St John's Lutheran Church
Like us on Facebook!
  • Home
  • Calendar
  • News
  • St. John's Youth
  • Worship
  • Contact
  • About Us
    • Ministries
    • Vision Statement
    • Staff

St. John's Lutheran Church

607 10th Avenue
Mendota, IL 61342
(815) 539-5626



Worship - 9am Sunday (in person or online)

Worship

News of St. John's

New Year and New Beginnings

As this will be the last article I write as your Senior Pastor, let me first lovingly share what an honor it has been.  This is a different type of departure for me, as I am not heading to a new congregation.  As most of you know, I am moving into a new phase of life as I strive to spend more time with my family. 

Yvonne and I will always cherish our time here with you, and we thank God for each of you.  As I have shared in the past, St. John’s is a special place and it is made special because of the people who make up this church and care for her mission.  Our life together at St. John’s has been full, even in the time of Covid separations.  We seemed to find a way to be together and that speaks volumes about who we are as a community.

I will be serving in some capacity somewhere in the future.  I just do not know where yet.  I only know it will not be full time.  Karen Goy shared a comment with me this past month.  She said: “Don’t think God is done using you yet, Pastor Ken.”  Those were words I needed to hear at that moment, and they will be with me as I venture into the time ahead.

Allow me to close with a note that I found as I was cleaning out my things and preparing for the move ahead.  It was written by my dear Lauren, and I am guessing that she was about 10 years old when she penned it.  Her words brought tears of sadness and joy when I found it, and I present it here just as she wrote it, spelling and grammatical errors included.

“Now children, can you tell me your favirot Color?” said the teacher. Why don’t we start with Tommy… GREEN screamed Tommy. Blue said Nancy. Yellow said John. Red said Mickal. And so on. Unlike these children, God has no favirots. He loves all children, God Loves all colors, Blue, Red, Green, Yello. He loves all children from you to a starving child left alone in a terrible war. God loves all people, God loves all numbers. God loves all animals. He loves all things from a dying tree to a seedling tree. God has no favirots. He is there for a dying person as well as a suffering animal. The most important thing you need to know in life is Jesus loves you. The best song is not one from the Backstreet Boys or the Spice Girls or Hanson. It is by a very young composer who wanted to make a point. I think he did.”

“Jesus loves me, yes, I know for the bible tells me so….”

                                      Lauren Gibson
 
Yes, Lauren, and, yes, saints of St. John’s, God does love you and so  do I.
                                                                                         ~PK
Picture
We hope you will join us following worship on Sunday, January 15th for a reception honoring Pastor Ken and Yvonne and thanking them for their time serving alongside our St. John’s family.
 
Cake, coffee and punch will be served.  There will be a basket available for a Card Shower for PK and Yvonne.  Any financial gifts can be made to either Lunches for Learning or Sky Ranch.
 
Sunday School classes for kindergarten through 6th grade will meet until 10:30am.  Students will then be dismissed to join their family at the reception.  Confirmation and High School classes will not meet.

Upcoming Office Closures
and Information

The church office will be CLOSED on Monday, December 26th in observance of the Christmas Holiday.  The office will also close at 12:30pm on December 27th, 28th and 29th.

The church office will be CLOSED on Monday, January 2nd in observance of the New Year Holiday.

When the snow and ice arrive this winter, please remember that the standard rule for canceling worship services and meetings is for you to stay safe!  If either ice or snow would endanger your drive or entrance to the church, please stay home!  Let safety be your guide.

Join us for worship on YouTube!

Click Here for St. John's YouTube Page
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!
Donate Now

A Message from our Council President

Dear St. John’s, 

We are eternally thankful for the time Pr. Ken and Yvonne have spent with us, and we will celebrate our shared ministry on his last day on January 15, 2023. As we begin to walk through the transition of Pr. Ken embarking on a new journey, there are a few points of information I’d like to share.

-Moving forward, we will honor Pr. Ken’s departure allowing time to adjust to new relationships, holding each other in care and compassion. 

-Vicar Anthony will become our interim minister, appointed by the Northern Illinois Synod and approved by the Council. He has been given permission to preside over Baptisms and Communion, and will take over other pastoral acts. 

-Please contact Vicar Anthony or the Church office if you are in need of pastoral care or anything else. 

More information will be shared as it becomes available as we move forward. 

                                     ~In Christ, Ken Ladenburger, Council President

Help Yourself...

Picture
Our 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.

The quilting group will meet on Tuesday, January 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!

Pastoral Care

Picture
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 Vicar Anthony Windau. Remember that because of privacy laws, the hospitals do not contact us when you or a family member are admitted. 

Church Office Hours

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

The church office is CLOSED on Fridays and this is also Vicar Anthony’s day off. In case of an emergency, you can reach Vicar Anthony at
(414) 364-9504.

JOIN US FOR WORSHIP!
In-person worship takes place in the Sanctuary each Sunday at 9am.
Worship is also live-streamed on our YouTube channel.
Sunday School classes for Kindergarten through High School students meet on Sunday mornings at 10am.

Copyright © 2023