Congregation News
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Haviland Wedding Anniversary Celebration
There will be a celebration of the Havilands's 60th wedding anniversary after the 10AM service on Sunday, September 12th. Cards are welcome but most welcome is your presence.
Episcopal Diocese of Iowa's Happening #29
To be held Labor Day weekend, September 4-6 at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Davenport. Happening is for high schoolers and led by high schoolers with the help of lay adults and clergy. At Happening, youth will participate in small group discussions, larger group presentations, and games. They laugh, sing, listen to each other, and enjoy a number of original activities. Please invite students you might know to participate. The application can be found at www.IowaEpiscopal.org (click on Young People and then Events) or contact Diane Bjorklund (DianeBjorklund@mchsi.com) adn she can email an application. Please keep the staff and participants in your prayers.
Everyone is invited to attend the closing service at 11:30 AM on Monday, September 6th at Trinity.
Crop Walk 2010 is October 10th
Patrick Stall will be the representative for St. John's this year for The CROP walk on October 10th. Please call Patrick at 515 371 8982 for more information. We are in need of people to bw walkers and we need donors for this important ministry. More details will be coming in future bulletins.
Rummage Sale
The choir auxiliary will be hosting a rummage sale at St. John's on October 15th and 16th. The proceeds will benefit the student music scholarships for the upcoming school year. Planning for this event is ongoing and we will be calling on Parishioners to help staff the sale. Please look for a sign up sheet in the Parish Hall. You may bring sale items to the church during business hours (9-5) Monday through Friday or on Sunday morning. We do not have a great deal of space so large items should be saved til closer to the sale.
When in doubt of what to donate, please speak with Phyllis Heffron, Chairperson, Jan Payer, Marie Anderson or Judy Kavanagh.
In general, we only want items that are clean, in working order and usable. Please note the following caveats:
· Clothes, shoes and hats and other apparel need to be clean and in good repair. If possible, bring on hangers.
· Electrical appliances must be in safe and working order.
· Toys must be clean an in working order, i.e., no missing parts, no puzzles with many missing pieces.
· Linens must be clean and, if sheets, please mark them TWIN, FULL, QUEEN, OR KING.
· Please no holiday decorations that are faded, crumbling or cracked.
· Dishes, glassware and kitchen items should be clean with no cracks, chips or other flaws.
· If you donate something that is probably unrecognizable to most, please include an explanation of what it is.
· Do no donate food items.
· Do not donate old tires, car batteries or farm equipment; we just don’t have the space.
Education for Ministry (EfM)
EfM classes will resume at St. John's in September. Please consider joining us. Ed Gillott and Gloria Starns will co-mentor our class this year. Continuing students are Scott Saienga, Diane Rioux and Bronwyn Frame. Our goal is to reach a quorum of 6 registered students. We hope you will join us
EfM is a four year program that runs September through May.. It involves a once a week (2.5 hour evening) gathering for study and reflection and weekly at-home reading and preparation for the class. A registration fee of $310.00 per year purchases the study material. Help is available to fulfill this cost if needed.
Through the study of the old and new testaments and church history/theological thought, we learn about our faith and how to minister as Christians every day. It is a distance education program run by the Sewanee School of Theology. See the website for more details http://www.sewanee.edu/EFM/index.htm
Please contact Ed or Gloria, or any of the past or present students, or contact Jeannie in the main office if you'd like to be a part of the class. We hope to have a firm sense of who and how many will be a part of the class by early August - so please, prayerfully consider joining us.
We will have an information meeting and overview of the class format at the following times:
Sunday, September 5 at 9AM in the parlor (between services)
Tuesday, September 7 at 7PM in the parlor
Contact Ed Gillott or Gloria Starns if you are interesting in taking part - or email Jeannie in the main office at jeannie@stjohns-ames.org.
The Joiner Family
Welcome home Stacey. If you want to make food for the freezer, please put your name on it, the date you brought it, and what it is that you have made. Also include coooking directions, if that would be helpful. Deliver your dish to Jeannie in the main office during the work week or bring it in on Sunday morning, and we'll store it in the secure freezer for the Joiner's to access as needed. Thank you.
Message from the Treasurer
Window Fund Initial cost: $30,040.00; Window Fund Pledges received: $17,362.00
Volunteers Needed
Readers are needed for the 10:00 a.m. service. The sign-up sheets are in the Parish Hall.
Recycling Program
The bins are for the purpose of redeeming cans (pop/beer), plastic (pop), and glass (pop/wine bottles) to make money for the Student Ministry. Please do not put vegetable cans or plastic milk jugs in these bins as we are not able to redeem them.
Bible Study on Wednesday
The fall session will begin on September 15. We will be discussing Chapter 3 of the book, "Spiritual Gifts" on "Discovering Spiritual Gifts". If anyone is interested in joining this group, please call our wonderful secretary Jeannie at 292-6655. Everyone is welcome!
Coffee Hour
Volunteers are always needed to prepare the coffee and lay out snacks after the Sunday services. Please see the sign up sheet in the Parish Hall. You can bring your own snacks or use those provided by the parish. See this as an opportunity to learn your way around the St. John's wonderful kitchen facility, while providing an opportunity for Sunday service attendees to visit with each other and with visitors before beginning another busy week.
Prayer Group
A group of individuals specifically feeling called to prayer came together to start an intentional once a month prayer time. The focus is on intercessory prayers especially for members of our congregation and extended family. The time is set aside for prayer, not a meeting or study. The group plans to practice a variety of forms of prayer such as Contemplative. The group is currently meeting the second Tuesday of each month - the next meeting is Tuesday, September 14 at 7PM The group meets on the lower level in room 107 the Den (Youth Room). All are invited.
Sanctuary Candles
There are several dates open for the Santuary Candle. September 5, 19; October 10, 17; December 12. The 2011 Sanctuary Candle Schedule is in the office if anyone would like to sign up for next year. The Sanctuary Candle burns in remembrance of memorials or celebrations. There is a sign up sheet in the office on Jeannie's counter for 2011 if anyone is interested in signing up for next year.
Monday Daisies begins a new year
At St. John's, Monday Daisies is the name of an Altar Guild service arm that is responsible for delivering the altar flowers to parishioners who are in hospital, shut in at home, or in special need. Flowers can be delivered after the 10AM service on Sunday or any time Monday. Information and instructions are available from Mary Kay Abbott (233-4077). We are beginning a new sign up year with the schedule posted on the bulletin board at the foot of the stairs.
24/7 Prayer Vigil
As Father Al discussed at our annual meeting in January, St. John's is hosting a 24/7 prayer vigil for 2010. Please visit the website describing the inception of this idea and its ongoing goals at:www.campusamerica.org
Updating the Website
The St. John's Website is now being updated on a weekly basis. Surf the site and tell us what you think. Please send any suggestions, updates, additions to any of the Webmeisters (Bronwyn Frame, Coralie Lashbrook, Susan Masters,or Tim Muggli) care of church@stjohns-ames.org. Send complaints to Fr. Al. (Just kidding).