# 🕊️ Fifth Sunday After Pentecost — Order of Worship ## ✨ Gathering - **Gathering Song**: *This is the Day* - **Unison Welcome**: > "No matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here." - **Announcements** ### 📣 Staff and Contacts - The Rev. Caroline E. Saxton, [email protected] (641) 260-1868 (cell) - Tonya Schwartz, Office Administrator, [email protected] (717) 263-8593 (office) - Gary Crum, Music Director - Barbara Motichka, Organist - Roxanne Davenport, Director of Children & Youth - The Rev. Stephen W. Hoffman, Pastor Emeritus ### 🗓️ This Week at St. John’s - **Today**: VBS Work Day after worship, Fellowship Hall. Bible Study on the Book of Acts, 8 pm, Google Meet (link in Friday e-blast). - **Monday, July 14** - 10:00 am Meditation Group – Parlor Room 104 - 6:00 pm VBS Volunteer Meeting – Fellowship Hall - **Tuesday, July 15** - 10:00 am Summer Singers Rehearsal – Fellowship Hall - **Wednesday, July 16** - 6:30 pm Council Meeting – Conference Room 111 - **Sunday, July 20** - 8:45 am Wired Word Church School Class – Room 116 - 10:00 am Sunday Service – Sanctuary ### 🌿 Pastor Caroline’s Sabbatical Pastor Caroline will be on sabbatical for six weeks beginning June 30. During this time, she will not check emails or respond to text messages. Rev. Peter Emig (retired UCC pastor) will provide pastoral care coverage for emergencies and pulpit supply. Jerry Thomason and Ernie Welch will lead worship on July 20. More info about her plans for study, rest, and renewal can be found in the July/August Spirit. She will resume duties on Monday, August 11. ### 💬 Additional Announcements - **Sunday Night Bible Study**: Sundays at 8 pm via Google Meet on the book of Acts. July 13 will focus on Chapter 5. The study continues with lay leadership during Pastor Caroline’s sabbatical. - **Summer Special Music**: Sign up posted on the choir room door to help provide music this summer. Contact Gary Crum to learn more. - **Beginners Pickleball**: Contact the office if interested. Indoor court set up in Fellowship Hall. - **July First Fruits**: Supports United Way’s "Stuff the Bus" campaign for school supplies across Franklin County. Boxes for donations start Monday, July 14. - **Monday Afternoon Book Study**: Will pause during Pastor Caroline’s sabbatical. Next book will be chosen in August. - **Join Us for Life Talk**: Share concerns or joys informally after services on Sundays. Meet in the parlor with snacks and coffee. - **Birthday Balloons**: Celebrate with a special coffee hour on the last Sunday of the month. July birthdays honored on July 27. - **July/August Upper Room**: Devotionals available at the Welcome Center. Suggested donation: $1 small print / $2 large print. Contact the office if you'd like a copy mailed. - **Passing of the Peace**: > "The peace of Christ be with you" — "And also with you." - **Chiming of the Trinity** - **Prelude** ## 🙌 Call to Worship > God of salvation, we lift our souls to you. > **The paths of the Holy One are steadfast love and faithfulness.** > In trust, we wait on you to speak, to reveal, to send. > **The paths of the Holy One are steadfast love and faithfulness.** > Lead us in your truth with mercy and righteousness. > **The paths of the Holy One are steadfast love and faithfulness.** ## 🎵 Hymn - *Teach Me Your Way* — #646 1. Teach me Your way, O Lord, teach me Your way!   Your guiding grace afford, teach me Your way!   Help me to walk aright, more by faith, less by sight;   Lead me with heavenly light, teach me Your way! 2. When I am sad at heart, teach me Your way!   When earthly joys depart, teach me Your way!   In hours of loneliness, in times of dire distress,   In failure or success, teach me Your way! 3. When doubts and fears arise, teach me Your way!   When storm clouds fill the skies, teach me Your way!   Shine through the wind and rain, through sorrow, grief, and pain;   Make now my pathway plain, teach me Your way! 4. Long as my life shall last, teach me Your way!   Where’er my lot is cast, teach me Your way!   Until the race is run, until the journey’s done Until the crown is won, teach me Your way ## 🙏 Call to Confession > God is present to guide our journey and eager to forgive us when we go astray; therefore, in humility and faith, let us confess our sins against God and neighbor. ### 📝 Prayer of Confession > Everlasting God, you build up and tear down. > We confess that we have erected idols that need to be demolished in our time. > We embrace complacency and comfort over following your vision of beloved community and liberation. > We measure ourselves not against your precepts but by the standards of this world. > We close our ears to voices we do not want to hear and our eyes to sights too painful to see. > Tear down the fear of discomfort within us and rebuild us with the pillars of holy love, compassionate care, and Spirit-led action. > In your mercy, make us new. Amen. ### 🕊️ Kyrie - Companion C-4 ## 💫 Assurance of Pardon > The Righteous One remains near to you and delights in prospering the fruit of your bodies, your soul, and your acts. The way of God is not too hard for you, nor is it too far away. ## 🎶 Glory Be - *Glory Be to the Father* — #704 Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;   As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,   World without end. Amen, Amen --- ## 📖 Scripture Readings ### 📜 Deuteronomy 30:9–14 (NRSVue) > 9 Then the Lord your God will make you abundantly prosperous in all your undertakings, in the fruit of your body, in the fruit of your livestock, and in the fruit of your soil. For the Lord will again take delight in prospering you, just as he delighted in your ancestors, > 10 when you obey the Lord your God by observing his commandments and decrees that are written in this book of the law, because you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. > 11 Surely, this commandment that I am commanding you today is not too hard for you, nor is it too far away. > 12 It is not in heaven, that you should say, “Who will go up to heaven for us and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?” > 13 Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, “Who will cross to the other side of the sea for us and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?” > 14 No, the word is very near to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart for you to observe. ### 📜 Colossians 1:1–14 (NRSVue) > 1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, > 2 To the saints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ in Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. > 3 In our prayers for you we always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, > 4 for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, > 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. You have heard of this hope before in the word of the truth, the gospel > 6 that has come to you. Just as it is bearing fruit and growing in the whole world, so it has been bearing fruit among yourselves from the day you heard it and truly comprehended the grace of God. > 7 This you learned from Epaphras, our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, > 8 and he has made known to us your love in the Spirit. > 9 For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may **be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,** > 10 so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God. > 11 May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully > 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. > 13 He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, > 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. ### 📜 Responsive Reading - Psalm 25:1–10 (The Inclusive Bible) > To you, YHWH I lift up my soul. My God, I trust in you; don’t let me be ashamed, don’t let my enemies triumph over me. > **No, none who hope in you will be ashamed, but shame will come to the wantonly treacherous.** > Show me your ways, YHWH! Teach me your paths! Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation. I wait all the day long for you. > **Remember your mercies, YHWH, your love, your ancient and unwavering love!** > Pardon the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; remember me because of your love, because of your goodness, YHWH! > **And how good and upright you are, YHWH!** > You instruct sinners in the path, you guide the humble in what is right and teach them your way. > **All of your paths, YHWH, are full of love and faithfulness for those who keep your Covenant and Testimonies.** --- ## 🧒 Children's Message - Roxanne Davenport ## 🎵 Hymn - *Let Justice Flow Like Streams* — #689 1. Let justice flow like streams of sparkling water pure,   Enabling growth, refreshing life, abundant, cleansing, sure. 2. Let righteousness roll on as others' cares we heed,   An ever-flowing stream of faith translated into deed. 3. So may God’s plumb line, straight, define our measure true,   And justice, right, and peace pervade this world our whole life through. --- ## ✝️ Gospel Lesson # Luke 10:25–37 (NRSVue) ## The Parable of the Good Samaritan 25 Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 He said to him, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?” 27 He answered, “**You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.**” 28 And he said to him, “You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.” 29 But wanting to vindicate himself, he asked Jesus, “**And who is my neighbo**?” 30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.’ 36 Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” 37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.” ## 🗣️ Sermon # 🗒 Sermon Analysis: "Go and Do Likewise" --- ## 🎯 Central Message The sermon’s central message is a powerful, unwavering call to **radical, unconditional mercy and neighborly love**, echoing Jesus' command in Luke 10: "Go and do likewise." The preacher emphasized that being a neighbor transcends boundaries of race, religion, nationality, and social alignment. The focus was on action — *not merely believing in mercy, but embodying it in daily, often uncomfortable, ways*. ### Liturgical/Thematic Tie The message aligns deeply with the liturgical season focused on **discipleship and living out faith beyond church walls**. It resonates with the thematic focus on hospitality, compassion, and inclusive community that often characterizes Ordinary Time after Pentecost, reminding us that faith must be practiced in concrete, everyday acts of mercy. --- ## 🎙 Preaching Style - **Style**: Primarily **Expository**, with elements of **Narrative preaching**. The preacher carefully unpacked the parable verse by verse, then connected it to modern life through vivid stories and scenarios. - **Examples & Stories**: - Multiple modern-day scenarios (e.g., stopping for someone on the roadside, being late for a wedding) effectively illustrated ancient moral dilemmas in a relatable context. - Childhood neighborhood stories demonstrated past communal trust, contrasting with today’s more suspicious, self-protective attitudes. - **Inclusivity**: - The preacher challenged exclusive definitions of “neighbor,” pushing listeners to think beyond affinity groups and comfort zones. - Examples included people of different races, sexual orientations, religions, and socio-economic backgrounds, broadening the inclusive lens. ### Learning Accommodation - **Auditory Learners**: Emphasis on repeated refrains ("Go and do likewise") and rhetorical questions. - **Visual/Kinesthetic Learners**: Mental imagery from car breakdown stories and neighborhood watch examples allowed listeners to visualize scenarios and imagine themselves acting. - **Reflective Learners**: Provocative questions ("Who is my neighbor?") encouraged deep self-examination and application. --- ## 🗣 Intonation and Delivery - **Tone**: Empathetic, direct, and inviting. The preacher’s warmth made challenging points feel invitational rather than condemnatory. - **Vocal Techniques**: - Varied pacing: Slower during heavy reflective moments, quicker during storytelling, which maintained engagement. - Emphasis on key words ("mercy," "neighbor," "likewise") helped anchor main themes. - **Gestures & Non-Verbals**: - While not explicitly detailed in the transcript, the rhetorical setup suggests gestures were likely used during dramatic points (e.g., depicting stopping to help). - **Emotional Resonance**: Frequent emotional appeals through personal childhood memories and "imagine yourself" scenarios helped ground the message experientially. --- ## 📝 Content Structure - **Introduction**: - Opened with direct scriptural reference and initial legal scholar’s question, setting theological and narrative context. - **Main Body**: - Detailed explanation of each character in the parable (priest, Levite, Samaritan). - Cultural context breakdown: Jewish-Samaritan tensions, ritual purity laws. - Modern analogies to draw out implications for today's listeners. - **Conclusion**: - Clear directive: "Go and do likewise," stripped of excuses and qualifications. - **Transitions**: - Seamless movement from ancient text to present-day application ensured clarity for all learning types. - **Learning Supports**: - Repetition of core phrase. - Incremental revelation of story layers (e.g., Samaritan’s compassion despite hostility). ### Scripture Reference - **Luke 10:25-37** The sermon centers on Jesus’ interaction with a lawyer and the telling of the Parable of the Good Samaritan. --- ### Context of the Scripture - Jesus asks a lawyer, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?” - The lawyer answers: **“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.”** - Jesus affirms this answer and tells him, “Do this, and you will live.” - Seeking to justify himself, the lawyer asks, “And who is my neighbor?” - Jesus replies with the parable: - A man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho is attacked, robbed, and left half dead. - A priest and a Levite both see the man but pass by on the other side. - A Samaritan, moved with compassion, tends to the man’s wounds, having poured oil on him, then puts him on his own animal, brings him to an inn, and pays for his care. - Jesus asks, “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man?” The lawyer answers, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus says, “Go and do likewise.” --- ### Teaching About God - **God’s Character:** - God values mercy and compassion over ritual or social boundaries. - God’s love is not limited by ethnicity, religion, or social status. - God calls His people to see and respond to the needs of others, regardless of differences. - **God’s Response to Humans:** - God’s command to humans is unconditional, urging them to act without rationalizing or excusing themselves from helping those in need. - God’s directive is clear and unconditional: “Go and do likewise.” --- ### Who God Says You Are - You are called to be a neighbor to all, not just those who are like you or whom you trust. - Your identity is rooted in loving God fully and loving your neighbor as yourself. - You are capable of living out this calling, even when it is difficult or uncomfortable. --- ### Application to Modern Life - **Cultural Reflection:** - The pastor reflects on how American neighborhoods have changed—trust and community are harder to find. - We often define “neighbor” narrowly: those who share our beliefs, backgrounds, or interests. - The parable challenges us to expand our definition of neighbor beyond comfort zones, political affiliations, or cultural similarities. - **Modern Parallels:** - The pastor gives examples: - Seeing someone in need on the side of the road, perhaps of a different ethnicity or background, and wrestling with fear or hesitation. - Being on the way to an important event and facing the choice to help or keep going. - The absence of modern conveniences (cell phones, GPS) heightens the challenge and risk. - **Key Point:** Jesus’ command is not conditional. He does not say, “Go and do likewise, unless you are busy, afraid, or inconvenienced.” The call is to act in mercy, without rationalization. --- ### Lessons from the Parable 1. **Do Not Rationalize Away Compassion:** - The priest and Levite may have had reasons (fear, ritual purity, safety), but Jesus does not excuse their inaction. The road from Jerusalem to Jericho was known to be dangerous and frequently ambushed, which might have contributed to their fear. - The Samaritan, despite historical enmity with Jews, acts with compassion. 2. **Mercy Is Unconditional:** - True mercy is not based on what someone can do for us or whether they are “like us.” - Mercy is not mercy if it is conditional or self-serving. 3. **See and Respond:** - Being a neighbor starts with seeing others—truly noticing their needs. - Loving your neighbor means acting, not just feeling compassion. 4. **Challenge to the Church:** - The church is called to be a community where all are seen and cared for, regardless of differences. - We are to be merciful, welcoming, and accepting, reflecting Christ’s love to all. --- ### Examples from the Pastor - Childhood memories of neighborhoods where everyone looked out for each other, contrasting with today’s isolation. - Modern scenarios where fear or difference might prevent us from helping someone in need. - The historical context: Jews and Samaritans had deep-seated animosity, yet the Samaritan is the one who acts as a true neighbor. --- ### Final Exhortation - Jesus’ words, **“Go and do likewise,”** are a direct call to action. - We are not to let fear, prejudice, or inconvenience stop us from showing mercy. - By following Christ’s directive, we participate in God’s healing and reconciling work in the world. --- ### Summary of Key Points 1. God calls us to love without boundaries or conditions. 2. Our neighbor is anyone in need, regardless of differences. 3. Mercy requires action, not just intention. 4. The church and individual believers are to embody this radical, inclusive love in daily life. --- ## 👥 Engagement and Application - **Marginalized Inclusion**: - Repeatedly named "others" who are often excluded: different races, faiths, sexualities, political affiliations. - **Practical Application**: - Direct challenge to see and respond to those on society's margins without precondition. - Encouraged listeners to move from analysis to action, confronting fear of difference. - **Interactive Elements**: - Provocative rhetorical questions as engagement tools: "Is my neighbor only those I trust? Those like me?" - Imaginative scenarios prompting listeners to reflect on real-world responses. --- ## 📖 Scripture Breakdown ### Primary Scripture - **Luke 10:25–37**: The Parable of the Good Samaritan. ### Usage - Unpacked each character’s role to illustrate compassion, religious obligations, and human fear. - Showed that the Samaritan’s act transcended cultural hatred, prioritizing human need over tribal identity. ### Theological Implications - **Equity**: Mercy as a divine imperative, not an optional extra. - **Justice**: True neighborliness demands dismantling systemic biases and acting beyond safe zones. - **Inclusion**: Stressed universality of God’s love, challenging sectarian and tribal mentalities. --- ## 🧠 Logical Reasoning ### Positive Reasoning 1. **Sound Deductive Reasoning** - Premise: Jesus commands unconditional love and mercy. - Conclusion: We must show mercy to all, regardless of differences. - **Strength**: Tightly connects scripture to ethical imperatives. 2. **Strong Inductive Reasoning** - Observation: Fear and division are common today, as they were then. - Conclusion: We must intentionally cross those divisions. - **Strength**: Real-life examples of cultural fear validated this conclusion. 3. **Valid Syllogisms** - All followers of Christ are commanded to love neighbors. - All humans are potential neighbors. - Therefore, Christians must show love to all humans. - **Strength**: Simple, logical clarity. 4. **Causal Reasoning** - Fear prevents action → Fear breeds division → Mercy interrupts this cycle. - **Strength**: Cause-and-effect structure deepened urgency. 5. **Consistent Analogies** - Roadside scenarios modernized ancient parable effectively. - **Strength**: Helped listeners imagine practical, real-world applications. 6. **Balanced Views** - Acknowledged reasons priest and Levite might have hesitated (ritual impurity, fear of ambush). - **Strength**: Avoided simplistic villainizing; invited nuanced understanding. 7. **Appeal to Facts/Evidence** - Historical context (Jewish-Samaritan conflict) rooted lesson in reality. - **Strength**: Enhanced credibility and depth. 8. **Ethical Reasoning** - Emphasized moral imperative over legalistic or tribal boundaries. - **Strength**: Called listeners to higher moral ground. ### Identified Fallacies - **Red Herring (Potential)** - Long exploration of priests’ possible fears could distract from main moral focus. - **Weakness**: Risked shifting sympathy to non-actors instead of centering on the Samaritan's action. - **Improvement**: Briefly acknowledge without letting it overshadow the core call to mercy. --- ## 📚 References ### Sources - **Biblical Text**: Luke 10:25–37. - **Cultural Context**: Jewish-Samaritan relations, Mosaic law on purity. - **Missing Voices**: - No explicit citations from marginalized theologians (e.g., James Cone on neighborly love and Black liberation, Emilie Townes on womanist ethics). - Incorporating such voices could deepen intersectional inclusivity and affirm global Christian diversity. --- ## 🗨 Quotes and Illustrative Stories ### Key Quotes - "Go and do likewise." — Jesus (emphasized repeatedly). - "No rationalizing around it. Go and do likewise." — Preacher’s echo, underscoring urgency. ### Illustrations - **Neighborhood story**: Childhood environment where neighbors watched out for each other, contrasting with today’s isolation. - **Modern road scenarios**: Visualized current social fears (e.g., stopping for strangers when lost, dressed up, alone). - **Cultural breakdown**: Explanation of Samaritan compassion despite ethnic enmity. --- ## 🔄 Calls to Action - **Explicit Calls**: - Help others regardless of difference. - Refuse to let fear dictate mercy. - Cross social, racial, and religious boundaries. - **Equity and Allyship**: - Emphasized acceptance without condition or qualification. - Urged community to embody Christ-like love to marginalized groups. - **Accessibility**: - Repeated phrases helped embed message. - Real-life scenarios made abstract moral principles concrete and actionable. --- ## 💬 Additional Analysis ### Tone of Voice - Warm, challenging, and invitational rather than accusatory. - Encouraged personal responsibility with compassion, avoiding shaming. ### Bias and Inclusivity - Strong commitment to inclusivity, though lacking explicit marginalized theologian voices. - Avoided binary "us vs. them" framing; instead emphasized shared humanity. ### Areas for Further Research - Could include modern examples of "Good Samaritans" from different cultural or religious contexts. - Incorporating perspectives from global south theologians or interfaith sources to broaden the narrative. --- ## ✅ Conclusion This sermon offered a deeply theological yet practically grounded exploration of Jesus’ directive to "go and do likewise." It balanced rigorous scriptural exposition with relatable modern analogies, providing both intellectual depth and emotional resonance. While the message was inclusive and justice-oriented, future iterations could further enrich its power by explicitly citing diverse theologians and using additional visual or kinesthetic supports. --- ✉️ Let us answer Christ’s call — truly, courageously, unconditionally: **Go and do likewise.** --- --- ## 🤝 Sharing - Joys and Concerns - Prayers of the People & The Lord’s Prayer --- ## 💝 Invitation to Giving ### 🎼 Offertory ### 🙏 Offertory Response - *Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow* — #706 Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;   Praise Him, all creatures here below;   Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;   Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen --- ## 🙏 Prayer of Dedication > Generous and loving God, may the gifts we share today and throughout this week nudge us to actually put what we profess into practice. May our giving inspire us to embrace your visions for our world. Enliven our souls to create your realm of justice and peace on earth. Amen. --- ## 🎵 Hymn 🎶 They'll Know We Are Christians We are one in the Spirit; we are one in the Lord. We are one in the Spirit; we are one in the Lord. And we pray that all unity may one day be restored. **Chorus:** And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love, Yes, they'll know we are Christians by our love. We will walk with each other; we will walk hand in hand. We will walk with each other; we will walk hand in hand. And together we'll spread the news that God is in our land. **Chorus:** And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love, Yes, they'll know we are Christians by our love. We will work with each other; we will work side by side. We will work with each other; we will work side by side. And we'll guard each one's dignity and save each one's pride. **Chorus:** And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love, Yes, they'll know we are Christians by our love. All praise to the Father, from whom all things come. And all praise to Christ Jesus, His only Son. And all praise to the Spirit, who makes us one. **Chorus:** And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love, Yes, they'll know we are Christians by our love. --- ## ✨ Commission and Benediction > Be filled with all spiritual wisdom and understanding. > Bear fruit in every good work as you grow in the knowledge of God. > Be strong in God’s and give thanks to the One who has given you a share in the kingdom, the power, and the glory. Amen. ### 🎹 Postlude (seated) > *Service adapted from “Worship Ways” of the United Church of Christ.* --- ## 🤝 Fellowship - Join us in the Narthex for fellowship after worship! --- ## 🎂 Birthdays This Week - 7/14: Cassandra Rzomp - 7/15: Alexis Reichelderfer - 7/16: Charles Reichelderfer - 7/18: Grace Kongkeattikul --- ## 🙏 Worship Participants | Role | Name | |-------------------|----------------------------| | Pastor | Rev. Peter Emig | | Organist | Barbara Motichka | | Deacon in Charge | Sarah Myers | | Lector | Diana Macfarlane | | Children's Corner | Roxanne Davenport | | Media Coordinators| Calvin Frantz | **Bulletin Cover**: *The Good Samaritan* from JESUS MAFA, Art in the Christian tradition, Vanderbilt Divinity Library. --- ## 🌼 Flowers at the Foot of the Cross - Given to the Glory of God. --- ## 🌟 St. John's Vision > We are called to love, to learn, to worship and to witness in Christ as a congregation that welcomes everyone, and seeks service that will advance God’s realm on earth. ## 💖 St. John's Mission > To grow in love of God and neighbor.