Activities-News-Events

On Sunday, May 26th we will begin our summer worship schedule of meeting for one combined service at 9.15am.

On Monday, June 3rd the office will commence its summer schedule: Monday through Friday 9am to Noon.

Confirmation
On Sunday, June 9th we will observe the Feast of Pentecost by celebrating Confirmation.

Graduate Recognition Sunday, June 16th

If you graduated from high school, trade school, college, graduate school nursing school etc., we would like to recognize your achievement and hold you up in prayer. Please contact Pastor Schneider if you are planning on attending Graduate Recognition

Men’s Group Summer Cookout
Mark your calendars! The summer Men's Group meeting has been rescheduled for Sunday, July 14th at 5.00pm. Please let Pastor Schneider know if you plan on attending by Sunday, July 7th, so that he can organize the cookout. On that night we will meet for a
charcoal grilled meal. Pastor Schneider will provide the hamburgers, hotdogs, brats and corn on the cob. During late June a sign-up sheet for salads, beverages, and desserts will be available in the narthex. At that meeting we will explore the beauty of God's creation and plan the fall Men's Group

Summer Camp July 7th –13th

Attention youth in grades 3 through 8: Mark your calendars! We have camperships available for summer church camp at Camp Kirchenwald for the week of July 7th through the 13th. Please contact Pastor Schneider for details. Scholarships are available for campers grades 3 through 9! Families will only be responsible for paying $100 per camper that week!

VBS is Coming Soon!

Mark your calendars, St. John Lutheran is hosting VBS this year July 28th through August 1st.
Our theme this year is Splash Canyon.
Look for more information in the near future.

Property Improvement Financing Plan - Congregational Discussion
Sunday, June 23rd at 10.30am You are all welcome to attend a congregational discussion about our proposed Property Improvement Financing Plan. The plan includes using the gains from our investments to fund much needed propertyrepairs. We will convene a meeting to discuss the plan on Sunday, June 23rd at 10.30am. We will vote on adopting the plan at our Annual Budget Approval Meeting scheduled for Sunday, November 24th at 10.30am.

Sunday School Holy Baptism Challenge

Sunday Schoolers are encouraged to meet with Pastor Schneider before Sunday School to take the Holy Baptism Challenge. Sunday Schoolers who can recite Luther's Small Catechism definition of Holy Baptism can earn a candy bar!

The Adult Sunday School

The Adult Sunday School class that meets in room 3 will be studying John Ortberg’s, “I’d Like You More if You Were More Like Me; Getting Real about Getting Close.
” All are welcome! Come join us!

Kids Feeding Kids - June 9th - August 18th
Many children depend on school for breakfast and lunch during the school year. Once school is out for the summer, many families find themselves struggling. Once again the Kids Feeding Kids outreach program will assist these families in need. Plans are currently under way for this summer. We will be open Sundays, 5:30-6:30pm, starting on June 9th.

What We Need
1. Lots of Teen and Preteen volunteers to help the young children shop, to help with setup and cleanup, etc. We are looking to schedule a rotation of teens so no one has to commit to the entire sum-mer. You can commit to as few as one Sunday dur-ing the summer. Please contact Maria in the office (717-235-2315) to sign up or see the signup sheet in the Narthex.
2. We also need donations of individual size food items. In April, we are looking for donations of single serving sized spaghettios, individual mac & cheese cups, tuna or chicken salad paks with crackers.

Community Prayer Request
If you would like to help St. John Lutheran Church plan and construct a Community Prayer Request Box, please contact Rev. Schneider 717.235.2315 / pastorschneider@comcast.net .

Christian Education - Sunday School
See the Sunday School Page here

Volunteers Needed
The office is looking for additional volunteers to help with various tasks.
1. Weekly church cleanup duty. This is usually done on Mondays or Tuesdays.
2. Weekly bulletin assembly. This is done on Thursday afternoon or on Friday and can also be done at home.
Volunteers for both tasks are scheduled on a rotation basis. If you are interested in helping out with either of these tasks, please call Maria in the office (717-235-2315).

St. John Lutheran Quilting Ministry
Our quilting ministry at St. John Lutheran Church meets the first Thursday of each month at 9.30am. Every year Lutheran World relief distributes many quilts worldwide. In 2014 a total of 408,245 quilts were distributed to people in 21 different countries. The Women of the ELCA actively support this ministry through the giving of their time, talents and prayers. Our quilting ministry is currently in need of material and batting, as well as people who are willing to assemble quilts for LWR. If you have any questions, or would like to par-ticipate in this ministry, please contact Gardenia Wallace (717.235.2274) or Barbara Spink (717.235.5785). Our quilting ministry is a great opportunity to fellowship and serve with others!

Lunch Bunch
On Wednesday, June 12th, the Lunch Bunch will meet at the New Freedom Restaurant and Coffee Shop on the Susquehanna Trail in New Freedom, at 11:45am. Contact Loretta Mellinger, 717-235-7797 to make your reservation.

Life’s Thread Quilters
The Life’s Thread Quilters will be meeting on Thursday, June 6th at 9:30am in the Hoshall Family Life Center.

Daytime Knitting and Crocheting Group
The next meeting of the Daytime Knitting and Crocheting Group is scheduled for June 11th at 11am in the Youth Lounge. If you have any questions, contact Barb Spink (717-235-5785).

Adult Zumba®

Adult Zumba® classes are held on Monday evenings in the Hoshall Family Life Center from 6:30pm to 7:30pm.
Classes are strictly pay-as-you-go. The cost per class is $5.

Men over 35 Basketball Group
Our men over 35 basketball group has started up again. This year they meet in the Family Life Center, 8:00-10pm ever Monday.and Wednesday There is no pre-registration for this, it is strictly pay-as-you-go. The cost per week is $2. Come one week or come when it fits your schedule! If you have any questions, please contact John Simpson.

Choice Dollars
Thrivent members may soon be receiving notifications that they have Choice Dollars that they can designate toward charities of their choice. Please consider directing those Choice Dollars to St. John Lutheran Church. If you do not know how to direct those funds, please contact the parish office, and we will walk you through the process.

Volunteer Opportunities
We all know about the continued work of the Lord's Lunch ministry, but did you know about The Good Food Box, our other hunger ministry? The Good Food Box unloads, packages and distributes 1,500 pounds of fresh food and meat from the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank every other Tuesday. Check with the church office regarding when the delivery truck will arrive on a perticular Tuesday, since its schedlue changes from delivery to delivery (717-235-2315). At that time we help unload bulk packaged fresh food and repack orders into individual boxes. Then at 5.30pm we distribute them to individuals and families. We generally feed 38 families per week. During 2014 we distributed 792 food boxes to local families. If you would like to be a part of this vibrant and growing hunger ministry, please call the church office (717-235-2315).

Solicitations Reminder
ALL solicitations presented on church property, ranging from group requests presented to the congregation in church to individual requests, must be presented to and approved by the Stewardship/Finance Committee

The Simply Giving Program
By participating in the Simply Giving Program (preauthorized automatic electronic donations), members insure that St John Lutheran Church is able to meet its financial obligations even during times of the year when members are typically on vacation. This authorization carries no risk to the donor.** If you wish to cancel, change, or even reverse a transaction, this can be accomplished with a phone call to the church or the Financial Secretary. In this circumstance, please contact the church at least 3 days before the scheduled withdrawal. Members who wish to participate in the offering collection during the worship service can write “Simply Giving” on their envelope and put it (empty) into the collection plate. Please click here to print the Authorization Form
If you have increased your pledge in 2014, please remember to submit an amended Simply Giving Authorization form to the parish office. You may find a copy of the Simply Giving Authorization Form here. Authorization Form

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