The Epistle

The Epistle October

St. Pauls Lutheran Church,

417 Howertown Rd,

Catasauqua, PA 18032

610-264-3221

Fax: 610-264-5732

Email:stpaulschurch@rcn.com

Web:www.stpaulscatasauqua.com

Child Care: 610-264-0190

Sunday Worship

8:00 am Holy Communion

9:00 am Sunday School

10:30 am Worship

1st & 3rd Sunday Holy Communion

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Church Office Hours

Monday-Friday 9:00am-3:00pm

Sunday School

September-Penetcost 9:00am

Child Care Center

Monday-Friday 7:30am-5:30pm

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Church Staff:

Pastor: vacant

Pr. Emeritus: Rev. Dr. Hartland Gifford

Dir. Music: vacant

Office Admin: Charleen Burik

Treasurer: Paul Peters

Financial Sec: Debbie Stewart

Dir. Child Care: Cindy Hickey

Sexton: Robert Crogran

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2015-16

Congregation Council

Robert Bastian

Tom Danner

Doug Newhard

Tom Roberts

Robin Ruch

Helene Sterner

(6) Vacancies

4

6

October 31 Whats so important about this date?

No, its not Halloween, but it is a date all Lutherans should remember. On October 31, 1517 Martin Luther, who was so committed to the idea that salvation could be reached through faith and by divine grace only, went to the Wittenberg Church door and boldly nailed a paper called the 95 Theses, Later, this bold act would become the foundation of the Protestant Reformation from the Catholic Church.

However, Luther never wanted to leave the Catholic Church altogether; he only wanted to make it better. He wanted the Church to stop doing things that were not biblically sound, like selling indulgences. Unfortunately, the pope didnt agree with Luther and condemned his writings and excommunicated him.

What gave Luther the strength and bravery it took to stand up to something as powerful and intimidating as the Catholic Church? One thing we know for sure, Luther was a praying man. He prayed a lot, and not the typical short prayers we might say today before meals or at bedtime. Instead Luther prayed for hours at a time each and every day. He prayed for guidance and direction in his life and the life of the church as he spent day after day studying Gods word. He prayed for courage and for the knowledge he was truly following Gods will before marching up to the big red doors of the church, 95 Theses in hand.

Perhaps reformation isnt so dramatic in our church life today. Yet it is important to remember the church is always reforming, always changing. Even if we dont go as far as to nail a thesis to the church door, we should always be looking to find new and better ways to worship God and to strive to become closer to him.

How can we do this? It really is simple. Lets first start by getting into a daily routine of praying, and maybe putting an extra effort into opening that bible a little more often. Next, come faithfully to church each week, be open and eager to learn what God has to say. Before you know it, the light of Christ will shine more brightly within all of us and those who look to St. Pauls will see our congregation living out our faith, not just professing it.

(NOTE: Our property committee has requested that all suggestions,

complaints and theses please be directed to the church office

in lieu of nailing holes in our big red doors out front. Thank you!)

* Motions were made and carried to elect the Council Officers for 2015-2016:

Doug Newhard - Council President

Tom Roberts - Council Vice President

Helene Sterner - Council Secretary/Treasurer

Bob Bastian- Sr. Deacon

Tom Danner & Robin Ruch Deacons

* A motion was made to accept the following new members on September 27: Jessica Considine, Benjamin Considine, Maomi Kalinoski and Penelope Considine

*As outgoing council members, Kerry Lewis and Laurie Perna will now be members of the Nominating Committee.

* Letter of resignation was received and accepted by council for Norbert Huber.

Treasury Report

Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver - 2 Corinthians 9:7

Jan-August YTD Financial Update

Weekly Envelopes

Budgeted: $85,000

Received: $55,253

Actual YTD

Income: $317,627

Expense: $342,355

-24,728

Endowment Fund Loan: $75,294

Balance: $66,046

St. Pauls Child Care Center

Current Full Time Openings for children in our Older Toddler, Preschool, and PreK Rooms for

Ages 2-4

Our program develops social skills and creative thinking skills along with providing a nurturing environment where children can learn and grow together! Hot Lunch and Snacks Provided Daily

Call Cynthia Hickey, Child Care Director or Amanda Fritz, Assistant Child Care Director at (610)264-0190 for further details and to come in for a tour.

The month of October has arrived and everyone is enjoying walks around town to observe the changes of the season. The classrooms have been discussing things like changes in the trees and leaves, colors, and how to dress for the weather. Our children will be busy making crafts that represent these changes they see and crafts for Halloween. There will be an Orange Day this month when all of the children are encouraged to wear orange. They will get to go outside to find a small pumpkin to take home. Each class will carve a big jack-o-lantern for their classroom. This is a great hands on experience because the children will get to see, feel, and smell the seeds and pulp of a pumpkin. We will celebrate Halloween on Friday, October 30th with a fun party followed by a parade through town in our costumes.

We are participating in the Giant Food Store A+ School Rewards fundraiser again this year. Every time our parents use their bonus cards when they shop at Giant we will get points for each dollar they spend. Anyone can join, just go on line at: GiantFoodStores.com/aplus and click on Register under Designate your School. Our school ID # is 24376. If you registered your card last year you do not have to re-register but Giant does ask that you go on-line and double check to make sure they have your correct information. The fundraiser will run through March 17, 2016. Thank you to everyone in advance that helps participate in the Giant fundraiser.

Happy Autumn!

Cynthia Hickey & Amanda Fritz

Child Care Director & Assistant Child Care Director

Upcoming Events

October 3: Annual Chicken Dinner 4:30 pm - $12.00 per person

Menu: Garden Salad or bacon dressing salad, coleslaw, bbq chicken (breast or leg), green beans w/brown sauce, steamed sweet corn, scalloped potatoes and basket of fresh corn bread and rolls. Desert Bar: assorted pies, brownies and cookies with fresh whipped cream.

Blessing of the Animals service will be held on October 4 at 9am in our Fellowship Hall. We do this service to remember St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals.

To bless is more than an expression of goodwill and caring. The blessing of each animal, by name, means that health, healing and life are being mediated from God for the benefit of the animal in its relationship with its human partners.

You can bring any kind of pet to church to be blessed. Over the past few years we have blessed cats, birds, gerbils, hamsters, hermit crabs, turtles, frogs, snakes, lizards and even a tarantulaBUT please remember they all must be either leash or cage!

Harvest Home

On October 11, St. Pauls will again celebrate Harvest Home. This celebration can be traced back to the very beginning of our church. People brought many of their crops they harvested and decorated the church. This was a service of thanksgiving, thanking God for blessing the harvest and usually after the service; all that was brought in was donated to a local nursing home or orphanage.

The Worship Committee is asking our members to bring in fresh fruits and vegetables for our wagon either on Friday during office hours or no later than 9 am Saturday in the sanctuary. On Sunday, we are asking you to bring canned goods for the Ecumenical Food Bank.

November 22: Thanksgiving Pie Sale. Pumpkin & Apple pies and Pumpkin Rolls are $8 each.

Annual Holly Fair

November 28 - 9 am to 2 pm..

St. Pauls Fundraising Committee

invites you to join us at our Holly Fair featuring BOTH Crafters AND Vendors*

This festive event will offer family & friends the opportunity to kick off their Christmas season and get a jump start on their holiday shopping!

*If interested in participating in our Holly Fair, please contact church office for Registration Forms

December 20Christmas Basket Raffle - (Gift Card included)

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Donations

welcomed

This year we are once again seeking donations to help offset the cost of purchasing Christmas trees for our beautiful sanctuary this Christmas season. If you would like to help, please submit donations (marked: for Christmas trees) to church office or place in offering plate. Your generosity will be greatly appreciated.

Hopefully this winter we will not have another snowy season, but we are once again seeking donations to help offset the cost of snow removal. If you would like to help, please submit donation