News & Notes 10/16/08
Dear St. John’s Church family and friends,
We’re in “the season” of lots of ministry happenings at St. John’s Church, and I’ll just jump into the things I want to lift up.
Our next Red Cross Blood Drive will take place tomorrow, from 2 till 7 PM. Jinny Scott has done a terrific job lining things up, but I’m sure she could use more donations of food! And then, of course, there are the donations of blood that are sought. The goal is to receive 46 pints of usable blood. I hope all those who can, will!!
On Saturday our we have our annual Men’s Retreat - different in format this year - just one day, from 9:30 AM to 3 PM, and held at our church. This new format is offered in hopes of making it possible for more men to participate - those who couldn’t devote overnight stays, nor travel to the retreat center in Biddeford Pool. The cost is $10 (including lunch), and the retreat’s focus will revolve around what messages of Christ we might see reinforced in movies, and how we might be shaped by those messages.
There’ll be a couple “special” things included in worship this Sunday. At the first service we’ll have the Cluster Sacred Dance Choir, a Mother/Daughter baptism, and the consecration of a new Care Team member, Neil Sewall. Some of the Sacred Dance Choir will be able to stay for the beginning of the second service.
This from one of our Sunday School Coordinators, Aime McGlauflin: We still need two teachers for the high school classroom one must be female and the other, I will take whomever God sends us. This will free me up to float where I am needed. A teacher told me jokingly that if we let the kids loose at the 9 am service ’til we get the two teachers, she thinks people will volunteer quickly. We both laughed. And we still only have one person on the “substitute teacher” list. Are there any who might find this a ministry they could offer? If you can help with either request, speak to me soon. (Note: please call the church office for Aime’s phone number if you don’t have it.)
The Trustees are looking for allot of help on Saturday, October 25th, beginning at 8 AM - to clean brush, paint some interior doors and clean up some trash (down by the river). If you have a chainsaw (and appropriate safety equipment), loppers, or clippers please bring them along. We have one small wood chipper, but if you have access to another, that would be a great help too! And the Hospitality Committee is looking for their volunteer kitchen clean-up crew to do their semi-annual thorough cleaning of the kitchen at the same time. This is a prime example of a time when “many hands make light work!” Please don’t assume someone else will do it. We really need YOU!!
We’re looking for all those folks who are seventy years old and older to come to lunch and a program, in Hartford Hall, on Tuesday, October 28th, from 11:30 till 2 PM - as our guests!! This is our annual “70 plus” get together. The Witness Committee, which is hosting this event, hopes you will come. Karen Schutt, and her “Good Time Gospel Quartet” will provide the program for us. Call the church office (742-3046) if you can come - and let Sandy know, too, if you need a ride. Younger spouses and/or ride-givers are welcome as well.
In the evening of October 28th, at 7 PM, the Outreach Committee is sponsoring an evening of discussions with some leaders in the City of Dover who might be able to help us understand some of the needs of the city which aren’t presently being met. The information they give us will become fodder for discussions about ways we might reach out in the future. While this meeting is targeted for the Outreach Committee and Church Council, everyone in the church is welcome to attend. It’ll take place in Hartford Hall.
I hope you’re working diligently on items for the Holly & Harvest Fair - or helping recruit items for the Silent Auction!! It’s all coming up much quicker than most of us realize - November 1st, just 16 days away!! There aren’t many spaces filled in on the volunteer sheets in Hartford Hall. I hope many of us are planning to work even if we haven’t signed up!! This is a time when we ALL need to pull together as a church to make for a very successful event.
Relative to the fair, Betsey has asked me to sell live Christmas Wreaths again. I was quite surprised at how many I sold last year, and am hopeful for this year as well. I take orders for them, and have them ready for pick-up (or even delivery to your home) on Saturday, December 6th. They can be purchased “plain” (so you can decorate them yourselves) or decorated with a bow (there’ll be several ribbons to choose from) and/or pine cones. I need your help though. I’d like to collect the pine cones, and need a source for them. The pine cones I’m looking for are the size that averages larger than a ping pong ball, but smaller than a tennis ball. Do you have woods around your house - or know of some “wilderness” where I could collect some? Please let me know.
Let me close with this from Karen Schutt: The First Pancake . . .
A busy mother was preparing pancakes for her three sons, ages 7, 5 and 3. The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake. Their mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson. “If Jesus were sitting here, He would say, ‘Let my brother have the first pancake. I can wait.’” The oldest turned to the youngest and said, “You be Jesus!”
May all of us be Jesus for someone today! See you in church. Peace, Mark