~ Important News! ~
"In-person" worship in the Sanctuary continues!
We also offer online worship each Sunday morning at 9am via Facebook Live.

Summertime!
A Time of Being Together.

Well, here it is, JUNE and the start of summer.  Can you remember last summer?  Maybe not.  It was the summer that left us missing some of the things that are so special and so important to our sense of self.  How many family reunions were put on hold?  How many summertime events that have been part of your usual summer did you postpone?  I know I deeply missed the opportunity to go to camp with young people or to do a mission trip with youth, for such has been a part of my ministry since my internship year in 1992-93.
 
It was in that year that I first attended Sky Ranch in Colorado with a great group of youth from my internship congregation.  Well, this summer these special events are back in place.  We will be taking seven of our Confirmation youth to Lutherdale Bible camp in Elkhorn, WI on June 20-25.  It is a special week and is one that many of our youth have attested helped solidify their faith in so many ways.  In fact, studies show that it is at camp that a great number of our pastors first felt called to ministry.  So then, caution parents, I may be bringing back a future pastor.
 
We will also be taking a group of twelve of our high school youth on a mission trip to Sky Ranch in Colorado on July 9-18.  Our Sky Ranch team will be assisting in the rebuild of that camp which sustained significant fire damage in last year’s Colorado forest fires.
 
So then, two of my favorite summertime happenings are actually going to happen.  Both of these events are going to happen because we planned for them to happen.   This point is critical and really the major point of my message this month.  We began to plan for these events almost immediately after my arrival here on October 1.  We did not know what the status of the pandemic would be and we did not know how many of our youth might be willing to attend either of these events.  But still we planned, and as such, we are prepared to go to these special spiritual events.
 
So then, what are you planning to do this summer?  And what are we planning to do this fall when we start back up many of the ministries that we had put on hold during the pandemic?  Many of our ministry teams are working to get things in place for the fall.  I invite you to read about many of them in this month’s issue of The Eagle.  And I further invite you to PLAN TO BE A PART OF THE PLANNING and then plan to be a part of the ministry as we go forth.  What an exciting time to be involved in our life together here at St. John’s!  Before we know it, we will be reading our August newsletter!  Let us not be caught asking ourselves what shall we do?  But rather, let it be said of us: “Look at all they are doing at St. John’s!”
                                                                                  ~Pastor Ken Gibson

Join Pastor Ken for Daily Devotions

We hope you are joining Pastor Ken for daily devotions, Monday through Thursday mornings at 8am on St. John’s Facebook page.  It’s a nice way to start your day!

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 Pastor Ken Gibson.  Remember that because of privacy laws, the hospitals do not contact us when you or a family member are admitted. 

Help Yourself...

Picture
The Quilting Ladies have replenished the “Walker Bags” in the narthex.  If you know of someone who would enjoy a bag, or if you would like one, please feel free to take one.

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

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

Lunch in the Park -- June 11th

Picture
St. John’s Youth will be providing Lunch in the Park on Friday, June 11th from 11am to 1:30pm.  Our young people will be serving freshly grilled hot dogs, brats, hamburgers, and pork chop sandwiches along with chips, desserts, and drinks.  We hope you’ll mark your calendars and plan to join us for lunch and fellowship… and bring your friends, neighbors, and coworkers!  The monies raised will help with the costs of mission trips and other youth activities.  In case of rain, we will offer drive-thru or carryout lunches at the church fellowship hall.
 
We would welcome any donations of bottled water, iced tea, lemonade or soda; bagged ice; individually bagged assorted chips; and individually wrapped desserts such as bars, cookies, or brownies (homemade or store bought); or monetary donations to offset cost of buns and meat.  Volunteer and donation sign-up sheets are posted in the Narthex and church office.

Cones In The Courtyard!

Picture
I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!!  We hope that you and your family will plan to join us after worship on Sunday, June 13th for "Cones in the Courtyard!"

Join us on Facebook Live
for "Virtual Worship"

Picture
Due to ongoing glitches and difficulties with Zoom, Council has decided to no longer offer worship via Zoom.  Virtual Worship will continue to be available on Facebook Live.  You are able to watch the worship services via Facebook Live even if you don’t have a Facebook account yourself.  Using your web browser, search for St. John’s Lutheran Church Facebook page.  Once you find us, simply scroll past any invitations to create a Facebook page and you’ll see the Facebook Live video.  Also, we will soon resume posting worship services to our YouTube channel and our website.

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 Pastor Ken’s day off.  In case of an emergency, you can reach Pastor Ken at (815) 861-9554.