April 2016 St. John is called by Christ to be a Sanctuary that Welcomes and Serves All Alleluia! Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia! So goes the ancient Easter greeting in the Chris- tian Church. I encourage us all to greet one anoth- er with this greeting, not just on Easter Sunday, but throughout most of the Easter Season, up until Ascension Day. Not just to say “Hey, how ya doin’?” when we see one another, but to say, “Hey, Joe, Christ is risen:” “He is risen indeed, Jane!” It may seem a little contrived at first, but try it out. You might find it informs your conscious- ness during this bright season, this week of weeks when we celebrate Christ’s victory over death, a victory that he shares with us. In a way, it’s a subversive greeting. It goes against the grain of the world, and all our life experience. Most of us have known the pain of grieving the death of some- one we love. Some of us have come very close to death ourselves. Many of us are very afraid of death. Those of us “of a certain age” feel our bodies slowing down, and the older we get, we are more aware that we will die one day. It is the great inevitability, the end we know we must come to, and which punctuates our lives. But in Jesus Christ, God has undone death. It is no longer the reality which holds the final judgment on our lives. The God who created the cosmos and all the life in it has declared that nothing, not even our own sin, or the world’s sin, will deprive us of the abundant joy God wants to give us. God died, but he did not die; the Fa- ther raised Christ from the dead! And so, even though we will one day die, we will not die; we will partake in Christ' So in a world in which death is all around us, and evil realities threaten and terror- ize with threats of death – be it cancer, terrorism, or Satan himself – the Risen Christ comes to us and says “Peace be with you.” He calls on us not to fear (even though it may take some of us awhile to grow into obedience to that call) because he has conquered death, and life is ours forever. Thanks be to God! Alleluia! Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia! Pr. Bill+
Transcript
April 2016
St. John is called by Christ to be a Sanctuarythat Welcomes and Serves All
Alleluia! Christ is risen!Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia!
So goes the ancient Easter greeting in the Chris-tian Church. I encourage us all to greet one anoth-er with this greeting, not just on Easter Sunday,but throughout most of the Easter Season, up untilAscension Day. Not just to say “Hey, how yadoin’?” when we see one another, but to say,“Hey, Joe, Christ is risen:” “He is risen indeed,Jane!” It may seem a little contrived at first, buttry it out. You might find it informs your conscious-ness during this bright season, this week of weeks
when we celebrate Christ’s victory over death, a victory that he shares with us.
In a way, it’s a subversive greeting. It goes against the grain of the world, and allour life experience. Most of us have known the pain of grieving the death of some-one we love. Some of us have come very close to death ourselves. Many of us arevery afraid of death. Those of us “of a certain age” feel our bodies slowing down,and the older we get, we are more aware that we will die one day. It is the greatinevitability, the end we know we must come to, and which punctuates our lives.
But in Jesus Christ, God has undone death. It is no longer the reality which holdsthe final judgment on our lives. The God who created the cosmos and all the life init has declared that nothing, not even our own sin, or the world’s sin, will depriveus of the abundant joy God wants to give us. God died, but he did not die; the Fa-ther raised Christ from the dead! And so, even though we will one day die, we willnot die; we will partake in Christ'
So in a world in which death is all around us, and evil realities threaten and terror-ize with threats of death – be it cancer, terrorism, or Satan himself – the RisenChrist comes to us and says “Peace be with you.” He calls on us not to fear (eventhough it may take some of us awhile to grow into obedience to that call) becausehe has conquered death, and life is ours forever. Thanks be to God!
Alleluia! Christ is risen!Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Pr. Bill+
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It’s almost time for Pastor Lauren’s Sabbatical!What is a Sabbatical?A sabbatical is an extended period of time for study, personal growth and renewal without the demandsof daily parish responsibilities. This is a normal practice and recommended by the ELCA for every 5years. Our pastors have been with us since 2009. To date, neither has taken a sabbatical.
A sabbatical is normally three months in length and is sometimes split into several blocks of time. It caninvolve many types of activities. Vacation time and Continuing Education time are not included but areincorporated in the planning.
When will she be gone?Pastor Lauren will spend a pre-sabbatical week of Continuing Education from June 22-29 on a retreat inSanta Fe NM with Wayne Muller. (You will get to meet Wayne when he is here to preach and lead aworkshop on May 15.) Then she will be “gone” from July 11 until October 10. During some of that timeshe will be home, but will be “off the grid” and not available for any church activity, including Sundayservices, weddings and funerals. She will even worship at another church on those Sundays so as not toget pulled back into church activity. Part of her absence will be for taking their kids on a family trip —driving to Alaska! Pastor Bill will use his regular vacation time for this trip.
Who will cover for her while she’s gone?Pastor Bill will cover most of her responsibilities in her absence. When they are both gone, you will bedirected to contact Marge Sellers for pastoral needs.
What will it cost?All expenses of the sabbatical are covered by a grant from The Lily Foundation National ClergyRenewal Program. There will be no cost to the congregation.
What happens after the Sabbatical?Pastor Lauren will submit a report of the sabbatical time and share the learning and experiences with thecongregation. The Mutual Ministry Team and Board will evaluate benefits as a basis for future planning.
The Theme for Pastor Lauren’s Sabbatical is Reclaiming Sabbath in a 24/7 World. We hope that PastorLauren will return to work in October refreshed, renewed, and ready to help us all find a place for“Sabbath” rest in our frantic lives.
Small Groups ContinueFor six weeks during Lent eleven groups met on a weekly ba-sis to grow in faith and friendship. The study called Animate –Practices helped us to explore various practices such as pray-er, worship and service as well as how food and money are
part of our daily Christian life and what we can do to grow and develop in these areas. Group dis-cussion was lively and new and deeper relationships were formed. Several groups would like tocontinue meeting using a different Animate study. You are invited to join them. Look for more infor-mation on Sunday morning April 3 and in the weekly email that week.
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Welcome to a new feature in The Voice! Each month we will profile two or three ministries to celebratethe great work that’s being done here at St. John.
Funeral Luncheons have been a part of St. John’s ministry for many decades. You may not beaware of this ministry unless you have participated or have attended a funeral for aloved one at St. John. In the days immediately following a death, the family has manythings to do: decisions to make, people to contact, travel plans…. Providing a mealfollowing the funeral service offers the bereaved family much more than physicalsustenance, but also spiritual and emotional support. It provides a space and a time torest, eat a good meal and catch up with old friends. Serving people in this way and atthis difficult time provides both comfort and a reminder that they are not alone, but arepart of the larger family of Christ.
Back in the day, meals were prepared by the Women of St. John, but this is no longer possible. Theycan provide salad, dessert and beverage, but the main course needs to be catered.
If you would like to participate in this ministry, contact Marlou Grudt, Joanne Hagen or Patty Oates andask them to put you on the list. When the need arises they will contact you to see if you are available tohelp with set-up, clean-up and/or serving. Even if you are not available to help on weekdays, you canstill help! This ministry involves a fair amount of expense, and contributions are always welcome. Makeyour check payable to “Women of St. John” with “funeral luncheons” in the memo line.
Russell (66) and his wife Elnora (72) and three kids and one grandchildlive together in a small house in Southfield. Russell is a Vietnam veteranwho served in the Navy from 72’-74’. Russell is a double amputee and iswheelchair bound. They are on a very fixed income and are doing their
best to keep up. They received help from ROTC over the years but could use some additional help thisyear. Russell has been hard on the interior doors since his house is not designed for a wheelchair boundperson. Their house needs a variety of repairs, including replacement of some interior doors, hinges andcasings; repair of some drywall, cleaning of the exterior vinyl siding; cleanup and landscaping in thefront yard; replace kitchen countertops and backsplash. St. John’s team will help them with these tasksthis year. St. John has been repairing homes with Oakland County Rebuilding Together for the past ten
years. Rebuild takes in dozens of house applications andprocesses these for feasibility and applicant qualification.Each year's house is different in scope and presents aunique challenge. Some of the house projects have beenas extensive whole kitchen demolition/replacement orrefit doorways and build ramps forhandicap accessibility. We have repairedwalkways and porches; repaired walldamage and painted the whole interior ofa house. Some projects have includedambitious plumbing or electrical work,some have had more of a focus onlandscape and cleanup. This year’s Rebuild date is April30. Contact Bill Halvangis at [email protected].
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Welcome to a new feature in The Voice! Each month we will profile two or three St. John leaders to help youget to know them better, starting with staff, Board members and Leadership Team members. This month wegive you an overview of the Board, and will begin profiling individual Board members next month.
The Board consists of the Pastors plus six Boardmembers, elected by the congregation for a two-yearterm. Each year, three Board positions turn over.Board members are limited to twoconsecutive terms.
Our organization structure isdifferent from thetraditional Church Councilstructure. The Boardis responsible forguiding the overalldirection of thecongregation; establishingvision and mission; anddefining desired ends (but not means). Board membersdo not run the ministries. That is the responsibility ofthe Leadership Team, which is appointed by the Board.
The Board meets once per month to review, discuss and resolve a variety of issues facing the Congregation.In the fall they review and approve the annual budget (prepared by the Resources Team) prior to its beingsubmitted to the Congregation for adoption.
Board minutes are available for review in a binder in the church office, and also are posted on the St. John website(www.stjohn-elca.org, click “Member Login”, type in the password - 23225Gill - and click “Meeting Minutes.”).
(Personality Parade continues on the next page.)
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Personality Parade (continued)
Stella Weller, Director of Community Outreach; “GenuineHospitality” Team Leader Stella was born and raised in Hyderabad, India.She got her business degree and worked for Dell and GE in businessmanagement and training. As a young adult she moved to the US looking forbetter employment opportunities. She first settled in Florida where one of herrelatives lived.
One day she was shopping in Macy’s where she was approached by a man whointroduced himself and asked if she would talk with him. She was initially a bitstartled (young ladies in India do not talk to men they don’t know) but they hada conversation. He went back to Texas (he had been visiting his grandmotherin Florida). When Stella went back to India, he found her online (on the Indianversion of facebook) and the conversation continued. Soon after, she got a jobin Michigan and he followed her.
The young man’s name was (you guessed it!) Craig Weller. They weremarried and the rest is history! “I think this was destiny. God planned this forme,” she says.
Stella and Craig were both raised in the Roman Catholic church. They wereaccustomed to Sunday being “church day.” When they first moved toMichigan, they had no friends or family, no church home, and didn’t at firsthave a car, so it was hard to go church shopping. Stella found Sundays verylonely. Finally she went to Google and looked up all the churches she couldwalk to. One of them was St. John.
She still remembers the first time they walked in. “I could feel the warmth. People were so loving andcaring.” She was pregnant at the time, and they felt sad to be so far from all their family at that special time.The second time they came to St. John, they were met with a huge baby shower! “We got so many gifts, Ididn’t have to buy anything for Isabella in her first year.” She found it overwhelming that people wouldshow so much love to a stranger. Craig and Stella joined St. John in 2011. Isabella was born that year andbaptized on Christmas Eve.
Stella was hired in 2013 to be St. John’s first Director of Community Outreach. Her primary function is toreach out to the community on the part of St. John. She especially loves working with older people(“mostly they just want someone to listen to them”) and being our face to the local Indian community. Her“Senior Prom” event at Grand Court was a huge hit, and was featured on Fox2 News. Recent Trunk orTreat and Easter Egg Hunt events have brought lots of families from the neighborhood.
As for how she sees her job: “I love, love what I do. It keeps me going and happy. I don’t try to bring peopleto church. I try to relate them to my experience, and give them the love I’ve experienced here.”
Well, by now everybody's 'March Madness' picks are all scrambled. A lot of us betthat at least one of the teams from Michigan would go a little further than they did.Both teams got eliminated in the first round.
We put a lot of faith in our sports teams and we feel bad when they lose. We also telleverybody that "It's a rebuilding year, and next year will be better". That "faith" in oursport teams is like the faith we should have in God. We have all had bad days whensomething did not go as planned, someone we love was hurting, and life in generalwas not going our way. We need to take a step back and look at all the good in ourlives and all that God has provided to us, so we can have all this good. We need to"rebuild, so next year will be better".
Rebuilding our lives when things go wrong is how God wants us to be. Don't sitaround and think doom and gloom. Find out what went wrong, fix it, and move on.On things out of our control (Ex. the weather. 65 degrees one day and 4 inches ofsnow the next), we need to understand that we can live with it and most of the time itwill work itself out. Having the faith that God is always looking over us, is how weshould live our lives.Take time to do good things, think good thoughts, help others and pray once inawhile. We all know people that need help. We can take that faith and help themwhen they are feeling low and tell them that God is also looking over them and that"It's a rebuilding year, and next year will be better."
Thanks for your time and Go Michigan! (next year.......)
John
Please join us for aTHANKOFFERING SALAD POTLUCK
Tuesday, May 17 @ 11:30Come and enjoy a potluck luncheon and get to know some of
your fellow St. John members better. We will also answer anyquestions you have about the Thankoffering. Please sign up inthe Narthex.
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April 10– The Theme: Easter
Youth and kids, from 3 years old through 8th grade, and their parents, are invited to join usfor another fun time of faith formation! We meet between services, from 10:15 to 10:55. Thismonth we will be talking about what Easter is, and what Jesus’s resurrection means for us.We’ll talk about Jesus’s talk with Peter, about forgiveness and “feeding sheep”!There will be fun activities, good discussions among families, a “give-away,” and a “take-
away” to keep families engaged in praying, talking, and forming faith together.(refreshments provided in the MPR for S2 participants.) Families that did the take-away project of creating a works of mercy tree are invited to bring them in fordisplay at the next Second Sunday!Parents: please remember, we count on your participation along with that of your chil-
dren, so that your entire family can be blessed by S2. Thank you!
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How do We Communicate? Let Us Count the Ways.
One of the things we learned in our recent “Listening” process is that there is a great desire on the part ofSt. John members for MORE COMMUNICATION!Here are all the ways we communicate with you now:1. Announcements at the beginning of Worship - Back by
popular demand! In order to keep these announcements brief,you will only hear date, time and whom to contact for eachevent. More detail is in all the places below.
2. The Sunday Bulletin – Previously known as the “GreenSheet”, it’s now part of your Sunday worship bulletin. It hasthe prayer list, the upcoming week’s schedule on the back andlots of inspiration and information inside.
3. The eNews – this email newsletter goes out each week on Friday morning. If you are on the list forthe eNews you will also receive Taking Faith Home on Sundays and occasional reminders orannouncements. If you are not receiving the eNews, send your name and email address to ElainePearson at [email protected] and she will add you to the list. If you have unsubscribed and wishto resume receiving these emails, contact Elaine and she will tell you how to get back on.
4. The Voice – this monthly newsletter comes to you by snail mail. If you are not receiving The Voice,contact Marie Cook in the church office ([email protected] or 248-474-0584) and make sure shehas the correct address for you.
5. One-Call phone messages – These are recorded messages sent to your home or mobile phone toremind you of upcoming activities. They do not happen on a schedule, but are used as-needed. If youare not receiving these, contact Marie in the church office and make sure she has the correct phonenumber for you.
6. Announcement Slides – On Sunday mornings, there are slides running in the sanctuary before theservice and in the coffee area between services with information about upcoming events.
7. www.stjohn-elca.org - The St. John website has lots of information on St. John, including who’swho and what’s going on. There’s a members only area that you can access by password (23225Gill,with a capital G) which contains a member directory and minutes of Board meetings. (If you see anerror, or can’t find something you want, contact Elaine Pearson at [email protected] .)
8. Stuff in the Narthex – see all those posters in the narthex? They’re there to invite you to dosomething! Before you get your coffee on Sunday, stop by and see what’s going on!
You need to do your part as well! Communication is a two-way street! We keep looking for moreways to convey information, but you also need to look, read and listen! We are listening too, so if youhave any ideas about how we might better communicate with you, please let Elaine Pearson know [email protected] or 248-373-5438. Thank you!
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Listening Phase Report — March 2016THANK YOU to all who took the online church assessment survey (MAP), participated in focusgroups, interviews, and the visioning workshop. Below is a condensed summary of what welearned.The full report can be seen at www.stjohn-elca.org. (pw=23225Gill, go to “Documents”)
Areas of Strength:1. People believe St. John is making a difference!2. People believe in the mission of St. John!3. The majority of the congregation believes that new ideas
are supported.4. St. John has a healthy outward ministry focus (and an
inward focus).5. Faith and the desire to support God’s work in the world are
the primary motives for giving at St. John.6. The overall level of giving has increased at St. John as a
result of the Let it Go, Let it Grow campaign.7. St. John is much more financially stable than it was in
2012; important ministries now are being appropriatelyfunded and mortgage principal payments are being made.
8. Many St. John members are generous with their time and resources in the community.9. The Board is in good order and functioning well.10. The work that’s been done through Vibrant Faith Ministries has been very positive.11. Organizing the Leadership Team around the Core Values is brilliant!
Areas for Growth:1. Transparency in, and clear communication of, decision-making.2. Clarity of congregation’s sense of purpose.3. Willingness to fail when implementing change.4. Growing in our God-given ability to be generous in all aspects of our lives. Also, the motivation
behind the desire to grow is focused on desire to be financially stable rather than on having animpact on people’s lives.
5. Only 35% of the congregation participated in Let it Go, Let it Grow vs. the average 50%.6. There is still room to grow in St. John’s understanding of the biblical principles of stewardship and
generosity.7. The Carver model of governance is a challenging one to administer in a congregational setting.
There is confusion in the congregation regarding who is in charge of each ministry and how theyrelate.
1. Launch a Communications Team to assess communication processes and develop a strategy toimprove.
a. Tell the stories of all the great ministry happening at St. John.b. Communicate decision-making policies and governance structure regularly.c. When significant decisions are being made, communicate the process and progress regularly.d. In all communicating - use the 7/11 rule (messages must be expressed between 7 and 11
times and ways).2. Continue the visioning work around the congregation’s sense of purpose and future.3. Champion the value of trying (and sometimes failing) at new ideas.4. Focus ministry toward having an impact on people lives - inside and outside of the church.5. Develop a comprehensive Stewardship Ministry Plan that consistently lifts up the joy of generosity,
including implementation of a second capital campaign.6. All ministries should be identified under one of the Core Values.7. The point person for each Core Value (Leadership Team) needs to be paid staff.8. Job descriptions for the Leadership Team should focus on oversight and resourcing of ministries.9. The organizational structure of the ministries should be communicated to the congregation.
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News from the BoardAt the March 21, 2016 meeting, the Board created aCommunications Team consisting of the Communications TeamLeader, the Director of Community Outreach, the Office Manager andothers as required. The Communications Team was formed inresponse to recommendations that came from our recent ListeningPhase process. Their mission will be to:
1. Increase coordination of various media.2. Improve forward planning for communications.3. Increase the congregation’s understanding of how St. John
operates.4. Increase the congregation’s familiarity with congregation leaders.5. Increase focus on telling the story of how St. John changes people’s lives.
The Board unanimously selected Elaine Pearson to be the Communications Team Leader. The team isalready on board, and we look forward to seeing some new features in The Voice as a result. We areopen to all ideas that will help us to better communicate with you. To share ideas, please contact Elaineat 248 373-5438 or [email protected]. We look forward to your input. Thanks!
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by Dennis MahleWISDOM & EMPATHY Today, I interviewed my grandmother for part of a researchpaper I'm working on for my Psychology class. When I asked herto define success in her own words, she said, "Success is whenyou look back at your life and the memories make you smile. Today, I asked my mentor - a very successful business man inhis 70s - what his top 3 tips are for success. He smiled and said,
"Read something no one else is reading, think something no one else is thinking, and dosomething no one else is doing.
Today, after my 72 hour shift at the fire station, a woman ran up to me at the grocery store andgave me a hug. When I tensed up, she realized I didn't recognize her. She let go with tears of joyin her eyes and the most sincere smile and said , "On 9-11-2001, you carried me out of the WorldTrade Center.
Today, after I watched my dog get run over by a car, I sat on the side of the road holding him andcrying. And just before he died, he licked the tears off my face.
Today at 7AM, I woke up feeling ill, but decided I needed the money, so I went into work. At 3PMI got laid off. On my drive home I got a flat tire. When I went into the trunk for the spare, it was flattoo. A man in a BMW pulled over, gave me a ride, we chatted, and then he offered me a job.I start tomorrow.
Today, as my father, three brothers, and two sisters stood around my mother's hospital bed, mymother uttered her last coherent words before she died. She simply said, "I feel so loved rightnow. We should have gotten together like this more often."
Today, I kissed my dad on the forehead as he passed away in a small hospital bed. About 5seconds after he passed, I realized it was the first time I had given him a kiss since I was a littleboy.
Today, when I witnessed a 27-year-old breast cancer patient laughing hysterically at her 2-year-old daughter's antics, I suddenly realized that I need to stop complaining about my life and startcelebrating it again.
Today, a boy in a wheelchair saw me desperately struggling on crutches with my broken leg andoffered to carry my backpack and books for me. He helped me all the way across campus to myclass and as he was leaving he said, "I hope you feel better soon."
I was feeling down because the results of a biopsy came back malignant. When I got home,I opened an e-mail that said, "Thinking of you today. If you need me, I'm a phone call away."It was from a high school friend I hadn't seen in 10 years.
Today, I was traveling in Kenya and I met a refugee from Zimbabwe. He said he hadn't eatenanything in over 3 days and looked extremely skinny and unhealthy. Then my friend offered himthe rest of the sandwich he was eating. The first thing the man said was, "We can share it."
This came to me from a relative in Minnesota who received it with many, many email addresses.Cya in the pew
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Bingo Party!Thursday, April 21st
11:00 AMCome and play! A light meal will be service.
RSVP to 248-474-0584 or sign up in the narthex!
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The Story of a Soul: the Autobiography of Ste. Therese of Lisieux is thepersonal story of a Carmelite nun who died of tuberculosis in 1897 at the age of 24.Given to the Library by member Catherine Federspill, this unique work features Ste.Therese’s own essays, poems and letters written over a period of years to variouspeople as compiled by her sister Pauline in 1898. Ste. Therese, “The Little Flower ofJesus,” was compelled to enter religious life at age nine, and formally became a nunat 15. Following the posthumous publication of this book and other works, she wasamong the most prominent Catholics of the twentieth century.
God Honors Bold Prayers and Bold Prayers Honor GodPastor Mark Batterson’s, The Circle Maker: Praying Circles Around Your Big-
gest Dreams and Greatest Fears (Zondervan, 2011) is an exploration of the true leg-end of Honi, a first-century Hebrew sage whose powerful prayer ended a droughtand saved a generation. A gift from Shirlee Korte, this book illustrates how to pray inan entirely new way by creating circles around your family, your problems, yourdreams and and fears, and ultimately around God’s promises.
New at the Charles Fox Library
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St. John members have supported and participat-ed in the Farmington Area CROP Hunger Walksince 1986. This Walk raises funds for ChurchWorld Service and 5 local food pantries – BaldwinCenter, Neighborhood House, Salvation Army,Servant Church of St. Alexander, and Yad Ezra.
CWS is an inter-denominational/international relief organization. In the last 5 years we haveraised $20,233 with the number of walkers ranging from 9 to 43. We have provided a reststop all these years and donated towards the cost of the t-shirts that are given to the Walk-ers. This year’s Walk is scheduled for May 1st. Come Walk with us because THEY walk.
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Sunday, May 1, 2016Two performances: Sunday Brunch at 10:15 a.m. atthe Grosse Pointe War Memorial; and the AfternoonConcert at St. John Lutheran Church at 4:30 p.m.
Internationally acclaimed violinist and conductor An-dres Cardenes returns to Detroit, this time in a chamber music reunion with pianist PaulineMartin. Featured are recently recorded gems by his colleagues, André Previn and Alan Fletch-er, with sonatas by Schubert and Franck.website link:
Free tickets are available for St John church members - please call CSD to reserve tickets at(586) 944-5353.
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Saturday, April 309:30 am – 12:00 noon
In recent months, more than a few new friends have begun worshipping regu-larly with us. If you are among them, we would like to invite you to attend thisNew Members Class, where you will have an opportunity to find out moreabout St. John and the Lutheran tradition. You will have an opportunity tomeet other new faces, as well as some who have been around longer, to askquestions, share experiences of your faith journey that has brought you to St.John, and eat bagels and drink coffee. Children are welcome too.
New members will be received on Sunday, May 8, at the 11:00 am service.However, you are invited and encouraged to attend the New Members Class,even if you do not wish to commit to membership at this time.
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WHO DOES IT TAKE TO PUT ON A FUNERAL LUNCHEON?
It takes people who are willing to:
Plan the seating arrangement Bring tables and chairs from all over the church and set them up Plan the meal Shop for the meal Prepare food at church Donate food Donate money for the purchase of food Set the tables with tablecloths, napkins, knifes, forks and spoons Buy and arrange flowers in vases and put on the tables Make cold drinks and coffee and put on the beverage tables Arrange food on serving plates and place on tables Direct people to serving tables and dining tables Replenish food and beverages as needed Worry that you won’t have enough food to feed everyone Clear dining tables and serving tables Remove table clothes and take them home to launder Wash dishes and put them away Package up left over food Clean kitchen and put away anything used in serving the luncheon Vacuum all areas used Empty all wastebaskets and take bags to the dumpster Service all bathrooms both before and after the event Take down tables, fold up chairs and return them to where they were originally
On March 9, the Women of St. John served approximately 100 people ata luncheon following the funeral of Pastor Charles Fox. We thank all themany men and women who so willingly helped with the tasks listedabove. Special thanks go out to the Set-Up Crew who came at 8 pm onTuesday night and put up 22 tables, 168 chairs, and put on all the ta-blecloths, napkins and silverware. Thank you also to JoAnn Adams for
the beautiful flower arrangements and to Elaine Pearson for taking home all the table-cloths to launder. Pastor Fox was loved and respected by so many of us, and we werepleased to do this one last thing for him.
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4/1 Doni Cavicchioli
4/2 Michael James
Jean Boujoulian
Cheryl Craig
Nicole Berling
4/3 Ruth Ann Atkinson
4/6 Abby Budgery
4/7 Bill Davis
4/8 Chris Starr
4/18 Brad Craig
4/19 Gary Eskelinen
4/21 Doralyn Penning
Tucker Penning
4/22 Ryan Savanyu
Stephen Pien
Madeline Schultz
4/24 Carleen Vaupel
Crystal Taylor
Dianne Brundage
4/25 Patty Oates
4/26 Sonja Stenson
Gary Monico
4/27 Eugene Kohli
Shirlee Korte
Tuyet Nguyen
4/29 Makaela Sailus
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4/8 Brenda Shelton
4/9 Troy Nelson
4/10 Emily Moilanen
Matthew Christopherson
4/10 Richelle Schultz
4/11 Marguerite Schoen
Kristen Black
Lori Savanyu
4/12 Howard Skovlund
4/13 Noreen Rudorffer
4/15 Michael Attard
Callie Pien
4/16 Melanie Rowe
Alan Trimner
Nicole Gordon
Chris Janik
4/18 Betty Kohli
Hello, Pastor Lauren,
We would like to thank the congregation for our dad's memorial service. If youcould put this note in the Voice and the Sunday bulletin, we would very muchappreciate it. Also, we would like to get together with the appropriate people todiscuss the Memorial Gift that my dad wanted to give to St. John. Thank you forsending us the policy regarding gift giving. We have read it over and discussed itwith our financial people. Let us know when we can meet. Thank you, Bethany
From Barbara Fox and her family to St. John Congregation:Thank you for preparing such a wonderful celebration to honor the life of our beloved husband andfather, Charles Fox. St. John was such an important part of his life and ours. We wish to expressour sincere gratitude to all of you who have supported us during this time and throughout the years.
If you have a birthday in this month and your name was omitted please check with the church office to makesure that your information is correct and up to date in the records. Happy Birthday.
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Prayer ConcernsMembers:Bev Riegal; Mary Bosanko; Carol Sterling, Pru-dence Hogrefe; Selma Ballach; SandraBorsvold; Brent Canup, Shirley Dabich; MarthaErickson; Eunice Gould; Jim Grudt; Jordis John-sen; Tammy Kilpatrick; Evelyn Kivi; BeverlyKirsh; Dagmar Malstrom; Milda Mattila; LillianNiemi; Jodi Oulette; Dori Penning; Noreen Ru-dorffer; Gladys Saari; Joan Simonson; DorothySpeer; John Stenson; Lucie Stricker; Marion
Suckow; Howard Skovlund; Diana Ternes; Betty Waber; Jessica Ward;Elve Wiggins; and Ellen Zatolokin.
Adam Craig; (The Craig Family); Ben Klimczak(Brundage); Cody Hedger, (The Hedger/KorrFamilu); Matt Ferris (Hogrefe); Jim Peaugh ~USNChaplin; Jacob Stanton (Stanton); Staff Sgt. Mi-chael J. Kalabsa (Kilpatrick); Seaman Paul Ludlam(Kilpatrick); Jacob Smith (Kelly); McCoy Sloan,(Kirsh-Carr), Brandon Blake (Kirsh-Carr), EvanWhitbeck, Todd Truan (Bosanko).
Please send prayer list updates to the church office at [email protected].
Please take a close look at the list, and inform the Church Office if there are any changes.Many Thanks to Pat Gransee and Marlou Grudt for sending out cards to the people on our prayerconcerns list. If you have someone on the list to whom you would like a card sent, contact the office.Thank you!
Friends, and Family: Paul Gateman (Pastor Zion Ferndale); RichardKahlenbeck (Allen); Bud Pearson (Pearson), Paul Smith (Varns) KatieCarvenale (Shelton); Tom Healey (Blaker): Ken Laatsch, (Blazaitis); Tay-lor Janssen (Craig); Jody Curtiss (Diener); Dara Sperstad, (Grudt); Den-nis Hagen, Ruth Weber, (Hagen); Genie Mayes (Hill): Kathy Best(Johnsen): Lauren Burt, (Johnston); Heather Kilpatrick, Lexi Meyer(Kilpatrick): [Carole Doll, (Kirsh-Carr)]: Don Korte, The Korte/LutherFamilies; (Korte); Dick Smith, (Locke); Julia Heath (McDowell): Judy Mil-ler (Oates): Betty Rinehart (Rinehart); Kathy Alferink , (Sailus); SusieSmith (Sellers); [Mike Gibbs, Amanda Shelton, (Shelton); Fred Efros,(Varns); Anita Zimmerman, Brandon Wellbaum.
The Staff at St. John is here to serve you. If you have questions or concerns,please give us a call; we will be happy to talk to you.
STAFFTroy Nelson ~ Director of Music and Worship
Marie Cook ~ Office Manager
Larry Urevig ~ Resource Coordinator
Stella Weller ~ Dir. of Community Outreach
Christian Matjias-Mecca ~ Organist/Pianist
JoAnn Adams ~ Handbell Choir
Marge Sellers ~ Ministry Associate
Ashleigh Altemann ~ Dir. of Youth andFamily Ministry
In This Issue:
Alleluia! Christ isRisen Listening Phase
Report Getting to know: The Board Stella Weller Ministry Spotlight Funeral Luncheons Oakland Rebuild News from the Board It’s CROP Walk time! Listening Report New member class
