St.

Paul Lutheran Church

10792 N Co Rd 210 E, Seymour, IN 47274 Office Phone: (812) 522-7364 & 522-7484 Email:stpaullutheran@stpaul -borchers.org Web site:http://www.stpaul -borchers.org

2014

From the Pastors Desk

Pray without ceasing

In Pauls First Letter to the Church of Thessalonica, he ends with a series of exhortations, greetings, and a benediction. Part of Pauls exhortation (or encouragement) is this call to pray without ceasing (I Thess. 5:17). So, what does it mean to pray without ceasing or continually pray? How do we live this out? How do we fulfill this part of the Holy Bible? Clearly, it appears to be impossible to do this. After all, we cannot spend every moment in time in prayer. We need to eat, sleep, work, etc. So, how do we pray without ceasing? Many people have given thought to how Christians should live out this concept from Paul. One school of thought about praying with ceasing is more about having an attitude of prayer or live a life that is prayerfuleven if we are not praying at all times. But what does this look like? One way to think about this lifestyle is to attempt to be connected with Jesus on an intimate basis, that whenever things happen (good or bad), we almost instanteously lift them up in prayer. Another way to work at having this lifestyle of constant prayer can be through the use of what some call breath prayers. Breath prayers are simple prayers that are short and can be prayed as one breaths. It is a prayer that is said repeatedly as one breathes and is a way to bring the person in connection with Goda lifestyle of prayer. The idea behind this concept of breath prayers comes from an understanding of the Psalms. Throughout the years, people have used a repeated phrase from a psalm as a way of reminding them of the entire psalm. Many scholars think that this is what Jesus was doing from the cross when he says, My God, My God, why have you forsaken me? This is verse 1 of Psalm 22. The thinking is that when Jesus says this phrase, he is in essence thinking of all of Psalm 22. The most famous example of a breath prayer is Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner. The book, The Way of the Pilgrim, is a story of how a person used this prayer repeatedly until it moved from his mind into his heart and finally throughout his whole bodybecoming so internalized that it was present with him at all times, whether he was awake or asleep. Other examples of breath prayers are: 1) O Lord, baptize me with love; 2) Teach me gentleness, Father; 3) Jesus, let me receive your grace; 4) Gracious Master, remove my fears; 5) Reveal my sin, O Holy Spirit; 6) Lord Jesus, help me feel loved; 7) help me understand your truth, Lord. As you can see, these are all short and simple to say. The way that a breath prayer is used is to say it again and again (as often as possible)so that throughout the day we use this saying to bring us constantly back to God. It is a way to help us when we get distracted by the events of the day, to regain our focus upon Jesus. Just as breathing is an unconscious thing, the breath prayer reminds us that just as we cant live with one breath of air, we cant live on one breath of God. Breath prayer reminds us that each breath we are given is Gods gift and that Gods spirit is nearer to us than our own breath. This is a way that may help you seek to be closer to God. {Resources related to breath prayer: Prayer by Richard Foster; The Way of the Pilgrim by Anonymous; Spiritual Disciplines Handbook by Adele Calhoun, Centering Prayer by M Basil Pennington} Keep on praying in the new year!

March Birthdays
1 1 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 6 6 7 8 8 9 9 10 10 12 13 13 Thomas Hildebrand Amanda Schreier Joe Hoene Ella Warfield Jay Herbert Eliana Baker Lily Baker Mason Schafstall Don Rotert Chris Otte Brett Quillen Jamie Baker Scott Rosenberger Tracey Engelau Dena Schafstall Jennifer Hupp Lydia Shuler Louis Wonning Beau Hoene Kitturah Weddle Troy Claycamp Lindsay Goddard 13 13 15 15 16 17 17 18 18 18 19 21 23 23 24 27 27 27 28 29 30 30 Chuck Newkirk Dakota Anderson Natalie Fish Eamon Shaw Leah Watson Bill Bryden Aden Kruse Jesse Warfield Sarah Rotert Bryce McCory Betty Hoene Evelyn Otte Jacque Schultheis Tyler Shaw Charlotte Rust Connie Knoke Deborah Quillen Jo McGrew Leon Seitz Ryan Cosby Heidi Wheatley Tiffiny Mansfield

DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME Please remember on March 9th to turn your clocks ahead one hour to adjust for Daylight savings time. CONGRATULATIONS to Travis and Sadie (Day) Jones on the birth a girl. Janie Elaine was born on February 13, 2014. She has three brothers, Wylie, Shaw, and Huntley.

BID FORMS to mow the church lawn and cemetery are located at the Welcome Center. The forms must be turned into Charlotte Guinn or Howard Wente no later than March 16th. To the Members of St. Paul, Thank you all for the prayers, cards and visits during my surgery and stay in the nursing home. Love, Selma Mellenbruch

March Volunteers Greeters Mark & Doris Rorick (8:00) Leon & Linda Seitz (10:15) Communion Assistants Mark Rorick (8:00) Larry Guinn (10:15) Altar Care March 2-Molly Claycamp (10:15) March 9-Doris Rorick (8:00) Linda Guinn (10:15) March 16-Lou Ann Hoevener (8:00) Nina Franke (10:15) March 23-Florence Otte (8:00) Judy Wonning (10:15) March 30-Mandy Otte (8:00) Gretchen Lawles (10:15) Lectors March 2-Susan Holle (8:00) Terri DeVoe (10:15) March 9-Ruth Ann Newkirk (8:00) Judy Wonning (10:15) March 16-Jamie Baker (8:00) Hannah Davis (10:15) March 23-Lou Ann Hoevener (8:00) Amy Rotert (10:15) March 30-Mark Rorick (8:00) Jack Tormoehlen (10:15) Acolytes March 2-Abby Hoevener (8:00) Tyson Lawles (10:15) March 9-Maggie Newkirk (8:00) Ariel Douglass (10:15) March 16-Cole Fosbrink (8:00) Kyle Claycamp (10:15) March 23-Adam Newkirk (8:00) Lydia Shuler (10:15) March 30-Jack Rosenberger (8:00) Lyra Claycamp (10:15) Projectors March 2-Doris Rorick (8:00) Marc Fountain (10:15) March 9-Kaelen Eglen (8:00) John Pierceall (10:15) March 16-Madison Jones (8:00) Hannah Wood (10:15) March 23-Jamie Baker (8:00) Jack Tormoehlen (10:15) March 30-Doris Rorick (8:00) Chloe Bryden (10:15) Childrens SermonLou Ann Hoevener Welcome Center-Luci Angel (8:00) Judy Wonning (10:15)

April Volunteers Greeters Dan & Lou Ann Hoevener (8:00) Bill & Judy Wonning (10:15) Communion Assistants Tammi Reinbold (8:00) Laberta Otte (10:15) Altar Care April 6-Phyllis Cupp (8:00) Teresa Browning (10:15) April 13-Wanda Engelau (8:00) Florence Otte (10:15) April 20-Ruth Ann Newkirk (10:15) Linda Guinn (10:15) April 27-Luci Angel (8:00) Lectors April 6-Mandy Otte (8:00) Amy Pierceall (10:15) April 13-Doris Rorick (8:00) Karen Davis (10:15) April 20-Leah Otte (8:00) Laberta Otte (10:15) April 27-Lois Bryden (8:00) Marc Fountain (10:15) Acolytes April 6-Anna Holle (8:00) Zack Lawles (10:15) April 13-Morgan Jones (8:00) Dylan Hatfield (10:15) April 20-Courtney Mansfield (8:00) Cheyene Douglass (10:15) April 27-Kori Otte (8:00) Rachel Hildebrand (10:15) Projectors April 6-Kaelen Eglen (8:00) Kailee Hildebrand (10:15) April 13-Madison Jones (8:00) Marc Fountain (10:15) April 20-Jamie Baker (8:00) John Pierceall (10:15) April 27-Doris Rorick (8:00) Hannah Wood (10:15) Childrens SermonCarolyn Jones Welcome Center-Carol Mansfield (8:00) Linda Seitz (10:15)

Upcoming Worship
Below are the lessons and some thoughts about the upcoming Sundays. Please take some

March 2 :
TextJohn 9:1-41

nd

time to look over the lesson and reflect upon the questions in preparation of the upcoming weeks in worship.

Today we hear of another sign/miracle of Jesusa healing of a man born blind from birth. Jesus heals the man so that Gods work may be revealed. The healing brings about conflict between Jesus and the Pharisees.

March 9th:
TextJohn 11:1-45
The text tells the story of Mary and Martha and their brother Lazarus who died. Martha wonders why Jesus did not come sooner so that Lazarus would not have died. Jesus then calls for Lazarus to come out of the tomb.

March 16th:
TextJohn 13:1-17
In our lesson today, the story of Jesus continues with Jesus gathered with his disciples in the Upper Room. In Johns gospel, the focus upon this night is Jesus washing the feet of the disciples. The foot-washing becomes an example and sign of Jesus love and what it means to be a servant.

March 23rd:
TextJohn 18:12-27
After the last supper and the washing of the feet, Jesus is arrested and taken before the High Priest. When Jesus is arrested, Peter and another disciple go to the High Priest. While the other disciple went into the High Priest, Peter was in the courtyard and was confronted about if he was with Jesus. At this point, Peter denies knowing Jesus thus fulfilling Jesus words.

March 30th:
TextJohn 18:28-40
The text has Jesus appearing before Pilate. The issue that Pilate explores with Jesus is whether or not Jesus is a king and where is his kingdom. Why would Pilate be interested in if Jesus is the King of the Jews (for Pilate is not a Jew)? How is Jesus king of our lives? Would your life be different if you lived every moment with the understanding that Jesus is king of your life? How so?

WEDNESDAY EVENING SERVICES

During the Season of Lent, we will be offering Wednesday Night services. These services will begin at 7:00 PM. There will be a meal prior to the services beginning at 5:30 PM. Additionally, we will have a short hymn sing prior to the services beginning at 6:50 PM. This year, it will be a dramatic dialogue call Dateline: Jerusalem Below are the dates for the Lenten Services along with the focus for that night: March 12thPontius Pilate March 19thCaiaphas March 26thPeter April 2ndMary Magdalene April 9thJohn April 17thThe Centurion

Encourage one another and build up each other

1 Thessalonians 5:11, NRSV

MISSION CARE/ COMMUNITY CARE:

29 units of blood were donated at our blood drive last month!!! In a recent thank you note sent to coordinator Joe Tormoehlen, Donor Recruitment Representative Joe Conder states, The efforts of St. Paul Lutheran have always been greatly appreciated and their support of the community blood program goes a long way toward replenishing blood supplies and ultimately saving lives. St. Pauls next Red Cross Blood Drive will take place in the preschool area on Sunday, June 22, from 8:00 AM to 12 NOON. Watch the Welcome Center for a sign-up sheet in early June. Tell your friends and neighbors walk-ins are welcome! Please check the bulletin board near the kitchen for 2013 statistics for Anchor House. You will be pleased to know St. Pauls food collections, clothing vouchers, and other acts of kindness made quite an impact on the Seymour community last year! The food pantry items being collected in March are peanut butter and jelly (please no homemade jelly). Please place your donations in the wooden box in the hallway near the kitchen, or in the basket near the main entry doors. Donations are given to food pantries in Seymour at Provisions, Anchor House, and Human Services. WEVE SUCCEEDED in filling one entire copy paper box with aluminum pull tabs!! We will continue to collect tabs until the school year is over and hopefully we will be able to fill another box in Emilys name! Twelve- year- old Emily Humes name has been placed on a list of heart transplant hopefuls. Our congregation has been praying for Emily since July when she was hospitalized at Riley Hospital for Children with a heart ailment brought on by a viral infection. Several members of our congregation either attend school with Emily or work with Emilys parents. A collection effort for Ronald McDonald House at Riley, where Emilys mother has been staying, is taking place at Seymour-Redding Elementary School. The school is collecting aluminum pull tabs in honor of Emily. The aluminum tabs will be used to raise money to help fund Ronald McDonald House, where parents can stay to be near their children hospitalized at Riley. On the Welcome Center is a collection jar for aluminum pull tabs. We will add our tabs to the collection effort taking place at Seymour-Redding Elementary. Lets help them reach their goal of collecting one million pull tabs before the school year ends in May! RECYCLING TIP OF THE MONTH THINK SPRING! After an especially grueling Winter, Spring will be more welcome than ever! A tentaAt one time recytive date for the 2nd annual Care for Gods Creation cling glass was a Earth Day event has been set for Saturday, April 26. confusing proposition in Jackson Recycling expert Debbie Hackman will arrange to County. As always, it is OKAY to have a scrap steel collection again this year. So plan to donate put glass in the Rumpke recycling your scrap steel for a good cause and clean up your property at container in the church parking lot the same time! Look for more details in next months newsletter. AND the City of Seymour will reinstate its glass recycling program A new and improved PLANT GIVEAWAY is tentatively set through a monthly pickup in the for Saturday, May 24. New ideas this year include encouraging city. Please be responsible and new gardeners, helping people who might be unable to dig their keep glass out of the landfills! own plants to give away, and donating any unclaimed plants to a local free store.

SENIOR CARE:
YES! Cinema FREE movie for Seniors 55 & older on Tuesday, March 4th. A carpool will leave the church parking lot at 12:15 and return between 4:00 and 5:00. Please sign up at the Welcome Center so transportation can be arranged. The movie title will be available a few days prior to the event at www.mojo1029.com. Questions? Please contact Trish Tangman. Leftovers from weekly BBC breakfasts are available to be delivered to anyone who would appreciate this effort. If you or someone you know might like an occasional delivery of breakfast goodies, please let Joe Hoene or Trish Tangman know. Hot Soup in a Cold Month was quite a hit in January and February! To those folks who donated soups, a heartfelt thank you is extended from the seniors who enjoyed your delicious homemade creations. Each week around 25 pint jars were filled and taken home by seniors in attendance at BBC or delivered by volunteers to additional seniors. Some seniors reportedly made more than one meal out of their pint, so that means the efforts of volunteers provided more than 200 hot, healthy meals for seniors in our community. WOW! Following is a list of folks who supplied soup: Wilma Claycamp, JanOtte, Carol Browning, Charlena Warfield, Lois Bryden, Olga Otte, Terri DeVoe, Erin Engelau, Gwen Newkirk, Ruth Ann Newkirk, Carmen Herkamp, Wayne Rust, Debbie Herbert, Wanda Engelau, and Lou Ann Hoevener. Please let these individuals know how much their kindness is appreciated!

HEALTH & WELLNESS CARE:

Join seniors for a simple, low-impact exercise time on Thursday mornings. This program is designed to help seniors with balance and flexibility; thereby helping them to avoid debilitating falls. These chair exercises will be held soon after breakfast and end with plenty of time left for board games and cards!

STEPHEN MINISTRY:
Stephen Minister Commissioning for the 2013-2014 class was held during worship services on Sunday, February 23rd. A reception was held between services for new Stephen Ministers Karen Davis and Sylvia Rust. These ladies are ready to accept care receivers and put into practice what they have learned since October in 50 hours of classwork! The March Stephen Minister group meeting will take place at Voss Funeral Service and Crematory in Seymour on Monday, March 24 at 6:30 PM. Stephen Ministers should meet at the crematory entrance on 4th St. The evening will involve a tour of the facility followed by brief group meetings.

JUST FOR FUN: QUITE A STORY

During Sunday dinner, a mother asked her son what hed learned in Sunday school that day. Well, he said, our teacher told us how God sent Moses behind enemy lines on a rescue mission to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. When he got to the Red Sea, he had his engineers build a pontoon bridge and all the people walked across safely. Then he used his walkie-talkie to radio headquarters for reinforcements. They sent bombers to blow up the bridge, and all the Israelites were saved. Now, is that really what your teacher said? the boys mother asked. Well, no, he admitted. But if I told it the way the teacher did, youd never believe it!

St. Pauls Youth and Family Ministries

TREATS
TREATS will not be held during the months of March, April or May. We will not be holding TREATS events on Wednesday nights due to the change to the school day (the extra hour of class). With this extra hour and the next couple of months having Lenten activities, the time frame just doesnt work to be able to hold these events. We are looking at attempting to have some extra outings over the next couple of months to take the place of TREATS. Please watch for details. Any questions about this, please talk with Pastor Steve. Marchs event will be held on Sunday, March 30.

KIDS BELLS
Kids Bells Team 2 will play at both services on Sunday, March 2. This will be our last time to play before Lent. Both Kids bell groups will not practice during Lent.

KIDS PRAISE GROUP

Kids Praise Group will not be practicing in March or April. We will continue our practices in May.

ADULT BELLS
Adult Bells will practice on Wednesdays, March 5, 12, 19 at 6:00 pm.

PRESCHOOL
Preschool Chapel will be held on Wednesday, March 19 at 9:30. Also Preschool parents will be hosting the Lenten Meal on Wednesday, March 12. The menu will be a variety of soup, hot dogs, fruit, and desserts. Parents are asked to be at the church around 5:00 to prepare the meal.

ALL ST. PAUL YOUTH GROUPS

The youth will be going to The Red Zone Laser Tag on Sunday, March 9 at 11:30. There is a sign-up sheet on the bulletin board in the office. The cost is $6.00 for St Paul Youth and $15.00 for guests. You MUST be signed up and have money turned in by Sunday, March 2 or you will have to pay the full price of $15.00. We will also be stopping for lunch before playing Laser Tag at a fast food restaurant so the youth will need to bring money for lunch.

Carolyns Office Hours: Email: cjones3338@gmail.com Home Phone: 497-3338 Cell Phone: 521-0281 Tyler Claycamp (Intern): Cell Phone 216-7027 Email: Tclaycamp@gmail.com

St. Pauls Y & F Ministries Continued

LUTHER LEAGUE
Luther League would like to thank all of those who attended the Talent Show meal. Your support was greatly appreciated! Luther League will be hosting the Lenten Meal on Wednesday, March 19. We need all Luther League youth to participate in the fundraisers. The money we raise from these fundraisers help to offset costs of our outings! Youth need to be at church at 5:15. We would like for food to be at the church ready to serve by 5:00. We will be discussing the menu for the meal at the Laser Tag outing.

JR. HIGH YOUTH

Jr. High Youth would like to thank all of those who attended our annual Valentine Dinner. It was their privilege to serve all of you!

TWEENERS
Tweeners will serve the Lenten meal on Wednesday, April 2. Everyone bring a dessert. We will be having a baked potato bar. The meal starts at 5:30 and Tyler will be early (by 5) in case you are able to be there early.

OPPORTUNITY FOR PRAYER

During 2014, one of my emphases for ministry is prayer. As a way to be intentional about praying, I will be offering two different times each month for people to gather for the sole purpose of praying together. We will gather for about a half hour and spend the time lifting up a variety of requests and whatever else is on peoples minds. The dates in March for these prayer gatherings are: Sunday, March 9th @ 7 PM and Wednesday, March 26th @ 8:00 PM. Any questions, please talk with Pastor Steve. If you are unable to come, you are still invited to take time during these appointed times to pray and lift up a variety of requests and petitions to God.

COMMUNION DURING THE SEASON OF LENT

The season of Lent is a time of reflection upon the suffering of Jesus. Lent is also a time of preparation to celebrate Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Receiving Holy Communion is a great way to help us to focus upon Jesus sacrifice and His work upon the cross. By offering Holy Communion more often is a way of seeking to live out one of our core values which is spirituality. Hence, we will offer Holy Communion at both services during the entire season of Lent. Any questions, please talk with Pastor Steve.

BOOK BUZZ will meet on March 24th at 1:00 pm in the Narthex. The book to be discussed is The Lost Hours by Karen White. One copy is available in the church library. More copies are available through Evergreen. A variety of different book genres has been read and the group is always open to suggestions. Call Michelle Wood @ 522-7421 or Trish Tangman @ 497-3166 for more details. THE PICNIC SHELTER COMMITTEE will have its first meeting Tuesday, March 11th at 7pm. We are looking for committee volunteers to research improving, removing or replacing the current picnic shelter. All options for creating a safer and more usable picnic area will be discussed. Please bring your ideas and join us! A sign up sheet is at the Welcome Center. Any questions, speak with Leah Otte or Jamie Baker. THE PRAYER SHAWL MINISTRY will meet on Wednesday, March 12th at 1:30 pm.in the Narthex. THE FIRST COMMUNION CLASSES will be offered for the youth of the congregation to learn more about Holy Communion and the history behind this meal that Jesus instituted. The classes will begin on March 9th and will continue throughout the season of Lent. The classes will be held during the Sunday School hour. The last class will be held on April 13th with the intention of having all the participants receiving their first communion on Maundy Thursday (April 17th). If you have questions contact Pastor Steve. CONFIRMATION CLASS will meet on Sunday, March 16th at 11:45. DARTBALL SCHEDULE March 3Borchers at Zion 2 March 10Dudleytown D at Borchers March 17Tourney at Immanuel Gym LENTEN DEVOTIONALS are available on the Welcome Center. The devotion series provided is entitled Let Us Hold Fast and is written by former Luther Seminary professors. The devotions are based on scripture verses and also verses from familiar hymns. There is a short devotional for every day from Ash Wednesday through Easter. THE CARPETS at the church and parsonage will be cleaned on March 24th and 25th. We would like to minimize foot traffic at the church on those days. Thank you.

BLANKET MAKINGThe blanket makers will meet on Mondays at 1:00 pm and Wednesdays at 9:00 am in the Adult Sunday School room. Everyone is welcome to help. There are blankets ready for knotting by the Mission Outreach room. If you have questions contact Wanda Engelau. ELCA CANDIDATE for ordained ministry Creighton Leptak, Jr. has received the 2013 Student Fund scholarship. Members in attendance at the annual meeting voted to send a check in excess of $400 to Creighton, a junior seminary student at Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, OH. Creighton hails from a small, rural, Lutheran congregation near Sunman, IN. If youd like to learn more about Creighton and read his note of thanks, please look for an email from him posted on the bulletin board by the kitchen. ELCA Candidacy Director Heather Apel wishes to express the synods appreciation to St. Paul for supporting Creighton and other students in the past. Heather states, I know that as a student a check can be a real boost, for the wallet as well as the spirit. WATCH YOUR BULLETIN for information about attending a new movie entitled Gods Not Dead with a group from church. The movie is set for release in theaters March 21. The movie is based on the story of a contemporary college student who is challenged by his anti-Christian professor to defend his belief in Christianity. Catch the official trailer at www.godsnotdeadthemovie.com READ ALL ABOUT IT! Along the wall between the nursery and the library you will find two collection boxes for gently used and new books appropriate for reading levels 1st through 7th grade. Books will be donated to Lutheran Outdoor Ministries Reading Camp , a week long summer camp devoted to struggling readers. The books collected at St. Paul will be given to attendees to take home with them after camp, and used to practice their skills throughout the summer. This is a great opportunity to weed books from your childs collection he/she may have outgrown, and pass them on to benefit another child! If you have questions about donating books or about the camp, contact Susie Alstatt at 524.0947. A DEVOTIONAL SERVICE will be held at 8:30 am on March 6th in the Borchers Chapel (if bad weather it will be held in the sanctuary).

Ruth Circle Will meet on Thursday, March 6th at 7:00 pm At Wanda Engelaus home. Bible Study Leader is Linda Rust. WINGS Will meet on Thursday, March 6th in the Fellowship Hall Debbie Herbert is hostess. Hannah Circle Will meet on Tuesday, March 18th at 9:00 am In the Fellowship Hall. Patty Herkamp is hostess and Carol Mansfield is Bible Study Leader.