St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church 158 S. Hoernerstown Road

Hummelstown, PA 17036

The Rev. Martha S. Boyd Phone: 566-6296/FAX 566-7148

Pastor e-mail: stjohnpastor158@gmail.com

Church e-mail stjohnchurch158@gmail.com

St. John on the Web: StJohnhtown.com

JANUARY 2015 The Journey Begins

As we enter into this time of 2016 years after the birth of Christ, we begin a familiar journey in the

life of the church. We follow the readings and gospels of Luke and John as the life of Christ, his

parents, and his followers are presented to us on the journey to Lent, which arrives very early on

February 10th, Ash Wednesday. Journeys come in all kinds of ways. It may be travelling south to a

warmer climate during the Pennsylvania winter months. Or it may be a mid-winter vacation to

have a break from work and spend time with family. Travel is certainly a kind of journey, and

many here at St. John have travel experience. But it is more than just vacations that are occur-

ring. St. John is blessed with lives that have been lived for a long time with journeys that continue

to unfold and be revealed.

For life is a journey, and for us as followers of Christ, the road can be winding and circuitous; just

as it was for Jesus when he walked this earth. The way is not always clear, and we struggle to lis-

ten for how and what God is calling us to be, as messengers and disciples of the Word to a weary

world. As we enter into this new year we will hear different voices. Voices from the Bible as we

worship, study and pray. New voices from the Church Council as changes are made in leadership.

New voices in government leadership as Presidential and other primaries and elections are held

throughout the coming year.

And with those new voices will surely come new ideas, or perhaps variations on ideas we have

heard before. Some will have merit, others will not. But for us who follow God, we are encouraged,

and told to listen and hear where God is calling us. How might we do that you might be asking?

Sometimes it is hard enough just to figure out what we’re supposed to do today! Yes, there are

many decisions, many choices in this world of ours. But what keeps us focused, the question we

need to keep asking of ourselves and of our community here at St. John and in our lives, is this:

How is what I’m doing, or what we’re doing, furthering the mission of God

in this place, in this community, or in the world?

This is not always an easy question to answer, but it is one that should remain present with us as

we continue our journey in faith with the one who brought forth a Son to forever change the world.

As we go forward together in our work here at St. John’s, I pray that we will all hear and listen for

the Word of God in our lives, and that we will work together to respond to our community in love

and faithfulness in grateful thanksgiving to God who created us and provides all that we need. For

with God all things are possible!

Your fellow servant in Christ,

Pastor Martha

Pastoral Care

Pastor Boyd may be reached by calling the church office

at 566-6296 and leaving a message in mailbox 1.

You may also contact her via email at:

stjohnpastor158@gmail.com .

If there is an emergency, she can be reached by: Cell

phone: 717-440-1177 or Home: 717-766-9854.

Pastor’s Hours Monday – Thursday from 9:00 am to 1:00 p.m.

Hours are subject to change depending on meetings, etc.

Please leave a message if there is no answer.

Children’s Sunday School Schedule

Sunday School ages 5-12 during worship

Nursery Room is available for those under 5

Confirmation Class

Sunday mornings 10:30 am

The Epiphany of our Lord St. John Church is hosting the

Epiphany Service this year on January 6, at 7:00 PM. Pastor Boyd will preside at the liturgy,

Pastor Schreffler will be preaching, and Pastor Minick will be assisting. There will be light

refreshments served afterwards.

Welcome New Council Members Debra Fisher, Robert Getz, Darryl Hamm, Susan Shel-lenhamer, and Valerie Steinman were elected to three year terms on church council.

Thank You to Out-Going Council Members Marge Baranowski, Dwight Bretz, Mary Jo Hanley, Marge Plouse, and Joyce Potteiger will be going off council. We thank them for their dedication and time served on council. The first council meeting is January 12. and election of officers will be held. All outgoing and incoming members should plan to attend.

THANK YOU: *to everyone who participated in the Christmas Eve Service and the Service of Les-sons and Carols

*to everyone who decorated for Christmas

*to the quilting group for providing quilts to people in need

*to the Altar Guild for their dedication to St. John

*to the Sunday School teachers for their dedication to our Christian Education program

*to those whose stewardship keeps God’s ministry alive in our communities.

*to Council and Committee Members for their hard work in 2015

*to all who serve our church during worship

*to everyone who contributes to the glass jug in the narthex.

*to the members of St. John for your support of the family meals and gift cards for Christmas. Your generosity is greatly appreciated by the families.

*from Christian Churches United for St. John’s do-nation

Potluck: Save the Date

Sunday January 24

Celebrate Your Birth Month

Potluck has become an annual event

here at St. John. Plan to stay after

the worship service for brunch. Held in the fellow-

ship hall, we will share a meal, time together, and

“fun”. Guests provide the main dishes, sides, and

salads. The church provides the cake, ice cream,

and beverages.

This year our theme is Bible Stories. The tables

will be decorated to represent “best loved” Bible

events. Please review the two sign- up sheets on

the hallway bulletin board by the secretary’s office.

There is one to contribute food item(s). Also we ask

for volunteers to decorate tables. If you have ques-

tions or suggestions contact Cathy McDivitt at 979-

9740.

Fellowship Coffeetime On Sunday,

January 3, plan to spend a little more time

after church. The library and conference

rooms will be set up to offer coffee, tea

and light refreshments. This is an opportunity for good

fellowship and to “catch-up” with members and friends.

If you would like to sponsor one of the monthly coffee

hours by contributing time, supplies or snacks, please

call or speak with Gloria Mader at 566-2901.

St. John Council Minutes—November 10, 2015

Present: Marge Baranowski, Mary Jo Hanley, Marge Plouse, Irma Mengel, Gloria Mader, Keith Kahley, Dwight

Bretz, and Joyce Potteiger.

Absent: Pat Ignatosky, Lauren Leshak, Pastor Boyd

The meeting was called to order at 7:10 pm by President Dwight Bretz

Devotions were read by Gloria Mader with Marge Plouse reading in December.

The agenda for the meeting was approved. The minutes from the October council meeting were approved as submit-

ted. The treasurer’s report was read and approved as submitted. Discuss about the multiple line items for the youth.

Motion by Mary Jo Hanley, second by Joyce Potteiger to combine the youth gathering money and the summer camp

money into one line item, motion passed. The Pastor’s report was approved as submitted. There was no president’s

report.

Committee reports:

Worship and Music (Marge Plouse): Worship is planned through Palm Sunday.

Learning and Youth (Gloria Mader): Very low attendance. The committee would like more people to obtain clear-

ances so the nursery could be staffed if and when it is needed.

Social Ministry (Pat Ignatosky): no report

Shepherding/Evangelism/Stewardship (Gloria Mader): Met on Nov 4th. Pastor Jorgenson will be asked to return to

preach in early 2016 as a follow up to the time line and work on the evangelism mission. Discussion and brunch

would follow. Cathy McDivitt and Gloria Mader volunteered to accompany Pastor Boyd on neighborhood visits

about once a month, visitation gifts being considered. New pew literature being considered. Fellowship after worship

to start December 6th. Will be held on the first Sunday of the month. Celebrate your birth month potluck will be held

January 24th after worship. Discussed to use of technology, such as a digital frame to spotlight church activities dur-

ing events like the soup sale. Post a prayer corner in the newsletter for prayer suggestions.

Altar Guild (Pat Ignatosky): 1400.00 profit on election day. 400.00/month will be given to the church for fuel oil.

Long Range Planning/Facilities (Dwight Bretz): control module was replaced on the furnace.

Swatara Creek Lutheran Community (Mary Jo Hanley): no report.

Safe Child Policy (Mary Jo Hanley): Policy projected to be completed for next meeting for review.

Old Business:

None

New Business:

Kim Balog requested the use of the church basement December 5th for giving tree meeting. This was approved.

The Maders are requesting the use of the church basement for Thanksgiving day. This was approved.

Motion to adjourn by Mary Jo Hanley, second by Joyce Potteiger. Meeting adjourned at 7:40pm. The next council

meeting will be on Tuesday, December 8th at 7:00pm.

Respectfully submitted, Mary Jo Hanley

2016 PHONE DIRECTORY: A new phone di-

rectory will be available the middle of January.

In preparation for this, please check your old di-

rectory and if there are changes, please contact

the church office by phone (566-6296) or by

email:

stjohnchurch158@gmail.com

Ken Mengel celebrates his 84th birthday on January 5th. His ad-

dress is 800 S. Nye’s Road, Harris-burg, PA 17111.

Technology and Faith

Coming Soon: A Faith Formation website with helps and information on living a life of faith.

Snow Cancellation Information St. John will

follow the Lower Dauphin School District

schedule for cancellations of meetings or social

functions in the case of inclement weather. If

school is closed, no meetings, functions, or office hours

will be held. If questions arise regarding cancellation of

Sunday services, tune in to TV Station WHTM ABC27

or WHP 21.

Attention Married Couples: So you’ve done

maintenance for your car—how about your mar-

riage? Make 2016 the year you decide to attend a

Lutheran Marriage Encounter Weekend to learn

how to make your marriage a more intimate, lov-

ing, Christian union.

Lutheran Marriage Encounter Weekends run from

Friday night at 8 PM to Sunday around 4 PM and

have been enriching marriages of couples of all

ages for 40 years! In addition to the $100 per

couple registration fee, you will be given an oppor-

tunity near the end of the weekend to make a con-

fidential contribution of whatever amount you wish

toward the continuation of the program. Two

nights lodging, 5 meals for each of you, and all

supplies are included.

The 2016 Pennsylvania Weekends are:

April 8-10, 2016 in Lancaster, PA, at the all

newly-renovated Heritage Hotel Lancaster, home

of the unique tree-house-inspired restaurant,

“Loxley’s”

April 22-24, 2016 at the Penn Stater Confer-

ence Center Hotel, State College, PA, Happy Val-

ley’s premier conference center located on a quiet

hillside with views of Nittany Mountain

September 16-18, 2016 at Spruce Lake Re-

treat Center, Canadensis, PA, a new, hotel-style

facility on Spruce Lake in the heart of the Pocono

Mountains – an hour north of Allentown

October 21-23, 2016 at Olmsted Retreat Center, Ludlow, PA, a stunning, hotel-style retreat center adjacent to the Olmsted Mansion situated on a hillside in the Allegheny National Forest, an hour north of DuBois

Registrations are limited, so act today to en-sure that you can attend the Weekend of your choice. To sign up online, go to: www.GodLovesMarriage.org and pay the registra-tion fee using your credit card, or mark the option to mail in a check For questions, or if you would like a brochure mailed to you, contact Pennsylva-nia Directors of Lutheran Marriage Encounter, Fred & Julie Schamber, at 724-325-3166 or email: fjschamber@comcast.net.

Living in the FULLness of Grace

We extend this invitation to our sisters in Christ to

be inspired by GraceFULL Forgiveness, begin-ning Friday, February 19, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. through Sunday, February 21st. Join us in exploring the intersection of God’s grace and our wellness, hearts, minds, souls, relation-ships and life circumstances. Our special guest speaker will be Marie Monville of Lancaster Coun-ty, PA. "When all other lights go out, He still shines!" became the anthem to Marie's life when on October 2, 2006, her then husband made a de-cision to hold an Amish school house hostage, for-ever changing life as she knew it. This is Marie's testimony, forged while moving through unthinka-ble circumstances, into the unfathomable love of the Father. On her darkest day, Marie simply chose to believe that HE IS. This act of faith radi-cally propelled her into a future she could not have hoped for or imagined. She will inspire you to dive deep into a passionate LOVE relationship with God, which will transform your life and flow through you to impact all you encounter. Anticipated cost is $195, which includes a quad-occupancy hotel suite with full access to hotel amenities, breakfast and dinner buffet on Satur-day, and a breakfast buffet on Sunday. The retreat concludes after worship on Sunday, February 21st around noon. This retreat has limited registration, so please reg-ister by January 15th with a deposit of $100.00 to guarantee your spot. The final payment will be due by February 5th. Please register at: https://service.thrivent.com/forms/events/find.php?st=39#events. Checks can be made out to Zion Lutheran with 2016 Women’s Wellness Retreat in the memo sec-tion. Please mail to Zion Lutheran at 100 W Main Street, Hummelstown, PA 17036. Please include any roommate requests. No products will be sold at t his event. Retreat leaders will include the pastors of the Swatara Creek Lutheran Churches; this event is sponsored and supported by Thrivent Financial.

Our Stewardship for January Altar Guild

Pat Ignatosky and Kim Balog

Assisting Ministers 3—

10—

17—

24—

31—

Ushers and Greeters Dick Bello and Chet Cassel

Bulletin Sponsors

3—in memory of Loved Ones

by Mary Jane and Richard Heisey

10—in memory of Sue Hoffer’s birthday

17—

24— in honor of Harry Mader’s birthday

31—

Flowers

3— in honor of the 34th wedding anniversary

of Jerry and Martha Boyd

10— in memory of Joseph Cassel, Sr.

and Joseph Cassel, Jr.

17—in memory of Florence and John Ignatosky

24—in memory of my parents, by Bob Getz

31—

Benevolence Update Giving thru November $10,083.37

Needed thru November 7,867.10

SHORT -$2216.27

God Loves a Cheerful

Giver

Please remember to bring non-perishable food items to church and place them in the basket in the hall-way for the Hummelstown Food Pan-try. They especially can use pow-dered milk, cans of baked beans,

kidney beans, and chickpeas.

January Year

As of November 30, 2015 November through to

October Date

GENERAL INCOME 13,048.12 102,955.76 116,003.88

BANK INTEREST 0.25 9.96 2.21

NET OPERATING INCOME 13,048.37 102,957.72 116,006.09

LESS NET BUDGET EXPENSES 10,106.77 95,608.43 105,715.20

NET LOSS/GAIN 2,941.60 7,349.29 10,290.89

The year to date financial position is strong with giving exceeding expenses. Annual expenses decreased in part due to the reduced pastoral cost, including an interim from January through June. -Submitted by Marge Baranowski, Treasurer.

The 2016 flower chart is posted on the church office door. Altar flow-ers are $30.00 for two vases per Sunday. There are some open dates available. Check to see if a date is available for you. If you have

any questions, please contact Kim Balog.

Altar Guild Is Looking For Some New Members:

We are low in membership. A few more people will

make a huge difference. The time commitment in the

Altar Guild is minimal. Really! We meet 5-6 times per

year on a Tuesday evening at church at 7pm. If you al-

ready have attended a Sunday worship, helped a mem-

ber clean up after a service, came to help out on election

day or soup sale, donated a baked good or chicken/broth,

you are 90% there…don’t be shy, come join us! Thank

you, Kim Balog.

Newsletter deadline

for the February issue of The Eagle

is Tuesday, January 19th.

Communed and Contributed Records To maintain our church records we are asking you to fill out a communion card after you have communed and place it in the offering plate. The communion cards can be found in the pew racks. According to the church’s constitution, to be a voting member of the congre-gation you must be a confirmed member who has communed and made a contribution of record during the current or preced-ing year. A confirmed member is defined as a baptized person who has been confirmed in this congregation, those who have been received by adult baptism or by transfer as confirmed members from other Lutheran congregations, or baptized per-sons received by affirmation of faith.

*Ash Wednesday is February 10th. Worship Service at 7:00 PM *Lenten Bible Study Thursdays at 10:00-11:30 am. Topic: “The Spirituality of St. Paul Beginning February 11th through March 17th

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

Quilting

Tuesdays

8-11:30 am

1 2

3 9 am

Communion Worship

Coffeetime fellowship

follows worship

4 5 6 1:00 PM

Evangelism Meeting

7PM Joint Epiphany

Service at St. John

7 8 9

10

9 am

Communion Worship

11 12

7PM Council

13 14

10am-12noon

Capital Improvement

Planning Meeting

15 16

17

9 am

Communion Worship

18 Martin Luther

King Day

Office Closed

19 20

7PM Faith

Formation Meeting

21 22 23

24 9 am

Communion Worship

Birthday Luncheon

follows worship

25 26

7PM

Altar Guild

27 28 6-7:30 PM

Volunteer at Hum-

melstown Food

Bank

29 30

31

9 am

Communion Worship

February 1

10 am

Worship Meeting

2 3 4 5 6

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St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church

158 S. Hoernerstown Road

Hummelstown, PA 17036

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