E p is t l e

of St. Paul Lutheran Church, Nevada, MO

T
H
E


St. Paul Lutheran
15156 E. Pony Hill Rd.
Nevada, MO 64772


417-667-7209 (O)

Stpaulnevadamo
@gmail.com

Worship 11:00 a.m.
Sunday School 9:45 a.m.


Office Hours
Tuesday, Wednesday, &
Thursday 9:00noon
September
2014

Vol. 14, No. 9
Sunday, September 7
1:00 Nevada Housing Authority

All willing workers are needed!
Last year approximately 30 individuals from St. Paul gathered to roll up their
sleeves and put faith in action. Its time to do that again as Lutherans all over the
US participate in sharing the love of God through community volunteer work. Once
again, we will be working at the Nevada Housing Authority. There is plenty of work
to do outside such as pulling weeds, edging walkways, sweeping sidewalks, and
trimming bushes. In addition to last years chores, this year, we will be building
some raised bed gardens and planting fall lettuce and spinach. The Housing Au-
thority is providing the materials and dirt; we provide the muscle.
Following the outside work, we will serve a meal to the residents; hamburgers
and hotdogs, potato salad, watermelon, and cupcakes. We need individuals to help
prepare this food and to help serve. There is a sign-up sheet on the bulletin board
at church or you can call or email the church office. The recipe for the potato salad
is available on the bulletin board.
Come be a part of the St. Paul team and we work together and show the com-
munity that St. Paul can show the love of God through service to others.
We will meet at the Housing Authority at 1117 N. West Street at 1:00 p.m.
Sunday, September 14
A new school year has started and on Sunday, September 14 St. Paul will
kick-off a new Sunday School year with activities, food, and balloons. Beth
Steward, St. Paul Sunday School superintendent has put together a group of
dedicated and excited workers to lead our Sunday School program. This years
theme is Built on a Rock: Christ is our Foundation which is also the
construction theme that will be used for the 2015 Vacation Bible School.
Thanks to our willing workers: Beth Stewart, Amber Ogle, Becky Mannel,
Becky Kiel, Robin Campbell, Annie Daugherty, Chelsea Deines, Kristine Fulton,
and Bridget Norcross.
Rev. Roger Gustafson, Bishop of the Central
States Synod will also be visiting St. Paul that Sunday
and will be delivering the sermon.
Following worship, we will hold our traditional
kick-off potluck luncheon with hamburgers and hotdogs
provided with the congregation bringing the sides and
desserts. The members of St. Matthew in Butler will also
be joining us for lunch in celebration of the Bishops visit.
Following lunch, Sunday School children, young and old,
will release balloons.

Wayne Reinert for brush hogging the vacant lot.
Patsy McCullough, Anne Daugherty, Mary Rein-
ert, and Chelsea Deines for providing cookies
for the Cottey Welcome event.
Carol Janes and Becky Kiel who manned the
table at the Cottey event.
Kathy Abele who has kept the front flower beds
looking so good throughout the summer.
Grace Harold and Carol Janes who helped pre-
pare the food that was delivered and served at
Childrens Memorial in Kansas City .
Maybe not theologically correct, but here is
Ode to the Volunteer posted on Facebook:

Volunteers, God Bless Them
Many will be shocked to find
When the day of judgment nears
That theres a special place in heaven
Set aside for volunteers.
Furnished with big recliners,
Satin couches and footstools,
Where theres no committee chair,
No group leaders or car pools.
No eager team that needs a coach,
No bazaar and no bake sale,
There will be nothing to staple,
Not one thing to fold or mail.
Email lists will be outlawed,
But a finger snap will bring
Cool drinks and gourmet dinners
And treats fit for a king.
You ask, Wholl serve these privileged few
And work for all theyre worth?
Why, all those who reaped the benefits
And not once volunteered on Earth.
A new program
from Thrivent al-
lows individual
Thrivent members
to secure funds
for any number of projects as leaders of a Thrivent
Action Team. As a leader of a team, you can coor-
dinate a service activity, organize a fund raiser or
provide funds for a worthwhile cause. Team mem-
bers do not need to be Thrivent members.
Thrivent will supply a Community Impact Card
(credit card) with $250. This money can be used as
seed money for a larger project or can provide
funds to supply a worthwhile need. Application is
on-line and consists of some very easy questions to
answer including a short description of the project.
Pastor Chris used this program to help fund the
food provided for the confirmation class project at
Childrens Memorial in Kansas City. Mary Reinert
worked with the Soroptimist civic organization and
is spending the money on providing books specifi-
cally for foster children. These books will be used
along with care bags provided to foster families
when they first pick-up foster children. Jerry and
Carol Janes used their Thrivent Action Teams to
help pay for the food to be used at the Housing Au-
thority on Gods Work; Our Hands Sunday. The
McLaughlins of Blue Springs used the funds to help
an ALS patient who lives in the neighborhood. The
possibilities are endless; Thrivent members
should not let this opportunity slip by.
We Received Thanks from:
Thank you for the prayers, cards, words of encour-
agement and food during my recent surgery. I ap-
preciate the love of my Church Family.
Sam DeLaney
St. Paul Needs You:
Before the end of the year, St. Paul will again
elect new council members for 2015. Each year
three council members go off and three new indi-
viduals are elected. Please consider helping St.
Paul manage our church and our resources. Coun-
cil does meet once a month and each council
member is in charge of one of the major commit-
tees: building and grounds, congregational life
(social), education, evangelism (community), stew-
ardship, and worship and music.
Absolutely no experience is required, just a will-
ingness to serve. Please see Pastor or Sam De-
Laney if you would be willing to help.
New Book Selected for Book Club:
The book selected for discussion for the
next sessions of the book club is Whats So
Amazing About Grace? by Philip Yancey. In this
book Yancey explores grace at the street level. If
grace is Gods love for the undeserving, he asks,
then what does it look like in action? And if Chris-
tians are its sole dispensers, then
how are we doing at lavishing
grace on a world that knows far
more of cruelty and unforgiveness
than it does of mercy?
There are several copies of
the book in the office for the tak-
ing. The next meeting is Thurs-
day, September 11 at 7:00 p.m.
at the Seewoester house.
But the Church is About Grace
Oftentimes, I wish I were a sports coachnot that I have any particular skill in coaching. I am not well-
versed in any sport, whether it is football, basketball, or golf, even though I do my fair share of coaching from
my couch. I admit that I do not know enough about any one sport to be a proficient coach. But sometimes I
wish I could be a coach because people listen to coaches. Even the basketball greats like Michael Jordan,
Dennis Rodman, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James, with all the confidence they exhibit, will huddle up, listen to
what the coach says, and give thanks to the coach after a win.
And I guess I want to be a coach because sometimes I think it would be easier. Hear me out here. I
remember my football coach from high school would always tell us that if he asked us to jump, we would an-
swer How high? If he asked us to run, we would answer How long and how far? There are days I sit at
my desk and wonder if my passionmy calling from God to lead the church, my call to this placeis met with
lackluster attitudes. Because if I would have skipped a few days of practice each week, I would have been
running for eternity, or worse yet, been kicked off the team. But the church is about grace. The difference
between the playing field and the church is that one is based on a model of practicing your passion, putting
your heart on the line, and giving of yourself in all that you do, and the other is just a game.
I remember in seminary we had a pretty good debate/lecture on excommunication (withholding the sac-
raments or suspending a person from worshipping). The professor let us know that excommunication is an
option. And perhaps this is church that some of you knew growing upstern and strictand there was a cer-
tain level of expectations you to meet. As if you had to practice to play, to use coaching language. Think
about it. What if you had to worship 3 Sundays a month to take communion on Sunday? What if confirmation
students had to show the Pastor that their faith had grown; and if not, they would have to wait to be con-
firmed? What if you didnt contribute 10% of your earned income to the church, you would be excommuni-
cated? But, the church is about grace.
Sometimes it would be better to be the church coachto make lists of demands and expectations on
what you had to do in order to be accepted by the church and by God. But, the church is about grace. It is
about the gift of new life, forgiveness, and wholeness. It is about understanding and acceptance of ALL peo-
ple. So, even though it would be nice to play coach, that is not what the church is about. Its not what our
lives are about. Thats the thing; thats what makes the church a wonderful place. We come not to hear
about all of the bad stuff that we have done or the ways in which we have fallen short. We do not come to
hear that we dont come enough or that we dont meet the minimum requirement. The world does that
enough in our lives, through media telling us how we are to look, to employers that expect more and more, to
coaches that say we have to practice to play. We come to worship, to hear the Good News of God, and to
partake in a meal of forgiveness! YES, the church is about grace. While God wants us to be active in our
lives of faith, to come to worship, to give of ourselves; we know that God is a God of grace. Thats the pas-
sion that God has called us toin sharing that grace, in telling, sharing and feeding those who are hungry for
mercy! In the end, God loves everyone and even died on a cross to forgive us from all of our imperfections.
Excommunication is still very real, but with grace, it is obsolete! So we come to worship to hear the Good
News of God, and go into the world, sharing, giving, and feeding the world with grace. Because, the church is
about grace.

You Dont Need a Ticket!

On September 21 (which were guaranteeing will be a lovely fall
evening), everyone is invited to the first St. Paul Movie Night. Well
be showing a movie outside on a screen set up on the east side of
the social hall drive-through. So, bring your lawn chairs and your
beverages and SPY will supply the popcorn. Plan to come at 6:45
p.m. and the movie will begin around 7:00 p.m.
The movie is sure to please both children and adults and provide
lots of laughs as well as food for thought. So come join us for the
fun and well make all those people driving by on BB wonder what is
happening at St. Paul.
So Proud of Our Confirmation Kids:
On August 8, seven young Lutherans traveled to the heart of Kansas City and learned some real-life
lessons on poverty, sharing, and serving others. Mikayla Mohrmann, Laiken Cussimanio, Anna Fulton, and
Devin McHugh joined three from St. Matthew in Butler and served a meal at Childrens Memorial Church on
Independence Avenue in Kansas City. Childrens Memorial serves free meals at noon five days a week for
those in the area. With funding from a Thrivent Action Team grant, the menu consisted of baked potatoes
loaded with hamburger and the trimmings. In addition to the food for the meal, the funds helped purchase
additional frozen hamburger that can be used for other meals. The kids response to the activity was more
than positive and they hope to return sometime in the future. Thanks to Pastor Chris and Josh Cussimanio
for driving. (The shirts the kids are wearing were provided as a part of the Thrivent grant).
St. Paul Lutheran Church
15156 E. Pony Hill Rd.
Nevada, MO 64772
September Birthdays
Rex Byergo September 1
Connie Anderson September 2
Marlin Klotz September 5
Brogan McHugh September 7
CeCe Will September 10
Dyke Kiel September 12
Judith Herstein September 15
Etta McGinnis September 16
Kristine Fulton September 17
Wanda Abele September 20
Stacey Pursley September 21
Anna Seewoester September 21
Beth Stratman September 23
Susan Burns September 26
Bobbi Ogle September 27
Sophie Stewart September 27
Ruth Sitz September 29

September Anniversaries

Marvin & Linda Klotz September 6, 1974
Kypton & Erica Hall September 22, 2012
James & Marci Sally September 28, 2013
Lynn & Connie Anderson September 30, 1967
September Congregational Life Committee:

Russ & Ronda Johnson 966-7244
Joyce Gundy 321-1715
Norma Cory 667-7355
Chad & Jill Spangler 667-6537
Bridget Norcross 321-0219
You are Invited
The Congregational Life Committee is inviting you
to choose the month you would like to serve on this
committee which takes care of all the social events
of the congregation. Previously, the committee
chairs have assigned people months to serve. If
you have a preference, please see the sign up
sheet on the bulletin board, contact the church of-
fice, or see either Carol Janes or Grace Harold. If
we dont hear from you, we will assign you a
month.
This is a special way to serve your God and get
to know more in the congregation. You dont need
to be a cook, a decorator, or an organizer, just a
willing worker.