Come Join Us This Weekend For A Multicultural Worship Celebration

MULTICULTURAL WORSHIP CELEBRATION Saturday through Sunday, July 31 – August 1 at all services.  Welcome special guest, Michael Schmit, an NIU (Northern Illinois University) student who is affiliated with Lutheran campus ministry and is preaching at all of our services this weekend.  He will also be presenting in the fellowship hall on Journeys of Hope during the fellowship hour (9:30 AM) on Sunday.  Journeys of Hope is the organization founded by NIU Lutheran campus pastor, Diane Dardon and her husband Estuardo (building a school in Guatemala).  Worship will be filled with music from many cultures and lands.  Please wear something “multicultural” if you’d like (Hawaiian shirts work fine).  Join us as we celebrate the beauty in our cultural diversity, and as we pray, sing and worship with the global church of God.

It's a Boy!

Our congratulations go to Tim & Lisa Zielinski on the birth of their son, Trevor James Zielinski.  Trevor was born Sunday, July 18th at KSB Hospital in Dixon and weighs 7 lbs. 8 ozs. and is 20 inches long.  May God continue to bless this child and his family with health and happiness!

Vacation Bible School - July 19-23

St. Luke's Episcopal Church, Dixon invites children from all church backgrounds to join them on a VBS adventure of cosmic proportions.  Join the crew of the starship Galactic Praise to learn about God's love and God's creation through music, crafts, stories, games and more.  Preschoolers through those entering fifth grade are invited to join them from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. July 19-23.  There is no charge, but if someone wants to make a donation to help with expenses, they suggest $5 per child or $10 per family. 

Ice Cream Social - Saturday, July 17th

Everyone is invited to an old fashioned Ice Cream Social on Saturday, July 17th from 1-3pm on the Old Courthouse Lawn.  Proceeds to benefit the PADS Homeless Shelter.

PETUNIA FEST PARADE FOOD BOOTH

Our Jr. and Sr. high youth are serving hotdogs, popcorn, pop and water during the Petunia Festival Parade on Sunday, July 4 from 11 am through the end of the parade. Proceeds benefit our youth retreats. Thanks for your support!

Annual Church Picnic - June 27th

Just a reminder.....Our 11am worship service on Sunday, June 27th will be at Lutheran Outdoor Ministries Center (LOMC) in Oregon.  Our Rejoice Band will lead the worship music in the LOMC pole barn.  After the service (around noon), we will have a potluck picnic, so bring a dish to pass and your own table service.  Drinks will be provided by the fellowship committee.  After the lunch, the pool will be open from 1-3pm or you may want to go fishing in Paul's Pond or bring some fun outdoor games.  LOMC has a basketball court and a volleyball net so bring your own basketball or volleyball.  Pray for nice weather, and we will see you at the camp on June 27th.    Reminder!  Our Saturday, 5:30pm and Sunday, 8:15am services will be at the church as scheduled. 

Pentecost Sunday, May 23

The drama of the passage from Acts, with its rushing winds and tongues of flame, is the most familiar image associated with Pentecost. Where God once confused human language and scattered human communities across the face of the earth as a response to human pride and isolationism (Gen 11:1-9), at Pentecost we remember how God creates community while respecting diversity by speaking to each of us in ways we can understand.

Yet it is the passage from John that hints best at what those gathered must have heard in their native languages. Jesus assures Philip, and the rest of us, that "whoever has seen me has seen the Father." This is the heart of the gospel and the content of our proclamation, that the nature of God is revealed in the nature of Jesus.

The notion that we can understand who God is by looking at what God has done in the person of Jesus and, by the power of the Holy Spirit poured out at Pentecost, through us as well is the foundation of our Trinitarian faith. In God for Us: The Trinity and Christian Life, Roman Catholic theologian Catherine LaCugna writes, "Theories about what God is apart from God's self-communication in salvation history remain unverifiable and ultimately untheological" (New York: HarperCollins, 1991, p. 231). We do not need to speculate about who God is because God has revealed God's love, justice, and mercy through the person of Christ Jesus.

At Pentecost we were drawn into the inner life of God, which is cracked open for the entire world to see. We were adopted into a family to which everyone belongs, where everyone is welcome. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, we are sent to do what Jesus did and even "greater works than these" (John 14:12), namely to proclaim God's reconciling love to people of every language and land. (image: Inspiration, by Paula Wiggins. © Paula Wiggins/TheSpiritSource.com. Used by permission.)

New Website

St. Paul welcomes you to its new website. The site still has some finishing touches to be done, but you can see the structure and general look. Let us know what you think. Contact barbara@stpauldixon.org with your feedback.