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April 2019

St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church Address:

9193 Cleveland Avenue P.O. Box 67

Baroda, MI 49101

Phone: 269-422-1449 Website: stjohnsbaroda.com

E-mail: stjohnsbaroda@hotmail.com Office Hours: Monday – Thursday,

9AM-12PM

Sunday Schedule: Worship 9AM

Refreshments 10AM Sunday School 10:30AM

Pastor – Nanette Dehnke

Ministers…..All People Council President…..Paul Kasten

Administrative Assistant…..Amy Semenak Accountant……Bonnie Hodge Webmaster…..Alan Anderson

Find us on Facebook! Page: St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church

Palm Sunday Worship 9 am

Maundy Thursday Worship 7 pm

Good Friday Worship 7 pm

Easter Worship 9 am – Filled with Joy!!!!!

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Memorial Funds

Memorial funds may be designated to:

Altar/Worship Enhancement Fund Confirmation Camp Memorial Fund

General Memorial Fund Harold Hafer Memorial Fund,

Sound for Sanctuary Kitchen Improvement Fund

Parsonage Renovations

Our Military Servicemen: Donovan McTague (Meredith) 74455 Joe Davis Dr. #70 Twentynine Palms, CA 92277 Kile McTague 1306 Jackson Avenue Alamogordo, NM 88310

Our Homebound Members: Elaine Lochner Chet & Val Nitz Woodland Terrace 3017 Johnson Rd. 8850 Red Arrow Hwy Lot 88 Apt. 29 Stevensville, MI 49127 Bridgman, MI 49106 Dorothy Spitzke Sandy Spitzke 8948 2nd Street 9935 Red Arrow Highway Baroda, MI 49101 Bridgman, MI 49106 Carmen Hora 2700 Lake Pine Path, Apt. 104 St. Joseph, MI 49085 Elaine Gavac Ruth Heimbuch 15316 S. Rosarie 15977 W. Clear Lake Road Homer Glen, IL 60491 Buchanan, MI 49107 Ileen Tollas Barb Reynolds 8850 Red Arrow Highway 3355 S. Lakeshore Drive #203 Lilac Bldg Room 13 St. Joseph, MI 49085 Bridgman, MI 49106

Need a Ride? Transportation is available for all our worship

services and events throughout the week. If you would prefer not driving yourself, especially

amid weather conditions and darkness, we still want you to come and join us at St. John’s! Transportation is available on an individual

basis. So please call the church office 269-422-1449 for details or to schedule a ride. Don’t let anything stop you! Come, share, and celebrate

God’s love!

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Our Church Leaders: Rev. Elizabeth Eaton Rev. Craig Satterlee

Presiding Bishop, ELCA Bishop of the North/West Lower Michigan Synod, ELCA

Our Companion Synods:

Christian Lutheran Church of Honduras

Lutheran Church of Papua New Guinea

Lutheran Church of Latvia

If a birthday, anniversary and/or baptism is

listed incorrectly, please call the church office so

that we can correct our records.

4/21 Bill and Karen Zielke

Sunday, April 14 Palm Sunday Thursday, April 18 Maundy Thursday Friday, April 19 Good Friday Sunday, April 21 Easter Sunday, June 9 Day of Pentecost/Confirmation Sunday, June 16 Holy Trinity Sunday Sunday, June 23 Graduate Sunday Sunday, October 27 Reformation Sunday Sunday, November 3 All Saints Sunday Sunday, December 1 First Sunday of Advent Tuesday, December 24 Christmas Eve Wednesday, December 25 Christmas Day

5 Amy Semenak 23 Andy Semenak

9 Kim Perrin 25 Cindy Schroeder

9 Joey Zielke 27 Mia Barker

19 Matt Fleisher 28 Bob Getz

22 Janis Guckenberger 29 Kasie Hicks

22 Ruth Heimbuch

22 Brianna Perrin

1 Alan Anderson 18 Alan Tollas

2 Cheryl Tollas 22 Darlene Crawford

3 Betty Maier 23 Dody Hafer

8 Ileen Tollas 29 Mia Barker

9 Nancy Kasten 30 Wes Barker

10 Olivia Hawkins

11 Heidi Krueger

16 Caroline Widdis

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Dear People of God,

Each year during Lent, I purchase and pray with a new seasonal devotional. This year I have Ann Weems’s book, Kneeling in Jerusalem, Poetry for Lent and Easter. Often her writing calls me to pray and ponder over several days.

For your journey this month, here is her poem entitled:

“Holy Week.”

Holy is the week… Holy, consecrated, belonging to God… We move from hosannas to horror with predictable ease of those who know not what they do. Our hosannas sung, our palms waved, let us go with passion into this week. It is time to curse fig trees that do not yield fruit. It is time to cleanse our temples of any blasphemy. It is time to greet Jesus as the Lord’s Anointed One, to lavishly break our alabaster and pour perfume out for him without counting the cost. It is a time for preparation… The time to give thanks and break bread is upon us. The time to give thanks and drink of the cup is imminent. Eat, drink, remember: On this night of nights, each one must ask, as we dip our bread in the wine, “Is it I?” And on that darkest of days, each of us must stand beneath the tree and watch the dying if we are to be there when the stone is rolled away. The only road to Easter morning is through the unrelenting shadows of that Friday. Only then will the alleluias be sung; only then will the dancing begin. From hosanna to dancing, Pastor Nan

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The Butterfly: A Symbol of Easter

Resurrection

The metamorphosis of the caterpillar into a butterfly is a symbol of resurrection. During the process of transformation, the chrysalis experiences darkness and constriction inside the cocoon. A struggle through a tiny opening forces fluid from the body of the butterfly so that it will be free to fly at the right moment. In this painting, the butterfly is letting go, ready to enter a new phase of its life. We too are like a chrysalis waiting in endless darkness. Easter is about hope that is willing to wait in the darkness while it trusts in transformation. This is expressed by Joyce Rupp in an excerpt of her poem, The Easter Challenge: Every year cocoons give us their treasures, And every year the dull and dead in us meets our Easter challenge: to be open to the unexpected, to believe beyond our security, to welcome God in every form, And trust in our own greening.

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THE QUESTIONS…..I don’t have the answers, through prayers, God does….but here

are some responses from a woman of faith…..

1) When did we go from fire and brimstone to all forgiving?

Hmm, not sure what your lived experience has been from the past. In my own experience as a woman of faith and seminary learning, we did not change the abiding Good News from God---- which is always about love. I like to think of it this way: we live in God’s playground. The fence around the playground, the ten commandments, keeps us safe and helps us live better with God, our neighbor, and ourselves. The fence helps us, and we are still able to joyfully enjoy all of God’s generosity. Moreover, God knows that we will never been be able to live perfectly, so God sent Jesus to die for us. When we confess our sin, trusting that God’s words of absolution are true, then we are liberated to live in hope of our salvation and our resurrection.

2) How can we be “church”, community with non-Christians?

When we begin with God, the one who created everyone and everything, as we hear in Genesis chapter one, we are all God creations with every living person and every living thing created by God. We are by the grace and generosity of God given many neighbors to share our world, our time, and our communities. Just like us, all God’s creatures, this includes non-Christians or anyone else that we are given to nurture because we are all gifts of God to one another. It is scary to be with people who are different from us, and who may not know God in Christ, but we are called as followers of Jesus…..to be gathered together because of God.

3) So what about “three in one”?

Whoosh, this is great mystery of how God works and how this is true. I trust God, so I believe…..may God help my unbelief. That being said, if we look for an image to help us, here are two, but they still fall very short from the great power of God to be God. Think of an apple….we have the skin, the flesh, and the core. Without anyone of of those, it would not be an apple. Or, my favorite image, think about the different forms that water can take. Water can be something we drink. It can also be formed into ice, still water, but in a different form and used differently. Water can also be steam. This doesn’t even really explain the 3 in oneness of God, but as three persons in One God……God is relational and again calls us to be relational in our interactions with others, the physical world, and as witnesses for God’s story of love.

4) Why am I here?

The simple answer is that you are here now because God created you and placed you in this time and place. This same God calls you to live a faithful life, to be a witness of the Creator’s love to the world. Beyond this, if there is more under this question, please come and let’s talk further.

Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so.

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Spring has sprung and St. John’s Community Life is blossoming with activities!

Thank you to all who answered our survey and for all additional comments and ideas. We have a

tentative calendar for the year laid out but of course subject to change. We will update you each

month via the events board about upcoming activities.

April 7th QUILT GROUP INFORMATIONAL MEETING We will meet after church

to talk about how we can use our talents to create prayer quilts and other items. All are welcome

and no experience is necessary.

April 14th PALM SUNDAY BRUNCH Our traditional Easter breakfast has been moved

to Palm Sunday and will be after the service. This allows more people to participate. It is a pot

luck style meal so if you are able to contribute please sign up. ALL are welcome to share this

meal.

April 16th BLOOD DRIVE will be held on Tuesday from 2:00 pm -6:15pm. If you are able

to donate, please make an appointment at Michigan Blood or contact Sandy Anderson to schedule

a time. Walk ins can be taken but there may be a wait.

2 OUTREACH MINISTRIES during April and May we will be supporting are the One

Girl One Bike program and the Tiny House initiative.

Many of you expressed an interest in Relay For Life. While we are not organizing a team this

year, we are doing some fundraisers for Berrien County Cancer Society.

Save the dates:

Sunday May 8 BAKE SALE – Berrien County Cancer Society

Sunday May 19: SIP AND PAINT PARTY St. John’s 2 p.m. $35. Julie Nitz from JLN

Studios will be our instructor. See the sign-up board to reserve your spot.

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Immigration: Our Fears and Our Faith - April 4th, 6:30 p.m.

Interfaith Action’s final immigration forum will focus on fears we bring to the immigration debate

and our faith-based responses. Our panel will include Dr. Oliver Glanz, Assistant Professor of Old

Testament, Andrews University and Father Leonel Cartagena Franco, St. Anthony Catholic Church of

Buchanan.

The Forum will be held at The Rose Center, 301 Wayne Street (corner with Pleasant) in St Joseph.

This will be an exciting conclusion to reflect on how our faith leads us to understand the current

debate on immigration.

MAY 2 – NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER

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WHERE IS PASTOR NAN? Pastor – vacation – April 11 – concert!!! Pastor will be gone from April 26 until 6:00 pm on May 5 (confirmation final test)

Continuing Education: Mental Health seminar on April 26

Institute for Liturgical Studies April 29 - May 1 (With the exception of 2018, I have been attending this institute for almost 15 years) – I learn, experience, and sit at the feet of great theologians, master musicians, and hear voices of faithful leaders of how the Word is woven into everything in our lives.

Vacation: April 26, May 2 – May 5 - wandering short trips to visit friends, discover new places Things for you to know: Pastor Wayne Schierer will cover for emergencies on all the days Pastor Nan is away:

cell phone # 269-921-2496

Two of her fine clergy colleagues will be here to lead worship and preside at communion while she is away. Come and see, come and hear the Word through the instruments of Rev. Dr. Sid Mohn and Rev. Dean Beckwith.

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Celebrating gifts shared….WOOHOO! THANK YOU!

+ painters gave two classrooms a fresh coat of paint + pantry items – the loaders, saving the pastor’s back + egg fillers and candy bringers +many hands, lighter work to bring together plans for Confirmation +new gently used washer/dryer/installation/finishing for the parsonage +our council who stays at the table together through thick and thin places +community life – creative minds, encouragers, planners, dreaming of things to share together and to share with others who include us in their plans +bakery dessert gifter +altar guild- God’s dishes, laundry, and everything tended for worship + acolyting 101 +Food pantry gifts galore – pink, white, and red +Projector man – we get to watch movies +New council members who say: yes, I can help with that and old council members who step up and out into new leadership +a stylus gift to relieve Arthur-it is, smiling +bulletin board creators, bathrooms dressed up, and engaging ways to encourage our participation in the season of Lent and in Holy Week +critter catchers and the haulers-you know who you are

+faithful worship attenders, givers of time, talents, and financial gifts

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WE NEED ONE MORE CHURCH COUNCIL LEADER!

Could this be YOU?

We bring our best gifts, live out our faith, and prayerfully lead

this community of faith with our eyes on Jesus.

We need your gifts! Talk with Matt or Pastor Nan if you are interested.

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If you need emergency pastoral care, for situations such as hospital admissions or a death in the family you may contact: Pastor Nanette Dehnke – 317-464-9434

Help the Homebound with the Caring Card Program!

Please remember our homebound. Either by prayer, visits, or just a card to say “Yes! We

remember you”. Haven’t seen that person in church lately? Wonder why so and so

hasn’t been there? Remember: these were once very active members of our church and

just a phone call, card, or a visit from you lets them know they are still loved and

thought of by our St. John’s family. Please contact the church office at 269-422-1449 if

you know of anyone needing a visit, card dropped off, or a prayer said. There are

preprinted labels on the bulletin board in the Narthex for ease of addressing.

Bible Study – April 8th at 1 pm in the Fellowship Hall. Please contact Jean Jasper if you have any questions. This bible study is held the second Monday of every month and is open to all members of

the congregation.

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We are collecting pull tabs for the Ronald McDonald House. A collection jar is located on the table in the Narthex. Please contact Amy in the church office if you have any questions 422-1449.

Finance Meeting – April 9th at 7PM in the Fireplace Room.

Council Meeting–April 25th at 7PM in the Fireplace Room. Read Chapter 9 in Who Moved My

Pulpit?

NEXT BLOOD DRIVE

April 16th from 2 PM – 6:40 PM

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FACEBOOK AND ST. JOHN’S WEBSITE

We love to share pictures of St. John’s ministry on our Facebook page and website and we get great feedback. It is our practice not to put names with the pictures. If you do not want your picture shown, please submit a dated letter to the church office specifying so.

PRAYER PARTNERS 2019 --------APRIL

As Jesus calls us to be one even as he and the Father are one, please remember these leaders, congregations, and judicatories in your prayers in your weekly prayers in worship and with your family.

Date Congregation/Ministry Leader

April 07 St. Thomas Lutheran Church/Cheboygan Other Congregations in your community

Rev. David Hueter Bishop Craig Satterlee

April 14 Zion Lutheran Church/Comstock Park Rev. Julie Schneider-Thomas

April 21 Messiah Lutheran Church/Constantine Rev. Christopher Laughlin

April 28 Christ United Church/Dewitt Virginia Synod

Rev. Terry Williamson Bishop Robert Humphrey

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Children’s Offerings

2 pigs

3 fruit trees

3 blankets

2 lanterns

4 bibles

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APRIL SHOWERS – BRING BIKES!!!!!!!!

One Girl One Bike Project

The ELCA is a partner with Lutheran World Federation. Ms. Rahel Williams, is a director of one of the Global Mission Units of the ELCA. She is a personal friend of Pastor Nan’s. She shared this project with me. As a firm advocate for education, I pray that you will come along with me towards helping these young woman learn so that they can have fuller lives.

This project targets at helping young girls in rural areas of Tanzania who face the challenge of walking longer distance (10 km and above) to and from school and most of these girls fails to complete their studies as a result of serious absenteeism and school drop out!

St. John’s – let’s raise money for

(4) of these bikes in April.

Each bike is $75 a piece. This includes a bike patch pouch. Two girls ride on one bike with the help of a shelf. These bikes

Are kept at the school when it is not in session to help maintain and help them last

longer. Look for the bike picture, take an envelope….write your name on it and give.

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April 7 – class April 14 – class, try on robes

April 21 – email 1st draft of final project to Pastor pastornan@earthlink.net

look for: final review on email – to

help you prepare for the final exam on May 5

May 5: final test to be done in class

+ final project to Pastor Nan at

pastornan@earthlink.net

Final review/test and final projects must be completed and submitted by May 5 – to be confirmed on June 9

CONFIRMATION: next steps

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Acolyte Schedule:

4/7 Marissa Feole and Emma Stout 4/14 Lilly Tollas and Luke Tollas 4/21 Tyler Hicks and Kasie Hicks 4/28 Need acolytes 5/5 Marissa Feole 5/12 Lilly Tollas and Emma Stout 5/19 Tyler Hicks

CONFIRMATION WE CELEBRATE OUR SUNDAY GRADUATES JUNE 9, 2019 JUNE 23, 2019

KAYLA FLEISHER ALLISON SEMENAK