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Easter 3

May 5 & 7, 2019 “Welcome!”

Jesus' resurrection strengthens (confirms) us in service to God and each

other. Gracious and merciful God, fill our hearts with joy and confidence so that with all boldness we may proclaim the story of your salvation among all the peoples of the earth to the praise of your great name; through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord. Amen.

Order of Service

Order of Worship: Divine I

Opening Hymn: 160

Psalm: none today Hymn of the Day: 598

In place of the sermon today, we will listen to the speeches given by our 8th grade confirmands. Offering Hymn: none today Distribution Hymn: 311 Closing Hymn: 597

First Reading: Acts 9:1–19a Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord. He went to the high priest 2and asked him for letters to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any men or women belonging to the Way, he might bring them to Jerusalem as prisoners. 3As he went on his way and was approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” 5He asked, “Who are you, Lord?” He replied, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6But get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you need to do.” 7The men traveling with him stood there speechless. They heard the voice but did not see anyone. 8They raised Saul up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes, he could not see anything. They took him by the hand and led him into Damascus. 9For three days he could not see, and he did not eat or drink. 10There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias!” He answered, “Here I am, Lord.” 11The Lord told him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. In fact, at this very moment he is praying. 12In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he can regain his sight.” 13Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many people about this man and how much harm he did to your saints in Jerusalem. 14And he has authority here from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”

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15The Lord said to him, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the people of Israel. 16Indeed, I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” 17Ananias left and entered the house. Laying his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, whom you saw on your way here, has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18Immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized. 19And after taking some food, he regained his strength. Second Reading: Revelation 5:11–14 11And I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels who were around the throne and around the living creatures and the elders. Their number was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands upon thousands. 12With a loud voice they were saying: Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing. 13I also heard every creature that is in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever. 14The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders bowed down and worshipped. Verse of the Day: Luke 24:32 Alleluia! Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Our hearts were burning within us while he was speaking to us along the road, and while he was explaining the Scriptures to us. Alleluia!

Gospel Reading: John 21:1–14 After this, Jesus showed himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. This is how he showed himself: 2Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. 3Simon Peter said to them, “I’m going fishing.” They replied, “We’ll go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. 4Early in the morning, Jesus was standing on the shore, but the disciples did not know it was Jesus. 5Jesus called to them, “Boys, don’t you have any fish?” “No!” they answered. 6He told them, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” So they cast the net out. Then they were not able to haul it in because of the large number of fish. 7The disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard, “It is the Lord!” he tied his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the sea. 8But the other disciples came in the little boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about one hundred yards. 9When they stepped out on land, they saw some bread and a charcoal fire with fish on it. 10Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you just caught.” 11So Simon Peter climbed aboard and hauled the net to land, full of large fish, 153 of them. Yet even with so many, the net was not torn. 12Jesus said to them, “Come, eat breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord. 13Jesus came, took the bread, and gave it to them, and also the fish. 14This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.

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Ministry Notes

SERVING US TODAY

Communion Helpers:

Tim Quast and Doug Zank

Greeters:

Joan Zickert & Jean Goetz

Ushers:

Team 2- Verlyn Shaw’s team

Organist:

Judy Trunkel

Altar Committee:

Lynda Urban

Donating Bulletins:

Dale & Janice Ladd in honor of Shannon’s

confirmation

May Visitation: Julia Henchen & Dianne

Buettner

SERVING US NEXT SUNDAY

Communion Helpers:

Joseph Biebert and John Hagedorn

Greeters:

Lamoine & Carol Anason

Ushers:

Team 3- Dick Urban’s team

Organist:

Judy Trunkel

Altar Committee:

Linda Biebert & Megan Allard

Donating Website in May:

Bob & Bernice Cords for their anniversary

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~Opportunities to Grow & Serve at St. John's This Week~Today May 5:

Confirmation Reg. Communion Service 9:00 a.m.

Sunday School 10:15 a.m.

L-P Stewardship Presentation 10:30 a.m.

Mon-Tues May 6-7:

Joint Pastor’s Conference

Monday May 6:

LPS Recruiter 1:00 p.m.

Exercise Class 5:00 p.m.

Q-Th Stewardship Presentation 6:30 p.m.

Tuesday May 7:

Communion Service 6:00 p.m.

Council Meeting 7:00 p.m.

Wednesday May 8:

Chapel 8:15 a.m.

Adult Instruction Class 3:45 p.m.

Exercise Class 5:00 p.m.

FSJ 6:00 p.m.

Thursday May 9:

Q-Th Stewardship Presentation 12:30 p.m.

Adult Instruction Class 5:30 p.m.

Saturday May 11:

Wine and Cheese Tour

Q-Th Stewardship Presentation 3:30 p.m.

Sunday May 12:

Cont. Communion Service 9:00 a.m.

Sunday School 10:15 a.m.

Q-Th Stewardship Presentation 10:30 a.m.

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Worship: Hearing the Word that gives true life:

Sunday (132); Tuesday (-).

“Let us not give up meeting together, as

some are in the habit of doing, but let us

encourage one another—and all the more as

you see the Day approaching.” Heb. 10:25

Our gifts for bringing the good news of

forgiveness to priceless souls: Given last week to Home: $5,968.68

Needed per week: $7,500.00

Borrowed from line

of credit last week: -0-

Owed on line of credit: $52,556.38

“Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;

bring an offering and come into his courts.

Worship the Lord in the splendor of his

holiness!” Psalm 96:8,9

The Lord's Supper: St. John’s

practices member communion. We ask, therefore, that only those who are

members of St. John’s or another WELS/ELS congregation partake of the sacrament.

Communion: Today we will celebrate

the Lord’s Supper using the regular

method of distribution.

Next Sunday we will celebrate the Lord’s

Supper using the continuous method of distribution.

No Offering Hymn: Please note that

we will not be singing an offering hymn today.

Confirmation: We have three 8th

graders who are being confirmed this

morning. The confirmation ceremony will take place following the offering, and the

confirmands will be receiving communion for the first time. More

details about this year’s confirmation class can be found on the next page.

Branches Band Concert: 88 were in

attendance for the wonderful concert presented by Branches Band this past Tuesday evening. Thank you to all who

came. We would also like to thank the LIGHTS group for their help in serving

supper and all who provided food for the potluck.

Special thanks goes to Todd Nemitz,

who volunteered the use of his house for the band members Tuesday night, and

special thanks to Betty Nemitz for helping to coordinate that.

If you couldn’t make it to the concert,

you may be happy to know that the entire concert can be accessed online,

either through our website or through our Facebook page.

Bulletin Sign-Up: No one has yet

signed up to donate bulletins for next Sunday, May 12th. If you are interested, you will find the sign-up sheet on the

south wall of the entryway or you may call the office.

Ascension Day Worship: We will be

having a joint Ascension Day service with Globe & Christie. The service will be

held at St. John’s, Christie on Thursday, May 30th, at 7:00 p.m. Watch for further

details.

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In place of the sermon today, our confirmands will be giving

speeches based on the following topic: What do I believe about…

God’s richest blessings, confirmands!!

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Adult Discipleship: Stewardship Presentations: Our

stewardship presentations continue. The schedule for the week is:

Today 10:30-11:00 (L-P) Monday (5/6) 6:30-7:00 (Q-Th)

Thursday (5/9) 12:30-1:00 (Q-Th) Saturday (5/11) 3:30-4:00 (Q-Th) Sunday (5/12) 10:30-11:00 (Q-Th)

Wednesday Bible Class: There will

be no Bible Class this Wednesday, as the Friends of St. John’s group is meeting.

We will continue our study of the book, “God, the Ultimate Humanitarian” on

Wednesday, May 15th. We will finish our discussion on the Lord’s Supper; please read through Chapter 17 on Prayer

before coming to class. All are welcome to join us.

Youth & Family: Sunday School: Sunday School

classes will be held as normal today following the worship service.

Easter Breakfast Wrap-Up: Thanks

to all who provided food for the Easter breakfast, all who worked to prepare, serve and clean up after the meal, and

all who came to enjoy the wonderful fellowship we have in our Risen Savior!

Over $314 was donated to Living Stones Youth Group at the event. Living Stones is very grateful for your support.

Day Camp: Day camp will be held July

15th-19th from 9:00-2:00. We can use your help! Volunteers are needed for the

following activity areas: Crafts, Snack,

Story Time, and Recreation as well as teens needed to serve as helpers and

counselors. Please contact Megan Allard 715-937-7535 if you are interested in

helping.

Fellowship: GPS: There will be a short GPS meeting

right after church today. Anyone who is interested in helping to plan the noon

luncheon is welcome to stay.

OWLS: Our OWLS group will be

gathering on Thursday, May 16th. We will

meet at 12:00 noon and enjoy a pot-luck meal. Please bring your own plates

and utensils. OWLS is meant for anyone age 55 and over and their spouse. Please join us for good food and

fellowship.

School: Special Voters’ Meeting: A special

meeting was held last Sunday to discuss

and vote on whether we should request a graduate from MLC to serve as our 4K/5K teacher for the 2019-20 school

year. This would only be a one-year call, with the option to be made permanent.

Mrs. Allard’s current call would be changed to reflect her new duties as SALT teacher and ELC director. She

would be paid out of the endowment fund for SALT teaching and from the ELC

for her director work.

The new teacher would be paid partly

from the ELC and partly from the church (the portion of the salary now being paid to Mrs. Allard from the church for her 4K

teaching would go to the new teacher).

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This means that there will be no additional expense to the church.

The meeting was opened with prayer and time for discussion. Following

discussion, a vote was taken. 22 voters were present, and the motion to request a graduate from MLC passed with a 19-3

vote. A second unanimous vote was called for and passed.

MLC graduation and call day is Saturday, May 18th.

Hot Lunch Program: If anyone is

interested in helping to support our hot lunch program, the following items would be welcomed:

cereal (Cheerios, Fruit Loops, Rice Krispies); gluten free cereals; #10 cans

of fruits and vegetables; ketchup; oatmeal; Dawn dish soap; store-bought eggs; pepper; flour; marshmallows;

chocolate chips.

LPS Recruiter: A recruiter from Luther

Prep School will be coming to talk with

the students tomorrow at 1:00

Music & Literature Night: Our

annual Music & Literature Night will be

held on Thursday, May 16th, at 6:00 p.m. in the main part of the church.

What kind of show will it be? We would like to have singers, piano players, and other instrumentalists, but we'd also like

to broaden the show to involve people who may not be musically inclined. We

are also looking for people who may want to read an excerpt from a favorite

book, or read a poem they've written, or

act out a skit…The list is endless.

There are no "prizes" involved; we just

want to share our God-given talents with each other and have a fun evening. If

you would like to participate, please call the school office at 715-743-2501, or talk to Donna Sternitzky.

We hope many of you can participate. Let's use our talents to praise the Lord!

Teacher/Staff Appreciation: A

teacher/staff appreciation committee is preparing special breakfasts during the

month of May for the wonderful, caring, and committed teachers and staff we have here at our school telling the next

generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord. Please take an opportunity to

share a word of thanks (or even a card and/or gift) with our called workers and staff for all they do on our

congregation's behalf. Our called workers and staff are:

Mr. Mike Allard (principal and grades 6-8), Miss Ashley Urbanek (grades 3-5),

Mrs. Jenny Shadrick (grades K-2), Miss Shelley Zank (K teacher/aide), Mrs. Megan Allard (4K, SALT, and ELC

Director), Pastor Biebert, Mrs. Donna Sternitzky (3K Teacher and Daycare),

Mrs. Mary Luchterhand (Toddler Teacher), Miss Jazmine Glassbrenner (Infant Teacher), Mrs. Alice Glinski

(daycare aide), Mrs. Jen Glinski (daycare aide), Mrs. Marilyn Shaw (daycare aide),

Mrs. Ruth Pennington (school cook), Mrs. Bonnie Thoma (kitchen aide), Mrs. Judy Trunkel (school secretary), Mr.

Matt Glinski (school custodian) and Mr. Harry Channing (school librarian).

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Letters: As you may recall, free will

offerings given at our Pancake Feed are

used to help defray tuition costs for our members attending a WELS high school or college. The following two letters were

recently received:

“Dear Members of St. John’s Ev Lutheran

Church, Greetings from Martin Luther College! We’d like to thank you for your total gift of $662.00 to the Martin Luther

College Congregational Partner Grant Program. We have applied these monies

evenly to the 2019-20 academic year accounts of the students you listed on your application and have matched your

gift (up to $1,000 per student).

Our students tell us how deeply grateful

they are for these grants. Those extra dollars allow them to dedicate more hours to their ministerial studies. Those

extra dollars lighten their financial burden and the stress that can result

from that burden. For some students, those extra dollars are the difference

between staying in school and going home to work.

But your gift is so much more than

financial. Your gift tells your students you’re thinking of them and praying for

them. Your gift says you’re proud of the path they’ve taken, and you can’t wait to see them sharing the gospel one day as

a pastor, teacher, or staff minister.

Thank you! Thank you for your

partnership with us. Thank you for your dedication to the Great Commission of our Lord Jesus.

Together with you in Christ,”

Rev Mark Zarling, MLC President

“Congregation of St. John’s,

I would like to express my thankfulness

and appreciation for the scholarship given to me so that I may continue my

education at Wisconsin Lutheran College. I value a faith-based education and am thankful for your support. Please keep

me in your thoughts and prayers as I finish this semester. I look forward to

returning to the congregation this summer.

Blessings,” Brady Coulthard

Other: Conference: Pastor Biebert will be

gone tomorrow and Tuesday attending a joint pastor’s conference.

Member Updates: Wilbert Henchen

has recently been moved to the Neillsville Retirement Community, Room

G-1. Ardes Seelow was hospitalized this past week in Marshfield. Let’s keep them in our prayers.

Monthly Offerings: Offerings for the

month of April are listed below:

Home: $34,045.75

ELC: $ 40.00

Debt Reduction: $ 1,348.00

Missions: $ 5,456.91

Special Thanks: “Dear Members of

St. John’s,

Thank you so much for your support of the Grow in Grace Retreat. We spent a wonderful time in San Antonio with 26

other people from my class and 172

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total other people from the Seminary graduating classes of 2016, 2009, 1994

and 1984. We enjoyed a wonderful opening communion worship service and

closing worship service together, were reminded that “Christ is All You Need” by Professor Vallesky as we studied the

book of Colossians, and had several other breakout sessions that provided

much valuable information as we look forward to continuing service to God’s kingdom even while retirement looms on

the horizon.

The camaraderie and spiritual renewal

against the backdrop of the wonderful city of San Antonio with its warm weather, rich history, and beautiful

Riverwalk made for a very memorable time. We are so appreciative that your

support made it possible for us to attend.

Thank you and God’s blessings as we live to His glory together.”

Pastor Tim & Linda Biebert

Wine & Cheese Tour: Our second

annual wine and cheese tour is being planned as an opportunity for fun and

fellowship. The tour is scheduled for this coming Saturday, May 11th. We will be

touring wineries and cheese shops in the area. The only cost will be what you would like to purchase for yourself.

A sign-up sheet and more details are available on the table in the entryway.

Drivers are needed! If you have questions or would be able to drive, please contact Julie Berry at 715-937-

0720.

EHV Bibles: Trinity of Marshfield is

now placing the order for the EHV Bibles.

If you signed up to order that, payment is due as soon as possible. Cost per Bible is $17.84. You may make checks

payable to St. John’s. You can turn your payment in at the office, or place it in

the offering basket and mark it for “EHV Bibles.” Thanks!

WELS Night at Miller Park: WELS

First Vice President Rev. James Huebner will throw out the ceremonial first pitch for the Milwaukee Brewers’ game against

the San Francisco Giants on Friday, July 12, 2019. Game time is 7:10 p.m.

The Brewers are again offering WELS members up to 50 percent off the price of tickets. Seating will be along the third

base line this year. Pricing is $21/ticket.

Watch for a sign-up sheet to come out

very soon.

Hmong Outreach in Vietnam: The

Vietnamese government has invited

WELS to build a theological training facility in the capital city of Hanoi. This is an incredible, unprecedented

opportunity for our synod. WELS is currently the only protestant church with

official government permission to work with the Hmong in Vietnam. The Lord is opening a door to reach the more than

two million Hmong people who live in Vietnam and the surrounding countries.

For the latest updates about this amazing story, visit

wels.net/vietnamhmongoutreach.

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St. John’s Lutheran Church & School 711 & 805 W 5th St., Neillsville, WI 54456

Email: stjohns1886@gmail.com Website: www.stjohnsneillsville.com

Facebook (church): www.facebook.com/stjohnsneillsville/ Facebook (school): www.facebook.com/stjohnshornets/

Tim Biebert, Pastor: 715-743-3015; 1fisheromen@gmail.com --Church Office: 715-743-2944

Mike Allard, Principal: 715-937-7534; allardmj1@gmail.com --School Office: 715-743-2501

John Hagedorn, Chairman: 715-743-4653; willdraw@tds.net

Worship Schedule: Sundays at 9:00 a.m. & Tuesdays at 6:00 p.m.

Worship Broadcast on Cable Channel 98 or 977: Sundays at 10:30 a.m. & Mondays at 7 p.m.

"Welcome Visitors & Members!" To those who are visiting us for the first time, we extend our sincere welcome; to our friends who know us we renew our welcome; to those who seek a church home we invite you to be part of our family and enjoy fellowship with our Savior.

To assist you in worship, both personal listening devices & large print hymns are available for anyone to use. Please talk to the ushers for assistance. Members and Visitors, please sign the Friendship Registers in the pews either before the service or during the offering.

Visitors, if you would like to know more about our church or school, please introduce yourself to our pastor. He would be delighted to speak with you and serve you in whatever way he can.

We love seeing young children in church as we want families to worship together. We also love to hear children making a "joyful noise to the Lord." However, should you need some privacy, please make use of our parents' room off the north side of the entryway where you can still listen to the service.