Thursday, May 10, 2018

Announcements

May 13, 2018

 

Adult Bible Class – May 20, 2018 - Topic:  1 John 5

 

Preschool Registration - Kids of the Kingdom Preschool is now accepting registration for the 2018-2019 school year for 3 and 4 year olds.  Please contact the church office at 924-3344 or Jessie Parsons at 320-0501.

 

Thank You!  Kids of the Kingdom would like to give a BIG thank you to the members of St. John’s for your continued generosity and support that was shown throughout the 2017-2018 preschool year!   

God’s Blessings – Kids of the Kingdom Staff and Board

A Simple Explanation of the Church Service: Have you ever had questions about the Divine Service?  Have you ever wondered what certain words in our service mean or from where in Scripture parts of the service originate?  If so, feel free to pick up a copy of A Simple Explanation of the Church Service on the back table.  This little book is just what its title describes: a brief explanation of each part of our Divine Service in simple language that is easy to understand.  This book is especially useful because it spells out specific Scriptural references associated with each part of the service, showing us that our worship is not our own invention but a gift of God from His Word. 

 

Wednesday Summer Divine Service: Summer is a fun and busy season, and it's also a season in which we're often away from home and away from St. John's.  From visiting relatives to camping, we often find ourselves too far from any LCMS church on a Sunday morning to receive God's Word and Sacrament.  Rather than scold you for missing church on Sunday (which is a reasonable option!), the elders and I have decided to make it easier for you to receive God's gifts on a regular basis.  Therefore, starting Wednesday June 6th at 6:30 p.m. we will start a trial run of offering a midweek Divine Service for those not able to make it on Sunday.  Please keep in mind that this service is intended for those who can't make it on Sunday, NOT for those who want to sleep in on Sunday!  The fellowship and encouragement that we receive as the one body of Christ all together on Sunday morning is a special gift that we don't want to sacrifice to catch a couple extra winks in the morning.  However, if you wish to receive God's gifts on Wednesday AND Sunday you are more than welcome to do so!  The readings, sermon, and prayers will all be different in each service so you would not be hearing the same thing twice.  

 

Vacation Bible School at St. John’s will be held August 5-8th.  That is Sunday through Wednesday from 6-8:00 p.m. Mark this on your calendars and invite all children 3 years- 6th grade to attend. 

 

Installation Service – St. Luke’s Lutheran, Fairville and Immanuel Lutheran, Lotts Creek, would like to invite you to share in our joy at the Installation of our new pastor, Pastor Duane Miesner. The Service of Installation will be held on Sunday, June 3, 2018 at 2:30 p.m. at Immanuel. A brief reception and lunch will follow the service.

Lessons on the Liturgy:   A Brief History of Infrequent Communion

There are two reasons why Lutheran churches have not celebrated the Lord’s Supper every Lord’s Day.  The first reason was that back in the days of the American frontier not every church had a pastor, and so they had to wait until a pastor was in town to celebrate the Sacrament.  The second reason, which pertains to present-day Lutheranism, is the wide acceptance of rationalism and other philosophies born out of the Enlightenment which encourage a faith that relies on the rational thoughts of the mind and not in the unexplainable mystery of the Sacrament, which in turn produces a suspicion for receiving the Sacrament too frequently.  On the contrary, the Church unanimously celebrated the Lord’s Supper every Sunday and feast day for the first 1,500 years of Christianity, as did Luther and the first few generations of Lutherans. Only later in the history of Lutheranism did Lutherans succumb to the worldviews of secular society and other Protestant denominations who coincidentally had never confessed the bodily presence of Jesus in the Sacrament to begin with.  If you have any additional questions about the history and practice of the Lord’s Supper in the Church feel free to speak with Pastor Cowell.

 

Back by popular demand! The University of Iowa Pan American Steel Band will perform at the Burt Activity Complex this evening with a Dinner served from 5:30 to 6:45 p.m. with the Performance at 7:00 p.m.   Program and Baked Potato dinner open to everyone at no charge. Donation  accepted for the dinner but not expected.  The Pan American Steel Band features fun, fabulous music from the Caribbean performed on steel pans from Trinidad and Tobago.  Sponsored by Burt Public Library

 

This Week at St. John’s  – (May 13, 2018-May 20, 2018)

Today             8:00     am       Sunday School/Adult Class

                      9:00     am       Divine Service  

Wednesday    6:00     pm       Religion School  - (Pizza Party)  Last Session

Sunday           8:00     am       Sunday School/Adult Class

                      9:00     am       Divine Service (Holy Communion)

                      1:30     pm       Graduation at North Union High School                                     

                      2:30     pm       Service at Accura Healthcare in Bancroft

 

Greeters Next Week:          Wendell Sr. and Esther Christensen

Head Usher:                       Roger Lavrenz 

Ushers for May:                *Jeff Madsen & Joel Smith

Elder for May:                     Jerry Koestler

 

Trinity Bible Studies – St. John’s members are welcome to attend any of the following Bible Studies at Trinity:

·         Wednesday AM Adult Bible Class – Mornings at 9:30 a.m.

·         BYOB (Bring Your Own Bible) – Tuesday Evenings Bible Study at 7:30 p.m. at parsonage. We will be studying The Book of Amos