Daily Scripture Readings: November 2-8, 2009

Monday
Psalm 51
Deuteronomy 6:10-25
Romans 12:17-21; 13:8-10

Tuesday
Psalm 51
Deuteronomy 28:58—29:1
Acts 7:17-29

Wednesday
Psalm 51
Micah 6:1-8
John 13:31-35

Thursday
Psalm 146
Numbers 36:1-13
Romans 5:6-11

Friday
Psalm 146
Deuteronomy 15:1-11
Hebrews 9:15-24

Saturday
Psalm 146
Deuteronomy 24:17-22
Mark 11:12-14, 20-24

Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost
(Lectionary 32)
1 Kings 17:8-16
Psalm 146
Hebrews 9:24-28
Mark 12:38-44

GIFTS Men's Shelter Returns to SJLC

Opportunities are now available for ministry with the GIFTS Men's Shelter at SJLC. There are two weeks for which we have committed. The first is approaching quickly: November 29 through December 5, 2009. Sign-up sheets are in the narthex for check-in, meal preparation, and over-night positions. Blankets, sheets, and small toiletries are also being collected.

The second week the men's shelter will be at SJLC is February 7-13, 2010.

Video from GIFTS Men's Shelter, Janesville.

ECHO Community Meal

Thank you to members and friends of the congregation who cooked, served, and cleaned for this past Saturday's ECHO Community Meal. Over a dozen ministers fed over ninety members of our community. It has inspired us to serve again on the last Saturday in December, the 26th. Look for sign-up information soon.

Welcome to the New Home Page

Since our previous free host was closed, this will serve as the congregation's home page until other arrangements are made. I hope that I am able to update more regularly. Please stop by again.

Fall Worship Begins

So our fall schedule kicked off this weekend, with worship celebrations at 8:00am 10:30 am. The children of the congregation gathered for their opening day festivities, and the adult education/forum began anew. Those involved in the variety of educational ministries were "commissioned" at both worship celebrations. We are off to a good start to the programmatic year.

Lutheran World Relief Community Quilt

So this weekend we again invited support of the work of Lutheran World Relief through the reminders of the Community Quilt project. From the LWR web-site:

What is the LWR Community Quilt? Lutheran World Relief undertakes a wide variety of activities with partner organizations that address poverty at its core, to help families help themselves to escape poverty's grip. The Lutheran World Relief Community Quilt illustrates that multi-dimensional work, and offers LWR supporters creative ways to give loved ones meaningful gifts that support LWR's work and pays homage to the legacy of quilts that have symbolized LWR's work for 60 years.

12 Gift Squares. The twelve areas that comprise the LWR Community Quilt symbolize LWR's work with: children; education; environment; food; health; HIV/AIDS; justice; peace; relief; water; women and livelihoods. You can support LWR's life-saving work by sending symbolic gifts from the LWR Community Quilt for any occasion.

Here's how it works: Donors use the secure LWR website, quilt.lwr.org, or the printed LWR Community Quilt catalog, to purchase individual “Gift Squares” at funding levels from $40 to $5,000. Recipients of gifts from the LWR Community Quilt are notified with a beautiful, customized gift card, which can be sent electronically, by mail from the giver or by mail from LWR. Individuals and groups may commit to purchasing all twelve squares and build their own LWR Community Quilt. A special resource kit is available to help groups with their efforts to build an entire quilt, including a pattern for sewing an LWR Community Quilt banner, fundraising ideas and a colorful progress-tracking poster.

Thank you to all those who support this ministry!

Potential New Web-site

Since we have received word that Geocities will soon discontinue free web-site hosting, welcome to a potential new site for Saint John Lutheran Church. Of course, web-site and blogs are always works in progress, so it should go without saying that we are under construction, but now I have said it as well. Your comments are welcome also, but please know that comments are moderated (with a mind to building up the body of Christ), so it may take a little while for them to be posted. Please be patient. Peace be with you.