Interim Update for March 26, 2021

An Unexpected Trip to Missouri

On Wednesday, Marcy asked if I would accompany her to Missouri to visit her mother, Martha, who is in the process of moving out of her home where she has lived for the past 20 years with her husband, Philip. Philip, age 97, has recently moved to a care facility for rehab care following a recent illness. Martha, age 89, also has health issues which make it impossible to live by herself in a large house out in the country. Martha will be moving in with Philip at the care center until they can move into a new assisted living facility in the nearest town, Fayette. Marcy and I drove to Martha's house on Thursday (about 11 hours) and today (Friday) Marcy, along with her sister Peggy, who flew in from Pittsburgh, and Peggy's daughter Diana, who flew in from Rapid City, are assisting their mom/grandma with personal items in her home so the house can be ready for one of Philip's grandsons to move in. Marcy and I will return to Ohio on Saturday.

Confirmation Details Meeting

On Wednesday, I invited parents of Confirmation Youth to join our Zoom meeting at 7:15 following our 6:30 session to discuss details of Confirmation. These detais included such things as final class sessions for confirmands on April 14 and 21, suggestions for final faith essays and confirmation verses, photos (Doug Klein will do, flowers, robes, etc. Kaden Miller will join the 8th graders, as he was scheduled to affirm his faith last year, but did not do so because of the pandemic. There will be seven St. John's youth who wil affirm their faith on April 25.

Luther's Small Catechism Link

To help confirmands review the Catechism that we have studied over the past two years, a prepared and published an online version. If you'd like to take a look to read and review, you can do so HERE.

Ready to go for Palm Sunday

Executive met last Sunday after YouTube worship to finalize the plans for our return to in-person worship on Palm Sunday. A few minor changes have been made since our previous period of in-person worship. A reminder that our previous protocols regarding masks, distancing, limited speaking/singing will continue to be observed.

Help Needed for Return to In-Person Worship and Beyond

This is a repeat from last week. Worship Helpers for In-Person worship beginning Palm Sunday are needed. For a list and description of the helpers we need, along with an online form to sign up, please click or tap HERE. Executive Committee will meet at 9:30 Sunday Morning to finalize plans for Palm Sunday.

Maundy Thursday and Good Friday

Holy Week Services of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday will be offered as YouTube livestreams only, which can also be viewed later on demand. Both services will go live at noon. YouTube links will be emailed and text messaged shortly before noon on Thursday and Friday.

Two Services on Easter Sunday!

There will be two services on Easter Sunday, at 8:30 am and 10:00 am. We would prefer that attendance at each service not exceed 100, and are asking that you use the online form linked below to register your intention, or call the church office at 419-483-5442.

Online Registration Form for Easter Sunday

Interim Update for March 19, 2021

Thrivent Choice Dollars Deadline

I know that most of you don't own Thrivent products, and even if you do, not all of them generate Choice Dollars. These are the funds that the company must disperse to the community to keep their non-profit status as a fraternal insurance company. Policy owners can disberse the accumulated funds to the non-profit of their choice. St. John's Lutheran Church and St. John's Christian Preschool are both on the list. The deadline for designating your funds is March 31.

Funeral for Paul Wott

The funeral for Paul Wott will be Saturday, March 20, 10:00 am at St. Johns. Rest eternal grant him, O Lord! We extend our sympathy to Paul's family, and thank God for Paul's faithfulness and service. You can read Paul's obituary HERE.

Council met on Tuesday

Council held its March meeting on Tuesday at 7:00pm, with some attending in-person and others attend via Zoom. Toni has posted the draft (unofficial) of the minutes, which you can read HERE.

New Copier Ordered

An item of business at the meeting was the purchase of a new copier. Our Ricoh is no longer supported by our vendor, MT Business Systems. We decidedd to purchase a new Richoh color copier, which will cost of less money than our current monochrome copier. Our new vendor is Perry Pro Tech out of Perrysburg. The sales rep met with Shaun on Thursday afternoon, and completed the sales contract.

Congregation Notified of Pastor Mark's last Sunday

A message from me regarding my last Sunday at St. John's was sent out on MailChip on Wednesday, and linked by text message. A snail mail letter was sent to our non-email members on Thursday. In case you missed it, you can read it HERE.

The Puzzle of the Cross and 40 Days of Giving

Our theme this week was Savior, and we move on to the "Sacrifice" piece on March 24, "Sacrifice" and "Salvation" on April 1, Maundy Thursday.

Keep monitoring the St. John's Facebook page for information and resouces for our 40 Days of Giving theme, which is sponsored by the ELCA Hunger Program. We set a goal of raising $1,000 for this program, which helps fight hunger around the world, and have suggested a gift of $1, $2, or $3 a day for 40 days of Lent. So far we have received $1,260!! Let's set a new goal of $1,500! I've pledged at the $3 rate, or $120. You can give directly to a special St. John's fund through our online giving portal HERE, or mark your gift "40 Days of Giving."

Help Needed for Return to In-Person Worship and Beyond

Worship Helpers for In-Person worship beginning Palm Sunday are needed. For a list and description of the helpers we need, along with an online form to sign up, please click or tap HERE. Executive Committee will meet at 9:30 Sunday Morning to finalize plans for Palm Sunday.

First Communion Class scheduled

I have two third-graders and one second grader who will participate in a first communion learning program. We will meet via Zoom at 5:00 pm on Wednesdays, Apri 7 and 14. Possibly a First Communion Sunday on April 18.

Confirmation Parents Meeting Scheduled

I have asked parents of those who will be affirming their faith (five 8th graders and one ninth grader) to join the Confirmation Zoom at the end of our session at 7:15 so we can discuss details regarding confirmation on April 25. I've sent a message to Cindy Klein to see if she could do the class photo to add to the St. John's hallway gallery.

Preschool Kids Sing Some Songs

On Wednesday morning and afternoon, I grabbed my guitar, dusted off my vocal chords, and led some songs for the preschool classes. I sang and played from the hallway (mask on) and the kids sang along. Repeated the process on Thursday for that day's classes.

Interim Update for March 12, 2021

First Covid-19 Vaccination

I received the first dose this morning in the program sponsored and staffed by Fisher Titus in Norwalk. The event was staged at the Expo Center at the Huron County Fairgrounds, and there were 8 vaccination stations. Hundreds in attendance getting their vaccine -- waiting for their number to be called, then sitting for 15 minutes post vaccine before exiting. Members from St. Peter in Norwalk were on hand to direct traffic in the parking lot, and the St. Peter church bus was available for those who needed a ride from the lot to the door. It was all an impressive display of organization and execution. I go back in three weeks for the second dose. Pfizer.

AA and Huron County Quilters Have Called

Representative of two groups that have met at St. John's called this week to ask about possible return to their previous schedules. We will need to make a decision about this at Tuesday's Council Meeting.

The Puzzle of the Cross and 40 Days of Giving

We had some technical difficulties for our Midweek Lenten Worship on our YouTube channel on Wednesday. The internet was running very slow -- it took forever to get the email sent and the link posted to Facebook, and things didn't get any better when I finally got things together at about 12:15 pm. Got word that the YouTube stream ended at about 11 miniutes, in the middle of the sermon. Fortunately, I had an audio recording that I made to upload to the "Dial-a-sermon" service, and was able to send out another email with that file linked for listening.

Our theme last week was Sin, and we move on to the "Savior" piece on March 17, "Sacrifice" on March 24, and "Salvation" on April 1, Maundy Thursday.

Keep monitoring the St. John's Facebook page for information and resouces for our 40 Days of Giving theme, which is sponsored by the ELCA Hunger Program. We set a goal of raising $1,000 for this program, which helps fight hunger around the world, and have suggested a gift of $1, $2, or $3 a day for 40 days of Lent. So far we have received $1,260!! Let's set a new goal of $1,500! I've pledged at the $3 rate, or $120. You can give directly to a special St. John's fund through our online giving portal HERE, or mark your gift "40 Days of Giving."

Serve Bellevue - Bellevue Ministerial Association Project

Although I have not attnded BMA meetings recently, I have received their emails of what's happening and being planned. An upcoming event is called Serve Bellevue, and is scheduled for Saturday, April 24, from 8:30 am - 12:30 pm. If you know of a project that needs the help of others, or would be willing to volunteer that morning, either way there are ways to sign up. I will not be available to participate, but if anyone would be, here are some informatonal items.

Unite together with Bellevue churches to show the love of Jesus by serving our neighbors with practical acts of service and kindness. Suggest a project for Serve Bellevue that will perhaps help a widow, single parent, or elderly person in your neighborhood. The project submission deadline is April 12. For more information and to sign-up to volunteer in Serve Bellevue or suggest a project, go HERE.

• Serve Bellevue Information Sheet
• Serve Bellevue Promotional Video

Proposal for New Copier

We have received a proposal for leasing or purchasing a new copier. Why? Well, let me try to explain. Our current copier is a Ricoh, sold and serviced by MT Business Technologies. This company was sold, and no longer sells or services Ricoh copiers. We have received an offer from PerryProTech out of Perrysburg, who is a certified Ricoh dealer, to lease or purchase a new Ricoh copier for less money than what we are paying for the current machine. In addition, the new copier will do color. Shaun has been taking a close look at the offer, which he was able to discuss with the sales associate, as both were present in the office this morning. We are considering a purchase rather than a lease, as this would cost less money that leasing over the course of the lease period. If you want to look at the proposal, I've linked it HERE.

Update from Shaun: The quote that pastor linked in the paragraph is no longer accurate. After meeting with the rep he rewrote a new quote that better reflected our situation and usage. Its not drastically different than what you can see but if anyone has any questions, just let me know.

Still Time to Order Candy!

The St. John's Preschool is still taking orders for its 2021 Easter Candy Sale. The deadline for orders is Thursday, March 18. Delivery will be Palm sunday, March 28, from 11:00 - 11:30 in the church parking lot. For more information and for ways to order and pay, go HERE.

A New Dean for Eastern Conference

The Eastern Conference Rostered Leaders met on Thursday morning in a Zoom meeting led by Bishop Daniel. One of the main reasons for his presence with us was to install Pr. Stacy Lauer (St. John's Union Corners) as the new Dean of the Eastern Conference. This position was previously held by Pr. Jody Rice (Gace Femont) but has been vacant since Pr. Jody retired last November. The Dean serves as the liasion between the conferences and the Bishop, and meet with him on a regular basis. The Deans also participate in the call process, meeting with synod staff, conference Call Process Facilitator (that would be Henry Seibert for our Eastern Conference) in interviewing candidates and recommending them to congregations in the call process. It's a big job for which there is no extra compensation, so thank you, Pr. Stacy for your willingness to serve!

Synod Transitional Leaders meet via Zoom

Thursday afternoon I joined the synod transitional leaders group. It's always good to hear what's happening with other congregations in the synod that are in transition.

Interim Update for March 5, 2021

Council Decision on In-Person Worship

Countil met in a special meeting on Tuesday, March 2, to consider returning to in-person worship. Decision was to return to in-person worship beginning Palm Sunday, March 28. The Executive Team revised the Plan for Return that guided our return to in-person worship on June 7. I reported this to the congregation in an email that was sent Thursday. Most of you would have seen and read it, but ICYMI, you can also read it HERE.

The Puzzle of the Cross and 40 Days of Giving

Last week, the first piece of our puzzle was "God," and on Wednesday we considered the second piece "Humanity." Our remaining pieces are:

• March 10 - "Sin"
• March 17 - "Savior"
• March 24 - "Sacrifice"
• April 1 - "Salvation" (Maundy Thursday)

Be sure to monitor the St. John's Facebook page for information and resouces for our 40 Days of Giving theme, which is sponsored by the ELCA Hunger Program. We have set a goal of raising $1,000 for this program, which helps fight hunger around the world. We are suggesting a gift of $1, $2, or $3 a day for 40 days of Lent. I've pledged at the $3 rate, or $120. You can give directly to a special St. John's fund through our online giving portal HERE, or mark your gift "40 Days of Giving."

Buckeyes, Turtles, and Pretzel Rods!!

The Preschool is doing their annual spring candy sale, although they've scaled it down a bit and will only fill advance orders for the items in this paragraph title. If you want to get a piece of this sweet action, you'll have to put in your order. I sent out a separate email today that included both online and pdf order forms. In consultation with Shaun, I also set up a special account in Breeze, so that members (and preschool families as well) can order and pay online. For more information and to place your order, go HERE.

LInks for You

• ELCA Advocacy
• ELCA Global Mission Links
• Bishop Daniel's weekly email

Online Worship Metrics

I reported in a previous Update that we (I, Shaun, Kristen) had completed the ELCA Parochial Report and submitted it. I noted that the attendance stats included estimates of worship attendance based of YouTube views, stating that I used a metric of 1.5 attendees per view. Interestingly enought, I came across a blog post on precisely this issue. My estimate is very close to the metrics suggested in this post, which you can read HERE.

ACC Visit

I reported previously that the a new staff person from Advanced Computer Connections (ACC) paid us a visit to introduce himself. He wanted to know if we had any problems that needed addressed, and I told him that wifi in the loung was weak, as it failed me several times while doing confirmation lessons in that room. He made some adjustments to the router, so we will see if that helps. If not, we may need to add a separate access point in that room, which would be at our expense of several hundred $$.

Confirmation Youth learn Baptism

We started the first of two lessons on Holy Baptism, and learned from the first question and answer on Baptism in Luther's Small Catechism:

What is Baptism?

Baptism is not water only, but it is water used together with God's Word and by his command.

What is this Word?

In Matthew 28 our Lord Jesus Christ says: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."