Volume 44 JANUARY 2014 Issue 1

St. Paul’s Epistle St. Paul Lutheran Church

1844 Highland Dr., Carroll, IA 51401 E-Mail: stpaul@stpaul-ia.com pastorlicht@stpaul-ia.com

deaconesswatson@stpaul-ia.com

Phone: 712-792-4354 Web Page: www.stpaul-ia.com

A Word from the Pastor ~

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

A new year, 2014, will soon be upon us. We look ahead

not knowing what the year will bring. The year is uncer-

tain but our God’s love for us is not and His promise to

hear our prayers brings us peace and comfort. The One

who holds the universe in His hand, the One of whom

we rightly give credit for each year when we refer to it

as “the year of the Lord” (Anno Domini, or AD), is the

One who hears our prayers and promises that “all things

work together for good, for those who are called accord-

ing to his purpose” (Rom. 8:28).

It is good that we go to the Lord in prayer as we look

ahead to a new year. And if we are praying for our

Lord’s blessing in “the year of the Lord,” what better

prayer to use than the Lord’s Prayer?

Let us pray.

Our Father, who art in heaven,

You invite us to come to You in prayer for the coming

year, promising to hear us not only this day, but every

day to come. Your invitation for us to pray is so certain

and unchanging that we approach You boldly and confi-

dently with our requests, just as certain as dear children

let their needs be known to their dear father.

Hallowed be Thy name,

2014 is rightly called “the year of the Lord.” Your name

brings with it Your holiness and we ask that our days

and our lives may be kept holy in Your name. Keep us

this year, and always, in Your Word that we might, by

Your grace, lead holy lives according to it and protect us

from any who would teach Your Word falsely or pro-

fane Your name in our midst. In the safety of Your name

lead us into this year and through every day to come un-

til You at last bring us to the eternal joys You have

promised.

Thy kingdom come,

You kingdom does not need our prayer, but we ask that

in the coming year we may never be without Your Holy

Spirit who keeps us in Your kingdom by Your holy

Word, leading us in godly living, this year, every year

and eternally in heaven.

Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven;

For Your good will to be done in our lives is what we

need. Certainly there are many dangers lurking in the

new year but we trust it is Your will to foil every evil

that would threaten to keep us from Your kingdom and

that You will keep us firm in Your Word and faith.

Give us this day our daily bread;

Lead us to give You thanks each of the next 365 days,

not just for food on our tables but also for everything

and every person who benefits us in some way, a gov-

ernment that maintains peace and order and even for the

very air that we breath.

And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who

trespass against us;

We will sin in the year 2014 and others will sin against

us. If You kept a record of these sins, Lord, You would

not hear our prayers. We ask that You would blot out all

our sins by the blood of Your Son, and lead us to be in

the same way forgiving of all who will sin against us.

And lead us not into temptation,

You are not the source of temptation, yet the devil, the

world, and our own sinful flesh will tempt us with every

opportunity in the coming year. Defend us against these

attacks that we not be misled into unbelief or despair but

trust confidently in the victory You have gained for us

through Your Son.

But deliver us from evil.

There is much waiting to attack us in the coming year,

but Your rescue from all evil is as certain as Your Son’s

resurrection from the dead. With that confidence we en-

trust the year 2014 and our entire lives into Your hands,

trusting that in a day and an hour known only to You we

will be taken from this time of sorrows to Yourself in

heaven.

For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory

forever and ever.

The year 2014 is Yours. It belongs in Your kingdom and

is kept there by Your power. By the glory of Your name

we remain the people of Your kingdom and we are cer-

tain that you hear our prayers.

Amen

Yes, yes, it is true.

Praying for God’s blessings upon you all in 2014,

Pastor Licht

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Notes & News

Christian Fiction Book Club will meet Sunday, Janu-

ary 5, 2 p.m. in the East Room at church. We will be

discussing the book Angels at the Table: A Shirley,

Goodness, and Mercy Christmas Story by Debbie Ma-

comber. Everyone is welcome.

§ § §

Men’s Table Talk will meet Saturday, January 18,

from 8:30-10 a.m. All men and sons are invited.

Breakfast is provided. § § §

From the Finance Board: All contributions received

after New Year’s Eve, Dec. 31, 2013, will be credited

to your 2014 contributions. 2014 Offering Envelopes

are in your church mailbox.

§ § §

Sunday School Classes will begin again on Sunday,

January 5. § § §

Confirmation Classes will resume on Wednesday,

January 8 at 6:00 p.m. § § §

Choir will resume on Wednesday, January 15, at 7:30

p.m. § § §

Hospitalized: It is very important that you or a family

member notify Pastor or the church office when you

are hospitalized. Hospital Chaplain, Peg Scheidt, will

call us only if you request her to do so. Thank you for

your cooperation.

§ § §

Annual Voters’ Meeting

Sunday, January 12,

1:30 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall

§ § §

Installation of

Newly-elected & Re-elected Officers

will be

Sunday, January 19

during the worship service

2013 Annual Reports

from all Board Chairpersons and

Group Leaders

are due in the church office

by Friday, January 10, 2014

Thank You!!

A Big Thank You to the following church officers,

whose terms will end at the end of 2013, for their years of

dedicated service to the congregation:

Vice-President: Todd Nelson

Stewardship: Reese Abbe

Older Adult Ministry: Jan Hoff*

*Jan has volunteered to continue heading up the Older

Adult Ministry Board but will not be on the Church Coun-

cil. Thanks, Jan.

Thank You to those Newly-elected for a 2-year term be-

ginning January 1, 2014:

Vice-President: Ralph von Qualen

Stewardship: Joe Eisenbacher

Youth: Carol Onken

Thank You to those whose terms were up at the end of

2013 but graciously agreed to serve for another term:

President: Jay Woodhouse

Council Secretary: Deb Schmidt

Elders: Aaron Poock

Leon Schoenfeld

Evangelism: Adam Schweers

Trustees: Jeff Hoffman

Installation of Officers will be held

Sunday, January 19,

during the worship service.

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Sr. LYF will resume Wednesday, January 8th at 7:30

p.m. Come ready to discuss YOUR interests and ideas

as we work together to plan a year of faith and fellow-

ship. Questions? Email Deaconess Watson at

deaconesswatson@stpaul-ia.com

or call (712) 792-4354.

See you on the 8th!

EGGs

If you are a current eighth grader, you are an EGG!

The Eighth Grade Galileans will be meeting

from 7-7:30 p.m.in the youth room

beginning Wednesday, January 8th.

Stay tuned for more details about this new and exciting

part of the eighth grade confirmation program!

Christmas Worship Schedule

Christmas Eve, Tuesday, December 24

5:30 p.m. Family Worship (No Holy Communion)

10:00 p.m. Candlelight Service with Holy Communion

Christmas Day, Wednesday,

December 25 10:00 a.m. Worship with Holy Communion

New Year’s Eve, Tuesday, December 31 5:30 p.m. Worship with Holy Communion

Family Get-together following

There is no Sunday School on December 15,

December 22, or December 29.

LABELS FOR SCHOOL

The Carroll Community School District wants to thank

you for your support in collecting Campbell Soup la-

bels, Boxtops for Education, Tyson labels, and Nestle

Water Bottle Labels. A box is in the Narthex for the

labels.

Beautiful 2014

God’s Creation

Calendars

are for sale by our youth.

Cost is $10.00.

Carroll Circuit

Epiphany

Worship with Holy Communion

here at St. Paul

Monday, January 6 – 7:00 p.m.

Pastor John Schauer will preach.

The offering received will be designated

for LCMS World Relief.

Refreshments will follow.

Everyone is invited to attend.

Junior/Senior Youth

Lock-in Retreat

January 10 & 11

in Carlisle

Topic: “And Deliver Us from Evil”

We will leave about 3:45 on Friday af-

ternoon and be back to the church

around 5 p.m. Saturday evening.

Look for your invitation in the mail!

Questions? Contact Deaconess Watson

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Education to Change Haiti

Please pray for the two children our congregation

are sponsoring through “Education to Change Hai-

ti” as they begin the school year. Ericka Mathius is

age 7 and Stanley Isac is age 10. When a child

shares what they have learned with family mem-

bers, they all benefit. Education can slowly change

a nation. See the Mission bulletin board for pic-

tures of these children.

From the Parish Nurse ~

Choir Research Study

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

British researchers published a study in December 2013

reporting that singing in a choir might be good for your

mental health. Researchers conducted an online survey

of nearly 400 people who sang in a choir, sang alone, or

belonged to a sports team. All three activities were asso-

ciated with greater levels of mental well-being but the

levels were higher among those who sang in a choir than

those who sang alone. The poll also revealed the choral

singers regarded their choirs as more meaningful social

groups compared to how athletes reviewed their sports

teams.

According to the article “These findings suggest that the

experience of using your voice to make music may be

enhanced when you feel part of a cohesive social group.

Further research could look at how moving and breath-

ing in concert with others might be responsible for creat-

ing a unique well-being effect.”

I’m sure the St. Paul Church Choir could always use new

members. Not only are we giving Glory to God but

helping others feel part of a nurturing group. What a

great way to serve our church family!

In His Service,

Darlene Rueter, RN

St. Paul Parish Nursing

Join the Choir for your health!!

GREETERS:

Jan. 4 John & Donna Spaen

Jan. 5 Vicki Grundmeier

Jan. 11 Darlene Warnke

Jan. 12 Pam Stanzyk

Jan. 18 Arlo Jochims

Jan. 19 Ralph & Sharon von Qualen

Jan. 25 Bonnie Dryden

Jan. 26 Pat Beck

ELDERS:

Jan. 4/5 Don Meyer

Jan. 11/12 Leon Schoenfeld

The rest of January to be determined

ALTAR GUILD:

Pat Beck, chairperson

Jill Schweers

Misty Thooft

Gayle Dean

ACOLYTES

Jan. 5 Wyatt Henson

Jan. 12 Mia Nagl

Jan. 19 Rachel White

Jan. 26 Ashlynn Brant

5-8 GRADE USHERS: (Sunday)

Jan. 5 Hayden Thooft

Jan. 12 Jacob Johnson

Jan. 19 Mariah Clausen

Jan. 26 Kara Lorenzen

SATURDAY USHERS: (From last year’s list)

Doug Beckman

John Spaen

SUNDAY USHERS: (From last year’s list)

Pam Stanzyk

Chris Osterlund

Worship Assistants for January

From Fairview Elementary School ~

Thank you so much for your generous donation of

clothing to Fairview Elementary. Your kindness is so

beneficial to the children here at Fairview!

Thank you!

Theresa Pauk, RN, School Nurse

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Ready, Set, Recycle!”

The Lutheran Women’s Missionary League

(LWML) of Iowa will host the 2015 National

Convention in Des Moines! You can help our

Guild earn funds to cover expenses by being a

part of our “Ready, Set, Recycle” campaign.

Bring the following recyclable items to church

and place them in the box in the cloakroom off

the Narthex or call Barb Brockelsby at 790-

9592:

Empty inkjet printer cartridges

Empty laser printer cartridges

Used cell phones

Laptops, including power cords

Palm Pilots (PDAs)

Please place in plastic zip-lock bags. Thank you

for your help.

Unacceptable items: Toner tubes/cartridges, Ep-

son printer cartridges, Cannon BCI cartridges,

Remanufactured cartridges, refilled cartridges

or new unopened cartridges. Any cartridge that

DOES NOT have a metal print head is unac-

ceptable.

Circle Dates—

Lydia: Tuesday, January 7, 7:00 p.m.,

Fellowship Hall to tie quilts,

Laura Schauer, hostess; Sharon

von Qualen, topic

Rachel: Wednesday, January 8, 1:30 p.m.,

Fellowship Hall, Shirley Schirck,

hostess & topic

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LUTHERANS FOR LIFE

Wanted: A Model Father by Ryan C. MacPherson From Summer 2013 LifeDate

People often learn best by example. Recognizing this aspect of human nature, the Scriptures exhort us to be imitators—of Christ (Ephesians 2:5), of St. Paul (1 Corin-thians 4:16), of other apostles (2 Thessalonians 3:9), or of the saints who have gone on before us (Hebrew 6:12). The Bible also warns us against imitating evildo-ers (Deuteronomy 18:9; 3 John 1:11). We need good models, but good models sometimes are difficult to find.

Fathers, in particular, lack for good models these days. Indeed, our culture has been consumed by a crisis surrounding the definitions of fatherhood, manhood, and marriage. A recent court case in Arizona involved a “man” who was born a woman, but took hormones and had surgery to become a man, except that he (she?—it gets very confusing) kept her womb, eased off of the hormones, and became pregnant. In fact, she gave birth to three children, and yet she insists that she is a man, the “father” of those children.

The judge didn’t buy that one, but other re-definitions of family relations are gaining support elsewhere in the nation. In Minnesota, for example, lawmakers are tink-ering with the definitions of both “marriage” and “parenthood,” with the possible result that a child could have up to six “biological parents” in the eyes of the law. Oddly enough, the law would call both members of a homosexual couple the “biological parents,” even if only one of them is biologically related to the child in the strictly scientific sense of that term.

Not only are non-fathers being called fathers, but actual fathers are being denied legal rights to serve their chil-dren. Twenty-one years ago, the Supreme Court ruled that fathers have no legal authority to preserve the lives of their unborn children; abortion is a woman’s choice, and hers to make alone. The case, Planned Parenthood

v. Casey, struck down state laws requiring a woman to inform her husband before aborting their child.

Meanwhile, the culture at large brands men as self-interested, power-seeking, promiscuous, competitive, insensitive, and manipulative. Andrew Kimbrell, in his book The Masculine Mystique, outlines a “hidden crisis” concerning “the grim condition of the American male.” He pleaded for a return to common sense, and to the

traditional qualities associated with manhood: genera-tivity, stewardship, generosity, teaching, husbandry, [and] honor.”

And that’s where Christians have an opportunity to lead by example. The virtues of manhood that Kimbrell iden-tified are biblical virtues. At times in their lives, Noah, Abraham, Joseph, and David exhibited these traits of sanctification. The Book of Proverbs offers the best ad-vice the world has ever received on fatherhood. First, seek wisdom from God, not from the man (Proverbs 1:7). Second, learn from what God has taught your own father (2:1; 3:1; 4:1; 5:1; 6:1,28; 7:1). Third, guard your chastity, whether single or married (chapters 5 and 7). Fourth, actively train and correct your own children (13:24; 19:18; 22:15; 23:13-14; 29:15,17). Above all, confess your sins and receive God’s mercy (28:13).

Ultimately, God Himself is the model. The standard is nothing short of perfection. “You therefore must be

perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). This holds true for family life as much as for the rest of life. God is the source and the standard. “For

this reason I kneel before the Father [Greek: pater], from whom every family [Greek: patria] in heaven

and on earth derives its name” (Ephesians 3:14-15 NIV).

Our culture has strayed far away from God’s plan for the family. In ways that are perhaps less obvious, so have we. How many fathers, even Christian fathers, read God’s Word daily to their families? Has not God called fathers to “teach [God’s commands] diligently to your

children” (Deuteronomy 6:7)? How many fathers bring their children “up in the discipline and instruction of

the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4)? In today’s climate, that means offering biblical counsel to counteract the cultur-al messages that have twisted the family inside out and reduced fatherhood to an optional component of family life.

It’s time for men to stand courageously in the Lord. Real men change diapers, as Luther was fond of remarking, and real men also instruct their families in the Christian faith. And real men support their wives, daughters, and sisters so well that they render abortion unthinkable in their midst. When men lead, provide, and protect, wom-en will not feel vulnerable, afraid, or alone. When men are men, children have their needs met.

Maybe you are a boy who never quite became a man because you lacked an adequate role model. If so, re-member that you have a heavenly Father to mentor you. (Continued…..Page 7….)

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THE LUTHERAN HOUR

The Lutheran Hour may be heard on Sundays on the fol-

lowing radio stations in our area: KAYL, 990 AM, Storm

Lake, 10 am; KDSN, 107.1 FM, Denison, 6:30 am; KDSN,

1530 AM, Denison, 10:30 am; WHO 1040 AM, Des Moines,

7:30 a.m.

Also available 24 hours/day on the Internet

@ www.lutheranhour.org Speaker: Rev. Gregory Seltz

Go to www.lutheranhour.org

for the January Sermon Schedule

Sermons Online and Service on TV

You can listen to the Sunday morning sermon again

online on our website. Go to www.stpaul-ia.com and

click on “Sermons” in the left-hand column and then

click on the date of the sermon you wish to hear.

You can also watch the service on Mediacom Channel 6

and Western Iowa Network Channel 30.

(….LFL continued from page 6)

The Bible contains much guidance for men, so turn to it regularly. Ask God to help you mature into a role model for the young men in your midst. And while you’re at it, ask Him for what He desires to give you more than any other gift: forgiveness through Jesus Christ for all of your failures as a man.

Yes, fathers today need godly models, but more than that, we need forgiveness. Thankfully, God has provid-ed us with both. Ryan C. MacPherson, Ph.D., a member of the LFL

speakers bureau, and teaches at Bethany Lutheran

College in Mankato, Minnesota. He also is the

founding president of the Hausvater Project (www.

hausvater.org), which promotes a confessional Luther-

an vision for family, church, and society.

• info@lutheransforlife.org • 888.364.LIFE Family Liv-

Thank You ~~

To Darlene Rueter and her late husband, Ryan,

for their many years as caretakers of the church

and church grounds. Darlene has decided not to

continue as custodian. We appreciate their work

the past several years and pray that God will con-

tinue to richly bless Darlene.

Thank you to Jeff Dryden who has been taking

care of the custodial duties since Ryan’s death.

Concordia Publishing House

Summer 2014 Internship Program

Gain Real Work Experience

Earn College Credit—Get Paid.

CPH offers several summer internship opportunities to

help students gain experience in the world of publishing

and general business, as well as leadership development.

Visit cph.org/internships

to check out their 2014 summer

internship opportunities!