Prayer of Saint Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

where there is sadness, joy;

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;

to be understood as to understand;

to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

 

Letters to Parents

September 21, 2011

Dear parents,

We are starting a pre-confirmation class for all children ages 11 and up. The class will be a pre-

confirmation class for those under 12, but those 12 and up will receive additional special teaching for

possible confirmation in January or February 2012. Confirmation classes will be conducted during the

Sunday School hour, beginning each Sunday morning at 10 AM.

We take confirmation seriously at St. John’s. We have instructor’s waiting to guide the young people of

our church into being confirmed at a future date. Christian Formation Director, Elizabeth Rasnake and

Sunday School Superintendent Tammy Morgan are anxious to teach and train your young people so that

they will be equipped for confirmation. And Father Dave will be very much a part of this program, as well.

Hope to see all of our young people represented in this class. We all know our children are the future of our

church.

Thank you.

Father Dave Madsen

Priest in Charge

Church of St. John the Evangelist

Letters to Parents

September 21, 2011

Dear Parents,

I’m excited about our Sunday School program this year. We have started with a new curriculum that will

give our children a good understanding of the stories of the Bible, both old and new. Not only do I believe

the curriculum is well structured, but we believe that the Scriptures need to be relevant and applicable to

where our children live, and I believe our program here at St. John’s is committed to that end. Our teachers

are trained and ready to offer your children a wonderful and meaningful time through teaching, individual

and age-sensitive attention, snacks and fun.

Nursery and Sunday School starts at 10 AM every Sunday morning. Your children are why we are here.

That’s the vision of tomorrow at the Church of St. John the Evangelist.

I hope to see you and your children on Sunday mornings.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Father Dave Madsen

Priest in Charge

Church of St. John the Evangelist

 

Junior Youth Group

The Junior Youth Group for children 8 to 12 years old will

resume on Sunday, October 2, after the 10am service. We

meet in the Sunday school room for 30-45 minutes during the

coffee hour on the first Sunday of the month during the school year. We invite all children to this first meeting so they can continue to work on their quilt squares we started last week in Sunday school. We are making a new “my brother’s keeper quilt” to eventually hang in the Sunday school room.

 

Sunday School News

We are now using the new Episcopal curriculum in our

classes, “Weaving God’s Promises”. We are currently

focusing on Bible stories of the Old Testament including

Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Tower of Babel and Abraham

and Isaac. We are also preparing a preconfirmation class for our 5th grade and older students during Sunday school. Please talk to Tammy Morgan, Elizabeth Rasnake or Fr. Dave if you are interested in having your child be a part of this group.

Our Stewardship drive for the fall continues with our 50lb. food collection challenge. We will be collecting canned and boxed food items for the Loaves and Fishes food pantry.

Please send food items with your child each week as able and we appreciate everyone’s participation! We will be

distributing UNICEF boxes to all students for coin collection during October. Extra boxes are on the back table in the church for anyone who is interested in this worthwhile project.

Please return the boxes after November 1st for counting.

On October 9th, the students will perform a song for

Bishop Turner’s visit at the 10am service. There will be no Sunday school so we encourage students to sit with their families. The Nursery will be staffed during this service. We will be singing during the Offertory.

We invite all children to come join us in the Sunday school room on October 30th at 10am for our All Hallows Eve celebration. This will replace the Halloween activities we have had in the past. Children should come in costume as an animal, saint, Bible figure, shepherd, angel, etc. Witches, devils and superhero costumes will not be appropriate for this celebration. We will provide a costume for children from our pageant supply if you are unable to create a costume for your child. Our costumes cannot leave the church before or after October 30th.

During our party students will decorate pumpkins, play

games including a piñata for the young ones and a trivia game for the older kids. We will enjoy our party foods in the back of the Undercroft after the 10am service and all students will receive a treat bag at the end of our party. The students will file into church for communion and then immediately return to Sunday school. To help us plan for our food supplies, we are asking you to sign your child’s name on the sign up sheet in the Undercroft or speak to any of the teachers.

Elizabeth Rasnake, Christian Education Administrator

Tammy Morgan, Church School Superintendent

 

Adult Education

Father Dave is contemplating a Bible study between

services every Sunday during the fall, from 9:15 to

9:45am. He needs our input and ideas about what we

would like to discuss, for example the Gospel lesson for

each Sunday. If you are interested, let Father Dave know.

He is eager for feedback from the congregation.

 

Annual Christmas Bazaar

The Christmas Bazaar will be Friday November 18 and

Saturday November 19. In the past it has been a very

successful fundraising event. We are looking for volunteers

to help with many areas of the Bazaar. Again this year we

will hold the Friday evening meal deal which has become

very popular. The Antique treasures is also a busy area. If

you have any items to donate, please bring them to the

church so they can be stored for the bazaar. There will be

an upcoming Bazaar meeting, watch your Sunday Bulletin

for further details. The Bazaar has tables at $20.00 for 8ft

and $15.00 for a Card. Vendors can sell craft items or New

Merchandise. If you have any questions or are interested in

volunteering contact Sherry Moore at 484 494 0767

 

Friendlys Family Fun Night

The Sunday school is sponsoring a fundraiser at

Friendly’s restaurant at the Springfield Mall on Tuesday,

November 1, 2011 from 5-8pm. We receive a percentage

from all the sales during the 5-8pm dinner hours. No

coupon or flyer is needed for St. John’s to receive this

incentive reward. The Sunday school will be using the

money raised at Friendly’s to purchase gifts for the Angel

Tree children in December. Please help our Sunday school

children make other children happy at Christmas!

 

Stewardship

The Stewardship Committee held a meeting on 9/26/11.

Among the things discussed was the potential closing of St.

James church in Prospect Park. Many of the area churches

are being threatened with closing, and a few have closed.

Without your support both financially and spiritually, this could be us! Each week we need $1347.00 to pay our bills.

If you look at the weekly totals in the bulletin, you will see many weeks we are below that amount. Also look around

the church on Sunday. Many pews remain empty. We want

to grow our church! We want St John’s to be here for many

generations to come. Invite your friends and family to join us and make St. John’s their home church too. Pledge

Sunday will be Nov. 13th this year. Our next Stewardship

meeting will be on Wed. Oct. 12. Come and Join us. Offer

your opinions and suggestions. If you can’t make the

meeting, but have suggestions, please see one of the

committee members. They are Walt Marvel, Karen DiPaolo,

Sherry Moore, Elizabeth Rasnake, John Elliott, Louise

Detwiler and myself.

Thank you. Carole LaMarr

 

Spaghetti Dinner

The Spaghetti Dinner will be held on Saturday, October 29. We are doing things a little different this year. There will not be two seatings as in the past. You may come to the dinner anytime you would like between 4:30 p.m. and 6 p.m.

The cost is: Adults $9.00, Children 7-12 $4.00, Under 7 $1.00. Take out is available.

You may purchase tickets from Gail (610-521-0944)