A Newsletter concerning the
Mission and Ministry
of St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, La Porte, IN
Vol. 55 November 2006
No. 9
“As one family, we lovingly proclaim Jesus Christ.”
From Pastor Young:
As many of you have noticed, your pastors no longer enter the sanctuary to
worship through the doors of the vestry. As we desire the opportunity to greet
more people before the service, we have been processing from the narthex at the
back of the church up to the chancel (“How many fancy liturgical worship
terms is going to make?” you might wonder). One image struck me last Sunday
that I think is very telling about our sanctuary; our carpeting is red. (“You
mean it took you 3¼ years to find that out Pastor?”) We have red carpet
leading us to Jesus.
As the flow of our worship space leads us to the means of grace—the Word, the
font and the altar—we are ushered forward by our red carpet toward the place
where Christ is waiting to receive you. Imagine that; we get the “red carpet
treatment” from God Himself! I don’t know about you, but there are very few
places where I receive that kind of reverent hospitality!
You have a loving God who waits with open arms to receive you into the
sheltering care of His mercy. He calls you by the Gospel, invites you to come to
His earthly banquet table, a foretaste of an even greater feast that He has
prepared for you at an even greater table of reception! He has prepared a bath
for your cleansing and surrounds you in the pews with loving brothers and
sisters to “keep your back clean.”
November is the month of harvest and preparation. It is a time of gleaning in
preparation for celebrations of thanksgiving: material blessings, food, family,
house and home. In our church calendar, it is a time of preparation for our
Lord’s return. It is the time that we remind ourselves that soon and very soon
we will be “rolling out the red carpet” for Christ when He returns with all the
accompaniment of heaven to take us to the reception rooms in the New Heaven and
the New Earth. Are you prepared for that “Thanksgiving meal?” Are you prepared
to receive and be received?
Until that great and glorious day, let your time on THIS red carpet lead you
to the blessings of discipleship, mercy and grace provided by Jesus on this side
of eternity. May every day be a day of Thanksgiving for you and your family!
In Christ’s service,
Pastor Young
From Pastor Brauer:
“Preach the Gospel First”
Someone asked, “Do Pastor Brauer and Pastor Young go off into some secluded
spot, put on special glasses, read some mysterious gold plates given them by
some angel, then proceed to write their newsletter articles?” I can’t speak for
Pastor Young except for the fact that he DOES write his newsletter articles.
(Now about those mysterious gold plates he reads, well…) In my case, it’s simply
put on my regular glasses, meditate on the Holy Scriptures given by inspiration
of the Holy Spirit, and ponder on how they will be important for the members of
St. John’s in the coming month.
As we near the end of this church year, we are mindful of the work our Savior
expects us to be doing as the Church: Preach-teach-baptize-make disciples. All
four of these tasks are part of a greater emphasis. In the 13th
chapter of the Gospel of Mark, Jesus tells His disciples about the signs of the
end times. “Watch out that no one deceives you” (Mark 13:5). How
appropriate a warning that is for us today as we recall the first sin in the
Garden of Eden. He goes on to tell the disciples about the persecutions they
will face being His disciples. Yet in spite of these persecutions, Jesus directs
them, saying, “And the gospel must first be preached to all nations”
(Mark 13:10).
Preach the Gospel first. That must be our first emphasis in all that we do at
St. John’s. Preach the Gospel first, even as we consider our spending plan for
the next year. Preach the Gospel first as we begin to celebrate our 150th
Anniversary. Preach the Gospel first as we move, second, and carry motions in
our meetings. Preach the Gospel first as we take care of God’s house of worship.
How do we preach that Gospel first? We take a look at all that is done and
ask, “Is it done to the glory of God?” (1 Corinthians 10:31). Does it support
the preaching—teaching—baptizing—disciple making of our Savior’s commission?
This is the work of our Stewardship Board as they guide us in caring for all
that God has granted us, both individually and as the body of Christ. Since the
work of preaching, teaching, baptizing, and making disciples is year round, so
is the work of the Stewardship Board. And that means it is OUR work year round,
too! Therefore, we are conscious of what we think, say, and do that will give
glory to God as we preach the Gospel first. This is done as a church
collectively and as believers individually--the Gospel is preached first.
But let’s admit it. There are times when we put something other than
preaching that life-saving Gospel first. Pride gets in the way as we want to run
the church our own way. Greed sets in as we tighten our grip on the money God
gave us and think we can spend it for whatever is under the sun. Laziness comes
when we see a few who do the work of telling others about Jesus and decide to
sit back and let them do all the work. Work we can do around the church is
unanswered by us, thinking that someone else will do it.
It is with those thoughts that the Gospel must be preached to US first.
“God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son…” we read in John
3:16. He gave because we could not give. We could give nothing toward our
eternal salvation. God gave His Son Jesus Christ for us to rescue us from sin,
death, and the power of the devil. It cost us nothing but it cost God
everything. By grace through faith God gave us forgiveness of sins, life, and
salvation in Jesus Christ alone. Pride, greed, laziness, and lack of zeal are
all replaced by the Holy Spirit’s sanctifying power that enables us to preach
that precious Gospel first.
That is the Gospel. That is what must first be proclaimed—to ourselves first,
then to this community, to the world, and especially to all who enter God’s
house. May it be ever said, “They truly preach the Gospel at St. John’s.”
Pastor Brauer
Matthew 11:28-30
Principal’s Report
From Mr. Wippich:
..
11/1 Church Council
11/3 Report Cards
11/7 BAT 2:45 pm (faculty meeting/first aid recertification)
11/8 1/2 Day (In Service) Bus Dismiss 11:30 pm
Bully Planning
Voters Meeting 7:00 pm
11/13 Book Fair (11/13-11/17)
11/14 BAT 2:45 pm (faculty meeting/first aid recertification)
11/23-24 NO SCHOOL THANKSGIVING
11/29 Pizza Hut Night 4-11 pm
12/1 Christmas Concert
12/4 Bell Ringing Salvation Army
12/7 Grade 2-Barker Mansion
12/13 Pizza Hut Night 4-11 pm
12/20 Christmas Program-School Program
12/21 Craft Fair
II. Enrollment
133 Ps-8th
III. Other items:
1. The faculty recently attended a Professional Development event
sponsored by the Indiana Non Public Education Association. This conference was
held on 10/1 and 10/2 in Indianapolis. Expenses for this conference were covered
by a grant Mr. Wippich wrote. This saved the church $4000 in conference expense
money.
2. Student Council Representatives for the 2006-07 school year are as
follows:
Grade 5: Elin Boklund, Alyssa Gerick, Grant Holt
Grade 6: Taylor Baima, Cory Nehmelman
Grade 7: Ellen Hough, Sky Shortt, Renate Wiltfong
Grade 8: Kerry Cooley
Alternates: Zachery Robbins, Shane Rogers
The faculty representative and supervisor for this group is Mrs. Mindy Bremer
3. Mrs. Mindy Bremer and Mr. David Wippich have been recognized
by...”Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers...” Every year members of the Academic
Community are recognized for educational excellence. The educators mentioned
above are honored in the 2005-06 year addition of “Who’s Who Among America’s
Teachers.” These teachers have been chosen by their community as the most
influential educators within our school and were nominated by former students.
4. Mrs. Mindy Bremer was nominated for “Teacher of the Month of
September” in the Herald Argus. Winner to be announced at a later date.
5. Innisbrook Fundraiser earned around $4200.00 for the school this year.
We thank all the children and parents who participated and we thank Ellen Heidel
for coordinating the effort. We also thank Imogene Dahl who was able to acquire
an additional $800.00 from a Thrivent fund match program. The following 5
students and their parents were treated to breakfast on 10/13 with Mr. Wippich:
1st Place seller: Graham Wilczesski 3rd grade
2nd Place seller: Gavin Odle PK
3rd Place seller: Elin Boklund 5th grade
4th Place seller: Caitlyn Allen K
5th Place seller: Jacob Hunsler PK
Top selling classroom: 3rd grade, earns a pizza party
Top participating classroom: Kindergarten, earns a pizza party
6. Grades 6-8 will be taking a trip to Washington D.C. in May of 2007. We
are in need of monetary donations to help some of our students attend. They
would be willing to work for you this fall and winter...please call Mr. Wippich
at 362-6692 if you can hire a student to work or if you are able to contribute
money to this event that can be distributed as a scholarship to those in need.
Thanks for your consideration of this matter. The cost of attending the trip is
$620 per person.
Announcements
Lily Event Update:
The School Board is seeking volunteers to help carry out the 2007
LILY Event. We need several volunteer coordinators for vital functions. Please
see the descriptions and sign-up sheet on the bulletin board outside the church
office. When all of the positions are filled, there will be a meeting to begin
preparations for next years' event. We are looking forward to working with all
of the enthusiastic supporters of this popular event! You can call Julie
Sinclair with any questions.
From St. John’s Thrift Shop:
Do you have 3 hours or more a month that you would like to spend with
other people, maybe meet some new friends, and at the same time be a big help to
your church? If so, we would be so happy to add your name to our list of
volunteers at our Thrift Shop. There is such a great need for more
helpers. Shifts are from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm or 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm, Monday
through Saturday. Anyone interested in joining us please call Arlene Hacker.
Your willingness to give a little of your time will be most appreciated and of
great benefit to our congregation.
From the Family Circle:
The Family Circle is now selling coupon books for “Community Day,”
Saturday, November 11, at Carson Pirie Scott in Michigan City. Coupon books are
$5.00 each and the Family Circle keeps 100% of the money they collect. The
coupon books contain a $10.00 coupon, good on any item of $10.00 or more, and
eight additional coupons, each good for up to 20% off almost any regular or sale
priced merchandise in the store. Coupon books are available from any Family
Circle member or at the Church Office. If you have any questions, please call
the Church Office.
The Family Circle is now raising funds to clean and redecorate the Mother’s
Room in the church basement and to help fund a Retreat/Bible Study on Christian
Marriage for married couples.
From the Board of Social Ministry:
The Board of Social Ministry is in need of food again. We especially are in
need of paper products; cereal; canned fruit; and corn but can use anything you
may want to donate. Please be mindful of the expiration date on all foods
donated though as we cannot give away food that is out of date. Thank you for
your continued support of this ministry.
Poinsettias - Christmas Is Coming - Soon:
It is already time to start thinking about our Christmas Decorations. We, the
Altar Guild, are requesting a $10.00 donation per poinsettia plant. You can make
your check payable to the St. John Flower Fund and drop it (or cash) off at the
Church Office or hand it to Marilyn Boardman, Mary Jo Uebele or Sherrill Lee.
Also, please let us know at that time if you want the plant or not. Anyone who
does want the plant they sponsor, will need to pick it up after the 2nd service
on Sunday, December 31st. Thank you for your continued support.
Christmas Concert- New Place! New Day! New Time!
Mark your calendars with some cheery red and green! We hope to see you
all, along with any friends, neighbors and co-workers you invite, at our annual
Christmas Concert. We have a special opportunity this year to bring our
community together into God's house for this joyful event!
Date: Friday, December 1st
Time: 7:00 P.M.
Place: Right here at St. John's Lutheran Church
The Walther League Chorus, as well as the Christus Chorus, King's Kids and
some very talented instrumentalists, have a wonderful program to present to you
that will fill your hearts with both the love of the Lord and the joy of sharing
it. Join us as we celebrate the beginning of this Advent and Christmas season
together!
Because of this concert, our Christmas decorating will also be a bit earlier
this year. We welcome all who would like to help decorate our church on
Wednesday Nov. 29th. Please watch the bulletins for details.
God's blessings, Sue Rosselli
150th Anniversary Plans:
Did you know that there are 14 other Missouri Synod Lutheran Churches who
were established in 1857 like St. John's Lutheran Church? They, like us, will
also celebrate 150 years of God’s grace in 2007. Plans are being made for us to
celebrate, and here are a few of those highlights:
Sunday, January 28, 2007, will be our ‘kick-off’ as we observe ‘Every Member
Sunday’ and join as a church family for a noon pot luck meal. At that time, a
short program will ‘whet your appetite’ for the events for this coming year.
On Sunday, July 15, 2007, we plan on our anniversary celebration with a
special guest preacher, a meal, and a program recapping the past 150 years.
We will, throughout the year, receive monetary gifts as a Thank offering to
send to the Indiana District to help start new churches. One of the resolutions
passed in this year’s convention was to establish 10 new churches in the next
three years. This will be St. John’s opportunity to assist in these church
plantings, as other churches helped St. John’s when it started back in 1857.
Those are some of the highlights. There are a few things that need your input
and help, and we would like to know how you would like to be part of this coming
year’s celebration. Like the Marines, we are looking for a few good men and
women to assist in these areas:
