News - St. Paul Lutheran, Valley City, Ohio

Bulletin, Announcements, & Bible Study, Sunday, January 3, 2021

Posted on Jan 3, 2021 in HomePage |

2021-01-03 Large Print (20).pdf

Beloved of the Lord,

Today we will have in-person worship. We will also be streaming live at 8:00 AM for worship and 9:30 AM for Bible Study.

Watch at www.spvc.org or on Facebook or YouTube.

https://www.facebook.com/stpaulvalleycity/https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPyLDCN8s8MynD8qBJe9oWA

Today’s bulletin is attached.

May the Lord bless you as you worship and receive His gifts!

In Christ,

Pastor Zielinski

COMMUNION OPPORTUNITIES continuing today, Pastor will be offering times when members can come to the church and receive communion separate from our regular worship times. Pastor and the Elders realize that there are some for whom attending a larger gathering is not recommended right now so we would like to provide a variety of opportunities to receive communion.

1.Posted times for “walk-in” communion.

2.Scheduling an appointment with Pastor at church or in your home.

“Walk-In” times at Church:

oSundays, 1pm – 2pm

oTuesdays, 5pm – 7pm

·Arrive anytime and come to the Fellowship Hall.

·We recommend you wear a mask before entering the building and keep it on until it is time to receive communion.

·There will be four waiting areas in the fellowship hall so that you can wait for the next opportunity.

·Pastor will come and welcome the next household group into the sanctuary where you can sit in the first row of pews.

·The service will consist of confession and absolution, prayer, creed, Lord’s Prayer, Words of Institution, Distribution, and a blessing. This is similar to home communion visits.

·Between groups, pastor will sanitize the area just used and prepare a fresh setup of communion elements. We will also alternate setups from pulpit side and lectern side to allow ample time for sanitation solutions to work.

·Pastor will then return to the fellowship hall and welcome the next household group that is waiting.

Scheduling an appointment for communion at church or in your home:

To schedule a time other than the walk-in times

oCall Pastor 440-458-0189

oVisit www.spvc.org and click “Book with Pastor” to see available times for appointments.

Bulletin for Sunday, December 27, 2020

Posted on Dec 27, 2020 in HomePage |

2020-12-27 Large Print (20).pdf

Resuming In-Person Worship on June 7

Posted on May 27, 2020 in HomePage |

Beloved of the Lord,

“I was glad when they said unto me, ‘Let us go into the House of the Lord.’”

Psalm 122:1

The Elders have decided that the time is coming to resume holding in-person worship services with some specific adaptations to do our best to minimize the risk of contracting or spreading the COVID-19 virus.

On Sunday, June 7, 2020 we will hold worship servcies at 8:00am and 10:30am.

(Bible Study will still be done via Zoom, online only.)

First and foremost, we want everyone to know that if you feel uncomfortable attending in-person worship, even with these adaptations, please feel free to remain home until such time as you are ready. The services and Bible Studies will contine to be provided online or by DVD as we always have done. Let your conscience be at ease knowing that the Lord is with you. Reach out to the church office if you have any pastoral care needs.

We will continue to monitor the larger situation and evaluate the effectiveness of the adaptations we are making along with feedback from attendees. As the situation changes and as we see what is working or what is not, we will adapt as best we can. We also realize that it would be impossible to completely eliminate every risk vector. We have all made decisions about what is essential in our lives related to work, groceries, medical care and the like. You will also need to decide for yourself when the time is right for you to attend in-person worship once again.

As we return to worship, please give careful consideration to the requests and adaptations presented by the Board of Elders. We make these with best interest of the spiritual and physical care of everyone attending. While you may agree or disagree with the need for or effectiveness of various adaptations, we ask that, should you choose to attend, that you also abide by these requests to the best of your ability so that everyone attending can feel at ease. Love of our neighbor places their needs ahead of our own and we do our best to put everyone’s conscience at ease.

In the State of Ohio we have been blessed with a civil government that has exempted houses of worship from any threat of civil or criminal penalties related to the health orders. However, while that means we are completely free with respect to the law, we remain bound to the love and care of our neighbor and it is our responsibility to decide how best to align ourselves with the health guidelines while still being able to worship freely.

Please familiarize yourself with the included list of guidelines and adaptations that you can expect when we return to in-person worship. Take the time between now and when we resume to gather any supplies you may need. Also feel free to contact members of the Board of Elders or Pastor Zielinski with any questions you may have.

We are grateful for the many volunteers that help make worship go smoothly each week. For the time being in order to minimize the need for training and so that no one feels compelled to attend before they are ready, no volunteers will be scheduled to serve during the worship service (AV, readers, acolytes, ushers, etc.). The Elders will be handling these responsibilities.

I look forward to soon greeting you in the Lord’s House when the time is right for you. Until then, may the Lord guard and keep you and bless you and your loved ones during these days. May He soon deliver us from this pandamic and all its effects of health and wellbeing.

In Christ,

The Board of Elders: Pastor Zielinski

Sam Jakabcic

Steve Kato

Tim Wadle

Rob Zacharias

Guidelines for Returning to Worship at St. Paul, Sunday June 7, (8am & 10:30am)

If you, or someone in your household would be considered “high-risk” for complications related to COVID-19, please be safe and stay home. Or, if you are not feeling well, or if someone in your household is not feeling well, please be considerate of others and be safe and stay home.

Recommend wearing a face covering/mask.
Maintain social distancing (6-feet or more from others and no handshakes/hugs/etc.)
Entering:
- Sanitize your hands as you arrive please.

Bulletin:
- Pick up a bulletin at the table near the Welcome Center.
- It is yours to keep! It contains the entire service including readings and hymns.

Offering
- Continue to make use of automatic giving via your bank or our website.
- If you have brought your offering with you, place it in the basket as you pick up your bulletin.

Seating
- Every-other pew has been sectioned off. They have also been sanitized between services.
- Please sit as a family unit with appropriate social distance between your family and others.
- If we reach capacity in the sanctuary, we will provide additional seating in the Narthex and Fellowship Hall.

Communion
- Pastor and an assistant will have just washed their hands and will be wearing masks and gloves.
- Ushers will dismiss one family unit at a time to come forward and receive communion.
- Communion will be received standing at the bottom of the steps, as we have done from time to time.
- Place your hand out flat so that Pastor can place the Body of Christ into your palm.
- Then, you take an individual cup from the tray.
- Place the empty cup into the basket and utilize the hand sanitizer provided, if you desire.
- Return to your seat via the narthex around to the back of the sanctuary (instead of the side aisles).

Leaving
- Ushers will dismiss pews beginning at the back of the sanctuary.
- Please limit your lingering in the Fellowship Hall but rather make your way directly to the parking lot.
- You are welcome to remain outside to greet one another. Please continue to observe appropriate social distancing.

2020-05-14 – Resuming In-Person Worship Plan.pdf

2020-06 – COVID-19 Worship Guidelines.pdf

March 28 Update from St. Paul

Posted on Mar 28, 2020 in HomePage |

Beloved of the Lord,

Sunday morning we will be live at 8:00am and then anytime after that the service will be available to you, on-demand. Visit www.spvc.org to begin viewing. DVD’s are available. Please email christine.cox@spvc.org to request one.

BIBLE STUDY: I plan to hold an on-line Bible Study at about 9:30am on Sunday. You can join in live or view it the same as our worship services.
To join in from your computer or other device follow this link:
https://zoom.us/j/3881486941
That will take you to “Zoom”, an online meeting platform. It’ll ask you to install a small app and then you’ll be able to join the meeting or enter a “waiting room.”

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Please download the bulletin and read the announcments.

PICTORAL DIRECTORY: This has been postponed until Lifetouch (the photographers) are back up and running. Likely, the fall.

WHEN WILL WE RESUME IN-PERSON WORSHIP? As of this message, we honestly do not know when it will be appropriate and safe to resume in-person worship. We had hoped for Palm Sunday, but the current “stay at home” order prevents that. The most important thing is that we resume worship when the pandemic has reached a point that it is appropriate and safe. I’m sure we are growing fatigued of all the adjustments we’ve had to make. Now is when we need act in love for our neighbor and remain steadfast in our commitment to slow the spread and severity of COVID-19. I’m as eager as anyone to get back to normal.

PRAYER REQUESTS can be sent to prayer@spvc.org. Also, email there to join the prayer chain and receive all the updates.

Among the many requests for prayers involving the virus situation, please remember the workers, owners, and managers of businesses that are facing lay-offs. These are difficult decisions to make and hearbreaking news to receive. May the Lord grant a swift return to work for everyone.

May God grant you a restful night. Awaken tomorrow ready to worhsip together and receive God’s gifts as He remains generous during these difficult days.

In Christ,

Pastor Zielinski