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St. John Lutheran Church Newsletter
16 Great Rd., Sudbury, Ma 01776 978-443-8350
www.stjohnsudburyma.org
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Sharing Our Blessings Through Service | |
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From the Pastor
March 31 was International Transgender Day of Visibility, which this year fell on Easter. Because many Christians have been complicit in harming trans persons and for advocating against their rights, I wrote an Easter sermon with what the Easter story could be for this segment of God’s beloved children. Easter is a powerful story for us all, and even more powerful as a story of liberation for people long oppressed.
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Outreach Update and Opportunities | |
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T-Mobile funding for FOOD INSECURITY
From this church we can travel for about 15 minutes in any direction, passing by comfortably large high-value homes to reach many of the highest performing public schools in Massachusetts and arguably in the nation. Inside many of these schools are food pantries.
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Youth and Family Ministries | |
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Splish! Splash! Our Beach Party was a Blast!
Our second annual Beach Party had all the best things about the beach: water, sand, fun floats, and slime???
On March 16th, Heritage Hall became our St John Beach. We turned up the heat, decorated with tropical birds—lots of flamingos (of course!), inflated fun floats from a giant flamingo to sharks, and brought in some handmade palm trees to create our own version of the tropics!
We had a ball bowling with coconuts, playing ring toss with flamingos, and batting beach balls through fruity float loops! We splashed at the water table, “swam” in a pool full of balls, dug in our sand table, and searched for sea animals in a table full of blue slime. We made stained glass jellyfish and adorable rocking red crabs. We strung edible necklaces with fruit loops and gummy life savers—and then we gobbled them up. Delicious!
We created our own under the sea mural and played Pool Noodle Tag as we grooved to the tunes spun by DJ Richie.
And we munched on beach-inspired treats like goldfish crackers, Swedish fish, and an assortment of fruit while we sipped on lemonade.
We had a great time chatting and playing together as we dreamed of beach weather returning to New England—and of what fun we could have at next year’s Beach Party!
A special thank you to everyone who helped decorate and clean up—Tracy, George, and Jane, Richie, and Al Miller!
Michelle Rose,
Director of Youth & Family Ministry
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March is considered to be the windy month, and Sunday School was certainly a whirlwind of learning and activity!
Our lesson about the Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids led us to consider how we prepare ourselves—for camping trips—and for Jesus!
During our Family Sunday School on March 10th, we thought about what happens here at St John and drew out our ideas on the churches we made out of popsicle sticks. You can check out our artwork on the bulletin board outside the workroom. We also took a field trip to KidSpace and walked through ways that we can participate throughout our worship service in age-appropriate ways—from lighting our KidSpace altar candles to using our “clothesline flags” to track the service to gathering to pray the Lord’s Prayer together.
Then we jumped into Holy Week! We created our own palms and held a Palm Sunday parade. We discussed Jesus and the Last Supper and how Jesus gathered with his disciples for his last Passover meal in the same way that we gather with our family and friends for special occasions. Pastor Eric led us through our Holy Communion ritual as we laid out our KidSpace altar with our wooden communion set, and we recognized the connections between the Last Supper and our Holy Communion meal.
We also continued to gather and sing our favorite “faith camp” songs, created Dr. Seuss-inspired centerpieces to celebrate National Reading Month for the Acton Community Supper, learned about St Patrick teaching about the Holy Trinity using a shamrock, and tracked down some St Patrick’s day loot that Lucky the Leprechaun had hidden from us.
Throughout our lessons, singing, and projects, we continue to build our relationships with each other and with God.
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Michelle Rose,
Director of Youth & Family Ministry
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We had a wide variety of experiences during Confirmation classes in March.
Our studies led us to explore the beliefs of several churches, such as Methodist, Presbyterian, Episcopalian, Church of Christ, and more. We discussed some of the history as to how faiths developed and compared and contrasted various beliefs. Next month we will learn about Judaism, Islam, and Eastern Religions.
We spent some time in the kitchen cooking up dinner for our Souper Bowl of Caring winners. We made meatball soup, salad, and chocolate chip cookies. Thankfully, there was enough cookie dough that we could sample some our work before delivering them to our winners!
We also assembled Easter baskets for the 10 ten children living at Florence House, an Ascentria-funded home for teenaged mothers and their children in Worcester. Pails served as the baskets that were loaded with cups or bottles, washcloths, books, clothing, and toys appropriate for each child. We wrapped them in cellophane bags and added a bright bow and colorful name tag. This project was started by Wendy Anderson, our first St John Youth Director, 25 years ago, and we have been providing the baskets each year since then.
Our youth gathered with other tweens and teens in the Youth Ministry Collaborative at St John on March 17th for our St Patrick’s Day Bash. The fun began with our indoor badminton-style game using balloons and fly-swatters (clean ones, of course!) Then we had to follow the rainbow-color clues all over the church to discover the code to open the leprechaun’s chest. We were rewarded with lots of great St Patrick’s Day loot like green necklaces, chocolate coins, and Irish blessings. While we feasted on an assortment of green foods, we learned about St Patrick and his ministry and how he taught folks about the Holy Trinity using a shamrock. Our next Youth Ministry Collaborative will meet at Sudbury United Methodist Church on April 28th.
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Michelle Rose,
Director of Youth & Family Ministry
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Events and Opportunities at St. John | |
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Seniors Potluck Lunch
Tuesday, April 16, 2024, at noon
St. John Heritage Hall
Please join us on Tuesday, April 16 for our March Seniors potluck lunch as we gather together to share the blessings of food and fellowship.
We would like to have some people bring salads or main dishes to balance out our usual good supply of desserts.
Please contact Royce Fuller at royceaf11@gmail.com, to let us know you are coming and what you plan to bring. Beverages will be provided!
Sign up deadline is Friday, April 12.
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March Senior Potluck Lunch! | | |
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From the Altar Guild
To learn more about the Altar & Linens, click here.
To learn more about the Paschal Candle, click here.
To learn more about the Liturgical Space, click here.
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COFFEE HOUR HELP NEEDED!
Please consider signing up to host coffee hour. We are always in need of goodies and people who are willing to make coffee. It would be a huge help to have a few new faces providing this much enjoyed fellowship! The sign up is on the rolling white board with the worship assistant sign-up, or you may call the church office (978-443-8350).
Contact Carol Leighton for more information.
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WORSHIP ASSISTANTS NEEDED!
An important and meaningful way to serve our church is by assisting with the weekly service. You can sign up on the board outside Heritage Hall.
If you would like to be on the email distribution list for requests for signups, please let the office know at office@stjohnsudbury.org. By joining this list, you will have access to the online signup as well!
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Weekly/Monthly Opportunities | |
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Knitting Group
Come join the fun with or without sewing on the first and third Wednesday of the month in the Lounge. Contact Valerie Ripley with any questions.
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Seniors Monthly
Pot Luck Lunches
Watch the weekly news for upcoming dates!
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Seniors on the Go book club
Meet Tuesdays at 11 am via Zoom. Watch the weekly news for details each week.
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Seniorcise
We are exercising in Heritage Hall on Mondays and Wednesdays from 10-11:15 AM. Exercises include stretching, strength-building, and balancing. And everything centers around using a chair! Join the group for a workout—and for fun
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ZOOM Meeting to Discuss Race, Racism, and Antiracism.
Our group meets the second and fourth Thursdays of the month at 4:00 PM for informal, unstructured discussion about books, ideas, and experiences touching on race, racism, and antiracism. Please join us!
Any questions, contact Jan Nielsen at jrnielsen@charter.net, or 978-549-3044.
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Together: Called, Sent, Serving
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Giving to St. John
Giving to St. John can be done online, mail, or in person.
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You can go to the St. John website: https://www.stjohnsudburyma.org and click on Give in the upper right hand corner of the screen. This will take you to our giving platform, Tithely, where you can make an account and set up recurring donations or make a one time gift.
- You can mail in your donation to 16 Great Rd, Sudbury, MA 01776.
- You can pass in your donation during the passing of the offering plate during service or bring it into the office during office hours (978-443-8350).
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Church Directory Update Requests
A new printed church directory will be printed the week of April 15. If you have updates to your directory information, here is what to do on or before April 12th to ensure your updates are included in the updated version.
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Send any changes of e-mail addresses, street addresses or phone numbers to office@stjohnsudbury.org. Feel free to send an updated photo as well! If you do not have a digital photo, you may mail or drop one to the church office. They will be scanned and returned to you.
- If you do not use email, you may call or mail any changes to Tracy at the church office.
- Questions? Please feel free to contact Tracy at the church office.
If you are not listed in the directory and would like to be added, contact Tracy and she will get your profile set up. She can also get you connected to the online directory!
The on-line directory is always current and remains up to date.
There will be printed copies of the directory available for pick-up in the church office once updated.
Thanks for your help in keeping your information current.
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Church Communications
For all church calendar events, Zoom requests, weekly announcements, or newsletter articles, please forward them to Tracy at office@stjohnsudbury.org. The deadline for all weekly announcements is Tuesdays by noon. The deadline for monthly newsletter articles is last day of each month.
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Church Event Set-ups
If you have a church event listed on the calendar that requires a set-up or a task for our Sexton, George, you may now email that request to sexton@stjohnsudbury.org. George will also continue to check is mailbox for those who prefer to leave a note. Please be reminded that George works Mon-Wed-Fri 10-2 p.m.,and will review these requests during his work hours. Please be sure your request gives George the appropriate time to fulfill your request. Thank you!
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Church Calendar
If you have an event or church meeting to add to the church calendar, please submit your request to office@stjohnsudbury.org, or call the office with your request so we can keep the church calendar up-to-date!
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Friendly Reminder on Email/Text Scams
Always be alert to email and text SCAMS targeting churches. If you ever receive an unexpected email or text message from Pastor Eric or any of the church staff regarding donations (e.g. gift cards, financial contributions, or purchases), please do not reply, open attachments, or click on links. Instead, contact the church office immediately.
There are many other scams to be aware of as well. Honest organizations won’t call, email, or text to ask for your personal information, like your social security, bank account, or credit card numbers. If you get an email or text message from a company you do business with and you think it’s real, it’s still best not to click on any links. Instead, contact them using a website you know is trustworthy. Or look up their phone number. Don’t call a number they gave you or the number from your caller ID. Scammers want you to act before you have time to think. If you’re on the phone, they might tell you not to hang up so you can’t check out their story. For more helpful information on avoiding scams visit: consumer.ftc.gov/scams
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Connect with St. John on Social Media! | | | | |
