Anticipating Worship (December 1st)

Worship Focus:
Keep watch, for the Lord, will come again.

Prayer of the Day:

Stir up your power, O Lord, and come. Protect us by your strength and save us from the threatening dangers of our sins; for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Readings:

Isaiah 2:1-5

Psalm 18

Romans 13:11-14

Matthew 24:36-44

Please join us for worship on Sunday as the season of Advent begins and we light one candle!

Our new service time is 11:00 am. There will be Bible study at 9:00, and Choir at 10:00.

We will be welcoming Pastor John Berg as our vacancy pastor. 
Pastor Berg serves at Divinity Lutheran Church.

Advent Service and Supper

Divinity has invited St John members to join them for an Advent service at 6:00 pm, 

on Wednesday, December 4th.  A dinner will be served at 6:45 pm. 

Please see the sign-up for the dinner on the table in the narthex.

Craft and Bake Sale and Potluck

Annual Craft and Bake Sale will be Sunday, December 8th. There will also be a Potluck meal. This will follow our worship service. If you would like to donate items for the bake sale or craft sale, please have them priced and packaged (containers that you don’t need returned) and to the Fellowship Hall the morning of December 8th. Please bring a dish to pass for the Potluck. The proceeds from the sale and freewill offering will go towards the purchase of a new microphone for the Fellowship Hall. If you have any questions please talk with Rhonda Evgen. Thank you.

Gift Bags for our Shut-Ins

St. John has 12 members that are shut-ins. We plan to make gift bags to deliver to them. If you could make cookies and bars without nuts and bring them to church on December 8th to the Fellowship Hall, they will be packed up and delivered to them.  If you make different cookies and/or bars put them in different bags for each kind. If you live near a shut-in and would be willing to deliver the bag to them that would be greatly appreciated. If you have any questions, call Rae Carol Connolly at 952-460-2628.  Thank you.

Thanksgiving Worship Services

St. John will not be having its own Thanksgiving Service this year.

 You are encouraged to take in a service at one of our sister congregations near you. 

A few service times are listed here for your convenience. 

Have a most blessed Thanksgiving!

Christ, North St. Paul: Wednesday - 7:00 pm
Divinity, St. Paul: Wednesday - 6:00 pm
Crown of Life, West St. Paul: Wednesday - 6:30 pm
Grace, South St. Paul: Wednesday - 7:00 pm
New Life, Shoreview: Wednesday - 7:00 pm

Anticipating Worship (November 24)

Last Sunday of the Church Year - Christ the King

Worship Focus:
The last Sunday of the church year emphasizes the Christian’s final status. In Christ, we have an eternal King who will protect us into eternity. We look forward to his return, for that day will usher in our time in the kingdom of paradise.

Readings: Jeremiah 23:2-6, Psalm 98, Colossians 1:13-20, Luke 23:35-43

Prayer of the Day: 

Lord Jesus Christ, by your victory you have broken the power of the evil one. Fill our hearts with joy and peace as we look with hope to that day when every creature in heaven and earth will acclaim you King of kings and Lord of lords to your unending praise and glory; for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.   Amen.

Sermon:         Revelation 22:1-5
 "Our New Home - A Gift from our King"

Please join us for worship and praise on Sunday at 9:30 am.

Pastor Mark Kom will be leading us in worship.

Pastor Kom has been our vacancy pastor throughout 2019. His last Sunday will be November 24th.

Join us in the Fellowship Hall following worship for a cake and coffee reception to thank 

Pastor Kom. There will be a card box available for cards and notes of thanks. 

New Bible Translation Available

New Bible translation available: The Holy Bible: Evangelical Heritage Version (EHV) proclaims the gospel of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. Translated faithfully from the original Greek and Hebrew, the expressions, imagery, and style of the original texts are present, giving readers an
enduring picture of God's awesome love.

This translation will feel both fresh and familiar to you. The readable style of the EHV will help you understand clearly what God is saying through his Word.

To help you get the most out of your study, the Holy Bible: EHV includes:
- Brief introductions for each book
- Topical section headings
- Footnotes for deeper understanding
- References to parallel passages
- References to Old Testament quotations

With a text that remains reliable and trustworthy, while at the same time being readable and familiar, the Holy Bible: EHV honors the heritage of the church, continuing to hand down the pure Word of God to the next generation. Copies are available at the church office for $20. See Tom Koepsell with any questions. Your payment should be put in an envelope marked “Bible” and dropped in the
offering plate

Immanuel Hmong's Celebration Reminder

Just a reminder that Sunday, November 24th, St. John members are invited to join with Immanuel Hmong in their Hmong New Year and Thanksgiving celebration. Their worship service begins at 12:30 pm in the sanctuary, following the service there is a wonderful meal served in the Fellowship Hall. Everyone is welcome!

Christmas Decorating

Help Decorate St. John for Christmas! —Join us on Friday, December 6, at 6:00 p.m. to decorate the church for Christmas. Then join the group for pizza afterward! The more the merrier!

Anticipating Worship (November 17)

Saint Triumphant Sunday

Worship Focus:
The resurrection from the dead for all believers is a source of great hope and joy. Death is not the end of our bodies. Rather, we shall be reunited, body and soul, when Christ returns. And our happy existence in that “new heaven and new earth” goes beyond our most joyful comprehension.

Readings:
Isaiah 65:17-25
Psalm 150
2 Thessalonians 2:13-3:5
Luke 20:27-38

Prayer of the Day:
Almighty God and Savior, you have set the final day and hour when we shall be delivered from this world of sin and death. Keep us ever watchful for the coming of your Son that we may sit with him and all your holy ones at the marriage feast in heaven; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Sermon:   Luke 20:27-38

"Life's Road Does Not End in the Cemetery"

Please join us this Sunday at 9:30 am for worship and praise.

The Cantabile Singers and Elaine Stindt will be our guests to

share their musical gifts with us.

There will be a door offering taken as a thank you to our guests.

St. John News!

God has richly blessed St John by sending Pastor Kom to be our vacancy pastor from Jan 1 to Nov 30 this year.  We also thank Crown of Life for sharing their pastor with us during this time.  His last service at St John will be Nov 24 and we plan to thank him that day with cake and coffee in the fellowship hall.  A card box will be available for thank you cards.

Divinity has invited St John members to join them for an Advent service at 6:00 PM at Divinity on Dec. 4.  A dinner will be served at 6:45.  St John will not be having an Advent service this year.

Starting Dec 1 we will offer Valet parking for our members who prefer not to park in back and climb the steps.  With the later service start time, we expect it will be harder to find a parking spot on the street.  Just pull up near the ramp in front of the church and one of our members will park your car in the lot and get it for you when you are ready to leave.  Jeff Abrahamson, Jim Julian, and Tony Wimmer will be glad to help you.

New Sunday Morning Schedule

Beginning December 1st, this will be our new Sunday morning schedule:

9:00 am - Adult Bible Class in the Fellowship Hall (this time was chosen so choir members could attend Bible Class)

10:00 am - Choir practice and Little Lights

11:00 am - Sunday Worship Service.

There will no longer be a specific Fellowship Sunday on the 2nd Sunday of the month. Each Sunday there will be refreshments in the Fellowship Hall until our Worship Service begins at 11:00 am.
Council members will bring snacks and make coffee.  Members are also welcomed to brings snacks.

Reminder: Gift Card Drive for New Day Pregnancy Center

The Dorcas Society is sponsoring a gift card drive to help support Christian Life Ministries' Christmas gift program for needy families. If you would like to serve your Lord this Christmas by helping a needy family in our local area, please put any gift card(s) of your choice into an envelope marked "Dorcas" and drop it into the offering plate by Thanksgiving. Walmart and gas cards are preferred, but any and all gift cards will be appreciated and put to good use. Thank you for your gift of love!

Anticipating Worship (November 10)

Last Judgement Sunday

Worship Focus:
The Lord’s justice is not something to be trifled with. The Scripture is very clear that there will come a day, the Last Day, when all who rejected Christ will be repaid for their evil.

Readings:

Jeremiah 26:1-6

Psalm 90

2 Thessalonians 1:5-10

Luke 19:11-27

Prayer of the Day:

Lord God Almighty, so rule and govern our hearts and minds by your Holy Spirit that we may always look forward to the end of this present evil age and to the day of your righteous judgment. Keep us steadfast in true and living faith and present us, at last, holy and blameless before you; through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen.

Sermon:    2 Thessalonians 1:5-10

"Looking Forward To the Final Accounting"

Please join us on Sunday at 9:30 am for worship. Stay for Fellowship Sunday followed by

Bible Study and Little Lights.

Pastor John Zeitler will be leading us in worship. 

Crossroads Consulting Engagement and Congregational Update

For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11) 

On November 3rd, congregational voters approved: 1) Crossroads Consulting to help us with ministry planning; and 2) to call Pastor Berg from Divinity as our vacancy pastor effective December 1st.

At the meeting a lot of us had questions on what does engaging Crossroads Consulting mean, and what are the next steps. If you have not done so already, start by checking out this video describing the Crossroads Consulting Process, and then review answers to Frequently Asked Questions below or our previous blog post here.

May our love for the Lord, his Word, and each other move us to support this effort in any way we can. As we continue down the path God has lead us to, pray for St. John. Pray daily. On our own, we may fail. But with God, all things are possible!


Frequently Asked Questions

Who will lead the ministry planning?
Pastor Elton Stroh of Crossroads Ministry Consulting will lead our ministry planning. Pastor Stroh has 19 years of experience consulting with churches on strategic planning. St. John will have a team of 5 - 7 members that will lead the ministry plan and work closely with Pastor Stroh. This team will be our guiding coalition-- we will be looking for both men and women to be on this team that are passionate about ministry planning.

When will we call a Pastor?
St. John will start the calling process for a Pastor once we have a better understanding of where we are going. This will likely be during the mission/vision setting phase (in approximately 6 - 10 months). We want to ensure that when we call a Pastor, we can share our ministry plan with him so that his talents meet our ministry needs. We will rely on Pastor Stroh and the guiding coalition team to help us determine when this is.

How long will the planning process take?
We will update you once we have a confirmed date or plan from Pastor Stroh. Expect us to embark immediately on a 6 - 10 month process to define our unique mission and vision for our ministry efforts in St. Paul. Then Pastor Stroh will support us for an additional 12 months as we implement our ministry plan. Exciting right? Below is a full overview of the process:

St. John Service Time Change

St. John service time will change from 9:30 am to 11:00 am. This change will begin on Sunday, December 1st. Bible Study and Little Lights will be before worship.

Immanuel Hmong-Thanksgiving and Hmong New Year

Immanuel Hmong will celebrate Thanksgiving and Hmong New Year on November 24th. Immanuel Hmong would like to invite all St. John members to join us for worship and dinner. Immanuel Hmong will dress in Hmong traditional clothing, worship at 12:30 pm, following with dinner in the Fellowship Hall.

All are welcome!

Thanksgiving Services

It will not be possible in our situation to have a Thanksgiving service this year. You are encouraged to take in a service at one of our sister congregations near you. A few service times are listed here for your convenience. Have a most blessed Thanksgiving!

· Christ, North St. Paul: Wednesday - 7:00 pm

· Divinity, St. Paul: Wednesday - 6:00 pm

· Crown of Life, West St. Paul: Wednesday - 6:30 pm

· Grace, South St. Paul: Wednesday - 7:00 pm

· New Life, Shoreview: Wednesday - 7:00 pm

Vacancy Pastor Called

On Sunday, November 3rd, the voters extended a call to Pastor John Berg to be our vacancy pastor. Pastor Berg serves at Divinity Lutheran Church. Please keep Pastor Berg in your prayers. We would also like to thank Pastor Mark Kom, who has served St. John from January 1st, 2019-November 30th, 2019. We cannot thank him enough for the time that was given to St. John members as he served both Crown of Life and St. John. We were truly blessed. Also, thank you to the members of Crown of Life who allowed him to share his ministry with us.

Anticipating Worship (November 3rd)

Reformation Sunday

Worship Focus:
What a gift God gave to his church through the Lutheran Reformation! The bright light of God’s “new covenant,” his saving grace in Jesus Christ, pierced through the darkness of law-oppressed religion. As sons and daughters of the Lutheran reformation, we both preserve this truth and share it with the world.

Readings:
Jeremiah 31:31-34
Psalm 46
Romans 3:19-28
John 8:31-36

Prayer of the Day: Gracious Lord, our refuge and strength, pour out your Holy Spirit on your faithful people. Keep them steadfast in your Word, protect and comfort them in all temptations, defend them against all their enemies, and bestow on the Church your saving peace; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Amen.

Sermon: Romans 3:19-24
"A Million Dollar Answer to a Million Dollar Question"

Please join on Sunday at 9:30 for worship. There will be a congregational meeting at 11:00 am.

Pastor Mark Kom will be leading us in worship.