St. John’s Lutheran Church 4500 Buena Vista Road, Bakersfield, California 93311 www.sjlchurch.org

661-665-7815 Fax: 661-665-7821 Email: office@sjlchurch.org

St. John’s Lutheran School

661-664-8090 Fax: 661-664-1327 Email: school@sjlchurch.org

St. John’s Children’s Center

661-664-9127 Fax: 661-664-9195 Email: preschool@sjlchurch.org

Welcome to St. John’s!

We’re glad you chose to worship with us today.

If this is your first time at St. John’s, we invite you to come to the Infor-

mation Center in the Lobby. We’d like to meet you, and we have a sweet treat for you!

Nursery (Age 0 through 35 months) is available during both services. Our nursery is

located in the Lobby to the left of the Worship Center.

Sunday School (Age 3 years through 6th grade) Parents! Check your child into Sunday

School at the Express Check-in (located in front of the Nursery) between 9:30-9:55 a.m.

During the 10:00 a.m. service children ages 3 years through 6th grade will be dismissed to

Sunday School and their teachers will walk them to class. You may pick them up in their

classrooms after the service. Kids! Be sure to wear your name tags.

Restrooms with diaper changing stations are located in the lobby, across from the

nursery. Exiting from the Sanctuary, turn left; exiting from the Worship Center, turn right.

Need information? Questions about current activities? Try the Information Center in

the Lobby between worship services.

In the back of the chairs you will find Prayer cards for your prayer requests and

Communication cards (one per family) to register your worship attendance and note

any contact information changes. Prayer cards will be collected by the ushers during the

first song. Communication cards may be placed in the offering plate as it is passed.

A friendly reminder to all, please silence all devices.

December 6, 2015

In today’s service we celebrate the Lord’s Supper. Please review the

card in the seat backs in preparation for this holy event.

Gluten-free wafers and alcohol-free wine are available at each station.

If you need communion served at your seat, assistance getting to and

from your seat or any other assistance during worship, please speak with an usher or the

Elder of the Day prior to the service.

Celebrate! volunteers taking a well deserved break from their duties!

News & Notes

Sign up for Petal Pushers! Petal Pushers are a group of

over 4500 volunteers who

come together to help deco-

rate the Lutheran Hour float and 9 others

in the same barn. St John’s has the 4:00

p.m.-TBT on December 30, the last shift

before the parade. Volunteers must be

over 13 and wear a shirt/sweatshirt identi-

fying them as a "Petal Pusher." The shirts

can be from years past or ordered online

at www.petalpushers.org. Come to HIS

Kiosk to sign up. Questions? Call Jenny,

444-3674.

Order your Christmas poinsettia now! Pick up your order

form and payment envelope

at the Information Centers.

Help beautify our worship

areas for the Christmas holidays and take

your poinsettia home to enjoy afterwards.

Read all about it in the latest Celebrate!

Hartland Winter Camp

Jr. & Sr. High Hume Lake

New Men’s Bible Study

Sanctuary Remodel

If you don't have your issue by Tuesday,

or to see all the photos in color, check it

out online sjlchurch.org/celebrate.

To get on the mailing list, call the office,

665-7815.

Project Blessing -Projecto Bendición For those of you who are

purchasing gifts for the

Arvin children, please remember to wrap

them and return to us with the tag by De-

cember 13. If you have any questions,

please call Christy at 665-7815.

Prayer Requests In November a total of 347

prayer requests were re-

ceived. Prayer Intercessors

received 168 and 179 were

sent to the Prayer Team. Thank you for

allowing us to pray for you.

We are excited to an-

nounce that 115 "Angels"

flew off our little tree the

last 2 Sundays. If you are

quick, you might score

one this Sunday...but that's the last of

them! Praise God for all of you being so

willing to participate. Please bring back

wrapped gifts by December 13 with the

stick-on Angels firmly attached. We will

deliver the gifts on December 19, from

9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. and need volunteers.

(All areas we send you are safe.) Sign up

your whole family! All will be blessed by

this experience.

Questions? Call or text Jenny, 444-3674.

3

St. John’s MOPS (Mothers of PreSchool-

ers) meet the second

Thursday of every

month during the

school year. Our next meeting is Thurs-

day, December 10, 9:00-11:00 a.m. in the

Worship Center Lobby. Child care is pro-

vided, freeing you up to spend time with

other moms. You will enjoy a delicious

brunch, activities, crafts and, best of all,

new friends. For information, contact

Lorraine Davis, ldavis@sjlchurch.org or

665-7815.

Use SCRIP for your Christmas shopping! Why use SCRIP? It is easy

and a percentage of every

purchase of SCRIP comes

back to support our School

and Children’s Center. Just purchase

SCRIP from the Information Center Sun-

days between services only* and during

the week in the school office. You pur-

chase SCRIP as gift cards from featured

vendors, including Amazon, Honey Baked

Ham, Eureka Burger and Wiki’s, as well

as Elephant Bar, and many others.

* available TODAY after the 10:00 a.m.

service.

Men’s Basketball is Back! Sunday night, December 13,

starting at 7:30 p.m. We’ll

get back in a more regular

routine after Christmas.

Lace ‘em up, come on out,

and have some fun.

Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University starts

January 4, 6:30-8:00

p.m. in the Worship Center Lobby. The

class runs nine weeks on Monday nights.

This Biblically based understanding of

managing money God’s way is a life-

changing opportunity to set your financial

goals together for the New Year and be-

yond. The cost for the class is $100 for

class materials. Contact Dan Shanyfelt at

dshannyfelt@gmail.com or Spencer

Peregoy at speregoy@sjlchurch.org for

information.

Christmas Concert! The Rhapsody Ringers present

a Christmas concert on Sun-

day, December 13, 4:00 p.m. at

First Congregational Church, 5

Real Road at Stockdale Highway. The

program will include a wide variety of

Christmas music, and feature a number

of other musicians as well. Call Jenell

Mahoney, 589-4156, for information.

Christmas Jubilee Concert Gospel groups Booth Brothers,

Legacy Five and Greater Vision

are in concert at St. John’s on

Sunday, December 13 in the

Worship Center. Doors open at

5:00 p.m.; concert begins at 6:00 p.m.

Purchase tickets at the Admin office.

General admission is $25; Artist Circle is

$30. Or call 800-965-9324 or go to

www.jubileechristmas.com to order

online.

Congregational Meeting Today immediately following the service. The agenda will include election of president and two members at large to the

Board of Directors. Pictures and biographies of the candidates nominated are

posted in the Lobby. The Slate of Candidates for the 2016-2018 term on the

Board of Directors includes:

President Candidate Brook Luter

Member-at-Large Candidates Darrel Conner Leslie Klinchuch Amy Mensing

Cyrus Mojibi Dan Shanyfelt

New Study Begins for Men’s Ministry We will tackle Gordon Mac-

Donald’s book “A Resilient

Life” based on Biblical truths

of perseverance and strength

in the face of life’s challeng-

es. Stay tuned for details!

Save the date, February 6, and watch

the News & Notes for information on the

inaugural Daddy Daughter Dance!

This Sunday! Join Grace Lutheran Church for the

installation of Pastor Kevin

DeHope at 3:30 p.m., Grace

Lutheran Church, 2530 Drake St. We will

celebrate the installation with a meal to

follow. For information, call 324-4315.

St.John’s

Student

Ministry

For more information about Student Ministry, contact

Cary Hoff, choff@sjlchurch.org, or

Dereem McKinney,

dmckinney@sjlchurch.org.

4

High School Small Groups Groups meet weekly

on Thursday eve-

nings with leaders

Cary (guys’ group) and Dereem (girls’

group).

Guys meeting The Garage, 7:00-8:30 p.m.

Girls meet off campus (contact Dereem

for the address) from 7:00-8:30 p.m.

Youth Group Meet in The Garage

this Wednesday.

Jr. High & Sr. High

meet separately.

Jr. High 6:00-7:30 p.m.

Sr. High 7:30-9:00 p.m.

Deepen your relationship with Jesus, play

fun games, and meet new people! Bring

your Bible and a friend to earn points

toward a free milkshake!

Gift of Christmas is December 12.

Join us in the Kidz Connection for story

time with Santa, where kids will hear

about the true Gift of Christmas. Story

times are:

1:15 / 2:15 / 3:15

Get your pictures with Santa following

the story time. The event is free. We

will be accepting donations of books and

toys to be donated to families in need.

5th and 6th grade Winter Camp is

January 29-31. For all the details go to

www.sjlchurch.org/hartland

or contact Lorraine Davis, 665-7815, or

ldavis@sjlchurch.org.

The Garage Hours are Mon-

days, 3:00-5:00 p.m.

All Jr. & Sr. High Students are welcome

to come hang out, play games and grab a

snack during these hours!

Hume Lake Registration

Registration is open! Strengthen your faith

and enjoy a fun-filled

weekend in the moun-

tains, featuring broom hockey, wor-

ship, ice skating, speakers, and more! Sr. High: February 12-15, $299.

Jr. High: March 4-6, $249.

$50 Non-Refundable

deposit required.

Register using the

QR Code or at

www.sjlchurch.org/hume.

SSM Christmas Party Sunday, Dec. 13

The Garage

Jr. High: 4:00-6:00 p.m.

Sr. High: 6:00-8:00 p.m.

Pizza, drinks, & games

provided. Come in your favorite Christ-

mas-themed PJ’s or costume.

Bring a snack to share:

Last names A-M: bring a salty snack

Last names N-Z: bring a sweet treat

Is your high school graduate away from home?

Perhaps at college or on a

mission of some sort? We

would like to have their

contact information to keep in touch.

Please call Christy or George at the church

office with their information, 665-7815.

Wifi password: Welcome2SJLC

This Week

Sunday, December 6 Communion 8:30 a.m. Traditional Worship—Sanctuary

8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Angel Tree—WC Lobby

Project Blessing—WCL

10:00 a.m. Family Worship—Worship Center

Adult Bible Study—Bride’s Room

11:15 a.m. Congregational Meeting—WC

Monday, December 7 9:00 a.m. First Place 4 Health—LCR

3:00 p.m. SSM Open Hours—The Garage

6:00 p.m. Women’s Ministry Mtg—LCR

6:15 p.m. Chapel Bells—Music Room

7:00 p.m. Women’s Bible Study—Bride’s Rm

Susan Pacheco, 319-1812

Tuesday, December 8 9:00 a.m. Women’s Bible Study—Bride’s Rm

Wendy Moore, 366-6848

2:00 p.m. Women’s Bible Study—OC

Judie Fanucchi, 663-4177

6:30 p.m. Women’s Bible Study—KC

Children’s Center

Christmas Program—WC

Wednesday, December 9 6:00 a.m. Men’s Bible Study—WC Lobby

Joe Dravis, 588-2011

9:00 a.m. Women’s Bible Study—WC Lobby

11:30 a.m. Yoga—The Garage

Linda Cole, 703-5661

12:00 p.m. Men’s Bible Study—Bride’s Rm

Pastor D

6:00 p.m. AWANA—Kidz Connection

SSM Jr. High Youth Group—

The Garage

6:15 p.m. Celebration Choir—Music Room

7:30 p.m. SSM Sr. High Youth Group—

The Garage

Thursday, December 10 6:00 a.m. Men’s Bible Study—Lorene’s

Clete Harper, 832-0195

6:30 a.m. Men’s Bible Study—Panera/Stockdale

Dan Shanyfelt, 706-6771 9:00 a.m. Quilting Ministry—Gym

MOPS Meeting—WC Lobby

11:00 a.m. Golden Eagles (Seniors) Study—LCR

Lunch Served

6:00 p.m. HIS Meeting—Small Conference Rm

Grades 3-8 Christmas Choral

Concert—Worship Center

6:30 p.m. Men’s Bible Study—OC

Rick Hall, 589-4255

7:00 p.m. SSM HS Girls Small Group—OC

SSM HS Guys Small Group—

The Garage

Friday, December 11 Saturday, December 12 7:00 a.m. Men’s Bible Study—

Panera on Stockdale

Spencer Peregoy, 664-8090

1:15 p.m. Gift of Christmas—Kidz Connection

2:15 p.m. Gift of Christmas—Kidz Connection

3:15 p.m. Gift of Christmas—Kidz Connection

Campus Maps available at the Information Center WC: Worship Center BR: Bride’s Room KC: Kidz Connection OC: Off Campus LCR: Large Conference Rm in Admin. Office SCR: Small Conference Rm in Admin. Office

Prayers

We invite you to submit your prayer

petitions using a Prayer Request

card in the seat backs or by contact-

ing Patsy Van Leeuwen, 589-7075.

PRAYER GUIDE

Health Concerns and Illness *Hospitalized or Skilled Nursing/Rehab

Christina, Lucy Bultmann, Jo Ann

Clements, Elaine Cox, Nancy

Deurmier, Kathy Fackler, Joanne

Garvin, Wes Hall, Saundra Joiner,

Dennis McDonnell, Jim Martin,

Norma Martin, Cheri Mosley, Susan

Moxley, Larry O’Rourke, Dorothy

Sundberg*, Kay Ward, Elaine White

Comfort & Strength

For the family of Brett Schallock at

his passing

The Nelson and Holzman families at

the passing of Don Nelson

Guidance & Strength in Transitions, Travel & Faith Steve McElyea, The Garcia family,

Wendy Carnahan, Jason, Alan, A

Vet, Scott Lopez family, Alex,

Felicia & children, those with finan-

cial and employment needs, our

community, America, our nation’s

leaders, military and families, our

world, Christians in the Middle East/

Iraq, St. John’s church body, Chil-

dren’s Center, School, missionaries,

all staff, law enforcement Continued Concerns Linda Versmann, Steve’s mom,

Leah Appold, Wanda Badgley,

Harvey Boschma, Al Bouthillier,

Carol Burkert, Bertha Bruschi,

Brandy Felts, Tammy Fitzpatrick,

Mary Flanagan, Clete Harper, Denys

Hulsey, James Hulsey, Arvid

Johnson, Cindy Kuntz, Julie Liebel,

Ann Press, Norma Purdie, Michael

Wagner, Laney White, Connie

Wilson, Johna Ziegler

The Worship Team Set List is posted the

Tuesday after Sunday

morning worship.

No sign up necessary.

www.twitter.com/sjlcworship

Contributions 12-03 Actual Budgeted

Fiscal Year to Date 774,766 769,615

Amount + or - 5,151

Didn't get all the blanks filled? Find the missing words

on St. John’s website: sjlchurch.org/sermons.

Sermon audio & notes online: sjlchurch.org/sermons LIFEWork online:sjlchurch.org/sermons, click Notes icon Printed: LIFEGroup Kiosk

Hope PREPARES Luke 3:1-18

It’s time for some __________

The Word of God came to John

Setting the scene – Luke 3:1-2a

What God told John to say – Luke 3:3-9

The _____________ __________ the regions

__________ flesh

to the __________

How to not get BURNED

A crown does not a king make

The _____________ Model your life after __________ not

__________

Live generously – help others

Live ethically

Seek contentment

Jeremiah – Jesus – John – Luke 3:17 __________ __________ Luke 3:19

__________ __________ Luke 3:18

December 6, 2015 – Pastor D R Hilken