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Pastor's Message

Annual Report of Pastor Gorden

posted Jan 31, 2012 11:44 AM by Tracey Morris

 As we begin 2012 the words recession, economic recovery, and primaries seem to be buzz words for each day. In the church our buzz words are faith and trust. We believe that God has everything under control. Even when it seems evident there are many things off course, as believers our course is assured and we are in good hands.

The theme for our stewardship emphasis centered on God’s generous spirit and redeeming love that he shares with each one of us. St. Paul’s reflects this generous spirit by being a light for this community and those who have made St. Paul’s their church home.

*steady worship attendance – even making good use of the overflow capabilities at Easter and Christmas
*new members are received into the St. Paul’s family
*190 children registered for Sunday School with more registrations forthcoming
*Kids of the Kingdom choir has grown to 50 singers
*75 students in confirmation plus mentors
*158 people attended the Thank You Luncheon in November
*the evangelism committee organized a progressive dinner and other themed dinners which were a great success
*the 363 sandwich making has doubled its production to help feed the homeless in the Metro area
*The food shelf and the clothing closet are vital ministries and staffed with numerous volunteers to serve the growing needs of the area
*Mission support for the orphanage in Haiti continues to grow along with the needs for 42 children
*Retreats for both men and women have been well attended to help nurture our faith
*Mission trips are scheduled for disaster relief in Joplin, MO and also central Minnesota

As you look around the church property you will see that some improvements continue to happen. Thanks to the property team who have been very proactive in caring for the building and grounds at St. Paul’s. Thanks to Teri and Ron who help keep the church building clean and ready for daily usage. A special thanks to our snow removal volunteers Butch Cox and John Chartier who keep the sidewalks free from snow and ice.
Thank you to Pastor Leon Stier for his diligent calling on our shut-ins. He has a real gentle spirit and people really appreciate his visits. I appreciate his willingness to fill in for me when I am gone.

Thanks to the office staff; Helen, Janis and Karan, for everything that is done to keep things working smoothly on a daily basis. Tracey is a real asset in our Children’s Ministry and Confirmation/Youth program. I appreciate your willingness to take on new tasks to make the ministry more inviting for our young people. Sharon Griffin does a great job at teaching the lessons for our confirmation classes. You are a gifted teacher and we are very fortunate to have you helping on Wednesday nights.

Thank you to Stacey and Colleen for all the effort directing choirs and playing for the worship services every Sunday. I appreciate your willingness to play for all the extra services, weddings, and funerals. Thanks to the worship teams for your help in leading singing on Sunday mornings. Thanks to Tim Hanson for your commitment to the worship teams and for organizing the Cowboy Church Band. Shelby Marchel has been a great asset to the children’s music in directing the Kids of the Kingdom. Thanks so much.

There are many volunteers who share their gifts and talents throughout the year; teachers, mentors, chaperones, choir members, worship assistants, altar guild, ushers and all others. You are the backbone of this ministry. Thanks for sharing your time with the family of St. Paul’s.

Have you checked out our new website? Go to www.stpaulsinhanover.org and see the work of Bob and Carolyn Isch. They put in a lot of hours in order to change the look of our website. Blake Tyra was one of their student assistants. Many thanks for the wonderful new look.

The church council has worked hard again this year. Thank you for your leadership! Thanks to Ralph Plonske for all the extra time spent on church business during his term as president.

As you can see we are doing quite a bit through our ministry at St. Paul’s. I am grateful for your partnership and the privilege to serve you. Thanks to my wife Rikka for all her support and help in worship planning and service preparation.

Because of the generous spirit that God freely shares with us, we freely share that gift with others. Let us continue to be the light and messengers of Jesus Christ that others may come to know Christ as their Savior and Lord.

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:17

Pastoral Acts : New Members: Adults: 49 Children 21 Baptisms: 32 Funerals: 9 Weddings: 9

Yours in Christ,
Pastor Gorden

Message from Pastor Leon

posted Dec 19, 2011 11:31 AM by Tracey Morris



While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son.” So we are told in Luke chapter two as we heard again this past Christmas Eve. But so what?, someone might ask. Babies are being born all the time. Christmas, by itself, is not much of a story. It is a nice story, of course. The circumstances were unusual, with the baby being born in a stable and having to be put in a manger. But there have been other births in other unusual places, such as in taxi cabs on the way to the hospital. Every once in a while we hear stories like that, but the whole world doesn’t take a day off to remember the day and celebrate it. There has to be more to the story. That is where the Epiphany Season comes in.

The Sundays in Epiphany begin to tell us what is so special about Jesus. The Gospel reading for Epiphany Day, January 6th, describes the visit of the Magi to the baby Jesus, bringing their exotic gifts from a far away land. Right from the beginning it is clear that this child was born not only to Mary and Joseph, but for everyone in the whole world, both near and far. Later texts in the Epiphany Season tell of the Baptism of Jesus and the voice from heaven which proclaimed “This is my beloved Son;” and then the words of John the Baptist pointing to Jesus as the one John was sent to prepare the way for; and then, some of the early teachings of Jesus which were recognized by all as the teachings of one who was very special, “teaching as one with authority and not as the Scribes and Pharisees.” This baby would grow into someone like had never been seen before or would ever be seen again. In this birth, God himself was visiting his creation, and in Christ came a promise that would change everything. Even that which had been most certain in life, the fact that all of life ends in death, would be changed by Jesus in his resurrection from the dead. The word epiphany means ‘a divine manifestation or appearance,’ and in the birth of Jesus the divine appeared as a human being. The Epiphany Season begins to teach us again what that means. That meaning will be then be more fully explained in the seasons of Lent and Easter that will follow Epiphany.

I John 5:11-13 could serve as a summary of what the birth of Jesus means for us, that meaning that begins to be made clear in the readings of the Sundays of Epiphany: “This is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.”

May God be with you and bless you in this new year.
--Pastor Leon

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