~ Important News! ~
For reasons unknown to us, our original Facebook page has been "unpublished" by Facebook, and we are unable to post anything to it. 

We have created a new Facebook page (St. John's Lutheran Church, Mendota, IL) and invite you to follow us there.

We are also sharing our worship services on our YouTube channel.
Go to www.YouTube.com and search for "STJ LUTHERAN MENDOTA".

Summer Re-Creation

Well, here we are with May now upon us.  Memorial Day, which comes at the end of this month, is traditionally the start of the summer for all of us in the Midwest.  And with that event, we are thrust into all of the activities that eat up our summer daylight time.  Summer often goes by so quickly that it feels as fast as a pit crew changing tires at the Indy 500.  It is over in 8.2 seconds and we are left trying to figure out:  “Just how did all that happen so quickly?”  

I have a couple of suggestions to help keep the summer from getting over too fast.

 #1 - Take time to worship.  Far too often we end up placing other events ahead of our worship time, our time with God and with our church family.  When we do that, we find ourselves feeling flat, flustered, frustrated, and fatigued.  Summer is about recreation.  I get that.  We have been penned up all winter and most of the spring and we want to be outside doing things.  Well, look above at how the word “recreation” is broken down.  Recreation is about re-creating and all of that comes from God. 

I recall years ago how I heard a member telling a coach: “God before baseball” and I thought to myself – “WOW!  How cool is that?”  If you are like me, a Cubs Fan, we do call on God’s divine intervention all through the season, but it is with the knowledge that God ultimately comes before baseball.

Remember that we have a God who loves us so much that we are given the choice to decide if coming to church – taking one hour a week out of all that we do to worship God and to be with our church family – is worth it.  God loves us so much that we are given the freedom to decide such things.  For in all we do, God is with us and claims us when we work and when we play and yes – when we pray.

My second suggestion to help make sure that summer is not over too fast?   Don’t forget #1. 

Have a great summer!  See you in the pews and in the courtyard.  We have lots of things planned!
                                                                        ~ Pastor Ken

Pastoral Care

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If you find yourself in need of pastoral care or you or a family member are hospitalized, please contact the church office and we will put you in touch with Pastor Ken Gibson.  Remember that because of privacy laws, the hospitals do not contact us when you or a family member are admitted. 

Church Office Hours

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The church office is open Monday through Thursday beginning at 8:30am.

The church office is CLOSED on Fridays and this is also Pastor Ken’s day off. In case of an emergency, you can reach Pastor Ken at (815) 861-9554.

Join us for worship on YouTube!

Simply click on the button above to go to our YouTube page.  Once there, you can watch any of our worship services (just double-check the date).

Online Giving to St. John's
is Now Available!

Thank you for supporting the mission of St. John's!

A New Routine:
Saturday Evening Worship

Routine is an essential part of life.  My two dogs, Daisy and Chick, thrive on routine.  Being rescues, their life before living with me was chaotic and stressful.  Now, their day is structured and set in a routine.  I am well known for being predictable!  They have the same daily wake-up time (they never let me sleep in), breakfast and dinner time, and potty breaks.  They even nap in the same places and know when to jump on the bed for nightly cuddles.  Occasionally, however, a break from routine is essential.  Variety is the spice of life, so they say.

Our lives’ routines were broken when COVID hit, and in the past two years, a new normal has been established.  One of those things was the removal of Saturday evening worship here at St. John’s.  We’ve gotten in the groove of Sunday morning, and while that is good, some miss the opportunity to worship in the Chapel.  That is why, starting Saturday, May 7th, we’re bringing back Saturday evening worship!

This will upset Daisy and Chick, as Saturday evenings get set aside to watch TV and relax, but I think they’ll be okay with this part of their routine changing.  Maybe they can even join us some Saturday!

Saturday evening worship will be my “show,” so to speak.  I will preach and lead worship every Saturday, and Pr. Ken will occasionally drop in to preside over communion.  Still, overall, we are hoping to use this new service as an opportunity for me to learn and grow in my formation as a pastor.  We will mainly stay with the traditional style, laid-back service we know and love.  But occasionally, I would like to try new practices like dinner church, a healing service, Taize, etc.  Reintroducing this service will be an experiment — if it doesn’t take off, that’s okay.

I hope to see you on Saturdays, if not, for sure on Sunday mornings.

                                                             In Peace,
                                                             Vicar Anthony

Help Yourself...

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The Quilting Ladies have replenished the walker bags in the Narthex with lots of new bags. If you know of someone who would enjoy a walker bag, or if you would like one, please feel free to help yourself.

Our quilting group will meet twice in May: Tuesdays, May 10th and May 24th.  You are invited to join them at 9am in the fellowship hall. You do not need to know how to quilt or sew to help create these beautiful quilts. All are welcome to join us for a morning of work and fellowship!