St.Paul Lutheran Church & School
400 S.13th Street Fort Dodge, IA 50501
Phone 515-955-7285
stpaulfd@stpaulfd.org
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THE EPISTLE OF ST. PAUL
Monthly newsletter of St. Paul Ev. Lutheran Church, Fort Dodge, Iowa
Our Mission Statement: Disciples of Christ Making Disciples for Christ
“Where there is no vision, the people cast off restraint.”
--- Proverbs 29:18
Starting on April 12th & 13th, nine congregational members gathered to form the Vision Frame Initiative team. This initiative was approved by our Parish Administrative Council (PAC) to begin the process of determining what St. Paul Lutheran Church & School aspires to be. We have just celebrated 160 years as a congregation & school, so the question is, “What does St. Paul want to look like ministry wise when we celebrate 170 years?” The Vision Frame process will help to provide direction to everyone in the organization as they focus their efforts on achieving the vision.
You will be hearing me talk a lot about the Vision Frame over the next several months. So, I wanted to write this article to explain the concept and lay out what the goals we will achieve. First of all, I want to emphasize that what the Vision Frame Initiative team does will be reported to the congregation in townhall meetings. Receiving feedback and thoughts will be most important as the team goes through the process. Please keep an eye out for upcoming congregational meetings so that each of us will be able to participate.
The Vision Frame is a collection of statements that will reflect the Kingdom Concept of St. Paul Lutheran Church & School. The Vision Frame will help to express our DNA. The goal of this process is that every leader, ministry, and program in the church & school should begin from a clear understanding of the Vision Frame. The Vision Frame includes an articulation of the church and school’s unique mission, values, strategy, mission measure, and vision proper.
MISSION: A clear and concise statement that defines what the church is ultimately supposed to be doing. Mission answers the question, “What are we doing?” The mission serves as the compass and guiding North Star of the church & school. It is the heartbeat. The mission is like a golden thread that weaves through every activity of the church & school.
VALUES: The shared convictions that guide the actions and reveal the strengths of the church & school. Values answer the question, “Why are we doing it?” Values are pillars that represent the conscience of the church & school.
STRATEGY: The process that demonstrates how the church will accomplish its mission on the broadest level. Strategy answers the question, “How are we doing it?” The strategy is like a container that holds all church & school activities into one meaningful whole.
MEASURES: The characteristics of an individual’s life that reflect the achievement of the mission. Measures answers the question, “When are we successful?” Measure is the church & school’s portrait of a disciple and definition of spiritual maturity. It provides the standard by which the mission can be measured with respect to an individual’s development through the ministry of the church & school.
VISION PROPER: The living language that anticipates and illustrates God’s better future for the church & school. Vision Proper answers the question, “Where is God taking us?” The vision is a God–inspired dream. It is like a developing Polaroid picture of the church’s preferable future. It develops first in the minds-eye of the leadership and then in the people. Vision is made possible by imagination fueled by faith, hope and love. It is our unique fingerprint here at St. Paul Lutheran Church & School in Fort Dodge, Iowa.
Please keep this process in your daily prayers. I look forward to seeing how God will work through us as we seek to follow His lead in the years ahead.
Pastor Kendall Meyer
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St. Paul Lutheran Church normally offers Sunday School for school age childern on Sunday mornings at 9:15 am.
Sunday School sesssions begin in the Multi-purpose Room with music and
then the children break off to other
rooms to do lessons. Later, the chldren return to the Multi-purpose Room to finish up with a craft and be picked up.
Registration forms are available in
the church office or that day in the Multipurpose Room.
Come and join the fun.
Join us for Sunday school for preschoolers- fifth grade every week from 9:15-10:00 in the St. Paul multipurpose/cafeteria. Each week, we start with music, then a lesson and end with a fun, take-home craft.
On the third Sunday of the month,
we have Birthday Sunday where we learn about a special birth story in the Bible.
If you have a birthday that month, we also celebrate YOU! We have games, special treats, and a trip to the church library that Sunday! It’s never too late to join us and bring a friend!
Volunteer Teachers and Helpers
We are always interested members who would be willing to be volunteer Sunday School teachers and helpers (for music, lessons, and crafts).
Since we do lessons on a monthly basis, you may volunteer for one month, a quarter, or year at a time.
Contact Cindy Simpson or the church office to express your interest.
Cindy Simpson
Clouie1963@gmail.com; 515-408-3975
High school youth and college students normally meet on Sunday evenings at 4: 00 pm at the church for food, activities,
and a Bible study, called "BOLD".
Contact Lynn Meyer for more information.
Confirmation Classes for the 6th grade through 8th grade memebers normally meet on Wednesday evenings at 5:30 pm.
St. Paul Lutheran Day School offers a quality education for Preschool, Pre-K, and Kindergarten through 8th grade
in a Christ-centered learning environment.
Our school is accredited by the ational Lutheran School Accreditation.
click here to go to the school web page.
St.Paul Lutheran Church & School
400 S.13th Street Fort Dodge, IA 50501
Phone 515-955-7285
stpaulfd@stpaulfd.org
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