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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 | |
Join us for in-person worship on Sundays at 9:30 am. If you are unable to attend, please watch the latest video HERE. | |
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Pastor Eric's Message
Advent Peacemaking
Our Advent theme is Peacemaking as a practice in our music and my preaching. Part of what makes peace so hard to achieve is the fact that we’re both too and not enough present minded.
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Endowment update!
Year-to-date investment returns are approximately up 11%. Your team has a very reasoned investment strategy.
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Upcoming Events and Opportunities at St. John | |
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A Sunday Morning Advent Concert, December 10th
We hope you can join us following the worship service on December 10th for the Advent Concert! Soloists an Ensembles of St. John Musicians will be performing seasonal music as we prepare for the coming of Christmas.
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Christmas Gospel
Sunday, December 17th
Our youth will share The Living Word as our Christmas Gospel this year during the service on December 17th. We hope you will join us as we share the experiences of Mary, Joseph, the angels, the shepherds, and, of course, baby Jesus—from a sheep’s point of view. It’s a story we hear every year, and yet, this presentation will fill your heart with joy as we enter the final week of Advent. Youth of all ages are invited to participate!
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Advent in the Nave
To view the descriptions of our Advent wreath & Christ candle, Advent banners, and Advent Paraments, click the link below.
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CHRISTMAS POINSETTIAS
If you would like to sponsor a poinsettia for Christmas this year, please make your donation of $15 (per plant) through your preferred giving method.
Please make a note on your payment “poinsettias.”
- You may complete your sponsorship by using the special blue envelopes in the pews and place it in the offering plate. Please indicate how many plants and include your dedication as well.
- You may also complete the bottom portion of this announcement, attach a check, and leave it in Tracy’s mailbox.
Please be sure to provide your family name as well on your dedication. The deadline is December 19th.
In honor/memory of:______________________________
Given by:________________________________________
Name Phone ____________________________________
Please print clearly.
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SENIORS POTLUCK LUNCH
DECEMBER 12, 2023, AT NOON
ST. JOHN HERITAGE HALL
Please join us for our December 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 978-897-8397 or 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, December 8.
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Christmas Dinners for Local Families
As is our annual tradition, St. John will once again support local families with Christmas meals. The meals are to feed a family 6 adults and consist of all the usual items: a bag of apples, a bag of oranges, fresh whole squash, a bag of potatoes, a bag of fresh carrots (not baby carrots), sweet potatoes, 3 cans of veggies, fruit juice, packaged rolls, baked goods for dessert, a box of stuffing, ham, and 2 cans of pineapple.
You can sign up on the Outreach bulletin board or by using this Sign-Up Genius link below.
Items can be delivered to St John during office hours 10 AM- 2 PM through Friday, December 15th. Or, items can be delivered to church on Sunday morning, December 17th before worship. The food will be delivered to the Maynard Food Pantry at 10 AM.
Look for the box labeled Christmas Dinners in the Lounge or, if refrigeration is needed, please place in the refrigerator in the kitchen or the staff kitchen. Thank you!
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OUR MITTEN TREE IS UP!
Our Mitten Tree is out for decorating with all kinds of cold weather items. Please bring mittens, gloves, scarves, hats, and warm socks in women’s, men’s, and kids’ sizes. Note: If you are shopping, the Outdoor Church folks who receive our adult-sized stuff prefer gloves—or the peekaboo fingerless mittens. Deadline is 12/15!
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COAT DRIVE FOR MCLEAN HOSPITAL
As you clean out your coat closets and shop for Christmas, please keep in mind that we will once again hold our Coat Drive for patients of McLean Hospital. The coat rack is in the lounge for drop offs!
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Holiday Cheer
Christmas is just around the corner. Please sign up to sponsor a child and help them have a brighter Christmas season. This Holiday Cheer program, sponsored through the South Middlesex Opportunity Council (SMOC), is for disadvantaged local children who without your help won't have any new toys Christmas morning. We ask you to provide the child you choose with 2 new toys (under $25.00 each) and one piece of clothing. Note: Some of the children do not have size information. In that case, you could provide a hat and mittens/gloves or a third toy.
Gift certificates are also welcome as well as additional gift cards to grocery stores for the families. Packages are due back at the church by
December 17th. Sign up is on Sign Up Genius along with instructions.
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F084BABAF2BA31-holiday2
Please wrap and label your gifts with your child’s name or provide wrapping paper, ribbon, and tags for your child’s gifts to be wrapped with.
Please contact Michelle Rose with any questions.
Thank you for helping to put a smile on a child’s face Christmas morning!
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GIFT CARDS FOR KIDS
The Boys and Girls Club of Assabet Valley, right here in Maynard, is bursting at the seams with more kids than they have ever served. While corporate sponsors provide toys for Christmas, for many years St. John has donated gift cards for experiences: movies, restaurants, bowling, etc. as well as food, clothing and gas. As with last year, the overwhelming need is for basics, food, clothing and gas. So as you shop, and as you are able, cards for such stores as Market Basket, Target, TJMaxx, local gas stations, or generic VISA type cards are most welcome. The BGCAV staff carefully monitors the cards, and you can be assured 100% goes directly to those in need. We impact the lives of 20-25 local families. The Cards for Kids collection box is in the library, or give your cards or cash donation to any Outreach member - Larry Kivimaki, Nancy Haugsjaa, Christine Barilone or Michal Mueller.
The Deadline is 12/17.
THANKS!
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Youth and Family Ministries | |
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Help Pigs and Cows to Fly
During the month of December, the St John Puppet Ministry is running our annual God’s Global Barnyard campaign, which raises money for the ELCA Good Gifts program. Over the past 12 plus years, our St John family has given “wings” to chicks, piglets, goats, cows, bees, and even vegetable gardens so that we can support our global community.
Our God’s Global Barnyard piggybank enjoys gobbling cash and checks during the Offering. Please make checks out to St John and note that it is for God’s Global Barnyard in the memo section.
Be sure to stuff our God’s Global Barnyard piggy bank anytime during the month of December. Let’s make God’s Global Barnyard grow!!
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SPREAD THE BREAD
On Sunday, November 19th, folks gathered in Heritage Hall for our 10th annual Spread the Bread! This BRIDGE (Building Relationships In-Between Different Generations & Experiences) event brought folks of all generations together to wrap the 69 loaves of bread baked by our St John family.The event kicked off with a relay to see which team could pass the most gourds (the final use of our Pumpkin Sale gourds) from a basket on one side of the room to a basket on the other side of the room. Both teams worked well together, but one side crushed it!
After our game, we settled at the wrapping and card-making tables and got down to business. We wrapped the loaves in festive fall paper and colored cards that we tied onto the loaves with ribbon.
The loaves were delivered to the Marlborough Community Cupboard on Monday morning. The director, Barbara LaGranade, reports that our homemade loaves are a treasured addition to the Thanksgiving meals they distribute on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving.
Thank you to everyone who participated in this year’s Spread the Bread. Bakers, Wrappers, Card-Makers—you are all awesome!!!
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This week we sent our love--in the form of angel ornaments--to folks in our St John family who can’t get to church as easily as they used to. We miss you❤️
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Floral Design Event
St. John Seniors on the Go sponsored a floral design event under the guidance of Ellen Baucom on November 17th. It was a big success!
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Weekly/Monthly Opportunities | |
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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
No class on 12/25, 12/27, and 1/1/2024
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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.
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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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All Saints' Chapel
All Saints' Chapel is available as a place of prayer, meditation, and worship.
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WORSHIP ASSISTANTS NEEDED!
If you would like to sign up to serve as a Worship Assistant, sign-up sheets are located outside Heritage Hall.
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Office Hours and Staff Vacations
Please note that the church office will be closed from December 25th through January 1st. If you have a pastoral emergency during this time, you may contact Pastor Eric on his cell phone.
Pastor Eric will be on vacation from January 1st through January 8th. We will have an update on a contact should you have a pastoral emergency during that time.
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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 the 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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Giving Envelopes
Giving Envelopes for 2024 will be available in the Narthex after 12/14/23. If you currently do not use envelopes but would like to, please let Sharon Horton know at sk2horton@yahoo.com, and she will set you up with them.
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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. Your safety and security are most important to us.
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