St. John Lutheran Church March 2020________________________________________________________________________

Church Office: 563-242-5588Pastor Daniel Pool: 321-6757, homee-mail: dpool@stjohn-clinton-ia.orgWeb Site: www.stjohn-clinton-ia.org

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Pastor Pool’s Sunday Bible StudyThe Gospel of

Mark In March, we continue our study

on the Gospel of Mark. 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!

March 1: Mark 13:1-13: The Signs of the TimesMarch 8: Mark 13:14-27: The Abomination of DesolationMarch 15: Mark 13:28-27: Keep AwakeMarch 22: Mark 14:1-11: Anointed at BethanyMarch 29: Mark 14:12-25: The Passover

Exodus Bible Study with PastorOur Tuesday Bible study is working through the book of Exodus verse by verse, exploring the departure from Egypt, the giving of the Torah, and the creation of the Tabernacle. Now is a great time to join us! We normally meet on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays. Our study

is at 9:30 a.m. or 7:00 p.m. in classroom 1. New people are always welcome! Bring your Bible.

March 3: Exodus 9: Plagues 5-7: Livestock, Boils, HailMarch 17: Exodus 10: Plagues 8-9: Locusts, Darkness

The Lenten Disciplines Maybe this will surprise you, but I want to encourage you to practice a Lenten discipline this year. Lutheran aren’t opposed to fasting. This includes the practice of charitable giving, personal holiness in the form of self-control, and dedication to the Scriptures and prayer.

Fasting is private. Don’t tell anyone you are fasting or practicing any other Lenten discipline. I don’t need to know what you are doing, and I won’t tell you what I am doing.

Jesus says, “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

Notice that Jesus says “when” not “if” you fast. Jesus expects His followers to practice repentance, discipline, and self-control. And this isn’t a means to lose weight, eat healthy, or exercise, as good as these practices are. If you are going to give up something in your life, give up something tied to sin.

For example, if you drink too much, abstain from alcohol completely during Lent. If you eat too much, let a skipped meal drive you to repentance. If you gossip, let this be a time when your every word about others is true and encouraging. If you spend too much time watching television, turn it off for 40 days. If you never pray beyond the Lord’s Prayer, devote a specific time each day to prayer, praying God’s Word back to Him. Lent is all about repentance. This is sorrow over our sin, but it is also a change of direction.

Most of all, I want you to get ready. Lent is a time of preparation for Holy Week and Easter. All of our disciplines should serve to remind us of this holiest time. Good Friday and Easter reallyshould be our very favorite days, for in this way, God was saving you!

Paul says, “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.”

So let’s make Lent important! The Lenten disciplines can help us remember Lent as our time of preparation for Holy Week and Easter. They point us to the Gospel. See you for Wednesday services!

Pastor

Daylight Savings TimeDon’t forget to set your clocks forward one hour

on Saturday, March 7. Daylight Savings Time begins on Sunday, March 8.

Lent Daily DevotionsLenten Daily Devotions are now on the guest book stand. Pick one up today!

Eyes on Jesus daily devotions will direct our attention to Jesus Christ. Through each devotion, we will “fix our eyes” on what Jesus has done to save us from our sins by His holy, precious blood, innocent sufferings, and death. And on account of the Savior’s justifying work, we will celebrate what God sees when He looks at us.

MatinsIn March, we are going to use the order of Matins on our non-communion Sundays. A CD of the music of that service is

available in the Fellowship Hall if you are not familiar with this service. Please help yourself.

World Day of PrayerThe women of St. John and of Trinity Lutheran, Clinton are invited to a prayer meeting and luncheon on Friday, March 6 at 11:00 a.m. for our annual World Day of Prayer. The event is at Trinity this year. Pastor Pool will be speaking on Prayer and the Day Alone.

Clinton LWML Spring RallyThe LWML Spring Zone Rally will be held on Saturday, March 29 at Grace Lutheran Church, DeWitt, IA. Registration will begin at 8:30 am and the meeting at 9 am. There will be two service events. The ingathering will be for health kits which include a bath towel, 2-3 bars of soap, toothbrush, nail clippers, and wide toothed comb. There will be an extra collection for mites to help meet mission goal. A luncheon will follow the business meeting. Please Plan to attend.

Lenten Serving ScheduleEach year the congregation is divided into groups according to the church directory for Lent and Advent Services with one group serving after each service. Each family serving is asked to bring a plate or two of sandwiches, four dozen cookies, or a pan of bars. Otherwise a donation to purchase punch and coffee may be left in the marked container in the church kitchen.

The serving schedule is divided by those in the church directory as follows:

March 4 – Dennis Richter to Peter SirnaMarch 11 – Barb Slapnicka to Paul WenzelMarch 18 – Janice Wheelock to Renae Council

March 25– Sharon Craig to Penny FullickApril 1 – Adrienne Gabel to Janelle Huffman

The Season of Lent Our topic in this year’s Wednesday night Lenten rotation is The Words of Christ from the Cross. Services are at 1:30 & 7:00 pm.

The Lent schedule has been modified slightly:February 26 (Ash Wednesday): Pastor PoolMarch 4: Pastor Daniel Redhage, LowdenMarch 11: Pastor Anthony Dodgers, CharlotteMarch 18: Pastor Daniel Redhage, LowdenMarch 25: Pastor Anthony Dodgers, CharlotteApril 1: Pastor Pool

Lent and Youth CatechesisBecause Pastor is traveling for three weeks on Wednesday nights for our Lenten Rotation, we will have a few Saturday make- up days. The schedule is slightly modified from what appeared in last month’s newsletter. See the bolded change below. Our Wednesday Confirmation Class will meet on the following dates:

Wednesday, February 26, 8-8:45 pmSaturday, February 29, 10:30-11:30 amSaturday, March 14, 10:30-11:30 amSaturday, March 28, 10:30-11:30 (Not meeting on Wednesday, March 25, 8-8:45 pm)Wednesday, April 1, 8-8:45 pmWednesday, April 8, 7-8 pm (and back to normal for the rest of the month)

We hope this works for you all. Send your students as often as possible! You can also see the Church calendar in the newsletter or on our website for these dates.

Wanted for VBS Crafts

Please start saving your empty Pringles containers – or similar cans. (Not the plastic Lays containers, please)We’ll be using these for a VBS project at the end of June. Thanks! Debby Gosnell

Board of Elders

The Board of Elders will meet on Monday, March 2 at 7:30 p.m.

Board of Trustees

The Board of Trustees will meet on Monday, March 9 at 6:00 p.m.

Board of Stewardship

The Board of Stewardship will meet on Monday, March 16 at 6:00 p.m.

Board of Education

The Board of Education will meet on Monday, March 16 at 7:00 p.m.

Board of Evangelism

The Board of Evangelism will meet on Tuesday, March 17 at 6:00 p.m.

Voters’ Assembly

Board Meetings

Our Voters’ Assembly will meet on Monday, March 23 at 7:30 p.m. All are invited to the Voters’ Assembly. Come and get involved in the work of the Church.

Mary Martha Soup SupperAll ladies are invited to attend the Mary Martha Soup Supper on Tuesday, March 10

at 6:00 p.m. in the fellowship hall. St. John Mary Martha members and volunteers care for the church altar by preparing for communion and washing the silver after communion services, maintaining the altar candles and linens, and delivering the altar flowers to shut-ins. Please join us March 10 for good food, fellowship, and a chance to learn about our group.

Quilting BeeThe Quilting Bee will meet on Thursday, March 19 at 9:00 a.m. in the fellowship hall. All ladies interested in helping sew and tie quilts for Lutheran World Relief are invited to attend.

Crucifers Needed

Confirmed youth are encouraged to sign up to be a Crucifer for one or more upcoming Sunday mornings. There is a sign-up sheet in the fellowship hall. Please sign up as soon as possible.

Lutheranism 101 Our Lutheranism 101 Class continues this month on Saturday mornings at 9:00am. This class is recommended for those considering

membership, but current members may also attend any session. Pastor has reworked this class to cover the Small Catechism in some new ways. Come and learn more about what we believe and why we believe it!Preschool News - WE DID IT!

Our Preschool Is Now A 5 Star School in the Quality Rating System! We are currently the only participating preschool in Clinton County to have achieved this level of achievement. This recognition comes with a bonus of $1000 from Iowa QRS. We will also receive $250 worth of resources from our local Child Care Resource and Referral.

The Iowa QRS is a voluntary program with over 1,000 participants. Providers that are registered or licensed with the Iowa Department of Human Services start at a level 1 and can work their way up to a 5-star rating. The QRS is part of a national movement towards quality care. Iowa is one of 22 states currently participating in the QRS program. Mrs. Andresen and Mrs. Sperry have been working towards this goal for the past 4 years. Every year we have completed new and increasingly harder requirements to meet the standards for the next level. The final requirement for a Level 5 required that we be observed by an assessor from Iowa State.

We are so very proud of this achievement and wanted to share our good news with you.

 The children greatly enjoyed singing in church in February. During the month of March we will be talking about some of

the many lessons Jesus taught us during his time on earth, including the stories of Mary and Martha and Jesus Blessing the Children. After Spring Break we will

begin our study of Easter using Resurrection Eggs as an object lesson.

We are also beginning a unit on fairy tales. This unit is always so much fun as we read many versions of some favorite tales such as The Three Little Pigs. We have some fun activities planned including a musical puppet show rendition of the story and a STEM challenge for our four

year old class to build a house that the wolf cannot blow down.

As always, we thank and praise our Heavenly Father for the preschool ministry provided by the members of St. John. It is truly a blessing to the children and families we serve.

Financial Peace UniversityThere is a new Financial Peace University class beginning on Sunday, March 15th. There will be a free preview class on Sunday, March 8th at 3:00 p.m. Please see Cindy Johnson for more details.

Check It Out In Our Church Library

The Underground Railroad Brides Collection (Fiction)

Nine historical couples walk the road to love even as they dare to escape and help others break free from the injustices of slavery between 1849 and 1860.

There is hope for the future when people come together to fight evil and when men and women find love in the midst of great challenges.

Tortured for Christ by Rev. Richard Wurmbrand

Rev. Wurmbrand, whose body bore the scars of fourteen years of torture and suffering in a Communist prison, witnessed the courage and faith of persecuted Christian believers.

Torn from their loved ones, battered and beaten in body but not in spirit, their examples of Christian faith continue to encourage believers everywhere.

Attention all Gardeners: I am excited to announce that the

Board of Education is holding its

first Plant Sale! All profits from

the sale will be going to support

St. John Preschool. The sale

started on Saturday, February 22 and we

will continue taking orders through Saturday, March

21st. You may order on-line or from a Board of Education

member and pick up your order on Thursday, April 30th from 4

to 8 pm or Fri., May 1st from 9 am to 5 pm.

Scrip FundraiserThrough Scrip, we raise money for our everyday preschool expenses in places we already shop. Scrip permits us to buy prepaid cards for places like Walmart, Jewel,

Amazon, gas stations, and restaurants. These organizations then make donations to us. The typical donation can vary from 2-16%. This means no extra money out of pocket and yet we can still raise funds. Order forms are available in the Fellowship Hall or Church office. Ask your Board of Education members if you have any questions. Our next Scrip order is due March 1. Cards will be available for pick-up by March 8. We will put your cards in your box in the narthex.

Ushers NeededWe need a few more ushers for both services.This is an easy job and a good way to serve your church.If you are interested please contact the church office or one of the elders.

2020 Church DirectoryThe 2020 Church Directory is now available. You may pick up a copy on the guestbook stand in the church entryway or in the fellowship hall.

March Birthdays & Anniversaries

Happy Birthday to:

Darlene Schroeder, who will be 91 on March 13.Geri Kophamer, who will be 87 on March 17.Ron Mitchell who will be 80 on March 17.Barbara Kroymann, who will be 82 on March 22.

Happy Anniversary to:

Troy & Tammy Lewis 5th wedding anniversary on March 17.

Mark & Tricia Petersen 25th wedding anniversary on March 25.

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 makes his visits to those in nursing homes throughout the month. Those at home

who would like to receive a communion visit are asked to call Pastor at the Church

Office, 242-5588, to schedule a time.

THOSE WHO SERVE IN MARCH

Early

Elders: Dave Reynolds Bill Ross

Ushers: Sam Reynolds Brian Wall Calvin Lange

Nursery Attendants (Late)

1 – Barb Bialas

8 – Sandy Bovis

15 – Anna Krueger

22 – Camil Dell

29 – Jennifer KammererRecording

1 – Darlene Paysen8 – Darlene Paysen15 – Darlene Paysen22 – Darlene Paysen29- Darlene Paysen

Late

Elders: Troy Bialas Jim Schnitzmeyer

Ushers: Bryce Petersen Randy Housenga Ryan Dell Kevin Dell

Acolyte Schedule

1-Early – Carver Lange1-Late – Brayden Parks

4-Lent – Elder

8-Early – Elder8-Late – Elijah Mueller

11-Lent – Elder

15-Early – Nolan Lange15-Late – Addison Parks

18-Lent – Elder

22-Early – Raelyn Schroeder22-Late – Elder

25-Lent - Elder29-Early - Elder29-Late – Hunter Holesinger

NEWSLETTER DEADLINE: MARCH 20If you would like to put any information in the newsletter, contact Camil Dell, and get her the information by March 20.