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May/June 2010 May/June 2010 May/June 2010 May/June 2010 St. John News St. John News St. John News St. John News The Ministries of St. John Lutheran www.stjohnseward.org Church 919 N. Columbia Avenue Seward, Nebraska 68434 402-643-2983 School 877 N. Columbia Avenue Seward, Nebraska 68434 402-643-4535 Child Development Center 20 Main Street Seward, Nebraska 68434 402-643-3122 St. John News is published monthly by St. John Lutheran Church (402-643-2983) Newsletter Staff Shirley Liesener Richard Zwick Proclaiming and Practicing the Love of Christ From the Pastor’s Desk . . . What is the Church? Church? Church? Church? That is the question that has been running through my mind lately. It has been running through my mind because of conversations that I have had. It has been running through my mind because of observations I have made. It has been running through my mind because of God’s Word that I have been studying. It has been running through my mind because of the confirmations of faith for which individuals have been preparing. What is the Church? Church? Church? Church? The church is the group of people whom God has called out from the rest of the world because of their relationship with Jesus Christ. The church are all those whose lives are built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus as the chief cornerstone. The church are all of the people who have been brought together by faith and in whom lives God the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 2:19-22). What is the Church? Church? Church? Church? The church is a gathering of people that are stained, wrinkled, blemished. Yet God takes His church, just the way it is, and loves it through His Son, Jesus. God takes His church and cleans it up by His grace that poured out of nail-pierced hands and feet. He cleans it up with His Word, with His washing (Baptism), with His power. Who is the Church? Church? Church? Church? It is your brother and sister in Christ with whom you find it easy to get along and it is also your brother and sister in Christ with whom you have a difference of opinion. The church is those who are newly baptized into the Christian faith, no matter their age. The church is those who will confess their relationship with Jesus Christ publicly. The church is those who have died in the faith and now are with the Lord in heaven. The church is those who sing praises to Jesus Christ with music that is too traditional, too contemporary, too repetitive, too loud, too long, or too anything. The church is those who respond to your needs with compassion and care; the church is those who don’t know how to respond and have caused you to feel abandoned. The church is those who have made you feel welcomed when you were a stranger and the church is those who didn’t know how to include you into their relationships. Who is the Church? Church? Church? Church? Above all, the church is you and me and all who believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Thanks be to God for making you and me a part of His body, the church. It is now my prayer that you and I and all of the church may respond with joy as the Lord of the church feeds us with His Word and Sacrament. Now, we may walk by faith, proclaiming and practicing the love of Christ . . . in all of the frail ways that the church, you and me, strive to carry out His holy will. In Christ’s love, What is the Church? What is the Church? What is the Church? What is the Church? Who is the Church? Who is the Church? Who is the Church? Who is the Church?

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Page 1: May/June 2010 St. John NewsSt. John News › old › May-Jun Newsletter.pdf · Christ with whom you find it easy to get along and it is also ... April 12, 2010 Dear Members of St

May/June 2010May/June 2010May/June 2010May/June 2010

St. John NewsSt. John NewsSt. John NewsSt. John News

The

Ministries

of

St. John Lutheran www.stjohnseward.org

Church 919 N. Columbia Avenue Seward, Nebraska 68434 402-643-2983

School 877 N. Columbia Avenue Seward, Nebraska 68434 402-643-4535

Child

Development

Center 20 Main Street Seward, Nebraska 68434 402-643-3122

St. John News is published monthly by St. John Lutheran Church (402-643-2983) Newsletter Staff Shirley Liesener Richard Zwick

Proclaiming and Practicing the Love of Christ

From the Pastor’s Desk . . .

What is the Church?Church?Church?Church?

That is the question that has

been running through my mind

lately. It has been running

through my mind because of

conversations that I have had. It

has been running through my

mind because of observations I

have made. It has been running

through my mind because of

God’s Word that I have been

studying. It has been running

through my mind because of the

confirmations of faith for which

individuals have been preparing.

What is the Church?Church?Church?Church? The church is the group of

people whom God has called out

from the rest of the world

because of their relationship

with Jesus Christ. The church

are all those whose lives are

built on the foundation of the

apostles and prophets, with

Christ Jesus as the chief

cornerstone. The church are all

of the people who have been

brought together by faith and in

whom lives God the Holy Spirit

(Ephesians 2:19-22).

What is the Church?Church?Church?Church? The church is a gathering of

people that are stained, wrinkled,

blemished. Yet God takes His

church, just the way it is, and

loves it through His Son, Jesus.

God takes His church and cleans

it up by His grace that poured

out of nail-pierced hands and

feet. He cleans it up with His

Word, with His washing

(Baptism), with His power.

Who is the Church?Church?Church?Church? It is your brother and sister in

Christ with whom you find it

easy to get along and it is also

your brother and sister in Christ

with whom you have a

difference of opinion. The

church is those who are newly

baptized into the Christian faith,

no matter their age. The church

is those who will confess their

relationship with Jesus Christ

publicly. The church is those

who have died in the faith and

now are with the Lord in

heaven. The church is those

who sing praises to Jesus Christ

with music that is too

traditional, too contemporary,

too repetitive, too loud, too

long, or too anything. The

church is those who respond to

your needs with compassion

and care; the church is those

who don’t know how to

respond and have caused you to

feel abandoned. The church is

those who have made you feel

welcomed when you were a

stranger and the church is those

who didn’t know how to include

you into their relationships.

Who is the Church?Church?Church?Church? Above all, the church is you and

me and all who believe in Jesus

Christ as their Lord and Savior.

Thanks be to God for making

you and me a part of His body,

the church. It is now my prayer

that you and I and all of the

church may respond with joy as

the Lord of the church feeds us

with His Word and Sacrament.

Now, we may walk by faith,

proclaiming and practicing the

love of Christ . . . in all of the

frail ways that the church, you

and me, strive to carry out His

holy will.

In Christ’s love,

What is the Church?What is the Church?What is the Church?What is the Church? Who is the Church?Who is the Church?Who is the Church?Who is the Church?

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2 . . . more news

O n Sunday, May 2, we will

have the wonderful

opportunity to celebrate the

confirmation of faith of 20

teenagers and several adults who

are completing their instruction

in Christianity. What a joy! God

has blessed each of these

individuals with the gift of faith

in Holy Baptism; they have been

led to publicly declare before

others that they will continue to

confess Jesus Christ as their

Lord and Savior. As they pause

for this moment of public

testimony, we ask that you, as

their brothers and sisters in

Christ, would pray that God the

Holy Spirit continues to

strengthen them in their faith.

Rejoicing with

Concordia University

Graduates

W e join with our partner in

ministry, Concordia

University, Nebraska, as it

celebrates the accomplishments

of the graduates of 2010. The

Baccalaureate Service is being

held at St. John on Friday, May

7 at 7:30 p.m. and the

Commencement Service, at the

University on Saturday, May 8 at

10:00 a.m. Please take time to

share your support with the

students who worship with us at

St. John, especially those who

will be graduating and heading

out from Seward to serve as

servants of Christ to the church

and the world.

O Give Thanks to the Lord!

Many

Reasons to

Rejoi

ce!

Many

Reasons to

Rejoi

ce!

Many

Reasons to

Rejoi

ce!

Many

Reasons to

Rejoi

ce!

Confirmation May 2 Associate Pastor Call

O n April 18, the St. John

voting assembly, voted to

extend a divine call to Rev. Seth

R. Hemme. He is currently

pastor at St. Peter’s in

Eastpointe, Michigan where he

has been serving since his

ordination in 2004.

Pastor Hemme was born in St.

Louis, Missouri. He graduated

from Concordia, River Forest,

Illinois, in 2000 and completed

his seminary studies at

Concordia Seminary, St. Louis in

2004.

His wife, Patricia, was born in

Detroit, Mich. and holds a BS in

elementary education, majoring

in teaching. They have one

daughter, Hannah, born in 2009.

Give Th

anks

Give Th

anks

Give Th

anks

Give Th

anks

W e give thanks to the Lord

of the church for the gift

of a new servant to serve as the

Director of the Child

Development Center ministry of

St. John. Mrs. Rebecca Bimler

accepted the divine call to serve

the Lord in this manner.

Following is the letter that was

sent to the congregation.

April 12, 2010

Dear Members of St. John Lutheran

Church,

I consider it an honor to serve Christ’s church through the ministry of education. I felt it a privilege to be considered a candidate to work among you in the advancement of ministry at St.

John Lutheran Church. After weeks

of prayerful consideration, I have

decided to accept the call to serve as

director of St. John Lutheran Child

Development Center.

I look forward with great

anticipation to serve among you. I,

along with my husband, Bob, and

daughter Abbey, wish to thank you

for your prayers and support during

this time of consideration. We truly

enjoyed our visit with you in March

and felt such an outpouring of

warmth and generosity. Thank you

for making us feel so welcome.

In closing, may I ask that you remain in prayer for my family as we make the transition from Illinois to Nebraska. In turn, I will also be in prayer for you this Sunday, April 18, as you seek God’s guidance as

to whom to call for the position of

Associate Pastor. May He grant you,

as a voting body, wisdom and

peace.

God’s richest blessings,

Rebecca E. Bimler

The congregation is asked to

keep Rebecca, Bob, and Abbey

in prayer as they prepare for

their time of transition from

Chicago to Seward. The needs

that they will have in regards to

housing and employment for

Bob will be shared through the

weekly news bulletin in worship.

At the time of printing, an

installation date for Mrs. Bimler

has not been set.

Erica Cauble

Stephanie Cool

Alexandra Deets

Siana Dyell

Joseph Gremel

Ian Hendrickson

Kiefer Keylon

Traci Kloppel

Adam Kohlmeier

Austin Luebbe

Jordan Nelson

Travis Nuttleman

Jarod Phillips

Brittany Ringler

Rachel Schulz

John Simpson

Nathan Sorsen

Brooke Tempel

Kayla Toovey

Lauren Wilcox

Confirmands

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more news . . . 3

When the calendar turns to May,

you know it’s time to begin

thinking about confirmations,

graduations, and the ham

sandwiches and potato salad that

accompany such events.

Although life seems to be

changing in so many ways, our

hymn of the month for May

speaks of God’s love and mercy

to all his children—regardless of

their age, life event, or status.

Stephen Starke, prolific Lutheran

hymn writer, wrote this hymn for

a confirmation in 2003. It is set

to a tune named DUNEDIN,

written by New Zealand

composer Vernon Griffiths in

the 20th century. The tune was

named for the town of Dunedin

in New Zealand where the

composer lived and served as

Music Director of the Dunedin

Technical College. The tune was

composed at the College and was

frequently used there at assembly.

The gift of faith is created by the

Holy Spirit in baptism and

sustained through Word and

Sacraments (stanzas 1 and 2). We

pray that the Lord would keep us

from the assaults of the devil, the

world, and our sinful nature

(stanza 3). Our life here on this

earth will contain cross and trial

(stanza 4). Sustained by God’s

forgiving grace, the child of God

blossoms and bears good fruit

(stanzas 4-5). All this talk of

sustaining, protection, and

growing ultimately still ends in

earthly death. Should fear enter

the mind of the Christian at this

point? Never. The hymn speaks

in light of St. Paul’s words in

Romans 6:4: “We were buried

with [Christ] by baptism into

death, in order that, just as Christ

was raised from the dead by the

glory of the Father, we too might

walk in newness of life.”

5 O Father, grant that by Your grace

They may Your will each day embrace;

With fruits of faith their lives now bless,

Till they at death Your name confess.

6 Then robed in white before Your throne,

Your holy saints, by You foreknown—

Predestined, called, and justified,

Shall, crowned in light, be glorified.

Text: © 2003 Stephen P. Starke. Music: © 1971 Faber Music Ltd. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License .NET, number 100012333.

Every year an important festival

of the Church is celebrated on

the fortieth day after Easter. And

every year, it seems, fewer and

fewer people take note of this

special day.

The festival is the Ascension of

our Lord. Perhaps part of the

problem is that the fortieth day

after Easter falls on a Thursday

(this year on May 13). With so

much activity in our lives, it's easy

to overlook a festival of the

Church that falls on a weekday.

Nevertheless, we invite you to

join together with parish and

school vocal, instrumental, and

handbell ensembles in celebrating

this sure and certain confidence:

“Behold, I am with you always, to

the end of the age.” (Matthew

28:20) Alleluia!

Our parish community will

celebrate the Ascension of Our

Lord on Thursday, May 13 at

7:00 p.m. Much of the story will

be told through hymns and

anthems presented by many of

our music groups. Heavenly

refreshments will be served

following the service.

Paul Soulek, Director of

Parish and School Music

O Gracious Lord, With Love Draw Near O Gracious Lord, With Love Draw Near O Gracious Lord, With Love Draw Near O Gracious Lord, With Love Draw Near

Ascension Day 2010!

Hymn of the Month

Hymn of the Month

Hymn of the Month

Hymn of the Month

(LSB 599)

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4 . . . more news

G odparent Groups are about

to wrap up another school

year of Godparent meetings the

end of April. That means it’s

time to gather committed

Freshmen youth and seek

leaders who would love to share

their lives with them and be

part of something special!

This is what Jeff and Kirsten

Volzke had to say about leading

a Godparent Group: So far, we

have thoroughly enjoyed the

experience. We have a good

group of youth and look

forward to our weekly get-

togethers. When we were first

asked to lead a group, we were

concerned that we weren’t

qualified to lead a group of

teenagers and wouldn’t know

what to discuss with our group

each week. However,

curriculum has been developed

(topics and lesson plans) and

gives us great ideas for

discussion. We’ve also had fun

outings: an all Godparent group

corn maze, “Blind Side” and

“To Save a Life” movies, and

fun activities in our home such

as carving pumpkins. Having

three children of our own, we

were concerned about what our

kids would do during the

meetings, but the group likes

our kids and our kids love

having them come over each

week. We have learned much

from the youth about some of

the challenges high school

brings, which helps prepare us

for when our own children

enter high school. It’s hard to

believe that our first year is

almost over and we look

forward to the next three years

with our group.

And from Harold and Beth

Pester: When we first were

asked to lead a Godparent

group, we were hesitant. All five

years we were asked! And this

year we decided to take the

plunge and lead a group – and

we’re so glad we did! We have a

group of nine Freshmen who

come to our house each

Wednesday evening during the

school year. The time we spend

with them is something we have

come to really look forward to!

We play games, have snacks,

talk about what’s going on in

our lives and, most important,

dig into the Word of God. We

have had a chance to get to

know our group better, to share

our faith and have them share

with us, and they even put up

with our crazy little kids! It’s a

big commitment, but already it’s

been well worth it. We can’t

wait for the next years with

them! Why don’t you join in our

fun?

If God has been tugging at your

heart to lead a Godparent

group, why wait and see if you’ll

get a call to be asked. Just leave your name at the church office

643-2983, with a youth board

member, current Godparent

leader, or with the Godparent

coordinator Lana Urban (643-

3964 or 641-3099. Say Yes and

grow spiritually and develop

relationships with our youth!

We thank Clark and Allegra

Koehler and Bob and Lana

Urban for their four years of

commitment to the Godparent

program as leaders of the

Senior groups. Your devotion

to our youth is much

appreciated by the members of

the congregation and especially

the youth that you served. God

bless you as he involves you in

other ways in His service in our

church, community and beyond.

Come the 3rd Sunday of every

month, 10:00 am, to the School

Library to join others in praying

for the youth of our church.

The prayer time will focus on

youth from 7th grade to college

age. Parents, grandparents,

youth leaders, and anyone who

has an interest in the needs of

our youth are encouraged to

participate. The prayers will be

for all youth connected to the

church, not just those in youth

group. Participants will be

offered a variety of ways to

pray, so that all who come will

feel comfortable—no matter

what the preferred prayer style

is. You can choose to pray

silently, use a written prayer, or

offer a spontaneous prayer. The

time will be based on Scripture

and a list of prayer requests/

praises. Focused prayer time

will be from 10 to 10:15 am.

More prayer opportunities will

be available until 10:45, but

participants are welcome to

leave at 10:15. You can come

one time, each time, or just as

your schedule allows. Contact

Chris Blanke (643-4278) or the

youth board for questions or to

make prayer requests.

Refreshments and prayer

resources available.

Freshman Godparent Leaders Glad They Said Yes!

Join in Prayer for the Youth

Youth

New

sYo

uth

New

sYo

uth

New

sYo

uth

New

s

Page 5: May/June 2010 St. John NewsSt. John News › old › May-Jun Newsletter.pdf · Christ with whom you find it easy to get along and it is also ... April 12, 2010 Dear Members of St

more news . . . 5

D uring the third weekend in

May, the members of St.

John Lutheran will vote for its

officers and board members.

Proposed are to amend the

Bylaws, to add a new board and

to increase the size of one of the

boards. We will need 132 people

to fill these elected positions.

That is about 17 percent of the

adults who regularly attend

worship. In other wards, one of

every six of the Saints you

worship with each week is

serving as an elected official of

our Lord’s church.

When our Nominating

Committee contacted

candidates, some responded

immediately to the call to have

their name on the ballot. Others

admitted, as they declined, that

it was with sincere concern, but

they could be counted on to

support and serve their church

in other ways. And, there were

some who are comfortable with

having someone else do the

work of Proclaiming and

Practicing the Love of Christ.

It is too late to add your name

to the ballot, but it is never too

late to be a volunteer advisor on

a board or to be a servant at

church. When I consider the

total adult members at St. John,

only 7 percent are serving as

elected officials. So let me share

some thoughts that may

admonish some and encourage

others to serve our Lord. If you

are not familiar with the twenty-

fifth chapter of Matthew, spend

a few minutes reading God’s

powerful word.

When Jesus divided his flock in

Matthew 25:31-46, there were

only two types of animals: the

sheep (Baa, Baa) and the goats

(Naaa,

Naaa).

When the

lord who

was

traveling

reckoned

with his

servants in Matthew 25:14-30,

there were only two types of

servants; good and faithful, and

wicked and slothful. When the

bridegroom came in Matthew

25:1-13, there were only two

types of virgins; the wise and

the foolish.

These and other parables of

Jesus make it crystal clear there

are only

two types of

stewards;

faithful and

slothful.

Indeed,

when we

consider the servant

opportunities at St. John, none

of us is close to being a perfect

steward. However, each saint

should examine his/her

participation, not only when the

church is electing leaders, but

also throughout the year, to

assure that one’s discipleship to

the Lord has not slipped over

the line between a faithful

steward and an unfaithful

steward.

Examine yourselves, to see whether

you are in the faith. Test yourselves.

Or do you not realize this about

yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?

– unless indeed you fail to meet the

test! (2 Corinthians 13:5).

Jack Swanson, President

Baa..Baa.. or Naaa..Naaa.. From the PresidentFrom the PresidentFrom the PresidentFrom the President

St. John Lutheran Laymen’s

League will meet at 6:00 p.m.

May 20, 2010, in the Fellowship

Hall.

This will be a wonderful time to

reflect on the Lord's blessings of

the past LLL year, and to look

forward to the new year.

Instead of a topic we will be

installing the Officers for the

2010-2011 LLL year.

Reminder: The LLL Zone Six

Rally is May 2 at St. Paul

Lutheran Church in Utica,

Nebraska.

“Dementia” will be the topic of

Stephen Ministry Continuing

Education on Thursday, June 10,

7 p.m., in the Heritage Room.

Presented by staff members at

Ridgewood, the meeting is open

to all congregation members and

guests.

During 2009, Stephen Ministers

made 726 personal visits to care

receivers, giving 782 hours in

those visits. Other contacts

(phone calls, e-mail, cards) totaled

401 for the year.

Stephen Ministry St. John LLL

Page 6: May/June 2010 St. John NewsSt. John News › old › May-Jun Newsletter.pdf · Christ with whom you find it easy to get along and it is also ... April 12, 2010 Dear Members of St

6 . . . more news

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2009-2010 Third Quarter Honor Roll Congratulations to the following students!

Honor Roll With Distinction (A+ and A’s): Gr. 5 – Evan Mettenbrink.

Gr. 6 – Alexa Bruick, Clara Heinicke, Kaylee O’Dell.

Gr. 7 – Kristi Einspahr, Kelsey Sloup, Madison Sloup.

Gr. 8 – Emmi Moll.

Honor Roll: Gr. 5 – Anna Baack, Dalton Berry, Ryen Diaz, Harrison Helmer, Nolan

Homp, Daniel Royuk, Joshua Sherman.

Gr. 6 – Kelsey Bruns, Alexandra George, Sara Granfors, Will Helmer, Joshua

Hendrickson, Rebekah Krause.

Gr. 7 – Thomas Gremel, Timothy Krause, Jacob Sloup, Cale Wagner.

Gr. 8 – Joe Gremel, Ian Hendrickson, Kailey Meyer, Jordan Nelson, Brittany

Ringler, Nathan Sorsen, Brooke Tempel, Lauren Wilcox.

Honorable Mention: Gr. 5 – Zach Vacha.

Gr. 6 – Katie Adams, Brodie Oshel, Bea Pfeiffer.

Gr. 7 – Abigail Kongsjord, Austin Van Velson.

Gr. 8 – Erica Cauble, Adam Kohlmeier, Jared Kongsjord, Nate Shimek.

8th Grade Graduation

Tuesday, May 18

Twenty 8th Grade students will

receive their Diplomas of

Graduation from St. John at

services in the church on Tuesday,

May 18 at 7:00 pm. Twenty-one

Kindergarten students will also be

recognized. The public is invited

to attend. The service will be

followed by a reception to which

the graduate’s families are invited.

Those receiving diplomas are:

Congratulations State Winners

St. John 5th-6th Grade

Reading Classic Team

Katrina Bergantzel

Alexa Bruick

Will Helmer

Daniel Royuk

Evan Mettenbrink

Mrs. Sue Sylwester, 6th Grade

Teacher, Reading Classic Coach

Competition was held at

Centennial School in Utica on

Saturday, April 10.

All Lutheran School Track

and Field Championship

� Saturday, May 15 at

Concordia’s Bulldog Stadium

� Hosted by St. John Lutheran

School

� Watch as more than 15

Lutheran schools and over

300 young athletes compete

in events in the field and on

the track. A small admission

fee is charged.

Register Now for

2010-2011 at St. John

The new school year may be

months away (first day is Tuesday,

August 17), but preparations for

new students and new programs

continue to be made throughout

the year. St. John is always open

for visits to the school, and

inquiries are welcome at any time.

Remember to share the good news

about St. John, as we share the

Good News about the Lord Jesus

Christ each and every day! Contact

the school office at 402-643-4535

to speak with the principal or to

set up a time to visit.

“O give thanks unto the Lord,

his mercy endures forever!” I

wish to extend my sincere and

heartfelt thanks for all the kind

words and gifts of appreciation

extended to me during my

anniversary recognition on April

11. It is a privilege to serve the

Lord with all of you at St. John.

You are truly a blessing! Please

take the opportunity to extend

your thanks to all the members

of our church, school and CDC

ministry staff for proclaiming

and practicing the love of

Christ among us and into our

community.

Dave Koopman, School Principal

With Thanks...

Erica Cauble Joe Gremel Ian Hendrickson Kiefer Keylon Adam Kohlmeier Jared Kongsjord Austin Luebbe Kailey Meyer Emmi Moll Jordan Nelson Travis Nuttleman

Martin Richards Brittany Ringler Rachel Schulz Nate Shimek John Simpson Nathan Sorsen Brooke Tempel Sydney van der

Heijden Lauren Wilcox

June—July office hours:

9 a.m. to 12 noon. Call for an

appointment any time.

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more news . . . 7

of St. John . . . . .of St. John . . . . .of St. John . . . . .of St. John . . . . .

Good news from the CDC

W e have been blessed by having Mrs. Rebecca

Bimler accept the call as Director for St. John Child Development Center. Mrs. Bimler is highly qualified and we look forward to having her serve as our director. Please pray that all processes involved in this transition go smoothly for the Bimler family as they make the move to Nebraska.

Mrs. Darlene Rockenbach has submitted her letter of resignation as preschool teacher at St. John Child Development

Center. Mrs. Rockenbach will be starting a new preschool for Centennial Schools in Utica. We want to thank her for her dedicated service and ask God’s blessing on this new endeavor. We wish her only the best.

The last Family Night for this school year was held April 13, 2010 at Faith Lutheran Church. Parents received information and strategies on replacing talking back, temper tantrums, refusal and fighting with social problem solving skills, emotional self-control, and empathy. We look forward to

next fall’s family nights and learning further parenting skills.

May brings not only flowers, but also the end of the school year. We have completed registration for summer care and are filled to the brim...what a blessing that is! Our fall registration is nearing completion with only a few openings in the toddler and three year old rooms.

We look forward to a summer of fun activities at St. John Child Development Center. May God continue to bless this ministry to young children.

Dee Mitchell, Interim Director of CDC

Child Development CenterChild Development CenterChild Development CenterChild Development Center

Thrivent Funds

Program Update

S t. John Lutheran Church,

School and Child

Development Center have

completed the registration

process to receive charitable

funds through the new Thrivent

Choice Dollars program.

Thrivent will use an April voting

event to begin the process, but

contributions directed toward

congregations and educational

institutions will not begin until

the summer months. Continue

to watch for additional

information regarding this new

program from Thrivent Financial.

G etting ready for summer?

Plan to include Summer

School at St. John! Classes are

offered to ‘09-’10 students in

grades K-8. There are three

different sessions; each session

lasts one hour. The program

runs in the morning from 8:15

a.m. to 11:45 a.m. Registration

is open now and due by May 29

– pick up a form at the school

or church office! Classes cost

$25 with a $5 administrative fee

per student. There is limited

space available, with a minimum

of five and maximum of ten

students per class; register soon!

Twenty-four different classes

will be offered with outstanding

instructors. Just a few of the

classes are:

� Insects and Bugs with Tim

Huntington

� American Girl Dolls with

Laura Asplin

� iMovies with Shelly Mowinkel

� Cooking Around the World

with Dawn Navis

� Land of Pirates with Kathy

Luebbe

Do you have grandchildren

visiting this summer? Sign them

up! Do your neighbor kids go to

another school? Tell them about

Bright Horizons. This program

is open to the community and

all are welcome. For a complete

catalog contact St. John School

Office at 643-4535 or

email [email protected].

Questions about the program?

Contact Liz Owens, Program

Coordinator at 643-6302 or

[email protected]; or

Jill Johnson, School Board

Advisor at 643-9725.

Last Day of 2009-2010

Wednesday, May 19

The final day of 2009-2010 for

students in Kindergarten – 7th

Grade will be on Wednesday,

May 19 with an 11:30 am

dismissal. Pastor Bruick will lead

the closing chapel at 8:25 am.

Bright Horizons Summer Enrichment Program

June 21-25

For an updated look at the latest school information, visit the

Ministries of St. John Website at www.stjohnseward.org

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8 . . . more news

W hen we first arrived in

Uganda, Shauen

frequently assisted in worship at

the Kampala congregation. He

preached several times, led the

liturgy, and led Bible study

classes. As his other

responsibilities began to

demand more of his time, he

stepped back from that level of

work in the Kampala

congregation. This month he

was asked to preach one last

time to fill in for a scheduled

preacher who wasn’t able to

come. As Shauen prepared his

sermon that week, tragedy

struck in Uganda.

Fertile soil is found in the

shadow of Mount Elgon. The

area is heavily populated to take

advantage of the relatively easy

farming. But the productive

land suffered, with crops

replacing trees and ground

cover on the slopes up the

mountain. After days of

unusually heavy rainfall, the

earth gave way just after dark

one night. Two small villages

were completely obliterated by

the mudslide. Hundreds were

feared dead—many of them

children. The landslide in

Bududa made international

headlines.

The Gospel reading for March

6 was Luke 13:1-9, “Repent or

perish.” Jesus discusses recent

tragedies well-known in

Jerusalem and gives his reply:

“Do you think these people

died because they were more

guilty than all the others living

in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But

unless you repent, you too will

all perish.” We cannot hope to

see into the hidden God—to

understand those things He

does in His own ways for His

own purposes. But maybe one

of the purposes of such tragedy

is to bring us to repentance, to

bring us to our knees before the

cross, and to give us again that

free forgiveness won there.

Your missionaries to East Africa

Shauen, Krista, and Josiah Trump

Preaching on Current Events—Landslide in Bududa

A s far as days go, I would

have to say this is a pretty

good one. I woke up knowing

that we would be celebrating

Easter with the third level of

kindergartners (K3, 5-6 year

olds) this morning.

When I arrived at the office, it

was already bustling with

assistant teachers wrapping the

cookies that would be hidden for

the “Easter egg” hunt in brightly-

colored cellophane. Judy, the

amazingly-connected mom-to-all,

supreme-teacher, excited-about-

the-possibility-of-Christianity-

but-doesn’t-quite-realize-it-yet,

organizer of this year’s

Kindergarten Easter fair greeted

me with a smile and a cheery,

“Good morning!” I was in

charge of both the opening and

the Easter Egg Relay. Judy didn’t

hesitate to introduce what

needed to be done.

Stepping in front of 100 kinder-

garten students, 16 university

helpers, four homeroom teachers

and four teachers from my

office, I had a smile on my face.

Judy’s infectious smile had

touched something deep in my

heart. Here she was, a seeker,

working hard with joy to

proclaim the saving resurrection

to over a hundred of God’s

children. But for her it was just

another day in the office.

Colossians 3:16 says it perfectly:

Let the word of Christ dwell in you

richly as you teach and admonish one

another with all wisdom, and as you

sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs

with gratitude in your hearts to God.

God is there in the smile of a co-

worker, the caring touch of a

friend, and the playful banter of

a student. Because of Easter,

because of Jesus life-saving death

and resurrection, my day is

bright. Every tomorrow is bright.

May the hope, joy, peace, and

triumph of Easter manifest itself

in your life today and always.

He has risen! He has risen

indeed!

In Christ, Our Hope,

Benjamin and Amy Riley

Easter in Taiwan

Prayer Requests

� Please pray for Judy, that she

comes to faith in our Lord

Jesus Christ.

� Pray for the people in

Taiwan who are lost, praying

to idols and ancestors. Pray

that they come to faith in the

one true God.

Prayer Requests

� Pray for the final prepara-

tions of our move to Nairobi

April 20.

� Thank God that He

provided a buyer for all our

furniture, saving us from

moving items worth less

than the cost to move them.

Miss

ion N

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om T

aiwan

Miss

ion N

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aiwan

Miss

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Miss

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aiwan .

. . .

. . .

. . .

. . .

. . .

. .

. . .

. . .

. .

. . .

. . .

and Uga

nda

and Uga

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and Uga

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and Uga

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more news . . . 9

T he Alaska Mission Team

will be serving the Yupik

Indians of Akiachak, a town in

western Alaska. The population

of the town is stated as 700

residents. Of those, 200 are in

grades K-12. We will be

conducting a VBS experience

for the children as well as a

basketball camp. The town itself

is quite poor with nearly a third

of the residents lacking

electricity and running water.

This will challenge our creativity

and resourcefulness. Fortunately

there are showers in the school

where we will be staying.

The VBS will be held in the

Moravian church which has a

history that goes back to John

Hus in the late 14th century and

pre-dates Luther’s reformation.

The Moravian missionaries were

the first large scale Protestant

missionary movement and

established churches throughout

the world. The church in Alaska

was established in 1885 and is a

member of the Lutheran

Council of Churches.

The basketball camp will be

conducted in the school gym

and will provide activities for all

ages including adults. We plan

on bringing deflated basketballs

and inflate them there which

will reduce packing space.

We will leave as a group from

Denver and fly to Anchorage.

From Anchorage we travel to

Bethel a community of 6700

residents and the largest

community in western Alaska.

Bush planes will take us the final

leg to Akiachak, a 15 minute

trip. Please pray for us during

this week of working with the

Yupik people.

Members of the team are:

Alexa Bruick, Jan Bruick, Pastor

Scott Bruick, Zach Bruick,

Dottie Huebschman, Ray

Huebschman, Pastor Ryan

Matthias, Lou Anne Mueri,

Mike Mueri, Jenna Ripke, Judy

Ripke, Nick Rippstein, Tim

Rippstein, Ryan Shrum, Alan

VanVelson, Connie VanVelson.

Team members range in age

from 12 -73 and include a junior

high student, two high school

students, and one college

student.

The Alaska Team

2 hole punches

200 yds leather lace or twine

25 boxes 16 count crayons

25 boxes markers

1 pencil sharpener

25 pairs of scissors

5 reams of computer

paper

1 pkg 100 sheets of each of

the following colors

of construction

paper: Red, green,

gold (yellow), white

1 pkg 250 sheets black

construction paper

600 butterfly stickers

150 ea. star stickers, cross

stickers and jewel

stickers

1 bag 200 clothes pins (clip

kind)

1 lg box popsicle sticks

1 roll masking tape

3 rolls scotch tape

6 pkgs various colored

tissue paper

10 large bottles of

Elmer’s school glue

1 pkg ea. 150 count pony

beads in black, red,

white, green, gold

(yellow)

300 sandwich Ziploc

bags

1 box gallon Ziploc bags

2 staplers

1 box of staples

1 box 150 straws

Since these items will be

shipped to Alaska ahead of

time, we will need them by May

16. Check the board each week

to see the items that have been

donated and that are still

needed. The donated items can

be placed in the marked

containers at the west entrance

of church.

Thanks for your support!

List of items we need donated for VBS

Thank you to everyone who

braved the cold, wintery night on

March 19 to attend the VFW

Burger Night benefitting the St.

John Alaska and Arkansas

Mission Teams. If you baked one

(or more) of the delicious pies or

cakes, we thank you! We

consistently heard comments that

we had the best-looking desserts

ever! Your support of this

mission event impacts not only

the people of Seward, but the

people of Akiachak, Alaska, and

Boonville, Arkansas. To Him be

Praised!

Thanks!

From the Alaska Mission Team

From the Alaska Mission Team

From the Alaska Mission Team

From the Alaska Mission Team

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10 . . . more news

M ission interest takes on a

variety of avenues at St.

John and may seem at times not

too directed or consistent. This

isn’t necessarily bad. In fact, the

variety of action is challenging

and vibrant! There’s Guatemala

outreach, Alaska and Arkansas

upcoming trips, Cambodia

family connects, continued

family support for Schmidts,

Rileys and Trumps, and finally,

Fan Into Flame! One might say,

“What more can you ask for?”

Recently the mission committee

published an explanation and

encouragement note in the

April Sunday bulletins. Shorter

range support is being sent to

the Schmidts and Trumps and

longer range support is set aside

for the Rileys. Since the Trumps

will apparently reenter the east

African mission field next

January, we will be looking at

additional funding in 2011.

Please continue contributions to

“Mission Efforts” as identified

on your weekly envelopes for

this missionary support. This

fund also assists in special

mission and servant projects

like Guatemala and Alaska.

As a result of our

congregation’s participation in

Missouri Synod’s Fan Into

Flame mission fund drive we

are beginning to receive our

Jerusalem portion for mission

action. Your mission committee

is in the process of

recommending areas of action

directly involving congregation

members and programs. A few

suggestions include support to

the elders in welcoming

Concordia students and in our

midweek program, welcoming

potential and new members of

St. John, and assisting the youth

board in their Winnebago

outreach event. The Fan Into

Flame monthly report has

examples of how some

participating congregations are

using their Jerusalem monies.

One congregation in Alabama

coupled a fund drive for a new

preschool along with their Fan

Into Flame drive and then are

using Jerusalem monies to

support a husband-wife team to

Africa! A Canton, Ohio,

congregation decided they

wanted more “hands on” action

and decided to build a school in

Haiti. A team of eight members

will go to Haiti in late April to

build! Grace Lutheran in

Naples, Florida, is developing a

plan to enable each member to

become missionaries in their

own neighborhood.

Additionally, they are updating

a multi-purpose room for

expanded technology and

community outreach.

So what are your ideas? A close

friend of mine suggested

augmenting our St. John school

scholarship fund to include

need-based grants for non-

members. And so we thank

God for new opportunities in

spreading the Gospel. The

harvest time is ripe! Have a fun

and Christ-filled summer!

Marv Plamann,

Mission Committee Chairman

Dear members of St. John

Lutheran Church of Seward,

I t is hard to try to explain to

you how much I appreciate

the ways that you have blessed

me, my family, and the people

for which I care. Because of the

generous way you responded to

what happened to our family in

Haiti and supported my son

Josias and his family, who are

members of your congregation,

I was able to feed and help

numerous people. As we say in

my language, “Thank You”

does not express it well enough.

Many of you may not

understand how difficult it has

been every day since the

earthquake started. Physically

but also emotionally and often

spiritually, most people have

been shaken to their core. Daily

survival is in the hands of God

alone, as we should realize as

Christians, but we receive many

lessons in trust through our

entire lives. Please continue to

keep us in your prayers as

encouragement is needed. We

should not forget that God can

use tragedy such as this to wake

up those who need to come to

Him.

As many tried to escape the

damage and uncertainty of Port

Au Prince to stay with family or

friends, my household has been

(continued on page 11)

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more news . . . 11

Baptisms March 7, 2010, Rylan James Chapp,

son of Blake and Jenna

March 13, 2010, Brady David Wood,

son of Christopher and Amy

March 14, 2010, Margaret Noel

Neujahr, daughter of Benjamin and

Margaret (non-member)

March 21, 2010, Lily Grace Jackson,

daughter of Clark and Amanda

March 21, 2010, Parker Chapin Smith,

son of Jamie and Bailey

Deaths March 5, 2010, Dwayne Ernest Otte

at the age of 70 years, 11 months

and 6 days

March 20, 2010, Loretta LaRee

Ohlman at the age of 79 years and

4 months

March 20, 2010, Betty Jean Mertins at

the age of 77 years, 1 month and 18

days

March 24, 2010, Vincent C.E.

Jacobson at the age of 95 years, 4

months and 23 days

March 28, 2010, Alvina Jean Beckman

at the age of 82 years, 5 months

and 3 days

Marriages None

Transfers In (M/M) Eugene & Shirley Bokelmann

Nicki Dey and Braeden

(M/M) Kasey & Casey Keylon and

Kiefer and Karson

Transfers Out (M/M) Scott & Danna Seevers and

Gracelyn, Gemma, Luke & Marshall

to The Rock Lutheran Church,

Seward, Nebraska

Official ActsOfficial ActsOfficial ActsOfficial Acts

(continued from page 10)

overflowing with people. I

appreciate that you agreed to

send some of the money you

provided for my son’s trip and

expenses to me and my

ministries. With $1,500 I paid the

professors of my school because

parents were not able to pay

tuition money, and they had no

way to provide for their own

families. The rest I used to feed

the family and friends that have

been staying at my home. I had

nothing at all to use to care for

everyone and had been living on

credit that some of the sellers

allowed for a time.

Your actions spoke strongly to

us, and we ask God to bless you

richly for the ways you have

shown His love to your brothers

and sisters in Haiti. We continue

to place our hope in Him and

praise Him for providing for us.

In His love,

Pastor Jean Claude Marin

First Evangelical Lutheran

Church of Maranatha of

Thomassique

Thomassique, Haiti

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12 . . . more news

St. John News St. John News St. John News St. John News Non-profit Org. U.S. Postage

PAID

Permit No. 11

Seward, NE 68434

Return service requested

St John Lutheran Church

919 North Columbia

Seward, Nebraska 68434

St. John Staff . . . Scott Bruick, Senior Pastor [email protected] David Koopman, Principal St. John School [email protected] Bob Paulson, Pastor for Visitation and Pastoral Care [email protected] Paul Soulek, Director of Parish and School Music [email protected] Dee Mitchell, Interim Director of Child Development Center, [email protected] Jonathan Lobmeyer, Part-time Youth Director [email protected]

Inside this issue . . . • Message from the Pastor

• Rebecca Bimler accepts call

• Confirmation May 2

• Hymn of the Month

• Youth News

• Message from the President

• Stephen Ministry

• LLL

• News from St. John School and CDC

• Mission News

• Alaska Mission Team

• Letter from Haiti

Deadline for July newsletter is June 15, 5:00 pm

Email: [email protected]