Volume 28, Issue 12 December, 2015

“Silent Night” is a favorite Christmas hymn of

many people, if not the most favorite. Yet so much

about Christmas is anything but silent. It is so noisy,

in fact, that the real message of Christmas often is

drowned out. Yet Christmas has some wonderful

things to say to us. Christmas has some wonderful

things to do for us. Christmas has some wonderful

things to give to us. But we have to have ears of

faith to hear them, eyes of faith to see them, hearts

of faith to feel them, and the grace to accept them.

One of the best gifts Christmas gives us is the

gift of peace. This is one of the key themes, isn’t it?

“Peace on earth, good will toward all.” Christ is the

Prince of Peace. He brings the peace that passes all

understanding. Yet again in the rush of our secular

Christmas, there seems to be everything but peace

surrounding our celebrations. And how often do we

hear ourselves and so many other folks lament the

lack of peace?

So before our secular culture hijacks Christmas

again this year, let’s begin our journey into the

season by centering our hearts on the Biblical truth

that Christmas is the dramatic reminder that Christ

came into this world to redeem us and to bring peace

to our troubled souls. If in faith we will accept it,

Christmas has a great gift for us—the Gift of Peace.

Christmas offers us peace within, peace with others,

and peace with God . . . but we have to accept the

gift.

The church, which exists because of Christmas,

is indeed the place to come when we need peace for

our troubled souls. The Christ of Christmas is our

personal Savior because there is a hole in our souls

that only He can fill. Remember how Saint

Augustine put it: “Our souls are restless, O Lord, till

they find their rest in Thee.” And the poet described

it like this: “Though Christ a thousand times in

Bethlehem be born, if He is not born in you . . . your

soul is all forlorn.”

One day very close to Christmas, a young boy

was coming down the hallway at church. He had in 1

his hand a little ceramic tray he had made in Sunday

School. It was to be his Christmas gift to his mother.

He had been working on it for several weeks, and he

was so proud of it.

As he ran down the hall, he tripped and fell. The

tray crashed to the floor and broke into several

pieces. The little boy was devastated. He began to

cry loudly and uncontrollably. He was absolutely

heartbroken. People tried to comfort him with all

kinds of counsel: “It was just a tray. Not worth

much. No big loss. Besides, you can make another

one. It’s nothing, forget it. You can give your

mother something else. Don’t worry about it.” But

nothing helped. The child was inconsolable.

Finally, his mother arrived on the scene.

Quickly, she realized what had happened. Kneeling

down beside her crestfallen, distraught son with his

broken gift, she hugged him tightly and said, “Well,

now, I think this is fixable. Let’s pick up the pieces

and take it all home. We’ll put it back together and

see what we can make of it.” The little boy hugged

his mom and smiled.

Isn’t that exactly what the Christmas message is

about? The world is broken into many fragments, as

are our lives. And God stoops down beside us. He

hugs us and says, “Well, now, this is fixable. Let me

help you pick up the pieces. We’ll put it back

together and see what we can make of it.”

(continued on page 5)

HOLIDAY SCHEDULE

Christmas Eve:

7:00 pm Christmas Eve Service

11:00 pm Christmas Eve Service

No Sunday School on December 20th or 27th.

The church office will be closed from noon on

December 24th through the 25th and on January

1st. We resume our regular Sunday schedule on

January 3rd. Merry Christmas, everyone!

ELDERS FOR DECEMBER

7:45 am 10:15 am

6th Jeff Smith Dick Haar

Jason Blazevich Jeff Ladd

13th Darold Henninger Ryan Hugueley

Mike Winslow Eric Johnson

20th Bob Haar Linda Yenrick

Sherri Haar Laurie Witt

24th Christmas Eve — TBA

27th Dick Haar Jeff Smith

Jeff Ladd Jason Blazevich

ADDRESS CHANGES/CORRECTIONS

To keep current information for the office, if your name, address or phone number changes, please notify us by faxing

(419-691-7220), or mailing this form to: 2471 Seaman St./ Toledo, OH 43605 or email: office@firststjohn.com

Name ______________________________________________________________________________________

Address ____________________________________________________________________________________

City, State Zip ___________________________________________ Phone _____________________________

ALTAR GUILD NEWS

The last day to accept

p o i n s e t t i a o r d e r s i s

Wednesday, December 9th. Please turn your order in

to the church office by then. You can order

poinsettias in the Narthex after church on December

6th.

The Guild will meet on Monday, December 7th at

6:00 pm at Joanne Crandall’s house for their year-

end meeting and Christmas dinner. If you need

directions, call Joanne at 419-693-2081. All new

members for 2016 are invited to join us.

MEMBERSHIP UPDATES

Births

11-18-15 Harper Rae Engle,

born to Cara Witt and Tanner Engle

Baptisms

None.

Marriages None.

Deaths

11-18-15 Doris Danekind

Transfers To/From First St. John

None

GERMAN CHRISTMAS

SERVICE

A traditional German church

service in the Christmas spirit will be held on

Sunday, December 20th at 3:00 p.m. here at First St.

John. The Teutonia Mannerchor and Damenchor

choirs will perform during this service. Please join

us for wonderful fellowship and Christmas spirit.

THANK YOU FOR HATS,

GLOVES, MITTENS & SOCKS

A HUGE THANK YOU to all who

donated hats, gloves, mittens and socks to our

annual program for needy children in our area. We

received many handmade donations, also. Thank

you for helping area school children to keep warm

and dry this winter. God bless all of you.

ATTN: CATECHISM CLASSES

There will be no catechism classes on December

23rd or 30th. We’ll resume classes on Wednesday,

January 6th.

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CONGREGATIONAL

MEETING

Our annual congregational meeting

is Sunday, December 13th at both services. We’ll

vote on the 2016 budget and new council members.

A copy of the proposed 2016 budget is included with

this newsletter if you receive it by email (as a

separate attachment). You can also pick up a copy in

the Narthex. If you have questions about the budget,

please call Jim Sommers at 419-691-7719 or 419-

297-7420.

WOMEN’S CIRCLE NEWS

Ruth Circle: The Ruth Circle will celebrate on

Tuesday, December 1st at 11:00 a.m. at Cousino’s

Steakhouse on Woodville Rd.

Miriam Circle: The Miriam Circle will celebrate

on Wednesday, December 2nd at 10:00 a.m. at

the Bayberry Clubhouse. Please bring a dish to

share.

Rebecca Circle: Christmas lunch will be at the

Eagle’s Nest on Stadium Rd. on Saturday,

December 12th at noon. There is a $5 gift

exchange if you’d like to participate.

Hannah Circle: Meet at Deb Hagedorn’s home

on Monday, December 14th at 6:30 p.m. Please

bring an appetizer to share. If you’d like to

participate in the gift exchange, please bring a gift

valued at $10 or under.

HELP FOR LOCAL BENEVOLENCES

During Advent, we offer the opportunity for

members to help fund our local benevolences, such

as the East Toledo Ministry, Lutheran Social

Services, Feed Your Neighbor, and the Lutheran

Home.

Special Christmas envelopes can be found in the

pews if you wish to donate. You can place your

donation in the offering plate or mail it back to the

church. Thank you.

THANK YOU!

The Dayschool board and administrator would like

to thank the following people for their help at our

Thanksgiving feasts during the week of November

16th: Jamie Blazevich, Darlene Paul, Esther Bell,

Joanie Probasco, Kathy Healy, Marge Bollinger,

Cindy Johnson, Beth Hodges, Lucille Paul, Jane

Neal, Betty TenEyck, and Cathy Caldwell.

It requires a lot of time and willing hands to prepare

for this event as we serve over 500 children and their

special guests. We greatly appreciate the support of

our church members!

ADULT CHRISTMAS PARTY

If you sent an RSVP for the Christmas

party, please remember to join us on

Sunday, December 6th at 6:00 pm in

the gym. See you there!

CHICKEN & HAM

DINNER UPDATE

Thank you for making our dinner

a great success. We served over 700 dinners

(including children’s plates) and made a profit of

approximately $5,104. Thanks to everyone who

worked in any way to help with this event.

Also, many thanks to First St. John’s bakers who

contributed to the bake sale. The delicious goodies

were greatly appreciated!

MEMBER ADDRESS

CHANGE

Delores Heilman

2410 Luther Hills Circle

Oregon, OH 43616

2016 CALENDARS AVAILABLE

Eggleston-Meinert-Pavley has once again donated a

bunch of calendars for the new year. They are free

and available for pick up in the lounge and Narthex

if you would like one.

MEMORIALS

CEMETERY FUND

In memory of Pastor Labuhn by Karen Frey,

Herbert & Phyllis Frey, Kevin & Carol Abbey.

In memory of Debra Hecklinger by Kevin & Carol

Abbey.

In memory of Chris & Madeline Ackerman by

Marge Bollinger.

In honor of Del and Therisa Ackerman's wedding

by Marge Bollinger.

MEMORIAL FUND

In memory of Delmont Hosley by Hank & Joanne

Schumaker.

In memory of Leona Arnold by Elaine Gladieux,

Ada Kreger, Jim & Janet Fox, Don & Shirley

Koenig, Dave & Janet Frobel, Dale Driftmeyer &

family, Ralph & Ethel Mae Vogtsberger, Karen

Frey.

IMPROVEMENT FUND

In memory of Leona Arnold by the Ruth Circle and

Jean DeWitt.

HOMEBOUND MINISTRIES

In memory of Leona Arnold by Bob & Sherrie

Haar.

CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT

In memory of Leona Arnold by Louise & Jim

Sommers.

CURRENT FUND

In memory of Leona Arnold by Bill & Cathy

Caldwell, Esther Bell.

BELL CHOIR

In memory of Leona Arnold by Olga Zimmerman.

CHOIR FUND

In memory of Ashley Britt by Louise & Jim

Sommers. 4

2015 POINSETTIA SALE

Sponsored by the Altar Guild

Fill in the order blank below to place your

order for poinsettias to be used during worship

services on Christmas Eve. Place your order

form in the offering plate or mail it to the

church office.

Payment must accompany orders. Please make

checks payable to: First St. John Altar Guild

Deadline for placing orders is

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

No. of plants @ $9.00 each ______________

Color (circle one) Red White

Enclosed $__________________________

Name _______________________________

Address _____________________________

____________________________________

City ______________________ State _____

Zip _________ Phone ________________

In Loving Memory of (Deceased):

_____________________________________

_____________________________________

_____________________________________

In Honor of (Living):

_____________________________________

_____________________________________

_____________________________________

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May your hearts be filled with peace and

faith in God. May your days of doubt be

replaced with days of hope and cheer. May

you and your family be nurtured with lots of

love! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

to you and your loved ones!

NOTE TO PARENTS OF CHILDREN IN THE

J.A.M. CHRISTMAS PROGRAM

On Sunday, December 6th (no JAM on Nov. 29),

children with assigned parts will go to the gym after

the children’s sermon at the 10:15 service. On

Saturday, December 12th, we will have dress

rehearsal for ALL children from 10:30 am to noon.

If you have questions, please contact Jamie

Blazevich at 419-691-7222 or cedir@firststjohn.com

PROJECT GIVE-A-BLESSING

We have an amazing opportunity

to help an area family in need this

Christmas. We ask for your

support by providing gifts for this

family. A Christmas tree filled with paper ornaments

is in the Narthex. On each ornament is a detailed gift

recommendation, along with gender, to help you

choose the appropriate gift. Please tear off the front

stapled ornament, write your name and number on

the other paper ornament, and leave it on the tree.

Gifts will be delivered the morning of Tuesday,

December 15th, so please return your UNWRAPPED

gift by noon on Monday, December 14th. It is our

prayer that as a church we will do these blessings

throughout our lives as believers. Thanks for your

help!

DECEMBER EVENTS

Sunday, Dec. 6 - Practice during Sunday School

hour

Assigned Parts only practice during the 10:15

service – After the reading of the gospel/or

Children’s sermon.

Saturday, Dec. 12 - Christmas Program Dress

Rehearsal from 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 13 - Christmas Program Performance

during 10:15 service.

Please arrive at 9:00 a.m.

Sunday, Dec. 20 – Sunday, January 3

No Sunday School

Merry Christmas

and Happy New Year!

NEWS FROM JAMIE’S DESK

Plan to attend Sunday School on Sunday,

January 10th for a VERY SPECIAL

DRAWING! You must be present to WIN this

AWESOME PRIZE!

PASTOR’S MESSAGE (continued from page 1)

This is Number One. First of all, Christmas

offers us the gift of inner peace. And there is one

place where we can always find peace—in the

worship life of the church. It is central in the

greetings of the pastor and the people and of the

worshipers between each other. “The peace of the

Lord be with you!” “Let us share the peace of the

Lord.” “The Lord look upon you with favor, and

give you peace.” “Go in peace, and serve the

Lord.”

Don’t miss out on the gift of PEACE this

Christmas. Come join with your First St. John

faith family in worship, prayer, praise, and

fellowship as we proclaim and share the Peace of

the Lord.

— Pastor Rayl

Season’s Greetings!

Thank you to all who participated in our

fundraising efforts, whether it was selling

raffle tickets at the Chicken and Ham dinner,

working at our Thanksgiving Feasts, or

purchasing an Elder-Beerman Community

Days Coupon Book. We all know every little

bit helps! We continue to collect the Big G

Box Tops and UPC symbols from Campbell’s

products. We know you will see lots of these

throughout the holiday as you bake and make

other purchases. Check their websites for a

complete listing of the products. These

donations continue to help us throughout the

year.

Everyone is welcome to attend the children’s

Christmas programs on the evenings of

December 8,9,10 and 15. All programs are at

7:00 pm in the church sanctuary. Come and

have your spirits lifted after a hectic day at

home or work. Sometimes you just need a

little extra time with God to get you in the

Christmas spirit.

And Christmas is fast approaching! As we get

caught up in all the shopping, baking, and

gathering with family and friends, we tend to

forget about Advent. We start celebrating

Christmas before we even finish eating our

turkey leftovers.

What is Advent? It is the four weeks prior to

Christmas. It is a time of preparation. I

remember as a child we would receive a

special advent calendar from church. It

contained Bible verses to read each day.

During that time we talked about why Baby

Jesus came into the world. Our sins

separated us from God; we lived in darkness.

At church there was an Advent wreath with

four candles. Each Sunday we lit one candle

which represented hope, peace, love, and joy.

With the lighting of each candle, the light got

brighter and brighter.

Dayschool News

Today, more than ever, we need this time to

prepare our hearts and minds. There are so

many events swirling around that seem to

darken the world we live in. At times it

makes me fearful for the young children

growing up in an uncertain world. Just as the

candles are lit each week, bringing more light

into the church, so we as Christians need to

remember the hope the Messiah brought into

the world. As we read and study God’s Word,

the peace He offers can reassure us, that in

spite of what we see, God sees the big picture,

His plan of salvation for all mankind.

One of my favorite Christmas hymns is “O

Little Town of Bethlehem.” I had the

opportunity to visit Bethlehem a number of

years ago. It is definitely not a peaceful little

town now, but while there I saw the grotto

area, thought to be the birthplace of Jesus.

Nothing was what I would have expected.

The Jews are still waiting for Jesus. As

Christians, we know Jesus has come, and

now we are waiting and look forward to His

second coming.

Through 2000 years of history Jesus is still

the “The everlasting Light, The hopes and

fears of all the years, . . . met in thee tonight.”

Merry Christmas from all the staff at First

St. John Dayschool

— Carol Felderman

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2016 FLOWER SIGN UP

SHEETS AVAILABLE

You can now sign up for altar

flowers for January through

November of 2016. The sign up

sheets are in the red flower book

located on the shelf under the main bulletin board

in the Narthex, to the left of the main doors when

you come into the church.

Crisis Prayer List: For those who need prayers in urgent matters such as surgery, emergency medical care (ICU), etc. Will be moved to the Chronic list after the first month unless someone is contacted about special circumstances:

Family of Ashley Britt

Family of Doris Danekind Bill Nelson

On-going Concerns Prayer List: For those who need prayers for ongoing serious situations such as cancer treatments, medical struggles, recovery and/or personal situations. Will be moved off the list after 3 months unless someone is contacted about special/continuing circumstances:

Karyl Antoine

Chuck Bartlett Jackie & Tina Curtis

Linda Delrue

Vicky Felderman Phyllis Frey

Patty Gable Jackie Hubaker

Scott Keller

Connie Koch Robin Kovesdi

George “Skip” McCullough Jeanette Miller

Christopher Molnar & his family

Jessica Mueller Donald Nelson, Sr.

Pam Pirolli Sheryl Rayl

Michael Rheinbolt & family

Cindy Roecker Dick Ross

Bill Rowland Nancy Schwab-Ketner

Brenda Seimet

John Tsaousidis Pat Vogelsang

Julie Woodrum Raetta & Tammy Zeisler

Please check the above list and let any of the prayer chain contacts-listed in the next column-know if individuals can be moved off the list.

First St. John Lutheran Church Prayer Chain (As of November 23, 2015)

Prayer Chain Contacts Carol Abbey 419-351-9795 or

cabbey@jcrinc.com

Lynn Folk 419-309-7977 Donna Koehn 419-693-5030 Ada Kreger 419-693-1549 Gloria Ross 419-836-7166

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SECRET SANTA

PROGRAM

AT LUTHERAN HOME

If you or your family would like to adopt a

resident for Christmas, call Diane Cline at

419-693-0751 to get a resident’s name and

their wish list. Please wrap your gift, place a

name tag on it, and drop it at the Activity

Department. Deadline for bringing gifts is

Monday, December 14th. Thanks for helping

to make a resident’s holiday a little brighter.

MEN’S MINISTRY NEWS

Our next men's breakfast will be

Saturday, December 5th at 8:00 am at

Bob Evans Restaurant on Navarre Ave. This is our

advent breakfast, so please join us. If you need a

ride, please call Bob Haar at 419-250-9409.

SUNDAY SCHOOL

CHRISTMAS PROGRAM

Join us on Sunday, December 13th

at the 10:15 service for the JAM

Sunday School Christmas program.

All participants will rehearse on Saturday,

December 12th at 10:30 am until noon in the

church. On the day of the program, please have

your children here at 9:00 am for a quick practice

before the service at 10:15. Questions? Call Jamie

Blazevich at 419-691-7222.

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2016 OFFERING ENVELOPES

Offering envelopes for 2016 will be in the lounge in

December through the end of January. They will be in

alphabetical order on tables along the wall in the lounge.

Envelopes are issued to confirmed and contributing

members and, upon request, friends who worship with us.

If a husband and wife share offering envelopes, the

designation “M/M” and the husband’s name will appear

on the box. (The computer allows only one name per

number assigned.)

If you would like to receive envelopes or if there is a

correction to your address or name, call the church office

at 419-691-7222. Reminder: Please do not use your 2016

envelopes until January 3rd. If you want a contribution

included on your 2015 statement, you must turn it in to the

office by Sunday, December 27, 2015.

FEED YOUR NEIGHBOR

NEWS

The Feed Your Neighbor program

in the Toledo area is in desperate

need of monetary donations. Last

year, this ministry provided 64,642

people with food assistance at its 13 food pantries.

This year, they need additional contributions to

keep up with the demand—an additional $20,000 is

needed to supplement the food donations received

from local churches and food drives. If you would

like to respond, please mail your contribution to

Toledo Area Ministries, 3043 Monroe St., Toledo,

OH. 43606.

** As always, we accept your donations of non-

perishable food items for the Feed Your Neighbor

program. Place your donations in the marked bins

in the lounge and Narthex, and remember, no glass

jars because they may break during transport.

Thank you very much for supporting this ministry.

TASTEFULLY SIMPLE FUNDRAISER

FOR FEED YOUR NEIGHBOR

Janine Contat is having an online fundraiser to

support the Toledo area Feed Your Neighbor

program. As you can see in the above

announcement, they need additional contributions

to keep up with the demand-- $20,000! If you

would like to help. please consider ordering

Tastefully Simple products, and Janine will give

15% of the total sales to Feed Your Neighbor. Go

to her website, tastefullysimple.com/web/jcontat,

and on the left side of the start page, click on the

11/29 party date to place your order. Thank you so

much!

OPERATION

CHRISTMAS CHILD

UPDATE

Thank you very much to everyone

who filled a shoebox this year. We were hoping for

one better than last year (which would have been

54), Instead, we received 84 shoeboxes! Wonderful

job, everyone!

PROJCET: GIVE A

BLESSING

We again will help an area family

in need this Christmas. We ask for

your support by providing gifts for

this family. A Christmas tree filled

with paper ornaments is in the Narthex. Each

ornament has a gift description along with

gender and age to help you choose the

appropriate gift. Please tear off the front stapled

ornament, write your name and number on the

other paper ornament, and leave it on the tree.

Please return your UNWRAPPED gift by noon

on Mon., December 14th. The gifts will be

delivered on the 15th. It is our prayer that as a

church we will do these blessings throughout

our lives as believers. Thanks for your help!

NEWSLETTER DEADLINE

MONDAY, DECEMBER 28th

AT 8:00 AM (no later, please)

The November 18, 2015 meeting was called to order

by President Keith Mullen. Bob Haar opened the

meeting with prayer. Roll call was taken. Larry Paul

made a motion to accept the minutes from the

October meeting; LuAnn Spoerl seconded. Motion

carried.

Director of Faith Development / Sunday School:

Jamie reported there will be no JAM on November

29th because of the Thanksgiving holiday.

Operation Christmas Child was a huge success. We

collected 54 boxes last year, and this year we

collected 84!! Thanks, everyone!

On Sunday, December 6th, we will practice for the

Children’s Christmas program. On that Sunday,

children with assigned parts will go to the gym after

the children’s sermon at the 10:15 service. On

Saturday, December 12th, we will have dress

rehearsal for ALL children from 10:30 am to noon.

The Christmas program will be on Sunday,

December 13th during the 10:15 service. Please

arrive at 9:00 am that day.

Project Give a Blessing starts very soon. We need

your support to provide gifts for a needy family. A

Christmas tree filled with paper ornaments is in the

Narthex. On each ornament is a detailed gift

recommendation, along with gender, to help you

choose the appropriate gift. Please tear off the front

stapled ornament, write your name and number on

the other paper ornament, and leave it on the tree.

Please return your UNWRAPPED gift by noon on

Monday, December 14th. Gifts will be delivered the

morning of Tuesday, December 15th. Thanks for

your help!

Elders: No report.

Property Management: The large oak tree on the

east side of the Education Building has been

removed because of continued problems with

clogged eaves and downspouts. Special thanks to the

ES Wagner company for the use of their equipment,

and thanks to all who helped with the clean up.

Finance Committee: Chris Hunsaker reported we

have had an awesome month. She is hoping with the

coming holiday season that we can stay on course

for meeting our budget.

Treasurer: Lisa Anderson presented the 2016

proposed budget. Discussions were had, and Larry

Paul made a motion to accept the budget and to

present it to the congregation at the annual

congregational meeting. Mike Winslow seconded,

motion passed. Thanks to all who helped prepare the

budget for 2016.

Dayschool: No report.

Pastor: Pastor Rayl is on vacation this week. May

God bless you, Pastor, for all you do.

Old Business: None.

New Business: A motion was made by Larry Paul to

add the following addendum to First St. John’s

wedding policy: “First St. John Lutheran Church

believes the canonical Scriptures of the Old and

New Testaments to be the inspired Word of God and

accepts them as the authoritative source and norm of

its proclamation, faith, and life. Adhering to the

Scriptural testimony declaring that God established

marriage as being between one man and one woman

(Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:4-5), intended to be a

lifelong, exclusive relationship of love and

faithfulness; It is the policy of this Church that all

marriage ceremonies performed in the name of this

church and any related celebrations allowed in its

facilities shall be for unions that meet the standards

of Scriptural testimony.” The motion was seconded

by Mike Winslow, and the motion passed

unanimously.

A motion to adjourn was made by Chris Hunsaker

and seconded by Larry Paul. Motion carried.

Bob Haar led us in the Lord’s Prayer.

Respectfully submitted,

Keith Mullen

Council President

FIRST ST. JOHN COUNCIL MINUTES

November 18, 2015

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