SAINT JOHN LUTHERAN CHURCH IN AMERICA

A CONGREGATION OF THE EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH IN AMERICA

THE EAGLE THE MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF SAINT JOHN LUTHERAN CHURCH 2150 CENTRE AVENUE BELLMORE NY 11710 (516) 785-4331

DECEMBER 2017

STAFF AT SAINT JOHN :

Pastor: Rev. Laurie Cline

Deacons: Ms. Mary Barberio Ms. Charlene Drewes

Office Manager: Mrs. Jeana Dwyer

Newsletter Editor: Mrs. Jeana Dwyer

Congregational President: Mrs. Lori Vanderwarem

Organist & Choir Director: Ms. M. Quinn Anderson

Sexton: Mr. Nikolai Dovirak

WORSHIP HELP

SCHEDULE

2

THANK YOU ’S 2

MEMORIALS 2

PASTORAL ACTS 2

CHRISTIAN

EDUCATION

3

SPECIAL SERVICES 3

FAITH STORIES 3

FAITH STORIES

CONT .

4

WELCA 4

SOCIAL M INISTRY 4

LONG RANGE

PLANNING

4

INSIDE THIS ISSUE :

PASTOR’S MESSAGE:

SAINT JOHN MISSION STATEMENT:

We are a community of faith that is: gathered for worship and fellowship, empowered by Scripture and the Sacraments, strengthened for service and sent forth as witnesses to the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Christmas is the celebra-tion of the Incarnation –

God be-coming incarnate in a hu-man be-ing, Jesus

of Nazareth, and coming to dwell on earth among us. Born under unusual circum-stances and raised in humble surroundings, the baby born that day grew up to become the man Jesus, who was a teacher, preacher, prophet and healer. Although his earthly ministry only lasted for a short time, it has influ-enced the course of human history for two thousand years. We Christians be-lieve that Jesus was divine as well as human, the long-awaited Messiah.

One of the most beautiful expressions of our belief is found in the Gospel of John,

which we hear on Christmas Day: “What has come into

being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the dark-ness did not overcome it.” (John1:4 NRSV) On

Christmas we celebrate the coming of Jesus into the world as a gift of life and light for all people.

Although other religious traditions do not recognize Jesus as the Messiah, the anointed one of God, most agree that he was a great prophet and that everyone can benefit from the mes-sage that he pro-claimed. He taught by word and exam-ple to love others as we ourselves are loved by God. Em-powered by the Holy Spirit, Jesus proclaimed uncondi-tional love and demonstrat-ed unlimited mercy and compassion. He embraced those whom society rejects – the poor, the hungry, the sick, the marginalized and the sinners. Mahatma Gan-dhi, who was not a Chris-tian, lifted up Jesus’ life and ministry as a perfect exam-ple for all who desire justice and mercy in this world. The Qu’ran declares Jesus to have been a great teacher and prophet.

This Christmas season finds us feeling anxious as shadows of ha-tred, violence,

persecution and injustice hov-er over the world. The true meaning of Christmas breaks through those shadows with a bright light, illuminating the world around us with life and light and hope. We are up-lifted by the beautiful out-ward displays of Christmas – the sight of twinkling lights, the smell of fresh evergreens, the sound of familiar carols, the taste of traditional food and the many variations of the nativity scene. More im-portantly, we carry that light of Christmas within us throughout the year, follow-ing the example of the one whose birth we celebrate. May we remember to live as Jesus did, resisting the easy way, a way that might benefit us economically and excludes people, but rather imitate him and stand up for justice, show mercy and compassion for those in need, and love our neighbor as God loves us. Those are the real gifts of Christmas that we freely share.

Blessed Christmas and a healthy and fulfilling New Year! Pastor Cline

Continued on Page 3

THANK YOU To Caroline Vogel for

playing piano during wor-ship for two weeks.

Thank you to Tom Brucia for playing guitar during the anthem on Christ the King Sunday.

To Sue Bogen for planning the Taste-fully Simple fundraiser/Ladies’ Night Out in November.

To Jim Strouse for repairing/replacing several window screens

To Ed Cline for insulating the pipe that was replaced and replacing light bulbs around the church

To Ed Cline for changing all of the clocks and timers for the end of Day-light Savings time.

To Ira Bergman and Tom Sargent for speaking at worship to update the congregation on Long Range Plan-ning’s steps to implement items brought up at the focus groups.

To Ira Bergman for donating and printing the pledge cards for this year.

To Kathy Strouse for dyeing and donating the blue poinsettias to beau-tify the sanctuary for the Advent season.

DONATIONS

To deficit reduction:

In honor of our dear friend Lillian Guise

From Susan & Stanley Casto

A Christmas gift to Saint John From retired Deacons Lynn &

Gary Weiler

Toner Cartridge: From Jennifer & Jordan Janis

Thank you for your extraordinary gener-

osity to Saint John!

DECEMBER BIRTHDAYS 6 Danika Puccio 7 Florence Hettinger 14 Nicole Kamelhar 16 Jeni Hamel 17 Karen Bruicia 21 Sara Rose Forchelli 23 Paul Szabo 31 Russell Tomasulo Congratulations to everyone celebrating a birthday in December. Please notify the office if your birthday was inadvertently left off the list.

THE MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF SAINT JOHN

12/3 (Advent Workshop) Acolyte: Nolan Mooney Altar Guild: Nancy Dineen Lector: Marion Schurade Ushers: Ira Bergman & Thomas Simone Assisting Minister: Christa Tuccillo Communion Assts: Margaret Neverka & Suzanne Ryan Greeter: Bill Schurade Coffee Hour: Margaret & John Neverka 12/9 (Saturday shared service) 12/10 (prayer & anointing) Acolyte: Elizabeth Kamelhar Altar Guild: Kathy Strouse & Lori Vanderwaren Lector: Corey Bogen Ushers: Sue Bogen & Bill Schurade Assisting Minister: Ira Bergman Communion Asst: Jeana Dwyer Greeter: Ed Cline Coffee Hour: Sue Bogen * Tracey Schaeffer 12/17 (Christmas pageant) Acolyte: Sara Forchelli Altar Guild: Danielle Branciforti Lector: Barbara Altman Ushers: Nicholas Dowling, Tom Sargent, & Tom Selvaggio Assisting Minister: Gail Tomasulo Communion Asst: Danielle Branciforti Greeter: Frank Branciforti Coffee Hour: Jeanne Lippolis & Christine Vogel 12/23 (Saturday Advent IV service) 12/24 (Christmas Eve 5:00 p.m.) Acolyte: Sara Forchelli Crucifer: Nicholas Harper Altar Guild: Kathy Strouse & Lori Vanderwaren Lector: Jessica Pagano

Ushers: Corey Bogen, Tom Sargent & Thomas Ziminski Assisting Minister: Dcn. Charlene Drewes Communion Asst: Lise-Anne Orlich Greeter: Stephen Dowling Coffee Hour: N/A 12/24 (Christmas Eve 11:00 p.m.) Acolyte: Andrew Vogel Altar Guild: TBD Lector: Marion Schurade Ushers: Bill Schurade & Ed Cline Assisting Minister: Christa Tuccillo Communion Asst: Margaret Neverka Greeter: Ed Cline Coffee Hour: N/A 12/31 (Lessons & Carols) Acolyte: Nolan Mooney Altar Guild: Christa Tuccillo & Renate Petschauer Lector: Gail Tomasulo Ushers: Ed Finn & Bob Altman Assisting Minister: Mary Barberio Communion Asst: N/A Greeter: Frank Branciforti Coffee Hour: Carol-Ann Kehrbaum & Renate Petschauer December Counting Schedule: 12/3 Marion & Tony Elicati 12/9 TBD 12/10 Jeana Dwyer & Suzanne Ryan 12/17 Jennifer Pagano & Jack Waldron 12/24 Jeana Dwyer & Suzanne Ryan 12/24 Jeana Dwyer & Suzanne Ryan 12/31 Marion & Tony Elicati

WORSHIP HELP SCHEDULE FOR DECEMBER

PAGE 2

Epiphany

Celebration

Join us to share a special Epiphany worship service at

St. Mark’s Episcopal Church

Saturday, January 13, 2018

5:30 p.m. worship 6:15 shared meal

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION

THE MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF SAINT JOHN PAGE 3

The Sunday school stu-dents are beginning to rehearse for “The Night the Animals Sang” which is our pageant for this year. You can help by rehearsing lines at home (for the children

who have speaking parts) as well as the lyrics to the songs, which will be emailed to you. They are also working on a new song for Advent, which was sent home. The youth choir will prepare a song for the pageant as well. Children in third grade and up are eli-gible to sing in youth choir. The pageant will be during worship on Sun-day, December 17 this year, which is actual-ly the third week of Advent. Please let us know if your child will not be in church that

day or at 5 p.m. on Christmas Eve, since the children will be singing then as well. It is tremendously helpful to us when the kids are attending Sunday school regularly since that is when we rehearse both the songs and the pageant. If we have children who are gone for weeks at a time, it makes it difficult to have everyone ready to sing in church or perform the pageant. Our teach-ers also make a big commitment to prepare lessons for your children each week and the kids benefit the most when they attend regularly. We also encourage you to bring them to church, particularly those who will be preparing for first communion this year. Some people are concerned that the little children will make a lot of noise, but

“Poinsettia Order Form

(orders must be placed by

December 10) Name: Number of plants ________ @ $10.00 per plant in memory of ________________________ in honor of ________________________ in thanksgiving for ________________________ for decorating the church with greens, I contribute $_______________________ Total: $_________________

by bringing them regularly, they will learn how to participate in the worship service. If your child starts crying or becomes very loud, you always have the option of bringing them to the back or downstairs, but they are always welcome at worship! Watch for the Giving Tree tags in the Howe Room. Every year, we participate in this pro-gram run by the New Life Center to purchase Christmas gifts for families who are less fortu-nate. It’s a great way to teach your kids about giving back during the holiday season and we thank you in advance for your participation. If you have any questions, please see Barbara Waldron.

SAVE THE DATE Please mark these upcoming dates on your calendar! Saturday, December 9— Church decorating 3:30 p.m. Saturday, December 16—Pageant dress rehearsal 10:30 a.m. Sunday, December 17—Annual Christmas Pageant during worship at 9:30 a.m. Sunday, December 31—Lessons and Carols worship at 9:30 a.m.

Saturday, January 13—Join us for a special Epiphany worship service at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church at 5:30 p.m. followed by a shared meal at 6:15 p.m.

Sunday, January 28—following worship—Annual meeting. Soup & sandwiches will be provided. Our youth will be teaching Sunday school classes so that our adult teachers may attend the meeting. At this im-portant meeting we vote on our budget and other items vital to Saint John. If you head a committee, your annual report is due to the church office on January 8.

MAKE YOUR OWN CHRISTMAS DECORATION

Please join us

Thursday December 14, 2017 The Howe Room

6:30 p.m.

For details please contact::

Tracey Schaeffer at tar1216@aol.com Or

Katie Pellegrino at malibu12354@aol.com

Saint John & St. Francis together share a

Celebration of Advent Saturday, December 9

Worship service 5:30 p.m. Supper 6:15 p.m.

Please bring a non-perishable food item to include as par of our offering to go to

the food pantry at St. Barnabas Roman Catholic Church in Bellmore.

THE MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF SAINT JOHN PAGE 4

SOCIAL MINISTRY Blessings of joy this season of Ad-vent!

As we scurry around, we wait and prepare to celebrate - an oxymoron if I've ever heard one!!! But as Christians that's what we do EVERY day, right? In our soul we always wait for Jesus' return as we scurry through our days, weeks, months and years - we wait and prepare to celebrate.

Did you ever think this through? Have you gone as far as realizing that God does that too? Yes, God waits and prepares to celebrate in the creative work of God’s active Holy Spirit! God waits for our response to the desires gen-tly placed in our hearts, and celebrates as we walk in His will. God also enters into our waiting and preparing in our daily life. It is a blessing [gift] we can hold onto in times of stress. AND speaking about stress, as we wait and prepare to celebrate, let us remember to keep this season JOYOUS!!! It is a celebration, after all!

Thinking and planning for others IS Godly, but we are not God! AND as science tells us, our brain can only do one thing correctly at a time, though we like to think we can multitask! Technology has made shopping, cooking and sending greetings much easier, so why ruin the processes by adding MORE on the "TO DO" list? This year, try keeping it simple and mean-ingful, rather than extravagant and chaotic?

During this time of waiting and preparing to celebrating, may we slow down as we wait and prepare to celebrate the coming of the One who gives purpose to our lives.

The Social/Outreach Commit-tee thanks each of you as you donated 95lbs of groceries, cash, free turkey receipts and

gift cards which Ed took to New Life Center.

May God continue to gently prepare us with the desires of His heart, graciously waiting for our response. as we celebrate His Word made flesh in the greatest gift to humanity, JESUS!

WELCA

Cooking for the I.N.N. is on Tuesday, Decem-ber 12 at 5:30 p.m. Helping hands are always welcome.

The next WELCA Bible study will be held not be held until January.

The LWR quilters will be taking a break for the month of December. They will resume quilting on Thursday, January 4.

THANK YOUS The Freeport INN

As the holiday season approaches and our hearts turn to Thanksgiving, we are especially thankful for all you do for the Freeport INN.

Thank you for being one of the Freeport INN’s most valuable supporters. Your past support has shown you care deeply about feeding the hungry people on Long Island.

In these particularly hard times the INN depends more than ever on contributions. Reliable, steady support from caring groups like yours allows us to feed those in need every day. The meals you provide are most appreciated. They provide our guests a hearty, nutritious lunch.

The Free port INN is an all-volunteer, self –sufficient group. We have been in Freeport for over 20 years serving a free meal at lunchtime to about 150 men, women and children.

On behalf of all the gusts and volunteers at the Freeport INN we wish you and your families a happy and healthy new year.

Thank you again for all your support, it is truly appreciated.

Sincerely

Ann Cullen

Wednesday Volunteer

Thank You for the Success of Saint John’s Oktoberfest Celebrating the 500th Year of the Reformation

AND A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO

AJ Orlich

Catering the Event at a More than Reasonable Price Donating 2 Baskets of Wine and

Gift Certificates to Guy Anthony’s Restaurant for the Raffle

Ed Cline and Aidan Sargent Picking Up the Food

Pastor and Ed Cline

Donating the Wine

Tony and Marion Elicati Donating Oktoberfest Beer

Jennifer Cline Sargent

Donating the Beautiful Cork Board for the Raffle

Nolan and Makayla Mooney Donating the Delicious Cupcakes and Apple Pie

Jennifer Bergman, Kathy Strouse, Pastor and Ed Cline

Setting Up the Howe Room for the Event

Karen and Tom Brucia Drink Cart

Tom Sargent and Jennifer Cline-Sargent

Donating Two Flavors of Beer

Jennifer Bergman, Kathy and Jim Strouse, Pastor and Ed Cline, Barbara Altman and Grandsons, Karen and Tom Brucia

Cleaning Up After the Event

Aidan Sargent Selling Raffle Tickets

DECEMBER 2017

A.A. 7:30 p.m. Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

3 1st Sunday of Advent 9:30 a.m. Holy Communion Advent Workshop following worship

4 5 6 7 1 A.A. 7:30 p.m.

2 8

A.A. 7:30

p.m.

9 Deco-

rating 3.30 pm/

Worship 5:30 pm/Meal 6:15 pm

10 2nd Sunday of Advent 9:30 a.m. Holy Communion Council meeting following wor-ship/ 10:45 a.m. Sunday School Giving Tree gifts due

11 12 Tai Chi 10:15 a.m. INN Cooking 5:30 p.m. A.A. 7:30 p.m.

13

14 Choir 8:00 p.m.

15 A.A. 7:30 p.m.

16 Pageant dress re-hearsal 10:30 a.m.

17 3rd Sunday of Advent 9:30 a.m. Holy Communion Council meeting following wor-ship 10:45 a.m. Sunday School

18 December Eagle Deadline

19 Tai Chi 10:15 a.m. A.A. 7:30 p.m.

20

21 Belair 2:00 p.m. Choir 8:00 p.m.

22 A.A. 7:30 p.m.

23 Advent IV worship service 5:30 p.m.

24 Christmas Eve Candles & Carols Worship Ser-vices—5:00 p.m. & 11:00 p.m.

25 Christmas Day Office Closed

26 Tai Chi 10:15 a.m. A.A. 7:30 p.m.

27

28 Choir 8:00 p.m.

29 A.A. 7:30 p.m.

30

31 Lessons & Carols 9:30 a.m. New Year’s Eve

28

DATES TO REMEMBER:

Sunday, December 3 – Advent Workshop following worship Saturday, December 9 – Church Decorating 3:30 p.m., Worship Service 5:30 p.m., Shared meal 6:15 p.m. Sunday, December 10 – Council meeting following worship Saturday, December 16 – Pageant Rehearsal 10:30 a.m. Sunday, December 17 – Christmas Pageant during worship 9:30 a.m. Saturday, December 23 – Advent IV service 5:30 p.m. Sunday, December 24 – Christmas Eve services at 5:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. Sunday, December 31 1 – Lessons and Carols 9:30 a.m.

PLEASE PLACE STAMP HERE

Saint John Lutheran Church A congregation of the evangelical

Lutheran church in america

2150 Centre Avenue Bellmore, NY 11710

Phone: 516-785-4331

Fax: 516-785-4331 E-mail: StJBellmore@gmail.com

Web site: www.stjohnbellmore.org

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E-MAIL NEWSLETTER ARTICLES TO: STJBELLMORE@GMAIL.COM

DEADLINE FOR THE JANUARY ISSUE OF THE EAGLE IS DECEMBER 12