Buddy Bag Packing Rescheduled
February 25, 2026
The March 11 Buddy Bag packing has been rescheduled for April 1. While April 1 may be April Fools Day, hunger is no laughing matter.
The March 11 Buddy Bag packing has been rescheduled for April 1. While April 1 may be April Fools Day, hunger is no laughing matter.
Hello St. John’s youth and families,
It’s time to be preparing for the Palm Sunday Breakfast.
In the years since Gerad left the staff, Michelle and I have done our best to coordinate the breakfast and try to maintain the eggs and pancakes breakfast we’ve all come to know.
We are now looking for those who will take on coordinating this event. It doesn’t have to try to replicate what has happened in the past and can become something very different.
The heart of this event has always been an opportunity to help raise funds for youth activities our congregation provides and by extension an opportunity for our youth to serve, share, and grow together. I ask that you please prayerfully consider taking on this role.
As always, I’m here for each of you, and I do wish to be of support and guidance for what may come next. If you have any questions or would like to talk more about this possibility, please feel free to contact me.
God’s peace to you,
Pastor Jacob
Lilies are wanted to decorate the chancel for Easter. You can order on the group order or purchase your own. If you purchase your own lily and plan on picking it up, bring it to the church no earlier than April 3 and please place a tag on it with your name. Plants can be picked up after the Easter morning service, Sunday, April 20. Note: Payment should accompany the form. Make checks payable to St. John’s Lutheran Church. Deadline to turn in this form is Monday, March 30. Click here to download a lily order form.
The Social Ministry Committee will be collecting personal care kits March 1st through April 12th. Once again, we will donate the kits to the First United Methodist Church in Sterling for distribution at their Food Bank and in conjunction with their Free Breakfast Program. The folks at First Methodist appreciate our desire to minister with them by supplying these kits!
Donations for this purpose are welcome if you prefer that the committee shop and assemble on your behalf. Please include these items in each of the kits:
Assembly instructions: Fold the towel in half. Place the remaining items in the towel, fold and roll so nothing falls out, and secure them with yarn, ribbon, string, or rubber bands.
Nearly 1-in-10 people – 733 million – in our world are hungry. As members of the ELCA, we are called to respond. We are a church that rolls up our sleeves and gets to work. In the U.S., 37.9 million people live in poverty. 18 million people are food insecure, an increase of 1 million between 2022 and 2023. Today, over 22 million households must spend at least 30% of their income on housing, mainly because the U.S. lacks enough affordable apartments. Working with and through our congregations, in the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands Lutheran churches overseas and other partners, ELCA World Hunger is uniquely positioned to reach communities in need. From health clinics to microloans, water wells to animal husbandry, community meals to advocacy, your gifts to ELCA World Hunger make it possible for the ELCA to respond, supporting sustainable solutions that get at the root causes of hunger and poverty. Learn more about ELCA World Hunger by visiting https://www.elca.org/our-work/relief-and-development/elcaworld-hunger/our-approach.
The special offerings for March and the Lenten Self-Denial Offerings have once again been designated by the Congregation Council for donation to the First United Methodist Church Loaves and Fishes program. This program, located at 501 Broadway, relies solely on contributions to host a free community breakfast and serve more than 400 breakfasts per week. Volunteers have shared that for many people, this might be the only meal they get during the day. Many of the guests are homeless in our community, and so naturally have food insecurities. This program depends on donations to continue, so please consider making a generous
donation to support this ministry and the growing need for families in our community.
For I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty, and you gave me something to
drink, I was a stranger, and you invited me in. ~ Matthew 25:35
Fitting more plants into your diet can be easy. You might simply adjust a recipe adding some spinach, carrots, cashews, or pumpkin seeds to an entree or salad.
Or you might swap out a snack. “Replace one daily processed snack like cookies with fresh fruit and a small handful of nuts or raw veggies — like bell pepper strips or grape tomatoes dipped in hummus or plain yogurt,”suggests Nancy Oliveira, a registered dietitian at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
Boost your efforts further by replacing one or two meat meals a week with a plant dish. “Beans, lentils, and tempeh have a hearty texture,” Oliveira says. “Or make a meatless chilli with beans, or a bean and vegetable stew. Add firm diced tofu to either dish to make it even heartier.”
If you’re craving something meaty, think umami. “That’s the deeply rich sensation you get from meat.” Oliveira says. “One dish that might give you that umami feeling is a stew of lentils, sauteed mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, and chopped sweet potatoes. Add spices that appeal to you.”
From the Harvard Health Letter. Submitted by Nancy Rasmussen, Parish Nurse
The Sidewalk Prophets will be in Naperville in April for “An Acoustic Evening with Sidewalk Prophets.” With 900 million streams and 588,000 monthly listeners, this will be an evening you won’t want to miss. The Sidewalk Prophets have played at Red Rocks, K-Love Cruise, Ryman Auditorium and the Grand Ole Opry; performed the National Anthem at Wrigley Field; and have five chart-topping Christian hits.
The concert will be at 7pm Thursday, April 9th at Alleluia! Lutheran Church, 4055 S. Book Road, Naperville. Tickets are on sale now and expected to sell fast. Tickets are $20 each, plus fees, with options for early entry and VIP access. Visit sidewalkprophets.com for tickets.
PLEASE NOTE: there have been third party ticket scamming attempts for Sidewalk Prophet tickets. All tickets should be purchased through EVENTBRITE or through the SIDEWALK PROPHETS OFFICIAL WEBSITE.
Here are recommendations to stave off Alzheimer’s disease, courtesy of Harvard neuroscientist Rudolph
Tanzi.
From the Harvard Health Letter. Submitted by Nancy
Rasmussen, Parish Nurse
YWCA Domestic Violence Program and Sexual Assault Program. Donations help support the 24-hour Hotline: The crisis line is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Phones are answered by trained professionals. YWCA can help callers access emergency services including safe shelter, medical care, obtaining Orders of Protection and much more. 815-626-7277 or 815-288-1011.