Volume 53, Issue 1 January 2016

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Congregational Meeting ............ 1

A Word from the Pastor .......... 2

Ministry Committees ................. 2

Worship & Music Update ......... 3

Thank you! ................................... 3

CYF News .................................... 3

About Our People ...................... 4

E-Newsletter ............................... 4

January Birthdays ........................ 4

January Anniversaries ................ 4

Membership News .................... 5

Reading Circle ............................. 5

Silver Sale ...................................... 5

Cookbook Fundraiser ............... 5

Loaves & Fishes ........................... 5

Community Meal ........................ 5

Community Support .................. 6

Narrative Lectionary .................. 6

Grief Support ............................... 7

TRUST ........................................... 7

Thank You .................................... 7

The Messenger

Notice is hereby given

that a Congregational

Meeting will be held on

Sunday, January 31, 2016

at 11:15 AM in Fellowship

Hall.

The only agenda item

is approval of the 2016

operating budget. All

members are encouraged

to attend.

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A Toast—to a happy New Year and to New Beginnings:

A new year brings new possibilities, new ideas, new energy, and a fresh start. In congregations our size

(~75 in worship weekly), committees are the gears that make the congregation’s ministry churn with life. But, of utmost importance are the values of the congregation,

and its missional focus must guide the ministry of each committee or ministry team.

In 2014, we discovered together our congregational

values of Worshiping, Welcoming, Growing, and Serving. Through the summer and fall of

2015, we took the next step and defined our missional focus as service to the youth in our community affected by the issues of hunger and shelter insecurity. This fall, members said

“yes,” and now every committee of our church is filled with leaders for the first time in about three years.

Together we have accomplished a huge amount of work, and the gears of our church have begun to churn. We are ready. I am excited!

-Pastor Mark

MINISTRY COMMITTEES

These committee members welcome your comments, questions, prayers and help as together we continue to

discern and follow God’s call upon St. John’s. New committee members are also welcome! Which might

you consider joining?

Administration: Steve Dosdall (president), Andrew Berg, Vicky Ercolani, Mark Nervig, Pr. Mark

Child Care Center: Bonnie Conrad (chair), Venita Ditlevson, Kevin Hurbanis, Tina Shear, Pr. Mark

Children, Youth & Family: Jesse Fanciulli, Tamara Gebhardt, Julie Hurbanis, Anne Nervig

Community & Neighborhood: Mark Gebhardt (chair), Steve Dosdall, Bea Hasselmann, Marlene Holden,

Jack Hurbanis, Elizabeth Roe, Amanda Stagg, Andy Tellijohn, Pr. Mark

Facilities: Brian Falk (chair), Ron Conrad, Bob Holden, Bill Mattson, Warner Northrup, Bob Slifer,

Oly Stromberg

Chi Rho: Brad Nelson (chair), Steve Carlson , Bea Hasselmann, Dave Helm, Lori Johnson, Oly Stromberg,

Pr. Mark

Membership: Jennifer Belz, Jennifer Burdick, Sean Stagg

Music Series: Deborah Dunham (chair), Jennifer Burdick, Samuel Grace, Joyce Larson, Kathy Sapp

Stewardship: Eric Willette (chair), Bonnie Conrad, Tamara Gebhardt, Phil Roe, Andy Tellijohn, Pr. Mark

Worship: Sarah Tellijohn (chair), Anna Carlson, Vicky Ercolani, Samuel Grace, Lori Johnson, Marjorie

Sethna

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Dear St. John’s Family,

It’s January—that time of year when we can all “reset” following the holiday madness. It’s lovely to sit

back and reflect on all that has happened in the past year, and I want to thank you all personally for gener-

ously welcoming me to St. John’s last year. Although the holidays are over, the music keeps playing here at

St. Johns, and we continue to dive deeper into our journey in the narrative lectionary.

The St. John’s Music Series has a fantastic upcoming event on February 2 called Jazz

& Jambalaya, which will feature a free meal and entertainment. Dinner starts at

5:00pm in the Fellowship Hall. I hope that you will be able to join us—children and

adults of all ages are encouraged to attend!

Blessings and God’s peace to you in this new year.

-Sam

Worship and Music Update

Thank you, people of St. John’s!

I am so grateful to you. It takes dozens of people to make

the annual performances of Handel’s Messiah possible, not

just the chorus, orchestra and soloists and certainly not only

the conductor. I appreciate that many of you attended a

performance, but, in addition, many of you also served in

some other capacity: bakers, ushers/greeters, decorators and

donors. The Music Series Committee (Deborah Dunham,

Jennifer Burdick and Kathy Sapp) contributes a huge

amount of time and energy to make it a success; Sam

Grace (also on the committee) deserves an extra meas-

ure of thanks for his support, as he did much of the be-

hind-the-scenes work, sang in the chorus and conducted a

rehearsal in my absence—AND he agreed to

allow me the privilege of conducting one

more time. The fact that Pastor Mark is

100% supportive and does everything he

can, also means a lot to me.

And then there’s my family. Merwyn has

taken care of dozens of details so that rehearsals and perfor-

mances could run smoothly. He also knew that every year

from mid-October through mid-December, much of our life

was on hold. He deserves a lot of credit.

I will always be grateful for the opportunity to serve you. I

know you’re in good hands and that the upcoming years

with conductor Samuel Grace will be wonderful.

Blessings to you,

Joyce Larson

CYF Sunday School Strategy Session

Since fall, our Sunday School attendance has been three children. The Sunday School teach-ers and CYF committee team Anne Nervig, Tamara Gebhardt and Jesse Fanciulli are very excited to have the younger kids join the Sunday School classes next fall!

In the meantime, the CYF committee will discuss whether it makes sense to continue with a “formal” Sunday School program this Winter/Spring or whether we might be better served to plan some alternatives and resume a formal/traditional Sunday School program next fall, when we have more kids. Your feedback and input is more than welcome! If you’d like to be part of the Sunday School strategy discussion, please mark your calendars for Sunday, Jan. 10.

Children, Youth & Family News

THE MESSENGER “Bui ld ing and Nurtur ing a Fai th Communi ty” PAGE 4

Remember in Prayers

We ask for continued prayers for healing and comfort for: Lorraine Anderson,

Jane McDonald, Colin Osborn, Betty Schibilla, Bob Slifer, Margaret Thompson, and

Pastor Mark Tiede.

Our prayers and thoughts are with Elaine and the family of Glenn Taylor at his passing on Jan. 2, 2016. The funeral for Glenn will be held at St John’s on Satur-day, Jan. 9 at 2:00 PM with visitation at 1:00 PM.

Greetings

“Merry Christmas” from St. John’s member, Luella Palecek, now living in Florida. Luella will celebrate her 100th birthday on January 5, 2016!

“Merry Christmas to all St John’s friends. I am still here at the Home Care! Doing

OK. Hi to all.” -Sara Reineke Please let the church office or pastor know if you would like to

share information with the congregation.

The church office hours continue to be: Monday -Thursday 9:30 AM- 5:30 PM and Friday 9:30 AM-12:30 PM. You can reach the church office at 612-827-4406 or

Email the office at communications@stjohnsmpls.org Email the pastor at pastortiede@stjohnsmpls.org

About Our People

January Birthdays

1 William Nelson

3 Peder Flaten

Marcella Hicks

Marlene Miller

4 Mark Gebhardt

5 Christian Belz

5 Special birthday greet-

ings to Luella Palecek

on her 100th birthday!

9 Abbey Koliha

11 Laurel Fricke

12 Paige Fitzgibbons

14 Patt Ackman

20 Erik Belz

22 Jon Dosdall

Kris Edel

23 Ashton Amsler

24 Mark Nervig

26 Jay Nordstrom

27 Emma Hurbanis

Merwyn Larson

29 Tamara Gebhardt

January Anniversaries

1 Ron & Bea Hasselmann

15 Brooks & Ramona Naseth

If your birth date and/or

anniversary has not been included or is incorrect,

please call the church office

Using the USPS to mail The Messenger, St. John’s monthly newsletter is expen-sive and quite labor intensive —even after it leaves the office. We have re-viewed the cost of paper, office equipment, supplies, and postage—as well as the “journey” the printed version takes BEFORE it reaches your mail box and in order to be better stewards of the environment, save money, and streamline the process, we are making changes. There will now be three ways to receive your newsletter:

1. Via Email. Emailing the Messenger to you is our most recommended, fastest, best stewardship of our resources, and most environmentally-friendly option. We format The Messenger so that you can print it on normal paper at home.

If, however, you choose to “opt out” of receiving The Messenger via email simply contact the church office and then The Messenger will be available to you via one of these next two options. 1. Sunday Pickup. The Messenger will be available in the fellowship hall

for pickup on Sundays. 2. Online. The newsletter can always be found online at

www.stjohnsmpls.org. On the home page, you will see a box on the right side. Click The Messenger and on the next page select “Click here to read The Messenger online.”

USPS will be used for those unable to get to St. John’s. If you have questions or comments, please contact the office at 612-827-4406 or email us at communications@stjohnsmpls.org

WE ARE CHANGING HOW WE SEND THE MESSENGER…

In November’s issue we posted that we need to make a change.

The time has come.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

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St. John’s Reading Circle will hold its first book discus-

sion following worship on Sunday, January 24, 2016.

We will meet in the Lounge/Library to talk about Toxic

Charity by Robert Lupton. The book is available in pub-

lic libraries and in bookstores, both brick-and-mortar

and online. At least two copies will be in the St. John’s

Library beginning in December. This provocative 2011

book is a fairly quick read (191 pages) that should lead

to a lively discussion. The full title of the book is Toxic

Charity: How Churches and Charities Hurt Those They Help

(And How to Reverse It). All are welcome in January!

Recently, we did some rearranging in the church

kitchen. We had forgotten about all of the silver

pieces that the women of St. John’s had given to the

church. There are two complete coffee service sets:

tray, coffee server, sugar bowl, and creamer. Also,

there are some extra trays, candy dishes, and candle-

holders. We have decided to keep one set and sell

the rest. If you are interested in purchasing any of

these items, please call Elaine Taylor (612-824-5324)

or Marlene Holden (612-927-6369).

COOKBOOK

FUNDRAISER

The new St. John’s Child Care Center Cookbooks are

available for purchase at $10 each... a great hostess/

housewarming gift or birthday present. They may be

purchased by calling St. John’s Child Care office at

(612) 827-1237. Money raised will be used for play-

ground toys/equipment and staff appreciation.

Loaves and Fishes

It is St. John’s turn to

serve at Loaves & Fishes

on Monday, January 25 at

5:00 PM. If you can help or

have questions, please call

Marlene Holden at 612-927-

6369. Please bring an apron

and a hat.

The next Community

Meal is January 23, 2016

We need volunteers. It’s easy, fun

and a LOW time commitment., but with a HUGE

impact. All you have to do is welcome guests, help

prepare and serve food and beverages, bus and wash

dishes, and clean up. The time commitment is ap-

proximately two hours, 11:30-1:30. If you can help,

please sign up on the poster outside the Fellowship

Hall or call the church office at 612-827-4406.

Bring your whole family! Bring a friend!

St John’s

Membership Committee is in full swing after convening our first meeting in early

December. One of the key charges of

this committee is to promote mem-

bership growth via hospitality and

fellowship. Our first event was the

Christmas potluck smorgasbord, held

on Sunday, December 20, which was

a wonderful time of community and fellowship. Future

events have been discussed, but specific dates not yet

determined. Be on the look-out for sign-ups early this

year for a Chili Bowl Cook-Off and a Progressive Dinner!

Additionally, please plan to attend the book discussion of

Toxic Charity on January 24 at 11:15am. If you have ideas

to share with our committee, we are all ears! You can

speak with Jennifer Belz, Jennifer Burdick, or Sean Stagg,

or attend our next meeting on January 7 at 6pm.

THE MESSENGER “Bui ld ing and Nurtur ing a Fai th Communi ty” PAGE 6

Narrative Lectionary Readings for January January 3 2nd Sunday of Christmas Mark 1:21-45

January 10 1st Sunday after Epiphany Mark 2:1-22

January 17 2nd Sunday after Epiphany Mark 4:1-34

January 24 3rd Sunday after Epiphany Mark 5:21-43

January 31 4th Sunday after Epiphany Mark 6:1-29

Food for Ramsey Students We have committed to filling backpacks for 10 families monthly. We will consider more often if food do-

nations permit. We received recommendations from Ramsey parents (via the School Social Worker) about

what food they most often need. We will begin collecting these items in order to build a food pantry for fill-

ing bags in the future.

The requested foods are: rice, meat (canned chicken & tuna), canned fruit,

cereal (Cheerios, Rice Krispies and Mini-Wheats). Please bring these items

to church and place the items into the backpacks in the Narthex and outside

the office.

Thanks for supporting families in our community!

~The Community and Neighborhood Committee

Why do we read what we read on Sundays? The texts of the Narrative Lectionary were selected by two pro-fessors at Luther Seminary in St. Paul. They were chosen because they lead well to the proclamation of what God is doing. The stories tell of hope and disappointment, suffering and redemption. In all these varied contexts, we find God dealing with the complexities of human life. Stories from the gospels differ each year, avoiding repetition and highlighting what is distinctive about each gospel’s telling of the story of Jesus.

The Liturgical Church Year helped to shape the flow of the Narrative Lectionary. Old Testament readings move through the story of God’s dealings with Israel and culminate in Advent with the prophets who speak of longing and hope. Readings from the gospels fit the movement from Christmas and Epiphany to the Transfiguration, Ash Wednesday, Holy Week and Easter. Selections from the book of Acts and Paul’s letters trace the outward move-ment of the resurrection message, culminating on Pentecost with readings focusing on the Spirit.

THE MESSENGER “Bui ld ing and Nurtur ing a Fai th Communi ty” PAGE 7

South Minneapolis Coalition for Grief

Winter Series – 2016

St. Thomas the Apostle Church

2914 West 44th

Street, Minneapolis 55410

Phone: 612-922-0041

Registration and refreshment 6:15 pm

Speaker 6:30 – 7:00 pm

Facilitated small groups 7:00 – 8:00 pm

All groups are on Thursdays

January 21 What is Grief?

January 28 Grief & Guilt

February 4 Gratitude – A new look at the serenity prayer

February 11 Courageous Gratitude – A Way of Grieving

February 18 What I Learned from Grief

February 25 To Keep of Not to Keep? (what to do with

stuff)

TRUST’s

Annual Martin Luther King Celebration

Sunday, January 17th at 5:00 pm

Living Spirit United Methodist Church 4501 Bloomington Avenue South

Join us for fellowship and music. The celebration will feature the voices of Libby Turner, Ann Jensen & Leon Patterson reflecting on their journey to Selma for the 50th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery March. TRUST Youth will provide music & liturgy. A soup and sandwich supper will follow the service. Free will offerings accepted.

POINSETTIAS ADORNED ST. JOHN’S

THIS CHRISTMAS

Given By In Memory Of

Nancy Adams Loved Ones

Mark & Sandi Anderson Our Parents

Jeff Carlson Jane & Roger Carlson

Richard & Nancy Carlson Julie Ann Carlson, Jill Marie

Carlson

Steve & Anna Carlson Family

Ron & Bonnie Conrad Our Parents

Bob & Marlene Holden Our Parents & Grandparents

Kevin & Julie Hurbanis Our Grandparents

Suzanne Jebe Family & Friends

Carol LeBon Husband, Luc LeBon

Jane McDonald Loved Ones

Oly & Julie Stromberg Our Son, Michael

Given By In Honor Of

Steve & Anna Carlson Family

Ron & Bonnie Conrad Our Children & Grandchildren

Ellen & Steve Dosdall Our Children

Eid Family Grandparents

Ercolani Family All Grandparents

Suzanne Jebe Torey Johnson

Pastors Mark & Connie Tiede St. John’s Lutheran Church

Thank you for these gifts!

Information Church Office ................ 612-827-4406 Church Office Fax ........ 612-827-0574 Child Care Center ........ 612-827-1237 Chi Rho Camp .............. 320-274-8307 Church Office email: communications@stjohnsmpls.org Website ............ www.stjohnsmpls.org Like us on Facebook!

Parish Staff PASTOR Mark A. Tiede pastortiede@stjohnsmpls.org

DIRECTOR OF WORSHIP & MUSIC Samuel Grace

OFFICE ASSISTANT Ann Paulson

ORGANIST Peder Flaten INTERIM BOOKKEEPER Abby Larson

CUSTODIANS Matthew Bell Jon Dosdall Joseph Sahai

CHILD CARE CENTER DIRECTOR Tina Shear

CHI RHO CAMP MANAGER David Helm

Church Council Nancy Adams Andrew Berg, Vice President Bonnie Conrad Steve Dosdall, President Vicky Ercolani, Secretary Jesse Fanciulli

The Messenger, St. John’s Lutheran Church (USPS 592-240) is published monthly by St. John’s Lutheran Church, 4842 Nicollet Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55419-2590. Periodicals postage will be paid at Minneapolis, Minnesota. Postmaster: Send address changes to The Messenger, St. John’s Lutheran Church, 4842 Nicollet Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55419-2590.

THE MESSENGER “Bui ld ing and Nurtur ing a Fai th Communi ty” PAGE 8

St. John’s Lutheran Church 4842 Nicollet Avenue

Minneapolis, MN 55419

St. John’s Lutheran Church is a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran

Church in America (ELCA). We believe in the Triune God—Father,

Son, and Holy Spirit. We believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior,

and the Gospel as the power of God for salvation for all that believe.

We believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the

written Word of God, inspired by God’s Spirit speaking through their

authors, recording and announcing God’s revelation centering in Jesus

Christ. We believe the Church to be a people created by God in

Christ and sustained by the Holy Spirit.

Sunday Worship Service at 10:00 a.m.

Nursery care is provided.

Traditional worship that is joyful and welcoming to all.