|
This Week at
St. Paul's Lutheran Church-Lionville
October 25, 2026
"Grow in Faith, Serve with Love, Invite into Fellowship"
| | | |
Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost
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
| |  | |
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.
| | |
Rise Against Hunger Meal Packing Event
St. Matthew's and St. Paul’s are hosting a Rise Against Hunger meal packaging event on Sunday, October 25. Last year we hosted a fantastic event - over 385 individuals volunteered over 3 shifts to package 62,500 meals, and our goal for this year is to have 400 individuals work together to pack 70,000 meals. We’ve packaged over 200,000 meals over the past 4 years and want to keep the momentum going!
Volunteers can sign up for a 2-hour shift. We especially need volunteers for the 3:00 - 5:00 pm shift. It's a great family event! If you would like to make a donation towards this event or assist in packaging the meals, please sign up here.
| | |
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.
| | | |
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.
| | |
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.
| | |
Chat and Chews Book Club
The Chat and Chews Sunday School Book Club meets on the THIRD Sunday of each month, after the late service in the Lounge next to the Hospitality Room. However, in October we will meet on the 4th Sunday, October 25 due to a scheduling conflict, and we will discuss the following books:
“Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World” by Joanna Weaver - - chapters 3 & 4 and “The Measure” by Nikki Erlick. You do not have to finish the book or even read it to join us in a lively and faithful discussion. Please contact Gwen Werner for more information. Happy Reading!
| | | |
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.
| | |
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!
| | |
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.
| | | |
Living Love Lunches
Please join us in packing 50 lunches for the unhoused in Chester through Living Love Lunches at 6:30 pm on Tuesday, October 27 in the Fellowship Hall. Donations of individual packages of crackers, cookies, and applesauce are always welcome to help fill the lunches. Donations may be placed in the bin in the narthex.
| | |
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.
| | |
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.
| | | |
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.
| | |
Youth Ministry News
ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT ATTENDING THE ELCA YOUTH GATHERING NEXT SUMMER? All current 8th through 12th graders are invited to take part in a once-every-three-year experience that brings together 16,000+ high school youth from Lutheran churches across the United States, to spend five days together around the theme of "Imagine More." In 2027, the Gathering will be held from June 28 through July 2 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Interested? Registration opens in mid-October and we need to have our group together by mid-November, so let our Youth Director, Craig Miller, know as soon as possible to be included on our roster. Questions? Contact Craig at craigyouthmin@gmail.com, or 484-320-0785.
RISE AGAINST HUNGER IS COMING ON SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25, and once again we're going to have a special "youth shift" from 1:00 to 3:00 pm at St. Matthew's. Bring your family and friends! As a special treat, pizza will be provided at noon in St. Matthew's downstairs lounge for youth and their families. Even if you can't make the 1:00 shift, you can still help out at either the 11:00 am or 3:00 pm times. Sign up here to participate in a really fun event that helps feed the world: Oct. 25th Rise Against Hunger.
THE "WHAT REALLY MATTERS" RETREAT FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL YOUTH takes place Saturday afternoon, November 7 through Sunday afternoon, November 8. All sixth through eighth graders are encouraged to participate in this retreat involving Lutheran congregations from across Southeast Pennsylvania Synod, to spend 24 hours making new friends, experiencing fun activities and games, and thinking more about what is most important in life. The cost is $80 per youth participant. Sign up deadline is Sunday, October 18. Sign up here to join us: Nov. Middle School Retreat.
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!
| | |
Musical Notes from Lindsay
OCTOBER 25: Reformation Sunday
A Mighty Fortress is Our God 🎺
We will sing this foundational Lutheran Hymn as our gathering song at the 8:00 am service accompanied by organ, and again at the 10:30 am with the praise team. Thank you to Zack Heath for enlivening our worship with your trumpet playing.
8:00 am & 10:30 am Prelude:
The Jubilant Bells will set the tone of our services with settings of two grand and familiar hymns: Come, Thou Almighty King and Holy, Holy, Holy.
10:30 am Kingdom Choir Anthem: My Soul Will Wait
A powerful anthem that professes enduring faith despite overwhelming circumstances. The insistence of the rhythm and the intensity of the refrain really spoke to me when selecting this Reformation Sunday anthem:
You're my solid Rock and my salvation, my steadfast hope that won't be shaken. My soul will wait, my soul will wait for You.
Martin Luther's posting of the 95 Theses was an incredibly radical move, leading to his being declared an outlaw by the Roman Emperor who referred to him as "a devil in the habit of a monk." Luther's continued refusal to walk back his statements (If I now recant these, then, I would be doing nothing but strengthening tyranny) led to his excommunication and his "kidnapping" to Wartburg Castle by supporters who wanted to see that he remained safe from harm. His translation of the New Testament into German while at Wartburg Castle allowed access for all German-speaking people to the scripture, which Luther declared to be the ultimate authority over the Pope and church councils.
I imagine Luther with steadfast hope that won't be shaken as he walked to the door of Castle Church. His unshakable commitment to the 95 Theses sparked the German Reformation...a monumental shift from the unified Roman Catholic Church.
| | | | |
