This Week at St. John’s
4th Sunday in Advent-December 23, 2007
From Pastor Young:
Welcome! We all need signs--signs that we are loved, understood, cared for, appreciated. God has given us a most wonderful sign that he is with us in the person of his Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Today we are assured once more that we belong to God, and He to us, as His gift is again revealed to us in Word and Sacrament. The Gift-giver continues to make Himself known, and we can rejoice!
"A STEWARDSHIP MOMENT"
Romans 1:1-7: “Ready-Set-Come!” Who are God’s watchful and wise stewards? They are the people of God who by God’s grace live in obedience to God’s will to demonstrate their faith and love through Christian acts of loving and giving.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Important Dates to remember for Sunday School:
Today, December 23rd – Movie: The Toy that Saved Christmas
Sunday, December 30th and January 6th – No Sunday School
Sunday School Resumes, Sunday, January 13th
From the Board of Parish Fellowship: January 13, 2008 features a “Surprise” at Fellowship Coffee. You must attend to find out what the secret ingredient is in every treat.
The “Every Member Sunday” potluck is Sunday, January 27, 2008. A new feature is planned — a hymn fest, singing the music of Paul Gerhardt, at approximately 1:30 p.m. in the Chapel. Plan on worship at 10:45 a.m., attend the potluck dinner in the gym and the hymn fest in the Chapel.
Your ticket to get in is a hot or cold dish of generous proportions to share. Bring table service for your family. Beverages will be provided. You may bring your dishes to the school kitchen before the worship service. Do not bring serving utensils. Please pick up your dishes from the serving tables as you leave. Other Missouri Synod Churches will be invited to attend the festivities.
2008 Lily Event: Please think about being a volunteer for next year’s
Lily Event. The sign up sheet and job descriptions are on the bulletin board
across from the church office. We need your help!
A note for the approaching New Year: Please prayerfully consider joining our choir. Our small, devoted choir accomplishes great things with the Lord's help. However, many wonderful, faithful people who sang in the past have gone to be with the Lord, have moved, gone to college, or had other life changes, and people are needed to carry on where they left off. We practice on Mondays at 7:00 P.M. in the school music room, and would warmly welcome new faces (and voices!)
From the Finance Committee: The 2008 Contribution Envelopes are available for pick up in the church basement. Your number may have changed. There will no longer be envelopes for missions and benevolent, there will be a line on each envelope to note these donations.
From Shadetree Mechanics: In December, the Shadetree Mechanics will begin meeting on the first and third Thursdays of each month. Anyone in the congregation who enjoys the challenge of fixing things is welcome to attend. For more details, call Luke Vandercar at 393-1741 or Jim Peters at 393-3496. If you have a project for them to work on, please call Luke or Jim.
All Boards Meeting: January 7 is the organizational meeting for all boards. All board members, new and old, are encouraged to attend. We will hear from our new Congregational President, Bill Adams, and then break up into individual board meetings. During these meetings, meeting schedules will be decided and board officers will be chosen. Please attend this important meeting at 7:00 PM in the cafeteria.
Donations:
The Evening Circle made a $500.00 donation to the General Fund.
Mrs. Doane Wright made a donation to the Church Door Fund in loving memory of her husband, Doane Wright.
Mrs. John A. (Jerry) Rose III, Charles and April Baima and family, and Deborah Mansfield and family made a donation to the Church Door Fund in loving memory of John A. Rose III, whose birth date was December 22.
The PTL would like to thank these additional people for their donations to the Computer Fund: Family Circle, Landa and Roland Hamilton, Thomas Sallwasser, Mark and Christel Bublitz, Keith
Kasten, Delores Wiltfong, Rod and Ellen Heidel and Joe and Michelle Walker.
The Altar Guild thanks the following people, who donated Poinsettia plants to help beautify our church during this Christmas Season.
Kenneth & Lauretta Hanson
Dorothy V. Levandoski
Phyllis Bishop
Ron & Marilyn Boardman
Gilderoy & Carol Strauss
Milton & Delores Schroeder
Maxine Paine
Barbara Elliott
Margaret Chmielowiec
Wilmetta Spier
Mark and Diane Jerndt
Walter & Louise Kegebein
Monyean Hahn
Charles & Shirley Link
Robert & Sandy Jones
Louise Yozman
Dorothy Wolfe
Patricia Porter
Norma Zimmerman
Marie Huge
Richard & Renny Rutz
Marjory Barnhart
Trudy Roule
Hugh and Jo Borg
Evening Circle
Fellowship Coffee
(Board of Parish Fellowship)
Jerry Rose, Charles & April Baima and family,
Deborah Mansfield and family
In loving memory of
John A. Rose III, Anthony J. Rose and Lisa and Lottie Rose
Helen Smith,
Dave & Carol Jelke & family,
Roland & Landa Hamilton & family
In loving memory of Carrie Lynn Hamilton and Roy V. Smith
The Ludwigs, in loving memory of Mary Jones
If you are picking up your Poinsettia plant, please remember to do it after
the 10:45 am service on Sunday, December 30. Thank you!
Weekly Schedule
12/24/2007 (Mon.) Office Closed
Christmas Eve No School 4:00p-Worship 10:30p-Worship (Pre-service music 10:00 PM)
12/25/2007 (Tues.) Office Closed Christmas Day No School 10:00a-Worship/Communion
12/26/2007 (Wed.) Office Closed
No School
12/27/2007 (Thurs.) Office Closed No School
12/28/2007 (Fri.) Office Closed No School
12/29/2007 (Sat.) 6:00p-Worship
12/30/2007 (Sun.) 8:00a-Worship 10:45a-Worship
(There will be no Bible Study, Sunday School or Fellowship Coffee today.)
Wednesday Matins and Bible Study will resume on Wednesday, January 9, 2008.
The Church Office will be closed Monday, December 24 through
Tuesday, January 1. For a Pastoral emergency, please call
Pastor Young at 324-9049. For urgent office matters,
you may reach Linda at 362-5770.
SERVING US IN WORSHIP THIS WEEKEND
Pastor: Rev. David M. Young
Pastor: Rev. Ronald A. Brauer
Organist Susan Rosselli
Altar Guild: Lois Diedrich, Sherrill Lee
Elders on Duty: 6:00 PM: Terry Scherer, John Schulz
8:00 AM: Jim Woodruff
10:45 AM: John Schulz, Paul Tibbs
FLOWERS ON THE ALTAR
The Altar flowers this week were sponsored by the congregation.
PRAYERS ARE REQUESTED FOR
(Omitted from online version.)
WEEKLY WORSHIP ATTENDANCE
Wed. 10:00 AM: 8 Wed. 7:00PM: 68 Sat. 6:00 PM: 65
Sun. 8:00 AM: 50 Sun. 10:45AM: 68
Total: 259
Worship Program for
4th Sunday in Advent-December 23, 2007
St . John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church & School (LCMS)
111 Kingsbury Ave., La Porte, IN 46350
219-362-3726 email - churchoffice@stjohns-lpin.org
Rev. David M. Young, Pastor—Home phone: 219-324-9049
Rev. Ronald A. Brauer, Pastor—Home phone: 219-362-4703
Worship Services
Wednesday 10:00 AM, Saturday 6:00 PM
Sunday 8:00 AM, 10:45 AM
TO OUR VISITORS:
We extend a warm welcome to the assembly of believers gathered to worship with us at St. John’s! First time visitors, please sign the visitors section of the pew pad located at the end of the pew. We want to know who you are! For your convenience, restrooms, first aid, telephone needs and a nursery room for children ages 5 & under are provided in the church basement under the Narthex. God bless your worship!PETITIONS, INTERCESSIONS, AND THANKSGIVING PRAYERS
before worship can be found in Lutheran Service Book, inside front cover and beginning on page 305.SPECIAL NEEDS: Persons unable to climb stairs to the altar are invited to sit in the extra-wide front pews to receive communion or to place a walker.
ST. JOHN’S COMMUNION STATEMENT:
As a member of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, we believe Scripture teaches that the Lord's Supper is a precious gift of God in which Christ gives us His true body and blood (in a miraculous way), together with the bread and wine, for the forgiveness of our sins and the strengthening of our faith. Because the Bible teaches that this sacrament may also be spiritually harmful if misused, St. John’s communes only those instructed in the teachings of the LCMS and our church who have confessed their faith in these teachings. Prompted by the love for God’s Word, love for God’s people, and love for the Bible’s deep concern for doctrinal truth (Romans 16:17), guests who desire to commune are asked to speak with the pastor before service.FELLOWSHIP COFFEE: All are invited to our Fellowship Coffee across the driveway in our School Cafeteria following the 8:00 AM Sunday Service.
BIBLE CLASSES: Adult Bible Study follows the Fellowship Coffee in the Cafeteria at 9:30 AM.
SUNDAY SCHOOL: Sunday School begins at 9:30 in the Church Lower Level.
DISCIPLESHIP CLASSES: Classes begin at 9:30 AM in the Ladies Lounge.
WORSHIP NOTES
6:00 PM WORSHIP and 10:45 AM WORSHIP
Divine Service, Setting Four, LSB page 203
Opening Hymn: LSB 350 “Come Thou Precious Ransom, Come”
Confession and Absolution
Introit (See insert),
Kyrie (Spoken, page 208)
Salutation and Collect
Old Testament Reading, Gradual, Epistle Reading,
Gospel Reading (Please rise for the Gospel reading)
Nicene Creed
Hymn Of The Day: LSB 357 “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”
Sermon: “Follow the Signs”
Text: Isaiah 7:10-17
Distribution Hymns: LSB 361 “O Little Town of Bethlehem”
LSB 332 “Savior of the Nations Come”
LSB 900 “Jesus! Name of Wondrous Love”
Nunc Dimittis, Collect, Benedicamus and Benediction
Closing Hymn: LSB 338 “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus”
8:00AM WORSHIP Matins, LSB page 219
Order of Matins (page 219)
Office Hymn: LSB 350 “Come Thou Precious Ransom, Come”
Readings (Please rise for the Gospel reading)
Responsory
Sermon Hymn: LSB 357 “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”
Sermon: “Follow the Signs”
Text: Isaiah 7:10-17
Offering
Canticle (Te Deum, page 223)
Prayers
Benedicamus and Benediction
Closing Hymn: LSB 338 “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus”
