Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Pastor, Teacher, & Martyr, (Feb. 4, 1906 – April 9, 1945) was active in the German resistance to Nazism and a leader of the underground church. As a young theologian he studied at Union Seminary in NYC and was pastor to German language churches in London, England, but returned to Germany in 1935 to confront the National Socialists and participate in the suffering of his people. Arrested in 1943 for his efforts to help the Jews and overthrow Hitler, he was hanged on April 9, 1945, and is commemorated on that day. He is most widely known through his writings: The Cost of Discipleship, Life Together, Ethics, and Letters and Papers from Prison. -Pastor Fred Schott, Interim Bridge Pastor
FROM THE CONGREGATION PRESIDENT I’m writing this on Sunday afternoon, just minutes after our congregation met and voted UNANIMOUSLY to extend a Letter of Call to Pastor Kristi Koppel! The comments and discussion at the meeting reinforced my conviction that Pr. Koppel is the right person to accompany us on our journey forward. While we must follow certain procedures and allow Pr. Koppel time to consider and respond officially to the call, I have every confidence, based on my conversation with her, that she will accept the role of being our pastor. Amid my excitement with the action taken today, I have to remind myself that we still have two months or so before Pr. Koppel will be able to join us. I am extremely thankful for the services provided by Pastor Fred Schott during the past several months and for his willingness to stay with us for a while longer. And I am thankful for the many volunteers who have taken on a variety of leadership roles while we have been without a permanent pastor. I hope we will continue to be just as committed and involved after we make the transition to new leadership. On another subject, I am working to renew our emphasis on stewardship and make it a year-long part of the ministry of St. Paul. I have begun a process of evaluating Synod resources and exploring ideas that may be helpful to us. If you are willing to participate in assembling a group of people to work with me on this, I will be delighted to hear from you. -Paul Thompson, Congregation Council President
BE CAREFUL OF WHAT YOU LEAVE LAYING AROUND Please be sure to hide all valuables from view in your vehicles at all times. Unfortunately, we had a car broken into because a cell phone was left visible. -AnnaMarie Padilla 4