Hymn Sing August 1st

Join us Sunday August 1st at 3pm for a special Hymn Sing. Come sample new hymns in the coming hymnal, hear the background of them, and see where we can find God’s Word in our hymns.

After the Hymn Sing we will talk about the new hymnal, psalter, and other resources from the Hymnal Project. You can hear about the resources and then, if you choose, you can order a hymnal, psalter, or devotion book for yourself, or buy one for the church. We’ll collect the orders until September. These are great resources for personal or family devotions!

Finally, we’ll end the event with a pie social!

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The Ordination and Installation of Pastor-Elect Caleb Rothfuss

On Sunday, July 18th, St. Paul Clintonville held a very special service. Pastor-Elect Caleb Rothfuss was ordained as a minister and installed as pastor at our church. A video of the service is available at the links below.

Sunday July 18 at 3pm Central at St. Paul Clintonville

31 N Park St Clintonville, WI 54929

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What should you expect during the service:

The service will be similar to other services since we are approaching the Lord. There will be readings, prayers, and a sermon message. During the service there will be a special part where Pastor-Elect Rothfuss is ordained and installed. Ordained means he officially becomes a Pastor in the church. Installed means he officially becomes the Pastor at our church. Below are the different parts to this special section of the service.

Exhortation to the Pastor-Elect: The role of a pastor is not new.  Here we listen to what Scripture tells us the leaders of the church should be like.  These qualifications remind us that we fail where Christ has not.  Pray for strength for your pastors!

Promises by the Pastor-Elect:  St.Paul Clintonville has called a pastor who is united with us in faith and purpose.  Hear as Pastor-Elect Rothfuss publicly confesses his faith and his intent to serve this congregation and the larger Church of Christ.

Exhortation to the Congregation: The pastor is a leader, but not a loner.  It is fitting to remind all of us how we should treat and support our full-time ministers. 

Promises by the Congregation: Here the members of St. Paul are asked to publicly proclaim support and pray for the pastor they have Called. 

Ordination and Installation: Pastor will pronounce the ordination following which fellow pastors will continue the ancient tradition of welcoming new pastors by the laying on of hands and by encouraging Pastor Rothfuss with God’s empowering Word.

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What can you expect from Pastor-Elect:

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We are blessed to receive a Pastor who has studied and prepared for many years to serve as a pastor, and who is in unity with us in our trust in God. The Called Worker training program in our synod does a thorough job. After high school those who want to be pastors study at Martin Luther College in New Ulm, Minnesota. At MLC candidates earn their college degree, but also prepare for the Seminary. They study the Word and they study the languages the Bible is written in. After MLC they train at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in Mequon, Wisconsin (120 miles south of here). Candidates spend the first 2 years on campus studying the Word in its original languages, along with other spiritual, theological, and professional training needed to enter the pastoral ministry. Their third year is spent as a vicar, an intern under a more experienced pastor. This year gives students deep practical experience and an education they couldn’t get in the classroom alone. Their final year is spent on campus in Mequon again where they continue their studies. Becoming a pastor in our synod is not an easy or quick task. We are blessed to have a candidate who has already shown such great dedication and perseverance toward serving the Lord, and one who we know is united with us in our faith! To God be the glory!

Preparation and training are one thing, but being qualified to be in such an important role is another thing. If you are wondering what qualifies any candidate to serve as a pastor, listen to the audio file below.

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If you are wondering what Pastor-Elect’s preaching style is like, well, we’ll just leave this link below. This sermon is well worth a listen (or twelve).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeHwm4WIzaY&t=2822s

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Church Family Nights 2021

There are several church family nights being planned for this summer!

Church Family Nights or events are a chance for members to meet outside of the usual Sunday morning. It is also a great time to bring friends along or to get to know visitors better. Most of these events are very laid back and informal. We’ll provide food and we’ll have game/activity equipment. For outside events please bring lawn chairs (if you forget, we have some). If you are new to the area or to our church, come to one of these, it is a great chance to meet us and to find out more about what is taught here.

Thursday June 17

Join us on Thursday, June 17th at the McMahon’s (their address in in the member directory). Come anytime between 5:30pm and 9pm. There will be lots do do and to eat! They will have the makings for some pudgie-pies!

Sunday June 27

Come on over to the church Sunday evening, we will be grilling out! First off, we’ll have a short hymn sing inside the church at 4:30pm and get a nifty preview of the coming Psalm book. After that, we will be grilling out. We’ll set out the games and equipment so there will be fun for all ages, even if you just want to sit by the bonfire. Come anytime between 4:30pm and 9pm. In case of bad weather, we will still gather at church to share a meal and watch a movie.

Thursday July 8

Join us for a church family night hosted by the Retzlaffs. They are inviting us to come to the farm starting at 6pm. They will have some barbeque, please bring a dish to pass or food to share. The address to the Retzlaff farm is in the member directory.

Wednesday July 21

Join us for another church family night on the church grounds. Come anytime between 5pm and 9pm for food and fellowship. This will be a great opportunity to invite others to come and connect with our congregation.

Sunday August 1

Come on over for a special hymn sing and social. Starting at 3pm we’ll learn about some of the hymns that will be in the coming hymnal and then sing them. The stories and histories behind some of these hymns are often amazing and encouraging. We’ll also focus on connecting the words of the hymns to God’s Words and promises. After the hymn sing we will have an open forum to talk about and learn about the synod’s Hymnal Project. This event will kick off our ordering new hymnals. If you choose, you can pay for a hymnal for the church, or order one for yourself. There is also a devotion book accompanying the hymnal that you should consider order. After that, there will be a pie social afterwards.

Wednesday August 11 — CANCELLED

Sorry about this, but due to some last minute scheduling issues this event is being cancelled. We might reschedule it for later in the year.

Other Events

In September we are planning a block party!

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If you have questions, or would like to help host or run an event, talk to Chuck Schowalter. chuck@stpaulclintonville.com

No Soccer Camp and VBS in 2021

The tough decision has been made that St. Paul Clintonville will not host it's annual Soccer Camp and VBS this summer. While we love this event and are always encouraged by the faith of the young participants, but we realize that we may not be able to live up to the expectations from last year. There is a lot going on behind the scenes with our church family right now that is taking a lot of time from the volunteers who run the Soccer Camp and VBS. Last year was so much fun and such a blessing. We are still amazed and thankful at how many came last summer, it was the largest VBS we’ve had! We want to ensure that when we host this event, we give our best to make every part of the event the best we can.

We don't just host VBS to have fun, we have events like this to teach God's love and promises to the children. We will keep creating events to do that. We intend to do another VBS next year. Stay tuned and check with us next summer for the details about next year’s big event!

Pastor Announcement

By God's grace and guidance, our congregation has been blessed with a Pastor. On May 20th, Seminarian Caleb Rothfuss was assigned to our church family. After years of study, hard work, and prayers, Seminarian Rothfuss will graduate from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary on Friday, May 21st (Congratulations!). Our church leadership will be coordinating with him to figure out the details for the coming months, but later this summer Seminarian Rothfuss will be ordained as a minister and installed as Pastor here at St. Paul Clintonville.

As we excitedly await our new Pastor, please keep him and his family in your prayers. Please also keep in your thoughts and prayers all the congregations that are still waiting for a pastor. While we were blessed with a Seminary student, many congregations who asked for one were not. The harvest fields are plentiful, but the workers, especially the trained and Called Workers, are few. Pastors truly are blessings. Praise be to God for providing us one!

Mission Journey Reflections

In April, three of our members went on a special trip to the state of Washington. While they did do some sightseeing, the purpose of their travel was more important and more exciting. They went to share the Gospel joy that they have. Shelia, Dave, and Becky joined other Christians (including some from Columbus, WI) to go door to door and talk with people about Jesus. They trained, they prepared, and they trusted the Holy Spirit would guide their efforts. Watch the video below and hear about what they did and what they thought about this adventure.

For more information on trips like this one, take a look at wels.net/missionjourneys/

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Lent Is Here. Walk with Us.

Lent is here.

Lent is a time Christians set aside every year to ponder the depth of God’s mercy for sinners like us. We do that by taking a hard look at our sins so we understand all that needs to be paid for. Then we follow Jesus through all his sufferings and death to understand all that was done to save us. The end result? We appreciate God even more, we cling to our Savior, and we can’t stop saying thank you for all he has done for us. We would love for you to join us in this ancient time of reflection, repentance, and redemption.

Walk with Us.

In order to help us focus in on these truths, we have special opportunities to meditate on God’s Word. Join us for:

2/17 - 3/24: Wednesday Suppers @ 5:30pm

2/17 - 3/24: Wednesday Services @ 6:30pm

4/1: Maundy Thursday Comm. Service @ 6:30pm

4/2: Good Friday Service @ 6:30pm

4/4: Easter Sunrise Service @ 6:30am

4/4: Easter Breakfast @ 7:30am

4/4: Easter Festival Service @ 9am

Men's Conference Recap

The 2021 Men's Conference is over, but it won't be forgotten anytime soon. During the day we were blessed with amazing presenters leading impactful sessions. We sang our hearts out, as the words reminded us of God's promises and grasped our hearts. We heard the Word preached and applied to our lives. Thank you to all those involved! If you would like to be encouraged and inspired by this event, you can watch the videos or listen to the audio of the presentations and of the devotions Pastor Titus Buelow led (we had 3 Pastor Buelows involved with the conference so I had to include his first name). The archive of materials, videos, and audio files can be found using the link below:

www.stpaulclintonville.com/2021-conference

We are especially thankful and grateful to those who helped make the day happen. Thank you Jeanie and Dave Schley along with Lexie for helping take care of the planning, buying, and serving the food. Thank you Todd for your help with the audio. Thank you Greg for helping welcome guests. Thank you to the talented Sara Buelow for recording music for us to use. Most of the piano and organ songs were recordings she skillfully made for us. Thank you Amos Buelow, Pastor Julius Buelow, Pastor Titus Buelow, and Pastor Timothy Buelow for your work on your powerful presentations. You inspired us! Another thank you goes to Pastor Titus Buelow for coordinatizing the worship services and for the powerful devotions you gave us. And in all honesty, thank you for everyone who came and attended or watched online. Without those attending and watching, this event would have been discouraging. Thank you for being the Christian leaders that you are!

2021 Men's Conference

We are excited to announce that St. Paul Clintonville will be hosting a one day men's conference. Join us on Saturday, February 20th as we gather to focus on the Word and our callings. For more information, take a look at the conference page. www.stpaulclintonville.com/conference

Christmas Week

We would love to have you join us as we prepare our hearts for the coming of our Savior Jesus as a baby in Bethlehem and for his return at the end of time. We do that by digging into why that first Christmas was such a game-changer for all human beings and how that baby would give us hope today and for what comes after this life.

Here are several special opportunities for you to do that with us:

Dec.24 - Children’s Christmas Eve Service @ 6:30pm

Dec. 25 - Christmas Day Service @ 9am

Dec. 27 - Sunday Worship Service @ 9am

Dec. 31 - New Year’s Eve Service @ 6:30pm

We hope to see you there!

All services are also live-streamed on our YouTube and Facebook pages. Click their logos above.