July 2016

St. Paul’s Lutheran

The Epis†le The Good Samaritan Luke 10:25-37

25Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26He said to him,

“What is written in the law? What do you read there?” 27He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your

heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” 28And he said to him, “You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.”

29But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30Jesus replied, “A man was going down

from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him

half dead. 31Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other

side. 32So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33But a Samaritan while

traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. 34He went to him and bandaged his wounds,

having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of

him. 35The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him; and when I come

back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.’ 36Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who

fell into the hands of the robbers?” 37He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

Who Are You?

Who do you identify with in the parable? This is part of what makes parables so powerful. Some days we read the story through the eyes of the priest or the Levite. Some days we feel like the Samaritan. And then there are those days when we are the man in the ditch. Some days you are the windshield and some days you are the bug, as the saying goes.

It is easy to miss the shocking nature of this parable if we start to think that this story only teaches us to imitate the Samaritan. The parable says so much more about God, our relationship to God, and the lengths to which God will go to reach out to us.

Through the image of the Samaritan, Jesus lifts up a surprising rescuer as an image of the God who relentlessly cares for those in need. Could it be that we are meant to identify not with the Samaritan or even the lawyer to whom Jesus speaks the parable, but rather with the man who is hopeless and left for dead? Could it be that Christ is the good Samaritan who embraces us with the tender compassion of God?

All of the sudden the parable is turned on its head. Jesus is not just giving us a comfortable morality tale reminding us to be nice, helpful, generous people. Instead Jesus is proclaiming the good news of the kingdom. God’s grace comes to us through the cross. God’s grace comes to us even—and especially—when we are at our worst, when we struggle in the depths and cry out for help. Even when we cannot or will not cry out, mercy and grace come into our lives through Jesus. So whether you are on the road or in the ditch, Jesus even now is coming for you. from sundaysandseasons.com (July 10, 2016)

The Epistle July 2016

Birthdays 1 – Monty Barnes

1 - Jordin Davis

1 – Stan White

6 – Haley Perry

7 – Dorothy Johnston

9 – Michelle Johnston

10 – Kurt Migl

12 – Claire Lucke

14 – Beaux Hargrove

16 – Andrea Huerta

19 – Haley Johnston

20- Carrie Parker

22 – Pat Mayberry

25- Leon Busby

28 – Jakob Cordova

28 - Paul Lucke

29 - Danielle Cordova

29 –Jesse Olivares

31– Jerry Reavis

Baptismal Anniversaries 1 - Kyndall Hospedales

10 - Carrie Parker

10 - Kristen Clanton

13 - Brian Viereck

13 - James Herrington

16 - Gretchen Bruner

19 - Shanna Zeiss

19 - Shawna Zeiss

21 - Taylor Christopherson

25 - Jake Fojt

25 - Gabriel Huerta

27 - Taylar Carter

28 - Elvie McCullough

30 - Drew Bruner

31 - Karen Elizondo

In Sympathy

Patricia Witte September 29, 1938 - June 16, 2016

Alice Bosart

November 1, 1929 - June 18, 2016

Wedding Anniversaries 3 - Jeff & Deborah Ganske

7 - Wes & Kathe Wodahl

11 - Gregg & Nancy Simpson

19 - Chuck & Phyllis Chandler

28 - Jake & Helen Fojt

28 - Dennis & Susie Salo

28 - Ken & Colleen Peting

29 - Chad & Jamie Davis

Serving Our Country Alan Campisi, Aaron Carlin,

Michael Giese, Paul Gomez,

Mitchell Handley, Corbin Haro,

Mike Hobbs, Amy Hoff and family,

Brandon Locha, Stephen McWilliams,

Aaron Molina, Chris Paradowski,

Kaylyn Perry, Chris Salo and family,

Cheryl Sisco and family, Kyle Spence,

Garrett Threadgill, Austin Wilkinson,

Sean and Hannah Zarsky

In Our Prayers

Family of Alice Bosart- sympathy

Charlotte & Leon Busby-support

Kurstyn Clarke- sympathy

Cindy Eschberger- shut-in

Helen Fojt- healing

Betty Ganske- health concerns

Barbara Garrett- health concerns

Virginia Hackfeld- health concerns

Dorothy Johnston- healing

O.J. Lamb- health concerns

Emily McCoy- healing

Elvie McCullough- health concerns

Lorraine Patterson- health concerns

Colleen & Ken Peting- health concerns

Walter & Doris Rein- health concerns

Gail Salewski- health concerns

Bob Steffler- healing

June Tieman- health concerns

Sherry White- healing

Kathe Wodahl- health concerns

Sharon Zeiss- health concerns

Thank you

To all our Food Pantry volunteers,

Sunday morning worship leaders,

Tellers, Sound System Technicians,

Committee Members, Choir Mem-

bers, Instrumentalists, Prayer Shawl

Ministry, Eucharist Ministers, Card

Writers, photographers and any

volunteers not mentioned. You are

appreciated!

To David Andrews and Jake Fojt for

working tirelessly on our air condi-

tioning units, keeping the people of

St. Paul’s cool

To all who came and volunteered

their time at our church workday

To pianist Lori Shownes for playing

the piano Sunday morning in Rick’s

absence

To Hoya Ash, Sandra & James

McGee, Don Eschberger, Chuck

Ohm, and any others who work

keeping our church grounds so

beautiful.

Thank you to Dave Reavis for

making the wonderful fish mobile

for our Sanctuary.

The Epistle July 2016

Sum

mer

Day

C

amp

Fun!

The Epistle July 2016

INREACH/OUTREACH NEWS

Committee Meeting, Monday, July 25th at 1pm

Women of the

Golden Group News

Tuesday, July 19th @ 11:30 Pollo Tropical in Baytown

Wednesday, September 7th Hemi Hideout in Brookshire Lunch on your own at Brookwood Comm. Ctr.

Sign-up sheets for both events are in the Fellowship Hall

FOOD PANTRY Open every Thursday 9am - 11am.

Clients may come twice a month. Volunteers are

welcomed!

Depression & Bipolar

Support Group meet at St. Paul’s

Thursday evenings from

6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Open to the public, all are welcome.

LEARN SPANISH CLASS Sundays at 2pm

Come and learn to be a bilingual speaker!

Taught by Pr. Nancy in the teller room

Register now!

Annual Convention of the TX-LA Gulf Coast

Synod Women of the ELCA Memorial Lutheran Church, Texas City

September 16-18, 2016

“It’s a Coastal Affair!”

Keynote Speaker: Water to Thrive

Registration Fee: $75

Entertainment: The Steel Magnolias

Registration forms are available in the Fellowship Hall on

the WELCA bulletin board

New Member Sunday July 24th

Welcome Visitors – take the next step to becoming

members of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, where you

are part of the baptized body of Jesus Christ with a

commitment and a mission. Saved by God’s grace

through faith, we strive to live Christ-centered lives,

coming together in worship, fellowship, and study of

God’s Word. We carry out our mission with regular

offerings and service to “Go, Make, Baptize, Teach” (from

Matt. 28:19). There is a place for you in this vital

congregation of the Texas/Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod

and the larger Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

3 part series: meet in the parlor at 9:30 a.m.

Part 1: Sunday, July 10

Part 2: Sunday, July 17

Part 3: Sunday July 24 (meet Church Council)

BUNCO! The last Wednesday of each

month 6:30-8:30pm.

Come out for an evening of ladies’

fellowship. You’ll enjoy bunco, faith, and fun.

The ladies of St. Paul’s will play and pray

together! Sign up sheet is in Fellowship Hall.

WORSHIP & MUSIC NEWS Committee Meeting July 17th at 12:00 p.m.

HealingService

Sunday, July 10th

during worship

The Epistle July 2016

EDUCATION NEWS

Committee Meeting July 10th at 12pm

BIBLE STUDY GROUPS

Elizabeth Circle Every second Wednesday of the

month at 9:30 a.m. St. Paul’s Women of the ELCA Bible

Study Group. Meet in the Music Library. All women are

welcome.

MEN’S FELLOWSHIP Second Saturday of every

month at 7 a.m. Guys, come enjoy breakfast, Bible study

& fellowship. Talk with Ian Gillespie for more info.

SUMMER SUNDAY SCHOOL all ages

During the summer, the children's Sunday school classes

will be held in the parlor and not in our regular class

rooms. Pastor Nancy will show a video followed by a short

devotion. The adult Sunday school class led by Phyllis

Chandler will continue to meet in the room adjacent to

Pastor’s office.

Please Note: NO ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL JULY 10TH

Youth & Family NEWS

Committee Meeting July 10th at 12pm

And We Will Be Thanked! Shout out to all who helped with Lutherhill Day Camp!

Thank you to all who helped with registration, preparing

the meals and snacks, volunteering to help the counse-

lors, and families that provided supper. The counselors

were very grateful for everything!

Back to School Pool Party Lakewood Pool, Baytown

Friday, August 12th

5:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.

Come enjoy a relaxing evening with hamburgers,

hotdogs and sides, swimming, and visiting with your

church family. Sign-up sheets for food items and people

willing to cook will be available in the fellowship hall at

the end of July. Cost is $5 per person.

Baby….it’s hot out there

It's summer and we're

Building! No, not a new

addition, but we're Building

our A\C and Capital Repair

fund. Fortunately--or unfortunately our good

planning came into use this past week when we had

to repair our faithful 19 yr old A/C unit which broke

down and could no longer be repaired. Now, $6,500

later we have a new A/C. That has left us with only

$660.00 in our emergency fund. This is the same

fund we would use for plumbing repairs, roof

repairs, storm damage....you get the picture, and

we're just starting hurricane season. So, people of

St. Paul's our “Baby it's Hot out There” is continuing!

We're starting over again and we need everyone's

support. Thank you very much to those who have

already been contributing.

PROPERTY NEWS

Committee Meeting Sunday, July 3rd at 12pm

Prayer Shawl & Bereavement

Blanket Blessing Sunday, July 24th

Dates to Remember Backpack Blessing- August 21st

New Driver Blessing- August 21st

First Day of School- Aug. 22nd

Sunday School Rally Day- September 4th

God’s Work, Our Hands- September 11th

The Epistle July 2016

Memorials & Honorariums June

IN HONOR OF GIVEN BY DESIGNATION St. Paul’s 73rd birthday Hoya & Angie Ash AC Fund IN MEMORY OF GIVEN BY DESIGNATION Pat Witte Witte Family Bell Tower Laurie & Dalton Hobbs Bell Tower Hoya & Angie Ash AC Fund Donald & Cathey Humphreys Bell Tower Junfeng Tan & Eunsook Kim-Tan AC Fund Hines Interst LP Bell Tower Susan Simon Bell Tower Jake & Helen Fojt Bell Tower W.R. Bell & Kristy Bell Bell Tower L.J. Berniard lll & Dorothy Berniard Bell Tower Jeffrey Blair Bell Tower

Hurricane 101: The grab-and-go stuff you need By Judy Walker, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune

August 28, 2013

This is an essential list, make a plan now.

Prepare a grab-and-go bag for your household. It should contain: Medications, extra eyeglasses, contacts and prescrip-

tions, insurance papers, immunization records, Yellow and White pages, bank and credit union records, school records,

health records. You need all your important papers, cash, credit cards and checkbooks.

Every evacuation handbag or backpack should carry a roll of toilet paper, wet wipes, hand sanitizer, gum or hard candy

to help quench thirst, breath freshener for when you can't brush your teeth and painkillers of choice. For comfort, add

sunglasses, a hand fan and, if you have one, those pillow neck braces used to sleep sitting up on airplanes.

Survival supplies: The basics are water and food (non-perishable) for at least 3 days, batteries, flashlights and candles. You may want to add Sterno, duct tape, insect repellent, full gas cans, full propane tanks, camp stove fuel, manual can opener, and whistle. __________________________________________________ St. Paul’s Lutheran Church would like to ensure that all its members are taken care of should a catastrophic disaster happen this year or in the near future. Please help us in this effort by completing the Evacuation Plan Survey located in the Fellowship Hall. A new form must be filled out if you have updated information or did not fill one out last year. Information you gave last year will still be on file. Please turn you form in to the office or drop it in the offering plate. Taking care of our church families and friends are very important at St. Paul’s.

BE PREPARED

The Epistle July 2016

St. Paul’s Lutheran Church Council Meeting Minutes June 13, 2016

Present: Pastor Nancy Simpson, Tena Burgess, Kim Holle, Susan Clanton, Becky Linsenbardt, Renee Napier, Debbie Gillespie, Ian Gillespie, Lorrie Andrews, Tori Rein and Dalton Rein.

Absent: Donna Reavis Susan Clanton opened the meeting with prayer. Officer Stuart Beasley with the Baytown Police Department (BPD) was the guest speaker tonight. He has been with the BPD for 21 years, of which he has spent the last 12 years in crime prevention. Officer Beasley spoke to Council regarding safety measures we can take in securing the church facilities during the service as well as during the regular business week. Some suggestions he gave are:

Ushers when conducting door checks should continue to ensure all exterior doors are locked and also start locking the fellowship door and double glass doors leading to the Narthex during the service. An usher should always be available to allow last arrivals in to attend the service.

Lock doors after late arrivals.

During normal working hours, only one door should be unlocked for entering and exiting the building. Ensure there is a phone within easy access during the Worship service, church events and during regular working hours in the event of an incident/emergency.

If there is a concern about a visitor during the work week, during an event or Worship service or something just doesn’t seem right, call the police to come and investigate the situation.

Develop an evacuation plan for Worship service and church events.

During the work week, non-member visitors should use the outside restrooms only. Pastor’s Report: Pastor requested that prior to the start of the announcements during the Worship service, anyone wishing to speak line up behind the lectern, do not wait in the pews. Approval of Minutes: The minutes from the May meeting were approved as published in the June Epistle. Old Business

Review of use of facility policies – Tori Rein gave an update of the status of the funeral policy. Council discussed the role of the funeral coordinator. The committee will continue with policy revisions.

Synod Assembly – No follow up necessary.

Visit from Lizbeth Johnson – No follow up necessary.

Staff Support Committee members – the staff support committee members have been appointed by the Pastor and the Council President. Committee member volunteers are: Chris Napier, Karen Elizondo and Carol Danklefsen.

Treasurer’ Report: The closing statement of the monthly fund report reflects a positive balance for May. We are spending be-low our 2016 Budget year-to-date. New Business

Red Book review

Backpack and new driver blessings, August 21.

Committee Report – Property

Church workday will be held June 18.

After School Program– Update on funding

Tena Burgess stated research continues regarding NCI. The committee is working on the program application and will finish at the June 23 meeting. The cost of the after school program has been communicated to the parents and the program will begin charging the fee at the start of school on August 22.

Inreach/Outreach Committee

The church has been limited to only five trash cans per pick-up. Rosie Haas has volunteered to take the cardboard boxes to be recycled.

Other

Debbie Gillespie will set-up a meeting for Council to meet with Reverend Chris Markert, the new Assistant to the Bishop - Mission Catalyst.

Respectfully submitted, Renee Napier

St. Paul’s Lutheran Church- ELCA 712 Schilling Avenue Baytown, TX 77520 Tel (281)422-9333 Fax (281)422-3648 Web Site: www.stpaulsbaytown.org SUNDAY SCHEDULE: Sunday School 9:00 a.m. Worship Service 10:30 a.m. Nursery available STAFF: Rev. Nancy Simpson, Pastor Rick Falconi, Director of Music Ministries Sharon Mathews, Director of After School Program Jada Hylton, Director of Office Ministries

Thank you to

our camp

leaders:

Ruby, JR,

Shelby and

Danielle

from

Lutherhill

and Amy,

Kaitlin, Grace

and Justin from

St. Paul’s.

You made our

summer day

camp so much

Fun. We love

You! And We Will!