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Community Vacation Bible School 2005
St. John's and St. Paul will carry on with a two point parish
It is with great sadness that we
report that on November 7, 2004 the Immanuel congregation at Elkport voted to disband
their congregation, due to the consequences of the flood of May 23. There are many details
yet to be ironed out in regard to the closure.
On November 14 the congregations of St. John's and St. Paul of Guttenberg voted to form a
two-congregation parish for 90 days, or until the end of January, 2005, at which time Hope
will stand alone. We wish all the best for Hope Lutheran and appreciate the many good
things that came from our joining.
Community
Vacation Bible School - June 7-11, 2004
During June 7-11, 2004 we
assisted in presenting Guttenberg's ecumenical vacation bible school was . Six local
churches worked together in the planning of this event. The year's Hawaiian Island
based theme was Lava Lava Island - Where Jesus' Love Flows. Participating
churches included: Hope, Immanuel, St. Paul and St. John's Lutheran, St. Mary
Catholic and United Methodist.
Points of contact:
- Hope: Luann Hunt 563-928-6855 or huntnpulln@earthlink.net
Immanuel: Joyce Horstman 563-245-1697 or fnjhorst@alpinecom.net
St. Paul: Kay Becker 563-252-3292 no email
St. John's: Nancy McClellan 563-252-3442 or nancyjo@alpinecom.net
St. Mary: Darcy Cline 563-252-2231 or socline@alpinecom.net
United Methodist: Luann Bolsinger 563-252-1541 no email
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Community Vacation Bible School - June 2-6, 2003
During June 2-6, 2003 a
ecumenical vacation bible school was conducted. Six local churches planned and
conducted the event which was attended by 122 children from around the community.
Participating churches included: Hope, Immanuel, St. Paul and St. John's Lutheran,
St. Mary Catholic and United Methodist. Class photos and others taken during the
week are shown below. Click on an image to see extra large view.
St. John's 150th
Anniversary Celebration - August 15, 2004
Monthly celebration events:
January: Pastor Lechner (past clergy) eloquently spoke about St. John's
- the history, the community and his time here.
February: In conjunction with Valentine's Day, we invited all married
couples to renew their vows during the 10:15 a.m.
Sunday morning service. Cake and coffee were served
during an after service fellowship
April: Confirmation alums invited to reaffirm their confirmations
May: All teachers, past and present invited to stand and be
recognized for their service to the
youth of the church and community.
June: A Saturday evening Vacation Bible School event
July: Baptised members invited to renew their baptisms
August: 150th Anniversary Celebration Service and Meal
September: Sunday School Event
October: Octoberfest Event
November: Mission Offering Event
December: Old Fashioned Christmas Program Event
Book of "Memories of St. John's:
1) Funny Stories
2) Outstanding
memories of events 
3) Interesting tidbits
of information
4) A MEMORY OF SOMEONE
who made a big impression on you
5) MEMORIES OF
LEARNING
6) MEMORIES OF
ACTIVITIES you were involved in
7) A STORY YOUR FOLKS
kept repeating about St. John's
8) MEMORIES INVOLVED
IN THE REMOVAL of the old church and the building of the new church
Area Parish - A New Idea and How St. John's Benefits
One of the
challenges of the church today is to provide ministerial services for the congregations
that are vacant. We also have several congregations that are in a position where
their Pastor is under-employed. and others are struggling with the opposite
effect, over-employed. As a brother and sister of the faith, we are part of
a family that is responsible for one another whenever that is possible.
Paul established a church in
Thessalonica and had to leave because of the accusations of his enemies, the Jews. Paul
was anxious about the congregation there that was without leadership, therefore he sent
Timothy to strengthen and encourage the congregation. One of his comments to
Timothy was "Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you
are doing. " (I Thess. 5:11)
We have that opportunity to
assist a congregation that is in need of Pastoral Leadership. We
also stand in need of Pastoral Assistance. Therefore the St. John's
Parish Planning Council, in agreement with St. Paul's, Immanuel, and Hope, have all
voted to enter into an "experimental ministry" until the end of the
year. At that time, we will know what that co-operation would look like if we choose
to continue it for the long run. We will have more information on how we can assist
one another in the future.
What changes may you see and
benefit from?
1. St. John's will continue
worship at both 10:00 a.m. Sunday and 5:30 p.m. Saturday. However, if you want to
attend an earlier service on Sunday, you will be able to attend the worship at St. Paul's
which will be at 8:45 a.m.
2. You can drop your Offering
envelope in at either congregation and it will be delivered to the congregation that you
are a member of. Likewise, the members of St. Paul's will be able to attend
any of the services at St. John's and their Offering envelopes will be returned to St.
Paul's.
3. Pastor Tom Martin and Pastor
Harold will be exchanging pulpits once a month beginning in July 2000. This
is a unique opportunity to experience and hear the ministries of another Pastor.
4. The exciting thing is that we
will have the assistance of Pastor Martin at St. John's. We feel confident that he will be
involved in more ministry at St. John's as we journey through these next few months.
5. As a way of enabling our
communities to care for one another, we will be including our sick and hospitalized in our
bulletins and prayers from each congregation. We will also try to keep each congregation
growing in their caring for one another through other appropriate means as they develop.
If you have questions about
the Area Ministry Project contact Nancy McClellan at nancyjo@alpinecom.net, Andy Smith at mjsmith@alpinecom.net, David Bahls at dsbahls@alpinecom.net or Pastor Harold McMillin at
hmcmill@alpinecom.net. For more
information on the Area Parish, click the Clayton Valley Parish button on our homepage.
The Stephen Series ® - One-to-One Christian
Caregiving Ministry
Stephen Ministry is a ministry
that equips lay persons to provide distinctively Christian one-to-one care to those who
are experiencing all kinds of life needs and circumstances, both in our congregation and
community. Stephen Ministers are committed Christian people who express God's care through
their lives to others; receive 50 hours of initial training in important caring ministry
skills and concepts; are commissioned as Stephen Ministers after completing their initial
training; visit another person regularly and dependably, and offer Christian support and
care; participate in regular support and supervision under the guidance of trained Stephen
Leaders; are committed to preserving the confidential nature of their caring relationship.
Lay caregivers (called Stephen Ministers) provide one-to-one Christian care to the
bereaved, hospitalized, terminally ill, separated, divorced, unemployed, relocated, and
others facing a crisis or life challenge. Stephen Ministry helps pastors enhance caring
ministry by ensuring that quality follow-up care is available for as long as it is needed.
If you or someone you know would benefit from Stephen Ministry contact Pastor
Harold McMillin at hmcmill@alpinecom.net.
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