EAGLES' WINGS EXCERPTS
June-July 2008 ISSUE
From the Board of Christian Education
LAST CALL FOR VBS!!!
VBS June 16-20 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
June 20 - 7:30 p.m. Closing Program
followed by an ice cream social. Parents and the congregation
are invited and encouraged to attend.
LAST CALL FOR VBS!!!
VBS June 16-20 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
June 20 - 7:30 p.m. Closing Program
followed by an ice cream social. Parents and the congregation
are invited and encouraged to attend.
Don't forget Sunday School!!!! 9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
St. John's Youth Group
UPCOMING EVENTS IN JUNE
Every Wednesday from 5-8 PM the Youth Room and the gym will be open for the youth group to use.
June 7th Youth Car Wash at Home Town Credit Union ...Then to Millers Pool
June 13th - 21st Camping Trip
June 16th - 20th VBS 5 - 8 PM
June 21st Canoeing trip on the
June 28th Youth Group Meeting ( with a Pizza party following)
June 29th Church Picnic and field day starting at 11:00
July 2nd Open Gym & Youth Room 2nd, 5:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.
July 7 Open Gym & Youth Room 5:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.
July 5th Car Wash , 9:00 a.m. - noon
July 5th Soft Ball Game Place, following car wash
July 12th Swimming at Miller's Pool, Noon-4:00 p.m.
Work at the Circus, date and time TBA
July 16th Open Gym & Youth Room , 5:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.
July 19th Circus City Float
*No Youth Meeting this month
July 23rd Open Gym & Youth Room, 5:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.
July 26th Paint Ball , time TBA
July 27th Bake Sale
July 30th Open Gym & Youth Room, 5:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.
June 13th - 21st Camping Trip
June 16th - 20th VBS 5 - 8 PM
June 21st Canoeing trip on the
June 28th Youth Group Meeting ( with a Pizza party following)
June 29th Church Picnic and field day starting at 11:00
July 2nd Open Gym & Youth Room 2nd, 5:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.
July 7 Open Gym & Youth Room 5:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.
July 5th Car Wash , 9:00 a.m. - noon
July 5th Soft Ball Game Place, following car wash
July 12th Swimming at Miller's Pool, Noon-4:00 p.m.
Work at the Circus, date and time TBA
July 16th Open Gym & Youth Room , 5:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.
July 19th Circus City Float
*No Youth Meeting this month
July 23rd Open Gym & Youth Room, 5:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.
July 26th Paint Ball , time TBA
July 27th Bake Sale
July 30th Open Gym & Youth Room, 5:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.
Youth News you can use…
June Birthday: Matt Whybrew.
July Birthday: Kevin Huffman
The next Youth Bake Sale July 27th. Please consider what you can bake to help the youth group. Thanks in advance.
Check out the Youth Info center located across from the mailboxes in the hallway for youth updates.
Ready to go camping? On June 13th - 15th we are going to stay at Rainbow Christian Camp in Converse. There has been a reservation made for 20 campers, so that means if there are more, that will have to be changed. Please sign up at the Youth Info center in the hallway to save your spot. We are also going to need adults to supervise. The cost to you is $10.00/person. This will cover the cost of the camp and help with the cost of the food and activity for the trip. If you have questions please call Daniel at 473-4295.
Check out the Church Web site at www.stjohnsperun.org and then go to the youth page. And click on the link for the 2010 trip
Mark your calendars now… June 21st we are going on a canoeing trip, we will be meeting at the church at 9:15 AM on that day. Make sure that you get signed up at the Youth Info center. The cost is $10.00/person. Questions please feel free to give Daniel a call 473-4295.
Don't forget every Wednesday from June 4th until August 6th the Youth Room and Gym are open from 5:00 PM until 8:00 PM.
Contact Dan at sjyouthgroup@yahoo.com
July Birthday: Kevin Huffman
The next Youth Bake Sale July 27th. Please consider what you can bake to help the youth group. Thanks in advance.
Check out the Youth Info center located across from the mailboxes in the hallway for youth updates.
Ready to go camping? On June 13th - 15th we are going to stay at Rainbow Christian Camp in Converse. There has been a reservation made for 20 campers, so that means if there are more, that will have to be changed. Please sign up at the Youth Info center in the hallway to save your spot. We are also going to need adults to supervise. The cost to you is $10.00/person. This will cover the cost of the camp and help with the cost of the food and activity for the trip. If you have questions please call Daniel at 473-4295.
Check out the Church Web site at www.stjohnsperun.org and then go to the youth page. And click on the link for the 2010 trip
Mark your calendars now… June 21st we are going on a canoeing trip, we will be meeting at the church at 9:15 AM on that day. Make sure that you get signed up at the Youth Info center. The cost is $10.00/person. Questions please feel free to give Daniel a call 473-4295.
Don't forget every Wednesday from June 4th until August 6th the Youth Room and Gym are open from 5:00 PM until 8:00 PM.
Contact Dan at sjyouthgroup@yahoo.com
LWML DISTRICT CONVENTION
Two of our LWML members will be attending the District Convention in Fort Wayne, June 20th - 22nd. There will be an ingathering for the following:
Wings of Hope: Fort Wayne, ministers to women released from penal institutions and prepares them to re-enter society through training. Their Needs: paper towels, toilet paper, laundry detergent, paper plates
Hope Alive; Fort Wayne, offers services to hurting persons in the form of housing, counseling, and support groups, regardless of their ability to pay. Their Needs: Kroger Gift cards, WalMart gift cards, paper towels, Kleenex.
If you wish to contribute any of the items to the ingathering, please bring them to church on June 15th and deposit them on a table provided in the hallway. They will be taken to the convention by our two delegates, Wanda Krohe and MK Frushour. Your participation will be appreciated.
The LWML District Convention is scheduled to be held in Fort Wayne, IN, on June 20 - 21 - 22, 2008. The theme is "Get the Rock"based on Corinthians 10:4b which states "that Rock was Christ".
Information about the Convention is in the Spring issue of The Quarterly, or you may contact Judy Kunkle or the church at 765-473-6659.
Wings of Hope: Fort Wayne, ministers to women released from penal institutions and prepares them to re-enter society through training. Their Needs: paper towels, toilet paper, laundry detergent, paper plates
Hope Alive; Fort Wayne, offers services to hurting persons in the form of housing, counseling, and support groups, regardless of their ability to pay. Their Needs: Kroger Gift cards, WalMart gift cards, paper towels, Kleenex.
If you wish to contribute any of the items to the ingathering, please bring them to church on June 15th and deposit them on a table provided in the hallway. They will be taken to the convention by our two delegates, Wanda Krohe and MK Frushour. Your participation will be appreciated.
The LWML District Convention is scheduled to be held in Fort Wayne, IN, on June 20 - 21 - 22, 2008. The theme is "Get the Rock"based on Corinthians 10:4b which states "that Rock was Christ".
Information about the Convention is in the Spring issue of The Quarterly, or you may contact Judy Kunkle or the church at 765-473-6659.
Stewardship Board
The Board is busy working on the budget for 2008-2009. The Voter's meeting to approve the proposed budget will be Sunday, June 22nd.
If you were unable to attend church on Pledge Sunday, May 18th, we would appreciate your pledge forms.
Place them in the collection plate or send to the church office.
This information is necessary as we work to balance the budget.
Thank you for your help
The Stewardship Board
If you were unable to attend church on Pledge Sunday, May 18th, we would appreciate your pledge forms.
Place them in the collection plate or send to the church office.
This information is necessary as we work to balance the budget.
Thank you for your help
The Stewardship Board
Eagle's Wings
"We are the Body of Christ, United in His Love"
The Monthly Newsletter of Saint John's Evangelical Lutheran Church of Peru, Indiana
Freedom & Its Cost
July 4th - the Big Hooray Day of America! We're free! But from what are we free? Free from a day of work for your backyard-burning bonanza?
When was the last time you read the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States of America? The Declaration tells us what our independence is from, and why our forefathers thought it necessary to pledge their lives, fortunes and sacred honor. It brought about a big fight - one that cost dearly. The Constitution guides our life as a people, brought together for a purpose - "to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity."
Sometimes, because we're 224 years away from the doings of the Declaration and Freedom Fighters, and haven't lived through it ourselves, we tend to forget the great importance of what 1776 was all about. Those of you who have served our country and world in the military or other government service may have a better idea of what a free nation and serving its government (which, by the way, is everybody in this country - "We, the people" - remember?) is all about. Those of you who have traveled and lived outside of this country may have a better recollection of what our freedom is all about, especially when you compare what is - and isn't - available in other countries. But freedom cost something, didn't it? It cost the hard thinking and agony of splitting away from our mother-country. It meant giving up some comforts and changing ways of doing things, but it also meant looking forward to future blessings. We can be thankful the Founding Fathers (and Mothers) looked ahead for their "descendants," who would hopefully follow in their footsteps and keep freedom alive - one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty & justice for all. (How are we doing at that, to also pass it on?).
We have other God-given freedoms, which were given 2000 years ago in the freedom fight that cost Jesus His life. By that He was able to start signing our names for us in the Book of Life. He pledged and gave His life, fortune and sacred honor for us, even though we were dead to sin as Satan's prisoners of war, spiritually bankrupt, and without honor. It cost Him. Did you know that the Bible is your real "Declaration of Independence & Constitution"? God proclaims you free from the real tyrant, the devil. When was the last time you read the Bible as your Constitution to truly guide your life as part of a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God to declare the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light? 1 Peter 2:9
People shout so loudly when their "Constitutional rights" are threatened or taken away, and they should. How strongly do we defend our spiritual constitution (our spiritual lives) when we're attacked by the devil or others? How faithful are you at attending worship to hear His Word and receive His freedom-giving, faith-giving & strengthening sacraments? Unfortunately, as most people don't really know what's in the U.S. Constitution, most people don't really know what's in the Bible. Just because God has given His gifts in lawyers and pastors who try to be faithful in their callings doesn't mean that these are the only people to read and apply the Bible and Constitution. However, pastors & lawyers are there to guide & help, especially in the fine points of the Law and Gospel in the hard times just as much as in the good times. They are there to help grow the church and the nation. But God doesn't want us to become lackadaisical and "lazy fair" (my definition of laissez-faire) in our attitude and use of His Word as our Constitution in our daily lives. Each one of us Christians is called by God in order to: form His perfect Union, the Church; live under His mercy given to us through His Justice of punishment for our sin upon Christ; insure domestic Tranquility; provide for the common Defense of one another against sin; promote the general Welfare and share the secure Blessings of true Liberty for ourselves and our Posterity (How well have you been keeping your pledge to Him and one another?).
Are you celebrating your freedom in Christ everyday with the same flair as your Independence Day celebrations? You won't need to "burn an offering" in your backyard, but you are able to offer yourself as a living sacrifice in thankfulness to God. Does the cross seem so far away for you that it's hard to appreciate your freedom through faith? Think about this. How did we receive our country's freedoms? By being born a citizen or being naturalized & professing our future allegiance to our country, that's how. To keep our country's freedoms, we have our costs as citizens - to give life for freedom, taxes to help pay for our privileges and benefits in our society, public service to make our communities better places to live and work... and the list goes on. How do we become citizens of Jesus' kingdom? By being born from above by grace through faith in baptism, and because of that we profess our future allegiance to our Savior and His kingdom. We don't become His citizens by any of our actions. But, as citizens of Jesus' kingdom, He does want us to live as servants, stewards, and salvation speakers. How will you answer His call to give your life so that someone else might live and believe in Jesus through your example of His love? Will you answer His call to cheerfully give the first-fruits of His fortunes that He's placed in your hands by His love? Will you answer His call to give your sacred honor so that others will see His honorable love for them also? Celebrating & Sharing Freedom in government which God establishes for us has a lot to do with Celebrating & Sharing God's Love in Christ, doesn't it? Blessings on your spring and summer.
Pastor Greenwald
When was the last time you read the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States of America? The Declaration tells us what our independence is from, and why our forefathers thought it necessary to pledge their lives, fortunes and sacred honor. It brought about a big fight - one that cost dearly. The Constitution guides our life as a people, brought together for a purpose - "to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity."
Sometimes, because we're 224 years away from the doings of the Declaration and Freedom Fighters, and haven't lived through it ourselves, we tend to forget the great importance of what 1776 was all about. Those of you who have served our country and world in the military or other government service may have a better idea of what a free nation and serving its government (which, by the way, is everybody in this country - "We, the people" - remember?) is all about. Those of you who have traveled and lived outside of this country may have a better recollection of what our freedom is all about, especially when you compare what is - and isn't - available in other countries. But freedom cost something, didn't it? It cost the hard thinking and agony of splitting away from our mother-country. It meant giving up some comforts and changing ways of doing things, but it also meant looking forward to future blessings. We can be thankful the Founding Fathers (and Mothers) looked ahead for their "descendants," who would hopefully follow in their footsteps and keep freedom alive - one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty & justice for all. (How are we doing at that, to also pass it on?).
We have other God-given freedoms, which were given 2000 years ago in the freedom fight that cost Jesus His life. By that He was able to start signing our names for us in the Book of Life. He pledged and gave His life, fortune and sacred honor for us, even though we were dead to sin as Satan's prisoners of war, spiritually bankrupt, and without honor. It cost Him. Did you know that the Bible is your real "Declaration of Independence & Constitution"? God proclaims you free from the real tyrant, the devil. When was the last time you read the Bible as your Constitution to truly guide your life as part of a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God to declare the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light? 1 Peter 2:9
People shout so loudly when their "Constitutional rights" are threatened or taken away, and they should. How strongly do we defend our spiritual constitution (our spiritual lives) when we're attacked by the devil or others? How faithful are you at attending worship to hear His Word and receive His freedom-giving, faith-giving & strengthening sacraments? Unfortunately, as most people don't really know what's in the U.S. Constitution, most people don't really know what's in the Bible. Just because God has given His gifts in lawyers and pastors who try to be faithful in their callings doesn't mean that these are the only people to read and apply the Bible and Constitution. However, pastors & lawyers are there to guide & help, especially in the fine points of the Law and Gospel in the hard times just as much as in the good times. They are there to help grow the church and the nation. But God doesn't want us to become lackadaisical and "lazy fair" (my definition of laissez-faire) in our attitude and use of His Word as our Constitution in our daily lives. Each one of us Christians is called by God in order to: form His perfect Union, the Church; live under His mercy given to us through His Justice of punishment for our sin upon Christ; insure domestic Tranquility; provide for the common Defense of one another against sin; promote the general Welfare and share the secure Blessings of true Liberty for ourselves and our Posterity (How well have you been keeping your pledge to Him and one another?).
Are you celebrating your freedom in Christ everyday with the same flair as your Independence Day celebrations? You won't need to "burn an offering" in your backyard, but you are able to offer yourself as a living sacrifice in thankfulness to God. Does the cross seem so far away for you that it's hard to appreciate your freedom through faith? Think about this. How did we receive our country's freedoms? By being born a citizen or being naturalized & professing our future allegiance to our country, that's how. To keep our country's freedoms, we have our costs as citizens - to give life for freedom, taxes to help pay for our privileges and benefits in our society, public service to make our communities better places to live and work... and the list goes on. How do we become citizens of Jesus' kingdom? By being born from above by grace through faith in baptism, and because of that we profess our future allegiance to our Savior and His kingdom. We don't become His citizens by any of our actions. But, as citizens of Jesus' kingdom, He does want us to live as servants, stewards, and salvation speakers. How will you answer His call to give your life so that someone else might live and believe in Jesus through your example of His love? Will you answer His call to cheerfully give the first-fruits of His fortunes that He's placed in your hands by His love? Will you answer His call to give your sacred honor so that others will see His honorable love for them also? Celebrating & Sharing Freedom in government which God establishes for us has a lot to do with Celebrating & Sharing God's Love in Christ, doesn't it? Blessings on your spring and summer.
Pastor Greenwald