Friday, October 1 Announcements

Come worship with us at 9:30. Join us in person, watch our livestream Sunday morning on our YouTube channel, or view the service on the YouTube channel on Monday.  Food Pantry Sunday is this week; please bring your donations to the grocery cart at the ushers’ table. 
 PastorIoan will be delivering the message based on Hebrews 1:1-4, 2:5-12. The sermon theme is Does God judge those who divorce? For your devotions: Our Lutheran Church teaches that divorce is a tragic option.  Hebrews’ opening verses is used by many Christians to make the case of holding Jesus, and not an inerrant Bible literally interpreted, as the determining authority and guide for your personal life. Luther taught that the Bible is only the manger in which Christ is found.  Lutherans from our very beginnings have argued for the importance of Christ over a literal view of Scripture.  In Christ you find grace, not shame or judgement or rejection.  So the church is here to bestow loving grace on the divorced or married or single.  To be Lutheran, to be part of this Lutheran community, is to treat each other with the same kind grace Christ shows us in all the circumstances of life we find each other in.  How will you be gracious? Worship Helpers. Greeters/Ushers: Carson Cook and Sydney Cook; Reader: RoxAnn Rhoads; Sound: Matthew Brakhane and Lexi Davis; Videographer: Grace Anderson; Musician: Georgine Bellamy; Singer: Beth Sunds and Sue Hansen; Counters: Steve Dick and Lisa Vossekuil; Communion Bread: Karen Meyer; Communion Servers: Dick Anderson.
 Sunday Bible Study: Bible Study meets at 10:30 a.m. following morning worship in the front most classroom near the church office. During the class, we invite questions, comments, and connections, as we expand upon the readings from the worship service.
 COVID Reminder: Masks are encouraged for all services and ministries at St. Paul. Please come, worship, and be fed! If you want to wear a mask to keep some distance between yourself and others at any service or ministry, for any reason, please do so with St. Paul’s full blessing. 
Wednesday God Squad & Confirmation: Our weekly Wednesday evening children and youth education programs are in session.  God Squad (4 yrs. to 6th grade) begins at 5:40 p.m. with a meal. Confirmation (7th & 8th grades) starts at 6 p.m. Children and youth are welcome to join at any time throughout the year. Please sign-up for God Squad through our website home page. Confirmation families please email this form to Pastor Ioan to let us know you child with be attending.A big THANK YOU goes to our meal sponsors! Donations of food or cash for the meal are always welcome; please contact Rainy Gibbens (rainygibbens@hotmail.com) about your donations.  You may also volunteer to help on SignUp Genuis. We are thankful for kitchen/food help at 5:00, child care, teachers, and activity leaders. Sunday Evening Bible Study:  Adult Faith Formation evening program has resumed, and you are welcome to join at any time! We are currently studying the book of Romans and have two more sessions October 3 and October 17 (no class October 10). As a preview for this Sunday’s focus on Romans Chapters 9-11, please watch this 4 minute video.There are no books to buy; just bring your Bible. We begin at 5:30 p.m. with snacks, fellowship & prayer, and enter our study time at 6 p.m. Please contact Brenda Hollingsworth with your questions and/or to indicate your interest. (515-462-4092, 515-4468-8129, hollingsworthb51@gmail.com).        
Matura Food Pantry. Our offering to the Matura Food Pantry will be blessed this Sunday, October 3. Help us fill the shopping cart will non-perishable food, diapers, and even pet food. Checks made out to Matura Madison County or cash are also accepted. CRISP Fundraiser. Community Resources IService to People has begun their annual fundraiser. For those of you new to the community, CRISP provides backpacks of school supplies, clothing for school children, and Christmas gifts for families in need, as well as matching needs with resources of all kinds.Going on nearly twenty years, sales are open for the popular Terri Lynn Nuts and Candy. These treats are perfect for the holidays and delivery is planned by Thanksgiving. Please visit the CRISP website to access the catalog and order sheet. Orders are due by October 18. God’s Work Our Hands Our Feet Thank You!  St. Paul participated in the ELCA God’s Work Our Hands day of service on September 26. This was our first year participating in the ELCA God’s Work Our Hands day of service project, and it was a huge success. Over 75 St. Paul members and friends–children, youth, families, adults, and seniors—participated in a wide variety of projects within the community.  Some of the projects included (and there were more!):Children made thank you cards for our service workers—health, fire, ambulance, and police—and delivered them with personal greetings.Confirmation youth cleaned up the exterior grounds and resealed a wooden play set at low-income housing.The church’s quilters donated 30 quilts to a nursing home to distribute to residents who have infrequent visitors or no family in the area.Led by a Master Gardener, city alleys and sidewalks were cleaned in a beautification effort.Youth and adults provided the labor needed by a paralyzed church member to enjoy his outdoor living space. Ahuge shout-out goes to those who recruited and organized the participants, provided supplies and food, served the meal – thank you Kitchen Crew! – and gave their time and energy spreading God’s love to our neighbors throughout the community. Watch our Facebook page for future posting of photos from the day. The CROP Walk report will be coming soon. For now, know that we were very well represented in both walkers and in fund-raising.  Operation Christmas Child Project Leader Needed.  Do you want to make a difference??  We’re looking for a Project Leader for the Operation Christmas Child initiative at St. Paul.  If you’re not familiar with this initiative, it involves communicating with and collecting shoeboxes from congregation members that have been filled with toys, hygiene items and school supplies for children around the world.    Collection week is November 15-22nd, so it would be helpful to start the process in October.  If you’re interested in chairing this important event, please let Jacque Mohs know (515-468-1899). 
Prayer Chain. St. Paul has a group dedicated to the power of prayer, with faith and action following the words of 1 John 5:14, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.”  If you have a prayer request for the Prayer Chain, please share it with Pastor Ioan or Jim Nelson (jnelson91@q.com 515-468-1675). If you feel called to intentionally pray for others, please contact Jim Nelson to be added to the praying group. Upcoming Worship Helpers Sunday, October 10, 9:30 am. Greeters/Ushers: Kendrick Blanchard and Dale Wulf; Reader: Savannah Charlet; Sound: Jacque Mohs; Videographer: Alan Paup; Musician: Lori Paup; Singer: Lori Paup; Counters: Wayne Martens and Lisa Vossekuil; Communion Bread: Ruthanne Korte; Communion Servers: 2 needed.

Choir: Please join St. Paul Choir rehearsals Wednesdays at 7:10 pm. We are excited to see current members and enthusiastically welcome any new members as we sing praises to the Lord!Worship Service Helpers/Volunteers Needed!  If you are able and willing, we need your help in returning our 9:30 service to “normalcy.”  It’s important that all of the positions be filled. Worship team members Debi Martens and Pat Nelson are available for any “training” you may want. 3 Easy ways to sign up:Use SignUp Genius! It’s easy to access at this link and will even send you a reminder of your commitment.  Volunteer Kiosk: We have clipboards on the kiosks in the entryway for you to sign. Call the Church office at 515-462-4270.Ongoing Transportation Ministry: St. Paul’s  transportation ministry helps families who have are in need of transportation to appointments. Our current recipients are Ronnie and Shirley Addy who need transportation to Ronnie’s kidney dialysis three days a week in south Des Moines at Fresenius Kidney Care, 6651 SW 9th Street.  His appointments begin at 10:30 a.m. and end at approximately 2:30 p.m. He needs to be picked up no later than 9:40 at North Ward, 415 N. 2nd Street, Winterset, at the south door of the east building. Ronnie is unable to get into a high vehicle. Please contact Shirley with any questions 515-468-0121. Ronnie’s cell is 515-468-1982. Please use SignUp Genius to indicate when you will are willing to drive Ronnie. Note you may sign up to take him, return him, or do both. Please include your cell phone number in the comments. This is a long-term ministry, so check back often as SignUp Genius is updated.Free Sunshine! If you would like to help mow the church lawn this fall, and get your dose of Vitamin D, please use SignUp Genius to sign up. Retirement Celebration:  Cheryl Young is celebrating her retirement from the US Postal Service on Saturday, October 9. You are invited to join her and her husband Fred at their home 1824 Pammel Park Road anytime between 1:30 and 6:00 pm. 
Church office phone:  515-462-4270
Church office email:  Office@stpaullutheranchurch.net
Pastor Ioan Ittu email:  Pastorioan@stpaullutheranchurch.net
Pastoral Emergencies: 515-419-5224