First Communion Class Information

Submitted by Pastor Gaertner

also through service to others.

Community never exists just for

itself, but we gather together to

be equipped so that we can im-

pact the lives of others. Each Life

Group will continually be mindful

of service opportunities in our

community and commit to serving

together.

Members of a Life Group will find

a community of brothers and

sisters in Christ that will love and

accept them. Everything shared in

a group will stay with the group.

Gossip and slander will be unac-

ceptable. We will seek the best

for each other.

Are you interested in leading

a Life Group?

We need people to help lead

these groups and welcome people

into community at St. Paul. The

host of a Life Group will find that

serving in this way can be a signifi-

cant part of his or her spiritual

journey. I trust that God will

work in and through the hosts of

our Life Groups.

What will it mean to H.O.S.T. a

Life Group?

Have a heart for people and pray

for those in your Life Group

Open your home (or other place

to meet), providing a welcoming

environment

Serve them something to drink

Turn on the discussion by facilitat-

ing the group through the provid-

ed questions based on the study

Continued on Page 2

formed and supported. Spiritual

growth will be fostered not only

by what will be gained through

support and input from others,

but also through service to oth-

ers.

What will happen each week in

a Life Group?

Share - Each week the group

will take time to share what is

happening in the lives of its

members. This sharing time may

be informal or encouraged with

a few planned “sharing ques-

tions."

Study - The group will study a

section from God’s Word. The

study may be about a specific

book of the Bible or a relevant

personal growth topic. The goal

will be to learn how to live out

our faith in everyday life. People

will grow when they are able to

discuss and apply the eternal

truths of Scripture to their eve-

ryday lives.

Support - Each week the group

will learn how to take care of

one another as Christ has com-

manded. This care may take the

form of prayer, encouragement,

listening, challenging one anoth-

er, or meeting real needs.

Serve - The spiritual growth of

the people in the group will not

only be fostered through sup-

port and input from others, but

St. Paul Lutheran Church will begin

Life Groups this fall. God has

called us to be connected to one

another in community. We are a

congregation that is working to

connect people to Jesus, to each

other, and to opportunities to

serve. The development of Life

Groups at this congregation is an

extension of our desire to connect

people to Jesus.

What is a Life Group?

Life Groups will offer a place to

form new friendships, grow in

God’s Word, and positively impact

our community. There will be

different groups offered for cou-

ples, men, women, singles, life

stage and blended groups. The

groups will meet on different

nights and days of the week. The

groups will usually meet in homes,

but they also could easily meet at

restaurants, coffee shops, church,

or other locations. A typical group

will have 4-12 people.

What will be the essentials for a

Life Group?

The Life Groups will support our

congregation’s DNA of connecting

people to Jesus, connecting people

to each other, and connecting

people to opportunities to serve.

We will find connection to Jesus

through God’s Word. So these

groups will study the Bible. Also in

these groups friendships will be

May 2014 Volume 5, Issue 5s Special points of

interest:

H.O.S.T a life group

Give all your worries

and cares to God, for

he cares what happens to you

Give back to those

who have served

Inside this issue:

God’s Door is

Open

2

Youth Activities

4

Opportunity

to Help Our

Veterans

4

Librarian’s Rec-

ommendations

5

Last Month in

Pictures

6

Calendar 7

Connecting People to Jesus

Good News

I rejoice because you saved me.

There is no one holy like the Lord.

There is no one but you, O Lord.

There is no Rock like God.”

Hannah’s story is told in the

first and second chapter of 1

Samuel. For years, she prayed

to the Lord to grant her re-

quest for a child. Hannah

promised God that if she bore

a son, she would give him back

for God’s service. Hannah was

perseverant. Even though God

was silent about her request

for a child for many years, she

never stopped praying. She had

faith that God had the power

to help her. She never doubted

God’s abilities. Hannah had her

weaknesses, too. She was

strongly influenced by her cul-

ture, and her self-esteem was

based on what others thought

she should be like. After years

of praying for the same thing,

most of us would have given

up, but Hannah did not. God

eventually blessed Hannah with

a son, who she named Samuel,

which means “God

hears.” Hannah honored her

pledge to God, giving her son

over to Eli to be trained as a

priest, after which Hannah gave

birth to three more sons and

two daughters.

I did not want to leave the

The heavy wooden door closes

quietly behind me. Slowly, I

walk down the center aisle of

the sanctuary lit purely by the

floor-to-ceiling stained glass

windows behind the al-

tar. These beautiful glass panels

depict shades of emerald-green

vines growing upwards toward

a bright blue sky with succulent

purple grapes hanging from the

vines that entwine a rugged

cross symbolizing a luscious

new life in Christ. Standing

next to my pew, second from

the left, I gaze up at the magnif-

icent wooden cross that is

bathed between the kaleido-

scopes of light streaming

through the adjacent stained

glass. I am struck by the breath-

taking intimacy of the setting

and the silence surrounding

me. I close my eyes and

breathe in deeply. After a mo-

ment, I kneel, bow my head,

and rest my forehead in the

cradle of my crossed arms

placed on the back of the pew

ahead of me. I am wrought

with emotion and over-

whelmed with the power of

His presence. I begin to pray,

and I am reminded of Hannah’s

prayer to God:

Hannah prayed out loud,

“My head is lifted to the Lord.

My mouth mocks my enemies.

beauty and the comfort of this

peaceful sanctuary. Though

when I walked back through

the church’s front wooden

door to the busyness of the

world outside, I was centered

on the blessings of God. After

many years of feeling my own

unworthiness in a totally dif-

ferent circumstance than Han-

nah’s, God had answered my

prayer, too. No matter what

miserable circumstance brings

you to prayer, Hannah teaches

us never to give up. Like Han-

nah, we are to honor our

promises to God and to praise

God for his wisdom and kind-

ness.

As we celebrate Mother’s

Day, remember Hannah’s life

lesson to never give up

“casting all your anxieties on

Him for He cares for you.” 1

Peter 5:7. The sanctuary

doors of St. Paul are open for

prayer during normal church

business hours, Monday

through Friday, 9am-4pm. I

encourage you to visit the

church’s sanctuary for prayer

during the week. I will quietly

pray for you if I see you there

praying “for when two or

three are gathered together,

there I am among them.” Mat-

thew 18:20.

God’s door is open. All are

welcome to enter.

God’s Door Is Open by Sheri Falzone

“Only God, not the community, can

fulfill the yearning for righteousness”

-Sheri Falzone

Page 2

“God’s door is

open. All are

welcome to

enter.”

-Sheri Falzone

Life Groups continued...

The qualifications to be a host

for a Life Group include being a

faithful follower of Jesus Christ

and giving of your time, talents,

and treasures in a regular and

faithful manner. You will also

need to be committed to our

goal of connecting people to

Jesus, connecting people to

each other, and connecting

people to opportunities to

serve.

Hosts will receive training and

support. All questions and con-

cerns can be directed to Pastor

Gaertner or Mike Hausch. If

you are interested in being a

host of a Life Group please

contact Pastor Gaertner or

Mike Hausch.

Page 3 Volume 5, Issue 5s

Confirmation Ministry at St. Paul by Pastor Gaertner

will feel free to ask deep ques-

tions and reflect on their hon-

est struggles. In our program

we engage in a comprehensive

study of scripture. Through

this study of Scripture the

youth do not become experts

on every single book of the

Bible. The youth do gain confi-

dence that all of Scripture has

been inspired by God and has

been written so that we be-

lieve that Jesus is our Savior.

We spend time in the class-

room, small groups, and re-

treats to teach the chief parts

of the Christian faith. Our

goal is not to just dump

knowledge into the heads of

these kids. Our God, time

after time, is faithful and trust-

worthy. As we study the foun-

dations of our Christian faith,

we affirm that our hope is in

the Lord.

We do have expectations that

certain requirements are met

in order to be a participant in

the rite of confirmation. The

requirements we do have are

designed to model the life of a

Christian in the body of

Christ. So service hours, Bible

study participation, sermon

outlines, acolyte participation,

and class attendance are de-

signed to be reflections of the

rhythm of life inside of the

body of Christ.

Faith development is not the

prime responsibility of the

church, but rather it is the

responsibility of parents. Our

confirmation program is de-

signed to assist the faith con-

versations that happen in the

home. The church equips

parents and youth to fulfill

their vocations as baptized

members of the body of

Christ.

The milestone experience of

confirmation provides youth,

with the tools to help them

grow as disciples of Christ.

But this milestone experience

is not meant to be a gradua-

tion. Living in Christ is not an

accomplishment or a social

status; it is the daily rhythm

of repentance of sins and faith

in the forgiveness of sins

through Christ Jesus. Even

after this milestone experi-

ence, we are all expected to

be engaged in service to our

neighbor, faithful study of

God’s Word, and participat-

ing in the worship service.

The confirmation ministry at St.

Paul Lutheran Church is de-

signed to provide an opportuni-

ty for baptized Christians to

explore their faith, read and

study Scripture in community,

and be equipped to affirm in

words and actions that Jesus

Christ is Lord and Savior. We

have both a youth confirmation

and adult confirmation pro-

gram. The youth confirmation

program is a two year program

involving many experiences

that will equip our youth to live

their faith. The adult confirma-

tion program involves participa-

tion in the Lutheranism 101

course and becoming involved

in the worship life of the con-

gregation. The first Sunday of

May our second year catechu-

mens will affirm the promises

of their baptism. Catechumen

is a name for a person who is

engaged in purposeful study of

the catechism. The catechism

includes the Ten Command-

ments, Apostles’ Creed, Lord’s

Prayer, Baptism, Office of the

Keys, and the Sacrament of the

Altar.

Through the leadership of Mike

and me we hope to create a

safe place where participants

St. Paul Proposed Structure Change by Marc Wohlfeil

that our congregation is bet-

ter equipped to fulfill her mis-

sion. The governors intend for

these changes to support

strategic planning so that our

congregation is prepared for

changes from within our con-

gregation and from the com-

munity. This evaluation of our

current structure and the

proposal for changes have

been done to support and

cultivate new leaders within

our church.

The goal is to create a Vision

Board that would be com-

prised of a president, vice

president, recording secre-

tary, pastor, and two or three

at large members. This Vision

Board would replace the

Board of Governors. The

Vision Board would provide

encouragement for the minis-

try teams and help them de-

velop goals that support the

mission of our congregation.

Continued on page 5

St. Paul’s current structure

includes the following:

Leadership Team

Pastor

Treasurer

Board of Governors

This structure has helped St.

Paul achieve its current operat-

ing processes. The Board of

Governors would like to add

oversight to the structure so

St. Paul Youth Happenings by Mike Hausch

Page 4 Good News

LAC (7th and 8th graders)

Sunday Afternoon at the

Movies, Sunday, May 18

at NOON: There are sever-

al good movies at the thea-

ters this month. We will

meet right after church, have

lunch, then go to the movie.

More information on the

movie choice will be shared

in emails and phone calls as

the day approaches. The

horseback riding that was

originally scheduled for May

will happen tentatively on the

first full weekend in June

when better riding areas will

be open.

Garage Sale hosted by

those supporting Youth

Ministry will be Friday,

Saturday, and Sunday,

May 30, 31, and June 1.

Donations can be brought to

the Activity Center beginning

the weekend of May 3 and 4.

Volunteers are needed to

help sort items beginning

Monday evening, May 26

(Memorial Day). Early shop-

ping for members of St. Paul

will be available on Thursday

evening, May 29, at 8:00 pm,

after the Ascension Day wor-

ship service.

IMAC (5th and 6th grad-

ers) Flower planting at

Winkelhaus Community

Park and at our church at

10:00 a.m. on Saturday

May 17. We will meet at

church before we go to the

community park to plant

flowers. We will then return

to the church to plant flow-

ers, and then have a picnic

lunch together and play some

yard games in the early after-

noon. Hamburgers, hot dogs,

buns, and condiments will be

provided. Please bring a side

dish or dessert to share. Our

June activity will be a trip to

Paradise Amusement Park in

Novi.

Our local Thrivent chapter is

sponsoring a Work Day at

Camp Liberty on Saturday

May 10th from 9am to 3pm.

Camp Liberty is a 135 acre

parcel of land located ap-

proximately 45 miles south-

west of Ann Arbor that is

being developed as a site to

help our veterans.

Following is an informative

quote from the Camp Liberty

website at www.camp-

liberty.org :

Camp Liberty was created to

provide an environment condu-

cive to the therapeutic experi-

ence facilitated by a natural

Michigan outdoors setting.

Through inclusive outdoor recre-

ation opportunities and unique

accessible facilities, Camp Liber-

ty will provide programs de-

signed to aid in the rehabilita-

What should you bring? You

should bring something to sit

on for lunch. If you would

like to bring your own tools

you are welcome to do so,

just make sure you have your

name on them. Don’t forget

to dress for the weather of

the day and bring work

gloves. This event will only be

postponed in case of severe

weather. We will still work if

it is raining.

Please sign up by Sunday May

4th on the sign up sheet by

the kitchen so we have an

accurate count for lunch. If

you would like to carpool

please meet at the church by

8:00am.

If you have any questions,

please call or email Mike

Hausch, Su Hausch, or the

church office.

tion and reintegration of U.S.

Military Service Members, Vet-

erans, their families, and chari-

ties engaged in helping individu-

als that are facing health chal-

lenges. Camp Liberty programs

rely on a network of supporters

that includes an all-volunteer

workforce, donations, sponsors,

and grants... and people like

you.

The plan of the day is to start

with an orientation and open-

ing devotion between 9 and

9:30am. We will then be split

up into labor groups to plant

trees, clear trails, and paint

blinds. Thrivent will provide

tools and lunch for everyone

who participates. Major

Briggs will give a presentation

about the camp during our

lunch break. All are welcome,

but youth under 18 MUST be

chaperoned by an adult.

Camp Liberty Work Day—serving our veterans.

Librarian’s Recommendations by Jean Schneider

Page 5 Volume 5, Issue 5s

The Courtship of Tucker

Pain by Barbara Burgess

The author is Jean Duck-

worth’s son-in-law’s mother.

Barbara Burgess passed away

in March, 2014.

As a young teenager living in

the city of Detroit with a

reluctant, foster grandmoth-

er, Tucker Pain gets in seri-

ous trouble with the police.

Too young for prison, he is

sent to Boys' Ranch, a haven

for troubled teens run by

Bob and Doris Duke and

located in Bridgetown, a

small town in the thumb area

of Michigan. While there, the

boys attend the town church

and schools.

Living in the same town,

owning vast farmlands, is the

MacDougal family, including

the senior Donald MacDou-

gal, head of the school board

and the library board, as well

as the head deacon and finan-

cial contributor to the

church. When a prank gone

wrong involves the Boy

Ranchers, Tucker confesses

to save the other boys. For

the rest of his school years,

he has to work heavy labor

under the eye of the Mac-

Dougal. When he graduates

What Are You Afraid of

by Dr. David Jeremiah

Everyone is afraid of some-

thing--failure, success, loneli-

ness, crowds, death, life--the

list is endless. And no one is

immune to fear. Fear haunts

the weak and the powerful,

the young and the old, the

rich and the poor. It is the

great equalizer.

Some fears--hearing an unex-

pected noise in the night or

encountering an icy bend in

the road--attack us only mo-

mentarily, passing almost as

quickly as they come. But

others, such as contracting a

deadly illness, being rejected

by a loved one, or dying

alone, can haunt us for a

lifetime, taking up residence

in our minds and eating away

at our sense of security--and

eventually taking over our

lives. Well, fear not!

There is hope. In What Are

You Afraid Of? Dr. David Jere-

miah identifies and explains

what is at the heart of nine of

our greatest fears and lays

out a biblical plan for over-

coming each one of them. He

also examines one particular

fear that should be part of

our daily lives: the fear of

God.

The Case for Christ

(DVD)

Is there evidence that Jesus

of Nazareth is the Son of

God? Lee Strobel says there

is, and The Case For Christ

presents the evidence dis-

covered during his two-year

journey from atheism to

faith as he sought to prove

the claims of Christianity

false. This compelling DVD

presentation features

Strobel and 10 other schol-

ars who offer clear evidence

that the gospel accounts are

true, making this a great tool

for evangelism.

Eventide by Shelley Shep-

ard Gray

The Days of Redemption #3

Honest and faithful Elsie

Keim falls for her new neigh-

bor, Landon, but she can't

bear to tell him the truth:

She's going blind. Landon is

enamored with Elsie. When

Elsie's brother Roman steps

in and shares the truth of

Elsie's disease, Landon is

floored. His job is demand-

ing and takes him away from

home, sometimes for days at

a time. He wonders how

he'd be able to keep up with

his responsibilities and take

care of Elsie.

from high school, Tucker

enlists in the army, vowing

never to return to Bridge-

town.

After Tucker spends three

years service in the Balkans

and Afghanistan and four

years in college, Doris writes,

telling him that things have

not gone well for her. The

ranch has been closed for

lack of funds, Bob has died,

and finally the MacDougal is

foreclosing on the ranch

house where she lives. Tuck-

er Pain goes home to save

the only mother he has ever

known, works at the local gas

station, and takes her to

church. MacDougal has bro-

ken the congregation off

from the main synod, so the

church has trouble filling

their pulpit.

The mean old man offers to

send Tucker to a seminary if

he will sign a contract as an

ordained minister to preach

at MacDougal's church for

twenty-five years—an offer

Tucker cannot refuse. As

pastor of this church, Tucker

is courted by MacDougal's

granddaughter and a higher

power.

St. Paul Structure Change continued....

For the most part, nothing

would change regarding the

operations of the church.

This proposal would add a

level of support for the minis-

try teams. The ministry

teams would be less involved

in the administrative opera-

tions of the church and in-

stead be more equipped to

proposal and ask you to attend

and give your opinions. The

meetings are scheduled for:

May 12 (Monday) - 7 p.m.

May 18 (Sunday) - 12:15 p.m.

serve the congregation and

community.

The proposed changes will be

available for review and dis-

cussion before they are voted

on at the June voters’ meet-

ing. The Board of Governors

have scheduled the following

town-hall meetings for an

open discussion about this

Page 6

Last Month In Pictures

Quilters making chocolate crosses for Easter Baskets

Easter Vigil Service

Page 7 Volume 5, Issue 5s

MAY

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 Exodus 25:1-

22:Luke 5:17-39 9am Hymn Se-

lection 2pm VBS plan-

ning 6pm Girl Scouts 6:30pm Choir

Rehearsal

7pm FPU

2 Exodus 31:1-

18:Luke 6:1-19

3 Exodus 32:1-

14:Luke 6:20-28 8:30am Labor of

Love

4 Exodus 32:15-

35:Luke 6:39-49 11am Confirmation

5 Exodus 33:1-

23:Luke 7:1-17 7pm Leadership

Team Meeting 8:30pm Gover-

nors Meeting

6 Exodus 34:1-

28:Luke 7:18-35

7 Exodus 34:29-

35:21:Luke 7:36-50

8 Exodus 38:21-

39:Luke 8:1-21 7pm FPU

9 Exodus 39:32--

40:16:Luke 8:22-39

10 Exodus 40:40-

56:Luke 8:40-56

9am Camp Liber-

ty Work Day

11 Leviticus 8:1-13,

30-36:Luke 9:1-17

12 Leviticus 9:1-

24:Luke 9:18-36 7pm Church Structure Town Hall

13 Leviticus 10:1-

20:Luke9:37-62 14 Leviticus 16:1-

24:Luke 10:1-22 15 Leviticus 17:1-

16:Luke 10:23-42

6pm Girl Scouts 7pm FPU

16 Leviticus 18:1-7,

20-19.8:Luke 11:1-13 17 Leviticus 19:9-

18, 26-37:Luke 11:14

-36

10:00am IMAC Flower Planting

18 Leviticus 20:1-

16, 22-27:Luke 11:37-

54 *12:00pm LAC @ the movies 12:15pm Church

Structure Town Hall

19 Leviticus 21:1-

24:Luke 12:1-12

12:30pm Love

Knots

20 Leviticus 23:1-

22:Luke 12:13-34 * 7pm LAMB Meeting

21 Leviticus 23:23-

44:Luke 12:35-53 22 Leviticus 24:1-

23:Luke 12:54--

13:17 7pm FPU

23 Leviticus 26:1-

20:Luke 13:18-35

24 Leviticus 26:21-

33, 39-44:Luke 14:1-

24

25 Numbers 3:1-16,

39-48:Luke 14:25--

15:10

26 Numbers 8:5-

26:Luke 15:11-32 27 Numbers 9:1-

23:Luke 16:1-18

28 Numbers 10:11-

36:Luke16:19-31 29 Numbers11:1-

23, 31-35:Luke 17:1-

19 6pm Ascension

Day BBQ 7pm FPU 7pm Worship

30 Numbers 11:24-29;

12:1-16:Luke 17:20-37 Youth Garage Sale

31 Numbers13:1-

3,17-33:Luke 18:1-17

Youth Garage Sale

St. Paul’s Special Events and

Scripture Readings

Sunday

7:30 a.m. Fresh Brew Bible Study

8:30 a.m. Worship

9:45 a.m. Education Hour

11 a.m. Worship & Kids’ Connection

5 p.m. Coffeehouse

Monday

9 a.m. Quilters

11 a.m. Women’s Bible Study

Tuesday

9 a.m. OldTimers

6:30 p.m. Scouts

Weekly Schedule

Saturday

8:30 a.m. Men’s Bible Study

9 a.m. Altar Preparation

10:30 a.m. AA/Alanon

*indicates off-site events

What is Ascension Day? As-

cension Day commemorates

the ascension of Christ into

Heaven. It is also known as the

Feast of Ascension, occurring

on the Thursday 40 days after

Easter.

History of Ascension Day

According to the accounts in

the Gospel of Luke and the

Acts of the Apostles, Jesus

appeared to many of his disci-

ples during the 40 days follow-

ing his resurrection. On the

40th day, he came again to the

Apostles and led them out to

the Mount of Olives where he

instructed them to wait in

Jerusalem for the promise of

the Holy Spirit. Then, as they

were watching, he ascended

into clouds. As they continued

to watch, two angels appeared

St. Paul Lutheran Church

P.O. Box 490 7701 E M-36

Hamburg, MI 48139

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

Phone: 810-231-1033 Fax: 810-231-1016

stpaul@stpaulhamburg.com www.stpaulhamburg.com

Facebook.com/stpaulhamburg

NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE

PAID Hamburg , MI Permit No. 53

Evan Gaertner, Pastor

TheRevEv@gmail.com

Michael Hausch, DCE

mike@stpaulhamburg.com

and declared to them that, just

as he ascended, Jesus would

return in glory.

For many Christians, Ascen-

sion Day's meaning provides a

sense of hope that the glorious

and triumphant return of

Christ is near. It is a reminder

of the Kingdom of God within

their hearts, and of the ever-

present Spirit of God, watching

over and protecting them as

they spread the light of Jesus'

truth throughout the world.

Come and celebrate Ascension

Day at St. Paul on Thursday

May 29th. We will start the

celebration with a BBQ dinner

at 6:00pm followed by a wor-

ship service at 7:00pm.

Ascension Day BBQ and Worship