Our 150th Anniversary Activities are Underway!

December 13th, 2009 was the kickoff service for our year-long celebration of 150 years of blessings on St. Paul’s. The second weekend of each month in 2010 will be part of our celebration. We’ll have a chance to hear former pastors, as well as pastors who began their Christian education here at St. Paul’s. Plus many more plans are being worked on. More details our available on our 150th Anniversary Event Page.

HAITI RELIEF

Our prayers go to the people of Haiti and all who are offering help, both physically and financially. Current financial donations are twice what was given to the Hurricane Katrina efforts. Human Care has decided to wait with asking for donations of money and supplies as ongoing needs are determined. The school is currently donating to Lutheran Church Charities. If you wish to donate at this time, please direct your donation to the school and they will forward your donation to Lutheran Church Charities.

40 TICKETS – 40 SOULS

We are committed to doubling our Dare 2 Share group from last year. We have 40 tickets to sell! We want every single one of them sold! For every ticket sold there is a soul hearing the GOSPEL! Every person who went to Dare 2 Share last year needs to bring at least one extra person! In fact we want to have to buy extra tickets! So to encourage St. Paul’s youth to bring friends we are having a contest. For the person who brings the most friends you will receive a $50 gift card to the mall and each of your friends will also receive a $10 gift card to the mall. This Dare 2 Share experience is for youth in 6th – 12th grade.

GET ON THE ROAD TO FINANCIAL PEACE

Have your January credit card bills arrived yet? Want to do something about them? Do you have too much month left at the end of the money? Want to learn more about what God says about money? Do you want to have Financial Peace? Financial Peace University (FPU) is a biblically based, video driven, small group study that teaches families how to beat debt, build wealth and give like never before. We will have the final previews on Jan 24th at 9:50 AM in the 7th grade class room. Join us to learn more about Financial Peace University. FPU will begin its winter class on Feb 7th. Classes will meet Sundays at 4PM at the school. Sign-up sheets are available in the atrium downtown and in the school foyer. Call John Veers at 815-933-6058 if you have any questions, or if you are unable to attend a preview, but still want to enroll.

2010 Envelopes

The 2010 offering envelopes are located in Fellowship Hall, in alphabetical order. Please be sure to pick up yours soon!

Flower Chart

The Flower Chart for 2010 is up. Please pay Ladies Aid $20.00 for one vase or $40.00 for two.

St. Paul's Lutheran School PTL Cookbooks Sill Available

The St. Paul's Lutheran School Parent Teacher League still has Cookbooks available. This taste-tempting cookbook features 650 favorite recipes from families and friends of the School & Church and would make great Holiday gifts! Get all the info...

Please Recycle... We Need Your Help!!

St. Paul’s is again participating in the S.C.O.R.E. Recycling Contest through Belson’s Steel, Rt. 50 & Larry Power Road, Bourbonnais. The contest ends April 2010 but need your help now to reach our goal. Why not consider recycling during all the holidays and parties? By doing so, you are not only teaching valuable skills to tomorrow’s adults, but you are earning cash and prizes for St. Paul’s School.

Here’s what you need to do... 1) Collect your aluminum cans and bring them to Belson’s. You get paid cash for your cans. If you are unable to take the cans to Belson’s we do have a collection canister located in the hall outside of the school office or call Tom at the school and he will come by and pick them up for you. 2) Mention “St. Paul’s” when you get paid. Belson’s will add one point to our score for every pound of cans that you are recycling. 3) At the end of the contest, our school gets two cents for every point. PLUS, the top schools will win thousands in extra cash and prizes. Last year the winning schools received over $15,000 in cash and prizes! For questions, contact Mr. Heil at 932-3241. Please help us out...RECYCLE...and SCORE with us!

SPAGHETTI SUPPER

Save the date for the annual Spaghetti Supper and Silent Auction! Join us on Saturday, March 13th from 4:00-6:00 p.m. at the school. Tickets will be on sale in February. The auction is open for donations; anyone interested in donating an item or basket of items for the auction can bring the item to the school by February 26th.

S.P.Y. Ministries: 2010 National Youth Gathering New Orleans, LA

The planning and preparations are starting to get under way for the 2010 National Youth Gathering in New Orleans, LA! If you are 21 or over and would like to come as an adult leader please let Becky Hagge know. If you are a youth who will have finished your freshmen year or will be 15 by July 15, 2010 and you would like to attend or are interested in more information about the Youth Gathering, please contact Becky Hagge for more information.

GROW (God Renewing Our Women) Presents: St. Paul’s First Annual Women’s Retreat!

You are invited to join us for our two-day Fall Retreat entitled “There’s So Much More: Love, Laugh, Learn, Lead”. “There’s So Much More” is designed to help women discover that there is so much more in life when you have a personal relationship with Jesus. Lives are transformed when you discover how the everyday, ordinary words of love, laugh, learn and lead can really make a difference in how you live life. We’ll look first and foremost at what God’s Word has to say to us and how we can apply it to our lives.

Led by Gail Ficken, this two-day retreat promises to be fun, experiential and inspirational. We will explore how much God loves us as we look at what the Bible says in Ephesians 3:16-20. We will talk about the importance of laughter and what threatens to steal our joy. We will learn about the importance of listening to God and others. And we will focus on whom we are leading and what kind of an impact we make in the lives of those around us. There will be singing, teaching, small group discussion, and time for personal reflection. We plan on having lots of fun together!

Gail enjoys creating environments for women of all ages to discover more about themselves, their relationships and a God who deeply loves them. She has led a variety of women’s groups and retreats for over 20 years and brings a unique gift to integrating experience with the deeper insights from God.

Beginning January 17th through February 7th, visit our table in the cafeteria during coffee hour to register or find our more about the retreat! Learn More Online...

GROW (God Renewing Our Women) Beth Moore Bible Study

BELIEVING GOD...

The GROW GROUP will be offering a Beth Moore Bible study called, “Believing God” which is based on Isaiah 43:10 and explores what it means to not only believe in God but to also believe Him! “You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am He.” (Isaiah 43:10) Beth Moore is a Christian speaker and Bible study author who is energetic, humorous and most of all, passionate about women knowing and loving the Word of God. You can learn more about Beth Moore by going to www.lifeway.com/bethmoore. The study will be held on ten consecutive Thursdays starting January 7, 2010 in the music room at the school from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Each session will include 40 minutes of discussion and a 1-hour video of Beth Moore teaching from the Word. Workbooks for the study are expected to cost $18.00-20.00 and will be distributed at the first meeting (cash or check will be accepted). If you are interested in attending contact Kathleen Hasenjaeger at 614-3037 or Lynda Koeppen at 932-1545 by December 13.

Help Needed

St. Paul’s is beginning its National Lutheran School Accreditation renewal process. We are looking for individuals interested in serving on the Steering Committee. This is a commitment for approximately 18 months. It involves monthly meetings and oversees the renewal process. If you are interested in being part of this important process, please contact Bob Freymark at 815-802-9454.

Opportunities To Serve The Lord

The 11:05am Nursery is in need of a coordinator on Sunday morning. Duties consist of checking to make sure nursery workers have arrived and putting the church nursery items in the closet afterwards. The Nursery is in need of helpers for both the 9:50 a.m. Sunday School hour and the 11:05 a.m. worship service. If you are interested in either of these, please call: Loree Yoakum - 815-933-7217 or Linda Bohlmann - 815-698-2469.