Interim Update for November 27, 2020

Thank you!!

The card and the enclosed gift cards from St. John's Council that was presented to me at the close of the Congregation meeting last Sunday were very much appreciated. I have already used the Best Buy card! Thank you very much!!

In-person Worship suspension

Just a reminder that in-person worship will be suspended for a minimum of three Sundays, beginning this weekend, November 29. Council will reevaluate the Covid-19 risk at their next meeting on December 15, and determine whether or not to continue the suspension, including Christmas Eve worship.

Thanksgiving Worship

At noon on Wednesday I livestreamed Thanksgving Worship on YouTube, which was available then or later on demand. As of this writing, the YouTube video was viewed 21 times. It's not too late to add to that number, and if you care to do so, you can find it HERE.

Advent at St. John's

Advent at St. John's will be celebrated in the following ways:

• Sunday Worship
  • YouTube worship livestreamed at 8:30 am on November 29, December 6, 13 and 20.
  • We will light the Advent Wreath with a special prayer, adding a candle each week until all are glowing brightly
  • Drive-through Holy Communion. If numbers increase significantly because of in-person suspension, I will add another half-hour, either before or after
• Midweek Advent Series
  Instead of evening in-person Advent worship, my plan is to offer three Wednesday Advent Worship services, livestreaming on YouTube at noon. Of course, as with all the YouTube services, they can be joined on demand at any time after the initial start of the livestream. Our theme will be "Arise and Shine," an offering from Creative Communications for the Parish. Here's a description of the series: We welcome the Christ Child, who is the light of the world, arising in our lives this season. In celebration, we, in turn, shine with the light of Christ in various ways for all the world to see the brightness of his love. Each week will focus on a different aspect of the light of Christ and how we are enlightened by him throughout our lives. The theme verse for the entire series is: “Arise, shine, for your light has come” (Isaiah 60:1). Our weekly themes will be:
  • Wednesday, December 2
    Rising Light (Isaiah 60:1): Living in the light of Jesus, we prepare to celebrate his birth. Repenting of our sins, we put away the works of darkness and dress in the armor of light.
  • Wednesday, December 9
    Reflected Light (Zechariah 9:16): During Advent we remember the birth of Jesus, the Light of the world. We reflect his light in our daily lives.
  • Wednesday, December 16
    Healing Light (Malachi 4:2): With repentant joy we anticipate the birth of our Savior. We listen to his Word and live according to it until he comes again.
• Individual and Family Devotions
  Our primary resource for this will be the devotional created by professors at Luther Seminary in St. Paul. The theme of this devotional series is "O Lord How Shall I Meet You," and you can find more information and download the devotionals HERE. There are both regular and large-print versions available. There also may be additional family devotional resources from the Advent series from Creative Communications that I could easily share.
• Advent Altar Flowers
  These have been provided by Jan LaBonte in memory of Marlene Buck and in gratitude to the many faithful choir members, past and present.

New Option for Those Joining Worship by Phone

For a number of weeks, I have offered an audio-only option via Zoom of 10:00 in-person worship, which has worked well for those who do not have a computer and internet, and have been able to listen to the service on their phone. Now that in-person worship has been suspended, I have developed a new way to make worship available to this group. It utilizes a service called Twilio, and here's how it will work:

• Record the 8:30 service on my phone
• Upload the mp3 audio file from my phone to my Dropbox account
• Link to that file from a service called Twilio, that will enable anyone with a phone to dial in and listen to the service
• Provide the call-in number to those who have been using their phone to join worship
• My hope is that it will be ready to listen to by 10:00
• I'm planning a trial run of this new tech option this Sunday

ELCA Interim Pastors Zoom

Today I joined a monthly Zoom meeting of ELCA Interim Pastors. One of the pastors is at a congregatigon in Portland, Oregon, which had considered closing, but through lots of discussions and converastions about where God was leading them, decided that God was leading them to continue their food and clothing bank ministries, and to facilitate the building of a 30 unit housing project for homeless veterans.

ELCA Global Links

You can read the latest updates on what how the ELCA reaches out with the gospel globally HERE.

Bishop Daniel's latest email

You can read it HERE.

New Beginnings Newsletter

Read the latest news from Trinity Seminary HERE.

Interim Update for November 20, 2020

Congregation Budget and Election Meeting Sunday

Don't forget -- the Annual Budget and Election Congregation Meeting will be held this Sunday, November 22, immediately following in-person worship. We expect to begin no later than 11:00 am. There will also be a Zoom option for attendance at this meeting. If you have not not completed the Congregational Meeting Attendance Survey, it's not too late. You can do so HERE.

In-person Worship Suspended

In light of significant increases in Covid-19 in our area, St. John's Council voted at their meeting Tuesday evening to suspend in-person worship for three Sundays, beginning November 29, including December 6 and December 13. Council meets again on Tuesday, December 15, and will decide at that time, based on current conditions, whether to extend the suspension for additional Sundays, including Christmas Eve Worship.

As of today, the Ohio Public Health Advisory System indicated Huron County as still orange, but surrounded by three counties, showing red - Erie, Seneca, Sandusky, as are most of the other counties in Ohio.

Our online worship via YouTube will continue as before, going live at 8:30 am and available for viewing any time after that. Drive-through Holy Communion will continue to be offered from 11:00-11:30

No Drive-Through Communion this Sunday

Because of the Congregation Budget and Election meeting scheduled for after worship on Sunday, drive-through Holy Communion will not be offered. As mentioned above, this Sunday morning option will resume and continue on November 29 and beyond.

Worship Team meets

The Worship and Music team met on Thursday. Our primary discussion items were plans for Advent and Christmas. We are planning some online Advent devotions, and I am tentatively planning on doing a YouTube based Advent Worship Series for three Wednesdays, December 2, 9 and 16. More details about that next week.

Stewardship Program Update

Our stewardship program, "Live Generously," is now in the "wait-for-intent-cards-to-come-in-and-then-report-the-results" stage. The Stewardship Team met on Thursday for one final Zoom meeting with Jennie, our GSB Fundraising consultant. Once the bulk of intent cards have been returned, the Team will send out thank you notes. It's not too late for you to complete yours -- you can view/print/download one HERE.

Spaghetti fundraiser report

The St. John's Preschool Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser, put on by school staff/board/volunteers, was a huge success. Here'a a report from Mrs. Lilly:

Hello all,
Thank you for all of your hard work to make our first spaghetti dinner so successful! Here are the totals:
Ticket sales + donations = $5,155
Thrivent VISA gift card used for ingredients at Sam's = $250
Ingredients and supplies purchased on preschool MasterCard = $769.20
TOTAL PROFIT = $4,385.80
All I can say is wow! The support from church members and preschool families was incredible. The volunteer hours from preschool board members, preschool staff, high school helpers, meatball (Jeromie) and sauce (Kevin and Missy) makers was amazing! Who knew we would end up selling 320 dinners?!
Thank you so very much!
In His Love,
Linda

Thanksgiving Service

I am planning on doing a Thanksgiving Service via YouTube next Wednesday, November 25. I will be posting it sometime during the day for viewing any time after it's posted. I'll provide more details in a MailChimp message next week.

Confirmation Update

Confirmation youth met on Wednesday with three youth absent because of illness or activities. I had considered meeting with youth during December Wednesdays, but with the Covid-19 numbers up, I have decided that we will not meet again until at least January. I need to notify the parents about this, but plan to soon.

Tribute to Terry Fretheim

One of my Old Testament professors at Luther Seminary died this past week -- Dr. Terry Fretheim, who was a highly respected interpreter and scholar of the Hebrew Scriptures. One his former colleagues at Luther, Dr. Michael Chan, who was one the presenters at my 2019 Winter Park Continuing Education Week, provides a tribute essay HERE.

ELCA Seeds Monthly

You can read the November issue of this resource for congregations HERE

Healthy Congregation Leadership Series

Today I spent the day attending my Healthy Congregations Leadership Series via Zoom. We meet all day one Friday per month from September to May, minus December. Mornings are spent with didactic learning, and afternoon there's small group work on applying Bowen Systems Theory. This is my primary continuing education for 2020-2021.

Bishop Daniel's Email

You can read Bishop Daniel's most recent email HERE.

Interim Update for November 13, 2020

Return your Intent Cards for "Live Generously" Campaign!

By now you should have received and had a chance to review the latest mailing in our Live Generously stewardship campaign. We're asking everyone to think and pray about this, and return the cards to worship this weekend, or to mail to the church office in the enclosed envelope. If you have misplaced or not received it, you can view/download/print a version of the mailing HERE, and the Intent Card HERE. The Stewardship Team and I have completed our cards, and we're hoping for a 100% participation from Coucil. My Intent Card will reflect a 10% increase in my giving in 2021 over 2020, and a plan to set up monthly automatic giving through one of my financial services providers. Thank you for your generosity!

Covid rate increases

Covid 19 cases continue to rise in Ohio. I encourage everyone to make the best choices for your own health and safety. One thing that our Plan of Return (to in-person worship) -- implemented at the end of May -- did not address was under what conditions we would again suspend in-person worship. Some congregations have implemented a system based on the Ohio Public Health Advisory System (OPHAS) to determine if and when to suspend in-person worship. This is a color coded guide called the Ohio COVID-19 Risk Level Guidelines for the Public, and includes the now familiar colors of yellow, orange, red and purple, with recommended restrictions of citizen activities. Some congregations have decided to suspend in-person worship whenever the advisory system indicates red or purple for the county in which the congregation gathers for worship.

I have asked the Executive Team to meet briefly after worship on Sunday to discuss some contingency plans for possible suspension of in-person worship. Let the team know if you have any concerns or suggestions before we meet on Sunday.

As I said last week, I continue to recommend Dr. Michael Osterholm and his weekly podcast as reliable sources of scientific information regarding the pandemic, and link to the weekly episodes in Weekend Update emails. You can listen to this week's episode HERE. You may have noticed that Dr. Osterholm was named by President-Elect Biden to the pandemic task force for the new administration.

Sympathy

Three of our St. John's family entered the Church Triumphant this past week. We extend our sympathy to the family of Betty Norman and Glenn Wahlers, who died on Wednesday, and Carol Hildebrand, who died on Thursday. Funeral for Carol will be Monday morning at the church at 10:30 am, for Betty also on Monday, 2:00 at Foos and Foos, but for family only, and for Glenn, TBA.

Annual Meeting Options and Membership Update

Don't forget -- the Annual Budget and Election Congregation Meeting will be held on Sunday, November 22, immediately following in-person worship. We expect to begin no later than 11:00 am. There will also be a Zoom option for attendance at this meeting. This is a repeat, but just a friendly reminder: to help prepare for this meeting, and to also gather information regarding worship participation, contact information updates, and any needs for pastoral care, a survey has been prepared to receive your input. If you haven't already, please click or tap on link below, complete and submit the survey. It should only take a minute or two of your time. Thank you very much!
Congregational Meeting Attendance Survey

Offering report

Week of October 14 - November 13
62 Contributors

• 2020 - $14,775
• 2019 - $15,917
• 2018 - $20,264

Upcoming Diakonia class taught by Chris Young!

Former St. John's member Pastor Chris Young is encouraging members of Eastern Conference congregations to register for the next session of Diakonia, a program of adult Christian learning and Discipleship. Here's a description of the course:

Course Description: We will learn why communicating the gospel is the heart of who we are as the church. We will deepen our own prayer lives as we listen for the ways the Spirit empowers each of us to become more confident in sharing our faith. We will explore the difference the gospel makes in our own lives, and why it can make a difference in the lives of others. Then we will share in the rich experiences of “how” and “where” lives are being changed through Christ’s mission to love the world. We will find our own voice. We will learn to lead the way in unbinding the gospel in and through our own congregations.

The course meets on five Thursday evenings via Zoom in December and January. Click HERE for a complete course description, schedule, and info on registration.

Spaghetti is Ready!

Linda, family, staff and board have been very busy recently with preparations for their big Spaghetti Dinner fundraiser Sunday. I received this email from Linda:

With a little tomato sauce stress and drama ... I am very happy to say that we now have all of the ingredients needed to make 325 spaghetti dinners for Sunday! Woohoo! Because of the number of tickets sold, we will not have extras for people to buy on Sunday. They will have to wait until the next dinner :) With COVID being so close to home, we will be short some volunteers but we know God will provide and all will be OK here. Our prayers are with all of those who have tested positive, those who have to quarantine, and especially with those who have symptoms.

If you bought tickets, be sure to pick up your dinners after worship on Sunday. Your tickets have instructions on what to do to get your dinners delivered to your car.

Interim Update for November 6, 2020

Covid rate increases

I'm sure we're all aware that Covid 19 cases are on the rise in Ohio. We continue to encourage you to make the best choices for your own health and safety. In addition to our own Ohio Department of Health Covid 19 Dashboard, I continue to recommend Dr. Michael Osterholm and his weekly podcast as reliable sources of scientific information regarding the pandemic, and link to the weekly episodes in Weekend Update emails. You can listen to this week's episode HERE.

Annual Meeting Options and Membership Update

Hopefully you received the email from St. John's regarding the annual meeting and contact info updat. So far, we have received 30 responses, but would like to see more. If you haven't responded yet, do so now, -- it will take only a couple of minutes. I've pasted the email content and clickable link below:

The Annual Budget and Election Congregation Meeting will be held on Sunday, November 22, immediately following in-person worship. We expect to begin no later than 11:00 am. There will also be a Zoom option for attendance at this meeting.

To help prepare for this meeting, and to also gather information regarding worship participation, contact information updates, and any needs for pastoral care, a survey has been prepared to receive your input.

Please click or tap on link below, complete and submit the survey. It should only take a minute or two of your time. Thank you very much!

Congregational Meeting Attendance Survey

Intent Cards Mailed for Stewardship Program

The Stewardship Team met Thursday for our 5th of six Zoom meetings. The focus of this Zoom was reporting results, which we will do beginning on November 22. The Team also used their time on Thursday to complete the next mailing, which was entrusted to USPS that afternoon, so you may have it by now, or if not, you will receive it soon. If you'd rather not wait, you can read the letter HERE, and the Intent Card HERE. The letter asks members to complete the Intent Card and bring it to worship on November 15, or use the enclosed envelope to mail it to the church office.

I and the Stewardship Team have completed our cards, and we are asking Council to be next -- we are hoping for 100% participation. My Intent Card will reflect a 10% increase in my giving in 2021 over 2020, and a plan to set up monthly automatic giving through one of my financial services providers.

2021 Budget will be mailed on Monday

St. John's Treasurer, Shaun Smith, has prepared the St. John's 2021 budget, for presentation, discussion and adoption at the annual Congregation Budget and Election Meeting following in-person worship on Sunday, November 22. Following the requirements set forth in the St. John's Constitution, notice of the meeting must be announced at the two previous weekend services, and by mail not less than ten days before the meeting. A copy of this notice, along with the 2021 budget, are in included in the mailing that you can expect next week. If you'd rather not wait for the hard copy in the mail, you can also view/download/print it from HERE.

Offering report

Our Breeze Church Management Software Dashboard is now displaying offering information for the past 30 days, and comparing it with the previous two years.

Week of October 7 - November 6

• 2020 - $9,960
• 2019 - $16,743
• 2018 - $20,953

Confirmation Notes

With the fair weather we had on Wednesday evening, we got in another session of Four Square in the parking lot. Then we went inside for our lession, where we continued our study of the Second Article of the Creed, by reviewing the main points of the Jesus' ministry.

Links for you

• ELCA Global Links
• NWOS On the Way Year-End-Ask
• New Beginnings -- News from Trinity Seminary

A Personal Note

I shared this info with the St. John's Prays FB group, and am happy to share it here as well. My daughter Sarah and her cat, Cachew, left on Wednesday for a cross-country trip from Logan, Utah to our house in Ohio. In her third year of a PhD program in Math at Utah State, and with teaching responsibilities, she received permission from her program to attend her graduate classes and teach her Calculus course to undergrads for the rest of the semester remotely. Friday afternoon she arrived at her grandmother's house (Marcy's mom) near Fayette, MO, and is spending the night there. She'll leave Saturday morning for the 10-11 hour trip to Huron. Pray for safe travels for Sarah and Cachew.