2025-11-09 - CourtneyR.dev's 2nd Brain

# St. John's United Church of Christ - November 9, 2025 https://www.youtube.com/live/bQSBwZrQJyQ?si=ejs5awRsWSwuFyDe ## Liturgical Context ### Christian Liturgical Calendar **Season**: Ordinary Time **Week**: 23rd Sunday after Pentecost **Lectionary Year**: C **Liturgical Color**: Green **Christian Observances Today**: None ### Jewish Calendar **Hebrew Date**: 18 Cheshvan 5786 **Month**: Cheshvan (Marcheshvan) **Jewish Observances**: This period falls between the High Holy Days (concluded in October) and Hanukkah (which begins in December). Cheshvan is sometimes called "bitter Cheshvan" because it contains no holidays or festivals, though it is a time of returning to ordinary rhythms after the intense spiritual season of Tishrei. ### Ecumenical & Global Observances None for this particular Sunday, though it falls within the broader season of focusing on stewardship and gratitude leading toward Advent. ### Lectionary Readings (Revised Common Lectionary) **Hebrew Bible/Old Testament**: Amos 5:14-15, 21-24 **Psalm**: Psalm 70 **Epistle/New Testament**: Not specified in bulletin **Gospel**: John 7:37-44 ### Connection to Today's Message The 23rd Sunday after Pentecost in Ordinary Time provides an appropriate context for the prophetic message of Amos, which calls God's people back to justice and righteousness in the midst of everyday life. The green of Ordinary Time reminds us that the work of justice is not reserved for special seasons but is the daily bread of faithful living. The prophet's cry—"let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream"—challenges comfortable religion with the demand for authentic worship that manifests in care for the poor and vulnerable. The Jewish calendar context in Cheshvan, the "ordinary" month without festivals, mirrors this call to faithfulness in the mundane rhythms of life rather than only in extraordinary moments. --- ## Order of Worship ### Gathering **Theme**: Amos: Justice Rolls Down #### 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 #### Passing of the Peace _"The peace of Christ be with you"_ — _"And also with you"_ #### Chiming of the Trinity & Prelude ### Call to Worship _written by Rev. Mindi, posted on her Rev-o-lution blog_ Are you awake? Are you alert? **Christ is coming into our lives in a new way.** Are you watching the signs? Are you interpreting what is happening today? **Christ is coming into our lives in a new way.** Do you see opportunities for ministry? Do you see the poor, the homeless, the hungry, the needy? **Christ is coming into our lives in a new way.** Come, let us worship and let us work in the reign of God. **Christ has extended the invitation:** **let us work together in the reign of God on earth.** ### Hymn #689 - Let Justice Flow Like Streams **Verse 1:** Let justice flow like streams of sparkling water, pure, enabling growth, refreshing life, abundant, cleansing, sure. **Verse 2:** Let righteousness roll on as others' cares we heed, an ever-flowing stream of faith translated into deed. **Verse 3:** So may God's plumb line, straight, define our measure true, and justice, right, and peace pervade this world our whole life through. _WORDS: Jane Parker Huber, 1984 (Amos 5:14-15, 24; 7:7-8)_ _MUSIC: Aaron Williams, 1763_ _Words © 1984 Jane Parker Huber (Admin. by Westminster John Knox Press)_ _ST. THOMAS, SM, Lower key, No. 262_ --- "Let Justice Flow Like Streams" ### Call to Confession _from Feasting on the Word Worship Companion_ Beloved, we are called to live in right relationship with God by loving one another. Therefore, let us confess our sins to the One who pardons and forgives. ### Prayer of Confession _from Feasting on the Word Worship Companion_ **Loving God, we confess that we have sinned against you by not honoring you or loving one another. When we ignore injustice in the world our worship brings you no delight. Make haste to help us, that we may stand in right relationship with you and the whole of your creation and sing your praises through the mercy of Christ, our resurrected Savior. Amen.** ### Kyrie _Hymnal Companion C-4_ ### Assurance of Grace _from Feasting on the Word Worship Companion_ Sisters and brothers and siblings, rejoice and be glad, for God is mighty to save and comes to you in peace to forgive, restore, and strengthen you eternally in Christ. ### Hymn #704 "Glory Be to the Father" --- ## Scripture and Sermon ### Scripture Reading John 7:37-44 > [!bible]+ [John 7:37-44 - AMP](https://bolls.life/AMP/43/7/) > 37. Now on the last and most important day of the feast, Jesus stood and called out [in a loud voice], "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink! > 38. He who believes in Me [who adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Me], as the Scripture has said, 'From his innermost being will flow continually rivers of living water.'" > 39. But He was speaking of the [Holy] Spirit, whom those who believed in Him [as Savior] were to receive afterward. The Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified (raised to honor). > 40. Listening to these words, some of the people said, "This is certainly the Prophet!" > 41. Others said, "This is the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed)!" But others said, "Surely the Christ is not going to come out of Galilee, is He? > 42. Does the Scripture not say that the Christ comes from the descendants of David, and from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?" > 43. So the crowd was divided because of Him. > 44. Some of them wanted to arrest Him, but no one laid hands on Him. %% #John7 %% ### Responsive Reading Psalm 70 (The Inclusive Bible) O God, save me! YHWH, help me, and hurry! **Let those who seek my life be humiliated and dazed! Let those who wish me harm flee in disgrace!** Those who jeer, "Aha! Aha!" – make them retreat, covered with shame! **Let all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you! Let those who love your salvation forever say, "God is great!"** As for me, I am wretched and poor, my God – hurry to my side! **You are my rescuer, my help; YHWH, do not delay.** ### Reception of New Members _(please follow along on the screen)_ ### Anthem "Standing on the Promises" — R. Kelso Carter ### Children's Message Roxanne Davenport _Children's Corner will be offered following the Children's Message_ ### Scripture Reading Amos 1:1-2; 5:14-15, 21-24 > [!bible]+ [Amos 1:1-2 - AMP](https://bolls.life/AMP/30/1/) > 1. The words of Amos, who was among the sheepherders of Tekoa, which he saw [in a divine revelation] concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake. > 2. And he said, "The LORD thunders and roars from Zion [in judgment] And utters His voice from Jerusalem; Then the pastures of the shepherds mourn, And the summit of [Mount] Carmel dries up [because of God's judgment]." %% #Amos1 %% > [!bible]+ [Amos 5:14-15 - AMP](https://bolls.life/AMP/30/5/) > 14. Seek (long for, require) good and not evil, that you may live; And so may the LORD God of hosts be with you, Just as you have said! > 15. Hate evil and love good, And establish justice in the [court of the city] gate. Perhaps the LORD God of hosts Will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph [that is, those who remain after God's judgment]. %% #Amos5 %% > [!bible]+ [Amos 5:21-24 - AMP](https://bolls.life/AMP/30/5/) > 21. "I hate, I despise and reject your [sacred] feasts, And I do not take delight in your solemn assemblies. > 22. "Even though you offer Me your burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them; And I will not even look at the peace offerings of your fattened animals. > 23. "Take the noise of your songs away from Me [they are an irritation]! I shall not even listen to the melody of your harps. > 24. "But let justice run down like waters And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream [flowing abundantly]. %% #Amos5 %% # 📑 Sermon --- ### 🕊️ Sermon - **👤 Preacher:** Rev. Caroline E. Saxton - **🧾 Title:** Justice at the Gate: Let Justice Roll Down - **🎯 Theme:** Justice — Amos: Justice Rolls Down --- ### 🗒️ Sermon Summary - 🔎 **Central Message:** Worship without justice misses God’s heart. Amos 5 rejects performative religion and commands tangible, communal justice that centers the poor and the vulnerable—framed as core Christian discipleship, not optional activism. - 🗓 **Liturgical/Thematic Focus:** Strong tie to the lectionary text (Amos 5:14–15, 21–24). The prophetic critique—“let justice roll down like waters”—drives the service’s through-line. - ✅ **Score:** **5/5** --- ### 🎙️ Preaching Style Assessment - 🧭 **Primary Styles:** Prophetic + Textual (rooted in Amos), with brief Narrative (discernment-committee anecdote) and a Deductive frame (thesis announced early). - 🧪 **Blend of Styles:** Integrated well; prophetic urgency stays tethered to the passage. - 🎯 **Appropriateness:** Amos demands a justice-first homily; the style fits both text and socially engaged congregation. - ✅ **Score:** **5/5** --- ### 🧵 Storytelling & Illustration - 🗣️ **Use of Stories/Analogies:** Personal call story; justice witnesses (Fannie Lou Hamer, MLK, Desmond Tutu); contemporary voice (Rachel Held Evans). These expand moral imagination and connect scripture to lived struggle. - 🌍 **Inclusivity:** Names women and liberationist voices (Hamer, Evans, Gutiérrez, de la Torre), widening the canon of exemplars. - ⚖️ **Balance with Scripture:** Illustrations support Amos rather than overshadow it. - ✅ **Score:** **4/5** --- ### 🗣️ Intonation & Delivery - 🎼 **Vocal/Pacing (from transcript cues):** Emphatic refrains (“let us stand for justice”), rhetorical contrasts, pastoral warmth. - 🧑‍🏫 **Learning Styles:** Strong for auditory learners; no explicit visuals or gestures described. - ✅ **Score:** **3/5** --- ### 📝 Content Structure - 🔰 **Shape:** Reading → Prayer → Amos context → Contemporary parallels → Voices/quotes → Concrete invitations. - 🔗 **Transitions:** Clear (“First…”, “Let us…”). - 🧠 **Retention Aids:** Refrains on justice/righteousness; could add a brief concluding recap. - ✅ **Score:** **4/5** --- ### 👥 Engagement & Application - 👐 **Participants, not spectators:** Inclusive “friends… let us…” language. - 🧩 **Inclusion:** Names the last and least; calls for mercy and advocacy (resonates with Matt 25; Acts 2). - 🛠️ **Actionable:** Feed, welcome, resist dehumanization; link worship to systemic change. - ✅ **Score:** **5/5** --- ### 📖 Scripture Handling - 📜 **Texts Used:** Amos 5:14–15, 21–24 (explicit). Echoes of Amos 8; Isaiah 1; Matt 25; Acts 2 are implied. - 🧭 **Context & Exegesis:** Notes Amos’s background (herdsman/dresser of sycamores) and justice at “the gate” (public courts). Less time on Hebrew terms or the 8th-century economy. - 🧯 **Justice Lens:** Strong—worship critique tied to systemic ethics. - ✅ **Score:** **4/5** --- ### 🧮 Logical Reasoning **✅ Strengths** - 🔧 **Deductive clarity:** Thesis → textual warrant (Amos) → present implications → practices. - 🔁 **Cause & effect:** Empty ritual → divine rejection; justice → faithful worship. **⚠️ Lapses & Improvements** - 🧠 **Hasty Generalization / Bandwagon:** “Every religious and spiritual tradition agrees…”—aspirational but broad. **Fix:** Anchor with exemplars (e.g., Isaiah 1; Matt 25; practices like zakat) or narrow to the biblical witness. - 🧭 **Potential False Dilemma:** “Needs of the many” language can flatten minority protections. **Fix:** Balance with mutual care (1 Cor 12) and considering others’ interests (Phil 2). - 🗣️ **Appeal to Authority (benign):** Quotations bolster ethos; best paired—as done—with textual analysis. - ✅ **Score:** **4/5** --- ### 📚 References - 🏛️ **Scholars/Theologians Cited:** MLK (with Parker’s origination of the “arc”), Desmond Tutu (“gospel, period”), Rachel Held Evans, Fannie Lou Hamer. - 🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 **Marginalized Voices:** Strong inclusion (Hamer, Evans; liberation theology noted); could add more global voices on Amos. - ✅ **Score:** **4/5** --- ### 🗨️ Quotes & Illustrative Stories - ✍️ **Impactful Lines:** - 💧 “Let justice roll down like waters…” (Amos 5:24) - 📐 “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” (Theodore Parker; popularized by MLK) - ✝️ “I don’t preach a social gospel. I preach the gospel, period… the whole person.” (Desmond Tutu) - 📖 “The church is not a group of people who believe all the same things; it’s a group caught up in the same story.” (Rachel Held Evans) - 🧵 **Connection:** Each quote reinforces biblical themes of justice/mercy and the congregation’s lived responsibilities. - ✅ **Score:** **4/5** --- ### 🔄 Calls to Action - 🧺 **Concrete Steps:** Feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, resist dehumanization, align church programs with justice—echoing Matt 25. - 🔉 **Modalities:** Spoken invitations present; add printed steps or a short congregational litany to strengthen uptake. - ✅ **Score:** **5/5** --- ### 🧠 Style Effectiveness Analysis - 🧯 **Fitness to Purpose:** Prophetic-textual approach matches Amos; urgency feels warranted rather than performative. - 🔁 **Alternate Style Paths:** - 🧭 **Fully Expository:** Add historical-critical depth (markets, “gate” courts, *mishpat/tsedaqah*) before application. - 📣 **Prophetic (amplified):** Keep tone; add specific policy/partnerships for local justice initiatives. - 🕯️ **Inductive/Contemplative:** Begin with tension (beautiful worship vs. neglected neighbor), arrive at Amos’s verdict. - 🧑‍🍳 **First-Person Narrative:** A congregant’s pantry-week story could embody the text. - 🧩 **Learning Styles:** Strong for auditory/interpersonal; add visuals or brief participation to engage visual/kinesthetic learners. - ✅ **Score:** **5/5** --- ## 📊 Side-by-Side: Narrative/Topical vs. Fully Exegetical ### 🎙️ Preaching Style | Aspect | Narrative/Topical (this sermon) | Fully Exegetical (proposed) | |---|---|---| | **Primary Style** | Prophetic, textual, deductive | Verse-by-verse with historical-critical notes | | **Stories** | Personal call; justice heroes | Minimal anecdotes; examples from the text’s world | | **Scripture Depth** | Amos 5 as anchor | Amos 5 within Amos 1–9; courts at the “gate,” economy; word studies (*mishpat/tsedaqah*) | | **Application** | Communal practices now | Original meaning → principled bridges → systemic & congregational actions | ### 📖 Scripture Handling | Aspect | Narrative/Topical | Fully Exegetical | |---|---|---| | **Historical Context** | Brief bio of Amos | 8th-century Israel’s wealth gap; market fraud; legal “gate” | | **Word Study** | Not developed | *Mishpat* (justice), *tsedaqah* (righteousness); NT links as needed | | **Justice Lens** | Personal/communal mercy | Structural critique (Amos 8; Isaiah 1) + Acts 2 community economics | | **Cross-References** | Implied | Matt 25; 1 Cor 12 mutuality; Phil 2 humility | ### 🔍 Logical Reasoning | Aspect | Narrative/Topical | Fully Exegetical | |---|---|---| | **Strengths** | Moral clarity; pastoral urgency | Text-driven deductions grounded in context | | **Fallacies to Watch** | Over-generalization; broad consensus claims | Minimized by staying close to textual/historical data | | **Balance** | Ethos via quotations | Ethos via exegesis; quotes as supplements | --- ## 🧪 Fact & Source Notes (quick refs) - 🐑 **Amos’s occupations:** Herdsman and “dresser of sycamore figs” (Amos 7:14); from **Tekoa** (Amos 1:1). - 💧 **Amos’s justice refrain:** Amos 5:14–15, 21–24 (seek good; justice at the gate; worship rejected without righteousness). - 📐 **“Arc of the moral universe”:** Coined by Theodore Parker; popularized by MLK. - ✝️ **Tutu’s line:** Often cited in addresses/interviews summarizing holistic gospel ethics. - 📖 **RHE quote:** See *Inspired* and related essays. **Links:** - Amos 5 — https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Amos+5 - Isaiah 1 — https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+1 - Matthew 25 — https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+25 - Acts 2 — https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+2 - 1 Corinthians 12 — https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+12 - Philippians 2 — https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Philippians+2 - Theodore Parker / MLK context — https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/arc-moral-universe (overview) --- ## 🧭 Tone, Biases, Further Research - 🎙️ **Tone:** Pastoral-prophetic—warm, invitational, ethically insistent; ethos via trusted justice witnesses. - 🧪 **Possible Biases:** Liberationist lean some may hear as “political.” Keep grounding each claim in primary texts (Amos, Isaiah, Matt 25) and explain “justice at the gate” as a biblical, not partisan, category. - 🔬 **Further Research:** - 📚 Word study on *mishpat/tsedaqah* across the prophets. - 🏛️ Socio-economic practices in 8th-century Israel (weights/measures, market fraud). - 🐑 Lexical notes on *nōqēd* (herdsman) and *bōqēr* (cattle breeder) and status implications. --- ## 🧷 Scores At-A-Glance - 🗒️ Sermon Summary: **5** - 🎙️ Preaching Style: **5** - 🧵 Storytelling/Illustration: **4** - 🗣️ Intonation/Delivery: **3** - 📝 Content Structure: **4** - 👥 Engagement & Application: **5** - 📖 Scripture Handling: **4** - 🧮 Logical Reasoning: **4** - 📚 References: **4** - 🗨️ Quotes & Stories: **4** - 🔄 Calls to Action: **5** - 🧠 Style Effectiveness: **5** **🧮 Total:** **52/60** *Note:* If using a 13-category rubric (65 max), split “Summary” into **Central Message** and **Liturgical Integration**. --- ## 🧰 Quick Upgrade Ideas (Next Iteration) - 📚 Add a 90-second exposition on “justice at the gate” with a simple slide. - 🧩 Provide a one-page takeaway with three actions (serve, advocate, give) + local partners tied to Matt 25. - 🧠 Offer a brief word study (*mishpat/tsedaqah*) to serve analytical learners; land in a commissioning prayer. --- ## 🗒️ Sermon Notes (filled) ### ✨ Introduction - 📖 Reading from **Amos 5:21–24**; prayer for God’s living Spirit. - 🧭 Set the stakes: worship that ignores justice misses God’s aim. ### 🧱 Main Points 1. 💧 **God rejects worship without justice** (Amos 5:21–24). 2. 🏛️ **Seek good; establish justice at the gate**—public, systemic ethics (Amos 5:14–15). 3. 🙌 **Discipleship is action:** feed, welcome, resist dehumanization; hope and love act. ### 🧾 Illustrations/Stories - 🧑‍🎓 Discernment-committee anecdote about preaching hard texts. - 🗣️ Fannie Lou Hamer, MLK, Desmond Tutu, Rachel Held Evans; liberation-theology voices (Gutiérrez, de la Torre). ### 🔗 Scripture Connections - 🐑 **Amos 1:1; 7:14** — Amos of **Tekoa**, herdsman/sycamore dresser. - 💧 **Amos 5:14–15, 21–24** — justice and righteousness as covenantal fidelity. - 🥖 **Matthew 25** — mercy as the measure of faithfulness. - 🤝 **Acts 2** — shared life and economic care. - 🧩 **1 Cor 12; Phil 2** — mutuality and others-first mindset. ### 🗨️ Key Quotes - 💧 “Let justice roll down like waters…” - 📐 “The arc of the moral universe…” (Parker; popularized by MLK). - ✝️ “I preach the gospel, period… the whole person.” (Tutu) - 📖 “Caught up in the same story.” (R. H. Evans) ### 🧎 Personal Reflections - 🌟 **What spoke to me:** The insistence that worship and justice are inseparable. - ❓ **Questions raised:** Where do our liturgies resist or ignore the neighbor’s need? - ❤️ **Challenges/Convictions:** Move from sentiment to structural action. - 🕯️ **Liturgical Context:** Prophetic texts in Ordinary Time (or a justice-focused observance) deepen the call to align worship with weekday ethics. ### 🧭 Applications - 📅 **This week I will:** - [ ] Volunteer or donate to a local food ministry. - [ ] Learn one policy issue affecting the poor locally and contact a representative. - [ ] Memorize **Amos 5:24** and pray it daily. - 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 **People to pray for:** Hungry neighbors; asylum seekers; local leaders and caseworkers. - 📚 **Follow-up study:** Read Amos 1–9; word study on *mishpat/tsedaqah*; skim an intro to liberation theology. ### 🔗 Connections - 🔗 Related sermons/notes on prophetic worship and social holiness. - 📘 Books: Walter Brueggemann, *The Prophetic Imagination*; Gustavo Gutiérrez, *A Theology of Liberation*. --- ## Response ### Ordination and Installation of Deacons and Elders _(on the screen)_ ### Sharing of Joys and Concerns ### Prayers of the People and the Lord's Prayer (Debts) ### Invitation to Giving ### Offertory ### Offertory Response #706 "Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow" ### Prayer of Dedication _from Feasting on the Word Worship Companion_ **O great and loving God, we give you thanks that you have given your faithful people a love for justice and the gift of generosity. Bless these gifts and with them reveal your righteousness as we await the coming of your peace. Amen.** ### Hymn #688 - Show Us How to Stand for Justice **Verse 1:** Show us how to stand for justice: how to work for what is right, how to challenge false assumptions, how to walk within the light. **Verse 2:** Teach our hearts to treasure cy, whether given or received; trace a lifestyle modeled on Your living Word, in humility submitting to the truth that we have heard. **Verse 3:** Gladly we embrace a life-style modeled on Your living Word, for our need has not diminished since the day we first believed: in humility submitting to the truth that we have heard. **Verse 4:** May we learn to share more freely in a world so full of greed, let us seek no satisfaction boasting of what we have done, Make us conscious of Your presence every day, in all we do: **Verse 5:** showing Your immense compassion by the life we choose to lead. but rejoice that we are pardoned and accepted in Your Son. by Your Spirit's gracious prompting may we learn to walk with You. _JUSTICE_ --- "Show Us How to Stand for Justice" ### Commission & Benediction ### Postlude (seated) _Our Fall Congregational Meeting will be held after worship today!_ --- ## Hymns ### Hymn #689 - Let Justice Flow Like Streams **Verse 1:** Let justice flow like streams of sparkling water, pure, enabling growth, refreshing life, abundant, cleansing, sure. **Verse 2:** Let righteousness roll on as others' cares we heed, an ever-flowing stream of faith translated into deed. **Verse 3:** So may God's plumb line, straight, define our measure true, and justice, right, and peace pervade this world our whole life through. _WORDS: Jane Parker Huber, 1984 (Amos 5:14-15, 24; 7:7-8)_ _MUSIC: Aaron Williams, 1763_ _Words © 1984 Jane Parker Huber (Admin. by Westminster John Knox Press)_ _ST. THOMAS, SM, Lower key, No. 262_ --- ## Leadership ### Worship Participants |Role|Name| |---|---| |Pastor|Rev. Caroline E. Saxton| |Organist|Barbara Motichka| |Deacon in Charge|Peg Bryner| |Lector|Chani Wolfe| |Children's Corner|Chani Wolfe| |Media Coordinators|Neath Ham and Heidi Ramos| |Bulletin Cover|"Fannie Lou Hamer" icon by Kelly Latimer, from **Art in the Christian Tradition**, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN| --- ## News and Announcements ### This Week's Events #### Today - Sunday, November 9 - **Habitat Check Presentation**: Official check presentation to Habitat will take place during worship - **Fall Congregational Meeting**: Held directly after worship - **Bible Study**: Book of Acts, Chapter 20, 8:00 pm via Zoom (link in Friday e-blast) #### Monday, November 10 - **10:00 am** - Chi Gong/Zazen silent body energy and soulful meditation — Parlor Room 104 - **1:30 pm** - Monday Afternoon Book Study (Ch. 8) — Conference Room 111 - **7:00 pm** - Boy Scouts — Fellowship Hall #### Tuesday, November 11 - **Church Office Closed in Observance of Veteran's Day** - **5:30 pm** - Yoga — Room 202 - **6:00 pm** - Ladies' Bible - Zoom #### Wednesday, November 12 - **11:30 am** - Ladies Luncheon — Italian Village on Route 11 #### Thursday, November 13 - **6:00 pm** - Talk on Penn Mar Park with Mike Marotte — Fellowship Hall - **6:15 pm** - Girl Scouts — Room 116 - **7:15 pm** - Choir Rehearsal — Choir Room 103 #### Sunday, November 16 - **8:45 am** - Godly Play Class — Room 119 - **8:45 am** - SPARK! Elementary Church School Class — Room 115 - **8:45 am** - Teen Discussion Class — Room 206 - **8:45 am** - Wired Word Church School Class — Room 116 - **10:00 am** - Sunday Worship — Sanctuary - **1:00 pm** - PEO Auction Doors Open and Silent Auction begins — Fellowship Hall - **2:00 pm** - PEO Live Auction Begins — Fellowship Hall ### Special Announcements #### Birthdays This Week - **11/10** - Joanne Slothower - **11/11** - Nancy Harrison - **11/13** - William Hughes and Angela Miller #### Flowers at the Foot of the Cross The Flowers at the Foot of the Cross are given in celebration of our 70th wedding anniversary on November 12 by John and Nina Widmann. #### Angel Tree and Hoffman Homes Gift Tags Angel Tree tags are now available to be picked up. Angel Tree tags are on the Christmas tree in the lobby; Hoffman Homes' tags are on the Christmas tree in the church office. Consult the November Spirit or contact Pastor Caroline re: gift guidelines. #### Talk on Penn Mar Park Join Mike Marotte on Thursday, November 13, 6 pm in Fellowship Hall for a presentation on the historic Penn Mar Park! #### St. John's Nursery School Will be selling The Butcher Shoppe cookie dough and coffee again this year, as well as pizza and sub coupons, after worship on Sundays, November 9 and 16. Deliver of coffee and cookie dough will be in early December. #### Totenfest Will be Sunday, November 23, the last Sunday of the church year. We will remember with love and thanksgiving those members of our faith community who have died during the past year. We also wish to include the people in your lives who have transitioned to be with God since our last observance of Totenfest on November 24, 2024. Please contact Pastor Caroline by Monday, November 17, with the name of the person you wish to be remembered, along with their date of death, so that we can honor them during the service and in the bulletin. #### Church Directory Update As we work to finalize our new photo directory, we need your updated contact information. If your address, phone number or email address has changed, please share this with the church office. Thank you! #### November First Fruits Will go toward supporting Heifer International. Heifer's model includes working in economic development, environmental sustainability, food security and nutrition, risk mitigation and women's empowerment and social capital. Partnering with Children and Youth Ministry, our First Fruits will go toward strengthening communities across the globe. Speak with Roxanne Davenport to learn more how you can make a difference. #### Sign Up Now For Cookies for Kids (aka Cookie Walk) on Saturday, December 6! Sign-up sheets are in both lobbies. Contact Roxanne Davenport or Hannah Harman with any questions. #### Thanksgiving Worship Join us on Sunday, November 23, 3:00 pm at Calvary United Methodist Church (150 Norlo Drive, Fayetteville) for the CMC Thanksgiving Community Worship Service. #### Staff Christmas Gifts Are a way we at St. John's honor our talented staff at Christmas. If you would like to participate, please designate "Staff Christmas Gift" on your envelope or check; contributions should be submitted by Sunday, December 7, in order for our staff to receive this by Christmas. #### November/December Upper Room Devotionals are currently available at the Welcome Center. We suggest a donation of $1 for small print/$2 for large print copies. If you would like to have a copy mailed to you, please contact the church office. #### Bible and a Beer Is an opportunity to talk about our faith in public. Join us on the 3rd Monday of the month at the Trojan Diner at 6:30 pm. Our next gathering will be November 17. #### Birthday Balloons All are invited to share in a special coffee hour the last Sunday of the month to honor all who celebrated a birthday that month. November birthdays will be honored on **Sunday, November 30**. We hope you'll join us! #### Join us for Life Talk What's on your mind? Just want to talk with other adults for a bit? Grab your snack/coffee & meet in the parlor after worship on Sunday mornings. Everyone is welcome. #### Want to Stay in Touch? Contact the Church Office to be added to our email list! You can sign up to receive our regular weekly emails, Diana's Devotionals, and/or be part of the Prayer Chain. --- ## Church Information ### 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 ### Contact Information **Rev. Caroline E. Saxton**, Pastor [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 ### Worship Resources - Call to Worship by Rev. Mindi, posted on her Rev-o-lution blog - Feasting on the Word Worship Companion - The Inclusive Bible: the First Egalitarian Translation ### Nursery Care The "Nursery Nook in the Narthex" quiet area and infant/toddler space in the Parlor are available for children and families to use during worship. Age-appropriate activity bags are also available. --- _This bulletin is for personal worship and study purposes only._