St. Paul Lutheran Church

Volunteers from every generation participate each Sunday to create vibrant and dynamic worship services.  Volunteer positions on a Sunday morning range from behind-the-scenes to up front duties. On any given Sunday, we have volunteers in these positions: greeters, ushers, acolytes, scripture readers, prayer leaders, communion servers, power pointers for our service slide shows, communion prep, communion clean up, coffee hour host, coffee hour treat providers, recording ministry (of our worship services), adult education teachers, and Sunday school teacher/assistants. Each one of these volunteer positions is vital to the flow of our Sunday mornings!  

Our Sunday School program (known as "Kids' Church") runs year-round. We have two different Sunday School classrooms for students ages two through second grade and grades three through five.  Each Sunday School classroom is run by wonderful volunteers and staff that work together to create community and faith formation within and between their classrooms. Teachers play a role in providing community-building and Christian education for our Sunday School students. Adults of all ages are encouraged to volunteer to either teach or assist in our classrooms.

Throughout the entire year, our youth programs are engaging in fun and managing projects, partnerships, and activities. Our youth ministries beyond a Sunday mornings greatly depend on volunteers. Our GROW ministry for 3rd, 4th and 5th graders and our middle school and high school youth groups all take place with the help of our greater congregation. There is always room for more adult volunteers, and we would love to have YOU join us!  We are blessed to have a wonderful and dedicated Youth and Family Committee that meets monthly to discuss events, budgeting and programming. We are always looking for fresh faces and minds to join our group, so don’t hesitate to get involved!!

We have many volunteer opportunities that exist both inside and outside the four walls of the church. Throughout the year, our church members will partner with Thrivent Financial to help serve our community. Partnering with schools, other churches, and community organizations allows us to reach out to even more individuals and families in Missoula. This congregation is also invested in Habitat for Humanity as well as Relay for Life, and we have many avenues by which volunteers can donate their time, talents and treasures to these causes.  We support Family Promise, a program that houses homeless families, in many ways, and we need extra help throughout the year as we host and house families for a week at a time.  During this week, we need help setting up for the families, making meals, serving as overnight hosts, and breaking down the beds when the families after the week has ended, Annually in September we often collaborate with our partner ELCA churches to participate in a day of community service called "God's Work, Our Hands."  A favorite ministry of the congregation is the annual city-wide effort called the "Back to School Bash," and St. Paul members collect and distribute clothing to families in need whose children are returning to school.  Believe it or not, this incredible ministry called the Gary Turbak Memorial Back to School Clothing Store has been helping children in need for over 31 years!

As part of St. Paul's mission to reach out to the community and world, the congregation offers numerous ministries in outreach and Christ-centered care.  The Stephen Ministry is a volunteer, lay-led ministry where trained individuals provide confidential care and support for people who are hurting.  The Prayer Shawl ministry spans throughout the community of Missoula and across the nation.  Community members volunteer to knit shawls that enfold, comfort, give solace and warmth, and are symbolic of inclusive and unconditional love.  Similarly, the quilting ministries provide warm quilts to those in need locally and throughout the nation and world via local nonprofits and Lutheran World Relief's Mission Quilts ministry.  To learn more about the men's and women's quilting groups and the prayer shawl ministry, visit our activities for adults.