Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Advent Midweek Services

 'Wait, Pray, Live By Faith:
Waiting with the Old Testament Church'
Advent services will begin November 30th. Services will begin at 7:00pm. Christmas carol-singing will begin at 6:45pm, before the worship service itself.

  • Wed. Nov. 30
  • Wed. Dec. 7- 'Waiting with Comfort'
  • Wed. Dec. 14- 'Waiting with Joy'
  • Wed. Dec. 21- 'Waiting with Worship'
Come worship Him! Come early & sing His praises as we prepare for the celebration of His birth. The LYF will serve bars after each Advent service.

Sunday, November 27, 2011

This week at St.John

  • Wed. Nov. 30- 3:30pm Confirmation
    • 6:45pm Carol singing
    • 7:00pm Midweek Advent service
      'Wait, Pray, Live by Faith'
  • Thurs. Dec. 1- 1:30pm LWML meeting
    • 6:00pm Cub Scouts
  • Sat. Dec. 3- Cookie & candy donations need to be to church by Noon
    • Noon set up for LWM L Cookie & Candy Bazaar
  • Sun. Dec.4- 8:45am Sunday School & Bible class
    • 10:00am Worship with communion, Mite Box Sunday
    • 11:00am Cookie & Candy Bazaar
    • 7:00pm Adult Instruction Class
WINTER HELP NEEDED- We are still looking for volunteers to scoop the snow from the sidewalks this winter. If you would like to do this & earn money doing it, please contact Trustee Bob Kroll, or let the church office know. Thank You.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Sunday School Christmas Practices

 Sunday School Christmas Program
December 18th at 6:30pm 
We need all the children at Church by 6:45pm
Practices are very important for the program to run smoothly,
so we need all children (1st-8th Grades)
and their teachers to attend.
Thank You

 2011 Practice Schedule 
  • Wed. Dec.7- 5:00pm-6:30pm
  • Sat. Dec.10- 9:00am-11:00am
  • Wed. Dec.14- 5:00pm-6:30pm
  • Sat. Dec.17- 9:00am-11:00am
  • Sun. Dec.18- During Sunday School

This Week @ St. John

  • Wed. Nov.22- No Confirmation this week
    • 7:00pm Thanksgiving Eve Worship
  • Thurs. Nov.23- Offices Closed- Happy Thanksgiving
Give ye thanks to the Lord;
 for he is good;
for his love endures forever.
~Psalm 106:1
  • Sat. Nov.25- Board of Education decorates the church for Advent
  • Sun. Nov.26- 8:45am Sunday School & Bible Class
    • 10:00am Worship
    • 6:00pm Adult Instruction Class

Door Offering for School in India- Sunday, Nov.19 there was a free-will offering collected for John Thomas for the school for poor children operated by Life to the World Ministry in Calcutta, India. The school has 105 students ages 3-13 and 9 teachers. Their lease ends in March and Thomas is trying to raise at lease $40,000 toward purchasing their own building. Additional gifts may be given directed to:

Life to the World Ministy; John Thomas
17 Oak Ave.
Charter Oak, IA 51439
(712) 267-4430

76/1 M.G. Road, PO Haridevpur, Calcutta-700082, India.



LWML Cookie/Candy Bazaar- Sunday, December 4, 11:00am-1:00pm Come fill your box with lots of goodies! Just $6 per pound.Cookie & Candy Donations Welcomed Please bring your treats you're contributing to church by Noon On Saturday, Dec. 3 Proceeds will go toward the kitchen in the new addition.

TEMPORARY AID PROGRAM (TAP) We are scheduled to collect for the TAP program in the month month of November. At this time TAP is particularly in need of sugar, peanut butter, crackers, soups, cooking oil, margarine, tuna, canned tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato juice, macaroni, spaghetti and spaghetti sauce, hamburger helper, tuna helper, pancake mix, pancake syrup, laundry soap, shampoo & diapers. Bring donations to Church, there will be a table set up to place food items on.
Tap is a program for families in need of food and clothing.TAP is located at 210 S. 25th St. just north of Godfather's Pizza in Denison. It is open and staffed by volunteers on Mondays and Thursdays from 9:00am-Noon. (712) 263-4733 Definitely Denison Community Outreach


WINTER HELP NEEDED- We are still looking for volunteers to scoop the snow from the sidewalks this winter. If you would like to do this & earn money doing it, please contact Trustee Bob Kroll, or let the church office know. Thank You.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Seeing Red

Missionary to Nigeria Brent Friedrichs shared this advice with Bible Class-

"If you're concerned that your faith is; questionable" or if you have some doubts, try this,

"Get a hold of a bible that has red letter font where Jesus speaks- start with Matthew and read nothing but what is in red font. Read only what Jesus said. Continue through the end of the Bible. Those that have done this have made some remarkable discoveries. Try it!!!"

Sunday, November 13, 2011

This Week at St. John

  • WED NOV 16- 9:00am Ladies Bible Study
    • 3:30pm Confirmation
    • 7:00pm Elder's Meeting
  • THUR NOV 17- 9:00am Orphan Grain Train container loading, Ida Grove
    • 6:00pm Cub Scouts Meeting
  • FRI-SAT NOV 18-19- LYF at District Youth Gathering, LaVista, NE
  • SUN NOV 20- 8:45am Sunday School & Bible Study
    • 10:00am Worship with Communion
    • Free Will Offering for missionary John Thomas' 'Life to the World' School in Calcutta, India
    • 3:00pm Cub Scout Rain Gutter Regatta
    • 7:00pm Adult Instruction Class
THANKSGIVING EVE SERVICE will be held November 23rd at 7:00pm

TEMPORARY AID PROGRAM (TAP) We are scheduled to collect for the TAP program in the month month of November. At this time TAP is particularly in need of sugar, peanut butter, crackers, soups, cooking oil, margarine, tuna, canned tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato juice, macaroni, spaghetti and spaghetti sauce, hamburger helper, tuna helper, pancake mix, pancake syrup, laundry soap, shampoo & diapers. Bring donations to Church, there will be a table set up to place food items on.
Tap is a program for families in need of food and clothing.TAP is located at 210 S. 25th St. just north of Godfather's Pizza in Denison. It is open and staffed by volunteers on Mondays and Thursdays from 9:00am-Noon. (712) 263-4733 Definitely Denison Community Outreach
LWML Cookie/Candy Bazaar- Sunday, December 4, 11:00am-1:00pm Come fill your box with lots of goodies! Just $6 per pound.Cookie & Candy Donations Welcomed Please bring your treats you're contributing to church by Noon On Saturday, Dec. 3 Proceeds will go toward the kitchen in the new addition.

Sunday, November 06, 2011

Spiritual Health Check

Sunday in Adult Bible Class, Missionary Brent Friedrichs shared an idea from a Dr. Danny McCain, a Theology professor at the University of Jos in Northern Nigeria-

If when you read the Bible, you feel like you're reading someone else's mail- perhaps you should be worried about your spiritual well being. If however, when you read the Bible, you feel like the Bible is speaking to you- that's a very positive sign!

This Week at St. John's

  • TUES NOV 8- 8:45am Circuit Pastors' Conference, Dow City
  • WED NOV 9- 9:00am Ladies Bible Study
    • 1:30pm Confirmation
    • 7:00pm Sunday School Christmas Program Meeting
  • THUR NOV 10- 6:00pm Cub Scouts
  • SAT NOV 12- 9:00am LYF set up for Thanksgiving Dinner 
  • SUN NOV 13- 8:45am Sunday School
  • No Adult Bible Class, 7/8th Grade Bible Class will meet upstairs in Rm.101
    • 10:00am Worship
    • 11:00am Finance Board Meeting
    • 11:00am LYF Thanksgiving Dinner
    • 6:00pm Adult Instruction Class
JOHN THOMAS- We will be taking a free will offering for Missionaries John and Cindy Thomas on November 20th. The money collected will go toward a new school building.

THANKSGIVING EVE SERVICE will be held November 23rd at 7:00pm

TEMPORARY AID PROGRAM (TAP) We are scheduled to collect for the TAP program in the month month of November. At this time TAP is particularly in need of sugar, peanut butter, crackers, soups, cooking oil, margarine, tuna, canned tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato juice, macaroni, spaghetti and spaghetti sauce, hamburger helper, tuna helper, pancake mix, pancake syrup, laundry soap, shampoo & diapers. Bring donations to Church, there will be a table set up to place food items on.
Tap is a program for families in need of food and clothing.TAP is located at 210 S. 25th St. just north of Godfather's Pizza in Denison. It is open and staffed by volunteers on Mondays and Thursdays from 9:00am-Noon. (712) 263-4733 Definitely Denison Community Outreach

Ambassadors for Christ in a land of conflict

Missionaries Brent and Eugenie Friedrichs spoke to the adult Bible Study class at St. John Sunday morning, November 6, 2011.

Brent is originally from Charter Oak, the son of Don and Nadine Friedrichs. Eugienie is originally from South Africa. Brent and Eugenie are associated with Global Lutheran Outreach (GLO) in Jos Nigeria, a city of over a million, and the capital of the Nigerian State of "Plateau."

After serving in the Peace Corps in Gabon, West Africa, Brent began working with LCMS World Missions in 1997. The Friedrichs were married in Charter Oak in 2005. Unfortunately, Brent's position was phased out in 2007, since then they have been responsible for raising their own financial support.

GLO is an independent Lutheran mission agency, which means that we work with all Lutherans denominations. GLO works closely with the LCMS and the LCMC (Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ, congregations which broke from the ELCA due to doctrinal disputes).

Brent is the engineer and Financial Manager for Mission Consults.

During the Friedrichs' furlough to the United States, they visit churches seeking both financial and prayer support, raising awareness about GLO and recruiting new missionaries when they can.

The Friedrichs discussed the Great Commission (Mathew 28:18-20) in which God calls all believers to share His Gospel and how as Christ's Ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20) we are called to represent God's love and forgiveness, taking into consideration people's cultural differences. They explained that a current trend is to offer services (like medical or veterinary) and using the good will established as an opening to share their faith.

Their main function is as "Support Missionaries." Their ministry involves working with other missionaries, churches, and groups with their legal, accounting, and logistics needs. They discussed how this has also also sometimes meant applying God's principles from Matthew 18:15-19 as part of the Mission Advisory Committee (MAC).

Nigeria has dealt with a great deal of conflict between Christians and Muslims over the last decade. The Friedrichs explained that Nigeria has 150 million people with 500 different languages in an area the size of Texas. Many of the violent conflicts have as much or more to do with land disputes and competition for jobs and resources. As the Sahara desert grows each year, many Muslim families are forced further and further South into territory where those who live there are Christian. 

Not only is it a challenge to share the message of Jesus with people who practice Islam, but ancient forms of African Animism are still very prevalent, even among those who claim to be Christian or Muslim.


Please pray for Brent and Eugenie and their boys Micah and Zander. Pray for:

  • Spiritual Guidance- that God will intervene in all their actions
  • Safety from both physical and spiritual warfare
  • Finance
  • Family
  • and for help working through and against corruption in Nigeria
You may donate online to support Brent & Eugenie 
Or, make checks payable to 'Global Lutheran Outreach' and mail to –

Global Lutheran Outreach
6709 Ficus Drive
Miramar, FL 33023

If you are a Thrivent member (life insurance or other products), you likely have “Choice Dollars” that you can designate to the Lutheran organization of your choice! There is no cost to you!

There are two ways to designate choice dollars:

1) If you already manage your Thrivent account online, then simply go to the Thrivent web page (www.thrivent.com) and select the “Thrivent Choice” link. On the Thrivent Choice page, log in and then follow the on-screen instructions.

2) If you would prefer to designate your Choice Dollars by phone, call:
1-800-THRIVENT (800-847-4836) and state, “THRIVENT CHOICE”

Tuesday, November 01, 2011