E-Vine for May 21, 2015

The E-Vine:  A Weekly News Update from St. John’s      May 21, 2015

This Week’s Memory Verse

And God placed all things under His feet and appointed Him to be head over everything for the Church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills everything in every way.

Ephesians 1:22-23

 

This Sunday we celebrate Pentecost.  Are you a “spiritual” person?  What does that mean?  Sometimes people make a distinction between spirituality and religion, claiming to be spiritual but not religious.  But what does it mean to be “spiritual” in the Christian sense, that is, led by the Holy Spirit?  Does that make us more or less “religious” or something else altogether?  Today on Pentecost Sunday, may the Holy Spirit draw us and empower us as we worship Jesus.

 

• Acts Ezekiel 37:1-14
• Acts 2:2-21
• John 15:26-27, 16:4b-15

 

• 2015 Church Directories are available for pick-up in the Narthex and the Church Office.
• Bereavement Presentation – Sponsored By The Disability Ministry Taskforce. A presentation on dealing with bereavement, your own and those close to you, will be offered on Wednesday, May 27, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. in St. John’s Parish Hall. Many people are aware of the stages of grief, but we hear little about normal vs. complicated bereavement, about what makes grief more or less likely to resolve, etc. This presentation, led by a professional PhD in clinical psychology who is also a Christian, will address these issues. This is one of a series of educational presentations being sponsored by the congregation’s Disability Ministry Task Force. It is open to the public as well as members. Handouts will be made available. Light refreshments will also be served.  For further information, contact Ron Johnson, 299-9517.
• Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity – Costa Rica Mission Trip – June 13 – 21, 2015

 Participants:  Bill and Susan Clark, Haley Cremen, Sam Hoff, Megan Perna, Sal Pagano, Melissa Newton, Pastor Mark.  Participants will be commissioned for this trip in both services on June 7, 2015.

 Habitat Costa Rica:  Habitat for Humanity Costa Rica is changing lives and communities throughout the country.  There are currently over 200,000 families in Costa Rica who live in substandard housing: in shacks with dirt or decrepit floors, with inadequate or unsafe weather protection, and with poor sanitation facilities.  Today, over 1500 Costa Rican families have been helped through Habitat of Humanity Costa Rica’s new home projects as well as the home repair and improvement program in the last 17 years.

Trip Cost:  Each participant has covered their in-country cost for the trip.  We hope to cover the cost for airfare ($6,765) through support donations and available Mission Trip funds.  Please prayerfully consider financially supporting this trip.  Donations should be made out to St. John’s Lutheran Church – designated: “Costa Rica Mission Trip”.

• Congregational Meeting June 7 at 11:30. There will be a voters assembly meeting on June 7 at 11:30  in the Sanctuary.  On the agenda will be the election of four members of the Board of Directors, as well as the Proposed Ministry Plan and Budget for 2015-2016.  The Proposed Ministry Plan and Budget can we downloaded from the website here: https://stjohnslutheran.net/ministry-documents-2/.  Also on that page is a preliminary report on our progress on the ministry plan for 2014-2015.  Information on the nominees for the Board of Directors positions will be posted soon.
• Director of Youth Ministry Installation: Sam Troemel is finishing his Internship and will be installed as our Director of Youth Ministry.  This will take place in  a special worship service in the Faith Chapel on Wednesday, June 10, 2015 at 6:00 PM.  A light reception will follow.
• Dine and Donate: Join us at Bene Gusto (Brown’s Valley Market) on May 20^th – 24^th to benefit the 8^th Grade Class.  Please bring attached flyer.  Click this link to download flyer.   https://stjohnslutheran.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Dine-and-Donate.docx

·         Vacation Bible School: Please pre-register by June 1st to make sure your child receives a T-shirt. Here is the link to the registration form found on the church website:

https://stjohnslutheran.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/VBSREGISTRATION-FORM2015.pdf

Any questions please contact:

o   Jenny Gass at jenny_gass@yahoo.com or 707-307-3866

o   Joy Dahl at jdahl@stjohnsnapa.org or 707-287-7738

• Aaron Comfort Dog Visits: If you would like to request a visit from Aaron, please contact Tim or Christy Kramer @ 255-0119.  For an update on his activities, please check out his Facebook page at AaronComfortDog
• Mission India: Please keep our Mission India Literacy trainer in your prayers.  As announced in church, we have met the goal for financially supporting our trainer for this year.  But we are still collecting support for Mission India which will go toward supporting other literacy trainers.  To support this ministry financially, please make out your check to St. John’s.  You can use the designated offering envelopes or write on your check that it is for Mission India.  For more information about our partnership with Mission India and the opportunity to change lives and draw them to Christ, see the display in the church entryway.
• John’s is on Twitter Follow St. John’s on Twitter:  @sjlcnapa.
• Are you on Facebook? So are we!  https://www.facebook.com/sjlcnapa
• Abide Daily Devotion: How do I let Scripture guide my prayer life?  How can I let Jesus direct what I pray for each day?  The Abide Devotion, written by Pastor Mike, is a daily devotion designed to address these concerns.   You can click here for more information and to subscribe to receive the devotion in your email each morning.   https://stjohnslutheran.net/abide-devotion/