A Message from the Pastor
Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
During the month of April 2014 the congregational assembly of St. Paul Lutheran Church voted to enter into a ministry partnership with Trinity Lutheran Church of Roselle, IL and to receive Pastor Tom Gibbons, assistant pastor at Trinity, as its vacancy pastor. It is with great pleasure that I write to describe that ministry partnership and some of the initial implications that it carries. First, St. Paul is not ceasing to exist and function as an autonomous Lutheran congregation. Nor does Trinity wish to take over the ministry of St. Paul. Rather, our joint hope is to strengthen the existing ministry of St. Paul through the combined resources of the two congregations and at the same time to enhance and expand the ministry of Trinity, Roselle to the City of Chicago.
St. Paul congregation has enjoyed a long—more than 125 years—and a successful history of ministry to the Austin community, on the west side of Chicago. The leaders of St. Paul and of Trinity want to do everything possible to encourage and foster continued ministry health and vitality in the City of Chicago.
The Lord deeply loves the people of the City of Chicago and desires that his living and life-giving Word would be proclaimed for the salvation of all who would believe. Broadly speaking, our joint goal is to draw more and more people into the kingdom of Christ, Jesus through our partnership. Step by step over the summer months the partnership will be further defined. Watch for updates as we together under the Lord’s guidance, make our plans for ministry to the Saints of the Lord at St. Paul and outreach to the community.
One of the goals of the partnership and of the pastoral leadership that it provides is to facilitate growth in Christian discipleship that leads to ever greater health of the congregation and its influence for the kingdom of God in the Austin community. A desired outcome of this joint goal is to bring St. Paul to the point of being ready and able to call a full time pastor.
Until that time, The Gospel will be proclaimed! The Sacraments will be rightly administered, Souls will receive the nurture they require, and the community will continue to be served in the name of our loving Savior, Jesus Christ. Please pray that the Lord would bless our partnership and that our joint ministry would bear much fruit.
It is with great pleasure that we serve together in his name,
Pastor Tom Gibbons
Pastor Tom Gibbons and his wife Carol, nee, Curley are both graduates of St. Paul Lutheran School. Both were confirmed in their Christian faith at St. Paul, and were also married at St. Paul. Pastor Tom and Mrs. Carol Gibbons have four adult children and eight grandchildren. They currently make their home in Roselle, IL.