Nearing The End!

In only three weeks time, we should be moving into our new renovated and expanded space on North Park. I cannot begin to describe how excited I am about the work the builders have been doing and the purpose for which all of this is being done.

This whole project began and was continued so that our space would be functionally excellent at giving people what they really need, Jesus Christ, the Son of God who died for the sins of all people. Unfortunately, there are a lot of roadblocks that keep people from hearing about Jesus and all that he has done. Often this happens before a person even steps foot inside a church. This renovation and expansion has grown out of a desire to make the place appealing to all people SO THAT more will enter our doors to hear the good news that we hold so dear.

More fellowship space was also added so that our church can continue making the message we hear something that we can put into practice right away. The beauty of Jesus taking wretched sinners like us, forgiving us and remaking us is that it puts all of us in the same boat. We all have received undeserved love. This causes us to be a family of misfits who have been adopted by our merciful God! From this beginning, God makes a new community bound by some pretty deep and honest ties. Our fellowship area allows us to be this new community and to make it clear to guests that they too fit right in. 

For you, members, guests, friends, I can't wait to join you in our new space for worship, Bible Study, and fellowship in just a few short weeks. I hope you catch a little of my excitement about Jesus and what he has done for me, for you, and for this community. To God alone be the glory.

- Pastor Titus Buelow

Construction Continues...

We have had a lot of changes in the past few weeks! The building is getting closer to its new shape. The west end addition has been enclosed (and not too soon with all the rain!). The east walls and roof are going up this week. Next week, the wall will be taken out between the current sanctuary and the new east addition. At the same time, the inside ceiling will be painted and basement preparations will be ongoing to prepare for the new heating and cooling system. 

While all this work has been going on through our contractor and subcontractors, we have had an amazing turn-out of our own members to defray costs incurred through demolition, preparation and cleaning. Two Saturdays ago, 30 volunteers helped demolish the inside and prepare for the renovations within. This past Saturday, we had another great turnout to do so much more work upstairs but even more in the basement. Thank you so much to everyone who gave of their time and talents to help us keep costs down and keep everything moving efficiently and quickly! Before we know it, this whole building project will be done, and we will have a new beautiful temple to worship the Lord in!

In the meantime, we have moved to our temporary worship location at the Clintonville High School Auditorium (64 Green Tree Rd., Clintonville, WI). The space worked very well for our purposes this past weekend and it will continue to serve as our location for worship and Bible Study on Sundays during construction (probably through Sunday, August 5th). We would love to have everyone join us to hear the clear Word of God and the hope of salvation given to us through Jesus Christ! Please enter through door 19 on the north (backside) side of the High School under the green awning. There will be ushers to guide you to the auditorium from there (Also see map and pictures on our home page for more direction).  

Through all this change, it is good for us to remember the changeless nature of our God and his Word. He is and always will be our Rock, our cornerstone. This is our firm foundation and our motivation as we build to share the good news of Jesus with our community!

"Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock." Isaiah 26:4

The Witness Training Program: Pentecost Service Series

This last Sunday we began a new worship series called: The Witness Training Program. After Jesus ascended, he sent the Holy Spirit to teach and empower his disciples to be his witnesses to the ends of the Earth. We are a part of that training program as we gather around God's Word and Sacraments. The Holy Spirit is preparing us to face some of life's hardest challenges and still witness to the hope we have in Jesus Christ.

The Witness Training Program: Preparing to be Jesus' Witnesses to the ends of the Earth by preparing for... The Unknown. Exhaustion. Shame. Ambition. Helplessness. Grief. Rejection.

This past Sunday we talked about how we can be prepared for the unknown. This coming Sunday we will talk about how we can be prepared for exhaustion. Watch last Sunday's sermon by clicking the image above and join us on Sunday for #2. We hope to see you then!

Reinforcements! Grads to Sugar Bush, Shawano & Weyauwega

This past Thursday, I had the privilege of attending our Seminary's call service. Towards the end of that service, after singing beautiful hymns, hearing God's Word proclaimed, and joining in prayer with thousands, the names of each graduate and the congregation they were assigned were announced. What an exciting day it was for so many young men, their families, and so many others in congregations around the world!

My family and I were especially excited this year as my brother Julius was receiving his assignment as well. We heard announced his new congregation and home as St. Paul, Saginaw, MI. We both went to High School down the street at Michigan Lutheran Seminary. I know the Lord will use him to do wondrous things by his power and wisdom!

Also in his infinite wisdom and grace, God led the assignment committee to send graduates to three congregations in our area: Kenneth Rodrigue to Grace, Sugar Bush, Wolf Parsons to Divine Savior, Shawano, and Aaron Kristopeit to St. Peters, Weyauwega. Let us say a prayer of thanks with our brothers and sisters in the area for these new shepherds called by the Lord into ministry in our Waupaca county! These reinforcements were much needed!

May we also keep praying for all the congregations throughout our Synod who are still calling for full-time shepherds to serve them. Only God knows the plans he has for each congregation and each person. However, we know that his plans are wonderful and that he "works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28).

Let us never stop giving thanks to God for his great love for us which he conveys to us through Ministers of the Word, called by his grace and his power, and sent out by him! "He himself gave the apostles, as well as the prophets, as well as the evangelists, as well as the pastors and teachers, for the purpose of training the saints for the work of serving, in order to build up the body of Christ" (Ephesians 4:11-13).

May God bless you through His Word!

- Pastor Titus Buelow

Confirmation and Groundbreaking this Sunday!

Grace and peace to you, brothers and sisters!

This Sunday is a very exciting and jam-packed Sunday. In our normal 9am service, we will be confirming Haley Meyer and welcoming her to join us at the Lord's table. It has truly been a joy to teach her for the past two years and it will be a joy to celebrate her faith with you all on Sunday!

After the service, there will be refreshments and about a half hour in between before we begin our groundbreaking ceremony outside by the north-west corner of the building at 10:30am! We have several special guests who will be joining us to represent the community. They wanted to be part of our groundbreaking because they are very excited for us to begin such a large project. At this point we know that Mayor Beggs and a representative from the Chamber will be in attendance. I am thankful they will be coming to share in our excitement. Even more, I am thankful that they will hear the hope we have in Jesus, and they will know that it is our passion for the gospel which is the reason for our investing in our congregation, its ministry, and our community!

PLEASE plan on staying for the ceremony which will not last more than a half hour, including a prayer for our church, a prayer for the building project and the workers involved, and a short reading and devotion grounding our project, not in our efforts, but in the foundation already laid, Jesus Christ! 

ALSO if you have a shovel, please bring it! We would like to have as many have shovels as possible so that we can begin this work on our building together and together remember how we are here to serve the Lord and ground more in his Word!

I hope you have a wonderful rest of your week with this outstanding weather! What a change from only a couple weeks ago. God has richly blessed us.

See you in God's house!

In His service,

Pastor Buelow

Spring Sing - Pie & Ice Cream Social - This Sunday, April 29 at 3pm

St. Paul Lutheran Church of Clintonville invites the community to join us for our Spring Sing & Pie Social on April 29th at 3pm. We will sing traditional and contemporary hymns focused especially on Jesus’ resurrection and ascension. Enjoy homemade pies & ice cream afterwards. This event is free of charge and open to all. We hope to see you there!

If you would like more information or have a question, do not hesitate to call at 715-460-3148 or email us at saintpaulclintonville@gmail.com

Groundbreaking Ceremony - May 6th

"Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash." Matthew 7:24-27

These are exciting times!

Last summer we celebrated 50 years of this congregation, St. Paul, being anchored in the faith! What a glorious celebration it was and how wonderful it is to constantly reflect on the grace of God poured out on his people. He has truly blessed this congregation in so many ways and he will continue to do so in the future.

"Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain." Psalm 127:1

It is because of our firm foundation that we look forward today confidently to the immediate future and the expansion and renovation of our building and ministry headquarters! Jesus himself remains the rock which grounds this church. It is our Savior’s teaching, sacrifice, and command that inspire us to build up one another and to share our hope with others. Jesus himself has prepared and guided this congregation throughout the years to be in a position to add more to the amazing space we have to worship, gather, and grow together in his grace and the ministry opportunities that spur those things on.

From first to last, it is God’s mercy that gives us excitement and joy to pour our efforts, gifts, time and talents into our church and its ministry. And now, after two years of planning, discussing, and preparing, we are ready to break ground in just a few short weeks. On May 6th after worship, we will formally begin our "Building on the Foundation of Christ" project with a groundbreaking ceremony. We would love to have as many as possible join us for this historic moment! 

To God alone be the glory.

In His service,

Pastor Titus Buelow

This Is the Most Amazing Week of the Year!

What is your favorite week of the year? Maybe it is the week of your birthday. Maybe it is the week leading up to and including Christmas because of all the festivities, the gifts, the food, and the family time! Maybe it is the first week of summer vacation after a long year of school. Those are all great weeks! However, I hope you also love this most amazing week of the year: Holy Week. 

Holy Week for us is when we remember the last week of Jesus' life, beginning when he rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, and ending with him rising from the dead on Easter Sunday. During that week so much happened that there is simply no way we could only get together at our normal Sunday times here at St. Paul. We also have a Maundy Thursday service to remember the Last Supper, Jesus washing his disciples feet, the garden of Gethsemane, and so much more. We also gather together on Good Friday to hear Jesus' seven last statements from the cross as he died for us. This week is the MOST amazing week of the year for me and for many because it is the week Jesus saved us all. This was the week when it was finished, the work for our salvation. Jesus did it all and then he burst from the tomb and declared victory over sin, death and the devil. That victory belongs not only to him, but to all who put their trust in him.

If Holy Week has never been a big week for you or your family before or it has been awhile since you thought about it like this, I pray that you join us this week. We are very excited about Holy Week at St. Paul and we have some amazing services planned to remember what our Savior did for us.

Here is our schedule for Holy Week:

• Maundy Thursday Communion Service - Jesus' Last Will & Testament - 6:30pm
• Good Friday Tenebrae Service - Seven Words from the Cross - 6:30pm
• Easter Sunday - Breakfast begins @ 7:30am
• Easter Sunday - Resurrection Festival Service - 9am

I hope you continue to have amazing weeks throughout the year that you look forward to and enjoy! However, this is what I hope (and pray for) most of all: Holy Week is and continues to be the MOST amazing week of the year for you as you hear from God's Word what Jesus has done for you. I hope to see you later this week!

Pastor Titus Buelow

Special Needs Service - Thursday at 5:30pm!

Every first Thursday of the month at 5:30pm we host a special worship service here at St. Paul for those with special needs and their families. We know that an ordinary service on Sundays has a lot of barriers that can keep those with disabilities from understanding or being able to participate in normal worship without feeling lost or confused. Families may feel self-conscious that they do not belong or that it is just too hard to attend worship and take care of their relative or friend with a disability. 

It is for those reasons that we have started our special service for those with learning and developmental disabilities and their families. This service contains the same content that any regular service would have. You will hear about how God loves us and forgives our sins. You will have the chance to sing, to pray, and participate in the devotion. At the same time, this service is simplified, clear, and consistent so that it is easy to follow and doesn't leave you or your loved one behind. We also encourage interaction, conversation, and instrumentation! No one should feel embarrassed for adding their voice or instrument to the service and to the singing.

All in all, we would love to have you and your loved ones join us for our special service on the first Thursday of every month at 5:30pm called "Worship at the Cross," part of our Jesus Cares Ministry. If you have any questions, would like to request a prayer, or simply would like to touch base with our pastor, please call at 715-460-3148 or email at saintpaulclintonville@gmail.com.

God be with you!

Lent Begins This Valentine's Day! (Ash Wednesday!)

Join us for this extra special way to celebrate Valentine's Day this year by taking the love of your life with you to St. Paul for our Ash Wednesday meal and service!

In all seriousness, it just so happens that Valentine's Day and Ash Wednesday are the same day this year. And I am sure you want to do something special for that special someone in your life on this very important day. What could be more special to share with your loved one than time in the Word?

It may sound different and feel like a bad idea for your relationship. However, nothing could be further from the truth! Making God and his Word a priority in your life and in your relationship is the single greatest thing you can do for yourself, your significant other, and the future you hope to have!

Help that special someone and yourself focus on what matters most in life by joining us for a light supper at 5:30pm and our communion Ash Wednesday service at 6:30pm. 

"This is love; not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins." 1 John 4:10