St. Paul’s Evangelical-Lutheran Church
109 S. Elm, Kewanee, Illinois 61443
Newsletter
Volume 32                                   January 2020                                            No. 1
 
EPIPHANY: A DAY OF WORSHIP AND REFLECTION
             
January 6th is Epiphany Day. This year we are planning a special event. It’s a Monday, but it’s a special Feast Day of Our Lord. So we’re scheduling Mass at 2:00 pm, and following with our annual Day of Reflection. This is a change in our original schedule. A day of reflection had been scheduled for Saturday, January 4th. This has been moved to Monday, January 6th, Epiphany Day. Members are encouraged, as you are able, to come out for Mass at 2:00 pm. Following this we will be having our annual seminar.

Here is the schedule:
2:00 p.m. Mass: the eleventh day of Chistmas
3:00 p.m. – noon: Seminar (day of reflection)
The nineteenth retreat in the Theological Reflection series is entitled,
“THE NATIVITY OF MOSES”
Why is the nativity of Moses reported in such great detail in Exodus 2? What is the significance of these details? Questions like this will all be discussed and addressed
.+ Pastor Eckardt
 
For home devotions, you may use matins or vespers, or the following short form and the appointed selections for the day, written below:
25 December: Christmas Day
Psalm 110
Reading: St. Luke 2.1-14 or 2.8-14
Meditation: Christ was born at night, because He who is the light of the world, which shines in the darkness.  The angels of the Lord appeared to faithful shepherds, because all faithful pastors are hearers of the angelic voice of God. But they were greatly afraid, for who can stand when He appears?  Yet the angel spoke the Gospel to them: Do not be afraid!  Why not?  For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  For this is the day which the Lord hath made; therefore we will not fear, but rejoice and be glad in it.  And the selfsame Lord, who has made the day, and whose glory shone around them, He it is, and not another, who is found wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.  See, He who for ages past was wrapped in Moses and the prophets is now wrapped in swaddling clothes.  He who is the Bread of Life for us who are the sheep of His pasture lies in a manger for feed. So let all behold Him at the holy feeding place, the Christ-mass, where He will be found, and nowhere else; and so let us feed on Him, singing the Gloria like the angels from whose lips it was first heard; and hearing again their announcement of peace; for He is our Peace, who brings to all the earth the goodwill of God toward men.
Hymn: TLH 94
Collect for Christmas Day: Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that the new birth of Thine only-begotten Son in the flesh may set us free, who are held in the old bondage under the yoke of sin; through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.
 
26 December, St. Stephen the Martyr’s Day
Psalm 119.III (v17-24)
Reading: Acts 6.8-15 and/or 7.54-60
Meditation: St. Stephen’s Day is observed on the second day of Christmas, for the revelation of God in the flesh is shrouded in poverty. What did the shepherds see in the poor manger?  Did they not see God Himself in the flesh, and that the majesty of Christ is found hidden in His humble appearance?  So also in the humility of all Christian suffering and martyrdom is the majesty of Christ hidden.  For the holy saints of God were citizens of the kingdom of heaven, which is not of this world; therefore the world does not receive it.  Neither did it receive St. Stephen, nor see him for who he was, as it is written, They have eyes but they see not.  Rather, they gnashed at Him with their teeth.  But what did Stephen himself see?  He saw the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.  But they did not hear his Gospel, for they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord, as it is written, Ears have they but they hear not.  So they stoned him to death; but Stephen’s mind was at peace, consumed in the holy wounds of Christ, as he cried in likeness to his crucified Master, receive my spirit, and, do not charge them with this sin.   For martyrdom is the most holy of experiences of Christ our incarnate Lord.
Hymn: TLH 77
Collect for St. Stephen’s Day: Grant, O Lord, that in all our sufferings here upon earth for the testimony of  Thy truth we may steadfastly look up to heaven and by faith behold the glory that shall be revealed; and, being filled with the Holy Ghost, may learn to love and bless our persecutors by the example of Thy first martyr, Saint Stephen, who prayed for his murderers to Thee, O blessed Jesus, who standest at the right hand of God to help all those that suffer for Thee, our only Mediator and Advocate; who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.
27 December: St. John the Apostle and Evangelist’s Day
Psalm 92
Reading: St. John 21.19-24
Meditation: Since it was the Holy Evangelist St. John who wrote that God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, therefore he also calls himself the disciple whom Jesus loved. He also was the disciple who loved Jesus, for he leaned on His breast at the supper.  Now in this he provides an example for faith.  For those who believe that Jesus loves them will do well to lean on His breast at the Holy Supper.  For the breast of Jesus is known there, where He gives Himself to His people and holds nothing back.  It is most fitting to receive the Sacrament on Christmas Day, for Christmas means Christ-Mass, as the manger of Christ is surely the holy paten and chalice; and the sheep of His pasture receive the Bread of Life there.  So too, there they proclaim His death till He come, which is why Jesus says, If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you?  You follow me.  For the Apostle knew that he would indeed abide eternally with Jesus if he had partaken in Him, and that his word was divinely inspired, for he testifies in the plural, saying, We know that His testimony is true.   Surely even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written, for the works of Jesus continue to the present day, most especially at the Holy Altar.
Hymn: TLH 271
Collect for St. John’s Day: Merciful Lord, we beseech Thee to cast the bright beams of Thy light upon thy Church that it, being instructed by the doctrines of Thy blessed Apostle and Evangelist Saint John, may attrain to the light of everlasting life, though Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth, and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.
 
28 December, The Holy Innocents’ Day
Psalm 9
Reading: St. Matthew 2.13-18
Meditation: Behold how Christ fights against evil: by humility.  Herod seeks the young Child, so He flees to Egypt.  Herod desires to destroy Him, so He hides until Herod is destroyed by death.  And thus the word of the prophet is fulfilled: out of Egypt I called My Son.  For it was in the same feeble way that Israel had been delivered from Pharaoh.  They who had no weapons saw their mighty enemies swallowed up in the sea, for God’s power is made known in weakness.  So Herod, like Pharaoh before him, is stricken with madness and a murderous mind, so he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem. But still he loses the battle to the poor Christ Child, whose response to this terror is to rest serenely in His mother’s lap.  Yea, terror and the holy blood of the Innocents drenches the homes of the poor people, that is, of Rachel weeping for her children.  But where is Christ?  In Egypt, in token of the great Passover when the firstborn of all the Egyptians were once likewise slain.  For Christ is our Passover, and His blood marks all His faithful, who await the Day of His Just Judgment, when the destroying angel shall vindicate them all, as He demonstrated ahead of time by the death of Herod.
Hymn: TLH 273
Collect for Holy Innocents’ Day: O God, whose martyred innocents showed forth Thy praise not by speaking but by dying, mortify all vices within us that our lives may in deed confess Thy faith which our tongue uttereth; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.
First Tuesday events
 
Our First Tuesday meetings (Altar Guild and Elders) are scheduled as usual. Tuesday, January 7th
6 pm Altar Guild; 6:45 pm First Tuesday Vespers;
7:15 pm Elders
 
January Anniversaries None
 
Altar Guild Notes
 
Altar color is white throughout January.
No mass on Wednesday, January 22nd.
Altar Guild Meeting is on January 7th at 6 pm.

No Council Meeting in January 
The January council meeting is unnecessary this month because of the annual voters’ assembly to be held January 5th.

Annual Voters’ MeetingOur Annual Voters’ Meeting is scheduled for Sunday, January 5th, at 10:00 a.m. (in the time slot normally reserved for Bible Class).
 
January Birthdays
1/1      Chris Erickson
1/13    James Hornback
1/15    Breann Dooley
 
January Ushers
Grant Andresen, Jim Hornback, Larry Campbell (unless Larry is scheduled to sub-deacon, in which case Steve Harris is on the schedule)
 
Shut ins
Mary Hamilton has moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana; Emmy Wear is at Williamsfield Home in Williamsfield; Emilie Ricknell is at home; Dick Melchin is at Hammond Henry Extended Care in Geneseo; Bea Harris is occasionally at home; Dale Baker is occasionally at home.

Eckardt Christmas Greetings
 
Our fam’ly keeps growing,
It just doesn’t cease,
Its Giver bestowing
Life’s boundless increase.
 
Another was married
‘Twas Joe in July
To Emily, as we
All partied, oh my!
 
And now she is showing!
A baby is due,
But too soon for knowing
If pink or if blue.
 
Our number now, say we?
I count twenty-two,
Including that baby
Who’s still in the womb.
 
For Jesus, born for us
Thus counts us in love;
So come, join the chorus
With angels above.
God rest ye merry, this Christmas 2019
and always.

The Bell Tolls
On the last Sunday of the year we toll the bell at
prayers for each member of our parish who has died during the year. In 2019 there was one  member who fell asleep in Christ:

• Joyce Long

In Our Prayers
Our current list of prayer intentions at mass includes the names on the lists here following.  Anyone wishing to update the list by addition or subtraction, please inform the pastor.in our parish:
Emilie Ricknell, John Ricknell, Linda Rowe, Mary Hamilton, Emmy Wear, Sue Murphy, Don Murphy, Dick Melchin, DeAnne Anderson, Bea Harris, Allan Kraklow, Jim Watson, Dana McReynolds, Mary Beth Jones, Sandra VerPlaetse
         and beyond our parish:
Anna Rutowicz [granddaughter of Harrises]
Katy Rutovicz [granddaughter of Harrises]
Julie Ross [Svetlana Meaker’s daughter]
Elizabeth Godke, Sharon Field’s mother
Brandt and Oneda Hendrickson [Ricknells’ relatives]
Helen Woods [Sue Murphy’s sister]
Janice Hart [Judy Thompson’s sister]
Caleb Cleaver [Ricknells’ grandson]
Dennis Hoag [Adam Shreck’s father-in-law]
Sue Harris [Steve Harris’s sister-in-law]
Nancy Callahan [Don Murphy’s sister]
Rachel Smith [Emmy Wear’s cousin]
Yvette Baker [Dale’s daughter-in-law]
Warren Williams [relative of the Kemerlings]
Bud Harfst [Sue Murphy’s brother]
Tony Stoner [friend of the Murphys]
Dylan Harden [Chris’s grandson]
Theresa Moore [Ricknells’ niece]
Carol Grigsby [friend of Jewneel Walker]
Tim Newman [Kemerling relation]
Karla Perkowski [Monroe Kemerling’s daughter]
Pastor Kenneth Wegener
Pastor Karl Fabrizius
Pastor Brian Feicho
         in the military:
John Eckardt
Donny Appleman [at request of the Ricknells]
Richard Heiden [at request of the Eckardts]
Luke Van Landigan [grandson of Dick Melchin]
Jaclyn Alvarez [daughter of Kris Harden]
Eli Wetzel
Traven Wetzel
Shawn Wetzel
Eric Verplaetse [Sandra’s grandson]
Jake Mahaffey
 
in trouble:
any unborn children in danger of abortion
those suffering from unrest, persecution, and imprisonment in Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Nigeria, India, China, Vietnam, North Korea, and elsewhere.
 
Our Sympathies
Derrick Baker’s brother Kenneth, who lived in the Chicago area, fell asleep in Jesus on December 9th. We mourn with him and his family, and find comfort in the nativity, life, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus
 
St. Paul’s Ev. Lutheran Church
   109 S. Elm Street
   Kewanee, IL 61443

St. Paul’s Evangelical-Lutheran Church
109 S. Elm, Kewanee, Illinois 61443
Newsletter
Volume 31                                   December 2019                                       No. 12
 
Preparations
 
This time of year everyone knows that preparations are in order. For this reason we find that there is a nice comparison that can be made between the ordinary kinds of preparations people make for Christmas and the season of Advent.
 
For in Advent, too, we prepare.  Christ is coming, we know, and not merely do we think of the annual celebration of the Nativity of Our Lord; we think of the return of our Lord in glory. Advent prepares us for both, which is a traditional junction of the way that leads to Christmas and the way that leads to Christ’s return. The readings for Advent Sundays reflect this junction, though they tend by and large to emphasize the preparations that are in order for Christ’s return.
 
St. Peter says this about that:
But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. (II Peter 3:10-13).
 
The heart of that admonition is this: the Apostle asks what manner of persons ought we to be in all holy conversation and godliness, which is a rhetorical question. It means, of course, that we ought to be careful to walk according to holiness of conduct (the KJV term “conversation” means conduct), that is, simply, in decency, kindness, brotherly love, forgiving one another in meekness. This is what is meant by godliness. It is the life of faith, which first trusts Christ’s holy promise and mercy, and then, because of this trust, bears oneself properly toward everyone on earth. And this, too, is what is meant by preparation for the coming of Christ: living this life of faith, by which we look for and hasten toward the coming of the day of God
 
So we conduct ourselves meekly: in penitence for our sins, desiring to receive Holy Absolution, to hear the Holy Gospel, and to partake in the Holy Sacrament, and in love toward our neighbor, desiring by holiness of conduct, good things for him.
 
Advent thus seamlessly continues the theme which had already been established toward the end of the church year.
 
+ Pastor Eckardt
 
Christ Masses
 
As usual, we will hold three different Christ Masses this year: the first will be on Christmas Eve at 7:00; the second will follow at Midnight; and the third will be Christmas morning at 10:00.
 
Special Note for Altar Guild; First Tuesday Meetings Dec. 3
 
On Tuesday, December 3rd, Altar Guild meets as usual at 6 pm, and Elders at 7:15 pm.  Between them we will hold vespers at 6:45 pm.  All members invited.
 
Altar Guild members: please make an extra effort to attend this meeting, at which we are going to review the instructions for Altar Guild duty; it is good to do this periodically.
 
Shut ins
 
Mary Hamilton has moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana; Emmy Wear is at Williamsfield Home in Williamsfield; Emilie Ricknell is at home; Dick Melchin is at Hammond Henry Extended Care in Geneseo; Bea Harris is occasionally at home; Dale Baker is occasionally at home.
 
Special Masses Wednesdays 
Our 7 p.m. masses during Advent will be emphasizing the narratives of St. Luke 1 that are written in preparation for the nativity of our Lord reported in St. Luke 2. Come prepare for Christ’s coming at Christmas, at the End of the World, and at the Altar.
 
On December 11th we will also have caroling and a party, as explained in a nearby article.
 
Caroling and Party Dec. 11

We plan to go caroling on Wednesday, December 11th. Meet at the church at 5 p.m. We will visit some shut-ins, and end up at the church for Mass at 7. Afterwards all are invited to the Eckardts’ annual Christmas Party at their home.
 
Decorating During Advent
 
As is our custom, we decorate little by little during Advent, until finally all is complete for Christmas. This year we plan to put up the tree Saturday, November 30th!

Our Website
 
Our church’s website is www.stpaulskewanee.org, and it is very active. Twice a week there is usually a new post in the “Sermons” section, as a synopsis of the most recent sermon is given, with a link to the audio of the Gospel and sermon that you can listen to whenever you want, or share with your friends.
 
December Anniversaries
12/13 Jim and Carol Watson
 
December Ushers
Allan Kraklow, Steve Kraklow, Tom Wells, Jim Hornback.
                       
December Birthdays
12/11 Kris Harden
12/13 Michael Eckardt
12/23 James Armstrong
 
The Bell Tolls
On the last Sunday of the year, we customarily toll the bell at prayers for each member of our parish who has died during the year. We remember this year one member who fell asleep in Christ:

• Joyce Long

 
Coming Up: Epiphany Seminar and Celebration, Saturday, January 4th, 2020
A day of reflection is planned for Saturday, January 6th, 2020.  To open the seminar we will have mass at 9:00 in the morning. A seminar will follow. Here is the schedule:
9:00 a.m. Mass: the eleventh day of Chistmas
10:00 a.m. - noon Seminar (day of reflection):
            The nineteenth retreat in the Theological Reflection series is entitled,
“THE NATIVITY OF MOSES”
Why is the nativity of Moses reported in such great detail in Exodus 2? What is the significance of these details? Questions like this will all be discussed and addressed.

Lutheranism is the Truth
from Gottesblog (at the Gottesdienst website,  www.gottesdienst.org) November 11, 2019. Posted by blogger Rev. Sean Daenzer.
 
“. . . to be Lutheran and to be Christian are not in any way matters in tension. [I am] one who is a Lutheran because he is a Christian—who, if he were not a Lutheran, would not be a believer of any kind—one who sees the only logical alternative to his commitment to the Christian Lutheran faith to be Epicurianism in its most popular form: ‘Let us eat and drink and be merry, for tomorrow we are dead.’ I do not mean to say that it is more important to be a Lutheran than to be a Christian. If a Christian is properly described as one who is united with Christ by true faith in Him, then no church affiliation of any kind can be placed on a level with it, let alone on a level above it. To be a Christian, in the sense of accepting the Christian faith, is to be in the only condition in which salvation is possible.

“. . . One often hears the idea, variously expressed, that it is more important to be a Christian than to be a Lutheran. . . .”  The sentence, I am a Lutheran because I am a Christian, [rather,] asserts (1) that the Christian faith is clearly revealed, (2) that it can be grasped and understood, (3) that it can be accurately stated, taught, and confessed, and (4) that this has been done in traditional Lutheranism. It is a further consequence of this conviction to hold that convinced members of other denominations would think exactly the same way about their view of the Christian message—and, thinking that way, would reject my views which are specifically Lutheran. It is only for such persons—those who take seriously their own view of Christianity and that of Christians who disagree with them—that I have any real respect. The big enemy of the true Christian faith is compromise, toleration, the spirit that we all are right—as if the important thing is not to be Lutheran but to be Christian without any denominational confession whatever.

“In my first paragraph I also voiced my view that Epicureanism is the only logical alternative to my Christian Lutheran faith. You may well wonder why . . . it is no idle comment; it is seriously meant. It is related between two contrasts: The one is the contrast between the Lutheran church and other churches, and the other is that between the Christian faith and all other religions.

“The first contrast implies that if I believe, as I do, that the gospel or the Word of God is witnessed to purely and truly in the Lutheran Confessions, then there is no point in thinking of forsaking the Lutheran church to seek membership somewhere else. On the one hand, what is true and good in other churches can always be acknowledged as such and made use of (like the excellent Anglican prayers and other liturgical material). On the other hand, what makes any of the other churches distinctively what they are (such as papal authority in the Church of Rome) simply has to be rejected by the Lutheran—and membership in that church must likewise be rejected. For me as a convinced Lutheran, there is no acceptable alternative to Lutheranism in the various other denominations; therefore, the only logical alternative seems to be abandonment of the faith in favor of Epicureanism.

“The second implies that there can be no rival of any kind to the Christian faith. God became a human being in Jesus Christ once and for all. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12). Christianity is simply in a class by itself among the ‘religions’.

. . . “A careful reader will probably pick up another signal from these pages [of Hamann’s book.] There is in them an undercurrent of disappointment concerning the present state of Lutheranism in the world. As the late Dr. Sasse said very often, the ecumenical movement has destroyed dogma throughout the church. World Lutheranism is in a state of disintegration, and enthusiasm for the old faith seems to be disappearing, even in those parts of Lutheranism that used to make a great deal of their loyalty to the Confessions. Much is still said in those quarters about confessional Lutheranism, but a great deal of that talk is mere talk, pious conventionalism.”

• Henry Hamann, “On Being a Christian: A Personal Confession” (1996)

 
New Year’s Mass:New Year’s Eve mass is 7 pm on December 31st.

In Our Prayers
Our current list of prayer intentions at mass includes the names on the lists here following.  Anyone wishing to update the list by addition or subtraction, please inform the pastor.
in our parish:
Emilie Ricknell
John Ricknell
Linda Rowe
Mary Hamilton
Emmy Wear
Sue Murphy
Don Murphy
Dick Melchin
DeAnne Anderson
Bea Harris
Allan Kraklow
Jim Watson
Dana McReynolds
Mary Beth Jones

and beyond our parish:
Anna Rutowicz [granddaughter of Harrises]
Julie Ross [Svetlana Meaker’s daughter]
Elizabeth Godke, Sharon Field’s mother
Brandt and Oneda Hendrickson [Ricknells’ relatives]
Linda Anderson
Helen Woods [Sue Murphy’s sister]
Janice Hart [Judy Thompson’s sister]
Caleb Cleaver [Ricknells’ grandson]
Dennis Hoag [Adam Shreck’s father-in-law]
Sue Harris [Steve Harris’s sister-in-law]
Nancy Callahan [Don Murphy’s sister]
Rachel Smith [Emmy Wear’s cousin]
Yvette Baker [Dale’s daughter-in-law]
Warren Williams [relative of the Kemerlings]
Kenneth Baker [Derrick’s brother]
Bud Harfst [Sue Murphy’s brother]
Tony Stoner [friend of the Murphys]
Theresa Moore
Carol Grigsby [Jewneel Walker’s friend]
Pastor Kenneth Wegener
Pastor Kenneth Wegener
Pastor Karl Fabrizius

in the military:
John Eckardt
Donny Appleman [at request of the Ricknells]
Richard Heiden [at request of the Eckardts]
Luke Van Landigan [grandson of Dick Melchin]
Jaclyn Alvarez [daughter of Kris Harden]
Eli Wetzel [at request of Kris Harden]
Traven Wetzel [at request of Kris Harden]
Eric Verplaetse [Sandra’s grandson]
Jake Mahaffey

in trouble:
any unborn children in danger of abortion
those suffering from unrest, persecution, and imprisonment in Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Nigeria, India, China, Vietnam, North Korea, and elsewhere
 
Persecution details [from www.persecution.net]:
 
SYRIA: Christians At Risk
Source(s): AINA, Middle East Concern, CBN
Date: 14 November 2019
When American troops pulled out of Syria, and Turkish troops moved in to establish a "safe zone" in northeast Syria, there were understandable concerns about the safety of the people living in this area. Turkish authorities gave assurances that their forces would not persecute religious minorities, including a significant number of Christians. However, recent reports have indicated otherwise.
Troops were reportedly told to not physically harm any Christians. However, that has not stopped them from driving civilians who practice Christianity out of their homes and land. Armenians and Syriac Christians in the region have been intimidated and forbidden access to their land, keeping them from harvesting their crops. As a result of the takeover, combined with bombings of towns and villages in the area, many Christians have been forced to flee. Witnesses describe it as a "soft ethnic cleansing."
Along with the danger posed by invading Turkish troops, Islamic extremist groups -- including self-proclaimed ISIS terrorists -- have been emboldened. On November 11th, an Armenian Catholic priest, Hovsep Bedoyan was murdered by gunmen, along with his father. Two others in the vehicle were also injured. ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack. The terrorist group has also been responsible for some bombings that took place on the same day near a Chaldean church in Qamishli, leaving six dead.
 
IRAN: Recent Prisoner Updates
 
Christians in Iran face constant danger when living out their faith. This is particularly true for those who convert from Islam. For many, faith in Christ leads to torture and imprisonment. More information, including various reports, can be reviewed at our country report.

Ismaeil Maghrebinejad, 65, was taken into custody on January 25th of this year on charges of propaganda against the state (note previous report). In a hearing on October 22nd, charges of apostasy were added by the judge, even though Ismaeil had been a Christian for nearly 40 years. The next court hearing is expected in two months' time.
On October 31st, it was reported that Ebrahim Firouzi had been released from prison and would be facing two years of exile after a temporary leave (see this report). Ebrahim has now been sent to Sarbaz, a city that is located hundreds of kilometers south of his home and nears the border with Pakistan. Ebrahim was scheduled to arrive on November 12th to the city, where he will be learning of the conditions and restrictions enforced on him for the next two years.

Five other Iranian Christians are facing sentences between five and fifteen years for "acting against national security."
 
INDIA: House Churches Under Surveillance to Prevent Worship
Police in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu have put several house churches under surveillance in an effort to prevent their use for Christian worship. House church congregations in several villages were warned to stop meeting altogether. Pastors of these small gatherings have been harassed and ordered to get permission from district officials in order to conduct prayer services.
 
CHINA: New Regulations Bring Added Restrictions
Authorities in Zhejiang province have instituted a series of new restrictions on churches, including regulations forbidding the practice of baptismal services and the use of offering collection boxes. The monitoring of attendees, types of activities, service times and locations has been given to appointed government officials to ensure all the restrictions are followed.
 
Altar Guild Notes

Altar Guild members: please make an extra effort to attend our December meeting, at which we are going to review the instructions for Altar Guild duty; it is good to do this periodically.
 
Advent does not begin until the first weekend in December. The four Advent Sundays’ color is violet.  If roses are obtained, they may be placed on the Third Sunday in Advent, December 15th.
For midweek masses, the color remains violet.

For Christmas Eve, the first Mass is at 7 p.m., and the color is changed to white. The three Christ Masses will be held as usual, 7 pm Christmas Eve, 12 midnight, and 10 am Christmas Day.  Color is white for all three.

The Sunday after Christmas is observed on Sunday morning the 29th. Color remains white.

New Year’s Eve mass is held at 7 pm on the 31st. Color is white and remains white in January.
​
No mass is scheduled for St. Stephen, St. John, of Holy Innocents (26-28 December) this year.
 

       
St. Paul’s Ev. Lutheran Church
   109 S. Elm Street
   Kewanee, IL 61443

Volume 29                                   November 2019                                       No. 11

The Vitality of the Church

It’s always tempting to assess things by their outward appearance. The old saying that you can’t judge a book by its cover arises from just such an awareness of that temptation. The temptation becomes all the clearer when outward appearances tell a very different story than the reality.

And that’s especially the case when one considers the vitality of a church, or of a congregation, on the basis of external appearances; specifically, the number of people attending on a typical Sunday, the amount of offerings, the congregation’s debts, or even the condition of the building.

While such things are sometimes necessary to consider, we ought not to think they are the way to assess the vitality of a congregation.  

Vitality has to do with how alive something or someone is. How alive are we? That’s really a spiritual question, and so the manner of arriving at an answer must be made in a different way. For, as the Apostle Paul says, “These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual” (1 Corinthians 2:14).

Spiritual vitality has to do with what the Lutheran Confessions consider the marks of the church: “The Church is the congregation of saints, in which the Gospel is rightly taught and the Sacraments are rightly administered” (Augsburg Confession, VII).
 
And where these things happen, there is the life of the church. There is the vitality of the church.

And without question, by the grace of God the Gospel is rightly taught here, and the Sacraments are rightly administered here. Therefore the church is present here and its vitality is vibrant and unquestionably in evidence. The people of God are receiving the gifts of God.
 
Rejoice in that fact, dear members. Our Lord Jesus, who has given himself into death for us and risen from the dead as the first fruits of them that sleep, has also seen fit to plant his church in this very place; and because of this, we have heard and believed the Gospel, to the saving of our souls and the greater glory of God.
 
This is a good thing to remember when Thanksgiving is observed and celebrated. This year, Thanksgiving is on November 28th, and we will observe Thanksgiving Mass, as usual, the night before: Wednesday evening November 27th at 7 p.m.

+ Pastor Eckardt
 
Oktoberfest Totals
 Attendance estimates:
            94 Sunday night
            44 Monday
            9 Tuesday
 
Income:
$1170 early registrations
$1337 regular registrations
$ 809 Sunday night donations
$ 100 Monday donations
$3416 total received.
 
Expenses:
$350 speaker/preacher
$104.34 room
$137.82 food
$104.41 paper products
$732.57 total expenses
(many items, including the beer, were donated)
 
Net Oktoberfest proceeds: $2683.43
 
Thanks be to God for another successful festival, and thanks to all who have been working tirelessly  to help our congregation, volunteering time, donations, and effort.
 
November Ushers
Otis Anderson John Ricknell, Bill Thompson, Jim Hornback

November Anniversaries
11/5 Steve and Berniece Harris
11/10 Gayle and Phil Beauprez
 
November Birthdays
11/19 Steve Kraklow
11/20 Jewneel Walker
11/30 Charlene Sovanski
 
Shut ins
 
Mary Hamilton has moved to Fort Wayne to live with her son John; Emmy Wear is at Williamsfield Home in Williamsfield; Emilie Ricknell is at home; Dick Melchin is at Hammond Henry extended care in Geneseo; Bea Harris is often homebound; Dale Baker is sometimes homebound.

First Tuesday moved to Second Week

November’s First Tuesday events are to be postponed until the second Tuesday, November 12th, because Pastor and Carol will be in Florida to visit her father the first week. Altar Guild at 6 p.m. Vespers is at 6:45, and Elders meet at 7:15.

Daily Prayer

As a minimum, when you rise in the morning and go to bed at night, repeat the invocation (In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen), say the Apostles’ Creed, and Say the Our Father.  If you wish, you may add Luther’s morning or evening prayer.

It’s a good practice to set aside some time to read your Bible every day as well, at least a chapter.

You are encouraged to use your hymnal for a richer daily prayer.  The order of matins (morning) or vespers (evening) is easily adoptable for personal use.

The hymnal is also a good resource for a schedule of daily readings.  See page 161.  These readings correspond with the material in Every Day Will I Bless Thee: Meditations for the Daily Office, my book of meditations for daily use); to purchase a copy, see me. – Pastor

All Saints
 
November 1st, All Saints Day, will be observed on Wednesday, October 30th, at 7 pm.
 
Altar Guild News

The last Wednesday in October is red, to observe All Saints (which is November 1st). Then it turns to green for the all of November except for Thanksgiving, which we observe on Wednesday night, November 27th (color for Thanksgiving is white). The following Sunday (December 1st) is the first Sunday in Advent, for which the color is violet. The advent wreath must be prepared in anticipation of that.

November meeting is moved to the Second Tuesday, November 12th, at 6 pm.

In Our Prayers
To update the list please inform the pastor.
in our parish:
Emilie Ricknell
John Ricknell
Linda Rowe
Mary Hamilton
Emmy Wear
Sue Murphy
Don Murphy
Dick Melchin
DeAnne Anderson
Bea Harris
Allan Kraklow
Jim Watson
Dana McReynolds
Mary Beth Jones

and beyond our parish:
Anna Rutowicz [granddaughter of Harrises]
Julie Ross [Svetlana Meaker’s daughter]
Pastor Kenneth Wegener
Elizabeth Godke, Sharon Field’s mother
Brandt and Oneda Hendrickson [Ricknells’ relatives]
Linda Anderson
Helen Woods [Sue Murphy’s sister]
Janice Hart [Judy Thompson’s sister]
Caleb Cleaver [Ricknells’ grandson]
Dennis Hoag [Adam Shreck’s father-in-law]
Sue Harris [Steve Harris’s sister-in-law]
Nancy Callahan [Don Murphy’s sister]
Rachel Smith [Emmy Wear’s cousin]
Yvette Baker [Dale’s daughter-in-law]
Warren Williams [relative of the Kemerlings]
Kenneth Baker [Derrick’s brother]
Bud Harfst [Sue Murphy’s brother]
Tony Stoner [friend of the Murphys]
Dylan Harden, Chris’s grandson, bad migraines

in the military:
John Eckardt
Donny Appleman [at request of the Ricknells]
Richard Heiden [at request of the Eckardts]
Luke Van Landigan [grandson of Dick Melchin]
Jaclyn Alvarez [daughter of Kris Harden]
Eli Wetzel [at request of Kris Harden]
Traven Wetzel [at request of Kris Harden]
Eric Verplaetse [Sandra’s grandson]
Jake Mahaffey

in trouble:
any unborn children in danger of abortion
those suffering from unrest, persecution, and imprisonment in Iran, Iraq, Syria, Eritrea, Sudan, Nigeria, China, Vietnam, North Korea, and elsewhere

Council Meeting Date
 
The Council meeting is set for Wednesday, November 20th, at 5:30.
 
Pastor and Carol to Visit Her Father
 
Current plans are for Pastor and Carol to spend part of the first week in November in Florida to visit her father who is in a skilled care home. This will mean there will be no activities scheduled between November 5th and 9th: no Tuesday class, no Wednesday mass, and no choir practice. Also, first Tuesday meetings are postponed until the second Tuesday, November 12th.
 
Thanksgiving Worship

As usual, our Thanksgiving Mass will be held on Wednesday evening prior, which this year is November 27th, at 7:00. All come!
 
Choir!
 
The choir begins rehearsing again: Wednesdays after mass, about 8 p.m. All singers come!
 
Leave It Alone, You’ll Break It.
A review
This review of Pastor’s book (available here for $20.00) was published earlier this year in the newsletter of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Bayside, New York. A lengthier version of it is soon to be published in The American Organist.
 
This pithy title belongs to a recently published book by one of our great Missouri Synod pastors, Rev. Dr. Burnell F. Eckardt, Jr. As clarified by the subtitle, “Liturgical Observations,” the 500+ pages therein comment on the present state of liturgy in the American church. Coming from the Lutheran perspective, Eckardt’s thoughts could well apply to many liturgical churches and Christian worship practices in general. Briefly stated, things are not good. Keeping in mind that his analysis does not apply to every congregation (definitely not to Redeemer, for example), the problems are nevertheless widespread and deep rooted.

Underlying the matter are several basic principles. One is the inseparable connection of liturgy to theology. As the saying goes, lex orandi, lex credendi (the law of prayer is the law of belief). That is, as we pray, so we believe, or, further, we need to do liturgically what we say theologically. Thus, changes in the words or actions of liturgy, however small, may impact belief and faith. On current liturgical practice, Eckardt concludes that “we have arrived at liturgical chaos,” characterizing contemporary worship as “liturgical shipwreck.” How is “liturgical chaos” manifested? Pandering to the culture figures largely here: “praise teams” offering pop/rock, complete with drums, sound mixers, and amplifiers occupying the chancel; or the commercially slick “Christian rock.” (One should ask here how “praise teams” improve on the ample stock of hymns of praise found in standard Lutheran hymnals.)

Closely related is the dumbing down of worship content: trading in hymnals or prayer books for user-friendly service folders, insertion of spoken directions into the liturgy (which Eckardt likens to a stewardess giving seatbelt instructions), and a living-room or coffeehouse atmosphere. For the gurus of “contemporary worship,” everything must be basic: keep it simple, remove big words, shun serious hymns, use only “upbeat” tunes. Changes enter the Christian lexicon incrementally, such as the switch from the specific term “hymn” to the generic word “song,” intended, perhaps, to sound more “relevant” to modern youth. Today, compilers of hymnals must count “singability” (read: five-note tune, third-grade English) as a criterion; by such standards, “A Mighty Fortress” would not make the cut. Given the unbreakable link between liturgy and theology, it is folly to think that worship style doesn’t matter. Liturgy cannot be a matter of taste or personal preference.

Importantly, liturgy functions to create a sense of awe and the sublime, as well as to foster the dignity attached to the Gospel and the Sacrament. The church is a Holy Place where we encounter God. How to do this? Moses took off his shoes (Exodus 3:5), Peter, James, and John fell on their faces, and Isaiah’s vision of God (right, Isaiah 6:1–8, in which the seraphim cry: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory”) was not a “Kum Ba Yah” moment. Thus, the rituals of the Mass convey that something important is taking place, something that demands respect and reverence. The Anglican Breviary defines reverence as “not primarily a matter of feeling pious, but rather of taking pains.” In this regard, liturgy also tends to make people behave by banishing the pride of self-expression. Behind the Mass lie centuries of history. The Western rite goes back to A.D. 600, much of it derived from the Gregorian liturgy; the (Lutheran) Mass represents the accumulated wisdom of history. Celebrated throughout Christendom for hundreds of years, it has inspired thousands of musical settings. “Contemporary Worship,” on the other hand, seeks to change all this for the sake of freedom of worship: “[O]ut with reverence, solemnity, and formality; in with casual, comfort, and familiar. Out with majesty; in with warmth. Out with vestments; in with jeans,” etc.

Not to be discounted, liturgy serves as the glue that holds the church body together. That is, the historic liturgy, more than organizational structures or official authorities, identifies a Christian community. Eckardt shows that, from as early as the first century, a uniform liturgy, carried out at stated times and in proper order, was considered necessary. The search for variety, novelty, and “relevance” has no place there. Indeed, variety and “diversity” (to use the current lingo) is already richly present in the Mass by the combination of the constant (the Ordinary) with the changing (the Proper, such as the Introit). The historic liturgy, the author says, is the key to the church’s survival, rather than “church growth” and other such programs.

Fearlessly, Eckardt takes on the “language police,” who have been busy for decades enforcing bad grammar for the sake of social engineering. Unfortunately, liturgical language has not escaped the ravages of such linguistic crimes. The feminist movement launched a “full frontal assault” on the word “man,” meaning “mankind,” with collateral damage on the masculine pronouns (he, him, etc.), not to mention nouns like “father” and “son.” This is a slippery slope: not long after the “fixing” of numerous hymns and liturgical texts, “femspeak” began to infect the creeds, even in Lutheranism. So, there are Lutheran hymnals that quietly omit the word “men” in the phrase “who for us men and our salvation.” Hardly a harmless edit—for dropping the word “men” transforms the entire meaning. By itself, the phrase “who for us” could denote nothing more than “for us in this room.” Going down the path of gender neutrality has even led to God being a female (goddess?). Thankfully the LCMS resisted the temptation to give in to such wanton tinkering, although the clinical “for us humans” was apparently once proposed to replace “men” in the Nicene Creed.

Noting that ecclesiastical authorities were “hellbent” on removing, once and for all, the English of the King James Bible from our liturgical vocabulary, Eckardt characterizes the achievement of this goal as a tragic loss. The argument that the language of the KJV and related liturgical texts was “outdated” for modern use does not hold up, for, in fact, this language has been archaic for over 300 years. It long provided, in beautiful poetic form, a unique idiom reserved for addressing and speaking of God.

Interestingly, it remains the best-selling version of the English Bible. (I would add that without the once-universal English-language Bible, people brought up on a “diversity” of translations are much less likely to memorize Scripture, as study and public readings no longer reinforce a single version.)

So, how did we get to the state of “liturgical chaos”? Pastor Eckardt says it happened through abuse of “adiaphora” (things neither commanded nor forbidden), a concept mentioned in several places in the Lutheran Confessions. Article X of the Formula of Concord explains that “adiaphora” refers to ceremonies or usages introduced into the church in the interest of good order and general welfare. Such usages may be changed according to circumstances and what may be edifying to the church. In making changes, however, all frivolity and offenses are to be avoided. For the contemporary-worship crowd, “adiaphora” provided a loophole that quickly progressed to total freedom. Style of worship, then, became utterly indifferent. Finally gained was “freedom from liturgy.” From there it was a short leap to “liturgical chaos.”
 
Jane Schatkin Hettrick
Director of Parish Music
Redeemer Lutheran Church, Bayside, New York
 
St. Paul’s Ev. Lutheran Church
   109 S. Elm Street
   Kewanee, IL 61443

Volume 31                                   October 2019                                      No. 10

Twenty-Fourth Oktoberfest!
The Twenty-fourth Annual Oktoberfest! and Gottesdienst Central is set for October 13th – 15th, and this year’s special choral vespers will be celebrating the rededication of our completed chancel. Vespers will be held Sunday evening the 13th, to kick off the annual Oktoberfest event.

Oktoberfest will also be hosting the Rev. Dr. James Bushur, who is the Carl and Erna Weinrich Associate Professor of New Testament and Early Church Studies. at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He specializes in Patristics and is a member of the North American Patristics Society.

His topic will be
“The Sermon in the Early Church”

The event begins Sunday the 13th with Choral Vespers at 5 p.m. Following the service is our annual bratwurst banquet. At which Dr. Bushur will give a synopsis of his Monday seminar. Following the banquet is the after-the-party party, at Father Eckardt’s home, where a gaggle of the editors of Gottesdienst is milling about.

On Monday, October 14th, the day begins with Mass at 9 a.m. Following Mass and a continental breakfast, Dr. Bushur will hold forth for the rest of the day, in two sessions running until about 2:45, followed by Vespers.

On Tuesday, October 15th, the conference will continue in the same format, with Father Eckardt holding forth on the theme, ““Preaching: the Voice of the Holy Spirit.” The Tuesday session will be shorter, framed by morning low Mass (spoken Divine Service) and Mid-day prayers.

REGISTRATION: MEMBERS OF ST. PAUL’S AND PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN KEWANEE GO FREE. For others, $50 per person, $70 per couple, students $25 — includes Sunday banquet and Monday brunch; no charge for children with parents. Register here.

Renovation News 
Most members are aware that we have virtually completed our three year project of renovating our church, and that we are rededicating the chancel on Sunday evening October 13th at 5:00 pm with choral vespers, as Oktoberfest begins.
 
The tally of our planning phases now look like this:
 
Phase One: the Nave. COMPLETED
Phase Two: the Balcony. COMPLETED
Phase Three: air conditioning. COMPLETED
Phase Four: the Chancel. COMPLETED
Phase Five: the floor. COMPLETED
            The only outstanding item here is the completion of the trim between the chancel floor and the carpeting, and we may have it also completed in time for the rededication.
Phase Six: extras
           We have a new baptismal font
           We are still hoping to get a statue of St. Paul.
 
Thanks be to God for his mercy to this small parish, enabling us to complete this three-year project!

Oktoberfest Desserts Needed
Can you provide a dessert for Oktoberfest? Please bring your dessert on Sunday afternoon, October 13th, in the morning or between 3 pm and 4:30. 

Oktoberfest help wanted
We need volunteers. Please help! Oktoberfest is October 13th – 15th.  Especially on Saturday morning October 13th, but also for cleanup crews on Sunday after the banquet, Monday the 14th after the afternoon session (about 3:30), and Tuesday the 15th when it is over (about 12:30).

October Ushers
Grant Andresen, Larry Campbell (Steve Harris if Larry is subdeacon), Jim Hornback 

October Birthdays
10/1 Richard Melchin
 10/1 Sue Murphy
10/2 Diana Shreck
10/3 Matthew Fisher
10/9 Mary Hamilton
10/24 Eric Meaker
10/28 Carmen Sovanski
10/29 Svetlana Meaker
10/30 Sharon Hartz
 
October Anniversaries
 10/4 Linda and Larry Rowe
10/23 Otis and Deanne Anderson
 
Invite a friend!
NOTICE, for the elders and anyone interested: in  the narthex are some general “Dear friend of St. Paul’s” letters to take, if you know of anyone who might be interested in visiting, whether a former member, a visitor, a family member, etc. Instructions: 1) take one of the plastic bags; 2) include in it one of the letters, a newsletter, and a bulletin. You’ll have a ready-made packet to give to a friend.
 
Altar Guild News
Notes for October:
           
The first three Sundays of October are green, and the fourth (Oct. 27th) is Reformation Sunday, so the color is red.
Oktoberfest has mass on Monday the 14th and Tuesday the 15th.  Color remains green. Vespers Sunday the 13th and Monday the 14th. Midday prayers Monday and Tuesday the 14th and 15th.
Wednesdays are green except the the 30th,  (observing All Saints), which is red.
 
Shut ins
Mary Hamilton at home; Emmy Wear at Williamsfield Home in Williamsfield; Emilie Ricknell at home; Bea Harris, often homebound.

On Stewardship
This letter also went out separately to the membership in late September.
 
Dear members of St. Paul’s,
 
The matter of giving and stewardship is easily mishandled. People sometimes say they no longer attend their churches because “all they ever talk about is money,” and their churches seem more interested in fleecing than in feeding Jesus’ sheep.  That’s probably unfair, since delinquent members can hardly know what’s going on if they’re not attending; but there may be some truth there as well. Leaders get frustrated when the offerings don’t match the needs.
 
We, too, get frustrated sometimes; your council members routinely struggle with shrinking bank balances and deficit spending; but we remain thankful and humbled by the fact that you, our members, tend to be exemplary in your dedication to volunteering yourselves and your offerings. 
 
Our renovation is mostly complete, and the chancel rededication is set for Sunday, October 13th, at Oktoberfest choral vespers. Meanwhile you continue to give sacrificially; and that, I am convinced, is both because you understand that this is something you should do, and that you love your parish and want to see it prosper. Both reasons are legitimate:
 
First, yes, of course sacrificial giving is something you should do. For as Christ sacrificed himself for us and held nothing back from us that he has not given us, it is right that we should follow him in heart and mind, and so appreciate the importance of sacrifice. Dedication to Christ is really the first commandment: you shall have no other Gods. And I am glad that you already know that.
 
Second, you do love your parish and want to see it prosper. This is a fruit of faith, which knows that it is only the grace of God that keeps this congregation in the first place. But sometimes you worry about it, too. But your worry ought not become despair; indeed you may aside with a confidence that in all things your Lord will never forsake you, as the hymnist reminds us: O little flock, fear not the Foe Who madly seeks your overthrow; Dread not his rage and power. What tho’ your courage sometimes faiths, His seeming triumph o’er God’s saints Lasts but a little hour.
 
Sincerely in Christ,
 
+ Pastor Eckardt
“We thank God without ceasing, because, when you received the word of God . . . you received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually works also in you that believe” (I Thess. 2:13).
 
St. Paul’s on the Air Going Off WKEI This Month
Our radio program which has been running well over ten years will be airing its final radio broadcast on Sunday, September 29th. We still have many podcasts available at our website. You are encouraged to check  them out: on-demand listening to a great number of programs at www.stpaulskewanee.org
 
THE BREAKING OF THE NETS
This article appeared in this newsletter 24 years ago, in September of 1995
 
When Simon Peter at Jesus' command launched out into the deep, and let down the nets for a draught, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes, and their net brake (Luke 5.6).  This account has been used by St. Augustine and other early church fathers to illustrate the condition of the Church on earth.  She struggles amid turmoil as she continues Christ's mission command to his disciples to be fishers of men.  The breaking of the nets illustrates the strife and turmoil she experiences in this life, as the hymnist puts it:

   Tho’ with a scornful wonder men see her sore oppressed;
   By schisms rent asunder, by heresies distressed;
   Yet saints their watch are keeping,
   Their cry goes up, "how long?"
   And soon the night of weeping shall be the morn of song.

So the Church experiences and endures strife and conflict in the course of her earthly life, until the Lord shall return in glory for His beloved Bride.

Among the struggles in our day there is an alarming trend seen in our midst, which shows up in various places and ways throughout the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod.  The trend, simply put, is to disregard the Word of God and its power and grace.  At every turn one sees evidence of a desire on the part of some to dismiss the power of the Word and the Holy Sacraments and instead to turn to earthly marketing techniques, sales strategies, and advertising gimmicks and ploys, in hopes of increasing the numbers and revenues of the churches.  At the Great Commission Convocation in Minneapolis last fall, for instance, participants were urged to adopt new and contemporary worship forms, forms clearly designed to entertain rather than to edify; while the traditional, liturgical ingredients in Lutheran worship were practically ignored.  It is easy to find worship services whose design and intent is aimed at appealing to the unbeliever who might be visiting.  This may sound laudable on the surface, until one considers the logic at work here: in order to be appealing to the unbeliever, one must in fact offer the ingredients of unbelief!  On the contrary, only the Word of God can convert the unbeliever to the faith.  We must, therefore, simply believe the power of the Word to do that, and get our own earthly machinations out of the way.
 
As the Church struggles with all her controversies and trials, one can always see the wringing of hands.  Especially in these times one can see this, with all the turmoil at the Fort Wayne seminary, the alarming intensification Synod-wide of attempts to eradicate traditional, liturgical, sacramental worship, and grievous efforts everywhere to remove all the elements of traditional, liturgical Lutheranism and replace them with the trappings of an entertainment mentality.
 
So now we, who struggle to maintain an insistence upon the power of the Word, now begin ourselves to wonder at the power of the Word, or to think that the health of the Church depends on our plans and strategy.  Thus in a bitter twist of irony, we ourselves begin to forget that the Church lives only by the Holy Gospel and the precious Sacraments. 
 
Not surprisingly, though, for if even the holy Sarah laughed at the promise of Isaac, should we expect ourselves to be above such folly?  What we need above all in these perilous and dark times is, simply, to remember the promise. Indeed Sarah, for her advanced age, deemed performance of God's promise impossible, but God in his mercy performed it all the same.  For her, the promise was ultimately a Christological one of course, as the line came through Isaac the son of promise; and for us as well it is Christological, since it is Christ's own Church against whom He has promised that the gates of hell shall not prevail.
 
So let us not grow weary over the breaking of the nets, though at all levels the nets are indeed breaking, and we can easily find disruption and strife.  Recall that the draught of fish was taken to shore, to the astonishment of all (Luke 5.9); so likewise the Church through all her struggles shall, according to the promise, finally reach the shores of eternal beatitude and blessing in the heavenly mansions.  As Luther said it, "You may trust the Scriptures; they will not lie to you."
 
Pastor Eckardt +
 
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 the pastor.

   in our parish:
Emilie Ricknell
John Ricknell
Linda Rowe
Mary Hamilton
Emmy Wear
Sue Murphy
Don Murphy
Dick Melchin
DeAnne Anderson
Bea Harris
Allan Kraklow
Jim Watson
Dana McReynolds
Mary Beth Jones
Jim Hornback
   and beyond our parish:
Anna Rutowicz [granddaughter of Harrises]
Julie Ross [Svetlana Meaker’s daughter]
Pastor Kenneth Wegener
Elizabeth Godke, Sharon Field’s mother
Brandt and Oneda Hendrickson [Ricknells’ relatives]
Linda Anderson
Helen Woods [Sue Murphy’s sister]
Janice Hart [Judy Thompson’s sister]
Caleb Cleaver [Ricknells’ grandson]
Dennis Hoag [Adam Shreck’s father-in-law]
Sue Harris [Steve Harris’s sister-in-law]
Nancy Callahan [Don Murphy’s sister]
Mark Helmkamp
Rachel Smith [Emmy Wear’s cousin]
Yvette Baker [Dale’s daughter-in-law]
Warren Williams [relative of the Kemerlings]
Kenneth Baker [Derrick’s brother]
Bud Harfst [Sue Murphy’s brother]
Tony Stoner [friend of the Murphys]
Dylan Harden, Chris’s grandson, bad migraines

   in the military:
John Eckardt
Donny Appleman [at request of the Ricknells]
Richard Heiden [at request of the Eckardts]
Luke Van Landigan [grandson of Dick Melchin]
Jaclyn Alvarez [daughter of Kris Harden]
Eli Wetzel [at request of Kris Harden]
Shawn Wetzel
Eric Verplaetse [Sandra’s grandson]
Jake Mahaffey

   in trouble:
any unborn children in danger of abortion
those suffering from unrest, persecution, and imprisonment in Iran, Iraq, Syria, Eritrea, Sudan, Nigeria, China, Vietnam, North Korea, and elsewhere
 
Pastor to Preach at Reformation Festival in Racine
The Racine, Wisconsin circuit has asked pastor to be their guest preacher for their annual Reformation Festival this year, at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 27th. He will be returning the next day.
 
Council to Meet One Week Later than Usual: October 23rd
Due to Oktoberfest and the cleanup schedule afterwards, we are moving the monthly council meeting to the fourth Wednesday in October, which is October 23rd, at 5:30 the usual time.
 
Special volunteers sought for Saturday mornings September 28th and October 6th
We’re looking to make the church extra clean and prepared for our Oktoberfest and chancel dedication. Anyone who has extra time please help!
 
St. Paul’s Ev. Lutheran Church
   109 S. Elm Street
   Kewanee, IL 61443

Volume 31                                   September 2019                                      No. 9

Who Knows the Future?

Predicting the future is a tricky business in many respects. For starters, our predictions are often proven wrong. Even weather predictions are notorious. And if what we predict comes to pass, we often don’t know if it was a matter of having known or just having made the right guess.
 
Secondly, predicting the future is sometimes scary. People get all worked up over what might be, or what current trends suggest, or simply because of a pessimistic nature. And then what they were worried about doesn’t happen after all, and all that energy was wasted.
 
Thirdly, Jesus himself has advised us not to worry about the future: “Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof” (St. Matthew 6:34). Although planning ahead is certainly prudent, fretting ahead is not. Fretting is actually fearing, and fearing runs contrary to Scripture’s repeated admonition: Fear not! The Bethlehem angels said it, and Jesus himself said it many times.
 
What’s  the worst case scenario? You die, or your loved ones die. What then? In Christ we live, and through faith in him in whose name we have been baptized, we have already gained everlasting life.
 
St. Paul admonished, right after nearly having been stoned to death, that through much tribulation we enter the kingdom of heaven (Acts 14:22). The bad news there is the promise of much tribulation; but the good news outweighs it a hundredfold: we enter the kingdom of heaven.
 
So be of good cheer, whatever your outlook, however dark the storm clouds on the horizon appear. You don’t really know what’s ahead, but you do know this much: for Christ’s sake, and by his blood and sacrifice, and because that is what you receive at the altar every week, the kingdom of heaven is there. As the Psalmist says: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
 
An old sainted friend of mine, the senior pastor with whom I served for ten years, often put it like this: we don’t know what the future holds, but we know who holds the future.
 
Let us live with confidence and joy, then, holding fast our confession and faith, come what may. The kingdom ours  remaineth.
 
+ Pastor Eckardt
 
Dick Melchin Selected for Honor Flight This Month
 
In my recent conversation with Dick Melchin, I was informed that he is expecting to be honored as a Korean Conflict Veteran with an honor flight to Washington, D.C. this month. He advised me as I ws making my routine shut-in visit with him at the Hammond-Henry Hospital’s Long Term Care wing. His son Wesley is going with him. According to the current plan it all happens on one day: September 12th. They’ll come for him early in the morning and return him home the same evening. That looks like an exciting day. Congratulations, Dick!
-Pastor
 
Choir Rehearsals
Regular choir rehearsals resume this month: Wednesday evenings after mass. Calling all singers, to prepare for Oktoberfest.  We’ll have lots of fun.

Our Web Site
Have you checked out our web site recently? We updated it: surf around. Audio recordings of Pastor’s sermons and of St. Paul’s on the Air can be found there.

September Birthdays
9/1 John Ricknell
9/10 Jan Schoen         
9/15 Chuck Russell
9/17 Mary Beth Jones
9/18 DeAnne Anderson
9/19 Jaclyn Kraklow
9/19 Jamie Kraklow
9/20 Derrick Baker    
9/28 Allan Kraklow

September Anniversaries
9/18/1976 Tom and Sue Ann Wells
 
September Ushers: Allan Kraklow, Steve Kraklow, Tom Wells, Jim Hornback in reserve.

Oktoberfest!
October 13-15, 2019 (Sunday, Monday, Tuesday)
 
The Twenty-fourth Annual Oktoberfest! and Gottesdienst Central will be hosting the Rev. Dr. James Bushur, who is the Carl and Erna Weinrich Associate Professor of New Testament and Early Church Studies. at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He specializes in Patristics and is a member of the North American Patristics Society.
 
His topic will be
 
“The Sermon in the Early Church”
 
The event begins Sunday the 13th with Vespers at 5 p.m. at which the newly renovated chancel at St. Paul’s will be dedicated. Following the service is our annual bratwurst banquet. When everyone has had their fill of brats and beer, Dr. Bushur will give a synopsis of his Monday seminar.
 
On Monday, October 14th, the day begins with Mass at 9 a.m. Following Mass and a continental breakfast, Dr. Bushur will hold forth for the rest of the day, in two sessions running until about 2:45, followed by Vespers.
 
On Tuesday, October 15th, the conference will continue until noon, with a continued focus on preaching, under the theme:
 
“Preaching: the Voice of the Holy Spirit”
 
Father Eckardt, pastor at St. Paul’s, will hold forth. The Tuesday session will be shorter, framed by morning low Mass (spoken Divine Service) and
 
REGISTRATION:
 
St. Paul’s members go free! (NOTE: Kewanee residents are also invited to come for free).
 
All others: $50 per person, $70 per couple, students $25 — includes Sunday banquet and Monday continental and lunch; no charge for children with parents.
 
Tuesday Catechesis to Emphasize Genesis this Year:
Join Us If You Wish!
 
Our junior catechumens are few, and our custom is to keep teaching them from their first communion until their confirmation. First communion has always been offered, regardless of age, whenever a child is ready. Readiness consists, first, in regular church attendance, second, in being able to say the Ten Commandments, the Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Lord’s word on Baptism and the Sacrament of the Altar. This usually happens after the first term in catechism class (September through Lent). If then the child also satisfies the pastor that he knows that the Sacrament is Christ’s true Body and Blood and has his parents’ permission, first communion is offered at the Vigil of Easter. Sometimes this happens at a very early age. A child may begin catechetical instruction whenever the parents bring him to class, regardless of age (a parent or designated adult must accompany the child).
 
But confirmation is always delayed for these young people until they have completed 8th grade. So in the meantime, any young catechumens who have already begun to receive communion will keep coming to learn the faith better, and each year’s class has a little different emphasis, all the while with the catechism itself as an overarching theme.
 
This year, in that spirit, we’re going to be looking carefully at the Book of Genesis.
 
And anyone may join us. This is not an exclusive club; adults of all ages are encouraged to sit in; in fact this generally has the effect of making the class more lively, and is good for the children too.
 
Class meets on Tuesdays, and its first class is Tuesday, August 27th, at 5:00 p.m. (Summer Bible Study was at 4:00; the time now shifts back to 5:00).

Sunday Blble Class Continues to Study Ephesians
 
Most of the people who attend mass on Sunday morning tend to stick around for breakfast and Bible Class. It has been this way for over 20 years. It’s always a good time to spend together, to enjoy one another’s company, and to study the Word of God. Every class begins with a brief recitation of the catechism, a discussion of a hymn, and sometimes an occasional question about  this or  that. Then we launch into Bible class. Lately we’ve been looking at St. Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians, which continues into September. Roughly, class begins about 10:15, when people are finishing up their breakfast, and ends around 11.
 
Pastor Speaks in Detroit
 
Every year Zion Church in Detroit holds its St. Michael conference on the last Monday of September, and Pastor Eckardt is always one of the speakers at the conference. This year, Fr. Roy Coats is the Keynote Speaker. He is the Pastor of Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, Baltimore, Maryland.  His topic will be “Adiaphora and Modernity”.  The question of adiaphora (indifferent things) has troubled the Church throughout her history. Fr. Coats will focus on one place and time, Leipzig around 1700, and explore the debate regarding adiaphora between the orthodox Valentin Alberti, the pietist Philipp Spener, and the modernist Christian Thomasius. He will show how this debate has shaped the modern world and the Liturgy of the Church up to our present day. For more information consult Pastor.
 
Shut ins
Mary Hamilton at home; Emmy Wear at Williamsfield Home in Williamsfield; Emilie Ricknell at home, Dick Melchin at Hammond-Henry Extended Care in Geneseo, Bea Harris, from time to time, at home.
 
 
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 the pastor.
         in our parish:
in our parish:
Emilie Ricknell, John Ricknell, Linda Rowe, Mary Hamilton, Emmy Wear, Sue Murphy, Don Murphy, Dick Melchin, DeAnne Anderson, Bea Harris, Allan Kraklow, Jim Watson, Dana McReynolds, Mary Beth Jones , Jim Hornback

and beyond our parish:
Anna Rutowicz [granddaughter of Harrises]
Katy Rutovicz [granddaughter of Harrises]
Jodi Rutowicz [daughter of Harrises]
Julie Ross [Svetlana Meaker’s daughter]
Pastor Kenneth Wegener
Elizabeth Godke, Sharon Field’s mother
Brandt and Oneda Hendrickson [Ricknells’ relatives]
Linda Anderson
Helen Woods [Sue Murphy’s sister]
Janice Hart [Judy Thompson’s sister]
Caleb Cleaver [Ricknells’ grandson]
Dennis Hoag [Adam Shreck’s father-in-law]
Sue Harris [Steve Harris’s sister-in-law]
Nancy Callahan [Don Murphy’s sister]
Mark Helmkamp
Rachel Smith [Emmy Wear’s cousin]
Yvette Baker [Dale’s daughter-in-law]
Warren Williams [relative of the Kemerlings]

in the military:
John Eckardt
Donny Appleman [at request of the Ricknells]
Richard Heiden [at request of the Eckardts]
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:
any unborn children in danger of abortion
those suffering from unrest, persecution, and imprisonment in Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Eritrea, Algeria, Nigeria, China, North Korea, and elsewhere

Details on Persecution:
ALGERIA: Another Officially Mandated Church Closure. Source(s): VOMC Sources, Liberté, Votre News
On August 6th, a church in Bouidjima was officially closed by the National Gendarmerie for failing to have a permit. A government mandate, requiring permits for all churches, was issued in 2006. Yet, even though applications have been properly submitted, the requested permits were not issued. One Algerian church leader refers to the officials' implementation of such authorization as only a pretext, further surmising that "their goal is to end the church in Algeria."
ERITREA: Patriarch Excommunicated
Source(S): World Watch Monitor, Bbc

Date: 08 August 2019
While the eritrean government officially recognizes four religious groups, even members of those groups remain under heavy oppression. in 2005, the government forcibly removed the head of the Eritrean Orthodox Church, Patriarch Abuna Antonios, replacing him with a government-appointed lay administrator (read more). The patriarch has remained under house arrest ever since, stripped of all administrative duties.
 
Altar Guild News
 
Sundays during September, the color is green, except for the last Sunday (September 29th) which is the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels, for which the color is white. Wednesdays are all green. Although Holy Cross Day (14th) and St. Matthew’s Day (21st) are in September, they fall on Fridays, and therefore we will not observe them.
 
Gottesdienst News
 
As you know, St. Paul’s is the host congregation for Gottesdienst: the Journal of Lutheran Liturgy, of which I have been editor-in-chief for some 25 years, The finances of the journal are not mingled at all with  those of the congregation, but the members here should be aware that this journal and its corresponding  website  and blog and podcast all operate as enterprises arising from this humble congregation, though of course  there are over a dozen faithful Lutheran pastors who actively participate in the work. So the activities of Gottesdienst ought to be of interest to you. It is right to think of it, in part, as some of the missionary activity of our congregation.  
 
This summer there have been some tremendously successful and beneficial things going on, in which Gottesdienst has been of great benefit to the entire Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. The national LCMS convention in Tampa, Florida was held in July, and Gottesdiesnt was well-represented, and appreciated by many. I was there with several of our editors and bloggers, most of whom were delegates. But my purpose there, with that of Fr. Jason Braaten, an associate editor from Tuscola, Illinois, was to man the booth at the exhibit hall. The traffic was phenomenal. We sent five boxes of books to sell, with some copies of the journal to give away, and everything sold out within a few days. The Gottesdienst booth was a roaring success, as an unbelievable number of people signed up for more information.  We also had an overflowing crowd at our Gottesdienst Get-Together held at a nearby Irish pub.  The entire room was wall-to-wall Gottesdiensters.  It truly was a Gottesdienst Crowd, and great fellowship continued for hours!
 
In mid-August I spent a day in Fort Wayne at a planning meeting, at which further organizational details for the blog, the podcast, and the journal were discussed. We are very optimistic about the future of the journal, aware of the tremendous positive feedback we have received. The next issue of the quarterly journal is due to go to the printer any day, and it should be distributed within a few weeks. Copies are always available in the narthex.
 
Council Meetings
 
The August Council meeting was postponed to Wednesday, August 28th at 5:30.  The September meeting is scheduled to go back to the usual time of 5:30 on the third Wednesday, that is, September 18th.
 
Jazz on the Side at Hog Days
 
Jazz on the Side is scheduled to play on Saturday afternoon August 31st, somewhere on Tremont Street outside Union Federal. The street is blocked off for Hog Days.
 
St. Paul’s on the Air Going off the Air
 
We have decided to discontinue the Sunday morning broadcast of St. Paul’s on the Air on WKEI radio. September will be our last months. Members may listen to a great number of recordings of the program, which are always available.
 
​St. Paul’s Ev. Lutheran Church
   109 S. Elm Street
   Kewanee, IL 61443

 St. Paul’s Evangelical-Lutheran Church
109 S. Elm, Kewanee, Illinois 61443
Newsletter
Volume 31                                   July - August 2019                                      No. 7-8
               
Bodily Worship

It is helpful and edifying to learn bodily reverence when we are at worship. Not only does it help us focus, but it also is a subtle reminder that God became flesh and has bound himself to us in his holy incarnation.

The fact that we genuflect on both knees when we receive the Sacrament is a bodily way of confessing that we believe it to be Christ’s true Body and Blood. Making the sign of the cross at various times during worship is likewise a silent way of confessing that we have been redeemed by Jesus’ atonement and baptized in his name. The practice of dipping your thumb or forefinger in the waters of the font as you pass is another way of confessing your blessed Baptism.

The very fact that we participate actively in the liturgy, not only by hearing, but also by singing and confessing, standing and kneeling, is a way of showing forth the fact that we have been redeemed bodily as well as in spirit. Remember: the liturgy includes your active participation.

There are also some very helpful, more subtle practices that add to our reverence and attentiveness at worship. There is a slight and brief bow of the head whenever the name of Jesus is heard, whether in a reading, or in a hymn or confession or prayer, or even in the sermon. This is a subtle way of remembering the words of the Apostle about every knee bowing at the name of Jesus (Phil 2:10-11).

A fuller expression of this very thing is to genuflect at the words “and was made man” during the Nicene Creed. You can see the celebrant and his assistants doing this at the altar, and you may do it yourself while in your pew. I like to recall the colorful words of Blessed Martin Luther about this practice:

“The following tale is told about a coarse and brutal lout. While the words ‘And was made man’ were being sung in church, he remained standing, neither genuflecting nor removing his hat. He showed no reverence, but just stood there like a clod. All the others dropped to their knees when the Nicene Creed was prayed and chanted devoutly. Then the devil stepped up to him and hit him so hard it made his head spin. He cursed him gruesomely and said: ‘May hell consume you! If God had become an angel like me and the congregation sang: “‘God was made an angel,” I would bend not only to my knees but my whole body to the ground! And you vile human creature, you stand there like a stick or a stone. You hear that God did not become an angel but a man like you, and you just stand there like a stick of wood!’
“Whether this story is true or not, it is nevertheless in accordance with the faith. With this instructive story the holy fathers wished to admonish the youth the revere the indescribably great miracle of the incarnation; they wanted us to open our eyes wide and ponder these words well” (AE 22:105-106).
 
-Pastor Eckardt

Words of wisdom for the young
 
The following letter was written a month ago by Pastor Andrew Preus for his parishioners at St. John’s in Guttenberg, Iowa. It is well worthy of your careful consideration. – Pastor
 
Dear fellow Christians especially my parishioners,

Here is some advice. Seek a pious spouse and pray for many pious children, those who go to church with you and confess with you the saving doctrine of Christ crucified for our sins, raised for our justification, delivered by the Spirit through baptism, preserved by the body and blood of Jesus given in bread and wine, received by faith created and nurtured by the Word of God. For you who are already married with children, teach your children to seek such things.
God gives and takes away. This includes spouse and children. But above all, he promises to remain with those who love his Son and keep his Word. So don't consider any of the gifts of God to be in your control. If you receive from God these gifts of spouse and children, then you will be rich and happy. If you lose these things or are deprived of them while still clinging to the Word of Christ, then you will be blessed. I am more wealthy than I could ever have imagined, because I have a wife who has borne me five children, and she teaches them to love and trust in their Savior. And I am especially blessed, because my wife reminds me that even more than that she belongs to me and I belong to her, we belong to God who has given us so many blessings. Our children belong to him, which means that even if we lose them they are in his care.

You don't need a lot of money. But if God gives it to you, use it to promote the gospel and to support other Christian families. There is no greater wealth than hearing your children confess the truth. Nothing is greater. Nothing is of greater priority. To my young parishioners: I don't care how successful you are in this life. And no one will care in the end. I care that you seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness. This means desiring to live a Christian life in everything you do, making every decision in life with the fervent prayer and priority that you and your offspring will be nurtured in the truth of Christ and his Word. Girls, unless you have been given the gift of celibacy, make it your priority to seek out a pious man who will confess the truth you have been taught to confess. Of course, God blesses single women who live in chastity, but don't be fooled. If a man wants to move in with you, telling you that he loves you, then don't believe him. If he loved you then he would love your Savior, and he would desire to be chaste against the grain of this unchaste world. Boys, unless you have been given the gift of celibacy, make it your priority to seek out a pious woman who will teach your children to confess the truth you teach to your household. Don't simply date for the sake of dating. Date a potential spouse. If you seek the kingdom of God in everything you do, then you will be happy, truly happy, not as the world gives happiness, but as God does. You will rejoice even though you mourn, be rich even though you are poor, and inherit all things from God as you receive with meekness the implanted Word that is able to save your souls.

Pray for chastity and purity, not because you are shackled to some form of etiquette and decorum, not because you are under the law, but because you are free under the grace of the Spirit of Christ. He is pure. He is chaste. He loves his bride, the church, with everything he has. Pray for this truth to permeate your entire life. And you will be content. You won't strive after the wind. But you will run toward what is certain, sealed in the blood of Christ, and guaranteed by the Spirit who raised him from the dead and will give life to your mortal bodies, according to the promise of your baptism.

In Christ,
Pastor Preus
 
Bible Class Tuesdays
 
Our Tuesday Bible Class is at 4:00 p.m., in Pastor’s Study, looking at I Samuel. Always a lively discussion. Join us!
 
Our schedule in the summer is a bit spotty as usual, since Pastor will be away some of the time. We meet the first two Tuesdays in July and August: July 2nd and July 9th, then no class on July 16th, 23rd, or 30th. Class resumes August 7th, and concludes August 14th, after which catechism resumes on Tuesdays at 5 pm.
Booklet Is Now Available
 
The booklet explaining the chancel and the symbols of the apostles is now available to those who come to worship. Each of the twelve apostles has his own shield and symbol in the Arch. They are ordered according to their ranking given in St. Matthew’s Gospel (10:2-4). The symbols are each explained in the booklet. Take one!
 
UPDATE: July Council LAST Wednesday
 
Due to Pastor’s schedule, the council will be meeting on Wednesday, July 31st this month, instead of the usual third Wednesday. Please make a note of it. THIS IS AN UPDATE FROM THE PRINT NEWSLETTER.

Altar Guild Notes

• Preparations are underway to alter the superfrontals, fair linens, and other linens to fit the new dimensions of the altar.
• Color is GREEN for all Sundays in July and August
• Color is WHITE for Wednesday, July 24th (St.. Mary Magdalene observed)
• Color is WHITE for Wednesday, August 14th (Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, observed)
• Color is RED for Wednesday, August 28th (Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist observed)
• No mass on Wedneesday, July 17th

 
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, Dick Melchin, DeAnne Anderson, Bea Harris, Allan Kraklow, Father Eckardt, Jim Watson

and beyond our parish:
Anna Rutowicz [granddaughter of Harrises]
Katy Rutovicz [granddaughter of Harrises]
Jodi Rutowicz [daughter of Harrises]
Julie Ross [Svetlana Meaker’s daughter]
Pastor Kenneth Wegener
Elizabeth Godke, Sharon Field’s mother
Brandt and Oneda Hendrickson [Ricknells’ relatives]
Linda Anderson
Helen Woods [Sue Murphy’s sister]
Janice Hart [Judy Thompson’s sister]
Caleb Cleaver [Ricknells’ grandson]
Dennis Hoag [Adam Shreck’s father-in-law]
Sue Harris [Steve Harris’s sister-in-law]
Nancy Callahan [Don Murphy’s sister]
LeRoy Tuthill [Kevin Thompson’s father-in-law]
Mark Helmkamp, who has cancer

in the military
John Eckardt
Donny Appleman [at request of the Ricknells]
Richard Heiden [at request of the Eckardts]
Luke Van Landigan [grandson of Dick Melchin]
Jaclyn Alvarez [daughter of Kris Harden]
Traven Wetzel [at request of Kris Harden]
Eli Wetzel
Eric Verplaetse [Sandra’s grandson]
Jake Mahaffey
Trevor Shimmin

in trouble
any unborn children in danger of abortion
those suffering from unrest, persecution, and imprisonment in Sri Lanka, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Kenya, Sudan, Nigeria, China, Vietnam, North Korea, and elsewhere
 
Additional areas considered places of persecution may be found at www.vomcanada.com (Voice of the Martyrs).

July Ushers: Larry Campbell, Jim Hornback 
August Ushers: Otis Anderson, John Ricknell, Bill Thompson (Jim Hornback in reserve)
 
July, August Anniversaries
July:
7/1/1951 John and Emilie Ricknell
 
August:
8/1/2009 Chris and Trista Dooley

July and August Birthdays
July:
7/2 Dana McReynolds
7/4 Sarah Kraklow
7/5 Sandra Verplaetse
7/7 Stephen Harris
7/9 Michelle Armstrong
7/10 Otis Anderson   
7/10 Dale Baker         
7/13 Gayle Beauprez  
7/14 Pastor Eckardt
 
August:
8/9   Donald Kegebein
8/11 Sam Fisher
8/11 Judy Thompson
8/13 Donald Murphy
8/16 Trista Dooley
8/21 John Sovanski
8/24 Becky Russell
 
Catechesis to Resume in August
Junior catechesis is set to resume on Tuesday, August 20th, at 5 pm.
 
Matthew Harrison Re-elected to Fourth Term
The election results came in on June 26th: LCMS President Matthew Harrison, whom we nominated, was re-elected for another triennium, with just over 51.76% of the vote. The rest of the elections and business will take place at the LCMS convention in Tampa, Florida, from July 20-25.

Shut ins
Mary Hamilton at home; Emmy Wear at Williamsfield Home in Williamsfield; Emilie Ricknell at home; Dick Melchin at Hammond-Henry extended care in Geneseo; others are occasionally confined to home. If you need a home visit, call pastor: 309-852-2460.
 
Listen at Home
Our website, www.stpaulskewanee.org, has easy-to-find podcasts (recordings of studies) that you can access and listen to on demand. There are podcasts of St. Paul’s on the Air, recordings of sermons, and occasional Bible classes as well. These are also sent to Facebook to make it easy to access the website from there. Have a listen, and spread the word.
 
On the Road
I will be away three times during July. First, to Indiana for Joey and Emily’s wedding and a family reunion from the 12th to the 17th; next, for the LCMS national convention from the 18th to the 23rd; and finally to speak at the Bugenhagen Conference (a free conference for pastors) in Racine, Wisconsin from the 29th to  the 31st. This includes Sunday the 14th , when Pastor Mike Bahr from Good Shepherd in Sherman will again be here to fill in, and Sunday the 21st, when Pastor Mattheew Synott from Trinity in Peoria will be here. The only Wednesday evening I will be away is the 17th, when midweek mass is cancelled.
+ Pastor
 
St. Paul’s Ev. Lutheran Church
   109 S. Elm Street
   Kewanee, IL 61443

St. Paul’s Evangelical-Lutheran Church
109 S. Elm, Kewanee, Illinois 61443
Newsletter
Volume 31                                    June 2019                                           No. 6
           
New Font Coming, and a Traditional Custom Introduced
       
As reported in a May bulletin, the trustees of Zion Lutheran Church in Peoria, which closed in January of this year, chose to donate their Baptismal font, some linens, and their eternal flame stand to us. The linens and the eternal flame stand are already in use.

We expect the font to be delivered soon, as we are currently making arrangements to get it here. Pictured nearby, it’s solid marble and weighs at least 250 lbs. We certainly wouldn’t want to damage it in transport. The timing is appropriate, since we are entering the month of June and our annual observance of Pentecost. The birth of the Holy Christian Church is bound to the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, which is why the vigil of Pentecost contains prayers pertaining to the font and the waters of Baptism. We will be observing the vigil of Pentecost on Saturday, June 8th, at 7:00 pm.

It is also fitting that a laudable and traditional Christian custom be introduced here at this time, as an option for our members to use as a fitting baptismal remembrance. The practice of dipping one’s fingertips into the waters of the font and making the sign of the cross with the wetted fingers is a very helpful bodily gesture by which we recall that, as St. Paul reminds us, we are washed, we are sanctified, we are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God (I Corinthians 6:11). 

Sometimes the font is placed at the entrance to a church, as is the case at the Fort Wayne seminary, and people entering for worship or exiting can take advantage of this custom as they pass the font. In our case, the font is placed near the altar rail. This will enable communicants to dip their fingers and make the sign on their foreheads as they approach for Holy Communion. This is in fact the way in which the people of Zion in Peoria would approach the altar. 

Ushers or altar guild members will be needing to ensure that the font is supplied with fresh water prior to mass, and the water should be drained afterwards. 

We recall that the practice of making the sign of the cross is in the catechism, as we are there instructed to do it in the morning, in the evening, and before eating.

The right hand is used. The index and tall fingers are customarily raised to the forehead, then to the right shoulder, and then to the left, as the invocation is said: “In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit,” although of course, the sign of the cross is made silently as one approaches the altar.

Do not be afraid of somehow doing it wrong, however; do not be afraid of doing it at all. Be pleased to remember hereby that you have been redeemed and washed by Christ the Crucified.

+ Pastor Eckardt
 
Pentecost Sunday June 9th
 
On Pentecost Sunday, which this year falls on June 9th, we will again hear the opening verse of the Gospel read, in accordance with the tradition of portraying the “other tongues” of Pentecost, in eight languages.  The eight languages, in order, are Latin, Greek, Swedish, Spanish, Russian, German, French, and English, in which the entire Gospel will continue.
 
This annual Pentecost custom, whose origins can be found in Acts 2 (where the Gospel was proclaimed in all the languages of the people who had made the pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the feast), does two things.   First, it reminds us that this is meant for all the world to hear.  “All nations” are to be baptized, according to Jesus’ command (St. Matthew 28), and therefore Christian missionary activity has sought to bring the Gospel to all peoples ever since.  Secondly, this multilingual reading gives us a sense of what it would have been like to be present on that Pentecost day in the room where the Apostles were assembled.  You would have heard preaching in many different languages, most of them unknown to you, until your own language was spoken.  This in turn provides a reminder that we ourselves have been brought to this Christian faith by the Holy Spirit’s activity of preaching the Gospel around the world.

The Gospel is words, God’s words to us about His Son Jesus Christ our Lord.  Its proclamation is by the grace of God, our hearing is by the grace of God, and our confessing of it is also by the grace of God.

The Church of Jesus Christ exists by the grace of God alone.  Her activity consists—by grace—in the preaching, hearing, and confessing of this grace.  So the Apostle St. Paul declares, “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:19).  The “us” in that sentence is the bearers of the apostolic ministry, for he goes on to say, “Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:20).  The “you” in that sentence is the hearers of the apostolic preaching.  How else, then, are the hearers to be reconciled, except by believing the word of preaching which they hear?  And in believing, they learn to confess this faith: “For He says, ‘In an acceptable time I have heard you’” (2 Corinthians 6:2).  That is, God heard them pray, sing, and speak the faith: he heard them confess what they believe.

Therefore in the spirit of Pentecost, let us make bold to assert our faith together, that we too may gain confidence and strength needed for the evil day.  This happens when we in our day steadfastly attend to the preaching, hearing, and confessing of the Gospel, in worship.  Here at St. Paul’s, by grace the Gospel is preached, heard, and confessed.  Here the Holy Spirit is actively building His Church.  Here Pentecost continues. Here is where we all need to be.
 
The Resurrection of Christ
 
Evidently there is still plenty of nonsense being preached in unsuspecting churches these days, mimicking the horrendous lies and propaganda from the “History” Channel of late. I refer to the notion that Jesus’ bones may have been found somewhere, and that even if it were true it would not affect our faith. This is utterly demonic. The shout from Christian people during Eastertide that Christ “is risen indeed! Alleluia!” cannot be dismissed as idle chatter. Nor do we mean to say that  the resurrection of Jesus is somehow only a glow of warmth or love in our hearts. No, dear Christians, it is a proclamation and confession that Jesus bodily rose from the dead, and was seen standing on earth by more than 500 brethren, as St. Paul declared to the church in Corinth. Let no one deceive you on this. When we say he is risen, we mean it, and our faith depends on it, and therefore it is not possible that someone might find his bones somewhere.

Trinity Sunday June 16th
 
During the early fourth century the Arian heresy was in its heyday, which denied that Jesus was the incarnate God and declared Him to be a mere creature.  As Arius himself put it, “there was a time before he (Jesus) existed.”  The bishops of the Church catholic saw the urgent need to confess the faith with clarity against this error, and so the Nicene Creed was crafted and modified through the course that century.  This is why the Nicene Creed says so much about the divinity of Jesus.  Liturgically, there also arose a special Mass in honor of the Holy Trinity.  This Mass was not originally assigned to a definite day, but was, rather a “votive Mass” the time of whose observance was open to the choice of whatever priest was celebrating it.  It was not until the ninth century on that various Western bishops began to promote a special feast of the Holy Trinity, usually on the Sunday after Pentecost. They used propers said to have been composed by Abbot Alcuin in 804.  The popularity of this custom became especially evident in northern Europe.  In 1334 if was finally received by Pope John XXII into the official calendar of the Western Church as the Feast to be held everywhere on the Sunday after Pentecost.
 
The Preface of the Trinity which we still use today is the same one which was used by Saint Gregory the Great in the year 600: “who with Thine only begotten Son and the Holy Ghost art one God, one Lord, and in the confession of the only true God we worship the Trinity in Person and the Unity in substance, of majesty coequal. Therefore with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven we laud and magnify Thy glorious name, evermore praising Thee and saying: Holy, Holy, Holy,” etc.
 
The Feast of the Holy Trinity now belongs among the great annual festivals of Christianity. Although it is not observed with additional liturgical services outside the Mass, its celebration quickly took root in the hearts and minds of the faithful, and in all countries of Europe popular traditions are closely associated with this feast.
 
Chief among the Trinitarian traditions is the sign of the cross, whose origin dates practically to apostolic times.  In the third century, Tertullian speaks of it as an early Christian practice: In all our undertakings — when we enter a place or leave it; before we dress; before we bathe; when we take our meals; when we light the lamps in the evening; before we retire at night; when we sit down to read; before each new task — we trace the sign of the cross on our foreheads.
 
Our observance of this Feast today is no less important than it was in the fourth century, as we find attacks on the divinity of Christ every bit as prevalent now as they did then. 
 
Resources for this article were taken from www.catholicculture.org
 
Bible Class Tuesdays
 
Our Tuesday Bible Class at 5:00 p.m. in Pastor’s Study, looking at I Samuel. Always a lively discussion. Join us!
 
Booklet Nearly Ready
 
A booklet explaining the chancel and the symbols of the apostles is almost complete, to be available to those who come to worship. Each of the twelve apostles has his own shield and symbol in the Arch. They are ordered according to their ranking given in St. Matthew’s Gospel (10:2-4). The symbols are each each explained in the booklet.
 
June Birthdays:

6/5 Linda Rowe         
6/15 Jill Powers
6/16 Berniece Harris
6/29 Jim Watson
 
Council SECOND Wednesday
 
Due to Pastor’s schedule, the council will be meeting on Wednesday, June 12th this month, instead of the usual third Wednesday. Please make a note of it.
 
June Ushers: Allan Kraklow, Steve Kraklow, Tom Wells, Jim Hornback as needed

Holy Ground and Reverence
 
Remember the holiness of our worship space and these guidelines:

• When you come to worship, remember that the most appropriate attitude is one of prayerful reflection.
• Remember too to be considerate of others around you who are also preparing for worship. Conversations can wait until later.
• There are helpful short prayers conveniently placed on page 4 in the front of the hymnal.
• At the close of worship, any conversations should be muted, or carried outside the worship space.
• Preparation for the Sacrament:
  • Make use of the font as detailed in the lead article of this newsletter
  • It is laudable to reverence the Sacrament on entering and on leaving.
  • Ladies should wipe off lipstick if necessary.
  • The host is best received on the tongue.
  • The cup is most conveniently received by touching the bottom (not the cup at the top) when offered, to help the celebrant know when a sip has been taken.

 
Altar Guild Notes

• Preparations are underway to alter the superfrontals, fair linens, and other linens to fit the new dimensions of the altar.
• Color is WHITE through Wednesday June 5th
• Color is RED at the Vigil of Pentecost (June 8th) and for the octave (week) following:
• Color is WHITE for Trinity Sunday (June 16th) and its octave, including the Sunday after Trinity, June 23rd.
• Color is RED for Wednesday, June 26th, on which we will observe SS Peter and Paul the Apostles (at our congregation, a Feast of Title, which is a Feast of the First Class)
• Color is GREEN for following Sundays (Trinity season).
• Next meeting is Tuesday, June 4th.

 
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, Dick Melchin, DeAnne Anderson, Bea Harris, Allan Kraklow, Father Eckardt, Jim Watson

and also:
Anna Rutowicz [granddaughter of Harrises]
Katy Rutovicz [granddaughter of Harrises]
Jodi Rutowicz [daughter of Harrises]
Julie Ross [Svetlana Meaker’s daughter]
Pastor Kenneth Wegener
Elizabeth Godke, Sharon Field’s mother
Brandt and Oneda Hendrickson [Ricknells’ relatives]
Linda Anderson
Helen Woods [Sue Murphy’s sister]
Janice Hart [Judy Thompson’s sister]
Caleb Cleaver [Ricknells’ grandson]
Dennis Hoag [Adam Shreck’s father-in-law]
Sue Harris [Steve Harris’s sister-in-law]
Nancy Callahan [Don Murphy’s sister]
LeRoy Tuthill [Kevin Thompson’s father-in-law]

in the military:
John Eckardt
Donny Appleman [at request of the Ricknells]
Richard Heiden [at request of the Eckardts]
Luke Van Landigan [grandson of Dick Melchin]
Jaclyn Alvarez [daughter of Kris Harden]
Traven Wetzel [at request of Kris Harden]
Eli Wetzel
Eric Verplaetse [Sandra’s grandson]
Jake Mahaffey
Trevor Shimmin

in trouble:
any unborn children in danger of abortion
those suffering from unrest, persecution, and imprisonment in Sri Lanka, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Kenya, Sudan, Nigeria, China, Vietnam, North Korea, and elsewhere
 
Additional areas considered places of persecution may be found at www.vomcanada.com (Voice of the Martyrs).
 
Church Picnic June 30th
 
We are planning to hold this year’s church picnic at Northeast Park in Kewanee this year, as we have done in years past. Sunday afternoon, as soon as you can after church, head over to the park where we will be planning a cookout, a time for fun and conversation, and a good summer day in the sun. Join your church family.
 
June Anniversaries:

6/17/1967 Robert and Mary Beth Jones
6/18/1960 Sandra and John Verplaetse
6/18/1977 Fr. Burnell and Carol Eckardt
6/18/1966 Don and Sue Murphy
6/19/1977 Dana and Carol McReynolds
6/19/1966 Bill and Judy Thompson
 
Concordia Catechetical Academy June 19-21
 
Pastor and Carol plan to be in Wisconsin as usual for the CCA in the Milwaukee area from June 19-21. No Wednesday activities that week.
 
Listen at Home
 
Our website, www.stpaulskewanee.org, has easy-to-find podcasts (recordings of studies) that you can access and listen to on demand. There are podcasts of St. Paul’s on the Air, recordings of sermons, and occasional Bible classes as well. These are also sent to Facebook to make it easy to access the website from there. Have a listen, and spread the word.

St. Paul’s Evangelical-Lutheran Church
109 S. Elm, Kewanee, Illinois 61443
Newsletter
Volume 31                                    May 2019                                           No. 5
               

We Did It! Thanks Be to God!
           
We now have what we had long desired and thought we could never get.

Somehow, by considerable sweat-labor, by finding inexpensive ways to do things, by donations of time and materials, by outside donations of cash to supplant what we were meagerly able to do ourselves, and by plenty of prayer, we did it.

And it was done at probably one tenth what it would have cost to pay a contractor.

We wanted our church to look traditional again. Majestic, even. One thing we had already done was accenting, by different color paint, the architectural ribs supported by capitals, leading through the nave to the altar. This brings out the meaning of the altar as the portal between heaven and earth. If you stand in the back, you can see this effect.

The transformation is stunning. And it’s remarkable, considering what a small parish we are, having worked in fits and starts, somehow managing to get by as this mammoth project challenged us. The church is now restored.

There are a few details still to be taken care of: soon we will be burying our new microphone wires, and we still have to finish the trim between the chancel tiles and the carpet.

In addition, we are possibly going to be getting a new marble baptismal font, if negotiations with a newly closed church in Peoria prove successful. This remains to be seen.

We also hope at some point to find a statue of the Apostle St. Paul which would stand in the area where we used to have the font.

The fact that we do not, after all, need to replace the carpet throughout the nave, as it cleaned up very nicely, will likely be a savings of over $10,000.

St. Paul’s is the home of Gottesdienst, and the host of Oktoberfest in the autumn of every year. The restoration was successful, and the building’s own majesty is radiantly evident. It now appears that we will be having our rededication ceremony as part of our Oktoberfest gala this year. The many guests that are already part of  that celebration will add to the festive atmosphere. Gottesdiensters will be invited to come and see our completed project for themselves.

Save the date for this year’s Oktoberfest, October 13-15. Meanwhile, let us add to our joy of Eastertide this year, as the little fragile flock in Kewanee, breathtakingly exclaiming, This is none other but the house of God. This is the gate of heaven. Thanks be to God!.
 
+ Pastor Eckardt

​ 
Before:

​After: 

Items to Note
 
In these before and after pictures we can see not only the spectacular effect of having the Apostles’ shields restored, but also the stone floor for the chancel and  the color scheme of light-to-dark in the chancel. Additionally, we note that there are two new capitals in the chancel atop the piers on either side of the altar. These required considerable and painstaking work by  the firm of Jerry Frese, friend of the congregation. The entire chancel ceiling is now clearly seen as supported by its piers and their capitals. They charged us less than one fourth the actual cost. The ceiling itself has become the canopy, replacing the modern canopy that had been put up in 1962.

Holy Ground
 
Now that we have moved back to the church, t’s a good time to be reminded of the holiness of our worship space. Here are a few guidelines to help.
 

• When you come to worship, remember that the most appropriate attitude is one of prayerful reflection,
• Remember too to be considerate of others around you who are also preparing for worship. Conversations can wait until later.
• There are helpful short prayers conveniently placed on page 4 in the front of the hymnal.
• It is laudable to reverence the Sacrament on entering and on leaving.
• At the close of worship, any conversations should be muted, or carried outside the worship space.

 
A Booklet Being Prepared
 
A booklet explaining the chancel and the symbols of the apostles is in the making and will soon be available to those who come to worship. The following explanations will be included in the booklet, with accompanying symbols not included here.
 
Each of the twelve apostles has his own shield and symbol in the Arch. They are ordered according to their ranking given in St. Matthew’s Gospel (10:2-4).
 
1. St. Peter’s symbol is at the highest position on the left side. The brothers Peter and Andrew are at the very top of the arch. Peter’s symbol is the inverted cross, which is the instrument of his death, and the crossed keys, for he was given the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven (St. Matthew 16:18).
 
2. St. Andrew’s symbol is at the highest on the right side. The brothers Peter and Andrew are at the very top of the arch. Andrew’s symbol is the X-shaped cross, which is the instrument of his death, and two fish, indicative of the fact that he was a fisherman (St. Matthew 4:18).
 
3. The symbol of St. James the Greater, brother of John, is to the left of Peter’s symbol on the left side, that is, fifth from the left. James travelled as far as Spain, where he is revered as Santiago. The staff signifies his lengthy journey, and the scallop shell, native to Galicia (Spain), has long symbolized the completion of a pilgrimage there. The sword is the instrument of his death under King Herod, when he returned to Jerusalem (Acts 12:2).
 
4. St. John’s symbol is to the right of Andrew’s on the right side, that is, fifth from the right. Since he was the brother of James, his symbol appears parallel to it on the other side. It is a chalice with a snake, for he was nearly martyred by the poisoning of a chalice from which he drank. He was the only Apostle to survive martyrdom.
 
5. St. Philip’s symbol is to the left of St. James the Greater on the left side, that is, fourth from the left. His symbol is a basket, a reminder that Jesus asked him about the feeding of the 5,000 and he was troubled about it (St. John 6:5-7), and the instruments of his death: a Tau cross and a spear.

6. The symbol of St. Bartholomew, also known as Nathaniel, appears to the right of Andrew on the right side, that is, fourth from the right. His symbol is an open Bible, for he was a preacher of the Gospel, and a knife, which was the instrument of his death.
 
7. The symbol of St. Thomas is third from the left. The spear and arrows are  the instruments of his death, and the carpenter’s square signifies the tradition that he traveled to India and erected a church there.
 
8. St. Matthew’s symbol is third from the right. The three money bags remind us that he had been a tax collector (St. Matthew 9:9) until his conversion to serving the Triune God. The halberd is the instrument of his death.
 
9. The symbol of St. James the Less is second from the left. Stones and the saw were the instruments of his death.
 
10. The symbol of St. Thaddeus, also named Jude, is second from the right. The traditional instruments associated with his death are the club, the spear, and the cross.
 
11. The symbol of St. Simon, sometimes called Simon the Zealot, is farthest to the left, or first on the left side. His symbol includes a saw and halberd, instruments of his death, and an oar, signifying his seafaring missionary journey to Persia by waterways. because of his zeal about the Mosaic law,
 
12. St. Matthias’s symbol is farthest to the right. He was the Apostle chosen to replace Judas (Acts 1:15-26). His symbol is the lance, the instrument of his death, and a Bible, for he was faithful to Christ and His word as Judas should have been.
 
Thanks Be to God for Sacrificial Giving and Volunteering
 
The members of this parish have always been dedicated to sacrificial giving of contributions and volunteering of time, for which we are bound to give thanks to Almighty God. This dedication is a marvel, and it has enabled us, by God’s grace, to continue to be a vibrant and healthy congregation, even undertaking a renovation project. Thanks be to God!

May Ushers
Otis Anderson, John Ricknell, Bill Thompson. Jim Hornback serves in reserve, wherever needed.
 
Rogation Days May 27-29

An old tradition places special days of prayer on the calendar in the week leading up to Ascension Day. The Sunday of that week is called “Rogate,” which means, “Pray.” Monday through Wednesday are called Rogation Days. Here at the church there will be an opportunity to pray the litany on Tuesday the 28th at noon.
 
Ascension Day is May 30th
 
Unfortunately we will have no Ascension Mass this year, as Pastor has a scheduled appointment at Mayo Clinic in Rochester.
 
Here follows a devotion that may be used on Ascension Day. It may be used on its own or in connection with Matins, page 32 in  the hymnal.
 
The Ascension of Our Lord
     Psalm 110
The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.
Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.
The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.
The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath.
He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill the places with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries.
He shall drink of the brook in the way: therefore shall he lift up the head.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son: and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be: world without end.  Amen.
     Reading:  Mark 16.14-20
Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.
    Meditation:  Here we see two grand events at once: the sending forth of Jesus’ disciples, and His ascension to the right hand of God.  At the very point at which Jesus sends His first ministers to preach the Gospel, He also ascends to the right hand of Power.  What else can this mean than that the power and kingdom of God are present and active in their preaching of the Gospel?  So learn to see the ascended Christ standing together with the faithful Christian pastor preaching the Holy Gospel, for the two are meant to be seen as one.  And when you pray Thy kingdom come, remember that the glorious coming of the kingdom must follow upon the preaching of the Gospel.  For as we say in our baptismal Creed, it is from the right hand of the Father that Christ shall come to judge the quick and the dead.  But the right hand of the Father is where He now sits, and where He must be remembered as sitting, when and where the Gospel is preached.  Let His ascension thus become visible to faith whenever His faithful pastors preach His word. 
 
New Bible Class Tuesdays
 
Beginning Tuesday, May 14th, a new Bible Class is to be held at 5:00 p.m. in Pastor’s Study. We will be looking at I Samuel. Always a lively discussion. Join us!
 
Rest in Peace Joyce Long
 
Joyce Long died on March 30th and her funeral was held on Monday, April 8th at Rux Funeral Home. We were unable to honor her request for a church funeral, though we came very close. Resquiescat in pace.

May Birthdays
5/2       Sheri Kraklow
5/6       Emilie Ricknell
5/10     Bill Thompson
 
May Anniversaries
5/17/1959      Allan and Barbra Kraklow
5/28/1982      Christine and Garry Erickson
5/28/1977      John and Charlene Sovanski
 
Altar Guild Notes

• We will be working to make alterations to  the super-frontals for  the altar. In the meantime the excess must be rolled under the bar when a super-frontal is replaced. Color remains RED for midweek, May 23rd.
• Color is WHITE all other days of May.
• Altar guild members are reminded to take a few moments when you prepare the altar to check candle wicks. Make sure they are not curled over. Also, when the teardrop oil lights are used, make sure the wick is showing.
• Next meeting is Tuesday, May 7th.

 
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, Dick Melchin, DeAnne Anderson, Bea Harris, Allan Kraklow, Father Eckardt, Jim Watson
     and also:
Anna Rutowicz [granddaughter of Harrises]
Katy Rutovicz [granddaughter of Harrises]
Jodi Rutowicz [daughter of Harrises]
Julie Ross [Svetlana Meaker’s daughter]
Pastor Kenneth Wegener
Elizabeth Godke, Sharon Field’s mother
Brandt and Oneda Hendrickson [Ricknells’ relatives]
Linda Anderson
Helen Woods [Sue Murphy’s sister]
Janice Hart [Judy Thompson’s sister]
Caleb Cleaver [Ricknells’ grandson]
Dennis Hoag [Adam Shreck’s father-in-law]
Sue Harris [Steve Harris’s sister-in-law]
Nancy Callahan [Don Murphy’s sister]
LeRoy Tuthill [Kevin Thompson’s father-in-law]
     in the military:
John Eckardt
Donny Appleman [at request of the Ricknells]
Richard Heiden [at request of the Eckardts]
Luke Van Landigan [grandson of Dick Melchin]
Jaclyn Alvarez [daughter of Kris Harden]
Traven Wetzel [at request of Kris Harden]
Eli Wetzel
Eric Verplaetse [Sandra’s grandson]
Jake Mahaffey
Trevor Shimmin
     in trouble: 
any unborn children in danger of abortion
those suffering from unrest, persecution, and imprisonment in Sri Lanka, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Kenya, Sudan, Nigeria, China, Vietnam, North Korea, and elsewhere
 
Persecution details
NEGOMBO, Sri Lanka (FOX News) – On Easter Sunday, 43-year-old Anusha Kumari was left childless and a widow when suicide bombers launched a coordinated attack on churches and luxury hotels in Sri Lanka. More than 350 people were killed in the near-simultaneous bombings. About a third of the victims were celebrating Easter Mass at St. Sebastian's Church in Negombo. Kumari lost her daughter, son, husband, sister-in-law and two nieces. They were buried three days later on some vacant land near the stricken church that has quickly become a cemetery for some of the bombing victims. Sri Lanka's president has asked for the resignations of the defense secretary and national police chief after acknowledging that some intelligence units were aware of threats to churches before the Easter bombings.
 
Additional areas considered places of persecution may be found at www.vomcanada.com (Voice of the Martyrs).

St. Paul’s Ev. Lutheran Church 
   109 S. Elm Street
   Kewanee, IL 61443
 

St. Paul’s Evangelical-Lutheran Church
109 S. Elm, Kewanee, Illinois 61443
Newsletter
Volume 31                                   April 2019                                           No. 4
               
Lent and the Crucifix
 
This article was also submitted for publication in the Kewanee Star Courier for Friday, March 29th, 2019.

The most widely used and recognized symbol in all of Christian history is the crucifix. During Lententide the crucifix takes on added significance, as we meditate more directly on what Christ accomplished there and what it means. It says to the Christian that the atonement that reconciles the world to God has been accomplished; it shows us the payment of infinite value that Christ made for the sin of the world. This was the payment necessary to cover our debt of sin to God.  When we look upon the crucifix we see how great that debt was, and how dreadful a thing our sin is, as the hymnist says, “Ye who think of sin but lightly, nor suppose the evil great, here may view its nature rightly, here its guilt may estimate.” But the holy crucifix declares that Christ, and Christ alone, is the reason his Father, notwithstanding the enormity of our sin, looks upon us with favor and delight. Atonement has been accomplished hereby! The crucifix also shows us the depths of the love of God, that this love surpasses all understanding, for here we see that Christ gave everything for us and has not held anything back from us that he has not given. And Christ is the Image of the Father; he is the Father’s other Self; therefore his self-offering is God’s offering, because he is God. Behold what love the Holy Triune God has for his creation in this tremendous Sacrifice. So then, the crucifix also teaches us Christians to show love to our neighbors, and to be kind to one another; and it teaches us to be willing to endure hardship for Christ’s sake. The crucifix encourages and says, Take up your cross and follow him who took up his cross for you.
 
There are many helpful Lenten exercises of devotion: reading and hearing the Passion histories of Christ; listening to and singing sacred Lenten music; taking extra time for worship (at St. Paul’s we see increased attendance at our midweek masses; and when Holy Week comes we also offer Divine Services every night from Monday through Saturday at 7 pm). And here’s another most helpful Lenten exercise: simply gaze in silent meditation on the holy crucifix and ponder in your heart all the things that it means.
 
+ Pastor Eckardt
 
Race against Time to Get Back into the Church for Easter
 
Our renovation project had targeted Easter as our deadline to get back into the church for worship. We had moved into the gym in November of 2018 to complete the chancel and flooring, and now the deadline is near. It’s going to be close, but we remain hopeful.  Here’s a portion of our updated website page:
 
“What remained [after the painting of the nave was completed] was for the chancel and the flooring to be completed. Since much of what we do is through volunteer labor, and since some of our volunteers are in the fields as farmers, we got back to the project soon after Oktoberfest, October 7-9, 2018.

“Meanwhile twelve shields were purchased, on which Sharon Hartz painted the symbols of the twelve apostles. These shields were mounted in the Great Arch, which is the archway that is suspended over the chancel steps. This was to approximate what once graced the walls of this church many years ago.
 
“By February of 2019 the chancel painting was completed and the shields mounted. The entire project was finished down to the floor. Our artistic committee agreed upon tiling for our chancel floor, and by mid-March, the tiling was begun. While Bob Harrison got assistance from Tom Wells and Steve Kraklow, Pastor was busily mounting the new speaker system. It's a rush to the finish line, as we are madly working to get back into the church in time for Easter. Some parts of the project will still remain to be finished, but they can be done after we have returned to our beautiful building.”
 
If we can finish the flooring and the sound system, we can put the furniture back and clean up our mess in time to move back to the church. The project won’t quite be finished, but as the details are being worked on, it will surely be a great relief and joy to be back in our house of God. Soon, very soon!
 
UPDATE; VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
 
The flooring is moving well toward its completion, and may be finished by the middle of the first week in April. Then we will need a few days to move the furniture back in place. The likelihood of being back in the church is high, sometime between Judica Sunday, April 7th, and the middle of Holy Week, April 18th. The project will not be complete, as there will be details that need to be taken care of, but enough will have been accomplished for us to be back.
 
What this means is that we need volunteers now for cleanup. The church needs a workover: vacuuming, dusting, picking up. We had a good crew to do this after the nave was finished in the fall of 2016 when we had removed the pews; we need the same kind of work again now. People do not need to come in at the same time, although perhaps Saturdays work best for the most people. Volunteers should start in the choir loft and work their way forward. The cleaning of the pews has already begun with dusting. (Note: to help with the pews, contact Carol Eckardt.) Look to the need for dusting, vacuuming, removal of trash, picking up of tools and miscellaneous, and details that will prepare the nave for our return.
 
+ Pastor Eckardt

Africa Trip Cancelled
 
A sudden shakeup in the leadership of the International Lutheran Council has resulted in the loss of their promised funding for my trip to teach for two weeks in Nigeria this May. Although there are other avenues available to me to raise the funds, and the Nigerians’ need is great, I have elected to cancel my trip. There are too many factors weighing against it at this time. I assured the Nigerians that I would plan to make myself available in the future, but not this spring. It turns out that much is required of me here as our church project winds down, and my schedule would have been tasked heavily in preparation for the two courses I was to teach. Adding the need to come up with funding was too great.
 
Fr. Charles Wokoma, the Academic Dean of the seminary for the Lutheran Church of Nigeria, had requested that I teach two intensive courses. The congregation gave its hearty approval for this mission, for which I am grateful, and I hope to fulfill the pledge in the not-too-distant future.
 
+ Pastor Eckardt
 
Holy Week and Easter Masses
​
Holy Monday through Good Friday, at 7 p.m.
Great Vigil: Saturday, April 20th, at 7 p.m.
Easter Sunrise Mass: April 21st, at 7 a.m. (Easter breakfast following)
Easter Midweek Mass: Wednesday, April 24th, at 7 p.m.

April Ushers
 
Grant Andresen, Jim Hornback Larry Campbell (or Steve Harris if Larry Campbell is subdeacon). If Grant is also unavailable, others might be called on to fill in.
 
Congratulations Elizabeth Dooley
 
Elizabeth Dooley is scheduled to receive her first communion at the Vigil of Easter, April 20th. Congratulations, Elizabeth!
 
Easter Lilies
 
There’s a sign-up sheet in the back of the gym.  Cost. $15.00 apiece

Easter Hats
 
Ladies, remember our hats tradition! Easter is the time to wear your best, and if you are able, set it off with a handsome hat! And by all means, leave them on  for the Easter breakfast. 
 
April Birthdays

4/3      Adam Shreck
4.14     Emmy Wear
4/19    Luke Wells
4/22    Grant Andreson
4/25    Mason Dooley
 
A Thank-you Note from the Cleavers
 
St. Paul Members – I cannot thank you all enough for your very generous gift, and of course all of the prayers. It means so very much to us to have all of you  thinking and praying for us during this time Thanks again so very much. Love and prayers – Josh Connie, Caleb, Evan & Cameron
 
Shut ins
 
Mary Hamilton at home
Joyce Long at home
Emilie Ricknell at  home
Dick Melchin at Hammond-Henry extended care in Geneseo.
Emmy Wear at Williamsfield retirement home
Dale Baker, during the winter, at home
Bea Harris, often unable to get out, at home

In Our Prayers
    in our parish:
Emilie Ricknell
John Ricknell
Linda Rowe
Mary Hamilton
Emmy Wear
Sue Murphy
Don Murphy
Joyce Long
Dick Melchin
DeAnne Anderson
Bea Harris
Allan Kraklow
Father Eckardt
Jim Watson
    and also:
Anna Rutowicz [granddaughter of Harrises]
Katie Rutovicz [granddaughter of Harrises]
Jodi Rutowicz [daughter of Harrises]
Julie Ross [Svetlana Meaker’s daughter]
Pastor Kenneth Wegener
Elizabeth Godke, Sharon Field’s mother
Brandt and Oneda Hendrickson [Ricknells’ relatives]
Linda Anderson
Helen Woods [Sue Murphy’s sister]
Janice Hart [Judy Thompson’s sister]
Caleb Cleaver [Ricknells’ grandson]
Dennis Hoag [Adam Shreck’s father-in-law]
Shawn Golden [Jim Watson’s son-in-law]
Sue Harris [Steve Harris’s sister-in-law]
Nancy Callahan [Don Murphy’s sister]
Pastor Peter Eckardt
LeRoy Tuthill [Kevin Thompson’s father-in-law]
Helen Eckardt Berkman, cancer [Fr. Eckardt’s sister]
    in the military:
John Eckardt
Donny Appleman [at request of the Ricknells]
Richard Heiden [at request of the Eckardts]
Luke Van Landigan [grandson of Dick Melchin]
Jaclyn Alvarez [daughter of Kris Harden]
Traven Wetzel [at request of Kris Harden]
Eli Wetzel
Eric Verplaetse [Sandra’s grandson]
Jake Mahaffey
Trevor Shimmin         
    in trouble: especially
any unborn children in danger of abortion
those suffering from unrest, persecution, and imprisonment in Iran, Iraq, Syria, Kenya, Sudan, Nigeria, China, Vietnam, North Korea, and elsewhere
 
First Tuesday meetings
 
Since Pastor is not going to Nigeria, our First Tuesday meetings are returning to the normal schedule. In April: Tuesday the 2nd.
 
Altar Guild Notes
 
Our April meeting is scheduled for April 2nd
 

• Paraments VIOLET for the remainder of Lent until Maundy Thursday
• Paraments WHITE for Maundy Thursday
• Altar stripped after Mass on Maundy Thursday, and for Good Friday
• Fair linen and corporal only, wooden candlestands, black veil on Good Friday
• Paraments WHITE for the Easter Vigil and all the rest of April Sundays and Wednesdays except:
• Parament color is RED for May 1st, SS Philip and James

 
When we move back to the church, the white frontal will no longer be needed, as the altar itself has been painted white.
 
Always check supplies. When wine supply gets low (when the second to the last bottle is opened), please inform Pastor. When the supply of hosts gets low (when the last sleeve is opened), please inform Judy.
 
Easter Breakfast Preparations
 
First, we need volunteers to help with preparations on Holy Saturday, April 20th, beginning at 9 am. 
           Second, we need people to fill out the sign-up sheet that’s posted in the kitchen.  This is going to be a potluck of sorts.  Everybody brings something. But sign up for something in particular, so we don’t have everyone bringing the same thing.
         Third, please let us know if you are coming! Fill out the form in a bulletin.
 
Choir rehearsals
 
In preparation for special music during Holy Week and Easter, choir is scheduled for April 3, 10, and possibly 17.
 
The Lighter Side
 
Seen in an Easter church bulletin: “During the offering, the ladies of the congregation may come forward and lay their eggs on the altar.”
 
   St. Paul’s Ev. Lutheran Church
   109 S. Elm Street
   Kewanee, IL 61443

109 S. Elm, Kewanee, Illinois 61443
Newsletter
Volume 31                                   March 2019                                       No. 3
     
            The season of Lent, which begins on Ash Wednesday, has for centuries been a season of emphasis on fasting, penitence, and preparation for the celebration of Easter.  The definition of the fast has changed over the years.  There was a time not so long ago—and there still is in some parts of Christendom—in which the fast involved a putting aside of all meat, dairy products, and eggs.  It was out of this tradition that the Easter egg arose, for the coloring of eggs was a celebration of the ending of the fast. 
            The custom of fasting is quite biblical.  If Moses, Elijah, and Jesus himself fasted, certainly it must be a good practice.  Indeed, on Ash Wednesday we hear Jesus saying, When ye fast, be not as the hypocrites, etc.  So Luther’s Small Catechism declares, “Fasting and other bodily preparation is indeed a fine outward training.”  Therefore we conclude that fasting is a good thing, though the particulars or degree of the fast is a matter left to Christian liberty. 
            The purpose of the fast is disciplinary; as the Apostle says in the Epistle for Septuagesima Sunday (which serves as a preparatory explanation, two and a half weeks prior to Lent): “I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway (I Co. 9:27).”
The fast is the opposite of self-indulgence or self-gratification.  The heaping up of pleasures is a dangerous thing for the Christian, and self-indulgence is certainly not desired behavior; therefore the fast is a means of training the body to be content with less than it desires. 
            The span of the fast is forty days, like the forty days in which Jesus fasted in the wilderness.  By Jesus’ forty-day fast the word of Sacred Scriptures was fulfilled, saying that Moses was with the LORD on Mount Sinai forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread nor drink water.  So also, to the same Mount Sinai (which is also called Horeb), Elijah came, when he had eaten and drunk, and he went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights.  So these two were seen with Jesus on his mountain, the mount of Transfiguration, just before his suffering in Jerusalem.  How fitting, then, that for the first Sunday in Lent, the Gospel centers on Jesus’ forty days in the wilderness, the first part of his ministry, in deep humiliation. 
             The Church also observes a liturgical fast during Lent, even as Israel fasted forty years in the wilderness. This is why the color for Lent is the penitential violet.  Alleluias are not heard during Lent, and there is less music (fasting of the ears); flowers are absent, and, during the last two weeks of Lent, statutes, images, and crosses in the churches are veiled (fasting of the eyes).  No weddings are traditionally permitted during Lent, as feasting would be in principle contrary to the fast.  As the season moves on toward Easter, the fast becomes deeper in stages.  The traditional season of pre-Lent merely hints at the fast to come; then Lent itself begins; then come the last two weeks of Lent, called Passiontide, during which no Glorias are sung at all (canticles and psalms are sung without them); and within that span comes Holy Week, and finally within Holy Week the Triduum Sacram, that is, the Sacred Three Days: Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. 
                 Yet in the midst of our fast we still have joy, which is always right for Christians.  Thus even the fourth Sunday in Lent—in the midst of Lent—is called Laetare, which means “rejoice.”  For we always expect and know the joys of Easter and eternal feasting in the life of the world to come.
                  +Pastor Eckardt

Ash Wednesday
As usual, Mass will be offered twice on Ash Wednesday, at 7 am and 7 pm, with the imposition of ashes immediately prior.A Scheduling checkerboardDuring March a number of scheduling conflicts will require a close look at the calendar, as there have been some necessary changes (for this month only). The reason for these changes is that Pastor plans to be out of town twice during the month: first, for doctor’s appointments at Mayo Clinic on March 4th and 5th; second, for a trip to the east coast from March 13th to the 19th. The following articles reflect these changes.
 
Lent Midweek Masses
Usually when Pastor is away, Midweek Masses are simply cancelled. But since we will be in Lent, when more members make it a point to attend for midweek, the elders approved moving one of the Midweek Masses from March 13th to March 12th, a Tuesday. It will be preceded by a Lenten Supper. Make sure your calendar is clear: No Mass on Wednesday, March 13th; instead, Mass on Tuesday, March 12th. Same time, 7 pm.

Lenten Suppers
We will begin our Lenten soup suppers during the first full week of Lent. They will be held on Wednesday evenings except for the first one. Since Pastor and Carol are planning a trip out east beginning on March 13th, the midweek service and supper are moved to Tuesday the 12th. In the following weeks we will be having suppers as usual on Wednesdays: March 20th and 27th, and April 3rd and 10th. There will be no supper on Ash Wednesday or during Holy week. Hence a total of five suppers, all on Wednesdays except the first, on Tuesday March 12th. All suppers begin at 5:30 p.m. Lenten masses follow, at 7:00.  This gives roughly one hour for fasting before mass.
 
First Tuesday meetings moved to March 26th.
Since Pastor will not be back in town in time to make first Tuesday meetings on the 2nd, and since the following two Tuesdays are also unavailable, the Altar Guild and Elders’ meetings are scheduled for March 26th. As it happens, this should work out well, since the weather did not permit our February meetings until February 19th anyhow; and we will also not have to have the April meetings until after Easter, on April 23rd. March 7th, Altar Guild is at 6 pm, Vespers is at 6:45, and Elders is at 7:15, as usual.
 
Catechism Schedule
The weather has wreaked havoc on our catechism schedule this year, so we can’t afford to lose any more times. The class talked it over on February 19th, and the following changes were agreed upon.

Tuesday, February 26th, 5 pm as usual
Thursday, March 7th, 5 pm; no class on Tuesday the 5th because Pastor will be away.
No class the week of March 10-17.
Thursday, March 21st, 5 pm; no class on Tuesday the 19th because Pastor will be away.
             (This change was added after class discussion; please note)
Tuesday, March 26th, 5 pm as usual
Tuesday, April 2nd, 5 pm as usual
Tuesday, April 9th, 5 pm as usual. Last class.
Saturday, April 20th, 7 pm Great Vigil of Easter: Elizabeth Dooley first communion

March Anniversary
3/19/1977 Jeff and Diana Shreck

March Ushers
Allan Kraklow, Steve Kraklow, Tom Wells
 
March Birthdays:
3/1      Barbra Kraklow
3/25    Carol Eckardt
 
Church Council
Council meets Wednesday, March 20th, at 4:30 pm, to accommodate the Lenten Supper at 5:30.

Altar Guild Notes
·         The paraments color for the entire month of March is VIOLET, except
·         Wednesday, March 20th when we will observe St. Joseph’s Day: WHITE, and
·         Wednesday, March 27th when we will observe the Annunciation: WHITE
 
Next meeting is not until Tuesday, March 26th.
 
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
Dale Baker has been at home during the winter

St. Joseph’s Day and the Annunciation
Our midweek services during Lent will include observances of St. Joseph, Guardian of Our Lord, on March 20th, and the Annunciation, on March 27th. These important feast days are moved to Wednesday from the 19th and the 25th respectively, to coincide with midweek mass.
 
Pastor’s Travel Plans 
Pastor has doctor appointments at Mayo Clinic on March 1 and 2, and plans to be in the D.C. area from March 13-19. Pastor Jeff Anderson from Bethel in Morton will be filling in on the 17th.

In Our Prayers
              The afflicted, in our parish:
Emilie Ricknell, John Ricknell, Linda Rowe, Mary Hamilton, Emmy Wear, Sue Murphy, Don Murphy, Joyce Long, Dick Melchin, DeAnne Anderson, Bea Harris, Allan Kraklow, Father Eckardt, Jim Watson
            and also:
Anna Rutowicz [granddaughter of Harrises]
Katy Rutovicz [granddaughter of Harrises]
Jodi Rutowicz [daughter of Harrises]
Julie Ross [Svetlana Meaker’s daughter]
Pastor Kenneth Wegener
Elizabeth Godke, Sharon Field’s mother
Jesse Armstrong
Brandt and Oneda Hendrickson [Ricknells’ relatives]
Linda Anderson
Helen Woods [Sue Murphy’s sister]
Janice Hart [Judy Thompson’s sister]
Ken Hart [Judy Thompson’s brother-in-law]
Caleb Cleaver [Ricknells’ grandson]
Dennis Hoag [Adam Shreck’s father-in-law]
Shawn Golden [Jim Watson’s son-in-law]
Angela Golden [Jim Watson’s daughter]
Kenneth Hampton [Don Murphy’s son-in-law]
Sue Harris [Steve Harris’s sister-in-law]
Nancy Callahan [Don Murphy’s sister]
Pastor Peter Eckardt
             in the military:
John Eckardt
Donny Appleman [at request of the Ricknells]
Richard Heiden [at request of the Eckardts]
Luke Van Landigan [grandson of Dick Melchin]
Jaclyn Alvarez [daughter of Kris Harden]
Traven Wetzel [at request of Kris Harden]
Shawn Wetzel
Eli Wetzel
Eric Verplaetse [Sandra’s grandson]
Jake Mahaffey
Trevor Shimmin
            in trouble:
any unborn children in danger of abortion
those suffering from unrest, persecution, and imprisonment in Iran, Iraq, Syria, Kenya, Sudan, Nigeria, China, Vietnam, North Korea, and elsewhere
 
Voters Approve Pastor’s Mission Trip to Nigeria
In a special voters’ assembly meeting held February 17th, the congregation unanimously agreed to send Pastor to the seminary in Nigeria to teach an intensive two-week course of study in early May. The costs of the trip are covered, except that St. Paul’s will need to cover the cost of guest preachers for the first three Sundays of the month. Sharing Pastor in this way provides the congregation to have a personal involvement with this important mission work.
 
Renovation Continues: Looking Toward Returning to Worship in the Church
We have been steadily making progress toward completion of the chancel of the church, phase III of our renovation. The walls and ceiling have been repaired and repainted, now featuring a lustrous dark blue canopy built into the architecture of the church. A smattering of stars can be seen in the ceiling/canopy, suggesting the canopy of heaven. Sharon Hartz recently completed the delicate painting on the back wall of the Holy Spirit descending like a dove. This is rich in symbolism, as it is essentially a declaration that the Holy Spirit is operating in this place where the Gospel is proclaimed and the Sacraments are administered. Here is where the Church of Jesus Christ is found, created and sustained by the Spirit through these means of grace.

Soon the shields symbolizing the twelve apostles will be mounted in the great arch that frames the entire chancel. This declares, similarly, that the Apostles’ doctrine, the Holy Scriptures they wrote, is centered in Jesus’ death and resurrection (seen in the crucifix and the risen Christ), and is preached here. Also, by this Apostolic Doctrine, the Sacrament of the Altar delivers to us Christ’s true Body and Blood, the very elements of his crucifixion for us.
 
The flooring is yet to be determined: when the chancel carpet is pulled back, we will be able to see what we have to work with and proceed from there. The flooring plan does not include carpet in the chancel but a hard surface yet to be determined. This implies an important and subtle feature of our belief in the real presence of Christ’s Body and Blood. If there should ever be a spill—something we take the utmost pains to prevent—we would be able to clean it appropriately and with reverence. In addition, a hard floor in the chancel will bespeak a majestic holy place, and will be a restoration of what was formerly seen in all churches of the Reformation,
 
We will look to replacing the carpet in aisles of the nave, back, and balcony after we have returned to the church.
 
Our target date of Easter remains in view, and we are still on schedule.
 
Two new pillars framing the wall behind the altar will be going up soon, with new capitals on top of them.
 
Exciting times!
 
Choir rehearsals again
In preparation for special music during Holy Week and Easter, choir rehearsals are starting up again, beginning Ash Wednesday, March 6th. Check the calendar. We will skip next week, and then begin in earnest every week until Holy Week. Tune up your voice and join in!
 
St. Paul’s Ev. Lutheran Church
   109 S. Elm Street
   Kewanee, IL 61443