INTERIM PASTOR S PAGE

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1 INTERIM PASTOR S PAGE GOD BE WITH YOU TILL WE MEET AGAIN Lyrics, Jeremiah E. Rankin; Music, William G. Tomer: Public Domain By good counsels guide, uphold you, With a shepherd s care enfold you; Saying Good Bye is always difficult. There is a reason St. John s needs this to be a real Good Bye. I have seen too many congregations torn apart because of people hanging on to their previous pastors. Holy wings securely hide you; Daily manna still provide you; Although I am leaving, God is not leaving. God will take care of you. God will send a new Pastor who longs to feed you with word and sacrament and hide you in the shadow of their wings. Be willing! When life s perils thick confound you, Put unfailing arms around you; When the new Pastor comes, please welcome them with open arms. The more you open yourselves to this new relationship, the more they will be able to be there for you especially in times of crisis. Till we meet, till we meet Till we meet at Jesus feet; Till we meet, till we meet, Remember this world is not all there is. Pastor Margay DEACON S CORNER I don't think spring will ever come! As I am writing this in the Adirondacks there is snow on the ground from the storm from yesterday. This winter doesn t want to go away; it keeps going just like the energizer bunny. We gave Pastor Margay a great send off with the brunch on April 22nd and her last Sunday April 29th. What a great pleasure it was to have her for the last year and a half. Now I hope she will resume her retirement and enjoy the rest of her life. As we wait for a new Pastor we will need to pull together and keep St. John's running as usual, this means that you keep doing what you have been doing. We probably will have a Bridge Pastor for the interim time to help us along the way. Please mark your calendars for May 10 th. We will be celebrating Ascension at First Lutheran Church at 7PM with our Episcopal Brothers and Sisters. Come join us for this service as we celebrate together. Synod Assembly is on May 11th and 12 th, please pray for all those attending from St. John's and all other churches in our Synod. We need to remember the holiday at the end of the month, Memorial Day. This is not just a day off from work, it is a day we honor those who are fighting for our freedom and those who have died. A time to reflect on what this country is about, what freedoms we have and our opportunities to do so many things. We need to ask God to watch over those in harm s way and protect them, guide them home and help them get reacquainted with life when they get back. When you see a soldier please thank them for their service. Your Servant in Christ, Deacon Rich 1

2 LAY MINISTRY Get Involved in "Super Hero" Worship May 2018 I walked down the hall and saw her head bowed with tears in her eyes. I knew why she was emotional, and I quietly walked by without a word. I put a light hand on her shoulder telling her silently that I completely understood. She participated as a worship leader and served with her whole heart. She greatly loves the Lord, so it was no surprise to see her deeply moved by Good Friday worship. I walked out to the church parking lot after the 10am service was over and saw 2 vans parked perpendicular to the parking spaces. Kids were having an impromptu dance party on the asphalt between the vehicles. They were jamming to the CD of favorite VBS songs I had given them during our JAM worship time. They danced without inhibition and sang about Jesus being their "Super Hero" at the top of their lungs. We listened as each participant in my Christ Care Group prayed for individuals in their lives who don't know Jesus; as the prayer was said, a candle was lit to represent ways we can be the light of Christ to these loved ones and help them see God's mercy and grace. Worship takes many different forms, an experiential service, powerful or catchy songs, deep prayer; all of these things touch us in different ways and connect us to Christ as well as one another. While worshipping can be a solo activity, I believe being part of a group for worship has a dimension all its' own. Corporately our praises come together as one voice, offering all we have to give to the Lord. Our corporate worship doesn't have to be a church full of participants, but can be a group of 5 people quietly reading a psalm together. As I said, worship can take many forms. Yet no matter what form worship takes, there is usually at least SOME element of planning involved prior, (except for kids spontaneously dancing in the parking lot!) People are involved in the planning and implementation of these worship times and it is easy to follow along as participants, not really knowing the effort taken to make services meaningful and run smoothly. The list below is not exhaustive, but shows the many hands involved in corporate worship at St. John's. Greeters (putting on a happy face no matter what mood they are in), Ushers (doing more than just handing out bulletins, ushers are the go-to people to direct and help others before, during and after the service), Lectors (readers and communion helpers), Leaders-(8am/Assisting Ministers-10am (Helping the pastor and making sure the service runs smoothly), Prayer Writers (Deacon Gloria & Deacon Rich do this each week), Musicians (practice, practice, practice), Acolytes (and the trainer who teaches the youth how to do this), Altar Guild/Worship Prep Team (changing banners, setting up/cleaning communion, ordering and arranging flowers and many other items, cleaning and ironing linens and so much more), Communion Glass Washers, Altar Flower Donators, Sound Room Helpers (recording the service for the St. John's website), Custodians and Property Mission Team Members (who work to keep the worship space clean and in good repair), Christ Care Group Leaders (Who lead worship time during meetings), Cooks and Set up/clean up Teams for Dinner Church, and of course Pastor (preparing a sermon and overseeing worship services). Like I said, this list isn't even exhaustive, but it gives you perspective that most worship experiences at St. John's require a lot of volunteer time. I cannot speak for all worship volunteers, but helping at worship makes for an even richer experience for me. I do not look at it as a dreary job or obligation to do and check off, I look at it as a very special way of serving Jesus, different from all my other work at St. John's. My goal in writing all this is not to get more volunteers to do worship jobs that need to be done, but it is to help people see that using their gifts in worship can be a beautiful expression of faith unlike any other. To that end I encourage you to look for ways to aid in worship. Just as there are varied ways we worship at St. John's, there also many ways to serve. Pray about it and visit the Worship Bulletin Board near the chapel I plan to put up in the beginning of May for some ideas and contact people regarding ways to serve in worship. Corporate worship can be powerful, deeply moving and faith-building. The kids got it right, 2

3 Willard Gower (former member of St. John's), father of Sue Place, who died on April 4th in Allentown, PA. Jeremy Weinberg, nephew of Linda Picciano, who died on April 3rd in Erie, PA. Doris Goddard, friend of Deacon Rich and Carol Ferolito. FIRST COMMUNION Jesus IS our Super Hero; worthy of our praise and service. Jeanne Jones Director of Lay Ministries SYMPATHY We extend our prayers of sympathy and concern to the family and friends of: Jackie Carey, friend of Diane Sipos, who died on March 10th. On March 18, 2018 at the 10am worship service, 21 youngsters were recognized for receiving their First Holy Communion that day. Zander Ty Altman-Lewis Kaitlyn Rose Bonner Madison Marie Borra Olivia Sophia Borra Kaylie Giovanna Conforti Reid Edward Cuthbertson Mason Charles Decker William James Flynn Emma Leigh Grundig Kaleigh Jennifer Horos Shay Brooke Kane Laila Janelle Moore Samuel Otto O Shea Nina Jean Perri Madison Margaret Richardson Chase Davey Roraback Colton Michael Sonner Nathaniel Robert Swart Isabella Reina Swatek Jackson Albert Todaro Alexander Tupper Young Art Platt, friend of Carla Hill, who died on March 17th. George Olewnick, husband of Alice Olewnick, who died at Vassar Hospital on March 30th. Joan Alhstrom, wife of Pastor Albert Alhstrom, who died as a result of a car accident on April 2nd. Bonnie Glatfelter, mother of Amy Huber, who died on April 4th in Lancaster, PA. 3

4 UPCOMING EVENTS *Nave=Main Worship Space Food Pantry is open 1st & 3rd Sundays, 9-11am in Church Office April 25 Adult Ed Discussion about the movie, "Jesus Christ Superstar" and the Bible 10:30am & 7pm, Blue Room April 28 Nyack Handbell Fest Concert 7pm, Nyack College JOURNAL DEADLINE June Edition May 13th Please note that the Journal deadline is the 2nd Sunday of the Month. Please make sure all submissions are in by that date. When submitting, please forward in Microsoft Word or an . Please send submissions to Carol Versace Please include name and phone number in case of questions. April 29 Blood Drive 9am-3:30pm, Fellowship Hall Pastor Margay's last Sunday May 4-6 7th & 8th Gr. Retreat Bowdoin Park May 6 Lutheranism 101, Guest Speaker Rev. Jonathan Linman 11:15am, Book Nook May 10 Ascension service, First Lutheran Church time TBA May 12 Spring Clean-up at St. John's, Begins at 9am May 19 St. John's Handbell Concert 6pm, Nave* BAPTISMS Gregory Christopher Whyte, Jr. was baptized on April 8, Gregory Christopher, who is the son of Meghan Slater and Gregory Whyte, Sr., was born on September 7, May 20 Wrapped in Love (intro to new ministry) 11:15am, Meet & Greet Room Save the date for the next Congregation Meeting: June 17, 11:15am in the Nave. 4

5 SPRING SPRUCE UP Saturday, May 12 th, Starting at 9AM the Property Team works hard to keep our building in good shape. Do you have an hour or 2 or more to help them with little tasks that need to be done? See the bulletin board near the Chapel doors to see the jobs, or just come by. Don't worry; tasks will be tailored to your ability and time schedule. If you can help, please contact: Gerd Pfeiffer go.pfeiffer@comcast.net Phone: LIKE TO COOK? There are often 1 or 2 slots available during any given month and we welcome new chefs for Dinner Church on Wednesday nights. Usually it involves cooking for about people and the food can both be made and served or it can be made earlier in the week for volunteers to reheat on the night of Dinner Church. You could cook regularly (such as once a month or once every other month) or just select a date or dates for which you would like to cook. All ingredient costs will be reimbursed. Interested in helping of finding out more about it? Contact Jeanne Jones jjones@stjohnselc.org