all! A
bake sale will be held both days, snacks and beverages offered on Saturday and a larger lunch on
Sunday. One half off or fill a bag for $5 on Sunday also. Proceeds will be given to help resurface
the parking lot.
LUTHERANS FOR LIFE ROSES
LFL will have long stemmed roses avail-able to purchase to celebrate Mother’s Day on May 10th and May 13th after services. A donation of $2.00 per rose is greatly appreciated.
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St. Paul Lutheran Church & School Page 6
NEW Lutheran High School is now accepting registration for the 2012-2013 school year.
Admission information is on our website at www.newlhs.com
or contact the school office at 469-6810.
Stewardship News and Views
When God created mankind, God designed us to be generous. God created us with the willingness to give — both to God and others. Yet there are tow “voices” that war against our God-given impulse toward generosity. The first voice is that of fear. What if we don’t have enough to pay our bills, buy groceries, fill the gas tank? The second “voice” is that of self-gratification. If you give, you won’t have enough to buy the “stuff” that will make you happy like a boat, newer car, bigger house.
Obviously, many of our resources go to take care of our needs. Certainly God expects us to have shelter and to eat and to take care of our families. God also wants us to enjoy our lives and not live in poverty. Nevertheless, He expects us to focus on the more than ourselves. So the Scriptures teach us that we are to help the poor and those in need and when we do we are blessed. The Scriptures also teach us that we are to return a portion of our livelihood to God.
There are several upcoming events here at St. Paul where you the members can give of your time, talents and treasurers:
Grounds Clean up
Remember the new graduates of St. Paul School with cards, etc.
Help at and/or attend the Church Picnic June 3rd
Stop for brats and burgers at the Service Guild’s brat fry, June 30th at IGA
Donate items and shop at the rummage sale in August.
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Grams, Renette Brand, Bonnie Lannbrecht, Lon Fager
Page 7
$150,000 By The 150th Anniversary Pledge Drive
In 2015 St. Paul Lutheran Church and School will be celebrating its 150th anniversary!
This yearlong celebration will kick off in October 2014 with a celebration of the 125th
anniversary of our current church building. We are striving to raise $150,000 by the
150th anniversary. These funds may be used for the elimination of the debt on the
new school building and future projects that will help take our church and school
through the next 150 years. Your help is needed to reach that goal! We hope to see
100% participation from all families in the congregation during the course of this
pledge drive as everyone has a reason to give thanks to God for the blessing of St.
Paul congregation.
MEMORIALS:
In memory of Neal Graunke: Debt Fund $500 Building Fund $200 Video Fund $50 Christian Service Guild $100 St. Paul Lutheran School $100 NEW Lutheran High School $50 St. Paul Flower Committee $100
HAPPY CAMPER 5K
TRAIL RUN
Camp Luther, Three Lakes, WI
May 26, 2012
10:00 a.m.
Register before May 13 to get a
free t-shirt!
Register Online at
www.tandhtiming.com
More info at
www.campluther.com/5k
Page 8 St. Paul Lutheran Church & School
CHURCH BROCHURES: are available
in the Narthex from the Stewardship
Committee. If you know of a business
that would be willing to help us
advertise and make our information
available to the public, please take and
post them.
DVD OF CHURCH SERVICE
Anyone wishing to receive a DVD of our Church Service,
call the church office . One of our volunteers will deliver
it to you.
Cookbooks: We still have some cookbooks available, and for just $10 you can have the perfect gift to give for that hard to shop person on your holiday list. If you’re interested in purchasing a copy, please contact the church/school office or see Dianne Kilgore, Tina Kilgore, Linda Prahl, or Richelle Pribek.
2012 FIRST QUARTER SCRIP REPORT
January $27,220.20 Sales $944.94 Profit 133 Orders
February $21,390.00 Sales $756.88 Profit 116 Orders
March $22,949.20 Sales $867.48 Profit 110 Orders
Total YTD $71,559.40 Sales $2,569.30 Profit 359 Orders
WELCOME NEW MEMBERS
Stacie Lynn Duescher
Yvonne Linda Janda
Russell & Cheryl LaPlante
Amanda Marie LaPlante
Nicole Marie Maigatter
Donald & Priscilla Mullen
Mark & Lori Robinson
Jacob, Travis & Damian Robinson
Mary Wagner & Alexander
Jason Zellner
MA
Y 2012
Sun M
on T
ue W
ed T
hu Fri
Sat
1 6:30pm
Picn
ic P
lann
ing
Meetin
g
7:30pm
Ch
oir
2 8:15am C
hap
el 7:30p
m C
hristian
S
ervice G
uild
M
ov
ie Nig
ht
3 7:30pm
Div
ine
Serv
ice w/H
oly
4 6:00pm
Reh
earsal R
adu
enz/S
chm
it
5 10:00am Y
ou
th
Gro
up
IGA
B
rat Fry
1:00p
m W
edd
ing
R
adu
enz/S
chm
it
6 8:30a Su
nd
ay ch
oo
l 8:30a B
ible S
tud
y
9:30a Div
ine
Serv
ice w/ H
oly
C
om
mu
nio
n
7 8 7:30p
m C
ho
ir
9 8:15am C
hap
el 5:00p
m
Co
nfi
rmatio
n
10 7:30p
m E
ven
ing
P
rayer S
ervice
11 N
o S
cho
ol
St. P
aul S
oftb
all T
ou
rnam
ent
12 S
t. Pau
l So
ftball
To
urn
amen
t
13 8:30a S
un
day
S
cho
ol
8:30a Bib
le Stu
dy
9;30a M
orn
ing
P
rayer S
ervice
14 15 7:30p
m C
ho
ir
16 8;15am
Ch
apel
5:00pm
C
on
firm
ation
E
xam
inatio
n
17 7:30p
m A
scen-
sion
Day
Div
ine
Serv
ice w/H
oly
C
om
mu
nio
n
8:30pm
Ice
18 B
on
du
el Track
&
Field
Day
19
20 8:30aS
un
day
Sch
oo
l 8:30a B
ible S
tud
y
9:30a Div
ine
Serv
ice
Co
nfi
rmatio
n
w/H
oly
Co
mm
un
-
21 22 N
o C
ho
ir
23 8:15am
Ch
apel
6:30pm
Bo
ard o
f C
hristian
Ed
24 7:30p
m
Co
ntem
po
rary
Serv
ice w/
Praise C
ho
ir
25 6:30p
m R
ehearsal
Sch
ley/N
itka
26 9:30am
Men
’s F
ellow
ship
&
Stu
dy
1:30p
m W
edd
ing
S
chley
/Nitk
a
27 8:30a S
un
day
S
cho
ol
8:30a Bib
le Stu
dy
9:30a M
orn
ing
P
rayer S
ervice
Pen
tecost
28 N
o S
cho
ol
Mem
orial D
ay
Offi
ce Clo
sed
29 N
o C
ho
ir
30 8:15am
Ch
apel
31 7:30p
m D
ivin
e S
ervice w
/Ho
ly
Co
mm
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ion
St. Paul Faculty/Staff Contact Info Pastor: Daniel Grams [email protected] Cell Phone (920) 883-9523 4K Teacher: Tiffany Dart [email protected]
4K Teacher: Beth Budnik [email protected] 5K Teacher: Sherry Byrne [email protected] 1st & 2nd Grade: Heidi Schneider [email protected] 3-4-5th Grade: Ruth Bernau [email protected] 6th, 7th & 8th Grade: Sarah Shin [email protected] School Secretary: Kathy Kinnard [email protected] Church Secretary: Bonnie Kratz [email protected] For Funerals: Tina Peterson 863-5137 Arlene Gruetzmacher 845-5048
Church Office 920-845-2095
Fax: 920-845-9075
N4118 Cty Rd AB Luxemburg WI 54217
W E ’ RE O N T HE W EB ! W WW .STPAULLU X . ORG
Newsletter deadline is the 15th of the month.
RIDE TO CHURCH? Anyone in need of transportation to
and from church, please notify the church office.
RITE OF CONFIRMATION
Sunday, May 20, 2012
This year, four young men will be confirmed:
Jordan Kramer
Nicholas Lozinski
Jordan Oritz
Caleb Shin.
It truly will be a day for all to celebrate God’s
gracious activity in the life of these members.