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Being and Making Disciples of Christ in Response to God's Grace

FEATURED MINISTRY TEAM ANNOUNCEMENTS

DO YOU HAVE A GREEN THUMB? 

It is time to prepare our St. John’s Lutheran Community Garden! We are looking for volunteers to help till/prepare, plant, weed, water, and pick vegetables in the garden. Vegetables from the garden are placed in the basket by the Little Free Food Pantry for our neighbors, or brought inside for disciples to enjoy. If you love gardening and would like to help, contact Chris Groth through REALM.

We are preparing to open the coffee station in the Welcome Center, and beginning in April, we want to offer hospitality two mornings per week to the preschool parents, St. John’s disciples, and the community. We are putting together a Coffee Hospitality Team to prepare the coffee and service station, welcome guests to The Parlor, and enjoy the “perks” of being on this team: coffee, tea, and community connection! The time commitment for each team member is one short training session and at least one three-hour weekday morning shift per month. Interested in learning more? Contact Pastor Linda!

If you or a family member is in need of spiritual care due to hospitalization, please contact the church office, Pastor Len, or Pastor Linda. We must rely on you to keep us informed. The pastors’ business cards are available in the Welcome Center and at the entrance to the Parish Life Center; please share them with family members “and caregivers if you’d like them to notify us if you are hospitalized.

Do you have a heart for older people? Do you treasure the sacrament of Holy Communion? If so, there is an upcoming opportunity for you to grow in faith and discipleship. In February, Pastor Linda will be training a lay visitation team. Each team member will be matched with one or two disciples who are confined to their homes and will be asked to visit and share Holy Communion with them once per month. The time commitment is 1-2 hours per month, plus quarterly group meetings. Interested? Please talk to Pastor Linda!

WEDNESDAYS | 6:00-8:00 P.M. | DOWNSTAIRS IN THE GYM

Grab a friend and join us for some fun and fellowship! No experience required. Have questions? Contact Barb or Greg Louden. 

DO YOU ENJOY SERVING OTHERS? 

Disciples with the gift of hospitality are needed to assist with Sunday morning fellowship. We are looking for people to pick up and serve donut holes, prepare the serving table, and offer a friendly welcome. If you enjoy baking, you are invited to make some goodies to share, but it is not a requirement of the job. For more information, please contact Bridgit Melton-Williams at 217.725.0292.

The Property Ministry Team is looking for disciples to help with routine maintenance and light repairs around the church. If you are interested, please join us every Tuesday at 9:00 a.m.. in the Work Room. If you have questions please contact Gary Corrigan.

Would you like to provide the altar flowers that beautify our worship services each weekend? Sign-up books are in the Welcome Center or you can simply call Kristin Petersen at 217.793.3933. Cost is $30 per arrangement.

Do you have a prayer request you would like to share with others? Do you have the gift or desire to pray for others? If so, our St. John’s Prayer Chain might be for you! The Prayer Chain serves by offering a way for people to lift up the congregation’s prayer requests to God each day. A list of individuals who have requested prayer for themselves or others is e-mailed to those who would like to receive it. People are invited to use the list in prayer in whatever way is best for them. Some people pray for each name as soon as they receive the list. Others divide the list and pray for three or four people each day in the week. To request prayer for yourself, someone else, or to join the prayer chain, contact St. John’s disciple Leslie Gumm.

 
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designed with a specific mission in mind.

St. John’s currently offers about 60 different ministry teams. Each and everyday, disciples act courageously in a wide variety of ways, whether that is by connecting with our neighborhood, caring for the homeless, visiting the sick, or even changing the air-filters. Ministry Teams work together to accomplish a goal. They can come together for a one-time event or for ongoing ministry. As teams uphold the mission of St. John’s, they also foster member discipleship and team fellowship, caring for one another.

To join an existing Ministry Team, contact the team leader for more information. Proposals for new teams are available on the church website and in the top right mailbox near the main office. One way to find out how God has designed you to serve is by taking the Spiritual Gifts inventory and viewing the Spiritual Gifts Presentation.

OUTREACH AND MISSION

Serving and welcoming the larger community

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COMMUNITY GARDEN

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Serving • Generosity • Administration

Share the spiritual experience of planting, cultivating and harvesting a garden of food designed by God, providing fresh food and experience to those that need it. Through spring planting and weekly maintenance (usually Wednesday evenings after dinner on the lawn) disciples and community members of all generations connect with each other and with Creation. Everyone is welcome to participate.

 

CHRISTMAS MINISTRIES

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Administration • Serving • Mercy

Oversee two main projects around Christmastime. First, they are responsible for running Breakfast with Santa. Through our partnership with the Committee for Children, this event serves as one of their major fundraisers for the year. They are also the group behind the Mitten Tree, which involves collecting and distributing hats, mittens, scarves, and other cold weather clothing throughout the city through our partnerships with local schools and other social service organizations.

 

GLOBAL MINISTRIES

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Administration • Mercy • Generosity

Join with God’s people around the world as they preach the Gospel and care for each other. Ministry projects include Fair Trade sales, support of Foods Resource Bank, Lutheran World Relief ingathering, Breakfast with Santa, support for ELCA World Hunger, and support for ELCA missionary in Madagascar. Time commitment, for monthly meetings and 3-4 special projects annually, is approximately three hours a month for one year.

 

LITTLE FREE LIBRARY

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Generosity • Mercy • Faith

By sharing their love of books and stories they share their lives, and their faith, growing relationships with everyone who reads and donates the library’s books. Time commitment is for one year; each person selects a month to choose and stock books, which takes less than half an hour per week. The team meets briefly each quarter.

 

MISSION TRIP

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Serving • Mercy • Generosity

A week-long, intergenerational trip to Marion, Virginia, to rehabilitate homes of people in need. The annual early summer trip is an outreach mission beyond our community in conjunction with Project Crossroads ministry. Open to vaccinated adults and youth grades 9 and above. There will be plenty to do whether you have a lot or a little experience.

 

HUNGER MINISTRIES

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Mercy • Serving • Generosity

Partner with organizations in Springfield with the primary focus of feeding people. They currently provide volunteers and food for the Grace Food Pantry through weekly collections and the Thanksgiving food drive. They also work at St. John’s Breadline and gather monetary support through Breadline Sunday in November.

 

AREA OUTREACH PARTNERS

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Central IL Community Blood Center

** Mercy • Serving • Generosity** Consider donating blood regularly through the St John's Adopt-ADay sponsored ministry. The local Blood Center collects lifesaving blood products that assist patients in need throughout Central Illinois. To make a real difference in another's life, schedule an appointment to donate at the Blood Center, 1999 Wabash Ave. in Springfield, and mention St John's.

Meals on Wheels

** Serving • Mercy • Generosity** Deliver nutritious meals to individuals at home who are unable to purchase or prepare their own meals, nourishing them and supporting their independent living.

 

STITCH AND SHARE

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Mercy • Serving • Generosity

Sew comforting, helpful, and enjoyable items for people in need in our church, community and world, sharing tangible signs of God's love. Meets at 1:30 p.m. on the second Friday of the month in the PLC Lobby to share completed service projects, such as pillowcases for St. John's Women and Children's Center, baby blankets and toys for Ronald McDonald House, pockets for cancer patient drains and school bags for Lutheran World Relief.

 

SUNDAY MORNING FELLOWSHIP

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Serving • Generosity • Encouragement

Share hospitality through refreshments with guests and visitors during Sunday Morning Fellowship Hour. Food is provided; host/hostesses may bring additional items if they choose. Time commitment is from 8:45 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. for two weeks.

 

WELCOME NOTE WRITERS

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Encouragement • Faith • Serving

Write notes that are sent to worship visitors, guests, and prospective disciples. Time commitment - weekly, but can be done from home.

 

SCHOOL SUPPORT

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Teaching • Encouragement • Mercy

St. John’s has partnerships with Dubois and Harvard Park Elementary Schools. We are always looking for volunteers who are interested in tutoring students, as well as volunteers to help out teachers in any way. We also help run Harvard Park Hams during the Easter season.

 

PRISON MINISTRIES

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Mercy • Serving • Encouragement

Lutheran Social Services of Illinois (LSSI) Storybook Project Bring children's books into state prisons and record incarcerated parents reading aloud. Recordings and books are sent to prisoners’ children, allowing them to hear their parents’ voices, and connecting hundreds of families. This opportunity is every other month and includes training. Past prison ministry projects have included adult literacy programs, and collecting and distributing clothing.

Community Care

Caring for our church family

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ALTAR FLOWER DELIVERY

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Mercy • Encouragement • Faith

Bring altar flowers to St. John’s disciples who may be shut-ins or in the hospital. By sharing the altar flowers with these disciples, the team helps remind them of their importance to our congregation, and passes on our love and God’s love for them. Time commitment for delivery is approximately 1-2 hours every two months for one year. Deliveries are weekly and rotate among team members. Quarterly meetings are approximately an hour, in March, June, September and December.

 

CANCER COMPANIONS

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Encouragement • Faith • Mercy

Provide encouragement, support and hope for anyone in treatment or post treatment, and caregivers/loved ones, through prayer, scripture and conversation. The goal of this ministry is to draw people closer to God so they know and understand that they are not alone in their journey. Cancer Companions are trained and make a one-year commitment that may be renewed.

 

COLLEGE CONNECTION

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Encouragement • Serving • Generosity

Offer care and support to college freshmen. The team works through cards, email, texts and care packages to encourage and uplift college freshmen disciples. Time commitment is approximately an hour every two months, for a year.

 

FAITH COMMUNITY NURSES

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Mercy • Serving • Encouragement

Care for the physical well-being of the congregation by providing health advocacy, education and resources. Time commitment is 1-2 hours a month for a year.

 

FUNERAL MEALS

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Serving • Mercy • Generosity

Prepare and serve meals for families after funeral services. St. John’s has several funeral meal teams.

 

GOURMET GRACE

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Serving • Mercy • Generosity

Deliver a meal to individuals and families in special circumstances (new baby, family emergency, returning home after surgery, etc.). Team members can sign up for a meal (typically main dish, side, and dessert) as their schedule allows.

 

MILITARY DISCIPLES OUTREACH

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Serving • Administration • Encouragement

Assist and support military members, families and veterans within the congregation.

 

PRAYER CHAIN

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Faith • Encouragement • Mercy

Pray for concerns and thanksgivings submitted through the sanctuary attendance/Communion cards and the Parish Life Center prayer book, privately lifting our congregation’s prayer requests up to God each day. They also pray for disciples on the worship service prayer list, and other needs that arise during the week.

 

SENIOR OUTREACH

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Mercy • Serving • Encouragement

Ministers to disciples who can no longer actively attend church. Our goal is to help shut-ins feel a part of St John's family by offering home Communion, friendship visits, phone calls, birthday cards, church literature and recordings of worship services.

 

STEPHEN MINISTRY

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Mercy • Encouragement • Faith

Give one-on-one spiritual and emotional peer support. Stephen Ministry equips disciples to live out the mission to be disciples of Christ, to care for the hurting and broken, to walk beside them in times of need. The commitment is two years, including 50 hours of training and then meeting with a care receiver for an hour each week. If you’re interested in becoming a Stephen Minister, please contact Pastor Greg or Jim Watson, Stephen Leader and they can talk about how you can get started.

 

DISCIPLESHIP

learning about our faith

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CHILDREN AND FAMILY MINISTRIES

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Administration • Teaching • Serving

St. John's is dedicated to partnering with and equipping parents and caregivers to inspire children to know God’s love and grace. We aim to teach,model, and share Jesus Christ with all children and their families through worship,study, prayer, and service.

Leadership Team Plans events for children and their families to attend together, including large-scale events such as the Lego Races, Holy Week Family Festival, and Trunk-or-Treat, as well as several smaller events throughout the year. We aim to create events that help families learn about Jesus together, inspire families to spend time together in and out of church, and prepare families to continue discussions about faith at home. We meet quarterly, and we ask that you would join us for at least two program years for effective evaluations in our leadership.

Sunday School Team Works together to select curriculum that meets the needs of children in our program, from the Nursery through 6th grade. We meet each Sunday to welcome our families as they drop off for Sunday School, plan our program year events, coordinate teacher schedules, collect weekly supplies, and assist in classrooms when needed. We ask that you would join us for a full program year (September – May), and plan to meet each Sunday School hour you are available from 9:15-10:15 a.m.

VBS Team Meets several times during the year to plan our upcoming programs, selects appropriate curriculum, coordinates leaders, and finalizes plans and decorations. We are the behind-the-scenes planners who work to make each piece of VBS fit together as seamlessly as possible. This team is a six-month commitment to planning and organizing a week of learning for kids in our community.

 

YOUTH AND FAMILY MINISTRIES

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Leadership • Teaching • Encouragement

At St. John’s we believe it is our duty and privilege to help youth and their families grow in faith and understanding, speak their faith to others, and live out their faith through service and leadership.

Confirmation The confirmation ministry at St. John’s begins as students enter 7th grade and concludes with the Affirmation of Baptism in the fall of 9th grade on Reformation Sunday. Using the Faith Inkubators Head from the Heart curriculum, our program is designed that youth will deepen their faith, learn more about Christ, learn more about what it means to be a Lutheran Christian, and find their place in the Church. Confirmation meets Wednesday nights from 6:30 – 7:45 in Classrooms A/B.

 

NEW DISCIPLE COORDINATOR

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Leadership • Administration • Encouragement

Help welcome our Sisters and Brothers who join our congregation through our New Disciples classes.

STEWARDSHIP

Managing our God-given resources

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ARCHIVES

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Serving • Administration • Knowing

Organize and care for documents, photographs and artifacts significant to the story of St. John’s history. Time commitment is as needed, in St. John’s basement Archives and Records room. John Stuemke: 546.5414, 3637.jnj@comcast.net

 

FINANCIAL HEALTH

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Knowing • Generosity • Serving

Equip disciples with financial wherewithal so they can be good stewards of their own personal finances and better serve others in the community. Team meetings are an hour a month; additional time as volunteered to research topics for seminars, obtaining speakers or leading a class. Lisa Hartzler: 725.3760, lisa.harms.hartzler@gmail.com

 

OFFERING COUNTERS

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Serving • Administration • Generosity

Carefully steward our financial offerings. They count contributions and prepare information for entry into the church's computer system, so that St. John's is able to utilize the resources for ministry. They meet weekly for a couple hours. Skills needed: accounting and clerical. Bob Borcherding: 546.8615, s.b.borcherding@comcast.net

 

OFFICE VOLUNTEERS

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Serving • Administration • Encouragement

Help the church staff and pastors by working in the church office weekly, answering phones, doing computer work (if able), and many other types of jobs. Or, help out as needed for large project such as all-church mailers. Amanda Lawler: 793.3933, alawler@stjohns-springfield.org

 

PROPERTY

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Serving • Wisdom • Administration

Care for the church facility, inside and out. Jobs vary in length, depending on the size of the task and the number of people helping. Meetings are typically the last Monday evening of the month, and usually take 1.5-2 hours. Mark Books: 632.5063, booksmemoryforest@reagan.com

Church Building Maintenance: once or twice a year dusting and waxing pews and antique wood fixtures, and helping with other miscellaneous building needs as they arise.

Flower Beds: tasks may include preparing flower beds, planting, weeding and deadheading, and cleaning beds in fall.

Lawn Care: mowing with hand mower, mowing with riding mower, grass trimming, maintaining trees and shrubs.

 

SPIRITUAL GIFTS

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Wisdom • Knowing • Teaching

Help disciples see themselves as uniquely called to ministry by God, who designed them for service. Review and design gift discovery tools and education, and ways disciples can connect with church or community service. Meet the third Sunday of each month at 9:15 a.m., and work on some additional projects throughout the year. Time commitment is 1-2 hours a month for 12 months. Kristen Schmid Schurter: 793-3933, ksschurter@stjohns-springfield.org

WORSHIP

Praising and thanking God together

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ALTAR GUILD

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Serving • Faith • Administration

Prepare the altar for each service. Care for the altar, its furnishings and linens, acolyte robes, Communion assistant robes and paraments. Time commitment: 1-1.5 hours every 4-5 weeks for a year. Training provided.

 

BAKING COMMUNION BREAD

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Serving • Faith • Generosity

Use provided recipe and instructions to make Communion bread four times a year.

 

BELL CHOIR

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The Bells of Glory (BOG) is an enthusiastic group of adult handbell players who enhance the sanctuary services with their music to the glory of our God. The BOG play during worship on the third Sunday of the month, September – May. They also play during special services like Christmas Eve and Easter. St. John's has five octaves of Malmark handbells and three octaves of hand chimes. The majority of the selected music is geared towards a three-octave bell choir which requires about 12 dedicated players, plus substitutes. Players need to be able to read music, preferably in both the treble and bass clef. Playing technique will be addressed during rehearsals, Thursday evenings from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. between late August and May. Every player is responsible for four or five specific bells. We therefore require each member to commit to at least one season, Fall or Spring, and be in attendance the majority of the rehearsals and worship presentations. If there is interest, we may consider starting a second bell choir.

 

COMMUNION ASSISTANT

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Serving • Faith • Mercy

Help with Communion at our worship services, connecting people to each other and to God. Time commitment is approximately 1-2 hours a month for a year, and training is provided.

 

CONTEMPORARY PRAISE BAND

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The Contemporary Worship Praise band is comprised of passionate singers and instrumentalists, who love to make music together! We rehearse on Wednesday nights at 7:30 p.m., and all are welcome! The praise band is open to those of all different skill levels. Come and make a joyful noise with us!

 

DECORATING WORSHIP SPACE (PLC)

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Wisdom • Serving • Administration

Help people come to God by providing an environment where they are welcomed and can be in a state of worship. Visually enhances the worship message and immerses the congregation in surroundings that leads us closer to understanding the Gospel’s impact. Duties include design brainstorming and planning, set up, and decoration. Time commitment is several hours (less if there is more help) 2-3 times a year, for one year. No prior experience needed.

 

GREETERS

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Serving • Encouragement • Mercy

Greeters are the first impression someone has of the church. They set the tone, letting people know this is a welcoming place. Greeters answer questions, give direction and offer assistance.

5:00 pm Sanctuary

8:00 am Sanctuary

10:30 am Sanctuary

PLC Hospitality (greeting and ushering combined)

 

MUSIC MINISTRIES

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Teaching • Faith • Encouragement

St. John’s Music Ministries enrich the worship experience of St. John's disciples and others in the community by providing quality music throughout the year.

 

READERS

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Teaching • Faith • Encouragement

Share God’s Word during worship by reading the day’s Scriptures to the congregation. Time commitment is approximately an hour every few months for a year; disciples of all ages are welcome to participate.

 

BUSY BAGS

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Serving • Administration • Mercy

Organize children’s activity bags for worship services, to help both children and caretakers participate in worship. This opportunity is done weekly during the month(s) selected by those serving, and training is provided.

 

USHERS

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Serving • Administration • Mercy

Provide hospitality by greeting people as they come in to worship and giving them a service bulletin, then watching throughout the service to see if anyone needs help. Duties might include assisting people to and from Communion, notifying the pastors if someone needs Communion at their seat, helping with the offering, and straightening up the sanctuary after worship. Time commitment is half an hour before worship and throughout the service, monthly for a year. New ushers are welcome and will train alongside existing teams.

 

VIDEO/SOUND TECH

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Teaching • Wisdom • Administration

Enhance the contemporary worship experience with video and sound, and bring the worship service to church seekers and homebound disciples through online streaming and recording. This ministry is a good fit for people interested in music, live TV production and YouTube/Internet recording. Serving opportunity is weekly as available. Time commitment is an hour before contemporary worship and throughout the service, and training is provided.