“I AM NOT ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL!”
“This is the gospel handed down from the prophets and apostles to us all!”
LET US PRAY FOR…
- Ruth Wagner, the wife of Pastor Al Wagner. She is celebrating her 100th birthday this month;
- Jamileh Nejati, a friend of Annie Ambrose, who will be undergoing by-pass surgery;
- Terry Brenner, the husband of member Denzel Brenner. Terry was hospitalized with complications from his chemo treatments;
- Mayra Baron who is suffering from cancer;
- Domingo Rivera, the husband of Elsie Rivera, who is suffering from cancer;
- Crystal Thompson, who is suffering from ALS
REGISTRATION THIS WEEK – AUGUST 20 – 8-12 AND 5-7
We look forward to greet our returning students and their families as they register and prepare for another school year. We pray that they look forward to this time for growing in grace, in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man just as Jesus did.
We also look forward to the daily opportunities we will have to bring the gospel to each student each day. We not only teach Word of God classes for the children to grow in understanding, we also practice that word in every student activity. We use that word to evaluate the attitudes of the world around us and of the history that has gone before us.
“We use God’s pure word together!” Welcome back!
Pass the word along! We are praying that God creates opportunities for us to fill the seats in our preschool, school and Sunday School. “Let the little children come to me and don’t hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these!
¿HABLA ESPAÑOL?
During his service as the publications coordinator for Latin America, Rev. Gonzalo Delgadillo dreamt of using the Internet to proclaim the gospel throughout the Spanish-speaking world. Until his retirement a year ago, Rev. Delgadillo was using a personal Facebook page, his cellphone, the Internet, and the Bible Teachings Series, but he often felt so much more could be done if the effort were more coordinated and comprehensive.
By the grace of God a number of blessings is rapidly turning that dream into a reality. During the last few years smartphones are becoming so widespread that more than half the adult population in Mexico now has access to the Internet. Recognizing this trend and the reality that audiovisual communication is far more effective than printed books, Multi-Language Publications has refocused its efforts in the Spanish language on audiovisual media for the Internet. The recently released and well-received Come Follow Me film was donated for outreach in Spanish. And the WELS missionaries in Latin America reorganized as one team thereby facilitating collaboration with Multi-Language Publications.
Social Media for Outreach and Christ Academy
Inspired by the popular Khan Academy that teaches a broad range of secular courses, the missionaries and MLP began by creating an online site to encourage the use of simple, audio-visual, self-study courses. The site was called Christ Academy, or Academia Cristo in Spanish.
Because social media is extremely popular in Latin America, the team created a Facebook page to promote Christ Academy. Through a fairly modest investment of funds and by promoting the Come Follow Me film, the Facebook page captured 45,000 followers in less than four months.
Besides proclaiming the gospel in simple ways, the promotion is bringing 2,000 visitors daily to the Christ Academy site. Nine hundred individuals have registered to take one or more of the six courses currently available (with many more under development), and 300 copies of the film or courses are being downloaded each day.
Christ Lutheran Church
Some of the people drawn to Christ Academy will also want to worship their Savior in a way that reveals the unconditional love of God through Jesus Christ, even when a church that shares that faith is not available in their community. Most Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Medellin, Colombia, is filling that need by broadcasting its worship to isolated individuals and groups throughout the Spanish-speaking world. With outstanding assistance from the media director of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod and the Christ in Media department at Bethany Lutheran College, the service will soon be broadcast in an interactive format on an Internet site called iGlesia Luterana Cristo (Christ Lutheran Church).
Christ Word of Life
A printed bimonthly newsletter has been distributed among the churches associated with the WELS for more than four decades. Called the Lutheran Messenger (El Mensajero Luterano), the newsletter is undergoing big changes. Printed distribution from the United States will end this fall as it becomes an online magazine that features daily devotions and news about confessional Lutheranism. To coincide with Christ Academy and Christ Lutheran Church, the revised publication will also bear a new name: Christ Word of Life (Cristo Palabra de Vida). The El Mensajero Luterano name will become a subtitle to help confessional Lutherans see that, although the title and format have changed, the unchanging message of the gospel remains the same.
Collaboration
Rev. Delgadillo dreamt of the impact many people working together in meaningful ways could have on the proclamation of the gospel to the Hispanic world. That dream too is becoming a reality. As people come to the Facebook page or the Christ Academy site, they have questions. Who are we? What basically do we believe? How do you download the movie? How do you register for a course? A team of first-responders addresses these questions through LiveChat.
As people register for courses, they have questions about the material or about using the courses. A team recruited from the many WELS church workers who studied Spanish at Martin Luther College serves as online teachers.
Another group of specialists turns the content from printed materials like the Bible Teachings Series into audiovisual courses. Still others, like Rev. Delgadillo who now resides in Colombia, serve as translators, editors and writers.
Another group is creating songs and liturgies for Christ Lutheran Church. One of the songs became a music video with the help of Resurrected Christ Lutheran Church in Leon, Mexico.
Missionaries work with contacts uncovered through the online outreach effort to help them start Bible study groups in their communities.
And the El Paso, Tex., office of Multi-Language Publications manages the websites, the development of more courses, and the creation of content for the online magazine, while it assists in the development of the outreach films.
Latin American mission fields and Multi-Language Publications are excited about the opportunities the smartphone is giving them to proclaim the unconditional love of God through Jesus Christ to Spanish-speaking people. Pray that the Lord continues to bless this effort!
READ ROMANS WITH US
Struggling with the “war” called ‘the Christian life’? “Me too!” says St. Paul. Romans 7 contains the classic description of a man whose inner being is committed to doing good and avoiding all evil, but whose life is filled with doing evil and avoiding good. “That man deserves to die!” Paul insists, but, by God’s grace and mercy that same man who deserves to die is giving the victory of life by our Lord Jesus Christ.
Notice how Romans 7 is surrounded by gospel promises (5:1; 6:23; 7:25; 8:1 for example). Surrounded with gospel promises, we take an honest look at ourselves and our lives. Surrounded by Gospel promises, we celebrate our victory!
RECRUITMENT TIME – PREPARATION TIME
We are profoundly grateful to God for the “little” blessings he has brought to our church, school, preschool, Sizzlin’ Summer Camp and VBS. It has been a wonderful summer surrounded by the little lambs Jesus has brought to us.
As we gear up for the opening of our School, Preschool, Sunday School and Youth Group, may everything we do be for the praise and glory of God, for the spiritual growth of every child who walks through our doors, for the support and encouragement of every parent, grandparent and guardian who brings their little one to Jesus’ feet.
It is such a blessing and privilege to support these ministries for the next generation of believers as we provide for them the “one thing needed” that no one can take away from them.
INSTALLATION SUNDAY – AUGUST 30
God has blessed St. Paul’s with teachers who love God’s word and who love God’s lambs. On Sunday, August 30, we will be installing into the public ministry at St. Paul’s Mr. Merl Meitner and Ms. Joanna Gusman. Merl will be teaching 5th grade and Joanna will be teaching our K-4 group.
We will begin our ministries together with the word of the Lord and prayer. May God bless us all as we work together using God’s pure word to feed the lambs and sheep of Jesus.
SCHOOL’S OPEN – OPENING SERVICE
The first day of school is August 31st. We will begin school with a special opening service for the children, their parents and our faculty and staff. The gospel partners of St. Paul’s are invited to join us as we begin “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
EDUCATION SUNDAY – SEPTEMBER 13
Jesus told Martha that there was “one thing needed,” and it wasn’t a fancy supper. It wasn’t a backpack or a new box of markers. It’s not the latest video game, the best job, the biggest retirement account, the best record in sports. That “one thing needed” is the one thing that seems to fall to the bottom of the list no matter how hard we try to get it higher.
Education Sunday gives us an opportunity to remember the gospel promises that come when we “meditate on his word day and night.” It gives us an opportunity to renew our commitment to learning and sharing that word. It also gives us an opportunity to thank and praise God for the people he gives to his Church who preach and teach that word.
Education Sunday is the “kick off” Sunday for our Sunday School and Adult Bible Classes. Join us around the word. Join us as we hear it. Join us as we share it. Join us as we use it to worship the God who speaks to his people.
COMING UP
August 17-19 – Faculty In-Service meetings
AUGUST 20 – SCHOOL REGISTRATION 8-12; 5-7
August 26-28 – District Mission Board meetings
August 27 – New Parents’ Orientation
August 30 – INSTALLATION of our new teachers, Joanna Gusman (K-4) and Merl Meitner (Grade 5)
– Choir Sings “This is the Feast”
AUGUST 31 – SCHOOL STARTS
September 4-7 NO SCHOOL, Labor Day Vacation
September 9 – Back to School Night 6:30 pm
SEPTEMBER 13 – EDUCATION SUNDAY
September 19 – ABBA Concert at the Hollywood Bowl (talk to Trudy Steffensen about tickets)
September 21 – New Parents’ Seminar
September 26 – LWMS RALLY
September 26 – Mission Presentation at Gethsemane by Pastor Paul Prange
October 5 – New Parents’ Seminar
October 17 – FALL FESTIVAL
October 30 – TRUNK OR TREAT
November 1 – Daylight Savings Time ends
NOVEMBER 1 – REFORMATION FESTIVAL 4:00 PM Dinner provided
November 2 – New Parents’ Seminar
November 13 – School Open House & Book Fair
November 20 – VIP Day
November 25 – Thanksgiving Eve Services 1:15 & 7:00 pm
December 2 – Mid-Week Advent Services 1:15 & 7:00 pm
December 4 – Preschool Craft Night and Kindergarten Open House
December 9 – Children’s Christmas Service (Grades 4-8) 7:00 pm
December 12 – Christmas 4 Kids
December 17 – Children’s Christmas Service (Grades K-3) 6:340 pm
December 20 – Sunday School Children’s Christmas Service 9:00 am
December 24 – Christmas Eve Services 7:00 & 10:00 pm
December 25 – Christmas Day Services 10:00 am
December 31 – New Year’s Eve Communion Services 6:00 pm
