MARCH THOUGHTS FROM PASTOR SCHUESSLER

ST. PAUL'S TROY LUTHERAN

MARCH 2018

MARCH THOUGHTS FROM PASTOR SCHUESSLER

Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

Lent is in full swing. Ash Wednesday was February 14. As we progress through this season, we find ourselves longing for and looking forward to Easter. That is truly the most grand and glorious day of the Church Year for it is on that day that we remember the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. Death could not hold Him! Alleluia! He is risen indeed. But before we reach our goal we must continue through Lent. It is our spiritual pilgrimage that will take us first to Jerusalem and Palm Sunday (March 24/25). That begins the wonder which we call Holy Week. The five weeks of Lent are spent preparing us for this week. From Palm Sunday we will follow our Lord to the upper room and the powerful gift of the Lord's Supper on Maundy Thursday (March 29). While we might want to stay there, we will leave that place and go to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray with our Lord. Watch and pray that you do not fall into temptation, for the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. The betrayal, the trial, the beatings, the crown of thorns and a whole host of other events will take us to the cross and Good Friday (March 30). We will stand at the foot of the cross (spiritually speaking) and watch as our Lord Jesus Christ dies. He will be buried and we will wait in eager anticipation for that Easter morning. Yes, we will worship together on Holy Saturday (March 31). That will only wet our appetite for the Feast of the Resurrection of our Lord. Easter Sunday (April 1) will dawn bright and early and we will join in singing with the saints around the world and the saints & angels in heaven on this grand and glorious day. Christ Jesus is risen from the dead.

But till that day, we will walk through Lent. We still have the Wednesday Lenten service (March 7, 14, 21 at 7:00 p.m.). Our theme is "Cross Cleaning." We desperately need the cleansing that comes from the cross of Jesus Christ. March 7: "Washing the Windows." March 14: "Cleaning out the Junk." March 21: "Totally Clean." As with each Lenten season, this series is meant to guide us away from ourselves to the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Lenten dinners are served from 5:30-6:30 p.m. in the church fellowship hall. Look for the announcement elsewhere in this newsletter to see who is serving each of these dinners.

I ask that you would continue to keep me and my family in your prayers. Why? It is important for you to pray for your pastor, his wife and his family. There are many challenges that comes with the pastoral ministry. As I pray for you and encourage in your spiritual and personal lives, please do the same for us. Together, we can lift up each other. May the Holy Spirit bring a revival to St. Paul's congregation as we continue to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our community.

Peace to you Pastor Schuessler

1: Charles Lawrenz, Tim Moyer Jr.; 2: Audrey Becker, Kari Bindrim; 3: August Bugger; 4: James Collins, Lena Collins, Gene & Joyce Fayollat, Austin Sipes, 5: Amanda Olinger; 6: Jerry Fields; 7: Austin Counts, Sydney Gavlick, Nancy Klaustermeier, David & Joy Lucht; 10: Derek Reynolds; 11: Amber Moore; 13: Jack Kenison; 14: Darilyn Johnson; 15: Lisa Parizon, Dawn Ross, Everett Sipes; 17: Jordan Ponce, Mike Salanitro, Brea Sievers, Cayla Wilderman; 18: Jana Erlich, Kevin & Heather Fournie, Keith Jackson, Kendall Lading, Samantha Wildhaber; 19: Jenni Kaffer, Nicole McGrievy, Marcy Ondercho; 20: Janet Peverly, Ron & Tammy Steffen, Nancy Thomas; 21: Elliana Lambeth, Lliam Skinner, Debbie Wittenberg; 22: Karla Avers, Amanda Beuth, Maverick McLaughlin, Shawn Schaefer; 23: Brandon Beckemeyer, Katie Bellantone, Lois Rodenbaugh, Ava Thomas, Joe Wiemers; 24: Dale Schnoeker; 25: Kirk Levo, Derek & Kristin Reynolds; 26: Paul & Laura FayollatBoudreaux, Natalie Emmons, Steve West; 27: Dane Forguson, Braden Fournie, Wayne & Emily Harlow, Robert Hoffmann, Tamara Rampold; 28: Michael & Judy Cullen, Carrie Warnecke; 29: Doug Johnson, Darlene Lawrenz, Sharon Wolf; 30: Kara Rhymer, Michael & Rebekah Somers; 31: Doug & Lynn Fitzgerald, Michael & Nicole McGrievy, Keri Moore.

ST. PAUL'S LUTHERAN CHURCH has electronic giving/auto-withdraw program for church offerings! This program is managed by the Financial Secretary and utilizes First Collinsville Bank's ACH program. There are sign-up sheets on the table in the narthex. The plan offers two withdrawal dates per month for general fund giving (3rd and 17th of each month) and one withdrawal date per month for Connect giving (17th of each month). There are forms and envelopes in the narthex for you to use to sign up for the program. Just fill out the form, put it in an envelope and place it in the offering plate. The Finance Secretary will complete the process for you. We hope that many members take advantage of this opportunity to continue their financial giving and provide financial stability to both themselves and St. Paul's. In this March issue of the Troy Lutheran you will find the ACH form to fill out for automatic withdrawal.

SUNDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY: The Sunday morning Bible study has started learning more about the Book of Acts. This study will show how the early Church took the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ from Jerusalem to Judea and Samaria and then into the entire world. There will be many practical applications for our lives today.

THURSDAY BIBLE STUDY is on Thursday afternoon from 2-3 p.m. in the church kitchen. Our next Bible Study will be on March 1, 2018.

WOMEN'S BIBLE STUDY meets on the first and third Wednesday of the month at 9:45 a.m. All ladies of the congregation are welcome to attend. We meet in the church basement kitchen and are normally through by 10:45. If you should have any questions, please contact Grace Cottingham at 6676552.

MOM'S MORNING MINGLE meets every Tuesday at 9:45 a.m. in the narthex. If you should have any questions, please contact Lauren McLaughlin at 977-2744.

MEN'S BIBLE STUDY meets weekly every Thursday from 7:30-8:30 p.m. in the church narthex. This study is geared for men from 20-40. For more information you can contact Colin McLaughlin (977-2744) or Tim Wittenberg (401-2482).

LENTEN DINNERS: During the Lenten season, we have various groups serving a dinner prior to our Wednesday evening Lenten services. The dinners serve 40-50 people and last from 5:30 ? 6:30 pm. This gives the servers ample time to clean up and still attend the worship service. We have scheduled to serve: March 7 ? St. Paul's Glorious Day Band; March 14 ? St. Paul's PTL (Menu is Fire n Smoke); March 21 ? St. Paul's LWML.

GREETERS NEEDED: Can you say "Good Morning?" Can you smile? If you answered yes, you have all the qualifications needed to be a greeter!! Please email (Kbrumm@) or call Kathy (667-6681) in the church office if you would like to greet at any of our services.

BLOOD DRIVE AT ST. PAUL'S LUTHERAN CHURCH & SCHOOL on Monday, April 3, 2018 at 3:00 p.m. 6:30 p.m. in the Ministry Center. To schedule a donation call (618) 667-6681 or log on to . Please eat and hydrate before donating. If you have any questions please contact Karen Kilzer at 667-8263 or call Kathy at the church office.

BE A HERO - SAVE A LIFE, DONATE BLOOD!

COLLATING BULLETINS are needed. What do you do? You would receive the bulletins and inserts from the church office, take them home, put them all together and then return the bulletins to the church in time for worship on Saturday. You can pick them up on Friday's and return them on Saturday before service. If you would like more information, please call the church office at (6676681) and talk with Kathy.

LUTHERAN SCHOOLS WEEK ? March 5-9:

Monday, March 5: Decades Day. Wear clothing from your favorite decade--50's, 60's, 70's, etc. Prizes for best costumes.

Tuesday, March 6: Sports Day. Wear spirit wear for your favorite team. Wednesday, March 7: Sunday Best. Wear your best "church" clothes. Note: this is NOT a day

to wear just anything. NO jeans, t-shirts, princess dresses, etc. Thursday, March 8: Favorite Book Character: dress up like your favorite character from a

book (Little House on the Prairie, Tom Sawyer, Cat in the Hat, Mary Poppins, Peter Pan, Harry Potter, Gone With the Wind, Pippi Longstocking, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Amelia Earhart, Ladybug Girl, Madeline. . . ). Extra points for bringing the book! Prizes for best costumes. NOTE: Please make sure the costume is appropriate for our Lutheran School setting--no horror characters, monsters, etc. Friday, March 9: PJ's and movies: Wear your PJ's. Evening: K-8 perform FISH TALES, THE MUSICAL

PLEASE SAVE THE DATE!!! 2018 Lutheran Summer Camp Where? Camp Sherwood Forest in Troy, MO Cuivre State Park When? Sunday, June 24 ? Friday, June 29 (for students currently in 5th and 6th grades) Sunday, July 1 ? Friday, July 6 (for students currently in 7th and 8th grades) PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDARS AND PLAN TO ATTEND! (Camper Registration Forms will be available in March.)

Email lutheransummercamp@ for information.

St. Paul's Summer Science Camp Students entering grades 2-6 (2018-19)

July 30-August 3, 2018 Flyers were sent home with students.

The Lutheran Women's Missionary League (LWML) News for March: Souper Bowl Sunday: Thank you to the congregation for the soup, crackers and monetary donations made to Ministries Unlimited, Concordia Seminary Food Bank and LCFS Hardin, Food Bank. We collected 100 cans of soup and 20 boxes of crackers! You also donated $621.00! Wow! Your donations make a difference!

Dates to come: Saturday, March 3, 9:00am to 3:00pm, LWML SID Spring Retreat at Our Savior Lutheran, Carbondale. "Be Still and Know That I am God" Please join the LCC Comfort Dogs for the day. Ingathering will be monetary for the Comfort Dog Ministries. Cost is $20 per person. Make checks payable to SID LWML. Please RSVP by February 23 to Beth Small, 8702 Parkdale Drive, Caseyville, IL 62232 or email gorillalove1@. Any questions, Carol Small 618-604-5762.

Wednesday, March 21, 5:30 pm Lenten Meal: hosted by LWML. Please join us in this time of fellowship!

Monday, March 26, 7:00 pm: LWML Meeting in St. Paul's Basement Fellowship Hall. Our speakers will be our Field Ed Seminary Students, Kendall Davis and Kyle Ronchetto. They will be sharing information about their lives as Seminary Students. We'll be having an in-gathering of supplies for the Concordia Seminary Food Bank. Devotions for the meeting will be presented by Kathy Nehrt. Servers will be Penny Schuessler and Shirley Rex. Please come!

Saturday, April 21, 6:00 pm: Confirmation Questioning and Reception: Please join us as we listen to the confirmands share their knowledge. After the service, we will celebrate this important time in the lives of these young men and women. At the reception, we will reveal our confirmation prayer friends. We hope you can come and join us!

Saturday, April 28, 8:30am - 1:30pm: Metro-Central Zone Spring Rally at St. John's Granite City. This will be a "working" Rally. There will be four workshop stations: Prison Ministry, SIUE Campus Ministry, Orphan Grain Train, and Camp Wartburg. Ingathering will be non-perishable snacks for SIUE students. $10 fee to cover lunch, payable at the door. Register by Monday, April 23 by calling Mary Ann Kaminski at 618-451-2376 or Anita Armes at 618-451-0603. Guests are always welcome!

SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 6:00 PM: CONFIRMATION QUESTIONING AND RECEPTION: Please join us as we listen to the confirmands share their knowledge. After the service, we will celebrate this important time in the lives of these young men and women. At the reception, we will reveal our confirmation prayer friends. We hope you can come and join us!

LIBRARY NEWS...There are 37 new books added to the Church Library: 19 non-fiction, 12 fiction and 6 children books. STOP by the library and check it out!

METRO-EAST LUTHERAN HIGH SCHOOL is now accepting applications for the 2018-19 school years from prospective freshmen and transfer students. We encourage you to apply early and secure your spot in next year student body. To get an Application and Admission Procedure forms, you may go to our website at and download them or contact the school office at 618656-0043 for an Admission packet.

METRO-EAST LUTHERAN HIGH SCHOOL invites you to come "shadow" for a day and see what a day is like in the "life of a Knight." Prospective students are encouraged to shadow one of our current students and spend the day in classrooms, chapel, lunch, and visiting with students, faculty and staff, and become familiar with the daily ministry of Lutheran High. Interested students should contact the school office at 618-656-0043.

YOUTH NEWS

March 4th: St Paul's Sausage Supper. As in years past the youth are going to help with busing tables

as well as helping to serve if the need arises. This one is open to any student that can easily help bus. Meaning, siblings in upper grade school can also participate! Please let me know as soon as possible if you will be able to help.

BOWLING! We will be going bowling on Sunday, March 18 (time TBD). All youth grade 7-12 grade are encouraged to join us for this fun activity. Please contact Rachael Beckemeyer (618) 367-2463 or saintpaulstroy.youth@ and let her know if you and your family would like to be a part of this fun afternoon. Watch the weekly OnDeck and your email for more information.

EASTER BREAKFAST SET UP is Saturday, March 31 at 9:00 a.m. in the Ministry Center gym. We will need plenty of hands to make the set up quick and efficient.

EASTER BREAKFAST will be served Sunday, April 1 from 7:15-8:15 a.m. This will be immediately following the Easter sunrise service. We will begin getting everything ready at 6:00 a.m. Menu will be pancakes, sausage, coffee cakes, juice and of course COFFEE, lots of coffee. The youth are asking for donations of coffee cakes, breakfast breads and rolls. Thank you in advance for your help in this service event.

THE MEN'S BREAKFAST is Saturday, March 10th and 24th at 7:00 a.m. at the Troy Cracker Barrel. All men of the congregation and their friends are invited to join together in breakfast and fellowship. This is a great time to catch up on what is going on in the lives of the other men of the congregation as well as give support for the challenges that are taking place.

DAY LIGHT SAVINGS TIME Saturday, March 10, 2018, 2:00 a.m. Clocks should be turned Forward 1 hour. Day light savings time begins on March 11, 2018.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!! Trivia Night has been scheduled for Friday, May 4th, 2018 at VFW Collinsville, IL.

COME ONE, COME ALL!!!! St. Paul's School Musical will be FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2018 AT 6:00 P.M. In the Ministry Center

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