October 2015

St. Paul’s Evangelical-Lutheran Church

109 S. Elm, Kewanee, Illinois 61443

Newsletter

Volume 26                                   October 2015                                       No. 10

               

Twentieth Oktoberfest!

Oktoberfest:

October 4-6, 2015 (Sunday, Monday, Tuesday)

Registrations are still coming in, and we are still working feverishly to make out twentieth

annual Oktoberfest! and Gottesdienst Central another successful event.

This year our special guest speaker is Rev. Dr. D. Richard Stuckwisch, Pastor at Emmaus Lutheran Church in South Bend, Indiana. His topic for this conference is

“Eucharistic Sacrifice and Eucharistic Prayer in Theology and Practice”

The question of the eucharistic sacrifice is a critical ingredient in the Lutheran understanding of worship. Pastor Stuckwisch happens to be an expert among us on the matter. He became interested in the Lutheran confession of eucharistic sacrifice in the course of his STM studies at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne. He explored this futher in his doctoral work at the University of Notre Dame, where he investigated the Inter Lutheran Commission on Worship, focusing especially on the development and discussion of the eucharistic rites of the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) and Lutheran Worship (1982)." His PhD research was published in 2011 under the title, Philip Melanchthon and the Lutheran Confession of Eucharistic Sacrifice.

The event begins Sunday the 4th with choral vespers at 5 pm. Following the service is our annual bratwurst banquet. When everyone has had their fill of brats and beer, Dr. Stuckwisch will give a synopsis of his Monday seminar. Following the banquet is the after-the-party party, at Pastor Eckardt’s home, where, as always, a gaggle of the editors of Gottesdienst will be milling about.

On Monday October 5th, the day begins with mass at 9:00 a.m. Following mass and a continental breakfast, Fr. Stuckwisch will hold forth for the rest of the day, in two sessions running until about 2:45, followed by vespers.

On Tuesday October 6th, the conference will continue in the same format, with Fr. Eckardt, pastor at St. Paul’s, holding forth. The Tuesday sessions, will be framed by morning low mass (spoken Divine Service) and Vespers.

REGISTRATION for non-members: $40 per person (students $20) $60 per couple — includes Sunday banquet and Monday continental; no charge for children with parents. TAKE NOTE: Members of St. Paul’s go free!  You can make a donation if you want, but don’t let finances keep you from attending.  If you bring a friend, it’s $15.00 for your friend (to help cover the banquet costs)

St. Paul’s Refuses Thrivent Money

Dear members of St. Paul’s,

Recently we became aware that we could receive assistance funds from Thrivent Insurance for our Oktoberfest event, so we applied for it and received $250. Subsequent to this I was reminded of a disturbing change in Thrivent’s policy regarding organizations they are unwilling to support. The policy reads as follows (emphasis added):

Thrivent Financial - Neutrality Policy

Thrivent Financial is a membership organization of Christians and works with many different members who hold a variety of - and at times divergent - views and beliefs It respects the differences of its members and does not independently or on behalf of its members, advisors or employees provide outreach funding or support to organizations and issues that distract, or have the potential to distract, from its common purpose, which is to guide its members and society to be wise with money and live generously.

Under this policy, certain organizations are not eligible to receive outreach support or funding. This includes, but is not limited to, organizations with a primary purpose of providing services for or advocating positions either supporting or opposing certain social, politically partisan, or health and human services causes and issues, such as abortion, sexual orientation, or guns. Decisions regarding the application of this policy and the eligibility of specific organizations to receive outreach funding or support are made at the sole discretion of Thrivent's management team and are subject to change.

The policy specifically states here that organizations advocating against abortion or taking any stand regarding sexual orientation (i.e. homosexuality), making it difficult at best to see this organization as a membership organization of Christians.”

For this reason, as your pastor and in consultation with your chairman Monroe Kemerling, I have decided to return the money unused, as I fear it would be hypocritical of us to use it. As far as I am concerned, it is, almost literally, blood money.

Yes, I am vociferously and viscerally opposed to abortion, and every Christian must be. It brutally and horrifically kills babies. What more needs to be said?

+ Pastor Eckardt

Lutherans For Life

www.lutheransforlife.org • info@lutheransforlife.org • 888.364.LIFE

Lutherans For Life (LFL) is the only organization that provides Gospel-centered, life education, training, counseling, materials, media and video support, etc. from a Lutheran perspective. LFL seeks to "Equip Lutherans to be Gospel-motivated voices for Life." Headquartered in Nevada, Iowa, it makes resources available to over 6,000 Lutheran congregations and tens (if not hundreds) of thousands of parishioners on an ongoing basis.

Countless stories have been shared by individual Lutherans about how Lutherans For Life helped them maintain a Biblical view of sexual purity, decide against having an abortion, or heal from a past choice. Many others have benefited from knowing the biblical aspects of infertility issues and adoption and how to deal compassionately and practically with congregants facing end-of-life issues.

To do all this, LFL relies on financial support from congregations and other dedicated friends to make its work possible.

However, the ministry suffered a setback in 2014 when Thrivent Financial decided that LFL would no longer be on its "approved" list of organizations that may receive support directed from its members, chapters, etc. This is per a new policy that the organization have a "neutral" position on life issues. The result is that LFL must "make up" funding well into five figures from now on each year.

To assist LFL at this time, a special offering will be taken for Lutherans For Life. Should you have any questions, feel tree to contact John Hawkins at 512.468.9777 or at jhawkins@lutheransforlife.org. More information is also available at www.lutheransforlife.org.

[We anticipate taking a special door offering for LFL in the near future – Pastor]

October Ushers:

Steve Peart, Grant Andresen, Larry Campbell

October Anniversaries

10/4 Linda and Larry Rowe

10/23 Otis and Deanne Anderson

October Birthdays

10/1 Richard Melchin

10/1 Sue Murphy

10/2 Diana Shreck

10/3 Matthew Fisher

10/9 Mary Hamilton

10/20 Ed Woller

10/24 Robert Jones

10/24 Corey Peart

10/28 Carmen Sovanski

10/30 Sharon Hartz

First Tuesday

First Tuesday Altar Guild and Elders meetings are cancelled for this month. Original plans were for postponement, due to Oktoberfest, but the second Tuesday is also problematic, as Pastor and Carol will be en route to New York for a wedding.

Anderson Open House: 60^th Anniversary Celebration

Dear members of St. Pauls,

Otis and I wil be celebrating our 60^th wedding anniversary in October. We would like it if you could celebrrate with us. We will have an open house at our home in Alpha, on October 24, from 2-4 p.m. No gifts please. Our address is 107 S. Scandia. Phone #309-629-5734.

DeAnne Anderson

Shut ins

Mary Hamilton at home; Anna Baker at home; Emmy Wear at Williamsfield Home in Williamsfield.

Altar Guild News

Notes for October:

            There is no meeting this month.

There are four Sundays this month.  The first three are green, and the fourth (Oct. 25^th) is Reformation Sunday, so the color is red.

For Sunday, November 1^st, All Saints’s Day, the color is also red.

There are four Wednesdays in October:

(Wednesday September 30 we will observe the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels, so the color is white.)

Wednesday October 7 is green.

Wednesday October 14 is green

Wednesday October 21 is green.

Wednesday October 28 is red,

SS Simon and Jude.

The Lighter Side

In honor of National Pirate Day last month, the following:

A pirate walks into a bar and the bartender says, "Hey, I haven't seen you in a while. What happened, you look terrible!" "What do you mean?" the pirate replies, "I'm fine." The bartender says, "But what about that hook? Last time I saw you, you had both hands."  "Well," says the pirate, "We were in a battle and we boarded the enemy ship. I was in a sword fight and my hand was cut off but the surgeon fixed me up with this hook, and I feel great, really." "Oh," says the bartender, "What about that eye patch? Last time you were in here you had both eyes." "Well," says the pirate, "One day when we were at sea, some birds were flying over the ship. I looked up, and one of them pooped in my eye." "So?" replied the bartender, "what happened? You couldn't have lost an eye just from some bird poop!" "Well," says the pirate, "I really wasn't used to the hook yet."

Pastor Speaking at Conference

As usual, I will be a speaker at the St. Michael Conference in Detroit on September 28^th. My topic will be “Confessional Lutheranism and Liturgy in the LCMS: The Inevitable Move from Geneva Gown to Chasuble,” exploring aspects of the history of the LCMS from the 1960s to the present day.  

- Pastor

To Washington and New York

Pastor  and Carol will be visiting relatives in Washington, D. C. and  New York during October, as is also reflected in this month’s calendar.  Their flight to D. C. on a Tuesday will have them visiting their son and his wife, Rev. Peter and Allison Eckardt in Alexandria, Virginia for a couple days, and then they will travel to New York for a nephew’s wedding on Carol’s side on Saturday. On the way they hope to visit New York City.

During their absence, Pastor Kenneth Wegener has again agreed to fill in on the intervening Sunday; and in the event of an emergency you may call Pastor Eckardt on his cell (309-852-2460); he has arranged for emergency backup pastoral care.

Church Council October 21^st

As usual, the Church Council is scheduled to meet on October 21^st at 5:30.

Check out our Page on fb:

St. Paul’s has a Facebook web page. You can find it on Facebook in a search for St. Paul’s Lutheran Church – LCMS.  The link is here: https://www.facebook.com/St-Pauls-Lutheran-Church-Lcms-115624621801075/timeline/

In Our Prayers

Our current list of prayer intentions at mass includes the names on the lists here following.  To update the list, please inform pastor. 

in our parish:

Sandra Verplaetse

Emilie Ricknell

Linda Rowe

Ann Baker

and all of our shut-ins.

      And also:

Anna Rutowicz [granddaghter of  Harrises]

Julie Ross [Svetlana Meaker’s daughter]

Jill Matchett [at request of Diana Shreck]

Lorene Foglesong [at request of the Kraklows]

Cathy Van Wassenhove [at request of Sandra Verplaetse]

Shelly DeBord [at request of the Watsons]

Liam Hampton [at request of the Murphys]

Jackie Hampton [at request of the Murphys]

Maria Thorndike [at request of the Murphys]

Annie Eastman [at request of Svetlana Meaker]

Keith Ruggles [Barb Kraklow’s brother]

David Fowler [at request of the Murphys]

Robin Hampton [at request of the Watsons]

Melissa Hayword [at request of the Kemerlings]

Emily Corzine [Sarah’s sister]

Dennis Hoag [at request of Diana Shreck]

Nancy Popejoy [relative of Sharon Hartz]

Jeff Autery [friend of Chris Erickson, with cancer]

John Molburg [friend of Sandra Verplaetse]

Dave Colgron [friend of Tom Wells]

  and those we name in our hearts.

in the military:

John Eckardt

Donny Appleman [re Ricknell]

Thomas Kim [re Shreck]

Michael and Katherine Creech [re Murphy]

Richard Heiden [re Eckardt]

Carter Wills

Luke Van Landigan [grandson of Dick Melchin]

Jaclyn Alvarez [daughter of Kris Harden]

in trouble:

any unborn children in danger of abortion

those suffering from unrest, persecution, and imprisonment in Pakistan, Turkey, Laos, Iraq, North Korea, and elsewhere.

Persecution details:

PAKISTAN: Villagers Beaten in Hunt for "Blasphemer"

SOURCE(S): RELEASE INTERNATIONAL

Pray for protection and fair treatment of all Pakistani citizens.

Police in Pakistan recently detained a Christian who was accused of "blasphemy" by business rivals. In their search for him, they had also physically beaten several local Christians. Allegations against Pervaiz Masih, 35, arose after he won a contract to supply sand in Garra village, Kasur district. Hundreds of Muslims took to the streets and threatened to burn him alive.

TURKEY: Death Threats Target Church Congregants

SOURCE(S): WORLD WATCH MONITOR

Fifteen Turkish congregants and their leaders have been targeted since August 27th by a strident campaign of death threats sent to their Facebook pages, email addresses, websites and mobile phones. The threats followed the style and jargon typically used by Islamic State (ISIS), vowing to kill, massacre and behead apostates whose messages have allegedly "chosen the path that denies Allah" and "dragged others into believing...."

LAOS: Arrests for "Spreading the Faith"

SOURCE(S): ASIANEWS, RELEASE INTERNATIONAL

Christians in Laos are a small minority.

Two Christians in central Laos have been detained on charges of "spreading the faith." Bountheung, 43, and Neuy, 40, both of whom are married and have children, were arrested on September 2nd during a lunch visit at the home of a family in Nong-Hang village. Five police agents raided the home, apparently after receiving a tip-off from local officials. These men are now imprisoned in Khounkham, a village located within Khammouane province.

Sep 05, 2015 // 3:21pm by Fox News Insider

IRAQ: CHRISTIANS FLEE ISIS AND SEEK ASYLUM

An Iraqi archbishop is calling on the world to "wake up" and help displaced Iraqi Christians who are seeking asylum.

Tens of thousands of Iraqi Christians have been forced from their homes by ISIS, Lauren Green reported today. She said that survivors tell stories of rape, murder and starvation.

People who make it to refugee camps live in 3-foot by 6-foot prefabricated homes. Their lives are in limbo as they live without work or income.

Chaldean Catholic Archbishop Bashar Warda of Irbil said that the situation is nothing short of genocide, and he criticized the U.S. government for not offering asylum. He also said that the world needs to wake up and take action to help.

“Asylum seekers come in all religions … all races, all political leanings,” Deputy State Department Spokesperson Matt Toner said. “What matters is that we look at their cases individually and whether they have compelling reasons to seek asylum.”

St. Paul’s Ev. Lutheran Church

   109 S. Elm Street

   Kewanee, IL 61443