News

Easter Services & Breakfast:

Good Friday – March 29 – Joint – at St. Peter’s – 10:00 am

Easter Sunday: Early Worship – at St. Paul’s – 7:00 am                                                

Easter Breakfast – at St. Peter’s – 8:30 am

Easter Worship – at St. Peter’s – 10:30 am

Communion at both services.

Volunteers to assist with cooking will be appreciated by St. Peter’s. Please advise Pastor or any Council member if you can help.

How to Grow Our Church? Congregation meeting

Tuesday, April 16, 2024, at 7:00 pm

Council needs your input. Any and all ideas are welcome.

Your family & friends are welcome too!

Music Sunday

Joint Service – Sunday, May 5, 2024 – at St. Paul’s – 10:30 am

Communion moved to May 19 at 11:00 am service.

Dan and others play as we sing and enjoy!

Your family & friends are welcome too!

Other news:

We have a new fridge.

Downstair bathroom faucets have been replaced.

Furnace is being repaired (or replaced – hope not)

Doors Open booklets highlighting our reredos are available from Pastor Olaf.

St. Paul’s Annual Congregational Meeting is Sunday, February 4 after our 11:00 am service. Reports from church Council members and Pastor Olaf Poulsen will be available for pick-up Sunday, January 28 at our 9:30 service, and at the meeting itself.

2023 was another year of both challenge and success for St. Paul’s. We transitioned from the Blue book/Green book ‘switcheroo’ to the all-in-one Maroon book for worship; hosted a Waterloo Region Doors Open event allowing anyone to come in and see the beauty of St. Paul’s; were victim of break-ins and theft to our sheds at both the church and cemetery; and completed property upgrades to plumbing, heating, shingles, and our organ.

More challenges face St. Paul’s in 2024 and beyond and are to be discussed at this meeting. Your attendance and input will be greatly appreciated.

Sandwiches, fruit trays and desserts will be purchased by St. Paul’s for pre-meeting nourishment with the goal of beginning our meeting at 12:45. (February 4 is NOT a Super Bowl or NFL playoff weekend!) Tea and coffee will keep us warm too.

We look forward to seeing you there. Thank you in advance.

Blessings,

Council

Christmas – Tis the season once again!

As always, our Candlelight Service will be held on Christmas Eve. St. Paul’s will be hosting the early service this year, which is even earlier than in the past – 7:00 pm at St. Paul’s, Erbsville. Please feel free to bring friends and family as we celebrate this special day together as one. The late service will be 9:00 pm at St. Peter’s, Heidelberg.

Also, this Christmas is on Sunday! Therefore, there will not be worship held that morning at either church. Please remember that!

Family & Children’s Services of the Waterloo Region (FACS Waterloo) will again be the charity St. Paul’s Church will be supporting. Please feel free to make donations through St. Paul’s. All donations of cash or cheque payable to St. Paul’s Church will be forwarded to FACS Waterloo by council and will be added to your yearly Offerings to our church.

Red envelopes will be provided for these Christmas donations to keep them separate from your yellow envelopes. They are available at the back of the church near the Handouts. Thank you for supporting families in need! Feel free to visit their website for more information:  https://www.facswaterloo.org/

2024 Offering Envelopes are now available at the back of the church – on the bookshelf. Please help yourselves, and feel free to deliver to members who may need assistance.

Our Annual Meeting will be held on Sunday, February 4 after 11:00 am Service. Reports will be provided in advance. Important decisions are made at these meetings every year. Your attendance will be truly appreciated. Council needs and wants to hear from you. Please mark your calendars. This is NOT Super Bowl Sunday!        (We’d also love to have more Council members…)

Our website provides all this information as well.     (link is below) 

Feel free to forward this email to anyone you believe may be interested.

Blessings,

Council

We’re Ready To Welcome!

This Saturday, September 16 our Doors will be Open to the public! A visit will make one realize why St. Paul’s Church has existed since 1876.

Particular focus will be upon the reredos and it’s intricately carved oak. There within a story is told with great visual effect.

Paintings of our past, an old pew and door from the 1800’s, and more are here to be appreciated by all visitors.

Our Doors Open from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm this Saturday but remain open to all every Sunday and special holidays.

For more information about the Doors Open Event itself here are few links:

Region of Waterloo: https://www.regionofwaterloo.ca/en/exploring-the-region/doors-open-waterloo-region.aspx#2023-BrochurePassport

Map of participating sites: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1Ng3NMS-Uy6j_tmngV_AHP3y_F79ZgSo&ll=43.48354690000003%2C-80.607865&z=12

Doors Open site: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/e6239f0837224b3d916c82931b275b58

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Exciting news! St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Erbsville will be one of the sites opening its doors to the public during the Doors Open Waterloo Region tour. This will be the first time the event has been held since 2019 and takes place on September 16, 2023.

We are 1 of 20 sites chosen for their “gorgeous architecture, local heritage and fascinating people and their stories”.

We have the opportunity to proudly show others what we have created here at St. Paul’s and now need to be sure we’re prepared. Council has been busy behind the scenes and will need your help in the near future.

First meeting is Wednesday, July 5 at 4:00 pm. All members are welcome!

Feel free to visit: https://www.doorsopenontario.on.ca/pages/events/waterloo-region to see other sites chosen.

Here’s a description of the event on the Region of Waterloo’s website:

“Doors Open has been a staple event in our Region since 2003. On the third Saturday in September, Waterloo Region opens its doors to curious residents and visitors alike – attendees can tour noteworthy buildings, interesting places and heritage sites in Waterloo Region, many of which are not regularly open to the public.

Doors Open Waterloo Region creates meaningful qualitative experiences, delivered through storytelling, in celebration of our diverse community culture, heritage and architecture.”

Mark your calendars! Sunday, January 29, 2023 is the date of St. Paul’s Annual Meeting. After our 11:00 am Service sandwiches, veggies and fruit will be available downstairs – feel free to bring something more…  We plan to get started before 1:00 pm. Reports will be available at the Church on Sunday, January 22 and also at the meeting itself.

These last few years have been very difficult and we truly do need your help to thrive. Council began actions suggested during our How To Grow Our Church meeting in 2019 but the Coronavirus pandemic became more than just an interruption. Much more needs to be done and your input will be greatly appreciated.

Please join us as we look to the future.