the cornerstone - st. paul's lutheran church · 2019. 7. 3. · page 2 cornerstone — april...

The Cornerstone

St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church—Summer 2019

Cornerstone — April and May 2019

St. Paul’s Lutheran Church

From the Pastor and Parish News Page 3—4

Ladies Guild Page 5

Lutherans for Life Page 6

Presentation of The Augsburg Confession Page 7


Parish News

From the Pastor 6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiv-ing. Colossians 2: 6-7 The picture above shows only a portion of the roots of that tree. Yet, even though we can only see a few of them, the visible roots indicate that the tree has a large and power-ful root system. Such a root system sustains the tree during times of drought and sup-ports the tree during storms. This month’s Cornerstone features pictures of our confirmation class. Confirmation Sunday is more than just another gradua-tion day of the season. It is, in a similar way, an indication of the roots system that the young people have been cultivating in their spiritual life. Their roots are in the Word of

God. There they have the nourishing voice of Jesus to grant them growth in faith and the support of the Holy Spirit to keep them strong in the storms of life. Together with parents, family, and congregation we have been working together in this effort. Developing a strong root system in God’s Word is something that is important for all believers. During the summer season we of-ten travel or spend time away on vacations. These times provide great opportunities to visit other congregations, see what God is doing in other communities through His gifts, and continue to hear the Words of Je-sus. If you would like to visit another LC-MS church while on vacation, planning helps. You can locate other congregations before you leave home by visiting www.LCMS.org At the top of the page you will find a tab for locating a congregation. You can often find links to church websites, information on service times, and other helpful infor-mation. If you plan to commune, please re-member to arrive early enough to introduce yourself to the pastor and inquire about communion. If you would like to bring a bulletin back to St. Paul’s with you, please drop it off for me in the church office! Pastor Dan


Associate Pastor Call Process On Sunday, June 3, 2019 we called Pastor Sean Willman of Pleasant Prairie WI to serve as our new associate pastor. We were very thankful for the good work of the call committee in helping us to understand the candidates better and to come to a unified conclusion to the meeting and a happy ex-tension of the call to Pastor Willman. On Monday, June 10th and Tuesday, June 11th, Pastor Willman and his family visited Hillsdale. We held a reception for the Will-man family to meet them and to share in hymns and prayer for both congregations. During his visit, Pastor Willman, his wife Anna, and their children (Tula, Rudy, Max-ine and Laurel) toured our facility, the par-sonage, SPARC and various sites in Hills-

dale, including Hillsdale college. Pastor Willman, Pastor Johnson, the Board of El-ders and various members had good oppor-tunity to visit about ministry in Hillsdale and the many opportunities for the Gospel in this area. Pastor Willman will now continue in prayer on the call to Hilldale for the month of June. By the end of the month we can expect a de-cision. In the mean time, please keep the Willman family, our Church and Good Shepherd in Pleasant Prairie, WI in your prayers. Summer Ministry Plans

What are you planning to do this summer? With spiritual growth in mind, we have many opportunities in the warmer months. Some of these include:

Children’s Ministry: Vacation Bible School is scheduled for June 18-20 from 9:30 –11:30 AM. By the time you read this note, VBS will have been held and the bless-ings of God’s Word will be in our hearts!

Adult Educational Series: A health class Bible Study and Resource class is being offered during the education hour during the month of June. Please check the Epistle for information.

St. Paul’s Men’s Lutheran Confession Group plans to donate copies of the Book of Concord to the Church Library later this month. We thank this group from our church, other Lutheran congrega-tions and our community for this act of Christian love.


Ladies Guild is getting ready for our busy season.

We just concluded our third annual Arts and

Crafts Festival in conjunction with the St Paul’s

quilters with over 30 tables of vendors. Income

generated for projects, charities, and missions net-

ted about $1000 after expenses for advertising and

food. Vendors appeared to be very satisfied overall

with some requesting we host an event in the fall.

One item we are considering for the church is an

ice maker. This would make life easier for those

getting ready for dinners, etc – especially Mary

who does most of the shopping. We are looking at

models which would be plumbed in (plumbing was

put in place for one when we built the church) and

which would have relatively low maintenance re-

quirements.

Of course the big event coming up is the annual

rummage sale which will take place the first week

in August. But planning and preparations are al-

ready underway. We will be setting up the gym on

Friday, June 28, starting at 9:00 am. We can al-

ways use help for this job!!! Then we will begin ac-

cepting items for the sale starting Sunday June 30

after church services. So if you’ve been doing

spring cleaning – or need to do it – (at my house

that’s a 12 month per year job!) - remember this is

the place to bring those unwanted items. Someone

will want/need many of those items that don’t fit

your lifestyle anymore.

From July 1st on, we will be at the church accepting

items Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings 9

-12. We have a great time, and always have a re-

freshment break to relax and enjoy each other’s

company. We will also accept items on Tuesday

and Thursday evenings from 6-8. Some jobs dur-

ing these hours are active, setting areas up, getting

items to the right area, etc but some such as sizing

and hanging clothes can be more sedentary so eve-

ryone is able to help out.

Another project that Ladies Guild recently decided

to take on is an ingathering of items for Domestic

Harmony, our local agency dealing with survivors

of domestic abuse. Since many of these people are

housed temporarily at the shelter house, they can

use all the things we do at home – cleaning sup-

plies, food, personal grooming supplies. Then, do-

mestic harmony also tries to help families to move

out on their own by giving them an initial supply

of similar items and even linens. Many who come

to the shelter for help do not have a good support

group so they look to the community for help with

these things. We will have a cart in the Narthex to

accept any donations you might be able to make to

this worthwhile cause. As the cart is filled, a guild

member will take the items to the shelter. A list of

items needed will be posted on the guild bulletin

board (directly across from the coffee nook) for

your reference. Nancy Silbernagel, our secretary,

will also post our monthly minutes on the board

for your perusal.

Come join us anytime: we enjoy devotions, speak-

ers, and fellowship with our sisters in Christ. All

are welcome!!! Jane Munson

Ladies Guild


June 2 “Instead of dreaming of what your spouse will do for you, you should ask yourself, are you willing to serve him or her sacrificially? To para-phrase John F. Kennedy: Ask not what your spouse can do for you, rather ask what you can do for your spouse.” Pastor Ricky Jacob, Jesus Our Savior Lu-theran Church and Preschool, Winnebago – A Life Quote from Lutherans For Life • www.lutheransforlife.org

June 9 “God’s Word resonates loudly the truth that EVERY life is a human being; SOMEONE cre-ated by GOD; redeemed by the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ; and called into a relationship with God by the Holy Spirit. As Gospel-motivated voices for life, we MUST do our research, measure it against God’s plumb line, and speak up to expose the lies and proclaim the truth—God’s VOICE of TRUTH!” Lynette Auch, president of Lu-therans For Life – A Life Quote from Lu-therans For Life • www.lutheransforlife.org

June 16 “The good things that fathers do for their children and give to their chil-dren are blessings from God, for fathers and mothers are God’s representatives to their children. As disciplinarians, they are representa-tives of His holiness. As providers, they are repre-sentatives of His goodness and generosity. As teachers of the Gospel, they are representatives of His grace. And as representatives not only do they act toward their children on God’s behalf, they also demonstrate to them who their God is and what He is like, for it is His blessings that they bring to their children.” From the “Lutheran Spokesman” – A Life Quote from Lutherans For Life • www.lutheransforlife.org

June 23 “People with Alzheimer’s or dementia of-ten tragically lose their short-term memory while the long-term memory continues. They may go back to the memories of the good old days. Those memories can bring peace and happiness. When the Holy Spirit, your perfect memory aid, reminds

and re-teaches you everything about Jesus, He re-moves the bad memories of sin and punishment and fear. He replaces them with joy, confidence, hope, and forgiveness in Jesus. That results in a peace that goes beyond understanding and beyond this life.” Rev. Peter Sulzle, St. John Evangelical Lu-theran Church, Redwood Falls, Minnesota – A Life Quote from Lutherans For Life • www.lutheransforlife.org

June 30 “No matter how unpredictable and out of control your life feels, Jesus is reigning, and He will continue to reign until the final enemy is under his feet (1 Corinthians 15:25). That doesn’t mean you will avoid the groaning of life in a broken world (Romans 8:22), but it does mean there’s nothing

that can separate you from the loving and protecting hand of God.” Paul David Tripp, pastor, author, and conference speaker – A Life Quote from Lutherans For Life • www.lutheransforlife.org

July 7 “Father, You are the Author of life, and we thank You for the gift that it is. Forgive us when we devalue it in any way. Heal our land from the scourge of legalized abortion and turn our hearts

back to profound respect for all life. In Jesus’s name. Amen.” Duane Matz, former lay pastor with the Association of Free Lutheran Congregations (AFLC) and Christian radio announcer – A Life Quote from Lutherans For Life • www.lutheransforlife.org

July 14 “‘Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you,’ says God. Each life, before even coming into existence, God has cast His gaze upon, delighting in having us hear His voice and that we would be led home to Him.” Rev. Perry Hart, guest speaker on “The Lutheran Hour” – A Life Quote from Lu-therans For Life • www.lutheransforlife.org

Lutherans For Life


Presentation of the Augsburg Confession

Lutherans are fond of recalling the bold stand taken by Martin Luther in the city of Worms on April 18, 1521. There, asked before the emperor to retract his writings and repent of his teaching, Luther defiantly answered, “I can-not and will not recant” (and, perhaps, “Here I stand. I can do no other”). Less well remembered, but arguably more consequential, is the equally bold stand before the emperor made nine years later—this time by prominent Lutheran laity. In the city of Augsburg, on June 25, 1530, what was to become the chief confession of the Lutheran churches was publicly presented for the first time.

The two-hour public reading of a formal theological document might not seem quite so exciting or courageous as a lone monk defying the emperor (indeed, the emperor himself is reported to have fallen asleep during the reading); but those present well understood the important—and dangerous—connection between the two events. As a result of Luther’s 1521 refusal to renounce his teachings, Emperor Charles V pronounced a sentence of death not only upon him, but also upon any who would aid and protect him. But aid and protection is precisely what many German princ-es did provide Luther and his followers in the intervening years, with the result that much of Germany had become Lutheran within the decade. Aghast at Lutheranism’s rapid gains, the emperor had repeatedly threatened military invasion, only to be distracted by more immediately pressing conflicts elsewhere.

By 1530, though, relative peace allowed Charles finally to turn his attention back to the Lutheran “problem.” Sum-moning the imperial authorities to Augsburg, he demanded that the Lutheran princes explain the religious policy of their territories. Unable to deny that their own protection and promotion of Lutheranism clearly defied the policy pronounced by the emperor in 1521, the princes never the less answered the summons to Augsburg. There they would take their stand.

Literally. When the ambassador speaking in behalf of the pope rose to address the empire’s representatives, the Lu-theran princes conspicuously remained standing while others kneeled. Not that they were entirely opposed to kneel-ing. When on the same day the emperor attempted to prohibit any Lutheran preaching in the city, George of Bran-denburg helpfully explained that, “Before I let anyone take from me the word of God and ask me to deny my God, I will kneel and let them strike off my head.”

Such princes clearly understood what they risked. When Philip Melanchthon, the primary drafter of the Augsburg Confession, pointedly explained the likely consequences of their willingness to defend it, his own Saxon ruler John—rightly remembered as “the Steadfast”—replied that he would do what was right rather than what was safe. It was his chancellor who—over the protests of the emperor—publicly read the Confession to the assembled represent-atives on June 25. Another of his chancellors then presented the emperor with copies in both German and Latin, re-marking as he did so that “this is a Confession that will prevail even against the gates of hell.”

Though potentially obscured by the high drama of imperial politics, the reference to the “gates of hell” offers a sub-tle reminder of the pastoral considerations by which the Lutheran princes were guided. These were made even more evident the following day, when a papal delegate cornered Melanchthon to insist that the Augsburg Confession be retracted and that the Lutherans submit to pope and emperor. Dismissing the bodily dangers the princes would face if refusing to recant, Melanchthon alluded to the spiritual dangers their subjects would face if the Confession were disavowed. Referring to the many souls under the care of Lutheran clergy, he professed, “We will toil and fight and die, if God so wills, rather than betray them.”

Much toil, fighting, and even death did indeed follow in subsequent years, as emperor and pope made good on their threats of war. Through it all, however, those in the care of Lutheran clergy and princes alike were not betrayed. Neither emperors, nor—even 489 years later—the gates of hell have prevailed against the confession of faith pre-sented at Augsburg in 1530. While we thus remain grateful, we can hardly be surprised, for as that Confession itself emphasizes, it contains “nothing that varies from the Scriptures, or from the Church universal.”

This being the case, it continues to merit reading and contemplation by the faithful, especially those heads of house-hold to whom the spiritual care of the family has first been entrusted. As we remember the Presentation of the Augs-burg Confession this June 25, therefore, do be encouraged to join the men of St. Paul’s on the first Saturday of each month, as they continue their reading and discussion of this Confession. (And they’ll do their best to prevent you from falling asleep.)

—Korey Maas

St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church Hillsdale, Michigan

Celebrating the Goodness of God Father + Son + Holy Spirit

Home, Church, and Community

Sunday Divine Services 8:00 and 10:30 A.M.

6:00 P.M.

Sunday Morning Bible Study & Sunday School - 9:15 AM For other events please check the church calendar

or call the church office (517) 437-2762

the cornerstone - st. paul's lutheran church · 2019. 7. 3. · page 2 cornerstone — april...

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