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For reasons unknown to us, our original Facebook page has been "unpublished" by Facebook, and we are unable to post anything to it.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

August Already!

I am not sure about all of you, but it seems to me August has shown up very quickly.  The summertime is fading oh so fast and our list of fall activities is right ahead of us at St. John’s.  I will share a number of these activities with you in this article, so let’s begin.
 
SWEET CORN FESTIVAL PARADE — As we all get ready to enjoy this wonderful festival weekend, please note that we will once again have an entry in the parade on Sunday, August 14!  If you would like to ride on the float or walk alongside the float, please contact the Church office and we will get you lined up.  If all goes well, I plan on pulling the float with my antique tractor.  (Prayers ascending)

SHARE THE BOUNTY — This is a NEW offering for us at St. John’s.  Each Sunday, beginning in August and throughout the rest of the growing season, a table will appear in the courtyard with a sign that reads: “SHARE THE BOUNTY.”  We will have some baskets on the table as a place for you to “share the bounty” as you harvest your garden produce, etc.  We invite you to bring the extra bounty from your gardens to the table to share with others.  Have extra cucumbers, tomatoes, or zucchini?  Bring them to the table on Sunday mornings and share the bounty.

LARGEST TOMATO CONTEST —  As you bring in your bounty, an extra added fun part of the bounty table will be a place to register your entry in the “largest tomato” contest.  A scale and a sheet to make your entry will be on the table.  Let’s see who has the greenest thumb among our gardeners.  A prize for the largest tomato will be awarded at the end of the growing season.

WINDOW CAMPAIGN CONTINUES — The repair of our beautiful stained glass windows will start soon.  Please remember that gifts to this effort will continue and you are encouraged to do so.  Please make a note in the memo section of your check for “windows,” and we will make sure it goes toward this effort.

All in all, we have much to look forward to as we head into the late summer/early autumn time of the year.  On top of the opportunities listed here and much more, we will of course have, as our spiritual center, our weekend worship offerings.  We will continue our Saturday evening service at 5pm in the chapel and our Sunday morning service at 9am.  Worship is our center.  It is our time to come together and worship God and give thanks for the gift of His Son.  Make plans to spend one hour a week in the pews with fellow St. John’s disciples.  Worship is the place where we claim our identity and it is from worship that we are compelled into mission!  SEE YOU IN THE PEWS!
                                                                       ~Pastor Ken Gibson

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 or 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

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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 Beginning

Happy August, St. John’s!  The summer is closing fast, so I hope you’ve all had the chance to rest.  With the close of summer comes another ending—my internship.  Although, this ending gives birth to a new beginning.

Yes, on August 28th, my internship officially ends, and all that will be left is for the internship committee to submit their final evaluation and other fun paperwork.  Honestly, the time has flown since I arrived in mid-January.  I had no idea that when I arrived in Mendota, I would come to love and appreciate this community as much as I do.  At first, this was all just a second chance after the failure in Cincinnati.  Yet, through these months, a more profound connection has grown.

A few months ago, you may recall that the Council voted to hire me post-internship! I am beyond grateful.  What does this mean?  On August 28th I will stop being your intern, but on August 29th I will become a staff member.  I’ll continue my work with the high school youth, leading worship, visiting the sick, and so on.  But I will also start my final year of seminary online.  As discussed with Pr. Ken and the Council, I will be a student first and Vicar second.

I am excited about this opportunity to serve a congregation and learn in classes.  Truly it’s the best of both worlds.  Completing the internship year is worthy of celebration, and maybe this is counting my chickens before they hatch, but it is especially worth celebrating when passed with flying colors after such a rough start in Cincinnati.

Thank you, St. John’s, Pr. Ken, and the internship committee for giving me the second chance I needed and being so supportive.  As many people have said, perhaps God’s hands placed me here when I was needed.

I hope you’ll come to worship on Sunday, August 28th, for the end of my internship and the new beginning!
                                                                  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 August: Tuesday, August 9th and Tuesday, August 23rd.  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!