St. John Lutheran Church June 2020________________________________________________________________________

Church Office: 563-242-5588Pastor Daniel Pool: 593-2502, homee-mail: dpool@stjohn-clinton-ia.orgWeb Site: www.stjohn-clinton-ia.org

________________________________________________________________________Church Services Have ResumedWe have resumed our regular church services each Sunday at 7:45 and 10:15 a.m. There are many safety precautions and social distancing practices in effect. Please come if you feel safe. We will no longer have private communion on Sundays at the church.

Sunday Services OnlineAlthough we are meeting again for Sunday Services in person, we will still make our condensed Service of the Word available each Sunday

morning on the Church website (www.stjohn-clinton-ia.org), Facebook, and YouTube. You will find a copy of the hymn of the day, an order of service, Bible study, and sermon text available on the website. Pastor is also willing to take appointments for private Communion, please call Pastor at the office to set up a time.

Pastor’s Phone NumberIf you need to call Pastor please call the office at 563-242-5588, or his cell phone at 563-593-2502. He no longer has a home phone.

Pastor Out of the OfficePastor will be mostly out of the office June 1-5 as the Pool family prepares for Emily's wedding. 

Church Office Hours

Just a reminder that the church office is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Pastor is off on Thursdays.

Lament in the Time of Pandemic

How are you feeling? This crisis has brought an array of emotions for us. Everything is constantly changing. We are frightened for ourselves or for our loved ones. We are overwhelmed with added responsibility or boredom. We are

frustrated with those who don’t respond to the crisis on our terms. We are worried about our income and economy. So, what do we do with all of these feelings?

Blame, anger, and resentment are inadequate. Jesus calls us to repent in times of tragedy. We confess our sins. We look for His rescue. We seek His will. We take responsibility. We handle the problems God has given as our own. Instead of expecting everyone else to do the “right thing,” we bear the image of God in our world.

But it is also okay to lament. We can cry out to God. We bring our troubles before Him. Lamentation is not to blame God, but to address with God the brokenness of our world. Lament is to be rightly troubled by injustice and suffering. But then, we seek His restoration, His justice, and His provision in our distress. Lament appeals to the character and purposes of God, as we ask Him to repair the crisis around us.

With my voice I cry out to the LORD; with my voice I plead for mercy to the LORD. I pour out my complaint before him; I tell my trouble before him. When my spirit faints within me, you know my way! (Psalm 142:1-3)

The pandemic has brought us a fair amount of trouble. How will you respond? Instead of blame or outrage at God or humanity, let’s respond with repentance and lamentation. Cry out to the Lord! He is our refuge in times of trouble. We hope in the Him. He is our rock, our fortress, our deliverer.

Pastor

Pastor Pool’s Sunday Bible StudyThe Gospel of Mark Since we missed most of Holy Week due to quarantine measures, we are focusing our Mark study on the Cross

and Resurrection of Christ. This class meets Sundays at 9:00 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall. No previous Bible Study experience is necessary and it is always fine to sit and listen. Now is a great time to join us!

June 7: Mark 14:66-72; 15:1-5: Peter’s BetrayalJune 14: Mark 15:6-20: Calls for CrucifixionJune 21: Mark 15:21-32: The CrucifixionJune 28: Mark 15:33-47: Jesus Death and Burial

Ask the PastorPastor is fielding your questions on Wednesdays! Do you have a question about the Bible, theology, ethics, or the Christian life? You may email pastor at dpool@stjohn-clinton-ia.org or message him on Facebook. Posts go up each Wednesday on the Church website (www.stjohn-clinton-ia.org), Facebook, and YouTube.

Lutheranism 101

Our Lutheranism 101 Class was not completed because of the pandemic. If you began this class with Pastor, and would like to finish for

membership, please set an appointment to meet with him privately.

VBSVacation Bible School is on hold. We will not be having VBS the week of June 22. More information will be coming soon

To the Members and Saints at St. John:

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

We are living in tough times for all of us. Each of us is dealing with this pandemic in our own way. It might be quarantined at home and no loved ones to stop by. It might be having to take classes online and work from home, missing friends and co-workers. It might be loss of job and wages with closings. But in our own struggles, we can be assured of one blessed gift from our Father in heaven. Read these words from Ephesians 4:4-6.

4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 

We wore this on our t-shirts at Higher Things this summer. It was on Concordia, one in the faith. We are one body in faith. We have all one Lord, Jesus Christ, we have one faith in Him who died and rose for our sins and gave us eternal life, we are baptized into His death and raised to new life in Him, and we have one Father who is loving us and caring for us all. In this Easter season, even though things are not the same, we have the hope in Christ! Nothing will ever separate us from His love. His Supper reminds us that he gives us good gifts daily of forgiveness. His cross shows us His love and forgiveness. And His empty tomb gives us the hope for the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting! We are still a family in Christ. We are his saints on earth, even though we still sin, and we are united with the saints in heaven! We are one body in Christ. Though we are apart, we are one in Christ

Easter blessings!

Kurt Flathers, Executive Director

CARES Act & Charitable GivingThe Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) has provided many benefits to taxpayers during the 2020 year, including enhanced tax benefits for charitable gifts. The following two provisions are designed to encourage charitable contributions during this period of economic uncertainty and we appreciate you considering this information in your donations to the church.

1) $300 deduction of cash contributions. This gives taxpayers the ability for an additional (also known as above-the line) deduction of up to $300 of cash contributions to charities, regardless of whether the individual itemizes deductions.

2) Changes to the limits on charitable contributions. For individuals who do itemize their deductions for charitable giving, the 60% of adjusted gross income as a limit for cash gifts is suspended for 2020. For corporations the 10% limit on charitable contributions is increased to 25% of taxable income. If you have specific questions about how these provisions will benefit you individually we encourage you to contact your financial or tax professional for assistance. ~ Christie Collins

Thank You Sunday School TeachersTo the teachers and staff who shared their time and abilities with students during the school year. We appreciate you! Ross Eberhart, Kurt Flathers, Sarah Flathers, Christine Frett, Lisa Hagen, Sheryl Jindrich, Jackie Kammerer, Lucas Krueger, Pastor Pool, Sallie Pool, Janice Wheelock.

Summer Sunday SchoolNo Children’s Summer Sunday School this Summer.

Summer Wednesday Services

Summer Wednesday Services will not be held this Summer.

Mary MarthaMary Martha is not meeting in June.

Ladies AidThe Ladies Aid group will meet in June. The meeting will be held on Friday, June 12 at 1:30 p.m. This is the

second Friday of the month instead of the first. We will have a regular meeting, no potluck. Claudia Schenk will be the hostess.

Quilting BeeThe Quilting Bee is meeting on Thursday, June 18 at 9:00 a.m. Anyone interested in sewing or tying quilts for Lutheran World Relief is welcome to join us.

Planning CouncilThe Planning Council will meet on Sunday, June 28 at 7:30 p.m.Note, this is a change from the regular meeting day.

Operation Christmas Child This year we will once again be collecting items for the Operation Christmas Child project. We are adding a new way to give this year. We will be having a monthly collection to help fill more Christmas boxes. For example, in

July underwear, August socks, September shirts, etc. More details will be coming soon. We are very excited to fill more boxes than ever this year.

Higher ThingsOur Higher Things youth conference has been canceled for this summer. All of the university sites canceled summer activities. To make up for this, the Higher Things organization is hosting a virtual conference on August 6-7. We hope to plan a way to enjoy this conference together! More information will be available soon. Parents may have deposits refunded, credited to the cost of the virtual conference, or applied to next year's trip.

Preschool NewsThe preschool is now accepting students for the 2020/2021 school year. Contact the church office, 242-5588, for more information or enrollment forms.

Scrip FundraiserOrder forms are available in the Fellowship Hall or Church office. Our next Scrip order is due June 7. Cards will be in your box on June 14.

Check It Out In Our Church Library

Without Flesh by Jonathan Fisk

Is the church actually dying? Or, is it only a matter of our perspective? The front lines of the battle waged against the present darkness have experienced retreat after retreat, each time with people wagging their heads and saying, “If only we can rethink our strategies for mission”.In “Without Flesh”, Jonathan Fisk proposes that we don’t need something new. Instead, he writes that we need something old, like the most important words Jesus ever said. Fisk’s solution is simpler than we may think. Maybe the problem is that we just don’t want to believe it’s true.

Living with Grief by Kristian Kinkaid

Death rips life apart. In grief, you don’t want clichés-you want someone to acknowledge your pain and tell you it’s ok to hurt. One copes with grief but it is not cured. To all who grieve, the Lord affords rich and abiding comfort though Word and Sacrament. Kristian Kincaid is no stranger to sorrow and grief. He gives many examples of the way grief affects us. We will all face death at some point in our lives. This is a “must read” for all of us.

June Birthdays & Anniversaries

Happy Birthday to:

Mildred Wilke, who will be 84 on June 2.Lois Specht, who will be 89 on June 4.Lois Henningsen, who will be 80 on June 4.Adrienne Gabel, who will be 80 on June 8.Russ Henningsen, who will be 85 on June 16.Donna Licht, who will be 86 on June 25.Alice Stuedemann, who will be 88 on June 26.

Happy Anniversary to:

Dennis & Sandy Carstensen 25th wedding anniversary on June 2.

Robert & Sue Phillips 50th wedding anniversary on June 13.

Ron & Diane Mitchell 55th weddinganniversary on June 22.

Christopher & Kelli Bennett 20th weddinganniversary on June 24.

We list birthdays 80 and above and anniversaries for year one and every five years thereafter unless we receive a request not to do so.

Private Communion Calls

Pastor Pool is unable to visit those in nursing homes at this time. If you are at home and

would like to receive a communion visit please call Pastor at the Church Office, 242-5588, to schedule a time.

THOSE WHO SERVE IN JUNE

Early

Elders: Kurt Flathers Dave Reynolds

Ushers: Sam Reynolds Brian Wall Calvin Lange

Nursery Attendants (Late)

7 – Margie Mueller

14 – Tara Sirna

21 – Heather Becker

28 – Barb Bialas

Recording

7 – Darlene Paysen14 – Darlene Paysen21 – Darlene Paysen28 – Darlene Paysen

Late

Elders: Tom Hardersen James McHugh

Ushers: Bryce Petersen Randy Housenga Ryan Dell Kevin Dell

Acolyte Schedule

7-Early – Elder7-Late – Brayden Parks

14-Early – Elder14-Late – Elder

21-Early – Raelyn Schroeder21-Late – Addison Parks

28-Early – Elder28-Late – Elder

Crucifer Schedule

7 –Early – Shania Mussmann7 –Late – Jennifer Kammerer

NEWSLETTERDEADLINE: JUNE 20

If you would like to put any information in the newsletter, contact Camil Dell, and get her the

information by June 20.