Post on 23-Apr-2020
October 28, 2016
On Reformation Day (which we will observe on October 31st), we celebrate God’s gift to the Church through His servant Martin Luther. Luther reminds us of our freedom from the Law in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
If you remember the story from John 8, Jesus told the self-satisfied
religious leaders of His time, “Everyone who sins is a slave to sin” (John 8:34). You see, they thought, “We’ve got it made!” They believed that their birth status automatically made them free from sin. Later, in the time of Martin Luther during the 16th century, many religious people felt much the same way. Birth and religious vocation gave them a false sense of freedom, too. Is it possible for modern folk like us, lifelong members of a church with a long list of good and charitable works behind our names, to make the same mistake and think, “We’ve got it made”?
Another tragically mistaken group says, “I’ve
got to make it”. People in Jesus’ day followed the Pharisees and tried to keep their numerous religious laws to the finest detail. Paul once lived by those standards, too: “I’ve got to make it.” In the 16th century, Luther along with many others struggled in error, wrongly attempting to gain freedom from sin and guilt through prayers, fastings, pilgrimages, and even the purchase of indulgences. Is it possible that many people today depend on church attendance, financial contributions, church work, and acts of service to “make it” before God? The message of the Law tells us that this is a hopeless task!
But then, in the Gospel message, we realize the joy that we never could
know through works of the Law. Jesus Christ, God’s Son, sets us free from our sins! Jesus took on the slavery of the Law and died on a cross to atone for the sins of the whole world, all people of all times. And through Him, God our Heavenly Father declared the world righteous for Jesus’ sake. We are reminded in Jesus’ own words, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36). Martin Luther discovered the truth of God’s Word that freedom from sin comes only through faith in Christ in Ephesians 2:8-9, “for it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is a gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” In these words, the gates of heaven were opened for Luther, and for us, too.
Today and every day, we rejoice in our freedom from sin and our
freedom to live lives free in Christ Jesus. We celebrate this freedom in the motto of Martin Luther which reminds us of its source: “Grace Alone, Faith Alone, Scripture Alone”.
In Christ’s Service, James L. House, Principal
2016-17 School Year Theme – “Superheroes for Jesus” – Hebrews 12:1-3
Prayer Walk Families for
the week of Oct. 28-Nov. 3
Joseph Johnson
Caden Kirkland
Caelan Kirkland
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Oct. 31…Grace (Luther) Fest
– 8:30-11:30 AM
Nov. 1-15…National Young Readers
Challenge
Nov. 2…School Chapel Service
– 8:20 AM
Nov. 4…“Morning Coffee Club
– 7:45 AM
Nov. 5…Harlingen Proud Fall Litter
Bash – 9:30 AM
Nov. 7-11…PTLS Fall Book Fair
Nov. 7…Campus Evacuation Drill
Nov. 10…ECE Thanksgiving
Luncheon – 11:30 AM
Nov. 11…Veterans Day Assembly &
Lunch – 10:30 AM
PSIA Kick-Off Meeting
– 4:00 PM
Nov. 12…St. Paul Ladies Aid Craft &
Bake Sale – 8AM-1:00 PM
Nov. 17…Thanksgiving Parent
Luncheon – 11:30 AM
Nov. 21-25…Thanksgiving Break
From the Principal’s Desk. . .
St. Paul Academy 1920 E. Washington Ave. Harlingen, Texas 78550
Office Phone 956-423-3926
Check us out on the Internet at www.stpaultexas.com or www.fastdir.com/stpaultexas
WHAT WE CELEBRATE. . .While the secular world celebrates
witches, ghosts, and goblins Monday for Halloween, we at St. Paul
Academy focus on another October 31st happening. This event took place
on Oct. 31, 1517, when a young monk named
Martin Luther nailed 95 theses (or statements) of
doctrinal belief on the church door in Wittenberg,
Germany. This event was the start of the
Protestant Reformation movement. The most
important aspect of the Reformation was the
purity of God’s Word as the source of guidance
and strength in our lives. Celebrate with as we re-
dedicate ourselves to the study of God’s Word and thank God for the bold
men of faith who made it possible to read Scripture in its truth and purity.
GRACEFEST 2016. . .The students and faculty of St. Paul will observe
the 499th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation and its message of
“Saved by Grace through faith in Jesus Christ” by participating in
GraceFest 2016 next Monday, Oct. 31st from 8:30 AM to lunch. Students
will participate in a variety of fun activities that teach them about the Great
Reformer, Martin Luther and the
key events of his life and the
Reformation Era. Plan to
celebrate with us!
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
To help make our GraceFest
celebration a success, we need
our families to donate food items
and several
parent volunteers to assist the teachers with the center
activities. To date, several donations have come in---but
more are needed. You can still drop food items by on
Monday morning. Thanks in advance for your willingness
to help out with this year’s event and for your support of
this year’s GraceFest activities.
FALL LITTER BASH. . .“Keep Harlingen Beautiful” and the City of
Harlingen will hold its annual Fall Litter Bash next Saturday, Nov. 5th
from 9:30-11:30 AM. The deadline for turning
in permission slips and requests for t-shirts and
lunches is Monday, Oct. 31st (no exceptions)!
Be “Harlingen Proud”—plan to help keep Harlingen beautiful and join us
at the Fall Litter Bash on November 5th.
READING CHALLENGE. . . National Young Readers Day will be
celebrated again this year on November 15th. To promote the pleasure of
reading, Mr. House and the teachers are challenging
the students of St. Paul Academy to read 30,000 pages
during the weeks of Nov. 1 thru 15th. We’re sending
home a flyer today that further explains the Challenge
and encourages your participation. Are you up to
the challenge? Start reading toward your 250 page
goal this weekend and bring your Challenge Sheet to
school next Friday for our first “Sticker Check Day” to receive a “reading
sticker” for every 50 pages read so far. Keep reading…reading…reading
as you help us celebrate National Young Readers Day.
PTLS FALL BOOK FAIR. . .The
2016 PTLS Fall Scholastic Book Fair is
just a week away, Monday thru Friday,
November 7-11. The theme of this year’s
fair is “Feelin’ Groovy Book Fair”.
With the wide selection of books and
other materials being made available for
purchase by our students and families,
we know we’ll have lots of book-loving
customers throughout the week. Book
Fair dates and times are: Monday thru
Friday, Nov. 7-11 before and after
school 7:30-8:30 AM and 3:30-4:30
PM, and all
day on
Wednesday,
Nov. 9th. It’s
still not too late
to volunteer to
work a shift or
help with set-
up on Nov. 4th. Check out the Parent
Volunteer flyer coming home again
today with the newsletter and sign up for
a shift (or two)! If you can help, please
return your flyer by next Tuesday, Nov.
1st. We appreciate your support of this
fun and exciting event!
PARENT COFFEE & LUNCH. . . Parents, our next monthly Parent
Fellowship Event will be held next
Friday, Nov. 4th. The
St. Paul “Morning
Coffee Club” will meet
in the cafetorium from
7:45-8:30 AM. Come
join the other parents and Mr. House for
a cup of coffee and some early morning
conversation!
RED RIBBON WRAP-UP. . .
Throughout this past week, our St. Paul
students observed Red Ribbon Drug &
Bullying Awareness Week by
participating in a variety of classroom
activities, including the wearing of “Red
Ribbons” to show everyone that we
“Live Eternally—Be Drug Free”.
Yesterday, we signed a giant “pledge
sheet”, pledging our support of living a
drug-free life. We encourage every
student to continue wearing the ribbons
to demonstrate their commitment to the
goals of Red Ribbon Drug & Bullying
Awareness Week!
GraceFest 2016
OFFERING PROJECT. . . During the 2nd quarter, our weekly chapel
offerings will go to support the Samaritan Purse “Operation Christmas
Child” project. Building on the success of last quarter, we hope to collect
$400 in support of this important ministry so that we
can pack 50 shoeboxes for children in Latin
America this Christmas. This week’s offering was
$65.15, for a total after two weeks of $111.65.
Please remember your chapel offerings every
Wednesday during the 2nd quarter in support of
Operation Christmas Child.
VETERANS’ DAY ASSEMBLY. . . Veterans’ Day will be observed
at St. Paul Academy on Friday, Nov. 11th with a special Veterans’ Day
Assembly featuring a special performance by our friend, Rickey Pitman.
Various other activities include prayers for those who have and are
presently serving our country in the Armed Forces, and the pledge to the
American flag. Following the assembly, we invite our veterans to join us
for lunch, too. All veterans and parents are especially invited to join us
for this Veterans’ Day tribute as we give glory to
God and honor our service men and women.
HELP US INVITE THEM. . .Students, we need
your help to invite your friends and relatives to our
upcoming Veterans’ Day Assembly and Lunch. A
flyer is coming home today to obtain information
about your parents, relatives, and friends who are veterans of the U.S.
Armed Forces. Take a moment this weekend to invite that special veteran
to join you at the Assembly and Lunch. If possible, let us know who’s
coming on Nov. 11th by returning the information form to the school office
by next Friday, Nov. 4th.
SCRIP ORDERS. . . Hey, St. Paul families! Are you shopping with
Scrip yet? If not, what are you waiting for? Purchasing Scrip each month
is a great way to stretch your shopping
dollars and earn profit for St. Paul
Academy at the same time! The new
November Family Order Forms is
available today (found on the school website or attached to the electronic
newsletter). Return it to the office by 8:00 AM
Tuesday morning. Or, you can place an internet
order online by visiting ShopWithScrip.com and
use your credit card or Presto Pay account as payment. Either way, your
Scrip cards will come to St. Paul Academy, and the profits will, too! When
placing an online order, remember to use the school code. Discover the
ease and convenience of shopping with Scrip this week. And check out
the “special offers” for November, too! Become a Scrip shopper today!
STOCK THE CART. . .Have you
brought in a donation of “fun pak
cereals” for our “Stock the Cart”
collection? Our goal is to collect enough
boxes of cereal that we
can send home 2 small
boxes in the “Backpacks
of Love” with area
children each weekend.
Remember, our “Stock
the Cart” and “Backpacks of Love”
programs provide weekend meals to
local children
who are less
fortunate than
ourselves and
share the love
of Jesus with them! Remember to bring
your donation of “fun pak cereals” next
week for our “Stock the Cart”
collection. Thanks for participating!
Saints Hot Lunch Menu
Week of Oct. 31-Nov. 4
Monday – Beef & Cheese
Enchiladas
Brown Rice, Refried Beans,
Iceberg Lettuce & Tomatoes
Tuesday – Domino’s Pizza,
Cucumbers, Ranch Dressings,
Cookie
Wednesday – Cheeseburger w/bun,
Lettuce & Tomatoes,
Chips
Thursday – Bar-B-Q Chicken,
Rotini Pasta, Baby Carrots,
Sliced Bread
Friday – Chili & Cheese Hot Dog,
Corn, Sun Chips
All meals are served with fruit and a carton of 1% white or chocolate milk
Ticket prices: K-8 students –$3.25 per meal and 35¢ per
extra milk (limit 2) (meals can be purchased on a daily basis by
placing funds on your Fast Direct lunch account—three I.O.U. lunch limit)
St. Paul Academy
School Code is: 1ALL427B37414
BOX TOPS NEWS. . .Thanks to all our Saints families who went
“Batty for Box Tops” during October collecting box tops on the special
collection sheet. It’s time to turn those sheets in as
the new “Thanksgiving” collection sheet for the
month of November is coming home with today’s
Good News newsletter. Keep saving those box tops
for St. Paul, and encourage your relatives and friends
to save for St. Paul, too. Remember, each box top is worth 10¢ for our
Saints kids. Thanks for your support of our “Easy Fund Raisers” General
Mills “Box Tops for Education” program.
SPECIAL BOX TOPS APP. . .Check out the
flyer attached to today’s newsletter email from Box
Tops for Education. There’s a new app available
for your phone or tablet that allows you to scan
your store receipts to earn extra box tops for
products you purchase. Download your Box Tops for Education Bonus
App today and start earning extra box tops cash for St. Paul Academy.
“LOVE & LOGIC” PARENTING CLASSES. . .We’re beginning
Week 3 of “Love and Logic”, our Sunday morning parenting classes that
provide Christian parents with a variety of simple and effective strategies
for parenting children birth to
adulthood, as well as the tools and
resources needed for stress-free
parenting that will make parenting
more fun…again! This week’s topic is: “They Just Won’t Listen” and
“Four Steps of Responsibility”. Come join Mr. House and the other
parents in the St. Paul Church Library on Sunday mornings during the
Bible Study hour, 9:15-10:15 AM.
PUMPKIN FUN IN ST. PAUL KINDERGARTEN
RED RIBBON WEEK FUN. . .
RECYCLNG NEWS. . .What a great
way to help our environment and keep
Harlingen clean! Save your plastic
bottles and aluminum cans for the
recycling program at
St. Paul Academy. The
students will also be
recycling paper from
their classrooms each
week, too. You can
add to the paper recycling by donating
newspapers, magazines, and catalogs.
All recyclables can be brought to the
recycling bins located inside the
courtyard fence (near the cafetorium
door). Start saving your recyclables
today and recycle weekly for St. Paul
Academy. Remember, recycling pays!
LADIES AID BAZAAR. . .Plan to
attend the St. Paul Ladies Aid Bazaar on
Saturday, November 12th from 8:00 AM
to 1:00 PM in the St. Paul Lutheran
Church Parish Hall. Stop by and shop
our assortment of handmade crafts and
baked goods! (If you would like to
donate baked goods for the sale they can
be dropped off in the Kitchen on Friday,
Nov. 11th). Proceeds help support the
mission projects of St. Paul Ladies Aid.