COVID 19 Update

On Wednesday, Governor Walz ordered that all residents of Minnesota are now required to wear face masks in all public places effective this Saturday.  St John will follow this mandate for all church services and meetings.  For any other activities where there is only 1 person performing work, it will not be required. Based on the language of the Order, it appears that members could still receive communion by temporarily removing their masks to receive communion and then putting their masks back on.
We will continue our other Covid-19 prevention procedures and masks are available to our members and guests.

Good Newsletter!

July 2020

A Gift to Enjoy
This year in our monthly articles we are considering favorite verses from the Bible.
This month’s favorite Bible verse is:  Romans 6:23
“The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

My first paycheck.  $100! A ONE with two zeroes behind it! It didn’t matter that I spent a week pulling weeds with thistles in a 45-acre field. It didn’t matter that I sweltered under a hot July sun. It didn’t matter that I earned minimum wage. It had my name on it. I earned it.

There is another paycheck that I’m not so excited about. It comes in the form of guilt pricking my conscience far deeper than a thistle could ever penetrate my skin. Sometimes I see it when my temper flares hotter than the summer sun. I feel it when I know I should be more considerate, more caring, more loving toward others around me. So I work harder to do what’s right and try harder to do better than before, but still, it never seems to be enough. And it isn’t enough, because the Bible tells me the wages of my sin is death—and it’s your paycheck, too.

But, thank the Lord, the Bible also tells us that God is not going to give us what we have earned with our sins. Instead, he gives us something we have not earned—eternal life. It’s a gift that has been bought and paid for by the blood of Jesus and earned by his death on the cross.

That takes all the pressure off, doesn’t it? Instead of the failures of our past, we can look to Jesus’ perfect life of love. Instead of the pressures of tomorrow, we can look to the promise of eternal life that is already won for us by Jesus’ dying and rising from the dead. As a result, life is not a burden, but a gift to enjoy always.

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

July 12 worship

You can watch this week's worship video here.

I will be gone the next two weeks.  Worship videos will still be posted on Youtube but you will not receive this email.

Note from Pastor Berg

I will be on vacation from July 13-27.  Pastor Dustin Sievert from SCL will preach on 

July 19.  Pastor Moua will preach on July 26.

For any emergencies requiring pastoral care

· call Pastor Al Schleusener from Mt. Olive in St Paul at  651-202-1924 from July 13-19

· call Pastor Jon Hackbarth from Salem in Woodbury at 651-894-2156 from July 20-27

Ministry Planning - Listening Sessions

This Sunday will be our first small group Listening Session, which is the next step in our ministry planning process. The Listening Sessions will be used to gather member input on our ministry options. 

Earlier this week, more detailed information was emailed and mailed to members, including an agenda of items that will be discussed. If you did not receive an email (check your spam/junk mail folder too) or a letter, or you’d like another copy, please email ministryplanning@stjohnev.net or call the church office.

We care deeply for your health and safety and are offering four different ways you can participate including two different in-person sessions on July 12th and 26th, a virtual meeting conference option on July 22nd, individually scheduled one-on-one phone calls, or a paper copy to fill out. We hope these options make it possible for every single member to participate and strongly encourage you to participate in one of the interactive options (in-person, virtual, or phone discussion).

This Sunday there will be a shortened worship service to accommodate the listening sessions after worship. In the session we’ll consider as we seek to grow the Kingdom of God: (1) What are the benefits (pros) and drawbacks (cons) of each option?, and (2) What open questions do you have about each option that would help in evaluating what is best for God’s Kingdom?

May God bless our efforts!

Ministry Planning Guiding Coalition

Ellen Mueller

Tamara Julian

Jill Abrahamson

Steve Ross

Derek Meyer

7-5-20 worship

You can watch this week's worship here.