St



St. John’s HELPER

St. John’s United Church of Christ

1513 West Street

Rosenberg, Texas 77471

Church Office: 281-342-5159 Church Email: stjohns_ucc@

Church Website:

Rev. Daniel Haas, Minister Cell phone #801-368-1180

January 13, 2016 Rev. Donald Kolkmeier, Pastor Emeritus

No matter who you are, or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome at St. John’s United Church of Christ

“Pastor’s Annual Report 2015”

Dear members and friends of St. John’s United UCC,

2015 was a wonderfully busy year in the life of our church:

Besides our weekly 10 am Sunday Service we added a new worship service: Once a month we hold a communion service in the Foyer of Cambridge Square which is open to everyone. This additional worship opportunity has quickly gained a loyal attendance. Yes, as Family Ministry is fixin’ to turn five years old on March 6th 2016, they remain a powerhouse in our congregation.

For the younger side of the house we have fine-tuned our annual cycle of events. There is now a nice rotation of Spring Fun Day, Vacation Bible School, St. Martin’s Day, and Breakfast with Santa. Each of these events allows us to serve the children in our congregation, our neighborhood and our families.

Also, the kids continue to enjoy their weekly Children’s Church which includes adventure, exciting stories, science experiments, arts and crafts, animated video storytelling, and active games-all combined into a living–faith experience that will help children discover what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ today.

As children grow older they will learn to upgrade to a grown-up version of faith. In our tradition Confirmation marks that transition. This year I am able to teach a confirmation class which will lead to a joyous celebration on Pentecost Sunday, May 15th 2016.

I want to thank Leo Niemeyer for taken on the responsibility of teaching Adult Sunday School. This has been a wonderful program. If you can make it to church an hour early I highly recommend you take advantage of this opportunity for spiritual growth. If you are not an early-riser or just want more biblical input, I suggest you look into joining our Bible Study Group which meets on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of every month from 6-7 pm.

Our church is a learning community. That is not only true in our local congregation programming but especially for our church’s wider church mission. Members of St. John’s United Church of Christ serve as delegates to the Houston Association and the South Central Conference of the United Church of Christ. Individuals hold Association offices on the committee of ministry, as treasurer and on the executive council. We have strong ties to Slumber Falls Camp. In 2015 we hosted the Spring Meeting of the Houston Association in Rosenberg celebrating our connectedness to everything UCC and to engage in fruitful dialogue with our wider church family. Mirjam and I even had the opportunity to attend General Synod in Cleveland, Ohio, this summer.

We are a pretty diverse group of people where in different stages of life the church means different things to everybody: We baptized five little ones this year, one new member affirmed her faith and we celebrated the lives of eleven persons who died in 2015.

In 2016 I keep asking my old question: Whom are we sent to?

When we are intentional about reaching out to a very specific group of people we get great response. The Sunday we invited the German community attendance went up to 90. When we invited neighborhood kids for Breakfast with Santa 48 turned out. When we add an additional monthly worship service in a retirement home, attendance is very good. I would like for the new council, and ultimately the entire congregation, to start a visioning process for our church. We have great potential, but we must learn to focus our mission and ministry.

Blessings,

Rev. Daniel Haas

Offering for January 10, 2016

General Fund …………………. 2,117.00

Benevolence ………………….. 90.00

Initial for envelopes…………… 10.00

Total Offering 2,217.00

Attendance for January 10, 2016

Church Attendance 62

Adult Sunday School 14

THOSE IN OUR PRAYERS

Requesting Prayer for Themselves:

Denver McFarland

Requesting Prayers for Others

Sharon Seiler Davis by Ella Seiler Brown

Rose Ann Elmore by Sister-in-law Doris Jezek

Wes Flarity by Sandra Flarity

Gil Gaona by Karen Sikes

Doug Goodwin by J. Michael Lundgren

WLee Hedt by Carol & Danny Filla

Gloria Himly by Walter Himly

Sandra Ognoskie Zacek family by Carol & Danny Filla

Rose Rabata by Victor Rabata

Evelyn Rhyner by brother Fritz Oberhoff

Gabriel Weimer by Sarah Weimer

Preparing for Sunday, January 17, 2016

Isaiah 62:1-5

John 2:1-11

Sermon: “Extravagant Sign”

Family Vacation

Rev. Haas and his family will be leaving on Sunday, January 17 just after the Congregational Meeting for a week long cruise. Rev. George Kuebler will be preaching on Sunday, January 24th.

Church Council

The Church Council will hold its monthly meeting on January 25 at 6:00 p.m.

Congregational Meeting

This Sunday, January 17 we will hold our annual Congregational Meeting at the end of our worship service. This is the time to hear updates from committees about what all happened in 2015. It’s also the time to nominate and vote on the elected officials for 2016 and various other church business. We know that there are 2 proposed changes to the church constitution which has been included in past newsletters. A quorum is required, so your attendance is very important.

All officers of a church appointed standing committee and all who will be elected to new positions plus those returning to elected positions need to attend the worship service this Sunday so that they can be installed or reaffirmed.

Nominated Leadership for 2016

The Nominating Committee has submitted the following names to the Church Council for presentation at the Congregational Meeting this Sunday, January 17. Anyone wishing to submit their name for consideration for a position may do so from the floor at this meeting. Please lift up these people and the returning church officers in your prayers as they prepare for leadership in 2016.

Nominated are:

President Elect JoAnn Meyer

Secretary Patsy Kubes

Financial Secretary Tim Riha

Member at Large Cisco Kolkmeier

Member at Large Walter Himly

Delegates Tom Gaskamp

South Central Conf. Nathan Gaskamp

Houston Assoc. Karen Sikes

Nina Cooper

Spiritual Comm. Shirley Niemeyer

Ann Mikeska

Thank you to the members of the Nominating Committee for your work.

Concert of Praise & Prayer

Houston denominational leaders from across the city invite all Christians to join them for an evening of music, worship and prayer as ecumenical groups gather to pray for Christian Unity in Houston and around the world at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, January 22, 2016 at Pleasant Hill Baptist Church. This is the third annual Concert of Praise & Prayer for Houston. Please consider even joining their choir which will rehearse on January 12th and 19th.

2016 Altar Flower Chart Sign-up

There are still some dates available in 2016 (June 5, June 19-Father’s Day, July 17 and October 23) for the opportunity to provide altar flowers in honor or in memory of a loved one. If you are interested in any of the above dates, please contact the church office.

Birthday Parties

Starting in 2016, the Family Ministry would like to help celebrate the birthdays of our members that are 90 years old or more. It would be an honor and privilege to visit with you on your special day and share in the celebration. If you would like to participate, please contact the church office at 281-342-5159 a few weeks before your special event so we can make arrangements.

Family Ministry Team

These Days Devotional

These Days, Daily Devotional books for the first Quarter of 2016 are available for pick up in the Narthex. There is no charge as they are provided by the Women’s Guild and available for your use.

The Brotherhood

Reminder that the men of the Brotherhood will meet on Thursday, January 14 at 6:00 p.m. All men of the church are invited to attend and join the Brotherhood.

Family Ministry Pot Luck Luncheon

You are invited to a pot luck luncheon on Sunday, March 6, 2016 in the Parish Hall immediately following the morning worship service.

The Family Ministry committee is hosting the event. It is a celebration honoring our volunteers and donors for their faithful service over the past 5 years. Fried chicken will be provided and everyone else is asked to bring a side dish and/or dessert. Coffee, tea, and water will be provided in addition to the paper goods.

Come and help us celebrate! This is a special event and the entire congregation is invited. Your presence would make this occasion exceptional.

Family Ministry Committee

Mature Adults

The Mature Adults will be meeting on Tuesday, January 19 at 1:00 p.m. for an afternoon of domino’s and fellowship. Men and women are invited and please consider asking family and friends along.

Endowment Board

There will be a meeting of the Endowment Board on Monday, January 25 at 6:00 p.m.

Daily Prayer Reading Guide

A listing of daily Bible reading passages are available in the Narthex and church office. Please feel free to then join the Bible Study on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month for discussion over these passages.

[pic]Calendar

For Sunday, January 17, 2016

Lay Reader: Nathan Gaskamp

Flowers for Altar: Patsy Kubes

Greeters & Ushers for January:

Stan Kubelka, Sandra Croft, Bob Ray,

Christina Woodard

Lay Readers for January:

Michelle Gutowsky, Nina Cooper,

Nathan Gaskamp, Karen Sikes,

Sandra Croft

Altar Flowers for January:

Women’s Guild, 1/3

Women’s Guild, 1/10

Patsy Kubes, 1/17

Karen & Ron Sikes, 1/24

Lawrence & Ella Mae Schmidt, 1/31

January 13, 2016

Choir Rehearsal, 7:00 p.m.

January 14, 2016

Brotherhood, 6:00 p.m.

January 17, 2016

Rev. Daniel Haas will deliver the

morning message entitled,

“Extravagant Sign”

Congregational Meeting

Installation of Officers

Looking Ahead

Confirmation Class 2nd & 4th Tuesdays

Choir Rehearsal each Wednesday at 7:00

Adult Sunday School, 9:00-9:30

Brotherhood Meeting, 1/14

Congregational Meeting, 1/17

Mature Adults, 1/19

Praise & Prayer Service, 1/22

Church Council, 1/25

Endowment Board Meeting, 1/25

Bible Study, 1/26

[pic] Thought for the week:

“In the blink of an eye, everything can change. So forgive often and love with all your heart…”

“Enroll” your Kroger’s card with the Brotherhoods Community Rewards Program. Go online and use #84302 as the organization number.

Link to Kroger’s Community Rewards website:

(On your computer push Control and click your mouse at the same time while hovering the mouse over the above link and it will take you directly to the Kroger registration page.)

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