FEBRUARY St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church. From the Pastor:

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1 St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church From the Pastor: How Long? 158 S. Hoernerstown Road Hummelstown, PA The Rev. Martha S. Boyd Phone: /FAX Pastor Church St. John on the Web: StJohnhtown.com FEBRUARY 2016 As I write this, we have just had a record snowfall and I have to admit I am kind of sore from shoveling. Like many others, we worked hard to remove all of that snow that kept us in place, at least for a little while. And as Jerry and I were talking, we both wondered: how long will we be able to keep doing this? I am sure we are not alone in this wondering but we do know for certain that we will keep doing as long as there is air in our bodies, will in our minds, and our hearts keep beating. But more than that is the overwhelming power of God that keeps us ever aware of who we are and what we are called to do; no matter how old we get, no matter what our infirmities are, no matter what we think we know. As we come into the season of Lent this month, we begin our journey with the sign of the cross on our foreheads. A very real reminder of the source of our life; that to which we will return someday. But oh so much more than that! It is a call to return to the Lord, to whom we belong all the days of our lives. It is a sign of the steadfast love and forgiveness that God offers to us in mercy, as we repent of our sinfulness. It is the cross to which we belong; the crucifixion and resurrection in which we take part. I invite you to be renewed this Lent. Participate in all or some of the worship services that are offered each week, including a midweek meal and worship. Study the word of God with others as we begin a Bible study on the Spirituality of St. Paul. Immerse yourself in prayer with devotions each day, and read Scripture. Find ways that you can live out your faith, either here at St. John or in your communities. Because the ways of the Lord are numerous, and the places God acts are unexpected. We are called to be prepared, to continually be refreshed in the waters of our baptism, the baptism we die to each day, knowing in full confidence that we are not as we should be, but always being reformed to be the holy children of the everlasting One. How long will we keep doing these things as a community of Christ, a people united in faith and love? Until our earthly bodies leave this earth, when we hope in faith to be joined to the host of saints gone before us, and to meet God face to face. In the meantime, we live WE LIVE in the Spirit which has given all of us gifts to be shared with our neighbors wherever they are, hoping and praying that we are listening to what God is calling us to be, in spite of our own limitations, or what others have told us. For with God the opportunities are endless. Blessings, Pr. Martha

2 Pastoral Care Pastor Boyd may be reached by calling the church office at and leaving a message in mailbox 1. You may also contact her via at: stjohnpastor158@gmail.com. If there is an emergency, she can be reached by: Cell phone: or Home: Pastor s Hours Monday Thursday from 9:00 am to 1:00 p.m. Hours are subject to change depending on meetings, etc. Please leave a message if there is no answer. Children s Sunday School Schedule Sunday School ages 5-12 during worship Nursery Room is available for those under 5 Confirmation Class Sunday mornings 10:30 am Fellowship Coffeetime On Sunday, February 7, plan to spend a little more time after church. The library and conference rooms will be set up to offer coffee, tea and light refreshments. This is an opportunity for good fellowship and to catch-up with members and friends. If you would like to sponsor one of the monthly coffee hours by contributing time, supplies or snacks, please call or speak with Gloria Mader at Thank you to Chet Cassel for being this month s sponsor. St. John is challenging our members to join in the "Souper Bowl" of caring on Sunday, February 7. "Souper Bowl" of caring began many years ago as a way to fight world hunger. Groups collect cans of soup for their local food banks to distribute to the needy in the community. St. John members are asked to bring cans of chicken noodle (Carolina Panthers) or tomato (Denver Broncos) soup to church through Super Bowl Sunday. We will take our soup to the Central PA Food Bank. Celebrate Your Birth Month Potluck Rescheduled for Sunday, February 14 Plan to stay after the worship service for brunch. We will share a meal, time together, and fun. Guests provide main dishes, sides, and salads. The church provides cake, ice cream, and beverages. Our theme is Bible Stories. Tables will be decorated to represent best loved Bible events. Please sign-up on the hallway bulletin board by the secretary s office to contribute food item(s). If you have questions or suggestions contact Cathy McDivitt at REMINDER TO THOSE WHO REGISTERED FOR : Living in the FULLness of Grace Friday, February 19, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. through Sunday, February 21st. Our special guest speaker will be Marie Monville of Lancaster County, PA. "When all other lights go out, He still shines!" became the anthem to Marie's life when on October 2, 2006, her then husband made a decision to hold an Amish school house hostage, forever changing life as she knew it. **Supply Pastor for Sunday, February 21 will be The Rev. Hal Fox. Pastor Martha will be at the Women s Retreat and leading worship for the Women s Retreat on Sunday morning. Pr. Richard Jorgensen, Synod Director for Evangelical Mission, will be with us in Worship on March 13 th and stay afterwards for questions and an open forum on his previous time with us. Please plan to attend as we discuss God s ministry for St. John.

3 Ash Wednesday February 10th. Worship Service at 7:00 PM Bread, Broth and Word each Wednesday in Lent February 17, 24, March 2, 9, 16 Fellowship Hall - 6:00-7:30 p.m. Join us at 6:00 p.m. as we enjoy a light meal of soup and bread, and then continue our time together with an informal worship service with Communion at 7 p.m. And like last year, one week we will have Zion Lutheran in Union Deposit join us, and one week we will join them. Together in the meal and community of Christ we share what was 7irst given to us! Sign up on the bulletin board, send an , or call the of7ice, if you would like to donate soup or bread for a particular week. Thank you! Bible Study The Spirituality of St. Paul every Thursday morning in Lent February 11, 18, 25, March 3, 10, 17 Fellowship Hall 10:00 a.m. 11:30 a.m. Join us as we study and learn from different passages of Paul, the background behind the letters, and develop our own insights about spirituality and what it means to have the Spirit of Christ in us. Join us for all of the sessions, or the ones you are able to attend. Or, if you are not able to be here because of other commitments, click on the link below to study in the comfort of your home, either alone or with some neighbors or friends. Either way, we will be together in the word according to St. Paul, a most unexpected person selected by God to be a witness of the Gospel. Technology and Faith Would you rather read your Lenten Devotions online? Try one of these free resources: Luther Seminary: (available in regular and large print) Pittsburgh Theological Seminary: Redeemer Presbyterian Church: resources_by_topic/lenten_devotionals Good Gifts Piggy Bank: Once again we will provide coin boxes for the ELCA World Hunger appeal during Lent. The idea is to put a coin in the box each day of Lent. The amount of coins or the type of coin is up to you. Just $30.00 can provide a piglet to a family in need. When this little piggy grows up, she will give birth to as many as 16 piglets each year. Pigs help fertilize 7ields, provide food to eat and can be sold at market for much-needed income. Pick up your piggy bank in the narthex. There will also be coloring pages of baby chicks. Pick up your coloring page for a buck a chick and help purchase chicks to provide a family in need with eggs to eat and sell on the market. With this gift you can help a family escape hunger for good. Lenten Devotional The Lenten Devotional Living Lent As People of the Resurrection will be available in the Narthex in February. Pick one up for your personal and family devotions.

4 Capital Improvement Committee Update January 18, 2016 The Capital Improvement Committee met for the first time in 2016 on January 14, Committee members are Pastor Martha, Louise Bretz, Joyce Potteiger, Dick Conrad, Phil Mathias, and John Ignatosky (Chairperson). Committee will have regular scheduled meetings every two months through Special meetings will be called as required. Information from several architectural companies and design -build construction firms was shared. Committee has decided to invite two design -build construction firms to meet with the committee to present their company approach and procedures in dealing with phased long term facility planning needs for religious facility projects. These meetings will hopefully be held in late January, This committee will also help spearhead development of a list of immediate maintenance, facility, and operational issues that need to be addressed at St. John. We ask that the congregation pray for open minds, and hearts as we seek to listen and hear how our building may be improved to meet the long-term needs of St. John's, and the community in which we live and serve. Evangelism Committee: Meeting on Thursday, February 4 at 12:00 noon. Bring a sack lunch. Many people remarked about how lovely the two outdoor banners were which announced our Christmas Eve service. They were ordered through Staples and cost $55.00 each. Also they are weather resistant and will be used again. A wish is to purchase similar banners for our Easter Sunday Service. If you would like to sponsor the cost of one or both banners, please let Cathy McDivitt know via phone or text: The design will be created collaboratively with Pastor Martha. Thank you for your help I welcoming the community. Newsletter deadline for the March issue of The Eagle is Tuesday, February 16th. THANK YOU: *to St. John for remembering me at Christmas. Your generosity and kindness is much appreciated. -Wanda Perry *Dear St. John, Your monetary gift and Christmas kindness is once again truly appreciated. Blessings to you in Bill Dressler *I am so grateful to have the support of my church to do social ministry work in our community. I am blessed as a member of St John to have your support! Thank you for helping out Families A & B with food donations and gift card donations. -Kim Balog *from Lutheran World Relief for our recent donation towards their Quilt and Kit Shipping Fund. *from the Lutheran Camping Corporation for our recent gift of $ *to the quilting ministry who sponsored January Fellowship Coffeetime. *to the volunteers who placed the two Christmas banners in the churchyard which invited the public to our Christmas Eve Service. *to the volunteers who got the tables and chairs ready for fellowship coffee. *to parents and grandparents who have been bringing their children and grandchildren to Sunday School. *Many thanks for the Christmas gift from the congregation. It was very much appreciated. May God continue to bless you. Pastor Martha and Jerry Boyd.

5 St. John Council Minutes December 8, 2015 Present: Pastor Boyd, Marge Plouse, Marge Baranowski, Lauren Leshak-Espenshade, Pat Ignatosky, Irma Mengel Absent: Mary Jo Hanley, Gloria Mader, Keith Kahley, Dwight Bretz, Joyce Potteiger The meeting was called to order at 7:04 pm by Vice President Pat Ignatosky. Marge Plouse read devotions with Irma Mengel reading in January. The agenda for the meeting was approved. The minutes from the November meeting were approved as submitted. The Treasurer's report was read and approved as submitted. Benevolence is down; the suggestion was made to put an announcement in the bulletin. Council voted to roll existing CD into another 25-month CD with 1.34% interest. The Pastor's report was approved as submitted. There was no President's report. Committee Reports Worship and Music (Marge Plouse): Worship is planned through Palm Sunday. Learning and Youth (Gloria Mader): There will be no Sunday School for youth on Sunday, December 27 service of Lessons & Carols. Social Ministry (Pat Ignatosky): Plans are set in place to start a collection for 2 local families who are struggling with food needs. A holiday meal collection will take place for these two local families. Please see the narthex table for family A and family B and donate if you are available. Thank you! -Along with the holiday meal donations a gift card collection will take place for family A. This family recently relocated to this area following the death of the father. Two females, (mom and sister) are living together along with 4 kids under 10. One child has special needs. They are getting settled and both adults work full time. But they are struggling with food needs. Collections will take place until Monday December 21st. Thank you in advance for your kind hearts and support. Shepherding-Evangelism-Stewardship (Gloria Mader): Meeting held Wednesday, December 2 -Discussed purchasing permanent outdoor banner for promoting Christmas Eve service -Finalized plans for inaugural coffee & fellowship time after worship December 6. (The event was well attended and received!) -Planning "Celebrate Your Birth Month" potluck dinner for January 24, theme will be favorite Bible stories -Pastor will continue conducting door -to-door neighborhood visits accompanied by Cathy McDivitt and/or Gloria Mader. -Dates will be arranged for both Pastor Jorgensen and the Bishop to visit and preach at St. John -Next meeting - Wednesday January 6, 2016 at 1:00 pm. Altar Guild (Pat Ignatosky): We will continue monetary support for heating costs monthly to the church. -Advent has begun and church decorations are in progress. -A set of colored chalice communion linens has been ordered by us. This will enable us to prepare the communion table with matching linens on the altar. Long Range Planning-Facilities (Dwight Bretz): No report. Swatara Creek Lutheran Community: Natalie Kreitzer has volunteered to head the SCLC. The group is planning a Youth Collaborative Retreat and Women's Retreat (2/19-21 in Lancaster; Marie Monfield guest speaker, spouse of man who killed kids at Nickel Mines) for all people in the SCLC. Safe Child Policy (Mary Jo Hanley): Tabling until January meeting. Communications (Lauren Leshak-Espenshade): Update on Faith Formation seminar Pastor Martha and Lauren Leshak-Espenshade attended on 10/24 and 12/4. Website should be up and running on 12/14. Old Business Building Committee: Planning on getting up and running in the New Year. New Business -New chaplain at Middletown Home: Dan Gilbert is the new chaplain at the home; he is first chaplain in the 100+ year history of the home. Pastor Martha will be providing pastoral support for the Middletown Home. -Letter from the Bishop of the LSS: The Bishop would like to visit St. John in the near future. We accepted his invitation to come and preach and lead an open forum in fellowship hall after worship. -Wills and Trusts Presentation to Council: The Regional Gift Planner for ELCA Foundation spoke at a workshop at Zion. Pastor Martha recommends we establish a formal process for dealing with estate gifts and having the Regional Gift Planner speak at a future Council meeting. Approved request by Gloria Mader to use fellowship hall on 12/27. Meeting adjourned at 7:56 pm. with The Lord's Prayer. Respectfully submitted, Lauren Leshak-Espenshade Cow Project Update A total of $ was collected for the John D. Cassel Memorial Cow Project Fund. These funds will be distributed to the Hummelstown Food Bank and the Ecumenical Food Bank at Messiah Lutheran Church. Address Changes: Dick and Joyce Potteiger Katherine Daniels (rehab) 20 Oakwood Drive Countryside Christian Community Palmyra, PA N. State Route Room 45 Annville, PA

6 Our Stewardship for February Altar Guild Marge Baranowski and Kim Balog Lockup After Sunday Service Irma Mengel Assisting Ministers 7 Brenda Kahley 14 Chet Cassel 21 Marge Plouse 28 Kim Balog Ushers and Greeters Sundays Tony and Marge Baranowski Ash Wednesday Bulletin Sponsors 7 in memory of John and Gladys Mathias 14 in honor of Marge Baranowski s birthday 21 in memory of Loved Ones by John and Mimi Martz 28 Flowers 7 in memory of Mr. and Mrs. John P. Mathias 14 in memory of Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Mullens 21 in memory of James Fisher 28 in memory of Edward Swartz The 2016 flower chart is posted on the church office door. Altar flowers are $30.00 for two vases per Sunday. There are some open dates available. If you have any questions, please contact Kim Balog. Open dates are: May 22 September 11 October 2 October 30 Snow Cancellation Information St. John will follow the Lower Dauphin School District schedule for cancellations of meetings or social functions in the case of inclement weather. If school is closed, no meetings, functions, or office hours will be held. If questions arise regarding cancellation of Sunday services, tune in to TV Station WHTM ABC27 or WHP 21. Please remember to bring non -perishable food items to church and place them in the basket in the hallway for the Hummelstown Food Pantry. They especially can use peanut butter, jelly, small cans of soup, and quart size spaghetti sauce Council Members and Officers President Pat Ignatosky Vice-President Darryl Hamm Secretary Lauren Leshak Treasurer Gloria Mader Financial Secretary Debra Leshak Deb Fisher Robert Getz Keith Kahley Irma Mengel Susan Shellenhamer Valarie Steinman Committee Chairpersons Altar Guild Kim Balog Capital Improvement John Ignatosky Facilities Phil Mathias Financial Marge Baranowski Learning/Youth Mary Jo Hanley Mutual Ministry Darryl Hamm Social Ministry Kim Balog Shepherding/Evangelism/Stewardship Cathy McDivitt Quilting Ministry Deb Fisher Website/Facebook Lauren Leshak Espenshade Worship Marge Plouse Benevolence What Is It? Webster s dictionary says this: 1. the disposition to do good; good will; charitableness; love of mankind, accompanied with a desire to promote their happiness. 2. an act of kindness; a good deed done; charity given. 3. a species of compulsory contribution or tax, which has sometimes been exacted by arbitrary kings of England and falsely represented as a gratuity. Obviously, as Lutheran Christians, we are closer to de7inition one and two. In the church, you may hear benevolence also referred to as Mission Support, which is de7ined as this: Mission Support is the portion of your weekly 7inancial offering that your congregation shares with your synod and the churchwide organization, the other two expressions of this church. Mission is a broad term used to describe all the ministries of this church, not just those involving ELCA missionaries who work with our Lutheran partners around the world. Support is the portion of members offerings that makes all ELCA ministries possible, here at home and abroad. Mission Support is the way that Lutherans experience sharing Jesus message of love around the world; it is the lifeblood of the work that God does through the ELCA, providing almost 80 percent of budgeted support for our ministries. Together we are able to respond with our abundant gifts to a world in need!

7 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday am Worship Meeting Quilting Tuesdays 8-11:30 am 12 noon Evangelism Committee Meeting (Bring a sack lunch) Pastor Larson installed at Trinity Lutheran Church in Steelton 7 Transfiguration of Our Lord 9 am Communion Worship Coffeetime fellowship follows worship Music Makers 8 Pr. Martha at First Call Theological Education 5:30 PM Faith Formation 7PM Council 9 7PM Ash Wednesday Worship Service 10 10:00 11:30 am Bible Study am Communion Worship Harrisburg Conference Meeting 6:00-7:30 PM Bread, Broth and Word 10:00 11:30 am Bible Study Women's Retreat 21 9 am Communion Worship Pastor Fox Preaching Women's Retreat PM Altar Guild 24 6:00-7:30 PM Bread, Broth and Word 10 11:30 am Bible Study 6-7:30 PM Volunteer at Hummelstown Food Bank am Communion Worship 6:00-7:30 PM Bread, Broth and Word

8 St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church 158 S. Hoernerstown Road Hummelstown, PA Address Service Requested Do Not Delay Delivery - Dated Material St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church Hoernerstown, Pennsylvania 158 S. Hoernerstown Road Hummelstown, Pa /FAX StJohnChurch158@gmail.com Rev. Martha S. Boyd

9 We are in the process of updating our Phone Directory. Please update your name, address and phone number accordingly. NAME ADDRESS If you would like to include your cell phone number and/or your address, please complete the questions below. In addition, if you would like to include your birthday and anniversary date, please complete that section as well. PHONE NUMBER(S) Would you like your cell phone number published? NAME BIRTHDAY No Yes NAME CELL PHONE NUMBER Would you like your address published? ANNIVERSARY No Yes NAME ADDRESS Please return by mail (fold in half, af7ix postage, and mail), by dropping off your form at church, or your information to the church of7ice at: DISCLAIMER: Your information will not be shared with anyone by the church of7ice or the pastor unless you agree to have it disclosed.

10 St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church 158 S. Hoernerstown Road Hummelstown, PA Postage.49 St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church 158 S Hoernerstown Road Hummelstown, PA Address Service Requested Do Not Delay Delivery - Dated Material St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church Hoernerstown, Pennsylvania 158 S. Hoernerstown Road Hummelstown, Pa /FAX StJohnChurch158@gmail.com Rev. Martha S. Boyd