St. John s Lutheran Church Stewartville, Minnesota Announcements February 4, 2018

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1 St. John s Lutheran Church Stewartville, Minnesota Announcements February 4, 2018 ASSISTING IN SUNDAY S WORSHIP: USHERS Sun 8:00: Jim Schrandt Charlotte Wiechmann Sun 10:30: Wayne & Lori Schrandt ACOLYTES Sun. 8:00: Emma Rowan Sun 10:30: Tyler Giordano CHOIR DIRECTOR: Lori Petzel ORGANIST Lori Petzel ALTAR GUILD Judy Stoltenberg, Janice Wellik APPOINTMENTS WITH THE LORD: Today: Worship, 8 & 10:30am Pastoral Staffing Small Group Discussion, 9:15am Christian Education Hour, 9:15am Monday: Elders, 6:30pm Tuesday: Jubilate Handbells, 6:30pm Wednesday: SALT Tutoring, 3pm 6 th Confirmation Class, 3:30pm 7/8 th Confirmation Class, 6pm Youth Group, 6pm Adult Choir, 7pm Thursday: Pastors Circuit Meeting at Holy Cross, Rochester, 9am Worship with Communion, 6:30pm Sunday: Worship with Communion, 8 & 10:30am Christian Education Hour, 9:15am Milestone Parents of 4 years- Kindergarten, 9:15am Circuit Forum, Trinity, Rochester, 2pm THE LADIES AID is making Super Bowl Sunday SOUPER by collecting cans of soup for Channel One. Please bring some cans soup to services this weekend and place them in the cart in the narthex. PORTALS OF PRAYER for January through March are available on the table in the narthex. Take a copy for yourself and another for a friend for blessing from God s word. You can recycle old copies of Portals of Prayer by dropping them off in the church office. PASTORAL STAFFING AT ST. JOHN S This Sunday all members will have opportunity to engage in a discussion about the pastoral staffing needs of our congregation. A 12-item questionnaire has been developed which will be used as the basis for the discussion. Members will meet in the sanctuary by 9:15 and then be divided into seven or so small groups led by elders and other church leaders. Comments, insights and suggestions will be noted. On Monday, February 5 the Elders will review and tabulate the comments in order to help decide our next steps. [NOTE: members who cannot attend the session on Sunday, or those who prefer to write their answers may submit written responses, by placing them in the designated box in the narthex.] Please understand that no decisions have been made about our future pastoral staff. If the congregation does wish to call another Associate Pastor that choice will have to be made at a special voters meeting at which time job descriptions would also be approved. THE SEASON OF LENT begins on Ash Wednesday, which this year is February 14. To mark the season, Wednesday worship services will be held at 10am and 6:30pm each of the six weeks of Lent. Holy Communion will be celebrated Ash Wednesday. Please join us. LENTEN SUPPERS will be served by the youth group and parents prior to each of the Wednesday Lenten services starting February 14. Join us at 5:30pm for a light supper and time of fellowship. A freewill donation will support the youth treasury. Thank you!

2 SCHEDULE CHANGES With Lent beginning on Wednesday, February 14, Thursday worship services will be suspended during Lent. They will resume after Easter. Therefore, the last Thursday service will be on February 8. Also during Lent, the 6 th grade confirmation will meet from 3:30 to 4:25pm and 7/8 th confirmation class will meet from 4:30 to 5:30pm. This is to accommodate the Lenten suppers and worship services. WEE CARE will hold an Open House on Tuesday, February 13, from 6:30 to 8pm with an informational presentation at 7pm. This will be an opportunity for parents with children 2-5 years old to learn about preschool education, meet the staff and tour the facility. Registration forms for the next school year will be available. Please invite parents of preschoolers to attend. HELP SUPPORT WEE CARE by participating in its Yankee Candle Fundraiser. Order forms are on the table in the church narthex. Payment must be included with the order and checks are to be made payable to Wee Care. There is no additional sales tax or shipping charge for orders shipped to Wee Care. Orders must be in by Friday, February 16. Online shopping is available with an additional $5.99 charge for shipping directly to your home. Directions are in the packet for those who are interested. For more information, contact Dee Radtke at Wee Care at Thank you! MILESTONES CLASS: Parents of four year olds and Kindergarten children are invited to gather together for an event called, Worship, Prayer, and our Church. The three-session course will meet on Sunday, February 11, 18 and 25 at 9:15am in the west preschool room. The emphasis is on how the body of Christ impacts the family and daily life. The gift to these families includes a worship kit and The Jesus Storybook Bible. Paul & Gretchen Eickhoff will lead the session. SECOND MONDAYS AT CHANNEL ONE On Monday, February 12 you can volunteer two hours to help feed those in need. From 6:30 to 8:30pm our task will be to organize some of the donated food items that come in. Channel One is located at th St. SE in Rochester, near Whistle Binkies. Sign-up at church on the bulletin board outside of the office or use the Task Force page on the church website. Meet at church at 6pm to carpool or just meet at Channel One by 6:30pm. Up to 9 volunteers (age 10 and older) are needed. JUMP stands for Just Unique Middle-Age People and is a social group for the members of St. John s in their 40s and 50s. The next event will be a pot-luck lunch and game day on Sunday, February 18 from noon to 2pm in the church fellowship hall. Everyone attending is asked to bring a dish to share for lunch. Games will be provided. This will also be an opportunity to plan future events. If you plan to attend please contact Janelle Fistler at secretary@stjohnsandweecare.org. The recent bowling event was a lot of fun and this will be, too. Join us! THE CHILI COOK-OFF, Bean Bag Tournament and Lunch held last Sunday was a great success. We thank the Elders for organizing the Bean Bag Tournament and all the people who helped set up and cleanup at the event. Thanks also to the Wee Care staff, Kim Feine, Wendi Dolton, Adam Radtke, Samantha Feine and Arleen Shaw for serving the meal. Thank you also to those who donated to Wee Care $1,100 was given! Congratulations to the winners of the Chili Cook-off: Cindy Sinn came in first; AJ Gotch placed second; and David & Emily Fritsch took third. In the Bean Bag Tournament, the team of Gary Betcher and Pastor Fritsch were the champions, while LuAnn Betcher and Al Oehlke were the runners-up. It was a fun afternoon! Thank you, everyone!

3 THANK YOU VERY MUCH to the members who provided food and served the lunch to the students at University of Minnesota Rochester on Saturday, February 3. They include: Gretchen Eickhoff, Monica Erickson, Bev Feine, Kim Feine, Lesley Gommels, Renee Krug, Lisa Moham, Käthe Schroeder, Arleen Shaw, Cindy Sinn, Linda Wibben and Darlene Wilson all of whom donated food; and John Henke, Rick & Jennifer Reed and David Erickson who took the food to UMR and served it to the students. It is a nice Christian gesture to the students one that is greatly appreciated by them! CAMP OMEGA has announced the beginning of registration for its 2018 summer camp program. Camp Omega is a ministry of our LCMS Minnesota South District, located in Waterville, Minnesota. Check out all the details of the camp and its summer programs by picking up a booklet in the church narthex or go to St. John s will have some scholarship money available for campers from our congregation. Application forms will be ready in the spring. DAILY BIBLE READING GUIDE Sunday, February 4: Genesis 26:12-34, Psalm 33, Matthew 16:21-28 Monday, February 5: Genesis 27:1-40, Psalm 34, Matthew 17:1-21 Tuesday, February 6: Genesis 24:41-28:9, Psalm 35, Matthew 17:22-18:6 Wednesday, February 7: Genesis 28:10-29:14, Psalm 36, Matthew 18:7-20 Thursday, February 8: Genesis 29:14-29, Psalm 37, Matthew 18:21-35 Friday, February 9: Genesis 30:1-24, Psalm 38, Matthew 19:1-15 Saturday, February 10: Genesis 30:25-43, Psalm 39, Matthew 19:16-30 MARRIAGE CONFERENCE February 9-10, 2018: Join Family of Christ Lutheran Church and FAMILYLIFE for The Art of Marriage. Held at the Rochester Marriott, this 2-day video event will help couples build the God-honoring marriages they deserve. The cost of $110 per couple includes refreshments, light breakfast Saturday morning and all conference materials. Event starts at 6pm on Friday, February 9 and concludes Saturday at 3pm. For more information or to register by February 4 visit When you were standing at the altar reciting your marriage vows, did you have any idea that marriage would be so complex? It probably didn t take you long to understand that your spouse is not as much like you as you thought. But figuring them out is more than just an equation. Marriage is more than a science; it s an art. And like any art form, requires an investment of time, focused study and the right tools. If you need to soften some of the edges in your relationship, or want to brighten the landscape of your marriage, The Art of Marriage is for you. This 6-session marriage event allows you to experience God s design for marriage from expert teachers and humorous vignettes. You ll graduate in a few hours better educated about your marriage, your spouse and yourself. THRIVENT FINANCIAL MEMBERS who have Choice Dollars from 2017 yet to designate, are reminded that the deadline for doing so is March 31. After that date you lose the ability to give that money to a qualified charitable organization. While there are many worthy eligible organizations, we hope you consider designating St. John s as the recipient of your Choice Dollars. In 2017 our church received $5,370 from the program. To make a donation go to your Thrivent online account or call and when prompted, say Thrivent Choice.

4 PEARL HENKE was called to her heavenly rest in Jesus on Thursday, January 25, 2018 at the age of 94. Pearl was born on June 8, 1923 and baptized on January 10, She was a member of St. John s since It was in that year that she married Bill Henke after the death of her first husband, Ken Stevens, in Bill passed away in Pearl had three children, Gary and Gayle, both of whom are deceased, and Kathy (Bill) Wildeman. Pearl s funeral will be at St. John s on Friday, February 2 at 11am with burial at Woodlawn Cemetery. Please remember Kathy, her husband Bill, and all the family in your prayers. Pray that the hope of life everlasting with Jesus be their comfort and joy. Thank you to everyone who is helping with the funeral, especially the members of the Ladies Aid who will serve the lunch for the family and friends. BIRTHDAYS THIS WEEK: 5 Carla Blahnik, Kiera Eickhoff, Aaron Tebay, Curt Wibben, Morgan Wildeman 6 Noah Laures, Pam Waugh 9 Landon Drewes, Ted Heim 10 Lois Matzke ANNIVERSARIES THIS WEEK: None MEASURES OF OUR LOVE: Baptized Members: 634 Communicants: 532 Attendance: Last Sunday: 227 Last Year: 211 Offerings: Last Weekend: $6, Last Year: $4, (Memorials and Special Gifts are not included) MEMORIALS AND SPECIAL GIFTS RECEIVED For Fellowship Hall Updating John & Ardis Copple Aaron & Janelle Fistler Judy Griebenow Dean & Janice Wellik all in memory of Larry Gilbert John & Ardis Copple Rob & Amy Myhrvold Jan Schumann Dean & Janice Wellik all in memory of Frances Janssen Dick & Cel Louks Dean & Janice Wellik all in memory of Barbara Erickson For General Fund Vern & Mary Boettcher in memory of Larry Gilbert John & Nancy Henke in memory of Wilbur Schumann For Ladies Aid Kris Henke in memory of Barbara Erickson Kris Henke in memory of Larry Gilbert For Wee Care Madelyn Betcher Paul & Kerri Hanson Dave & Carol Nelsen Käthe Schroeder all in memory of Larry Gilbert Madelyn Betcher Paul & Kerri Hanson Dave & Carol Nelsen all in memory of Frances Janssen Paul & Kerri Hanson in memory of Barbara Erickson Judy Stoltenberg in memory of Pearl Henke For Wee Care Scholarship Marlys Dodd in memory of Larry Gilbert

5 Congregational Expectations and Goals List several goals toward which your congregation should be working in future years. List at least 3 areas in which you feel the congregation is strong (things the congregation does well). Are there any new things the congregation should be doing which it is not doing now? What things the congregation is now doing do you feel could or should be done better. Or, in what areas do you feel the congregation needs most growth? What are two things that you feel your congregation needs more than anything else right now, to be most effective? How would you summarize the purpose for which your congregation exists?

6 Questions about an Associate Pastor: 1. List some of the advantages and blessing that came to our congregation by having an Associate Pastor. 2. List any challenges that came to our congregation by having an Associate Pastor. 3. Going forward, is it best to continue ministry at St. John s with only one Pastor OR call another Associate Pastor OR work on another staffing arrangement possibly with part-time lay employees working in specific areas of need? Explain. 4. If we were to call another Associate Pastor, what areas of responsibility would you most like the Associate Pastor to focus on? 5. If we were to call another Associate Pastor, what areas of responsibility would you most like Pastor Fritsch to focus on? 6. Any other comments