About Us Pastor's Corner
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August, 2010 Dear Members, We’re never too young to learn and we’re never too old to learn. Since Jesus tells us to, “…go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them…and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you,” it is so important that we continue to learn more and more about Christ. For this reason, our church offers a variety of opportunities to learn about Jesus. One of the main ones is, of course, confirmation. Confirmation is open to all sixth, seventh, and eighth graders. I have TENTATIVELY scheduled (If everyone’s schedule cooperates) Thursday, Sept. 9th at 7:15 P. M. for the first class. Both parents and students should plan on attending that night. In addition, our King’s Court children’s ministry will resume on Sunday, Sept. 19th between services. This is for children from 3 years old up until 4rth grade. For the adults, we offer my Sunday morning Bible class that is held between services. There is a Monday morning Bible class held at 6:45 A. M. in the library. My wife, Joan , holds a women’s Bible class at 7:00 P. M. on Monday night. The Tuesday morning Women’s Bible class will resume in September as well. They meet at 9:45 A. M. Finally, the men’s Bible class meets at 7:00 P. M. on Thursday night in the library. So if the Spirit’s been nudging you and saying, “You need to get into the word,” make sure to check one of these Bible studies out! In Christ’s Love, Pastor Paul
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July, 2010
Dear Members, If you’re wondering how my vacation went, it went great! I enjoyed seeing parts of America that I’ve never seen before. We spent most of our time in Virginia. From northern Virginia, we took day trips into Washington D.C. We also traveled farther south, finally reaching the Virginia coast. It was the first time I ever saw the Atlantic Ocean or swam in salt water. But now I’m back and it’s time to get back to work. That’s the cycle of life. Or, at least it should be. There’s a time to work and a time to rest. If we don’t get enough of both there will be problems. We need to work hard to pay the bills and do what God calls us to do. But we also need to get enough rest. Otherwise, we’ll burn out, wear out, and run out of steam. That’s why God called the Israelites to work six days and take the seventh day off. So this summer, may you get plenty of work and rest . May you work hard doing what God calls you to do. But may you get the rest and relaxation you need as well. That’s my prayer for us all. In Christ’s Love, Pastor Paul
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June 2010
Dear Members, One of the things I enjoy doing while on vacation is to visit other churches. I just enjoy worshipping with my family. I don’t normally get to do that! But I also enjoy seeing how other churches do church and I try to learn from them. Perhaps I’ll hear something that I can integrate into my own preaching or I’ll see something that can be utilized here at St. Augustine. I hope that as you travel this summer you do the same thing. Don’t use your vacation time as an excuse to not get to church. As it says in Hebrews 10:25, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing.” And, when you visit another church, if you see or hear anything that might work at St. Augustine let me know about it. For those of you who spend time on the internet, you might like to know that a song from the last Paul Ruehl concert at Peace Lutheran is on YouTube. You can search “Paul and Amy sing peace” or type in http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVPsJ6W99FE. I wish you a great, relaxing summer! Pastor Paul
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May 2010
Dear Members, I don’t know about you, but I long for this time of the year. I long for summer to come. That’s because summer means that things start to slow down in the church. There are no more midweek Lenten services, no more midweek Advent services, and no more confirmation classes to prepare for and perform. We all need to slow down once in a while, don’t we? We all need rest. In light of that, Jesus gives us this wonderful invitation, “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Mt. 11:28) So this summer as you go out of town or as you try to relax outdoors or whatever, don’t forget to keep coming to Christ, keep coming to church, and to keep coming to communion. If you do so, as Jesus promises, you will find rest for your soul. Take Jesus up on His offer because He’s the best R & R you’ll ever find! In Christ’s Love, Pastor Paul |
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April 2010
Dear Members, On April 11th I preached a sermon titled, “Don’t Pray Alone.” In that sermon I challenged us to pray like the first century Christians and pray together constantly. As Luke records in Acts 1:14, “They all joined together constantly in prayer…” I also mentioned the various opportunities for doing this at St. Augustine. One of those opportunities is our next twelve hour prayer vigil to be held on Saturday, May 22nd. I hope that every one of you take part in this vigil. It’ll only take up a half hour of your time. You’re not required to pray out loud. You’ll only pray in silence in the sanctuary. What better way to spend your time than talking to your Savior who loves you more than you even know and who loves to hear from you? Our country, our families, our church needs your prayers. So please sign up and pray! Thanks for your participation, Pastor Paul |
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March 2010
Dear Friends of St. Augustine, This past Christmas Eve over 190 people attended our two evening services. That may very well be a record attendance in the nearly 50 year history of St. Augustine. I pray—and I hope that you pray—that we break another record on Easter Sunday. According to a study mentioned in our adult confirmation class, 70% of people join a church because someone they knew invited them to go. It’s no great secret how St. Augustine will continue to grow. It’ll grow the same way the early church grew. It’ll grow by you sharing your faith and inviting others to church. So when the Spirit prompts you to share your faith—and He will—act on it. Speak up and politely ask, “How about coming with me to church on Easter Sunday?” In Christ’s Love, Pastor Paul |
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February 2010
Mother Teresa once said, "The biggest disease today is not leprosy or tuberculosis, but rather the feeling of being unwanted, uncared for and deserted by everybody. The greatest evil is the lack of love and charity." Wouldn't it be great if the church fought this evil by being more loving? That's why my Sunday sermon series on love is so important. Mother Teresa is right. This world needs lots of love. |
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January 2010
Dear Members, I want to thank you for all the cards and gifts that you sent this past Christmas. I also wish to thank the congregation for the generous gift that you gave to me at the end of the year. All of these gifts are greatly appreciated! As always, please keep me in your prayers, as I keep you in my prayers. In Christ’s Love, Pastor Paul |
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December 2009
Dear Members,
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I want to thank all of you for helping to make
2009 such a successful year at St. Augustine. I want to thank you for the time you
sacrificed, the talent you utilized, and the money you gave that helped our church
continue to grow. While I won’t mention specific names—there’s always a danger in
leaving someone out—I want to show my appreciation for what you’ve done. This
includes those of you who volunteer to make our children’s ministry, youth ministry,
and Bible studies effective. It includes everyone on the church council who works
hard at making this church run smoothly. It includes those who maintain our physical
property, those who sing in the choir or the praise band, those who help with our
worship services, and the list goes on. Without your efforts, this church would not be
what it is. So like St. Paul, I say to you, the members of St. Augustine, “How can we
thank God enough for you…?”
In Christ’s Love,
Pastor Paul
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November 2009
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Due to the success of last year’s midnight service, we will once again have two Christmas Eve services this year. One will be at 7:00 PM and the other at 11:00 PM. At both services we will be singing plenty of carols, but the 7:00 PM service will be more contemporary, while the 11:00 PM will be done with the pipe organ. So take your pick. They will both be great ways to celebrate our Savior’s birth.
As always I like to remind you, Christmas time is an excellent time to invite someone to church. Most people are more receptive to an invitation now than at any other time of the year. One study revealed that 50% of people would visit a church if a friend asked them to go. So when the Spirit prompts you to invite someone, act on it.
I also need to remind you that our Advent services will be at 7:30 PM on Wednesdays starting December 2nd. We will be examining the faith of Mother Mary. In the Magnificat Mary prophesied, “From now on generations will call me blessed.” So we will take a good look at blessed Mary’s prayer life, her love for God’s word, and the pain she endured with the death of her son.
I hope to see a lot of you this December,
Pastor Paul
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October 2009
Dear Members,
Whenever November comes around, we’re reminded to be thankful. We all now deep down that we’re supposed to be thankful year round. “Give thanks in all circumstances,” as Paul teaches. The last few years we have held a joint Thanksgiving Service with Gethsemane Lutheran. This year will be no different. Last year we held it at St. Augustine, so this year it will go back to Gethsemane. It will be an extra special service because Pastor Fischer has arranged for the Men of Grace singers from Grace Centers of Hope to help lead us in worship. You can expect a lively service as we give thanks to God. The service will be at 7:30 pm on Nov. 25th. There will also be a free will offering to help support the wonderful charitable work that Grace Centers of Hope does in Pontiac, MI. I hope to see you all then. In Christ’s Love, Pastor Paul
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September 2009 Dear Members, There are two things I love to preach about. I love to preach about God’s love and I love to preach about worship. In turn, I know that those who love the Lord love to hear about His love and love to worship Him for His love. So on Oct. 4th I look forward to starting a new sermon series on worship. I will preach on all the major aspects of worship. This includes everything from prayer to praise, from confession to communion, from thanksgiving to tithes. My final sermon on November 15th will address how our offerings are an important part of worship as well. We glorify God and give thanks to God with the money we give away. That makes our offerings, not only our duty, but an act of worship. Now I know that the economy is down. Money is tight. The wallet is thin. But while the economy changes; God never does. He is as generous with His love as ever and His promises still hold true. So this fall, like every fall, we will hold a pledge Sunday. This year it will be on Nov. 15th. Please keep that date on your calendar. This year you may pledge less. You may not pledge at all. But the important thing is that you think about and pray about how much you plan on giving away. Because your offering, whatever you determine it to be, is your act of worship. In Christ’s Love, Pastor Paul |
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August 2009 Dear Members, Normally I like to share with you upbeat messages. But sometimes more serious concerns must be addressed. Perhaps you noticed the announcement by the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America that it will be ordaining practicing gay people who live in monogamous relationships. It is important to realize that this is not the position of our denomination, the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. If you have access to the internet you can go to our website at lcms.org and check out our position on homosexuality. Click on “Beliefs and Practices,” then “What about?” and then “Homosexuality.” We certainly wish the homosexual community no harm and should earnestly pray for them. But, in order to be truly Lutheran we must stick to scripture and scripture has clearly spoken on this controversial subject. We should also pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ in these churches that they return to what the Bible teaches. In Christ’s Love, Pastor Paul |
