Every-Home visits are starting now. Volunteers Needed!  It is a great way to meet some wonderful people. We will be visiting every member during the first two weeks of this month, followed by our annual Prayer Vigil. Please sign up to participate, Saturday Nov 17, 8:00am Ð 8:00pm.  Signup sheet is in the narthex. For details, please contact Andy Ozols. Please prayerfully consider volunteering to help our council visit your friends and family here at St Paul, and then pray for the many needs in our church family, community, and abroad on November 17^th.

We are looking for items for the Woody Way Welcome baskets. We are putting together as many welcome baskets as we can.

Items needed are: towels, washcloths, toilet paper, paper towels, laundry detergent (liquid fits best in baskets,) dish soap, peanut butter, jelly, crackers, quarters, sponges, nightlights and/or small

flashlights, hot chocolate mix (water, not milk, mix) pens, pencils, notepads, eating utensils (Wal-Mart has spoons, knives, forks for $1/pk,) plastic bowls and cups (Wal-Mart has colored ones in picnic supplies,) trash bags, pump-style hand soaps. We are still good on toothbrushes and paste as well as hotel shampoo, lotions and conditioners.

Even if you aren't on the fellowship committee, or can't make the meetings, please consider this outreach to our neighbors at Woody way.

Join us Wednesday mornings at 7:00AM in Springhill Hall for our Prayer Breakfast.

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We are preparing to update and publish a new church directory. If you would like to be included, or youÕve had a change in your family information, please call or email the office as soon as possible.

SUPPORT OUR LOCAL SOLDIERS!

We are sending Òcare packagesÓ to our local husbands, wives, sons & daughters who are serving in our Armed Forces in the Middle East. An ÒIdea ListÓ is on the board in the narthex to help you support this worthwhile project. Please place your weekly donations in the red tub in the back of the narthex. Any questions, please contact Lisa Johnson at 486-4528.

Teachers and other staff are settling into an exciting school year. We have had a few more three year olds join our classes. The fours program is filled but has a short wait list. More than ever teachers are using new knowledge and new skills in their programs. The school will send two more teachers to the AEYC conference in late January to further acquire new knowledge.

The preschool is pleased to be able to join in the Christmas Bazaar on December 1^st by hosting a Scholastic Book Fair, a Music w Mar table, and a Santa and Mrs. Claus Photo opportunity. The pictures will be taken by Reflections Photography in Springhill Hall. Let your friends know!

We are still hoping to finish some fall playground and other work jobs before winter shows up in force.

We wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving!

Ten Reasons To Be A Lutheran

1. Justification by grace......through grace...apart from works of the law. This critical concept states simply that salvation is not earned but is an unconditional gift. But this then raises some important issues concerning the stewardship of our lives. If we do not need to earn God's favor, what then ought we to do as an expression of thanks for what we have received.

2. Sole authority of Scripture. With Luther we believe that the Bible is the cradle in which we find the Christ Child. We do not worship the cradle, but we look to Scripture as the source and justification of all that we teach and believe.

3. No solitary Christians. As Lutherans we affirm centrality of the Church which is "the assembly of believers where the Gospel is preached in its purity and the Sacraments are administered according to the Gospel," According to the Augsburg Confession. we believe there is no complete Christian life apart from participation in the fellowship of the redeemed, and that we experience the church in three distinct realities: the local congregation, participation in a regional witness (the synod), and connection in a natural and worldwide expression of the body of Christ.

4. Priesthood of all believers. This is our critical confidence in the power of our baptism. which calls us in to Christian ministry in the midst of daily life. This concept has also driven e sense that the decision-making authority of a congregation must dwell in all baptized and not be expressed through some hierarchical system that would see certain members as more important than others.

5. Education as a high value. Our system of Lutheran colleges and universities, Lutheran campus Ministry, and Parochial schools in unequaled. We value theologically trained leaders and anticipate that all members will participate in a lifelong experience of Christian faith formation.

6. Passion for sharing the Gospel. We intend to be a church always in mission ....making Christ know....as we share companionship with other Lutherans throughout the world. We proudly participate in the Lutheran World Federation, over 85 million Lutherans worldwide, most of them found in Africa, Asia and South America.

7. In a world but not of a world. We sincerely try to be a reality - based Church. We have never claimed to be a holiness Church, which every day gets better and better. No, we are simultaneously saints and sinners (simul Justus et peccator).

8. A compassionate church. We are a church that has always valued being Christ to our neighbor. Ministries of compassion have always been central to the Lutheran experience. We are proud to participate in Lutheran World Relief, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service. Lutheran Disaster Relief and Lutheran Services in America, the largest social service delivery system in America.

9. An ecumenical Church. We have always honored our Lord's desire that they might be one. We have come to value the importance of our full communion agreements, which provide us a chance to express our unity with all who share with us a faith in Jesus Christ.

10. An ever-reforming Church. We Lutherans embrace the challenge of change, understanding that the changeless Good news about Jesus Christ must always come in new forms. We seek to embrace tradition (the living faith of those who have died) but reject traditionalism (the dead faith of living people, to borrow Jaroslav Pelikan's phrase). What is more, we have a growing passion to reach the young, the new immigrants, those who have felt outside the church of Christ.

On Thanksgiving Eve, November 21^st, St. James Episcopal Church will host the Community Thanksgiving Service at 7:30PM. Pastor Elden will be preaching, and Father Paul will be the liturgist. All are welcome!

New Webmaster needed to maintain the church web site. This is an important ministry. We have hits from all over the world. This month, alone we have had hits from as far away as The Ivory Coast and Kenya and from our own backyard in Kodiak. Not much experience is required. Software and instruction books will be provided. Please contact Pastor Elden if you are interested.

As we head into the seasons of giving, Thanksgiving and Christmas, I would like to share a few thoughts from Seeds for the Parish: A Resource Paper for Leaders of ELCA Congregations.

ÒGo therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.Ó Matthew 28: 19 Ð 20a

ÒJesusÕ words are the propelling mission of the Christian church! That call is ever-fresh today as ChristÕs example leads us out into the world to be a dynamic church of disciples (of all ages) initiating GodÕs mission to the world!

As disciples we are called to follow Christ on a life-long journey, imitating the heart and mind of Christ. Disciples are not born; they are formed in a community that learns, encourages, prays and worships together. This process of spiritual growth and transformation continues as disciples become apostles (those that are sent) on GodÕs mission to love, serve, and witness in the home, community, workplace and world. GodÕs presence and promise, given to us in Baptism and affirmed each day, calls us to a ÒvocationÓ of discipleship in our day-to-day encounters.

Our call to discipleship propels us to act as Christ would in our daily encounters with others and in our growing relationship with God. The ELCA names seven common practices modeled by Christ: prayer, study, worship, invitation, encouragement, service and charity.

Faith practices are the tools of discipleship, which deepen our relationship with Christ, equip us to live out our vacation and demonstrate how we are to love, serve and bear witness in the world.

Most congregations Òlearn as they go,Ó discovering what it means to be disciples in their particular context. ÒWeÕll try something and if it doesnÕt work, we try something else.Ó They are open to new possibilities at the SpiritÕs nudging.Ó

In my few years of worshiping at St. Paul Lutheran Church, I have observed that we too Òlearn as we goÓ in our journey of becoming disciples in the community of Kodiak. We respond to needs as they occur within our congregation and in the community. We have established on-going relationships with serving ministries, such as The Living Room, Brother Francis Shelter, the Crisis Pregnancy Center and the local food banks. We respond to individual requests for assistance of all kinds. The out-reach to our neighbors at Woody Way is multi-faceted, and we continue to support our troops and their families to meet their physical and spiritual needs.

The ELAC Mission statement is as follows: Marked with the cross of Christ forever, we are claimed, gathered and sent for the sake of the World. The Church has identified six specific areas of service.

á Share the Gospel

á Care for the WorldÕs hungry

á Support missions throughout the world

á Bring relief after disasters

á Invest in our future leadership

á Give where the need is greatest

Over the next few months, the Outreach and Missions Committee (Pastor Elden, Carol Scott, and I) will be meeting to discuss how St. Paul Lutheran Church can most effectively use its resources of time, talent, and money to respond to ChristÕs call to discipleship. If you would like to join us in this endeavor, please do so. You can call me at 486-2908 or e-mail at kathy_kodiak@yahoo.com.

May GodÕs blessings be abundant in all our lives as we seek to follow His call. In ChristÕs love, Kathy Rostad

St. Paul Lutheran Church, Church Council Retreat

October 19 & 20, 2007

St. Paul church council members met on Friday night and all day on Saturday to discuss our congregationÕs dreams and goals and make plans to attain them. The retreat consisted of several brain-storming sessions and a final session where specific teams were organized, deadlines set and team members assigned.

Past presidents, Bill Barker, Jerry Babbit and Darron Scott also participated in the retreat. The council benefited greatly from their leadership and wealth of knowledge and experience.

The weekend was filled with heartwarming sessions where members reached deep into their hearts. We prayed. We shared. We shared laughter and joy. We also shared pain and tears. We prayed again.

At the conclusion of the retreat, we all felt closer to each other and to the church.

It was a joy to witness each member sharing their dreams and goals for St. Paul. We discussed where we hoped to be; one year; five years; ten years in the future. We want our congregation to be:

Financially stable

Growing in numbers

Reducing our debt

Maintaining our missions and planning for new ones

Providing youth programs and activities that promote our

shared faith

The excitement was spontaneous and contagious when members began volunteering for the Planning Teams. Our congregation is truly blessed with very many gifted, enthusiastic and dedicated members. The following Planning Teams were organized:

Team	Members	Report Due
New Member Visitor Welcoming	Solveig Schick, Brian OÕGorman, Sandy Nedrow, Duane Freeman		Feb 5, 2007
Roof and Major Improvements Time-Line	Darron Scott, Hap Heiberg, Matt Corriere		Dec 4, 2008
Budget Evaluation & Analysis	Darron Scott		Jan. 2008
Major Gifts & Endowments	Bill Barker, Andy Ozols, Karen Lambert, Pastor Simonson		Nov. 4, 2007
Webmaster Selection	Jennifer Vining, Pastor Simonson		Nov. 4, 2007
Youth & Education Programs	Solveig Schick, Jerry & Sarah Babbit, Mike Devers		April 2008
Outreach & Mission	Kathy Rostad, Pastor Simonson		April 2008
Council Call Committee	Jane Renslo-Ure, Andy Ozols		Dec. 4, 2007
Sound Proofing	Fellowship Women		Feb 14, 2008

The activities of this weekend were a just a beginning. Each of these teams needs additional members. Please consider joining a team. We need your input. Contact one of the members and join. It feels good to be in fellowship with dedicated believers that have the Spirit moving amongst them.

The Holy Spirit gives each one of us energy and renews our desire to be GodÕs people. The Spirit moves in each one of us. It leads us to worship to share and to serve.

Sincerely yours in Christ, Andy Ozols / Council President

Our Altar Guild Committee prepares for and cleans up after Communion. Shirley Short (486-5854) would love to talk to anyone interested in helping with this important ministry.

Pastor Elden would like to thank everyone for the wonderful potluck, and the loving care and support each and every one of you has shown him and Karen for the past 3 years.

You are truly a blessing to both of them!

We need someone to pick up the weekly flower arrangement for Sunday Services. If youÕre available, please see Jennifer Vining.

The Fellowship Committee is sponsoring a

Church Bazaar on December 1^st, from 9AM-1PM, in Springhill Hall. Tables are $25, or you can donate your items to St. PaulÕs booth. Contact Lisa Johnson (486-4528) for more information.