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St. John’s Lutheran Church 44 West Main St

Shiremanstown, PA 17011

SEPTEMBER 2018 VOLUME 44 NO. 8

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FROM INTERIM PASTOR’S DESK

� � � � "An Interview with Pastor Rick Whitesel"

In the wake of Pastor Mike Seifried’s retirement, our synodical bishop recommended Pastor Rick Whitesel as an intentional interim pastor to the congregation. After interviewing him, the parish council accepted the recommendation and Pastor Whitesel. Rick began working at Saint John’s on June 30 with the Saturday evening worship service. We sat down with Pastor Whitesel for an interview in mid-July.

Read Pastor Rick’s interview in our Good News insert. Find out what it means to be an intentional interim pastor. Read the three steps St. John’s needs to follow for our call process. Prepare questions you would like answered to help you understand what this all means to St. Johns.

On August 7th at the monthly council meeting, President Bob Finn announced the interview process for the position of Discipleship Coordinator was completed and Beth Bard was offered the position with a start date dependent on finding a part time secretary to perform the secretarial duties Beth used to do. So, what does all this mean? The Discipleship Coordinator’s job is to find ways to promote discipleship. The position was also created to provide training in prayer, Bible study, and use of spiritual gifts. With a Discipleship

Coordinator in place the congregation now has a person who can link volunteer opportunities with members who are gifted to do them. The congregation also has a person who is available to work with its members in discovering their full potential as

disciples of Jesus. This is an exciting time in the life of our church. As we come together to build up our community of faith may we each take time to think about ourselves as individuals and how we can grow in our faith, share God’s love, and serve others.

� � � � "New Staff Position at St. Johns Announced"

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� � � � “Calendars and Schedules” ~Pastor Sarah

FROM OUR ASSOCIATE PASTOR’S DESK

Getting back into the swing of things for the fall is always a learning process for families, isn’t it? For us, we are now keeping track of 2

school schedules, softball, music lessons, work appointments and church meetings, family time when we can get to it, and of course we are looking forward to Sunday School beginning again!

Now, you might ask yourself, why would we want to add Sunday School on top of all that other stuff? You might think that having those Sunday mornings free would be a luxury, and for some families, that

might be how they think of it. But at the same time, those families that leave Sunday School off the calendar are missing a wonderful opportunity for the ENTIRE family to grow in faith. Yes, we can all get

over booked and feel like we couldn’t possibly add one more thing, but I encourage you to think about Sunday School as a gift and not a time waster!

That one hour a week is a chance to come together with our church family and grow in faith together. Let me tell you how it

works for those who have never joined us: We spend time together in opening and then break into age appropriate classes. We have a wonderful roster of teachers who use their time and creativity to

teach our children and youth about the scriptures and how much they are loved. We also have 3 different offerings for adults to grow in their faith wherever it is that they are in life. Does that sound like a waste of

time? Of course not! As you make your plans for the fall and the calendar fills up for your family, please be sure to add Rally Day on September 9th – and every week after that! We want to

Grow in faith with our St. John’s family this school year!

What a summer this lady has had!! With the new interim pastor coming to St. Johns, an audit was conducted to give our church the kudos it deserves for maintaining accurate bookkeeping during the

almost 30 years Pastor Seifried was our senior pastor. We thank Barb G for the many hours she put in to help the auditors from Greenawalt and Company accomplish their task. When the church decided to do a formal audit, no one knew what all was

involved. We are very fortunate that Barb was able to give of her time (and quite a bit of it) to make the process go smoothly. Thank you, Barb!!!

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September Team Meetings

Tuesday, September 4 6:30 PM Church Council—Library Monday, September 10

6:30 PM Coordinators’ Meeting—Parlor Tuesday, September 11 6:15 PM Social Ministry—Parlor Tuesday, September 18 6:30 PM Day Care Board

NEWS FROM OUR TEAMSNEWS FROM OUR TEAMSNEWS FROM OUR TEAMSNEWS FROM OUR TEAMS

FINANCE TEAMFINANCE TEAMFINANCE TEAMFINANCE TEAM July 2018- Financial Manager's Report

Beginning Balance

Income Disbursements Ending Balance

CURRENT 47,671.26 38,812.78 60,798.20 25,685.84

BENEVOLENCE Benevolence 0.00 2,523.00 2,523.00 0.00

World Hunger 0.00 1,467.00 1,467.00 0.00

BUILDING 56,670.15 4,380.50 700.70 60,349.95

MEMORIAL 37,287.85 1,970.00 7,288.10 31,969.75

TOTALS 141,629.26 49,153.28 72,777.00 118,005.54

Income

1 8,600.00 Day Care - Facility Use

2 800.00 Day Care—Cleaning

3 1,245.00 Parsonage Rental

4 70.00 VBS

Disbursements

1 3,022.61 Parsonage Taxes 2 2,267.59 Ed Bldg Maintenance

3 390.00 Church Maintenance

4 7,253.11 Memorial Fund

5 8,863.74 Insurance

ADMINISTRATION MINISTRY TEAMSADMINISTRATION MINISTRY TEAMSADMINISTRATION MINISTRY TEAMSADMINISTRATION MINISTRY TEAMS ————CoordinatorCoordinatorCoordinatorCoordinator

S.. J/01’3 QR C/56 The QR code displayed here will take you to St. John’s secure eGiving web page. Once there, you’ll see several options to donate to St. Johns.

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SEPTEMBER 2018

It is? Thank you for your support of St. Johns’ ministries.

Don’t know? Contact the church office for information at 761-5121.

Not at this time or you don’t pledge? It’s never too late. The ministries of

St. Johns rely on our member pledges to fulfill the budget set for the year. Please consider giving to help us avoid the summer slump.

Stewardship Campaign for 2019 “Grow in Faith. Share God’s love. Serve others.”

The Stewardship Team is using the Mission Statement as their theme for the 2019 Stewardship Campaign. They want to emphasize the importance of this statement and the commitment to what it means in our daily lives.

As the Stewardship Team looks to our Mission Statement of - “Grow in faith. Share God’s love. Serve others.” - it’s been decided to make some changes to the usual Time and Talent form and pledge card format. Instead, the team with the help of St. John’s Discipleship Coordinator, Beth Bard, is putting together a member information sheet. This year we want to get to know you better. As our church prepares for the call process of a lead pastor— “who is St. John’s?” —is the question being asked. We want every member to help us answer that question as well as how the church leaders can help you to - “Grow in faith. Share God’s love. Serve others.”?

Look for more information to be mailed to you in early September. Take time to review it, complete the information sheet, and submit it by the deadline of October 14. Help us by returning the information. Any member not returning the form will be contacted.

Bible Passage-Galatians 6:10 “So then, whenever we have an opportunity let us work for the good of all”

Stewardship TeamStewardship TeamStewardship TeamStewardship Team

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WITNESS MINISTRY TEAMSWITNESS MINISTRY TEAMSWITNESS MINISTRY TEAMSWITNESS MINISTRY TEAMS Donna EDonna EDonna EDonna E————CoordinatorCoordinatorCoordinatorCoordinator

Mission Team Quarterly Highlight Through the church budget we are able to support several, wonderful missionary efforts. This update focuses on our support of Christ Lutheran and medical outreach located in the Allison Hill Section of Harrisburg. The church has a small, needy congregation in a large church building that once was home to one of the largest congregations (in number members) in Pennsylvania. The sanctuary with its beautiful woodwork and stained glass windows looks similar to what it did during the church’s heyday. During the week, the church serves as a refuge in an area of intense need by providing these health services to those in need:

Holy Spirit Medical Services-various medical services Prenatal Care Clinic Dental Clinic Urgent Care Clinic English as a Second Language and Literacy Classes Hospitality Center-offering various services (phone, bathroom,

internet) Free Baby Furniture Bank Durable Medical and Orthopedic Bank (walkers, canes, etc)

St Johns will be making our special contribution to Christ Lutheran this month. The Mission Team would like to thank the congregation for their generosity in supporting St. John’s mission projects.

For more information on Christ Lutheran, go to: http://www.pcvsoftware.net/christlutheran/index.hmtl

Remember, the happiest people on earth are the people who have discovered the joy of giving.

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SEPTEMBER 2018

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LEARNING MINISTRY TEAMSLEARNING MINISTRY TEAMSLEARNING MINISTRY TEAMSLEARNING MINISTRY TEAMS Leigh Ann CLeigh Ann CLeigh Ann CLeigh Ann C————CoordinatorCoordinatorCoordinatorCoordinator

Sunday School begins on September 9th! Classes for all ages of children, 3 classes for adults and more knowledge than we know what to do with! Come out on September 9th to rally together and start the year off strong!

It’s September! Our Learning Ministry Teams are preparing for an exciting Fall.

We hope you’ll join us!

Grab a cup of coffee, join us for fellowship, and

connect with other Sunday School Adults.

Have you— noticed some changes at St. John's; noticed a new pastor preaching; wandered what is and will be happening? Find out more on Sunday, September 16, 2018, during the Sunday School hour. Pastor Whitesel, our intentional interim pastor, will both present information on just what an "intentional interim" is, and take time to listen to questions about how an intentional interim will help St. John's congregation move into the future.

This fall we will begin to utilize an online signup system for the coffee cart. Please take the time to look at your calendar for the fall now so you can volunteer for the Sunday that works best for you to host the coffee cart. Remember, the success of the coffee cart is contingent upon volunteers to host. Thank you in advance for volunteering! Link to the coffee cart online signup - https://ttsu.me/o5g For any questions, contact the church office at 717-761-5121

Three adult classes are available: Opening the Scriptures Adult Education Forum GIFT—Growing in Faith Together

Come on September 9 and learn more about

the adult class offerings!

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SEPTEMBER 2018

Monday Night Bible Study 6:30 pm -7:30 pm

Church Library

In today's world, it is more important than ever to learn about those around us that have different beliefs than we do. We want to continue to explore what our neighbors believe. Pastor and best-selling author Adam Hamilton returns to one of his most popular topics,"Christianity and World Religions". This new, fully updated book explores four major world religions—Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism—and compares the beliefs of each with those of Christianity. He deals openly and honestly with questions people ask about other religions, such as:

Why are there so many different religions?

How should Christians view other religions?

How is God at work in other religions?

What is the fate of those who earnestly pursue God through other religions?

In examining these major world religions and the beliefs of their followers, Hamilton urges us as Christians to build bridges with others so that we might grow in our faith, seek peace in our world, love our neighbors, and find positive ways to share the gospel. These goals seem to line up pretty well with: "Grow in Faith, Share God's Love, Serve Others". We'll meet on eight Mondays, starting on September 10, at 6:30 PM for about an hour. The first session will be an intro and we'll be using the books as they are available (Publication date of 9/2018). Come and join in, bring your questions! Call the church office at 717-761-5121 for more information.

Alpha Course at St. Johns The Alpha Course is coming to St. Johns. This course is a practical introduction to the Christian faith, a place where participants have an opportunity to explore the meaning of life in a relaxed, friendly setting. During each session people enjoy food, laughter, and learning about the teaching of Jesus in a fun and friendly atmosphere where no question about life or God is seen as too simple or too hostile.

The Alpha Course is for everyone no matter where they are in their faith journey. Everyone is welcome. The course begins with dinner on Wednesday, September 12 at 6 PM in the Education Multi-purpose room. This is a 10 week course. Contact Pastor Rick at 717-761-5121 for more information.

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SEPTEMBER 2018

SERVICE MINISTRY SERVICE MINISTRY SERVICE MINISTRY SERVICE MINISTRY Susan Van ZileSusan Van ZileSusan Van ZileSusan Van Zile————CoordinatorCoordinatorCoordinatorCoordinator

Lutheran World Relief In Gathering

It is Time to Celebrate with Some Bubbly.... Soap that is.... It is time for us to celebrate all that we have by donating soap to those who are much less fortunate. In September we will be once again collecting individually wrapped bath size bars of soap for the Lutheran World Relief In-Gathering. Our goal is to collect 500 bars. Please place your donations in the marked box in the coat closet. We will keep you posted with our progress. If you have any questions or would like more information about the In-Gathering, please contact the church office at 717-761-5121

Malaria No More Wrap up

Thank you to everyone who contributed to St. John's donation

of $175 to Malaria No More in June. The contribution will be

much appreciated by the organization in its fight to end malaria

in India by 2030.

Ronald McDonald House Breakfast On Saturday, October 20th, the Social Ministry Team is preparing breakfast for families at the Ronald McDonald House. To do this, we need the generous support of St. John’s. We would appreciate donations of the

following by Sunday, October 14th, so that we can prepare a delicious, healthy meal for the families who are going through a stressful time.

6 packages of precut white bread cubes 8 packs of 12 ready-made mini muffins, including 2 packs of

gluten-free 8 packs of 12 mini bagels

10 bottles of juice (orange, cranberry, grape, etc.) 8 9” X 11” aluminum pans 1 can of Pam spray

Please place these items in a box located in the coat closet labeled “Ronald McDonald House.”

We also would appreciate monetary donations to help pay for fresh fruit, cheese, cream cheese, eggs, pre-packaged diced ham, butter, and milk. If

you wish to contribute, please place your cash donation or check payable to St. John’s in a pew envelope labeled “Donation for Breakfast” on the front or take the donation to the church office. Additional envelopes will be available in the Narthex.

We thank you for your generosity and support!

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Dear St. John’s members and friends, Thank you so much for the altar flowers that Paul and I received at home. We appreciated your thoughtfulness. Sincerely, Paul and Mary R

Dear Pastor Rick, Pastor Sarah, and Members of St. John’s, Lee and I would like to thank you for the beautiful altar flowers. Not only are they cheerful but the sentiment behind them is sincerely appreciated. We also enjoyed our lovely visit from the Gardner's. Thank you again for holding us in your thoughts and prayers as we move forward. Lee and Connie M

We send many thanks for all of you who have carried us through this past year of endings and new beginnings. As you read this, please consider this a personal and heartfelt thanks for cards, notes, emails, contribution to the building fund in Harvey's name. Thanks be to God, I'm able to do some things that nourish me, like write a short weekly devotional for my current church's e-newsletter. Go in peace, to love and serve the Lord and others, as you have nourished me. Joan K. H.

Thank you to everyone for making our week of Vacation Bible School amazing! The children were so excited to be shipwrecked together, and we learned that in many different situations in our life, Jesus will always rescue us! Here are some numbers from our week:

Children in VBS – 165 + Volunteers helping – 35 + Food items collected – 170 + School Supplies collected – 40 lbs + Songs learned – 10 Hours of fun – 15 Memories made and lessons learned – way too many to count!

Thank you for all the prayers and support for this wonderful ministry! We couldn’t do it without all the help that is given and without the prayers to pull us along!

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SEPTEMBER 2018

Dear St. John’s, Thank you for sponsoring me at camp this summer. My camp was awesome. By the way, thank you for taking time out of your day and writing me a card at camp, Pastor Sarah. From, Jaxon T

St. John’s, Thank you so much for sponsoring as I went to Camp Kirchenwald. I had an amazing time! I had so much fun on the hikes and playing games. It was also a lot of fun when we did worship in front of the lake. I also really like the stick prayer. Overall, I had an amazing time! Graysen T

Dear St. John’s, Thank you so much for the Amazon Gift Card. It was very thoughtful and greatly appreciated. Maddy R

Dear St. John’s, Thank you for the cards and flowers during my recent illness. Thank you to Susan VZ for delivering the flowers to me. The visit was special and the flowers were beautiful. Kathy McM

I would like to thank my church family, Pastor Sarah, and Pastor Whitesel for the prayers, cards, and altar flowers. Thank you to Vickey W for delivering the flowers. It was very comforting knowing I had such caring during my recent surgery. God Bless you all, Robert L

To St. John’s, Thank you for the beautiful flowers. It was quite a surprise. The flowers brought a smile to my face and I’m blessed to have so many friends from St. John’s. I am so happy to be back at church and to see everyone again on Sunday. Thanks for thinking of me. Ruth Z

To Pastor Sarah and friend’s from my church family: I would like to express my thanks' to everyone for their care and concern during my procedure before and after my visit to the hospital. Pastor Sarah’s wonderful prayer that God answered and everything turned out very well. Thanks to everyone. In Christ. Ike R

Dear Members and Friends of St. Johns Lutheran Church, Thank you so much for your gift of $1,020 to Lutheran World Relief. You are helping to break the cycle of poverty for young adults around the world by providing for them opportunities for employment in the rural areas where they live. Thank you! Jon Buuck

NOTE: this donation was money raised in recognition of Pastor Seifried and his retirement

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INSIDE THE GARDEN Do you have a love of teaching? Have you ever thought of sharing your talent with toddler and pre-school age children? If so, please consider joining our staff.

We are in need of two Assistant Group Supervisors, one in our toddler department and the other in our pre-school program. Potential candidates should possess all their necessary clearances (child abuse, Pa State Police, and FBI fingerprinting) as well as all mandatory training (pediatric CPR and mandated reporter). Applicants must also have a current health assessment accompanied by a TB test. A minimum of 2,500 hours of working with children is also required.

If this interests you and you possess the above qualifications, please go to our website at www.tcgpa.org and fill out an application found under the forms tab. Applications can be submitted to tcg1095@gmail.com. If you have any questions, please contact Tracy Baxter at (717) 731-1095.

DAY CARE MINISTRY TEAMSDAY CARE MINISTRY TEAMSDAY CARE MINISTRY TEAMSDAY CARE MINISTRY TEAMS Tracy BTracy BTracy BTracy B————CoordinatorCoordinatorCoordinatorCoordinator

Thank you, Greg and Steve!! With Pastor Seifried’s retirement a huge hole was left with our property concerns and maintenance. During the past two months Greg G and Steve B have stepped up to help with air conditioning, plumbing, and other property concerns. We thank them for sharing their time and their talents with us. A Property Team is planned to begin meeting this fall. If you’re interested in being part of this team, let the church office know at 717-761-5121.

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GOOD NEWS: The deadline for the October GOOD NEWS is Monday, September 10. If you have any information to be included in this issue, please have it in the Church Office by that date.

Wednesdays in the Parlor September 26—Kick-Off Date Future dates to be decided

Join us for an evening of

fellowship, dessert, and letter writing. The Young Adult Letter Ministry meets 5 times during the school year to send cards to 45 young adults. We can use your help! We’ll start at 6:30 PM.

Everyone is welcome!

THIS AND THAT—NEWS TO KNOW Bread Breakers Fall Sign Ups Looking for a way to create or strengthen relationships with others in the congregation? Join

Breadbreakers!!

Groups of 8—10 people share a monthly get together for three consecutive

months. After three months, the groups are shuffled and the fun starts again! Families, singles, couples: all are welcome! The next round begins September 15.

Email Beth Bard at beth.bard@stjohns1787.org or

sign up using the Sharing Our Gifts form in the bulletin.

Does your young adult have a new address? Please let the church office know—call 761-5121 or email beth.bard@stjohns1787.org

The Children’s Garden Fall Festival

Saturday, October 6, 2018

The day care is reaching out to our

church members requesting volunteers to help the day care teachers operate fall festival stations. Teachers do all the prep work and supervising. Volunteers assist the teacher and visitors.

Stations include: Lollipop Tree Face Painting

Pumpkin Bowling Pumpkin Ring Toss

Sand Art

Rain Gutter Boat Races and more!

The festival is from 11 am – 2 pm. Come and join in the fun. Get to know our teachers and day care families. Help them get to know

who we are at St. Johns! Contact the church office for more information. 717-761-5121

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SING TO THE LORD A NEW SONG!

ADULTS— You Can Join a Choir, too!

Have you ever considered joining a choir, but were always hesitant?

Now is the time to join!

� The Adult Choir rehearsals are held Wednesday evenings at 7:30 PM beginning September

12, with a Sunday morning warm-up/rehearsal at 10:15 AM.

� The Bell Choir meets Wednesdays at 6:30 PM

beginning September 26. Additional Bell Choir members are welcome; no previous experience is required.

Join us. Share your talents and experience the fellowship and

opportunity to be a worship leader, adding to the spiritual lives of others as well as enriching your own!

Speak with our Minister of Music, Tom Notestine, for more information.

� Instrumentalists are always

welcome to join in leading worship by sharing their talents and adding variety to the preludes, offertories, postludes,

liturgy, and hymns.

Sing to the Lord a New Song! Youth Choirs will be starting again this fall and we want all of our young people to be involved!

Sonshine Choir is the place to be for ages 2-2nd grade. We practice after 10:45 worship for about 15 minutes. Practice will begin on September 16th. Sonshine choir sings an average of once a

month. Please don’t think that your child is too small – we’ll take them down to our smallest 2 year olds (and whoever else might wander up to the front while we sing!) It’s all about learning to share our gifts in

worship. The Proclaimer Choir is for 3rd -6th grade. They will practice briefly following worship each Sunday. There is a meeting following the 10:45 AM service on September

16th for more information. The Proclaimers will be led by Beth Ellen Walters and Karla Lauro. Help us make a joyful noise this year!

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EVENTS..EVENTS..EVENTS..

Calling all 7th Graders Acolyte Training is coming for our newest acolytes! For our confirmands entering 7th grade,

please plan on staying after class on September 19th from 7:30 – 8:15 for acolyte training with Pastor Sarah. We look forward to you serving in worship as you grow in faith in confirmation!

Confirmation Classes Resume Calling all confirmation families and students! Confirmation classes

will begin on September 12th at 6:30 pm. Watch for letters from Pastor Sarah or Kelley Ritter with information about your classes!

I am excited to kick off the 2018-2019 Connect Youth Group year with all of you! We will be busy each month with gatherings, service projects and special events. Here is an overview of September… Saturday, September 8th the youth members and their parents (if you’d like

to attend) will be serving lunch at the Bethesda Mission Women’s Shelter from 11am-1pm. This is a wonderful way to help families in need in our community!

September 9th the youth will gather during the Church Picnic at Lower Allen Park for time with our group and with our congregation. It’s a great time with yummy food and games!

Confirmation classes will kick-off on Wednesday September 12th, and we will gather in the lounge for some pizza and catching up after the long

summer break. Plan to be there at 6:30pm

We will have a gathering in the lounge on Sunday, September 23rd from 6-8pm with some Bible study time and some time for games and interacting with friends.

Finally, on September 28-30 the youth in grades 6-8 will be gathering at Nawakwa for ALiVE. It’s not too late to register, so talk to Stephanie if you’d like to attend this fun weekend event!

SEPTEMBER 2018

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Worship Schedule and Hours

Contemporary Worship Service—Saturday—6 PM Sunday Church Services—8 & 10:45 AM

September 9, 2018 Sunday School Rally Day 9:15 AM Sunday Church School—9:15 AM

Interim Pastor—The Rev. Richard A. Whitesel Associate Pastor—The Rev. Sarah M. Keilholtz

Office Hours: Monday—Friday 7:30 AM—12 Noon 1:00 PM—4:30 PM

Office Phone (717) 761-5121

Office Fax (717) 761-4110 Email: church@stjohns1787.org Website: www.stjohns1787.org

News and Notes: sjnewsandnotes.wordpress.com Facebook: St Johns Lutheran Church 1787

Twitter: stjohns1787