Thursday, April 17, 2014

This Week at St. Paul
Sunday, April 20th   He is Risen!
  8:00am & 10:30am – Worship/Communion (Central Site)
  9:15am -  Bible Class/Sunday School  (Central Site)
  9:15am – Worship/Communion (Northwest Site)
10:30am – Bible Study (Northwest Site)
 Monday, April 21st
  Offices Closed
  NO Monday Morning Bible Class
Tuesday, April 22nd
  Market Day Orders Due
Wednesday, April 23rd
  7:00am – 7:45am – Men’s Devo & Prayer (Stockholm Inn)
  7:00pm – Ambassador Ministries (Undercroft)
Friday, April 25th
  NID Youth Gathering
Saturday, April 26th  NW Reserved
NID Youth Gathering
  8:30am – 9:15am – Market Day Pick-up (Gym)
  9:00am – SPUM Neighborhood Clean-up (Central Site)
Sunday, April 27th LWML Mites Due
   8:00am & 10:30am – Worship (Central Site)
   9:15am -  Bible Class/Sunday School  (Central Site)
   9:15am – High School Bible Study (Central Site)
   9:15am – Worship/Communion (Northwest Site)
 10:30am – Bible Study (Northwest Site)


       Serving in God’s House at Central Site Today:
Acolytes: 8:00am – Holly H                 10:30am – Euan S
                                                                                                               
Preacher: Pastor Thies                                                  
Ushers: 8:00am –  Group 2              10:30am – Group 5
Elder: Tim King
                   
       Serving in God’s House at Northwest Site Today:
Preacher: Pastor        Thies                           Elder: Jon Schuknecht

                      
Easter Lilies are provided at both sites by congregation members and friends. You may pick up your lily after the service you attend. Thank you for the beautiful display of Easter lilies this morning!
       
Prayer for the Day is a daily devotional ministry. To hear a devotion recorded by Pastor Thies, please call the special Prayer for the Day phone number (963-7641) and then dial 3 when the call is answered.

Generosity Moment - Mark 16:6  And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here.”  The Good News is not just that Jesus is risen, but that He is risen to bless us: there is no need to be alarmed. He still calls us His friends and brothers and means to bring us through death to resurrection as well. The Lord is risen, He is risen indeed! Now WE can live arisen in His light and life in generous giving.

THANK YOU to our musicians who serve us so faithfully in worship throughout the year.  Easter is one of those high points of our celebration where God’s gifts through music shine so brightly, especially because we are blessed by the Lord to have such depth of talent and dedication that we enjoy and others might long for.  They could have exercises their talents in other congregations, but they have chose St. Paul for themselves and their families to serve regularly, along with the rest of us.  Please share our appreciation with our organists and accompanists Bonnie Dickenson, Delphine Poellot & Dorothy Beck.  Our instrumental leaders who also play regularly, both Bruce Volkert & John Schmid.  Along with them are a host of adult and youth instrumentalists and our vocal choirs directed by our own Dawn Stock.  Thanks to God through you all we sing, “Now All the Vault of Heaven Resounds” and we enjoy it in a powerful way through music and worship.

SPUM Neighborhood Clean-up – The Board of Trustees and St. Paul Urban Ministry (SPUM) is planning a clean up day for the Central Site and surrounding neighborhood next Saturday, April 26th. This date coordinates with the Great American Clean Up Day promoted by Keep Illinois Clean and Beautiful. Much will be needed to be done after the winter season to get off to a beautiful summer and enhance our property and neighborhood. As we all have heard, many hands make light work. Come out and help us if you can. Bring a few of your favorite clean up tools if you have them. Garbage bags and some tools are available. We will meet in the church parking lot at 9:00am on Saturday. Hope to see you there!

SPYS High Schoolers – Pastor Thies needs to know if you intend to go with us for the NID Youth Gathering in Roselle (suburb) Friday, April 25-26.  If so, he needs to talk with you about the $20 registration cost to you or your youth account.

OUR MEN are invited - The 3rd Annual Belvidere Immanuel Men’s Retreat is completely focused on faith in the home. Being that we have many different types of father figures, we have four different directions from our speakers. All kids that have been confirmed and older are welcome to attend with their father figures. The retreat takes place April 25th—27th, 2014, at Camp LuWiSomo, 5421 Aspen Rd. in Wild Rose, WI. The cost is $115.00. If you would like to go, please mail your check to: Immanuel Lutheran Church, 1225 E. 2nd Street, Belvidere, IL  61008. If you have questions, please call 815-544-8058.

Transforming Rockford is a worthy goal.  We received a good number that think it is a good idea to do so with Crossroads Kids Club, which is a weekly after school program done in public schools to introduce public school kids to Jesus. We need more that can help for us to be able to do it. Please turn in  your sheet from last week or find a new one in the church entrance tables. Let’s consider together whether we could do it this way at Haskell School.

Do you know someone who could become a St. Paul Supporter?  St. Paul Supporter could be anyone form throughout our area or around the country.  They could be your family, friends, coworkers, members of churches who do not have a school to support - really anyone.  Our supporters will receive periodic updates about the ministry of our school.  We will ask them to support us by prayer and telling others about St. Paul Lutheran School.  They are not obligated or even asked for a financial gift.  Although, we will include an envelope if they would like to support us in that way.  Our goal is to "Share or Story" to as many as will hear it!  Consider adding 10 names of people you know to our mailing list.  Simple forms are available in the church narthex as well as both the school and church office.  This is a project of our new Development Office.  Please talk to Bruce Volkert, our school principal, if you have questions. 
  
Little Lambs is now accepting applications for spring enrollment. Please call Jan Morton at 815-965-3335, ext. 218.

Mrs. Lynn Warner is our school Admissions Counselor. You are always welcome to provide names and contact information to her for perspective school families. You can reach her at 815-965-3335.

Our school is in need of a substitute teacher.  Please contact Mr. Volkert if you are interested or know someone who may be. principal@stpaulrockford.com or 815-965-3335   ext. 215.

Job opportunities at St. Paul Lutheran School -  We are looking for candidates to serve as caring, Christian teachers in our 5th through 8th grades beginning in the Fall.  Please direct any interested people to our principal, Bruce Volkert.  You may call the school (815-965-3335  ext. 217) or send an email to principal@stpaulrockford.org.

Please join us for our Spring Band Concert on Sunday, May 18 at 5:00 PM in the gymnasium.  This concert features our Beginning Band, Jazz Ensemble, and our wonderful Concert Band.    The students will perform a variety of music and you will be provided an evening of entertainment.  All are invited!  

Have you provided 10 names (or more or less) for our St. Paul Lutheran Support mailing list?  We hope to have our list together by Easter Sunday.  We have a new form available in the narthex which allows you to put all your names on one sheet.  Remember, those on the mailing list will simply receive a newsletter about our school and the ministry that we honored to provide.  We will not continually bug them them with mailings!  We simply want more people throughout the area and around the country to be aware of our school ministry.  Please see Mr. Volkert if you have any questions.

Our lower grade students present a musical, "The Star Factor" on Friday, May 9 at 7:30 PM in the school gymnasium.  We are pleased to provide our students with the chance to take part in drama productions!  Come and bring a friend!

Did you know every time anyone makes a purchase at Guler's Appliance Store and uses a credit card that our school receives a gift?  It is true!  St. Paul has been receiving monthly checks from the company that processes credit card purchases made at Guler's.  We would love to have more companies join us in this program.  There is absolutely no cost to the customers and no additional fee paid by companies.  It is a win-win way to support Christian education in Rockford.  Following the 8:00 AM and 10:30 AM services on Sunday, April 27 Mr. Volkert will host a 10 minute session on how the program works.  We simply need to tell YOU about it.  Anyone in our church can be an ambassador for the program.  You don't need to know anything about credit cards!  You simply need to have a passion for our school ministry.  Please talk to Mr. Volkert if you would like to learn more but cannot attend a session on April 27.