Volume 53, Issue 2 February 2016

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Lenten Wednesdays ................... 1

Jazz & Jambalaya .......................... 1

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

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

MBC Concert .............................. 2

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

Lenten Midweek Events ............ 3

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

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

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

February Birthdays ..................... 4

February Anniversaries ............. 4

Chili Cook-off! ............................ 5

Women’s Retreat ....................... 5

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

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

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

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

Giving Tree Thank Yous ........... 7

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

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

Thank Yous .................................. 7

The Messenger

Jazz &

Jambalaya

Especially for Kids!

Tuesday, February 2 5:00-6:00pm St. John’s Fellowship Hall Add some flavor to your Tuesday night! Enjoy a deli-cious jambalaya meal and live jazz music from the top Jazz Combo at the University of Minnesota! Fun for the entire family! (There will be hot dogs for those not “jazzed” about jambalaya.) Reservations Encouraged. Please email the church office at

communications@st.johnsmpls.org. This event is free.

LENTEN WEDNESDAYS

ASH WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 10

Service of Holy Communion

Imposition of Ashes

7:00 p.m.

MID-WEEK MEAL & WORSHIP FEBRUARY 17 & 24

MARCH 2, 9, & 16 Soup/Supper, 5:45 p.m.

Worship, 7:00 p.m

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February has arrived and the season of Lent will soon be upon us. The season of Lent

begins with Ash Wednesday with a reminder of our finitude and frailties. We are called to remember that we are dust and to dust we shall return, but did you know that the word Lent actually comes from the Old English word ‘Lecten” which means springtime, or

spring? Perhaps during the season of Lent this year we might counterbalance the inten-tional remembrance of our mortality on Ash Wednesday with a sense of rebirth and joy in whose we have become. Instead of refraining from a food or activity during Lent, add a moment of generosity, levity and joy to your daily life. Celebrate the springtime of your

soul with and/or for another. A personal word of gratitude to you all: On December 25 and 26 I suffered a “spontaneous disc herniation” at my L5

-S1 level in my lower back which caused such pain that I was reduced to laying on the floor, the couch, or in my bed (on my right side only). On January 12 I had successful surgery to repair the herniation and open the passages for my nerves. By the grace of God and your love and support I am now back to work. Thank you all so much for not only the prayers, well wishes, and kind notes and letters, but also for your generous patience for my return to my duties. I am recovering well, pain free, and off all pain meds. My final (hopefully) doctor visit will be on February 11 when I am hopefully cleared to return to work full time. Thank you so much for your love and support.

Pastor Mark

METROPOLITAN BOYS CHOIR

MID-WINTER CONCERT

Sunday, February 28, 3:00 p.m.

All are invited to come and enjoy a va-

riety of music, including choral clas-

sics, patriotic selections, folksongs,

spirituals, musical theatre, and pop.

Free-will offering. A reception will fol-

low the concert.

www.mbchoir.com

MINISTRY COMMITTEES

These committee members welcome your comments, questions, pray-

ers 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 Hur-

banis, Tina Shear

Children, Youth & Family: Anne Nervig, Jesse Fanciulli, Tamara

Gebhardt, Julie Hurbanis

Community & Neighborhood: Mark Gebhardt (chair), Steve Dosdall,

Bea Hasselmann, Marlene Holden, Jack Hurbanis, Elizabeth Roe, Amanda

Stagg, Andy Tellijohn

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

Warner Northrup, Bob Slifer, Oly Stromberg, Joseph Sahai

Chi Rho Center: Brad Nelson (chair), Steve Carlson , Bea Hasselmann,

Lori Johnson, Oly Stromberg, Dave Helm

Membership: Jennifer Belz, Jennifer Burdick, Sean Stagg

Music Series: Deborah Dunham (chair), Jennifer Burdick, Samuel Grace,

Kathy Sapp

Stewardship: Eric Willette (chair), Bonnie Conrad, Tamara Gebhardt,

Phil Roe, Andy Tellijohn

Worship: Sarah Tellijohn (chair), Anna Carlson, Vicky Ercolani, Samuel

Grace, Lori Johnson, Marjorie Sethna

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Worship and Music Update

Children, Youth & Family News

Spring Plan for Sunday School Students During the Fall 2015 Sunday School season, St. John’s had three children of

Sunday School age who attended our classes. The Children, Youth and Family

committee, in consultation with members of the congregation, has made the

decision to modify our plan for Sunday School to meet the realities of our Sunday School attendance. Our

decision is to suspend “traditional” Sunday School until Fall 2016, when our pre-school-aged children are old

enough to begin Sunday School. In the meantime, we will:

1. Encourage our youngest members to interact with fellow congregants of all ages during

fellowship.

2. Organize a few intergenerational events that incorporate elements of Sunday School, such as

music and crafts/activities. The first event will be on Sunday, February 7, the Sunday before Ash

Wednesday.

3. Continue to use the bulletin inserts provided each Sunday to guide conversations about God and

faith with our families.

The CYF committee appreciates the input from the congregation on this matter and believes that the modified

plan for this spring will meet the needs of both our children and Sunday School volunteers.

We have a lot of exciting music coming up this month. On February 2, St John’s Music Series is sponsoring

a “Jazz & Jambalaya” event, featuring music from a talented jazz combo from the University of Minnesota and a

delicious jambalaya meal. On February 7, we have invited bass-baritone Gabriel Hanson to help lead worship for

our Transfiguration Sunday service, which I’m sure you will enjoy. The music series is also sponsoring the Metro-

politan Boys Choir in concert on February 28. With so much happening at St. John’s, I can’t help but thank God

for all of the wonderful blessings he gives our congregation. We are truly blessed.

The calendar is now transitioning us out of Epiphany and into Lent. Purple paraments and flags will soon adorn

our worship space (my favorite color), and we will reflect on Christ’s journey to the cross as we dive deeper into

the Gospel of Mark through our narrative lectionary. I look forward to continuing on this spiritual journey with

you.

-Sam

LENTEN MIDWEEK SERVICES AND SOUP/SUPPERS:

Wednesdays, February 17, 24; March 2, 9, 16

Soup/Supper: 5:45-6:45 p.m.

Worship: 7:00-7:30pm

Lent is a great time for meditation, reflection, and prayer. Join with one

another these Wednesdays in Lent for a light soup/supper followed by a

brief evening worship service. We will be using the “Behold Our Light”

liturgy that we used during Advent.

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Remember in Prayers We ask for continued prayers for healing and comfort for: Carole Birch,

Jane McDonald, Colin Osborn, Betty Schibilla, and Margaret Thompson.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Mark & Sandi Anderson and the family

of Lorraine Anderson.

We continue also to hold in our hearts and prayers Elaine and the family of

Glenn Taylor.

THANK YOU

Dear Friends of St. John’s,

My family and I want to thank you for all the prayers and support during

Glenn’s illness.

Also thanks to the church basement ladies and men for the cookies and

bars and for working in the kitchen. The reception was lovely.

God bless you all.

- Elaine & family

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– 3:30 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

February Birthdays 2 Jada Holden

3 Paul Roff

5 Curt Conrad

6 Heather Andrews

7 Michelle Budd

8 Ken Jerde

9 Megan Fritz

11 Jayme Aune

12 Jasper Carlson

13 Owen Osborn

Mark Vollmer

14 Viola Lee

15 Cynthia Gambucci

Italia Roff

16 Andrew Tellijohn

17 Andrew Dosdall

18 JoAnn Christoferson

20 Andrea Johnson

22 James Gambucci

24 Miles Landin

Bill Matson

Kay Scharf

25 Elsa Burdick

26 Eleanor Nervig

February Anniversaries 4 Ralph & Betty Schibilla

If your birth date and/or

anniversary has not been included or is incorrect,

please call the church office

at 612-827-4406.

In an effort 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 nor-mal 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

FINAL NOTICE:

WE ARE CHANGING HOW WE SEND THE MESSENGER

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“Listening for God in a High Tech World” is the title of St. John’s women’s

retreat, Friday, March 11,th and Saturday, March 12th, 2016. This adventure of faith

will be led by Ann Teel Rabe of St. John’s Episcopal Church, a former parish pastor in

Lutheran churches as well as a chaplain in hospitals and at Hennepin County Juvenile

Center. The cost is $55 for this women's retreat, including three meals and overnight at

Chi Rho Center, Annandale, MN. Lodging and meals are included for Friday evening (5:00 p.m.) through

Saturday afternoon (4:00 p.m.). Reservations can be made with Nancy Adams at 952-831-3362 or na-

naa3@msn.com.

The next Community Meal is February 27, 2016 Volunteers are needed to welcome guests, help prepare

and serve food and beverages, bus and wash dishes, and

clean up. It’s easy, fun and a LOW time commitment with

a HUGE impact. (The time commitment is

approximately 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!

THE FIRST ANNUAL

ST. JOHN’S CHILI COOKOFF/SHOWDOWN!

It’s a truth that remains unquestioned to this day:

your chili is better than anyone else’s, and you can

PROVE IT! Put your chili to the ultimate test on

February 28 as the people of St. John’s vote for the

supreme chili master. To enter, you need only bring

enough chili for everyone to have a taste. To partici-

pate in the tasting, come hungry and come with cash!

We will be voting with cash. The chili that raises the

most cash will be declared the winner, and all money

raised will support a charity to be determined.

Game on, and may the best chili win!

The Reading Circle met on

Sunday, January 24 to discuss

the 2011 book Toxic Charity:

How Churches and Charities

Hurt Those They Help (and

How to Reverse It) by Robert

Lupton, founder of Focused Community Strategies,

based in Atlanta.

With an open and honest conversation represent-

ing differing points of view, the lively discussion

revolved around the book as a written work and

whether it has something to say to church members

and committees as we go about trying to help oth-

ers. Some felt that the book was too wordy and nega-

tive, with little space given to solutions. Others felt

the author needed to tell many stories and give many

explanations and admonishments to get his point

across, but that there were definite “steps to take” in

the text and concepts that can help inform the pro-

jects that we are doing and also how we direct our

giving. The book did make the reader think a lot

about the way...and why...we practice charity. They

also noted that the author’s follow-up book, Charity

Detox (2015), further outlines “how to” structure

programs that can effectively improve the quality of

life of the poor and disenfranchised. A copy of Toxic Charity is now part of our St.

John’s Library, complete with a Reading and

Discussion Guide.

Anyone with suggestions of books or topics for

discussion is welcome to contact the church office.

Editor’s note: Did you know: Lyngblomsten Care

Community was born out of a 1903 “literary

society”? See the article, “The Early Years,” at

www.lyngblomsten.org/publications or in the

“Lyngblomsten Lifestyle” Winter 2016 magazine.

-ap

The quarterly devotionals “Christ in Our Home” and “The Word in Season” are again available in the narthex for anyone who

would like one.

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Narrative Lectionary Readings for February

February 7 Transfiguration Mark 8:27-9:8

February 10 Ash Wednesday Mark 9:30-37

February 14 1st Sunday in Lent Mark 10:17-31

February 21 2nd Sunday in Lent Mark 10:32-52

February 28 3rd Sunday in Lent Mark 12:1-12

Bring your coins and mark your calendar for Feb. 7!

Two special events will take place at St. John’s on Feb. 7:

1) We will have a noisy offering to benefit our food shelf initiative for

hungry families at Ramsey.

2) After worship, be sure to come to Fellowship Hall. The Children, Youth, and

Family committee is sponsoring an inter-generational Sunday School with

music, a king cake and a fun Mardi-Gras Carnival-themed game.

Food for hungry families: Also, in addition to bringing coins to benefit the food shelf on Feb. 7, food dona-

tions are welcome and needed every week in order to build a food pantry for filling bags in the future. A full list of

needed items are included in the bulletin. We’re in special need of these items to complete the food-filled backpacks

for the Ramsey families: rice, canned meat: chicken or tuna, canned fruit, cereal: Cheerios, Rice Krispies or

Mini Wheats. We have committed to filling backpacks for 10 families monthly. We will consider more often if

food donations permit. We are collecting these items in order to build a food pantry for filling

bags in the future.

The CAN (Community and Neighborhood) Committee will be packing and delivering backpacks

on the 4th Wednesday and Thursday of the month.

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.

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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

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)

March 3 Habits of Resilience

March 10 Steps to Move Forward

March 17 Service of Remembrance

Thank you so much for blessing our family this

Christmas. Your generosity is greatly appreciated

and the gifts were thoughtful and will be used

much in the coming year. My favorite gift was the

Audubon Bird Calendar. The nature book drawn

by Marjolein Bastin is a nice surprise--she is one

of my favorite artists! The warm shirts and socks

will keep me cozy this winter. The pretty pink

notebook is a great place for me to write thoughts,

notes and poems. May God bless you for your

generosity. Have a Happy New Year! --Kaitlyn

Dear St. John’s gift givers,

May the Lord bless you for your love that you

showed to my family. The gifts you gave to my

family were perfect. The shop light and coffee gift

cards will be used with great thoughts. The coffee

gift card will be used so I can spend some “alone”

time with my wife and the shop light will help me

to save money as I work on our own trucks.

Again, thank you for your thoughtfulness. –Floyd

Dear friends at St. John’s,

Merry Christmas & Happy 2016. I pray you were blessed

by giving! We all were truly blessed and humbled by your

generosity. A “special” thanks for the last minute “special”

delivery of a package (which turned out to be my favorite

gift, a beautiful planning calendar). Our Christmas this year

has been filled with joy and sorrow—a mix of struggles

from a world perspective and great blessings from a spiritu-

al perspective. God is so GOOD to give us both! He works

for all for good for those who LOVE HIM and are called

according to HIS purpose. Thanks to all those who gave to

us. Joy in Jesus.

In Christ Alone,

Sandra Seres (from the Snowman Family)

Dear St. John’s,

I hope you had a blessed Christmas! Thank you

for the Hobby Lobby gift card, airplane calendar,

wool socks, water color supplies and silks pants.

The socks are exactly what I wanted and I am

thankful for whoever wrote the note. I will use

the Hobby Lobby gift card for a model plane or

car. Thank you so much for all the thought and

your generosity!

Love, Jake

“Grace to you and peace from God our Father

and the Lord Jesus Christ.” I Corinthians 1:3

Dear Saint John’s,

Thank you so much for your kind generosity. I

already am enjoying the books and look forward

to building the airplane. The paint colors match

the airplane colors perfectly. Thank you also for

the Hobby Lobby gift card and the peppermint

candy cane and the money.

Love, John

P.S. A special thank you for whoever took the

time to buy the Ron Schara books.

THE GIVING TREE:

THANK YOUS!

TRUST PARISH NURSE: Ann Dunagan 612-822-2394

THANK YOU to Joyce Larson for all of her gracious help in the

office during the time in January when Pr. Mark was out recov-

ering and Sam was out directing a musical!

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

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 Bob Holden Jack Hurbanis Mark Nervig, Treasurer Sean Stagg

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.

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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.