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This Week at
St. Paul's Lutheran Church-Lionville
November 1, 2026
"Grow in Faith, Serve with Love, Invite into Fellowship"
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All Saints Sunday
8:00 am - Traditional Service
10:30 am - Contemporary Service
9:15 am Faith Formation (all ages)
Attend in person or worship online
Everyone is welcome!
Second Sunday of Every Month:
4:00 pm - Rejoicing Spirits Service
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Our Prayer List
We pray for Kim, Linda, Sandy, Anthony, Mark, Holly, Gary, Delores, Lorraine, Drew, JD, Dave, Nancy, Janet, Marian, Jeffrey, Paula, Wendy, Cheryl, Bennett, Scott, Anne B., Mary Ann, Craig, Nancy Jane, Barbara, Barry, Pastor John, Danny, Rick, Barbara, Lois, Dave, Marla, Fred, Luke, Carson, Ben, Belinda, William, Janet, Anne, Samantha, Steven, Rick, Amy C., Pat, Marlene, Chip, and Jean. We lift up Drew, Bianka, Liam, Daniel, Zach, and Alistair in the military. We pray for peace in Sudan, Ukraine, and the Middle East. We pray for those we now name aloud or lift up quietly in our hearts.
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Thanksgiving Food Drive: Helping 400 Families
Once again this year, St. Paul’s will be the sole provider of Thanksgiving food for the 400 families served by the Honey Brook Food Pantry. For those who prefer to do their own shopping, we will be collecting 50 complete meal kits. To fill the remaining 350 boxes, we are asking for monetary donations to buy food in bulk, allowing us to stretch your donation further. With the rising cost of groceries, we need approximately $6,000 to fill all the Thanksgiving boxes.
If you would like to support the Thanksgiving Food Drive, checks can be made payable to St. Paul’s with “Food Drive” written in the memo line. And mark your calendar! Our Thanksgiving Food Box Packing Event will be Saturday, November 7. Sign up online to donate or help pack food bags.
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New Members Classes
If you’ve been attending St. Paul’s, we would love to welcome you as a new member this fall! We’ll hold weekly classes starting Sunday, November 1 from 5-6 pm for four weeks as an opportunity to grow in faith, learn more about St. Paul’s and build friendships with others who are also joining. Child care will be provided. If you would like to attend or have any questions, please feel free to email Pastor Stuart or call 610-804-1740.
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Crafters' Candy Sale
The Crafters have been busy making their famous chocolate turtles and pecan clusters. They’ll be selling them for $10 a box after services throughout November. The candies make a great hostess gift or holiday treat. The proceeds of the sale help to purchase materials for the Crafters' many projects throughout the year. Thank you for your support!
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Butter Braids are Back
The youth are holding a Freckled Moose Butter Braids fundraiser through November 5, with proceeds benefitting our Youth Gathering and Appalachia Service Project trips this coming summer. Butter Braids are frozen pastries that can be stored and brought out to serve on special occasions, or whenever the mood hits you! These were a very popular fundraiser for St. Paul's Preschool, so we're happy to offer them once again. Order online or using the forms in the narthex.
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ELCA Youth Gathering
The St. Paul's-St. Matthew's Youth Group will once again be participating in the ELCA Youth Gathering next summer. The gathering is a massive national event held only once every three years that brings together thousands of Lutheran youth from across the United States. For five days, current 8th through 12th graders will gather to explore their faith, serve others, and build life-changing friendships. This year's gathering will take place in Minneapolis, Minnesota, from June 28 to July 2, 2027 with the theme "Imagine More." Interested youth should contact Craig, and congregation members can support the trip through our butter braid fundraiser and praying for our group.
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Leaf Clean Up Dates
The Property Team has scheduled the following dates and times for large leaf clean up around the church property:
- Saturday, November 7, 9:00 am
- Sunday, November 22, 12:00 pm
If you can't make these days but are free other weekends or evenings to do some leaves on your own, the help will be greatly appreciated. Please bring a leaf blower or mulching mower if you are able to. The church has 2 lawn tractors to bag and mulch leaves.
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Interfaith Community Thanksgiving Service
Please join with the faithful folks of our area as we celebrate the spirit of Thanksgiving on Sunday, November 22, 2026 at 7 pm at The Foundation for Islamic Education at 201 Sharp Lane, Exton, PA 19341. The evening will include music, thoughts and prayers from varied faith traditions with a time of fellowship afterwards. Please bring a nonperishable food donation for the Chester County Food Bank.
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Toys for Tots
Give a Little Joy This Christmas: It’s never too early to start spreading some Christmas joy! A Toys for Tots collection bin is now available in the church lobby for anyone who would like to get a jump start on donating a new, unwrapped toy for a child in need. While toys are welcome for children of all ages, there is an especially great need for gifts for teens. Consider picking up a game, sports equipment, art supplies, makeup, or other gift a teen would enjoy. More information about our Toys for Tots collection and other ways to participate will be shared toward the end of October. In the meantime, if you see a great toy while you're out shopping, pick it up and drop it in the bin! Donations are due by Sunday, December 6.
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Warm Hearts, Warm Coats
As the weather gets colder, we’re collecting clean, new or gently used coats for children, teens, and adults served by the Honey Brook Food Pantry. A collection box is now available in the church lobby.
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Red Cross Blood Drive
There will be a Red Cross Blood Drive in the
Fellowship Hall on Thursday, November 5
from 1:00 - 6:00 pm. You must register to
donate, and can do so by going to
RedCrossBlood.org and enter splutheran.
Streamline your donation experience and
save up to 15 minutes by visiting
RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass to complete
your pre-donation reading and health history
questions on the day of your appointment.
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Rise Against Hunger Final Numbers!
This year's Rise Against Hunger event was a huge success thanks to the many donors and volunteers who made the day possible. Here's the final numbers:
- 405 volunteers (6% more than last year)
- an additional shift (4 instead of 3)
- 82,944 meals (32.7% more than last year)
- 28 "sponsors" (up from 20 in 2025) - and 2 new "in kind sponsors" (Trader Joe's and Twin Valley Coffee
- approximately 6 volunteers (not counting people who worked during a meal packing shift) who couldn't make a shift but helped with set up or clean up
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Fellowship Hall Feedback
The discernment team for the fellowship hall and kitchen renovation will be hosting an in-person gathering on Sunday, November 8 at 11:45 am in the Fellowship Hall to share a summary of all the feedback that was received from our member surveys. Please click here to let us know you plan to attend.
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Rejoicing Spirits
Our next Rejoicing Spirits service will be on Sunday, November 8 at 4:00 pm. This is an informal, inclusive and adapted service open to all in the community, including those with intellectual and developmental disabilities, regardless of faith background. The service includes joyous music, singing and brief, meaningful, pastor-led sermons.
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Youth Ministry News
REGISTER FOR NEXT SUMMER'S ELCA YOUTH GATHERING BY THIS SUNDAY! If you are planning to come with us to Minneapolis next June 28 through July 3, you must complete a registration form and turn it in with a $175 non-refundable deposit by the end of the day this coming Sunday, November 1. Questions? Contact Craig Miller at 484-320-0785, or craigyouthmin@gmail.com.
OUR NEXT HIGH SCHOOL OASIS GATHERING is this Sunday, November 1 from 6:30 to 8:00 pm in the upstairs Youth Room at St. Paul's. This time, OASIS will be another "Deep Dive" with conversation around a deeper topic or Bible passage. (There will still be sharing of highs and lows, and of course food.) All 9th through 12th graders are invited to join us. Advance sign up is not necessary; just show up!
THE NEXT GOOD WORKS YOUTH WORKDAY will be Saturday, November 21 from 8:15 am to 3:45 pm. All 10th through 12th graders are welcome to join us for the day to help make homes safer, warmer, and drier for area families in need. Sign up at this link by Wednesday, November 11: Nov. 21st Good Works Workday.
OUR ANNUAL HIGH SCHOOL YOUTH 'FRIENDSGIVING' will take place on Sunday evening, November 22. Signup info is coming soon, but all 9th through 12th graders are encouraged to save the date now!
REGISTRATION IS OPEN NOW FOR NEXT SUMMER'S APPALACHIA SERVICE PROJECT WORK WEEK! We will again be sending work crews to Central Appalachia to make homes safer, warmer, and drier for families in need of some help. Our trip will be Saturday, July 17 through Saturday, July 24, 2027. Youth who are currently in 7th through 12th grades are eligible to participate. The cost per person is $400 with scholarships available for those who need financial assistance; fundraising events throughout the year will also provide opportunities for families to reduce their out-of-pocket costs. To sign up, go to the ASP Online Registration Portal and enter “17700” as the group number to select our trip; if you have not participated in ASP before, you will need to create a new account in the participant’s name. You will also need to pay a $150 non-refundable deposit by December 1. Questions about ASP? Contact Craig Miller at craigyouthmin@gmail.com, or 484-320-0785. This is an experience not to be missed!
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Help St. Paul's Recycle!
Do you have paper grocery bags piled up in a closet? Room in your recycling bin? Consider helping St. Paul's with its paper recycling. If you have extra paper grocery bags, please drop them in the church office. And if your recycling bin at home isn't full, please consider filling a bag or two from the office recycling bins home with you. Thanks so much for your help!
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Coffee Fellowship Help
The holidays are a great time to share some treats and time of fellowship. Please consider
making coffee and providing some tasty snacks to share. Sign ups available online or in the narthex. Thank you!
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Musical Notes from Lindsay
NOVEMBER 1: All Saints Day & Start of Stewardship Campaign
8:00 am Service:
Gathering Hymn: For the Fruit of All Creation
It's November--a time of harvest, changing colors, and the start of the St. Paul's stewardship campaign. Our gathering hymn reminds us that all we have is thanks to God: Fruit (though I'm partial to the summer variety), the just reward of labor, our worldwide task of caring, all the good we inherit...most of all, that love has found us. I find myself grateful for the honor of helping to plan the music for the worship services at St. Paul's, and for the privilege to grow as a musician alongside the talented ensembles of our congregation.
Hymn of the Day: As Saints of Old
This hymn beautifully ties together the dual themes of our service this day!
Sending Hymn: For All the Saints
My favorite part of this selection is the triumphant "Alleluias" in the final line. Ralph Vaughn Williams brings William How's text to life, which is no surprise, considering Vaughn Williams' talent for composing evocative musical settings for the text of other writers. If you are not familiar with his song cycle Songs of Travel, I highly suggest you correct this! In it, Vaughn Williams masterfully sets the text of Robert Louis Stevenson's poems Songs of Travel and Other Verses to music. My favorite selection from the song cycle is Vagabond, and my favorite example of the work is a gender-bending performance by Wallis Giunta.
10:30 am Service:
Prelude: Reckless Love
This is a new selection for our congregation that the praise team performed three times in October. Feel free to join us as we sing together this morning! This will also be our song of the day. Check out the lyric video!
Gathering Song: Our God Saves
This selection from Paul Baloche and Benton Brown proclaims our shared belief that God is the ultimate source of hope and life-changing love. Baloche describes the song as one intended for gathering, and the simple text sets our intention as a community of Christians entering worship together.
Song of the Day: Reckless Love
I enjoy reading the inspiration that draws songwriters to create certain compositions, and so I endeavored to learn what inspired Cory Asbury to write our song of the day. What I found was more interesting. I came across a blog by a man named Ken Winter (a Christian author and missionary) who described his initial negative reaction to seeing the title of this song.
Sending Song: Be the Hands, the Heart of God
You may remember this spirited closing song from two of our July services this summer...and if you don't, here it is to refresh your memory. 😊
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