Our Mission Statement:Our Mission Statement:

“Bringing the Healing Love of Christ “Bringing the Healing Love of Christ

To Our Community for the Glory of To Our Community for the Glory of

God”God”

Sunday Worship 9 a.m.

Kids Worship 9:20

Maundy Thurs. Service

March 28th 7pm

Good Fri. Service

March 29th10am

Easter Sunday Worship 9am

March 2013 Vol..101

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STAFF

MINISTERS………………….…THE MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH SENIOR PASTOR……………………...……DONNLEY DUTCHER DIRECTOR OF CHILDREN & YOUTH MINISTRY / DIRECTOR OF TECHNOLOGIES………………………………..…KEVIN ECKERT YOUTH MINISTRY ASSISTANTS - JASMINE COLE, LAURA MUENCH, CASSIE MCNEIL MINISTRY OF CHURCH LIFE & MEMBERSHIP…......PAM WESSEL CHOIR DIRECTOR…………………….………......GINA BERTRAM ORGANISTS……….….CAROLE BERTRAM & MARSHA ROBERTS CUSTODIAN ……………………………..…….ANGELA NEWKIRK NURSERY ATTENDANT…………………..……...LAURA MUENCH

OFFICE HOURS

MONDAY– FRIDAY...…8:30 A.M. TO 12:30 P.M.…&.1:00 TO 4:00 P.M.

Church (815) 235-2824 E-Mail: stjohn@comcast.net

www.stjohnuccfreeport.org

AS THE SPIRIT MOVES ME…..

Were you taught, or have you ever believed, that Christ died on the cross because God was angry because of your sins, our sins, the world’s sins?

Were you taught, or have you ever believed, that Christ died on the cross because God’s anger needed to be satisfied or appeased; .. because Jesus had to take our place, so to speak. I no longer believe this.

“God wasn’t angry. Again: God wasn’t angry!” .. There is no monster out there; only love waiting to set us free….” I’m quoting Cynthia Bourgeault in her book, “The Wisdom of Jesus: Transforming Heart and Mind - a New Perspective on Christ and His Message.” She has stretched and opened my thinking in new ways. I understand Jesus in a new way. My faith and theology is being born again; for, at least, I don’t know what number of times.

But wasn’t Jesus’ death a sacrifice? Yes, it was; but maybe not in the way you have thought it was. As John Dominic Crossan has written, “Sacrificial offerers never thought that the point of sacrifice was to make the animal suffer or that the greatest sacrifice was one in which the animal suffered lengthily and terribly.”

Yes, Christ suffered and died because of our sin and the sins of humanity crucified Him; but it wasn’t because God wanted Him to suffer. Would you want your child to suffer terribly and long? Well, God didn’t want His Son to suffer, either!

Christ died because He was willing to show the breadth and depth of God’s love for us by pouring Himself out for us – emptying Himself for us – giving all of Himself for us – pouring out all His love for us – so you and I might understand the power, commitment and totality of God’s love for us.

St. John United Church of Christ is an open and affirming congregation who is welcoming and

embracing of every person, of every race, age, nationality, ability, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender

expression, as a child of God. We invite all to join and fully participate in the life and ministry of this church.

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STAFF

MINISTERS………………….…THE MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH SENIOR PASTOR……………………...……DONNLEY DUTCHER DIRECTOR OF CHILDREN & YOUTH MINISTRY / DIRECTOR OF TECHNOLOGIES………………………………..…KEVIN ECKERT YOUTH MINISTRY ASSISTANTS - JASMINE COLE, LAURA MUENCH, CASSIE MCNEIL MINISTRY OF CHURCH LIFE & MEMBERSHIP…......PAM WESSEL CHOIR DIRECTOR…………………….………......GINA BERTRAM ORGANISTS……….….CAROLE BERTRAM & MARSHA ROBERTS CUSTODIAN ……………………………..…….ANGELA NEWKIRK NURSERY ATTENDANT…………………..……...LAURA MUENCH

OFFICE HOURS

MONDAY– FRIDAY...…8:30 A.M. TO 12:30 P.M.…&.1:00 TO 4:00 P.M.

Church (815) 235-2824 E-Mail: stjohn@comcast.net

www.stjohnuccfreeport.org

AS THE SPIRIT MOVES ME…..

Were you taught, or have you ever believed, that Christ died on the cross because God was angry because of your sins, our sins, the world’s sins?

Were you taught, or have you ever believed, that Christ died on the cross because God’s anger needed to be satisfied or appeased; .. because Jesus had to take our place, so to speak. I no longer believe this.

“God wasn’t angry. Again: God wasn’t angry!” .. There is no monster out there; only love waiting to set us free….” I’m quoting Cynthia Bourgeault in her book, “The Wisdom of Jesus: Transforming Heart and Mind - a New Perspective on Christ and His Message.” She has stretched and opened my thinking in new ways. I understand Jesus in a new way. My faith and theology is being born again; for, at least, I don’t know what number of times.

But wasn’t Jesus’ death a sacrifice? Yes, it was; but maybe not in the way you have thought it was. As John Dominic Crossan has written, “Sacrificial offerers never thought that the point of sacrifice was to make the animal suffer or that the greatest sacrifice was one in which the animal suffered lengthily and terribly.”

Yes, Christ suffered and died because of our sin and the sins of humanity crucified Him; but it wasn’t because God wanted Him to suffer. Would you want your child to suffer terribly and long? Well, God didn’t want His Son to suffer, either!

Christ died because He was willing to show the breadth and depth of God’s love for us by pouring Himself out for us – emptying Himself for us – giving all of Himself for us – pouring out all His love for us – so you and I might understand the power, commitment and totality of God’s love for us.

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I encourage you to reflect on this and consider it as you approach Palm Sunday, Holy Week and Easter. You, too, may come to understand Jesus, His life, death and resurrection in a new way, so it brings you more understanding on how Christ called us to love others - by pouring out your self and love so others, and you, might fully live.

CHANGING FOR GOOD

Our Focus for Lent

During Lent, our Sunday morning worship, sermon and LOF adult class, following worship, will be taken from the Bible and the book, “Changing for Good.” (LOF is our Learning Our Faith adult class, which is open to all.)

“Changing for Good” means a change that is positive and permanent - for good and for good. Lasting, positive change

that meets and satisfies the six steps, or stages, resulting in a change that is for good. Those stages are: pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, maintenance and recycling.

You will be introduced to these steps for making positive, lasting change in your faith and life through Pastor Donnley’s sermons and a class led by Sarah Knapp and Donnley.

For The Birds

This February the youth finished up their annual Sub Fundraiser. Thank you to everyone who contributed and purchased Subs. This year was our last year with this specific fundraiser. We look forward to pursuing a youth dinner next year. During the Spring of 2013 we held a fundraising dinner with the proceeds going to refurbish the Basketball courts at Carl Sandburg school. This model was so successful we

will be transitioning to this instead of the sub sales which has drastically dwindled over the years. It’s time to try something new.

As I write this the Bird House Building Event is on my mind. Perry Cowan did a fantastic job preparing for the event and making it a wonderful time for families and friends. The ladies of Christian Education also did a wonderful job preparing lunch for all who participated. My heartfelt thanks goes out to everyone who made this event such a success - it was for the birds.

I also want to welcome Micah Smith to our team. He has joined us as an intern for a few months to help me with some of the computer maintenance and networking. These tasks are quite numerous and time consuming and often get left to the side until someone runs into a problem. With Micah’s help we can begin to stay ahead of problems and keep our technology running smoothly. We are also looking for another intern or volunteer to train in the Graphics department (A.K.A. Kevin’s Office). As you know and see we regularly create custom graphics for print, and electronic display. An Intern would be able to devote specialized skills to this area of ministry and bring us to the next level of visual communications.

Looking forward, I have created a new group to help plan a Local Summer Missions Event. For this year we will begin with my current ministry students and spend two days doing local beautification projects. We have also discussed larger plans for the summer of 2014 that will involve St. John as host to a much

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I encourage you to reflect on this and consider it as you approach Palm Sunday, Holy Week and Easter. You, too, may come to understand Jesus, His life, death and resurrection in a new way, so it brings you more understanding on how Christ called us to love others - by pouring out your self and love so others, and you, might fully live.

CHANGING FOR GOOD

Our Focus for Lent

During Lent, our Sunday morning worship, sermon and LOF adult class, following worship, will be taken from the Bible and the book, “Changing for Good.” (LOF is our Learning Our Faith adult class, which is open to all.)

“Changing for Good” means a change that is positive and permanent - for good and for good. Lasting, positive change

that meets and satisfies the six steps, or stages, resulting in a change that is for good. Those stages are: pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, maintenance and recycling.

You will be introduced to these steps for making positive, lasting change in your faith and life through Pastor Donnley’s sermons and a class led by Sarah Knapp and Donnley.

For The Birds

This February the youth finished up their annual Sub Fundraiser. Thank you to everyone who contributed and purchased Subs. This year was our last year with this specific fundraiser. We look forward to pursuing a youth dinner next year. During the Spring of 2013 we held a fundraising dinner with the proceeds going to refurbish the Basketball courts at Carl Sandburg school. This model was so successful we

will be transitioning to this instead of the sub sales which has drastically dwindled over the years. It’s time to try something new.

As I write this the Bird House Building Event is on my mind. Perry Cowan did a fantastic job preparing for the event and making it a wonderful time for families and friends. The ladies of Christian Education also did a wonderful job preparing lunch for all who participated. My heartfelt thanks goes out to everyone who made this event such a success - it was for the birds.

I also want to welcome Micah Smith to our team. He has joined us as an intern for a few months to help me with some of the computer maintenance and networking. These tasks are quite numerous and time consuming and often get left to the side until someone runs into a problem. With Micah’s help we can begin to stay ahead of problems and keep our technology running smoothly. We are also looking for another intern or volunteer to train in the Graphics department (A.K.A. Kevin’s Office). As you know and see we regularly create custom graphics for print, and electronic display. An Intern would be able to devote specialized skills to this area of ministry and bring us to the next level of visual communications.

Looking forward, I have created a new group to help plan a Local Summer Missions Event. For this year we will begin with my current ministry students and spend two days doing local beautification projects. We have also discussed larger plans for the summer of 2014 that will involve St. John as host to a much

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larger missions gathering. This years event will help us better understand the needs of such an event and the smaller scale (50 students) give us the flexibility we will need to make adjustments on the fly. The event will take place June 26-27, 2013 here at St. John UCC. ~ Kevin T. Eckert, Director of Children and Youth/ Directory of Technologies

KIRSTEN ECKERT’S RESIGNATION

As of March 8th, I will no longer be the Staff Secretary here at St. John. I have accepted an offer that fell in my lap. I was not looking to leave this job I have loved being St. John’s Secretary! This move will really help

my family financially and now that our kids are getting a little older I am available to work more hours. This new position will be great creatively for me, as it is a new position being developed. I will be able to start from scratch with putting my skills to good use. Trinity UMC and Embury UMC currently share Julie Bunt as a pastor and I will be her Administrative Assistant for both churches.

I will be here on Sunday mornings and continue to be a very visible, active member of St. John with music and Kids worship. I am excited about this change and also sad to go. Thank you for all of the support and warmth you all have granted me daily in the office . I will certainly miss the feeling of being a vital part of the workings of St. John in a secretarial capacity.

WEDNESDAY EVENING LENTEN STUDY:

Bible Study on First Corinthians

We will begin with a fellowship dinner at 5:45 p.m., followed by the Lenten study beginning at 6:30 p.m. Please sign up for the fellowship dinner on the bulletin board by the Sunday before.

Mar. 6 – Responding to Contested Issues – Part 1 (7:1-11:1)

Mar. 13 – Contested Issues – Part 2 (11:2-15:58)

Mar. 20 – A Community Called to Love – (16:1-24)

GREETING CARD PROJECT

We are off to a great start on contacting our little children. Thank you for all your enthusiasm. More people want to send cards than we have children right now. We are now looking for children born in the church, baptized or not, living locally or not to

send cards to. Please be patient as this is a project to locate some of these. If you know of some one who belongs on the list, please contact the office or Cherryl Hinrichs.

Our next gathering will be Thursday, March 7 from 5 to 7 in the evening. This will allow those working or otherwise occupied to come and socialize or make cards or learn more about what is going on.

Remember, you don’t have to come to these gatherings to be part of this project. You can make cards at home, buy cards, or send them from home. You can bring cards to the church and put them in the cupboard to the left of the door in the library, you can bring your cards to be sent by the church, you can pick a card from the collection we are building which are in the cupboard. Please be patient with us as we start to build the number of cards and occasions we have on hand.

Keep in mind the age of your chosen child and the reason we are doing this is to just remind the child and family that we are here and thinking about them and praying for them.

Thank you to all who are helping in any way, buying, making, donating, sending or praying for our kids.

CHURCH MARKETING

Communication is among the keys to church growth. People won’t feel welcome unless they’re welcomed. Our activities and events are great ways to attract new visitors and potential members. New Freeporters and even natives may not even know

we’re here. Using our marketing tools and guru -Kevin - to their fullest potential is crucial.

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larger missions gathering. This years event will help us better understand the needs of such an event and the smaller scale (50 students) give us the flexibility we will need to make adjustments on the fly. The event will take place June 26-27, 2013 here at St. John UCC. ~ Kevin T. Eckert, Director of Children and Youth/ Directory of Technologies

KIRSTEN ECKERT’S RESIGNATION

As of March 8th, I will no longer be the Staff Secretary here at St. John. I have accepted an offer that fell in my lap. I was not looking to leave this job I have loved being St. John’s Secretary! This move will really help

my family financially and now that our kids are getting a little older I am available to work more hours. This new position will be great creatively for me, as it is a new position being developed. I will be able to start from scratch with putting my skills to good use. Trinity UMC and Embury UMC currently share Julie Bunt as a pastor and I will be her Administrative Assistant for both churches.

I will be here on Sunday mornings and continue to be a very visible, active member of St. John with music and Kids worship. I am excited about this change and also sad to go. Thank you for all of the support and warmth you all have granted me daily in the office . I will certainly miss the feeling of being a vital part of the workings of St. John in a secretarial capacity.

WEDNESDAY EVENING LENTEN STUDY:

Bible Study on First Corinthians

We will begin with a fellowship dinner at 5:45 p.m., followed by the Lenten study beginning at 6:30 p.m. Please sign up for the fellowship dinner on the bulletin board by the Sunday before.

Mar. 6 – Responding to Contested Issues – Part 1 (7:1-11:1)

Mar. 13 – Contested Issues – Part 2 (11:2-15:58)

Mar. 20 – A Community Called to Love – (16:1-24)

GREETING CARD PROJECT

We are off to a great start on contacting our little children. Thank you for all your enthusiasm. More people want to send cards than we have children right now. We are now looking for children born in the church, baptized or not, living locally or not to

send cards to. Please be patient as this is a project to locate some of these. If you know of some one who belongs on the list, please contact the office or Cherryl Hinrichs.

Our next gathering will be Thursday, March 7 from 5 to 7 in the evening. This will allow those working or otherwise occupied to come and socialize or make cards or learn more about what is going on.

Remember, you don’t have to come to these gatherings to be part of this project. You can make cards at home, buy cards, or send them from home. You can bring cards to the church and put them in the cupboard to the left of the door in the library, you can bring your cards to be sent by the church, you can pick a card from the collection we are building which are in the cupboard. Please be patient with us as we start to build the number of cards and occasions we have on hand.

Keep in mind the age of your chosen child and the reason we are doing this is to just remind the child and family that we are here and thinking about them and praying for them.

Thank you to all who are helping in any way, buying, making, donating, sending or praying for our kids.

CHURCH MARKETING

Communication is among the keys to church growth. People won’t feel welcome unless they’re welcomed. Our activities and events are great ways to attract new visitors and potential members. New Freeporters and even natives may not even know

we’re here. Using our marketing tools and guru -Kevin - to their fullest potential is crucial.

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Those tools include our front yard sign, Facebook page, Web site and advertising.

Kevin can’t use those tools effectively without good information and good lead-time. Those needs can be met by our ministries filling out Monthly Ministry Reports and you completing a Graphics Request Form in the office. We need this information to better insure our activities and events get on our Facebook page and/or front sign. Merely including activities and events in the worship announcements and bulletin isn’t an effective communication technique.

Growing our church requires reaching out to new people. Many of those new people, for example, are on Facebook. In fact, using Facebook has proved, according to Kevin, an effective and inexpensive way to get St. John in front of people. He set a $10 Facebook ad budget for a youth event. That campaign gathered enough attention that 80 children attended the event. Social media marketing reaches more people more easily.

Another marketing tool is our Web site. Concerns that it doesn’t showcase upcoming church events have been raised. Thanks to an Internet evolution taking place, increasing numbers of people are heading straight to Facebook, now, rather than a website.

Thanks in advance for your help and consideration. Communication and cooperation can only make openly and affirmingly sharing God’s love easier.

Submitted by J. C. Wilson; changes by Pastor Donnley

WORLD DAY OF PRAYER

March 1st at 1:30pm Faith UMC, 1440 S. Walnut Ave. is hosting the Church Women United annual celebration of the World Day of Prayer.

The service was written by Christian women of France and the focus is the Christian response to struggles concerning immigration and ways to welcome “the stranger". "I was a stranger and you welcomed me” is the theme for the service. There will be fellowship time to follow. All are welcome!

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LAYCARE MINISTRY

"I took a long look and pondered what I saw, the fields preached me a sermon and I listened” Proverbs 32:24 The Message

My niece, Trish, invited me to be her traveling companion on a trip to California in 2011. Her mom, my sister, had passed away and Trish wanted to go visit her mother’s and my relatives. All of our relatives out there live near each other in southern California. Of course, I agreed to be my niece’s traveling companion.

We ate and visited, with relatives, until there was nothing more we were hungry for and we had said all that needed to be said. Now it is time to go home. But first, we have to go to Judy’s home and pick lemons and oranges to bring back home, then go to Sharon’s home and pick avocados. Picking lemons and oranges was easy because you could see the vivid yellow and orange colors against the green leaves of the trees. Not so with the avocados.

Sharon’s husband supplied me with a long handled apple picker - you know - you reach up into the tree, snag the fruit and pull down and viola, you have the fruit right in the apparatus on the end of that handle.

Well, that’s if you can see the avocados hidden in the foliage of the tree. Trish said "Over here, Aunt Marilyn - right there, can you see it‘?" No, I thought, I can’t see it. After missing the fruit that Trish kept pointing out at me, I decided to go to the place where she was standing and from that point I could clearly see what she was bringing to my attention.

My point of that story follows. You know we all have times when we can’t understand another person’s thinking or the decisions they make. It’s because we’re not standing in the same place under the tree. We need to look up and get an eye view of the branches. Once we get into a position to see the issue from their point of view, we then can understand why they think the way they do and understand the decisions they make.

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I think we all need to try to remember that when a disagreement arises or we can’t understand why someone acts a certain way, we need to get under their tree, look up and try to see things the way others see them. By changing our view, maybe we can see the issue in a completely new way.

Gina Bridgeman, a Guideposts writer, says "Lord, make me willing to "get under the tree” when I need to and see the world from another angle." I pray we all are willing to see issues from another angle and listen and learn from our friends.

Peace and Love, Marilyn Ruthe, Coordinator

MISSONS MINISTRY

RED CAN SUNDAY

We will be receiving monetary donations on March 3rd for the FACC emergency fund. $130 was collected in February.

FOOD FOR FACC

In March our food item to collect is 250 jars of Peanut Butter . In case you are looking for sales to stock up April’s food item will be cans of Tuna.

COOKING FOR FACC TRANSITIONAL

HOUSING

Starting in March, we will be cooking meals with the nine men who live in FACC's transitional housing on Liberty

Avenue. We will do this once a month on the 3rd Tuesday. We need volunteers to cook and also make desserts. Please see the sign-up sheet in the narthex to volunteer your hearts and

hands to this missions ministry project.

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CWS HYGIENE KITS

Missions Ministry will be collecting items to assemble Hygiene Kits for Church World Service. These Kits support refugees, displaced families, and victims of natural

disasters. Please see the flyer on the bulletin board in the Narthex. You may place your donations in the container in the narthex now through April 14. Cash donations may be placed (in marked envelopes, please) in the Missions mailbox outside the church office. Items requested are:

Hand towels, Washclothes, Wide-tooth Combs, Nail Clippers, Bars of soap (bath size), Toothbrushes (in original packaging), Bandaids (standard size), One Gallon ziplock bags.

NOISY CAN COLLECTION

On the 3rd Sunday in March and April, Missions Ministry will be collecting your spare change to support UCC youth camps in the region. Please be sure to bring plenty of spare change on these Sundays to support UCC youth camps.

FELLOWSHIP

March 9th

Spaghetti Supper

Plan to join us in Fellowship Hall for the 12th Annual Spaghetti

Supper! The menu includes: Spaghetti & Homemade Meatballs, Tossed Salad, Garlic Bread, Dessert, Punch & Coffee

Tickets are on sale after service in the Narthex and in the office. Cost is $8.00 for adults / $4.00 for kids 3-10 yrs. old

(2 & under free) Carry-outs will also be available.

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O N GOI N G WAY S TO PAR T I C I PAT E I N

T H E L I F E O F T H E C H U R C H

C H AN C E L C HO I R & B E L L

C H OI R

Practices are Thursday evenings. Bells at 6pm and Choir at 7pm. Our director is Gina Bertram

and if you would like to join either of these groups just show up! We would love to have you.

C . A. Ts

(Caregivers And Toddlers) Please join us for our play group geared for toddlers and the adults that care for them. We get together in St. John’s nursery Tuesday mornings 10-11am. On the Third Tues of the month we will be in Fellowship Hall to run and ride. Bring your friends, all are welcome. Find us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/CATSPlayGroup?fref=ts

HELIX

Honor, Engage, Listen, Include, eXample

MIDDLE SCHOOL

Tuesdays (5th and 6th graders) 3-5pm

Thursdays (7th and 8th graders) 3-5 pm

(No Middle School Helix If there is a half day or no school)

SENIOR HIGH

First Sunday 10:30am in the youth lounge (room N4) after worship for food and discussion time together with Kevin.

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BIBLE STUDY

We meet at 9 a.m. Wednesdays, in the Library. We are working through the Book of Proverbs. Please come and join

us ALL are welcome!

PING PONG

We meet every Wednesday at 9:00 a.m. (the second week of the month on Tuesday) in the Game Room (North Wing). We would love to have more men & women join in on the fun!

CARD CLUB

Join us for Euchre the first Monday of the month, in the Chapel Hearth. See you on March 4th.

RESOURCE GROUP

Join us on Thursdays at 9 a.m. for coffee, treats, friendship, & to do volunteer work! We will assemble the Tidings on March 28th.

MEN’S GROUP

We’re having a great time! Come join us! We’re not “holier than thou,” nor is all the talk just “God-talk.” It’s a wonderful blend of maleness, conversation, laughter, the spiritual and the unspiritual. Our next gathering is Saturday, March 2nd at 8 a.m. We meet until about 9:30 a.m. Come check us out!

CHRIST FIRST

This is an ongoing Faith Based Weight loss program that meets Monday evenings from 4:30-5:30 followed by a walking DVD or Wednesday evenings from 6-7pm. Please contact Kevin Eckert 815-218-0286 for more information.

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QUILTERS

Our St. John Stitch, Sew and Quilt group will not be meeting until further notice. In the meantime please be looking for appropriate patterns for another banner for

our sanctuary and/or multi article raffle patterns - table runners, child's quilt, table runner, wall hanging, etc. for future projects. Will gather again soon -Mavis Clark

LGBTQ Support Group

March 25th at 6:30pm This is a group for teens and adults that

are Lesbian, Gay, Transgendered, Bisexual or those Questioning their sexual identity. This is also a safe group for allies,

friends and family, of the LGBTQ community. Childcare is provided.

SERVING

Being a servant of the church is a great way to get to know fellow members. If you’re interested in serving please call the church office or speak with Pam Wessel our Volunteer Coordinator.

COFFEE HOUR

Before and after service we gather coffee and treats in the Narthex area with room to mingle and socialize. If you would like to find a place to sit and talk there is plenty of room in the Chapel Hearth and Fellowship hall is always open. Please, if your name is on the list (dates are assigned alphabetically by the directory) for this month, bring in a treat to share, some ideas are... cookies, bars, mini muffins, bagels etc. or please consider bringing fruit to share. If you do not wish to be on the list for treats please contact the office and we will remove you.

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MARCH - Property Management

3/3 - Leslie & Terry Thomas, Glenn & Marilyn Underwood, Norma & Don Valkema, Joanne & Quentin Valkema, LaVonne Wagenknecht, Jeff & Sally Wagner, William Wagner, Roger Watson

3/10 - Tim & Patty Weik, Dan & Pam Wessel, Cathy Williams, JC Wilson, Jean Wurtzel, Lynn & Deb Zimmerman, Carol Ahrens, Dean & Irene Amendt

3/17 - Mary Arnold, Terry & Deleana Atz, Wayne Bahn, Alex & Nikki Bertram, Carol & Galen Bertram, Gina Bertram, Greg & Anita Bicksler, Joyce Bloyer

3/24 - Ken & Dolly Boland, Larry & Marsha Boll, Thompson Brandt, Dana Brill, Robert & Nichole Brinkmeier, Troy & Amy Brinkmeier, Jim Burcham, Patrick & Christine Busker

3/31 - EASTER, Betty Carpenter, Anna Carroll, Mavis Clark, Bill Condie, Phil & Barb Copus, Rosali Cosgrove, Perry & Martha Cowan, Jack & Marge Criddle

APRIL - Staff Relations

4/7 - Eleanor Chance, Don & Ronnie Clock, Clyde & Jeannie Cross, David Crowell, Clayton & Jessica Daniels, Marv & Sandy DeBoer, Valerie De Boer, Dory DeFrane

GREETERS

March 3- Zael & Donna Klapp

March 10- Lyle & Jane Krug

March 17- Ben & Lucille Lee

March 24- Royce & Janet Piefer

March 31- Roger & Deb Swanlund

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WELCOMERS

March 3- Sharon Simler, LaVonne Wagenknecht

March 10- Jackie Stewart & Mavis Clark

March 17- Bonnie Gennusa & Betty Carpenter

March 24- Joyce Bloyer & Doris Last

March 31- Monty & Carolee Dietmeier

NURSERY

(only one volunteer needed, see nursery news article)

March 3 – Marla Kreeger

March 10 – Carla Meyer

March 17 – Newkirks

March 24 – Fergusons

March 31 – Amy Doll

USHERS

3/03 - Tim, Colin & Kristi Ebbers, Dennis Manus, Jim Drew

3/10 - John & Paula Rawleigh, Phil & Barb Copus, Mike Smith, Tom Priewe

3/17 - Tom & Melinda Ferguson, Wes & Joyce Robinson, Dana Brill

3/24 - Keith & Kathy Moffatt, Jeanne Koch, Jane Krug

3/31 - EASTER - Doris Last, Sharon Simler, Ben Lee, Diane Heilman

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NEED A RIDE TO CHURCH?

We have several drivers available, if you are in need of a ride please contact the off ice before noon on Friday, 815 -235-2824 and talk to Pam.

SHUT-INS: The following is a list of people that either can’t get

out and may love a visit or a card from those thinking of them.

Deloris Burkhalter at Oakley Courts

Claire Biesemeier, Dorothy Miller and Laura Uthlaut at Parkview

Nettie Hendren, Jim Fry, Nada Scheisser at Liberty Village

Bob Heilman at Monroe Manor

Ruth Hille, June Nagel, Joyce Kaiser and Holly Genant at Stephenson Nursing Center

Katherene Benson, Dorothy Fox, and Rita Wittbecker at Provena

Evelyn Dworak in Kewanee Provena

In their homes are, Kathryn Cramer, Karen Salter, Vivian Pals, Esther Dickman, and Maida Gimple, Shirley Durrstein, Harold Reints

PLEASE INCLUDE IN YOUR PRAYERS

PRAYER CHAIN: Bob, Lucas Bowers, Maddy, Dorothy Ness, Helen Hartog, Russel Armstrong

HOSPITALIZED: Dorothy Ness

WORSHIP ATTENDANCE

1/27 - 121 2/10- 200 2/24 - 155

2/3 - 131 2/17- 145

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Thank you for your donation of $300. Your church has been faithful in helping to provide for the needs of our Agency. Your gift helps us provide good, quality service to our clients and helps them have a brighter future.~ Cara Williams, Exec. Director

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I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your generous donation of $200 to assist us in our social service programs here in Freeport. ~ Dennis Hale, Freeport Corps Officer for the Salvation Army

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Thank you to Carolyn Moyer, Connie Orde and Jeannie Cross for volunteering at the FACC clothing room in February!

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Pam, you and the ladies of the church provided a wonderful luncheon for the funeral of Joyce Veer. Thank you from Dan, Marla, Olivia and families.

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CONGREGATIONAL MEETING :MARCH 17th following the service to accept the Annual reports and nominations for Ministry Positions. If you are interested in serving on a ministry please see a member of the nominating committee, Pam Wessel, Marilyn Ruthe, Cherryl Hinrichs, or Pastor

Donnley Dutcher.

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St. John UCC Council Minutes

2-11-13

Members present: Joyce Robinson, Vice President, Bill Condie, President, Lisa Ebbers, Deb Hartman, Keith Hinrichs, Ben Lee, Shan MacAdam, Dennis Manus, Ulan Price, Marilyn Ruthe, Pastor Donnley (ex-officio).

Opening prayer: Pastor Donnley

Minutes: Previously approved via email.

Financial Reports: Financial statement was reviewed and Joyce requested that Pam attend a Council meeting to help us understand these reports.

Since the General Fund balance is sometimes low, Dennis made the motion to authorize the bookkeeper to take money from the Reserve Fund to pay bills and salaries, if necessary, with the understanding that this money will be repaid to the Reserve Fund. Lisa 2

nd. Discussion followed, motion carried.

Pastor Donnley will work with the Stewardship Ministry to compose a letter to “absentee” members who have not been

participating or supportive in the life of the church.

Reflections on Mardi Gras Service: Very positive feedback, great attendance, lots of energy. Pastor Donnley has been conversing with Carl Cole, in response to an inquiry by Carl, about possibly making their music a more regular part of our worship services. As relayed to Mr. Cole, this idea will need to be pursued within the ministry structure.

Sanitation Certification: Vicki MacAdam, Carla Meyers and Pam Wessel will be going through a food sanitation training class so that our kitchen can be officially certified. This is required by the Health Department whenever we serve food to the public that

PRESIDENT Bill Condie V ICE PRESIDENT Joyce Robinson SECRETARY Deb Hartman TRE ASURER Ulan Price CHRISTI AN ED . Lisa Ebbers CHURCHGROWTH Marilyn Ruthe FELLOWSHIP Ben Lee Jane Krug M ISSIONS Dennis Manus PROPERTY MAN AGEMENT Keith Hinrichs STAFF REL ATIONS Joyce Robinson STEW ARDSHIP Ulan Price WORSHIP Mary Arnold BOLD Deb Hartman

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they would be paying for (example, spaghetti dinner, etc).

Upgrades to Kitchen: It has been noted that the kitchen is in need of some upgrades, including electrical, calibrating the oven temperature and installing a 3 bay sink. Property Management Ministry will work on this and there may be some updates that would need to be included in a capital campaign.

Other: Shan MacAdam expressed concern over some of the play equipment and games being used by our youth because of the underlying violence in these games and/or activities. We will discuss this further with Kevin.

Boy Scout Troop 4: Pastor Donnley will be having a discussion with the leaders about the latest developments regarding accepting gays into the troop and how our O & A statement would impact that decision.

Pentecost Celebration: Will be held May 19, outside. The various ministries will be working together to make it an outdoor festival with food games, music, etc.

Nominating Committee Updates: The nominating committee (Pam Wessel, Cheryl Hinrichs, Dennis Manus, Marilyn Ruthe, Pastor Donnley) have been gathering names and contacting people but they are struggling. They are finding that the people who are willing are already involved in some form. We need to keep in mind that it is important to find the correct fit for a candidate within a ministry. We will be looking at restructuring the constitution in terms of Ministries and how to make more efficient and productive use of our members’ time and talents.

Thank You’s: Deb will be writing thank you notes to those ministries involved with the great success of the Mardi Gras Sunday.

Adjournment: Marilyn made the motion to adjourn. 2nd

by Joyce. Motion carried. Adjourned with the Mizpah Benediction.

Respectfully submitted,

Deb Hartman

Council Secretary

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The deadline for submitting articles in the April

Tidings is March 19th by noon.

FINANCIAL STATEMENT

Beginning Balance January 1, 2013 $3,920.31 2/01 General Fund Beginning Balance ($218.34) 2/04 GF Income $4,734.37 2/11 GF Income $6,997.32 2/18 GF Income $8,032.30 Less 2/20 GF Payroll & Compensation $11,760.12 2/20 GF Other Checks $3,642.52 2/20 GF Current Bills Outstanding $2,882.73 2/20 Ending Balance $1,260.28 ____________________________________________ Beginning Balance January 1, 2012 $3,248.23 2/01 Building Fund Beginning Balance $3,294.56 2/04 BD Income $385.00 2/11 BD Income $4,492.00 2/18 BD Income $255.00 Less 2/20 BD Checks $1,663.64 BD Current Bills Outstanding $877.27 _________ 2/20 Ending Balance $5,885.65

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EASTER LILIES

The cost for flowers went up last year to $11 and has remained for this year. We realize that this may be a deterrent for some ,but we would still love to have a garden of flowers in the sanctuary for Easter. Here is the plan…. If you wish to order a lily through the church, please turn in the form below with your money by March 17

th . We also encourage you

to bring in your own flowers or have them delivered before noon on Good Friday. (Please mark them with your name.) You will also need to fill out the form below and turn it in by March 17th if you would like your plant recognized in the bulletin with a dedication.

You can pick up your flower after the service on Easter Sunday.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Easter Lily ($ 11.00) X Quantity _____

Enclosed is $__________________

_____ I/We will bring flowers from home or have our own delivered before noon on Good Friday.

IN MEMORY OF___________________________________

__________________________________________________

IN HONOR OF____________________________________

__________________________________________________

PRESENTED BY__________________________________

Please take to a shut-in. ____

I will pick up the flower. ____

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March Scripture Readings

01 Psalm 79 17 Psalm 57

02 Psalm 88 18 Psalm 59

03 Psalm 89:1-18 19 Psalm 64

04 Psalm 89:19-52 20 Psalm 69

05 Psalm 4 21 Psalm 71

06 Psalm 5 22 Luke 11:1-13

07 Psalm 6 23 Luke 18:1-14

08 Psalm 7 24 Luke 19:28-48

09 Psalm 8 25 Luke 21:5-24

10 Psalm 40 26 Luke 22:1-38

11 Psalm 41 27 Luke 22:39-71

12 Psalm 42 28 Luke 23:1-25

13 Psalm 43 29 Luke 23:26-49

14 Psalm 52 30 Luke 23:50-56

15 Psalm 55 31 Luke 24:1-12

16 Psalm 56

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