St. John’s Lutheran Church June & July 2017 The VOICE ... · *June 25 A New “Luther” Movie at...

St. John’s Lutheran Church

June & July 2017 The VOICE Newsletter

Our Mission Statement: Saved by the Grace of God to Witness and Serve Others - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

From the Pastor

Greetings Fellow Children of God!

As I write this e-mail I am reflecting on the last 8 months of my time here

serving as your “Intentional Interim Pastor.” God has blessed each of us in so

many ways! Worshipping together every week with this congregation is so

spiritually fulfilling. YES GOD! YES GOD! God’s Spirit is ALIVE & WELL

in this place! The positive energy is felt among us due to God’s Love &

Grace & Blessings which are ABUNDANTLY shared with each other here and

beyond. God surely must be pleased by all the inspirational, educational and

missional happenings going on regularly in Christ’s name through YOU! The

fellowship that is taking place in each of these areas brings smiles and joy

filled hearts to so many people…including me!

It has been my great pleasure to participate in almost every area of mission

and ministry here at St. John’s. There is amazing leadership and staff who

serve here faithfully and support each other daily. Thank-you everyone for

going above and beyond responsibilities given to you that enable us to remain

a healthy and spiritually focused congregation, who live out our mission

statement “Saved by the Grace of God to Witness and to Serve Others.”

As you may know the “Transition Team” has been accomplishing such good

things with the help and input of information gathered from the Timeline and

Cottage Meetings. We have discussed the significant history that makes us

who we are today at St. John’s. Many people have shared their hopes and

dreams and visions for the outlook of this church. In the near future, the

Ministry Site Profile will be completed and the Call Committee will be formed;

the seeking of your newly “called” pastor will officially begin. This is a very

exciting time for St. John’s Lutheran Church in Stony Ridge, OHIO!

We all have great expectations for the next chapter of ministry among us. We

BELIEVE that God is with us, during these times of transition and change and




we are grateful! In the meantime, we will continue to be actively involved in

worship and the multitude of serving opportunities and fulfilling happenings.

I encourage you to be aware of these special upcoming summer events

among us. SAVE THESE DATES! Please participate when you are able.

Call the church office for more information. Let’s keep each other in our

prayers and continue to serve, care and support each other daily.

*June 11-16 Confirmation Camp at Lake Luther in Indiana

*June 19-23 Vacation Bible School “Maker Fun Factory”

*June 25 A New “Luther” Movie at 8pm at the Maumee Indoor

Theater. It’s Free and there will be popcorn

*July 13-16 St. John’s Mission Experience at Redeemer

Lutheran Church “Summer in the City.” Everyone

From 6th grade to age 100+ is invited to participate.

*July 29 Reformation 500 Crawl- A Northwestern Ohio Synod event,

each conference has several churches sponsoring tours and

activities; our church is among those chosen to participate.

*August 13 Day School Open House 6-8p.m.

May our summer be blessed with enjoyable times with family, friends and

fellowship at this lovely church.

Grace & Peace, Pr. Cindy Ritter

2017: The Year of Grace Memory Verse

(Chosen by Bishop Daniel Beaudoin)

Ephesians 2:8 "For by grace you have been saved through faith,

and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God"




~ V.B.S. ~ The BRIGHTEST Week of the Summer! Come join our VBS friends ~ Decker, Tina, Bubba, Skyler, & Abbee

At Maker Fun Factory VBS, kids discover not only that God made them the

way they are, but for a purpose too. Maker Fun Factory is filled with incredible

Bible-learning experiences kids see, hear, touch, and even taste! Sciency-Fun

Gizmos™, team-building games, cool Bible songs, and tasty treats are just a few

of the standout activities that help faith flow into real life. (Since everything is

hands-on, kids might get a little messy. Be sure to send them in play clothes

and safe shoes.) Plus, we’ll help kids discover how to see evidence of God in

everyday life—something we call God Sightings.

Get ready to hear that phrase a lot!

Maker Fun Factory VBS will be June 19-23rd

from 9 a.m. to Noon Ages: Toddler (potty-trained) through 5th grade (entering 5th)

WE NEED YOU ON OUR CREW! Every summer during our annual VBS, we are able to witness to 100 toddlers

through fifth-graders, sharing the amazing love God has for them. None of this would be possible without the help of our talented crew.

There are so many different ways that we need volunteers. Please prayerfully consider helping this year!

If you have never helped before, you will be amazed at how often the crew gets as much out of VBS as the kids attending.

If you would like to help, have any questions, or need more information, please contact the VBS Director, Rachael Swartz, at 419-837-5115 or [email protected]

Register to volunteer TODAY!

Register your kids TODAY!

Go to www.stjohnsvbs2017.weebly.com




1. DAILY PRAYER In our prayers (from April & May bulletins):

Our Confirmands

Our Graduates

Our 5th Grade First Communicants

Carol Taylor, health concerns

Erik Withrow, on his mission trip to Slovenia

Ms. Melissa (Dayschool teacher), health concerns

Stephen Levorchick, health concerns The family of Linda Kusian (Melissa Lang’s mother), upon her death

Mike Staib, recovering from surgery

Clara Jean Koskie baptism

The family of Jim Bahnsen (Dick Bahnsen’s brother), upon his death

The family of Ellen Jean Sharp (Gary Haas’ sister), upon her death

Larry Nicely, recovering from surgery

Jordan Kieper, healing

The family of Steve Hayes (Kay Barrett’s brother), upon his death

The family of Dorothy Boos (Nancy Wellman’s mother), upon her death

2. WITNESS/INVITING OTHERS - Do take the opportunity to invite others to join us

for summer worship on Sunday Mornings.

3. SERVING OTHERS

5. WEEKLY WORSHIP

Sunday Summer Schedule 8:30 a.m. Contemporary Worship Service

9:30 a.m. Fellowship 10:00 a.m. Traditional Worship Service 11:00 a.m. Fellowship

4. GENEROUS GIVING

Financial Giving as of May 21, 2017

General Fund Income (Year-to-Date)

Budget Actual Difference $109,598 $122,567 $12,969

Benevolence Fund (Year-to-Date)

Budget Actual Difference $11,781 $15,176 $3,395

(Copies of current Financial Reports are in the holders located to the right of the Prayer Desk in the Narthex.)

Worship Attendance April 2 ~ 218 May 7 ~ 178 April 9 ~ 336 May 14~ 224 April 16 ~ 402 May 21 ~ 252 April 23 ~ 191 April 30 ~ 222




Go to www.ustream.tv/channel/stjohns-stonyridge for a live broadcast of our Sunday morning worship services. To protect the privacy of our members, the services are broadcast with

audio only, except for the Gospel reading and sermon, when the video is turned on. Expect ads to pop up, since our webcast subscription is free. Sermons are recorded and saved on the site for 30 days.

6. DAILY BIBLE READING2017 Daily Bible Reading Schedule. See the yellow sheets next to the Prayer Desk in the Narthex. Take a moment each day to read and reflect on God's Holy Word.

June 1 Acts 20 June 2 Acts 21 June 3 Psalm 64-66 June 4 Psalm 64-66 June 5 Acts 22 June 6 Acts 23 June 7 Acts 24 June 8 Acts 25 June 9 Acts 26 June 10 Psalm 67-69

June 11 Psalm 67-69 June 12 Acts 27 June 13 Acts 28 June 14 Romans 1 June 15 Romans 2 June 16 Romans 3 June 17 Psalm 70-72 June 18 Psalm 70-72 June 19 Romans 4 June 20 Romans 5

June 21 Romans 6 June 22 Romans 7 June 23 Romans 8 June 24 Psalm 73-75 June 25 Psalm 73-75 June 26 Romans 9 June 27 Romans 10 June 28 Romans 11 June 29 Romans 12 June 30 Romans 13

July 1 Psalm 76-78 July 2 Psalm 76-78 July 3 Romans 14 July 4 Romans 15 July 5 Romans 16 July 6 1 Corinthians 1 July 7 1 Corinthians 2 July 8 Psalm 79-81 July 9 Psalm 79-81 July 10 1 Corinthians 3 July 11 1 Corinthians 4

July 12 1 Corinthians 5 July 13 1 Corinthians 6 July 14 1 Corinthians 7 July 15 Psalm 82-84 July 16 Psalm 82-84 July 17 1 Corinthians 8 July 18 1 Corinthians 9 July 19 1 Corinthians 10 July 20 1 Corinthians 11 July 21 1 Corinthians 12 July 22 Psalm 85-87

July 23 Psalm 85-87 July 24 1 Corinthians 13 July 25 1 Corinthians 14 July 26 1 Corinthians 15 July 27 1 Corinthians 16 July 28 2 Corinthians 1 July 29 Psalm 88-90 July 30 Psalm 88-90 July 31 2 Corinthians 2

PASTORAL ACTS Baptisms

Clara Jean Koskie on 5/14/17

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/stjohns-stonyridge




at St. John’s was on May 21.

Below you will find the Confirmands’ Bible verses that they chose.

Heath James Hagg

“I am the first and the last,” says the Lord God Almighty, who is, who was, and who is to

come. Revelation 1:8

Kayla Rae Kolasinski

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6

Caleb J. Kyer

You will look for the Lord your God, and if you search for him with all your heart, you will find

him. Deuteronomy 4:29

Adam Leo McConocha

“Praise the Lord who has given his people peace, as he promised he would. He has kept all

the generous promises he made through his servant Moses. 1Kings 8:56

Garrett William Peters

“We love because he first loved us.” 1 John 4:19

Allison Renee Pisula

“And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:20

Toron Connor Schroyer

“We love because he first loved us.” John 4:19

Sidney Samara Strauss

“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment,

and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love.” 1 John 4:18

Melanie Elizabeth Swartz

We love because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19

Confirmation Teaching Team: Pastor Cindy Ritter, Christi Kieper




2017 High School Graduates

Mallory Anne Dix Graduated from Eastwood High School, will attend Bowling Green State University,

majoring in Biology

Jessica Lee Orth Graduated from Lake High School/Penta Career Center, has enlisted in the U.S. Navy, will attend basic training October 25, 2017, will specialize as a Construction Electrician

Emily Kaye Edwards Graduated from Genoa, will attend Owens Community College,

majoring in Education

2017 College Graduates

RossBockbrader The Ohio State University, Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a

specialization in Accounting, he will be joining The Ernst and Young Accounting Firm in Columbus

Drew Henry

The University of Northwestern Ohio, Associates Degree in Applied Science with a specialization in Agricultural Mechanical Technologies and Diesel Mechanics,

He has accepted a job with Archbold Equipment Companies

D.J. Recknagel Bowling Green State University, Degree in Exercise Physiology




JUNE & JULY BIRTHDAYS (Those over 74 years young!)

June 30 Carolyn Warns 2755 Hemlock Drive, Toledo 43614

July 3 Marian Welling 4293 Moline-Martin Rd., Millbury 43447

July 8 Geraldine Levorchick P.O. Box 272, Stony Ridge 43463

July 21 Mary Lou Welling 24526 Stony Ridge Rd., Perrysburg 43551

July 24 Donna Rolf 5392 Fremont Pike, Perrysburg 43551

July 24 Edna Stebbins 605 Marilyn Dr., Rossford 43460

July 26 Mary Anna Cochrane P.O. Box 338, Lemoyne 43441

July 28 Stephen Levorchick P.O. Box 272, Stony Ridge 43463

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

FELLOWSHIP

Men's Breakfast

Men's Breakfast at Panera on Rt. 20 in Perrysburg from 7:30-9:00 a.m. will be on Saturday, June 3, and Saturday, July 22. All men are invited.

Men of St. John’s, what a wonderful time we had at the Wilson Wood’s on April 30th! Would you be interested in an outing to the Black Cloister in Toledo? If you are, talk to Clyde.

SOCIAL MINISTRIES Sunday Specials for June & July

Shared Bounty is collecting 4 roll toilet paper & men’s/ladies deodorant Food Pantry is collecting cereal & canisters of Kool-Aid/lemonade

Please place in the bin in the coatroom. Thanks in advance for your support! ~ The Food Pantry is currently serving 146 families. ~

*The food pantry is looking for help from our youth this summer!! It is a great way to get

a jump start on your community service hours that is a requirement for your high

school graduation. We have weekly work days at the food pantry restocking,

organizing, unloading trucks, packing summer bags, sorting socks and setting up for

our food pantry distribution day. Please email Jerri Reitzel at [email protected] or

call 419 297 7300 to volunteer. Bring a volunteer form from you high school

mailto:[email protected]




*There is now a Cardboard recycling dumpster on site. Please, Please, Please

breakdown ALL boxes and DO NOT put in any items other than cardboard for recycling

*Plastic grocery bags are needed for the food pantry

St. John’s Lutheran – 70% of Goal!

5/13/17 20 0

16 48

THANK YOU to Doris & Glen Welling for once again organizing the May blood drive for the American Red Cross. We would also like to thank everyone that helped with the setup/take down, working in the kitchen, helping as an usher and for your donation of cookies.

THANK YOU to the youth for their collection of food items for the families of the food pantry!! We plan to display these items on a table for our families to choose at our next food giveaway. You are all amazing, compassionate young adults of our community!




St. John’s: Summer in the City

o In place of a 2017 Mission Trip, 4 days of serving our local community

o This is for all ages from 6th graders to adults age 100+

o Thursday July 13th-Sunday July 16th at Redeemer Lutheran Church

Thursday: Work the Feed Your Neighbor (food pantry) program

Friday: work with Neighborhood Children's Summer Program

Like VBS, Feeds local children 2 meals a day all Summer

We can make plan our visit with games and/or crafts

Saturday: Service Project and Fun Activity

Morning: Service Project at church and/or local resident in need

Lunch and a fun fellowship activity in the afternoon

Sunday: attend Redeemer’s Sunday worship service at 10:45 am

Meet at St. John’s at 9:45a.m. to carpool to Redeemer. We will return each afternoon around 4-5pm.

Thursday-Saturday: We will meet at the church at 7:30am to carpool together to Redeemer Lutheran Church and will return each afternoon around 4-5pm.

o If you are interested, please contact Bobbi Henry, Maggie Reed, or Pastor Cindy by Monday, June

19th. Permission slips due on June 19th.

o Summer in the City Volunteer meeting on Thursday, June 22

VBS Donations Thanks to all who have volunteered to donate food for VBS! Your generosity is greatly appreciated. There are tags for food donation on the board if you would like to donate. Please drop off all food items in the kitchen on or before Friday, June 16. Thank you!

Learning/Serving Opportunities

At 8:30 Early Worship Sound Technician, Keyboard Player

Vocalist, Drummer, Prayer Leader

Contact Lyle Diefenthaler or Church Office




In June, the Rebekah Circle will begin a new 3-session Bible Study, entitled “All

Anew, Ready or Not.’’ “Say Goodbye to Nice” is the title of Session One, found in the

June issue of Gather magazine. In this session, Scripture holds up a mirror, helping

us to think about things a little differently and question what we see in ourselves, in our

congregations and in our world.

The study will begin at 1:30 in the Lounge on Wednesday, June 14. All are welcome.

COMFORTERS FOR LUTHERAN WORLD RELIEF will be tied on Thursday, June 1,

in the Parish House from 9:00 a.m. to 11:30. If you can tie a knot, you can do this!

DATES TO REMEMBER:

Thursday, June 1 – Tie Comforters

Wednesday, June 14 – Bible Study (Rebekah Circle)

PRAY FOR SPECIAL CONCERNS EVERY MONDAY AT NOON. Pray for all those in

need of healing.

********

FOR JULY, THE BIBLE STUDY IS SESSION 2, “Standing with the Least of These,”

found in the July issue of Gather magazine.

The Bible Study begins at 1:30, Wednesday, July 12, in the Lounge. All are welcome.

COMFORTERS FOR LUTHERAN WORLD RELIEF will be tied on Thursday, July 6, in

the Parish House from 9:00 to 11:30. These comforters are sent to needy people

around the world, showing God’s love and concern for them.

DATES TO REMEMBER:

Thursday, July 6 – Tie Comforters

Wednesday, July 12 – Bible Study (Rebekah Circle)

PRAY FOR SPECIAL CONCERNS EVERY MONDAY AT NOON. Give thanks for

picnics, parties, and family gatherings.




LIBRARY NEWS for June/July

These are the new books and DVD's we have put out for you to enjoy this summer.

For the kids we have added nine books:

Noah and Dandi the Dove by Andrew M Rector

Jesus Raises Lazarus

Read-a-Long Books:

Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs/ Walt Disney

A Bugs Life by Disney/Pixar

Sugar Creek Gang series by Paul Hutchens:

The Mystery Cave

Palm Trek Manhunt

One Stormy Day

The Mystery Thief

Teacher Trouble

For the adults we have four new books:

My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers

Just Do Something by Kevin DeYoung

God's Daily Promises

Daily in His Presence

There three new family movies:

Ring the Bell

Bonhoeffer - Agent of Christ

Last Ounce of Courage

Stop in and find a book to enjoy this summer. The library is open when the church is open.




Reformation 500 Crawl

The Northwest Ohio Synod is putting together the Reformation 500

Crawl. This year marks the 500th year of the start of the Reformation.

Since this is the first and only time we will get to celebrate 500 years

of our Lutheran heritage, the Synod is initiating an “open house” for

many of the churches in our Area. The “crawl” will take place on July

29th and again on October 21st from 10:00am to 2:00pm. There are three churches

from our own North Central Conference: Solomon, Woodville-St John’s, Stony Ridge-

St John, Port Clinton, but there are many other churches and organizations taking part

in this event (even some Catholic churches).

If you are interested in helping with the Crawl contact David or Linda Polzin or contact

the church office.

There will be a tentative schedule of locations posted on the church bulletin board.

The final schedule is not yet published.

I’m sure Martin would approve.

MARTIN LUTHER: The Idea That Changed the

World

The year 2017 is the 500th anniversary of the start of the

Reformation. It was 500 years ago that Martin Luther nailed his

95 Theses to the door of the castle church in Wittenberg,

Germany.

As a tribute to the boldness and understanding that Luther had

of the scriptures, there will be a private screening of the movie “Martin Luther: The Idea

that Changed the World.” It is a docudrama that has actors using Luther’s own words

in the portrayals of his life with commentary from some of the most noted scholars of

our time.

The movie is very timely and it highlights the courage of Luther and troubles that that

he encountered.

Tickets are available in the Church office. There is no cost for the movie but we will be

taking a free will offering to help the Four Lutheran Agencies in Northwestern Ohio.

Tickets are on a “first come, first served” basis.




THANK YOUS Thank you to Worship & Music for serving during Sunday’s fellowship time in April

And Shared Bounty in May THANKS to all who brought in cookies & snacks.

Cherub & Festival Choirs will be serving in June and our

Educators will be serving in July.

Thank yous were received from the following: Lutheran Social Services, for the donation of $46.91 (3/13/17) and $92.12 (4/17) Lutheran Home of Mercy for the donation of $142.61 (3/24/17) and $280.04 (5/3/17) Genacross for the donation of $210.03

Many thanks for your generous gift of $1,341.84 for Redeemer mission. You are such a blessing from the Lord to the people we serve. I also want to thank you for the kind welcome and friendliness you showed to us on our last visit. Both Jari and Pink were so delighted by your warmth and acceptance. Pink especially, has had a lot of rejection in her life and was very grateful and thankful to God for her experience at St. John’s with all of you! Our preparation for the summer program is well underway. God is so good to us and we are very grateful to our mission partners for all the help. God bless you and your mission. Marge Reas for The Redeemer Family

The family of Ruth Minning would like to thank all who were involved in Mom’s funeral. Thanks to Pastor Dan and Sharon Bitter for the wonderful service, to all others who helped, from the meal to the DVD recording of service, to prayers that were said for her and us. --Thank you, Bill Minning

My family and I wanted to thank you for the thoughtful and delightful box we received at Easter! We sincerely appreciate all of the goodies and your Easter greetings. Thank you again for thinking of us! Major Tracy Prey and family

Thanks to Pastor Cindy for her visits, prayers, and giving me communion while I was recuperating from ankle surgery. Also, I want to thank my church family for their prayers, cards, and visits. Thank you all so very much. Jane Sibbersen

I would like to say thank you for the lovely altar flowers I received and to Doris and Glen Welling for bringing them to me. Also, thank you to Pastor Cindy for her visit, giving me communion, and the nice Easter lily. Thank you so much. Mary Jane Reitzel

A big thank you to Ron & Shirley Leiser for their donation to the food pantry. They applied for a grant through Thrivent Financial and purchased items for the families of our food pantry.

Thank you to Pastor Cindy and Pam & Paul Brackney for coming and giving me communion and visiting. Also, thank you to Pam for bringing me a beautiful Easter lily. Also, thank you for the card signed by the church family Kay Barrett

St. John’s Lutheran Church June & July 2017 The VOICE ... · *June 25 A New “Luther” Movie at...

Documents

Transcript of St. John’s Lutheran Church June & July 2017 The VOICE ... · *June 25 A New “Luther” Movie at...