A New Year - 2015

Service of Prayer for Christian Unity
Thursday, January 22, 2015 at 7:00 pm is the Day of Prayer for Christian Unity worship here at St. Paul's.  At least once a year, Christians everywhere are reminded of Jesus' prayer for his disciples that "they may be one so that the world may believe" (see John 17:21). Hearts are touched and Christians come together to pray for their unity. Many area denominations will come together for prayer, remembrance of baptism and for fellowship. This year, outgoing Bishop Leonard Bolick of the NC Synod, ELCA will be our preacher. He will just have returned from a trip to the Holy Land and his text is from John 14  -- the woman at the well. Please join us for a time of prayer for our unity in Christ. Offering will benefit CROP Walk of Durham and their efforts to provide clean drinking water.

Young In Spirit on the Road Again!
Young In Spirit will travel to the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh on Wednesday, January 14. The museum opens at 10 am so the group will gather at St. Paul's by 9:15 am. Lunch will be at the "Iris" cafe at the museum. There will be time to enjoy the permanent art displays before lunch. Call the church or sign up in the reception office if you would like to go.

Preschool & PMO 
St. Paul's Preschool and PMO is getting ready to host the Wednesday, February 4 supper. Money raised will go toward financial scholarships for families needing assistance to attend the preschool. They have also finalized class offerings for the 2015-2016 school year and are excited to be offering an additional class for 2 year olds! Registration forms and enrollment procedures can be picked up downstairs in the preschool space or downloaded from the web site. Registration begins January 12, 2015. We offer classes for children ages 9 months - 4 years old. Contact Amanda Stoen - preschool@stpaulsdurham.org for more information.

Valentines' Day Big Band Bash!
Come and enjoy the big band sounds of the Durham Jazz Orchestra on Friday, February 13, at 7-9 pm in Trinity Hall. The Durham Jazz Orchestra is an eighteen piece band with vocalists. They have been here several years and it has proven to be a wonderful evening of entertainment. You will hear the sounds of yesteryear and are invited to take a spin on the dance floor if you are so inclined. It is a great time to invite your loved ones to a fantastic event. If able, please bring some sweet or salty treats or desserts to share. A free will offering will be taken to offset the cost of the band.

Wednesday Night Suppers Chili Festival!
We already had a great supper on January 7 -- Chicken Pot Pie (homemade), salad bar, and desserts.  Now we get to look forward to our Chili Festival on January 21. This is a name change for our Chili Cookoff (everybody's was so good we couldn't award winners) so it is time for you to dust off those favorite chili recipes and cook them up. Supper begins at 6:00 pm so the chili should be here by 5:30-5:45 pm in crock-pots. Indicate if it is hot or mild, vegetarian or meat. We'll supply the corn bread, salad and desserts. Ya'll come out and enjoy our Chili Festival!

Bible Studies
We have two Bible Studies each week: Mondays at 7:00 pm with Vicar Daniel and Thursdays at 10:30 am with Pastor Scott.  Hope to see you here!

Worship 
Our Sunday worship continues at 8:30 and 11:00 am using Setting 3 of the ELW. Holy Communion is celebrated at each service.

Fall = pumpkins, Trunk or Treat & Reformation

Pumpkin Patch at St. Paul's, Durham Oct 2014

The autumn colors are starting to appear on the trees in shades of yellow, gold, and red, but the color orange is definitely noticed on the grounds of St. Paul's Lutheran Church lately. We have received our New Mexico pumpkins and they are great -- all sizes, big, medium, small and also elf houses! Pumpkin Patch hours are:

• Sunday -- Friday, 12 noon--8 pm
• Saturdays 9 am -- 5 pm

Proceeds from the patch benefit the youth group's journey to the ELCA National Youth Gathering next summer in Detroit, as well as the Interfaith Hospitality Network which houses and assists families through their homeless program.

YARD Sale -- Saturday, October 25 at 7 am - 1 pm inside Trinity Hall
Items can still be brought in for the yard sale and workers can volunteer to help with pricing, set-up tasks, and especially with the sale itself that Saturday. If you want to get involved, contact Karen Hassett or Amanda Stoen. EVERYONE is invited to come out to the sale -- you may find some different items to take the place of the ones you put in the sale!

The Rite of Confirmation will take place on Sunday, October 26, Reformation Sunday at the 11:00 am Service. We will celebrate with our young people as they continue their baptism journey of serving, learning, and growing, according to God's gracious gift of faith. A reception will follow the service.
NEW -- A new Bible Study class will begin on Monday, October 27 at 7:00 pm meeting in the conference room with Vicar Daniel Locke leading. Studying the lectionary will start the class off.  Plans are to meet every Monday at 7:00 pm.

"Trunk or Treat" takes place on Wednesday, October 29 at 6:00 pm. You may arrive up to 6 pm on the Pickett Road side parking lot to prepare your trunk for the treaters. If you are just attending but not treating from your trunk, please park on the Cornwallis Road side and in the rear.  At 6 pm we will start the party with hot dogs, "trunk or treating," 'smores at the fire pit, among other activities. Start getting those costumes and trunk décor together. Bring some sweets or salts to share.

Looking ahead -- we are getting ready for our next annual "Lutherans Got Talent!" show taking place in Trinity Hall on Saturday, November 15 with supper at 6 pm and show at 7 pm. Participants of all skill levels and ages are welcome. There will be tables for those that wish to share their visual art and hand crafts.

September brings Rally Day and Returning Groups!

Sunday, September 7 is a busy day at St. Paul's.
We have our Rally Day Breakfast at 9:30 - 10:45 am in Trinity Hall. We hope you all take advantage of this time for food and fellowship. Rally Day is the start of a new year of teaching and learning. It is an essential part of the life and mission of St. Paul's as it is in many congregations. Sunday School is a partnership of parents and teachers and congregation members to show that we affirm a life style that is Christ's.

Worship will change on September 7 as well. The 8:30 am service will continue using the setting, "Now the Feast and Celebration" by Marty Haugen, while the 11:00 am service will begin using Setting three of the Evangelical Lutheran Worship book. This setting is the old LBW setting One so it will probably be very familiar with most people.

Between services and after the 11:00 am service, we invite you to take a few minutes to stop and speak with our members at the Time and Talent Tables. Committees and groups will be set up around the main level of the building with information on what they do, their goals, and are there to answer any of your questions. Spend a few minutes and you may happen upon a group or committee which interests you -- all need additional participants. Our Time and Talent board will also be on view where you can select a task, complete the form, and drop it in the basket.

During both services, 8:30 and 11:00 am, we will have a "backpack" blessing, so bring your backpack, briefcase, or just yourself to receive a blessing for the start of this new educational year -- all ages, all schools.

With the ending of summer, we see several of our other groups returning to rehearsals and meeting times.

Senior Choir will begin Wednesday night rehearsals on Sept. 3 at 7:00 pm downstairs in Genesis Hall. They will begin singing at the 11 am service on Sept 14. In addition to Wednesday night rehearsals, choir will warm-up/rehearse on Sunday mornings at 10:30 am upstairs in the balcony. Stop by the Music Time & Talents table to sign up -- all choirs, handbell ringers, and musicians -- past or future!  Jackie wants to meet you all!

The Thursday Morning Bible Study will be back at 10:30-11:45 am. Bring a bible and come to the conference room whenever you can.

We also return to our Wednesday Night suppers on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month. Our traditional September meal is "Reading, 'riting, and ravioli" to kick off the school year. That will be on Wednesday, September 3 at 6:00 pm.

On Friday, Sept. 5 at 6:00 pm, we celebrate Holy Communion and the Ordination of our former Vicar, Andrew Jacob Tucker. The Rev. Dr. Richard Lischer will preach, the Rev. Scott Anderson will preside. All are invited, if vesting, the color is red. There will be a simple reception following the service.  Andrew has been called to serve Christ Lutheran Church in Radford, VA. 

The work on our murals downstairs is moving slowly along. Can't rush artists! If you have a desire to help us paint, we sincerely invite you to contact the church office to get information. Stop by and see the work going on -- it is taking on a new appearance.

Sunday School Information!

Christian Education -- Faith Formation 2013-14
Sunday, September 15 is the first day of Fall Education classes!

• SPARK Classes for age 3 through grade 4
• CONNECT Class for grades 5-8
• Senior High Fellowship Class for high school students
• Two adult Sunday School classes each Sunday: A Bible study and a Topic Study

SPARK = St. Paul's Amazing Rejoicing Kids
SPARK is for children age 3 through grade 4 and meets on Sundays, 9:45-10:45 am in the downstairs Genesis Hall. SPARK participants stay together in one group, rotating from activity to activity each week. There is one central Bible story each week and the variety of activities may include: music, art, crafts, science, storytelling, drama, video, outdoor learning, and other creative stations.

CONNECT Bible Class is the Confirmation class for students in grades 5-6-7-8. They meet during the Sunday School hour, 9:45-10:45 am. Tina Bessias, Tracey Dissel, Jim Shoaf, and Diane Archer serve as leaders. The Connect class will meet in a new place; The Jerusalem Room, which is located downstairs just past the elevator on the right. In addition to Bible study, the class will work on several projects during the year as part of the Living Stones Discipleship -- outreach ministry and mission of the church.

Adult Education Ministry on Sundays, 9:45-10:45 am
NEW - Adult Sunday School Morning Devotions
Gather in Whitesell Hall 9:45-10:00 am for announcements, fellowship, and morning prayer. Following devotions, adults attend the class of their choice.

Adult Sunday School in Whitesell Hall (10:00-10:45 am)

• Sept 15 - "The Documentary Hypotheses: From Genesis to Deuteronomy," part 1, Morris Casper, leader
• Sept 22 - "More about Icons, a continued exploration of faith and art," with Tina Bessias, leader
• Sept 29 - "The Documentary Hypothesis: From Genesis to Deuteronomy," part 2, Morris Casper, leader

SPAM - Bible Study in the Conference Room (10:00-10:45 am)
St. Paul's Adult Ministry (SPAM) is launching a weekly discussion series this fall to provide young adults with an opportunity to talk about the Bible and how we live through it in our own daily lives. Join us for casual conversation about Christ and how the lessons in the Bible relate to the experiences of today.  Heidi and Mike Tarrant serve as leaders.