The Mustard Seed May 2018 The Monthly Newsletter of St. John s Evangelical Lutheran Church 47 McLachlin Street, Arnprior, Ontario K7S 2Z1 Pastor: Norine Gullons Church Office: 623-4562 Pastor s office hours: 9:00-Noon Tuesday and Thursday The Kingdom of Heaven is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field; which indeed is smaller than all seeds. But when it is grown, it is greater than the herbs, and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in its branches. Matthew 13:31-32 Pastor s Message Dear faith family and friends, No one is anyone without everyone Scripture Sun. April 29 - John 15:1-8 Chairperson: Ryan Zimmerling 622-5939 Council: Randy Zimmerling 623-9733 Jeff Kargus 623-0192 Beryl Richardson 623-4351 Dave Burkett 618-5729 Joanne 623-5729 Cory Weckworth 793-3701 Elmer Leeck 623-4306 Branches don t do that well when separated from the vine. At best they can be like cut flowers, have a burst of color and bloom but then fade and wither. Vineyards are long term investments and labour intensive, just like our faith or church community. The Greek word for abide, meno, has many meanings staying in place enduring holding out all of which
The Mustard Seed May 2018 Page 2 imply steadfastness and reliability of God s presence in and for God s community. Abide in me, as I abide in you These words are pure promise, gracious words of presence and providence. Words that need to be shared, whether shouted from the rooftops or whispered in a moment of tender and vulnerable stillness. The image of the vine is a symbol of community, mission, and service. The community has within its DNA mutual respect, inter-dependency and the ongoing presence of Christ. God as master gardener, knows when to prune to allow for further growth. Let us continue to find ourselves rooted in God s word and place our trust there. There is a real and concrete hope for hanging in there on the vine of life. One of our modern missionaries Mother Theresa reminds us in these words: Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier: Be the living expression of God s kindness: kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile Pastor +Norine May 27 th is Lutherlyn Camp Sunday at St. John s! Join us for an informal worship with Holy Communion at 10:30 a.m. to celebrate our Church Camp! Dress for camp, learn some camp songs and be prepared to participate! Bethesda is our church sponsored cabin and we need to provide some items for our cabin. We are looking for donations of: drapery rods especially for 2 door windows, 2 dozen white plastic coat hangers, a bulletin board, 4 rugs no smaller than 4x5 feet and plastic clothes pins. If you can help out, please speak to Pastor Norine Our goal is to sponsor a child for camp! The cost is $355.00
The Mustard Seed May 2018 Page 3 May Event Calendar Saturday 5 th St. John s Lutheran Church Yard Sale 8:00 a.m. 2:00 p.m. (See ad on page 5) Sunday 6 th Worship Service with Holy Communion 10:30 a.m. Sixth Sunday of Easter 12:30 Registration for Hike for Hospice in Renfrew (For more information see the ad on page 7) Thursday 10 th Ottawa Valley Pastors Cluster Meeting St. James Lutheran Church, Renfrew 9:30 a.m. Friday - 11 th - Roof Repair stripping and replacing shingles on part of the roof Saturday 12 th Volunteers welcome. Contact Randy for more information. Sunday 13 th Worship Service with Holy Communion 10:30 a.m. Happy Mother s Day guest organist Lynne Zander Tuesday 15 th Marketing Working Group meeting 7:00 p.m. Saturday 19 th Men s Breakfast at Jim s Restaurant 8:30 a.m. Sunday 20 th Worship Service with Holy Communion 10:30 a.m. The Day of Pentecost Marketing Working Group mtg after church Monday 21 st Church Council Meeting at St. John s 7:30 p.m. Sunday 27 th Worship Service with Holy Communion 10:30 a.m. Lutherlyn Camp Sunday (See ad on page 2) Guest organist Lynne Zander Wednesday 30 th Arnprior Ministerial meets Saturday June 2 nd Annual Big Give event Sign up in the Narthex if you would like to sponsor communion, bulletins or provide flowers for the altar in memory of a loved one or to honour a special event.
The Mustard Seed May 2018 Page 4 Council Meeting Minutes April 16, 2018 Pastor Norine opened with devotions and prayer. The minutes from the March 19th, 2018 meeting were approved with the addition of three minor corrections and recognition that we didn't vote on the Synod Convention Representative. Ryan Z moved that Randy Z be our representative at the Eastern Synod Convention and the motion was carried. Pastor's Report: Pastor distributed her activity report for the month Pastor handed out a phone list for members of St. John's Debbie created a call list of people who don't have emails and has created a phone tree to notify these people for things like funerals April 22 nd, 2018 service is in Renfrew at 10:00 Renfrew is supplying lunch. Shared ministry with Doug Reble. A Thank-you basket is being assembled. Randy Z noted that we need to publicize the change with signs on doors, call list, web site etc. National convention in Regina on July 11, 2019 paper work needs to be in by June. Randy Z indicated he would like to attend May worship: May 6 th 2018 regular service, but Hospice walk that day. Randy Z encouraged as many to participate as possible May 27 th 2018 will be camp Sunday. Ryan will make camp sign Financial Report: We have reduced our projected deficit for the first three months of 2018 by half The attendance comparison to last year shows significant increases for the last several services. We have heard favorable comments from others in the community about St. John's Church Space Proposal: A proposal from Alison B was reviewed on how we could open up the use of our facilities for community use: o Turn the current Sunday School room into a meeting room with board room table o Make the larger meeting room available for flexible use o o The fellowship hall in the basement could rented for dinners, birthday celebrations etc. Ryan Z indicated that he supports the moving of the Sunday School to the fellowship room in the basement Randy moved that we use the Yard sale as a pilot: i.e., reconfigure the two upper rooms and move Sunday School before the sale. Be prepared to use the upper two rooms and the basement for Yard Sale Beryl R & Barb F need help for setup the week before the sale and sales & cleanup during and following the event. Everyone is encouraged to sign up to help Discussion on the Fall / Christmas BAZAAR was moved to a forward agenda item for June BIG GIVE June 2 nd 2018. We need to inform organizers of what we are going to do. Suggestions discussed centred around a concept of making volunteer labour available for jobs such as cleaning windows for those with mobility issues or 1 hour of free labour to do odd jobs (replace light bulbs, cut grass, tend garden etc.) Contact Jeff if you have any further ideas. We need to decide and communicate by May 10 th, 2018 so that organizer of Big Give can be informed.
The Mustard Seed May 2018 Page 5 Altar Guild: Battery candles only needed for Yule log still need to find source. Beryl R will buy water for Yard sale. Randy Z bought a year's worth of wine glasses, wine, and wafers. Pouring cup to match communion set is needed. Marketing Committee Report: Someone on the marketing committee needs to take charge of Facebook. Children Committee: Ryan Z needs volunteers for a steering committee for the Children's programme. VBS planning needs to start by next council meeting Ryan to speak to volunteers. Ryan reported a children's skit for Mother's Day, & special gift to be presented to women. Other business: Need cleaning volunteers for the summer. Respectfully submitted on behalf of church council, Ryan Zimmerling St. John s Lutheran Church Financial Update As at April 30 th 2018 Jan1to Apr30 Budget Actual Difference Total income $25,790 $29,144 + $3,354 Expenses $32,827 $33,107 + $280 Deficit ($7,037) ($3,963) + $3,074 Total offerings (excluding the St. James shared ministry portion) were up $3,366 vs. our budget of $17,466. This represents a 19.2% improvement vs. our plan at this juncture. Our expenses finished less that 1% or $280 over budget due to higher repairs and maintenance costs that budgeted. The combined effect of higher offerings than budgeted and controlling expense levels resulted in a deficit of $3,963 vs. the budgeted deficit of$7,037. This represents an improvement of $3,074 (43.7%) vs. our plan to April 30 th. We are grateful for the financial support the congregation has shown to date. While our financial status only represents 4 months or 1/3 of the year, the trend is encouraging. In addition to the financial improvement we have achieved a major facelift to the basement, entranceways and the Sunday school room. Roof repairs are scheduled to be completed during May. Respectfully submitted on behalf of church council, Randy Zimmerling Treasure
The Mustard Seed May 2018 Page 6 Don t Forget Huge Selection! Furniture, household items, books, outdoor stuff, toys too many items to list St. John s Lutheran Church Indoor Garage Sale May 5 th, 2018 8:00 a.m. 2:00 p.m. 47 McLachlin St. S, Arnprior Rain or Shine Come out and enjoy a coffee or tea! If you have any questions, please contact Barbara Formuziewich or Beryl Richardson. Our Bible Camp is planned for July 30 to August 3, 2018 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Monday to Friday Attention Kids, Parents and Grandparents! On the Friday, we will be hosting a hot dog barbeque (from about 11:30 am to 12:30 pm) for the kids and their parents/grandparents! Children 4 to 12 years old are invited to attend. Younger children (i.e. 3 years of age) can come with an older sibling and/or parent. Cost is $10 per child or $25 for a family of more than 2 children. Registration forms available soon!
The Mustard Seed May 2018 Page 7 Hike for Hospice Renfrew Sunday May 6 2018 You can support the hospice serving our local community and beyond by donating to the St. John s Lutheran, Arnprior Hike for Hospice Team or coming out and joining our team! A Note About Donations Tax receipts will be issued by Hospice Renfrew for donations of $25 or more If you want a receipt, please provide Randy or Enid with your name and address Donations can be made after the event as well, please let Randy or Enid know if you wish to donate Up to $300 of our donations will be matched by FaithLife Financial! For information and contributions: Randy Zimmerling randyzimmerling@hotmail.com 613 623-9733 Volunteers Needed We need volunteers to clean the church for the summer June through August. If you can help out, please sign-up in the Narthex. If you have any questions about duties/etc. contact Gerald F or Randy.
The Mustard Seed May 2018 Page 8 Don t Forget! Important Dates May 5 th St. John s Yard Sale 8:00 to 2:00 May 6 th - Hike for Hospice Renfrew (registration at 12:30) contact Enid or Randy for more information. May 19 th 8:30 a.m. Jim s Restaurant In Arnprior Please consider joining us for good food and good conversation! May 11 th & 12 th Church roof repair project contact Randy Z. if you can help June -August Need volunteers for cleaning the church. Signup sheet in Narthex June 2 nd Annual Big Give event July 30 th August 3 rd St. John s Vacation Bible Camp Galilee Events May 15 th Mother s Day Luncheon 11:30 a.m. $18/person St. John s has two new committees Marketing Working Group - This group meets as necessary to promote our churches activities and special events. Our goal is to advertise through various community and church networks and media. Members so far - Enid Blackwell, Alison Burkett, Andy Kalnins, Debbie Kargus, & Pastor Norine. The Children s Committee The goal of this group is to discuss and share ideas about everything related to children at St. Johns from Sunday School, to events (e.g., movie night), to vacation bible school, and promotion. Members so far Ryan Z, Jessica Z, Cathy Z, Randy Z, Maureen R, Enid B, Alison B, Debbie K, Pastor Norine. No Scents Makes Good Sense Many people in our midst have sensitivities or allergies to scented products such as perfume, deodorant, shampoo, and fabric softener. Please be mindful of the strength and amount of scented products you use when you prepare to come to worship. Thank You to our worship leaders on April 15 th - Andy, Jeff and Maureen Photos courtesy of Lorne Rueckwald
The Mustard Seed May 2018 Page 9 In case you missed it on April 22 nd we joined our fellow Lutherans in Renfrew. Pastor Norine began with the children s message, We can trust God s voice because we know him like when we talk to daddy on the phone. Reverend Doug Reble then challenged the big kids to reflect on the questions, Do we still need God? Do we still need Jesus? The Shared Ministry Team for St. James and St. John s thanked Pastor Reble with Gifts from the Valley And in true Lutheran tradition we had to eat!! Thank you! St. James Renfrew, for a tasty buffet lunch! And let s not forget dessert! Photos on this page courtesy of Dennis McPherson
The Mustard Seed May 2018 Page 10 "Moments of compassion, giving, grief and wonder shift our behaviour, get inside us and change realms we might not have agreed to have changed The world keeps going on...each field is weeds and wheat, but mix the wheat with yeast, the most ordinary of elements, and it starts changing the flour. It becomes bread and so do we, bread to eat and to offer...you can have yet another cup of coffee and keep working on your plans. Or you can take the risk to be changed, surrounded and indwelled by this strange yeasty mash called mercy." Anne Lamott from Hallelujah Anyway - Rediscovering Mercy Submitted by Enid Blackwell Postings in the Narthex Eastern Synod Lutheran Monthly Newsletter (or access online at: http://www.easternsynod.org/) Upcoming events at Galilee Centre website at http://www.galileecentre.com/programs/ Helpers for Ushering and Counting are needed! If you can help for a Sunday, please sign up in the Narthex. VOLUNTEER SCHEDULE FOR MAY 2018 SUNDAY USHERS READING COFFEE/SOCIAL COUNTERS May 6 th Debbie or Jeff Kargus Barb and Gerald Formuziewich May 13 th Andy Kalnins Beryl and Keith Richardson May 20 th Randy or Cathy Zimmerling Alison and Dave Burkett May 27 th Maureen Rueckwald Enid Blackwell Thank you, volunteers! If you would like to help out, please sign-up in the Narthex! Note: Volunteers are needed weekly. Free training is available! If interested, talk to a council member. Website: http://stjohnsarnprior.com http://www.facebook.com/pages/st-johns-lutheran- Church-Arnprior/302930049856065