News

Church News

Church Council Highlights

The following are some highlights from the August 15, 2019 Church Council meeting.

The Call Committee interviewed the latest candidate over Skype, but it did not go any further. The Call Committee would like to meet with Rev. Hansen, and possibly the Bishop, to discuss a plan to find more pastoral candidates.

The Task Force reported that the Kids Against Hunger food pack event will be held on Saturday, October 19th.

Quilt Sunday will be held the weekend of September 21st and 22nd.

Finance Report Year To Date thru July 2019:
Budgeted Income $207,747 Actual Income $215,809
Budgeted Expense $219,081 Actual Expense $171,281
Behind Budget on Regular Offerings by -$10,632

September Scriptures
for Worship

September 1: Twelfth Sunday of Pentecost
Proverbs 25:6-7 A wise warning against self-aggrandizement.
Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16 Christian life is mutual love, hospitality and simplicity.
Luke 14:1, 7-14 “Those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

September 8: Thirteenth Sunday of Pentecost
Deuteronomy 30:15-20 True prosperity means living faithfully before God.
Philemon 1-21 Paul asks Philemon to accept his runaway slave as a brother.
Luke 14:25-33 A disciple must be prepared to forsake everything to follow Christ.

September 15: Fourteenth Sunday of Pentecost
Exodus 32:7-14 The Israelites are shown mercy through the intercession of Moses.
1 Timothy 1:12-17 Paul praises Christ for forgiveness & salvation through his grace.
Luke 15:1-10 Jesus’ parables recount the joy of the lost being found.

September 22: Fifteenth Sunday of Pentecost
Amos 8:4-7 God’s judgment stands against those who exploit the poor.
1 Timothy 2:1-7 God acts in Christ so that all might come to know him.
Luke 16:1-13 Jesus’ parable cautions us against reliance on wealth and property.

September 29: Sixteenth Sunday of Pentecost
Amos 6:1; 4-7 Woe to those who neglect the integrity of God’s people.
1 Timothy 6:6-19 Hold fast to your confession of faith & do not be tempted by wealth.
Luke 16:19-31 Those who do not help the poor put their own souls in jeopardy.

Sidewalk Replacement Project

The sidewalk replacement project is underway and will continue for several more days. We will do our best to keep everyone informed on the status of the project through email and Facebook. If you need to visit the office during the week, it may be best for you to call first so we can let you know the best way to access the building.

Crossroads Counseling Center

We are pleased to be able to provide professional behavioral health counseling services for members of our congregation and for the entire Mendota area through our relationship with Allied Counseling Group of LaSalle.

Thanks to the generosity of St. John’s, the services provided at Crossroads are affordable to everyone. Financial assistance is available for those who qualify.

Appointments can be made by calling the Allied Counseling office at 815-224-4522 and asking for the Mendota site. Ms. Pamela Wolf, LCPC - Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, serves at our Crossroads Center.

75th + Birthday

Sept. 4 Jean Schwingle
Sept. 29 Richard Althaus

Happy Anniversary!

Jan & Judy Schuster
September 1st — 57 years

Gary & Mary Kay Sutton
September 4th — 54 years

Daniel & Kim Truckenbrod
September 12th — 10 years

Reminder: September 24th is Mission Quilt Day. You are invited to join St. John’s quilting group on the fourth Tuesday of each month beginning at 9am. You do not need to know how to quilt or sew in order to help create these beautiful and versatile quilts. If you are unable to attend the work day, you may take a Quilt Top Kit (found in the Information Booth) home with you and return it when you are finished.

Cemetery Plots are available for purchase. Please see Susan in the church office if you would like more information.

Special Items of Interest:

Please contact the church office when you or a family member are hospitalized. Because of privacy laws, the hospital will not contact us.
For the safety of our precious children, and for the security of our members, guests, volunteers, staff, and church property, notice is given that the premises are video-monitored.
Find us on Facebook! Search for "St. John's Lutheran Church" and join our page. It's an easy way to stay up-to-date on the happenings here at church.
Due to a lack of use and a small number of volunteers, we are not offering a staffed nursery during Sunday morning worship at this time. However, parents with infants or small children are welcome to use the Nursery or the Cry Room (near the Women’s restroom in the narthex) during Sunday services. TV monitors are provided in both locations so you may view the service. Please ask an usher for assistance.

Upcoming "Kids Against Hunger"
Food Pack Event

Our Kids Against Hunger food pack event will be held here on Saturday, October 19th. More information and all the details will be shared with everyone very soon, but it’s already possible for you to go online to sign-up! Just type this into your internet browser and follow the directions: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050e4aa5a629a3ff2-kids

2019 Quilt In-Gathering
for Lutheran World Relief

On September 21st and 22nd, we will celebrate our annual Quilt In-Gathering. Over 120 quilts will be displayed on the pews in the Chapel and Sanctuary. The quilts are the handiwork of countless hours of work performed by many dedicated women throughout the year. Their diligent work has resulted in assembling these quilts for Lutheran World Relief (LWR).

In addition, the sewing group has expanded their outreach to include providing quilts and fleece blankets to the PADS homeless shelter in Peru. Quilts and blankets are also given to the Another Child Foundation in Princeton for the Romanian orphans they support. We continue to make walker bags available for the residents at Heritage Health, Mendota Lutheran Home, and Stonecroft.

Your continuing support of our mission work is greatly appreciated. God's Work, Our Hands at St. John's!

St. John's Scholarship Fund Recipients

Scholarships in the amount of $12,000 were awarded to several young church members. Congratulations to:

Peyton Baird (St. Francis University), Katie Beetz (St. Ambrose University), Grace Brandner (IVCC), Lukas Brandner (University of Iowa), Gabrielle Brown (Illinois State University), Natalie Landgraf (Western Illinois University), Gabrielle Peasley (Illinois State University), Abby Phalen (Augustana University), Cameron Schumacher (Bradley University), Gillian Sutton (St. Ambrose University), MiKayla Wilhelm (Southern Illinois Univeristy—Edwardsville), Katherine Wohrley (Northern Illinois University), and Melissa Wohrley (North Central College).

Our college students are also asked to please share an updated college residence address once they get settled in. Addresses can be emailed to the office or sent via text/email to Karen Goy at (815) 228-2391.

Lutheran World Relief School Kits

Can you believe it is almost time for the new school year? School supply lists are ready and the stores have all the supplies on their shelves. This is a reminder that we at St. John's continue to support Lutheran World Relief. In addition to making quilts, we also assemble school kits. A total of 8 items are needed for each kit. LWR is very specific about items that are allowed in the school kits, so please refer to the list shown below. When you are shopping, would you consider purchasing and donating any of these items for our LWR School Kit Project. There is a box marked "School Supplies" in the Fellowship Hall for these items.   Thank you for your continued support of LWR.

              Notebook (spiral 70 pages)               #2 Pencils (unsharpened)
              Ruler                                                    Ink Pens (no gel)
              Pencil Sharpener                                16-24 box of Crayons
              Scissors (blunt)                                  Eraser

Thrivent Financial Members

Please make sure that you have designated St. John’s as the recipient for your Choice Dollars. Also, remember that you are eligible to receive two grants of $250 each year. We have been blessed to be able to use these grants for Vacation Bible School, many youth events and activities, and Outreach activities. If you are interested in applying for a grant to be used for St. John’s ministries, please contact Karen Goy. She would be happy to help write the grant as well as the follow up report. Thank you in advance!