In Christ Alone

This past Sunday we sang a beloved hymn, In Christ Alone. With power truths and moving music, this hymn is a beautiful reminder of who God is. Take a few seconds to reread the words and let the reality of who Jesus is sink in. As you read it, think of the Scripture that supports these words.

In Christ alone my hope is found.

He is my light, my strength, my song;

This cornerstone, this solid ground,

Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.

What heights of love, what depths of peace,

When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!

My Comforter, my all in all,

Here in the love of Christ I stand.

 

In Christ alone—who took on flesh,

Fullness of God in helpless babe.

This gift of love and righteousness,

Scorned by the ones he came to save.

Till on that cross, as Jesus died,

The wrath of God was satisfied;

For ev’ry sin on him was laid.

Here in the death of Christ I live.

 

There in the ground his body lay,

Light of the world by darkness slain;

Then bursting forth in glorious day

Up from the grave he rose again!

And as he stands in victory,

Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me.

For I am his and he is mine—

Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

 

No guilt in life, no fear in death,

This is the pow’r of Christ in me;

From life’s first cry to final breath,

Jesus commands my destiny.

No pow’r of hell, no scheme of man

Can ever pluck me from his hand;

Till he returns or calls me home,

Here in the pow’r of Christ I’ll stand.

Text: Keith Getty, b. 1974 and Stuart Townend, b. 1963 © 2002 Thankyou Music; admin. EMI CMG Publishing. International copyright secured. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

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Church Dedication: One Year Later

A year ago we celebrated the completion of our expansion project and we dedicated it for its continued use for the proclamation of the true and unaltered Word of God. While a lot has changed in the past year, our purpose has not. Take a few minutes to remember our church’s purpose and mission. Below is a pdf copy of the dedication service bulletin and the sermon message from the service.

Here is an excerpt from the dedication service…

Today we also remember what has brought us here to this moment and to this ministry. We were redeemed through the blood of Jesus Christ even though we were miserable sinners who didn’t deserve God’s love. Because of God’s sacrifice and unending love for us, we have new life and we overflow with joy and thankfulness to God and his Word. This has brought us to this moment of reflection, thanksgiving, and dedication.

 

Today is also a day for us to rededicate ourselves to the mission of this church, to proclaim the timeless truths of the Bible, and to share the good news with the world. We commit ourselves to that endeavor and we pray for God’s help, strength and guidance in the years ahead.

 

In all of this, may God alone receive the glory.

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Soccer Camp & VBS Recap!

We have another year in the books and what an amazing year is was. We had a record 60 kids this year! What a blessing to have so many eager to learn more about soccer and their Savior. And even though there were so many more campers, we had a very respectful and loving group. They listened attentively, were kind to one another, learned quickly, and had a blast!

Soccer Camp featured many drills that train the essential skills of soccer like dribbling, passing and shooting. We also played games that worked those skills while being a lot of fun! After two hours of running around and playing, we take a break to eat a delicious smorgasbord of a snack, sing some silly and some seriously grace-focused songs, and then talk about Jesus. This year we talked about finding Jesus at ALL costs because he is that much more amazing than anything else in our life. After devotion, we headed out for a last half-hour of scrimmage time to practice the skills we had been working on so that we could play the game of soccer!

After three days of Soccer Camp, we moved to our home base here at 31 N. Park and began our two day Vacation Bible School portion of the week. What that meant was an opening devotion about the focus of the day, some silly songs to get us moving, and some Jesus-focused songs to help us voice our confidence in Him! Afterwards, we broke into groups to dig deeper into God’s Word. Then we played kickball or duck duck goose outside, made some amazing crafts, ate more delicious goodies, and played some more big games outside. We closed with another wrap up devotion and said goodbye!

It was a fun-filled week with lots of things to take home to practice, to show family and friends, to study, and to talk about! I pray that it was as fun for everyone who came as it was for me. I was sad when everyone went home!

Thank you to all who helped make our week so fun for everyone who came. Thank you to the parents who sent your kids to be a part of our week. Thank you, Lord, for blessing our Soccer Camp & VBS week! And thank you Jesus for all you have done for us so that we can proudly share the good news you have given to us and to all!

…I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ. Philippians 3:8-9

In His service,

Pastor Buelow

Soccer Camp: Register Now!

There is still time to register your kids for our 5th annual Soccer Camp and VBS! It seems hard to believe but Soccer Camp and VBS are almost here. Make sure you include this in your child’s summer. To register, go to the link below (or on the black bar on the top of the page). Registration helps us prepare and gives us important emergency contact information.

The registration form is on this page… http://www.stpaulclintonville.com/soccer-camp-vbs

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Church Family Night: July 31

On July 31st, St Paul is having a special Church Family Night that is open to the area KEPT Youth Group. You are welcome to come starting at 6pm. Don’t worry about making food, we will have hot dogs and baked potatoes with lots of toppings (feel free to bring a topping, crazy or normal, to share). Rain or shine, we’ll have activities. Relax with some lawn games and then there will be a special water balloon fight for the kids!

RSVPing is not required, but we ask you to if you can. There is a sheet in the gathering area of church or email us to let us know how many people we should have water balloons for.

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Severe Storms in Clintonville

Friday night was a wild one! Maybe you had just finished setting up your tent at the Family Retreat. Maybe your were at home, getting ready to rest. No matter what you were doing, if you were in the Clintonville area you know about the severe storms.

It is fun watching severe weather from a safe place. The might of the winds, the ferocity of the rain and the barrages of bright lightning flashes were in full force Friday. When the weather is down right scary, it reminds us that we don’t control it. The weather is beyond us, we can hide from it but we can’t prevent the weather from getting severe… and we know that we are powerless if the storms get worse. Frightening storms are a great reminder to us, we are only human. When we acknowledge what we can’t do, it reminds us of who can and how great He is! Jesus can control and guide the weather. While He was on Earth He showed us this. God is powerful and beyond us, yet the One who even the storms listen to chose to submit Himself to be the least of us. He allowed Himself to be treated as a criminal, tortured, humiliated, and executed. When the weather gets fierce take comfort in the God who loves you.

Thankfully with all the strong winds and rain there was no damage to the church. No flooding in the basement. No fallen trees.