ST. PAUL’S
C A R I L
L O N
March, 2008
“HE IS RISEN”
Dear Fellow-Redeemed,
Three
simple words: “He is Risen.” Three simple words that changed
everything: “He is Risen.” Three simple words that change how you live
each day: “He is Risen.” Let’s take a careful look at those three
words.
“He.” That refers to Jesus. He’s your best and dearest friend. When everyone else abandons you, Jesus
remains with you. When others reject
you because they know too much about you, Jesus receives you because He loves
you anyway. When you’re lonely, He is
your constant companion. He is the Lamb
of God; He is the King of Kings; He is the Lover of sinners; He is the first
and the last; He is above all.
“Is.” That refers to Jesus right here, right now,
in the present moment. When others
claim that Jesus is nowhere, you know that He is now/here. “Nowhere” with a slash in the middle is “Now-Here.” There’s never a time when you’re without
Him. You can’t get rid of Him. He took up residence in you at baptism and
He ain’t movin’ out!
“Risen.” Jesus made the impossible possible. His heart was pierced, He was wrapped in
linen, was laid in a tomb – and came back to life. “He Lives” because “He is Risen.”
Do you
ever have to be afraid? No. Do you ever have to lack confidence? No.
Do you have to remain insecure or depressed? No. Do you have to wallow
in guilt and despair because of a failed past?
No. Because “He is Risen,”
you’re loved and accepted as you are, not as you should be. Because “He is Risen” you’re never on your
own. Because “He is Risen” you can cope
with anything – even death!
Jesus
lives in you. (John 14:23; Colossians
1:27; Galatians 2:20) He’s in you right now, at this very
moment. Pay attention to that fact
throughout each day. Be deliberately
aware of His indwelling. Pray
throughout each day, “Jesus, You live in me.”
Repeat it many times. Let it
sink into your heart and mind. Allow it
to become part of your DNA. It will
change how you face yesterday, today, and forever. Have a Blessed Easter!
Under His Mercy,
Pastor Bill
Mark 16:6
March 20 – 11:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.
Communion Services
March 21 – 7:00 p.m.
March 23 – 6:30 a.m.
March 23 – 8 & 10:45 a.m.
Communion Services
All-You-Can-Eat
Easter Breakfast will be served in the school gym from 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
by our Youth. Tickets are $6.00 for
adults; $4.00 for K-8; preschoolers and under are free. Tickets will be sold before and after Coffee
Hour beginning March 2nd.
Menu: Scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage links,
pancakes, orange juice, milk, coffee and of course our congregation members
HOMEMADE MUFFINS!
Monday
evening worship services will resume March 31 at 7:00 p.m.
ALTAR
FLOWER DATES AVAILABLE FOR MARCH – March 2 (1 Altar arrangement)
and March 16 (2 Altar arrangements). If you would
like to place flowers on the Altar in memory of your loved ones, please contact
the church office. The cost of the
arrangements is $60 for both OR you could put one on for $30. Thank you.
Altar Guild
Nobby
Wehmhoefer would like to thank Pastor Metzger & Lavonne for their visit in
the hospital in Downers Grove and all the visitors at the nursing home and for
the many cards, prayers and concern of so many people in his absence from
church after having surgery and recuperating.
Vera Yatka
would like to thank the pastors for their visits and the congregation for the
prayers, cards and concern.
Here is the
greatest VALENTINE you could ever get.
It is the best love note you could ever receive. It is found in John 3:16.
For God so loVed the world,
That He gAve
His onLy
BegottEn
SoN
That whoever
Believes In Him
Should Not perish,
But have Everlasting life.
God loved us
like no one else ever could. He showed
that love when He sent His Son, Jesus, to be our Savior. He’s also the best companion we’ll ever
have.
OPEN YOUR BIBLE AND LEARN MORE ABOUT HIM
ST. PAUL’S
SCHOOL NEWS
March 2008
3/2 Mrs. Jessica Swett
3-7
Lutheran Schools Week
BIRTHDAYS
7 3:15-4:15
p.m. Market Day Pickup
13 7:00
PTL Meeting
15 TUITION
IS DUE!
20 12:00
Dismissal
21-28 Easter Vacation
25 7:00 p.m. Board of Christian Education Meeting
If
you haven’t already, please check out our website at www.stpauls-lutheranschool.org.
You can find information about tuition, sports, the curriculum, and see many
pictures of our wonderful students and staff!
Congratulations
to our 2nd quarter Honor Roll Students!
GREETINGS FROM ST. PAUL’S LUTHERAN SUNDAY SCHOOL …
During this Lenten season Sunday School is preparing our students with
materials describing how they can prepare themselves for Lent and the Holy
Days. The younger children received
Lenten Calendars, which are just like Advent calendars where they open a window
each day during lent. The children in
grades 1 and 2 received coloring books, which explained Lent and our upper
grades received the booklet What you should know: ABOUT LENT - how Lent came to be, and the Penitential Practices
to prepare themselves for this special time of the Church year.
Sunday School applied for and was granted $1,000.00 to purchase a
Spotlight to be used for plays and different activities here at St.
Paul’s. This spotlight will be
available for other groups at St. Paul’s to use. In the past we have always had to rent a spotlight for our activities. We are grateful for these funds!
Sunday School is planning Easter activities for the children to
celebrate this special Christian Holiday.
On March 9th we will have an Easter Egg hunt. At this writing the hunt will be held
indoors because of the weather conditions.
On Palm Sunday, Sunday School has purchased palms for every person who
attends Palm Sunday Church Services.
Also, on Palm Sunday, we will be having a balloon launch announcing that
Our Lord has Risen. Cards will be
attached to the balloons with our name and address and asking if anyone finds
the card to return it to us and they will receive a gift which will be a Bible.
Our Easter Lily sale is on and we hope that you will purchase one for
yourself or maybe for gift giving to someone else. What a beautiful way to
decorate the altar at St. Paul’s in honor or in memory of someone special. We are delighted that Thrivent will
match our profit from this Lily sale.
The cost of the Lily is $10.50 – this price has not changed in the past
five years. We are grateful that Busy
Bee is selling them to us again.
On Easter Sunday there will be no Sunday School or Coffee Hour. I pray that you and your family will come
and worship at one of our church services.
The Staff and Teachers of St. Paul’s Lutheran Sunday School wish you and
your family a very Blessed Easter!
Halleluiah, Christ is Risen!
In His Name,
Mrs. Gloria Graham Smith, Superintendent of Sunday
School
Class
2008
Confirmation pictures will
be taken on Friday, March 14, with the group picture being taken promptly at
6:30 p.m.
Following the individual and
group pictures, Confirmation Rehearsal will begin, with the Prayer Partner Reception
following in the school gym.
Confirmation takes place on
Palm Sunday, March 16, 2008 at the 10:45 a.m. service.
Confirmands will receive
Holy Communion for the first time on Maundy Thursday, March 20, at the 7:00
p.m. service.
“UNITED IN CHRIST”
Fellow members of St.
Paul’s, as you read this we will once again witness the death of Jesus Christ
upon the Cross, and HIS resurrection.
He died for our sins and rose again that we may have LIFE EVERLASTING. All he asks of us is to believe in HIM. We all know what we should do but all too
often we get our priorities in the wrong order, but when we put our trust in
JESUS, HE has a way of making all else fall in their proper place according to
HIS WILL. (That is how it should be.)
God has blessed our
congregation in so many ways, we have so many volunteers (faithful in serving
the LORD, and our church) in so many ways.
We also have many paid
workers doing God’s work plus the outreach in the mission field. There is so much work to be accomplished but
it all takes time and finances. Summer
is just around the corner and that means vacations, mini trips, weekend
playtime, but it isn’t too early to remind everyone that our responsibility to
God and His church must also be kept in focus every day of our life.
God is the owner of all that
is and was created and He continues to Bless us each one in different
ways. He has made us His stewards of
His blessings and asks that we return to Him of our first fruits so that His work
for the Kingdom here on earth can continue so that the Word of God can reach
all nations and all people of the world.
We ask that the Lord will
grant each of us loving, generous hearts to show our gratitude to Jesus Christ
our Lord and Savior, in all we say and do, that His message will be heard by
all. In Jesus’ name we ask.
Your Board of Stewardship
January 4, 2008
St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church
Dear Friends,
We wish to take this opportunity to thank you for your
contribution to our Blankets of Love campaign to help the Sudanese who have
been ravaged by war and famine. Your
gift demonstrates God’s love and compassion to our persecuted family in Sudan
while keeping them warm during the cool desert nights.
Thank you again for remembering our family in Sudan. We pray for God’s continued blessings on the
gift as well as the giver.
Sincerely,
Tom White, USA Director
The Voice of the Martyrs
PROJECT
UPDATE
To date, over 380,420 blankets have been received at our
warehouse in Oklahoma for distribution to our brothers and sisters in Sudan;
enough blankets to fill 47 ocean containers.
Praise the Lord!!
Dear Friends of St. Paul’s,
We thank God for you – your prayers and faithful gifts of
support. Thank you for your partnership
in the work of Bible Translation.
Please pray for Larry as he is presently in Sierra Leone
checking translations after which he will travel to Liberia. All of the Sierra Leone computers developed
viruses since his last trip there. So
Larry has been busy cleaning these up.
Thank you again for your prayers and support.
Blessings,
Larry & Mae Johnson
We’ve got a new look!
Let us know what you think!
