A Newsletter
concerning the MISSION & MINISTRY of St. John's Ev.
Lutheran Church
_______________________________________________________
VOLUME
XLIX LA PORTE,
INDIANA / November 2001 No.
10
A PROMISE
In the
aftermath of our nation’s tragedy three weeks ago today, we
of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod wholeheartedly offer our
love and prayers for those tens of thousands of people whose
lives have been drastically altered by the sudden loss of their
loved ones and friends. At such a time it is natural to wonder
how we can get on with life.
Still heavy
with the burden of our enormous loss, we face the potential for
even more danger at our doorstep. And as we look out upon the
world seeking a promise of comfort and hope, we may see only
darkness.
Yet we are
not the first people to suffer such darkness, nor to long for
such a promise. David in the Old Testament, in time of great
personal and national distress, looked to God and took comfort in
His promise: “The Lord is my Shepherd...even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil,
for You are with me.”
Jesus, to
whom the Scriptures refer as our “Good Shepherd,” spoke
words that are particularly poignant right now: “Greater
love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his
friends.” That Good Shepherd understands suffering and death...and
His own death and resurrection promise hope and comfort to us all.
In these days
of great personal and national trial, it is important to remember
the words of St. Paul as we struggle with getting on with life:
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither
angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any
powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all
creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that
is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” And that’s His promise!
The Rev. Dr.
Gerald B. Kieschnick
President
The Lutheran
Church-Missouri Synod
NEWS FROM
LUTHERAN BROTHERHOOD BRANCH 8213
Lutheran
Brotherhood La Porte County Branch #8213 extends its SINCERE
THANKS to all who responded to our Disaster Relief Drive for the
American Red Cross National Relief Fund. We are proud to announce
that a total of $9,864.70 was received. With the additional $2,000
in matching funds from Lutheran Brotherhood, we will be
contributing a total of $11,864.70 to the American Red Cross
National Relief Fund.
CHURCH COUNCIL
Due to the
pastors attending a three-day pastoral conference, the Church
Council meeting has been moved to Tuesday, Oct. 30, at 7:00 p.m.
in the school Music Room.
CONGREGATION
WORKSHOP FOLLOW-UP MEETING
All those
who attended the Congregation Workshop on Sept. 15 are asked to
attend a Follow-Up Meeting to be held Wednesday, Oct. 31,
from 7-9:00 p.m. in the school Cafeteria. We want to continue the
momentum we started and move forward with our plans. Please make
every effort to attend!
NEW MEMBER
RECEPTION
The
Staff Care Committee will have a “New Member Reception”
on Sunday, Nov. 4, from 9-9:30 a.m. in the school Cafeteria.This
will include new member prospects from the current Discipleship
Class. We encourage our congregation members to attend and get to
know the newest members in our Church Family. Don’t forget
to wear your name badge, too!
VOTERS’
MEETING
The Voters’
Assembly will meet on Wednesday, Nov. 7, at 7:00 p.m. in the
school Cafeteria. The 2002 Budget will be presented and other
items of business. Anyone age 18 and older may become a voting
member by reading the church Constitution and class requesting
voting membership at the Voters’ Meeting. Constitutions are
available in the Church Office.
L.W.M.L.
ANNOUNCEMENT
Due
to the lack of attendance at the local Lutheran Women’s
Missionary League meetings, the group is going to be on hiatus–we
will not be having meetings. However, WE WILL STILL COLLECT
THE MITES FROM THE CHURCH BOXES AND MITES LEFT AT THE CHURCH
OFFICE! These mite offerings are very important to the
Mission work being done by the L.W.M.L.
The L.W.M.L.
“Women’s Quarterly” magazine will still be
available to our congregation. We thank everyone who has
participated and assisted our group throughout the years with its
projects.
Karen Piper,
President
OPEN HOUSE
The
Duneland Lutheran High School Fall “Open House’ will be
held Wednesday, Oct. 24, at 7:00 p.m. An informational program
about the high school will be offered for parents and students!
We are located at 1237 E. Coolspring Ave., Michigan City, IN and
our phone number is (219)874-5103. St. John’s members are
invited to this event!
CONGREGATION
WORKSHOP RESULTS
On Sept.
15, approximately 50 members of St. John’s Church gathered
together to “work.” It was a time of learning, but also
a time of work. As one participant later stated, “I didn’t
know beforehand that you were going to work us so hard!” But
the work was productive. What follows is a very brief summary–just
some of the highlights. A complete report will be available at
the Church Office.
We began by
sharing our reasons for being present–in small groups at
tables.
What We
Learned by Sharing our Motivations!
*Some want
something to happen at St. John’s.
*Some were
concerned for their role.
*Some recognized
the need for greater unity, with differences given by God.
*Some wanted
specific things–such as handicap access.
*Some wanted all
to grow spiritually.
*Some wanted to
participate in the transition at St. John’s.
These motives
provided insights into the range of concerns which individuals
would bring to the discussions at the workshop.
We continued
with discussions on how organizations develop new vitality.One of
the essential components is to have a simple and brief Mission
Statement. The workshop composed the following as a “proposed”
Mission Statement for St. John’s:
As One
Family, We Lovingly Proclaim Jesus Christ
There can only
be ONE Mission Statement. But there can be many visions for how
this is put into practice by the congregation and its members.
Some of the ways are listed here:
Our Vision
1.Become one
family in church & school.
2. All of us
need to develop our personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
3. Provide
comfort and haven for fellowship, worship and learning.
4. Provide the
tools and training to be comfortable in proclaiming Christ.
5. Create
a passion within every member for our Mission.
6. Age
appropriate material for Christian growth.
7. Identify and
empower youth to use their gifts (develop, coach, etc.).
8. Continuously
learning needs for Inreach and Outreach.
9. Provide a
Christian Education for children.
10. Provide a
curriculum of Christian Education for adults that grounds them in
the Scripture.
The Mission of
St. John’s will remain constant but the vision(s) of how it
will be done may change, as the circumstances of the congregation
and community change, or as new gifts are brought to the church
through its members.
Our next step
was to break into work teams, by selecting an item from the above
list and joining with others interested in working on that vision.
Each group was instructed to develop four sections in their work:
1. What is it
like now?
2. What will it
look like when we have achieved this vision?
3. What are the
resources needed and the sequence of steps to achieve this
vision?
4. What are our
next steps after this workshop?
Now Where Do
We Go?
The
results of the work teams has been gathered and presented for
future action. We will need to take additional steps to bring
them to reality. Each of the groups needs to continue its efforts.
As noted elsewhere in this Newsletter, a follow-up meeting will
be held Oct. 31 (the day after the Church Council meeting). We
hope to have members from the workshop in joint session with
appropriate members of boards and committees of the council.
It Was a Good
Beginning...Let’s Build On It!
SCHOOL NEWS
Upcoming
Events
Oct. 23-31 Drug
Awareness Week sponsored by our new Student Council
Oct. 24 Wheel of
Wisdom in Gym–a game show during Drug Awareness Week
Oct. 24-25
Parent/Teacher Conferences
Oct. 25-26 No
School
Oct. 31 Donuts
for Dads in Cafeteria at 7:00 a.m. Please fill out and return a
Reservation Form.
Announcements
Our current
enrollment is 156 souls.
We publicize
that we are currently accepting registration and enrollment for
children exhibiting both Christian deportment and sound academic
effort and standing.
Did
you know that the school wrote checks to the church on Sept. 21
for $42,052? This money was collected during early registrations
and regular registrations. Tuition money continues to be paid to
the church via the SMART Program throughout the year!
Our
Student Council attended a Candlelight Vigil at Millennium Park
on Oct. 1.
As of Oct. 8, $3,460 has been donated to School Repairs to
address fire code improvements and security/technology issues in
the school building. The Board of Trustees will disburse this
money as needed.
The
P.T.L. needs pies to sell at the Fish Fry on Oct. 26. Bring pies
during the day to the school kitchen. Proceeds support the P.T.L.
There
will be early dismissal on Nov. 13 around 11:45 a.m. Children
will have an early lunch. Our teachers will be meeting for
inservice in the afternoon to learn more about: using the
Internet, a new program provided by Title VI funds teaching
AppleWorks to children, making professional and student business
cards.
The King’s
Kids Choir sang in church Oct. 7 and will sing in church Nov. 18
in the 10:45 service. The Christus Chorus sang in church Oct. 21
and will sing in the Thanksgiving Day service at 9:00 a.m. Both
choirs will sing in the annual Walther League Chorus Christmas
Concert on Dec. 2 at 4:00 p.m.
The school’s
Christmas Program will be in the Advent Service on Wednesday,Dec.
19, at 7:00 p.m. Please come and celebrate with us!
We now have
Walkie Talkies in the school building for use by staff and for
increased security. We have already noticed an improvement in
communications.
Devotion
of the Month
From Last Month:
There are many people who will have different opinions about
Jesus. Some will scoff, others will understand and believe.
Remember, God gave His divine approval on Jesus as His Son. There
is no opinion that could be greater or matter more than God’s.
This month we
look at Matt. 4. When you have been promised something will be
yours but you must wait to have it, how do you respond? Are you
ever tempted by shortcuts or plans that will let you have it
sooner?
After His
Baptism, Jesus went into the wilderness to spend time with God.
After 40 days and 40 nights, Jesus was weak, tired and hungry...the
stage is set for a series of tests God would allow Satan to
administer. Jesus responded to Satan with these famous lines:
1a.“Man
does not live on bread alone!” Jesus knew it was more
important to have His needs met by God. He would not use His
powers to selfishly meet His own needs of hunger.
b. “Do not
put God to the test!” Jesus knew He must call people to
Himself in order to teach about God, but He would not shock them
into it by having God protect Him from something willfully
foolish like jumping from the temple.
c. “It is
written: worship the Lord Your God and serve Him only!”
Jesus would take no shortcuts to saving us as Satan tempted Him
to circumvent the cross and take the world as a possession
without cost!
Jesus would not
be tempted and was ministered to by His angels. Remember this:
Jesus didn’t go through this for His own good, but to prove
His character to us for our good! Look up Matt. 4:11. What two
things happened after Jesus endured the testing? Verse 4,7,10
tell how Jesus answered Satan’s attacks.
SPECIAL GUEST
To the
People of St. John’s,
There were
more than 100 congregations who asked for a pastor from one of
our seminaries this past year and did not receive any because
there were not enough graduates. The shortage of well-trained
pastors, teachers, and church workers is being felt today.
You are
invited to hear a special guest speak during the Bible Class hour
on Sunday, Nov. 4, from 9:30-10:30 a.m.. We plan to meet in the
school Ladies’ Lounge. Our guest will be Allen R. Strefling
who will have a presentation entitled, “For the Sake of the
Church.” A major goal is to help double the number of LCMS
students on our church related campuses and to help fund their
education.
You and I can
pray to God that He raise up people to serve in the church. We
also pray that we will make good use of our resources to expand
the work of our Lord. Allen Strefling is a trained gift-planning
counselor. He wants to help you take advantage of good ways of
estate-planning and gifting.
Consider
being at the Bible Class on Nov. 4 in the Ladies’ Lounge.
Sincerely,
Pastor
Beversdorf
THANKS-GIVING
CELEBRATION FOR ALL VOLUNTEERS
We, the
Staff Care Committee, are inviting everyone who is currently or
has ever volunteered for anything at St. John’s, to come and
be honored by your fellow Church Family for all of your hard work
and dedication to the church and school! We will gather in the
school Gymnasium on Sunday, Nov. 18, from 9-10:30 a.m., for
fellowship and refreshments. Please join us and remember to wear
your name badge. We will also have paper name tags available.
We give God all
the glory and honor for you and your service, but we also
sincerely thank each and every one of you for giving of your time
and talents to St. John’s Lutheran Church/School. Our
Gracious Lord has richly blessed this congregation with so many
willing workers!
In His love,
The Staff
Care Committee
HEARTFUL WORSHIP
We mouth
hymns while staring at the dandruff on the suit jacket of the man
in front of us. We pass the collection plate while wondering if
we have enough money left to pay the phone bill, the heating
bill, the charge cards.
We prop our
Bibles open but close our minds to the message from the pulpit
and instead ponder a problem with our child. We go through the
motions of worship with our heads but keep our hearts out of the
process.
In order to
truly worship God, we must use more than our heads. We must
employ our hearts! How does it feel to consider God’s power
in creation? What happens to our outlook on life when a hymn
describes God’s provision for the most daily of our needs?
What does God want us to do in response to what we’ve heard?
It’s not
enough to recognize God with our heads. We must respond to Him
with our hearts! Worship is both recognizing and responding to
God. It’s the plunging of both head and heart into the
wonders of His Person and experiencing and expressing the truth
of what we find there. (Read Psalm 150)
PRAISE GOD FROM
WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW!
We will
come together to celebrate Thanksgiving in services on Wednesday,
Nov. 21, at 7:00 p.m. and Thursday, Nov. 22, at 9:00 a.m. Special
music will be presented for Thanksgiving Eve
by the Walther League Chorus and for Thanksgiving Day by the
school Christus Chorus. May God continue to bless us abundantly
as we serve and worship Him!
ON THE FIRST DAY
OF CHRISTMAS WE GATHER NOW TO SING!
The Walther
League Chorus has already been gathering together to sing
Christmas songs for their annual Christmas Concert to be held on
Sunday, Dec. 2, at 4:00 p.m. in the La Porte Civic Auditorium.
Familiar Christmas melodies will be presented by the adult Chorus
and the school’s Christus Chorus. An exciting new addition
to the concert will be the King’s Kids Choir (Gr. 1-4). With
the recent attack against the United States and unrest in the
world, the chorus invites you to make time to get away from the
stress of life for a while and receive the message of Christmas
Peace–Christ has come for all!
Tickets are at
the low price of: $4-Adult, $3-Sr. Citizen age 65 or older, $2-Children
thru High School age. (Price increases $1 at the door.)
They will soon be available from chorus members, at the Church
Office, and at several places of business in La Porte.
DUNELAND
LUTHERAN HIGH SCHOOL INFORMATION
Duneland
Luth. High School has a Handbell Choir which is available for
outside performances. They have prepared music suitable for
preludes and offertories in the church service. If interested in
having them play at your church, call Laurie Rockensuess or Ruth
Radke at the school (219)874-5103.
The first issue
of the student newspaper, “The Maritimes,” was
published on Oct. 2, 2001. This paper will be published on a
monthly basis.
Girl’s
Volleyball and Boy’s Basketball have been added to the extra
curricular activities at Duneland. We need a basketball coach. If
interested, call (219)874-5103.
The first Open
House for registration for the 2002-2003 school year was held in
October. The next one will be in January. To register, contact
the school.
Two ways of
supporting Duneland Luth. High School include shopping at Kmart
and Gordon Food Service. Both stores have nationwide programs
whereby the high school earns a percentage of what the customer
spends. You may contact the high school (219)874-5103 for a card
or ask at Kmart for the School Spirit Program or GFS for the Fun
Foods Program. These cards may be used anywhere in the United
States.
WHAT’S NEW
AT SUNDAY SCHOOL
What have we got
to be thankful for? We can quickly thing of many things...health,
family, job, friends, food, etc. What about when these things are
threatened or missing? What do we have to be thankful for then?
The BEST thing to be grateful for remains through all of our
gains and losses here on earth–that is our eternal home in
Heaven! Jesus Himself purchased this spot in eternity for us. Did
you know that? Just think...Heaven is something we cannot
purchase, it’s not something we can earn. Wow! What comfort
that gives! As God’s Word tells us in II Cor. 5:1: “For
we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were
dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with
hands, eternal in heaven.” Now that’s something to be
thankful for!
Although we
tried very hard to hold a Hayride this fall, our plans fell
through. Instead, we were led to host two other activities. The
first activity was a Family Roller Skating Night on Oct. 25 at
the La Porte Roller Rink. This benefit, “Skate for Sawmya,”
was for the Sunday School’s Compassion International Child.We
thank all who came!
Our second
activity is a Halloween alternative called MYSTERY MANSION being
held Sunday, Oct. 28, in the church basement during the “trick
or treat” hours. This Christ-centered activity features fun
and games with a meaning. Our goal is to provide children a safe,
positive alternative to the pagan celebrations surrounding
Halloween. Thanks to everyone helping with this program!
In the
classroom, the younger children’s lessons have focused on
Noah and how he obeyed God. The older students are learning about
trusting God and the life and faith of Abraham.
We welcome
Stephanie Kessler to our teaching staff! She has accepted the 2
yr. old/Parent Class position. Stephanie is currently a PNC
student and the mother of twin 2 yr. old girls. Welcome aboard,
Stephanie, and God’s blessings on your efforts here at St.
John’s Sunday School.
Before you know
it, Christmas will be here! While much of the world centers its
celebration on gifts, parties, and other festivities, our focus
remains on the “reason for the season”....Jesus’
birth. We are delighted to offer our church community, as well as
our shut-in and handicap friends the opportunity to participate
in our Christmas Program this year on Sunday, Dec. 9, at 3:30 p.m.
in the school Gymnasium. The practices are as follows:
Nov. 17 10-11:00
a.m. Church Basement
Nov. 24 No
Practice
Dec. 1 10-11:00
a.m. School Gym
Dec. 8 10-12:00
noon School Gym/Cafeteria
NOTE: The last
practice will be our dress rehearsal and Pizza Party.
Dec. 9 3:30
p.m. Christmas Program in Gym (Please have your child at the
school no later than 3:15 p.m. that day.)
As always, your
donations toward our Pizza Party are greatly appreciated. The
children always enjoy the Christmas cookies, too! Please bring
cookies to the Cafeteria the morning of Dec. 8. Thanks!!
Congratulations
to the following students who earned “God’s Love is A-mazing”
puzzles for perfect attendance in September: Caleb Bublitz,
Austin Gropp, Evan King, Rachel Alexander, Brooke Baima, Storm
Shortt, Jenna Marie Kalsow, Alexander Kelsey, Zoe Moellman,
Taylor Baima, Emily Barnhart, Zachery Robbins, Britney Ryan,
Jordan Smith, Sam Bublitz, Victoria Kelsey, Sky Shortt, Andrew
Scherer, and Jacob Barnhart. Good job, kids–and parents!
This month our
Staff Spotlight falls on our Assistant Superintendent/ Attendance
Secretary, Mrs. Cheri Schuelke, and our Treasurer, Mrs. Lora-Lee
Snyder. Mrs. Snyder’s husband, Henry, was our former Superintendent....
Cheri is married
to Paul and they have three sons: Brett 19, Peter 17, and Andrew
7. Her hobby is reading and her favorite food is lobster. She
names “La Amour” as her favorite restaurant. A Bible
verse that is special to Cheri is Prov. 3:5-6, “Trust in the
Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own
understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall
direct thy paths.” Cheri is beginning her 6th
year working with our Sunday School. The thing she likes best
about working with us is “teaching truths about God to the
children.”
Lora-Lee is the
widow of Henry Snyder. Throughout their many years of marriage
they raised nine children who are now all grown. She also has
many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Lora-Lee’s
hobbies include crafts, reading, shopping in Shipshewana, and the
activities of her family. She says she enjoys anything sweet to
eat and likes restaurants with “good desserts.” Her
special Bible verse is the one that tells us to have faith like a
child. She taught the Nursery Class and helped her husband manage
our Sunday School for over 20 years. She now keeps the Sunday
School’s finances in order. When she worked with the
children years ago, she says the best part of working with the
Sunday School was “the joy in seeing the trust the little
ones had in Jesus and the wonderful Christian fellowship.”
Our sincere
thanks to these two ladies for their time and talents given to
the Lord’s work! You both are SO appreciated.
We will soon be
planning our annual Birthday Party for Jesus! Watch the church
bulletin for details.
ITEMS OF
INTEREST
Make Note:
The December-January issues of the Newsletter are combined into
one publication. Therefore, all items for the December-January
Newsletter are due in the Church Office by Thursday, Nov. 15.
Please make sure they are in legible form. Thanks!
Attention....When
we have Prayer and Praise Services, the 7:00 p.m. and 10:45 a.m.
services will be the Prayer & Praise format. However, the 8:00
a.m. service will remain the liturgical format out of the
Lutheran Worship Hymnal or Hymnal Supplement.
NOVEMBER AT ST.
JOHN'S
Nov. 3-4 (All
Saints’ Day) “Criteria for Kingdom Dwellers” (Matt.
5:1-12) Special Music: 8:00-Walther League Chorus
Nov. 10-11(Prayer
& Praise) “The Get-Ready Man is Coming!” II
Thess. 3:1-5)
Nov. 17-18
(Loyalty Weekend) “Buried Treasure is No Treasure at All”
(Luke 19:11-27) Special Music: 8:00-Walther League Chorus 10:45-King’s
Kids Choir
Nov. 21-22
Thanksgiving Eve/7:00 p.m.-Walther League Chorus, Thanksgiving
Day/9:00 a.m.-Christus Chorus
Nov. 24-25 “Where
do You Live?” (Col. 1:13-23)
FINANCE REPORT
FOR SEPTEMBER
2000 Attendance
- 1,713
2001 Attendance - 2,626
2000 General
Fund receipts - $81,611.30
2001 General Fund receipts - $41,785.54
2000 Mission
Fund receipts - $237.00
2001 Mission Fund receipts - $301.00
Church Budget
Year To Date for 2001
General Fund (short)
- ($43,030.11)
Mission Fund (short)
- ($4,254.68)
