KEEP IT REAL! BRING IT HOME!

ST. PAUL’S EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN

CHURCH OF STEINBACH INC. MEMBER OF THE EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH IN CANADA

Sunday, September 10, 2017Sunday, September 10, 2017Sunday, September 10, 2017Sunday, September 10, 2017

Welcome to Our Contemporary Worship ServiceWelcome to Our Contemporary Worship ServiceWelcome to Our Contemporary Worship ServiceWelcome to Our Contemporary Worship Service

465 Henry Street, Steinbach MB R5G 0H1 204-326-3758 Fax 204-326-2548

email: office@stpaulsteinbach.org www.stpaulsteinbach.org

THE NUMBERS

ATTENDANCE: September 3 - 126

OFFERING: September 3 - $8,383.00 Operating expense budget 2017 is $12,000 per week, not including anticipated mortgage costs of $3,500 per week.

OUR MISSION

God’s purpose for St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church is: Accepting all people through God’s grace,

sharing our faith in Christ, and making disciples.

Lead Pastor: Rev. Terry Gudmundson 204-380-3293

Associate Pastor: Rev. Melissa Frankland 204-293-7930

DID YOU KNOW? A common question that is

asked between church-

goers is, “does your church

use liturgy?” or “why does

your church use liturgy?”

The word “liturgy” is often misunderstood, and as

a result, questions like these are asked.

“Liturgy” can be defined as a pattern of worship

that is followed and can be either written or

unwritten. Liturgy is not Lutheran or Anglican or

Roman Catholic, or specific to any particular

denomination. The reformation Lutherans adopted

some of what the Roman Catholic Church at the

time were using in terms of liturgy, with the knowl-

edge that it wasn’t a Roman Catholic invention.

Liturgy, in some form, was already happening in

the days of the early church: Acts 2: 42 – “They

devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and

fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the

prayers.” Acts 20:7 – “On the first day of the week

we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to

them…..”

Every single church that has ever existed and every

single church today uses liturgy whether they are

aware of it or not. Every church follows a pattern

of worship during their services. They gather, they

pray, they read from the Bible, they sing praises to

God, they Baptize, they gather around the Lord’s

table, etc.

Each of these parts of liturgy have scriptural refer-

ences that date back to the earliest days of the

church. All of these parts of worship connect us to

Christ, and when we participate in them, we are

participating in him.

If you didn’t already know…..now you do!

WORSHIP NOTES

Children in Worship: We welcome and encourage children to share in worship. Even very young children see faith in action as we pray and sing and commune together. Children’s lessons are available at both entrances, or by checking with any of the ushers.

Hearing Assistance: Devices are available at the sound booth.

Cell phones and pagers should be turned to silent.

Washrooms: located in the narthex and Education Wing, upstairs and down.

Elevator: located next to the church office.

HOLY COMMUNION

God feeds and renews us with the presence of Jesus Christ. In Christ’s body and blood given to us, God for-gives us and nourishes us for mission. In response to the Lord’s invitation I come - confessing my sin, trusting that the Lord is truly present, believing that to receive Him is to receive forgiveness - to partake of the Lord’s Supper. People of all ages and faith communities are welcome.

Holy Communion is served in a continuous format unless announced otherwise. Participants are asked to fill out a registration card, available in the pews or at both entrances, and place them in the baskets at the entrances, or in the offering plates.

Ushers will direct you toward the aisle to come forward to the serving stations. If you desire to commune, extend your hand to the server who will place a wafer in your hand. If you prefer a gluten-free wafer, simply say “gluten-free” to the server. Wine is served from the chalice or individual cups; white grape juice is served from individual cups.

Come and hold in your hand and taste on your lips the love we cannot comprehend.

THIS WEEK’S CALENDAR

MONDAY 7:00 LUTHER MOVIE NIGHT Tuesday 10:00 Moms & Tots 7:00 Church Council meeting Wednesday 6:30 am Men’s Fellowship 6:00 Pioneer Girls Wiener Roast & Registration @ St. Paul’s 7:00 Scouts 7:00 Reformation Choir Practice Sunday 9:15 Confirmation 9:25 Traditional Service with Communion; Sunday School Teacher/Confirmation Guide Installation; Blessing of Backpacks; Sunday School 10:45 Confirmation Parent Meeting 11:05 Contemporary Service with Communion; Blessing of Backpacks

LOOKING AHEAD:

• Wednesday, Sept. 20, 7:00 pm, Together in Christ, Joint Lutheran-Catholic Session @ St. Paul’s

• Thursday, Sept. 21, 5:30 pm, Church Community Supper

• Thursday, Sept. 21, 7:00 pm, All Youth start-up bonfire @ church

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 11

7:00 PM @ ST. PAUL’S featuring

The Life of

MARTIN LUTHER All ages welcome!

* popcorn

* drinks

* coffee

PRAYER REMINDERS In your prayers this week, please remember Bob Angell, Jac Doerksen, Katarina Grienke, Kathy Doerksen, Chris Funk, Laura Heckert, Tina

Heckert, Wanda Hoehn, Marlene Klassen, Evelyn (Art) Krentz, Lena Krentz, Emma Kuehn, Henrietta Reimer, Helmuth Renz, Henry Schalla, Joan Schultz and Elsie Schilke.

REGULAR SERVICES RESUME We will return to regular worship schedules beginning next Sunday, September 17: 9:25 am traditional; 11:05 am contemporary. Confirmation (Head to Heart) begins at 9:15 am, and Sunday School at 9:25 am. Holy Commun-ion will be offered in the Continuous Format at both ser-vices.

CALLING ALL MOMS Moms of all ages are invited to attend the Moms and Tots gathering on Tuesday mornings, 10:00 am starting Sep-tember 12. You have a chance to chat with other moms and enjoy a cup of coffee and snacks while your children play. For more details contact Mandy Friesen, 204-326-5658, email mandyj@hotmail.com.

MORE SINGERS WANTED

The St. Paul's Reformation Choir is still looking for singers! Rehearsals take place on Wednes-day evenings at 7:00 pm for September and October. If you were unable to be at the first rehearsal, be assured that you are still wel-

come. There will be three performances during this Refor-mation celebration. We especially need male voices, so if you are interested in joining us, please contact Crystal Lawrance at lawrances@yahoo.com. Singers from tradi-tional and contemporary services are welcome. We look forward to sharing the good news of Reformation through song.

CHURCH COMMUNITY SUPPER COMING UP A Church Community Supper will be held on Thursday, Sept. 21, 5:30 pm. If you usually eat alone and would like to enjoy a delicious meal and fellowship with others, come on out. If this is your first time or if you have not been called to reserve a spot, please contact the church office, 204-326-3758.

URGENT NEED We are still needing Confirmation Guides for this year. Guides are prayerful congregation members who spend time with their small group discussing the topics that have been presented by the Large Group Leader. We recom-mend male guides for the boys and female guides for the girls. The small groups allow for thoughtful discussion of the topic of the week. We require: Grade 7 Boys - 2 Grade 7 Girls - 1 Grade 8 Girls - 2 Grade 8 Boys - 2 Grade 9 Boys - 1 JUST ARRIVED: Eternity for Today, Portals of Prayer and Christ in Our Home (large print) devotion books for October-December. Pick up a copy at the information centre in the narthex or at the side entrance.

TOGETHER IN CHRIST Catholics, Lutherans and other interested Christians are cordially invited to take part in Ecumenical Study Sessions to commemorate the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation.

These Sessions touch on some of the events and theo-logical questions surrounding the Reformation and advancements in reconciliation which have occurred over the past 50 years. Two of these sessions will take place locally, the first one at St. Paul’s on Wednesday, Sept. 20, 7:00 pm, and the second at St. Joachim Roman Catholic Parish in La Broquerie on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 7:00 pm.

PIONEER GIRLS REGISTRATION Pioneer Girls will have their registration night and wiener roast on Wednesday, Sept. 13, 6:30 pm, here at church. If any of the girls have friends they think might be interested in coming, please invite them to come and check us out. For details contact Gerry Funk, 204-355-4202, email gsfunk@hotmail.com.

COME AND LEARN Parables were common in Jesus’ day. When Jesus used parables to teach, he used them to teach about the king-dom, the character of God’s love, and the character of our own faithfulness. Come and learn more as we take a look at eight different stories, as told by Jesus in the Gospels. These studies take place Thursday evenings in the church board room beginning September 21, 7:30 pm. All are welcome. For more details contact Linda James, 204-326-9929.

CONGREGATIONAL MEETING Please mark your calendar today for the upcoming semi-annual congregational meeting on Sunday, Sept. 24, 7:00 pm. Watch for further details to see what’s on the agenda!

OUTREACH OPPORTUNITY St. Paul’s will be leading the service at Woodhaven on Sunday, Oct. 1. We will need people to help with singing, readings, and so on. If you can help and want to be part of this vital community ministry, please contact Susan Nickel, 204-371-4895. Participants should meet at Wood-haven at 9:15 am. Thank you.

WELCOME VISITORS If you are a visitor to our church today, we invite you to sign the guest book. Welcome here. May you be blessed as you worship with us. A time of coffee and fellowship takes place in the Education Wing immediately after the service. Come, and enjoy!

THANK YOU DEPARTMENT

• Thank you to Crossroads Convenience for providing the barbecue lunch today, and to all who helped in any way to make this a special day of welcome for everyone.

• Thank you to all who assisted with the service today.

Gathering Songs

Welcome & Announcements

Song

The Call to Worship

PRAYER OF THE DAY: L. Let us pray together: All. Gracious and merciful God, enliven and preserve

your church with your endless mercy. Without your help we mortals will fail; remove far from us everything that is harmful, and lead us toward restoration and all that life has to offer. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

Children’s Lesson

Prayer of Confession & Forgiveness

Apostles’ Creed

Sharing of the Peace

GOD’S WORD: Reader Justin Gudmundson

FIRST LESSON: Ezekiel 33:7-11

7 So you, mortal, I have made a sentinel for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. 8If I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked ones, you shall surely die’, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from their ways, the wicked shall die in their iniquity, but their blood I will require at your hand. 9But if you warn the wicked to turn from their ways, and they do not turn from their ways, the wicked shall die in their iniquity, but you will have saved your life. 10 Now you, mortal, say to the house of Israel, Thus you have said: ‘Our transgressions and our sins weigh upon us, and we waste away because of them; how then can we live?’ 11Say to them, As I live, says the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from their ways and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways; for why will you die, O house of Israel? RESPONSIVE READING: Psalm 119:33-40 (congregation reads bold parts)

L. 33 Teach me, O LORD, the way of your statutes, and I will observe it to the end. C.

34 Give me understanding, that I may keep your law

and observe it with my whole heart. L. 35 Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it. C.

36 Turn my heart to your decrees,

and not to selfish gain. L. 37 Turn my eyes from looking at vanities; give me life in your ways. C.

38 Confirm to your servant your promise,

which is for those who fear you.

L. 39 Turn away the disgrace that I dread, for your ordinances are good. C.

40 See, I have longed for your precepts;

in your righteousness give me life.

SECOND LESSON: Romans 13:8-14

8 Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9The com-mandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet’; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ 10Love does no wrong to a neighbour; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law. 11 Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; 12the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armour of light; 13let us live honourably as in the day, not in revelling and drunk-enness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarrelling and jealousy. 14Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

HOLY GOSPEL: Matthew 18:15-20

15 ‘If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. 16But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be con-firmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax-collector. 18Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.’

Message

Song

Prayers of the People

Offering

Offering Song

Prayer of Blessing

The Table

Words of Institution

Lord’s Prayer

Communion

Post-Communion Prayer

Closing Song

Benediction

HOLY COMMUNION Holy Communion is offered in the CONTINUOUS FORMAT today. Registration cards are available in the pews and at both entrances. Participants are

asked to fill out a card and place it in the basket provided or in the offering plate. All are welcome at God’s table.

FOURTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

SEPTEMBER 10, 2017

Martin’s Musings “No one can believe how powerful prayer is and what it

can effect, except those who have learned it by experience.

Whenever I have prayed earnestly, I have been heard and

have obtained more than I prayed for. God sometimes

delays, but He always comes.”