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January 29 2024


“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples”

John 13:35


Proclaim the Gospel

Grow in Love

Serve One Another


St. Johns’ Mission Statement

 

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

 

Here are the highlights of our Annual Meeting:

1)      Linda Parsons, Karen Sohl and Sarah Kutter were elected as our new Church Council members.  Linda Hoelter will replace Sandy Baumgartner who resigned officially at the end of the last year.

2)      Our church ratified the constitution.  It is now official and in effect.  I will now send it to the Synod Office.

3)      The 2024 Annual Budget was approved. 

 

Thank you to all who attended. 

 

Let’s make sure we have Ash Wednesday services correct.  I think I reported some times incorrectly. First of all, we will have a drive-by service from 7:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.  Then we will have a noon time service.  Finally, we will have a service in the evening at 6:30 p.m.  We should have a service for everyone.  Hope to see you at one of them.

 

I am planning on having Wednesday Lenten services.  It will be held in Fellowship Hall at 5:30 p.m.  It will be very similar to what we did last year.  We will eat dinner together and discuss Biblical passages.  Everyone is invited.  I will take care of the food for the first week,

 

At the end of February, we will be relighting our church sanctuary.  The lights are old and usually it is pretty dark on Saturday nights.  We will be replacing them with bright energy-efficient lights.  The reason I mentioned this is we will need everyone’s help.  Most of the cost has been paid for by a donation from the Anne M. Baker Foundation.  One of the ways we will be saving money is to do a lot of labor ourselves.  We are waiting for the times to be approved and when it does, I will share it with you. Bottom line:  We will need your help.  We will start with one side of the church and then the other.  We will take the pews out and store them in the fellowship hall.  When the electrical is done on that side, we will put the pews back and then do the same thing on the other.  It is a large endeavor but I think we are up for it.

 

Some of us think about giving up something for lent.  Yes, I do think it is a good idea.  But maybe another good idea is instead of giving up something, maybe we do something.  One of my friends writes cards every day during Lent, letting the recipients know that God loves them and so does she.  I received a card one day and it was very special.  There is still some time to think about it.

 

Remember, God calls you beloved.

 

Pastor Tom

630-334-1771

pandtredig@gmail.com

 

Readings for the weekend of February 3rd & 4th  – 5th Week After Epiphany

Isaiah 40:21-31           Psalm 147: 1-11, 20c              1 Corinthians 9:16-23             Mark 1:29-39

 


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January 22, 2024



“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples”

John 13:35


Proclaim the Gospel

Grow in Love

Serve One Another


St. Johns’ Mission Statement


 

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

 

Annual Meeting: January 28th after worship approximately 11:30.  It is very important that you try to make this meeting.  It is for your church.  If you care what is happening at your church, I would think this is a meeting you want to attend.  We hopefully will finish up with our ratification of our Constitution.  Then we will discuss and vote on our budget for the 2024 church year.  We will also vote new members for the Church Council.  I hope you will attend.

 

Most of you know that Dave Kromphardt’s father (Will) passed away last Tuesday.  I know Dave and Barb would appreciate cards of sympathy.  Dave would usually write the letter after our Council meeting.  But, you will have to put up with me. We are now entering a no math zone.

 

We talked about finances.  Blah, blah blah, math, math and more math.  I am so very thankful that we have a number of people who truly understand finances.  I am not one of them.  Churches and schools work differently than households.  I am okay with households, but I get confused easily with churches and school.  Sorry.

 

Then we talked about Endowment.  Blah, blah, blah, math, math and more math.  Yikes.  Ditto above.  Again, we are very blessed as a church with people who understand all this.  Thank you.

 

I am sure there was more.  I can’t remember anything major.  I know that the budget was hammered out and will be ready to present at the Annual Meeting.

 

Okay, to be honest, I do understand some things dealing with finances and endowment.  But I also recognize people who not only have a passion for it, but also understand it well.  I think it is wise for me to let the experts be experts. 

 

Something for you to ponder.  We had over 100 households view us online when we cancelled Sunday due to weather.  This is households not people.  Let’s say they were people, that is 100 people online watching.  Now let’s go crazy and say 1.5 people were watching us per household (Oh, oh – math).  That is a lot of people total, more than we have had in a long time. 

 

Over the last couple of years, we have spent a great deal of money on our on-line capabilities.  For some, it is an every weekend activity.  For some last weekend, it was the only way to “go to” church.  I think this was a wise investment for our church.  Thank you.

 

On a different note, I am already tired of the weather.  What do you do when it is so cold outside?  Can anyone play in the snow when it is -10 degrees?  Yikes.  I am officially not a big fan.  Knowing me, I will probably complain in August when it is too hot. 

 

I am already thinking about Lent. For those who are wondering, Ash Wednesday falls on February 14th, Valentine’s Day (Nothing says I love you more than ashes).  We will offer drive-by ashes from ????.  We will have a 12:00 p.m. in the Liefeld (???) Lounge.  Then we will have our last service in the church sanctuary at 5:30 p.m.

Still thinking about Wednesday Lenten services.  It is one of those things that we always have had, but in reality, they are not well intended.  Last year, we ate and worked on lessons with our tablemates.  Do we want to try that again or do something else?  I am open to ideas from those who plan on attending.

 

Please stay warm and safe.  If you need anything, please let me or your church know.  Blessings to all of you!

 

Pastor Tom

630-334-1771

pandtredig@gmail.com

 

Readings for the weekend of January 27th & 28st  – 4th Week After Epiphany

Deuteronomy 18:15-20           Psalm 111       1 Corinthians 8:1-13               Mark 1:21-28

           


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January 16, 2024


“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples”

John 13:35

Proclaim the Gospel

Grow in Love

Serve One Another


St. Johns’ Mission Statement

 

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

 

It was bound to happen.  We do live in the Midwest.  Last year, I think we were pretty lucky.  Maybe we had one storm that gave us measurable snow.  This year is a little different.  I wonder what is in store for the rest of the winter?

 

I am not a big fan of the cold.  My son-in-law was looking up temperatures in various locations.  Where we celebrated Christmas in Austin, Texas, the high today is 30 degrees.  It is hard to believe that we were swimming every day.  But here is the thing, even though I am not a big fan of snow and cold temperatures, some people make part of their living by removing it.  I think of the people who removed the snow from the church’s parking lot.  Every time they do it, they are making money so they can pay their bills.  I have a friend who told me that he makes thirty percent of his living on snow removal.  I hope we get more snow, for their sake.

 

For the first time since I have been a Pastor here, we had to cancel a service during the winter.  Dave Kromphardt and myself made the decision to do so.  In other words, your Church Council President and the Pastor makes the decision. One of the brave souls who came on Saturday said to me, “this is why we have online!”  This is very true.  We want to make sure you all stay safe.  We heard how cold it was going to be on Sunday, including the windchill and we both made the decision.  I hope the worship service was meaningful  online.  Thank you to our members of our congregation as well as Bridget and Missy for taking part in it. 

 

I am not sure if you noticed, but we proclaimed a different Creed during service. The Pastors of the Southern Conference of the Northern Illinois Synod spoke these words during one of our monthly worship services.  We will use this Creed for the season after Epiphany.

 

With sadness I want to inform you that two of our church members passed away.  Marvin Getty and Jim Meyer passed away last week.  The service for Marvin Getty was on Monday.  When I was talking to his wife Lois and his two daughters, Monica and Pam, we were debating between a snowy Saturday or a frigid Monday.  Lois said that people don’t die during convenient times.  Very true.

 

Also, the son of our very own Charlotte Sneed-McCall passed away. His name is Timothy.  Please keep all of these families in your prayers.  I am going to put the address for Charlotte and Lois at the end of the letter.  I am sure they would appreciate cards of sympathy from our church. Jim Meyers lived at the Illinois Veterans Home in LaSalle.  I have no forwarding address for him. 

 

Personally, I thank you for all your prayers for my daughter.  The results of her scan were negative.  They will have to monitor it closely, but praise God for the results. 

 

Monday, we celebrated Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday.  Notice the first two words of his name. Martin Luther King Sr., was so impressed with the founder of our Lutheran faith.  He changed his name as well as his 5-year-old son to Martin Luther King Jr.

 

One of the many things I admired about Martin Luther King Jr. was how he believed in non-violence.  So many times, he was attacked both physically and mentally, but he refused to answer in violence.  He truly lived out what Jesus taught us all to do in terms of reacting with non-violence. 

 

The other powerful item, Martin Luther King Jr. stood for was equal rights for all people.  So many things happened in my past.  I wonder if I would have behaved the way my ancestors did in the 1800’s and 1900’s?  I was born in 1961.  In 1965, all African-Americans were finally given the right to vote.  That was in my life-time.  It is hard to believe that within my life-time, not all people had the right for representation. 

 

I know the ELCA is not for all people.  I also know that our faith tradition has its warts.  Martin Luther especially when it came to the Jewish people.  But within all our warts, we have done good also.  The inclusivity of our faith is what attracted me to our faith tradition.  It is interesting to me, that the things we struggled with 30, 40, 50 years ago, are things that other faith traditions are struggling  with now.  We still have a long way to go, but with the Holy Spirit’s help, we will become a faith tradition that Martin Luther King Jr. and so many others believed in.

 

Stay safe.  Keep warm.  Please, if you need anything, let your church know.

 

May the peace of God be with you always.

 

Pastor Tom

630-334-1771

pandtredig@gmail.com

 

Readings for the weekend of January 20th & 21st  – 3rd Week After Epiphany

Jonah 3:1-5, 10           Psalm 65:5-12             1 Corinthians 7:29-31             Mark 1:14-20

 

 

Lois Getty      

1018 31st Street

Peru, IL. 61354

 

 

Charlotte Sneed-McCall

2217 Marquette Road

B2

Peru, IL 61354

            



January 9, 2024


“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples”

John 13:35

Proclaim the Gospel

Grow in Love

Serve One Another


St. Johns’ Mission Statement

 

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

 

If I forgot to tell you, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  


New Year’s Eve we had a few friends over under one condition: we wouldn’t stay up until midnight.  Patty and I are not late-night people, but our friends actually left even before 8:00!  

 

I have been told it has been very quiet in the office.  It sure was this week.  Quiet is good, especially after Advent and Christmas, but both Eloide and I are available if you need us. 

 

Just a reminder what the [ ]s mean.  Our first reading contains them.  They mean they are optional to read or cover this weekend.  And the answer to, do I use them is, it depends?  Sometimes I do and sometimes I don’t.  It depends on if they fit into what I want to preach about.

 

The second week for me is always busy.  It seems like everyone outside of church wants to have a meeting on the 2nd Tuesday of the week.  I’m not sure if anyone would be interested, but I am doing a Bible Study every Tuesday at 12:00 p.m. at the Y.  All are welcome.

 

Please mark your calendars for Sunday, January 28th.  We will have our annual meeting after worship.  Again, it is so important that you attend this meeting.  We will vote to approve our 2024 budget.  We will also vote to finally send our Constitution to the Synod, and you’ll be able to read the year-end-reports from all the ministries. In order for this to happen, we need a quorum.  We really shouldn’t have to worry about this.  We hope that all of you, if you are able, will come and see what is going on in your church.

 

One clarification from the sermon December 30th & 31st.  I made a statement, which I stand behind, that I just don’t think one person can worship our God.  It takes people (2 or more…).  I mentioned the people watching us at home.  My wife pointed out that she thought I said that these people are not able to worship.  I apologize if I mis-spoke.  This is farthest from the truth.  You are part of our worship service.  I love having you tune-in.  Please continue to be part of our worship service.  You are a major part of what is happening in your church.

 

May the peace of God be with you always.

 

Pastor Tom

630-334-1771

pandtredig@gmail.com

 

Readings for the weekend of January 13th & 14th – 2nd Week After Epiphany

1 Samuel 3:1-10[11-20]          Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18              ! Corinthians 6:12-20              John 1:43