St. John’s Messenger

Volume 93, Issue 11 May 29, 2013

“When the Spirit of truth comes..he will glorify me, because he will take what is min and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine.” John 16:13-15.

I’ve been thinking lately about what it means to be made in the image of God. We often hear that it has something to do with our creativity or our ability to reason, or even our knowledge of good and evil. But I believe it is much more.

We have come to the celebration of Holy Trinity, which we observe on May 26. No one has yet found a clear and true understanding of the Trinity – of how Father, Son, and Holy Spirit can be one God and yet three persons. Our human understanding is limited. As one of the characters in Shakespeare’s play Hamlet observes, “There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of…” In other words, we don’t understand everything. Nor can we.

I believe that the understanding of God as three-in-one or One-in three grew out of the experience of Christians as they knew God’s presence in different ways. It cannot logically be explained, even though we try with various comparisons, not of which work in the long run.

But one way of understanding is to think of the Three as a community that is so totally in tune that each person always knows what the others are doing and thinking. Their purpose and actions are one and the same. So that what the Father does, the Son does, the Spirit does. And on and on.

Is it possible that one of the ways we are intended to be in the image of God is in the way we relate to one another – in community. For a congregation, that can mean a unity, a oneness of purpose. A purpose that all accept and “buy into.” “As you, Father are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us.” John 17:21

Our Transition Team met and after much discussion we agreed that we need to begin focusing on connections with one another. We don’t all know each other. We don’t always realize when someone is missing from our gatherings. Praying for one another, as we have begun to do each week, is one way to do so. The cards we send each week are also helpful.

We discussed ministries we might do together. Among them were lay people taking communion to shut-ins, a goal that is mentioned in several reports from the past. Three training sessions are required and those who participate know they are blessed.

Another is building a youth ministry. And another we tentatively labeled “Handy Folks” who would gather for breakfast and then go out to help our elderly parishioners with repair needs. We can certainly add more. We welcome your ideas.

We also will do a “core values” survey to get a truer picture of who we are. And we pray that God will lead us to better understand ourselves and to give us a sense of where we are to go.

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR HIGH SCHOOL

GRADUATES !

Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. Ralph Waldo Emerson

Philippians 4:13I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

In Christ’s peace, t Pastor Moll

Thank You The Roadside Cleanup Committee Co-chairs, Jim Williams & Tom Propst thank the following individuals for their able assistance with our Spring Roadside Cleanup - Esther Bartholomew, Danielle, Nancy & Mike Erdley, Cindy & Doug Manning, Howie Paul, Karen & Rick Smeltz and Glen Weaver. With their help, it didn't take long to get the roadside cleaned. Feeling a little guilty about spending so much time cleaning the soccer fields instead of the roadside during the last cleanup, Jim got up before breakfast & had his section of the road cleaned before the rest of us even got to the Legion! What a leader! Remember to look for the announcement in the "Messenger" about our fall cleanup in October.

ICE CREAM SOCIAL&

50 YEARCONFIRMATIONRECOGNITION

will be heldSUNDAY, JUNE 2, 2013

FUN WALK SCHEDULED

To my St. John’s Family and Friends,

Ten years ago in July, I was diagnosed with epilepsy. On July 13, 2013, my team, Kate’s Krew, and I will be participating in the Epilepsy Walk/Run in Pittsburgh sponsored by the Pittsburgh Pirates.We would like to hold our own local event for those friends and family who will not be able to join us in Pittsburgh. We will meet on Sunday, June 23 at 2:00 p.m. at the Shikellamy Marina. My Krew will be condition training and we hope you will join us for a stroll around the Marina. (Or you may choose to jog, run, bike or even skate.) Drinks and snacks will be provided.

My goal is to raise money which will be turned in to the Epilepsy Foundation at the event in Pittsburgh. If you are not able to make a donation, I would love for you to join us at the Marina to show your support. If you would like to make a contribution for the Epilepsy Walk, but are not able to parti-cipate, you may give it to any member of my Krew (Todd, Sue, Matt or Stacie Billman, Sara and Laurie Robinson). Donations will be collected until Sunday, July 9th.

This year the Epilepsy Foundation of Western/Central PA celebrates their 40th anniversary. The mission of the Epilepsy Foundation will lead the fight to stop seizures, find a cure and overcome challenges created by epilepsy.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me or any member of my Krew.

Thank you in advance for your support. Kaitlyn Billman

Dear Optimist, Pessimist, and Realist,

While you guys were busy arguing about the glass of water, I drank it!

Sincerely,

The Opportunist~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Which person are you?

MALARIA CAMPAIGN UNDERWAY

Summertime has begun and is a time when we spend a lot of time outdoors. The joys of the outdoors are sometimes spoiled by the nuisance of mosquito bites.

On average, 1500 cases of malaria are reported every year in the United States, even though malaria has been eradicated in this country since the early 1950s. The vast majority of the 1500 cases in the United States are in travelers and immigrants returning from countries where malaria transmission occurs, mostly from sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

Malaria is the leading cause of death in Africa. The 2011 ELCA Churchwide Assembly voted to approve the ELCA Malaria Campaign to help eliminate deaths from this disease for good. In the less than two years since the ELCA Malaria Campaign joined the global movement to fight malaria, reduction from the number of deaths has been significant.

Join Social Ministry as we do our part to help the cause. From June 2-July 7, Social Ministry will be selling mosquitos for $1; fly swatters and vaccines for $2, after Sunday services.

MALARIA CAMPAIGN – WHAT OUR DONATION CAN DO

$250.00  Mosquito nets for a village$250.00  Protect 125 women and children from malaria$100.00 Train a village health team to prevent malaria$50.00 Provides medicine to 25 patients$10.00   Will buy a mosquito net

School’s out. Summer’s here. Kids have been waiting for this for weeks. All summer and nothing but swimming, riding their bikes, endlessly playing video games, and vacations. While kids live in that world this summer we adults will be living in another. There is the economy and the struggle to keep Wall Street and Main Street happy and accountable at the same time. There are conflicts within our nation, not to mention the conflicts between nations. If there is one thing I have learned in life it’s that everybody has their own version of the truth.

And we have to try and find the truth among all the truths that present themselves to us. It is very hard these days to know who to believe. Everyone is trying to lead us to their version of truth. In 1997, Nathan Zohner, showed how conditioned we have become to alarmists spreading fear of everything in our environment through junk science. He urged people to sign a petition demanding strict control or total elimination of the chemical "Dihydrogen

1. It can cause excessive sweating and vomiting.2. It is a major component in acid rain.3. It can cause severe burns in its gaseous state.4. Accidental inhalation can kill you.5. It contributes to the erosion of our natural landscape.6. It decreases the effectiveness of automobile brakes.7. It is found in tumors of terminal cancer patients.

He asked 50 people if they support a ban.

43 said yesSix were undecided

And only one knew that the chemical is ... water.

Nathan was a 14-year-old student at Eagle Rock Junior High School in Idaho Falls won

Come climb with us at Mount St. John’s!June 10th thru June 14th

6-8 PMJune 15th 5:30 to 8:30 PM

School is out & it is TIME to chill.Come join us to climb HIS hill.

We are looking forward to an AWESOME hike.Whether your name is Mary, JESUS or even Mike.

Shoes, shirts and SMILES required.

Vacation Bible School Registration Card

Student’s Name_____________________________Birth Date________________

Last Grade Completed_______Does the Student Attend Church School________

If so where?_________________________________________________________

Parent’s Name________________________Email__________________________

Address____________________________________________________________

Home Phone__________Emergency Phone____________Work Phone_________

Know Allergies or Medical Concerns:____________________________________

Will attend Family Service 10:15 am June 17th_____________________________

School’s out. Summer’s here. Kids have been waiting for this for weeks. All summer and nothing but swimming, riding their bikes, endlessly playing video games, and vacations. While kids live in that world this summer we adults will be living in another. There is the economy and the struggle to keep Wall Street and Main Street happy and accountable at the same time. There are conflicts within our nation, not to mention the conflicts between nations. If there is one thing I have learned in life it’s that everybody has their own version of the truth.

And we have to try and find the truth among all the truths that present themselves to us. It is very hard these days to know who to believe. Everyone is trying to lead us to their version of truth. In 1997, Nathan Zohner, showed how conditioned we have become to alarmists spreading fear of everything in our environment through junk science. He urged people to sign a petition demanding strict control or total elimination of the chemical "Dihydrogen

1. It can cause excessive sweating and vomiting.2. It is a major component in acid rain.3. It can cause severe burns in its gaseous state.4. Accidental inhalation can kill you.5. It contributes to the erosion of our natural landscape.6. It decreases the effectiveness of automobile brakes.7. It is found in tumors of terminal cancer patients.

He asked 50 people if they support a ban.

43 said yesSix were undecided

And only one knew that the chemical is ... water.

Nathan was a 14-year-old student at Eagle Rock Junior High School in Idaho Falls won

Vacation Bible School Registration Card

Student’s Name_____________________________Birth Date________________

Last Grade Completed_______Does the Student Attend Church School________

If so where?_________________________________________________________

Parent’s Name________________________Email__________________________

Address____________________________________________________________

Home Phone__________Emergency Phone____________Work Phone_________

Know Allergies or Medical Concerns:____________________________________

Will attend Family Service 10:15 am June 17th_____________________________

Woven Together in Christ: Upper Susquehanna

Synod Assembly

The 26th Annual Assembly of the Upper Susquehanna Synod will be held at Susquehanna University on June 14-15, 2013. During this assembly, the 25th anniversary of the synod will be celebrated and will include these highlights:• Election of a bishop.• Celebration of the 50th anniversary of Camp Mount Luther with the installation of this year’s camp staff.• Bible Study with Rev. Rick Carlson from Gettysburg Seminary.• Offerings benefitting Camp Mount Luther’s Birthday Candle Project and Zion “Arbogast” Lutheran Church in response to a fire that destroyed their church building.• “Blast on the Grass,” a pig roast and music festival featuring Hannah Bingman, Van Wagner, and Stained Grass Window.• Workshops designed to “equip” lay people in ministry in their congregation.• A large weaving project will adorn the chancel area of the auditorium, signifying the assembly’s theme of “WovenTogether in Christ.” Many congregations of the synod contributed to the weaving project this winter and spring.

ELCA To Consider Criminal Justice Statement

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is proposing a social teaching statement addressing the many issues around criminal justice. Work on this statement was mandated by the 2007 ELCA Churchwide Assembly and led by the ELCA Task Force on Criminal Justice, which has now issued a proposed statement and implementing resolutions entitled, "The Church and Criminal Justice: Hearing the Cries".

The Upper Susquehanna Synod Assembly meeting on June 14-15 will discuss and review this proposed statement, which will be considered for adoption by the 2013 ELCA Churchwide Assembly meeting in August. With a number of incarceration centers on the synod territory, and many USS members employed in the criminal justice sector, the USS is an important audience for careful review of this proposed statement. All USS members are encouraged to read the proposed statement and to pass on their questions, concerns, and comments to their congregation's voting members to the synod assembly.

Download the entire document here: http://www.elca.org/~/media/Files/What%20We%20Believe/Social%20Issues/criminal%20justice/Criminal%20Justice%20for%20preCWA.PDFDownload a detailed summary here: http://www.elca.org/~/media/Files/What%20We%20Believe/Social%20Issues/criminal%20justice/

WANTED: 1988 and 2013 PEOPLE

The Upper Susquehanna Synod is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. On Friday, June 14, 2013 we would like to recognize anyone who was confirmed or baptized in 1988 or 2013. You will meet at 2:45 p.m. at the Horn Meditation Chapel in Weber Chapel Auditorium, Susquehanna University. You will be finished at approximately 3:15 p.m.

If interested, please contact Chad Hershberger at news@uss-elca.org by June 7th.

2013 SYNOD ASSEMBLY

Daily Scripture Reading

May 28 John 8:1-20May 29 John 8:21-38May 30 John 8:39-59May 31 Luke 1:39-56June 1 Ecclesiastes 9June 2 Ecclesiastes 10June 3 Ecclesiastes 11June 4 Ecclesiastes 12June 5 John 11:17-37June 6 John 11:38-57June 7 John 12:1-19June 8 Daniel 3:8-30June 9 Proverbs 8:1-21June 10 Proverbs 8:22-36June 11 Acts 11:19-30June 12 Proverbs 10:1-23

MEMBERS : Carolyn Smith; Helen Snyder; Owen Long; Joe Epler; Ruth Ramer; Mike Payne; Deb Doebler; Mike Daddario.

PRAYER REQUEST: Kevin Herring; Joe Chappell; Roy Moyer; Kim Metzler; Rodney Pheasant; Missy Herrold; Hannah Freezer; Jim Furhman; Sandy; Breann Culp; Robin Bolig; Dean and Joan Rebuck; Olivia Thomas; Tammy Ludwig; Glovene Youngkin; Terry Moll; Dave Burns; Don Propst; Tina Reichenbach; Georgena Smith; Daniel Lyons; Beverly Windus; Betty Leitzel; Marlyn Deihl; Irene Olley; Janel Gallo Berdell; Steve and Rose Brungard; Ed and Jane DeGand; Darvin Straub.

HOMEBOUND AND SPECIAL PRAYERS: Shirley Wolfe; Frances Hoffman; Frances Rohrbach; Polly Hetrick; Betty Yerg; Nancy Hendricks; Jane Galow; Robyn Snyder; Dave Roush; Dave Eisely; Franklin Hoffman; Catherine Broome; Michael Ray; Harold Billman; Carol Hoffman; Sally Mayer; Elaine Kohl; Phyllis Gordon; Sally Diehl; Bill Brungard; Julia Tiedman; Tina Pontius; Jan Albertson; June Seebold; John Kistner; Margaret Rantz; Linda Ramsey; Margaret Bright; Joshua Gordon; Harold Reid; Joyce Shearer; Connie Lahr; Steve Lahr; Zachery Baker; Carol Wilks; Pauline Spigelmeyer; Jodi Graybill; Brittany Graybill; Margaret Nugent; Harry Hopewell.

Pray for our military

Logan Brouse; Kale Gallo; Tom Stover, Jeremy Hoffman.

ELCA To Consider Criminal Justice Statement

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is proposing a social teaching statement addressing the many issues around criminal justice. Work on this statement was mandated by the 2007 ELCA Churchwide Assembly and led by the ELCA Task Force on Criminal Justice, which has now issued a proposed statement and implementing resolutions entitled, "The Church and Criminal Justice: Hearing the Cries".

The Upper Susquehanna Synod Assembly meeting on June 14-15 will discuss and review this proposed statement, which will be considered for adoption by the 2013 ELCA Churchwide Assembly meeting in August. With a number of incarceration centers on the synod territory, and many USS members employed in the criminal justice sector, the USS is an important audience for careful review of this proposed statement. All USS members are encouraged to read the proposed statement and to pass on their questions, concerns, and comments to their congregation's voting members to the synod assembly.

Download the entire document here: http://www.elca.org/~/media/Files/What%20We%20Believe/Social%20Issues/criminal%20justice/Criminal%20Justice%20for%20preCWA.PDFDownload a detailed summary here: http://www.elca.org/~/media/Files/What%20We%20Believe/Social%20Issues/criminal%20justice/

SAY A PRAYERLittle Johnny and his family were having Sunday dinner at his Grandmother's house. Everyone was

seated around the table as the food was being served. When Little Johnny received his plate, he started

eating right away. "Johnny! Please wait until we say our prayer." said his mother. "I don't need to," the boy replied. "Of course, you do "his mother insisted. "We

always say a prayer before eating at our house." "That's at our house." Johnny explained. "But this is

Thursday, June 6 Messenger deadline, 3:00 pmWorship & Music Committee, 7:00 pm

Friday, June 7 Wedding rehearsalSaturday, June 8 Wedding – Fleming/GranquistMonday, June 10 Finance Committee, 7:00 pmMonday June 10-

Friday, June 14 VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL, Mon-Thurs 6-8:00 pm; Fri 5:30-8:30 pmWednesday, June 12 Messenger folding, 9:30 am

Church Council Meeting, 7:00 pmThursday, June 13 Social Ministry Committee, 6:00 pmMonday, June 17 WELCA Picnic, 6:00 pm

Saturday, June 1 Synod Bike Ride, 25 or 50 mile bike ride. Leaves Camp Mt.Luther at 9:00 a.m. (11:00 a.m. from Holy Spirit to do the 25 mile ride)$25 to ride.

Wednesday, June 5 Hospice Flea Market sponsored by Evangelical Community Hospital, & Thursday, June 6 Faith Lutheran Church, Route 45, Lewisburg, Wednesday from

7:00 am – 4:00 pm and Thursday from 7:00 am – NoonSaturday, June 8 Chicken Barb-b-que, Grace Lutheran Church, Northumberland

Platters - $8; halves – $4.50; Music by His Servants; car seat safety checkFriday, June 14- Synod Assembly, Susquehanna University Saturday, June 15Friday, June 14 “Blast On The Grass” music festival beginning at 6 PM, on the grounds of

Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove.  Performers include Hannah Bingman, Van Wagner, and Stained Grass Window. The Festival is free, and audience members are invited to bring a lawn chair or blanket for seating. Invite a friend!

Attendance for May 19, 2013 8:00 a.m. Service – 40 10:15 a.m. Service –74

Offering needed weekly to meet budget: $3741.00Offering received: $2715.50

In Our Area

WHAT’S HAPPENING

SAY A PRAYERLittle Johnny and his family were having Sunday dinner at his Grandmother's house. Everyone was

seated around the table as the food was being served. When Little Johnny received his plate, he started

eating right away. "Johnny! Please wait until we say our prayer." said his mother. "I don't need to," the boy replied. "Of course, you do "his mother insisted. "We

always say a prayer before eating at our house." "That's at our house." Johnny explained. "But this is

ST. JOHN’S MESSENGER (USPS-515-660) is published biweekly, annually, by St. John’s Lutheran Church, 300 Queen Street, Northumberland, PA 17857.Periodical postage paid at Northumberland, PA.POSTMASTER: Send address change to St. John’s Messenger, 300 Queen Street, Northumberland, PA 17857.

ST. JOHN’S MESSENGER May 29, 2013 Volume 93, Issue 11

St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church 570-473-3770 sjelc300@ptd.net

This Sunday at St. John’sJune 2, 2013

8:00 a.m. Worship Service with Communion9:00 a.m. Adult Sunday School

10:15 a.m. Worship Service with CommunionNoon – Ice Cream Social & 50 Yr. Confirmation Celebration

1:00 p.m. Quiet Communion

Next Sunday at St. John’sJune 9, 2013

8:00 a.m. Worship Service with Communion9:00 a.m. Adult Sunday School

10:15 a.m. Worship Service with Communion

PeriodicalsPostage PaidNorthumberland, PA

Address Label

Church Office Hours Mon-Thurs 8:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Fri 8:30 a.m.-NoonMarthaSue Moll, Pastor

William J. Jacavage, Director of Music