Thursday, August 29, 2019

Announcements

ANNOUNCEMENTS and NOTICES

September 1, 2019

Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost

Collect of the Day – O Lord of grace and mercy, teach us by Your Holy Spirit to follow the example of Your Son in true humility, that we may withstand the temptations of the devil and with pure hearts and minds avoid ungodly pride; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Adult Bible Study - Next week our Sunday morning adult Bible study will discuss this summer's LCMS national convention, including some of the important resolutions that were passed as well general updates on the work of our synod worldwide. 

 

Partnership Rally Day - Join us at 10:30 a.m. at Smith Lake for our 2nd Annual Partnership Rally Day!  Bring your lawn chair as we join with Trinity to pray God's blessing on a new year of Christian education at our churches.  We'll begin with a short prayer service including the presenting of Bibles and Catechisms, followed by lunch and games.  The service and lunch will be on the east side of the lake (the same location as last year).  We will still also have our regularly scheduled worship service at St. John's at 9:00 a.m. that morning. 

 

Education Meeting – Our Sunday School/Religion School meeting for parents, students, and teachers will be Wednesday, September 4th at 6:30 p.m.  The first day of Sunday School is September 8th and the first day of Religion School is September 11th.

 

LWML Meeting will be held on Thursday, September 5 at 1:30 p.m.  Devotions: Bev Skadburg and Bible Study: Pastor Cowell.  Hostess for the day is Barb Harms.

 

The Great St. John's Tidy-Up - St. John's is filled with a treasury of Sunday school materials, VBS materials, posters, decorations, and the like.  The trouble is that our resources are so spread out across the church that we're not entirely sure what all we have. It's with this in mind that we are going to embark on the great St. John's tidy-up!  On Saturday, September 21 starting at 9:00 a.m. we are going to collect all of our Christian education materials in the church, bring them to the basement, and organize them in a useful way.  This will also free up room to organize Christmas decorations and office materials in the process.  We'll work until the job is done, but even if you can only come for an hour or two we'd love your help!  

 

Altar Flowers – If you would like to donate altar flowers in celebration of a special event or in memory of a loved one, please contact Cheryl Batt. 

 

College Students: We need your new college address for our church records.  Please, send that to churchoffice@stjohnsburt.org or bring it to the church office.  Have a great year!!

 

 

Thrivent Action Teams - Do you receive your insurance or other services through Thrivent Financial? If you do, you are eligible to apply for two $250 gift cards per year to go toward service projects for your church or community.  If you would like for St. John's to utilize your Thrivent Action Card toward a service project, please talk to Pastor Cowell.

 

The Kossuth CARE team Quilt Show will be Saturday, September 28 from 9:30-2:30 p.m. at the Trinity Life Center . If you are interested in displaying a quilt or if you would like to help, please contact Brenda Bormann- bormann@ncn.net or text her at 515-341-6982 or Jane Dreyer - janedreyer95@hotmail.com or text her at 515-320-0490.  WE hope you can join us, share a quilted item, and help those in need.  All proceeds from the $10 admission charge go to the CARE Team.

 

Trinity After School For Kids  - Volunteers are needed to help with our TASK Program after school. No experience needed. Volunteer as much or as little as your schedule allows - volunteering even once a month would be a great help! High school students can earn silver cord hours. Contact Shannon Struecker at 341-3117 for more information.

 

Church Roof Fund – Due to your swift and generous contributions, our savings account has been replenished from the roof expenses.  However we continue to have a growing list of capital maintenance and improvement projects, which include cleaning and repairing the siding, painting the sanctuary, and others.  If you had planned on giving toward the roof and haven’t yet, we encourage you to give toward the repair and upkeep of the church by designating an amount on the “Capital Growth” line of your offering envelope.  With your help we can continue to make St. John’s a functional and beautiful place to share the gospel!  

 

Thank You so very much for being a partner in the Outdoor Ministry of Camp Okoboji!! Together may we always be bold to proclaim the Gospel message and share the love of Jesus as we sow seeds of faith with our guests!! I pray God will continue to bless and nurture the seeds sown within each of us as we faithfully serve Him and His kingdom!  Trusting in our Savior, Kirk, Camp Okoboji Director

*(This thank you is in reference to the gift of $800 given from St. John’s to Camp Okoboji)

 

Attention St. John's Women - Check out this opportunity to beautify Burt!  Talk to Pastor Cowell if you're interested in creating a fellowship event out of this project: 

Burt Woman’s Club Fall Decorating Contest!  Sign up now to decorate one of the flower pots along Walnut Street. The Women’s Club is sponsoring “Festive Fall on Walnut Street”! Anyone can choose one of the flower pots to decorate for fall. Let Kelly at City Hall know which pot you will decorate and then begin creating. Judging will be the last week in October. First, Second and third place ribbons will be awarded. Come join the fun and help decorate Burt for fall!   

 

This Week in the Church Year  

Feast Days:   (none for this week)

Commemorations:   09/1: Joshua; 09/02: Hannah; 09/03: Gregory the Great, pastor; 09/04 Moses; 09/05: Zechariah and Elizabeth.

 

This Week at St. John’s – (September 1, 2019-September 8, 2019)

Today (Sept. 1st)         8:00  am       Adult Bible Class                                                                

                                 9:00  am       Divine Service (Holy Communion)

Monday (2nd)                                  Labor Day 

Wednesday (4th)        9:30  am       Bible Study at Trinity

                                 6:30  pm       Sunday School/Religion School Student/Parents Meeting

Thursday  (5th)           1:30  pm       LWML Meeting

Sunday (Sept. 8th)      8:00  am       Adult Bible Study/Sunday School

                                 9:00  am       Divine Service

                                10:30 am       Rally Day Service and Picnic at Smith Lake with Trinity

 

Ushers for September:    *Terry Teiman and Mike Marlow         Elder for July:   Boyd Shipler

 

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Announcements

ANNOUNCEMENTS and NOTICES

August 25, 2019

Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost

Collect of the Day – O Lord, You have called us to enter Your kingdom through the narrow door. Guide us by Your Word and Spirit, and lead us now and always into the feast of Your Son, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.   Amen.

Sunday Morning Bible Study – This summer our Sunday morning Bible study (8 a.m.) will be studying our favorite stories of the Pentateuch (Genesis-Deuteronomy). The title of next week’s study from the book of Deuteronomy is: “History 101 with Professor Moses.”

 

Burt Church Social - Join us this evening, starting at 4:45 p.m. for our summer church social with Burt Presbyterian!  This event will help us get to know our brothers and sisters in Christ at Burt Presbyterian as we begin to look into ways to show Christ's love and mercy to our community together with them.  See you tonight!

 

Partnership Rally Day - Join us Sunday, September 8th at 10:30 a.m. at Smith Lake for our 2nd Annual Partnership Rally Day!  Bring your lawn chair as we join with Trinity to pray God's blessing on a new year of Christian education at our churches.  We'll begin with a short prayer service including the presenting of Bibles and Catechisms, followed by lunch and games.  The service and lunch will be on the east side of the lake (the same location as last year).  We will still also have our regularly scheduled worship service at St. John's at 9:00 a.m. that morning. 

 

Education Meeting – Our Sunday School/Religion School meeting for parents, students, and teachers will be Wednesday, September 4th at 6:30 p.m.  The first day of Sunday School is September 8th and the first day of Religion School is September 11th.

 

The Great St. John's Tidy-Up - St. John's is filled with a treasury of Sunday school materials, VBS materials, posters, decorations, and the like.  The trouble is that our resources are so spread out across the church that we're not entirely sure what all we have. It's with this in mind that we are going to embark on the great St. John's tidy-up!  On Saturday, September 21 starting at 9:00 a.m. we are going to collect all of our Christian education materials in the church, bring them to the basement, and organize them in a useful way.  This will also free up room to organize Christmas decorations and office materials in the process.  We'll work until the job is done, but even if you can only come for an hour or two we'd love your help!  

Altar Flowers – If you would like to donate Altar Flowers in celebration of a special event or in memory of a loved one, please contact Cheryl Batt. 

 

Thrivent Action Teams - Do you receive your insurance or other services through Thrivent Financial? If you do, you are eligible to apply for two $250 gift cards per year to go toward service projects for your church or community.  If you would like for St. John's to utilize your Thrivent Action Card toward a service project, please talk to Pastor Cowell.

 

Parish Messenger Articles for the September/October edition is due to Linda Kerkove today.

 

Save the Date!  The Kossuth County CARE Team is hosting a Quilt Show on Saturday, September 28th.  It will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Trinity Life Center, Trinity Lutheran Church in Algona, IA. If you are interested in displaying a quilt or if you would like to help, please contact Brenda Bormann- bormann@ncn.net or text her at 515-341-6982 or Jane Dreyer - janedreyer95@hotmail.com or text her at 515-320-0490.  We hope you can join us.  All monies will be given to the CARE Team.

 

Church Roof Fund – Due to your swift and generous contributions, our savings account has been replenished from the roof expenses.  However we continue to have a growing list of capital maintenance and improvement projects, which include cleaning and repairing the siding, painting the sanctuary, and others.  If you had planned on giving toward the roof and haven’t yet, we encourage you to give toward the repair and upkeep of the church by designating an amount on the “Capital Growth” line of your offering envelope.  With your help we can continue to make St. John’s a functional and beautiful place to share the gospel!  

 

This Week in the Church Year  

  Feast Days:   8/29: Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist.

  Commemorations:  8/27: Monica, Faithful Mother; 8/28: Augustine of Hippo

Biographies of the saints we commemorate throughout the year as well as prayers for special feast days in the Church Year are available on the back table.  This information is also available in the Treasury of Daily Prayer, the PrayNow iPhone app by CPH, or the LCMS Eurasia Facebook page.  Talk with Pastor Cowell if you have any questions about these resources.    

 

The Cross of Christ Is the Way into the Kingdom of God

Isaiah 66:18–23; Hebrews 12:4–24 (25–29); Luke 13:22–30

With the cross of Christ, the time has come “to gather all nations and tongues” (Is. 66:18). The sign of the cross is set forth in the preaching of the Gospel, the declaration of the Lord’s glory “among the nations” (Is. 66:19). Many “will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God” (Luke 13:29), but only by the narrow way of the cross. Those who refuse to follow Christ crucified will ultimately find only “weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Luke 13:28), whereas Christ’s disciples, called from all the nations, will eat and drink with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of God. They will come into “the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem” (Heb. 12:22). - lcms.org/worship/lectionary-summaries

 

This Week at St. John’s – (August 25, 2019-September 1, 2019)

Today (25th)             8:00  am       Adult Bible Class                                                             

                                 9:00  am       Divine Service

                                 4:45  pm       Burt Church Social – Games and Picnic at St. John’s

                                 6:30  pm       Glen Henricksen Concert at Burt Presbyterian Church

Wednesday (28th)    9:30  am       Bible Study at Trinity

Sunday (Sept. 1st)   8:00  am       Adult Bible Study

                                 9:00  am       Divine Service (Holy Communion)

 

Ushers for August:    *Clark Christensen & Jesse Fitzgerald      Elder for July:   Jerry Koestler

 

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Announcements

ANNOUNCEMENTS and NOTICES

August 18, 2019

Tenth Sunday after Pentecost

Collect of the Day – Merciful Lord, cleanse and defend Your Church by the sacrifice of Christ. United with Him in Holy Baptism, give us grace to receive with thanksgiving the fruits of His redeeming work and daily follow in His way; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Greeters Today:       Bruce and Dawn Heetland     Greeters Next Week:   Craig and Deb Steven

Prayer Requests:   …  Healing Prayers:  Duane Lieb, Red Madsen, Pam Madsen, Jacob Thilges, & Eunice Meyer

                             …  Recovering from surgery:  Laura Knoll       

                             …  Nursing Home & Shut-ins: Ruth Nerem, Esther Christensen, Karen Karels & Janice Schealler

                             …  50th Wedding Anniversary of Terry and Wanda Tieman on August 23, 2019.

                             …  Jacob and Britni Fox who will be celebrating their marriage on Saturday, August 24th.

                             …  The Schlund family and their unborn child.

                             …  Trinity and their call process for an associate pastor.

 

Birthdays for the Week:  Pam Crosser (19th); Denise Shipler (20th); Randy Reimers (21st); JoHanna Boyle, Micah Lavrenz,

                                       Vickie Madsen & Kendra Ridenour (23rd).  

                                                            (Please notify the church office of any corrections)                            

 

Sunday Morning Bible Study – This summer our Sunday morning Bible study (8 a.m.) will be studying our favorite stories of the Pentateuch (Genesis-Deuteronomy). The title of next week’s study from the book of Deuteronomy is: “History 101 with Professor Moses.”

 

Burt Church Social - Join us Sunday, August 25, starting at 4:45 p.m. for our summer church social with Burt Presbyterian!  This event will help us get to know our brothers and sisters in Christ at Burt Presbyterian as we begin to look into ways to show Christ's love and mercy to our community together with them.  See the handout on the back table and sign the sheet in back so we can get an idea of how much food/drink to prepare. 

 

Summer Midweek Divine Service - Would you like to receive God's Word and Sacrament during the week? Whether you couldn't make it Sunday, or you've got a weekend camping trip planned, or you just enjoy receiving God's gifts: we've got what you need!  St. John's is offering our final summer Wednesday spoken Divine Service on Aug. 21 at 7:00 p.m.  Plan on the service lasting around a half hour. 

 

Partnership Rally Day - Join us Sunday, September 8th at 10:30 a.m. at Smith Lake for our 2nd Annual Partnership Rally Day!  Bring your lawn chair as we join with Trinity to pray God's blessing on a new year of Christian education at our churches.  We'll begin with a short prayer service including the presenting of Bibles and Catechisms, followed by lunch and games.  The service and lunch will be on the east side of the lake (the same location as last year).  We will still also have our regularly scheduled worship service at St. John's at 9:00 a.m. that morning. 

 

50th Anniversary Terry and Wanda Tieman are celebrating 50 years of marriage. They were married August 23, 1969 at St. John’s. Their family invites you to celebrate with them at an Open House and Dance at the (old) Burt Community Center on Saturday, August 24th from 4 to 9 p.m. with the dance beginning at 6 p.m.

 

To the Congregation of St. John’s:  Thank you so much for the scholarship you gave me for my seminary education! I’m continually amazed that God uses so many people to support the mission of His church! Whenever I start to worry about how I will support my family during my time at seminary God shows me that He will take care of everything with generous people such as yourselves!  Thank-you again!    Soli Deo Gloria!   Nick, Vanessa, Avery and Vince Palmer

 

Education Meeting – Our Sunday School/Religion School meeting for parents, students, and teachers will be Wednesday, September 4th at 6:30 p.m.  The first day of Sunday School is September 8th and the first day of Religion School is September 11th.

 

Altar Flowers – If you would like to donate Altar Flowers in celebration of a special event or in memory of a loved one, please contact Cheryl Batt. 

 

Thrivent Action Teams - Do you receive your insurance or other services through Thrivent Financial? If you do, you are eligible to apply for two $250 gift cards per year to go toward service projects for your church or community.  If you would like for St. John's to utilize your Thrivent Action Card toward a service project, please talk to Pastor Cowell.

 

Parish Messenger Articles for the September/October edition is due to Linda Kerkove on August 25th.

 

New Flocknote Group at St. John's - We've added a new group to our Flocknote text/email system called "St. John's Volunteers."  This group will receive a message any time St. John's is in need of volunteers (such as for VBS, Burt Day church coffee, a Sunday School sub, Christmas decorating, bringing cookies for an event, etc.).  Subscribing to this group doesn't obligate you to help out with every event.  We would simply send out a message requesting help and you would have the opportunity to respond with "yes, I can help," or "no, I can't help."  This specific Flocknote group was created so that only people who are interested in volunteer opportunities are receiving these messages and not the entire congregation.  

- If you're interested, please sign up on the sheet on the back table.

- These requests for volunteers will also always be posted in our weekly announcements.  

- If you are interested in signing up for any other Flocknote groups or updating your preferences, see the information sheet on the side table in the back of church or talk to Pastor Cowell.

 

Save the Date!  The Kossuth County CARE Team is hosting a Quilt Show on Saturday, September 28th.  It will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Trinity Life Center, Trinity Lutheran Church in Algona, IA. If you are interested in displaying a quilt or if you would like to help, please contact Brenda Bormann- bormann@ncn.net or text her at 515-341-6982chu or Jane Dreyer - janedreyer95@hotmail.com or text her at 515-320-0490.  We hope you can join us.  All monies will be given to the CARE Team.

 

Church Roof Fund – Due to your swift and generous contributions, our savings account has been replenished from the roof expenses.  However we continue to have a growing list of capital maintenance and improvement projects, which include cleaning and repairing the siding, painting the sanctuary, and others.  If you had planned on giving toward the roof and haven’t yet, we encourage you to give toward the repair and upkeep of the church by designating an amount on the “Capital Growth” line of your offering envelope.  With your help we can continue to make St. John’s a functional and beautiful place to share the gospel!  

 

This Week in the Church Year  

  Feast Days:   8/24: St. Bartholomew, Apostle

  Commemorations:  8/19: Bernard of Clairvaux, Hymn writer and Theologian: 8/20: Samuel

 

Biographies of the saints we commemorate throughout the year as well as prayers for special feast days in the Church Year are available on the back table.  This information is also available in the Treasury of Daily Prayer, the PrayNow iPhone app by CPH, or the LCMS Eurasia Facebook page.  Talk with Pastor Cowell if you have any questions about these resources.    

 

This Week at St. John’s – (August 18, 2019-August 25, 2019)

Today (18th)                8:00   am        Adult Bible Class                                                                 

                                 9:00   am        Divine Service (Holy Communion)

Wednesday (21st)        9:30   am        Bible Study at Trinity

                                 7:00   pm       Midweek Service (Holy Communion)

Sunday (25th)              8:00    am       Adult Bible Study

                                 9:00   am        Divine Service

                                 4:45   pm       Burt Church Social – Games and food/drink at St. John’s

                                 6:30   pm       Glen Henricksen Concert at Burt Presbyterian Church

 

Ushers for August:    *Clark Christensen & Jesse Fitzgerald              Elder for July:   Jerry Koestler

 

 

 

Thursday, August 08, 2019

Announcements

ANNOUNCEMENTS and NOTICES

August 11, 2019

Ninth Sunday after Pentecost

Collect of the DayAlmighty and merciful God, it is by Your grace that we live as Your people who offer acceptable service. Grant that we may walk by faith, and not by sight, in the way that leads to eternal life; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen.

Sunday Morning Bible Study – This summer our Sunday morning Bible study (8 a.m.) will be studying our favorite stories of the Pentateuch (Genesis-Deuteronomy). The title of next week’s study from the book of Numbers is: “Numbers: God’s Church Membership Clean-Up Project.”

 

Burt Church Social - Join us Saturday, August 25, starting at 4:45 p.m. for our summer church social with Burt Presbyterian!  This event will help us get to know our brothers and sisters in Christ at Burt Presbyterian as we begin to look into ways to show Christ's love and mercy to our community together with them.  See the handout on the back table and sign the sheet in back so we can get an idea of how much food/drink to prepare.

 

Summer Midweek Divine Service - Would you like to receive God's Word and Sacrament during the week? Whether you couldn't make it Sunday, or you've got a weekend camping trip planned, or you just enjoy receiving God's gifts: we've got what you need!  St. John's is offering our final summer Wednesday spoken Divine Service on Aug. 21 at 7:00 p.m.  Plan on the service lasting around a half hour. 

 

Partnership Rally Day - Join us Sunday, September 8th at 10:30 a.m. at Smith Lake for our 2nd Annual Partnership Rally Day!  Bring your lawn chair as we join with Trinity to pray God's blessing on a new year of Christian education at our churches.  We'll begin with a short prayer service including the presenting of Bibles and Catechisms, followed by lunch and games.  The service and lunch will be on the east side of the lake (the same location as last year).  We will still also have our regularly scheduled worship service at St. John's at 9:00 a.m. that morning. 

 

Education Meeting – Our Sunday School/Religion School meeting for parents, students, and teachers will be Wednesday, September 4th at 6:30 p.m.  The first day of Sunday School is September 8th and the first day of Religion School is September 11th.

 

Thrivent Action Teams - Do you receive your insurance or other services through Thrivent Financial? If you do, you are eligible to apply for two $250 gift cards per year to go toward service projects for your church or community.  If you would like for St. John's to utilize your Thrivent Action Card toward a service project, please talk to Pastor Cowell and he can discuss with you opportunities to do so. 

 

Parish Messenger Articles for the September/October edition is due to Linda Kerkove on August 25th.

 

New Flocknote Group at St. John's - We've added a new group to our Flocknote text/email system called "St. John's Volunteers."  This group will receive a message any time St. John's is in need of volunteers (such as for VBS, Burt Day church coffee, a Sunday School sub, Christmas decorating, bringing cookies for an event, etc.).  Subscribing to this group doesn't obligate you to help out with every event.  We would simply send out a message requesting help and you would have the opportunity to respond with "yes, I can help," or "no, I can't help."  This specific Flocknote group was created so that only people who are interested in volunteer opportunities are receiving these messages and not the entire congregation.  

- If you're interested, please sign up on the sheet on the back table.

- These requests for volunteers will also always be posted in our weekly announcements.  

- If you are interested in signing up for any other Flocknote groups or updating your preferences, see the information sheet on the side table in the back of church or talk to Pastor Cowell.

 

Church Roof Fund – Due to your swift and generous contributions, our savings account has been replenished from the roof expenses.  However we continue to have a growing list of capital maintenance and improvement projects, which include cleaning and repairing the siding, painting the sanctuary, and others.  If you had planned on giving toward the roof and haven’t yet, we encourage you to give toward the repair and upkeep of the church by designating an amount on the “Capital Growth” line of your offering envelope.  With your help we can continue to make St. John’s a functional and beautiful place to share the gospel!  

 

This Week in the Church Year  

  Feast Days:   8/15: St. Mary, Mother of our Lord

  Commemorations:  8/16: Isaac; 8/17: Johann Gerhard, Theologian

 

Biographies of the saints we commemorate throughout the year as well as prayers for special feast days in the Church Year are available on the back table.  This information is also available in the Treasury of Daily Prayer, the PrayNow iPhone app by CPH, or the LCMS Eurasia Facebook page.  Talk with Pastor Cowell if you have any questions about these resources.    

 

Lectionary Summaries Genesis 15:1-6; Hebrews 11:1-16; Luke 12 :22-34 (35-40)

The Lord Is Surely Coming to Give You His Kingdom

 

The Lord Himself was Abraham’s shield and great reward. For “the word of the Lord came to him” and sustained the patriarch’s faith in the face of death (Gen. 15:4). By divine grace, Abraham “believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness” (Gen. 15:6), on account of the holy Seed, Christ Jesus. To that one old man, the Lord granted “descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore” (Heb. 11:12). The Lord is likewise faithful to you. It is His glad desire “to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32). Therefore, “do not be anxious about your life,” but instead “seek his kingdom” (Luke 12:22, 31). Set your heart on that treasure. “Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning … for the Son of Man is coming” (Luke 12:35, 40).

 

This Week at St. John’s – (August 11, 2019-August 18, 2019)

Today (11th)             9:00  am       Divine Service

Wednesday (14th)    9:30  am       Bible Study at Trinity

Sunday (18th)           8:00   am      Adult Bible Study

                                 9:00  am       Divine Service (Holy Communion)                                

 

Ushers for August:    *Clark Christensen & Jesse Fitzgerald               Elder for July:   Jerry Koestler

 

 

 

Announcements

ANNOUNCEMENTS and NOTICES

August 4, 2019

Eighth Sunday after Pentecost

Collect of the DayO Lord, grant us wisdom to recognize the treasures You have stored up for us in heaven, that we may never despair but always rejoice and be thankful for the riches of Your grace; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Sunday Morning Bible Study – This summer our Sunday morning Bible study (8 a.m.) will be studying our favorite stories of the Pentateuch (Genesis-Deuteronomy). The title of next week’s study “The Jewish Church Year” – Leviticus 16:23-25.

 

Burt Church Social - Join us Saturday, August 25, starting at 4:45 p.m. for our summer church social with Burt Presbyterian!  This event will help us get to know our brothers and sisters in Christ at Burt Presbyterian as we begin to look into ways to show Christ's love and mercy to our community together with them.  See the inserted sheet for more information on the event., and sign up on the back table so we can get an idea of how much food/drink to prepare and what you would like to bring.

 

Summer Midweek Divine Service - Would you like to receive God's Word and Sacrament during the week? Whether you couldn't make it Sunday, or you've got a weekend camping trip planned, or you just enjoy receiving God's gifts: we've got what you need!  St. John's is offering a summer Wednesday spoken Divine Service at 7:00 p.m. on these Wednesdays: Aug. 7 & Aug. 21.  Plan on the service lasting around a half hour. 

 

Partnership Rally Day - Join us Sunday, September 8th at 10:30 a.m. at Smith Lake for our 2nd Annual Partnership Rally Day!  Bring your lawn chair as we join with Trinity to pray God's blessing on a new year of Christian education at our churches.  We'll begin with a short prayer service including the presenting of Bibles and Catechisms, followed by lunch and games.  The service and lunch will be on the east side of the lake (the same location as last year).  We will still also have our regularly scheduled worship service at St. John's at 9:00 a.m. that morning. 

 

Thrivent Action Teams - Do you receive your insurance or other services through Thrivent Financial? If you do, you are eligible to apply for two $250 gift cards per year to go toward service projects for your church or community.  If you would like for St. John's to utilize your Thrivent Action Card toward a service project, please talk to Pastor Cowell and he can discuss with you opportunities to do so. 

 

Daily Prayer Cards Available - Feel free to take a daily prayer card on the back table for your personal or family devotions.  These cards include prayer suggestions for each day of the week as well as short prayer services for morning, noon, evening, and night.  These prayer cards are a great tool for forming a habit of prayer in your own life, and for starting a daily prayer routine with your family. 

 

Thank You to Kitty, Lynn and Jeff for volunteering to help Trinity Community Care Committee serve the Free Barbeque at the Kossuth County Fair on Wednesday.

 

New Flocknote Group at St. John's - We've added a new group to our Flocknote text/email system called "St. John's Volunteers."  This group will receive a message any time St. John's is in need of volunteers (such as for VBS, Burt Day church coffee, a Sunday School sub, Christmas decorating, bringing cookies for an event, etc.).  Subscribing to this group doesn't obligate you to help out with every event.  We would simply send out a message requesting help and you would have the opportunity to respond with "yes, I can help," or "no, I can't help."  This specific Flocknote group was created so that only people who are interested in volunteer opportunities are receiving these messages and not the entire congregation.  

- If you're interested, please sign up on the sheet on the back table.

- These requests for volunteers will also always be posted in our weekly announcements.  

- If you are interested in signing up for any other Flocknote groups or updating your preferences, see the information sheet on the side table in the back of church or talk to Pastor Cowell.

 

Church Roof Fund – Due to your swift and generous contributions, our savings account has been replenished from the roof expenses.  However we continue to have a growing list of capital maintenance and improvement projects, which include cleaning and repairing the siding, painting the sanctuary, and others.  If you had planned on giving toward the roof and haven’t yet, we encourage you to give toward the repair and upkeep of the church by designating an amount on the “Capital Growth” line of your offering envelope.  With your help we can continue to make St. John’s a functional and beautiful place to share the gospel!  

 

This Week in the Church Year  

  Feast Days:   None this week.        

  Commemorations:  August 8th; Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr

 

Biographies of the saints we commemorate throughout the year as well as prayers for special feast days in the Church Year are available on the back table.  This information is also available in the Treasury of Daily Prayer, the PrayNow iPhone app by CPH, or the LCMS Eurasia Facebook page.  Talk with Pastor Cowell if you have any questions about these resources.    

 

Lectionary Summaries - Ecclesiastes 1:2, 1214; 2:18–26; Colossians 3:1–11; Luke 12:13–21

Faith in Christ Is Rich Toward God

To live for earthly things “is vanity and a striving after wind,” and work that is driven by such vanity “is an unhappy business” (Eccl. 1:13–14). The man who lives like that has nothing to show for “all the toil and striving of heart with which he toils beneath the sun … all his days are full of sorrow” (Eccl. 2:22–23). So, too, your “covetousness, which is idolatry” (Col. 3:5), makes a god out of that which cannot give you life or happiness. For “one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15). But “Christ who is your life” (Col. 3:4), in giving you Himself, gives you all the wealth of heaven. Instead of striving to lay up treasures for yourself, be “rich toward God” in Him (Luke 12:21).

 

This Week at St. John’s – (August 4, 2019-August 11, 2019)

Today (4th)               9:00  am       Divine Service (Holy Communion)

Wednesday (7th)      9:30  am       Bible Study at Trinity

                                 7:00  pm       Midweek Service (Holy Communion)

Sunday (11th)           8:00   am      Adult Bible Study

                                 9:00  am       Divine Service                                                                  

 

Ushers for August:    *Clark Christensen & Jesse Fitzgerald               Elder for July:   Jerry Koestler