We are worshiping with two Sunday services: 8:30 am and 11:00 am, both using Setting Five of the ELW. The 8:30 am service will be in-person. The 11:00 am service will be in-person, live-streamed and recorded. The link to watch the service live is: https://vimeo.com/event/1478223. The link to watch any services which have been recorded is: https://vimeo.com/stpaulsdurham - then choose the service date or event you wish to watch.
Adult Sunday School Classes for the month of March - meet in Trinity Hall:
Mar 19 – A look at the Synoptic Gospels
Mar 26 – Guest speaker: Deaconness Adrainne Gray. She works with the Lutheran Diaconal Association and the ELCA.
Wednesdays during Lent – March 1, 8, 15, 22, and 29
▸ 12:00 pm Holy Communion and Healing Service
▸ 6:00 pm Suppers in Trinity Hall
▸ 7:00 pm Lenten Worship
Live stream worship link: https://vimeo.com/event/2806391
At 12 noon, we will have a Communion and Healing Service in the sanctuary.
At 6:00 pm we will have our mid-week Lent meals in Trinity Hall.
Vicar Amanda Spangler is in charge of our Wednesday Lenten Worship which begins at 7:00 pm. This year, we will read biblical texts that use female imagery or feature female characters. Each of the preachers has been invited to approach their homily preparation from a feminist or womanist perspective, helping us to see Christ through the eyes of the women in the stories.
Follow the Path
The Stations of the Cross will again be offered on Fridays at 12:00 noon in the Sanctuary. I hope that long time members are looking forward to seeing St. Paul’s beautiful collection of the Stations as they are back up on the side walls of the Sanctuary for the Lenten season. For those who are new, the Stations follow Jesus from Gethsemane to the tomb with visual depictions of his journey. On Fridays, you can join me to follow Jesus on this path with scripture and prayers that tell the Holy Week story. following Jesus on this path offers pause to contemplate our here and now. Please join me on any of these Fridays at noon during Lent: February 24, March 3, 10, 17, 24, and 31.
Pastor Lorrel Strom-Jensen
The Durham CROP Hunger Walk will be Sunday, April 2, 2023.
The CROP Hunger Walk is a family-friendly walk that links the Durham community together in solidarity with our neighbors all around the world who have to walk long distances daily for food and water. Funds raised from the walk provide food and other resources for families in Durham and across the globe. This will be an in-person, outdoor Walk on April 2, 2023.
■ 1:30 pm - Registration, Music, Greetings, Global Village Activities
■ 2:30 pm – Walk Starts in front of Duke Chapel
You can make contributions to Durham CROP Hunger Walk securely on-line at this site: https://events.crophungerwalk.org/2023/event/durhamnc
You can search for a specific walker or team you would like to support with your donation. There is also an option to make a general donation in support of the 2023 Durham CROP Hunger Walk. You may also link directly to Megan Cunningham who is the team leader for St. Paul’s at this link:
https://events.crophungerwalk.org/2023/accept?challenger=megan-cunningham-3&team=st-pauls-lutheran-church-of-durham
Let’s see if we can top our $3,000 giving from 2022!
Help out by walking, seeking sponsors, or giving to help others!
The Dropped Stitch Prayer Shawl Ministry meet on the last Friday of the month at 1:00 pm in the sofa area of the atrium. This group creates prayer shawls by knitting or crochet.
The Tongue and Thimble group creates small quilts which are distributed to the nurseries at local hospitals for their critical patients. They meet downstairs in the Fiber Arts/Music room off of the Genesis Hall on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month at 10:00 am - 12:00 noon.
PASTA for PARKTOWN!!
Help Stock the St. Paul’s Shelf at Parktown Food Hub!
Please continue to add a package – or two – of dry pasta to your shopping cart to support this important community ministry and keep the St. Paul’s Pasta Shelf well stocked. The Women’s Connection Group is leading this initiative to support the Parktown Food Hub, a ministry of South Durham Connections, led by Pastor Sharon Schulze. St. Paul’s Shelf - dry boxed pasta – spaghetti, macaroni, ziti, penne, etc. (NOT: kits or dinner, nor canned pasta entrees).
The Young Adult Group will gather on Sunday, March 19 around 6:00-6:30 pm for fun and food at the Boxcar Durham Bar and Arcade. We will plan on dinner and then have fun playing the nostalgic arcade games.
There is a St. Paul's Habitat Work Crew and you are invited to join them! Morris Casper is our contact person and coordinator. Our work dates are: March 18, April 22, May 13, and June 10. All genders welcome!
Growing Thru Grief
Growing thru Grief offers help and support to people grieving the loss of a loved one. We are a coalition of religious and civic organizations which have been serving people since 2013. We offer education and small group support each week. We meet at St. Paul’s each Tuesday. First time attendees must show proof of covid vaccination and booster(s). Masks are optional. We ask people to come at 4; the program begins at 4:30, and all will end by 6. Please contact admin@growingthrugrief.org if you have questions.
One easy way you can support the St. Paul’s Preschool & PMO is by linking your Harris Teeter VIC card. When you link your card to St. Paul’s Preschool & PMO, we will receive a portion of your purchases from Harris Teeter. The Harris Teeter account number is 3049. You can link in any store or online and you do not need to be a preschool parent to link your card.
Thursday Morning Bible Study is meeting in the conference room on Thursdays at 10:30-11:45 am. They have begun a new study of the book: The Difficult Words of Jesus by Amy Jill Levine. Class notes will be emailed as the series progresses.
On Wednesday, February 8, Vicar Amanda Spangler led the weekly devotions for our preschool classes of 3 year olds and 4 year olds. This story is based on Jonah and the Whale. What better visual image than to interact and get inside a 37 foot long whale!
The World Council of Churches Prayer Cycle
The World Council of Churches
has recommended
a prayer cycle to
get congregations
praying for the
whole world. Click on the Prayer Cycle button, then on the Prayer community we are praying for this week.
St. Paul's In-Person Worship Guidelines
(updated October 14, 2022)
• We still suggest keeping some distance from people not in your family unit, but feel that we can spread out enough with two services without reminders.
• All areas of the church are purified with iWave technology which eliminates up to 97% of all virus and bacteria particles.
• Committees are able to meet in person or a combination of in person and zoom. Contact the church office to reserve space.
• Here is a listing of the Sign-Up Genius links we are presently using to accomplish our many needed tasks. Please fill in as you are able. You can bookmark these sites to make it easier to return to them.
WORSHIP: In-Person, Live Streamed, Recorded
In celebrating the beauty and strength created through diversity, we welcome, value, and include all of God's children regardless of race, culture, age, sexual orientation, gender expression, ability, appearance, or citizenship. St. Paul's is committed to racial equity.
"Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ."
1 Corinthians 12:12
We have a live link to our Sunday morning Worship Service which begins at 11:00 AM.
Click HERE and you will be taken to the live feed on our Vimeo Link.
VIDEOS at St. Paul's Lutheran Church -- This link will take you to our VIMEO page and you may select any Sunday or special worship service, as well as an assortment of other videos related to St. Paul's, anytime.
Worship with us in person on Sundays at 8:30 and 11:00 am. We are currently using Setting Five of the Evangelical Lutheran Worship book. The 8:30 service will be in-person only, the 11:00 am will be in-person, live-streamed (information below) and recorded for our Vimeo channel.
St. Paul's Mission Statement: "The mission of St. Paul's Lutheran Church as a part of the family of God is to share God in Christ with the world by equipping one another through worship, learning, witness, service, and support."
Response
Lutheran Disaster Response brings God’s hope, healing and renewal to people whose lives have been disrupted by disasters in the United States and around the world.
Here is the LINK to their webpage which offers the opportunity to make a donation, search their blog, or just get updates on ongoing situations.