Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
The Light Volume 2019, Issue 6—
June 2019
Volunteer Appreciation Sunday is on June 23, 2019. More info on page 6. VBS is coming...follow the animals to page 4 for more info...
This Summer we will explore a variety of
Christian themes with the help of four
popular movies.
Movie Nights will be opportunities to view
the movies together in the Fellowship Hall.
Sunday’s the worship themes will follow the
schedule. After Sunday Fellowship, the
Pastor invites you stay for a bible study on
larger themes from that week’s movie.
Summer at Saint John’s will be both
entertaining and spiritually enriching.
2
[email protected] 610-401-5602
“Modern Day Parables” Pastor Rich
Much of what Jesus taught us about the Kingdom of God was done through parables. This raises the question, “What exactly is a parable?” Well, we could Google several definitions, but the simplest answer is this: A parable is a story that illustrates a moral or spiritual lesson. Storytelling was very important to the culture in which Jesus lived. Imagine a world without movies, without TV, without video of any kind. I know…hard to imagine. Also, imagine a world in which there was no way to record things on audio devices. No iPods, or MP3 players, or
CDs. So, consider Jesus’ world, one that has none of the A/V toys we get to play with. Also, consider the fact that very few people in Jesus’ world were taught to read or write. There were no books. The scribes and learned people could use scrolls, but they were reserved for important items such as the Torah (the Bible), or the King’s record of historical events. In this world, storytelling was an important form of communication, rhetoric, and even entertainment. A person with the eloquence to tell a story, or to remember the teachings of a rabbi well enough to tell others would be considered highly favored in their community. The fact that Jesus used so many parables, and that these stories of his were thought of highly enough that they were committed to memory and finally to paper tells us something about Jesus. He was thought of as a gifted storyteller. The proof of this is that we’re still telling his stories today. We’re still telling the story of the Prodigal Son to illustrate the power of redemption. We’re still telling the story of the lost sheep to point out how much we would sacrifice for the sake of the one’s we love. We’re still telling the parable of the speck and the log to reveal hypocrisy. And so on, and so on… But, what if Jesus was with us now (Don’t get theological on me. I know he is…by the power of the Holy Spirit, but just go with me for a minute.) If Jesus was among us today I don’t think he would tell us parables of sheep, or fish, or logs. I think he would make movie references. Movies are like modern day parables. They are stories that, if we’re paying attention, illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson. For this summer, I’ve prepared a series for us that will explore various Christian themes seen through the parables of modern and popular movies. I’ve selected four movies: Bohemian Rhapsody, The Avengers: Infiniti War, Instant Family, and The Green Book. We will spend two weeks on each movie, with the exception of The Green Book. It gets three. On the Friday prior to the start of a movie there will be an opportunity to watch the movie together in the church Fellowship Hall. Each movie is rated PG-13. Please bring your whole family if you believe the content is suitable for them. In Sunday worship I will use a short clip from that movie as a parable to illustrate the gospel message for that day. After Sunday’s light brunch in the Fellowship Hall, those who wish to stick around will join me for a discussion on bigger issues that use the central themes of the whole movie as illustration. Please refer to the announcement in this Newsletter for more details. I’m very excited about this, and I hope you make time to join me for what I believe will surely be a summer of both entertainment and spiritual enrichment.
Then the disciples came and asked him, ‘Why do you speak to them in para-bles?’ He answered, ‘To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For to those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abun-dance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. The reason I speak to them in parables is that “seeing they do not per-ceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they un-derstand.” -Matthew 13:10-13
3
Time to take a break Having lived in our shoes, a human, Jesus understands the daily pressures of life and can relate to feelings of exhaustion and burnout. In Marks Gospel, after his disciples reported about all they had been doing, Jesus encourages them to take a break, to “come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest awhile.” Jesus is encouraging the disciples to get away from it all, to find some personal space so they can rest and be refreshed. So, why is it that so many of us find it so hard to slow down and take a break?
I am not sure I have a good answer for that question, however, having recently returned from a vacation of my own I can tell you that that time away has rejuvenated me for ministry here at St. John’s. Being able to move back from the daily activities of church has given me a slightly different view of things and the room to think creatively about my ministry. Our society apparently understands this need for time to take a break (though many of us still struggle to utilize it). We call it, “Summer Vacation!”: The time of year when grade school students are finishing school for the year, excitedly looking
forward to sleeping in, leisure time and perhaps new and different extracurricular activities (children understand the need for a break - when did we lose that?).
The time of year when parents need new plans for childcare, to shuttle children in different ways and to different places than during the school year and to wonder if they have planned well enough to keep their children out of trouble for the next several months. (can be more stressful than relaxing!)
The time of year when the weather is supposed to be getting nicer so we can spend more time outside. (even nature seems to get it)
Some people love it. Some people loathe it. No matter how we feel, Yes, summer vacation is upon us once again! And, regardless of how we feel about it we do know it is good to take a break. Our God calls us to daily engagement with our neighbors and our world. We are called to actively share God’s Love and Grace in everything we do. As it was for the disciples, it can be a whole lot of work for us. Rest assured, however, that God is aware of our human limits and our need to take a break, and is encouraging each of us to do just that. So, in these few months we call summer I encourage you to find some time to come away with Jesus, to rest and to rejuvenate so you can return to your calling as a Child of God with fervor and excitement! peace,
The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. He said to them, “Come away to a desert-ed place all by yourselves and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. Mark 6:30-32
4
CELEBRATION!!
June 9th 9:15-10:15 Join us in the Fellowship Hall for an end of the Sunday
School Year Celebration. There will be make-your-own ice cream
sundaes, cross-generational teams for yard games and board games.
Do you have any oversized yard games you could bring to share?
Please let Deacon Diana know. Thank you!
ST. JOHN’S WHOLE CONGREGATION OUTING TO: Everyone is invited to join us June 8th for a Beginning of Summer celebration trip to Knoebels. St. John’s will offer a catered lunch for everyone (free will donations accepted) and ride tickets for any youth who have served as worship volunteers this school year. We have reserved pavilion P5 as our ‘home base’ and lunch spot. Lunch will be served mid-afternoon. Knoebels is an amusement park that offers:
Free admission
Free parking
Free entertainment: Richie Molinaro and 70’s Flashbacks Contact Deacon Diana for more information or to RSVP by midnight May 30th (# attending and # youth volunteers and if youth need a ride). [email protected] or 610-678-1088
Children & Youth….Mark Your Calendars
June 8th KNOEBELS Trip June 9th Sundae CELEBRATION!! 9:15-10:15 June 23rd Volunteer Celebration July 8-12 ROAR VBS 9-12 daily
July 8 - 12, 2019 9:00 am — 12:00 pm
Join St. John's in making VBS the mane event in your summer fun! This epic African
adventure engages the whole herd.
At Roar, kids explore God’s goodness and celebrate a ferocious faith that powers them through this wild
life while making connections with kids across our community.
Go to: https://vbspro.events/p/events/stjohnss To register as a participant or volunteer Contact Deacon Diana with questions
We are looking for a larger TV for the Youth
Room. Between 42” and 50”. If you happen to be
upgrading and would like to donate your old flat screen,
please let Deacon Diana know. We would also love a mounting bracket so we can hang it on the
wall. Thank you!
5
Happy Summer Everyone! What a spring. The choir had a wonderful time offering the Easter Cantata. The plans are to do it again in the future. Thank you for all your compliments. The Choir worked so hard to bring it to you on Easter. As many of you know, I had fallen ill during Lent and spent 14 days in the hospital due to bad chicken. The miracle that happened while I was out sick is that the choir, along with Becky Ruth, Kristen Ruth, Susan Forry and Jacob Meinig, all decided that they would continue to work on the cantata and still sing it on
Easter Morning even with me being out. What a testament to the love and dedication that is within our church. It brought me to tears when they all informed me on a conference call that they would be ready to sing on Easter Morning upon my return. Many thanks to everyone that helped and made it possible for everyone to enjoy. I once again need to say thank you. As many of you know my younger cousin passed away the day after Easter and she was only 36. It is a great loss for our family, but you all cared and loved me through it and I am so grateful for each and everyone of you. I know my cousin Wendy felt your prayers and love that you all sent her and to my family. The love and caring at St John’s is endless. The summer will bring a shortened version of our service with a bit less music to give a more relaxed feel to our service. Other ideas are floating around for our summer services as well. We will also be looking at doing more Dramas within the services, for I hear that we have a lot of talent in our congregation, so I will be working to bring it back to some of our services. Don’t hesitate to let me know if you are interested in participating. I will be looking shortly… With the cantata this year, the choir music budget was 90 percent used. This summer I will be attending a music reading to search for new music to ad to our library and so there will be two ways that we are asking for your help. One, you can make a monetary donation to the music budget or two, in August I will publish a list of anthems and the cost, and if you would like to sponsor one of them or more, you can email me and we will purchase it in dedication to whomever you would choose. There is so much wonderful music and it’s time to expand our library and bring more wonderful new music to worship. Got to keep the choir on their toes too…LOL. We have so much fun at rehearsal and love offering you music on Sunday morning. If you have any thoughts about wanting to join us, PLEASE just come up and talk to me. You don’t need to have the ability to read music, you just need the desire in your heart to sing. Leave the rest up to me. The great-est problem a music director can have is to run out of places in the choir loft… that would make me soooo happy. What a blessed problem that would be. In Christ, Archie Ulshafer [email protected]
6
Received through the Rite of Installation on
Sunday, April 28, 2019...
Alycia Adams and her children, Alex Plant & Abigail Adams
Susan Cooper
Kenneth Meyerhoffer
Roger Moyer
Judy Null
Taylor & Steph Robertson and their sons, Lucas & Dylan
Dean Schlegel
Jim Schlegel
Henry & Madeline Seidel and their daughter, Emma Seidel
Received through the Rite of Holy Baptism on Sunday, April 28...
Abigail Adams, daughter of Alycia and Isaac Adams
7
8
Make Charitable Donations from Your IRA and Save Tax Dollars!
Are you 70 and ½ and taking required distributions from your IRA? Are you making contributions to St. John’s and other charities? Then consider donating directly from your IRA to the charity and your IRA distribution won’t be taxed as income.
With the new TCJA tax law (Tax Cuts and Jobs Act) enacted December of 2017, the 2018 standard deduction for single and married taxpayers doubled. Married taxpayers can take a standard deduction on their tax returns of $24,000 (or more if they are over 65 and/or blind.) This higher standard deduction resulted in less Americans itemizing deductions in 2018. One of the most popular itemized deductions is charitable contributions. If you are no longer itemizing your deductions and are taking the standard deduction, you don’t get a specific tax benefit for charitable donations.
Most Americans have not let the increased standard deduction deter them from making charitable contributions. If you are contributing to qualified public 501(c) 3 charities (private foundations do not qualify), consider making your donations DIRECTLY out of your IRA to the charity. This is called a Qualified Charitable Distribution or QCD. The amount of QCD made directly from your IRA is not considered taxable income.
To make a QCD, you must be 70 and ½ at the time the donation is made. Direct the bank or investment company holding your IRA to write a check directly from the fiduciary to the charity. You cannot take possession of the money and write a check to the charity yourself. The money must go directly from the IRA to the charity and not stop in your bank account in between. For tax purposes, you’ll still receive a 1099-R showing your IRA distribution. However, you’ll report it as a QCD which means it doesn’t show up as income on the IRA line on your tax return. Nor does it show up as a donation on your itemized deductions page. It’s sort of a ghost transaction. What shows up next to the IRA line of your tax return are the letters QCD which tells the IRS you’ve contributed to a charity directly out of your IRA. The maximum total QCD an individual can give in a year is $100,000. This can be made up of many small amounts given to various charities. A Qualified Charitable Distribution counts toward the required minimum distribution (RMD) for that particular year.
Your tax professional should know how to report a QCD properly on your tax return. Be sure to give them support for the donations made directly from your IRA so they can exclude the proper amount from your 1099-R taxable income.
Please feel free to call me if you have questions at 610-914-0886 and consider this opportunity for you to save a few tax dollars while you contribute to your favorite charity. Thank you. Gail R. Hauseman, CPA
9
10
Meal Makers Are Ready to Help
One of the many programs of your Care Team is the provi-
sion of meals to those in need. Our Meal Makers volunteers are able to provide
meals to individuals and families, after the birth of a baby,
during and after an illness, while coping with the death of a family member and other cir-
cumstances where a home-cooked meal would be a blessing. We follow up with fam-ilies that Pastor is visiting, but there may be others who could use this caring service. If you, a family member, or a church friend
could benefit from this service, just call the leader of the Meal Makers group, Sandy
Miller at 610-678-6814, to get a meal delivered.
Don’t be afraid to ask, there 1 ½ dozen indi-viduals who have volunteered to make
meals for our members in need. There is always something cookin’!
The next pantry distribution is June 21st with set up on June 20th. This month the pantry is short of most everything, but especially of
Canned fruits
Canned vegetables Canned meats
Pancake and cake mixes Cereal
We can use all donated non-perishables. We thank everyone who supports us.
We welcome and constantly need new volunteers. Any new volunteers should check with Judy Romberger for assignment.
Circle of Friends Monthly Luncheon
@ 1PM
Monday, June 17th, 2019
For more information, or a ride to the luncheon, please call
Jeanette Minnich at (610) 678-1740.
A special thank you to Janice Jones and her talented Prayer Shawl Team.
The new members to our church each received a beautiful prayer shawl with the young people receiving a lovely cross square.
All items were made with love by Janice Jones and her team. Thank you for your kindness, your time and your talent.
Your Care Team
11
June Volunteers AA Monitors
Sundays Evenings at 8 PM June 2 Carol Heckman June 9 Shawn Pauley June 16 Dick Barnett June 23 Joanne Conard June 30 Barry Smith
Opportunity House
Saturday, June 22 , 2019 Gail & Scott Hauseman, Barbara Terry,
Sandy Myskowski, George & Dawn Reinoehl
New Journey Soup Kitchen Friday, June 21, 2019
Carol Heckman, Evelyn Trexler, Sally Orth, Janice Jones
June Altar Flowers Sponsors June 2 OPEN June 9 Sharon Schlessman June 16 Rick & Debbie FIck June 23 Jackie & Gerry Kreider June 30 Yvonne Spitler & Jon Burkholder
Please note: On a day when flowers are not sponsored, there will not be a fresh
arrangement for that week.
Bulletin Sponsors June 2 OPEN June 9 TAKEN June 16 TAKEN June 23 TAKEN June 30 OPEN
Sponsorship cost: $40 Altar Flowers, $25 Bulletin. Invoices mailed out the week
following your sponsorship.
This ministry provides
transportation to people in need.
The transportation is provided for medical
appointments, testing, treatments, therapy as well as
grocery stores and prescriptions. Volunteers are always needed. Volunteers are
generally asked to help a morning or afternoon a month.
Call 484-294-7394 for further information.
May-August
Communion and Linens Linda Yanchocik (Ch)
Heather Riegel
Flowers and Candles Vicki Stauffer (Ch) Peggy Columbus
Dona Ziska
Paraments Marcia Biehl (Ch)
Deb Dietrich Joyce Aukamp
Our florist has recently informed us that the cost of altar flowers will be
increased. Therefore, effective June 1, the cost of sponsoring the
altar flowers will be $43.
12
Redner’s Save-a-Tape program is simple:
bring your receipts to the Church Office and St. John will receive 1% of each
bill. You need to use your Redner card in order for the church to Receive the
1%. Thank you!
The Wernersville Encore Center is looking for volunteers to drive for “Meals
on Wheels”; they are located at 350 Sportsman rd., Bldg. 5,
Wernersville PA, 19565.
Call Melissa at 610-670-1372 if you are interested and willing to drive once a
month. There is a need for 4 drivers on 4 different days to deliver in the
Wernersville and Sinking Spring areas.
Our 2019 Easter Egg Project was very successful again this year. During the five weeks we
produced over 20,100 eggs along with 250 boxes of peanut clusters. After paying all expenses relative to the project, a profit was made in the amount of $14,040. The project was
accomplished with the dedication of so many people who mixed, scooped, rolled, dipped, bagged and filled orders.
Thanks to all who purchased and sold the eggs and clusters. A BIG THANK YOU TO ALL!!!!!
Meal Makers Are Ready to Help One of the many programs of your Care Team is the provision of meals to those
in need. Our Meal Makers volunteers are able to provide meals to individuals and families, after the birth of a baby, during and after an illness, while coping
with the death of a family member and other circumstances where a home-cooked meal would be a blessing. We follow up with families that Pastor is visit-ing, but there may be others who could use this caring service. If you, a family
member, or a church friend could benefit from this service, just call the leader of the Meal Makers group, Sandy Miller at 610-678-6814, to get a meal delivered.
Don’t be afraid to ask, there 1 ½ dozen individuals who have volunteered to make meals for our members in need. There is always something cookin’!
13
June 1st Dennis & Barbara Stoner
June 7th Randy & Debbie Peers
June 7th Todd & Marilyn Frasso
June 8th Leo & Linda Braun
June 8th Stephen & Chaney Worcheck
June 14 Kevin &Heather Riegel
June 15th Larry & Georgianne Jones
June 15th Rick & Debbie Fick
June 16th Russ & Iris Lis
June 20th Jeff & Diana Pelletier
June 21st Arthur & Joyce Dojan
June 23rd George & Dawn Reinoehl
June 24th Andy & Judy Romberger
June 27th Erick & Darcie Saar
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2 3 4
Geraldine Kreider
5 Carrie Hunter Ethan Fritz Molly Aiman Susan Heckman
6 Christopher Delp Debra Westmoreland -Ramirez Eric Kragness
7 David Nagle Robert Stone Zachary Fisher
8 Dallas Lutz
9 Caroline Agentowicz Nathan Agentowicz
10 Michael Bross Peter V Bonargo
11 Ruth Weber
12 13 David Sands Jill Tobias Sandy Drobeck
14 June Bingaman Paul Moll
15 Barbara Bress-ler Laura Dietrich
16 17 18 19 20 Justine Liptock Lisa Drebushen-ko
21 Ashley Witman
22 Aiden Tobias Carol Rentschler Jennifer Long
23 Andrew Witman Ethan Brower Joseph Liptock Mallorie Cook
24 Albert Oxenreider Scott Hauseman
25 Ashley Wurster Carl Wiest Michael Brubaker Robert Smith
26 Joseph Himmelberger Linda Swartz
27 28 Cheyenne Loring Ken Miller
29 Ian Foreman
30 Derek Pauley Kim Heffner Kirstin Shockey
14
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
1 Synod Assem-
bly
2:30 PM Fellow-
ship Hall Re-
served
2 8:00 AM Worship Service
9:15 AM Sunday School
10:30 AM Worship Service
8:00 PM AA/Alanon Meeting
3 Bug Camp at
Genesis Pre-
school
Church Office
Hours 9AM-2PM
4 Bug Camp at
Genesis Pre-
school
Church Office
Hours 9AM-2PM
10:00 AM Bul-
letin An-
nouncements
Due into Office
6:00 PM Team
Meetings
5 Bug Camp at
Genesis Pre-
school
Church Office
Hours 9AM-2PM
6:30 PM Proper-
ty Committee
Meeting
6 Bug Camp at
Genesis Pre-
school
Church Office
Hours 9AM-2PM
7 Bug Camp at
Genesis Pre-
school
Church Office is
Closed
8
9 8:00 AM Worship Service
9:15 AM LAST DAY of Sun-
day School w/Celebration
10:30 AM Worship Service
4:00 PM Boy Scouts Meet-
ing
6:00 PM AA/Alanon Meeting
in Fellowship Hall
10 Church Office
Hours 9AM-2PM
11 Church Office
Hours 9AM-2PM
10:00 AM Bul-
letin An-
nouncements
Due into Office
5:30 PM Execu-
tive Committee
Meeting
12 Church Office
Hours 9AM-2PM
Newsletter Arti-
cles Due To-
day!!!
13 Church Office
Hours 9AM-2PM
14 Church Office is
Closed
15 4:00 PM Syl-
vester/
Mazzarese
Wedding
16 8:00 AM Worship Service
10:30 AM Worship Service
8:00 PM AA/Alanon Meeting
17 Church Office
Hours 9AM-2PM
1:00 PM People
Without Part-
ners
18 Church Office
Hours 9AM-2PM
10:00 AM Bul-
letin An-
nouncements
Due into Office
6:00 PM Church
Council
19 Church Office
Hours 9AM-2PM
20 Church Office
Hours 9AM-2PM
2:00 PM Food
Pantry Setup
21 Church Office is
Closed
10:00 AM Soup
Kitchen
2:30 PM Food
Pantry Distribu-
tion
6:00 PM THIRD
FRIDAYS: Little
Friends/J.A.M.
22 Opportunity
House
23 2018 Volunteer Appreciation
Luncheon
Q & A Session with Council
Members after each service
9:00 AM Summer Worship
Service
8:00 PM AA/Alanon Meeting
24 Church Office
Hours 9AM-2PM
25 Church Office
Hours 9AM-2PM
10:00 AM Bul-
letin An-
nouncements
Due into Office
26 Church Office
Hours 9AM-2PM
Newsletter As-
sembly
27 Church Office
Hours 9AM-2PM
28 Church Office is
Closed
29
30 9:00 AM Summer Worship
Service
10:00 AM Brunch in the
Fellowship Hall
8:00 PM AA/Alanon Meeting
1 Church Office
Hours 9AM-2PM
2 Church Office
Hours 9AM-2PM
10:00 AM Bul-
letin An-
nouncements
Due into Office
6:00 PM Team
Meetings
3 Church Office
Hours 9AM-2PM
6:30 PM Proper-
ty Committee
Meeting
4 Church Office
Hours 9AM-2PM
5 Church Office is
Closed
6
15
16
4125 Penn Avenue
Sinking Spring, PA 19608
Phone: (610) 678-1088
Fax: (610) 678-3484
Website: www.saintjohnss.com
E-mail: [email protected]
We, at Saint John Evangelical Lutheran Church, are
disciples of Jesus Christ; a community of faithful
people who, by God’s gift of grace alone, are free to
orient our lives around Jesus’ commandment to love
God with all our heart, all our soul, and all our mind;
and to love our neighbors as ourselves.
Centered on God’s love for all people we endeavor
for our church to be a glimpse of the kingdom of
heaven where imperfect people are perfectly loved,
welcomed and where all people matter to God. In
consort with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America, we are doing God Work with Our Hands.
Marked with the Cross of Christ forever, We are claimed, gathered and sent for the sake of the world.
The staff at St. John...
Parish Office: Reverend Richard Moore, Pastor Deacon Diana Pelletier, Director of Children and Youth Faith Formation Archie Ulshafer, Director of Music Ministries Jodi Avanzato, Office Administrator Betty Epler, Finance Administrator Michele Brossman, Custodian Kevin Brossman, Custodian Dave Allen, Custodian
Genesis Preschool:
Karen Peiffer, Director-Genesis Preschool/Toddler Time Tracey Trout Jennifer Kovalchick Elaine Levkoff Jessica Musser Sue Nagle Tracy Reed Kim Swartz Mary Ann Weiherer Betsy Wright
Contacts for Pastor Rich Mobile/Text Msg: 610-401-5602 Email: [email protected]
Find me on Facebook: Rich Moore Find me on Twitter: @LuthRevRich
Congregational Council: Justine Liptock, Care Team Council Representative Tim Fox, Serve Team Council Representative George Balchunas, Learn Team Representative Chris Woronko Worship Team Council Representative Reverend Richard Moore, Pastor
Congregational Officers: Jim Roth, President Peter Bonargo, Vice-President Russ Stirling, Treasurer Allen Fritz, Secretary
