Connections E-Newsletter - May 12, 2022 |
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Thank You from the St. John's Foundation Board! |
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Thank you to all who attended the recent St. John’s West Bend Foundation “Better Together” 10-year celebration event. It was a wonderful evening of fellowship, and included equal parts of past, present, and future. Jim Engel, original chairman of the Foundation Board, set the stage by describing how a visionary group set up the working structure and by-laws for the Foundation. Brian Herbolsheimer and Tim Prasch, current board members, outlined how the Foundation operates today. Alan Lull and Jim Van Dellen provided several examples of how people have benefitted from the work of the Foundation. Finally, Pastor Hesse and Rich Buss, Leadership Board President, provided a setting for future work, beginning with a fresh look at St. John’s 30 Year Plan. Thank you, Lord, for what you have done through the Foundation to support the mission and vision of St John’s.
I encourage all of you to take an active role as the Leadership Board and Foundation look to the future. As plans are created and put into motion, we will need everyone to help in various ways. God has great things in store for St. John’s and the West Bend community, and with your help we will certainly be “Better Together”.
David Schmidt
Foundation Board Chair
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Last Chance to Register for the Men's Retreat! |
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God’s Dearly Loved People of St. John’s,
How should we respond to God’s love and His very presence?
How should we give thanks for God’s promises, past, present and future?
What is an appropriate offering to the Lord?
Your pastors and leaders invite every member to use the months of May and June as a special opportunity to rejoice, pray and give thanks to God…to put faith in action as part of the body of Christ, His Church. Once again, this spring, you will see green envelopes in the pews for a St. John’s “Thank Offering”. Please join us in this holy time of giving thanks.
How are you doing in supporting God’s work through your financial offerings? As you review your giving, perhaps you are doing better than you thought possible. Praise God! Maybe you are a little behind…or maybe a lot behind. Maybe you have not given an offering yet this year. Wherever you find yourself, consider giving a Thank Offering.
God tells us, “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:7) God wants our heart, and offerings are used by God to change our heart. Offerings are a joy… not an obligation. Be cheerful! It is a great blessing and honor to be doing God’s work together!
So, what is an appropriate offering to the Lord? Scripture is clear - all of life is an offering in faith. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) Let’s come together as God’s dearly loved people and encourage one another in all the blessings He provides. Let us rejoice, pray, and give thanks! Indeed, we rejoice and give thanks to God for you!
You can make a thank offering through the green envelopes found in your pews or via the St. John’s App and Pushpay!
Peace in Christ,
St. John’s Leadership Board & Management Team
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One Body, Many Members: Join Us for a Group Discussion |
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Join us in the gym at 9:25 AM on May 15 for a large group study. We will discuss “One Body, Many Members” and wrestle with what it means to be a church and the church where God has placed us!
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Connecting, Caring, and Sharing in Christ |
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Hebrews 10:25 calls us to “not give up meeting together” as some are in the habit of doing. In verse 39 we’re reminded that “we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.” But as burdens and tasks build up, it is easy to isolate or at least hide part
of ourselves.
The woman at the well was also pretty good at hiding. She went to the well at a time of day when she was sure to be alone. But Jesus met her there and had a conversation that changed everything. We will look closely at that interaction and talk about how God meets us where we are at and gives us the courage to be vulnerable. We will also practice some fruitful conversation skills that will equip us for mentoring relationships in our homes and in the broader community.
Ladies! Join us September 23-25, 2022 at the Green Lake Conference Center.
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Families! Children ages 3 years old (and potty trained) through 5th grade are welcome to participate in St. John's Annual Vacation Bible School. The theme this year is Monumental: Celebrating God’s Greatness. Join us as we go off-road for a monumental adventure through the colorful canyons and sunbaked trails of the southwest. Through the opening skits, songs, bible verses, bible stories, crafts, games, and even snacks, we explore God’s awesomeness and the kids form a rock-solid faith for the road ahead. Bring a friend and join us!
VBS Online Registration opens April 1st! Receive a $10 discount if you register during the month of April by using the code: GRACE10.
PLEASE NOTE WHEN REGISTERING: ACTIVE offers a subscription for their services to individuals, which has a cost of $89.95. This will probably be a pop up after clicking submit on the initial payment. Please pay attention to your screen or you may select the opt in and be charged that fee, which is NOT a fee for St. John's VBS. The cost for VBS is $35. If you use the discount code, the cost is $25 per child.
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Calling All VBS Volunteers! |
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It’s that time of year again when we need strong, amazing, sweet, sassy, loud, quiet, Jesus-loving volunteers. Do any of those descriptive words describe you? We know at least one of them did, so jump on board and join the team of VBS Volunteers. We are gearing up for another week of fantastic fun this summer (July 18-22).
Volunteers meet in the School Gym by 8:30 a.m. every morning during the week of VBS so that you are ready to welcome your crews or jump to the station you will be helping at. By 12:30 p.m., you are typically finished serving for the day.
If you have any questions, please contact me, Desiree Titus, at dtitus@stjohnswestbend.org and I would be more than happy to answer any of your questions.
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It's Good to be Together in the Lord |
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The next Baptism Class is Monday, May 16 at 6:30 pm in the church nursery. The class is led by Doug and Mel Raddemann. This course is for anyone looking to be baptized themselves or for any parent who would like his or her child baptized at St. John's. The class introduces what we believe and confess about the amazing gift that baptism is for individuals and families.
Please RSVP to the church office if you plan on attending at
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All of the ministries at St. John's continue to monitor the COVID-19 pandemic as we seek to faithfully carry out our mission. Regarding in-person worship, we would like to remind you of the following protocols:
- Masks continue to be welcomed and encouraged during worship
- The balcony continues to be reserved for mask wearers only at all worship services.
- You are free to greet one another in whatever manner you feel most comfortable-Shaking hands, waving, or a simple kind "Hello!" are all ways to acknowledge your brothers and sisters in Christ.
- The offering will continue to be collected via the box in the narthex or via the St. John's app.
- Worship will continue to be livestreamed on all of our platforms and archived on our Youtube page for those who would prefer to worship at home during this time.
Please continue to pray for an end to this pandemic and for all affected!
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Discipleship in as Many Places as Possible. |
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Support our National Youth Gathering Attendees:
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Faithful Disciples • Academic Excellence • Christian Leaders |
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Location: St. John's Lutheran School 899 South 6th Avenue, West Bend, WI 53095
Date: June 20 - 24, 2022
Time & Cost: 9:00 AM to 3:30 PM | $245 (before discount)
Extended Day Hours Available: 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM | Additional $80
Camp Director: Marcia Milam
Camp Invention is for children entering grades 1st-6th. Secure your child's spot today!
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Contact the office to learn how to join the Living Word Luther High School family.
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Contact the Enrollment Office to learn how to join the CUW family.
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Do you feel God's Calling to Become a
Pastor or Deaconess?
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Reach in Prayer • St. John's App • Daily Devotions |
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5th Avenue Closure: St. John's Traffic & Parking Plan |
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Decorah and Hawthorn Road Closures:
Both of these streets will close periodically due to 5th Avenue construction. Please watch for detour signs posted by the City of West Bend.
5th Avenue Closure:
Beginning on or about March 28, 5th Avenue to the east of the St. John’s campus will be closed. As such, we will have to make multiple adjustments to our traffic flow, parking, and our car line drop off and pick up for St. John’s School.
Sunday Morning Worship
All four entrances/exits to and from 5th Avenue will be closed. In order to facilitate traffic flow, two turnarounds will be marked off so that traffic can exit the parking lot easily with our angled parking. (See #1 on the map above.)
To help with this challenge, the parking lot lines will be repainted in the coming week and there will be parking attendants to help facilitate traffic for the first few weeks.
Worshippers who are willing and able are encouraged to park on 6th Avenue or Spring Street to ease traffic flow in the parking lot.
Early Childhood Center Drop off and Pick Up
The drop off and pick up process will remain the same. After dropping off your child, please use the designated turnarounds and exit back onto 6th Avenue.
School Drop Off and Pick Up
We will now be utilizing 6th Avenue directly to the west of the School & ECC building for all car line drop off and pick up. Buses will load and unload on 6th Avenue next to the ECC (See #2 on the map above).
Car line will drop off and pick up directly in front of the school gym on 6th Avenue coming from the south. Those picking up children from St. John’s School should line up on 6th Avenue coming from the south next to SonShine Community Park, and, if necessary, on Hawthorn Drive.
Signage will be utilized to designate loading and unloading zones.
Final Notes
The city is unable to pinpoint an exact completion date due to the variables that exist with any robust re-construction project (weather, etc.). However, based upon what the city has shared with us, we should plan for this to take approximately 7 months, which is a completion date of approximately October 15.
This will certainly be a change to our normal operating procedure and people will need time to adjust. Two things will help the entire St. John’s community during this time. First, slow down and pay attention to your surroundings as things will be more congested. Second, if there is ever a time to show a little bit of extra grace to our fellow members of our community, this is the time.
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For a Digital Copy of the Connections Booklet, Click Here.
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Saturday
6:00 PM Traditional
Sunday
8:00 AM Traditional
9:25 Discipleship Hour in the Gym (April 24-May 15)
11:00 AM Contemporary
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809 South 6th Ave
West Bend, WI 53095
Church Office: 262-334-4901
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