SOUNDS OF THE SEASON

The ministry of music at St. Paul’s will present their annual Christmas concert on Sunday, January 7 at 4PM. Featured will be Joseph Martin’s cantata, “Journey to Joy” presented by the Sanctuary Choir and chamber orchestra. There will also be offerings by the Matins Choir, the Handbell Ensemble, the Revelation Ringers, organ and harp, as well as opportunities for carol singing by the audience.

Free and open to the public. A freewill offering will benefit the Friends of Music fund at St. Paul’s.

Newark Interfaith Thanksgiving Service

The interfaith community will come together on Tuesday, November 21 to celebrate Thanksgiving at 7:30 PM at Holy Angels Roman Catholic Church, located at 82 Possum Park Road in Newark. The service will benefit and raise awareness for those facing housing instability in our area. A community choir will gather at 6:30 PM to rehearse anthems to be sung in this service.

This year’s theme: “Everyone will sit under their own vine and under their own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid.” – Micah 4:4

Coffee and Conversation

If you attend St. Paul’s, you are invited to participate in our first interactive opportunity to chat with fellow members about what’s good and what could use improvement in our church’s worship, fellowship, and service opportunities. Hosted by the Membership Ministry, as challenged by our Five Year Plan, we want to give you the opportunity to offer suggestions and solutions to help us make our church the best that it can be. Join us on Sunday, November 12, from 9:00  –  9:50 AM. Questions – please contact Linda Grund at lgrund923@gmail.com

Join Us!

We are delighted that so many visitors have been worshipping with us recently.  

If you are ready to take the next step and become a member of St. Paul’s, you are invited to join us for one AMAZING GRACE discussion where together we will cover these topics:  What is a Lutheran? St. Paul’s Story and Mission. Service, Community and You.

This discussion will take place just after our 10AM service on Sunday, October 15, and will last about 90 minutes. We will provide light refreshments for your enjoyment.        

 Then, on Sunday, October 22, you will be received by the rite of affirmation of baptism and be welcomed as new members during the Sunday worship service that day at 10AM. Please try to join us for coffee fellowship prior to worship.

Please rsvp your intention to join us no later than Sunday, October 8, by emailing coordinator Linda Grund at lgrund923@gmail.com.  If this timing does not work for your schedule, we will be offering another opportunity in the spring. Meanwhile, we look forward to seeing you at church!

Christmas Worship Opportunities

Zoom into a Painting Class

Television art legend Bob Ross showed people how to paint happy mountains and joyful trees. People with some skills could follow along, however, if you had never used an artist’s brush or mixed paint, you had to watch the reruns over and over again to complete a painting.

If you have ever wanted to learn to paint from the very first step I am offering classes just for the fun of it. I am inviting you to join me from my grubby home studio via Zoom. The classes will be live, offering the ability to ask questions and have conversation.

My plan is to begin with basics that include value, color mixing, and use of brushes. Yes, you will be painting an image. However, the image will be one of your choosing and will be started after basic introductory practice classes.

The classes are intended for adults, however, if older youth join with their adult that’s okay with me. I simply request patience since remote teaching is new to me.
Class 1: (example)
Opening prayer/scripture
A Sample Tour of Images
Color and Value (Practice mixing)
Color Wheel (download an online sample for yourself)

A list of supplies will be given to participants. Dave Bart, from Jerry’s
Artarama, Newark, is working with me to put together an inexpensive
packet of supplies for anyone who needs them.


Classes will begin the second week of January. Class days and times
will be set by a survey of participants. To sign up, email prgunderson@comcast.net. Indicate a couple of days and times that work for you – afternoon, evening, day of week.
If you say, “I can’t draw a straight line.” I would respond, “Then use a straight edge to draw it.” Skill is not a requirement for this class. A bit of playfulness is expected.

Proverbs 22:6 Education Fund

St. Paul’s Lutheran has established the  ‘Proverbs 22:6 Education Fund.’  It was born from a congregational member’s small gesture, as they assisted a family within our Extended Care program who needed a helping hand. A simple gift turned into a mission, which now works to serve the families of both St. Paul’s Lutheran School and Church.

More details of this exciting mission can be found at:

http://st-pauls-lutheran-school.squarespace.com/proverbs226/

“Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it.” 

 – Proverbs 22:6

Lutheranism: A Way of Hearing & Teaching

This coming Sunday (Oct 12) Amazing Grace looks at HEARING God address us with a word of Grace. And, as time allows we’ll begin to look at how Lutherans TEACH the faith. See Chapters 2 and 3 of Baptized, We Live.

Come with a favorite bible passage of yours to share. And questions you may have about the Bible.

The way we understand the Bible is critical. Too often we’ve used the Bible in ways that have distorted God’s Word for us. Here’s a quote that may open up some discussion among us.

“The Bible, as I read it now, is not a catalogue of absolutes, as its champions sometimes imply. Nor is it a document of fantasy, as its critics charge. It is an ancient record of an ongoing encounter with God in the darkness as well as the light of human experience. Like all sacred texts, it employs multiple forms of language to convey truth: poetry, narrative, legend, parable, echoing imagery, wordplay, prophecy, metaphor, didactics, wisdom saying. In the Christianity of the modern West, we’ve largely left the vivid storytelling of the Hebrew Bible, the Old Testament, in Sunday school. We’ve consigned it to the world of childhood figuratively and literally. And in our time a superficial Christian rendering of these biblical texts underpins false dichotomies that plague our public life— chasms we’ve set up between sacred text and truth, between idealized views of the way human beings should behave and the complex reality of the way they do.”

Tippett, Krista (2008-01-29). Speaking of Faith: Why Religion Matters–and How to Talk About It (Kindle Locations 624-631). Penguin Group US. Kindle Edition.

What do you think? Comments invited! (Both here and at the class this Sunday.)

Sugar Donut Muffins

Submitted by Heidi Burch. These were a big hit at coffee hour today!

3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup milk (low fat is fine)
1 tsp vanilla extract [Read more…]

Calling all Quilters

Come out and join us on the 3rd Saturday of each month from 9:00 am – noon – bring fabric, your sewing machine if you like and a snack to share with your fellow quilters!  Everyone is welcome!  We get together, share food, fellowship and work on what we have – utility quilts for LWR (Lutheran World Relief), and lighter quilts for local agencies/individuals.

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