This Week at St. John's

In This Issue

Children's Ministry

Small Groups

Midweek Music

WELCA December Mission

Christmas Healing

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. 11 - Dec. 18, 2011

What's Happening This Sunday

Altar Flowers are this weekend are givn by Virginia W. Deuben in loving memory of Ralph H. Deuben.
We are blessed to celebrate two baptisms this Sunday at the 11:00 am service. Congratulations to all! Welcome to Samuel Raymond Pesek, son of Michael and Tiffany Pesek. Welcome to Asher Edward Jack Wilkinson, son of Brian and Alisha Wilkinson.
WELCA Cookie Walk begins at 8:30 in Weertz
Children's Advent Program Warm-up at 9:30 am in the Chapel; Reception following in Weertz
Blood pressure screenings and weight checks in the Wellness Room (just outside Weertz on the east side) from
10:00-11:00. No appointment necessary.
Breakfast Club (7-9th Gr) at 9:55 am - Room 307
Children's Advent Program at 10:00 am - Sanctuary

Prepare for Worship

Sunday, Dec. 11,

Third Sunday of Advent

"Rejoice always," begins the reading from First Thessalonians. Isaiah and the psalmist make clear that God is turning our mourning into laughter and shouts of joy. "All God's children got a robe," go the words of a spiritual. It is not so much a stately, formal, pressed outfit as it is a set of party clothes - clothes that make us feel happy just to wear. We receive that robe in baptism, and we gather in worship for a foretaste of God's party.

The readings are Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11, Psalm 126, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 and John 1:6-8, 19-28. The hymn of the day is ELW 261, "As the Dark Awaits the Dawn." At 8:45 a.m. the offering music will be a duet from Bach Cantata No. 140, "Thy Love is Mine, and I am Thine," sung by soprano Susan Stageberg and baritone Mark Garner, with Sue Odem taking the oboe obbligato. At 11 a.m. Cathedral Choir will sing "There's a Voice in the Wilderness Crying," by Michael Larkin. Communion music at both services will be ELW 715, "Christ, Be Our Light," with choir on the verses and the assembly on the refrain.

Weekly Calendar

Monday, December 12
Eagle Call Deadline

11:00 am Odem Rehearsal

5:30 pm SJLC Networking Group - Gateway Market

6:30 pm Young Adult Planning Mtg - Smokey Row

Tuesday, December 13

9:30 am Quilting - Room 308

9:30 am Senior Seminary - Room 8

12:00 pm Odem Rehearsal

5:00 pm Executive Ministry Team - 1st Floor Conf Rm

5:30 pm Centering Prayer - Chapel

5:30 pm Christian Involvement - Django's

6:30 pm Healing Ministry Training - Neumann

Wednesday, December 14

6:30 am Souljourners - Weertz

9:00 am Hardanger Group - Neumann

12:05 pm MidWeek Music - Scott Davis / Brass Quintet

- 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

6:35 pm Cantorei - Choir Loft

7:00 pm Cathedral Choir - Choir Loft

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

Thursday, December 15

11:30 am Lunch Bunch I - Off Site

5:30 pm Serenity Seekers - Neumann

5:30 pm Health Ministry Team Mtg - Room 8

5:45 pm WIRED Yoga - Fireside Lounge

Friday, December 16

9:00 am Investment Ministry Team Mtg - Valbracht

Saturday, December 17

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

contact Ellen (ellenfisher123@yahoo.com) or

Rod (rsnavely@aol.com)

9:30 am Altar Guild - Sanctuary

10:30 am Intro to Zumba Dance Class - MPR

5:00 pm Worship - Chapel

Sunday, December 18

7:45 am Worship - Sanctuary

8:45 am Worship - Sanctuary

11:00 am Worship

1:00 pm 7th - 12th Gr Service Project - Room 209

6:30 pm Serving at Central Iowa Shelter

Children's Ministry

All Sunday School children meet in the chapel at 9:30 to warm up.

All are welcome to the Children's Advent Program today at 10:00 in the sanctuary with a reception following in Weertz.

Small Groups

A New Beginning: Young adults, both singles and couples, are invited to enjoy a free cup of coffee and a leisurely 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.

Recreational Reading will meet on Wednesday, Dec. 21 at 4:30 in Rose Holm to discuss the book Blame by Michelle Huneven. Questions? Contact Carol MacDonald at macpac00@mchsi.com.

Upcoming Midweek Music Schedule

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 THIS WEEKEND! 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

Remember The Mitten Tree! It is set up and awaiting your 'decorations.' Gifts for Connection Cafe and Interfaith Hospitality Network should be received by Dec. 18.

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