April 27, 2015 / by stplc / Make A Comment / Filed under Announcements, Mission Updates, News, Press Releases
Last fall, St. Paul’s celebrated “God’s Work. Our Hands.” Sunday by rolling up their yellow sleeves and digging in to help spruce up Third Street Park. Now we hope to build upon the ministry we have begun, and look for more ways to share the love of Jesus Christ with our neighbors. Leading up to this year’s return to Third Street park, we are looking for more ways to listen, care, go, and connect to God’s mission in this neighborhood. But it can only happen if people commit to being involved! Everyone is encouraged to break out their yellow shirts and participate in the following events:
Operation Spring Clean-up
Tuesday, May 5 from 5p-8p
What is it? A city-wide campaign to clean up the city
What should I expect? The city will be providing all the materials needed and a list of work that needs to be done. It will include pulling weeds, picking up trash, and painting the playground equipment.
Why be involved? This is an excellent opportunity to go into the neighborhood, connect with community-minded neighbors, and show that St. Paul’s cares about the well-being of this park and neighborhood.
How can I help? Put on your God’s Work. Our Hands. T-shirt and show up to the park! City park department workers and volunteers will be on hand to direct volunteers. If you don’t feel up to working, you could stop by with some waters and treats for the other volunteers!
Neighborhood Walk
June 24, 5p-7p
What is it? A walk through the neighborhood to invite people to the service & picnic in the park.
What should I expect? We’ll meet at Third Street Park for instructions and prayer. Then participants will be sent out into the neighborhood in pairs or triads to canvass the area.
Why be involved? Caring and helping begins with listening. We will listen to the community through observation and conversation with those who live there, and invite them to connect with St. Paul’s at worship in Third St Park the following Sunday.
How can I help? Help spread the word and encourage people to participate. Volunteers will also be needed to create invitations for worship and help coordinate the walk ahead of time. And then show up wearing yellow! We’ll gather at the park briefly at five, then gather together around 6:30pm for a short debriefing.
Worship & Picnic in 3rd St Park
June 28, 10:30 am, picnic to follow
What is it? Worship outdoors, followed by a picnic.
What should I expect? Service will begin at 10:30 and will follow the liturgy we have traditionally used in our park services, including communion. Afterwards, a picnic will be served.
Why be involved? Worship is central to our being as Christians. Through worship, we show care for and listen for God. Through Word & Sacrament, we are receive God’s care for us and the strength to go into the world, to live and serve God and neighbor.
How can I help? We will need several people to pitch in and provide food. The altar guild will also need help setting up for the service that morning. On the day of the event, show up, be bold, be kind. Engage one another and the community in conversation.
Preparations for God’s Work. Our Hands. Sunday
Early August (date & time to be determined)
What is it? Planning for activities and assigning roles for “God’s Work. Our Hands.” Sunday.
What should I expect? Assessing our work from the previous year, sharing what we have heard or learned over the summer, short time of brainstorming, and planning activities and publicity.
Why be involved? By tending to the work of preparation, we show we care and create ways for others to connect to God’s work. By working together, we learn to listen and connect to each other in faithful and productive ways.
How can I help? If you would like to be part of the planning team, please email the church office.
God’s Work. Our Hands. Sunday
Sunday, Sept 13, 9a-2p
What is it? We will begin with a short morning prayer liturgy and communion. We will then break off into groups and assign the work to be done. Lunch will be provided.
What should I expect? To get dirty! We will begin with a short morning prayer liturgy and communion. We will then break off into groups and assign the work to be done. Lunch will be provided.
Why be involved? We are called by God to go and participate boldly in God’s reconciling work in the world. By caring for creation, we care for God and our neighbors, and connect with one another, the church, and the community through loving acts of service.
How can I help? Plan to attend service and stay to help out. Share the event with others, via Facebook, email and word of mouth. We will also hoping to provide activities after service for the children, and are currently accepting ideas. More specifics about tools, supplies, etc. will be available after the planning meeting.
February 17, 2013 / by stplc / 5 Comments / Filed under Mission Updates, News, Press Releases, Proclaiming, Uncategorized
In commemoration of Holy Week, Art of the Passion provides a way for visitors to reflect more deeply on the passion of God revealed in Christ. This unique exhibit brings together the work of several different artists and is hosted by St. Paul’s Lutheran Church (Frankfort, IN).
The Stations of the Cross was originally developed for those who made pilgrimage to the Holy Land to retrace the steps of Jesus. Particular places in the Holy Land were marked for prayer and meditation on a particular moment of Christ’s passion. This idea was eventually brought to Europe, where monastic communities created a series of images or objects as a way for those who could not travel to the Holy Land to experience walking through the story of Christ’s passion.
Art of the Passion continues in this tradition by inviting a variety of artists to express their own creative interpretations of these stations and bringing those pieces together to form a meditative gallery walk that tells the story of Christ’s journey to the cross.
New artwork is displayed each year and the exhibit is open to the public during the week preceding Easter. Visitors are provided the choice of a written devotional guide (provided in English and Spanish) or an audio recording of the readings and reflections.
The 2013 Art of the Passion will be open March 24th – 30th (exhibit hours listed below) and will feature the following artists:
Linda Witte Henke Mixed Media
Wayne Shedler Leather Work
Ed Selvidge Painting
Stephanie Robertson Fabric
Mirvia Rivera-Eckert Acrylic Painting
Ann Lahr Wood Fired Ceramic
Barbara Kinsler Block Print
Cheryl Kaldahl
Elias Garza Mixed Media/Block Printing
Lauren Ehrman Block Print
Daniel Driggs Acrylic Painting
Bill Dahman Sculpture
Ann Dahman Color Etching on Granite
Dwayne Daehler Photography
Marge Burkholder
You can read more about these artists and follow the event on the Art of the Passion Facebook page!
It is St. Paul’s prayer that the creative expression of these artists will allow you to enter into the experience of Holy Week in a new way and rediscover in greater depth God’s passionate love for you.
Exhibit Hours:
The exhibit will be on display at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Frankfort, Indiana from March 24th through March 30th, 2013 during the following hours:
Sunday 12p – 4p
Mon-Thurs 10a – 2p, 3p – 8p
Good Friday 10a -8p
Holy Saturday 12p -6p
October 4, 2012 / by stplc / Make A Comment / Filed under Mission Updates, News
On June 24, folks from St. Paul’s hit the pavement to intentionally engage the community by walking its streets.
For 12 weeks over the summer, 37 walkers covered more than 147 miles of sidewalks, trails, roads, and alleys, paying close attention to what they saw, heard, and experienced. They were looking specifically for ways at which God is already at work in the world around us.
Sometimes new sidewalks the city provided easy walking, but other times the sidewalks ended or were in disrepair. Many of the neighborhoods contained a variety of single-family and multi-family homes – some needing a little TLC, but many in good condition and under great care.
Near the center of the city, small businesses (a few just opening) were contained in houses amidst residential homes. Of particular interest was the old church building on John & Gentry which has since been converted into a residence.
Walkers didn’t notice or interact much with others for the first few weeks when temperatures reached over 100 degrees. As the heat began to break, children emerged to play on the sidewalks and ride their bikes down side streets followed by people relaxing on their porches and working in their yards.
For those who didn’t feel physically up for a walk (especially given the high heat!), St. Paul’s partnered with the Paul Phillippe Center to provide a way for them to participate. The ride-along gave participants a way to see a lot of the city and surrounding areas, guided by a very knowledgeable driver.
During the campaign, participants came up with a few more creative ways to engage the community. As a way to celebrate the conclusion of the campaign, walkers invited local food industries to join a celebratory meal on Sunday, September 23rd. The lunch featured locally produced & distributed foods from Schoup’s Country Foods, Frito-Lay, Glover’s Ice Cream, Zachary’s Candy, and Margarita’s Pupusería.
Walkers also wanted to find a way to complement our listening with a way to serve the poor. So, on August 5th, St. Paul’s began collecting shoes for the shoe-less. Two large boxes were placed in the narthex outside of the sanctuary and people were asked to search their closet for unused shoes or bring in a pair of new shoes. Slowly, the boxes began to fill up – and then overflow! In total, over 180 pairs of shoes were blessed and sent on their way to be distributed by Art for Humanity!
Overall, the walkers’ response to the walk was one of surprising hope. We discovered a number of “leads” and “interesting guesses” about where this experience will take St. Paul’s into the future. The observations made during the walks will help give shape our future engagements, like the one-to-one listening campaign in 2013. Without question, St. Paul’s is beginning to see itself as part of the community here in Clinton county; but what we’ve witnessed walking the streets, collecting shoes, and inviting neighbors to share a meal, has helped us see ourselves as part of something even larger – God’s mission in the world, active and alive in our small corner of the world.
August 1, 2012 / by SaintPauls / Make A Comment / Filed under Announcements, Blog, Growing, Mission Updates
As part of St. Paul’s mission-implementing, partnership grant, members and friends of St. Paul’s are invited to join together as we “walk the community.” Through this campaign, we hope to learn more about the community in which we live, where God is already working, and how we may be a part of God’s work here, locally.
There are a number of ways to participate.
1. Wednesday Walks – Each Wednesday evening we will walk 1 to 2 miles of the community. Starting locations are announced each Sunday and listed in the Walking the Community brochure.
2. Ride Alongs – If walking for more than a mile sounds like too much of a physical toll, you can still participate in a ride-along on the third Wednesday of the month.
3. Walking at your own pace – For them, the Wednesday walks may not be the best time of day. Many people already are walking. So we’ve made it easy for you to walk at your own pace. All you need to do is fill out a response card that indicates who you walked with (pairs are great! and a cord with three strands is not easily broken), where you walked, and what you saw or experienced.
Our goal is to have 80% of St. Paul’s participate and cover as much of the area as we can.
We also hope to schedule special walks soon – some of these may include “night walks,” “walks w/ community leaders,” “walking together with other christians,” or in other areas – like Mulberry! The best way to keep up-to-date is to sign up for St. Paul’s (e)pistle and follow us on facebook. So take a second to click “like” and then lace up those shoes and come meet us out on the sidewalks!
