Psalm 117 reads,

“Praise the Lord, all you nations! Extol the Lord, all you peoples!
For great is the Lord’s steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.
Praise the Lord!”

Two simple verses from the lips of the Psalmist proclaim a song of profound joy and gratitude. The Lord’s name is to be praised always: in the midst of struggle and adversity, the Lord’s name is to be praised; in the quiet dew of an early morning sunrise, the Lord’s name is to be praised; in the fire red flames of the sun’s rays shooting across an evening sky, the Lord’s name is to be praised; in the land of this nation of people, the Lord’s name is to be praised; in the lands of other nations of peoples, the Lord’s name is to be praised; in the birth pangs of childbirth, the Lord’s name is to be praised; in the sorrow of death’s separation, the Lord’s name is to be praised; in the tenderness of a lover’s touch, the Lord’s name is to be praised; in the seclusion of walking the way alone, the Lord’s name is to be praised; in the simple and in the complex, the Lord’s name is to be praised; in the gathered congregation and in the individual walk of faith, the Lord’s name is to be praised. And why? The steadfast love and faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord! 

It is with this understanding that I write to you this month’s letter, my St. Paul family . . . for there has been much which has occurred in our lives over the last couple of months and there is much to be done in the months and years ahead as we walk together in faith. So, I write to you a letter of report, a letter of reflection, a letter of observation, and a letter of futuring, giving thanks each step of the way that,

The steadfast love and faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord! 

The sabbatical was absolutely wonderful. Thank you. Our family was able in the midst of the summer rush and activities to carve out a couple of long weekends to be together, which were a tremendous blessing and much needed times for refreshment. Equally important, the vast majority of sabbatical time was spent in study: reading books on ecumenism, small town and rural churches, qualitative methodology, the nature of the Church, Biblical research, and community organizing. I took vast amounts of notes on my reading while beginning the ongoing process of gathering data from the three cooperating congregations in my project of studying intentional ecumenical ministry. Those congregations being included in my study are: Zion U.C.C., New Baden; Friedens U.C.C., Marissa; and St. John U.C.C., Mascoutah. And, in case you are wondering why I did not include the St. Paul family in this study . . . there was just no way I could be an unbiased observer of this congregations’ life.  We are, after all, family.

Though there is much already done as a result of having the sabbatical time, there is still much to do. My hope is to have a first draft of the completed study done by December 31, 2000, with the final draft being due to the seminary by April 1, 2001. We’ll see, my personal deadlines are so often affected by unforeseen events in our corporate life together that it is hard to know for sure, but . . . of one thing I am certain:

The steadfast love and faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord! 

I will be eternally grateful to the Rev. Noel Gehm and his wife, Leora, for their kindness and care, professionalism and enthusiasm in tending to this wonderful faith family. There was no way I could have envisioned what this summer would include in the life journey of the St. Paul family when I asked Noel to consider this summer supply situation. To be honest, when I asked Noel if he would consider the task of filling in while I was on sabbatical, I told him, “It really should be a quiet summer.”

Nine funerals, two weddings, and a vast number of pastoral calls later, not to mention the ongoing Sunday morning services, Noel smilingly told me he was ready to resume retirement and that the work Leora was lining up for him now appeared not to be so bad after all . . . and that he loved being here. The St. Paul family is a good family . . . and Noel took good care of us all. Thank you, Noel and Leora, for your devotion to your call, for the depth of your conviction and witness, and for your caring hearts and loving souls. You are a blessing.

The steadfast love and faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord! 

Our faith family shared many profound losses this summer, all of them, in one way or another, leave us aching, grieving, and slowly healing through the comfort and presence of the Holy Spirit in our Lord Jesus Christ. No, our congregation’s worship and ministry will not be the same without: Orville’s musical talent and colorful spirit; Leroy’s easy smile and quiet determination; the caring, giving presence of L. F.; the humor and faithfulness of Velma in Fishers Class, worship and prayer; the neighborliness and kindness of Vi; and the gentle faith, family love and community spirit of Alice. Yet, as I think of each of these sisters and brothers, by their faith and love they made the world a better place, changing it by their presence and each contributing as the Spirit gave them gifts and talents. Thus we, like them, will continue to move on as God gives us strength and healing. The world will never be the same as it once was, nor will today be like tomorrow, but we have been made stronger, better, more faithful, and more compassionate in having shared the journey with those who have gone on ahead and we give thanks to God for the gift of our short time together.

The steadfast love and faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord! 

In the midst of transition, God calls forth  new leaders.

We are grateful for the gifts and talents of Mary Carbello, our new Organist/Pianist. Each week Mary brings to worship her understanding of liturgy, scripture and hymnody as she fashions in naturals, sharps and flats the music of a new day in the St. Paul family. Thank you.

We are grateful for the gifts and talents of Donna Berkemann, our St. Paul Singers Director, Bell Choir Director, and St. Paul Music Ministry Coordinator. Donna has the keen ability to hear, not only the beauty of the music, but the meaning of the words and the conviction of the players and singers. Thank you.

We are grateful for the gifts and talents of Jessica Hasemann, our new Children’s Choir Director. Jessica’s abilities and enthusiasm are not only beautiful, but contagious, especially among the little ones, and she brings to music a sense of teaching the old, old story in new, new ways. Thank you.

We are grateful for the gifts and talents of Jennifer Richter, our new Chancel Choir Director. Jennifer has a deep appreciation of quality music, regardless of the age from which it comes. The purity of her voice in singing the Good News of Jesus Christ, her desire to include all people in singing such praise, and her understanding of human nature in working together commend her as one of God’s very special gifts to our congregation. Thank you.

The steadfast love and faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord! 

In the midst of transition, God calls forth new ministries.

Repeatedly, in the weeks after Orville died, the questions were asked: Who will do the flowers? Who will do the breakfast? Who will do Advent decorations? Who will decorate the sanctuary? Who will, who will, who will . . . do what Orville did for so many years?

God is good. Don’t forget that. So much was done by Orville’s capable and loving hands that it seemed, for the moment, that the void would simply be too great to fill. Then, God began to teach all of us a new lesson:

Dona Monroe and the Men’s Fellowship have taken on the Christmas Breakfast, Saturday, December 9;

Kathryn Lucas and Trudy Farrell volunteered to help organize the worship environment throughout the year;

Mary Kaye Richter has offered to help with the Advent design, decorations, and flowers.

Thank you, each one, for stepping forward with such tremendous care and compassion, for recognizing the need and volunteering without having to be asked, for sharing your gifts and abilities to the glory of God in the life of this congregation. God is, indeed, good. Thank you.

The steadfast love and faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord! 

Our house is in need of our care.

During sabbatical an amazing transformation occurred in the hallways of our facility: fresh paint suddenly appeared and gave us a new look! Volunteers gathered at two different occasions and swung the brush, rolled the roller, taped the edges, fixed the cracks, and cleaned the dirt. The results were remarkable! I cannot recall seeing our upper hallway so bright, so light . . . and our fellowship hall has a whole new invigorated feeling about it. The Building and Grounds Committee, most particularly Ron Carbello, organized and facilitated the ‘parties’, but it was all who came and shared who transformed our home. You have given us a fresh beginning.

The steadfast love and faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord!

There is much yet to do, much planning and organization which needs to happen, many of God’s people who have yet to say, “Here I am, send me.” So, in an attempt to help everyone get on board, in an attempt to create a level playing field of understanding, and in an attempt to help each member of this particular faith family to clearly know that there is a place for your gifts, listed are existing or anticipated vacancies on our councils, boards, steering committees, and ministries:

Established by our Constitution:
For Church Council (2 year term, renewable once): 3 positions
For Board of Christian Education (2 year term, renewable once): 2 positions
For Memorial Committee (2 year term, renewable once): 2 positions 

Established by Congregational Decision and/or Participation
Christian HomeCare Services, Inc. corporate delegates (3 year rotation): 3 positions
Family Care Ministry of St. Clair/Clinton Counties Advisory Com. (2 year rotation): 2 positions
Volunteer Interfaith Caregiver Steering Committee (2 year rotation): 2 positions
Illinois South Conference Delegates (one elected each year, three year rotation): 3 positions 

Worship Environment Ministry
Banner Ministry                                           Plants and Flowers Ministry
Advent Season Ministry                              Lenten Season Ministry

Each of these ministries should have a minimum of 6 people, with participation on an annual renewal basis. 

Christian Education Ministry
Sunday School Teachers                Vacation Bible School Leaders
Confirmation Class Helpers            Peace & Justice Ministry       
Lay Liturgists

Each of these ministries are open to everyone, with participation on an annual renewal basis 

Evangelism Ministry
Greeters Ministry                                          Ushers Ministry
Visitors Ministry                                            Outreach Ministry

Each of these ministries requires a minimum of 6 people, with participation on an annual renewal basis. 

Expectations of these ministries are: 

Banner Ministry: work with Pastor Don and other ministries to create, change, and display appropriate seasonal banners through the worship and fellowship facilities of St. Paul U.C.C., and change paraments as needed. 

Plant and Flowers Ministry: responsible for the acquisition, placement and care of live and cut plants and flowers throughout the worship and fellowship facility appropriate for the season. 

Advent Season Ministry: responsible for the selection of congregational advent theme, corresponding acquisition of necessary materials and decoration of sanctuary, fellowship hall, and Christian education areas.

Lenten Season Ministry: responsible for the selection of congregational lenten theme, corresponding acquisition of necessary materials and decoration of sancutary, fellowship hall, and Christian education areas. 

Sunday School Teachers: responsible for planning, preparation, and follow-through of age appropriate curriculum, regular attendance on Sunday morning, and attendance at once-a-month teacher training sessions. 

Vacation Bible School Teachers: responsible for planning, preparation, and follow-through of age appropriate curriculum at Community Vacation Bible School, regular attendance for dates set, and set-up of room.

Confirmation Class Helpers: responsible for regular attendance, class oversight, and willing to help with curriculum presentation. 

Peace and Justice Ministry: responsible for keeping the congregation informed on current Peace and Justice issues in the larger community, giving direction how our congregation can be most helpful, giving educational guidance on issues which are complicated and/or controversial. 

Lay Liturgists: work with Pastor Don to lead worship, participate on a rotational basis with other liturgists, and participate regularly in one of our Christian education classes. 

Greeters Ministry: willing to be trained for greeting and welcoming visitors to our congregation, a ministry which begins at the parking lots, continues into the seating area of our worship facility, and concludes with shared fellowship in fellowship hall following worship. 

Ushers Ministry: the responsibilities of which are undertaken and overseen by the Church Council, including worship environment preparation & comfort, bulletin presentation, attendance, offering, and communion. 

Visitors Ministry: works hand in hand with the Greeters Ministry and Pastor Don, extending to each visitor a gift from the congregation for attending, information concerning our congregation and the Lebanon community, and following up face to face meetings with letters of welcome. 

Outreach Ministry: is responsible for extending the ministry of St. Paul U.C.C. into the community through use of the press, interaction with clubs and organizations in town, and invitational mailings and articles. 

***Please note, this listing of ministries does not include most of the existing ministries and fellowship groups which, too, are always in need of added participation. Those ministries include: Women’s Fellowship, Men’s Fellowship, Senior High Youth Fellowship, Junior High Youth Fellowship, Quilters Ministry, Prayer Circle Ministry, Special Activities Ministry, Home Visitation Ministry, Companions in Christ, Food Pantry, Wurstmarkt Committee, Chicken Dinner Committee, and the Church Council Building and Grounds Committee.

We give thanks for all who actively live their faith and witness through participation in the ministries of St. Paul United Church of Christ.

The steadfast love and faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord!