This Week at St. John's

In This Issue

Children's Ministry

Small Groups

Midweek Music

WELCA December Mission

An Invitation

Smitten with Mittens

Christmas Lights

Night at the Museum

Quick Links

St. John's Website

St. John's Staff

ELCA

Lutheran World Relief

After School Arts

AMOS

Urban Food DSM

DMARC

SE Iowa Synod Newsletter

December Artist of the Month

Shari Beath

Find out more on our website

This Week at St. John's

Dec. 4 - Dec. 11, 2011

Notice of Congregational Meeting

Please come to a special congregational meeting on Sunday, December 4 at 10:00 am in Weertz. We will be electing new council members for the 2012 Church Council. Candidates for a three year term include Jim Bernau, Jim Blume, Megan Hartwig, Julie Morrissey, Neil Olson, and Janet Witte. In addition to the elections, we will provide a financial update on 2011 and estimate of giving for 2012. There will also be time for an update from the pastors and your questions. Please join us!
- Executive Ministry Team.

What's Happening This Sunday

Kisasa Chorister Rehearsal at 8:20 am in the Fuller Music Room
Sunday School 9:55 am - Please see room assignments noted below / Breakfast Club (7-9th Gr) 9:55 am - Room 307
Congregational Meeting at 10:00 am - Weertz
Rainbow Ministry Team at 12:15 pm - Fireside Lounge
Couples/Singles Group at 5:00 pm - Windsor Heights Community Building

Prepare for Worship

Sunday, Dec. 4,
Second Sunday of Advent

John called people to repent, to clear the decks, to completely reorder their lives so that nothing would get in the way of the Lord's coming. The reading from Isaiah gives the context for this radical call: the assurance of forgiveness that encourages us to repent; the promise that the coming one will be gentle with the little ones. Isaiah calls us all to be heralds with John, to lift up our voices fearlessly and say, "See, your God is coming!" We say it to one another in worship, in order to say it with our lives in a world in need of justice and peace.

The readings are Isaiah 40:1-11, Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13, 2 Peter 3:8-15a and Mark 1:1-8. The hymn of the day is ELW 264, "Prepare the Royal Highway." Throughout Advent the gathering song is "Maranatha: Advent Processional," led by Asphalt & Stained Glass, and the sending song is ELW 247, "Come Now, O Prince of Peace." At 8:45 a.m. the Kisasa Choristers will be joined by the Joyful Noise to sing "Keep Your Lamps," by Andrea Thomas, with Brian Joy playing congas. The communion music will be "Agnus Dei" from Caribbean Mass, by Glenn McClure, sung at 8:45 a.m. by Cantorei and at 11 a.m. by Cathedral Choir.

Weekly Calendar

Monday, December 5

12:00 pm Odem Rehearsal - Sanctuary

5:30 pm Property Team - Off Site

5:30 pm SJLC Networking Group - Gateway Market

6:30 pm YMAC - Off Site

Tuesday, December 6

9:00 am Labyrinth - Fireside Lounge

9:30 am Quilting - Room 308

9:30 am Senior Seminary - Room 8

5:30 pm Centering Prayer - Chapel

5:30 pm Global Mission - Valbracht

5:30 pm Worship Ministry Team - 1st Floor Conf Rm

5:30 pm Sons of Norway Board - Room 8

6:30 pm Sons of Norway Social Mtg - Weertz

Wednesday, December 7

6:30 am Souljourners - Weertz

12:05 pm MidWeek Music - Heartland Youth - Sanctuary

12:30 pm MidWeek Music Lunch - Weertz

5:30 pm Beloved Community Meal - Weertz

6:10 pm Beloved Community Worship - Weertz

6:30 pm Adult Education - Neumann

6:30 pm Kisasa Choristers - Fuller Music Room

6:30 pm KIDZ @ SJLC - Room 5

6:30 pm Joyful Noise - Room 7

6:30 pm Confirmation (9th Gr) - Room 307

6:30 pm Confirmation (7th - 8th Gr) - MPR, DDI

6:30 pm Joyful Noise - Room 7

6:35 pm Cantorei - Choir Loft

7:00 pm Cathedral Choir - Choir Loft

8:00 pm JIF: Journeys in Faith - MPR, DDI, Room 307

Thursday, December 8

3:30 pm ASAP Fall Session - Weertz, Kitchen, MPR,

Rooms 7, 8, 208, 209

5:30 pm Serenity Seekers - Neumann

5:30 pm ASAP Reception - Weertz

5:45 pm WIRED Yoga - Fireside Lounge

6:30 pm Companion Parish Mtg - Off Site

Friday, December 9

9:00 am WELCA Cookie Decorating - Kitchen

12:00 pm Odem Rehearsal - Sanctuary

Saturday, December 10

8:30 am Saturday AM Bible Study - (For location,

contact Ellen (ellenfisher123@yahoo.com) or

Rod (rsnavely@aol.com)

9:00 am WIRED Cookie Preparation - Kitchen

9:00 am Advent Program Rehearsal - Sanctuary

9:00 am WELCA Cookie Walk Set Up - Weertz

5:00 pm Worship - Chapel

6:00 pm WELCA Cookie Walk - Weertz

Sunday, December 11

7:45 am Worship - Sanctuary

8:30 am WELCA Cookie Walk

8:45 am Worship - Sanctuary

9:30 am Children's Advent Program Warm Up - Chapel

9:55 am Breakfast Club (7th - 9th Gr) - Room 307

9:55 am Brass Quartet Rehrsl - Le Chambre du Vent

9:55 am Sunday School

10:00 am Children's Advent Program - Sanctuary

11:00 am Worship

12:15 pm Rainbow Ministry Team - Fireside Lounge

Children's Ministry

This Sunday the Sunday School will rehearse for the Children's Advent Program.

Three year olds - Kindergarten will meet in their regular classroom. They will then rehearse for the Advent Program for the

last part of the session in the Sanctuary and Room 7. They will return to their classroom for parents to pick up.

First-Sixth Grade will meet in room 205 for the entire session for the Advent Program Rehearsal.

The Children's Advent Program will be on Sunday, Dec. 11 at 10:00 in the sanctuary.

Small Groups

► Couples/Singles meet this Sunday at 5:00 pm at Windsor Heights Community Center (6900 School Street) for a potluck dinner with meat, wine, coffee, pop, and water provided. If you desire another type of beverage, please bring it with you. $10 per person. Free will offering for the Good Samaritan Fund will be available.

► A New Beginning: Young adults, both singles and couples, are invited to enjoy a free cup of coffee and a leisure break from the hectic December schedule at Smokey Row (private room) on Monday, Dec. 12, at 6:30 pm to brainstorm ideas for a new group-whether a social group, a Bible Study, community service, or all of the above. All are welcome. If you can't make it but are interested, contact Megan Clausen at meganc@stjohnsdsm.org (phone: 243-7691) or small groups coordinator, Darla Stiles, at darlastiles@stjohnsdsm.org.

► Zumba: Interested in seeing what zumba is all about? There will be an introductory class on Saturday, Dec. 17, 10:30 am, in the multi-purpose room on 3rd floor for anyone who would like to try it. (Zumba is a dance/exercise done to lively Latin music-a fun way to get your heartbeat up!) Questions? Contact Megan Clausen, meganc@stjohnsdsm.org or Darla Stiles, darlastiles@stjohnsdsm.org.

► WIRED Cooking will meet on Saturday, Dec. 10, at 9:00 am in the kitchen at St. John's to bake cookies for WELCA's cookie walk that weekend. Please bring your dough mixed and ready to bake. Questions? Call or e-mail Carol Lunde, 249-7272 or carollunde@q.com.

Upcoming Midweek Music Schedule

December 7 - Heartland Youth Choir
December 14 - Scott Davis and Brass
Quintet
December 21 - "A St. John's Christmas"
December 28 - No Midweek Music
January 4 - Ballyhoo Foxtrot Combo
January 11 - Nina Liu, violin
January 18 - Francine and Ed Griffith, piano
and tenor
January 25 - Ray Songayllo, piano

View the full schedule

WELCA - December Mission

► Christmas for the Homeless: We have NEW DIRECTIONS (shelter for women and children) as our outreach project for December. The congregation is invited to buy Christmas gifts for mothers and children that they can give to each other. Please bring the UNWRAPPED gifts to church by December 15th. Boxes for donations are by the office and reception area, and hallway outside Neumann. The children are largely elementary age, and some early teens. Suggestions: hats, scarves, gloves and mittens. They will have the opportunity to choose a gift and wrap it.

► The Annual Cookie Walk and Silent Auction is Dec. 10 & 11! Get out those cookie recipes, cookie sheets, warm up those ovens and start baking! AND, while you're at it, look around and find a treasure or two in order to make our Annual Cookie Walk and Silent Auction a huge success! Questions? Need a Pick-up? Call Janie Clemenson 274-0924 or Lou Johnston 287-2424. Please bring your donation of cookies to the church on or before Dec. 10, 9:00 am-noon. Silent Auction items may be delivered to the church office earlier. The Cookie Walk will be open Saturday evening after the evening service. Sunday morning it will open at 8:30 and close at 11:00. Bring your red buckets or purchase one there and fill them for $10 if you have your bucket or for a dollar more if you need one.

Christmas Healing Services

If you are seeking a quiet time of worship with healing prayer & anointing prior to Christmas, please join us for our annual Christmas Healing Services on Wednesday, Dec. 21st, at 11 am or 7 pm in the Chapel.

Quiet carols, a short meditation, healing prayer and Holy Communion provide an island of peace in the midst of these often-hectic days of preparation. Friends and family members are most welcome. [The 11am service is followed by our Mid-Week Music offering, "Christmas at St. John's" at noon, with lunch available at 12:30pm.]

Smitten with Mittens

The Mitten Tree is ready for your gloves, mittens, scarves, and hats. Adult mens gloves are especially needed for the shelters. The donations are delivered to schools and shelters in January.

Christmas Lights

Anyone Having Old Strands of Christmas Lights (And Who Doesn't!) . . .

Rather than throw them away, bring them to St. John's and we will recycle them for you. There will be a box in the reception area. All proceeds will go to the Good Samaritan Fund.

A Night at the Museum

Support our Youth Ministry
Seeking "Big Ticket" Items for the 2012 Youth Auction

Do you have connections? Can you call in a favor? Do you need to make a charitable donation before the end of the year? If so, the youth of St. John's need YOU to call those favors in, use your connections, and donate what you can!

We are planning our 4th annual youth fundraising auction and dinner and need "big ticket" items to auction! Need some ideas? Are you an artist? Do you know someone who is an artist? Do you have a cabin on a lake? Do you like to cook or bake? Do you sew or do woodworking in your free time? Do you have a service you could offer? Do you have season tickets to events that you could share with us? The possibilities are endless! If you have an item or an idea, contact a member of the youth auction committee: Tammi Reyes, Heidi Slinker, Terri Speirs, Lora Simpson, and Megan Clausen (meganc@stjohnsdsm.org). And mark your calendars now: March 2, 2012. More surprises to come. Stay tuned!

Peace,

Scott LaBlanc

Director of Parish Operations
businessoffice@stjohnsdsm.org

515-243-7691 x. 113