Grace and Peace to you, in Jesus Christ, our Risen Lord!
1) Pastor Brian will be sharing a weekend audio message on Sunday morning. EPISTLE #21 will have an embedded link to access the audio message. If you have opportunity, please consider doing a bit of reflective reading in advance, utilizing the Biblical texts that are assigned for this weekend through the lectionary schedule:
1 Peter 1:3-9; and John 20:19-31
2) Over these coming weeks, you are invited to keep in mind those of our church family who are High School Seniors. Great expectations for a celebratory springtime to acknowledge accomplishments and the culmination of many years of hard work are now dashed and being replaced with a sense of uncertainty and an unknown future. Please keep these very special young people in your daily prayers, and if you know any of these students personally, please do reach out to offer a greeting and to express care and love during these days.
Marisa Allen, Kiernan Blanchard, Easton Darling, Peyton Dick, Emma Dole,
Brock Johnson, Khloe King, Megan McDonald and Sylvie Van Horn.
(Kindly inform the church office if you see that we have made a mistake or are missing anyone who should be added to this list!)
3) THANK YOU for your efforts at maintaining your regular offerings in support of the ongoing mission of St. Paul Lutheran Church. As you know, we are:
a) Encouraging consistent support from all who are able to maintain their regular giving.
b) We are watching carefully to ensure that our current expenses are in keeping with what are determined to be fixed and required expenses versus those that are discretionary.
c) We are actively encouraging those of you in our congregation that have the ability to consider making a special “above and beyond” gift to help us to establish the creation of an operating reserve fund. The purpose of this fund is to help us to be prepared to deal with the unexpected and unpredictable nature of the next few months prior to the establishment of our “new normal”. This will allow us to adjust and plan accordingly.
d) We are responsibly exploring other options for financial stabilization during this important year of transition. Your Council and Finance leadership look forward to providing you with a report on our financial situation, following the month of April, when we will have adequate financial data to share with the close of the books for the month and also for the year-to-date.
4) Of utmost importance, we encourage you all to take time daily to pray. Pray for one another. During times of uncertainty and crisis we need to take care of our daily spiritual dose of encouragement. Pray to our God who never leaves us. Pray for our congregation, our call committee and our council. Pray for our neighbors, leaders and all in the essential fields of work who necessarily are in contact with people and at risk. Pray for one another and for our world.
At 6:18 pm every day, stop whatever you are doing and pray. Why 6:18 pm? Because Ephesians 6:18 says, “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”
Pray for two minutes, or five minutes, or whatever might become your pattern. Know that you are in communion with our Lord, and in community with fellow believers, even if you are isolated at home.
Grace and Peace to you, our friends in Jesus Christ, the One who died and then rose again, that we might live!
Church office phone: 515-462-4270
Church office email: StPaulLutheranChurch@hotmail.com
Pastor Brian Mortenson email: StPaulPastor1941@gmail.com
Pastoral Emergencies: 605-351-0867