Pastoral Acts
Baptisms
This information will help you plan a baptism at St. John’s.
Weddings
Plan your wedding with us at St. John’s and begin a new chapter together.
Funerals
To assist with the details and preparations for funeral services.
Baptisms
This information will help you plan a baptism at St. John’s Lutheran Church.
Please feel free to contact us if you have
any questions or concerns by calling the church office at 563-564-3006 or by
email
stjohnsoffice@alpinecom.net.
We are eager to be of help as you
plan for this important event.
Why
should I have my baby baptized?
When we baptize, we fulfill Jesus’ command, “Go therefore... baptizing them in
the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” In response to this
command, we baptize.
As Christians, we believe that there are two beginnings in life. The
first beginning is the miracle of birth. Life is a gift from God and though we
claim to understand its process, it is nevertheless, a great miracle.
The second beginning is Holy Baptism. Listen to this opening address in the
service of Holy Baptism:
“In baptism our gracious heavenly Father frees us from sin and death by joining
us to the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are born children
of a fallen humanity; by water and the Holy Spirit we are reborn children of
God, and made members of the church, the body of Christ. Living with Christ in
the communion of the saints, we grow in faith, love, and obedience to the will
of God.” (ELW, page 227)
In birth, we join a fallen and needy human family. In baptism we are brought by
God into His family, there to be loved, cared for and nourished by God. Through
Water and the Word of God (coupled together in Baptism), God makes our new life
a reality.
What are my responsibilities as a parent?
Baptism is the beginning of a lifelong experience of God’s loving care for his
people. Baptism has a follow through to it called “nurture”. Living with God and
his people, “we grow in faith, love and obedience to the will of God.”
As parents, you are cautioned that your responsibility does not stop when your
child is baptized. On the contrary, God has great plans for parents! You are
thereafter partners with God in an educational and guardianship enterprise. Your
child belongs to Christ and you are to watch over your son or daughter on God’s
behalf.
Your
responsibilities are clarified in the service:
“As you bring your children to receive the gift of baptism, you are
entrusted with responsibilities:
It is a staggering responsibility. But God does not ask us to
do anything beyond our ability or without his help. You are not alone on this
journey of faith, as a congregation we are prepared to
be there to support you as parents and your children as they grow in faith.
When do I begin preparing for my child’s baptism?
You can begin preparing as early as the pregnancy by attending a “baptismal
orientation” meeting. Together with other parents you will learn about the
Sacrament of Baptism, the selection of sponsors, procedures for baptisms at St.
John’s, and ask any questions you may have. Baptismal orientations occur
throughout the year, determined by the schedules of the parents and the pastors.
How do I schedule a baptism?
Baptisms can be scheduled to take place at either our Saturday evening or Sunday
morning worship services. Call the church office (563-252-2355) or email
St. John's at
stjohnsoffice@alpinecom.net.
Our secretary will ask you for the
information as printed on the baptism information form and help you set a date
and time for the baptism. She will also try to answer any questions you might
have.
Baptism
Information Form
click here.
Who should we choose as sponsors?
There was a time when sponsors were chosen with the understanding that they
would care for the child in the event the parents would die. This is no longer
the case. The major responsibility of a sponsor today is to assist the parents
in providing a model of faith and a Christian community as an aid to the child’s
growth and development. Sponsors should be chosen with care and thoughtfulness.
They need not be Lutherans, but they should be active and committed members of a
Christian church and have the spiritual welfare of your child at heart.
What is
the procedure on the day of baptism?
Seating
will be reserved for you, your family and friends in the front of the church.
During the singing of the hymn of the day, parents and sponsors will be invited
by an usher to come and stand around the baptismal font facing the congregation.
The pastor will ask you to bring forward copies of the “Evangelical Lutheran
Worship” and turn to page 227 to follow during the baptism. Parents and
sponsors will be asked to present the child for baptism with the words, “I/We
present __________ for baptism.”
You will receive a white towel with a baptismal symbol embroidered on it as a
gift.
A representative of the congregation or the pastor will present you with a
baptismal candle on behalf of the congregation. The candle becomes the symbol of
hope for the Christian and is to be used at each anniversary of the baptism.
Follow-Up after the Baptism
During every worship service, we lift up in prayer those who are celebrating the
anniversary of their baptism into Christ throughout the week. We encourage you
to use the candle you were given at the time of their baptism and a short
service called “The Anniversary of Baptism” to remember the baptismal day each
year.
St. John’s Lutheran Church offers a comprehensive program of Christian education
as your child grows older. This will include several years of Sunday School and
two years of confirmation instruction leading to the day of Confirmation, where
they will affirm their baptismal covenant.
Weddings
Congratulations!
We celebrate with you as you plan your wedding with us at St. John’s and
begin a new chapter in your life together!
You are, “by your promises” planning “to bind yourselves
together” in the “presence of God” and “the congregation” “as husband and wife.”
This is a wonderful experience that you are planning for your family and
friends, but most importantly, God. He is pleased when you make it a service of
worship dedicated to His glory.
God instituted marriage because He saw marriage as a way of bringing two people
together to share their journey to fulfillment. You are, and will remain,
individuals. However, with your unique gifts, you can soon learn to respect each
other as creations of a loving, gift-giving God. Such respect assists you to
complement each other, while, at the same time, growing to be what God planned
for you as individuals. Christian marriage, as a
way of glorifying God by developing your uniqueness, requires the presence of
Christ. How wonderful marriage is when “two or three are gathered in His name”
to experience Christ’s loving presence day after day.
You are to be commended for planning to have your wedding in
a church. What a wonderful witness! It is like a confession of faith. It is in
the church that Christians live out much of their lives. Confession,
forgiveness, prayer, hearing of the Word, offering of our gifts, serving–all
take place among the people of God. You have chosen to begin your married life
in that setting. Thank you!
The following links are provided to assist
your wedding preparations:
St. John’s Wedding Guidelines
Prepare & Enrich: Pre-Marital Counseling
State of Iowa Marriage License Instructions
Funerals
Contact
the church office at 563-252-2355, to inform our pastoral staff of your loss.
If after hours, a recorded message will inform you how to
reach the pastor. A pastor will contact you immediately and will meet
with you, your family and the Funeral Director to assist with details and
preparations for the funeral service.
Funeral
arrangements typically take two or three days.
Our local funeral home is
Tuecke-Allyn Funeral Home & Cremation Services. They have facilities at
at 207 South 1st Street in Guttenberg, IA and 001 South Industrial Park Road
in Garnavillo, IA. Their website
http://www.tueckeallyn.com/ has a lot of information about funeral choices and
preparation. They can also be reached by phone at 563-252-1842
(Guttenberg) and 563-964-2201 (Garnavillo).
These links may be useful - the
Tuecke-Allyn website Links page also has a number of federal and state
agencies as well as links to support groups and discussion pages.
Guttenberg Florists
& Produce Too
308 S. River Park Dr.
Guttenberg, IA 52052
563-252-1558
Fresh Cuts Boutique
514 S River Pr Dr
Guttenberg, IA 52052
563-252-3720
1-866-589-5247
Village Green
502 South Highway 52
Guttenberg, IA 52052
563-252-3050
Lodging
Guttenberg Motel
927 South Highway 52
Guttenberg, IA 52052
563-252-1433
Hartmann Bed & Bath
314 South 1st St
Guttenberg, IA 52052
563-252-1191
North Overlook Lodge
Highway 52 North
Guttenberg, IA 52052
563-252-1456
The Landing
703 South River Park Drive
Guttenberg, IA 52052
563-252-1615
Newspapers
The Guttenberg
Press
10 Schiller St, P.O. Box 937
Guttenberg, IA 52052
563-252-2421
The Telegraph Herald
801 Bluff Street,
P.O. Box 688
Dubuque, IA 52004-0688
563-588-5611
800-553-4801
The Cedar Rapids
Gazette
Gazette Communications
500 Third Avenue SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
(319) 398-8333 or (800) 397-8333
