Contact Us 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. Brian Hansen, Pastors

Dawn Papenfuss, Director of Music/Organist

Rachel Coen-Tuff, Director of Youth & Family Ministries

Jackie Jabens, Finance/Office Manager

Carly Rogne, Secretary Randy Shone, Custodian

Jana Bruhschwein, Preschool Director

Kellie Knodel, Cheryl Dietz, Katie Olson, Preschool Teachers

Peggy Hammerling, Recorders Jessica Westgard, Handbells

Editor: Carly Rogne, Articles accepted before

1 pm Friday, December 11th for the January 16’ Herald.

St. John Lutheran Church

1710 5th Street South

Fargo, ND 58103

CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

‘THE HERALD’

December 2015

Published 12 times/year

Vol. #115, Issue #12

St. John Office Hours:

Monday-Thursday: 9 am-4:30 pm

Friday: 9 am-2 pm

Non-Profit Org.

US Postage Paid

Permit #1040

Fargo, ND 58102

Christmas poinsettias, wreaths and other Christmas

decorations will be purchased to enhance the beauty

of St. John during the Advent/Christmas seasons. If

you would like to donate to the poinsettia fund, please

make your check payable to: St. John Lutheran

Church. Place it, along with this slip, in an enve-

lope, mark it “Poinsettia Fund” and drop it in the offer-

ing plate or mail to the church office.

Donations are due by Monday, December 14.

Name_________________________________________

Amount $_______ Telephone _____________________

Given in memory of _____________________________

or Given in honor of ____________________________

CHRISTMAS POINSETTIAS & WREATHS

"God grant you the light in

Christmas, which is faith; the warmth

of Christmas, which is love; the

radiance of Christmas, which is

purity; the righteousness of

Christmas, which is justice; the belief

in Christmas, which is truth; the all

of Christmas, which is Christ.

~Wilda English .

In This Issue

Notes form the Pastor

Upcoming Events

Stephen Ministry

Youth and Family Events

December Calendar

Music Notes

Volume 115, Issue 12 Community in Christ: Christ in Community December 2015

THE HERALD

St. John Lutheran Church

Member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

December Events

December 1 Committee Night 6:30pm

December 6 Lutheran Libations Fellowship Event 4pm

December 7 Book Club 7:00pm

December 8 Reconciling in Christ 6:30pm

December 10 YAH (Young at Heart) 10:00am

December 11 Articles Due for January Herald

December 13 Children’s Christmas Program 10:45 service

December 14 MUGG 5:30pm

December 15 Foot Care Clinic 8:00am-2:00pm

December 15 Council Meeting

December 16 Rachel Circle

December 20-26 Housing the Homeless at Oak Grove

December 23 No worship service

December 24 Christmas Eve Services 3:30pm; 5:30pm; 10:30pm

December 27 One worship Service 9:30am

December 30 Short worship service with Hymn Sing

Christmas Eve Services December 24 2015

3:30 Family Service with Worship Band/Communion 5:30 Lessons & Carols with Communion & Candlelight & the St. John Choir

10:30 Reflective Worship with Communion & Candlelight

December 27 2015 One Worship Service 9:30am

From the Pastor:

“Stephen Ministry of St. John

Idea! You could give a wonderful Christmas gift to yourself. You could ask Pastor Brian or

Amy Reinhart for a Stephen Minister to: pray with and talk to you during what can be or

may be a stressful or lonely holiday season (Melissa); share your troubles, cares and wor-

ries (Allan); pray for your Christmas travels (Gail); listen and pray with you as you wait or

anticipate (Rachel); give Christian care with verve and smiles (Jim).

St. John 2016 Stewardship Drive

If you have already made a financial pledge toward the new year’s operating budget, thank

you! The staff and church council continue to find pledge responses to be a valuable tool in

preparing the next year’s budget. As of November 24, responses have been received from

80 of our 388 households.

If you have not yet done so, please prayerfully consider what your financial support to St.

John’s 2016 ministries and programs will be, fill out your response form accordingly, and

return it to the church by mail or in the offering plate. Pledge forms are available in the

church lobby at the Welcome Center or, if you’d like to have one mailed or emailed to you,

contact Jackie in the finance office at 232-8521 or jjabens@stjohnfargo.com.

Simply Giving Program Participants: If you plan to continue to give electronically past

December 31st of the current year, it is helpful for the finance office to know your intention.

Please either fill out a pledge form at your convenience, checking the line to continue Simp-

ly Giving, and turn it in, or email the finance office, using the address above, with your in-

tent. Thank you!

General Memorial Fund:

In Memory of Elaine Benner

Carol Stevens

Good Samaritan Committee Fund-YAH Club:

In Memory of Elaine Benner

Jeri Ekstrom

Mary Ann Walen

Special Music Fund:

In Memory of Elaine Benner

Richard & Shirley Bolme

In Memory of Carroll Stubstad

Marcia, Caleb & Luke Stubstad

In Memory of Trisha Trimmer

Jeri Ekstrom

Joyce Meyer

Marian Prim

In Memory of Lois Jacobson

Marian Prim

St. John Foundation:

In Honor of the Asleson/Tomlinson Wed-ding

Richard & Shirley Bolme

My heart is heavy. These last weeks we have been walking with many families experiencing

difficult life events. We have walked with families grieving the loss of a child and the loss of

a parent. We have walked alongside a family whose loved one was diagnosed with two

lung tumors. We have been sitting with a family whose loved one has exhausted medical

options and is now on hospice.

My heart is heavy. Many of you have been stirred with sadness and compassion as you

heard news of recent terrorist attacks not only in Paris, but in Beirut, Baghdad, and several

in Nigeria. Refugees continue to flee to find new hope and new life free from persecution,

violence, and hunger. Together the world grieves the loss of life, hope, innocence, and

peace.

Although my heart is heavy, I bring to you another image of Jesus. Jesus was sleeping in a

boat with His disciples when a great storm arose. The disciples were terrified for their lives,

but Jesus slept. Out of great fear they woke their ‘Sleeping Savior’ and Jesus stood up in

the boat, faced the storm and said, “Peace, Be still.”

You may be experiencing what the disciples felt in the boat that day, a “Sleeping Sav-

ior.” Surely when we experience suffering and loss, family strife, or stress during the holi-

day rush, we will feel like God is sleeping. Many who grieve often feel numbness or some-

times separation from faith in God. We are often the disciples in the boat yelling at Jesus to

wake up. I wonder if Jesus is asleep in the boat because the heaviness of life is too big to

address. But this is not our God. After a moment of rest, Jesus stands, addresses the disci-

ples, and faces the storm that threatens to take their lives. He does the same for us. Jesus

stands with you today saying, “Peace, Be still,” to the storm that is making your boat spin

and sway.

In this season of Advent, let us hold on to the image of the scared and threatened disciples

hearing their close friend and Savior speak, “Peace, Be still.”

Pastor Nathan Keith

Memorials and Honorariums

Adult Forums

Nov. 29th No Adult Forum

Dec. 6th Women in Ministry

Dec. 13th No Adult Forum

(Children Christmas Program)

Dec. 20th Adult Forum will join the

Advent Festival in Fellowship Hall

December 27th No Adult Forum

(Christmas Holiday)

A Note from Rachel...

The Advent wreath is a Christian tradition celebrating the first four weeks of the liturgical calendar. The four candles represent the four Sundays leading up to Christmas. There are some Advent wreaths which include a fifth candle for Christmas Day. Each of the candles and their corresponding colors have a name. Candle 1 Hope, Candle 2 Peace, Candle 3 Joy, Candle 4 Love, Candle 5 Christ the Light of the World.

Advent is one of my favorite season of the church year. I have always enjoyed the preparation and the anticipation of Advent and the Christmas season. When I was a little girl a Christmas tradition at my house was light the Advent wreath. We have many pictures of the five of us gathered around our dining room table ready to read the lesson for the weeks of Advent. Now as an adult the candles and what each candle represents carries a new meaning in my life, and I will always associate Advent with the faith practice of the Advent wreath in my home.

When practicing faith in our homes we are preparing a special place for God to be at work out-side of our church. God is at work at our kitchen tables as we are learning about Advent as a family and what it means to have hope, peace, joy, and love in our lives. I hope this Christmas season the families at St. John will try this new Christmas tradition, learning about the Light of the World Jesus Christ who is a light in our lives and at work in our world.

Christmas Blessings from our family to yours!

Milestone Ministries

Milestone Ministries are intentional ministries that connect families to each other and to the congregation, as we recognize and learn about God’s

presence throughout the different stages of a child’s life. Each Milestone directly reflects our desire to fulfill the promises we, as a congregation and

family, made to our children at their baptism. Coming Soon:

Ten Commandments for Fourth Grade January 24th:

Come and learn along with your child what is important about the Ten Commandments. Are they just rules? Do they still apply to my life today even

though they were given by God a long time ago? The Ten Commandment family milestone sessions are a way for parents, god parents, and grand-

parents to learn together about faith.

Cross+Walk News

Families have been gathering together, having fun, talking about God, and faith, and life, while growing relationships with other families,

and nurturing their own faith. CROSS+WALK is our new faith formation ministry for people of ALL ages, to grow relationships and nur-

ture faith in ways that are real, relevant and impacting. This innovative ministry takes the place of traditional Sunday School, with the purpose of

engaging the whole family and our whole faith community in faith conversations together. CROSS+WALK is offered Wednesdays (7:15-7:45 p.m.)

and on Sundays (9:45-10:35 a.m.).

The past few months our Cross+Walk leaders and children have been busy preparing for the Christmas Program. The Christmas program will be

held on Sunday, December 13th at the 10:45 service. Children with speaking parts will rehearse in their small groups. A walk through of the entire

program will be held on December 6th at 9:45am and the following week December 13th there will be dress rehearsal at 9:45 in the sanctuary before

the program. Below you will find a schedule for the remaining weeks of Cross+Walk before Christmas.

Nov. 30th NO Cross+Walk

December 6th Rehearsal for Program

December 13th 9:45-10:30 Rehearsal for Program; 10:45 Christmas Program

December 20th 9:45-10:30 Advent Festival during Cross+Walk Time

December 27th NO Cross+Walk

January 3rd Cross+Walk Resumes

Children, Youth and Family Ministry Rachel Coen-Tuff, Director of Youth and Family Ministry 701-232-8521, Rachel@stjohnfargo.com

Preschool News!

In November we celebrated Muffins

with Moms and took a horse drawn

carriage ride around the St. John

neighborhood. We are looking for-

ward to building Gingerbread Nativity

scenes with our families. Each pre-

school family received a Nativity

window cling set with Nativity scrip-

ture verses to share at home during

Advent.

Join us for our Christmas Programs

on December 17 and 18 at 10:30 in

the Sanctuary.