Saint John Lutheran Church Hattiesburg, Mississippi. The Wedding Vs. The Marriage

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1 June 2017 Good News Saint John Lutheran Church Hattiesburg, Mississippi The Wedding Vs. The Marriage June is the month for weddings! School is out. Family and friends can travel. The weather is generally cooperative, and for those who have graduation as a pre-wedding requirement, that festive accomplishment paves the path for this one. I had the privilege to travel to LaPlace at the end of May to bring greetings from our congregation at the wedding of Jacob and Emily, who have been worshiping with us the past twelve months. I brought to their wedding the same blessing from our Sunday mornings that marks our turn toward the world, as our worship ends and we, dearly beloved, are sent to love our neighbors as ourselves. May the God of Hope fill you with all Joy and Peace as you Trust in him, so that you may overflow with Hope by the Power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13). Now they re off on their honeymoon vacation. Preparations for a wedding event can be taxing on our relationships (just ask any bride or groom). We invest enormous amounts of research, shopping, consulting with others, evaluating, planning, and decision-making into the occasion, and that s even before we pay the bills. Couples (and their parents) spend thousands of dollars to make the day memorable, both for themselves and their guests. If beautiful weddings could guarantee wonderful marriages, we d have this made! And yet we know that if preparations for a wedding can test our relationships, actually being married when we get home from our wedding vacation and the honeymoon is over, whether that s a year, three years, or seven is a real-world challenge. We would do well to invest more energy and emotion in our real-world marriages. They are a fundamental building block of a peaceable life, of family, of community, and of a church on mission together. Despite all our compliments, there s no perfect wedding just as there s no perfect marriage. But it s our marriages that deserve the greater attention and support of our whole community to be on guard against those things that destroy, and to repair those things that are broken. This isn t magic; it s concerted, forgiving, restorative, sacrificial commitment, as we pledge before God and these witnesses. Let all God s people support and encourage all husbands and wives to keep their vows: to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to God s holy will; and I pledge to you my faithfulness. John Eric Karle Exploring. Equipping. Encouraging. Ephesians 4:11-16 Surprise the World! Love. Like. Jesus. + Hope for the City.

2 June 2017 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 4 MITES/ LWML Mtg :45 Oktoberfest Mtg :30am Eat Grateful Soul 6pm Elders Mtg am Gohlke Home Bible Study 8 10am New Bible Study 12:15pm Prayer 1:30pm Kaffee Klatsch 6-8pm Neighborhood Assoc. Mtg 15 10am Gohlke Home Bible Study 22 10am New Bible Study 12:15pm Prayer 1:30pm Kaffee :07am Men s Breakfast 9am Work Day

3 Serving in June Pastor John Karle Elder Dennis Smith Music Director Jason Sims Altar Care Team Christina Keiper and Geraldine Wheeler Date June 4 June 11 June 18 June 25 Ushers Warner Boortz Jerry Frederick Wayland Johnson Terry Lovdahl Lori Coleman Willy Noffke Mark Keyl Shelley Songy Oktoberfest Opportunities Planning is underway for Saint John's 39th annual Oktoberfest celebration on Saturday, October 7 th, This is the primary fundraiser for money allocated for missions annually. The entire congregation gets involved in the effort. We have a baked goods Deli, where we sell German bread, Stollen (a German sweet bead), and other baked goods. We are looking for individuals that enjoy baking, especially bread, to assist in this effort. If you bake or are willing to learn the art, please contact Mark Keyl ( ; mdkeyl@juno.com), Darlene or Warner Boortz ( ; wdboortz@gmail.com), or leave your name with the church office. We also have opportunities for individuals to "learn the ropes" in individual areas of preparation. If you want to work with an individual in a specific area, please contact the folks above and we will get you connected. It is a great time to meet new people, enjoy good fellowship, and enjoy the Lutheran tradition of eating when more than one comes together in his service. The next committee meeting will be held after worship on Sunday, June 18 th, Landscaping Work Day Saturday, June 3 rd 9am Join us Saturday morning to help spruce up the outside of the church. All willing hands are welcome! Please bring your shovels, leaf rakes, gloves, work clothes, and smiling faces to help give our campus a little more life.

4 Men s Breakfast Saturday, June 3rd at 8:07at at Panera Bread Company 4600 Hardy Street. LWML MITES will be collected NEXT SUNDAY, June 4 th. There will be a short meeting following worship on June 4 th. No lunch will be served. LWML Thanks Thank you to all who helped and participated with the 4 th Annual Cinco de Mayo Potluck Fundraiser. We were able to raise $450 for the Edwards Street Fellowship Center. Thank you all for making it another success! Online Giving Online giving is available to members and friends of Saint John via the 'Give' tab on our webpage. Thank you for generously supporting our work together in Jesus' name. Storm Readiness It s that time of year again. As an early preparation in case of a storm, we are asking that you indicate if you might be able to help in one of these areas. Sign up list will be available Sunday, June 4 th and 11 th. Listing your name is not an absolute commitment, but gives us a starting place to ask for help in case of emergency. 1. Housing 2. Shower/Laundry 3. Help at Church 4. Generators 5. Chain Saw Oktoberfest Committee Meeting Sunday, June 18th in the community room following worship. Growth Groups for Adults 1. Marriage Matters Every couple is unique. Every US has a story. You're invited to strengthen your marriage (or potential marriage) by your engagement with the ideas on Sundays at 9:15am. We re using the Ted Rowe book Your Best Us: Marriage Is Easier Than You Think. Friends are welcome! 2. Membership Matters It's impossible to grow to spiritual maturity by yourself. You must be connected to other parts of the Body. You're invited to strengthen your membership, and thereby strengthen our church and its mission on Sundays at 9:15am. We're using the Thom S. Rainer book I Am a Church Member: Discovering the Attitude that Makes the Difference. Friends are welcome! 3. Gohlke Home Bible Study Women s bible study meets the first and third Thursdays of the month at the home of Mary Gohlke. 4. Bible Study Beginning June 8 th We re beginning a Bible Study on the second and fourth Thursdays of the month at 10am in the Fellowship Hall. Our first topic of study will be Hebrews 11: the faith of our fathers. For more information, contact Phyllis Guysinger at Y all come! Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. 5. June Marriage Matters Class NEW CLASS! Sundays, 6:30pm at T-Bones, June 4 th July 2 nd. Festival South will be held June 1-June 17. For more information visit Brochures can be found on the table near the red wall in the foyer. Meistersingers Concert June 11 at 3pm at Westminster Presbyterian Church.

5 From the Altar Guild In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. The Sign of the Cross Continuing this topic from last month, the sign of the cross is also a mark of discipleship. Jesus says in Luke 9:23, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me." It's a declaration stating, I belong to Christ! Bert Ghezzi, author of The Sign of the Cross: Recovering the Power of the Ancient Prayer, writes on other meanings of the sign of the cross. For example, when we make the sign of the cross, we are confessing our faith, that is belief in the Father, and in the Son, and in the Holy Spirit. Ghezzi says it s like a mini version of the creed. This action also denotes a renewal of baptism. The sign links you to the body of Christ, and when you make it you remember your joining to the body with Christ as the head. It says again, I died with Christ and rose to life. One of the main teachings of the early Church Fathers is that the sign of the cross is a declaration of defense against the devil. When you sign yourself, you are declaring to the devil, "Hands off. I belong to Christ; He is my protection." While the sign means many things, several others include an acceptance of suffering. By making the sign of the cross, we're saying to the Lord, "I want to obey you. I belong to you; direct all my decisions. It's both an offensive and defensive tool. When suffering comes, the sign of the cross is remembering that Jesus became fully human and suffered for us and that we participate in Christ's suffering. The sign of the cross says, "I am willing to embrace suffering to share in Christ's suffering." During those periods when we feel like God is not present, the sign of the cross brings him there and declares his presence. It is a way of acknowledging him in that time of trial. Whatever your reason for making the sign of the cross, know that you are in Christ and Christ is in you. You belong to the Father. You are loved! In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Chris Keiper Altar Guild Chair ckeiper511@gmail.com,

6 Lutheran Women s Missionary League On Sunday, May 7, LWML Mites collected totaled $ Thank you for your continued prayers and support of the Gulf States District and National LWML Mission Projects selected in Convention. Mites will be collected next on Sunday, June 4th. The 4th Annual Cinco de Mayo Potluck Fundraiser for Edwards Street Fellowship Food Center held on Sunday, May 7th, received a total of $450 in donations. Thank you to all who supported this effort to assist in feeding the hungry in our community. A special "thank you" to the members and friends for help in setting up, decorating, clean-up, and bringing the delicious food and dessert for the dinner. As usual, it was a wonderful day of fellowship for a very worthy cause. Thank you one and all! There will be no LWML regular business meetings during the summer months due to vacation and traveling days. Enjoy your summer and continue to serve the Lord whenever He gives you the opportunity and there is a need. There will be a short board meeting immediately following the worship service in the Fellowship Hall on Sunday, June 4th. All members are welcome (no lunch served). In previous years, the LWML members met for a salad luncheon in July. If anyone is interested in meeting this July, please contact Shirley Thone. COMING... The LWML 75th Anniversary Convention will be held June 22-25, 2017, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Theme: Jesus Christ above all (Philippines 2:9). UNTIL NEXT TIME... Serve the Lord with Gladness!!! -Shirley Thone President LWML

7 Ellen Heck Brenda Ogle Mary Cubley Birthdays in June Damian Potesta 6/2 Madison Lowry 6/4 Rita Lods 6/7 Christina Noffke 6/7 J. Lynn Saeger 6/7 Aubrey Canfield 6/8 Rita Wilson 6/8 Lori Coleman 6/10 Ian Hurley 6/10 Dewey Case 6/13 Bjorn Wastvedt 6/14 June Songy 6/16 Darrin Renz 6/17 Corbin Blair 6/20 Elaine Kersh 6/21 Emma Kivlighn 6/21 Shelia Curry 6/23 Trellis Green 6/23 Catherine Lee 6/25 Ralph Lowry Jr. 6/28 Bill Carver 6/29 Jerry Hagen 6/29 Cindy Renz 6/29 Anniversaries in June David & Nancy Grunig, 50 yrs June 3 Bjorn & Judy Wastvedt, 47 yrs June 12 Jerry & Debbie Frederick, 48 yrs June 13 Fred & June Songy, 38 yrs June 16 Hugh & Brenda Ogle, 30 yrs June 19 Thomas & Brittany Hartfield, 3 yrs June 21 Reggie & Lauren Matthews, 7 yrs June 27 Surprise the World! Love. Like. Jesus. + Hope for the City. Saint John Lutheran Church 2001 Hardy Street Hattiesburg MS Telephone: Website: stjohnlutheranchurch@gmail.com Like Us on Facebook: USM Campus Mission Like Us on Facebook: Oktoberfest Hattiesburg Like Us on Facebook: Saint John Church Hattiesburg Like Us on Facebook: Longleaf Heights Neighborhood Association