New outdoor sign and carpet

On October 17, we dedicated our new outdoor sign and new carpeting in the church nave. The sign was a project of the 125th anniversary celebration. The new carpet was made possible by the generous donations of many members.

We began raising money for the carpet only this past February, so having it installed already in October feels like a big accomplishment. Thanks to the faithful members and friends of St. Paul who made it possible to welcome our neighbors and make them feel they are in a well-cared-for space when they enter.

Welcome new members

We welcomed three new members into the congregation family of St. Paul Lutheran Church on Sunday, September 12: Susan Dickerson, Norma Clarke, and Kay Getaway. We also welcomed Robin Petrick back into our fellowship. We rejoice to share our faith with these sisters in Christ and co-workers in God’s kingdom.

Worship Services

Sundays, 10 am: Holy Communion

Wednesdays, 7 pm: Evening Prayer, or Holy Communion during Advent (4 weeks before Christmas) and Lent (6 weeks leading up to Easter).

Who can attend worship at St. Paul?

We invite you to worship with us whether you are:

• A Lutheran
• A Christian from another church body
• A person of faith of any religion
• Not really much of a believer

At the altar for Holy Communion, we welcome all baptized Christians who believe that Christ is really present in the bread and wine.

Babies and children are especially welcome at St. Paul. Baptized children may receive Holy Communion, regardless of their age. We understand that little ones need to move around and sometimes make noise. When a child really needs a break, there’s a little area in the narthex at the back where parents can take them to find a soft toy and help them calm down.

What is worship like at St. Paul?

At St. Paul Lutheran Church, we worship in the historic liturgical tradition of the church catholic. That’s small-c catholic, meaning “universal”—we worship the way the church has worshipped for a long, long time. Our worship is centered around Word and Sacrament.

Word

We read the Bible because we believe it contains the Word of God. Most of the time we read three Bible lessons and sing a Psalm. We also sing and pray the Bible! Many of our hymns and our prayers come from the Bible. At St. Paul, we love to sing, and our wonderful organ and great acoustics makes singing God’s Word fun and rewarding.
Oh, and there’s a sermon, too! The sermon generally applies the Bible lessons of the day to our daily lives. Martin Luther said that proper preaching includes both Law, which shows us why we need God, and Gospel, which shows us God’s love freely given to fill our need. Sermons are usually 15-20 minutes long.

Sacrament

At the heart of our worship—and of our lives—is Baptism. In Baptism, we die to ourselves and are reborn in Christ. God accepts us as beloved children, even though we’re not worthy of such a great gift. Baptism is about what God does for us and to us and in us, not about what we believe or know or do. So Lutherans baptize infants as well as adults. If you would like to be baptized or have your child baptized, please contact the pastor.

At the heart of every Sunday service, as well as festivals such as Christmas, is Holy Communion. We believe that the bread and wine is “the body of Christ given for you, the blood of Christ shed for you,” as the ministers say to each communicant. We leave the altar fed with God’s great love for us, forgiven our sins, and strengthened for a life of service to others.

God has a passion for justice. The people of St. Paul Lutheran Church follow the commandment to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19: 18, Matthew 22:39) by caring for the people in our neighborhood and by advocating for justice for all people on earth.

• The Sharing Place is the largest food pantry in Hudson County.
• We make facilities available to the Lutheran Home for Children and Alcoholics / Narcotics Anonymous groups.
• We are expanding our community service through the St. Paul Center for Caring.
• We pray at every worship service for peace and justice.

Photos from St. Paul Center for Caring dedication

We welcomed dignitaries and community members to the dedication of the St. Paul Center for Caring on June 18.  Special thanks to Beverly Savage, executive director of Hudson County CASA, for spearheading the event.

St. Paul Center for Caring dedication

We are honored to host U.S. Senator Robert Menendez, Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise, Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy, and other dignitaries on Friday, June 18, 10 am, to dedicate the St. Paul Center for Caring. A Community Development Block Grant and generous support from both the city and the county have made possible a major renovation of our community center/parish hall and church basement to host a variety of community service organizations. Chief among these is Hudson County CASA (court appointed special advocates), whose executive director, Beverly Savage, we have to thank for much of what has been accomplished. In addition to our own hunger ministry, the Sharing Place, we also host the Lutheran Home for Children, a ministry of Lutheran Social Ministries of New Jersey; several AA / NA groups, including one that has been meeting continuously for about 50 years; and various other community meetings and groups. All are welcome to join the dedication festivities Friday at 10 am in the parking lot.

Young people with (Holy) Spirit

Six baptized members of St. Paul Lutheran Church confirmed their commitment to Christ’s church by Affirmation of Baptism (what we used to call confirmation) on Pentecost, May 23. It was a wonderful Spirit-filled celebration highlighted by the premiere of a new setting of the liturgy written by our own Christopher Greene.  We are proud of our young people for their hard work in learning about the Bible and the church. We thank God for their faith and their presence among us. (Click on the images to enlarge.)

Photos from Pastor David’s ordination

On Sunday, May 17, David Swarganadan Rajah Achariam was ordained to the Holy Ministry of Word and Sacrament at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church. Pastor David will be the mission developer for the South Asian satellite congregation being established here.

The Rev. Roy Riley, Bishop of the New Jersey Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, presided at the ordination and Eucharist. The preacher was the Rev. Dr. Paul Rajashekar, Academic Dean of the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. Presenters were the Rev. Judith Spindt, assistant to the bishop, and the Rev. Fred Niederheiser, one of David’s mentors. Clergy and church members from around the synod attended, as well as members of St. Paul and David’s family and other supporters. Afterward, we all enjoyed a splendid Indian feast.

New Christians baptized at Easter

Mi’Kayla Bell, daughter of Brionna Bell, and Esther Ritter, daughter of Pr. Jessica Lambert and Nathan Ritter, were received into Christ’s church on the Vigil of Easter. We rejoice with these families for the lives of these beautiful babies and praise God for receiving them as God’s own.

Organ to be restored

We’ve just learned that our insurance will cover the damage done to our organ in the latest nor’easter. Repairs, estimated at $65,000, will begin this summer and should be done by fall. Thanks be to God!

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