July 23: Pentecost 7 - Weeds AND Wheat? Readings: Isaiah 44:6-8 Psalm 86:11-17 Romans 8:12-25 Matthew 13:24-30, Music: Zyla Jazz Combo

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1 The Messenger Volume 55, Issue 7 JULY 2017 INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Worship in July... 1 I Believe... 2 About Our People... 3 Transitions... 3 Birthdays/Anniversaries... 3 Office Information... 3 Moments of Generosity... 4 Annual Meeting... 4 Facilities Note... 4 St. John s Book Club... 4 Chi Rho... 4 Thank You... 5 Community Meal... 5 TRUST... 5 Loaves & Fishes... 5 Women s Retreat... 5 Hymn Festival... 5 WELCA Gathering... 5 GATHERING FOR WORSHIP Sundays at 10:00 a.m. July 2: Pentecost 4 - Baptism: Gift and Mission Readings: Jeremiah 28:5-9 Psalm 89:1-4, Romans 6:12-23 Matthew 10:40-42 Music: Clara Willette, guitar July 9: Pentecost 5 - Rest for Our Souls Readings: Zechariah 9:9-12 Psalm 145:8-14 Romans 7:15-25a Matthew 11:16-19, Music: July 16: Pentecost 6 - How Does Your Word Grow? (outdoor worship) Readings: Isaiah 55:10-13 Psalm 65:[1-8]9-13 Romans 8:1-11 Matthew 13:1-9, Music: St. John s Brass July 23: Pentecost 7 - Weeds AND Wheat? Readings: Isaiah 44:6-8 Psalm 86:11-17 Romans 8:12-25 Matthew 13:24-30, Music: Zyla Jazz Combo July 30: Pentecost 8 - Where God s Grace Finds Us Readings: 1 Kings 3:5-12 Psalm 105:1-11, 45b Romans 8:26-39 Matthew 13:31-33, Music:

2 T HE M E S S E N G E R Building and Nurturing a Faith Community P A G E 2 From the Pastor: Grace to you and peace form God our Father and the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen was a very good year! As a congregation we have made significant improvements to the church facility, from paving the alley to improved sound in the sanctuary. But during the year of focus on Growing relationships with Christ, with each other, and with the world around us, our exposure to the Bible grew as we read a second year from the Narrative Lectionary, our list of participants with Loaves and Fishes grew as Andrew Dosdall recruited friends/ colleagues to join forces with our folks at Loaves and Fishes, the number of families receiving food backpacks at Ramsey Middle School (newly renamed Justice Allan Page Middle School) grew from 10-15, our congregation s worshiping attendance is on the rise, the number of people attending weekly Bible Study is growing, and we just welcomed into our church-family 11 new members on June 4 th. We are Growing! God isn t done with us yet. Now, as we turn our focus to the fall and the start of a new program year, 2017/2018 will be an entire year-long focus on Welcoming: Hospitality and Invitational Ministry. You are a people who know how to set a culture of welcoming hospitality. It comes naturally to you and you do it so very well. Now we need to name it and be intentional with it so that we continue to provide that beautiful sense of welcome to everyone who comes through the doors. We then need to leverage that sense of hospitality and employ it to address the opportunity/challenge I now set before us to also intentionally extend that sense of hospitality not only beyond the walls of the building, but also connect Sunday to the other days of the week. This is what I mean by invitational ministry. Together we will explore what it means to share this gem of faith that we have been given and be invitational (extending the welcome to all), inspirational (the Holy Spirit within us), intentional (with great purpose), and incarnational (letting the Love of Jesus flow through us to others). It will be a very fun year! In addition, during this coming year we arrive at notable and significant mile markers worthy of congregation-wide celebrations: This August marks Tina Shear s 30 th year of service as Director of St. John s Child Care Center. Purchased in 1967, Chi Rho Retreat Center turns 50! The celebration is scheduled for August Founded on Tuesday, May 29, 1883, St. John s English Evangelical Lutheran Church marks this congregation s 135 th anniversary. The Congregation s name officially changed with the 1925 relocation and merger with St. James Lutheran Church to St. John s Lutheran Church, Washburn Park. May 29, 2018 happens to also be a Tuesday, by the way. St. John s Lutheran Church is filled with vitality, life, faithfulness, and a strong will to touch and change many lives with the love of God in Christ Jesus; and we are blessed to be in the possession of many ministry tools to accomplish it. The key thing needed now is focus with unified purpose--intentionality. To that end, the Church Council has called for the creation of a Mission Statement before the end of the 2017 calendar year with the intent of bringing the St John s Child Care Center, the St. John s Chi Rho Retreat Center, the St. John s Foundation, the St. John s Music Series, and the ministry of all Congregational Committees underneath the one Mission Statement of St. John s Lutheran Church, Washburn Park. We have learned who God is calling us to be Serving. We have taken the time to explore God s call to be Growing. Now we turn toward a year of Welcoming, celebrations, and Missional focus. This will certainly be a wild ride, but oh what fun we ll have. I am honored to serve you. To God be the Glory. Pastor Mark A. Tiede

3 T HE M E S S E N G E R Building and Nurturing a Faith Community P A G E 3 About Our People Remembering in Prayer Those in need of healing, comfort or sustaining care: Dave Holms, Anne Kinney, Mike Lee, Jane McDonald, Brian Miles, Lenore Schaffnit, Gregory Smetana, Oly Stromberg, and Margaret Thompson July Birthdays & Anniversaries Transitions New members of St. John s (June 4, 2017) Patrick and Leah Coveney; Kaitlyn Wiener & Isaac Johnson; Sharon Koschak; Craig McAllister; Beth McAllister, Jaeden & LiLianna Micco; Susan Lillevold; and Bergit Nerheim Members Transferred (June 11, 2017) Merwyn and Joyce Larson, to Mt. Olive Lutheran, Minneapolis On June 28 th Nicole Vaughn tendered her resignation as St. John s Bookkeeper, a position she held for only five short months. In her resignation letter she wrote: While I do enjoy working for the church, I have chosen to look for work which offers more hours and benefits. I also do so enjoy report analysis and hope to focus more on that type of work in the future. We wish Nicole well and have begun the search for a new bookkeeper. Please let the church office know if you would like to share information with the congregation. You can reach the church office at The phone system at church has changed. Callers to St. John s now have the option to talk with or leave messages for individual staff, Child Care or even Chi Rho by choosing one of these eight new prompts: 1. Church Office/Ann Paulson 5. Joseph Sahai/Matthew Bell 2. Sam Grace 6. Dave Helm, Chi Rho 3. Tina Shear 7. Bookkeeper 4. Venita Ditlevson 8. Pastor Mark Tiede the church office at communications@stjohnsmpls.org Pastor Mark at pastortiede@stjohnsmpls.org Happy Birthday! 6 Lisa Vollmer 8 Marjorie Sethna 9 Betty Shannon 13 Vincent Fanciulli 20 George Wilson 22 Eleanor Willette 24 Grant Johnson 27 Jeff Carlson Austin Davis 29 Alicia Nordstrom Happy Anniversary! 7 Robert & Marlene Holden 9 Ron & Bonnie Conrad 11 Patrick & Leah Coveney If your birth date and/or anniversary has not been included or is incorrect, please call the church office at Thank you!

4 T HE M E S S E N G E R Building and Nurturing a Faith Community P A G E 4 Moments of Generosity We are grateful for Mark Nervig's service as St. John's treasurer. Mark was a careful steward of our resources. He patiently guided our councils and congregational budget meetings through detailed financial reports, while reminding us of the bigger picture: that how we care for and use our resources is an expression of our faith in Christ. Thank you, Mark, for your years of faithful service! St. John s Book Club will meet to discuss Jodi Picoult s newest book, Small Great Things, on Sunday, July 9 at 11:30 a.m. in St. John s lounge/library. The author tackles prejudice, race, privilege, and social justice. If you need a copy of the book or have questions, feel free to contact Jennifer Belz or Jennifer Burdick ( Or mattjen0625@msn.com). Come, join the discussion; everyone is welcome! ST JOHN S CONGREGATIONAL ANNUAL MEETING was held on Sunday, June 25 for nomination and election of new council members and reception of reports of officers, committees and organizations. Elected to three-year council terms were Jennifer Burdick, Jim Gambucci, Bea Hasselmann and Ann Paulson. Council members completing their terms are Bonnie Conrad, Jesse Fanciulli, Jack Hurbanis, and Mark Nervig. The council membership change takes effect when the council meets in July. Copies of the annual report will be available in St. John s office and on Sunday; or mailed copies are available if requested. A Facilities note: The City of Minneapolis is planning street seal-coating projects in the area around St. John's for the weekend of July 16. If pertinent details become available, we will add to the Sunday bulletin or St. John s website. CHI RHO AT 50! July 2 Fireworks at Chi Rho, Annandale Sponsored by Greater Lake Sylvia Association. August CHI RHO SUMMERFEST Saturday: Music, Food, Games Sunday: Pancake Breakfast &Worship Overnight accommodations are available; you may contact St. John s church office for reservations. The Chi Rho committee and others are hard at work planning for the Summerfest celebration. If you want to be involved in any way, please contact Brad Nelson, Dave Helm, or Oly Stromberg of the committee. July s calendar includes three family reunions and Kor Am Tae Kwan Do, Edian Cross Country Boys & Girls, Jordan Boys & Girls Cross Country, and Camp Tamarack groups. Lots happening! See our Facebook posts at 68 miles due west

5 T HE M E S S E N G E R Building and Nurturing a Faith Community P A G E 5 A big THANK YOU to all of the volunteers that worked on the Community Meal on June 24th. They are Jennifer & Matt Burdick, JoAnn Christoferson, Larry Fraser, Sharon Koschak, Diane Rooney, Marj Sethna, Susan Zabel - and a special thank you to Elsa Burdick for handing out ice cream bars. ~ Bob & Marlene Holden P.S. The Great Pepper Mystery - all the pepper shakers are empty!!! Where has it gone? Community Meal: Saturday, July 22 at noon Come and help come and eat! St. John s volunteers welcome guests, help prepare food and beverages, bus and wash dishes, and clean up. The time commitment is about two hours, 11:30-1:30 each fourth Saturday. If you would like to help, you may sign up on the poster outside Fellowship Hall, or contact the church office to volunteer or for more information. Bring your family... invite a friend or neighbor! The TRUST Chore Program is currently looking for housecleaners. Pay is $15 per hour, and you can set your own schedule. Cleaning supplies are provided by the client. For more information, or to come in and fill out an application, call Wendy at Uptown Heating & Air Conditioning partners with TRUST by offering Air Conditioning Checks for $69, which TRUST receives. Call TRUST, for a coupon. Loaves & Fishes St. John turn to serve Monday, July 24 at 5:00 p.m. TRUST congregations join together to prepare and serve meals at Loaves and Fishes at St. Stephen s Church, Clinton Avenue, on the 4th Monday six times a year. If you d like to know more about serving the community in this way, please ask Marlene Holden ( ). Your help is much appreciated! The Women s Evening Retreat, Wednesday, June 14 at St. John s included seven participants. Guest instructor Lynn Whitfield led the group in gentle yoga, a light potluck supper was shared, and Anna guided a time of reflection on a Wendell Berry poem, The Peace of Wild Things. The closing centered on a remembrance of baptism. Marge Huseth s flute meditations were a much appreciated addition to this retreat. Seventeen women have participated in the three retreats so far this year. We very much welcome feedback and suggestions for continuing to grow in this relational ministry of listening and reflective practices. ~ Anna Carlson, Ann Paulson Photo by Pastor Mark Rise, Remember Well the Future: A Hymn Festival led by the National Lutheran Choir Tuesday, July 11, 7:30 p.m. St. Olaf Catholic Church, 215 S. 8th St., Minneapolis Join the National Lutheran Choir and church musicians from across the country in a hymn festival as part of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians Biennial Conference in Minneapolis. The evening will include hymns and choral music of the church that connect the past to the present with an eye to the future. The hymn festival is open to the public. Tickets will be available at the door (sold by ALCM): $20/Adults, $10/Seniors & Students. For more about the choir, visit NLCA.com All Women of the ELCA are welcome at the Tenth Triennial Gathering being held at the Minneapolis Convention Center, July 13-16, The gathering theme, All Anew resonates with reformation and transformation images in this year of observance of the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. At the gathering, participants will explore ways in which the Holy Spirit changes us, acknowledging that reformation and transformation have happened and continue to happen within the community of women known as Women of the ELCA. Pre-Gathering Coloring Devotionals and more information related to this event may be found at

6 St. John s Lutheran Church 4842 Nicollet Avenue Minneapolis, MN T HE M E S S E N G E R Information Church Office Church Office Fax Child Care Center Chi Rho Center Church Office communications@stjohnsmpls.org Website... Like us on Facebook! Parish Staff PASTOR Mark A. Tiede DIRECTOR OF WORSHIP & MUSIC Samuel Grace OFFICE ASSISTANT Ann Paulson ORGANIST Peder Flaten BOOKKEEPER CUSTODIANS Matthew Bell Jon Dosdall Joseph Sahai CHILD CARE CENTER DIRECTOR Tina Shear CHI RHO CENTER MANAGER David Helm Church Council Jennifer Belz, Vice President Jennifer Burdick, Interim Secretary Bonnie Conrad Steve Dosdall, President Allan Ferguson, Interim Treasurer Jack Hurbanis Sean Stagg Oly Stromberg Sarah Tellijohn Eric Willette Building and Nurturing a Faith Community St. John s Lutheran Church is a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). We believe in the Triune God Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, and the Gospel as the power of God for salvation for all that believe. We believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the written Word of God, inspired by God s Spirit speaking through their authors, recording and announcing God s revelation centering in Jesus Christ. We believe the Church to be a people created by God in Christ and sustained by the Holy Spirit. Sunday Worship Service at 10:00 a.m. Nursery care is provided. Traditional worship that is joyful and welcoming to all. ELCA Presiding Bishop: Minneapolis Area Synod Bishop: Bishop Elizabeth Eaton Bishop Ann Svennungsen