Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
What a day for Trick or Treat. It was a beautiful day and we had many people come join us to celebrate our annual Trick or Treat event at St. Johns.. Thank you to all who made it a special day by either coming and joining us or by donating candy. We had many visitors that I did not recognize. I told the church crowd that this is exactly what we want. We want it to be a community event versus only a St. John’s event. A special shout out goes to the Evangelism Committee who work hard to plan this event. Thank you too all.
Eloide is back. Thank goodness. I’m sure most of us missed her, but your pastor may have missed her the most. It is good to have her back.
Our garden is cleaned up for another year. It was a very fruitful year (or vegetable). I actually saw people walking and picking that I did not know. Again., that is exactly what we want. It is not a St. John’s garden but a community garden. We have many people who worked it that do not belong to the church. That’s sort of sweet. I know many of you enjoyed the bounty. I’m not sure if we had any food left after the services during the weekend. If you know anyone who works on that committee, make sure you thank them.
Many of you know but I want to make sure you all know of the passing of Sue Flaherty and Kay Raineri’s brother Larry. We had the funeral and luncheon at the church last Wednesday. Okay, this is how God’s love works through the church community. Larry was not a member of our church but Sue and Kay asked if the funeral could be at St. Johns. Of course. But they also asked if the luncheon could be in Fellowship Hall. They said they would do all the work since Larry was not a member. Basically, one of the members of our church said, “You’re right, but you and Kay are and we want to show you how much we love and support you during this time.” And our luncheon ladies did a great job of organizing this event, as they always do. Thank you.
In the last couple of weeks, I have received two positive postcards from people who visited our church services. One couple wants to join. And then hearing about this comment made by one of our women in our congregation about hosting the luncheon. Not one of them said anything about the pastor. It was Sue who told me what one of the members said to her about the luncheon. Here is my point: It is you, the members of this congregation, that will bring people back to church. It is you, the congregation, that will be the first impression that new people will receive. Continue welcoming the new people in church. Make a point of looking around and introducing yourself to people you don’t know. So what if they’ve been here for 20 years or one day. It is you that makes a difference. If the pastor has to do it, this congregation is in trouble.
You are dearly loved !
Pastor Tom
815-223-1144
Readings for 24th Week after Pentecost – November 3rd (All Saints Day)
Isaiah 25:6-9 Psalm 24 Revelation 21:1-6a John 11:32-44
Reading the Bible in a Year- Monday, October 28th to Sunday, November 3rd
Day Exodus Psalms Proverbs Mark
Monday Ch 37-38 6:1-11 Ch 8:14-9:1
Tuesday Ch 39-40 26:1-12 Ch 9:2-32
Leviticus
Wednesday Ch 1-3 27:1-6 Ch 9:33-10:12
Thursday Ch 4-5:13 27:7-14 Ch 10:13-31
Friday Ch 5:14- 7:10 6:12-19 Ch 10:32:52
Saturday Ch 7:11 – Ch 8 28 Ch 11:1-27
Sunday Ch 9 & 10 29 Ch 11:28-12:12
Moses & Leviticus – What can I say about this section? You just have to power your way through this section.
Psalms – Many different ways the psalmist is teaching us to pray. Prayers of begging, of praise, of confidence and for help. If you are ever stuck not knowing how to pray, go to the psalms. You will find one that fits your state. Something about 27:1 that resonates with me. Maybe this is one we should know by heart.
Proverb – I find this Proverb with two topics. 1) The importance of strong neighborly relationships. 2) It describes a poor work ethic. Verses 16-19 list things God hates. Might want to underline those. Which one do you need to improve on?
Mark- We have talked about this grouping already. Maybe we need to slow down even more when we read it. We should probably do this when the text becomes familiar. Finally, we get the triumphant entry into Jerusalem. After he enters, notice what he does. The religious leaders become more agitated and try to kill him. But it says, “They were afraid, because of the crowds.” Soon enough they will overcome their fear.