Sacraments, Pastoral Ministry
and Spiritual Care

The following are important pastoral acts and spiritual care that St. Paul provides for its members. Contact Pastor Alison for more information at pastor@stpaullutheranchurchsg.com

Baptism

In Holy Baptism God makes us members of the Church, which is the Body of Christ in the world. By our Baptism into the death and resurrection of Jesus, we are saved from bondage to sin, death, and evil and freed for life with God and his people in the power of the Holy Spirit. Baptisms at St. Paul occur under these guidelines:

All baptisms, except in cases of emergency, occur within the worship services of the congregation.

Because Baptism is initiation into discipleship of Jesus and the life of the Church, all persons desiring baptism should commit themselves to the “five fundamentals” of church membership: regular participation in worship, involvement in a program of Christian education, personal prayer and study in the home, service in the church, and a discipline of offering of one’s wealth.

Candidates for baptism must fulfill a program of instruction appropriate to their level of understanding of the Christian faith.

For parents who wish to have their children baptized: At least one parent must be an active member of the church.

Pastoral Calling

Pastor Alison desires to visit every member of St. Paul’s who may be hospitalized. Please let the church office or Pastor know this before you enter the hospital, or as soon as possible afterwards. Do not expect that the hospital will do it for you. If you desire private communion while you are in the hospital, please communicate this to Pastor as well. If you desire a visit by Pastor Alison in your home or place of work, or over a lunch hour, please contact her to arrange this. We also have a group of Parish Visitors who assist Pastor Alison in visits to members in the hospital, at home, and private communion.

counseling

Pastor Alison is available for general, short-term or crisis counseling. Counseling sessions are scheduled by appointment. Longer-term or cases requiring specialized counselors are referred to various persons or agencies in the area. In addition, through Lutheran Social Services there is a Lutheran Counseling Service, which is located at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Hanover, PA.
Their phone number is 717-637-8904.

Funerals

At the time of death, the Pastor should be contacted as soon as possible to begin the process of planning the funeral and to provide pastoral care during this time of suffering. We encourage funerals for church members to take place in the church. For non-members, Pastor Alison is available to do funerals at a funeral home. Funerals may also be planned in advance with the church and your funeral director.