The HERALD Community in Christ : Christ in Community April 2015

From the Pastor:

Spring has finally arrived said the voice on the radio!

The reality of these words stood in sharp contrast to the snow I witnessed flying outside my window last year as we endured that perpetual winter. Spring has come, those words echoed in my mind as I grabbed the shovel to clear the sidewalk in front of the Church. As I reflected on the irony of spring’s official arrival ush-ered in by a blizzard, I couldn’t help but smile and think this is certainly not what I would expect Spring to look like. Perhaps it’s one of the many realities of life that our expectations at times don’t match the realities we face.

For instance, I recall as a nine year old boy watching my dad and older brother leave for deer camp. Every year during that first

week of November they would head off together into the big woods to deer camp. I remember dreaming about the time that I would be able to head to deer camp with them. I imag-ined them staying in a log cabin out in the middle of the woods with a well to draw water and a loft (a cabin like so many of our neighbors had at the lake).

However, this vision of the hunting cabin was shattered upon my arrival at deer camp for the first time. For in reality the picture of a log cabin that I had dreamed up in my mind was replaced by the reality of a 25x15 rustic tar paper shack with mouse infested mattress bunk beds and the front door that had been kicked in at some point during the course of the year by an uninvited guest.

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St . John Lutheran Church

Member of the Evangel ical Lutheran Church in America

Easter Sunday: April 5

Festival Worship & Communion-8:30 & 10:45 am

It’s time to celebrate the Risen Christ! Special music provided by the Handbells, Brass, St. John Choir and Bethany Grahn!

Easter Breakfast: 9:30-10:30 am

Serving egg bake, fruit, sweet breads, juice and coffee. Free-will offering.

All proceeds will go towards the cost of refurbishing St. John’s handbells.

Interested in joining St. John? The New Member Gatherings will take

place on the Wednesdays of April 22 & 29,

from 5:30-6:15 pm. New Members will be

received on Wednesday, April 29 during the

6:30 pm service. Call the church office,

232-8521, for more information.

Holy Week: March 29-April 5

Sunday of Palms & Passion (March 29) Worship at 8:30 & 10:45 am Experience both the palms and a dramatic reading of the Passion story!

April 2: Maundy Thursday-7:00 p.m. Worship/First Communion Witness the Last Supper, re-enacted by St. John mem. Hear each of them share their story. ‘See’ the Last Supper as portrayed in Leonardo de Vinci’s famous paint-ing. Experience communion together and watch the ‘Stripping of the Altar’.

April 3: Good Friday - 7:00 pm

Seven large candles are placed around the altar. Within this service, scriptures are read and songs are sung as each candle is extinguished representing the dying Christ on the cross, ending in the parlor around the cross.

Saturday: April 4 - Easter Vigil Service - 7:00 pm

Gathered around a large cross laying on the floor, with only candlelight, we slowly proclaim the light that is to come. You will have an opportunity to kneel or sit around the cross to offer up prayers and concerns to God with lighted candles. In the middle of the service we are called into the sanctuary and invited into the resurrection of Jesus. Holy Communion will conclude the service.

Please note: There is no worship service or supper on Wednesday, April 1.

EASTER FESTIVAL!

Saturday, April 4, 10-11:30 am Games, Crafts and Fun for all

children, ages 0 and up, and their families! Each family, please bring a dozen hard boiled eggs to decorate. Egg Hunt starts at 11:00! All are welcome!

HOLY WEEK OPPORTUNITY:

March 29-April 5

Throughout Holy Week, we will be offering you a time of peace and reflection. Starting Tuesday, March 31, there will be a horizon-tal cross and candles in the parlor for you to come, listen, and be in God’s presence. So often we only talk to God, so you are invited to come during Holy Week, (even before or after our Holy Week services), to center your life, faith and hope in the one who will be crucified and raised. Please take time during Holy Week to find rest and renewal around the cross.

POTLUCK PARTY! Thursday, April 23: 5:30-7pm

Building a Community in Christ…one bite and one story at a time! It’s a potluck. It’s a time of fellowship, prayer and storytelling.

See page 4 for more information

MUSIC NOTES! Questions: call or text 701-388-4200 (Dawn) or email:

dawn@stjohnfargo.com or ldpapenfuss@gmail.com

SUNDAY CHOIR SCHEDULE

April 2: Maundy Thursday, 7:00 pm

St. John Choir and Living Last Supper

April 5: Easter!

8:30 & 10:45 Handbells, St. John Choir, & Bethany Grahn

April 12: Worship Band

April 19: 8:30 St. John Choir

10:45 Children’s Choir: “Jonah”

April 26: 8:30 St. John Choir

10:45 Kid’s Handbells, “All Things Bright and Beautiful”

EASTER CHOIR: If you want to sing on Easter with the choir (college kids, high school, or others)….please join us the last Wednesday before Easter, April 1 at 7:00 pm.

Thank you to everyone who made Easter so wonderful!

UPCOMING EVENTS: On Monday, April 20 at 7:00 pm, the Touchmark Choir is presenting a show at the Fargo Theater dedicated to WWII veterans, and ALL veterans. The music is from the WWII era sung by a choir of thirty retirees from the Touchmark Retirement Home. Of particular note is the large number of men in the Touchmark Choir!

Come, see and enjoy!

For the "Young At Heart" "It's not the years in your life that count,

it's the life in your years". Abraham Lincoln Come join us for Christian fellowship, food and fun!

Thursday, April 9 at 10:00 am. Program: Pastor Bri-

an will share about himself and his experiences.

On May 14 at 11:30 am in the parlor we will have a

potluck luncheon. If you can’t cook, come anyway!

Program: A constructive debate on gun control with

views pro and con presented by Elwood Rieke, Jim

Alger, John & Vonnie Sandland. All are welcome!

Contact Marlene Ames, 235-0241, Gini Duval,

3063454 or Cathy Chatelain, 261-2707.

St. John Foot Care Clinic "Healthy Feet are Happy Feet"

Our Foot Care Clinic provides foot care by volunteers

and trained personnel. Let us pamper your feet while

you enjoy a cup of coffee and visit with friends.

Up coming dates are Tues. April 21 and May 19.

Call Cathy Chatelain at 293-6772 or 261-2707 to

schedule an appointment. Cost is $16 paid to Sanford

Home Health.

Indeed as my eyes beheld this grand dwelling I began to wonder wheth-er or not deer camp would be a place to which I would ever want to return. The reality of this question was only compounded by some of my experiences during that first year. For I discovered that at deer camp, nights were more challenging then days. Sleeping on the top bunk was difficult due to the sweltering heat as the double barrel stove glowed with a reddish tinge fueled by the green oak logs inside. In ad-dition to the sauna like conditions came the interesting food. For I experienced meals I never imagined existed, things like root beer pan-cakes, and porcupine. What made matters infinitely more interesting was that the camp cook had forgotten to grab one of the bags of pota-toes on his way to camp, however, he remembered all of the onions!

Yet as the years have passed, I continue to reminisce fondly of that first experience at camp. In a strange sort of way, year after year, I wait with eager anticipation for the opportunity to once again head down to the shack. Isn’t it amazing how at times our expectations don’t match our experiences and occasionally isn’t that a blessing in disguise?

My reality of deer camp (though it was in sharp contrast to what I had imagined) became an experience that I would not trade for the world. Sometimes I think this is similar to our lives of faith. We all have this picture in our mind’s eye of what the perfect Christian looks like. We all dream about the immense blessings that God will shower down up-on us if we only do all the right things. We all have a particular image of how life should go for us with God by our side. Yet often times the reality of life (even life in faith) is in sharp contrast to that vision. Often times the reality of the life we face is one of hardship and shattered dreams. Perhaps, though, as we reflect upon many of those challeng-ing times in our lives, we see how they have shaped us into the people that we have become. And although most of us would not wish to re-visit some of those difficult times, hindsight helps us to consider how they continue to inform our lives today.

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Perhaps the resurrection experience was similar for the disciples. They had a vision of what the Messiah would look like and how he would act. Yet in their encounter and experience with Christ, a much different reality be-gan to take shape. Perhaps this Easter we too are being invited to leave our expectations at the foot of the cross so that we might experience anew the resurrected Christ who meets us in unique and unexpected places and ways. In Christ, Pastor Brian

P.S. Incidentally, ever since that first trip to deer camp where I was forced to eat more onions then is probably healthy, I have grown to absolutely love onions and try to use them in most dishes I cook (perhaps much to the chagrin of my family). Thanks deer camp!

GOOD SAMARITAN COMMITTEE

ELCA WORLD HUNGER Emphasis

St. John’s annual ELCA World Hunger emphasis will

be the three Sundays of April 12, 19 & 26. World

Hunger offering envelopes will be made available on

April 19 with the financial ingathering on April 26.

There will be Adult Forums on April 12 & 19.

We thank those who have been a part of this in past

years. Now we ask that you set aside a special gift as

we prepare for this year’s emphasis. Once again we

have had a few families put up a total challenge gift

of $6,500. Might the remainder of the congregation be

willing to contribute an equal amount to meet this

challenge?

In Matthew 25, our Lord makes it very clear when He

says, “I was hungry and you gave me food.” We re-

member the 850 million people, many of them in

Africa, who daily live on the edge of starvation. May

you give a gift that is expressive of your faith active

in love.

2015 Financial Status: January 1-March 24

$10,532 Weekly amount needed for $549,173

annual budget

107,783 Income to date (through 3/24/15)

124,880 Budget to date (through 3/24/15)

Pastoral Acts: Baptisms 3-15-15: Tatum Jon Eugene Stephens, son of Heather & Thurmond Stephens 3-22-15: Owen James Keney, son of Naomi & Trevor Keney

It’s a Potluck Party! on Thursday, April 23: 5:30-7:00 pm It’s a time of fellowship, prayer and storytelling.

When? Thursday, April 23 from 5:30-7:00 pm Where? St. John Fellowship Hall Who? This potluck par ty is for YOU! Everyone in the St. John church community is invited to come and bring family, friends and a neighbor… or two! What? This potluck par ty is a celebration of food that tells a sto-ry about you and/or your family. For example, you could bring food that reminds you of a special trip, a treasured holiday memory or a special cultural tradition. Have fun and be creative! Why? As we are reminded in Acts 2:42, sharing food and fellowship are beautiful ways to build a community in Christ. When we eat to-gether, tell stories, laugh and celebrate what makes us unique at this potluck party, we will share joy, deepen relationships and honor the gifts of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit to us as individuals and as a community rooted in God’s promises in Christ. How? We’ll gather in prayer and thanksgiving to God for God’s gifts of food, fellowship and the sacred experiences, traditions and cultures that shape who we are. We’ll dine on the feast of thoughtfully chosen food and then share the stories behind the food with one another. We’ll have fun and party with a purpose at our potluck!

Building a Community in Christ. . .1 bite & 1 story at a time!

“They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Acts 2:42

Questions? Contact Tifani Luschen at tluschen001@luthersem.edu or 701-429-8798.

Our preschoolers are eagerly awaiting the arrival of warm weather so we can enjoy our outdoor play-ground. We hosted our dads at ‘Donuts with Dads & Dudes’ in March. Brian Walker, a generous parent, brought in his photo booth for fun photos of that spe-cial day.

St. John Christian Preschool joined ‘Bright and Early North Dakota’ this year.

Membership in the Bright & Early North Dakota pro-gram is voluntary. The goal is to provide a roadmap for child-care providers to help them focus on school readiness through a multi-step process. The child-care providers will then help children prepare for kinder-garten and eventual success in school. Child-care pro-viders will receive support through one-on-one coach-ing from a trained child-care consultant. They will also receive grant dollars to purchase educational toys and materials for their programs, with bonus awards for achieving program goals. Recognition for achiev-ing and maintaining levels of quality in addition to licensing will also be provided. We are working with Jackie Burns, our mentor, to reach level 2 of the 4 step program. We look forward to adding new classroom storage with our grant dollars.

St. John Christian Preschool Jana Bruhschwein, Pre-School Director: 701-261-9920

This year’s program is

SonSpark Labs, a week of la-

boratory adventures and fun!

Through their adventures chil-

dren will discover God’s Big Plan—2 MAKE Us,

2 BE WITH Us, 4 Us 2 KNOW Him, 2 SAVE Us

and 2 LOVE Us 4-Ever! We will have a great time

with lively songs, hilarious skits, creative crafts,

exciting games, Bible stories and tasty snacks! On

top of that, we will be helping children learn that

God’s plan for everyone is Jesus! SonSpark Labs

can be an inspirational and exciting adventure for

your entire family!

2015 Vacation Bible School:

June 14-17; Sunday-Wednesday; 5:30 –7:45 pm for 4 year olds-children who have finished 5th grade

So What? Sew What! Saturday, April 11, 10 am-2 pm

The new St. John group “Girls Raising Awareness by Simply Sewing” has taken the new name of “So What? Sew What!” Their focus is to ad-dress local & international mission concerns. The first session on Febru-ary 7 included 26 participants (about 2/3 were kids). With tables of col-orful fleece and simple patterns to choose from, 51 warm mitten sets, hats and scarves were made and later delivered to Churches United for the Homeless in Moorhead. A display chart in the Window Lobby shows a snowflake for each mitten pair, hat or scarf made.

Our next gathering will be on Saturday, April 11 from 10 am to 2 pm in the Fellowship Hall. Participants (child and adult mentor) will be mak-ing baby blankets from fleece and cotton or flannel fabrics for the Nurse-Family Partnership of Fargo-Moorhead. Please bring a sewing machine if available and a sack lunch. For more information, contact Jana Bruh-schwein, 261-9920 or Char Grant, 287-1447.

Transfer: Dee Fealy and Macie Hegney to Hope Luth., Fargo

Save the Date!

St. John Spring BLOOD DRIVE! Thursday, April 30, 3:45-7:00 pm in the Fellowship Hall

Sponsored by the Good Samaritan Committee

Churches United for the Homeless Open House Sunday, April 12, 1-4 pm (1901 1st Ave N, Moorhead)

All are welcome to come for tours, fellowship, snacks & music.

CROSS+WALK in April Wednesdays: 7:15-7:45 pm and Sundays: 9:45-10:35 am

There will be no CROSS+WALK on Wednesday, April 1 or on Easter Sunday, April 5. Come to worship at 8:30 or 10:45 am!

CROSS+WALK will be held on: Sundays, April 12, 19 & 26 and

Wednesdays, April 8, 15, 22 & 29.

St. John Lutheran Church 1710 South 5th Street Fargo, ND 58103

‘THE HERALD’ April 2015

Published 12 times/year Vol. #115, Issue #4

Non-Profit Org. US Postage Paid Permit #1040 Fargo, ND 58102

CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED St. John Office Hours:

Monday-Thursday: 9 am-4:30 pm Friday: 9 am-2 pm

2015-2016 CHURCH COUNCIL

Carroll Gjovik, President Heidi Twedt, Secretary

Darrin Hawley and Sue Quandt, Executive Committee

Tari Wieers, Stewardship

Donna Wallgren, Worship & Music

Pastor Brian Hansen, Good Samaritan Committee

Sadie Thompson, Youth & Family Ministry

Jack Anderson and Aaron Nissen, Property

Trevor Christianson, Mission

Church Women United: Luncheon & Church Tour Friday, April 10 at 11:00 am

Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church,

1604 52nd Ave S, Fargo

$5.00 donation for local charities.

Everyone welcome!

National Volunteer Week: April 12-18, 2015 Some of the many ways we give of our time and talents:

Youth Ministry: Chaperones, drivers, teachers & helpers

Hospitality: Funeral servers, Sunday coffee hosts

Education: Mentors, Confirmation mentors, nursery helpers

Volunteers serve on/help with:

Altar Guild

Assisting Ministers

Scripture readers, Ushers

Committees & Council

Community needs/liaisons

Circle Leaders

Volunteers help with:

Assembling mailings; Newsletter/Bulletin productions

Cleaning & Property upkeep; Special Projects

Drama Projects; Money Counters

Social ministries

Special programs

Members of choirs/Music groups

Office volunteers

Quilters

Parish Health Cabinet

St. John Lutheran Church

1710 5th St. S., Fargo, ND 58103

701-232-8521 e-mail: office@stjohnfargo.com;

www.stjohnfargo.com The Ministry Team of St. John:

All the People of God, along with-

Rev. Nathan Keith, Rev. Brain Hansen, Pastors Jeff Brown, Intern Pastor

Dawn Papenfuss, Director of Music/Organ

Jackie Jabens, Finance/Office Manager

Judy Haugo, Secretary Randy Shone, Custodian Jana Bruhschwein,

Preschool Director, CROSS+WALK Coordinator

Kellie Knodel, Cheryl Dietz, Molly Johnson, Preschool Teachers

Peggy Hammerling, Recorders Jessica Westgard Larson, Handbells

Robert & Bonnie Ames, Gospel Group

Editor: Judy Haugo, Articles accepted before

1 pm Friday, April 10 for the May ‘15 ‘Herald’.