November 14 News and Notes
Annual Voters’ Meeting
Sunday, November 16 with a potluck beginning at noon. We encourage all voting members to attend, and bring a side dish to share. The main course will be provided. Childcare is available, please RSVP with number of kids and their ages to Matthew Frick. The Voters’ Meeting will begin around 1:00.
Items on the agenda include:
- 2026 7-month budget (January-July)
- New Officers and Boards
- School HVAC Project
- Little Wings Facility Project
Additionally, several boards still have openings for new members, especially Missions, Fellowship, Human Care, and Youth. If you would like to learn more about serving St. John as a member of one of our boards, please contact Doug Pingel.
Friday Night Fitness
Friday Night Fitness is offered every Friday at 5:30 in the gym. Join us for a Zumba-like fitness class, meet some new people, and have some fun being active. For more information or to be added to the group communication, please contact Beth Wheeler.
Christmas Decorating
Help kick of the Advent and Christmas seasons at St. John by helping decorate the church for Christmas the mornings of Friday and Saturday, November 28 and 29. Several different groups are needed to help decorate different areas.
LWML Fall Gathering
“Ready, Set, Go!” Saturday morning, November 8, 2025, at Zion Lutheran Church, 6513 W 300 South, New Palestine. Registration at 8:45; breakfast and program, featuring speaker and author Christena Estby follows. Ingathering: Items for Emmaus Food Pantry, and $$ Offering for “Working for Wheels”.
Bonfire
High School Youth will have a bonfire on Sunday, November 16, from 5-7pm. Hot dogs and s’mores will be provided. Please bring a chair, and a friend! The firepit is located on the west side of the property, in front of Little Wings.
Christmas Caroling
Save the date for our annual Christmas caroling event on December 14. Youth and adults are invited to help us spread the message of Christmas to our community. If you know of someone who would be blessed by a visit of our carolers, please contact Matthew Frick with the name(s), address, and phone number by December 7.
LHS 50th Anniversary
Building on FAITH | Our 2nd Decade
Our next video reflecting on the second decade of Lutheran High School is now available. We hope you'll enjoy watching this snapshot of Lutheran High School history. Follow our 50th Anniversary celebration online at LHSI.org.
Surviving the Holidays
St. John’s GriefShare Ministry is offering a “Surviving the Holidays” session on Tuesday, November 11, from 6:00-8:00 pm in the school music room. This session offers practical help ahead of the holiday season for family members grieving the loss of a loved one. Enter through door C-9. Pre-register at griefshare.org. For more information, call the church office or contact Dianne Boekankamp. There is no charge for this session.
Ushers Needed
We are looking for a few people to serve as ushers for our worship services. This is a low-commitment, convenient way to serve our congregation by assisting those attending worship services. Ushers serve in teams of 3-5 assigned to the service of their choice, one month at a time and once per quarter. If you would like to learn more about serving at St. John in this way, please contact Wes Journay.
Food Pantry Collection
With Thanksgiving and the holiday season coming up, we would like to remind our community that we regularly collect non-perishable food items that are donated to the Emmaus Lutheran Church food pantry. Please consider purchasing a few additional items to contribute to our neighbors in need. You can leave them in the grocery cart near the C-8 door.
If you or someone you know is experiencing food insecurity, or you would like to assist those who are, please contact Matthew Frick. Indy.gov also has emergency food assistance resources.
Click here for a “reverse Advent calendar” for daily food pantry suggestions.
Fall Clean Up
The Trustees will hold a fall clean up work day on Saturday, November 22, from 9am to noon. Please lend a hand to clean up from fall and prepare for winter. All are welcome!
Little Wings Childcare needs help with leaves
As Fall has come and the leaves continue to drop, we would appreciate any assistance in cleaning up the playgrounds and yard. The playground takes a good deal of time as the play equipment has to be moved around so leaves can be removed. Due to the number of leaves around the childcare, we usually do 2-3 clean ups each Fall with the last one usually taking place in early December. If you would be willing to help with this clean up, please reach out to RJ Hall, Michael Collins, or Lori Forgey.
Pampered Chef Fundraiser
Sponsored by St. John Youth to raise money for the youth group and their activities. You can browse and shop direct with this link and a portion of your purchase will be contributed to the youth group, plus a donor match! Start planning your holiday cooking and gift-giving now! Orders will ship directly to you and arrive in time for Christmas.
Readings for The Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost:
- Malachi 4:1-6
- 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13
- Luke 21:5-36
Pastor Duling’s Sermon Theme:
“Stay Awake for Your Redemption”
Coming Events
- November 16 - Potluck and Annual Voters’ Meeting
- November 19 - Dine to Donate at Freddy’s (Emerson/County Line)
- November 22 - Fall Clean Up Work Day
- December 3 - Middle School Advent Program
- December 7 - Annual Christmas Concert
- December 10 - Early Childhood Advent Program
- December 14 - Christmas Caroling
- December 17 - Elementary School Advent Program
Stewardship at St. John
Attendance Last Week:
- Worship Services - 343
Tithes and Offerings:
- Last Week: $17,227
- Year to date actual 2025 $877,945
- Year to date budget 2025 $872,000
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