Announcements

St. John’s Lutheran Church

109 Maple St. Burt, Iowa|Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

Pastor: Rev. Briton Nelson and Senior Vacancy Pastor: Dave Simonson      

Secretary: Rosann Shipler

Pastor’s Cell: 608-415-8228 ~Pastor: Cell 515-297-2046                

Church Office: 515-924-3344  stjohnsburt.org

Pastor’s Email pastornelson@trinityalgona.org 

Church Email: churchoffice@stjohnsburt.org

 

 Merry Christmas

The Fourth Sunday in Advent

December 24, 2023

 

ST. JOHN’S NEWS

 

Information on Call Process - We have received a new list of candidates for Partnership Senior Pastor from President Turner.  The next meeting will be January 2. The sets are now available in the church office for members to look over.

Adopted Family - Thank you to all who so generously gave to our Adopted Family.  The gifts were wrapped and delivered.  Special thanks to Deb Steven and Doris Blocker for organizing and delivering these gifts.

No Catechesis Classes through Christmas and New Year. We will resume classes on Wednesday, January 10  at 6:00 p.m.

Christmas Services:
  Sunday (24th), Christmas Eve Children’s Program at 5:00 p.m.
  Monday (25th), Christmas Day Service at 9:30 a.m.
  Sunday (31st)  Divine Service at 9:30 a.m.

Donations - If you would like to give a donation to the Christmas Committee for the candy and decorations, you can do that by giving it to Jessie Parsons or Tina Heyes, or mark an envelope as such and put it in the offering plate.

End of the Year Articles - Please get started on End of Year articles as I will be working on the Annual Report in January.  Also,  please be sure to sign-up for Usher and Greeter List.       - Rosann

Greeter and Asst. Usher Lists for 2024 is now on the back table. Please sign up to greet or usher more than one time.  If not I will assign you a time to greet at the end of year unless you let me know differently.   Rosann Shipler

Special Thanks to all who have served on a board in the last year.

Pastoral Care On Demand - Need Prayer, Scripture, Communion, Absolution, or a listening ear? Feel free to call or text Pastor Nelson at 608-464-5548 or Pastor Dave Simonson 515-297-2046.    

                                                                                                                   
Hospitalized?  If you or a loved one are hospitalized and would like a pastoral visit, please let us know! Pastors are not automatically notified when members are hospitalized.
 
An Expected Gift this Holiday Season - St. John's was a recipient out of 6 charitable organizations to receive $7,000 from the sale of the Bancroft Senior Citizen's building.   It was in their by-laws that if the organization ever disbanded that the money would be donated to a charitable organization.   We wish to express our sincere thanks for such a gift.   To pay it forward the Council decided to give $1,000 each to the Concordia Fort Wayne and Concordia St. Louis food banks.   You may have seen a thank you in the bulletin from each of these seminaries.   We still have $5,000 that we can use going forward into next year for a project of our own.   Again we are thankful for such a wonderful gift!!

--Thank You from Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne for the recent contribution of $1,000 to the Student Food Co-op. Gifts, such as yours, allow us to provide the finest theological education to the future pastors, deaconesses, and missionaries who will serve The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.  I thank God for you and ask for your continued support.
                Rev. Dr. Lawrence R Rast Jr. President
--Dear Friends in Christ, Thank you for your wonderful gift of $1,000. Your thoughtful donation is a special blessing to Concordian Seminary, St. Louis. The end of the year brings no greater joy than the opportunity to express how grateful we are for you. Merry Christmas to you, and may your new year be filled with happiness and joy.  Thank you again for your generous support, and for your partnership in preparing our students for their future ministry in service to the Gospel.  You help to make the Seminary stay strong in the mission of Our Lord Jesus. We are grateful to you.!       In Christ, Vicki Biggs, Senior Vice President,

Thank You to the Midweek Class and those who came to deliver the wonderful plate of cookies I received.  God bless each of you!  Janice Schealler

Special Thanks to those who furnished cookies for the shut-in cookie trays that were  made and delivered by the Midweek Class.

The new January-March Portals of Prayer are available on the east table.

 

SYNOD, DISTRICT & PARTNERSHIP NEWS

 

TLC Quilters -Don’t forget about the TLC Quilter’s “giving pew” by the east doors of St. John’s.  Feel free to take and give away as many quilts and bears as you’d like!  

·         Old Tattered Quilts Needed! Well-loved quilts can be repurposed into prayer hearts to provide comfort for others. 

·         Old Denim Jeans? We are in need of old denim jeans (any color & any condition) to make into quilts. Bring them to the church office or stop by the basement on Tuesdays or Thursdays to see them in action!    

·         Flat Sheets are needed by the TLC Quilters.

 

Building Healthy Families - How has the fact that Jesus was born over 2000 years ago changed your life today? How would your life be different today if Jesus hadn’t come? As a family, take time to read aloud the Christmas story (Luke 2) and engage them all in a discussion around these two questions. From the silly answer of a preschooler, to the shoulder shrug of a teenager, to the wise words shared by an older person, it will be interesting to see how each individual family member answers. Remember, even those who don’t answer are still listening, and may remember this conversation for years to come! Extra points for anyone who has a Bible verse to support their answer! (…think John 12:46; John 18:37; 1 Timothy 1:15…) A Blessed Celebration of Jesus’ Birth from your friends at Lutheran Family Service! www.LutheranFamilyService.org

 

THIS WEEK AT ST. JOHN’S      Today,  December 24  2023          8:30 am     Sunday School     9:30 am     Divine Service        5:00 pm    Children’s Christmas Eve Program           Monday,  December 25, 2023     9:30 am    Christmas Day Service - Burt                    Sunday, December 31, 2023           9:30 am     Divine Service

 

THIS WEEK IN THE CHURCH YEAR          December 25  -   Feast of the Nativity of our Lord      December 26  -   Feast of St. Stephen, Martyr      December 27 -   Feast of St. John, Apostle and Evangelist      December 28  -   Feast of The Holy Innocents, Martyrs      December 29  -   Commemoration of David

 

 

St. John’s Lutheran Church – Burt, IA.

Phone: 515-924-3344

Email:  churchoffice@stjohnsburt.org