Upcoming Events
The 2018-2019 church year is going to be a very active one full of new and exciting things! To give you an idea of what’s in store, these are some of the major upcoming events at St. Paul:
Sunday School Kickoff Block Party
WHEN: Sunday, September 9, 2018
Service at 10AM, Block Party immediately following.
We will not be having a fall service at the Dubuque Arboretum this year. Instead, the Board of Mission and Ministry has decided to hold an outdoor service and block party here at St. Paul. Why the switch? We wanted to recapture the idea of an actual kickoff for Sunday School that involved kids and families. In recent years, youth participation at the arboretum picnic has been fairly low. Hosting an event here also gives us an opportunity to continue building bridges with the people in the surrounding community. To be more accessible to visitors, Holy Communion will not be celebrated at the Sunday service. There will still be a Divine Service with Communion on Saturday. There will be food, games, and giveaways. Please invite your friends and neighbors!
Speaker from POBLO (Muslim Outreach)
WHEN: September 15-16 at both services and for the Sunday School hour
To get Sunday School off to a strong start, St. Paul is hosting Rev. Tim Bickel, an LCMS pastor affiliated with POBLO, which is a Christian outreach to the changing USA demographics of refugees and immigrants – the mission field in our own front yard. The mission is to meet the physical, social and spiritual needs of Muslims and other foreigners by sharing the love of Jesus in practical and culturally relevant ways. The presentation will be suitable for all ages and we encourage families to attend with their children.
Construction Projects
WHEN: Ongoing
There are four major construction projects that will be going on this year and possibly into next year. These include: 1) Leveling the parking lot, 2) Repairing the exterior and interior brickwork in the steeple, 3) Repairing the concrete steps by the north (office) entrance, and 4) Replacing the heating and A/C system for the fellowship hall. All of these are critical safety or liability issues that need to be addressed as soon as possible. For more details, I urge you to attend the next voters meeting in October or contact a member of the Board of Properties (Jeff Zasada or Heyo Tjarks). The total cost for everything will be in the neighborhood of $100,000, which leads to our next item…
Stewardship Under the Cross
WHEN: September 2018 – March 2019
Beginning in September, we will embark on a stewardship program that will touch all areas of church life from worship to Bible Study to bulletins and newsletters. This is not going to be the typical talk about “time, talent, and treasure” that you’ve heard a hundred times. This is a different approach to stewardship based in Lutheran theology that centers on the concept of vocation. We will take a closer look at what the Bible says about money and our responsibilities in the church. We are going to need each and every member’s active participation to make this worthwhile and effective.
re:Vitality
WHEN: January – February 2019
It has been a few years since we took a step back and examined ourselves as a congregation. Where are we? What should our goals be for the next year, 2 years, or 5 years? The Missouri Synod is rolling out a brand new program to help congregations answer these questions, and identify weak points and areas for improvement. In January, we plan to begin this program by administering a self-assessment to all members of the congregation. This will be in the form of a questionnaire and will give us an idea of where we are. More information to come!
Personal Note
As most of you know, Katy and I will be getting married this fall – our wedding date is November 11! We will be wed at Katy’s home church in Illinois. We are planning to have another event in Dubuque at a later date so that we can share our joy with our St. Paul family. Thank you for all your support and prayers!
See you in church,