St. Paul's

Evangelical Lutheran Church

127 Cherry Rd. NE, Massillon, OH 44646

330 832-7409

October 2025 Newsletter

Contact Us: Click to send an email

On the Web

Pastor Mark wears two gifts from his ordination celebration day: a new cross and a stole depicting scenes from his favorite hymn, "How Great Thou Art."

The church calendar is always available on every page of the church website on the right side, along with the church address, phone number, email address, and Youtube link for the online services. The online calendar contains the most up-to-date listing of events. 

Sunday School after church service, 11:30 am

Monday Bible Studies with Tina Crog at Tremont Coffee, 6:00 pm

Wednesday Bible Studies with Tina Crog at Tremont Coffee, 10:00 am

Wednesday Snip-N-Stitch, 9:00 am

Thursday Bible Studies, 10:00 am

Thursday Chair Yoga following Bible Study, 11:00 am

Pepperoni Rolls available from Kitchen Angels, Sunday, September 28. They will be available at 9:30 in the dining room and also after church. Six rolls for $8.

Cathedral Concert: Sunday, October 26 , 4 pm, Baldwin Wallace Men's Chorus with District 8 High School Singers

After Sunday Worship: 11:30 am, second floor of Parish Hall

Who is God the Holy Spirit?

       “The Spirit will guide you into all truth.” (John 16:13a)

The Holy Spirit may be the most neglected and misunderstood person of the Holy Trinity. God the Father and God the Son seem more relatable and easier to embrace. The lessons for October will focus on the person and work of the Holy Spirit and the privilege we have as believers to access this “power from on high.”

Please join us following the Sunday worship service in the Parish Hall, top floor, as we begin this interesting series of lessons. We typically start at 11:30 and conclude shortly past noon. An elevator is available for easy access. Hope to see you there!

Thursday: 10:00 am in the meeting room in Parish Hall

Everywhere Is Jerusalem: Experiencing the Holy Then and Now
By James Howell

Location matters. Christianity isn't a batch of spiritual thoughts or metaphysical truths. It's a journey of real people with their feet on the ground in real places.

In Everywhere Is Jerusalem, James Howell takes you on a spiritual pilgrimage to significant places in the ongoing story of the Christian faith. You'll go from Bethlehem to Jerusalem, from the Jordan River to Assisi, and from the Sea of Galilee to Montgomery, Alabama. Along the way, you'll discover the profound connections between biblical stories and the places they happened.

Part travelogue, part Bible study, this book will take you on a spiritual journey to the places that are most important in our faith, and you'll discover that the most important place of all is the place where you are, right now.

We Believe:  A Bible Study on the Nicene Creed

For many of us, the Creed is something we recite each week in worship--but what do we really mean when we say, “We believe?”

In honor or the 1700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed, this fall we’ll explore the story of the early church, how the Nicene Creed shaped Christian faith through the centuries, and why it continues to guide and inspire us today.  Using scripture, devotional resources, and the writings of Martin Luther, we’ll see how this ancient confession can speak to our lives and our faith community now.

Pastor Tina Crog of St. Jacob will be leading a discussion on Mondays beginning September 22nd at 6 pm and Wednesdays beginning September 24th at 10 am at Tremont Coffee on Erie Street. 

If you would like to receive a weekly video devotional emailed each Tuesday, Pastor Tina will add you to the list.  Her email is pastortina@stjacob.org.

Thanks to everyone for attending the Church Picnic September 14th.  It was great having the talents of Tom Judge playing singing music for us.

On the heels of a successful Church Picnic, the Fellowship Committee is pleased to announce the next adventure: a “Road Rally” on October 18th.  We will gather at the church at 11:00 am and team up for an adventure. Our theme is "historic," a meaning that you will figure out along the way.  We will end at a location where we can enjoy lunch.

The sign-up sheet is in the lounge.

Make sure you mark your calendar for December 6th: we will be Christmas caroling to our members who are unable to worship in person.

An image from last year's Road Rally.

Respectfully shared,

Kathryn Myers
President, Church Council

The new entryway with chairlifts both into the Parish Hall and into the Sanctuary were ready for our first Cathedral Concert on Sunday, September 21.

With joy and gratitude, we celebrate the completion of our new entrance and bathrooms—made possible by your faithful generosity. What a gift it is to see these improvements already serving our community!

Yet our work of caring for God’s house is not finished. Three pressing needs lie ahead: a $125,000 replacement of the Parish Hall heating and cooling system, repairs to the Parish Hall window wells, and fixing a boiler leak in the Education Building.

Through your continued giving, we can preserve this sacred space as a place of safety, welcome, and comfort for all who come through our doors. Together, we are ensuring that our church remains a living witness to God’s grace for generations to come.

The new restrooms are roomy and conveniently located right across from the lounge.

Resurfacing Schedule:

Friday, October 3: Asphalt grinding. Use the lot with caution on Sunday, October 5.

Monday, October 6: Lot to be resurfaced. The lot will not be available from Monday through Saturday. Do not use the lot until Sunday, October 12.

Thomas Haake joins Scott Larson in preparing the altar for worship. Thomas says, “I like to light the candles and help at the church.”

We welcome Richard Evert into our membership. Richard has already taken an active part in worship services by sharing his gifts as a clarinet player.

A little more information about our new member:

Richard Evert, from Sturgis, Michigan, plays clarinet and the family of saxophones. He attended the University of Michigan for two years and traveled to Russia with the University Symphonic Band under the Presidents Cultural Program.This was followed by playing in the United States Air Force Band in Washington, D.C. Richard has received degrees in Music Education and Clarinet Performance from the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music. He later worked for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra for fifteen years. He has taught all levels from pre-school to the college level. He has appeared as soloist and playing in concert bands, jazz bands, polka bands, chamber ensembles and church music.  Before moving to Massillon, he traveled the 50 states while RV-ing full time. Richard plays in the Canal Fulton Community Band and enjoys reading in his spare time.

Happy fall to all the ladies of St. Paul's!

Friendship Circle will be held on Thursday, October 2nd, at 6:00 pm. This month we will have a guest speaker, Mr. Norm Mast, VP of Innovatives of Ohio Hospice. He will be discussing hospice and palliative care as well as the distinction between the two. It should be quite the informative evening. 

Before Mr. Mast speaks, we'll have a short get-together and light supper. Hope to see all of our ladies there!

Dr. Abigail Haake made a request for donations prior to our first concert so that we could list donors in that program, and we were delighted with how many of you stepped up! We are very grateful for the generous support. Our beautiful church provides powerful acoustic resonance to our performing artists. We are fortunate to have such a magnificent building and such strong supporters of the arts.

Our concerts featuring collegiate choruses have always been popular. We have had Capital, Ohio State, Michigan, and Bowling Green in previous years. Seeing the energy, enthusiasm, and skill of these serious young musicians is inspirational. Our next concert will feature the Baldwin Wallace Men's Chorus along with some young voices of community high school students as well. Hope to see you there on October 26 at 4 pm!

A Chorus for a Cause kicked off our Concert Series on September 21.

We enjoyed some familiar Broadway melodies and were perhaps introduced to a few new ones. "There Once Was a Man" from The Pajama Game brought out the drama in the Chorus as the men and women challenged each other over who had the greater love. "Sunrise, Sunset" from Fiddler on the Roof and "Memory" from Cats were presented with heartfelt tenderness. Many other favorites were featured from musicals spanning almost a hundred years: 1929 to 2022.

The chorus raised funds for Beech Creek Nature Preserve for this concert.

The turnout was excellent for the first concert.

Director Christine Allison and accompanist Mark Thewes.

Favorite Bible or hymn verses: Every month we invite those celebrating birthdays to share their favorite verses. Be ready to send in yours!

 Rev. Lynn Williamson, October 27:
"One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
    all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
    and to seek him in his temple." Psalm 27:4

Has your birthday or anniversary been missing from the published lists? If so, please contact the office so we can add it to our database. Thank you!

We celebrate with these couples and congratulate them on another milestone in their lives together!

Oct 7--Jared & Emma Lafferty

Oct 21--Lawrence & Kim Oberlin

We extend our sympathy to the family of Leona Corban, long-time St. Paul's member.

Julia would like to thank all that prayed for her by sending cards, texts, and prayers. Her procedure went well.

If you are interested in serving for a future month, click on the contact person's email link.

To take advantage of all the app’s features, you must create an account. Get notifications and reminders of upcoming events, access our live stream worship and worship bulletins, send prayer requests, see the church calendar, and give electronically. 

Cathedral Concerts Facebook Page

St. Paul's Facebook Page

St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church

127 Cherry Rd. NE, Massillon, OH 44646

330 832-7409

Office Hours: T, W, F 9am-1pm

ELCA Vision: A world experiencing the difference God’s grace and love in Christ make for all people and creation..