St. Paul’s Evangelical-Lutheran Church
109 S.
Elm, Kewanee, Illinois 61443
Newsletter
Volume 30 April 2018 No. 4
The
Resurrection of Him Who Was Not Bound to Die
The
Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ is the new life of believers in Jesus;
and this is the mystery of His Passion and Resurrection, which you ought well
to know and to carry out in act. For not without a cause did Life come to
death. Not without a cause did the Fountain of life, whence we drink in order
that we may live, drink His cup which He was not bound to drink. For death was
not Christ’s due portion. As to the question whence death has come, let us look
to our origin. Sin is death’s parent. Had there been no sin, no one would have
died. The first man received God’s law, that is, God’s commandment, on
condition, that if he kept it he should live, if he violated it he should die.
By not believing that he would die, he did what caused him to die; and found
that to have been true which the Giver of the law had affirmed. Thence came
death, thence man became mortal, thence came labour, thence misery, thence the
second death after the first, that is, after temporal death, death everlasting.
This tradition of death, this law of destruction, binds every man who is born,
except that one Man who became Man that man should not perish. For He came
bound by no law of death; therefore He is called in the Psalm, “Free among the
dead;” whom in all purity a Virgin conceived; whom she as a Virgin bore, and
remained a Virgin; who lived without sin, who did not die because of sin;
sharing in our penalty, not in our offence. Death is the penalty of offence;
our Lord Jesus Christ came to die, did not come to sin; by sharing in our
penalty without our offence, He annulled both our offence and penalty. What
penalty? That which was due to us after this life. So He was crucified, that on
the Cross He might show the dying-out of our old man; and He rose, that in His
own life He might show our new life.
–St.
Augustine of Hippo (a.d. 354-430), Sermon ccxxxi.
Holy Week and Easter Masses
Holy Monday through Good Friday, at 7 p.m.
Great Vigil: Saturday, March 31st,
at 7 p.m.
Easter Sunrise Mass: April 1st, at
7 a.m. (Easter breakfast following)
Easter Midweek Mass: Wednesday, April 4th,
at 7 p.m.
Time
Capsule Opening Scheduled for Palm Sunday
According to the
schedule, we are opening the time capsule on Palm Sunday, March 25th.
As
reported in the March newsletter, in March of 1998, St. Paul’s Lutheran School
children sealed a number of items in a time capsule, meant to be opened twenty
years later. It was the sixth grade class that did this (one of whose students
was a certain Peter Eckardt), whose teacher at the time was Larry Marshall.
We
tried to contact Mr. Marshall the other day to let him know about this. He and
his wife Elizabeth currently live in Edgar, Wisconsin. He has been disabled
since 2001, and he is on dialysis, waiting for a kidney transplant.
The
twenty-year mark was reached in March, so the time capsule is to be opened
after our Palm Sunday mass on March 25th, at breakfast.
Who
knows what we’ll find? Letters from students to their future selves or
relatives? Or children? What sort of creativity will we see? The idea was
creative in the first place, so we can expect some interesting revelations.
This
would be a great opportunity to invite friends people who were associated with
our school that closed in 2000.
April
Ushers
Steve Peart, Grant Andresen, Larry Campbell (or Steve Harris
if Larry Campbell is subdeacon)
Welcome,
Derrick Baker
Most everyone already
knows Derrick Baker, who has been attending regularly for nearly a year.
Derrick moved from Chicago, where he has been a longtime member of St. Paul Lutheran
Church in Chicago. He is of course missed there, which is the kind of heartache
we have experienced here whenever faithful members have had to move away from
Kewanee. But we have been glad to have Derrick as a faithful and regular
attendee here.
We have just
been informed that a letter of transfer is en route, enabling him to become an
official member on the rolls here. We anticipate receiving him by transfer at
the Easter Vigil on March 31st. Welcome, Derrick!
Congratulations,
Eric Meaker
Our Easter Vigil
will be even more special this year due to the fact that Eric Meaker is due to
be confirmed.
Eric had his
public examination on Palm Sunday. This honorable young man has been an acolyte
and server here at St. Paul’s for many years. Congratulations, Eric!
New
Web Site
We have a newly designed web site that we
hope will increase awareness of our parish in the community. The address is the
same: www.stpaulskewanee.org. It is easy to link to recordings of
our radio show, and sermons. Spread the word!
April
Anniversaries
4/13/2002 Steve
and Sheri Kraklow
April
Birthdays
4/3 Adam Shreck
4.14 Emmy Wear
4/19 Luke Wells
4/22 Grant Andreson
4/25 Mason Dooley
Steve Kraklow Wins Robin Contest
It seems the robins came in a flock this
year, all at once, judging from the reported sightings that came in from a
number of people during the fourth week of February, just like last year. The
results are in, and the winner of this year’s contest, by a hair, is Steve Kraklow,
who reports having seen several of them on February 27th at 1:30 p.m. Diana
Shreck reported a sighting a few hours later.
Here’s the trophy list:
2018
– Steve Kraklow, February 27th
2017 – Barb Kraklow, February 21st
2016 – Judy Thompson, January 23rd
2015
– Carol Eckardt
2014 – Michele Keehner
Shut ins
Mary Hamilton at her son’s home in Fort
Wayne, Indiana
Joyce Long at home
Emilie Ricknell at home
Dick Melchin at Hammond-Henry extended care
in Geneseo.
Emmy Wear at Williamsfield retirement home
Altar Guild Notes
·
Paraments WHITE for the Easter Vigil and all the
rest of April Sundays and Wednesdays except:
·
Parament color is RED for April 25th,
St. Mark’s Day
At our March meeting, we noted
the importance of always checking supplies. When wine supply gets low (when
the second to the last bottle is opened), please inform Pastor, who picks up
six bottles at a time in Moline or Peoria. When the supply of hosts gets low
(when the last sleeve is opened), please inform Judy, who orders them from
Religious Supply in Davenport.
Our April meeting is scheduled for April 3rd.
Recruiting
for Catechesis
Catechesis concluded on March
17th; we now look forward toward the recruitment of new members. Do you know someone? A family member or
co-worker, perhaps? The schedule is flexible for any adult who has interest. The best way to pick up new members is by
personal invitation coming from you! That is, our members are our best
resources when it comes to bringing new members in. Be sure to pick up a tract or
two from the rack in the hallway to have available.
Church Remodeling Phase III Still in Planning
Two things are currently in the works the our
third part of our remodeling project, which is the chancel area.
First is the planning for the look of the
chancel. Recently a mock-up was passed around at Bible class, a photoshopped
picture of our chancel with a traditional Lutheran altar and reredos in place.
The cost of such a choice would still be a matter of negotiation and
consideration. The mock-up has been put up on the bulletin board in the
hallway, in case you haven’t seen it.
Meanwhile we are still waiting on Andrew
Hatterman, of Murals by Jericho in Peoria, who has been considering some ideas
for us and has promised to get back to us soon.
Any direction we choose to go would of course
be subject to voters’ approval.
The second matter, on which we hope to have
action very soon, is the placing of new light bulbs in the chancel ceiling. For
years, many of these lights have been burned out. There are eight floodlights
in two series of four, all eight of which are burned out; and there are two single
floodlights nearer the altar which are still working. There are also the lights
in the canopy directly over the altar. We would like to replace these lights
with LED lights which expend far less energy and heat, and are longer lasting.
We’ve been working with a company in Galesburg that has been trying to refit
the fixtures.
The
Lighter Side
Typo in a church bulletin: “Christ is Resin!
Older, conservative, Lutheran congregation.”
In Our Prayers
Our list of prayer intentions at mass includes the
names on the lists below. To update the
lists please inform pastor.
in our parish:
Emilie Ricknell, John
Ricknell, Linda Rowe, Mary Hamilton, Emmy Wear, Sue Murphy, Don Murphy, Joyce
Long, Steve Peart, Bea Harris, Derrick Baker, Dick Melchin, DeAnne Anderson
and also:
Anna Rutowicz
[granddaughter of Harrises]
Jodi Rutowicz [daughter of
Harrises]
Julie Ross [Svetlana
Meaker’s daughter]
Jill Matchett [at request
of Diana Shreck]
Annie Eastman [at request
of Svetlana Meaker]
Steve Draminski [friend of
Jim Watson]
Kathy Nussear [Joyce Long’s
daughter, cancer]
Bud Harfst [Sue Murphy’s
brother]
Harold Woods [Sue Murphy’s
brother-in-law]
Pam Helmkamp
Dick Heiden [Carol
Eckardt’s father]
Pastor Kenneth Wegener
Elizabeth Godke [Sharon
Field’s mother]
Kathy Hopkins
Jesse Armstrong
Michael Nelson
Brandt & Oneda
Hendrickson [Ricknell relatives]
Bob Laskey [friend of
Monroe Kemerling]
Daniel Wallgren [our roofer]
in the military, especially:
John Eckardt
Donny Appleman [at request
of the Ricknells]
Thomas Kim [at request of
the Shrecks]
Michael Creech [at request
of the Murphys]
Katherine Creech [at
request of the Murphys]
Richard Heiden [at request
of the Eckardts]
Carter Wills [grandson of
the Thompsons]
Luke Van Landigan [grandson
of Dick Melchin]
Jaclyn Alvarez [daughter of
Kris Harden]
Traven Wetzel [at request
of Kris Harden]
Shawn Wetzel
Eric Verplaetse [Sandra’s
grandson]
Jake Mahaffey
in trouble: especially
St. Paul Lutheran Church in
Chicago
any unborn children in
danger of abortion
those suffering from
unrest, persecution, and imprisonment in Pakistan, Egypt, Iraq, Syria, Sudan,
North Korea, and elsewhere
Some persecution details (from www.vomcanada.com)
PAKISTAN: Family Attacked for Building Church Wall
15 March 2018
Five members of a Christian family in northeast
Pakistan were attacked and injured as they helped to build a wall around their
church on Sunday, March 4th. As church members were inside praying, George
Masih, 70, was overseeing the construction of the building project which took
place in the village of Yousufwala.
Twenty men, armed with clubs and axes, approached and
began beating George and others at the site. His two sons, Babar and William,
daughter Nasreen, and daughter-in-law Jamila were also injured. The attackers demanded
that the construction stop, claiming the land belongs to them. It is believed
the perpetrators were linked to a local landlord.
EGYPT: Renewed Hope After Beheadings
15 March 2018
February 15th marked the third anniversary of the
public beheading of 21 Christians on the coast of Libya. In the weeks leading
up to that fateful day, ISIS captors had reportedly tortured the men who had
travelled hundreds of miles to find work in order to support their families.
When the men refused to deny Jesus Christ, the militants beheaded them and
posted a video of the execution.
In honour of the 20 Egyptians and one Ghanaian who
were killed, a new Coptic church was dedicated last month in Upper Egypt --The
Church of the Libyan Martyrs. Built in an area that is 70 percent Muslim,
opposition to the construction was harsh. Yet the building was completed with
the support of the Egyptian government.
Special Feast Days in April
In addition to Easter and the Sundays of
Eastertide, there are two special Feasts in April.
First is the Annunciation, transferred
to Wednesday in the week after the Easter Octave because its usual date is March
25th which is Palm Sunday this year.
Second is St. Mark, April 24th,
which we will observe the following day, Wednesday the 25th.
St. Paul’s Ev.
Lutheran Church
109 S. Elm Street
Kewanee, IL 61443
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