Parish News & Notes, August 13

Parish News & Notes, Tuesday, Aug 13

Pastor Anderson is attending the 2013 Churchwide Assembly of the ELCA taking place in Pittsburgh, PA, Aug 12-17. The theme is "Always Being Made New." The Assembly is electing a presiding bishop and a secretary. It is also considering:

• the adoption of the proposed ELCA Social Statement "Hearing the Cries: the Church and Criminal Justice"
• memorials brought by synod assemblies over the last two years
• the approval of a capital campaign to support both existing and new ministries of the ELCA in years to come.

Assembly news and updates can be viewed at http://blogs.elca.org/assemblynews/

We are looking for a few more volunteers to work at the Community Kitchen this Saturday, Aug 17. St. Paul's sends volunteers to prepare and serve lunch the third Saturday of every month from 10:45 am to approx. 1:30 pm. This is a great way to get to know other members of the congregation, while serving those in need. If you are interested, please contact Holly Hogarth at 919-971-3309 or hkhogarth@gmail.com.

Also on Saturday, SPAM (St Paul's Adult Ministry) is having dinner at the Carolina Ale House at 6 pm. There will be childcare available at the church for those with little ones. Please email Heidi Tarrant at heiditarrant@gmail.com if you can attend and if you need childcare.

IHN Guests will be at St. Paul's Aug 18-25. Sign-ups are still going on to fill spots to provide food, transportation to and from the day house, dinner/evening hosts (5:30-8:30 pm) and overnight hosts (at least 1 female, 8:30 pm to approx. 6 am) for each of the days. Stop by the table in the atrium to sign up!

NEEDED:

Adult SPARK leaders to serve on a part-time basis

SPARK Snack Coordinator to set up weekly snacks

Please contact Diane Archer, aim@stpaulsdurham.org or 919-417-3762 if you can assist or have questions.

Sunday, Aug 25 - Students and teachers of Preschool through College are invited to bring their backpacks, book bags, briefcases, and friends for a special prayer and blessing at the 8:30 and 11:00 am worship. Begin a new school year with prayer and thanksgiving for the gifts God gives us to grow in wisdom, grace, and learning.

Sunday, Aug 25 we will also be receiving new members to the congregation of St. Paul's. There is one more new members' class taking place on Wednesday, Aug 21 after the Wednesday night supper.

Book bags for IHN

Another announcement for this coming weekend!

We were just asked to fill 4 book bags for IHN (Interfaith Hospitality Network). We have been given rather short notice, so we apologize.
There will be sign-up sheets available this coming Sunday, Aug 4. The items you will be signing up for will need to be brought back in by the following Sunday, Aug 11, so that they can be assembled. Please look for the sign-up sheets on Sunday, Aug 4.

News & Notes

This Sunday - 8/4
Sunday worship at 8:30 and 11:00 am
9:45-10:45 am this Sunday our Summer Sunday Conversations taking place in Trinity Hall will discuss "The Emerging Church" -- new trends in ministry

Monday through Friday, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm the Icon Workshop takes place in Whitesell Hall. You may visit the workshop any day during the lunch hour (12-1) or after 4 pm. You are also invited to visit with the Iconographers at our Sunday Conversation, Aug 11 at 9:45 am in Trinity Hall. Please contact Tina Bessias (919-489-0057) if you have questions.

Monday, Aug 5 is the last summer open play day for the preschool. Come for playground time 9 am-12 pm.

All Committee Night meets Tues, Aug 6 at 7:00 pm beginning in Trinity Hall.

Wednesday Night Supper on Wed, Aug 7 (back to our normal 1st & 3rd Wed schedule!), will be baked potatoes and toppings, full salad bar, and desserts - beginning at 6 pm.

Interfaith Hospitality Network (IHN) sign-ups are taking place now in the atrium. IHN will be at St. Paul's Aug 18-25 in the evenings and overnight. We expect three families and need volunteers to provide food, transportation, dinner/evening hosts, and overnight hosts.

Church Mouse - This is a new program which allows members of the congregation to send monthly care packages to your child and for your child to stay connected to their spiritual family. If you would like to be a Church Mouse or have your child be a part of this program, please contact Caitlin Lloyd at 919-475-3375. 

New Members will be received August 25! On Aug 7 and 21, after Wednesday Night Suppers, Pastor Anderson will be holding a pastor's class in the conference room. These info sessions will include an overview of Lutheranism and an introduction to St. Paul's. Contact Pastor Anderson if you need further information.

Parish Notes - July 21

Young In Spirit Lunch – On Thursday, July 25, the Young In Spirit will be meeting at church at 11:00 am for an 11:30 am lunch at Kurama Japanese Seafood and Steak House, 3644 Durham-Chapel Hill Blvd.  Sign up in the church office.

“Confirmed” is a music-focused youth ministry of Trinity Lutheran Church in Vale, NC. They have been singing together for almost 1½ years and had the wonderful opportunity to sing for Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson during his visit to Trinity last August.  “Learning To Be The Light–A Journey of Faith” is the theme of the summer tour, and explores the never-ending struggle of our sinfulness and God’s never-ending offer of love and grace. The youth are creating their own drawings for graphics, studying Bible texts alongside the music, and developing their own script to use in-between songs. We invite you to come and participate in a fun time of song, faith-building, and fellowship. “Confirmed” will be at St. Paul’s on Wednesday evening, July 24 at 7:00 pm. Come for a pizza supper at 6:00 pm in Trinity Hall and stay for the music fellowship.

Girl Scout Silver Award Project: Claire Cajka, a rising 9th grader and VBS friend of St. Paul’s has asked our help in collecting school supply donations for children at the Durham Rescue Mission. From July 21-Aug 7, a donation box for school supplies is placed in the atrium.

Need a Desk? From Brian’s old office - first person gets it!

Stephen Minister trainees will meet Sunday, July 28 during the Sunday School hour (9:45-10:45 am). We will make preparations for classes to begin August 29. We will finalize the schedule for Stephen Minister training so bring your calendars. Training materials will be distributed, and the first pre-class reading will be assigned.

Many visitors for Icon Class August 5-10
St. Paul’s will host Tatiana and Dimitriy Berestov, the instructors for our icon workshop, starting Sunday August 4, and they will stay in Durham through the following Sunday. The week-long class will include 17-20 participants from all over North and South Carolina, Charlottesville, VA, and New York.
How can you get involved?
● Visit the workshop in Whitesell Hall any day during the lunch hour (12-1) or after 4 pm.
● Come to the Sunday Conversation with the iconographers, Aug 1 at 9:45 am in Trinity Hall
● Help with lunch any day or the closing dinner on Friday, Aug 10
● Offer transportation for the teachers to get out for dinner any evening
Please contact Tina Bessias (919-489-0057) or tina.bessias@gmail.com) or the church office if you’d like to volunteer. Registration for the workshop is open through Sunday, July 14.

Garden issues:  Love spinach? Last summer New Zealand spinach (Malamar) was planted to grow up the railings along the main entrance to the church. There are seedlings of this spinach which have sprung up along the railings and around the pots. Please take some of the seedlings for your own gardens. All they need is sun, and a trellis of some kind.  Anyone knowledgeable about growing roses? Like last summer, the pink roses in the raised beds are losing their leaves, and Carol Sackett does not know how to diagnose and treat the scourge. Please contact her if you can help.

Husbands and wives spend immense amounts of time on their job, careers, children and leisure. How much time do you spend just for the two of you as a couple? You deserve to learn how to make the most of your time and relationship. Attend a Lutheran Marriage Encounter Weekend and find out how. For more information or to apply for a weekend, just visit our website at www.godlovesmarriage.org. You can contact Ed & Judy Raney, by phone at 843-707-7085 or by email - jemarriageencounter@gmail.com. The next Lutheran Marriage Encounter weekend is Aug 30-Sept 1 in Black Mountain, NC. Space is limited and deadline to apply is August 5, 2013.