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Church News

Church Council Highlights

The following are some highlights from the March 17, 2022 meeting of our Church Council:

Council will continue to review Covid-19 safety measures and make adjustments to our guidelines as needed.
Council was informed of a change in communion distribution during worship. The congregation will be invited to come forward to receive communion. Those who are not comfortable doing so will be able to pick up a communion kit as they arrive for worship and commune in their pew (as we have been doing).
Council approved resuming fellowship time after worship in the south end of the fellowship hall. Coffee and light refreshments will be available. The sign-up calendar is on the counter in the kitchen.
Council approved offering funeral luncheons again and several teams have been assembled. (If you would like to participate on a funeral luncheon team, please contact the church office.)
The Property Team will prioritize which stained glass windows need the most urgent attention. The repair company will then return to give us a revised estimate based on the priority list.
The final day of Sunday School will be May 22nd.
The next All Teams Meeting is set for Thursday, May 5th at 7pm. The next Council meeting will take place on Thursday, May 19th at 6:30pm.

Finance Report Year To Date thru March 2022:
Budgeted Income $90,394 Actual Income $91,359
Budgeted Expense $94,187 Actual Expense $98,729

We are grateful for your continued financial support, through your offerings in person, through the mail, and through automatic giving. We are blessed to have such a faithful St. John’s family.

Updated Covid-19 Guidelines

The Council has approved the following updated building usage guidelines as Covid-19 restrictions have changed. They will continue to review the guidelines each month when Council meets. The following updates will be effective Sunday, March 6th.

Per local health mandates, wearing a face mask is at your discretion.

We ask everyone to maintain 6 feet of social distancing.
Hand sanitizer is available at the entry.
We will use individual, disposable communion only.
Offering baskets are on the table as you enter. We do offer automatic giving.
Media screens will be used.
There will be no nursery provided.
We will keep the length of the service to 40-45 minutes or less.
We will not have food service/coffee fellowship at this time.
There will be Council Approved activities in the building at this time.
The Sanctuary will be cleaned/sanitized and we will wipe down all arm rests, pews, door knobs etc.

If you have any concerns or health issues, are high risk or have been sick or around someone who has tested positive for Covid-19, we strongly recommend you remain at home and watch on YouTube (STJ LUTHERAN MENDOTA).

Last Day of Sunday School

The last day of Sunday School will be May 22nd. We will celebrate with a variety of games, crafts, and snacks in the courtyard. (We will move everything into the fellowship hall if the weather doesn’t cooperate.) Our Confirmation and High School students will be invited to help with activities.

Virtual Worship Information

As you may know, Facebook recently “unpublished” our page, and made it impossible for us to share live worship with you. We have started a new Facebook page “St. John’s Lutheran Church, Mendota, IL” and ask you to join that new page. For the time being, we are sharing worship via our YouTube channel. Simply go to www.youtube.com and search for STJ LUTHERAN MENDOTA. You do not need to subscribe to YouTube or our channel in order to watch the worship services.

Of course, we invite everyone to join us in person for worship Sunday mornings at 9am.

75th + Birthday

May 2     Barb Anderson
May 5     Dotti Scholz
May 7     Ken Betz
May 9     Ruth Delhotal
May 31   Janice Vegetabile

Happy 50+ and
Milestone Anniversary Wishes!

John & Kris Baird
May 3rd — 25 years

Bill & Denise Garthe
May 15th — 40 years

Jon & Joyce Dinges
May 29th — 63 years

Updated Addresses for
our Military Members

Gabrielle Brown has deployed to Kuwait. Mail can be sent to:
SPC Gabrielle Brown
149th MCB
Apo, AE 09366

Kianne (Brown) Jones is stationed in Washington. Mail can be sent to:
Kianne (Brown) Jones
921 115th Street
Apt. 0203 CTE
Tacoma, WA 98445

Haleigh Wendel is stationed in Hawaii. Mail can be sent to:
Haleigh E. Wendel
1175 Oklahoma Dr.
Unit #46
JBPHH, HI 96860

Special Items of Interest:

If you want Pastor Ken to know when you or a family member are hospitalized, please contact the church office. 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.

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

Quilting News!

We are happy to announce that Council has approved the resumption of Mission Quilt Days. The group will meet twice a month on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays at 9am (except for the month of December).

The Quilting Ladies have replenished the walker bag basket 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. They have also been able to assemble some Quilt Top Kits. If you would like to sew at home, the Kits are now available at the Information Booth and the Church office.

If you have cotton fabric or sheets that need a new home, we would be more than happy to be that new home! You can drop them off in the church office during regular hours.

Thank you for your continuing support of our projects for Lutheran World Relief.

St. John's Prayer Chain Ministry

The prayer chain has been very active these last several months and we are grateful for all of you who participate and offer your prayer support to those going through difficult times. If anyone else would like to join the prayer chain, please contact the church office. The prayer chain is conducted primarily through group text messages with a few members receiving information by a phone call.

The Christ In Our Home daily devotional booklets for April, May, and June are available in the narthex and the church office.

Small Group Options for Adults
on Sunday Mornings

We are very excited that our "Soul Sisters" group has resumed meeting during the Sunday School hour! All women of St. John’s are invited to at-tend! Join us for laughs, tears, and everything in between as we reconnect with each other and our love for Christ. "But, I've never been part of a women's bible study group." Just come. "Am I too old for the group?" Just come. See you after the 9am service in the Luther Lounge just off of the Fellowship Hall! (Please wear a mask.)

The Wired Word group will meet around the tables in the north Fellowship Hall following worship on Sunday mornings. This group for both men and women is led by Mitch Mays and effectively applies the Bible to stories taken from the head-lines of the day. We hope you will plan to join us!