May 10, 2020

ST. JOHN LUTHERAN CHURCH Purpose: Joyfully taking God’s love into the world!

Dear St. John friends, May 6, 2020

Back in March when COVID-19 first entered our lives, we don’t think any of us expected the changes we’ve

made in our lives and continue with six weeks later. And yet, in this unexpected time, we’ve found things we can

rejoice in. Our online worship services continue to be opportunities to “feed your soul” with Word, prayer and

music. (A special thank you to Nick Mixdorf for his willingness to step forward and help produce those services

each week as our Online Worship Technician!) The week prior to Holy Week, volunteers sent cards to over 150

families in our congregation so that every household with members age 60 and older received contact from

someone in the congregation. And our “rainbow of hope” thank you for the coronavirus workers hanging in the

front west windows at church received a shout-out in a recent Northeastern Iowa Synod newsletter.

It was with surprise that we learned last week of the Governor’s proclamation to allow spiritual and religious gath-

erings in Iowa. At St. John, we take the health and well-being of our congregation, staff and community very

seriously. In light of the recommendation of the Black Hawk County Health Department that folks continue to

stay at home when possible, participate in no social gatherings, and follow CDC self-isolation guidelines since

the COVID-19 numbers remain high in our area, we are continuing with our current plan of online services. This

decision lines up with a letter we recently received from the Northeastern Iowa Synod office in addition to an

Ecumenical Statement about Religious Gatherings (they included) recommending the continuation of online wor-

ship. As the letter reminds us,

“We are all making important sacrifices for the sake of the neighbor and the common good. We

want to gather with our communities in this difficult time. We want to gather in the place where we

hear the Word of God and receive the Sacraments. Yet we are staying home in order to protect

those most vulnerable in our community. We are staying home in order to do our part to flatten the

curve of the virus, so that our healthcare system is not overwhelmed. We are making sacrifices

out of concern for others. We are choosing the path of love even though it is hard. This is a power-

ful Christian witness.”

The decision of when to resume worshipping together in person is one that we will be making thoughtfully and

prayerfully, with a clear plan that not only allows us to emotionally and spiritually care for the people in our

church family, but also protects them physically. At this point in time, we continue to evaluate this decision on a

week-by-week basis as we watch what happens here in Black Hawk County. As we prepare to reopen, we will

communicate with you what that may look like.

We look forward with hope for the day that we CAN worship together at St. John – at a time when we can gather

safely as one faith community. As you have in recent days, continue to minister to one another through prayer,

cards, phone calls, emails and random acts of kindness. Be an example in our community of joyfully taking

God’s love in to the world!

In Christ, St John Church Council and Staff

As Christians, we turn to God in times of fear and uncertainty as we do in times of joy and celebration. We pray for God’s heart of love, mercy, and truth to dwell in us and show us how to face the challenges posed by the new coronavirus.

Pray for people who are infected with COVID-19 or facing quarantine. Jesus, during Your ministry on Earth You showed Your power and caring by healing people of all ages and sta-tions of life from physical, mental, and spiritual ailments. Be present now to people who need Your loving touch because of COVID-19. May they feel Your power of healing through the care of doctors and nurses. Take away the fear, anxiety, and feelings of isolation from people receiving treatment or under quarantine. Give them a sense of purpose in pursuing health and protecting others from exposure to the disease. Protect their families and friends and bring peace to all who love them. Pray for people at higher risk of developing the disease. Dear Lord, we lift to You our concern for people who are more likely than others to become severely ill from COVID-19 — the elderly and people with chronic health conditions. Protect them from harm and be their comfort in this time of uncertainty. Pray for medical professionals, caregivers, researchers, and leaders responsible for decisions about fighting the new coronavirus. Father, we seek Your wisdom daily. Be with people making decisions that affect the lives and futures of our fami-lies, communities, countries, and the wider world. Inspire and invigorate people developing better tests to diag-nose the virus, vaccines to prevent it, and protocols and communication to eliminate the disease’s spread. May truth and empathy be the touchstones of people setting policies for our protection.

Healing & Concern. . .

Nonie Duff; Carl & Sue (Kelly Turner’s relatives); Holly Prohaska; Paul & Nancy Bri-

etske (Marge Behren’s son-in-law & daughter); Britnee (Amber Nieman’s sister-in-law;

Pamela (Amber & Kyle Nieman’s friend); Richard Behnke (Charisse Folken’s dad);

Todd Meyer (Don Kohagen’s nephew); Tim Paulsen (Terry Phillips’ brother); Mary

Cordes; Joann Layton (Seth Layton’s grandma); Jean Waschkate (Sandy Heinen’s

mom); Glenn Wiebke; Jim Dreyer; Mike Sheehan; Harley Kilby (Dave Folken’s step-

dad); Cole Weliver (preschool parent); Paulo Shila (Barb Feuerhak’s son-in-law); Lau-

ren Finke (friend of Claphams); Isabella Auer (Jennifer Mixdorf’s cousin): Richard

Dean (Julie Clark’s father).

Comfort & Consolation. . .

Laura & James VanPatten family on the death of Laura’s mother, Elizabeth Goodwin.

Cards of sympathy may be sent to: 1905 Iowa St., Cedar Falls, IA 50613.

Here are some important dates for you to know as

we welcome Pastor Brian & his family to the Cedar

Valley

Pastor Brian’s first Sunday with us will be May 24.

Plans for this service remain fluid in what it may

look like but we do know Pastor Brian will be

preaching!

His installation as Senior Pastor of St. John will be

Sunday, May 31. A representative of the Northeast

Iowa Synod office is scheduled to take part in that

service.

Please keep Pastor Brian and his family in your prayers

as they prepare to say goodbye to Nebraska and move

to Cedar Falls this coming week!

In light of the most recent guidelines from the Governor re-

garding gatherings, we are adjusting our Annual Meeting to

June 7th. Please put the date on your calendar and plan to

attend! All confirmed members of SJLC are eligible to vote.

Even though we’re not gathering in-person for

church, our needs remain constant. You still

have the opportunity to make a difference in the

lives of others by supporting the ministries of

St. John. If you typically put a check into the

offering plate on Sunday morning, please con-

sider one of these options to give:

Give online : https://www.stjohncf.org/give

Text your donation amount to 217-636-

5370, or

Mail a check to 715 College St., Cedar

Falls, IA 50613.

Cards for Seniors

To help keep two of our age groups connected, we'd

love to connect our older members with our younger

ones through cards, drawings, and letters. This is per-

fect for our little ones to be a part of! If you are 25

years and younger, and willing to do something kind for

someone else which will be a wonderful surprise, con-

tact the church office and Jenny will provide you with

the name & address of someone you can surprise with

mail! Just send her an email at Jenny@stjohncf.org

and let her know how many addresses you'd like to re-

ceive. Thank you!

CONNECTINGCARING

SHARINGGROWING

St. John Staff Sasi Ayyappan ……………Financial Assistant, Part-time Tim Bass…………………………Worship Tech, Part-time

Karen Black………………………….. Organist, Part-time

Chandar Boyle..….9:30 Worship Team Leader, Part-time

Joe Boyle…..……..9:30 Worship Team Leader, Part-time

Steve Ferguson…...Pastoral Ministry Assistant, Part-time

Nicole Green.…………………………….Pianist, Part-time

Karl Haugen…………..………………Custodian, Part-time

Jenny Hemesath……… Dir. Office Operations, Full-time

Sandy Livingston..……...Kitchen/Ministry Asst., Part-time

Jim Miller…..……..9:30 Worship Team Leader, Part-time

Randy Nieman ……………...Facilities Manager, Full-time

Marty Postel …..Children, Youth & YA Director, Full-time

Kathy Thompson …Dir. Preschool & Childcare, Full-time

Church Council Charisse Folken ……………………..…..Gordie Sorensen

Brian Burkhardt (President) ………………..Katy Clapham

PJ Mills………………………………………..Todd Parsons

Marty Postel ……………………………………Kelly Turner

Ministry & Resource Team Leaders Hospitality & Cong Care ………………...Robin Abraham

Serving & Discipleship…………………..Sandra Stavnes

Worship & Celebration ………………….…. Nick Mixdorf

Faith Formation & Lifelong Learning …Carlene Gardner

Human Resources……………………...…...Beth Sulentic

Financial Resources……………….…………..Jim Langel

Property Resource Team…………..Samantha Tetmeyer

Technology & Communication………………..Adam Puls