St. John Lutheran Church
This Week's News ~ January 15, 2016
 

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St. John Calendar 

Chancel Choir Schedule

 

 

This Week at St. John
Friday, 01/15
9:45 am Friday Bible Academy
Saturday, 01/16
5:30 pm Evening Worship
Sunday, 01/17
THE SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY
9:00 am Early Worship
10:10 am Adult Sunday School
10:10 am Youth in the Kitchen with Mrs. Pam
10:15 am Stephen Ministers Presentation
11:00 pm Late Worship
4:00 pm AA Meeting
Monday, 01/18
Martin Luther King Day
OFFICE CLOSED
10:00 am Quilters
Tuesday, 01/19
 
Wednesday, 01/20
6:30 pm Chancel Choir rehearsal
Thursday, 01/21
8:00 am Men's Breakfast 
9:10 am Bible Study Fellowship
7:00 pm Confirmation Class
Friday, 01/22
9:45 am Friday Bible Study
Saturday, 01/23
5:30 pm Evening Worship
7:00 pm Epiphany Party!
Sunday, 01/24
THE THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY
 9:00 am Early Worship
10:10 am Adult Sunday School
10:15 am Youth in the Kitchen with Mrs. Pam
11:00 pm Late Worship
2:00 pm White Pine Service
4:00 pm AA Meeting
Happy Birthday!
Jan 15
Kenneth Hellen
 
Kimberl Otsuji
 
Zachary Johnston
Jan 16
Michael Danielson
Jan 17
Tom Bosanko
 
Candy Ramsey
 
Kris O'Brien
 
Lori Ozar
 
Cath DeNio
Jan 18
Barbara Attard
Jan 20
Catherine Federspill
Jan 22
Brian Farrell
 
Harold Galloway
 
Jillian Dresden
Jan 23
Joshua Stenson
Jan 24  
Judie Mahle
9:00 AM
Lay Assistant:
Brenda Shelton
Reader:
Larry Craig
Acolyte:
Kaitlyn Savanyu
Communion:
Diane Rinehart,
  Donna TenHave
Slidemaster:
Elaine Pearson
Soundboard: 
Chris Fischer
11:00 AM
 
Reader:
Bob Stricker
Screen/Sound:
Kelly Monico
Coffee Host:
The Mahle family
Altar for 
  January
Shirlee Korte,
  Brenda Shelton,
  Carol Sterling
Counters:
Tom Taepke,
  Marilyn Kurmas
In Christian Sympathy...
white-callalilies.jpg ...we offer
 condolences to the family of Richard Merrell who died in Christ last week. 
  
His funeral will beheld on Saturday, January 16 at Noon in the chapel at:
Oakland Hills Memorial Gardens
43300 West 12 Mile Road
Novi, MI 48377
 
Rest eternal grant Richard, O Lord, and let light perpetual shine upon him.
 
We do have snow removal service, but they do not come out unless there is at least 2" of snow on the sidewalks. Every door of the church is supplied with a SHOVEL and a container of ICE MELTER. You are invited if you are able to take 5-10 minutes to help clear the sidewalks if they are covered after which you may spread some ice melter if needed. This will help share the burden and perhaps save someone from falling.
 
Together, we can make it safe for everyone.  THANK YOU!
Commemorations
This Week
Friday, January 15
Martin Luther King, Jr.
renewer of society, martyr
died 1968

An American prophet of justice among races and nations, King was an eloquent preacher, a leader of the nonviolent resistance to race-segregated society, and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. Born on this date, he was assassinated on April 4, 1968.

Sunday, January 17
Antony of Egypt
renewer of the church
died around 356

One of the earliest of the Egyptian desert fathers, Antony gave away his sizeable inheritance and became a hermit. Later he became leader of a group of monks who devoted themselves to prayer, worship, and labor.
 
Sunday, January 17
Pachomius
renewer of the church
died 346

Born in Egypt, Pachomius became a Christian while a soldier. He became a hermit (a solitary monk) and organized others into a religious community. His rule for monasteries influenced later ones in both the Eastern and Western churches.
 
Monday, January 18
The Confession of Peter
Today the church remembers the apostle Peter's great acknow-ledgement of Jesus as "the Christ, the Son of the living God." This festival serves as a fitting beginning to the week in which we particularly pray that all Christians might be united in faith and witness.

Tuesday, January 19
Henry of Uppsala
Bishop, died 1156
When Erik, King of Sweden, determined to invade Finland for the purpose of converting the people there to Christianity, Henry went with him. Henry is recognized as the patron saint of Finland.

Thursday, January 21
Agnes
  Martyr, died 304
Agnes was a girl of about thirteen living in Rome. The details of her martyrdom are not clear, but she gave witness to her faith and was put to death as a result, most likely by the sword. The church has honored her as one of the chief martyrs of her time.

This week's issue is action-packed, so be sure to scroll down, or use the links to the left.
Are You Being Called?
Stephen Ministry equips lay people to provide confidential, one-to-one Christian care to individuals in our congregation and community who are experiencing difficulties in their lives. A short informational meeting about Stephen Ministry and what is involved in becoming a Stephen Minister will be held This Sunday, January 17th, 2016 at 10:15 in the MPR. Please join us to hear about this important ministry.
You are Invited
to an
Epiphany Party!
 
Saturday, January 23, 2016
7:00 pm - 10:00
 
Join us for hors d'oeuvres, beer, wine and soft drinks, and some fun! There will be tours of the building, an indoor scavenger hunt,  fun activities for the kids and possibly a visit from three "wise" men!
 
 Guests are welcome!
 
RSVP to [email protected] or 248-474-0584
 
Gifts of finger food to share are welcome,
but not expected.

St. John Collecting Bottled Water
for Salem Lutheran in Flint
Please bring cases of bottled water and large bottles of water (for cooking) to St. John this weekend and next to help our brothers and sisters in Flint affected by the water crisis. Donations will be taken to Flint the last week of January.
 
Cash donations are also welcome. For more information and ways to help, click here.
Epiphany Sermon Series 
"Called to Community"
  • January 9/10: God's Vision for the Church
  • January 16/17: Spiritual Growth and One-Another Care
  • January 23/24: Reaching Out
  • January 30/31: Community: An Unexpected Family; Guest Preacher ~ Ms. Janice Locke
  •  February 6/7: Living Out God's Vision in Today's Church; Guest preacher: Pr. Jana Swenson

Pastoral Visits
If you or a loved one is in the hospital and would desire a visit from one of the pastors, please call the church office at 248-474-0584 to let them know.  Please be sure to let us know which hospital they are in and under what name they were admitted.  HIPPA rules prevent hospital staff from providing information on patients, so if we don't have correct details, it can be very hard to get to them.  Pastor Bill and Pastor Lauren are committed to being available to those who need a visit for any reason.  Please do not hesitate to ask.
Congregational MeetingPlease plan to attend the Annual Congregational Meeting of St. John Lutheran Church on Sunday, February 7, beginning at 10:00 am (immediately following the 9:00 am service), and adjourning no later than 10:50 am. Reports for 2015 will be received. We will also consider a new capital campaign to begin in the near future. All active and confirmed members are encouraged to attend. Please remember, we need you to attend. It is important we have enough present to constitute a quorum for conducting business.
Prayer List

Please take a look at the Prayer List, especially the one for family and friends. Some of these names have been on the list for well over six months and probably there have been changes in their status. Unless we are notified that a name should stay on the list it will be cleared on January 31. Contact Marie in the office, [email protected]. Thank you for your attention to this matter. 

Home Blessings
throughout the Epiphany Season
The season following Epiphany is traditionally a time for the blessing of homes for another year, recalling the visit that the magi made to the Holy Family's home. if you would like Pastor Bill to visit your home for a service of blessing for the coming year, please contact him to schedule a time. He will be happy to accommodate you.

Pastor Lauren's Sabbatical

In August 2015, St. John Lutheran Church and Pastor Lauren were awarded a Clergy Renewal Sabbatical Grant. You may be wondering exactly what that means. Here's a small article about the purpose of sabbaticals for pastors.  

Small Groups Are Coming!

 

This Lent, starting February 17th, 2016 for 5 weeks we will be launching our new Small Group Ministry.
 
Come and Grow in your faith and experience closer personal connections within our church family. Each small group will consist of approximately 8 members and 1 facilitator. Options for day, evening, and weekend groups will be available. The small groups will meet on a weekly basis for approximately an hour and a half and will consist of a 10 minute Animate DVD with a journal resource that gives thought provoking questions and ideas about faith practices. We are very excited to be able to offer this new experience to the whole congregation.
 
Come and grow with us. Signups and availabilities will be announced soon.
 
Saturday, February 13th
11:30 am - 2:30 pm
 
Sign up now and get your favorite recipe together!
 
Entrance fee is $10.00
 
YouthquakeTraverse City
Friday, March 4
through
Sunday, March 6
Ashleigh Altemann can provide more details. Here's the signup form.
someone sent us this, and we thought we should share...
Singing with Lutherans  
by Garrison Keillor
 
I have made fun of Lutherans for years - who wouldn't, if you lived in Minnesota? But I have also sung with Lutherans and that is one of the main joys of life, along with hot baths and fresh sweet corn.
 
We make fun of Lutherans for their blandness, their excessive calm, their fear of giving offense, their lack of speed and also for their secret fondness for macaroni and cheese. But nobody sings like they do.
 
If you ask an audience in New York City, a relatively Lutheranless place, to sing along on the chorus of 'Michael Row the Boat Ashore', they will look daggers at you as if you had asked them to strip to their underwear. But if you do this among Lutherans they'll smile and row that boat ashore and up on the beach! And down the road!
 

Read the rest... 

What's Up in the Gym?
Thanks to a generous gift from our Bethlehem friends, our gym renovation project has begun.  We'll have new flooring, new lighting, and new acoustical paneling.  Our new gym will be a blessing to the whole community!  Thank you Bethlehem Lutheran Church!  
All the details are here.