THE MESSENGER
St. John's Lutheran Church
Pastor Dee Emmert is Coming!
Volume 2015, Issue 2
March 2015
Inside this issue:
Thoughts from Pastor 2
Tricia
Thanksgiving at
Easter
3
Journey of Holy Week 4
Celebrating Holy
Communion
5
Pre-School News
6
Change in Feast of
Justice Program
8
Baptisms Scheduled
12
Special points of interest:
 Walkers and Sponsors
needed for annual Walk
Against Hunger
 N.E. Conference Annual
Meeting & Luncheon will
feature “Salad Cookoff” &
will be held at St. John’s.
 Could you feed a family of
5 on $60 a week? Learn
more at the Hunger Simulation Event.

Pastor Dee will begin
her ministry at St.
John’s on the weekend
of March 7th and 8th.
We want to welcome
her with our famous
potlucks. There will be
a potluck meal after the
5:00 P.M service on Saturday, March 7th and
again after the 11:00
A.M. service on Sunday, March 8th. A coffee hour will follow the
8:00 A.M. service on
Sunday morning. You
are asked to bring your
favorite dish to share.
More importantly,
please make every effort
to attend at least one
service to meet with Pastor Dee and show her
your support.
Also, we are asking everyone to wear nametags
for the first few weeks
in March to help Pastor
Dee learn our names. It
Come and welcome our new
Pastor with a delicious potluck meal.
will also be a great opportunity for everyone
to learn the names of
the people around us.
Walk Against Hunger
Feast of Justice will
again be sponsoring a
team in the Greater
Philadelphia’s Walk
Against Hunger on
April 11th. We are trying to make this the
biggest year yet—trying
to get all the conference
churches to participate,
trying to get our partners to participate, and
trying to get YOU to
participate. Our goal is
30 walkers, each with a
fundraising goal of at
least $30. Can you be
one of the walkers?
Can you sponsor a
walker?
Sign up outside of the
church office, or in the
worship kiosk area starting mid-March
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The Messenger
Some Thoughts from Pastor Tricia
Whether we’re awake with the living or asleep with the dead, we’re alive with him! So speak
encouraging words to one another. Build up hope so you’ll all be together in this, no one left
out, no one left behind. I know you’re already doing this; just keep on doing it.
1 Thess. 5:10-11
In mid-January, I was blessed to be a representative of Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod at the ELCA World
Hunger Leaders bi-annual meeting entitled “Congregations for Change: We are Church Together.” At this
4-day event in San Francisco, 137 people gathered from 49 different synods to discuss, plan, and network
around hunger ministries in our church. It was intense, but well worth it.
One highlight was hearing from Rev. Dr. Stephen Bouman, director of ELCA Congregational and Synodical
Mission. He spoke about the church changing to become a public church, and about ways to engage our
community to make sure we are meeting the needs of the community.
Another was going to different mission sites in the area. I visited St. Mary and St. Martha church in the mission district. It was a tiny, unbelievably faith-filled and hospitable bi-lingual congregation who focused on a
family atmosphere to counter the hi-paced culture located around the church.
But most significant was the time spent with the other 136 attendees—learning about ministries that have
succeeded and those that have failed, sharing stories about recruiting and about fledgling finances, praying
for one another, and gaining ideas together. For, although we were representing our own synods, it became
clear that, around issues of hunger especially, we are church together.
This translates back to my ministry here at St. John’s. First of all, I am filled with ideas for ministry in and
with our community. But, perhaps more importantly, I am reminded of how we are to be church by supporting one another and supporting the community at large, and partnering to find ways to do that. For instance, how can the computer drop-in center that Feast of Justice is establishing be of benefit to the greater
St. John’s community? Or, can the commercial kitchen that St. John’s is completing be a blessing to those
beyond the St. John’s community? I am thrilled to be on this journey of faith—and hope that you will join
me so that we can together build one another up, and together be alive in Him!
Peace,
Volume 2015, Issue 2
Page 3
Council Notes
At the February Council Meeting we welcomed new members to
Council: Ellan Faust,
Doreen Kinzler, and
Susan McPherson. Our
meeting began with a
visioning process to discuss our responsibilities
as Council Members .Other business
included obtaining
child abuse clearances
for the staff and others
who work with our
youth. Dave Speece
visited our meeting to
conduct elections and
also to update us on
property issues. The
following have been
elected as part of the
Executive team.
President: Mary Jones
Vice President: Kristin
Youngdahl:
Secretary: Rochelle New
Treasurer: To be Determined as we are still in
need of someone for
this position
In property issues,
Dave discussed with us
the need for a cleanup
of the building. A team
will be put together to
look at the rooms and
how we can make better
use of the space we
have. All of our L&I
issues have been cleared
except for the food prep
license and the health
clearance.
As far as collaboration,
the team continues to
meet. There is subgroup looking at finances. Remember we
are still in a developmental stage.
New members elected to the
Church Council
Some up-coming events
are :
March 7 and 8: Potluck
April 5: Easter breakfast
April 11: Northeast
Conference luncheon
at St. John’s
April 12: Celebrate the
Pre-School
Thanksgiving Once Again!
It is that time of year,
when St. John’s and
Feast of Justice partners
together to offer
Thanksgiving at Easter—
a thanksgiving-style dinner for the whole community on Tuesday,
March 31st at 6:00pm,
followed by worship
with Holy Communion
led by our Praise band.
We are in need of support for this meal, as we
usually have over 150
people present. While
we need a few servers,
we mostly need people
to help cook and prepare the food, as well as
clean-up support. Feast
of Justice will be coordinating the volunteers;
please call 215-2683510 or email feast-
[email protected] if
you’d like to participate.
In the midst of a very
busy Holy Week, we
always find this meal to
be very centering and
special. We invite you
to observe this celebration time in the midst
of our community.
Time for the Annual
Thanksgiving at Easter Dinner. Can your help?
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The Messenger
Journey of Holy Week
Sunday, March 29—Palm Sunday (and Saturday)
A celebration and remembrance of the week—from the Hosanna parade
to the crucifixion. Saturday at 5:00 P. M. Sunday 8:00 & 11:00 A.M.
Tuesday, March 31—Thanksgiving at Easter
A celebration of the collaboration between St. John’s and Feast of Justice.
Thanksgiving meal begins at 6:00 P.M. in the Parish Hall.
Thursday, April 2—Maundy Thursday
Noon worship with hand washing and Holy Communion
6:30 P.M. in Room A. Supper in the Upper Room. A family style meal recalling Jesus’ last
meal with his friends. First Holy Communion is celebrated.
Friday, April 3– Good Friday
Family Stations of the Cross at 12:00 Noon in the Sanctuary.
7:00 P.M.—Tenebrae Service of light and shadows in the Sanctuary.
Saturday, April 4– Easter Vigil
5:00 P.M.—Return of the light and Alleluia’s and Holy Communion.
Sunday, April 5—Easter
Sunrise Service at 6:30 A.M.
Continental Breakfast and Easter Egg Hunt at 9:30 A.M.
Resurrection Celebration with Special Music at 8 & 11 A.M.
Please join us and bring a friend
Volume 2015, Issue 2
Page 5
Celebrating Holy Communion
Over time, the Church
has come to recognize
that Holy Communion
is the meal of the baptized and that all baptized Christians are welcome at the table,
knowing that we can do
nothing to earn the gift
of God’s grace. Therefore, at St. John’s we
follow Jesus’ instruction, inviting all to
come and eat.
Still, just as we are continually learning about
the gifts of God’s grace,
we invite children to
celebrate this sacrament
through intentional in-
struction and recognition at the Maundy
Thursday Worship service on April 2 at 6:30.
At this time, we will
reenact The Upper
Room, when Jesus first
served communion with
his friends.
In order to prepare, we
will be offering a First
Communion Workshop for children and
their parents on March
15 from 1-3 pm. At
this workshop, we’ll be
talking about how we
are made God’s children in baptism and
how God comes to us
in Holy Communion.
This is a great opportunity to instruct children
on the sacrament—
whether this would be
the first time they are
receiving or if they just
need a refresher. Register by calling the church
office or by talking with
Pr. Tricia.
First Communion Workshop
will be held on Sunday, March
15th.
Then, we invite you all
to join us for this special meal of remembrance.
Midweek Lenten Soup & Salad Suppers & Worship
Wednesdays 6-8 P.M.
Wednesday, March 4
Faith L.C.—4150 Woodhaven Road Phila. PA 19154
Pastor Deb Wolfe, preaching
Wednesday, March 11
St. Timothy’s L.C. (co-hosted with Prince of Peace L.C) 7965 Filmore Street
Phila. PA 19111
Pastor Dwight Mason, preaching
Wednesday, March 18
Redemption L.C.—8001 Bustleton Avenue Phila. PA 19152
Pastor Dana Heiserer, preaching
Wednesday, March 25
Saints United L.C. (co –hosted with St. Petri-Hope L.C.) 3200 Ryan Avenue Phila. PA 19136
Page 6
Our 5 Day Class
Spring is ready to
bloom here in the 5
Day Classroom! We will
celebrate Sr. Seuss’s
birthday by reading his
stories and making up
some silly rhymes, just
like him! The 5 Day will
be wearing green and
learning about St. Patrick as we celebrate this
day with a classroom
party.
We will also be learning
about Jesus’ life and
miracles as we prepare
for the best miracle of
all on Easter Sunday,
His glorious resurrection.
Our class is busy working on our creative
Easter Hats, which we
will proudly wear for
our Easter Hat Parade
and Egg Hunt at the
end of this month. We
will be singing a few
songs for our families
that day too.
Because the season is
changing, we will be
exploring the change in
season and look for
The Messenger
signs of new life, flowers, and mothers and
their baby animals. In
Social Studies and
Math, we will be learning about the concept
and value of money.
Our burgeoning readers
are still busy practicing
their letters. This
month we are working
on reviewing all of the
ones, especially Vv,
Ww, Xx, and Yy.
On behalf of the teachers and children, we
wish you all a joyous
Easter season!
Mrs. Donna Conway
Mrs. Gabrielle Gaun
Our 3 Day Class
We are so excited to
“Spring” into March
and more learning! We
will start the month off
celebrating Dr. Seuss
Birthday by making
green eggs and ham and
reviewing some of the
great books he wrote.
Our class will be focusing on letters Tt, Uu,
Vv and Ww along with
rhyming words, and
numbers 11,12 & 13.
We will be having fun
making a class mural to
celebrate National Art
Month, making rain
sticks for Music in our
Schools Month, digging
for Dino’s during Dino
Week and Diving into
National Ocean Week
where we will explore
under the sea! The kids
will also perform many
science experiments
including: making a
volcano explode and
wave bottles.
As St. Patrick’s Day approaches we will be going on a hunt and setting traps for that silly
leprechaun. My 3 day
friends are VERY excited for some of our
celebrations this month
as well! We will be celebrating St. Patty’s Day,
of course, but also having BaCkWaRdS DaY
and having our annual
Easter Hat Parade and
Party.
Lent is a very special
time where we will reflect on the miracles
and life of Jesus. We
will learn why Christians celebrate Easter
and learn the Lord’s
Prayer.
As you can see, March
is another busy month
for our 3 Day friends,
and as it winds down,
we prepare for Easter!
What a fun and exciting
time!
Mrs. LaRaine Oliveira
Ms. Liz Wachtman
Our 2 Day Class
During the month of
March, the 2 Day Class
will be full of activity.
The Children will be
learning the letters T-X
and the colors green
and purple. The focus
for math will be the
number 10, diamonds
and ovals. The children
will celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with a classroom party filled with
fun, traditional Irish
music and many green
treats.
We hope the weather
will be getting better
and we can get out to
stretch our legs and run
around. We have definitely waited a while to
get out and play in the
fresh air. We will also
begin our preparations
for Easter. We will talk
about the special ways
that Jesus shows his love
for us and the sacrifices
he made for all mankind.
Mrs. Katie Gallen
Mrs. Melissa Elmore
Volume 2015, Issue 2
Page 7
Saturday, April 18, 2015
8:00 A.M.—2:00 P.M.
St. John’s Lutheran Church
Parish Hall and Outside Grounds
Bring your family and friends
and check out the great bargains as well as the goodies
at the bake table.
Hot dogs, soft pretzels and snacks available too.
Volunteers are also needed to help with set up, clean
up, kitchen sales, St. John’s table and bakers for the
bake table. If you are interested in renting a space,
the cost is $25 for an inside round table or $20 for an
outside space without a table. If you have items to donate for St. John’s
table or you would like to rent a table, contact Bette Pittman at (267) 3248814 or Julie Henderson at (267) 324-1685.
Page 8
The Messenger
Hunger Simulation Event
“Step into the shoes
and experience the
struggles of one of
your neighbors who
is at risk of being
hungry”
“You’ve
lost your job,
have dwindling savings,
and $60 to feed your
family of 5 for a week.
What is in your grocery
bag?” Join us for
SEPA’s Hunger Task
Force Hunger Simulation event, “Food for a
Week”—held at St.
John’s on April 12 from
2-4:30. Step into the
shoes and experience
the struggles of one of
your neighbors who is
at risk of being hungry.
St. John’s is hosting this
because of our strong
link to hunger programs, but it has something for everyone to
learn—whether you have
yourself found yourself
in need at one time or
if you have been blessed
by abundance throughout your life. ALL are
welcome for this very
powerful experience.
Volunteers will be
needed to conduct this
simulation. See Pr. Tricia if you are interested.
Change in Feast of Justice Programs
Feast of Justice will no
longer receive weekly produce deliveries.
Due to cutbacks from
our supplier, Feast of
Justice is being forced
to change our Thursday
Produce program effective immediately. We
no longer will be receiving a weekly shipment
of fresh produce. Since
we do have partnerships
with grocery stores, we
will be distributing
some of our produce on
Thursdays for the time
being. We are hoping
to find a way to fund
the program so it might
continue.
However, this does
mean changes in the
process. While the
original produce Thursdays were open to anyone who desired fresh
produce (as per the donor’s stipulations), we
are asking now that the
Thursday produce go
only to members of our
food cupboard, as we
simply won’t have
enough supply to handle it otherwise. Thank
you for your understanding.
Pre–School Celebration in Worship
Join us on April 12 at
the 11:00 service when
we will celebrate our
preschool program at
St. John’s. The chil-
dren will share songs
with us, their families
will be blessed, and all
will be invited to a sim-
ple fellowship time afterwards.
Volume 2015, Issue 2
Page 9
Order Your Easter Flowers
This Easter we look forward to decorating our altar and sanctuary
with a gorgeous variety of Spring plants. To order plants as Memorials or in Honor of someone, fill in the form below, place it in an
envelope with cash or check made out to “St. John’s Lutheran Church,”
and mark the envelope “Easter Plants.” Place the envelope in the offering plate or mail it to the church office. The deadline for orders is
Sunday, March 22, 2015.
I/We want to order:
______
Single (5-6 bloom) Lilies
@ $13.50 each
= ___________
______
Double (10-12 bloom) Lilies
@ $21.50 each
= ___________
______
6” Tulips
@ $8.75 each
= ___________
______
8” Tulips
@ $14.00 each
= ___________
______
6” Daffodils
@ $8.75 each
= ___________
______
8” Daffodils
@ $ 14.00 each
= ___________
Total Amount Enclosed
$_____________
Easter Plant Dedication
Given to the Glory of God and
In Memory of :
___________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
In Honor of:
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Given By:
_____________________________________________________________________
Phone Number: ____________________________________________
______ I will take my plant (s) home.
_____ Please give to a homebound member
Page 10
The Messenger
You’re Invited
Come join us for a salad cook-off and baked goods contest!
Enter your very best “salad” (pasta, potato, warm,
cold, veggie or meat!) Be creative! Or enter your
famous baked goods for a chance to win prizes!
OR come and enjoy some delicious food and vote
for your favorites!
*Bread/rolls will also be available
When:
Saturday, April 11th
Time:
11 a.m. –eating & voting begins
Noon—Annual meeting/presentations
Where:
St. John’s Lutheran Church
Parish Hall
No charge for lunch! If you wish to vote on your favorite salads or baked goods—tickets
will be on sale to vote—which will offset the cost of the meeting and other events hosted
by the Northeast Conference. Donations welcome
Make sure to sign up on the sheet outside of the church office. Sign
up to attend and to enter your cooking talent!
Questions? Contact Carolyn Edwards ([email protected]) or 215-6374210
Volume 2015, Issue 2
Page 11
Faith in Action Team
Are you a person who
likes to live out your
faith through social
ministry? Are you a person who enjoys service
projects or even servant
trips? Are you a person
who has a heart for
mercy and for justice
for ALL of God’s chil-
dren? Then you would
be GREAT for our
Faith in Action team.
We are trying to build
up our team again to
start brainstorming
where God might be
calling and leading us as
a congregation. Stay
tuned in the What’s
Happening pages for
chances to engage and
live out your faith with
us!
bound members, please
call the church office.
desserts are also appreciated. Watch the
“What’s Happening”
for more details.
You might be the right
person to join our Faith in
Action Team
Save the Date!
On April 22nd we will
be holding a worship
service for homebound
members during the
morning, followed by
lunch in Room A. If
you would like to help
with the worship service
or providing transportation for our home-
This is a chance for our
homebound members
to experience some fellowship with the members of St. John’s. They
always enjoy it.
Donations of food and
Monthly Fellowship
Everyone is invited to
join us on Saturday,
March 21st following
the 5 P.M. worship service for our monthly
fellowship event. We
had to cancel last
month due to the snow
and ice but will try
again in March for
“Trivia Night.” Come
for some fun, fellow-
ship, coffee and snacks.
We will meet in Room
A. See you there!
Come to our monthly
Saturday Fellowship!
Page 12
The Messenger
New Bible Study Series
Consider attending one of
our Adult Bible Study
Groups
Starting Monday,
March 2, 2015, the
Monday Night Bible
Study will start a study
of the Book of Philippians. All are welcome to
join us as we learn some
of the teachings of Paul
and the beginning of
the Christian Church.
We meet each Monday
at 7:00 P.M. in Room
A.
these Bible Study
groups.
Other adult education
opportunities include,
Sundays at 9:30 A.M ,
Wednesdays at 10 A.M.
and 7 P.M. and Fridays
at 10 A.M.
No experience is necessary to attend any of
Baptism Scheduled
The next date for Baptisms will be Sunday,
April 19th. If you have
a child that you would
like baptized, plan to
attend one class on Saturday, April 11th at 2
p.m. in Room A.
week if you are interested.
Please contact the
church office during the
Homebound Member Celebrates Birthday
One of our homebound
members, Diane Ivone,
will be celebrating her
birthday on March 23.
If you would like to
send her a card the address is:
4039 Aldine Street
Philadelphia PA 19136
Due to Susan’s upcoming vacation, the deadline for the April Messenger will be
March 9th!
Volume 2015, Issue 2
Page 13
Congregation Council Members 2015
Name
Contact information
Term Ending
John Arthin
215-338-6082
[email protected]
2016
Ellan Faust
215-407-7007
[email protected]
2018
*Mary Jones
215-745-0992
[email protected]
2017
Offices and Team Leaders
President,
Communication
Marge Hauptman
215-333-2686
2017
Doreen Kinzler
215-288-6416
[email protected]
2018
*Marie Kinzler-Hand
215 280-4631
[email protected]
2017
Sue MacPherson
856-685-9720
2018
*Rochelle New
215- 342-3940 [email protected]
2018
Secretary, Global Missions
William Rose
215- 638-4739 [email protected]
2016
Call committee
Joyce Snowden
215-331-3681 [email protected]
2016
Invitation
Barry Spindler
215- 744-7642
2016
Kristin Youngdahl
215- 605-3186 [email protected]
[email protected]
2017
Invitation team
Vice President
Tanzania Partnership
* = Second term - cannot be re-elected.
TEAM LEADERS:
Worship and Music
Vicki Schempp
215-333-0428
No direct email
Faith in Action
David Speece
215-338-4496
[email protected]
Congregational care, Property
Doreen Kinzler
215-288-6416
[email protected]
Christian Education
Judith Rose
215 - 638-4739 [email protected]
Mutual Ministry
Miranda Zazulak
215 -335-9235 [email protected]
Preschool
Rev. Patricia Neale
215-279-0269 [email protected]
Vicar Alexa Kvande
Pr. Sandra Brown
[email protected]
[email protected]
When the church office is closed you can reach the pastor in case of emergency at this number. 267- 414-4489
St. John’s Lutheran Church
3101 Tyson Avenue
Philadelphia PA 19149
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Phila. PA
Permit No. 2245
Address Service Requested
S T . J OHN ' S L UTHERAN
C HURCH
Our Staff
Rev. Dee Emmert, Pastor
Rev. Patricia Neale, Associate Pastor & Director of
Feast of Justice
3101 Tyson Avenue
Philadelphia PA 19149
Phone:215-624-5505
Fax: 215-624-2938
E-mail:[email protected]
Rev. Sandra Brown, Visitation Pastor
Vicar Alexa Kvande, Seminarian
Lisa Thomas, Director of Music
Susan Black Thomas, Administrative Assistant
OUR
MISSION IS TO PLANT
THE SEEDS OF G OD’S LOVE
THROUGH W ITNESS,
O UTREACH AND THE
W ORD.
Jimmy Schultz, Sexton
Our Worship Schedule
5:00 P.M. Saturday Evenings
Companion Church
8:00 & 11:00 Sunday Mornings
Kana Lutheran Parish, Tanzania
9:30 A.M. Sunday School for All
Holy Communion is celebrated every week.