The Prayer Shawl Ministry invites you to take advantage of the prayerful craftsmanship of our knitters. The ministry is currently working on a project to send prayer shawls to the 60 ELCA military chaplains currently serving with our armed forces. There are shawls available in the display located in the East Room for distribution to those in need.  Please feel free to take one, our only request is that you fill out the information requested on the form located next to the cabinet so that we can keep track of the numbers of shawls and who receives them. If you have any questions with regard to this program, please contact Bess Over or Sandy Wolfe.

The Social Ministry Team is pleased to announce the winter collection of items for the Mitten Tree that includes gloves, mittens, hats, & scarves, and can be placed on the Mitten Tree through December 4th.

The Children’s Christmas Program, “Follow the Star,” is set for 2 p.m. Sunday, December 18. Rehearsals are happening during Sunday School time, as well as at from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, December 17. On December 18, lunch will be served to the children immediately following the 10:45 service; we will then rehearse the program and perform at 2 p.m. Please e-mail Music Minister Janel Stahr at janel@stjohnsonthird or Youth Director Karen Wolfe at karen@stjohnsonthird.org if you have questions or to find out how you can help with rehearsals or the program.

Our Christmas Eve Barn Service will be at 3 p.m. at the Howard and Kay Janssen Farm, 11659 County Line Road, Rock Falls. Dress warm and come to hear the story of Jesus’ birth through Word and song in this barn setting. Our candlelight Christmas Eve Services follow at 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. in the Sanctuary at St. John’s.

Fall yard clean up will be here before we know it. A sign-up sheet will be available in the East Room for those in need of yard work. The youth going to New Orleans in 2012 will clean up yards as a fundraiser. If you know of anyone who will need help, please sign up with a phone number so we can set a date & time.

LSSI Facilitated Caregiver Group at St. John’s

LSSI will be facilitating a Caregiver Group at St. John’s Lutheran Church. The group is open to anyone caring for a loved one. A light lunch will be served at noon each time the group meets. The group will meet the second and fourth Thursday of each month. For those interested in fellowship

with other caregivers and resources to support caregivers, please attend or call Emily Taylor at Lutheran Social Services of Illinois at (815) 626-7333, ext. 317. We look forward to the partnership with the church community.

Heritage Day is set for Sept. 11th. Our theme this year is “Sharing our Past ~ Growing our Future.” Ministry groups will be sharing what they done in years past and what they are doing today through displays, booths and hands-on activities for the entire congregation between services and after second service. Breakfast, a lunch cookout, hayrack rides and other activities are planned. And be sure to register for Sunday School!

Sunday September 18th, Healing Service for all and Barb Otten will be returning to St. John’s to share her earliest experiences at Seminary, to include how to survive a crash course in Greek as well as her coming schedule. She will also deliver the message that day and be the guest  of honor during coffee hour between services. In honor of our sister, Barb, we will be collecting non-perishable food items from September 1st thru September 18th with the goal of providing these items to the Warburg Seminary Food Bank in Barb’s name. Items can be dropped off in the bins in the East Room or at the church office. Let’s make it so that Barb can’t just load her car but that we require a truck for the delivery!

Diakonia classes will resume at St. John’s on Thursday, Sept. 8. The first topic this year will be the Old Testament. Each topic runs for five weeks  and each section contains six topics. While this is a two-year program, the sections run in conjunction with the standard school year, including breaks for holidays as well as the summer. If you are curious, but not sure if you want to fully commit, you are welcome to attend a class without charge or obligation to see if this educational opportunity is for you. Members are encouraged to contact current class members (Teresa Gierhart, Sandy Wolfe, Jannet Taylor or Shawn Wolfe) for more information.

Why school supplies? To the children who receive school kits, these supplies mean the difference between getting an education or not. Public school is usually free, but in the places where Lutheran World Relief works, even a few required supplies like pens and paper, may be more than many families can afford.  And when parents can only afford to send one of their children to school, girls rarely get priority, yet the education level of mothers has the biggest impact on development. Donate a school kit, or donate the individual items and the St. John’s Social Ministry Team will assemble them. Include the following items in each kit:

• Four 70-sheet notebooks of wide- or college-ruled paper approximately 8” X 10½”; no loose-
• leaf paper
• One 30-centimeter ruler, or a ruler with centimeters on one side and inches on the other
• One pencil sharpener
• One pair blunt scissors (safety scissors with embedded steel blades work well)
• Six new unsharpened #2 pencils with erasers, secured together with a rubber band
• One box of 16 or 24 crayons
• 12 sheets of construction paper in assorted colors
• One 2½” eraser
• One sturdy tote-style cloth bag or drawstring backpack-style cloth bag approximately 14” X 17” with shoulder straps (no standard backpacks)

Do not add other items or leave out any of the items listed. All items should be new and in good condition. Remove any excess packaging, pack all items in bag and close. Do not enclose the kit or any of its contents in plastic bags.

Beginning the week of Sunday, August 28, the following Worship Arts ministries will have fall rehearsals:

• Adult Bell Choir, high school through adult, no musical knowledge or experience needed — 7-8 p.m. Tuesdays, sanctuary
• Praise Band, junior high through adult singers and instrumentalists (especially drums, guitar & bass) — 8-9 p.m. Tuesdays, sanctuary
• Worship Tech Ministry, junior high through adults to videotape services, and run the projection screen and sound board — 8-9 p.m. Tuesdays, sanctuary
• Youth Choir/Joyful Chimers, kindergarten through 8th grade singers and bell ringers, no musical knowledge or experience needed — 6:15-6:45 p.m. Wednesdays, sanctuary
• Adult Choir, high school through adult singers — 7-8:30 p.m. Wednesdays (beginning Aug. 24)

There are no rehearsals the third Sunday/Tuesday/Wednesday of the month. Please contact Janel Stahr for more information. And remember: You don’t have to be “good” — you just have to love having fun!
Lifted High Ministry, a puppet and drama/theatre ministry for ALL ages, will meet during Sunday School.
If you have an individual talent you’d like to share, your gifts are needed and welcome during worship services throughout the year. Vocal, instrumental, drama and dance performances are welcome! Please see Janel Stahr to schedule a date.