Pentecost 19/Mission Fest October 15 & 17, 2017

Pentecost 19/Mission Fest October 15 & 17, 2017 Welcome! Our God wants real repentance that leads to true obedience. O God, compassionate Father and Friend, remember not our sins but rather remember your love and mercy. Relieve our distress and satisfy us with eternal peace through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Order of Service Order of Worship: pg. 38 Opening Hymn: 556 Children sing in place of Oh, Taste & See Psalm: Hymn of the Day: 573 25, page 74 & on TV s SERMON TEXT: Matthew 21:28 32 MISSION WORK IS THE WORK OF EVERY BELIEVER I. Know what the work in the Lord's vineyard is. II. Do it. Offering Hymn: Closing Hymn: 485:1,2 on TV s 749, see insert Old Testament Reading: Ezekiel 18:1-4, 25-32 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 What do you mean, you who keep repeating this proverb concerning the land of Israel: Fathers eat sour grapes, and the teeth of their sons are set on edge? 3 As surely as I live, declares the Lord God, you will never again use this proverb in Israel. 4 Indeed, all souls are mine. The soul of the father is mine just like the soul of the son. The soul who sins is the one who will die. 25 Yet you say, The Lord s way is not fair. Listen now, O house of Israel: Is it my way that is not fair? Is it not your ways that are not fair? 26 If a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and practices unrighteousness, he will die because of it. Because of the unrighteousness that he has practiced, he will die. 27 But if a wicked man repents of his wickedness that he had done and practices justice and righteousness, he will preserve his life. 28 Because he has seen and repented of all the rebellious acts that he had committed, he will surely live, and he will not die. 29 But the house of Israel says, The Lord s way is not fair. Is it really my ways that are not fair, O house of Israel? Is it not your ways that are not fair? 30 Therefore, I will judge each one of you according to his ways, O house of Israel, says the Lord God. Repent and turn away from all your rebellious acts, so that you will not set out a stumbling block that makes you guilty. 31 Throw off from yourselves all your rebellious actions by which you have rebelled, and get for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. Why should you die, O house of Israel? 32 For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies, declares the Lord God. So repent and live! 1

New Test. Reading: 2 Corinthians 13:5 8 5 Examine yourselves to see if you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not know this about yourselves: that Jesus Christ is in you unless perhaps you fail the test? 6 But I hope that you will recognize that we are not failing the test. 7 We pray to God that you may not do anything evil, not so that we may appear to have passed the test, but so that you may do what is good, even if we may seem like those who are failing to pass the test. 8 To be sure, we can do nothing against the truth, but only for the truth. Verse of the Day: Philippians 2:10,11 Alleluia! At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Alleluia! Gospel Reading: Matthew 21:28 32 28 What do you think? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said, Son, go work today in my vineyard. 29 He answered, I will not, but later he changed his mind and went. 30 He came to the second and said the same thing. The second son answered, I will go, sir, but he did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father? They said to him, The first. Jesus said to them, Amen I tell you: The tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness, but you did not believe him. However, the tax collectors and prostitutes did believe him. Even when you saw this, you did not change your mind and believe him. 2

SERVING US TODAY Greeters: Betty Nemitz & Dianne Buettner Ushers: Team 3-Dick Urban s team Organist: Judy Trunkel Altar Committee: Judy Quicker Donating Bulletins: Bill & Ginny Meier in thanks for God s blessings Ministry Notes SERVING US NEXT SUNDAY Communion Helpers: Ken Krause and John Hagedorn Greeters: Lynn Crothers & Janice Suckow Ushers: Team 4-Rex Roehl s team Organist: Alana Mittelstadt Altar Committee: Florence Spiegel & Jean Goetz Donating Website in October: Arlys Knoop for past anniversaries, birthdays and in honor of Ervin s four years in heaven October Visitation: Marilynne Maciejczak 3

~Opportunities to Grow & Serve at St. John's This Week~ Sunday Oct 15: Mission Fest Worship Service 9:00 a.m. Grades 3K-8 sing Sunday School & Mission Presentation FSJ Fall Dinner 10:15 a.m. 11:30 a.m. Monday Oct 16: Pastors Study Club 1:00 p.m. CPR/Medication Training 3:30 p.m. Exercise Class 5:15 p.m. LIGHTS 6:30 p.m. Dartball at Granton 8:00 p.m. Tuesday Oct 17: Worship Service 6:00 p.m. Wednesday Oct 18: Chapel 8:15 a.m. Confirmation Class 3:45 p.m. FSJ 6:00 p.m. Thursday Oct 19: OWLS 12:00 p.m. Faculty Meeting 3:15 p.m. Exercise Class 5:15 p.m. Adult Instruction Class 5:30 p.m. Handbells 6:00 p.m. Choir 7:00 p.m. Friday Oct 20: Fall Family Night 6:00 p.m. Sunday Oct 22: Cont. Communion Service 9:00 a.m. Sunday School & Bible Class 10:15 a.m. 4

Worship: Hearing the Word that gives true life: Sunday (127); Tuesday (17). Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Heb. 10:25 Our gifts for bringing the good news of forgiveness to priceless souls: Last Sunday: Home-6,597.14; Missions- 505.50; Debt Red-183.00; Free-Will Dt. Red-13.00; ELC-250.00=$7,548.64 Needed per week to Home - $7,107.66 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering and come into his courts. Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness! Psalm 96:8,9 Communion: Next Sunday we will be celebrating the Lord s Supper using the continuous method of distribution. Mission Fest: Today is Mission Fest Sunday. Mr. Jerry Heckman, who is our gift planning counselor, will be giving a presentation this morning in place of Bible Class on Christian estate planning and what role this can play in the sharing and spreading of the Gospel. We thank him for being with us this morning and look forward to hearing his presentation. Handbell Ringer Needed: We are in need of one or two more ringers for our adult handbell choir. Please talk to Donna Sternitzky or call the office if you are interested. Adult Discipleship: Sunday Bible Class: Bible Class will resume next Sunday. Youth & Family: Trunk or Treat: Our HIS group is sponsoring a Trunk or Treat event on Sat., October 28 th, from 4:00-6:00 pm What is Trunk or Treat? Trunk or Treat is meant to be a fun event for the children of our community. Volunteers decorate the trunks of their vehicles to match a certain theme, provide candy or other treats, and park here in the parking lot. The volunteers dress up to match the theme as well. Children of the community are invited to dress in their costumes and visit each of the vehicles to get treats. The Youth Group is planning to provide a light supper, and our HIS Group is also making plans for several games for the children. We need volunteers to decorate their vehicles (Disney movie theme) and provide candy and/or snacks. The HIS group and the church council felt that this event would not only be fun for the children but would give parents a chance to visit our facilities and see what we have to offer. We have placed a sign-up sheet in the entryway for those who would be willing to decorate their trunks and provide treats for the children. Thanks in advance for your participation! Sunday School: Sunday School will be held today from 10:15-11:30 in the 5

school. All children age 3 through 8 th grade are invited. Candy Bags: We have volunteers who are willing to put together candy bags to be handed out to the children after their Christmas program. They are in need of donations to help cover the cost of the candy. If anyone would like to donate toward this, please place your gift in an envelope marked Christmas bags and put it in the offering basket. Thanks! School: Student of the Week: The Student of the Week this week is Kallie Jahn. Kallie is in 4K. She is friendly, respectful, always has a kind word for her classmates, and is always smiling. Congratulations, Kallie! Volleyball: It was a busy week for volleyball, as we wrapped up the season by playing three home games and had a B-team tournament yesterday. We congratulate all our players on a job well done, and thank our coach, Mr. Allard, all the parents who helped in the concession stand, our referees and scorekeepers, and everyone who came to watch and who helped to make this a successful season. Grandparents Day: Grades 3K-2 will be putting on a program for grandparents (and aunts, uncles, 6 parents, etc.) on Wednesday, October 25 th. We will have chapel at 9:30 that morning, and following chapel will proceed to the gym for the program. All grandparents and other relatives are invited to join us for chapel at 9:30 and for the program that follows. The relatives are also invited to stay for lunch. Cost for lunch is $3.00. School Cook Needed: Our school cook, Mrs. Bonnie Thoma, has let us know that she is retiring at the end of May. (We ll miss her!) We wanted to start getting the word out that we will need someone to take her place. There is a lot of paperwork that she does that goes along with participation in the federal hot lunch program, so we re hoping to find someone who would be able to spend some time in the kitchen with Bonnie before she leaves so she can train them. She puts in about six hours every day during the school year, and is paid $65.00 per day. If anyone is interested in this position or would like more details, please contact the school office or talk to Mr. Allard or our School Board Chairman Doug Zank. Family Fun Night: We will be having a family fun night this Friday, October 20 from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm in the school gym. We will be having fun carving pumpkins. Please bring pumpkins to carve, carving tools, and a snack to share. All children in grades 3K- 8 th and parents are invited.

Fall Dinner: The Friends of St. John s Fall Dinner will be held today from 11:30 to 1:00 in the school gym. All of you are invited to attend the dinner, which will include ham, mashed potatoes, corn, cheese curds, homemade pie, and more. There is no charge. We will be taking a freewill offering at the dinner. Serving: Because it s difficult to find enough help when serving a meal to this many people, the Friends of St. John s has decided to go with buffet-style serving this year. They ask that everyone be seated first, and then you can come up for your food by tables. If we can t get everyone seated at once, please wait on the benches in the hallway and you will be fed as soon as possible. Thanks! Free Will Offering: The Friends of St. John's decided that the proceeds from the Fall Dinner will go to purchase tables for the K-2 classroom. At this time, there are 21 desks in the room and space for teaching, small group time, and maneuvering is quite challenging. Replacing the desks with 4 large circular tables will help instruction and classroom management. On the next column is a picture of the table that will be purchased. The heights can be adjustable for the different ages in the room and we can fit up to 8 students around each table. We will be able to use the current chairs we have in the room so that will not be an expense. We will also have to purchase some storage units for the children to put their books and notebooks in as well. 7 The whole project will cost around $800- $1000 to do and we hope to make the transition over Christmas Break or sooner. The desks will be put into storage in the shed once it is cleaned out. Youth Group: The Youth Group will have a table of items for sale at the Fall Dinner fresh cranberries, baked goods, 2018 calendars, etc. Anyone wishing to provide items for the Youth Group to sell (craft items, produce, baked goods, etc.) would be welcome to do so. Proceeds will go toward travel costs for teens to go to the International Youth Rally next summer in Ohio. Honored Guest: Our honored guest this year at the Fall Dinner is John Hagedorn. John has served for many years on the Church Council. He has helped with many building projects around the church and school, most recently the new bathroom windows, boiler room door, and kitchen door. He also was instrumental putting in the benches and hooks in the school hallway. John is our go-to person whenever a maintenance issue arises anywhere on our property, and can always be counted on to help wherever he is needed. Thanks for all you do out of love for the Lord and this church and school, John!

Friends of St. John s: The Friends of St. John s will be meeting this Wednesday. The evening begins with supper at 6:00 p.m., followed by a parenting devotion and then the business meeting. All parents and other friends of our school are welcome to attend. Field Trip: Students in 3K and 4K will be taking a field trip to the Turnpike Greenhouse this Thursday. It s Back!: After taking a break last year, the St. John s Connection is back! We will be viewing the new edition right after the worship service this morning. School Schedule: School will dismiss at 11:45 on Wednesday, October 25 th. There will be no school on Thursday- Friday, October 26 th -27 th, as our teachers will be attending State Teachers' Conferences in Milwaukee. Call Meeting: We will be holding a Call Meeting on Sunday, November 5 th, right after church. We will have a list of candidates provided to us by District President Pastor Jensen, and voters will be asked to choose the person we will call to be our next Grades 3-5 Teacher and Music Director starting with the 2018-19 school year. (Just a reminder, Miss Alana Mittelstadt is leaving at the end of this school year to get married.) All voters are encouraged to attend! Because of the call meeting, there will be no Sunday Bible Class on Nov. 5 th. Fellowship: Dartball: Our dartball season started out with a bang, as we won two out of three games against Christie this past week. Tomorrow evening we play at Granton. OWLS: All those 55 and over and their spouses are invited to attend our OWLS gathering this Thursday at noon in the church basement. We will begin with a pot-luck lunch; please bring your own plates and utensils. We will also be enjoying a mystery guest speaker. November Visitation: A team is needed for November to visit our shut-in members. Please call the office if you would like to volunteer. LIGHTS: Our LIGHTS group will be meeting tomorrow evening at 6:30 p.m. in the church basement. Never been to a LIGHTS meeting before? There s always room for more ladies to come. Greeting Cards: Some of you may not be aware that our LIGHTS group offers greeting cards for sale. They have a variety of cards, such as birthday, anniversary, get well, thinking of you, special occasion, etc. You can find the cards on the table by the south wall of the entryway. Feel free to help yourself. Cost is $.50/card or $4.50/box (napkins- $2.50). 8

Outreach: Autumn Harvest Festival: We thank all who helped out in our booth at the Autumn Harvest Festival last Sunday. $267.00 was made which will go toward the ELC, and many invitations to our Trunk or Treat were handed out. some of our members who live in town and normally have trick-or-treaters come to their houses would be willing to hand out these materials in addition to candy. If you live in town and would like to participate, please call the office and let us know and we ll make sure we get the materials to you. Thanks! 95 Theses Pamphlets Here: Martin Luther s Ninety-five Theses undoubtedly changed Christian teaching forever. Ninety-five Theses for the 21st Century is a new booklet that seeks to affirm these Lutheran beliefs and address today s religious and spiritual issues with a consistently Lutheran outlook. The booklet was developed by a worldwide association of Lutheran churches called the Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference (CELC). Because Ninety-five Theses for the 21st Century confesses Lutheran truths as held and treasured by the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) and its members, it is useful for Bible studies, tract racks, or handing out to new adult members of Lutheran congregations. We ordered 50 of these pamphlets and they are available in the entryway. If you re interested, please take one and read it. If you don t want to keep it, you could bring it back, or even better share it with someone you know. October 31: We would like to again prepare some Christian materials that could be inserted in the children s candy bags on October 31 st. We re hoping that 9 LWMS Rally Update: The Fall LWMS Rally was held on Saturday, October 7 th, at Northland Lutheran High School. Mr. Rick Grundman, the morning presenter, talked about his journey to Japan. He traveled with three students, lived with host families, and presented Bible classes while doing sport camps and teaching English as a Second Language. There is a whole generation without Christ; only 1% of the people are Christian. Host families are needed in March 2018 for those coming to the US from Japan. Pastor Jim Roelker, Pastor at UW Stevens Point Campus Ministry was the afternoon speaker. He talked about the challenges they ve had along the way such as acquiring a building closer to the campus, competition, retention of members, etc. He also spoke about the many blessings they have had. The Spring Rally will take place April 21 st at Mountain of the Lord in Wausau. WELS: The celebration is here: This month marks the 500th anniversary of the Lutheran Reformation. A variety of special events have been planned throughout the synod: Reformation

tours, books and essays, presentations, the Return to Grace movie, and most important, special worship services. You can visit wels.net/reformation500 to find books, resources, and events marking this special occasion. Weekly Prayer: Scandinavia Oh Lord and Savior, when Israel was taken captive you promised to preserve a remnant for yourself. You returned those you preserved to the promised land and thus preserved the promise of a Savior. You also have given us assurance that the gates of Hades will not prevail against your church, which will stand forever. We thank you for the remnant of believers you have preserved throughout the world, especially in those places where Christianity seems to be all but forgotten. Please bless and encourage those believers with whom we share the fellowship of faith in Sweden and Norway. Remind them that you have not forgotten them and cause their hearts to be set afire with your love and grace. In your holy name we pray, Amen. Other: Special Gifts: Total given to the ELC last Sunday was $250.00. Total given to the ELC so far is $33,340.30. $318.00 was given to our church by those making use of the Thrivent Choice program. Thank you! Hospitalized: Ginny Meier was hospitalized this past week but has returned home. Let s keep her in our prayers. Martin Luther Movie: We will be ordering a DVD when it becomes available to show here for a fellowshipmovie evening; Northwestern Publishing House is making the DVD available early in November and preorders can be placed now. Are there others who would like to order this for your personal collection or to share with someone? Cost will vary depending on how many DVD s are ordered (between $5.80 to $14.50/each). A sign-up sheet has been placed in the entryway for those interested in purchasing a DVD. Globe News: Immanuel of Globe is celebrating mission festival next Sunday, October 22 nd. They will be serving a meal of chicken, pork, mashed potatoes and gravy, and all the extras from 11:00-12:30. All of you are invited to attend. A free-will offering will be taken. IGA Labels: We received notification that the IGA Hometown Label Savers Program will be discontinued as of December 1, 2017. Please turn in all labels you have collected by November 15 th. Thank you! Acknowledgment Requested: Fred & Millie Grap asked that their donation of around 140 pounds of potatoes and sweet corn for the fall dinner today be acknowledged in the bulletin. 10

St. John s Lutheran Church & School 711 & 805 W 5 th St., Neillsville, WI 54456 Email: stjohns1886@gmail.com Website: www.stjohnsneillsville.com Facebook (church): www.facebook.com/stjohnsneillsville/ Facebook (school): www.facebook.com/stjohnshornets/ Tim Biebert, Pastor: 715-743-3015; 1fisheromen@gmail.com --Church Office: 715-743-2944 Mike Allard, Principal: 715-937-7534; allardmj1@gmail.com --School Office: 715-743-2501 Thomas Maciejczak, Chairman: 715-334-4161; stjohns1886@gmail.com Worship Schedule: Sundays at 9:00 a.m. & Tuesdays at 6:00 p.m. Worship Broadcast on Cable Channel 98 or 977: Sundays at 10:30 a.m. & Mondays at 7 p.m. "Welcome Visitors & Members!" To those who are visiting us for the first time, we extend our sincere welcome; to our friends who know us we renew our welcome; to those who seek a church home we invite you to be part of our family and enjoy fellowship with our Savior. To assist you in worship, both personal listening devices & large print hymns are available for anyone to use. Please talk to the ushers for assistance. Members and Visitors, please sign the Friendship Registers in the pews either before the service or during the offering. Visitors, if you would like to know more about our church or school, please introduce yourself to our pastor. He would be delighted to speak with you and serve you in whatever way he can. We love seeing young children in church as we want families to worship together. We also love to hear children making a "joyful noise to the Lord." However, should you need some privacy, please make use of our parents' room off the north side of the entryway where you can still listen to the service. 11