St. John United Church of Christ
St. John United Church of Christ Information
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If you are interested in uniting with St. John Church please call Rev. Michael Safford-Kennedy and let him know at (920) 898-4259.
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STAFF HOURS
Pastor Mike’s office hours for St John
Monday & Thursday 1-3 pm.
Wednesday 9 am to 12 pm. Bible Study 10-11:30 am
Church Secretary’s office hours---- Tuesday and Thursday 10-2:30 pm -
Tuesday and Thursday 10 -2:30p
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Items for the bulletin need to be to the church office by Tuesday at 10 AM. Items can be submitted in the mailbox on the wall (labeled church secretary), put in the box outside the church, or emailed to sjucc.desk@outlook.com
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Women's Fellowship
The Women’s Fellowship is conducting their annual food drive until November 14. Please bring your unexpired, non-perishable food items or personal care items with you to church and leave them on the table in the narthex. Cash donations are also welcome. All donations will be given to the Salvation Army Bread of Life Assistance Center in Chilton.
Hebrews 13:16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
CHANCEL CHOIR
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Chancel Choir is Back!!
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We started rehearsals on Wednesday, October 13th and will continue at our regular time – 6:30 p.m..
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All our former members will be back with the exception of Laurie Jandrey – alto, who is now retired and travelling in the new RV that she and her husband have purchased. We wish them safe travels and much happiness in retirement.
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For now, we will be singing once per month. We are scheduled for October 31st and November 21st. It is likely to change once we get closer to the Holidays.
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As always, we encourage and welcome new members at any time. If you are interested in singing with us, you may come to any rehearsal and simply observe, or join in. You are under no obligation to sing for a service until you feel ready.
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Linda Hau, Director
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920-242-998
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WOMEN’S FELLOWSHIP NEWS – FOOD DRIVE The Women’s Fellowship will be conducting their annual food drive starting on October 17 through November 14. Please bring your unexpired, non-perishable food items or personal care items with you to church and leave them on the table in the narthex. Cash donations are also welcome. All donations will be given to the Salvation Army Bread of Life Assistance Center in Chilton. Hebrews 13:16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
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HOW CAN I CONTINUE MY OFFERINGS TO THE CHURCH?:
During this time, my regular offerings to the church are encouraged so that we are able to sustain the church, its ministry, and financial obligations. We realize this may not be feasible for all, so please give what you can.
Offerings can be mailed to the church
(2111 Church Street, New Holstein, WI 53063)
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Our Office Administrator Nikki has taken the open position at Ebenezer so we will be sharing her time with our sister church. Office hours will be changing but the amount of time Nikki will be committing to us will remain the same. We want to congratulate Nikki on her new role.
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QUILTING
I would like to get the adult quilting group up and running again so everyone can finish the projects that are still undone. I will let you know soon when I can start. After that we can talk about where we want to go from there, but first, let’s get things finished. As for youth quilting, I would like to see how school opening goes and if we have interested kids maybe we’ll come up with a project to get us started again. If you have any questions or suggestions feel free to call me anytime 286-6094, or text me at 286-1234.
Susan Hawk
Bell Choir at Ebenezer We're back! We will be back in October to enhance your church experience with music. Ebenezer Brass has been through a lot over the past year. We lost a very big part of our family, Don Waldvogel. He will be missed by all of us. We are a "small but mighty" group. We do have one new member, Megan. She is the band director at New Holstein High School. Welcome Megan! Anyone interested in joining us? Practices are Wednesday night from 6:30 to 7:30. If you have any questions, please contact Jill Sippel at 920-418-1534
NEW DROP BOX - For everyone’s safety we have a LOCKED drop box outside in the front of the church for all donations or other correspondence that needs to get to our church office.
SECURITY MINISTRY
Since the start of open enrollment last month for Medicare health insurance plans, there have been reports of scammers trying to steal your personal information. The following provides a few tips to prevent scammers from gaining your personal information.
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Medicare does not phone you to enroll in plans or additional coverage. If a caller states they are from Medicare, this is a scam.
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Medicare Part D prescription drug plan is optional. If you are told that you will lose your Medicare coverage if you do not sign up for the plan, this is a scam.
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Medicare staff will never cold call you and they cannot ask for a payment or send an email asking you to do so.
It is extremely important to never give out your Medicare number and banking information or Social Security number unless the person is a verified, and trusted individual.
If you have questions about your plan, contact your trusted insurance representative or the Medicare hotline at 800-633-4227.
November 7th marks the date Daylight Saving Time ends. As we set our clocks back one hour, it is the perfect time to check our battery-operated smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and replace the batteries with new ones.
Stay safe everyone and as always; “If you see something, say something.”
Jim Sommers
Prayer Chain
Are you or someone you know in need of prayer? Do you know that St. John’s has a Prayer Chain with people that will pray for you? Prayers can be requested for anyone; they do not need to be a member of St. John and the person can remain confidential if desired.
The person to contact to request prayers is Ruth Larsen and her phone number is (920) 898-1704. She will contact the other members on the Prayer Chain. You may tell any member of the group and they will make sure the person you request prayers for is added. Other members are Bonnie Lau, Elaine Kolb, Donna Schneider, Linda Hau, Carolyn Morris, Wendy Boll, Betty Nett, Kathy Kovach, Heidi Rendall and Donna Schwantes.
If you have a prayer request or would like Pastor Mike to visit someone, please provide him with a full name and phone number. Leave a message on his answering machine or write the information down and give it to him. Pastor Mike’s cell number is (920) 286-1956.
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MEMBER NEWS
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As of July 20th, masks are now voluntary, we will continue to have pews spaced out for social distancing
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CHANGE IN TELEPHONE DIALING... Beginning October 24, 2021, you will be required to dial 10 digits for all calls within your area code. Local calls must include the area code. For example, if calling St. John UCC you must dial 920-898-4259 in order to have your call completed. This system has been in operation for cell phones and now will be used for all calls from landlines. On July 16, 2022, you will start being able to just dial “988” to contact the National Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Crisis Lifeline.
COUNCIL SUGGESTION BOX - Have a great idea or concern you want to share with the council? Please feel free to leave a note in the suggestion box located in the Foyer. Your ideas are important to the operation and growth of our church
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PASTOR/PARISH
The purpose of the Pastor/Parish committee is to be a “sounding board” for both the Pastor and congregation. Anyone with any comments, suggestions or concerns about church items, Pastor Mike or other church related matters can contact any of the committee members. You don’t need to come to Pastor/Parish meetings to comment on the church. Just contact a committee member. The members are Phil Vergowe, Jill Sippel and Susan Hawk. Phone numbers available on contact page.
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ST. JOHN UCC SPOTLIGHT– Milk Fund Project
Thank you to everyone who has been supporting the milk fund at church. After four and a half years I have decided to discontinue the program. We still have money in the account which I will close out after spending the remainder on milk for the pantry. If someone would like to take over this mission, please contact me soon and I will turn the account over to you.
Half of the money raised to supply 27 bags of milk each week came from the wonderful donations in our milk jug. The other half was generously donated by Vollrath when my daughter organized employee donations matched by the company. There is a little more to the project than just putting out the jar. I also went to Kwik Trip every Tuesday morning to purchase the milk, deliver it to the pantry, unload it into the fridge and return the crates to the store. It also led me to become a regular volunteer at the pantry.
I am very proud of the success of this program and it has certainly led me down a path to find more ways to serve people in my community. I have ideas for new ways our church can help the food pantry and continue to serve the people in our community who need us.
I am happy to be venturing out into the world again including attending church services and look forward to a wider opening of our programs. Keep praying for a safe return to normal, our church has much to offer inside our walls and out. ~Susan Hawk
If you are in need of assistance from the Bread of Life you can contact them at 16 Main Street, Chilton. Telephone: (920) 849-7856. Income guidelines The Salvation Army of Calumet County, Bread of Life Assistance Center was founded in 1998. There ministry is motivated by the love of God. Its mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination.
MUSIC CORNER
Do you like music? Do you like to sing? Both the Chancel Choir and Ebenezer Brass would embrace new members. Men and Women are Welcome. High School age and above are also welcome.
If you are interested in joining talk to Linda Hau or come to a rehearsal dates they are listed on the church calendar at the end of this newsletter. Anyone interested in joining Handbells please contact Jill Sippel at 920-418-1534. The handbell choir will be playing at both St. John & Ebenezer this year.
FLORAL ARRANGEMENTS - We currently have an agreement with Lilybee Florist, 2126 Wisconsin Avenue, New Holstein. 920-898-5660 for delivery of flower arrangements to St. John United Church of Christ. This is our authorized florist and they will assist you in providing flower arrangements for any occasion.
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PASTORAL VISITS AND COMMUNICATION
If you know of a member that is a shut-in or is recovering from a medical procedure that would like to be contacted by Pastor Mike, please contact him or Nikki. Perhaps there is someone wishing to receive communion, Pastor Mike needs to be informed. -
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Lay reading, Altar Flowers, Bulletins, and Herald sponsorships. The cost of sponsoring the Herald is $40.00. Weekly Bulletin sponsorship is $12.00. Altar Flowers are ordered by you from the florist of your choice. Please sign up on the sheets posted on the narthex bulletin board. Please let Nancy know if you’d be willing to help (898-4259).
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Children’s Church Bags: For parents of young children three years old or under there are coloring books and crayons in them to help keep your child occupied while they are in church with you on Sunday mornings. You can pick one up from an usher before service and please return it to an usher before leaving the sanctuary.
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If you become a patient in the hospital, please call the church office and let us know so that Pastor can visit you. Because of privacy laws, information about your hospitalization is not shared unless you have given permission. If you enter as an emergency it is unlikely that the church will be notified, so please ask a family member to do so.