Issue 11 – DECEMBER 2017

www.stpaullakeland.org

Merry Christmas from the Church Staff

Tracy Trinklein

Gloria Klockziem

Peter Herbert

Aaron Brown

Jasmin Sopon

Debby Erdma

nn

Pastor Ron

Pastor Andy

Pastor Ya

ng

Nick Moss

Nick Herbert

Becky Howel

l

We are passionate followers of JESUS, making disciples by eagerly connecting the community with the faith, hope, and love that transforms.

Janet Pearso

n

December 2017 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Connecting at St. Paul

Connecting is published monthly by

St. Paul Lutheran Church 4450 Harden Blvd.

Lakeland, FL 33813 stpaul@stpaullakeland.org

863-644-7710

♦ SENIOR PASTOR

Ron Pennekamp

♦ ASSOCIATE PASTOR

Andy Ritchie

♦ HMONG PASTOR

Zong Yang

♦ MINISTER OF MUSIC

Gloria Klockziem

♦ DIRECTOR OF

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION

Nick Moss

♦ DIRECTOR OF VISITATION

Peter Herbert

♦ PRINCIPAL

Robert Boyd

♦ EARLY CHILDHOOD

Dr. Kelly Oglialoro

♦ SERVICES

Sunday Morning 8:30am—Worship &

Children’s Church 9:45-10:45am—

Children’s Ministries & Adult Bible Studies

Ten47am—Contemporary Worship & Children’s Church

♦ HMONG SERVICES Sunday Morning

9am Choir & Bible Study 10:45am Worship

“CONNECTING THE COMMUNITY TO CHRIST”

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Giving is God’s Giving is God’s Giving is God’s Giving is God’s

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After his dramatic conversion experience, St. Paul explains the “root of it all.” Writing under inspira-tion, Paul shares the beautiful hope we have in Christ—God’s firstfruits.

God wants us to know that “If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches.” Romans 11:16

Faith and hope are involved. Paul previously noted, “And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemp-tion of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.” Romans 8:23-25

Giving is indeed God’s business! During this season of Christ’s birth, the whole world celebrates the gift of a Son, given for us. God the Father gave us the firstfruits of creation as His Eternal Gift of love. Through it, we are given light from darkness—eternal life from death.

The evidence is clear! Giving is God’s business and He has given to us the fullness of His love in Jesus, our Lord.

It is the prayer of all who are connected to the “Root” and a part of the “holy dough” that this generosity proclaimed in the Gospel would be shared repeatedly in our lives, until all whom the heavenly Father has ordained, might know of their salvation in God’s great generosity.

Generosity is described as a spiritual gift given to the church (God’s people) by Christ Himself. (See Romans 12:8) For more information, contact Jim Pennington, SPLC Gift Planning Counselor, at 863- 370-0305 or james.pennington@lfnd.org.

Christmas Schedule change Please be aware that Christmas Eve falls on a Sunday this year. We will not have regular Sunday morning services that day but will have Christmas Eve candlelight services at 4pm, 6pm & 8pm. Communion will be offered only at the 8pm Christmas Eve service. On Sunday, Dec. 31st, we will have our normal 8:30am & ten47am service times but there will not be an evening New Years Eve service as we’ve had in the past.

Children’s Ministry will be on break during the Christmas season on December 24, & 31.

This includes Children’s Church and all 9:30-10:30 children’s ministries.

My three kids announced the other day at the dinner table: “WE have decided this will be our first Christmas in Florida. Last year did not count because mom was not here!”

I was tempted for a moment to feel like the football player dad that is watching his son on a big game day. We have all seen when the camera moves to the player after a big play, they smile and wave shouting out, “Hi mom!” with no mention of dad. I really do understand my kid’s feelings about this Christmas so I know I am not the dad in the recliner.

It has made me pause and think as we come up on Christmas about how we can take things for granted. The nativity story—so well known—never changes and is a staple for the month of December, just as Christmas trees, lights, presents, kids programs and so many other

things that remind us all of the season. Yet for us, last year was very different without “mom” being there to celebrate. This year will be different with mom being here to celebrate. Sometimes we take for granted the people who are around us until they are not there. The kids feel blessed to have mom with us this Christmas. So it’s our first Christmas in Florida (kind of)!

As we move into the Christmas season don’t take the nativity story for granted. Don’t take Jesus for granted. It is an easy thing to do as Jesus and the story of His birth have just always been there, right!? My encouragement to you is to take out the story and dust it off. Look at it anew. Don’t take it for granted, for it is a true miracle of love as God became flesh and lived among us.

Merry Christmas everyone! God bless! —Pastor Andy

Talks with Luther Vol. 17 Luther the Dachshund seems to love

Thanksgiving and Christmas. He actually

loves it when the whole family gets together

for celebra�on. Is it the wonderful meals that

go with these special occasions? Is it the fact that

everyone is together and having a great �me?

Luther isn’t saying but he just seems to be happy.

Li#le Luther is kind of an inspira�on in a way. Here is a

li#le dog that we found at the pound and apparently had a

rough �me of things. There are scars on his face to indicate

that. We are pre#y sure he was just a li#le street guy, but

he seems to be so apprecia�ve of having a home to live in, a

bed to sleep in and people to love him that he reminds me

to be thankful also.

Mar�n Luther made a very important point about

being thankful. He said that giving thanks is the greatest

service to God, referring to the first verse of Psalm 118,

which was one of Luther’s favorite Psalms. It reads, “Give

thanks to the Lord for He is good; His Love endures forever.”

Luther con�nues, “This verse teaches us what the

proper sacrifice is that pleases God most; for we cannot

perform any greater or be#er work for God, nor can we

render Him a nobler service than thanking Him. We cannot

give God anything; for everything is already His, and all we

have comes from Him. We can only give Him praise, thanks,

and honor.”

So as we gather with our family and friends for the

holidays, be thankful first and foremost to God for His love,

His caring and most of all, His only Son Jesus Christ, who

died for us that we would have life eternal in Him. Know

that the greatest thing you can do for God is to just simply

thank Him for all you have and all you are.

My prayer for everyone is that through Jesus Christ,

you are blessed throughout the holiday season and the New

Year to come, and that you give thanks to God the

Father for all you have received. It truly is the one thing we

can give back to God.

May the peace of God the Father bless you and keep

you today and every day!

—Chaplain Peter and Luther

This year’s mid-week Advent services begin on December 6th at 6:30pm. The services will be put together by the SPLS children and will focus on the following:

December 6: Middle school will present a walkthrough of

a few Old Testament events that find ultimate meaning and fulfillment in Jesus. It might help us to understand this as an ultrasound. An ultrasound is a way to look into the womb and see the baby that is growing there. As we look at these Old Testament ultrasounds it will help us see into the womb of the Old Testament where we get to see Jesus in such a profound way.

December 13: 1st-5th Grade children will lead our service.

They will be using a variety of readings from Matthew and Luke, all brought together to tell the story of how the Holy Spirit was working through a number of people before Jesus’ birth. You will be reminded of the stories of Zachariah, Elizabeth, Mary and Joseph as their lives were changed as the birth of Jesus came closer and closer to the stable and the angels proclaimed the birth of the Savior.

December 20: Pre-K and Kindergarten children will

present our last midweek service. They have the opportunity to share the birth of Jesus with us. That most holy night of Jesus’ birth will be the topic for these beloved children of God to present, as only they can in all their innocence and simplicity, that story from 2,000+ years ago.

So please join us on all these evenings to prepare your heart with song, the Word of God and the excitement of all these children who look forward to sharing Jesus with you! Advent offerings will go to the St. Paul Food Ministry to Polk County & the Guatemala Clean Water Project.

The first weekend of November is not just all about Daylight Savings, it is also the time of year that our Middle School Youth from around our District gather together for fun, fellowship and worship. St. Paul sent 15 people to attend this year: 12 middle school youth, one high school student and two adults. There were over 550 participants! The weekend was filled with times of worship and hearing God’s Word which focused on Luke 24—Jesus’ death and resurrection and appearing to the disciples. Events like these make an eternal impact in the lives of those who attend. We know that most people make a decision to follow Jesus by age 12—that is a middle school student. Thank you for supporting the Youth Ministry. Our Youth Ministry budget helps cover some of the registration cost of those that attend.

Men’s Retreat February 23-25, 2017

Luther Springs Retreat Center (Hawthorne, FL)

Marty’s Men and St. Paul Lutheran invite men, ages 16 and up, to a week-end retreat. Rev. Roosevelt Gray is our guest speaker. Here’s your chance to

get away for a weekend at a place where men can be men and

Christian brotherhood abounds. More info and registration coming

Contact Joe Glossick, 863-608-0799 / glossick@yahoo.com.

SPLS Recommended for Advanc-ED and NLSA Accreditation

St. Paul Lutheran School’s PK-8th grade program has been recommended for national accreditation by the Advanc-ED External Review Team which visited our campus for three days last month. This is a dual accreditation. We are recommended for a renewal of accreditation by Advanc-ED (formerly SACS), because we met all their standards. Then we met additional standards specific to Lutheran schools and therefore anticipate receiving a renewal of our National Lutheran School Accreditation (NLSA). Both accrediting agencies require approval by their respective national boards before accreditation is final. This could take until August of 2018. The accreditations are for a five year period.

SPLS has been accredited for a long time by NLSA, primarily using this process designed specifically for Lutheran schools. We also have been accredited by Advanc-ED (SACS) through a mutual agreement between the agencies.

In assessing the learning environment at SPLS, we exceeded national averages on 6 out of 7 areas. The only area we did not score as well in was digital learning, which means students being observed ac-tually using technology to produce a product. While we continue to grow in this area, we still believe in expecting students to be proficient using some more traditional means for producing work (like paper and pencil). Therefore, this score was not unexpected or necessarily disappointing.

In assessing SPLS in terms of the standards, we exceeded national averages in our overall score and in two of the three sub-categories: Teaching and Learning Impact and Resource Utilization.

According to the External Review Team, our scores compare well with other Lutheran schools nation-wide. This is especially gratifying since, as they stated, only the “Cream of the Crop” Lutheran schools even attempt the rigors of the Advance-ED process.

We want to show our appreciation for those who contributed to this process: • The Accreditation Steering Committee led by Mrs. Lynn Andersen. • The teachers and parents who completed the rigorous Self-Assessment components. • Parents, students, and staff who completed various surveys. • The Board of Christian Day School which supported and monitored the process. • The parents, students, and staff who were interviewed by the External Review Team.

We also want to thank God for giving us the opportunity to do well now and to continuously strive to serve His people better and better while daily sharing the love of God in Jesus Christ.

—Robert C. Boyd, SPLS Principal

SPLS MUSIC NEWS About 80% of our 5th - 8th grade students participate in one or more music classes/activities. These include, both Symphonic and Beginner Bands, Middle School Chorus, Ringing Eagles hand bells, Jazz Band, and Praise Band. This is an impressive participa-tion rate. All members of SPLS bands attended Band Day at Florida Southern College on Friday, Nov. 3. What a blessing to have the chance to partici-pate and to have a school bus which can transport this whole crew safely. The Middle School Chorus blessed God and the worshippers at our St. Paul Lutheran Reformation Service last month. These kids sing beautifully. Thanks, also, to faculty members Mr. Daniel Bates (trumpet) and Mrs. Katie Sherman (piano) for enhancing worship through their gifts.

Family Focus Weekend Do you ever ask yourself if you will

have enough �me to impart to your

children all of the things that are truly

meaningful to you? How is that even

possible in a world where our children’s lives are

increasingly crowded? If you feel like God might be tugging on your heart to spend some

�me searching for a focused path for your family, please consider joining us for our first

ever Family Focus Workshop. Space will be limited due to the personal a#en�on of this

workshop.

Session One: Saturday, January 27 from 9-12pm

• Iden�fy a mission statement for their family

• Iden�fy your core values

• Lunch will be served

Session Two: Saturday, January 27 from 1-4:30pm

• Iden�fy goals for your children; spiritual as well as secular

Session Three: Sunday, January 28—1 hour personal mee1ngs

• A personal one hour, one on one mee�ng scheduled throughout the day

with one of our church leaders.

• A �me for ques�ons and reflec�on.

THE FIRST 20 FAMILIES TO REGISTER WILL BE ABLE TO TAKE PART IN THIS UNIQUE

EXPERIENCE. PLEASE CONTACT Becky Howell at BHowell@stpaullakeland.org or call the

church office at (863) 644-7710.

Seaside Escape:

Women’s Retreat April 20-22, 2018

More information coming in January.

Connecting at St. Paul . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . December 2017

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 6-9pm MS Youth

2 8am Fall Volleyball

Tournament

3 8:30 WORSHIP -C 9:30 Hmong Bible Study 9:45-10:45 CG & CM 10:45 Hmong Worship

ten47 WORSHIP -C

5-7pm HS Youth

4 6:15 Sister in Study

6:30 Knitters

5 9am Heritage 10:30 Prayer Group

6:30 Trustees

6 8:25 CHAPEL PK-8 9:45 CHAPEL ECEC 5pm Bells of Joy 6:30 ADVENT WORSHIP led by MS 6:30 AL-ANON 7:30 Choir

7 7:15am Men's Group 12pm Ladies Share 5:30 CancerCare 7pm Lakeland Christmas Parade

8

7pm MS Dance

9 9am Christmas Cookie

Bake

2-4pm Eggroll Pickup

10 8:30 WORSHIP - C 9:30 Hmong Bible Study

9:30 Bake Sale 9:45-10:45 CG & CM 10:45 Hmong Worship

ten47 WORSHIP - C

5-7pm HS Youth

11

12 9am Heritage 10am Prayer Group

11:30 Lunch Bunch @ Reececliff Diner

6:30 Lay Ministers

13 8:25 CHAPEL PK-8 9:45 CHAPEL ECEC 5pm Bells of Joy 6:30 AL-ANON 6:30 ADVENT

WORSHIP led by Elementary

7:30 Choir

14 7:15am Men's Group 6:30 Men’s Bible Study 6:30 Katie’s Ladies 7pm Marty’s Men 7pm WINTER EXTRAVAGANZA

15 9am Xmas Card Sort 6-9pm MS Youth

16

17 8:30 WORSHIP -C 9:30 Hmong Bible Study 9:45-10:45 CG & CM 10:45 Hmong Worship

ten47 WORSHIP -C

5-7pm HS Youth

18 6:30 Knitters

19 9am Heritage 10:30 Prayer Group 6:30 School Board

20 8:25 CHAPEL PK-8 9:45 CHAPEL ECEC 5pm Bells of Joy 6:30 AL-ANON 6:30 ADVENT WORSHIP led by PK 7:30 Choir

21 7:15am Men's Group 11:30 SPLS dismissal

12pm Ladies Share 6:30 Men’s Bible Study

22 NO SCHOOL

ECEC & KID’s CLUB OPEN

23

24 (NO morning services)

9:30 Hmong Bible Study 10:45 Hmong Worship

CHRISTMAS EVE CANDLELIGHT WORSHIP

4PM, 6PM, 8PM

25 MERRY CHRISTMAS

(NO service)

CLOSED

26

CLOSED .

27 NO SCHOOL

ECEC & KID’s CLUB OPEN

6:30 AL-ANON

28 NO SCHOOL

ECEC & KID’s CLUB OPEN

29 NO SCHOOL

ECEC & KID’s CLUB OPEN

30 4pm Consecration of

Deaconess Rayanne Woodruff

31 8:30 WORSHIP -C 9:30 Hmong Bible Study 9:45-10:45 CG 10:45 Hmong Worship

ten47 WORSHIP -C

(NO evening service)

January 1

CLOSED

January 2 NO SCHOOL

ECEC & KID’s CLUB OPEN

8am Chess Camp 6:30 Trustees

January 3 NO SCHOOL

ECEC & KID’s CLUB OPEN

8am Chess Camp

January 4 Teachers and students return

7:15am Men's Group 12pm Ladies Share 5:30 CancerCare 6pm Church Properties

JANUARY Newsletter articles due.

EGGROLL SALE Saturday, December 9

Order forms are available at the Welcome Center.

WINTER EXTRAVAGANZA Thursday, December 14th

at 7:00pm Don’t miss this special night of

performances by our St. Paul

Beginning Band, Advanced Band,

Chorus, Drama and Ringing

Eagles. What a great way to bring

in the Holidays!

Come support our talented students.

BAKE SALE—Our Katie’s Ladies will have a Bake Sale in the church

lobby between services on December 10th. Plan to stock up on some fresh baked goodies for the holidays!

FPU CLASS COMING Our next Financial Peace University

class will begin Monday, January 22 - March 19, 2018.

Contact Debby in the office to sign up, 863-644-7710 /

derdmann@stpaullakeland.org.

NON-PROFIT

ORGANIZATION

US POSTAGE

PAID

LAKELAND, FL

PERMIT NO. 85 4450 Harden Boulevard, Lakeland, FL 33813

Advent Wednesday Worship @ 6:30PM December 06 ~ led by SPLS Middle School Students

December 13 ~ led by SPLS Elementary Students

December 20 ~ led by SPLS Pre-K and Kindergarten classes Advent offerings will go to the St. Paul Food Ministry to Polk County & the Guatemala Clean Water Project.

Christmas Eve Services Sunday, December 24 – 4:00 PM, 6:00 PM & 8:00 PM

(Communion @ 8pm only) (No Morning Services)

Christmas Day————NO SERVICE

New Year’s Eve Sunday, December 31 – 8:30 AM & ten47 AM

NO EVENING SERVICE