6-28-20 worship

You may watch this week's worship service here.

Congregation Meeting

A voter's meeting will be held on July 19, 2020, following our church service in the sanctuary.
This will be an abbreviated meeting and the topics are budget approval and an update on moving forward with Crossroads Consulting.

6-21-20 worship service

Happy Father's Day!

You can watch today's worship service here.

Continuing Ministry Planning - Listening Sessions

With the state of Minnesota starting to lift restrictions, planning is underway to pick back up our ministry planning process. As we plan, we are keeping several core principles at heart:

1. We recognize all good things come from God and ask Him to bless our efforts!

2. Ministry planning is an urgent item. Souls are at stake and we should urgently pursue our ministry planning process.

3. We care deeply for the safety of others. This means we will likely have to do things differently to ensure the safety of our members.

4. Your involvement and contributions to this process are critical to the success of this process.

5. We strive for a Kingdom mindset, expanding our sights to what is best for God’s family of believers while recognizing that God has a plan for the members of St. John.

Isaiah 49:6 “It is too small a thing for you to”... “bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”

Jeremiah 29:11-13 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future…”

1 Chronicles 16:11 “Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.”

With those principles in mind, we are in the midst of planning for Listening Sessions, the next step in our ministry planning process. Need a refresher on Ministry Planning? Refer to this blog post and other eNews posts (just search for “Ministry”). 

Listening Sessions are intended to gather a deeper level of member input on our ministry options. While we don’t have all the details yet, we wanted to share the information we have. Here is what we know today:

• We will offer multiple ways to participate so you can choose the option you are most comfortable with (in-person, virtual, paper input, or one-on-one phone discussion)

• We are targeting July to conduct the listening sessions.

• Discussion items will be provided to members in advance so you know what will be discussed and to allow you to collect your thoughts. We’ll email it to members who have provided an email address and mail it to all others.

• In-person sessions will be conducted after a shortened (30 min) worship service and will follow the same safety guidelines outlined in our Public Worship Safety Plan.

Look for more information in the coming days and weeks. Should you have any questions you can reach out to any member of the Ministry Planning Guiding Coalition (Ellen Mueller, Tamara Julian, Jill Abrahamson, Steve Ross, or Derek Meyer) or call the church office and Jan will direct your question to the right person.

Private family communion at St. John

It's taken a little while to figure the schedule out, but we will again be having private family communion at St.  John.  If you are not yet comfortable coming to worship but desire holy communion Pastor will be available the fourth Tuesday of the month from 3:00 PM-6:00 PM.  The next day available is June 23.  You can sign up here.

June 14 worship

You can watch this week's worship service here.

GOOD NEWSLETTER!

June 2020

Is God Up There?

This year in our monthly articles we are considering favorite verses from the Bible.

This month’s favorite Bible verse is:  Genesis 1:1

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

“God, if you are up there, please show yourself to me.” Have you ever said that to God? Wouldn’t it be great if God just came down and showed himself to us?

God does show himself. In the first line of the Bible, God reveals himself to us. He tells us that he made all things. He made the huge galaxies of the universe. He made the tiniest atoms. He made you and me. His creation demonstrates his power, creativity, wisdom, and tender concern for us.

Take time to notice and to marvel at all God made—the colors of the sky, the light of the sun and stars, the mosaic of leaves outside your window, the beauty of the landscape within your view. Consider how God made you. Think of how your body works—your eyes and ears, your arms, legs, fingers and toes, your brain.

However, God did not make the world and then stand back as a disinterested observer far removed from it all. He is watching over it all. He continues to care for us by providing for all our needs.

Sadly, we often don’t thank him for what he has done for us. We forget him. For that, God has every right to turn his back on us. Amazingly, he still cares for us. More than that, he came down to us and saved us from our wayward ways. He came down in love in the person of his Son, Jesus, and rescued us. Jesus lived the perfect life of thanks that we should live. On the cross, he died the death we should die for our sins. He promises a new and perfect world where all who believe in him will live forever in perfect joy.

Is God up there? Yes, he is! And, thankfully, he was willing to come down here to save us so that, one day, we will see him face to face.

Upcoming Events at St. John:

Worship Services: Sunday 11:00 AM.

Adult Bible Study 10:00 AM.

Visit our website at stjohnev.net

For more information or to unsubscribe go to newsletter@stjohnev.net or call us at 651-771-6406

HELP IS NEEDED!

We are in need of 4 people each week to clean and sanitize the church, narthex, and link area after worship. It takes about 15 minutes. A sign-up sheet is on the table in the narthex or you may call the church office at 651-771-6406. All the necessary cleaning supplies and instructions are in the Pastor's office. Your help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. 

UPCOMING EVENTS AT SCLA

July 6-9 - Girls Basketball Camp  (grades 5-9)

July 13-16 -  Boys Basketball Camp (grades 4-9)

Monday, July 20 - Golf Classic, Troy Burne Golf Club

July 20-23 -  Volleyball Camp (grades 6-9)

                    Wrestling Camp (grades 1-9)

                    Bowling Camp (grades 4-9)

July 27-30 - Academic Camps

Friday, July 31 - High School Graduation

August 3-6 - Soccer Camp  (grades 5-9)

August 10-13 - Football Camps (grades k-8)

Bible Study

A timely Bible study will be offered beginning this Sunday at 10:00 AM. Simply entitled "Burden Bearing," this study will help us make sense of, give us perspective on, and teach us how to deal with the stressful situations we face in this world of sin. Please, join us in the fellowship hall where we can spread out and safely study together and find healing and help in these troubled times.

Public Worship Restart

Public Worship Restart – June 7 at 11:00

       Adult Bible class will be at 10:00

Psalm 122:1 says “I rejoiced with those who said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.”  It is a time for rejoicing!  We can again gather for worship.  The most important things will be the same.  You will hear God’s Word, you will receive the Sacrament, and you will do it with other believers.

Many of the procedures will be different, some of them very different.  This is for two reasons: 

1.    Some are required by law.  For example, we cannot have the number of people exceed 25% capacity.

2.    Some we are choosing to do in love for each other.   For example, IF you sing you are required to wear a mask.  God’s Word makes it very clear that we are to show Christian love by caring for each other’s health and well-being.  I may not feel I am at risk for COVID-19, but I will also do what I can to prevent me unknowingly spreading the virus.

Encouragements

·        Those who have any of the symptoms of COVID-19 should stay home.

·        Those who are at high risk of serious illness are encouraged to stay home.

·        Those who are uncomfortable attending services at this time are encouraged to stay home.

·        You are encouraged to wear a mask for the entire time you are in the building, but they are not required unless you choose to sing.  Some masks are available for you if desire one but don’t have one.

·        Everyone should practice distancing and good hygiene.

Distancing

·        Two rows are taped off between pews, ensuring six feet of distance between members.

·        Two households will be allowed per pew, on opposite ends.

·        Ushers will assist with Communion.

Cleanliness

·        High contact surfaces (like pews and door handles) will be disinfected after every service.

·        We are asking for volunteers to sign up for weekly disinfectant cleaning. This should take about 15 minutes after each church service.  Council members will clean the first 2 weeks.

·        A deeper cleaning will be done after each weekend.  Immanuel Hmong will do this.

·        Hymnals and Bibles will be removed from the pews.

·        The entire service will be printed and bulletins place in pews.

·        Those who are accustomed to following along in Bibles and hymnals are encouraged to bring their own.

·        Offering baskets will be set up in the rear of church.

·        The elements for Holy Communion will be prepared by someone wearing a mask and gloves.

·        Exterior doors will be propped open before, during, and after the service.

Before the Service

·        Hand sanitizer will be available at the doors.

·        There will be no hand shaking before the service.

·        A pastor or other member will be present in the narthex to guide people in these new procedures.

​

Communion

·        Those who do not wish to commune or are not comfortable communing at this time will be free not to do so.

·        Those who are distributing the Sacrament will clean their hands with soap and water or hand sanitizer immediately before distribution and wear a mask and gloves.

·        Eight individuals will be allowed to come forward at a time.

·        Communicant will come forward down the center aisle and return to their pew down the side aisle.

·        Communicants will receive the wafer in a ziplock bag on the rail. 

·        The common cup will not be used for a time.

·        Individual cups will be placed on the rail.

Singing

·        We will be singing, but it will be limited.

·        Those who sing are asked to wear a mask.  This will not sound like what we are used to, but it will help protect others.  ONLY those who sing are required to wear a mask.

After the Service

·        Pastor will not shake hands with people as he exits the sanctuary.

·        Members are encouraged not to stay and socialize in the narthex or church. This is something that can be done more safely outside, if desired.