News

New Roof Campaign

Total Construction Services (TCS) will install the new roof on the church in the spring. A deposit of $34,738.50 has been made to secure the pricing and purchase the needed supplies. We are working to develop a plan to raise the remaining funds and replace the monies taken from various accounts for the downpayment. The goal for this campaign is $70,000 and we will keep you updated as plans evolve. All donations will be recorded in the church office and kept confidential. Please consider donating to this cause to maintain the structure of our building.

ELCA World Hunger Committee Speaker

Norm Moline from the ELCA World Hunger Committee will be at St. John’s on April 6th to give a talk in honor of ELCA World Hunger’s 50th Anniversary. He will have a presentation following the service in the fellowship hall. He will also speak for a few minutes during the service. An offering will be collected in honor of the anniversary.

How To Report Spam Text Messages

Unwanted messages are becoming increasingly common methods for scams and fraud. Often these messages may look like they are from someone you know but are really a scam looking for personal information. If you get an unwanted text message, there are three ways to report it:

Garage Sale Days Fundraiser

Plans are underway for another youth ministry fundraiser in conjunction with the Sterling-Rock Falls community wide garage sale days this spring. Do you have items you would be willing to donate to the garage sale? More info will be coming soon, please watch this newsletter and the Sunday announcements insert for updates.

February Special Offerings & Lenten Self-Denial Offerings

Both the Special Offerings for the month of February and the Lenten Self-Denial Offerings have been designated by the Congregation Council to be donated to the Sterling Buddy Bag Program. The need for this community food program becomes more pronounced each month. Food insecurities in our community are related to housing insecurities, and both affect our school-age children. The food is simple, nutritious and something children can prepare without too much effort. The program is sponsored by community churches, public schools, and the Coalition for Community Services (ICCS). Most of us have plenty of food on our tables, but that is not the case for many families. Please consider a generous donation to support this ministry and the growing need for families in our community.

Moving Beyond the Page

Join us for faith, fellowship, and book study on February 13 & 27 at 6:30 pm in the church library. We will be discussing Simply Christian by N.T. Wright. Please speak with Pastor Jacob to learn more.

Altar Guild & Offering Counters Needed!

HELP NEEDED! With the end of the year quickly approaching, new schedules for duties throughout the church will be formulated and mailed. Two such areas where our volunteer base has dwindled are in the weekly offering counting process and setting the table for communion by the Altar Guild volunteers. Offering counters are typically scheduled for one Monday or Tuesday per month and the task usually takes less than an hour. Communion set-up or clean-up is typically scheduled for a month of Sundays and requires less than an hour each week. With fewer volunteers, most people serve both a clean-up and a setup month during the year. With more volunteers, we could decrease the number of times needed for each person to serve. Please contact Dave Geil (499-0437) or Denise Norman (631-9506) if you are willing to join the offering counters. Contact Denise if you would like to join the Altar Guild. It takes all of us to serve within St. John’s. Please consider one or both of these ministry opportunities.

Food Pantry Sunday!

The Congregation Council has once again designated the first Sunday of each month as Food Pantry Sunday. A receptacle will be available for donations. We stopped focusing on this during the pandemic and have not resurrected the practice of intentionally making donations. Considering the increasing need in our community we would like to increase our community involvement once again. All non-perishable food items are acceptable and welcome.

Worship Live Streaming

Please share with family, friends, co-workers, neighbors etc. the following options available to watch or listen to weekly worship with St. John, St. Paul, or Immanuel.

St. John’s Lutheran Church

https://www.youtube.com/@StJohnsSterlingIL/streams is where you can find the livestream every Sunday. There will also be links on the St. John’s website (https://stjohnssterling.org/worship-services/) and on the Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/SterlingStJohns).

St. Paul Lutheran Church

You can access the St. Paul livestream worship through their YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@stpaullutheransterling721/streams

Immanuel Lutheran Church

Is offering toll free phone-in worship at 1-888-975-5536 that is a recording of the worship from the prior Sunday.

Kroger Rewards

St. John’s is a member of the Kroger Community Rewards Program. If you have a Kroger Plus Shopper’s Card, you can earn rewards for the St. John’s Building Fund every time you use it. Just about everything you purchase qualifies, with the exception of alcohol, tobacco, and postage stamps. There is no cost to participate and you’ll still earn fuel points on eligible purchases every time you shop. Signing up is free and easy.

  1. Visit kroger.com/communityrewards.
  2. Sign in to your digital account or create an account.
  3. Choose “I’m a Customer” and click on “View Details.”
  4. Be sure your card is linked to your account.
  5. Select St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church (MU937).
  6. Receive a confirmation, and you’re ready! If you have questions, please contact Nancy Breed at (815) 441-4007. Thanks for your continued support of St. John’s.
Skip to content