Thursday, November 1, 2012

DEVOTION:  (from Pastor)
Then I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb, clothed in white robes and holding palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!"  Revelation 7:9-10
 
A BLESSED ALL SAINTS DAY EVERYONE!!
 
Today is All Saints Day, a day in the Christian tradition that has been celebrated for centuries.  Over the past hundred years or so it has, unfortunately, taken on less and less significance, to the point where more people know about the day before All Saints Day than they do the actual day.  Yesterday being All Hallows Eve (Halloween). 
 
It is unfortunate because, too often, our hearts are way too earthly in our thoughts.  We forget that there is a heaven waiting for us.  We forget that the ills and pains of this world are not worth comparing to the all encomassing and surpassing peace and joy of eternal life.  We are focused on the wrong things. 
 
Certainly it is just fine to dress up in costumes and go trick or treating.  Certainly it is ok to enjoy all that God has givne us on this earth.  We are made to enjoy God's creation and His gifts.  But we must always remember that this earth, and our lives on this earth, are only temporal and only a shadow of the wonderful things to come in paradise. 
 
SO I urge you to CELEBRATE today as well!  Remember your loved ones with fondness and joy as you wait eagerly for the time that you will join them in that perfect paradise.  For us all to live is Christ and to die is gain!  Live in Christ until the day where you will receive your heavenly gain!
 
Prayer:  Lord God, help me to look heavenward all of the time.  Help me to rejoice in the eternal life you have given to me!  Help me to remember the examples of faith in my life so that I may emulate them!  Amen.
 
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
WEDNESDAY'S QUESTION: Who was the king when Jesus was crucified?  Herod
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
THURSDAY'S QUESTION: What happened to Peter when he looked down as he was waliking on the water?
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
 
CATECHISM:
Question:  Does the Holy Spirit want to do this in the lives of all people?
Answer:  God, the Holy SPirit, earnestly wants to convert all people and bring them to salvation through the Gospel.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
CALENDAR: 
Thurs- Visitation for Charlie Smith at Martin funeral home 4-8pm
Fri- funeral at 11am (burial immediately to follow)
Sat- Ladies Aid luncheon, craft, and bake sale 9am-1pm; worship 5pm

Sun- worship 8:30; Sunday school 9:45; worship 11am

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

NEWS:

LADIES AID LUNCHEON, CRAFT, AND BAKE SALE THIS SATURDAY 9am-1pm

We will have a variety of baked goods and a variety of crafts, as well as greeting cards and kitchen cutlery for sale.  We will serve soup, chili, hot dogs, chicken salad sandwiches and home made pie from 9am - 1 pm.

___________________________________________________________________________________________

20-30 YEAR OLD POTLUCK THIS SATURDAY AT 6pm

All those who have graduated from high school all the way through their early 30s are invited to join us for an evening of fellowship and food after church Saturday night!!!  Just bring a dish to share.  We will have fried chicken as the main course!  Please RSVP asap so I know how much chicken to order!!! 

__________________________________________________________________________________________
A special thanks to all who participated in the 1st ANNUAL TRUNK OR TREAT AND CHILI/HOTDOG SUPPER

It was a wonderful night with tons of kids!  We especially thank Steve and Sandy Robine and their granddaughters, Molly Hendershot, and Joan Sexton for serving such a wonderful meal.  We also thank all of those who provided their trunks and lots and lots of candy.  We probably had over 200 kids who came through with their parents!  We all had a blast!

 __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

SPECIAL CHOIR FORMING FOR THANKSGIVING and CHRISTMAS

Molly Hendershot has graciously volunteered to lead/direct a choir to sing on Thanksgiving Eve and Christmas.  Practice will start this coming Wednesday at 6:30pm.  Please call her to let her know you will be joining this special choir.  636-488-5751

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

CHRISTMAS PROGRAM IS BEING PRACTICED EVERY WEEK AT SUNDAY SCHOOL FROM NOW UNTIL THE PROGRAM

Hey kids and families!!!  If you want to participate in the Christmas program then you need to be at Sunday school.  The program was introduced this past Sunday, and will be practiced every Sunday during Sunday school opening from now until the day of the program. 

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

OPERATION BACKPACK NEEDS MORE FOOD

This food gets put in children's backpacks on Friday afternoon before they go home for the weekend.  Kids are able to get breakfast and lunch every day of the week, but often have to go without food on weekends.  Please provide for our kids.  There is a coolection box in the preschool room.

single serve sizes of cereal

oatmeal (instant packets)

hot chocolate mix

juice box

peanut butter

jelly (squeezable bottle)

soup

spaghettios or beefaroni

mac and cheese

corn

green beans

granola bars

fruit snacks

pudding cups

raisin boxes

applesauce cups

fruit cups

cereal bars

pretzels

individually wrapped crackers and cookies

bread  

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

VENDOR FAIR--- CHRISTMAS MARKET

 

Little Lambs is hosting a Vendor Fair on Saturday, December 1 from 8am-2pm.
 
This is for all of those folks who have home based (part time businesses) like Avon, Scentsy, tupperware etc. 
 
First come, first reserve-- no duplicate vendors please.
 
$20 per booth/table  (tables provided)
 
All proceeds go to building fund. 
 
Please contact Lisa Rausch or Karin Klaustermeier at 456-2888 ext. 4  or email at lrausch@centurytel.net or karin.klaustermeier@hotmail.com
 
 
This is a great opportunity to get gifts for Christmas or to make a little extra cash to buy those gifts

____________________________________________________________________________

STEWARDSHIP SPOLIGHT FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER IS PATRIOT PACKAGES
As we all know, our military forces are still spread throughout the world.  Many of our loved ones are deployed and arond the world and on bases throughout our own country.  Ptriot Packages, formerly known as G4U "Goodies for You" is a small yet effective way that we can care for all those men and women in a very real and practical way.  A group of people get together once a month to fill care packages to send out.  These packages have very specific items that these soldiers request, that are scarce or nonexistent where they are. 

 

What they need from us is money so that they can buy the specific items they need.  As always, make checks payable to St. John's and in the memo line write "patriot Packages".  Also, as always, this should be above and beyond your regular offerings.

 

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PRAYERS: 

For BOB LAMPEN, Karin Klaustermeier's dad, as he goes on hospice care today.

 

For the FAMILY AND FRIENDS OF CHARLIE SMITH as he passed away Sunday evening.

 

For BARB DREYER'S DAD as he is dealing with many physical illnesses and weaknesses and her mother as she cares for him.

 

For ALLAN DREYER'S AUNT LORENA.  She is back at Whispering Pines and recovering well.

  

For LIL WINTER as she is doing rehabilitation as Delmar Gardens in OFallon. .

 

For DON TURNURE who is recovering well from hip replacement surgery.

 

For JOYCE SCHIEN as she is recovering well from pneumonia at Delmar Gardens in OFallon.

 

For PEGGY TALBERT as she recovers from severe esophagus issues and is still not feeling well.  (A hiatal hernia and esophagitis) 

 

For WALT SCHIRR, as recovers from surgery to take care of his vertigo and balance problems.

  

For GENE SIEBOLD who is recovering from pneumonia at Delmar Gardens in Chesterfield.

 

For JEANETTE KOEHLER, who is recovering at Troy Nursing Home from an amputaed toe.

 

 For MARILYN FOSTER'S NIECE, HEATHER.  She has a very rare spine condition, which has resulted in a spinal fluid leak. They are trying for the 2nd time to do a "blood patch" to stop the leak. Yesterdays try was unsuccessful and they are going to try again today. The only specialist in the US that treats these conditions is out of town until next week, the doctor that is caring for her has only done 1 of these before.

 

For CHRISTIAN WENZEL, art teacher at Blackhawk Middle School, who fell out of his tree stand while deer hunting on Saturday and broke his sternum and many ribs.  He has many things wrong with him and is in critical condition in the hospital.

.

 

For MARY SUE TOEDEBUSCH as she recovers from a very bad infection and as she continues to deal with very bad rheumatoid arthritis and other health troubles. 

 

  
For ED, neighbor to the Fosters, who found out he has cancer. 
 

For STEVE, a friend of Tony and Sandra Perricone, who is a husband, and a father of 2 and is undergoing tests for fluid on the brain.

 

For JOSIAH TULEY, great nephew of DIANNE HANCE'S friend Cindy Schwada.  Josiah is recovering well (the tumor was benign) and he may be getting to go home from the hospital soon.  He had a stroke because of the tumor and is still working on regaining control of some of his movements.