News & Notes 5/7/09
Dear St. John’s Church Family,
It’s great to be back at work with you, and in ministry with you - to one another and to the world!! Wendy and I had a terrific time in Washington, DC - visiting the Senate chambers and hearing rooms, as well as many of the buildings of the Smithsonian and National Gallery of Art. As someone has said to me, that city and with its rich heritage is such a treasure for us. If you have never had the opportunity to spend much time there, Wendy and I would highly commend it to you. But it’s great to be back, and I have a number of things to share.
The first is to let you know that Antje Dolen’s good friend, Ernst Bunning, has passed away. He died Wednesday evening. His funeral and reception will be at St. John’s on Saturday, beginning at 10:30 AM.
In light of the funeral, our long anticipated Spring Clean-Up Day has been shortened. We will work from 8 AM on Saturday (the coffee and donuts will be fresh) until 10:15 AM. There are a number of tasks to do, and your help is needed. If you can come, that would be greatly appreciated!!
This Sunday is Mother’s Day. As in many years gone by, we have collected gifts to purchase CWS (Church World Service) Blankets. About eighty-four blankets have been purchased so far. Each blanket costs $5, and you are welcome to help us reach one hundred - by placing your gifts in the offering plate this Sunday. It is too late, though, to have names added to the list of those being honored or memorialized by these gifts.
Also on Sunday we’ll have a baptism at the early service. And we’ll be blessing some quilts that have been created as part of our “Learn Something New” classes in February. They have been created for the Linus project. Come learn about that.
This coming Tuesday we have the opportunity to serve our neighbors at the Dover Friendly Kitchen. The preparations begin at 4 PM, with dinner served from 5 till 6 PM. Can you help? How ’bout making a dessert? They can be brought to our kitchen anytime before 3 PM on Tuesday.
As was mentioned in your May issue of “The Bell-Wether,” we’re having a fund-raiser on Wednesday, May 13th - from 11:30 AM till Midnight - at “UNO Chicago Grill,” in Dover. A percent of the sales (to patrons with one of the coupons) will come back to St. John’s. If you don’t still have your newsletter, there’ll be another set of the coupons in this Sunday’s bulletin. The Finance Committee isn’t encouraging you to “blow” your family budget, but if your budget includes dinner out sometime this week, why not make it Wednesday at UNO’s? Thanks!!
That same evening - Wednesday, May 13th - we’ll be offering our next “Healing Service” at St. John’s Church, at 7 PM. These are brief, meaningful services of worship which include a time of petition for healing of physical, spiritual, emotional or financial brokenness. The services are offered by our Healing Team members, and are open to anyone. If you know someone outside of the St. John’s Church “circle” who would benefit from attendance at this service, please feel free to invite them.
Next Sunday afternoon, May 17th, our Adult Choir will take part in this year’s edition of the Cluster Choir Festival - at First UMC, Rochester - at 4:30 PM. We hosted this event last year, and you might remember how special the event was. Each participating choir will sing one or two pieces on their own, and then the massed choirs will sing two anthems together. Our own Steve MacKenzie will direct the massed choir. There’s no admission fee, but a freewill offering will be received. I hope to see you there.
Sunday will be the last day to sign up locally for pictures to be taken in our new Church Directory. After that people will be called from the Olan Mills home office. So be sure to track down Karen Schutt and/or MaryAnn MacKenzie to claim your time slot. Remember: we really, really, really, really, really, want everyone included in this directory!! Thanks.
The Sunday School class that Mary Avrett and Betsey Bolton teach planted a terrific little garden just outside the window to Sandy’s office. Great job kids!! It looks wonderful.
Last Sunday a crew from St. John’s Church went to the Exeter UMC, to prepare, set-up for, serve and clean-up after their “Consecration Sunday Luncheon.” Remember our luncheon last fall? Well they’re doing their Stewardship Campaign this spring - and they asked us to serve the meal for them. They have agreed to come back and serve our meal this coming November. But in the meantime, our thanks to our “St. John’s Ambassadors”: Claire Bloom, Keith Launchbury, Wendy Kettlewood, Gordon Ayers, Mike Weinberger, George Perrine and Guy Eaton.
Patrick Murphy would have been another ambassador had his participation not been joyfully interrupted by the birth of his (and Rita’s) first grandchild, Arianna! Congratulations to our newest grandparents!! Arianna is Colin and Marisa’s daughter.
A pastor asked a little boy if he said his prayers every night. ‘Yes, sir.’ the boy replied. ‘And, do you always say them in the morning, too?’ the pastor asked. ‘No sir,’ the boy replied, ‘I ain’t scared in the daytime.’
That’s the news for today. See you in church! Peace, Mark