We’re excited to announce the return of in-person worship services at St. John’s. We must also remain vigilant as the pandemic continues to impact our friends, families and those in our community.
In order to return to in-person worship in a safe and responsible manner, we ask that those who wish to attend follow these guidelines.
Reservations will be required if you plan on attending in-person Sunday morning worship services. We ask that you please make your reservation before 4:30pm on the Thursday before. You can call the church office (815-625-2634) or email nina@stjohnsonthird.org with your reservation information. Following health department guidelines, we will only be able to seat approximately 50 people in the sanctuary.
Most importantly: Please do not enter the church if you are experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms that are listed below, OR if you have been in contact with someone that has tested positive for COVID-19.
We will continue to offer worship online, via phone, and outside of the building by tuning your radio to 99.9FM in the church parking lot if you are unable to worship in person with us. We encourage those who remain at high risk to utilize these alternative methods of worship.
The church will open for worship at 9am Sundays, with Door #7 (located in the main parking lot) being the only entry point. All other entrances, including the doors facing Seventh Street and Third Avenue, will remain closed.
If you have any questions or concerns, please see the ushers during service or contact the church office for further information. WE ARE EXCITED TO WORSHIP TOGETHER!
St. John’s continues the Sunday school year and Confirmation classes online. PreK through sixth-grade Sunday school students have one Zoom meeting and three online pre-recorded lessons for each age group every month.
Sunday school packets are available for pickup on the last Sunday of each month. The packets include the Spark and Connect curriculum student activity sheets and most materials needed to participate in the lessons at home.
The 30-minute Zoom meeting on the first Sunday of the month will include the week’s Bible story, student interaction time, music, a game or activity, and prayer.
All classes and Zoom meetings will begin at 10:30am Sundays and can be accessed through the St. John’s Sunday School Facebook group; Visit facebook.com/SterlingStJohns and choose Groups › St. John’s Sunday School.
The high school youth are selling Dave’s Coffee Cakes to raise money for the 2022 ELCA Youth Gathering in Minneapolis next July. High schoolers, order forms will be emailed to you, and hard copies are available at church.
Cakes are $18 each. You can order by calling or emailing the church office, by downloading and filling out the order form found here, or by ordering online at davescoffeecakes.com/online-fr-store (use code: STJOHN). Make sure you type STJOHN in all caps. You can select pickup or delivery online.
Pickup date is Mother’s Day, May 9th, at St John’s (delivery available in Sterling and Rock Falls). Coffee cakes can be frozen and picked up from St. John’s at a later date. DEADLINE TO ORDER IS SUNDAY, APRIL 25TH. Payment is due with order forms.
Thank you in advance from the high school youth of St. John’s and St. Paul for helping us grow in our faith through amazing faith-forming events like the Youth Gathering!
We continue meeting on Zoom Wednesday nights from 7-8pm. Zoom meeting invitations are emailed each week. This year the class is studying Bible stories.
High school and junior high youth will meet with Gerad or a volunteer through Zoom meetings. Times and Sundays may vary slightly from month to month. We are also looking into ways to gather young people safely sometime in the future. Our highest priority is safety for all.
It is our practice at St. John's to give notice to the congregation when policies are updated and when new policies are approved by the Congregation Council. Our Council approved a new policy at its meeting July 21st, and because of the importance of the content, it is being published here for review.
Screening Policy
It is the policy of St. John’s Lutheran Church to provide guidelines to all staff and visitors of the facility that will reduce the possibility of transmitting contagious disease.
Purpose
It is the purpose of this policy to define the guidelines that will help ensure the safety of the staff and visitors.
Procedure
Staff Screening: All staff will be screened for temperature, and signs and symptoms of Covid-19 prior to entering the work area.
Visitor/Volunteer Screening: A staff member, the chair of the committee, or responsible person of the group will greet visitors, explaining procedures as temperatures are taken and recorded.
General Health Questions for all Staff and Visitors: In the event that the staff member or visitor answers “yes” to any of the following questions and the condition cannot be explained, they shall be advised that it is not in the best interest of themselves or the facility to enter at this time.
The Council affirms that ministry is a core tenant of our Mission and that established ministries will continue and the opportunity for expanding into additional ministries will be evaluated when presented. The Council fully understands the complex nature of ministry, but as long as God’s people are willing to engage in good works, we will do everything in our power to support those ministries.
St. John’s is now a member of the Kroger Community Rewards Program. If you have a Kroger Plus Shopper’s Card, you can earn rewards for the St. John’s Building Fund every time you use it. Just about everything you purchase qualifies, with the exception of alcohol, tobacco, and postage stamps. There is no cost to participate and you’ll still earn fuel points on eligible purchases every time you shop. Signing up is free and easy.
Download a PDF of the latest edition of our monthly newsletter, The Messenger.
Past issues, starting in October 2012, are available here.