The Revelations of Saint John s

Transcription

1 The Revelations of Saint John s January/February 2012 St. John Lutheran Church Skippack Pike, Centre Square, PA Congregation to Welcome Interim Pastor St. John's will welcome the Rev. Marcia Bell as our Interim Pastor on Sunday, February 17th, the first Sunday in Lent. There will be no Sunday Church School that morning and only one service, at 9:30 a.m., with Pastor Bell presiding and preaching. After the service we will gather for brunch in Fellowship Hall. The annual meeting of the congregation will convene concurrent with brunch. The brunch meeting will afford Pastor Bell a wonderful opportunity to get to know our congregation and its ministries. Likewise, congregation members will have the opportunity to meet and greet Pastor Bell. Look for additional information in the bulletin on upcoming Sundays. Sign-up sheets for the brunch will be available in the Great Room. Be sure to mark this special Sunday on your calendar now! Lent Soup Suppers Return The season of Lent begins at St. John's with a service of Holy Communion on Feb. 13th, Ash Wednesday, at 7:30 p.m. On the five following Wednesdays we will gather for a service of Evening Prayer in the church at 7:30 p.m. Preceding Evening Prayer, soup suppers will be offered in Fellowship Hall at 6:30 p.m. A simple meal, prepared and eaten communally, helps to focus us on the traditional Lenten disciplines of prayer, Bible study and worship. These relaxed gatherings are also a good opportunity to talk with old friends and make new ones! Offerings will be collected each week and forwarded to Lutheran World Relief in support of efforts to fight hunger and provide aide to disaster victims, in our country and around the globe. Volunteers are needed to provide soup and prepare the Hall for the meals. Pick a Wednesday when you can help and notify one of our coordinators, Monika Bontempo and Katie Myers, either directly or by ing the church office at stjohn1802@aol.com

2 Sunday Church School News Actors and audience (about 75 people in all) had an enjoyable afternoon of fun and fellowship at the Sunday School Christmas Program on December 16. We performed a short play with music called The Wonder that involved kids as young as three and adults as old as well, never mind. Our goal in choosing The Wonder was to put on a full-blown Christmas pageant that would create lasting memories for the kids, and thanks to the hard work of our students, their parents and the teachers, we made that happen. Special thanks to Pastor Welther for his inspired piano playing! After the pageant, we tucked into a delicious pizza buffet dinner in Fellowship Hall. During Advent, the kids made 40 Christmas cards for residents at Artman Lutheran Home in Ambler. As usual, the cards were attractive and creative, and the staff at Artman was thrilled to receive such nice cards for distribution. At the end of the year, Mrs. Welther gifted the kids with hardcover copies of children s Christmas stories that she and Pastor had collected over the years. We bid a very fond farewell to Barb, who was central to the Sunday School program for so many years. We ll miss you, Mrs. Welther! Fortunately for St. John s, we have the enthusiastic triple team of Janet McCurdy, Jess Brunner, and Justin Kiefski to lead the High School class on Sunday mornings. One of the many things that Mrs. Welther did for the Sunday School program was to engage the group in song for the first minutes of the Sunday School hour. We re looking for an adult (or adults) who would be willing to lead the group in song, prayer, scripture reading, or conversation for a few minutes at the start of Sunday School. If you re interested, please get in touch with Anne Dobbins about helping. Since Epiphany fell on a Sunday this year, we celebrated the day with Three Kings Cake. Traditionally a Three Kings Cake contains a small surprise in one slice, and in some cultures the person who finds the surprise is regarded as king or queen for the day. Congratulations to Solomon Thistle, who ended up with the special slice of cake and was happy to assume the royal role. Anne Dobbins, Superintendent St. John s School The children of St. John s Nursery School warmed our hearts and the holiday season with their Christmas shows. The holiday songs along with food, friends, family and crafts all added to the tidings of joy. The children made many crafts including advent wreaths, manger scenes, candles, wreaths, Santas, and ornaments. January has brought some warm days where the children could get outside to the playground and ride bikes on the side lot. Always a treat in the middle of winter! Warm weather aside, the children have spent time learning about ice and snow, keeping the germs away, penguins and other cold weather friends. February will keep us busy learning about presidents, Chinese New Year, dental health, and Dr. Seuss, and our Youngn s will create their own number books. Of course, everyone is looking forward to celebrating our friends on Valentine s Day. Enrollment for school year has begun and we look forward to meeting new friends at our open houses in January and February. We appreciate any recommendations for our school and welcome new families to Mrs. Carrie Engel at carrie.stjohns@verizon.net for information and assistance in enrolling students. St. John s Nursery School would like to extend a happy and healthy new year to you all!

3 Christian Service Quilting News: 26 quilts were delivered to the ELCA ingathering in December. They will go to Lutheran World Relief. 9 quilts were donated to Sandy relief through the efforts of Fairview Church. $72 was donated to ELCA World Hunger Appeal from sale of quilts at Oktoberfest and at St. Johns in November. Candy Sale Starts Jan. 27 Easter is 31 st March in The Gertrude Hawk Candy sale will be starting Sunday January 27 th with a table in the Great Room. Sales packets and order forms will be available then. The proceeds will once again help with the Mortgage Fund. All sales will be final Sunday February 24th. If you can help at the sales table Sunday mornings either after 8:15 or l0:30 please let me know at We ll also need people willing to get orders from families, neighbors and work colleagues. Many thanks. Betty Jeanguenin, coordinator St. John s Church History Mrs. Bertha Rezer ( ) was a lifelong member of St. John s Church. Bertha and her brother and sister were baptized on October 30, 1887 at St. John s, on the same day that the present Baptismal Font was dedicated. Bertha sang in the church choir for 73 years, served as treasurer of the Ladies Auxiliary for over 30 years, and participated in many other endeavors in congregational life. She kept a diary all her adult life, and recorded an amazing amount of church history in them. Mrs. Rezer s grandchildren, Richard Geiger (recently deceased), Elaine Hemming and Susanne Manning, recently donated these diaries to St. John s church, and Bob Whittock has constructed a storage cabinet for them. The long process of scanning the diaries into the computer has begun. The next meeting of St. John s History Committee will be at 11:00 am on Wednesday, January 23 rd in the conference room, LL10. All welcome! Save the Date Annual Congregational Meeting Sunday 17 th February 10:45 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall (following single service at 9:30am) Reports from all congregational committees will be presented, and a light breakfast will be served. All confirmed congregation members are encouraged to attend.

4 Sermon Post Script In my sermon at St. John s on Christ the King Sunday, November 26, I made reference to the British Royalty on Stamps, a very popular collecting area. Last week, in one of the boxes of stamps in my collection, I found a letter sent to the Brobst Family in Telford from Rev. Charles H. Reinbrecht, Lutheran Missionary in Hong Kong. I know his daughter so the name caught my eye. The letter had four Hong Kong stamps featuring the coronation of Elizabeth II and was postmarked in Hong Kong on June 2, 1953, the day of Queen Elizabeth s Coronation. This is a collector s item in itself. But the real value in this find was the letter inside: June 2, 1953, Dear Friend, Just to say Hearty greetings on Coronation Day. Keep the envelope and stamps. Remember the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and His unfinished task. Yours In Him, Charles H Reinbrecht This message is still full of meaning for us today. As we face the future, we can be thankful for the past 36 years of faithful pastoral leadership with Pastor Bill Welther. We now continue to proclaim the Gospel of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and His unfinished Task. We are part of the commission to proclaim Christ to the world starting here in Center Square and reaching out to the world. Guided by the Holy Spirit as we begin a new chapter of this congregation s life, May we also be faithful to that unfinished task! In Christ our King and Lord, Larry Guenzel CROP Walk update The North Penn CROP Walk final figures are in from the CROP Walk on October 14, A total of 224 walkers raised $27, to help combat World Hunger. 25% of the funds remain in our local community providing Hunger funds for Manna On Main Street in Lansdale. Thanks again to the 12 walkers and the many sponsors from St. John Congregation whose efforts raised $ ! Be sure to save the date of October 13, 2013 for this year s CROP Walk! Did You Ever Think About Volunteering? We have a congregation filled with talented, caring individuals. One of the goals of Council in 2013 is to offer additional opportunities for our members to participate in the life of the St. John community. One such is a new initiative with the working title The Friends Who Care Committee. This group will reach out and visit members who may be sick, and older members who we don t see often enough. It will be set up so that a member of the committee can plan their visits around their schedules, and give as they have time available. As mentioned on the front page of this newsletter, we again will be having Soup Suppers before our Wednesday evening Lenten Services. We would love to have a few more people help with these meals (see Monika Bontempo, or the church office at stjohn1802@aol.com). The Audit Committee would enjoy the help of a couple folks that like working with numbers (audit tasks are ultra-flexible, schedulewise). And this is just the tip of the iceberg. In the coming months we will be sharing with you more interesting things you can do within the St. John community.

5 In the meantime, we would like to hear from you! The first thing we want you to know is, if you reach out to volunteer, someone will contact you within a few days. Linda Catherwood has graciously agreed to be our Volunteer Coordinator. To get started, all you need to do is call or Linda: linda_catherwood@yahoo.com You can also fill out the Time and Talent Form which will be sent to you in a separate , or just use it to consider how you would like to participate. If you use the form, drop it off at the church office or put it in the Sunday collection plate, or reply to the and fill in the blanks. As the Nike ad always says, Just do it. Jack Ruse, Council President December Council Meeting Highlights New Business - Interim Pastor Marcia Bell's first Sunday with us will be 2/17. There will be one service only, at 9:30. No Sunday School will be held on that day. Congregational Annual Meeting will be held on 2/17 at 11:00. Committee leaders will discuss what their role in the church is and give their year-end reports. A light brunch reception will be held in conjunction with meeting, so please come out to welcome Pastor Bell. A new committee was suggested: Compassionate Care, to insure our elderly shut-ins, hospital patients, and those recuperating at home have visitors from our church family. Katie Myers expressed interest, and other volunteers from congregation are being sought. Executive Committee, comprised of the council president, vicepresident, secretary, and treasurer, will be meeting between council meetings as needs arise this year. Council was asked to think about members for both the upcoming transition team and the call committee. Treasurer's Report - Motion was made for small compensation to retired Pastor Larry Guenzel for taking on so much additional responsibility on our behalf. Besides presiding at services this month, he will be leading adult bible classes, and has been and will continue to be a consultant to us in many areas. Interim Pastor Bell's contract and compensation package was reviewed and approved. She will not be moving into the parsonage. Insurance company is now requiring us to have sexual abuse policies in place. This includes having all involved with youth to have background checks completed, and that two adults be present at all times within classroom or youth activity. Cemetery- Suggestion that we check into building a columbarium for cremation urns. Revised By-Laws relative to Cemetery were distributed to congregation, in advance of annual meeting vote. Christian Education - Joy McCabe is the new chair for this committee, and her fresh ideas will be welcome. Linda Catherwood has served in this position for the past eight years. Sunday School: Christmas Pageant, with both children and and adults participating, was really nice! Youth Group: "Souper" Bowl Sunday event being planned. This is an event that is fun for the youth, bowling on Super Bowl Sunday, as well as a fundraiser, with donations sought for World Hunger Appeal. Youth will be collecting after services on 2/03, using soup kettles for donations. Evangelism/Communications - Soup Suppers will be held on Wednesdays during lent, beginning on 2/20 at 6:30. This year will see a return to basics of soup and bread/crackers. Monika Bontempo and Katie Myers are coordinating, but need people to help by supplying soup, setting up, and cleaning up. Finance - A motion was presented and approved for charges associated with funerals and weddings. Both require meeting time with families, layout and printing of programs, physically setting up and cleaning up.

6 Property - Discussion on purchasing generators for power outages, particularly for maintaining sump pump in elevator shaft. Request for curtains be re-installed in Fellowship Hall, after fall window replacements. Drainage still an issue at back of Sunday School building; contractors to provide estimate. Postmaster to be contacted to obtain new address for parsonage, as mail for church has been received there. Walk-through of parsonage this month to assess update needs. Social Ministry - Three scholarships distributed to St. John students attending Lutheran Colleges. Stewardship - Discussion for another Time and Talent distribution to congregation in order match interests with potential volunteer opportunities. Suggestion that in future pledge cards be mailed to be sure everyone receives a card. Worship and Music - Please read your Sunday Bulletins, as some changes are occurring to the order in service! It has been many years since this committee has met, and important for it to be reactivated now. Launch into Lent By Kristin Berkey-Abbott (Reprinted from Seeds for the Parish) Lent begins with Ash Wednesday on February 13. Have you decided what you will give up for Lent yet? In the past, a Lenten discipline meant giving something up, often something that we shouldn t have been doing anyway. Those Lenten disciplines are still valid, especially if you tie the giving up to something spiritual. For example, you give up sugar and contribute the money you would have spent on sweets to ELCA World Hunger. But what if instead of giving something up, we added something to enrich our spiritual lives? For those of you who are baffled, below are some suggestions to help you launch into Lent. Increase your reading: You might wail, But what should I read? Why not start with the Bible? Read a Gospel from beginning to end. Dip into some of the other New Testament books. Read a Psalm or two a day. Lent is also a good time to add some devotional reading to your day. You ve got lots of possibilities. Choose a theological author, and chances are good that someone has taken part of their work and transformed it into a devotional resource. Augsburg Fortress has a wonderful 40 Day Journey With series, which combines the writing of the author, some Scripture reading, some questions to ponder and some writing prompts. You might decide you want to continue the discipline beyond Lent. Fortunately, the series has many books. Boost your prayer life: If you re not praying on a regular basis, now s a good time to start. Begin your day with prayer, or end it with prayer or both! If you re not sure what to say, start with thank you. Or, pray the Lord s Prayer. If you want a bit more discipline, try praying for people who annoy you. Pray for countries that seem opposed to ours. Pray for peace. Ask God for what you need. Ask God to be with leaders. Ask God to be with those who need help: pray for the sick, the newly married, the homeless person you see wandering around, your boss, your family, for the local schools. Faithfully attend the mid-week Lenten worship services as well as Sunday services at your church.

7 Experiment with a creative practice: You may not think of yourself as creative, but you likely were creative once. Try one or more of the following to reconnect with your artistic self: Buy a box of crayons (or paints or pastels or any medium that makes you excited). Create a picture that addresses your spiritual life. Get three bouquets of flowers. Rearrange them into two bouquets and put them where you ll see them and be reminded of God s flowering love for you. Take this process one step further: Plant a flower pot or a garden. The image of God as a potter recurs in the Bible. Buy some clay and play with it. If you are the clay, how is God shaping you? Make that shape. Learn to bake bread. Bread is an amazingly forgiving food and will endure countless experiments. Start a spiritual journal. Each day, write down five things you re grateful for. Or write down people you need to remember to pray for. Or write a short meditation on a Bible verse or a hymn. Make a list of where you see God at work in the world. Write out your prayers. Step up your charitable efforts: Hopefully, you re already making some attempt to be part of God s vision for social justice, either by contributing time, money, or materials. You might consider a few of the following suggestions: Make an extra contribution to your favorite charity. Maybe you could make one extra contribution per week. It doesn t have to be huge. But it could be. Clean out your closets. Give away anything you haven t worn in the past year. Clean out your kitchen cupboards. When you go to the grocery store, buy some extra food for your favorite charity. See if you can increase your tithe by 5 or 10 percent above what you re doing now. Give some extra time during Lent. Volunteer at a soup kitchen or a food pantry. Go to a nursing home and sing some old gospel songs. Buy or make greeting cards and send them to the people you know who could use some uplift.

8 2013: A Year of Milestones By ELCA Missionary Stephen Deal January 2013 Yesterday marked a significant milestone in our lives as ELCA missionaries. It was exactly ten years ago on January 14, 2003 that we physically moved from Guatemala to Costa Rica and began service with ELCA s companion church, the Iglesia Luterana Costarricense (ILCO). Moving from one country to another even within Central America was a major transition for our family. My new missionary assignment as ELCA Regional Representative meant that I had lots to learn about 4 new countries in Central America and about the Lutheran churches & our other global mission companions in each country beginning with ILCO in Costa Rica. Likewise, Marta needed to find ways to put her gifts & talents to use in the Costa Rican church which, in hindsight, turned out to be a fairly easy process. She found her niche in the La Carpio community and began offering artisan handcraft classes to a group of poor women principally Nicaraguan immigrants. While the size & composition of the La Carpio women s group has fluctuated from year to year, it is a ministry that Marta has faithfully maintained for the past 10 years. Marta (3 rd from right) Our two girls age 14 and 10 when we arrived in 2003 had to adjust to a much more demanding school system which I suspect was harder than anything Marta and I had to face. Notwithstanding some temporary setbacks along the way, both graduated from high school and are now pursuing university studies in San Jose. Our oldest hopes to graduate with a B.A. in Psychology at the end of 2013; and in mid-2014, our youngest will complete the equivalent of a community/technical college degree program in Dental Technology. On Feb. 22, Marta & I will also reach a milestone when we celebrate our 15 th wedding anniversary. There have been times when it hasn t been possible for me to be in Costa Rica on this date. On the other hand, in 2011 we were able to take advantage of a special commitment that I had with the Peruvian Lutheran Church and celebrate our anniversary by doing a week s worth of sightseeing in Peru. That certainly has been one of our most memorable wedding anniversaries. Third, ILCO is celebrating its 25 th anniversary as a national Lutheran church in A year-long schedule of special activities will kick off in mid-february when representatives of ILCO s sister churches from the U.S. & Europe including 2 ELCA companion synods will gather in San Jose to learn about ILCO s new strategic plan. This will be an opportune moment to identify new ways for our respective churches ILCO and ELCA to accompany each other in the coming years.

9 It will be a blessing for us to take part in ILCO s 25 th anniversary celebration with our Costa Rican brothers & sisters... to look back & celebrate how God has used this small church to offer holistic pastoral accompaniment to poor & excluded communities throughout Costa Rica... ILCO s XX Anniversary celebration in and also to plan for the future and ask for God s blessing so that ILCO is able to respond to the new mission challenges that lie ahead. Please join with Marta and me in giving thanks for these personal & church milestones in Throughout the year, we will be remembering all of you who make it possible for us to serve among God s people here in Costa Rica. The Rev. Stephen Deal (ed.note: St. John s is a supporter of Pastor Deal s missionary efforts in Costa Rica) Got Soup? Ash Wednesday is February 13 th. Monika Bontempo and Katie Myers have agreed to coordinate the Soup and Sandwich Suppers this Lent, but they need assistants! If you can help, please see Monika or Katie, or the church office at stjohn1802@aol.com