E-Vine February 5

This Week’s Memory Verse

I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. ~Luke 16:9

This Sunday:   We continue our worship series “Pursuing the Good Life.”  We will look at the words and ways of Jesus about what we value and how we spend it.  We will look at our lives in terms of how we are investing and how we are spending the “capital” or “resources” that we have.   What resources are we talking about?  We’ll look at our spiritual, relational, physical, intellectual and financial resources.  Are we keeping these in the proper priority?  Are we spending these resources, this capital, in a way that leads to the “good life”?  Sunday, we look especially at the importance of investing in relational capital.  Jesus invests in a relationship with Zacchaeus and changes his life.  Our reading from Romans illustrates how important relationships were to Paul’s ministry.  How are you building relational capital?

As a companion to this series, we encourage you to read the book “Oikonomics” by Mike Breen and Ben Sternkee.  Copies are available in the church entryway for $10.  It can also be purchased here as an e-book (Kindle) for $5.99.

• Exodus 33:7-11
• Romans 16:1-16
• Luke 19:1-10 

• 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.

• Communion Learning Event:  Instruction for preparing to receive Holy Communion for sixth, seventh, and eighth graders with their parents will be held on three Monday evenings, March 2, 9, and 16, 2015 from 7:00 – 9:00 PM.  A letter and registration form was sent out to those in the 6^th – 8^th grades who have not yet participated in this learning event.  If you did not receive this letter, please contact Pastor Mark so that one can be sent to you.  First Communion will be on Maundy Thursday, April 2^nd in the 7:00 PM service.

• Financial Peace University:  We all need a plan for our money. Financial Peace University (FPU) is that plan! It teaches God’s ways of handling money. Through video teaching, class discussions and interactive small group activities, FPU presents biblical, practical steps to get from where you are to where you’ve dreamed you could be. This plan will show you how to get rid of debt, manage your money, spend and save wisely, and much more!  Each of the 9 weekly classes is about one hour and forty-five minutes long.  The next session will be held at St. John’s on Thursday evenings at 7:00 PM from March 5 to May 7 (no class on April 2).  Materials are $93 (plus $9.30 shipping) per household.  Register and order materials for the class online at www.daveramsey.com/fpu/classfinder

• Attention Concordia Students:  The congregation will now accept applications for student grants for the 2015-2016 academic year.  All members of St. John’s, who plan to attend any of our ten synodical universities or our two seminaries, are eligible to apply.  All you have to do is send a brief note to St. John’s Ev. Lutheran Church, ATTN: Tim Kramer, or an e-mail to tkramer@stjohnslutheran.net, announcing your intent to enroll in the 2015-2016 academic year.  All applications must include the following information:

1. Your Name
2. School Name
3. Student ID or Account #  (if returning student)
4. Degree you are pursuing
5. Year and Level of study (e.g. Junior year, undergrad; 5^th year, teacher certification, or student teaching; graduate studies)
6. Attending Fall Term or Spring Term (or both)
7. Briefly explain why you’re attending Concordia and how you plan to use your studies/future vocation to shine the light of Christ and to witness for Jesus as His kingdom representative in the world.

Deadline for applications is March 31, 2015.  Actual grant amount to each student is undetermined but will be based, in part, upon the number of students requesting assistance.  So, if you are considering attending a synodical university–even if you have not made a final decision–please send a brief note informing us of where you are in your decision process so that we can plan accordingly.

• St. John’s is on Twitter  Follow St. John’s on Twitter:  @sjlcnapa. https://twitter.com/sjlcnapa
• Are you on Facebook?  So are we!  https://www.facebook.com/sjlcnapa

• Ladies’ Tea:  Please join us for our 6^th annual tea on March 7^th at 11:00 AM in the Parish Hall.  Our guest speaker will be Tom Pickford.  His topic will be the “ABC’s and XYZ’s of Orchids.”  Bring a friend and a plate of finger food for the lunch buffet table.  For more info, contact Lois Johnson and Larraine Ewing.  Please see attached poster.

• New Narthex Display:   Are you tuned in to the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod? Check the display for current publications available from our Synod, some historic books on our history, and a few current books that are a “must read”.

• 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.