October 2016
The Caller
Saint John Lutheran Church
2016 Stewardship Weekend
We give thee but thine own
whate’er the gift may be;
all that we have is thine alone,
a trust, O Lord, from thee.
Pastor Jon Benson
Followers of
Christ
who seek to
HEAR
the Word,
LIVE
the Word
and
SHARE
the Word.
A few years back, I attended a stewardship conference where the speaker took
out of his pocket ten $10 bills equaling, of course, $100. He then explained how
the “conventional thinking” is that, if a person is a tither – giving at least 10% of
his or her income to the church – “stewardship” pertains only to ONE of those
$10 bills. In other words, how we as Christians spend the other $90 is entirely
up to us and is of little or no concern to God. The speaker went on to say that,
as commendable as this 10% tithe might be, it is, nevertheless, a misconception. The truth of the matter is that – from a faith perspective – the entire $100
belongs to God. Just as the above hymn says so well: “all that we have is thine
alone, a TRUST, O Lord, from thee.” In essence, how we spend and use, not
only our money but all that we have been entrusted with (our time, our possessions, our talent), is of GREAT CONCERN to God. Indeed, this is what a
“steward” is: not an owner but one to whom has been entrusted something that
belongs to someone else; and, in this instance, that “someone else” is GOD.
The theme for this year’s stewardship weekend (October 22-23) is based on
that well-known hymn by William Walsham How: “We Give Thee But Thine
Own.” Over the course of the three weekends leading up to the in-gathering of
pledges, we will hear temple-talk reflections focusing on the individual verses of
that hymn and, then, sing that same verse for our offertory. As we consider and reflect upon these verses, we will find that this simple hymn is not as simple as one might think – especially if, in our reflecting
upon this hymn, we catch the same vision for stewardship as William How: all that we have has been
entrusted to us by God and what we do with that trust (the entire 100%) is really a matter of our faith
becoming active in love, of caring for our neighbors and sharing with them all that we have and are.
There are many things that you, the members of Saint John, might do in preparation for Stewardship
Weekend. First, you could use the verses of “We Give Thee But Thine Own” as a week by week focus
for family devotions: for the week of September 26-October 2, singing and reflecting upon verse 1; for
the next week, verse two; and so on, until the in-gathering on October 22 and 23. Second, pray for the
ministry of Saint John Lutheran Church, that we as a congregation might continue the mission that Christ
has entrusted to us; pray that we would be good stewards of the gifts that God has collectively given to
us. Third, pray to God that you grow in faith and in the living out of your faith – which, when you think of it,
is what stewardship is all about. Finally, consider prayerfully what God is calling you to give financially in
2017 for the ministry and mission of Saint John Lutheran Church. I thank you for your generosity, past,
present and future, as we continue to HEAR the Word, LIVE the Word, and SHARE the Word in this
place where Christ has called us to serve.
Pastor Jon
Faith Formation
Page 2
High School Youth
October is an exciting month for the youth as they continue to study different “God Languages” as defined in the
book “What’s Your God Language?” This month, we will learn about and practice three of our God Languages
listed below. And, we threw in a game night for fun!
Oct 5 Lesson-The Contemplative
Oct 12 Game Night
Oct 19 Lesson-The Activist: Stefanie Alther guest
Oct 26 Meal Prep: The Caregiver
Our Special guest on Oct 19 will be an incredibly inspiring young Christian Activist named Stefanie Alther. At
the ripe age of 24, she has begun her own non-profit in Bali to address the need of baby abandonment. Unlike
America, many women in Bali feel they have no choice but to simply abandon their babies from unwanted
pregnancies. Stefanie’s non-profit, called the “Bali Mother & Baby House” gives them better options, both
saving the baby’s life and empowering the mother. All family members are welcome, including parents to come
to this inspiring night to hear Stefanie’s story as a growing Christian Activist.
Confirmation, 6th-8th Grades
IMPORTANT CONFIRMATION DATES FOR
OCTOBER:
October 5 - Mentor Night (5:30-7:45pm)
October 12 - Small Groups (5:30 meal, 6:30 class)
October 19 - Bonfire at Doug and Pat Thompson’s
in Glenwood
October 26 - Large Group (5:30 meal, 6:30 class)
November 2 - Mentor Night (5:30-7:45pm)
Bibles for 3 year olds and 3rd Graders
Picture Bibles will be given to 3 year olds and 3rd
graders will receive their Spark Bibles on Sunday,
October 9th at either service.
Bible Treasure Hunt
The Third Graders receiving Bibles are invited to
a “Bible Treasure Hunt” at noon on October 9 to
learn how to navigate the Bible. We ask parents
to join us, so they can work and learn together.
A light lunch will be served.
Trunk or Treat
HALLOWEEN PARTY / TRUNK OR TREAT –
Oct. 23,1:00-2:30 pm. The kids can dress up and
come “trick” the trunks in the parking lot. ALL ages
are welcome. Adults are invited to hand out candy
in the parking lot. We will have cookies and punch
and a craft indoors. We will move indoors if it’s raining for the “trunk” or treat. Any donations of candy
will be appreciated.
Wednesday Morning
Adult Bible Study
Each Wednesday at 9:00 a.m. we meet to explore
the scripture lessons for the upcoming weekend
worship services. Meet in the Welcome Center as
we learn together.
Tabitha Cluster
WOMEN of the ELCA – Rally Sunday has been
celebrated and all ministry groups are organizing for
the coming church year. Members are deciding
where they want to share their talents and monies
Please include the Tabitha Cluster meeting on
October 8th to plan for their upcoming year as
well. Emanuel Lutheran in Council Bluffs (2444
North Broadway) will be hosting the event Emanuel
has been celebrating their 125th Anniversary this
past year and decided to include the Cluster in its
final event. One of their goals for this anniversary
celebration was to have a fundraiser for the
Igumbilo Lutheran Girls School in Tanzania for their
mission outreach. Since Tabitha, as part of the
ELCA Women, has also committed support for the
girls school, we are combining efforts. The Tabitha
Cluster will meet at 9 am in the Sanctuary of
Emanuel. A representative from the Board of
Western Iowa Synod Women’s Organization will be
attending. The meeting will be from 9 am to 10
am. The agenda includes election of two women t
o fill the Treasurer position and back-up support
position on the Tabitha Cluster Planning Committee. An offering will be collected that will be split ½
to WISWO and ½ to the girls school. This offering
will allow you to attend the program plus the Salad
& Dessert Bruncheon in the Fellowship Hall at
Emanuel at 10 am. Emanuel is inviting the public
to this event and charging $10 per person. As an
attending member of the cluster meeting, your
offering at the meeting will admit you to the
bruncheon and program. The program will feature
the entertaining speaker Joy Johnson, the founder
of Ted.E.Bear Hollow grief counseling for children,
and published author Mark your calendars:
Saturday, October 8, 9 am, Emanuel Lutheran
Church, 2444 North Broadway, Council Bluffs,
IA. Questions, please contact Carol Jeppesen,
Tabitha Cluster Coordinator, 712-323-1530, [email protected].
Community Life
Page 3
Bethany News
125th Anniversary Dinner
Medicare Part D- Open enrollment for Medicare
Part D (Prescription Drug program) will be held
October 15th-December 7th. (Any changes will take
place beginning January 1, 2017). Bethany will once
again be offering free assistance in reviewing your
current plan and options for the coming year. Many
have indicated their prescriptions costs have gotten
higher recently due to the “donut hole or gap”. Now
is the time to review your policy for next year for
premium costs, deductibles and covered prescriptions. It is not uncommon for changes in your policy
to occur each year. We’re here to help you. For
more information or to make an appointment, please
contact Diane Carlon at 712-329-5451.
Please reserve the evening of November 5 to join
your fellow church friends in celebrating our 125 years
of service to our Lord. A catered dinner will be served
in the Faith and Life Center at 7:00 p.m. Bishop
Rodger Prois will join us and be a part of the evening’s
program. Tickets will be for sale at the Saturday
service and between Sunday services beginning
October 1 and ending on October 23. Sales do end
on the 23rd of October and there will not be tickets
available at the door. The ticket price will be $25. Plan
to attend and rejoice with the congregation for our 125
years of hearing the Word, living the Word and sharing
the Word.
Trick or Treat- Donations of candy are being
accepted to help treat the many children who will be
visiting Bethany on Monday, October 31st from
6:00 -7:00 p.m. Each year approximately 350
children come through our doors to greet our
residents/tenants and receive a treat. You can hear
the laughter and see the smiles on everyone’s faces.
It is one of the many highlights of the fall season. If
you are able to donate candy, it would be greatly
appreciated. All items must be individually wrapped
and can be left at your church or dropped off at
Bethany Lutheran Home or Bethany Heights. We
would also like to invite you to join us on the 31st.
Thank you for your support.
The Good Time Group will meet at The Twisted Tail in
Beebetown on Saturday October 8 at 7:00 p.m. Please
call Mike and Diane Ashbaugh at 712-323-3234 or
email us at [email protected] by October 3 to make
reservations !
Thank You-The Bethany Auxiliary and Key Ladies
would like to thank everyone for their support of the
annual Salad Luncheon and Bake Sale. Nearly 200
individuals attended the luncheon served by the 14
sponsoring congregations. We would like to also
thank those who contributed items for the bake sale
and the luncheon. Thank you for your continued
support of the Bethany Auxiliary, Bethany Lutheran
Home and Bethany Heights. It is greatly appreciated.
The Men’s Club will meet next on October 20
at 11:30 am at Sugar’s, 2725 E. Kanesville Blvd.
Men of all ages are welcome to join us for a good
lunch and great conversation. Call the church office
(323-7173) or sign up on the bulletin insert during
worship if you plan to attend.
Bethany Auxiliary Meeting- The quarterly meeting
of the Bethany Auxiliary will be held on Monday, October 10th at 2:00 p.m. in the Dining Room at Bethany Lutheran Home. Various reports and election of
officers for the coming year will be included in the
meeting. All members of the Auxiliary are encouraged to attend.
Good Time Group
Players Group
The Players for October, on Friday the 7th at 6:00 pm
will be a road trip to Mineola to Toby's Steak House.
Contact the hosts, Ken and Julia Taylor (712-2562391) if you would like to join us.
Men’s Club
ChristCare
The Book Club with ChristCare will meet on October
13 at 7 pm at Caroline Nubel's home in Omaha. We
begin a new study, "Devine Opportunity" by Ryan
Montague.
Pastor Ben’s Office Hours
Tuesday, 9:00 a.m. – noon
Wednesday, 1 – 5 p.m.
Friday, 1 – 5 p.m.
Send college mailing addresses
to [email protected]
or call the church office
712-323-7173.
Serve
Page 4
Prayer Shawl
Sewing Group
"Comfort, yes, comfort My people!’ says your God.”
~ Isaiah 40:1
Do you ever listen with your heart? Really listen?
According to Christie Findlay, “we are all comforters
in our own ways; we all have sorrow and loss in our
lives, so we can feel someone's loss with them if we
just listen with our hearts.” The quilt making we do
for others to provide comforting warmth and security
is just like listening with our hearts. These small
things we may create with our hands
can meet God's call in a large way.
Quilt-making itself is certainly doing
good; gathering together in fellowship, creating a tangible message of
love and caring to strangers in a far
off land, and delivering warmth and comfort to those
who need it most. The Saint John Sewing Group is
always looking for a new pair of hands to help tie
quilts for Lutheran World Relief! We’ll try to make you
feel right at home, whether you come just once or
wish to become part of this ministry. Please come
and share in fellowship, devotions, and snacks. Next
meeting will be October 19th, between 9:00 a.m. and
Noon. See you then! For more information, please
call Sue Pagan at 325-0257.
We are again collecting items for the Holiday
Comfort Boxes to be sent to our deployed military
personnel. Here is a list of items that we hope to
send this year. The deadline is Sunday, Nov. 6.
Holiday Related Items:
Wrapped Christmas candy for the stockings
New holiday cards (no religious ones) with envelopes
for soldiers to send to their loved ones back home
Paper products – napkins and paper plates
Lightweight garland to decorate their tents
Holiday CDs, holiday movie DVDs, new and used
There is a concern that we cannot send any
religious items. The reason for this is we usually
do not know where the recipients are deployed.
If the items are sent to a Muslim country and their
customs officials find religious items, they have
been known to destroy the entire box – we just
cannot take that chance.
Games:
Board games (Sorry, checkers, Scrabble, etc.)
Card games (UNO, Rook, Skip Bo)
Yahtzee, cribbage, dominos
Puzzle books (word search, crossword, Sudoku)
Small dart boards, Frisbees, handheld games
The Prayer Shawl group will begin meeting on the
second Tuesday of each month at 1:00 p.m. The next
day will be on October 11.
Altar Guild Schedule
Oct. 1-7
Oct. 8-14
Mary Lou Burke
Marlys Lien
Mary Lou Hansen Mary Jensen
Alan Meilike
Shelly Menard
Marie Neal
Oct. 22-28
Norma Gahm
Linda Hansen
Patricia Minchin
Elaine VonGillern
Oct. 15-21
Jan Girton
Cookie Johnson
Becky Taylor
Oct. 29-Nov. 4
Mary Lou Burke
Mary Lou Hansen
Alan Meilike
Marie Neal
Altar Guild meeting on Monday, October 24 at1:30 pm.
Women of the Church Schedule
Ruth Group: Monday, Oct. 3, 1:30 p.m. at church
Esther Group: Tuesday, Oc.t 11, 9:30 a.m. at church
Mary Group: Thursday, Oct. 13, 9:30 a.m. at church
Women’s Board Meeting: Tuesday, Oct. 25, 9:30 a.m.
Comfort Items:
Tube socks, boot shoelaces, foot powder, emery
boards, combs, cotton balls, Q-tips, band aids, lip
balm, handiwipes, hand sanitizer, cough drops,
stationery & envelopes, pens, nail clippers, eye drops,
small tubes of moisturizing cream, small bottles of
Febreze, nice bars of soap, nail polish, tampons,
disposable razors, shampoo, mouth wash, deodorant,
body wash, baseball hats
Snack Items:
Beef jerky, canned or packaged meat or fish, crackers,
nuts, energy bars, hard candy, small mini-chocolate
bars, Tootsie Rolls & Tootsie Pops, individually
wrapped red licorice, energy drink mixes, Kool Aid
individual packets, small cans of fruit with pull off lids,
small cans of Pringles, snack crackers/chips, trail mix,
sunflower seeds, M&Ms, Raman noodles, instant
oatmeal and soup, instant cocoa & coffee, tea bags
2017 Calendars
They like to mark off their days until they are home.
Anything else you can think of that would fit into the
Christmas stockings or the boxes that might bring a
smile to their faces.
Thank you, Iowa Cookie Crumbs
News and Events
Page 5
Website & Weekly Email
Communication
Altar Guild
The Saint John altar Guild is in need of a few new
members. We are looking for women, men and
couples who would enjoy serving God in this manner.
Altar Guild is responsible for preparing the altar area
for all services held at Saint John. We are divided into
teams with 3 people on each team. Each team is
responsible for one week a month. Usually the weekend services are our only work for the week but there
are some exceptions. Please call the church office at
712-323-7173 or Altar Guild president, Mary Lou
Burke at 712-322-003 if interested or you may have
questions but might be interested
Shoe Tree
We will be participating in the “Shoe
Tree” fundraiser for Pottawattamie
Center for Healthy Families again this
year. Watch for the tree in the Welcome
Center the first week in October.
Lots of updates have taken place on our new
website www.saintjohnelca.org Be sure to continue
to check the website as more information and
communication is updated regularly.
Here are a few recent highlights:
*Resources for the Home:
Downloadable resources for faith
formation in your home
*Taking Faith Home: Download the weekly
devotions
*Bulletin Inserts: Download the weekly bulletin
announcements
October Milestones
80th Birthday
Patricia Minchin (Oct. 8)
28 Norwood Court
Co. Bluffs, IA 51503
85th Birthday
Donna Lausen (Oct. 13)
2521 Lockwood Place
Co. Bluffs, IA 51503
5th Avenue Clean-Up Day
Meet at church on Saturday, October 15 at 8:30 am.
Wear bright clothing and bring gloves to pick up trach
along 5th Avenue.
90th Birthdays
Phyllis Davis (Oct. 4)
Jim Moss (Oct. 31)
3132 Kings Way
210 East Graham Ave.
Co. Bluffs, IA 51501
Co. Bluffs, IA 51503
September Baptisms
September 18 – Nora James Reber, daughter of Robin & James Reber
Co. Bluffs Evening Musicale
Sunday, October 16 at 6:00 pm.
Saint John Lutheran Church Sanctuary.
Sympathy
To the family of Fred Holmberg, who passed away on
August 28.
Contact Us
Senior Pastor: Rev. E. Jon Benson ([email protected])
Interim Children, Youth & Family Pastor: Rev. Ben McIntire ([email protected])
High School Youth Leader: Allie VanRoekel
Parish Ministry Coordinator: Patricia S. Minchin
Chancel / Bell Choir Director: Eric Wyler ([email protected])
Pianist/Organist: Joan Ebersold
Choir On Fire Director: Tracy Frush
Nursery Attendant: Amy Pedersen
Children’s Hour Director: Judith Devereaux
Missionaries: Revs. Colin and Jeni Grangaard
Stephen Minister Leaders: Mary Lou Hansen (322-7248), Alan Meilike (328-1671) Debbie Plugge (256-5310)
Pastor Jon Benson (323-7173)
Office Manager and The Caller Editor: Terri Damgaard ([email protected])
Custodian: Debbie Baird
Church 712-323-7173 ~ Fax 712-323-7174 ~ Warmline: 712-328-8898
Email: [email protected] ~ Website: www.SaintJohnELCA.org
Saint John Lutheran Church
633 Willow Ave.
Council Bluffs, IA 51501-4242
125th Anniversary Dinner
Saturday, November 5, 7:00 pm
$25.00 per ticket
Tickets can be purchased
October 1st through 23th.
Non Profit Organization
U.S. Postage Paid
Council Bluffs, IA
Permit No. 68
Zip Plus Four
Change Service Requested
Trunk or Treat
Sunday, October 23, 1:00-2:30 pm
Dress up and come “trick” the trunks
in the Parking Lot.
Any candy donations will be appreciated.
Bloomer-Saint John Mentor Connection
Volunteers are needed for the 2016-2017 school year to work with children preschool-2nd grade one-onone and/or with the 4th & 5th grade book club. The book club is run through the school library and you’ll
work with the same group of 6-8 children each month. Commitment is 20 minutes/child each week or
every other week. . There are other options available in addition to mentoring a single student. Other options include becoming involved by attending PTA meetings and helping support PTA sponsored activities
that are held after school hours. Another possible option is sharing your gifts and hobbies with Bloomer
students who may not have your gifts modeled for them at home in some extracurricular activities. For
example, you play soccer and feel like you could lead a game twice a month. Share your gifts with Bloomer students! There will be an informational meeting for NEW volunteers on Sunday, September 11 in between services. For more information you can email Annie Vorthmann at [email protected]
Volunteer forms and info can be found outside the church office on the wall.