E-Vine January 11, 2019

  This Week’s Memory Verse

 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is the understanding. ~Proverbs 9:10

As We Gather

This Sunday we resume our study of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians.  Paul has been calling them to turn away from the wisdom of the age that will lead them away from Christ, but rather to walk in the wisdom of God in all things.  In today’s passage Paul issues a warning and a promise.  He tells his readers that just as God was displeased with the Israelites’ sin in the wilderness, so He is also displeased by their sin.  He warns them to beware of the many dangers around them.  But he also promises them that God will provide a way out in all times of testing and temptation so that they can remain faithful.  This promise is for us today as well.

This Sunday we are also observing “The Baptism of Our Lord Sunday.”  On this Sunday we recall the names of those who were baptized among us during the preceding year.  We pray that the remembrance of these Baptisms plus our own Baptism will nourish and nurture our faith for the living of the Christ-life.

Old Testament Isaiah 43:1-7

Psalm Psalm 29  

New Testament 1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Gospel Luke 3:15-22 

Children’s Church Teachers: Diane Barbosa, Lisa Thornton, Jenny Gass

Ministry Trends Forum 3 (Or “The State of the Church”) . . . We will have an open forum on Tuesday, January 22 at 7:00 in the Sanctuary.  The purpose of this forum is to talk and receive input regarding our church and its ministry.  Topics include our changing mission context, financial situation, call processes, facility improvements and more.  All are invited!

Worship: Let’s Talk About It 2 … There will be two open forums on Sunday, January 27^th in the gym after each of the services.   The forum after the 8:30 service will focus on that service.  The forum after the 10:15 service will focus on the 10:15 service.  

The purpose of these forums is to talk about the changes we made after the last forums as well as other ideas for improving worship at St. John’s, especially regarding making worship more accessible for guests and those unfamiliar with the way we worship.

Hauch Invitational Tournament (HIT)             Our annual HIT Basketball Tournament will be this coming Thursday through Sunday (January 17-20).  This tournament brings together local private and other Lutheran 7^th & 8^th grade basketball teams for a four-day event.  Please come by and support our St. John’s basketball teams.  The Bracket and Round Robin schedule can be found at https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1G1cAtmW4n38O1Ea045kdlic9aCgPKeP-i7NB9_ZxiHg/edit#gid=0

Anne Goodrich and Pastor Mark Heine joyfully invite the St. John’s community to their wedding on Saturday, March 9, 2019 at 1:30 PM in the sanctuary.  A cake and sparkling wine reception will follow in the Parish Hall.  Please RSVP by February 17, 2019 by sending an email to heinegoodrichwedding@gmail.com or by calling the church office.  No gifts please.

6^th Grade Teacher Search – Debbie Stanhope has announced that she will retire from the teaching ministry at the end of this school year after 43 years – all of it at St. John’s.  While we are thankful to God for Debbie’s service and ministry, we are also excited about following God’s direction in selecting a new 6th grade teacher.  If you would like more information or have any names you would like to submit as potential candidates, please contact Joel Wahlers in the school office – jwahlers@stjohnsnapa.org.

Wednesday Morning Bible Class…This class, led by Pastor Mark, will begin a study of 1 Samuel on Wednesday, January 9^th.  This will be a detailed study of Samuel the last judge and Saul the first king of the Israelites as we work our way through this book verse by verse.  All who are available on Wednesday mornings are welcome to join us.  Class meets each Wednesday morning in Room 10 from 10:30 – 11:30.

Women’s Ministry Bible Study: Thursday afternoon Bible Study resumes for our Spring session, this week on Thursday January 17, 2019 at 1:00 PM in the Sanctuary. We will be studying the book of James using a Nav Press Study guide. We will have some guides available on Thursday, but if you would like to order your own click here!

Ladies’ Tea…Save the date! The 10th annual SJLC Ladies’ Tea will be on Saturday March 2, 2019 from 11 AM to 2 PM in the Parish Hall. This year’s topic will be Mission Possible~Making a Difference Around the World and our speaker will be our very own Caitlin Newton. Please RSVP to Larraine Ewing ljewing@aol.com or Lois Johnson vikingwater@yahoo.com. If you would like to “set a table” please contact Gail Vandeburgt gailvandeburgt@gmail.com. We will be raffling off some lovely items with all proceeds supporting the Camp Fire Relief effort. Stay tuned for more info!

Fire Relief. . . We encourage your prayers for those who are affected by the fires, as well as those who are bravely fighting them.  If you would like to make a donation for fire relief, we encourage you to consider these two options.

• California Nevada Hawaii District (LCMS):  100% of funds donated go to relief in our district.  Click here for an update and to donate   
• Thrivent Financial.  Thrivent is matching up to $250,000 dollar for dollar.  To give through Thrivent, Go to this link to donate.  

Best Practices for Ministry 2019.  Registration is open for this free conference on mission and ministry at Christ Church Lutheran in Phoenix, AZ, February 21-23, 2019.  The conference is for lay people and church workers.  It is a gathering of people to encourage one another for mission and ministry, and to share ideas and resources to help us grow as the people of God.  Bible-based.  Gospel-Centered. Mission Drive.  Future-oriented.   To register, go to www.cclphoenix.org and click on “BPM.”   If you are interested in attending, please let the church office know so that we can coordinate transportation and lodging. We have funds from our endowment fund for hotel lodging for the conference.

Dine & Donate: Tuesday, January 15^th, Filippi’s Pizza Grotto will be hosting a Dine & Donate for the 6^th grade Outdoor Ed program.  Filippi’s is located at 645 First Street.  Stop by for lunch or dinner from 11 am-9 pm, present the Dine & Donate flyer, and we will receive 20% of all proceeds.  Eat in or Take out, but be sure to stop by for and excellent meal!

Youth News

ABLAZE Join us this Tuesday night as we dive into the Word and grow together! Come check it out. Tuesday from 6-7:30pm in Room 10.

ABIDE High Schoolers! Come out and join us at on Thursday nights each week as we ABIDE in Christ.  Thursday from 7:30-9pm at the Hoff’s House.

ATTENTION ALL HIGH SCHOOL PARENTS AND STUDENTS! Due to the high cost and low interest in the National Youth Gathering we will not go to Minneapolis this summer.  We are planning a more cost effective and accessible trip this summer.  Please stay tuned for more information to come.  If you have any questions please contact Kevin.

 Use of Bathrooms:  When adults are on the church and school grounds during the school day (7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.), please only use the adult bathrooms located in the school library or church offices. Thank you!

Scrip: Everyone is invited and encouraged to use SCRIP!!  What is Scrip?  Scrip are gift cards that the school purchases at discounts and sales to you at face value.  The profit goes to APT to help our students.  Scrip may be purchased in the school office during normal school hours.

Attention Costco/Trader Joes Shoppers? We carry Visa cards in $50’s and $100’s. Costco only takes Visa cards, cash or checks.  Stop by the school office before you head off to Costco or Trader Joes and purchase your Visa cards. While you are here check out everything that is available to you.

• Returning Vendor~ Chevron
• Remember Scrip for your Thanksgiving Shopping
• Grocery Stores: Whole Foods, Safeway, Lucky, Target, Wal-Mart
• Best Percentage: Tarla Bar & Grill 20%, Hop Creek 20%, Filippi’s 15%, Food Shed 10%, Land’s End 16%, Chipotle 10%, Bath & Body Works 13%, 
• Scrip gift cards are perfect for following a household budget
• You can pay your Kohl’s bill with Kohl’s Scrip 4%
• Families can shop both in-store or online with participating retailers
• Scrip gift cards are just like using a credit/debit card, but without the fraud risk
• Scrip gift cards are perfect for holiday gift giving and shopping

Love and Logic…  Beginning January 9^th, we will be offering a parenting class called “Early Childhood Parenting Made Fun: Creating Happy Families and Responsible Kids” This is a video/discussion type class for parents of young children.  “When parents start Love & Logic in their children’s early lives, they dramatically up the odds that the teenage years will be fun instead of frantic. Parents will learn a practical set of tools to help raise super kids!”  Pre-Registration is necessary because we have to order a workbook for each parent/couple participating. The cost is $15 payable to St. John’s Lutheran School. We would like to limit the class to 12 people so space is available to the first 12 to pre-register with Janis King.  You can call, email or do this in person.

Attention all AMAZON Users!  Please consider using “Amazon Smile” when you place your orders, designating St. John’s Lutheran Church fund.  (There is no additional cost to you!)    Just click on the link below and place your order.  It is that simple!     https://smile.amazon.com/ch/94-6001864

St. John’s Facilities Online Calendar:  Looking for a room for a meeting or event?  You can view this calendar online.  Go to https://teamup.com/ks059311afd6a21c57   If you would like to book a room/location on campus for an event/meeting, please contact Christy Kramer at the church office to be added to the calendar.  Please note:  You may only use the facility if you have pre-reserved your requested room/location with Christy Kramer

Mission India:  Please keep this year’s Mission India Literacy trainers in your prayers.  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 www.missionindia.org. 

Aaron’s Blog:   “Aaron returns to Las Vegas”  Please click on this link http://napavalleycomfortdogs.org/2018/10/02/las-vegas-recovery/   to read about Team Aaron’s return to Las Vegas for the 1 year anniversary of the mass shooting.

Aaron Comfort Dog… New team members are always welcome!  Come join us and observe how this amazing ministry works.  Please contact Tim or Christy Kramer if you would like to “shadow” during one of our events!

Aaron Comfort Dog Contact Info:  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, Instagram, and Twitter pages at AaronComfortDog.  

Ministry Opportunity:   St. John’s participates in The Table ministry (based at First Presbyterian Church, 1333 Third St. in Napa) by cooking/serving a meal every month on the 2nd Friday.  If you would like to help, please sign up for a shift (or multiple shifts) by clicking here! We thank you for your service.  Your time and your talents are greatly appreciated.   Blessings, The Table Team 

Recycle your Household Batteries at SJL: St. John’s Lutheran is working with Napa Recycling on collecting and disposing of any household batteries you may have; AAA, AA, C, D & 9 volt batteries. We will not accept automotive or drill batteries, only standard household batteries. Containers are available in the school office, church office, and Room 10.  

Campus Security:  Please remember to check that doors are properly closed and locked as you leave the room you are using.  Thanks for helping us take care of our campus.

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 devotions in your email each morning.