“I give you a new commandment, that you love one another.
Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.”
John 13:34 (NRSVUE)

Dear friends,
Every fall, our wider denomination hosts a Sunday titled “God’s Work, Our Hands.” You might be able to guess from the name itself, but this is a Sunday where our wider church encourages all congregations to participate in some kind of local service or outreach activity. Following their request, hundreds of congregations across the ELCA will take part together, and they will each serve their local community with a project that makes sense for them and their people. While St. Paul in Le Center has not participated in this event over the past few years, we are excited and planning on doing so this September!

That means, when you come to worship on Sunday, September 13th, you should be ready to join us for a fun service project after worship. The project, which we will announce in the coming weeks, will take place at the church itself, after worship, and during our regular coffee time. You won’t need any special clothing or tools. The only thing you need to bring is yourself, so put that date on the calendar, and plan to stick around after worship for a great time of fellowship and some comradery as we complete a project that will certainly show God’s love to our neighbors!

This Sunday (September 13th, if you’ve already forgotten) will also mark the beginning of our programming year, sometimes called “Rally Sunday.” In the week that follow, all our education and weekly activities will be back in action. On Wednesday nights, we are looking forward to noise filling the halls again as our Bible Discovery and Confirmation students come back. In worship, we are looking forward to the return of our choir and their beautiful music. Fall is such a wonderful, and busy, time of year around the church, and we’d love to have you participate or volunteer in any of these ministries, as you are able and willing!

There is certainly a lot to look forward to as we enter the month of September and beyond. Fall is one of my absolute favorite times of the year. Nevertheless, regardless of what we plan, how many activities we put together, and no matter what kinds of events we orchestrate, it is always good to remind ourselves about “why” we do it! In short, we do it because God has shown us an immense measure of love, and that same God has called us to pass that love on to those in our midst, in our families, and in our community. All that we do here at St. Paul, is (or at least should be) informed and directed by that goal!

Welcome back everyone and see you soon!
Pastor Heath Queen