1

What happens at someone’s funeral service

is a continuation of what occurred

at their baptism.

this. The conversation moved

toward Henry’s baptism and the

moments in which he con-

fessed a yearning for God.

As I open my well used folder,

there underneath the layers of

scotch tape are the words:

“Receive the sign of the holy

cross both upon your forehead

and upon your heart to mark

you as one redeemed by Christ

the crucified.” Paul explains the

significance of this ancient ritu-

al when he said, “don’t you

know that all of us who were

baptized into Christ Jesus were

baptized into his death?

We were therefore bur-

ied with him through

baptism into death in

order that, just as Christ

was raised from the

dead through the glory of

the Father, we too may

live a new life.”

There in the bright sunlight

bouncing off the snow all

around Tom’s grave I read more

words from Paul. “This is the

truth about the resurrection of

the dead: Christ has been

raised from death as the guar-

antee that those who sleep in

Last week I found myself

standing outside in the snow

with a small brown faux leather

folder with metallic gold cor-

ners. It was all that I had to

cope with the moment at hand,

the committal service of Thom-

as Loberg at Lakeview Ceme-

tery. I have been using this fold-

er for a long time. Inside there

are the words spoken at two

events: baptisms and funerals.

It wasn’t until I was walking

away from Tom’s coffin that I

realized I held in my hand a

great theological truth. What

happens at someone’s

funeral service is a con-

tinuation of what oc-

curred at their baptism.

Tom Loberg was just 51.

At his death I was still

thinking about the sud-

den passing of my wife’s

nephew who was just

29. We had just been in Hou-

ston a week before. Henry had

been steadily putting the pieces

of his life together. The picture

was starting to form of who this

young man was going to be. But

then the shock, it was over al-

ready, he was gone. His imme-

diate family was desperately

grasping for ways to cope with

St. John’s Lutheran Church

February 2013 Church From Pastor Disney

(Continued on page 3)

2

St. John’s Lutheran Church

302 NE 2nd Street

PO Box 238

Buffalo, MN 55313

Phone: 763-682-1883

Youth Line: 763-684-0460

Fax: 763-682-1936

Noah’s Ark Pre-School: 763-682-1368

info@stjohnsbuffalo.org

Newsletter Deadline: Deadline for the March newsletter is Monday, February 18th.

Join the Newsletter Mailing Crew on Tuesday, February 26th at 9:00am.

Bulletin Deadline: Tuesday at midnight

Staff: Rev. James Disney, Senior Pastor

jdisney@stjohnsbuffalo.org

Rev. Philip Meyer, Associate Pastor

pmeyer@stjohnsbuffalo.org

763-229-7101

Kelly Thole, DCE, Youth Director

kohland@stjohnsbuffalo.org

Carla Myhre-Vogt, Office Assistant

cvogt@stjohnsbuffalo.org

Dan & Jackie Korbel, Custodians

korbel@stjohnsbuffalo.org

Nicky Haskins, Noah’s Ark Preschool

noahsark@stjohnsbuffalo.org

Kyle & Elizabeth Bjork, Treasurers

Mary Peterson, Financial Secretary

Cheryl Olsen, Board Secretary

Gary Schillinger, Music Director

Worship Times: Saturday 5:00pm

Sunday 8:00 & 10:30am

Sunday’s Service Radio Broadcast on

KRWC 1360 AM at 8:00am

Office Hours: M-F 8:30-4:30

Chairman of the Congregation August Mussell

Board of Elders elders@stjohnsbuffalo.org

Dave Haggerty, Head Elder

Aaron Beckman

Gregg Beckman

Gary Bonk

Greg Buttenhoff

Nyles Gentz

Jack Harlan

Jory Louisiana

Richard Marquette

Ryan Rutten

Board Chairs Altar Guild: Dorothy Bowman

Education: Open

Evangelism: Roger Strege

Fellowship: Marti & Lee Ryan

Kid’s Club: Ken and Amy Hill

Library: Shala Holm

Memorial Endowment/Investment:

Janice Marschel

Project Compassion: Sandi Baert

Sanctuary Decorating: Shala Holm

Stewardship: Open

Trustees: Brad Hoseck

Women in Mission: Chris Husom

Worship: Pastor Disney

Youth & Family Ministry: Open

3

death will also be raised.” Then I

made the sign of the cross over his

casket, the same sign of the cross

that surely was made over him by

Pastor Berwald at Tom’s baptism.

With the sign of the cross I read

the words underneath a page in

my folder that is getting a little

blurry from all the times it has

been hit with snow or rain: “May

God the Holy Spirit, who by bap-

tism and the Saving Word made

this body his temple; keep these

remains till the day of the resurrec-

tion of all flesh in Christ our Lord.”

The grave is just a temporary stop

on the journey.

The last few days have been cold.

Outside the church in the cold air

you can hear a train that has

been sitting on the tracks for a

couple of days, its engine idling

until it is time to start again.

The engine’s rumble signals the

inevitable moment forward. It is

just a matter of time until the

journey starts again, the desti-

nation is reached, the plan ful-

filled that was made at the

start. Maybe the next time you

have to sit and wait for a train

you might consider the power of

our God to finish for you what

was promised at your baptism.

God bless you.

Pastor Disney

(Continued from page 1)

Head Elder: Dave Haggerty 612-309-6609 dave13sales@hotmail.com Aaron Beckman 763-232-4416 ajbeckman70@gmail.com Gregg Beckman 952-261-8192 gsbeckman@charter.net Gary Bonk 763-682-3449 Greg Buttenhoff 763-682-3657 gbuttenhoff@centurylink.net Nyles Gentz 612-240-3980 nyles@gentzfinancial.com

Jack Harlan 763-242-8708 jkharlan@centurylink.net Jory Louisiana 763-286-6537

s.louisianna@kleinbank.com Richard Marquette 763-682-3011 remarquette@bwig.net Ryan Rutten 651-283-2552 rdrutten@yahoo.com

Your Elders are here for you, whether to assist with your spiritual needs or discuss a concern. Feel free to contact

any of them at any time :

4

From the desk of Pastor Meyer

February 2013

We have a very rich history

and heritage in Lutheran prac-

tice. I have observed over the

years, however, that many peo-

ple do not know why we do the

things we do in worship. For

example, why do we stand up

and certain times and sit down

at other times? Why does the

pastor face the congregation at

times, and turn to face the altar

at other times? Why do pastors

wear robes? What I would like

to do for a few months in the

pages of this newsletter, is to

give some explanation to these

things. These practices of ours

are not by accident - they are

intentional and have beautiful

reasons behind them.

This Month: “The Crucifix”

The photo directly to the left,

here, is a photo of the cross

that is carried

into worship

at the begin-

ning of the

service

(known as

the proces-

sional), and

then out

again at the

end of the service (the reces-

sional. Known formally as “the

crucifix,” this cross brings spe-

cial meaning to worship as it

focuses our attention on the

absolute meaning for worship

itself: Christ Jesus, and what

He accom-

plished for us

on the Cross

of Calvary.

In Matthew

18:20, Jesus

tells us this:

“For where two or three gather

together as my followers, I am

there among them." Using the

crucifix to enter and exit our

worship service reminds us of

this biblical truth, that Christ

Jesus is with us. It is not some

mystical exercise; that is to say,

we do not teach that walking

with the cross somehow “forces

Jesus’ presence” with us, but

this action does carry with it a

time of reverence and awe in

the fact that God would promise

and does promise to lead and

guide us when we gather

together.

Our Response(s) or Actions

During the Processional and

Recessional also have mean-

ing. As you have observed and

participated in, we stand as the

crucifix enters our worship. As it

happens when a bride enters a

wedding ceremony, we give

honor and tribute by our action.

In our worship, again, this hon-

or is given to Jesus, who lived

and died in our place, so that

the sting of death would be re-

placed for us by the joy of

heaven!

(Continued on page 5)

5

At the close of the service,

then, as the recessional takes

place, and the crucifix is carried

out of the sanctuary, it is cus-

tomary to stand as well, to give

that same honor and tribute. It

is also customary to physically

turn your body as the crucifix

goes by you and then watch as

it goes before you out of the

sanctuary and “into the world.”

I have noticed that at St. John’s,

we do not do this, and I propose

that again, for many of us, the

reason behind the action needs

to be communicated. By turning

and facing the cross, we recog-

nize and realize that it is the

power of Jesus Christ, as we

have been fed by His Word in

worship, that gives us the

strength and courage to live as

His people in a fallen, broken

world.

Hopefully, this is helpful. I

would love your feedback and

questions on this series of arti-

cles that I intend to write! You

can call me at 763-229-7101,

which is my cell phone, or email

me at revphilmeyer@gmail.com.

(Continued from page 4)

Potluck to Welcome Pastor Meyer and Family

Sunday, Feb. 3, 11:30 am

in the Fellowship Hall.

Bring your best dish to share.

See you there!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

To say "thank you" is not nearly enough - but in this space we

would like to thank all of the family at St. John's who gifted our fami-

ly during Christmas time. From the gifts of food, goodies, and dol-

lars, your thoughtfulness and welcoming spirit is so much appreciat-

ed. Please accept our heartfelt thanks! We already feel like part of

your family here! ~Pastor Phil, Vanessa, Dylan and Jesse Meyer

6

E-News

If you would like to

receive this news-

letter by email

rather than snail mail, send an

email to info@stjohnsbuffalo.org.

You’ll get the news faster plus

save the church some money in

postage and printing. We’ll send

the newsletter as a PDF

Document which downloads

quicker and opens automatically

in Adobe Reader. Most comput-

ers already have Adobe Reader,

but if you do not, call the church

office.

Serving in January

Ushers

8:00 Bill Cook

Earl Dierks

Brad Hoseck

Andrew Mussell

10:30 Jon Boonstra

Robin Kohn

Confirmation Kids

Audiovisual

The

Team

Tim Berteau

Matt Chapa

Ron Girard

Jennifer Green

Dan Green

Suzie Meier

Colin Meier

Bill Morris

Coffee Servers

2/3

2/10

2/17

2/24

(Open)

Mary Circle

(Open)

Youth

Please sign up

to take a turn.

We’re All

Heart

Kindness abounds at

PEP (People Enjoying

People). PEP meets

on the first and third

Tuesdays of every

month in Room 104 across

from Noah’s Ark Preschool. We

begin with a brief Bible study

led by Pastor Klemz followed

by a variety of activities which

may include joke telling, cards

and games. In February we

meet on the 5th and 19th from

9-11:30am. Bring your own

beverage; come whenever you

can; stay as long as you want.

There is no regular commit-

ment. The more the merrier.

Do you use the

church nursery? If so, please take a turn

watching over the nursery on a

Sunday morning. We need more

volunteers to help care for our

little angels during the

Education Hour and 10:30

service. If you can help, please

call Morynn Marx at 320-286-

2230 or the church office.

7

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!! CONTACT PRISCILLA MCKENZIE—763-567-0893

8

Youth & Family Ministry

Join us Sunday,

February 17th for a …

Marriage

Milestone

As a church family we want

celebrate and

recognize marriages in our

congregation. Some

marriages are just

beginning, while others have

withstood the test of time,

but all are important.

During the Sunday

morning services there will

be a special blessing asking

God to watch over your

marriage through this year

and the years to come.

Join with our church family

as we celebrate this

Milestone.

Calling all Cooks!

The Lenten

season will soon

be upon us, and

the Youth and

Family Ministry

Board are looking for

some cooks to make the

soup or chili or whatever

for our Lenten Suppers. You

supply the main dish of the

meal, we'll supply the fix-

in's to go with it and the

serving/clean-up help.

Here are the open dates:

Feb 13th, Ash Wednesday

Feb 20th

Feb 27th

March 6th-Chili Cook-off

March 13th

March 20th

We also need cookies, bars

or any other treat that you

might be interested in

donating for each supper.

If you can help, please

contact Eldon Peterson at

763-682-6901. Confirmation will meet at 6 PM

during Lent, Feb. 13-March 20.

9

Youth & Family Ministry

Friday, February 15,

2013

St. John’s Family Life Center

7:00 PM Doors open 6:30 – Raffle & Refreshments

Tickets: Adults (18 & over) - $7 Children 7 and up - $5

Children 6 and under – Free (Family cap of $20)

Tickets available at church office Proceeds go toward St. John’s Youth Trip

to San Antonio

Transitions—How to Make Faith Stick After High School

February 10—24 9:15 am (Sunday School Hour)

We invite high school seniors and

their parents to talk about what comes next af-ter high school—work, college, military, the un-known? The future can be scary, and it is a struggle for many students to figure out how their faith looks in the midst of the changes. Join us as we look at what parents, students, and the church can do to help their faith stick.

10

Youth & Family Ministry

Attention 8th-12th graders!

March 8

Come and join fellow youth at St. Johns for a High school Fun Night

with a twist! You try to go without food for 30 Hours! Plus you’re encouraged to challenge friends and family to sponsor you For every hour you go without food, . All the money raised will go to help feed hungry children through World Vision! Students will be breaking the fast on Friday at midnight.

This event includes… Live Music Games Open GYM Service projects and devotion focused around

how children each day go without food!

Want to know more? Have questions? Contact Kelly and yet your fundraiser packet

@ 763-684-0460.

11

Mark your calendars for July 1st - 5th for the 2013

LCMS National Youth Gathering in San Antonio. This

event is open to youth grades 9th - 12th, college

students and adults. Join us for a fun packed week

of meeting people from across the country coming

together to serve, learn, love and worship our

Great God!. To sign up, please contact Kelly.

Generate money for

St. John’s Youth without

spending a dime. Search the web with www.goodsearch.com and every time you do,

St. John’s Youth will receive a penny. GoodSearch gives 50% of

their earnings from advertising to charities. Just go to

www.goodsearch.com and enter “St. Johns Buffalo Church.”

Then add GoodSearch to your toolbar. Thanks!

Youth & Family Ministry

Are You Expecting?

St. John’s Cradle Roll Committee has materials for parents of new-

borns with suggestions and resources to help them with their child’s

spiritual growth from birth to age three. The materials in-

clude a Growth Calendar, several books, an audiocassette

and newsletters that will be delivered on a regular basis

throughout your child’s first three years. We’d like to send

the first newsletter, The Miracle of Birth, before the arrival

of your child. So, if you are expecting, please call or e-mail your

name, address and phone number to Theresa at 763-682-6305,

wmhenson@charter.net or to Sheree at 320-963-6625.

12

The 72 – Partners on the Road Returns Bruce Manzey will return to St. John’s with another week of training

modules Feb. 4th-9th.

Following are the sessions and times. Please plan to attend all or

as many as you can. We are still working on projects set out from

our first week but want to get the modules laid out so we can keep

setting our path for St. John’s future. We are getting a lot of infor-

mation now but it will all fall into place over time.

Monday, Feb. 4, 6:30 pm, Fellowship Hall

Review Mission and Vision – Strategic Planning Last Half of

Missional Church

Tuesday, Feb. 5, 6:30 pm, Fellowship Hall

Closing the Back Door

Wednesday, Feb. 6, 6:30 pm

Youth & Teens – Kelly Thole & Dave Haggerty.

Youth & Teens invited to canvass on Saturday.

Thursday, Feb. 7, 6:30 pm, Fellowship Hall

Assimilation

Saturday, Feb. 9, 8:00 am, Fellowship Hall

Touching Friends With the Gospel

Lunch at Noon -15 minutes on What and How to Do Canvassing

1 pm (weather permitting) - Prayer Canvassing

( 20-40 people needed)

Sunday School children will be decorating 200 bags to be filled with

information and gifts. We will identify areas in Buffalo we want to

canvas and assign teams of 2 or 3 people to specific streets. We

will return to Church to pray about the requests we receive. We

should be done by 2:30 p.m. There are over 5,000 unchurched

people in a 3-mile radius of St. John’s. Maybe we can Touch them

with the Gospel and invite them to know Jesus through us.

Pianist needed for St.

John’s Men’s Choir.

Contact Linda Taylor at

684-0774.

Organist needed. Part-

time position. Join our organ-

ist staff for a wonderful musi-

cal opportunity to serve our con-

gregation. Contact Sandi Baert

at 682-2394 or Linda Taylor at

684-0774.

Lenten Worship begins

Feb. 13, Ash Wednesday. Ser-

vices at 4:30 and 7 PM. Lenten

supper between services begin-

ning at 5:00.

Confirmation Time

Change

During Lent Confirmation will meet at 6 PM

Feb. 13-March 20.

13

Acknowledging Recent Memorials and Gifts

Donor Memory or Honor of Item

Paul Henning Computer

Deb, Melvin &

Shirley Burmeister Brandon Lanie Building Fund

Jim & Shala Holm Library

Audrey Mainquist Elsie Mutterer Building Fund

St. John’s Lutheran

Mission $ at Work Our Christmas Eve & Christmas

Day offerings totaling $7,700 will

be distributed as follows:

$1,925.00 each to LCMS World

Hunger Care, MN So Dist. Disas-

ter, Christ Community School-

Watertown and St. James School -

Howard Lake.

Be sure to stop

by the Narthex

to pick up your

2013 envelopes .

NOTICE TO

THRIVENT MEMBERS

(Revision): Thrivent Choice Dollars assign-

ment procedures have

changed. Charitable rewards

are earned quarterly. To best

insure St. John’s Lutheran re-

ceives your earned dollars, you

should contact Thrivent

QUARTERLY, April 20, July 20,

October 20 & January 20th each

year. You can do so using Di-

rect Choice Dollars online @

www.thrivent.com/choicedollars

or call 800-THRIVENT (800-847-

4836) and state "Thrivent

Choice." Once you contact them

to assign your dollars, they will

send you a quarterly e-mail re-

minder. We will also remind you

each quarter from St. John’s. In

2012, St. John’s received

$17,574.00 in Thrivent Choice

Dollars and distributed funds to

many Church, mission, and com-

munity-related projects.

A figurine of Jesus

blessing the children has

been placed in our prayer chapel

in memory of the children who

lost their lives in the Sandy Hook

Tragedy. This was given by San-

dra and Richard Halbleib. Engrav-

ing was donated by

Setterberg Jewelers.

14

Birthdays Andrew Hatling 2/1

Dallas Klatt 2/1

Dolores Puffer 2/1

Gerald Root 2/1

Bryan Sandau 2/1

Danielle Stevens 2/1

Beth Ernhart 2/2

Anthony Hicks 2/2

Amy Johnson 2/2

Nathan Klatt 2/2

Rachel Schmidt 2/2

Ryan Ebeling 2/3

Benjamin Henson 2/3

Jayde Hoppe 2/3

John Kock 2/3

Tyler Korbel 2/3

Emily Mueller 2/3

Lori Pierce 2/3

Pam Smith 2/3

Shannon Valley 2/3

Cassandra Zaffke 2/3

Andy Crone 2/4

Chad Dillerud 2/4

Austin Imholte 2/4

Amy Klemz 2/4

Sullivan Marx 2/4

Vera Ottenstroer 2/4

Raef Rutten 2/4

Kris Brockopp 2/5

Megan Churness 2/5

Gary DeMarais 2/5

Lake Groenke 2/5

Brandi Korbel 2/5

Marie Marquette 2/5

Nick Spadgenske 2/5

Jordayn Spike 2/5

Chad Stoppelman 2/5

Danielle Weller 2/5

Lori Johanson 2/6

Alex Lundquist 2/6

KaCee McKenzie 2/6

Tim Berteau 2/7

Ruth Bonk 2/7

Timothy Endreson 2/7

Kayla Erickson 2/7

RaeAnn Lilleskov 2/7

Jennifer Saunders 2/7

Duane Bodin 2/8

Alexander Charlson 2/8

MacKenzie Forcier 2/8

Gary Hafften 2/8

Leslie Gearey 2/9

Nikolas Gentz 2/9

Zackery Groshens 2/9

Brian Kenmir 2/9

Patricia Levin 2/9

Myron Marquette 2/9

Maya Bolduan 2/10

Eric Ebeling 2/10

Curt Johanson 2/10

Nancy Yonak 2/10

Shayla Hamann 2/11

Hanna Klatt 2/11

Stacy Bursch 2/12

Beverly Clifton 2/12

Abbey Davidson 2/12

Diana Korpela 2/12

Austin Schleif 2/12

Carol Schleif 2/12

Donna Bodin 2/13

Debra Krohn 2/13

Mary Jo Lambert 2/13

Hilton Schwalbe 2/13

John Chapman 2/14

Hailey Kozan 2/14

Debbie Thomas 2/14

Brian Anderson 2/15

Edwin Dilley 2/15

Emmett Elletson 2/15

Braxten Mader 2/15

Julia Peter 2/15

Marti Ryan 2/15

Devon Smith 2/15

Alyxis Strzyzewski 2/15

15

Anniversaries

Chloe Beaudry 2/16

John Berg 2/16

Sarah Hoppe 2/16

Nolan Jasper 2/16

Tiffany Pulvermacher 2/16

Bruce Schulze 2/16

Melissa Stachowski 2/16

Bailey Anderson 2/17

Mark Bjork 2/18

Ronald Enter 2/18

Rita Holland 2/18

Kaylie McManus 2/18

Adeline Neutz 2/18

Donald Streich 2/18

Earl Uecker 2/18

Jackson Miller 2/19

Travis Pierce 2/19

Dawn Weis 2/19

Joanne Brunskill 2/20

Jeff Erickson 2/20

Douglas Froberg 2/20

Becky Selvig 2/20

Nicholas McAlpine 2/21

Dennis Peavey 2/21

Emily Personius 2/21

Samatha Ternes 2/21

Saylor VanLith 2/21

Loren Becker 2/22

Gary Bonk 2/22

Ema Crone 2/22

Genelle Gregorich 2/22

Lanny Hanson 2/22

Matthew Larson 2/22

Marilyn Sotebeer 2/22

Anna Baumgard 2/23

Miles Johnston 2/23

Jed Larson 2/23

Tyler Burg 2/24

Craig Groenke 2/24

Jackie Ross 2/24

Caleb Churness 2/25

Bill Henson 2/25

Aaron Naser 2/25

Joyce Stecker 2/25

Kari Triplett 2/25

Michael Endreson 2/26

Riecker Handt 2/26

Ryan Saunders 2/26

Cali Annis 2/27

Adrian Graves 2/27

Shirley Holland 2/27

Samantha Klatt 2/27

Blake Miller 2/27

Steven S. Miller 2/27

Breanna Burt 2/28

Adam Duske 2/28

Matthew Jeske 2/28

Shannon Krohn 2/28

Marah Moy 2/28

Randy Otten 2/28

Dylan Triplett 2/28

Kayla Hill 2/29

Alise & Marvin Zachman 2/1

John & Ginger Klatt 2/2

Chuck & Denise Hicks 2/4

Don & Lisa Abresch 2/5

Marlis & Lawrence Thomsen 2/5

Morry & Nila Ellis 2/7

Julie & Kevin Fussy 2/8

Brian & Jessica Anderson 2/9

Gene & Debbie Ebert 2/12

Wanda & Roger Maresh 2/13

Orlan & Luella Krohn 2/14

Todd & Karie Peter 2/14

Stacy & Terry Bursch 2/16

Bruce & Sheree Rosine 2/16

Pam & Mike Mensinger 2/18

Gary & Becky Randt 2/21

Aaron & Nicole Beckman 2/29

16

Women In Mission

“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” Colossians 3:23-24

When someone makes a plea, or a general re-quest for some help, do you say to yourself, “If she asks me in person, I’ll say ‘yes’?” Or maybe it’s, “I’ve never done anything like that before, I’m not qualified.” Or, “I wonder what all is in-volved?” Or, “I don’t have time.” I’ve thought each of those things at different times when I’ve been asked to serve in various ways. Then I ask myself, “How important is it, in the scheme of life? What does God want me to do?” I often think of the 107 year old mother of a man I know. She has since died, but when she was well over 100, she increased her volunteer work at church because she felt badly she could no longer give as much money as she had previously given. Wow.

One of the faithful members of our church told me she works on a project every day for the annual Country Fair for Missions. Wow again.

An hour of volunteer service a week may not be much of a time sacrifice to you or to me, but to the person or group who is re-ceiving the benefit of your efforts, it can have great impact.

Please prayerfully consider sharing your time and talents with the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League, our Women in Mission here at St, John’s. We need board members, a team to head our 45th Country Fair, help to serve at funerals, help to clean the kitchen. Please say yes to one or more of these areas of need. We will help you, walk beside you, each step of the way.

At our January planning meeting, we decided to eliminate some of the monthly meetings this year. We’ll meet in February

17

(because we are the hosts for the Litchfield Zone Spring Rally), April, June, September, October, and November. So there will be no scheduled meetings for March, May, July, August, or December.

There will be a Zone Board meeting at St. John’s on Monday, February 25th at 6:30 for business and to plan the spring rally which we will host in either March or April. Let us know of any ideas you might have for that.

Each Tuesday afternoon you are invited to work on quilts and other projects in the Sewing Room, off the Fellowship Hall. Feel free to come whenever you can.

Let us know of mission needs. Take a mite box and fill it for our mission projects. They are in the Narthex, or in the Fellowship Hall, next to the Kitchen. Check out the Lutheran Women’s Quarterly, also available in the Fellowship Hall or Narthex. Please join us for our business meeting, Bible study or for any of our projects as we Serve the Lord With Gladness!

Upcoming Events: Thursday, February 7th: Business Meeting at 6:00, Bible Study at 6:45. We meet in the upper level boardroom in the Family Life Center. Monday, February 25th: Zone Board meeting at 6:30. March: No business meeting or Bible Study.

Dear St. John’s Lutheran Church, I cannot fully express the

amount of gratitude I feel for being awarded scholarship funds from

St. John’s Lutheran Church. Being a college student, money is obvi-

ously tight, and the scholarship helps immensely. This award helps

me continue to attend the Lutheran college I'm currently at and con-

tinue to walk with the Lord. Thank you for this generous award.

~Tucker Vogt

I want to sincerely thank you for your donation of $1,925 from

your Christmas offerings to Missions. Your contribution is very much

appreciated. Gifts such as yours make this ministry possible. May

God continue to bless your ministry as well. ~Jeff Boehlke, Principal,

Christ Community Lutheran School

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Board Meeting Minutes—1/14/2013

Call to Order: August Mussell Opening Prayer: Pastor Disney Agenda: Agenda approved on a motion from Dave Haggerty seconded by Jim Chapa. Secretary’s Report: Report approved on a motion from Roger Strege seconded by Brad Hoseck. Reports: Pastor Disney - reported he is able to get out on visits more often now due to Pastor Meyer assisting. He gave an overview of his statistical report com-menting that there has been quite a span between funerals, nothing since August. The attendance was good for Christmas. The search for an Office Administrator is still on with resumes still coming in. Pastor Meyer – reflected on his time here. He is getting out with visitations, he has started working with the Elders, looking to possibly partnering with Pro-ject Compassion, talking with Pastor Disney on future worship programs and projects and how they can supplement and add to them, experimenting with sermon preparation. Shortly he will re-turn to Idaho to bring his wife and the rest of their belongings back. All in all he is very excited to be a part of St. John’s. Youth & Family Ministry / Education: Kelly Thole met with college students for a breakfast at Perkins. It was a good time to keep in touch and get caught up. She spoke on the fundraisers coming up to help with the group going on the Mis-sion trip this year. The first one is at the Pizza Ranch in Monticello on Jan. 28. In Feb. Lenten suppers will start with the kids doing the clean up and serving. A portion of these proceeds and any tips will go to this year’s trip. Also in Feb. an illusionist (BAM Magic) will entertain and

share the gospel talking about how God performs miracles and amazing things. There will also be a Marriage Milestone Feb 17th. The offering for Jan and Feb from the Children will help to create Baby Bundles for new babies and moth-ers who may be in need. Financial Sec & Treasurers Reports: Jim Chapa commented on the paper report noting that Dec. was a 5 week month thus ending the year with 53 weeks of donations. Receipts exceeded expenses due to this week amount and some timing differences. We ended over budget in some areas due to hiring a new Pastor but year to date amounts are under budget. A few unbudgeted ex-penses such as moving expenses might spill over into 2013 and Synod fees have yet to be put in. Jim commented that as he has completed his term new persons will be voted for in Jan. Jennifer Green will do payroll. Mary Peterson has stepped down from Financial Secretary, a volunteer position, and Kathryn Elsen has volunteered to fill this. Signers will also have to be voted on at the Quarterly meeting. Contribution and Expenses for December Contributions $45,567 Expenses 30,712 Net Increase (Decrease) 14,856 A motion to accept Jim’s report was made by Dave Haggerty, seconded by Roger Strege. Motion carried. New Business: Calendar set for the New Year. Office Administrator position and new Treasurer covered in previous areas. 72 Partner program = Dave Haggerty reported the second part will start in Feb when Bruce Manzey will return and programs will be held during that first week ending on Sat. the 9th with

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a canvassing project with gifts created by our Sunday school students to be handed out. More information will follow at a later date. BOARD AND COMMITTTEE REPORTS: Elders: Dave Haggerty gave highlights of the written report. The Vision and Mission statement and Job Descriptions will be ready for the Quarterly meeting. He touched on how the Elders will be more in touch with their position and will take a more in depth look at how to do this. They will all, along with the Pastors be attending classes, which they are all looking forward to on a Friday and Satur-day at Concordia created just for this. There will be and installation of officers on Jan. 27th. Dave commented that he feels very blessed to be serving with the Elders. Trustees: Brad Hoseck is very happy to report the Alarm issue has been solved. A roof leak in entry is being checked. Ice dams are being checked as being previ-ous problem causes. There was a large increase in the city water which leads to a leaking toilet which was then fixed by Brad. A new internet service will be in-stalled after cost effective research was completed. Worship: Pastors working in this area with new ideas and input. Evangelism: Roger Strege said the board will help assemble the bags with the 72 canvassing project. He ordered a kit for Outreach which also fits in with the 72 program. It will be evaluated and checked to see how it can be incorpo-rated to work with St. John’s. The web site is slow in coming along but with the new vision and mission it has worked well to incorporate this as the site is developed. Susie Meier continues to work with it.

Stewardship: No activity. Fellowship: Marti Ryan reported the date had been set for the Picnic – July 28th 2013. Education: covered under Youth. Lutheran Women in Mission: Pat Norine commented on the changes being made with only 5 meetings being held this year. The board is working on programs and changing format. The Zone meeting will be held here in Feb. Country Fair will stay as is. The women are also hosting the Spring Rally in April. Library: The board continues its good works. Noah’s Ark: Continues its good work. Project Compassion / Health Cabinet: They will meet Jan 22nd to address Val-entines. Richard Marquette will attend as a representative from the Elders. Pat Norine extends as invitation for everyone to be a part of this and if a prayer shawl is needed just pick one up with a cross and notify her or let her know if there is a need and she will extend the gift to the person. Missions: Pat Norine notified the board that this is the last year ABLAZE will be donated to. Love Inc. will also need to be budgeted in another area. Help is also needed for the breakfast we serve with Love Inc. in Feb. Contact the church or Dan Korbel. Decorating: Shala Holm said help is needed and would like someone to come in with new ideas. No Other Business. Closing Prayer: Pastor Meyer Meeting adjourned by August Mussell with a motion from Roger Strege, seconded by Dave Haggerty. Respectfully submitted, Cheryl Olsen

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Annual Meeting Minutes—1/20/2013

Call to Order: August Mussell, President Opening Prayer: Pastor Meyer Agenda: Reviewed and accepted on a motion. Secretary’s report: Reviewed and accept-ed on a motion from Janice Marschel se-conded by Richard Marquette. Financial Secretary / Treasurer’s reports: Jim Chapa gave an overview of written reports explaining how there were 53 weeks in 2012 creating an increase in the quarter even though for the year we are slightly less then 2011. Budget variances were created by timing differences and the hiring and moving of a new pastor. The Capital Campaign needs to get started and though Bill Cook is stepping down from leading if someone is interested in taking that position Bill will stay on to help, please contact Bill if you can help in this area. Mary Petersons Financial report ties out with Treasurers report. Reports were ac-cepted on a motion made from Bill Cook seconded by Carl Bowman, motion carried. Jim Chapa made a motion to amend budg-et to cover moving expenses incurred in 2013. Motion was seconded by Jed Larson and carried. A motion to accept Elizabeth Bjork as Treasurer was made by August Mussell and seconded by Chris Husom – motion carried. Jennifer Green will do payroll only. Mary Peterson has stepped down as Financial Secretary and Kathryn Elsen has volunteered to step into that position. A motion to approve August Mussell, Kyle Bjork, Elizabeth Bjork and Kathryn Elsen as a signer on all KleinBank accounts was made by Jim Chapa and seconded by Frank Korbel, motion carried. A motion was made by Kathy Klemz to approve Kyle Bjork, Elizabeth Bjork and August Mussell as signers on all Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF) and Thrivent accounts, seconded by Jim Chapa, motion carried.

General Fund Contributions and Expenses for Quarter: Contributions $111,637 Expenses 95,137 Net Increase (Decrease) 16,500 August Mussell and the Congregation extend a huge thank you to Jim for a job well done. Pastor’s Reports: Pastor Disney gave highlights of his written report saying that for the fourth year in a row there have been approximately 35 baptisms and feels this is good cause for the growing future and for the teachers to be ready. He also mentioned that since August until now there had been no funer-als. This was the longest stretch of time that he can remember, he hopes everyone stays well. It has been 21 months since Pastor Bode has left and he extended a big thank you for sticking with him. Both Pastor and Pastor Meyer are working together on the Sat. night service. With our new vision and mission statement our church will be about “Sharing a changeless Christ in a changing world” this is a part of what the 72 Partner program has started this for us. Pastor Meyer continues to adjust, no re-port at this time. Youth and Family Ministry / Education: Kelly Thole had written report but com-mented that she is excited to work with our Vision and Mission and is incorporating the ideas with the fact we are all a family, a family of Christ. So the future will see things working with this “intergeneration” idea. The youth are beginning their fund-raising for the summer Mission Trip and will work at the Pizza Ranch in Monticello. Everyone is invited to come as a portion of the profits and the tips will go to the kids. Kelly also shared with us the fact her and her husband are expecting a child this summer.

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Action Items: Elders: Aaron Beckman reported Dave Haggerty has become the new Head Elder. The Elders are taking steps to become more involved and active with the Congre-gation. They have started praying with the Pastors prior to the 8 AM service. In Jan. all Elders and Pastors will attend a training program. They have almost completed the work on Job Descriptions. Members received – Gail Bakeberg, Lind-sey Johnson, Ian Lommel, Asher Bjorklund, Philip Meyer, Vanessa Meyer, Jesse Meyer, Dylan Meyer, Lucy Ebert, Levin Ebert, Lauren Erdman, Rylan Nieskens. Members removed – Kevin Finke, Trina Mastley. A motion to accept member changes was made by Jim Chapa, seconded by Kathy Klemz, motion carried. Old Business: Bill Cook is stepping down as head of Capital Campaign help is need-ed in this area. Please prayerfully consider this as the commitment needs to continue. Janice Marschel gave an update on the 72 Program. The program began in Oct with Bruce Manzey leading. Bruce will return in Feb. to continue with training which we will cap with a canvassing project on Feb 9th. We have created a new Mission state-ment. “Sharing a changeless Christ in a changing world”. A motion to accept this new statement was made by Roger Strege seconded by Chris Husom. Motion carried. Trustees: Written report with Brad Hoseck reporting some new updates such as the alarm issue has finally been fixed with Dan Korbel finding a repair person who discov-ered a bad wire involved with the magnetic doors needed to be replaced. Life Center door was fixed by Russell’s, there is now a motion light installed in the store room off the kitchen which will automatically turn on and off.

Worship: Printed report. Evangelism: Printed report. Missions: Printed report. Love Inc. Printed report. Stewardship: Janice Marschel commented that there is $63,000 in the Memorial En-dowment Account that can be used for property or any needs by the Congrega-tion. Scholarship funds are again available for college, high school, and elementary students. Four have applied for college funds. Also under Building Finance Janice re-ported we are now under the 2 million mark. Fellowship: Printed report. Lutheran Women in Mission: Printed re-port with Chris Husom commenting on how things are changing in this area with fewer meetings and new ideas. The Country Fair went well with no leader but they are still looking for one. The board is also looking for new members. We will host the Spring Rally in April. Project Compassion / Health Cabinet: Printed report. Noah’s Ark: Printed report. Decorating: Printed report. Other Business: August Mussell said Bill Elletson and Dan Korbel had made a sec-ond trip to Idaho to help Pastor Meyer move his final items. There will be a Pot Luck in Feb to celebrate having Pastor Meyer and family join St. John’s. Eldon Peterson reminded us Lent sup-pers will soon be starting and help is al-ways needed to make the main portion of the meal and donations of cookies, bars, etc. will be deeply appreciated. A motion to adjourn was made by Earl Dierks seconded by Bill Cook. Motion carried. Respectfully submitted by Cheryl Olsen

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