ParishScope. The. St. John s Lutheran Church Newsletter Sand Prairie Green Valley, IL July & August 2012

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1 The ParishScope St. John s Lutheran Church Newsletter Sand Prairie Green Valley, IL July & August 2012 VBS VOLUNTEERS AND TRAVELERS NEEDED! Would you like to go on an, "AMAZING DESERT JOURNEY" this summer? Each evening during the week of August 5 th 9 th, from 6:00-8:30 p.m. at St. John s Sand Prairie, we will learn together about God's love and how he provides for our lives now and forever through Jesus, His Son, our Savior! If you are interested in helping with this exciting event, please contact Tawn Bueltmann at , or Susan Lay at If you have a child who wishes to embark on this journey, please complete a registration form that may be picked up at one of the three churches or the school. Together we can make this year's VBS even more successful than last year's event! ICE CREAM SOCIAL/TFC FUNDRAISER - This year's ice cream event will be different. There will NOT be a meal, but instead, you will be assisted in creating your ice cream masterpiece in high class fashion by our TFC teens dressed in white shirts and black bowties. Desserts of this caliber are often sold in restaurants for much more than $5 but you may give whatever you wish as your donation to our teens as they prepare to save up thousands of dollars as they prepare to attend their once-in-a-lifetime LCMS National Youth Gathering in San Antonio, TX next summer. The Ice Cream Social is scheduled for before the Voter s Meeting on Sunday, July 22 from 6-7 pm. We will also serve lemonade, tea, and water. Thank you for your gracious support! Teens for Christ OUTDOOR WORSHIP SERVICE AND PICNIC SUNDAY, 11:00AM AUGUST 26TH!! This year, for the first time, as a part of our annual Praise In the Park event, we are making worship an integral part of the day. So INSTEAD of our 10:45am service in our sanctuary we will be moving the service to the park in Manito and having it at 11am. This will also allow for those who are preparing for the picnic to be able to participate in worship. There will still be an 8 am worship service at the church, and you may feel free to join us for Sunday School at Bible classes at their regular times. Please also note that we will be inviting the congregations of Trinity Lutheran Church in Manito and Christ Lutheran Church in Delavan, both of whom are temporarily without pastors. MILESTONE MINISTRY: The Parish Education Committee is sponsoring another Milestone Ministry for our young people. On Sunday, August 19 th, at both services the 6 th grade students will be presented with a Faith Alive Bible that will be used in their confirmation classes. This is to remind all of us that we need to be in God s Word. Please pray for this ministry to touch the hearts of all of our parish, but particularly our young people. MENTORING PROGRAM: Please consider being a mentor for our 8 th grade students. We will be contacting potential mentors beginning in August. A mentor is an adult member who youth can feel comfortable with and who can model Christ like values for them. It s an opportunity to directly impact and influence a young person s life. DID YOU KNOW? Did you know that at the beginning of this year the spendable balance in our General Fund was $12,000. And that at the end of the first quarter it had grown to almost $21,000. But that at the end of the second quarter it has dropped to a negative $200! While many things may happen in our lives that can affect our ability to give to the Lord s work, please keep in mind that the need to provide for the spiritual welfare of our church community goes on throughout every season of the year. Summer is always a difficult time for church finances. Please don t let your zeal for the house of the Lord run dry during these summer months. Thank you for your support. St. John s Finance Committee.

2 5 th SUNDAY SUNDAY SCHOOL OFFERINGS go to a special mission. On Sunday, July 29 th, they will go to our two seminary students, Aaron Bueltmann, and Matt Hall, to assist them with their schooling at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis. All offering preschool through adult will be divided up between the two. FALL SUNDAY SCHOOL: September 2 nd is the first day of the fall semester of Sunday School. Sunday School is once again in need of teachers to teach for the Sunday School year. If you would like to teach please contact LeeAnn Carson or Christen Friedrich or Bill Krueger. NOODLE MAKING TIME AGAIN: Noodle making time is here! In preparation for the fall bazaar, noodles will be made from 8:30am to noon on every Monday in August. We appreciate any time and help you can give. EWE S TREASURES CHANGEOVER: It time to think about Ewe s Treasures changeover to Fall Merchandise. We do appreciate the help from many volunteers. This will take place on Saturday, August 18 th, beginning at 9 a.m. With lots of help, we try to finish by noon. Please consider helping. THE WEDNESDAY MORNING Bible class in the Memorial room will resume on Wednesday, September 5 th at 11am. Please plan now to join us for this weekly one hour Bible study. DOUBLE THANKS: On the occasion of our 40th Wedding Anniversary, we would sincerely like to thank the members of the congregation for the many lovely cards and special wishes. It was truly a wonderful day with the nice service, special music, and celebration with family and friends. For Connie's recent surgery, thanks to all who sent cards, food, and for your visits and phone calls. All was much appreciated! May God Bless each and every one of you for your kindness and caring! Sincerely, Larry and Connie Ary SAVE SAVE SAVE: Please continue to bring your cancelled stamps, religious materials, eye glass wear, Campbell soup labels, papers, and aluminum cans as our church participates in these recycling projects. LUTHERHOSTEL will be held Oct. 6-9 at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. LutherHostel is an event designed to provide growth in biblical knowledge along with fun and fellowship for adults age 55 and older. The theme is One King Two Kingdoms: Living as a Christian American. The main presenter will be Dr. Joel Biermann, professor at Concordia Seminary. Scheduled activities a tour of St. Louis area sites. An optional tour of Lutheran historical sites in Perry County, MO is on Oct. 10, immediately following LutherHostel. The LutherHostel fee is $325 per person, which includes all meals and refreshments. Housing is available on campus for an additional cost or in nearby hotels. The registration deadline is Sept. 7. Contact the seminary or Pastor Kevin for more details. NATIONAL YOUTH GATHERING MEETING MONDAY SEPT 10TH 7-8:30PM - (after Monday night worship). This informational meeting will lay out fundraising events for the year, transportation choices, deadlines for signing up and other important information regarding this once-in-a-lifetime trip for our youth who will be going into high school by July of TFC CAR WASH - at Good Shepherd Lutheran School on Wednesday, August 1 from 2:30-8 pm. TFC SWIMMING / OUTDOOR MOVIE NIGHT - Saturday August 11 6:30-10 pm at the Friedrich's. They may have a bonfire with s mores, serve brats...more details coming. FREE CHRISTIAN MUSIC FESTIVAL - on the last day of the Illinois State Fair on August 19th in Springfield. Groups participating include Group 1 Crew, Jason Gray, Manic Drive, former Superbowl football Star (Indianapolis Colts) Ben Utecht, and WIBI Opening Act winner Kenny Cook. The cost to get in to the fair is $8 plus parking.

3 NOTES FROM STAFF +C.I.D. DAY AT THE BALLPARK IMPORTANT NOTES: Two important pieces of information have been brought to light regarding this event. Please note the following: -CUB FANS: SECOND C.I.D. DAY AT WRIGLEY FIELD COMING IN SEPTEMBER: Cub fans have consistently asked for this to take place at Wrigley Field. Cub officials have finally consented to giving our district a block of tickets. Again, it is a Cub Cardinal game. It will be held on Saturday, September 22 nd, at a time yet to be announced. Tickets will be $25 each. All the ordering will take place during the month of August. If you are interested, see Pastor Wenndt for more information. -JULY 21 ST ATTENDEES AT BUSCH STADIUM: For those of you who already have tickets for the game in St. Louis, please note that the start time of the game has now been moved to 6:15 PM (instead of 3:15). We apologize for the time change, but it was just released to us by Cardinal officials. +RESULTS FROM THE CENTRAL ILLINOIS DISTRICT CONVENTION: A report will be given at the Summer Voter s meeting by our Lay Delegate, Jim Fairchild, and a half sheet insert going in the current week s announcements page has a number of election results. But you may be interested to know that the Rev. Mark Miller from St. John s Pekin has been elected the new president of the Central Illinois District, replacing the Rev. David Bueltmann, who served faithfully in that position for the past seventeen years. In addition, the Rev. Thomas Heren from Our Savior s Lutheran Church in Washington becomes our new Tazewell Circuit counselor. They will each assume their new positions in September. +WORSHIP HIGHLIGHTS, PT. 1 Revised Communion Schedule for August : With some unique scheduling for the month of August, the celebration of Holy Communion is being moved. For August only, the sacrament will be celebrated on the first and third Sundays (August 5 th and 19 th ), but NOT the second and fourth (12 th and 26 th ) as we usually do. Because of the church picnic, we will also not celebrate the sacrament on the 5th Sunday (the 30th). The schedule will return to 2nd and 4th Sundays again beginning in September. +WORSHIP HIGHLIGHTS, PT. 2 Summer Sermon Series : For the rest of the Summer and even into the Fall, our two pastors are continuing with a special series of sermons entitled, Say Pastor, I Was Wondering. These messages will address questions asked by God s people here at Sand Prairie. The second part of the schedule will be as follows: +July 22 nd Angels They Really Are Everywhere ; Pastor Wenndt +July 29 th The Return of Christ How, When, and How Long? ; Pastor Kevin +August 5 th The Power and Presence of the Devil He s Real ; Pastor Wenndt +August 12 th SEMINARIAN AARON BUELTMANN PREACHING (not a part of this series) +August 19 th The Church The Bride of Christ What that Really Means ; Pastor Wenndt +August 26 th PICNIC SUNDAY Pastor Kevin (not a part of this series) The remainder of the questions that have been raised will be dealt with in future sermons and/or Bible study classes. +WORSHIP HIGHLIGHTS, PT. 3 Guest Preachers - Seminarians : As of this Fall, we will have two young men attending Concordia Seminary in St. Louis in preparation for the pastoral ministry, Mr. Matthew Hall and Mr. Aaron Bueltmann. As they work through their required classes, we will be continuing to look for opportunities to have them return home and preach on occasion. We have already heard from Matt Hall on July 15 th. At this time, Aaron Bueltmann is scheduled for August 12 th. His message will not be a part of the, Say, Pastor, I Was Wondering series. +SUMMER MISSION TRIP: The team is leaving for Indiana and Ohio in the next few days. They will be giving a report to the congregation on Sunday, July 29 th. Please pray for the mission team members now

4 and each day they are gone: Mason Harper, Luke, Anna & Keith Friedrich, and Pastor Kevin, Tawn, Brianna, Carly and Davis Bueltmann. Also, keep track of their goings on at our church website. +CONFIRMATION, : Around the time the next issue of the Parish Scope goes to press, we will be beginning our school year for all confirmands in grades 6, 7 & 8. The year begins with an organizational meeting for all students and parents in the church basement on Wednesday evening, August 22 nd, beginning at 6:30 PM. Confirmation classes themselves will begin the following week, on Wednesday, August 29 th. We need both parents and the students in grades 6, 7 & 8 for the coming year to join us that evening. +WANTED: E MAIL ADDRESSES FOR MILITARY PERSONNEL AND COLLEGE STUDENTS: Although the students new college addresses may not be known yet, and several of our military personnel may be extremely restricted from receiving much communications, still we would like to have these on file. Also, with our new website, it provides more opportunities than ever to stay connected to our congregation. Please share them with Brenda in the church office. Thank-you! IT S PHOTO DIRECTORY TIME! - Every family photographed receives a directory and a free 8x10 portrait! Do you ever see people in church and wonder what their names are? Have you ever had to call a member and wish you could picture their face before you placed the call? Do you remember being new to the church and using the pictorial directory to help remember the names of people you met? Are you aware of how many new members we ve added since our last directory in 2007? Help is on the way! We are producing a new pictorial directory for our church. There is no cost to you or the church to have your photographs taken, and you will receive a free 8 x 10 portrait and a directory for participating. You get to view your images right after the photography and select the one you want included in the directory. At that time, you have the option of purchasing additional portraits to share with family and friends. Remember, you don't have to be a member to have photos taken. We hope to have all members of St. John s included in our 2012 directory. When? Photo sessions (at Sand Prairie) are planned for: Tuesday-Friday, July 24-27, 2:30-9 pm Saturday, July 28, 9:30 am-4:00 pm How can I sign up? You can set up an appointment for your photo session online at SandPrairieLutheran.org. (If you schedule online, then you can cancel and reschedule online as well.) If you need additional help setting up an appointment, please contact Wendy Juraco at or Tawn Bueltmann at And also... We need volunteer help! Would you be willing to help check-in folks coming for their photo sitting and assist the Lifetouch staff? Please call Diane Lalone at and let her know you're available Good Shepherd Lutheran School GOOD SHEPHERD HAS A NEW PRINCIPAL: We welcome Mr. Joel Kilgus as the new principal at the school. Joel has been a principal in the Limestone school district, and has been a long-time member and elder at St. Peter s Lutheran Church in East Peoria. We welcome him and pray for this time here. Special Prayers: Please keep the School Board in your prayers. Current staffing for Kindergarten through 8 th grade will be: Mary Garlisch, Kindergarten; Reva Simpson, 1 st grade; Megan Homan, 1 st grade; Judi Hicks, 2 nd grade; Kim Williams, 3 rd grade; Laura Dobbelaire, 4 th grade; Cori Spaeth, 5&6 th grades; Nancy Brush, 7&8 th grades. GSLS registration for the coming school year will be held on Wednesday, August 1 st from 3:00-7:30pm. Pool Party: The annual Pool Party will be held from 7-9pm at Tremont Pool on Thursday, August 13 th SCRIP and Market Day: Remember, Market Day continues through the summer. You can order on-line at marketday.com.

5 Ladies Group Meetings: Epiphany Society First Thursday of Month 1:30pm normally Rebekah Circle Second Thursday of Month 7pm usually at the church Dorcas II Fourth Thursday of Month 9a-3pm in the parish hall Lydia Guild Tuesday after ParishScope handout 1pm in the parish hall Hannah Guild Quarterly 10am in chapel Bernice Guild No set meeting date JULY & AUGUST BIRTHDAYS HAPPY BIRTHDAY to those whom God has enriched in their baptismal blessings, as He has allowed them to be on earth for at least 75 years! July July August 5 th Ann Lutz 8 th Bob Friedrich 5 th Mildred Friedrich 9 th Richard Jones 10 th Donna Hoehn 11 th George English Jack Lutz 20 th Norb Schaefer 15 th Thelma Garman 21 st Kenneth Lutz 29 th Anna Hamann 22 nd Lorene Schappaugh Lottie Munter 31 st Bill Heston 25 th Pat Wilson 30 th Bernita Snyder SUNDAY SCHOOL PERFECT ATTENDANCE MAY 2012 Preschool: Ethan Fairchild Lily Fairchild Madelyn Simpson Bailey Sondag Kindergarten: Hannah Cantrall Davin Fairchild 2 nd Grade: Gabe Fairchild 3 rd Grade: Bailey Worner Jenna Worner 5 th Grade: Kaylee Carson 6 th Grade: Dylan Becker Brittany Clouse Kyle Worner

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8 St. John s Lutheran Church Sand Prairie Townline Road - Green Valley, IL (309) Secretary@SandPrairieLutheran.org Pastor Tom Wenndt Pastor Kevin Bueltmann DCE Bill Krueger Good Shepherd Lutheran School Principal Ralph Mickley :00 am Traditional Worship 9:30 am Sunday School & Bible Classes 10:45 am Contemporary Worship JULY & AUGUST 2012 Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage Paid Green Valley, IL Permit No. 1 Return Service Requested OUR CHURCH BODY WHAT IS IT AND SHOULD WE CARE?? Just a few days ago, one of our Sr. Elders accompanied me to the convention of our church body for all the churches of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod in central Illinois. The convention was held over parts of three days in Springfield. Some of the highlights will be divulged elsewhere in the ParishScope, and in inserts in your Sunday announcements page. But as you drive in our country from the mountains to the prairies to the oceans and wherever else, of the churches you will see and pass by, fewer and fewer of them are affiliated with church bodies. Even some of those that are give no indication (on their sign or anywhere else) that they have even the slightest relationship with any other congregation or gathering of churches. Why is that? And once you try to induce what the reasons for that might be, you are then probably constrained to wonder why we still are affiliated with a church body. Even more, when you see how much time we spend working with these other churches, and making our affiliation as publicly known as possible, you have to wonder if we are missing something. So why do we maintain and even nurture this affiliation. Ponder these reasons: Working together with other churches gives us the resources to run and maintain schools like Good Shepherd Lutheran. Our church body is unsurpassed amongst Protestants in terms of providing schooling for young people; As our churches walk together, it allows people to find congregations, be it for just one Sunday while they are on vacation, or permanently as they move to a new community, that will have people and families with similar beliefs and worship practices; As the many congregations pool our resources, it gives us the ability to have a publishing company that can produce materials for schools, Sunday Schools, Vacation Bible Schools, Bible Studies, retreats, and even for worship. As Pastor Bueltmann has written several songs used by our Concordia Publishing House, we have benefitted as much as anyone from such resources; Such resources also allow us to have coordinated mission endeavors, whether it is our outreach in the nation of Latvia, or even one of our newest projects, the Lutheran Malaria Initiative. It also allows Lutherans to remain in communities after disasters working with both communities and families long after most other agencies have left. The list goes on and on. But suffice to say that even as our church body has provided us with our church workers, it stands ready to allow us, in a unity of both fellowship and common beliefs of church teaching, to move forward and work together, be it deaf ministry, Hispanic ministry, campus ministry, mission outreach or whatever else. It gives us plenty to work together with, and plenty to which we can give thanks to God that we have such an affiliation.