St. John's Youth News
"Growing Together in our Faith as we Serve Others"

Attention current 8th grade through high school students...

Please plan to join us for a brief meeting in the Confirmation room on Sunday, November 3rd immediately following Sunday School.  We will discuss and vote upon our 2020 mission trip destination options.  This meeting is only to determine the destination as well as receive suggestions from you regarding who you might like us to prayerfully ask about serving as chaperones.  Participation in the meeting does not commit you to going on the trip.  We’d love your input as we begin working toward assembling our 2020 Mission Trip Team.

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St. John's Youth to Participate in Volunteer Opportunity/Fundraiser at
Nightengale's Thrift Shop

St. John’s youth and adults will be staffing Nightengale’s Thrift Shop for the day on November 9th from 10am to 4pm.  Jobs may include hauling, organizing, decorating, staging, assisting guests, and running the cash register.  Information will be mailed to all 6th through 12th grade youth and families.  Those youth and adults interested in participating are invited to sign up for 1 to 3 hour shifts depending on their availability.  Once Karen hears from everyone, she will let them know their assignments. Youth (with a completed permission form) may be dropped off and picked up at Nightengale’s.  All proceeds from the day will be doubled and donated back to our youth program.  **Ways for you to support the event include: shopping there on Saturday; sharing our Facebook post about the day with your friends to promote others shopping that day; or donating items earlier in the week and telling the people when you drop off that it is for the St. John’s day on November 9th.  They will track these items, and if they sell that week, the amount will be added to our total.  Feel free to contact Karen at (815) 228-2391 if you have any questions.

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Confirmation Class News

Our confirmands are currently studying  Luther's Small Catechism.  We say "Thank You" to the parents who are joining us weekly and providing our snacks.
 

Please keep our Confirmation Class in your prayers as they continue their studies this school year — Jace Baird, Ava Beetz, Cindy Bumgarner, Ella Coss, Natalie Hanaman, Macy Hartt, Lauren Holland, Quin Holland, Kennedy Knaff, Dessa Komitas, Ella Martin, Haden Shakespeare, and Jillian Younger.

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Our annual Spaghetti Dinner will be held on Sunday, December 8th from 4:30pm to 7pm.  We will be serving you a delicious dinner of spaghetti with meat sauce, breadsticks, salad, and homemade dessert.  Our junior high and high school students are looking forward to serving you at your table again this year.  Please invite your family and friends to join you for this freewill offering meal.  All proceeds will go to support the 2020 Mission Trips and other youth activities. 
 
During the dinner, our talented group of St. John’s Quilting Ladies will be holding a Silent Auction of a variety of handmade quilts.  We hope you will take some time to enjoy the beauty of these quilts, and place bids on your favorites.   Proceeds from the Silent Auction will be donated to the Youth.
 
Students — Information will be shared with you very soon regarding how you and your family can help with this terrific and tasty event.  (Food donations, kitchen prep, serving, clean-up, etc.)

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Peterstown TEC (Teens Encounter Christ) has set their weekend retreat schedule for the year.  Youth ages 16 to 23 are invited to attend.  This program is run by the Catholic church, but retreats are open to young adults of other denominations.  The first boys’ weekend is Nov. 2-4 (second weekend is February 22-24); and the first girls’ weekend is Dec. 7-9 (second weekend is April 4-6).  Information will be posted on the information booth and applications may be secured online.  Contact Karen Goy (815-228-2391) if you have questions about attending.

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Well Done, Team St. Louis!
Thank You for doing God's work with your hands!

All I Ever Needed To Know I Learned While At Confirmation Camp
by Karen Goy, Youth Director

Karen, Haden, Jace, Garret, and Gracie

Last week I was blessed to accompany four of our youth to confirmation camp… and can I be honest that I wasn’t feeling the “camp vibe” when I left.  God is in the business of transformation and that was what our theme was all about.  Our bible studies focused on how a community is transformed as they experience and then extend His inclusion, compassion, forgiveness, justice, and generosity.  It was amazing to witness first-hand the transformation of the community of strangers that was at camp throughout the week as we spent time, prayed, ate, laughed, studied, enjoyed, and adventured together.  Being in community over time and in a setting outside the normal routine indeed had transforming power.  Not only did my mindset change very quickly, but I saw/heard the kids thoughts, mindset, actions, and words transform into an amazing community that was definitely different than the one that arrived on Sunday night.  There is power in spending time in community – transforming power.  There is power in hearing again and again about God’s compassion, forgiveness, generosity, inclusion, and justice – a message very different than those messages we are daily bombarded with.  It is empowering to extend and live inclusion, compassion, generosity, forgiveness, and justice that happens in that community time too… and from there, think of all the other communities we are a part of that can in turn be transformed!!
 
We have an amazing opportunity to spend time in such a community right here at St. John’s!  I’m grateful for the blessed reminder of the transformation that can happen in us, for us, and through us as we make the choice to leave our “typical” routine to also participate more fully in the community here.  Thank you, St. John’s, for the opportunity you made for the five us to go to confirmation camp.  What a generous and supportive community you are!

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                     Thank You, St. John’s Family! 
 
Your encouragement and support of the “Textathon” we held last month helped us pray for cancer patients, share information about free services available to patients, be part of a great community cause (Relay For Life March To A Million) and to raise over $6,000!  The day was a memorable example of how we are to be Christ in the world!

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Team Pictures from previous High School Mission Trips

2018 Benton Harbor, MI Mission Trip Team - Natalie, Tammy, Gabrielle, Grace, Gabbi, Maya, Bailey, Sophie, Sammi, Amy, Matthew, Mitch, Troy, Cole, Gavin, Ted and Logan

2017 Red Lake, MN Mission Trip Team - Maria, Natalie, Brent, Grace, Matthew, Gabrielle, Gavin, Gillian, Cole, Cameron, Aaron, Gabbi and Sammye

2016 Cincinnati, OH Mission Trip Team - Maria, Gavin, Jacquelynn, Haleigh, Gillian, Cameron, Natalie, Dave, Grace, Aaron and Roberta.

2015 St. Louis, MO Mission Trip Team - Mary, Jared, Grace, Brock, Natalie, Gillian, Mark, Cameron, Amy, Jacquelynn, Brady, Karen, Don, Maria and Joey

2014 Bayou La Batre, AL Mission Trip Team - Maria, Paige, Grace, Emily, Cameron, Gillian, Jacquelynn, Brady, Amy, Lukas, Jared, Joey, Mark, Brock and Barry

2013 Benton Harbon, MI Mission Trip Team - Jared, Mark, Erik, Brock, Brady, Gillian, Amy, Cameron and Jacquelynn (not pictured: Maria, Alice and Curt)

2012 Eastern Shore of Virginia Mission Trip Team with YouthWorks staff members and Jeff, Amy, Marcus, Mark, Jared, Brock, Paige S., Paige H., Brady and Maria.

2011 Cass Lake, MN Mission Trip Team - Don, Travis, Mark, Amy, Cady, Devan, Paige, Jared, Laurie, Grif, Karen and Marcus.

2018 Team Benton Harbor had a great time at Silver Beach

2017 Red Lake Team enjoyed a beautiful sunset!

2016 Cincinnati Mission Trip Team onsite with YouthWorks!

2015 St. Louis Mission Trip Team onsite with YouthWorks at Kossuth Church of God in Christ

We work hard and we play hard! A day of fun on the beach at Dauphin Island, AL.

Our Benton Harbor Mission Trip team with the beloved Mama Wilder.

We LOVED serving the community of Cass Lake!