The Encourager Spurring one another to love and good deeds

The Encourager Spurring one another to love and good deeds Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year By Pastor Caleb I love Christmas time. I love the lights. I love the decorations. I love the food. I love the getting together with family and friends celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior. Over the years that I have been Pastor at St. John s, some of the things that I have loved most about Christmas is the worship traditions that we have formed in our congregation. There is the Children s Program and the Nativity service. There are the midweek services Tree Trimming and Lessons and Carols. And who could forget the Family Service and the Candlelight Service on Christmas Eve (Even though sometimes for the Candlelight service I am a little tired). And of course the memorable barn service Christmas morning. It is a great time of year to join together to worship the newborn king. The services are inspirational and bring a great deal of peace to our chaotic lives. One of the biggest parts of what I love seeing is YOU! I love touching base with all of you and talking with you about how life is going. I hope to see you in church over the Christmas season. Just to give you a heads up after the Christmas season, when we have had multiple opportunities for Worship, In the New Year (sometime in January), we will be starting a new message series on Worship. We will be looking at different aspects of worship (hymns, prayers, message, creed etc.) and learning more about them. What is worship all about? Why do we say this creed or that prayer at a certain time in the service? Why is there a certain flow to worship and not just all mix it up a little more? Worship means so much to all of us and it will be good to learn a little bit more about what we do and why we do it. Thank you for being part of St. John s. I am blessed to be your Pastor and work with the wonderful staff that we have here. I am blessed to spend time getting to know all of you! Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! St. John s Lutheran Church Hebrews 10:24-26 1

Discipleship By Mark Manninen During December the Sunday morning Bible Study will be discussing how and why we need to give glory to God. In 1 Corinthians 10:31 we read Whether therefore you eat, or drink, or whatever you do, do all things to God s glory. If we are supposed to give God glory in everything we do it seems pretty important so we need to better understand it. The question is how do we do this in our everyday life? First we need to define what it is to give God glory. In our Bible Study we are defining this as: For us to give God glory is to be used to declare God s character such as His love, mercy, knowledge and righteousness to others so that God is honored. The following are ways we can give God glory as we live out our daily lives: Bearing Fruit John 15:8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. If you remember Pastor Caleb spent the spring doing a sermon series concerning bearing the Fruit of the Spirit. Fruit of the Spirit includes, joy, hope, love, peace, kindness, patience, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. We give God Glory simply by producing fruit in our everyday life. So as we are love others and celebrate the joy with have in Jesus we declare with our actions to everyone around us God s Glory. Giving Thanks Psalm 50:23 The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me As we thank God with everything He has given us we are giving Him the glory. We have to remember that every good thing that we have comes from God. In everything we do we need to thank Him for that. In that process we become more aware of Him in every part of our life. We give thanks in private but to share His glory with others we have to also share our thankful heart with them by thanking God and them in person. Praise/Worship Psalm 29:2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord the splendor of holiness. By praising and worshipping God we are giving Him glory. If we are at a worship service, alone, or with other people as we praise God for who He is we are giving Him glory. When we share our praise for God with others they can experience His very nature. St. John s Lutheran Church Hebrews 10:24-26 2

Humbleness John 8:50 Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and He is the judge. Having a humble heart comes from understanding the Holiness of our God following Him and knowing He is our Creator and Lord. As we grow closer to God we realize that God has a prefect plan for us and are humbled by a gracious Lord. Sharing your story of God in your life Philippians 2:11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Talking to people you know about the importance of God in your life is an important way to share His love with them and giving glory to God. Generosity 2 Corinthians 9: 13 By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others. Trusting in God s perfect will in our lives frees us to share His blessings to us with others. We want to remain humble about our generosity and we do it only because we serve a generous God. However, those people who receive our generosity will see God s love through our actions in His name. In this time of Advent as we prepare for Christ s birth let s remember that Jesus is the pinnacle of God s glory. Through His life, death, and resurrection we receive new life in Him and we need to give glory to God for Jesus in everything we do. Advent Worship Schedule Wednesday, December 7 - Advent 2-7pm Tree Trimming Sunday, December 11 - Children's Sunday School & Little Blessings Christmas Program - 10:30am Wednesday, December 14 - Advent 3-7pm Lessons & Carols Saturday, December 17 - Live Nativity - 6pm Sunday, December 18 - One Traditional Service only at 9:30am with Christmas Communion Saturday, December 24 - Christmas Eve services: 4:00pm Family Service (Combined Traditional & Contemporary) AND 10:30pm Traditional Service Sunday, December 25 - Christmas in a Barn Service - 10:00am / at the Lampe's home Sunday, January 1 - One Traditional Service only at 9:30am St. John s Lutheran Church Hebrews 10:24-26 3

For I Was a Stranger Researched and written by Pastor Norm Meyer and Jane Meyer A common human desire is to put down roots, to feel established, in other words to feel at home. The world changes around us in so many ways, ways that unbalance us and can make us feel anxious and uncertain. Ah, but we have "home," where we can control our environment (more or less), where we know what to expect, where we can relax from the rigorous demands of the bigger world. Home fits us like a glove. Thus, the expressions, "There's no place like home," "Home, Sweet, Home," or "Home is where the heart is. However, for much of the world's population, the idea of "home" seems an unattainable goal, or perhaps just a memory of a happier time. For more than half a million or so homeless folks most visible in our biggest U.S. cities, "home," if one could call it that, is a doorway, an underpass or bridge; at best, a temporary shelter. They are refugees, if you will, in their own country. In other parts of the world so often in the headlines, many have seen loved ones killed and their homes reduced to rubble by war; they've run for their lives. They may find meager shelter in refugee camps (where refugees may number in the thousands). Once there, they hope to one-day return to what used to be home, or to find a new home in a new country which may or may not welcome them. We "homebodies," so blessed to have safe and comfortable homes, may be desensitized as to what it's like to be truly homeless, to be a refugee. However, if we Christians are sensitive to this reality, then we will surely want to be conscientious about responding in a Christ-pleasing way. Recently, it occurred to me that even Jesus was a homeless refugee while still an infant. Remember how Mary and Joseph fled to Egypt to escape Herod's soldiers' swords? After a time, they were able to return to Nazareth where Jesus grew up in his carpenter father's home. But as an adult, after having called his disciples and beginning his ministry, Jesus felt himself to be homeless. As Jesus' reputation spread, he and his motley crew trudged miles of dusty trails before another crowd gathered to listen to him, to see him, maybe to be able to touch him, to take away hope and healing. He ate what was at hand and was often berated by religious leaders for accepting hospitality in the homes of dubious characters. Of course, there were friends like Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha they were always happy to offer a meal and may have offered shelter, as well. And yet he said, as recounted in Luke 9:58, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." He was a refugee and an alien in his own land, sent by God to be only temporarily "at home in the world," one might say, but still a sojourner, and not always a welcomed one. Some of us worry about the impact of "sojourners" coming into our country. It's a natural tendency to be uncomfortable about, or even fearful of the unfamiliar. They may make us "native" Americans feel uncomfortable with their foreign customs and culture; some fear they may harbor terrorists. They seem different from our other neighbors: different speech, cuisine, dress, culture. They are "them," not "us." In fiscal year 2015 (Oct. 1, 2914-Sept. 1, 2015) the U. S. set a cap of 85,000 refugees of many nationalities and religions (Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, agnostics, atheists or of no religious affiliation). Of interest is that refugees of any origin make up a relatively St. John s Lutheran Church Hebrews 10:24-26 4

small percentage of the approximately 1,000,000 legal immigrants granted lawful permanent residency each year. However, statistics are really not that relevant to my point. As followers of Jesus, we take care how we welcome and minister to the homeless, the immigrant, the refugee. We follow the guidance of Scripture and keep Jesus the homeless, the refugee, the misunderstood, the suspected, the persecuted, the beaten, the crucified in our mind's eye as we take in those who have been battered by war, held down by prejudice and hatred, ground down by hunger and joblessness. And still they hope for the chance of new life in the land of Lady Liberty. Here are some Scriptural examples that reference being a refugee, a stranger in a strange land: Exodus 22:21 "Do not mistreat an alien or oppress him, for you were aliens in Egypt." Ezekiel 22:29 "The people of the land... practice extortion and commit robbery; they oppress the poor and needy and mistreat the alien, denying them justice." Matthew 25:35 "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me." Matthew 25:40 "The King will reply, 'l tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it for me."' Matthew 25:45 [presented negatively] "He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me."' I Peter 2:11 "Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world to abstain from sinful desires which war against your soul." Hebrews 13:2 "Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. In spite of our comfortable homes, are we not, as Christians, also strangers in a strange land? And, therefore, we make every effort to "do" for Christ himself as we reach out in Christian charity. Informed by Scripture, we strive always to treat the stranger, the alien, as a possible "angel," a messenger sent from God. Our Lord himself said that if we reject, deny, ignore those in need then we are failing to minister to Christ himself. In this season of Advent and Christmas, let's keep in mind the image of Christ the refugee. He looks to us to provide aid and comfort, to be welcoming to the strangers whom he called, "the least of these my brothers." Footnote: Have you read about congregations that have sponsored a refugee family which has been resettled in their community? How great is that! What an opportunity "to do for Christ himself." There are also ministries right here at St. John's that reach out in various ways to the "strangers" among us (or near to us, or far away). Think of the Vineyard Soup Kitchen in Elgin where some of St. John's members volunteer, the Marengo/Union Food Pantry, PADS, Christmas shoe boxes, hygiene kits, quilters, Lutheran World Relief which ministers all over the world in times of great need, and so many others. Ask Pastor Caleb or Deaconess Lauren if you're interested in possibilities and would like to connect. St. John s Lutheran Church Hebrews 10:24-26 5

Governing Board Update From Wayne Gehring Our annual congregational meeting is scheduled for December 8, 2016. We will vote for two new board members and approve our financial budget for 2017. In 2016 we begin a first fruits payment policy of giving to our Synod and to our Benevolence Groups first. Our 2016 budget showed a deficit of some $19,000. Income in 2016 increased more than forecasted and because of the response of the congregation we were able overcome the deficit and to pay down the equity loan by about $18,000. We will still have an equity loan of about $255,000 beginning in 2017. The board and the financial committee are looking at ways in which we might restructure the loan and reduce our costs for interest and yet maintain the flexibility of a much smaller equity loan. More details will come at the congregational meeting. Our 2017 budget proposal carries a deficit of $19,000 but we feel this is a viable budget for St John s. Copies of the Agenda and Budget are Generosity available in the Narthex. One item still remains open from our August congregational meeting and that is the male/female leadership in the synod and in our congregation. We are going to form a committee to evaluate this topic and plan to respond to the congregation by March 31, 2017. I think a group of up to five people, both male and female will be asked or volunteer to serve on this committee. We will research synod policy, bible passages and any other resources that we might find. Please pray for us to be able to come to a just conclusion of this issue. Due to generous giving this year, we have decreased the line of credit principal by $18,571 as of October 31, 2016. Are you tired of writing checks or withdrawing cash for your donations? Try online giving by going to stjohnsluth.org and choosing the Donate/Pay tab. The governing board has designated the third Tuesday of each month as Board meeting night. There may not be a Board meeting during the months of July and August. Anyone who wishes to attend is welcome. The Board and or the chairperson may change these dates if there is a conflict of board members attending. We will try to advise the congregation of date changes at least one week prior to the meeting date. Helping Others St. John s provided financial support in 2016 to the following organizations: Stone Soup Samaritans Purse Footprints for the Soul Faith Comes by Hearing Phil s Friends McHenry County PADS Together in Mission League Northern IL District Missouri Synod Vineyard (Meals for Homeless) Cornerstone Project Bread for the World Institute Enviando Informed Choices Lutheran Women's Missionary Plus many individuals through the Benevolence Fund St. John s Lutheran Church Hebrews 10:24-26 6

Sunday School Christmas Service The Christmas Program entitled Miracles on Main Street will take place Sunday, December 11th during the 10:30am service. Dress rehearsal on Saturday, December 10th from 9-11:30am Sunday, 12/11 9:15am All children are encouraged to come for a final musical rehearsal. There will be NO Sunday School 12/18, 12/25, and 1/1. We will resume our normal Sunday School schedule on 1/8 at 9:15am Christmas Nativity Service St. John s Lutheran Church invites you to our Christmas Nativity Service on Saturday night, December 17 th, at 6:00pm. ~ Members of our congregation as Kings, Shepherds, & Holy Family; and the Only By Grace Contemporary Band with Special Guest Musicians will tell the Nativity Story through intentionally chosen worship music. ~ Come and share in this very special evening of worship where we wonder at the birth of Christ and listen and participate in a service of song. ~ The world is waiting for a baby s cry The promised moment is tonight St. John s Lutheran Church Hebrews 10:24-26 7

Our preschool staff of highly qualified and motivated Christian educators: Jen Sauder Lead Teacher Shannon Heimsoth Lead Teacher Haley Gifford Co-Teacher/Driver Gail Perkins-Director Our preschool is supported by a wonderful, caring church staff: St. John s Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod 6821 Main Street Union, Illinois 60180 Phone: (815) 923-2733 Email: littleblessingslc.info@yahoo.com Shining For Jesus! Caleb Schauer-Pastor Lauren Olsen-Deaconess Sue Ziller-Church Secretary Jenny Arevalo-Business Manager God is the center of our learning here at Little Blessings Preschool. The following are the curricular highlights of our program: One in Christ Curriculum Handwriting Without Tears Jolly Phonics Integrated Math, Science and Social Studies Christian Education is the very core of our program Jesus is evident daily in our actions and activities. Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Mark 10:4 St. John s Lutheran Church Hebrews 10:24-26 8

Little Blessings Preschool: Open Enrollment Are you looking for a quality preschool for your little ones? Are you looking to enroll a child this year, or next? This year Little Blessings Preschool offers two classes, and students can still be enrolled in either! We have a 3-4 year old class (and we will enroll a child the day after their third birthday!), and a 4-5 year old class. Next year we plan to offer a 2 year old class as well! Little Blessings Preschool, at St. John s Lutheran Church in Union, is a Christian preschool offering children a strong, God-centered opportunity to prepare for Kindergarten and beyond. Our teachers are all Illinois certified with Bachelor s degrees in education, and two have their Masters degrees. Our director is a retired elementary school principal with over thirty-five years of educational experience. We d love to show you our programs. If you or someone you know would like more information please contact us through our director, Gail Perkins, by phone at 815-923-2733, or by email at littleblessingslc.info@yahoo.com. We look forward to hearing from you! GriefShare Support Group A new session of GriefShare is scheduled to begin on Saturday, January 7th at 10am in Room 103 at St. John's. No matter what the circumstances, grief recovery is a painful process. GriefShare features nationally recognized experts on grief recovery topics. Seminar sessions include: + Is This Normal? + The Challenges of Grief + Grief and Your Relationships + Why? + Guilt and Anger Cost for the thirteen week program is $15 to cover the cost of the participant workbook. Scholarships are available. For more information contact Deaconess Lauren at 915-923-2733 JOY Group Activities: For those 55 and better! Christmas in the Country On Thursday, December 15, we will leave St. John s at 3:30pm and travel to Lake Geneva, have some supper and look around at the new light display around Lake Geneva and Grand Geneva Resort. Please sign-up in the lobby and indicate if you are willing to drive. Monthly Potluck and Games On January 25th, we will meet at 12:00pm for a Potluck and future planning. Bring your favorite dish to share and a game if you wish. St. John s Lutheran Church Hebrews 10:24-26 9

Alaska Mission Efforts By Wayne Gehring The Alaska Mission Team is in the process of fund raising and organizing for our mission trip to Alaska in July 2017. We now have 12 to 17 people, some from St John s and some from St Paul s United Church of Christ in Palatine, who are interested in going and we will finalize this number by mid-february. We are attempting to raise funds to cover the costs of transportation in Alaska, the Bible school supplies, the hammer and nail project and shipping expenses for getting the supplies to Alaska. To date we have raised about $2,000 on our way to about $15,000 needed. Team members will cover their own round-trip airfare to Alaska. Future fund raisers are as follows: December 18: Christmas Cantata at 10:00 AM and Breakfast at 11:00AM @ St Paul s in Palatine. We will arrange a car pool from St John s to attend this event. January 21: The second annual Women s Tea Party will be held at St John s February 19: St John s Auction March 18: Spaghetti dinner at 5:00 PM at St Paul s in Palatine. We will arrange a car pool to attend this event at St Paul s April 30: 5 B s Barbecue Pork chops and Chicken 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM Late June: Ice Cream Social at St John s If you are interested in being part of the Alaska mission or are willing to help in the mission preparation or fund raiser planning please contact: Sally Rendell, Wayne Gehring or St John s church office. Hearts at Home: breathe The Go-To Place for Moms believes that faith is essential and hope is non-negotiable. It s mission is to encourage, educate and equip every mom in every season of motherhood using Christian values to strengthen families. The 2017 Illinois Conference on April 21-22 will take place in Peoria, IL. Please see heatsathome.org website for speaker lineup and information. A.M.P. The St. John's Youth Band A.M.P. (Audio-Music- Praise) will be starting up rehearsals again in January! If you are a 10-18 year old interested in instruments, singing, or joining the band, please contact Tamara Kowalski in the Music Office. We practice after church on Sundays, and lead one 10:30 worship service a month. St. John s Lutheran Church Hebrews 10:24-26 10

WinGS Christmas Potluck Come join us for a Christmas Potluck before the Live Nativity on Saturday, December 17th at 4:30 pm at St. John's. Just sign up to bring a dish or two to share and come ready for great food, fellowship and worship. Sign-up by going to this link http://www.perfectpotluck.com/meals.php?t=hgpj2993 or sign-up in the lobby at St. John's. Church History: by Betsy Papp Display Case: December will feature items that celebrate the birth of Jesus. In January and February we will be showing the Kneelers that we use for Communion. The Kneelers were made by Darlene Fritz and Deaconess Lauren and were first introduced at the old church during the 1990's. Each of the Kneelers has symbols of the church. History Tidbit: Pastor August Lobitz served our congregation from 1907 to 1913 and was the second Pastor to serve in the new church. During his time here the Parsonage was built as well as a chicken coop. Also a pipe organ was purchased. It needed to be pumped which was not an easy job. There was just a crawl space under the organ platform and it was a hot job too. Pastor Lobitz's son was the first organ pumper and he received $4.50 a year. Others who helped were Charles Ulrich, Walter Karsten, Albert Zirk, and John Tornow. St. John s Governing Board 2016 Chairperson Wayne D. Gehring (815) 923-4366 Vice-Chair Jim Johnson Secretary Lanny Brasile (815) 923-4165 Board Member Lori Borhart (815) 568-5799 Board Member Paul Hill (815) 923-2705 Board Member Nancy Modrich (847) 659-1103 Board Member Beth Reineking (815) 923-2725 In Case We Missed You The Encourager is published quarterly; our next issue will be in March. If you have an event happening in March, April or May please email details to paulhoban@sbcglobal.net. St. John s Lutheran Church Hebrews 10:24-26 11