November_2013.pdf

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NOVEMBER 2013

Volume 27.11

St. JohnsUnited Church of Christ

St. Johns is a community of faithcentered in Jesus Christ, seeking

guidance and direction through theHoly Spirit, and demonstrating

Gods love to all people in words

and deeds.

An Open and AffirmingCongregation

503 Stuart CircleRichmond, Virginia 23220Telephone: 804.358.9291

Email:[email protected]

Web Site:stjohnsrichmond.org

Published monthly 2013 St Johns UCC

Here are the opening words from chapter 12of Pauls letter to the church in Rome:

I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters,by the mercies of God, to presentyour bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is yourspiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by therenewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of Godwhat isgood and acceptable and perfect.

Reflecting on my experiences here at St. Johns UCC thus far, I am in awe that theapostle had such clarity about the advice the future church would need.

A careful reading reveals that Paul is writing about the spiritual wellness of thosewho share the faith. His witness is to the transforming power of life in Christ; infact, this is the passage in which he describes the people of faith as the very bodyof Christ. It is not clear that he is writing about or to a church, per se. It is clear,however, that he has something particular in mind; as this section is sub-titled inthe New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, Paul writes about new life inChrist.

What could be the benefit of this new life, such that it yields spiritual wellness? Theapostle offers several observations about the appearance of a gathering that

seeks to discern the will of God (see for yourself in Romans 12:9-21). Just as awell-coordinated body gives the appearance of strength and superior capability, likea practiced dancer or a trained athlete; so the body of Christ (which is us), throughspiritual exercises in social relations, becomes stronger and more capable ofexpressing the grace, mercy and compassion of God.

At the October meeting of the St. John church council we talked about what thisfaith community hopes to be and do here in Richmond. Healing was a prominentfeature of the thoughts offered, including healing for the surrounding community butalso for this gathering, for this church. In the days ahead we will seek ways toexercise for and participate in the healing of this church, this part of the body of

Christ. In doing so we can become a stronger healing presence for Richmond. Ibelieve I have heard your willingness to do so, and so I invite you to consider thisletter from Paul as directed personally to you:

I appeal to you by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a livingsacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

Peace be with you all, and always!

Tom G

From Rev. Tom Gerstenlauer...


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2 The Messenger | November 2013

Congregational Breakfast - Nov. 17

Mark you calendar now and plan on attending our monthlycongregational breakfast on Sunday, November 17 at9:00 am in the Fellowship Hall. We will enjoy the food

and fellowship and update you on all the happenings atSt. Johns. Hope to see you there!

Congregational Meeting - Nov. 24

The Congregational meeting to adopt St. Johns 2014 MinistPlan Budget will be conducted during 11:00 AM worship onSunday, November 24th. This announcement serves as theformal notification of the congregational meeting.

Daylight Saving Time in 2013 ends

2a.m. Nov. 3.You will be setting your clock back one hour, following theadage of spring forward, fall back. The extra hour gives

you a chance to catch up othe sleep you lost in Marchwhen the clocks movedforward.

The federal governmentdoesnt require states toadopt it, but Virginia, likemost of the rest of the

United States, observes it.Its origin is from World War II: in an effort to save resources,the U.S. made daylight saving time mandatory for the wholecountry. And it was observed the entire year. Some studieshave shown that extending Daylight Saving Time results in areduction in energy consumption; other studies suggest justthe opposite!

...from the President

October was certainly an exciting and sprit filled month!

St. Johns Players had another successful production with

approximately 300 people in attendance. Shout the story of 5girls in the sixties and their lives was so much fun!

On October 1stwe started our Stewardship Drive with threevery inspiring messages from Ginna Minasian Dalton, JeffJacobs and Elisabeth Burnett. Thank you all.

Our German Fest on Friday night and Dinner on Saturday wasanother great success as the tradition is carried on. Manythanks go to Jeff Jacobs and the many people who helped in somany ways. It was certainly an example of a community pullingtogether for an exciting event.

Our Council and Finance committees have been working on ourMinistry Budget plan to be presented for vote on November 24 thduring worship. We hope that by now that you have turned inyour 2014 pledge card. The Council will be voting on thisbudget on November 4thand we must know at that time that weare going to make our goal of $126,000 in pledges.

We continued our discussions during the October meeting with

Rev. Tom about his plans for his time with us. We are happy

and excited to have Rev. Tom with us during this time with his

many insightful thoughts about St. Johns.

Bless your hearts!

Betsy Bighinatti

Church Council President

Church Council Meeting - Nov. 4The next Church council meeting is scheduled for Monday,November 4th at 7:00 pm.

Members ofChurch CouncilBetsy Bighinatti, PresidentJeff Hetzer, Vice PresidentHelena DeLigt, Secretary

Bryan AndereggMarjorie Barbour Allen CaraherTeresa Jolles Desiree McNeiceKenn Shirley Dreama TerrillBill Watson Karen-Marie Yust

Members of PastoralRelations Committee

Lex Tartaglia, ChairElisabeth BurnetteMarjorie Barbour

Billy Poarch

RELATIONS COMMITTEE


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CONFIRMATIONConfirmands, Parents, and MentorsWho wrote the Bible, God or humans? Is the Bible true?Why does the Bible contradict itself at times? Is the NewTestament more important than the Old Testament?These are just a few of the questions that our confirmandswill explore during their sessions in the month ofNovember. They will meet after worship with Tom andJulia on November 10th and 24th. Mentors are invited toattend on the 24th.

ADULTSConnect to Faith Stories and Practices

Embracing a Life of MeaningThe world tells us that what you see is what you get;

Christianity denies that: it asks us to look for somethingmore. It points to greater and deeper things, but not

necessarily other-wordly things. In my faith Imencouraged to look for the sacred and holy that is

hidden in ordinary life. (Kathleen Norris)

The adult Sunday school class will continue to explore

faith stories and practices in conversation with KathleenNorris. Participants will gather at 9:45 amon Sundaymornings to view a short video presentation by Norrisfollowed by discussion. This series concludes onNovember 24th.

CHILDREN AND YOUTH

On Sundaymornings our

children and youthcontinue to follow

the Good Shepherdon a journey of

discovery. Comesee the wall artthat illustrates the

story of the GoodShepherd in our

classroom!

Faith Place! 9:45 am (For children 4-13 years old)In November, children who visit Faith Place will explore the centralpractice of communion through experiential learning activities.They will learn more about sharing the bread and the cup andcelebrating Gods love for us at the table. Come, discover theadventures that Faith Place offers.

Children - 11:15 am (for ages 4 to 13)During the month of November, our journey brings our youngerchildren to the communion table where they will learn about Godsgreat love for us at the table. Children ages 9 -13 meet the disciplePeter and explore how Peter followed the Good Shepherd. Theywill learn about his leadership in the church and identify ways theycan follow his example becoming leaders in the church today.

Youth 11:15 (for youth 13 years and older)Our youth meet on Sunday mornings with Mike Woods andElisabeth Burnette to discuss the scriptures from worship. Theirlively conversations help them discern Gods love for them anddiscover how they can be followers of the Good Shepherd in theirbusy lives.

The Messenger | November 20134

The Good Shepherd

Embracing

A LifeOf

Meaning


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Budget ActualIncome

Pledge Payments* $90,000 $77,347Cash Offerings $15,000 $25,980Other Income $96,594 $95,605

Total Income $201,594 $198,932

ExpensesPersonnel 138,475 122,973Committees 15,550 13,619Operations/Maintenance 83,259 82,455Local Benevolences 7,381 5,899

Other 7,275 7,275

Total Expenses 251,940 232,221Income/Expenses Total (50,346) (33,289)surplus (deficit)

* 55 pledging households.

St. Johns Players:

Tony Sharpenstein - 762-4870Covenant Care Groups:

#1 Billy Poarch 359-6131#2 Adrianne Dery 262-7072#3 Lex Tartaglia 369-9171#4 Kim Vann 323-9086#5 Bryan Anderegg 317-1941

Lynda Merry 756-0270#6 Rob Osborn 795-2058

Helena DeLigt 795-2058#7 Cheryl Goode 901-6594#8 Jo Ann Jellison 525-5536

Johanna Gilbert 270-6056

Rev. Gerstenlauer - 358-9291

Julia Eliades - 358-9291Church Council:

Betsy Bighinatti - 379-3572Facilities:

Richard Bighinatti - 379-3572Finance:

Jeff Hetzer - 550-3928Worship & Music:

Kenn Shirley - 502-1002Mission and Outreach:

Bill Watson - 873-2837Membership Development:

Dreama Terrill - 972-5669

St. Johns Financial PictureYTD as of 9-30-13

Have You Turned In Your 2014

2014 Budget Recommendation and Approval

On Sunday November 17 right after the Congregational Breakfast, and on Sunday the 24 during the 9:45 adult SundaySchool time member of the Finance Committee and the Church Council will be presenting their recommendation for the 2014Church Ministry Plan Budget. At that time, members of these two committees will be available to answer any questions thatyou may have. The Congregational meeting to adopt St. Johns 2014 Ministry Plan Budget will be conducted during 11:00

AM worship on Sunday, November 24th.

Christian Formation:

Marjorie Barbour - 687-1460Bryan Anderegg - 317-1941

Community Development::Desiree McNeice - 323-9086

Congregational Care:Helena DeLigt - 795-2058

Weddings:Vivian White - 379-2049

The Fellowship:Joe McGregor - 364-4078

German Fest:Jeff Jacobs - 355-1115

CONTACTS


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Twenty-fourth Sundayafter PentecostNovember 3, 2013

Isaiah 1:10-18

32:1-7

2 Thess 1:1-4,11-12

Luke 19:1-10

Twenty-fifth Sundayafter PentecostNovember 10, 2013

Job 19:23-27a

Psalm 17:1-9

2 Thess 2-1-5,13-17

Luke 20:27-38

Twenty-sixth Sundayafter Pentecost

November 17, 2013

Mal 4:1-2a

Psalm 98

2 Thess 3:6-13 Luke 21:5-19

Twenty-seventh Sundayafter PentecostNovember 24, 2013

Jeremiah 23:1-6

Psalm 46

Coloss 1:11-20 Luke 23:33-43

November Lectionary Readings

CHRISTMAS POINSETTIAS

Each year we have lovely poinsettias on display in the chancel area during the Christmas Season. If

you wish to order a poinsettia in memory of or in honor of a loved one, please complete this form anddrop it by the church office, place it in the offering plate, or mail it to the church office. The cost is$12.50 per plant, and you may take it home after the completion of the Christmas Eve Service.

Ordering Deadline: Sunday, December 1st

Your name _________________________________________________________ Phone: ___________________________

Number of poinsettias ordered ___________ @ $12.50 = $________________ (please include payment with order)

In memory of In honor ofName ___________________________________________

Given by:_________________________________________


Given by:_________________________________________


Given by:_________________________________________


Given by:_________________________________________
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7The Messenger | November 2013

GermanAppleCake

4 cups dicedapples (3 largeapples)

2 eggs2 cups brownsugar cup vegetable oil2 cups flour2 Tsp. baking soda1 Tbls. cinnamon

Mix all ingredients well, and spread in a 9 x 13 greasedpan. Batter will be very thick. Bake at 350* for 45minutes, or until sides of cake start to pull away from pan.Great served warm with vanilla ice cream, or with caramelsauce. Makes 12 generous servings.

Easy Caramel Sauce1 cup brown sugar cup (1 stick) butter cup half-and-half 1 Tbls. vanilla Tsp. saltMix all ingredients in a sauce pan over medium heat.

Bring to a simmer, and let cook for 10 minutes, stirring

frequently. Cool slightly before serving.

(Apfelkuchen)

1 Tbls. nutmeg1 Tbls. ground ginger1 Tbls. vanilla Tsp. salt1 cup chopped nuts(pecans or walnuts)1-2 cups raisins (optional)

November 24 - Giving thanks during worship

Thanksgiving Meal

Hanging of the Greens

November 28 - Thanksgiving Day

Church office closed

November 29 - Office closed

GermanFest Provides Fun, Fellowship andFood

About 85 people enjoyed brats and refreshments, the music of

band Broken Monday and a beautiful, moonlit evening in thechurch courtyard on Friday, October 18thto kick off St. Johns 2013GermanFest celebration. Special thanks to hosts Gil Caldwell,Don Warren and Brent Trefsager (who also coordinated take-outorder distribution on Saturday night), with lighting and technicalassistance from Richard Bighinatti and additional clean-upassistance from JoAnn Jellison and Ronnie Clements forhelping to make it a wonderful start to GermanFest weekend.

On Saturday, October 19th, over 150 people gathered in the St.Johns Fellowship Hall, with lederhosen and dirndls in evidence, tolisten (and dance) to an oom-pah band featuring our own Shirleyand David Townsend and enjoy a traditional sauerbraten, redcabbage and spaetzle dinner. Danke Shoen to the many peoplewho helped make this years GermanFest a great success.

At the risk of inadvertently missing some names, special thanks goto: Applesauce makers Ginna andSam Dalton, Denise Wright,Gary Beasley, andRev. Tom Gerstenlauer; All of the applecake bakers; Meat and cabbage slicer, spaetzle maker andco-coordinator Johanna Gilbert; Publicity chair and dining room/Bierstube decorator Vivian White; Green Bean snappersDorothy Cook, June Smyth andAnna Oxenham; Red Cabbagechefs Anna Oxenham, June Smyth, Dorothy Cook andLauraSiff; Table Setters Peggy andLee Ford; Dinner serversJohanna Gilbert, Cathy Wieckmann, Pam Miller andElisabethBurnette; Dining Room Coordinators Laura Totty and CharlotteQuick, and their team of servers and dining room help, includingKathy Friese, Bruce Miller, AshleyandSavannah Quick, BruceMiller, Vicky Lyle, and Ray White; Bartenders Billy Poarch,Thea Kornelius , Dawn LaDuke, Mark Atkinson; andReservations Agents Beth and Don Stiegler and Diane Semach.Special thanks to Julia Eliades for helping with logisticalarrangements and keeping everything and everyone on track.

Remember to mark your calendars for the third weekend inOctober for the 2014 GermanFest.


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8The Messenger | November 2013

We Gather Together!

November 24thWe gather together in the Fellowship Hall on Sunday,November 24th after worship for a thanksgiving meal andto celebrate the ministries of St. Johns. We provide theturkeys, dressing, gravy, and beverages. We are askingyou to bring a favorite thanksgiving dish to share under thefollowing categories:

If your last name starts with:

A-G Bring a vegetable (green beans, creamedspinach, salad, etc.)

H-N Bring a starch (bread, potatoes, yams, rice, etc.)O-S Bring a fruit salad or ambrosiaT-Z Bring dessert (pumpkin pie or pumpkin cheese

cake, apple pie or other pie, etc.)

Please contact Diane in the church office at 358-9291 and

let her know what you are planning to bring and RSVP sowe will have enough turkeys!

After our THANKSGIVING MEAL on November 24th, staya while longer to participate in the HANGING OF THEGREENSas we decorate the church for Christmas. ThisSt. Johns tradition is always a fun event. We are calling allour men-folk to show off their muscle as we hang thegreens! There will be childrens activities and fun for everymember of the family. See you there!

St. Johns Community PlayersSt Johns Players would like to thank all those memberswho supported their recent productions of Shout It was

exciting and fun and the cast spent many hours rehearsingfor this production. We had over 300 persons in attendanceover the 8 performances. Our sincere thanks to Tony, ourdirector and Anita, the yellow girl for her beautiful voice.Suzanne, the Blue girl, Pamela Bradley the orange girl,

Alex, the red Girl and Caitlin St Clair, the green girl for theirsuperb performances. Our own Shirley Townsend, themusical director is amazing! If it werent for the behind thescenes crew, there would be no show! A special thanks toRichard Bighinatti, Sonny Darnell, Rob Osborn, JoeMcGregor, Danny Trent, Stan Cope, Mark Sousa and BetsyBighinatti. Also thanks to Mark Sousa, Don Warren, Sal

Anselmo, and Elisabeth Burnett, Helena Deligt, DreamaTerrill and Rob Osborn who helped with the Dinner part ofour weekend. St. Johns players thanks the St. Johnscongregation for any and all support they receive! They lookforward to their Fundraiser Cabaret during the firstweekend of April 2014. See you there!

Betsy and Richard Bighinatti would like to thank everyonefor their love and support after the time of Betsysaccident on October 14th. The cards, calls, well wishesand delicious dinner were so much appreciated.May God bless you all for yourmany blessing on us!Richard and Betsy

St. Johns United Church of Christ

A Time to RememberOn Sunday, November 3 we will beobserving All Saints Day during our

morning worship. At this time, weremember the following members ofour congregation that loved theirGod and have passed away thisyear:

Audrey Pollard BuchananCarolyn Dunaway

Ruth Henry


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Please find a substitute if you are unable to perform your ministry and contactyour team coordinator AND the office to let them know who will be filling in for

you. Thank you for making our church ministries run smoothly!

WelcomeTeam

Leader

SoundSystem

Acolytes LayReaders

Fellowship

HostsNurseryHelpers

Tellers Facilities

November 3Doug Waldrop Jeff Michel Bryan Etter

James CookJosh LyleTrey Lyle

Dan &MelissaMascher

Melissa &Dan

Mascher

Sonny DarnellDorothy Cook

Bud Higgins

November 10 Doug Waldrop Jeff Michel Bryan EtterJames Cook

Sal AnselmoFlorence

Cross

Vicky Lyle Chris Miles Sonny DarnellDorothy Cook

Bud Higgins

November 17 RichardBighinatti

Jo AnnJellison

Lydia Woods Jeff JacobsBud Higgins

Dorothy CookLynda Merry

Laura Totty Kit CarsonJeff Michel

RichardBighinatti

November 24 RichardBighinatti

Jo AnnJellison

Lydia Woods Dreama TerrillGil Caldwell

ThanksgivingDinner

Marjorie &Justin

Barbour

Kit CarsonJeff Michel

RichardBighinatti

Nov. 3 Nov. 10 Nov. 17 Nov. 24

Sam & GinnaDalton

Dorothy Cook ElisabethBurnette

Dan & MelissaMascher

To order fresh flowers to be placed on the altar in honor of a special occasion orperson or in remembrance of someone, please sign-up on the flower chart on the

bulletin board in the hallway near the nursery or contact Sonny Darnell at743-7528 or [email protected]

$45.00 for two beautiful bouquets.

Fellowship Coordinator: Sal Anselmo 358-1696Tellers Coordinator: Bud Higgins 301-5059Lay Readers Coordinator: Sal Anselmo 358-1696


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2013

1 2

OLDER YOUTHLOCK-IN

3

9:45am ChristianFormation

11 am WorshipCommunion

Remembrance Day2PM CROP WALKCCG # 8

4

Church Council 7 pm

5

10 am Staff Mtg.

11:30 am NA Meeting

6

5 pm Card Ministry

7 pm WEBS

7

11:30 am NA Meeting

7 pm Choir Rehearsal

8 9

8:30 am India OrthodoxChurch

10

9:45am ChristianFormation

11 am WorshipNoon ConfirmandsCCG # 7 and 6

11 12

10 am Staff Mtg.

11:30 am NA Meeting

13

5 pm Card Ministry

7 pm WEBS

14

10:30 The Fellowship11:30 am NA Meeting7 pm Choir Rehearsal

15 16

17

9 am Breakfast9:45 am C Formation

11 am Worship12:30 pm Facilities

12:30pm Intern Comm.WM BYRD HOUSEDONATIONS DUE

18 19

10 am Staff Mtg.

11:30 am NA Meeting

20

5 pm Card Ministry

7pm WEBS

21

11:30 am NA Meeting

7 pm Choir Rehearsal

22 23

24

9:45 am ChristianFormation

11 am WorshipNoon Confirmands

Thanksgiving MealCongreg. Mtg.

Greening of Church

25 26

10 am Staff Mtg.

11:30 am NA Meeting

27

5 pm Card Ministry

7 pm WEBS

28 29

OFFICE CLOSED

30

NOVEMBER BIRTHDAYS

1 David Craig3 Dallas Henderson6 Matthew James Gilbert9 Mac Taylor10 Kevin Hetzer

14 Laura TottyJewell HaakeBurton Unger

15 Kathy Smith16 Bob Corby26 Nat Taylor28 William Oxenham

28 William Voelcke30 Mark Atkinson

Documents

November_2013.pdf