1. No in-house worship this Sunday, November 22. A prerecorded worship will be available on our YouTube channel this Sunday by 8:00 a.m. Pastor Ioan will be delivering a message based on Matthew 25:31-46. Below is a devotion based on that Scripture.
“During this time of pandemic and isolation, people have been showing their love of one another by wearing masks in public. While this is a loving gesture, it has become increasingly easy to miss the humanity behind the mask. There are times when I have expected a smile or wave in response to a greeting, and have instead only received an averted eye or a blank stare. Maybe we don’t know how to greet one another when we feel hidden ourselves. Masks created by discrepancies in wealth, privilege, race, or even our location have sometimes prevented us from seeing that all humans are more alike than we are different. If someone we loved was naked, sick, or imprisoned, we would strive to meet their needs. Let’s remember that behind all of our various masks there are people Jesus loves. Each of us has value and each of us has need. We are called to live as if masks don’t exist, even if we wear them in love.” – Jill Bergman
2. Virtual Sunday Worship Until Further Notice. Due to a rise in COVID cases in the County and around the State, the Council has decided that upcoming Sunday worship will be virtual until further notice. Prerecorded worship will be available on our YouTube channel to watch at your convenience starting each Sundays at 8:00 a.m. This decision was made in consultation with our Re-Entry Taskforce and our Worship Committee and is in line with our previously established guidelines for potential increased cases in the county to a positivity rate or 15% or greater.
3. Virtual Advent Wednesday Devotion and Prayer: St. Paul will continue its Advent tradition of a weekly 7:00 p.m. Wednesday worship but do so virtually. It will be a time for music, candle lighting, Scripture reading, short devotion and prayer. We will gather together through the computer or phone program called Zoom. This will allow us to end each time together with a check-in and prayer. To access Zoom on Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. click the link below and enter the required Meeting ID number and the Passcode. Or call by phone the below number and then follow the prompts to dial the required Meeting ID number and the Passcode number.
Zoom Advent Wednesday
Link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/
Meeting ID: 864 0947 6014
Password: 1120
Dial-In by Phone:
+1 312 626 6799
Meeting ID: 864 0947 6014
Passcode: 1120
4. Virtual Sunday Bible Study: On Nov. 29th we will be restarting Sunday morning Bible Study at 9:15 a.m. We will gather virtually through Zoom. We will discuss the Scripture passage that the sermon for that Sunday focused on. In the sermon you hear one particular interpretation. In Bible Study we will use questions to approach the passage in a discussion style. We welcome insights into Scripture passage that you’ve gleaned in you over the years and more immediate feelings and thoughts that came to you that day. All are welcome to join in the discussion or listen.
To access Zoom on Sundays at 9:15 a.m. click the link below and enter the required Meeting ID number and the Passcode. Or call by phone the below number and then follow the prompts to dial the required Meeting ID number and the Passcode number.
Zoom Sunday Bible Study Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/
Meeting ID: 899 7325 9796
Passcode: 1120
Dial-In by Phone:
+1 312 626 6799
Meeting ID: 899 7325 9796
Passcode: 1120
5. Zoom Log-in Practice Session: Any time we do things for the first time, it takes longer than the subsequent times. We are offering a practice session to help folks log-in to Zoom this Sunday Nov. 22 at 9:15 a.m. Pastor Ioan (626-419-6331) and Julie Feirer (515-468-1968) will be available this coming Sunday morning by phone to help if you find you need some guidance. You can also reach out to set-up a 1-on-1 time to walk through logging onto Zoom if this Sunday doesn’t work for you.
To access Zoom this Sunday at 9:15 a.m. for practice click the link below and enter the required Meeting ID number and the Passcode. Or call by phone the below number and then follow the prompts to dial the required Meeting ID number and the Passcode number.
Zoom Practice Session
Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/
Meeting ID: 884 7116 9461
Passcode: 1120
Dial-In by Phone:
+1 312 626 6799
Meeting ID: 884 7116 9461
Passcode: 1120
6. Virtual Sunday School: We miss having the joy of our kids at church and we know families are under strain with navigating a Covid world as well. During the Advent and Christmas season we will be adding kid-focused lessons to our Sunday prerecorded YouTube worship. Directly following our regular worship, you can stay tuned or call the kids over and have a short time for worship dedicated to our pre-school to early/middle elementary age kids.
7. Virtual Semi-Annual Meeting: Because of the difficulties Covid has caused to our ability to physically gather, the council has decided to make the information that we would have given the congregation available in writing and through a brief Youtube video. The meeting was not going to have any business to vote on and was going to be purely informational. Giving the congregation a financial update will be the main topic. President Dan Neilsen will comment on administrative and financial matters, and Pastor Ioan Ittu will give a ministry update. If any questions come up for you, please feel free to contact Pastor Ioan or Dan.
8. Thank you from Pastor Ioan!!!: Deb and I want to express our gratitude for the wedding gift the congregation gave us. We are feeling the love and welcome of the congregation. Thank you for being part of our lives and having us be part of yours.
9. Thank you for your generosity to Operation Christmas Child and Crop Walk. Your generosity blessed Crop Walk with $2215, which is very impressive. Thank you for feeding the hungry. You also came together to put together 65 boxes for Operation Christmas Child. There are 65 children that will experience the joy of the Christmas season and the hope of Christ’s good news because of you. Thank you. For those who feel like adding more blessings to the world this Christmas season, we invite you to help our St. Paul furniture ministry with a financial donation. Your donation will help buy a higher quality of furniture at auction and keep furniture safely stored till needed. It is a long standing ministry of St. Paul to help hurting families when they need help making a house feel like their home with needed furniture. Make your checks payable to St. Paul’s Lutheran Church with “Furniture Ministry” in the memo line.
10. We offer our heartfelt condolences to the family of former member Douglas Paul Lyddon on his passing on November 13th. We also grieve with the Dalene Davies-Smoot and her family in the death of her brother Larry Dale Foust and her cousin Marliss Dale. May they rest in heaven’s glory and eternal peace.
11. Pastor Ioan is available for one-one-one conversation and in-home communion. Please feel free to reach out to him. pastorioan@stpaullutheranchurch.net or 626-419-6331.
Church office phone: 515-462-4270
Church office email: Office@stpaullutheranchurch.net
Pastor Ioan Ittu: 626-419-6331
Pastor Ioan email: Pastorioan@stpaullutheranchurch.net