Honoring Our Veterans
We give thanks to God in honoring the men and women who faithfully answered the call to serve in our nation's military. Thank you for your service.
CONNECT ... in Worship
Sunday Worship Services
8:00 & 10:45 a.m.
Twenty-Fifth Sunday after Pentecost
Sunday, November 11, 2018
"Prophet, Priest, King: Jesus, the...Prophet"
(Week 1 of 3)
Pastor Ben Roberts

Old Testament Reading: Deuteronomy 18:15-22
Epistle: Hebrews 1:1-4
Holy Gospel: Luke 4:16-21
The work that Jesus did while He was on earth is often summarized as an “office” He held: the 3-fold office of “prophet”, “priest” and “king”. In this office, He speaks God’s all powerful Word, He intercedes for those needing salvation from sin and He rules over all things, including His Church. But Jesus continues to embody His 3-fold office through His body, the Church. In this sermon series, we will be taking a look at what the ministry of Jesus looks like as our Prophet, Priest and King; how He embodies this office for our sake; and how He uses His Church to continue His ministry wherever He sends them.

11/18: “Jesus…the Priest” (John 17:1-10, 20-23)
11/25: “Jesus…the King” (John 18:33-37)
Thursday, November 22, 2018
10:00 a.m.
(Holy Communion)
Remember to Bring Your Shoebox this Sunday!
GROW ...in the Word
Sunday Morning Adult Bible Study
"The Challenge of Islam (Part Two): Defending the Christian Faith
Sunday, November 11, 2018
Heritage Room
Leader: Pastor Ben Roberts
In Part Two of this Bible study, Sam Shamoun, an Arab-Christian, examines key texts from the Qur'an and the Bible. Among the items he sheds light on are Islamic presuppositions concerning the priority of the Qur'an, Bible texts considered corrupt by Muslims, the sonship of believers, and Islam's position on the Trinity.

Shamoun's compelling explanation of the three phases of jihad or Muslim "holy war" is of particular benefit to users of this Bible study. This term-oft heard and oft misunderstood over the last few years-is essential for the non-Muslim to understand. As delivered in the Qur'an, jihad is a three-stage process describing how Islam is to be advanced throughout the world. Whether expressed as peaceful co-existence, a defensive stance, or an offensive posture, the level of jihad depends on the prevailing social and political milieu Muslims find themselves in. The study's final lesson shows how society might be altered if non-Muslims' conduct and beliefs were subjugated to the tenets and practice of Islam. Finally, Christians are offered encouragement and talking points when encountering Muslims on faith issues and sharing the hope they have in Christ Jesus.
Calling All Sunday Schoolers!
Sunday, November 11 at 9:30 a.m.
Music/Choir Room
Join the fun this week in Sunday School as we pack Operation Christmas Child boxes using the offerings we have collected for this special project.

First we will go on a shopping trip together to gather items for the boxes beginning in the 2nd floor Music Room and moving to the Library. We will make and enclose Christmas cards and watch video stories of children receiving Christmas boxes in Africa, South America, Russia, and Asia. Be ready for an Advent game and a Christmas carol sing-along, too!
Sunday Morning Parenting Bible Study
"The Art of Parenting: Aiming Your Child's Heart Toward God"
Sunday, November 11 at 9:25 a.m.
Noah's Ark Nursery
Did you know that your child/ren are like "arrows in the hands of a warrior?" Join us this Sunday as we begin FamilyLife's "The Art of Parenting: Aiming Your Child's Hear Toward God". Parents and grandparents are welcome! Questions? Contact Rebecca Hemminger at 630-660-3602.
High School Youth Bible Study
No Class this Sunday, November 11
We will resume next week!
Surviving the Holidays
Monday, November 12 from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m.
Heritage Room
In the coming days, you may be faced with some tough emotions. And due to the nature of Thanksgiving and Christmas - with its focus on the family, yearly traditions, expectations, social events, and "cheer" - the emotions can blindside you. You can lessen the emotional impact by knowing what to expect and being prepared.

Surviving the Holidays is here to help. Please watch the video below to learn more about our special session, "Surviving the Holidays", on Monday, November 12 at 4:30 p.m.


Questions? Contact Marnie Smith at  marnie_rev@comcast.net  or call (630) 440-6542.
Weekly Bible Studies
Tuesday Morning Women's Bible Class
Tuesdays at 10:15 a.m.
Heritage Room

We are currently reading, "One Way Love: Inexhaustible Grace for an Exhausted World" . Please consider joining the class. If you would like a book to be ordered for you, contact Lynn Kahl at (312) 890-0020 or at lynnkahl50@gmail.com and one will be waiting for you on the first day of class.
Early Risers Bible Study
Thursdays at 6:15 a.m.
Heritage Room
Men's Weekly Bible Study
Thursdays at 7:00 p.m.
Heritage Room
We are now studying the Gospel of Luke, following Warren Wiersbe's "Be Compassionate: Let the World Know That Jesus Cares" . This is the first of two books covering Luke's Gospel, through chapter 13, which we will read sequentially. If you have any questions, please contact Jon Fredrickson at jon_fredrickson@yahoo.com .
SHARE ...with Your Service
Many Thanks!
The LWML would like to thank many of you who gave donations to the BEDS Plus program , the outreach to many homeless people who live in our area. The items will be a big help to them.

Thank you, also, for you donations to the Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch , through the Honey Sunday outreach. 61 bottles of honey were ordered, and an extra donation of $155 was collected, for a total of $460. This is wonderful!

The kids at the Ranch raise the bees, collect the honey, bottle it and mail it. Around 350 children, whose lives have been previously horribly treated, are cared for, attend school, and learn about the love and salvation of Jesus as they live at the Ranch. Their lives are completely turned around and they are healed by the love of all the Christians who work there. Your donations will be a big help to them. Enjoy the honey when it arrives!
Thank you to the many volunteers, trunk decorators, and participants in our annual Trunk or Treat. We hope you enjoyed the fellowship with friends and visitors, and made great memories. Email j.strasser@sjlagrange.com or k.pece@sjlagrange.com if you have any ideas or suggestions for next year's event.
Raising Your Outreach Temperature
Every follower of Jesus has an outreach temperature. This impacts the way we live and interact with those who are far from God. Using a scale of one to ten, one would be a heart that is cooled off where we walk past opportunities to let the light of Jesus shine; a ten would represent a season where Jesus’ light is shining, we speak of our faith often and share stories of what God is doing in our lives, and share the Gospel naturally. With the Holy Spirit to guide us, let’s individually raise our temperature one degree to grow and increase our passion to reach out to others who are spiritually hungry and thirsty. (adapted from Kevin G. Harney’s book on outreach for churches) The Evangelism Committee will share an idea each month in the Mission pages to help us raise our outreach temperature.
For the month of November, the Evangelism Committee invites you to pray daily that you can naturally share the joy and hope that are found in Jesus.
Volunteers Needed!

  • Christmas Tree Set-Up and Decorating
  • Christmas Concert Volunteers Needed!
Our Christmas Concert is five weeks away on December 9, and we are in need of many volunteers to help make that evening special. We need people for setting-up and decorating Christmas trees, setting-up risers and chairs, baking cookies and bars for the reception, setting-up and serving the reception as well as clean-up, Ushers, Greeters, and directing traffic. Please consider helping out in any way you can. Look for the sheets on the sign-up board along the west wall of the Church Narthex or if you prefer you can click this link and use Sign-Up Genius ( http://bit.ly/StJohnsDec2018 )

You can also send an email to Mr. Lincoln at d.lincoln@sjlagrange.com , or call him at (708) 354-1690 x222. Your help is greatly appreciated.

Times of Volunteer Help Needed:

  • Christmas Tree Set-up—Thurs, Nov. 29 at 7:00 p.m.
  • Christmas Tree Decorating—Fri, Nov. 30 at 7:00 p.m.
  • Riser Set-up—Sun, Dec. 2 from 12 to 1:00 p.m. (lunch served at 1:00 p.m.)
  • Reception Set-up—Sat, Dec. 8 at 10:00 a.m.
  • Concert Set-up—Sun, Dec. 9 at 12:00 p.m.
  • Kitchen Preparations / Reception Serve / Clean Up—Sun, Dec. 9
  • Assist Directing Traffic —Sun, Dec. 9 (start at 5:30 p.m.)
  • Serve as Greeter for the Concert —Sun, Dec. 9 (start at 5:45 p.m.)
  • Riser Take-down—Mon, Dec. 10 at 6:30 p.m.
Mission Cafe Coffee Hour
November’s Mission Café donations will benefit the People’s Resource Center . St. John’s First Graders will be hosting a “Christmas Toy Drive” as their Eagles In Action” project. In addition to their toy drive, we will collect monetary donations. 

Since 1975,   People's Resource Center (PRC) has been bringing neighbors together to respond to hunger and poverty in DuPage County. Nearly 30,000 DuPage residents rely on PRC for help each year. With a team of over 2,500 volunteers, they offer nutritious food and other basic necessities like clothes and rent assistance for people facing tough times. They also connect people with resources—education and tutoring, jobs, technology, art, a caring community—to create a future of hope and opportunity for all.

Interested in Hosting a Sunday Morning Coffee Hour? Sign-up below!
SCHOOL NEWS
Family Movie Night!
Now Showing: The Incredibles 2
Friday, November 16 - Doors Open at 6:00 p.m.
School Gym
St. John's PTO will be hosting a Family Movie Night on Friday, November 16 in the School Gym. Doors will open at 6:00 p.m. with showtime beginning at 6:30 p.m. Popcorn and a Candy "Bar" will be available for purchase.
TRIP Program
Click the TRIP logo to learn more!
Whether you are starting your Thanksgiving Day shopping, or stocking up for the winter season, don’t forget to order your TRIP cards! If you just plan on dining out or treating yourself, take time to evaluate your shopping needs and order your TRIP cards! If you are hosting or attending any fall gatherings, start your shopping with TRIP cards. 

We will be placing TRIP orders for your shopping needs on these upcoming dates: November 12 & 26
CHURCH OFFICE
Weekly Report from Board of Finance
Weekly Statistics on Congregational Giving to St. John's Lutheran Church & School

The chart showing Weekly Cumulative Giving for Operations has been modified to show our cumulative year-to-date deficiency to need as a negative number beneath cumulative weekly giving.
Anyone wishing further information on Congregational giving or the Church’s overall financial situation is invited to contact either Bob Roth, Chair, Board of Finance, or Jeff Baker, Congregational Treasurer, through the Church office, churchoffice@sjlagrange.com or (708) 354-1690 x210
Weekly Worship Attendance
Sunday, November 4, 2018 = 202
Gift Opportunities
As we approach the end of the year, it is not too late to make a special contribution to St. John's. If you are 70 1/2 you can fulfill the Required Minimum Distribution of your IRA account by contributing a portion of the Distribution to St. John's. Your contribution reduces your Adjusted Gross Income.

Another tax saving possibility is to donate an appreciated security to St. John's. If the security is held in a taxable account, you pay no capital gains tax and receive an itemized deduction for the value of the security donated.

Please review these possibilities with your tax advisor before taking action. You can contact the following members for more information:

Jeff Baker: (708) 446-9567 or jwbaz@aol.com
Tom Braun: (708) 207-3720 or tjbraun54@gmail.com
Bob Roth: (630) 247-1864 or rjrmcr@aol.com
UPCOMING ST. JOHN'S EVENTS
Third Annual Women's Advent Tea
"The Story of the Christmas Tree"
Saturday, December 1
10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
School Gym
Join us for a morning of fellowship, devotion and breakfast a the Third Annual Women's Advent Tea on Saturday, December 1, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The cost is $10 per person. You may sign-up in the church narthex.

If you would like to HOST a table, please contact Rebecca Schiltz at schiltz4@sbcglobal.net or Katie Pece at k.pece@sjlagrange.com
Christmas Cookie Drop-Off
Saturday, December 15 at 1:00 p.m.
The Board of Caring Ministries invites you to join us for a "Cookie Drop-Off" on Saturday, December 15 at 1:00 p.m. Please help us take Christmas Cheer to those who cannot join us for Church on Sundays. More information to follow!
Parents Night Out & Birthday Party for Angel
Friday, December 14
More details coming soon!

Christmas Caroling at Meadowbrook Manor
Sunday, December 16
More details coming soon!
Christmas Concert: "Of the Father's Love Begotten"
Sunday, December 9, 2018 at 6:30 p.m.
St. John’s will again host our Annual Christmas Concert: “Of the Father’s Love Begotten” on Sunday, December 9, 2018 at 6:30 p.m. This evening of music will feature St. John’s adult and youth choirs, handbells, and orchestra. The program will include a variety of sacred music and familiar carols. The concert is free and open to the public. A free-will offering will be taken.
Scholarships available for the
LUTHERAN SUMMER MUSIC ACADEMY AND FESTIVAL
Don’t miss out on Lutheran Summer Music (LSM). LSM is a residential performance and training program for young musicians grades 8 – 12. LSM is hosted on different Lutheran college and university campuses each Summer. Join over 25 nationally recognized faculty artists and a team of dedicated counselors in our supportive, academic community. This year the academy is being held at Valparaiso University from June 23 – July 7, 2019 (Half Session); and June 23 – July 21, 2019 (Full Session).

IMPORTANT UPDATE:  Thanks to many generous donations, the tuition has been reduced by $1,000 from the past several years. You also can apply for Matching Grants that can reduce your out-of-pocket costs substantially. 

APPLICATION:  Please complete the application that is available on our church web site. The deadline to complete the scholarship application is January 1, 2019.

Please contact David Lincoln at d.lincoln@sjlagrange.com if you have any questions on the scholarship application process. Any student from St. John’s Church can apply for a partial scholarship. This is made possible by the Eugene Pepich Lutheran Music Summer Camp Scholarship Program.
Sunday Worship Schedule
Worship Service 8:00 a.m.
Education 9:25 - 10:25 a.m.
Worship Service 10:45 a.m.
Church Office
Office: (708) 354-1690 x210