Shirt Design Voting

This year the church is ordering some shirts and we need YOUR help to choose designs! You can vote either at church (look for the sheet by the mailboxes) or online. You can let us know your top 2 choices for regular shirts and your top pick for a design for an active wear/athletic shirt. Voting closes at the end of the month.

Click here to see the designs and to vote… http://www.stpaulclintonville.com/shirts

Once designs are chosen we will need to finalize the designs. As that is happening we will also start creating an order. The goal is to make the regular shirts available to those willing to wear them. To offset the cost we will ask that those who are willing and able to would pay for their shirts. This will enable us to order more shirts and have some available for visitors and to have a stockpile for future members. Cost details will be given once we have the design finalized. The more we order, the less each individual shirt will cost. The active wear shirts will cost more. While we will order extra of these, we won’t order too many extra.

Church Family Night: Thursday 8/20

Join us Thursday, August 20th for a church family night. The event will be outside at church. Starting around 6pm we will serve brats, hot dogs, and some snacks. Later Pastor will lead us in some campfire songs. Finally, we’ll get out the water balloons for the kids (and adults)!!!

Please bring a lawn chair for yourself and probably a towel if you are excited for the water balloons.

Our church family events are a great way for members to get to know each other better… but we also love having guests come too! You are welcome to join us! We are especially looking forward to having some of the Soccer Camp and VBS alum come (yeah, that was only last week but we still miss you all).

Are you excited for Soccer Camp & VBS Week?

Can you feel the excitement? I can. Can you tell?!

As I look at the amazing shirts we have for our soccer camp this year, I can’t help but look forward to all the kids and coaches running around in hot coral and electric blue. As I review all the details, the drills, the crafts, the food, & the music, I look forward to the fun we will have together. As I dwell on this past year and all the challenges and fears it has created, I feel the urgency to run and fall at the feet of Jesus with you all and there find peace.

That is by far the biggest reason I am excited. I need to remember that fear is a liar. I need to hear Jesus tell me, “Take heart. It is I. Do not be afraid!” And I know that I am not the only one. I know that all of you need to hear that too. And I want to help you remember with me that fear doesn’t stand a chance to the truth of who our God is. He is all powerful. He is all knowing. He is good. He is loving. He is our Savior. Fear is none of those things! Fear doesn’t stand a chance when we have God on our side.

I hope you can feel my excitement. I hope you are excited too. Let’s play soccer. Let’s learn about teamwork, exercise, and sportsmanship. Let’s create awesome crafts and sing deep spiritual (and silly) songs. Let’s play capture the flag and eagle’s nest. But most of all, let’s tell fear to get lost, because fear is a liar. And let us listen to the voice of our Savior who says, “Do not be afraid,” and face every storm with confidence in His name.

The fun begins Monday at 9am. God bless and keep you safe until I see you then, God-willing!

Pastor Titus Buelow

Breathe Friends. Rest in Jesus.

First of all, how are you doing? Has anyone asked you that recently? There is so much stress over the ever changing atmosphere of our nation because of Covid-19, how to respond to it, racism, vandalism, anti-police movements, reactions to movements, politics, and everyone's opinion that I wonder... have you taken a deep breath recently? 

This past Sunday our Scripture readings reminded us to take a deep breath by resting in God's Word and in the arms of our Savior. 

Is there a lot going on right now? Sure. Are there a lot of things that are upsetting? Yes. Is there more uncertainty than many of us are used to? Yep. But has God's Word gone anywhere? Thankfully, no! Is it any less true? No! Does it apply any less during a stressful time vs. an easy going time? No! If anything it applies even more! And does Jesus get less capable of carrying your burdens because you are struggling more and more to carry them? Absolutely not. He urges us, more, he commands us to cast ALL our anxiety on Him because he cares for us!

Especially when we are stressed, the world is upside down and people are crazy, there is nothing better to do than to rest in Christ. He gives us rest from our sin and guilt, our worry and fear, our controlling and micromanaging. He tells us to breathe... and to take on the easy yoke of wearing his righteousness, reading of what he has done and what the Father has promised, and telling others of how awesome it is to rest in Jesus Christ.

Breathe friends. Rest in Jesus.

“Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

Him & Her Worship Concert - July 28 @ 7pm

Him + Her Worship is a Christian worship duo who will be sharing their faith and talents with us later this month! Based out of Minneapolis MN, husband and wife Seth and Jenna Herlich now live on the road full-time, towing their instruments and 13 foot camper around the country. With a passion for adventure and a calling to create, the duo leads narrative-driven worship nights, bringing their powerful, passionate harmonies and a timeless message of Christ’s love and hope to receptive congregations and audiences in dozens of US cities.

Him + Her Worship blends Christian contemporary energy, honest singer-songwriter lyricism, cinematic textures, and indie experimentation into an exceptional and cohesive worship music experience. 

Please come to 35 N. Park St. on July 28, at 7pm to be encouraged, refreshed, and to have fun! Bring a friend or family member and come sing and worship with them!

Check out our story and our music:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/himandherworship

Instagram: @himandherworship

Website: www.himandherworship.com

Youtube: Him + Her Worship

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness

This week, as we approach our Independence Day as a nation, I think back to these words from our Declaration of Independence:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

What a beautifully written sentence that finds its source of power in the Creator himself. This is the backbone to what gives each person value in our country, that everyone was created. They were not an accident. They were designed. Therefore, each person has intrinsic value, people of every race, tribe, past and heritage. As Christians, we would add that each person has even more value for not only have they been created, but they have also been justified by Jesus. Jesus died for everyone which means every person was bought at a hefty price. And because Jesus died for their sins, every single person can have the right to eternal life, if they only believe in Jesus as their Savior. 

As a nation, we were founded on this idea of individual value being a reason we would attempt in every way to secure certain unalienable rights to all people. As Christians, we also want to give all people the right to be in heaven by helping them see the Savior who has opened an eternal life, liberty and happiness to all who believe. 

In our nation today, many have forgotten or chosen to throw off that backbone of value that all people derive from a Creator and a Savior. To so many, humans are just a by-product of chance and circumstance. Their value is not intrinsic or equal for we are not made, we are naturally selected or self-made heroes. It is no wonder that we are seeing such unrest, inequality, hate, racism, division, poor priorities, and a lack of value placed on the Word of God and worship in general. Our backbone as to why we are a nation and why we have rights in the first place has disappeared. 

So as we approach the weekend of our Independence Day, let us begin by praying a lot. There is much to ask God for. Let us pray that our nation repents of its rejection of God and a need for his presence in its existence. Let us pray that during such crazy times people search and find the backbone of meaning and value in the one who gives it, our Creator. Let us pray that as evil seems to be growing, may more and more find Jesus, who heals the sick, comforts the weary, and forgives sins. Let us also pray for God to give us the courage and strength to stand firm in God's Word and to share boldly the rights we have as children of God. Those do not come from ourselves but from our Creator and our Savior! This time of unrest and uncertainty may be one of the greatest opportunities of our lifetime to shine brightly in this dark world. Let us not let it pass us by!

May you have a blessed rest of your week and an amazing weekend celebrating our Independence Day, the birthday of our great nation. May this week and weekend also be another chance for you to find value, truth, and pride in your God.

In His service,

Pastor Buelow

Family Night this Wednesday (6/17)!

In place of our normal office hours, bring an appetizer to share (if you want), sit down by a campfire and catch up with your church family and friends, and/or watch a family friendly outdoor movie. Hope to see you there! This Wednesday, June 17 from 5-7 pm. All are welcome!

Romans Sermon Series

This Sunday we begin a sermon series based on Paul’s doctrinal masterpiece, the book of Romans. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Paul masterfully walks his readers through the ramifications of a biblical worldview. At its center, Paul must first drive home the devastating reality God’s law paints for us, that we are all destined and deserving of eternal damnation. Then and only then, from despair, can he begin to teach us what it means to totally depend on the Righteousness of God. That righteousness can only become ours through faith in Jesus who alone can satisfy the law of God and pay the punishment we deserve. He alone can give us new life. A full awareness of our inability to be good enough allows us to fully trust in the only one who is: Jesus Christ. When we do, nothing can separate us from the love of God. Nothing.

ROMANS:

Atonement. Righteousness. Reconciliation. Reversal. Buried. Battling. Longing. Praying. Chosen. Inseparable. Roots. Grafted. Awe. Sacrifice. Love. Freedom.

Join us 9am this Sunday as we begin this exciting new series.

Pentecost - the Birthday of the Christian Church

This past Sunday, we celebrated Pentecost, the birthday of the Christian Church!

50 days after Jesus had risen and 10 days after he had ascended, the Spirit came and filled his disciples with wisdom and power. With those gifts, they witnessed to what they had seen and heard about Jesus, the Savior of the world, and they called all to repent and believe in Him. The Holy Spirit has used that message and people like those disciples to spread the fire of faith up until this day. We continue that tradition still today: receiving wisdom and power from the Holy Spirit, repenting of our sin, believing in the name above all names, and witnessing to all nations. 

Sadly, because of technical difficulties, our service stream of Facebook and Youtube went out after 30 minutes and before that didn’t record properly. Because of that, I will direct you to our sister church in Carthage, MO where my father led a wonderful service about Pentecost. If you did not join us in person yesterday, or you are simply looking for more to celebrate this great festival and the power of the Holy Spirit in your life, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvqT7PZSsRU.

Find our service bulletin by clicking here for the readings, hymn verses, and service focus: Service Bulletin for Pentecost. You can also read the sermon I preached yesterday by clicking here: The Beginning of the Final Age.

May the Holy Spirit kindle in you the fire of God’s love.

- Pastor Buelow

On Christ's Ascension I Now Build

On Christ's ascension I now build The hope of my ascension.

This hope alone has always stilled All doubt and apprehension;

For where the head is, there as well I know his members are to dwell

When Christ shall come and call them. 

CW 172 "On Christ's Ascension I Now Build" stanza 1

When we think of Jesus' acts on earth on our behalf, is the ascension the first thing we go to for comfort? Probably not. However, in the hymn above the author takes us to the mountain where Jesus left his disciples physically to ascend into heaven. Why does that scene bring comfort? Shouldn't it bring sadness because our Savior left? Shouldn't it cause us to be afraid to no longer have Jesus physically present to guide and protect his followers? No. Why? 

Because Jesus ascending into heaven means something very important. It means Jesus had the right to ascend. He had earned that right through his righteousness and his innocent suffering and death. He had accomplished his mission to defeat sin, death and the devil for us and then return triumphant to his Father's side. Jesus has the right to sit at the right hand of his Father. Jesus has the right to sit in the judgment seat over all people of all time. Jesus has the right to rule all things for all time.

At first glance and first thought, the ascension can seem like a goodbye and leave loneliness and fear in its place. But that is not what the ascension of our Lord is. It is on his ascension that we build our hope for our own ascension into heaven. It is because our Savior sits on the judgement seat that we know we will never have to face the wrath of the Almighty God. It is because of His promise that we know he has built for us a mansion to live in forever. That hope of our ascension is what helps us deal with all the doubt and apprehension of these days down here. We know that we are part of the body of Christ and that where Jesus is, so also will his members be. It is just a matter of time until the day when Jesus literally calls us up to be with him.

So... Let us celebrate this awesome event in history. TODAY we will have a short Ascension Service at 7pm. Join us in-person or online live on our Facebook or YouTube pages. 

I hope to see you then! May God bless the rest of your beautiful evening.

In His service,

Pastor