E-Vine March 12

This Week’s Memory Verse

These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.    Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. ~Deuteronomy 6:6-7

This Sunday:   As we are learning to be better Kingdom managers of our Financial Capital, so God is calling us to consider all the different kinds of capital we have received and the various kinds of people we are investing it in. During this Lenten Season we are focusing on two critical questions: What is God calling me to invest? Who is God calling me to invest that in?

Jesus consistently invested in people who were open to Him by inviting them into His life and helping them draw closer to God.  What are you currently investing in to strengthen your friendships with those who might be from God? Which of these capitals is God calling you to invest more of in those friends and how will you do it?

• Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
• Philippians 1:3-14
• Mark 2:1-12

• INVEST Booklets:  This “Guide to Strengthening Your Key Relationships” is a tool to help you record your responses and “investment” plans as we go through this series.  Please bring it back to worship each Sunday.  Additional copies will be available on our website and in the church entryway.
• Lent Midweek Service: Our Wednesday Lent services this year on the parables of Jesus.  This week’s service focuses on the parable of the Workers in the Vineyard. Come for soup supper at 6:00 PM and worship at 7:00 PM.
• INVEST Pledge Forms: Please watch for the pledge form which will be coming to you in the mail.  This is a way to state your commitment to invest in your relationship with the Lord and His mission, but also to help us as we plan our ministry and budget for the coming fiscal year.  You can return the form to worship or to the church office.
• Our K-9 Comfort Dog is coming March 26^th!  Handler training will be March 26-29^th.  “Passing of the Leash” will be Palm Sunday, March 29^th, at both services with a reception following each service.
• Comfort Dog Puppy Shower:  On Sunday, March 22^nd between services, we will have a puppy shower for our newest staff member. We will enjoy food and fellowship.  Your monetary donations will help us purchase the items needed.  Please see Sunday’s insert for details.  Thank you to Thrivent Financial for contributing a $250 Thrivent Action Team Card for this event.
• Thrivent Builds Mission Trip…Where: Costa Rica, When: June 13 – 21, 2015, Who: Current college students and those who are 20 and older, What: Assisting a family with the building of their new home, Cost: Thrivent members $940, non-members $1,290, How Many: This event is limited to 15 participants, Registration: Email Pastor Mark for trip and registration details – pastormark@stjohnslutheran.net, Deadline: Registration ends April 15
• 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.
• 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.
• Are you on Facebook?  So are we!  https://www.facebook.com/sjlcnapa
• New Narthex Display:   The various crosses are symbols of Christ’s sacrifice for our sins.
• 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.