The Year of Generosity
Bishop Daniel has designated 2021 the Year of Generosity, which will center around the following questions, which consider generosity in its many forms:
- What does it mean to be generous with your time?
- What does it mean to be generous with your gifts and talents?
- What does it mean to be generous with your resources?
Our theme verse for this year will be Matthew 6:21, where Jesus speaks these words, which are a part of his Sermon on the Mount: "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (NRSV) For other translations of this verse, you can go here.
Bishop Daniel is challenging us to do a "Chronological" reading of the New Testament in 2021. This means that the New Testament books which were written first are the first ones to read. Two daily reading guides have been provided:
For your convenience, I have linked the first week of readings:
- January 1 James 1
- January 2 James 2
- January 3 James 3
- January 4 James 4
- January 5 James 5
- January 6 First Thessalonians 1
- January 7 First Thessalonians 2
ELCA Youth Gathering
One of the many events disrupted by the pandemic was the ELCA Youth Gathering, which normally meets every three years. After the 2018 Gathering in Houston, the Gathering Team scheduled the 2021 Gathering to be held in Minneapolis. After much prayer and consideration, the Team decided to postpone the Gathering to 2022. The Gathering will be held July 24-28, same place, with the same planned theme: “boundless: God beyond measure,” based on Ephesians 3:19 CEV: “I want you to know all about Christ’s love, although it is too wonderful to be measured. Then your lives will be filled with all that God is.”
Registration normally begins in September prior to the Gathering, so by the fall, youth from St. John's will be eligible to register. Our current group of youth and parents had met early in 2020 and decided to plan to attend, and scheduled the first fundraiser, a casserole sale at the end of March. Of course, that never happened, as that was the begining of in-person worship suspension. This is an excellent goal for 2021, to register a group of youth and adults to attend the Gathering in 2022. For more information you can go HERE.
Sunday Morning Social!
I've scheduled a Zoom meeting for every Sunday morning beginning at 10:00 am. I'm calling this meeting "Sunday Morning Social!", as that's what it'll be -- just a time to check-in with each other and stay in touch. I've scheduled the meeting for 45 minutes, but will advertise it as a half-hour gathering. If it goes longer, that's fine with me. I just need to be ready for drive-through communion at 11:00. Here's the invite info, which I will also publish in tomorrow's Weekend Update email, and will stay the same each week:
- Join Zoom Meeting Sunday mornings at 10:00 am
- Meeting ID: 830 6507 5274
- Passcode: 098677
- Join by phone: +1 646 558 8656
End-of-the-year Giving
I'm guessing you received my Tuesday email regarding end-of-the-year giving. I'm happy to report that that the email generated two gifts through the St. John's online giving portal: one for $200 and another for $300. Also, several brought their offerings to the church office in the waning days of the calendar/tax year. Thank you ALL for your generosity!
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