ST. PAUL'S published by St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church - Telford, PA (215) 723-8981 Fax: (215) 723-3363 Editor: Ashley Bromley Deadline for News: 12th of the month

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SENIOR PASTOR Shirley Guider July 2019 215 -723-8981 Home 610-791-1230 Guiding Thoughts — Cell 610-217-2200 E-mail: A Pastor’s Ponderings pastor@ stpaulstelford.org On Tuesday mornings, I attend a weekly bible study

with many of the pastors in Upper Bucks ASSOCIATE Conference (with a few others attending from time PASTOR OF SENIOR to time). At one of our recent meetings we talked MINISTRY John G. Huber, Jr. about Pentecost. Not just Pentecost Sunday, which 610-584-3856 was fast approaching, but the season of Pentecost.

This season of Pentecost (the Sundays after DIRECTOR OF CHRISTIAN Pentecost as we call them) is the longest season of EDUCATION the church year. I call it the long green season—the Marian Henry 215-723-8981 guild in most churches are happy because you dce@ stpaulstelford.org don’t need to change the paraments for a long time.

OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR Just for comparison, the season of is four Ashley Bromley 215-723-8981 Sundays, is five, Easter is seven but there are E-mail: between 20 to 26 Sundays after Pentecost (the secretary@ stpaulstelford.org number depends on how early or late we celebrate

DIRECTOR OF Easter, less this year since Easter was so late). The MUSIC/ season lasts from the Sunday after Holy Trinity ORGANIST Kristine Fosbenner Sunday which this year will be on Father’s Day 215-257-4707 (this is being written early June) to Christ the King th Sunday which will be November 26 . FEAST & CELEBRATION DIRECTOR In some traditions they are called the Sundays in Mike King 215-723-8981 or time. When the

Lutheran church aligned its readings with those who CONGREGATIONAL COUNCIL use the common , we began to call them PRESIDENT X, a few years ago that changed to Jim McMichael 267-885-8026 Lectionary X. I’m glad that we never called them E-Mail: council “ordinary time,” because that makes these Sundays @stpaulstelford.org seem ‘normal’ or ‘uneventful’. True there are few

festival Sundays from now till Advent. But these SEXTON Al Lightner Sundays are not ordinary or common. Those words 215-368-0374 downplay what this season is all about. This is a 2 time when we hear the story of the life of Christ. We walk with the disciples as Christ teaches us by word and example what the love of God looks like in action, incarnate. That certainly doesn’t seem ordinary or common to me. We are in year C, so the of Luke is the primary resource for our worship this summer. We will be reading it a “semi- continuous” manner. This means that on June 23rd we will start reading from Luke, beginning in chapter 9. Through the summer and into the fall we will continue to hear from the Gospel of Luke (skipping some verses—which is why it is called semi-continuous reading). Come and listen to Luke’s story of Jesus. It gives us a rare opportunity to spend time with the word of God as told by one author. That is important because it is one means by which we are assured God’s presence. Luther taught, and the Lutheran Church continues to teach, that there are five ways that the gospel (the good news of God) reaches us. First is through the spoken word. The word of God is read and proclaimed every Sunday. Second is through the gift of baptism where via the water and the word God’s spirit comes to us. Third is through the gift of where through bread and wine and the word of God we receive the gift of God’s saving grace. Fourth is through the power of the keys. This is something we don’t talk about much in our tradition. But there is power in confession and forgiveness. The Lutheran tradition doesn’t generally emphasize individual confession of sins, except on . But we do confess our sins in our corporate confession that we say before the service begins. In our confession, we ask God to forgive us for what we have done and left undone. And then we receive forgiveness from God. The last means of grace is the mutual conversation and consolation of the baptized. In other words, as Matthew tells us, “Where two or three are gathered in my name there will I be also.” God is there in the midst of us when we care for one another in Christ’s name. But the first means of grace is what interests me today; the word of God. This is central to our worship experience. When I was at the seminary, we were taught that you did not have a worship service

3 unless the word of God was read. It didn’t matter what surrounded this. You could sing songs, talk, dance even. But if you were gathered in Christ’s name and read from the Bible, it was worship, no matter how simple. The opposite holds true, you could have the form of a service with all the pomp and ceremony you want, but if you didn't read the gospel, the word of God, it wasn’t a worship service. This is how strongly Lutherans have felt about the word of God as good news, the gospel of our Lord. The word of God proclaims God’s grace to us. It is not law, it is not a you should, you ought, you better do this. Rather the gospel is just what it says; it is good news. Pure and simple. And the good news is that Christ is our Savior, that God creates us, cares for us and sends the Holy Spirit to sustain us. If you ask me that is not ordinary or common no matter if it is just a ‘regular’ Sunday service or a celebration such as or Easter. God’s grace and mercy is good news each and every time we hear it. So, let’s celebrate the Sundays after Pentecost, our long green season, our growing season by listening and learning about the wondrous love of God in Christ Jesus. Your Sister In Christ, Pastor Shirley

Mark your calendars!!! July 7 – September 1 ONE Holy Communion Worship Service at 9:00 am 4

Church Family News Congratulations to Clark and Lydia Dhein on the birth of their son Grayson Clark Dhein, born on June 10, 2019. Grayson was 8 lbs 7 oz and 21 inches long. Grayson is the grandson of Rick and Paula Dhein. Income and Expenses (past 13 months) Month Offering* Expenses Difference May 2018 $27,746.98 $30,132.12 -$2385.14 June 2018 $25,872.69 $35,325.84 -$9,453.15 July 2018 $26,299.80 $28,463.86 -$2,164.06 August 2018 $29,714.93 $31,007.86 -$1292.93 September 2018 $32,976.06 $31,961.00 $1015.06 October 2018 $36,903.24 $28,947.25 $7955.99 November 2018 $25,980.25 $31,596.01 -$5615.76 December 2018 $49,366.00 $33,081.27 +16,284.73 January 2019 $29,950.40 $38,499.00 -$14,548.65 February 2019 $24,206.28 $32,975.55 -$8769.27 March 2019 $29,232.01 $34,740.86 -$5505.85 April 2019 $21,949.91 $22,335.53 -$385.62 May 2019 $40,750.85 $29,556.45 +$11,194.40  *Offering includes: Current, Benevolence, Building and Special

The church nursery will not be available during the months of July and August. The nursery will resume on September 8 at the 10:45 service. Reminder!: Please remember that if you have any changes to your address, home phone number, cell phone number, email address, etc., please let Ashley in the church office know so that we can continue to keep our church records as up to date as possible. 5

Pastor Shirley received this from a friend in Alabama. It is being shared with everyone because you may know someone who needs help. Feel free to share with anyone who might be able to connect hungry kids with food this summer. This has been tested out for our area and it works. When you text, you will get a response asking for you to put in your zip code and they will text back information: places, phone numbers, hours and what kinds of meals are being provided. “If you have kids in need of breakfast and lunch this summer, simply text "FOOD" to 877877 and you'll receive a message with the closest location where they can get free summer meals. ***There's no paperwork to fill out, no income requirement to meet. They just feed the kids. It’s really that simple. They serve kids 18 and under. As long as they can eat table food, they can eat with this program. No Kid Hungry has access to information about tens of thousands of groups serving free meals nationwide as part of the the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Summer Food Service Program."

For children ages three through those who just finished 4th grade. Being held this summer at Zwingli United Church of Christ on Wile Ave. in Souderton. Music - Crafts - Bible skits - Science - Games - Snacks - FUN!! Bring a friend! Register online at St. Paul's website (www.stpaulstelford.org) or on our Facebook page! 6

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All youth (& friends) who are entering 4th grade through high school are invited to join us for 3 days of service! Mornings:  helping at the Lutheran Community in Telford  serving lunch at Zion Mennonite's Table of Plenty  helping the maintenance guys of the Telford Boro  baking dog biscuits for Salfid Dog Rescue  baking cookies for Telford Police After a bag lunch:  making decorations for VBC  working in the flower beds  washing Nursery toys  playing some Manhunt! Please bring a bag lunch, water bottle & sunscreen. Let Marian Henry know if you can come!

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I can’t say enough Thank You to all who have supported our efforts to raise the funds to go on the mission trip to Knoxville. Thank you to those who contributed through the WOW envelopes. To date we raised $1,775 of the $1,800. Thank you as well to Austin and Zach who worked hard behind the scenes for our bingo night and especially to parents and grandparents who worked hard in putting baskets together, making food, getting food donations and designing our T-Shirt etc. Thanks also to Dave Koenig for being our male chaperone and for his help in getting donations, calling the bingo game and to Mary Ann for donating one of the baskets. We were truly blessed with the turnout and participation for our bingo night. We raised enough to cover gas and the extra meals we will need. Please pray for us as we journey and work in the mission field in Tennessee. We will update you upon our return. Blessings, Pastor Shirley

Interested in asking questions about God, join us for “Theology on Tap." We’ve been invited to join with St. Andrew’s and Trinity in Perkasie at the Free Will Brewery the 4th Tuesday of the month for fellowship and lively discussion. We’ll meet on July 23 at 7 PM. Folks generally bring snacks to share. 9

Open to families of the church and to the community! We will be showing family friendly movies in the fellowship hall. Bring blankets if you want to sit on the floor, lawn chairs and we’ll have our chairs available. The movie is open to the community and admission will be free. We’ll have popcorn and juice—but you can bring your own snacks as well. Upcoming dates are July 13 and Aug 10—movie begins at 7 PM. Come out and join us!

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All Senior Events are open to everyone; members, friends, neighbors, and people of all ages. On June 26 we visited the John James Audubon Center, Audubon, PA. We had a live bird presentation led by an educator and a tour of the house led by a docent, both very interesting. We followed that with a picnic lunch on the grounds of the Audubon. Tuesday July 23 - On Tuesday, July 23 we will travel to see “Jesus” at Sight & Sound Theater in Lancaster! We will leave St. Paul’s on a Perkiomen Tour Bus at 10:00 am for the 3:00 pm show. Lunch (on your own) will be at Cracker Barrel at Rockvail Outlets on the way to the show. The cost is $90.00 per person, which includes transportation, the ticket to the show, and snacks and water for the bus ride. Tickets are sold out at this time, but there is a waiting list. Payment was due on June 14, 2019. Please make checks payable to St. Paul’s and put “Sight and Sound” in the memo line. 10

Saturday, Aug. 24th. Mark the date for our annual trip to Coca Cola Park in Allentown for an Iron Pigs game. The admission price and bus fare is $22.00. A food voucher is included with admission. The bus will pick us up at St. Paul’s parking lot at 4:30PM. “Take me out to the Ballgame!!!! Tuesday, Sept. 17 – Join us for The Road to Cooperstown and Beyond. Bernie Enright will be with us in our Fellowship Hall to talk about the Fenimore Museum, the Farmers Museum, the Hamilton Burr duel and of course the Baseball Hall of Fame. Cooperstown is not only a beautiful town, but a very interesting and historical one as well. So join us at 7:00PM for and interesting topic and some tasty desserts. Wednesday, October 23rd: Join us during this ghostly time of year for a spooky Cemetery Tour at Little Zion. We will tour the Cemetery and historic church at Little Zion with Dave and Betsy Snook. Sign up to car pool from St. Paul’s at 9:30AM. We will follow this with lunch at the Franconia Heritage. ALL senior events are open to all, young, old, members, friends, EVERYONE

Bible Study and lunch, led by Pastor John Huber, takes place the third Thursday of every month from noon to 1:30 PM, come and join us in Christian Fellowship for this informal time to reflect, discuss and learn. Bring your own sandwich; beverages are provided. The Bible Study meets year around. See you on July 18, 2019. The bible verses to be studied are printed in the Senior Ministry Brochure; copies can be found in the brochure rack in the narthex. TRANSPORTATION MINISTRY If you or someone you know needs a ride to church or for local medical appointments, please contact: Ruth Sommers (215-723-5771) or the church office.

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The Handmaid’s Tale By Margaret Atwood Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead, a totalitarian and theocratic state that has replaced the United States of America. Because of dangerously low reproduction rates, Handmaids are assigned to bear children for elite couples that have trouble conceiving.

Church Council Contact Information Church Officers Jim McMichael, President 267-885-8026 Doug Hansen, Vice President 215-453-0566 Kathy Cassel, Treasurer 215-896-7747 Wayne Young, Council Secretary 610-287-8897

Committee Chairpersons Cemetery Finance Stewardship Scott March Kathy Cassel Wayne Young 267-357-2597 215-896-7747 610-287-8897 Christian Property Worship and Education Greg Fosbenner & Music Brittney Jones Trevor Jones Cathy Hurley 484-363-1061 215-257-4707 215-258-1211 (Greg) Evangelism Youth 267-527-2242 Deb Bitner Jim Minninger III (Trevor) 267-664-0039 215-390-0154 Social Ministry Fellowship Jim Neely Barbara Mandato 215-460-5473 267-374-4414 12

VOLUNTEERS SERVING IN JULY 2019

June 2: 9:00 am - * June 16: 9:00 am - * June 23: 9:00 am - * June 30: 9:00 am - *

*Volunteers needed!

ALTAR GUILD

Sandy Groff (captain), Cathy Hurley, Sara Johnson, Mary Ann Koenig, Sharon Minninger

ASSISTING MINISTERS

July 7 (9:00 am) – Jim Hurley July 14 (9:00 am) – Bill Cressman July 21 (9:00 am) – Wayne Young July 28 (9:00 am) – Ashley Bromley

COMMUNION ASSISTANTS

July 7 (9:00 am) – Wayne Young and Jim Minninger III July 14 (9:00 am) - Barbara Mandato and Brittney Jones July 21 (9:00 am) – Ray Landis and Jim McMichael July 28 (9:00 am) – Kathy Cassel and Scott March

GREETERS

July 7 (9:00 am) – Sara Ryan July 14 (9:00 am) – Nancy and Don Hillegas July 21 (9:00 am) – Sharon and Jim Minninger July 28 (9:00 am) – Lori and Randy Groff

LECTORS

July 7 (9:00 am) - Sheila March July 14 (9:00 am) - Jim Hurley July 21 (9:00 am) - Frank Bucher Sr. July 28 (9:00 am) - Sandy Schneck

USHERS

July 7

9:00 am - Team 2: Harvey Groff (captain), David Hange, Rodney Hange, Mike Miller, Steve Troyanoski, Mike Troyanoski, Randy Groff, Al Landis (captain), Ron Money, Jim Stover, Tony Crouthamel, Barry Johnson

July 14

9:00 am - Team 3: Brian Garges (captain), Dennis Bauer, Jim McMichael, Jim Minninger, Ken Heckler (captain), Jim and Gloria Beer, Rick Krown, Charles Titus, Doug Church, Fred Johns

July 21

9:00 am - Team 4: John LaRue, Donald Hillegas, Terry Winder and Lee Shoemaker (co-captains), Glen Mensch, Ray Landis, Bill Cressman, Dennis Detweiler, Trevor Jones

July 28

9:00 am - Team 1: Alan Wampole (captain), Karen Wampole, Dale and Mary Souder, Jim Hurley, Bruce Harpel, Dominic Votta, Bob Johnson (captain), Ed Kraus, Doug Hansen, Larry Schimpf, Greg Fosbenner, Tim Blank, Bob Bonner

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July 2019 St. Paul’s Lutheran Church 107 West Lincoln Avenue Telford, PA 18969 215-723-8981

Office Hours 9:00 am to 3:30 pm—Monday through Friday (Office Closed between 12:30 - 1:00 pm for lunch)

Sunday Worship - Holy Communion Worship Services July 7, 14, 21 and 28 – 9:00 am

Mini Youth Work Camp July 8, 9, and 10 – 9:00 am – 4:00 pm

Second Saturday Family Movie Night July 13 – 7:00 pm in the Fellowship Hall

Senior Lunch & Bible Study July 18 – 12:00 - 1:30 pm (Conference Room)

Church Council Meeting July 8 - 7:30 pm

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