Prepared for the members & friends of:

St. John’s United Church of Christ (Huntersville) 300 N. Huntersville Road, Batesville, IN 47006

Church Office: (812)934-4144 / Church Fax: (812)933-9000 Rev. Joseph Feldmann, Pastor

www.stjohnsuccbatesville.org / www.facebook.com/sjuccbatesville stjohnsuccbatesville@etczone.com / pastorjoeystjohns@etczone.com

THANK YOU for your faithfulness. Many congregations in this time of COVID-19 are facing challenges to their finances. Limited opportunities for in-person worship, limited opportunities to engage in extra fundraising, and fear for what is coming, have kept offerings down and budgets tight. But you, the people and friends of St. John’s, have been amazing. Now six months into this pandemic, we have not had a deep deficit in annual giving. You have been faithful and generous. As your pastor, and on behalf of your Church Council, I would like to thank you. Thank you for being good stewards of what God has given. Thank you for continuing to support the ministry of this congregation. It is YOUR ministry, after all.

This is not a call to STOP this faithfulness, of course. God calls us to continual faithfulness and good stewardship. And soon we will begin to talk about 2021 as our annual budget process begins. But for right now, I want to take a moment to acknowledge the ways you all have been awesome. Give yourselves many rounds of applause.

CONFIRMATION PROMISES: Confirmation has begun again for the year. We have six young people who are working toward being confirmed in May and five more who plan to be confirmed in 2022 (more about them in a future newsletter). This is always good and joyous news. As a part of the process, the confirmands, their parents, and I enter into a covenant. You enter into it, too (I sign on your behalf; you’re welcome). So what have you covenanted to do? Four things:

One and two, pray for us. Pray for the Confirmands and their families. Pray for me as their leader. Pray that God’s Spirit would help them to ask good questions, to discern how God is speaking to them and find the ability to affirm their faith as the program ends. And pray for me, pray that I might have wisdom when needed, grace when needed and that my love for these young people and their families might always shine through. I deeply covet your prayers, for myself and for our young people.

Three, I promise on your behalf to welcome the Confirmands as potential members. This seems like an “of course” promise. And perhaps it is. (Who doesn’t like to add more members?) But it gets at something important. When they are confirmed in May of 2021 or May of 2022, these young people will be members. Not junior members, not associate members, but full members of the Church, and with all of the responsibilities. It is easy for us to forget this in the Church (by which I mean the wider Church, not just this congregation). So I make this promise on our behalf to help us remember it.

Finally, we promise to recognize the Confirmands as future leaders in the congregation. This gets back to that membership commitment. If the Confirmands are members in May, then they have the right to serve on church boards, on church council, and more. They have the right, indeed the duty, to help imagine with all the rest of us how this congregation might respond to the Spirit and live out our call as a people of faith. Now, doing that while still developing as a person, being in high school full time, etc., can be difficult. We in the Church (again, universal) have a great deal of work to do in imagining how to give our youngest members leadership roles. But it is still a commitment worth making, IMO. It is a commitment I make for all of us because I believe it is what the Spirit is calling us to strive towards. Thank you in advance for living up to this covenant, to these promises. And thank you most of all for your support of our confirmands and youth. They notice and it is appreciated.

Shalom,

A page from the hymnal… Sent Forth By God’s Blessing

#712

The words to this often sung hymn were written by Omer Westendorf, who was born on February 24, 1916 and died on October 22, 1997. Westendorf was a music publisher in the post-World War II era. He brought Mass settings he found in Germany, while in the service, to his parish choir at St. Bonaventure RC Church in Cincinnati, where he was organist and choir director. Sent Forth by God’s Blessing, written in 1964, quotes several scripture texts. This hymn directs the congregation from the sanctuary into the world in unity to move the church of Christ forward in daily life.

The tune, ASH GROVE, is a traditional Welsh folk song first published in 1802 with a typically sad original text.

David W. Hanson, Organist/Choir Director St. John’s (Huntersville) UCC

October Benevolence Calendar

(Thank you for your giving!)

04 – Crop Walk 11 – Neighbors In Need 18 – Midwest Ministry Development Service 25 – Back Bay Missions Need / Disaster Relief

NEXT MESSENGER DEADLINE October 19, 2020

Please note: The newsletter is typed on Tuesday following the deadline date. Any items submitted after the 19th will be TOO LATE to be included in next month’s Messenger!

Reminder: Messenger Input If there are any announcements, updates or just info you wish to share, please don’t hesitate to contact the office via phone or email. I’ll be happy to hear from you and help get your message out!

THANK YOU for wearing your face masks to protect yourself and others!

Griefshare Pastor Emeritus Dave Johnston, coordinating with Margaret Mary Health, will be hosting weekly Griefshare classes. These are held at 5:00

on Thursday nights. Meeting should last about an hour to an hour and a half. Please enter using the ramp on the side of the church, signs or a greeter will be directing you where to go upon arrival. This is designed to help people who have recently lost loved ones (anyone from spouses to children to parents) to process and deal with their grief in a way that takes their faith into mind. It is open to both the public and the congregation. For more information, please contact either Pastor Dave or Pastor Joey.

Outdoor Worship Our outdoor worship service is ON! We will be worshipping outdoors on October 4 at 9:00am. Come join us as we celebrate World Communion Sunday by gathering in a whole new way. Every effort will be made to maintain social distancing and to keep all of us safe even as we find new ways to be together. If you have any questions, please contact Pastor Joey. Otherwise, we look forward to seeing you on the 4th!

Working to Stay Connected As we keep striving to find ever better ways to stay connected, especially during a pandemic, we are going to start a bi-monthly page of prayer concerns and other congregational news. It will be included each month within the newsletter, starting in September, and will also be sent out via email about half way through each month. (Those who do not receive email will get it in their mailboxes.) Pastor Joey will work dutifully to get permission from members before sharing any concerns they have in this fashion. And YOU are invited to submit news- both that which needs to be prayed over and that which needs to be celebrated. This will be an ongoing page, so submit whenever you have a concern or some joy and we will include it. Thanks for helping start this new/old thing.

Middle School and High School Youth

We will be having a youth group bonfire event at the parsonage on October 18. Come at 5:30 for an evening of fun, fellowship, and time around the fire. Hot dogs, drinks, and s’mores will be provided. See you then!

CANCELLED EVENT

Due to Covid-19 we will not be held the Sons of All Ages Banquet this November, please pray that this celebration of All of God’s Sons can resume in 2021.

I want to thank everyone who remembered me with food, cards, phone calls, emails and texts during my recent shoulder surgery. Your good thoughts and prayer have all

helped in my recovery process. St. John’s congregation is a truly caring family. I feel blessed to have you as my church family.

~ God Bless You, Sheryl Voss

Frank would like to thank everyone for all the cards and kind calls he received while in the Columbus Rehab Hospital. It was sincerely appreciated.

~ Frank Bergman & Family

2020 St. John’s UCC Scholarship Recipients

We are happy to be able to award

2 of our college students Scholarships from their church this year, Kyle Emsweller and Garrett Wagner. This fund was established in 1998 as a gift from the Howard and Dorothy Borchelt family in memory of their parents. Through this year we have been able to give $23,140 to our students. Congratulations to this year’s scholarship recipients. Both students have >3.5 (out of 4) Grade Point Average. We are so proud of them!

- Kyle Emsweller attends Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN. He is majoring in Computer IT and Cyber Security; minoring in Communication. He participates in AIIP (Association of Information Technology Professionals) events at Purdue.

- Garrett Wagner attends (ISU) Indiana State University in Terre Haute, IN. He is majoring in Information Technology and minoring in Political Science. He runs track and field at Indiana State and also is a member of the College Democrats.

May God guide them in their studies and let them know of the love and support of their home church, St. John’s UCC!!

Prayer Concerns: We pray for Nikki Sarringhaus on the return of cancer. She will be facing chemo and radiation soon. We hold her and her family in prayer up to God.

ECOLOGY CORNER

I was around for the first Earth Day in 1970. I’ve followed the scientific information through the years and was especially struck by the dire warnings in the

1990’s. We heard that if Global Warming wasn’t addressed, we would see extreme weather patterns like melting ice caps, rising sea levels, floods, droughts, etc.

Response to this information has been varied. Views on all sides are disbelief and some denial. Like most problems, they seem to be so overwhelming that we are frozen.

I have turned to Scripture to get some kind of guidance. I’ve heard pastors and speakers site the creation story to offer how we fit into the scheme of things. Humanity was told: “…Your descendants will live all over the earth and bring it under their control. I am putting you in charge of the fish, the birds, and all the wild animals…” Genesis1:28

If God has charged us to be the stewards of His earth, what does that mean for us? How are we doing after so many years? Since things in our environment are becoming more extreme, doing nothing doesn’t seem to be an option.

Over the years, I’ve received mailings and studied other materials to learn all I can. I’ve worked with task forces and other groups of our UCC conferences in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland. In the 50 years of study I have found some things I believe are true. I would like to use these findings and offer information from a Christian perspective each month as a regular article for our newsletter. I welcome input from anyone to challenge or contribute a new slant on my findings. The more we share ideas perhaps we will find our place in this challenge. I believe we desire to find ways to make the future better for our children and those to follow as well for the earth we call home.

In Christ’s service, Barb Foster

Church Picnic (Ice Cream Drive Thru) Thank you to the many people who helped support out 2020 Church Picnic. It was a smashing success and we sold out of ice cream. All we can say is WOW and thank you. Because of you, our Sunday School programs

are on solid ground. Thank you again!

ATTENTION MEMBERS

If you have not done so, please complete and return the form on the last page of the Messenger. If you would rather have this electronically, please email me and I’ll be happy to respond with the electronic file. It’s very important to have updated information, if not and the mailings are returned it costs the church extra money upon their receipt of return. Once you have the form completed, you may drop it off at the church office or in the offering bin the next time you attend, or even scan it and email it back to me. It is very important to keep the church records up to date and communications flowing. Thank you.

The CROP Walk

It’s not too late to be a part of CROP Walk 2021. This year’s event will be at St. John’s UCC in Penntown on

October 4. Registration begins at 1:00pm and the walking begins at 2:00pm. OR you can walk from your home in order to stay socially distanced due to COVID-19. Pastor Joey has donation envelopes and would LOVE to have you as a part of this year’s effort.

CROP Walk is the annual fundraiser for Church World Service (CWS). CWS is an interdenominational organization that provides food and disaster relief to people all around the world, including folk within the United States. This important organization (a long-standing fundraiser) has been a part of our collective lives for more than 50 years. Please be a part of this year’s CROP.

(Did you get this newsletter AFTER Oct. 4? Were you simply unable to walk? Never fear. You can still donate by the last Sunday of October and have your donations count toward CROP 2021.)

1 - LaVonne Sarringhaus, Jillian Haakinson, Levi Nordmeyer 2 - Irvin Placke, Erik Arkenberg, Grace Johnston 3 - Brad Weberding, Josh Meyer 4 - Curt Mergenthal, Elise Owens 5 - Janice Prickel, George Flodder 6 - Cindy Feller 7 - Gloria Eversull, Austin Bryant 8 - Rodger Meyers, Cameron Fledderman,

Samantha Mathews, Bill Narwold 9 - Rob Wagner 10 - Eunice Meyer, Peggy Bergman, Derek Foster,

Mary Ann Klingworth 11 - Sarah Benoit, Kaitlyn Sarringhaus 12 - Mary Sitterding 15 - Shannon Sarringhaus 16 - Garrett Boor 17 - Larry Bergman, Josh Vohland 19 - Dale Narwold, Jody Sarringhaus, Amber Borgman 20 - Bryan Kuhlman, Emma Weiler, Janie Link-Owens 21 - Doug Voss 22 - Brooklyn Robbins 23 - Cathy Wildt-Francisco 24 - Jerel Richards, Rich Blanton, Chesney Placke 26 - Wally Meyer, Becky Schebler 27 - Doug Francisco, Carson Hornberger 28 - Graham Hofer 30 - Pam Amberger, Greg Meyer

1 - Dale & Anita Narwold, John & Cindy Wilhelm 2 - Kurt & Marla Placke, Larry & Peggy Bergman Joe & Melissa Boor, Jerry & Norma Flodder 4 - Myron & Linda Kanning, Gale & Deb Griffith 5 - Floyd & Janet Wirth, Roger & Bonnie Huff Dale & Marian Koester 6 - Dave & Jenny Abel, Zach & Majestica Placke 10 - Chris & Brandy Wessel 12 - Scott & Sharon Davidson 14 - Nathan & Stacy Cornett 15 - Mark & Amy Johnson, Brett & Amber Hofer 18 - Gary & Donna Weber 20 - Elton & Shannon Sarringhaus 21 - Dave & Bonnie Johnston 22 - Ron & Linda Meyer 23 - Bob & Vicki Wilhelm 25 - Kyle & Shelly Mathews 27 - Jerry & Janice Prickel, Dan & Elizabeth Hall 29 - Bill & Shan Gardner

Blood Drive St. Louis Church is sponsoring a Community blood draw on October 13th at the Knights of Columbus Hall, Batesville, IN. Come anytime between 12 noon and 5:30pm. Appointments are encouraged, but

not necessary. To schedule an appointment please visit: www.hoxworth.org/groups/stlouiscc or contact Hoxworth at 800-830-1091.

Celebrations: 4-H Results: § Lydia Sarringhaus: Milking Short-horn cow (5 year old)- Breed

Champion, Milking Short-horn cow (2 year old)- Reserve Breed Champion, Ayrshire Summer yearling- Reserve Breed Champion, Intermediate Dairy showmanship, Senior Dairy showmanship, Cake Decorating- Division Champ, Honor Group- Reserve Grand Champion § Lily Sarringhaus: Ayrshire Summer yearling heifer- Breed

Champion Local Athletes: § Emma Weiler and Kaylie Raver are both athletes that are

excelling in their sport. We support and love reading about you in the local newspapers. Emma plays golf and Kaylie plays volleyball. Emma was even the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Girls Golfer of the week for September 4!

Worship Service: 9:00am Office Hours: Tuesday thru Thursday, 8am–4pm

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 International Day for the Elderly

2 3

4 Outdoor Worship @ 9:00

CROP Walk @ Penntown

Animal Welfare Day

5 World Habitat Day

6

7 Confirmation Meeting

Year 1 @ 6:00 Year 2 @ 7:00

8

9 World Post Office Day

10 Wedding @ 3:30

Mental Health Day

11

12

13 Blood Drive @ Knights of Columbus, Batesville 12noon – 5:30pm

14 Confirmation Meeting

Year 1 @ 6:00 Year 2 @ 7:00

15

16

17

18 Youth Event:

Bonfire @ 5:30

19 MESSENGER DEADLINE

20

21 Confirmation Meeting

Year 1 @ 6:00 Year 2 @ 7:00

22

23 24

25 26 27

28 Confirmation Meeting

Year 1 @ 6:00 Year 2 @ 7:00

29

30 31 Halloween

National Unity Day

OCTOBER