St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Vonore Tennessee

01/31/2026

No church this Sunday, Feb. 1, due to snow. ❄️

01/24/2026

No service this Sunday due to inclement weather.

12/22/2025

Christmas Eve Service
Wednesday, Dec 24
7 pm

01/11/2025

Out of an abundance of caution with the winter weather, St. Paul’s will NOT have Sunday School or Worship tomorrow (Jan 12). Everyone stay safe and warm. We will see you next Sunday!

12/23/2024

St. Paul’s sanctuary, December 2024

12/21/2024

Christmas Eve Service of Holy Communion
7 pm

12/13/2024

Santa Lucia’s Day, December 13.
St. Lucy or Santa Lucia lived from 283 to 304. Stories of her come from early Christian sources and tell us that she died for her faith during a period of persecution. According to the story, she was born a child of nobility in Sicily. Attracted to Christianity, she dedicated herself to Christ and planned to distribute her goods to the poor. Subject to a planned marriage, she refused. As a penalty, she was imprisoned and finally martyred for her faith.

The name  Lucy means light. Many Christians in northern Europe remember her and celebrated her day by crowning a young woman in the household with a wreath of candles. A white dress and red sash, symbols of martyrdom are worn. This reminder of Lucy often distributed coffee and rolls to the family on the morning of St. Lucy’s day. Public processions and song also became part of the observance, creating a festive part of the Advent and Christmas season in many Nordic Lutheran communities and was brought by Scandinavian immigrants to the US. Lucy‘s connection with light was a reminder of Christ coming as the light of the world in the midst of darkness, an especially pointed image for northern countries with long dark winters.

12/06/2024

Happy St Nicholas Day. Yes, there really is a Santa Claus, but his real name is St Nick! He served as Bishop of Myra in Asia Minor, where he gained a reputation for generosity.
Read more about him and explore the very well done website www.stnicholascenter.org.
(See link below). Note that one of the pages on the website addresses the origin of Santa and another, “The Reformation & St Nicholas” and still another “Would Christmas be Christmas without Martin Luther?” Basically, Dec 6, Nicholas’ Day, was the day for gifts and stockings. Dec 25 was strictly religious. Luther did not oppose gift giving (as did other Reformers!). He favored combining the gift giving of Nicholas with the celebration of Christ (check out the website for more details).
A prayer for the day from a Lutheran service book:
Heavenly father,
Shepherd, of your people,
we thank you for your servant, Nicholas,
who was faithful in the care and nurture of your flock;
and we pray that, following his example
and the teaching of his holy life,
we may by your grace grow into the full stature of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.


Everything about St Nicholas: stories, customs, crafts & more.

11/30/2024

November 30 is St Andrew’s Day. The Sunday closest to St Andrew is always the First Sunday of Advent.
Andrew was the first of the disciples. He introduced Simon Peter to Jesus. Not only Peter, but the boy with five loaves and two fish, and an entourage of Greeks, too.
As the painting indicates, Andrew was crucified for his faith on an X-shaped cross (called a cross saltire).

11/01/2024

November 1 is All Saints Day. Today we remember all followers of Jesus Christ throughout time and space. The church itself is the communion of Saints. A saint is not a perfect person, but a forgiven sinner who, while always repentant, seeks in thought, word, indeed, to follow in the way of the cross. Because many churches have portrayals of Saints in stained glass windows, saints could be called “the people who the light shines through.”
That just may describe you, too.

Almighty God, you have knit together your elect in one communion in the mystical body of your Son. Give us grace, so to follow your blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we may come to those unspeakable joys that you have prepared for those who truly love you. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.