News

Altar Flowers

We have recently had questions concerning altar flowers. Many of our members choose to designate altar flowers in honor of someone or in memory of a loved one. Arrangements and payment for the arrangement are made by the donor. Liners for the oblong brass vase and the two tall brass vases are available for the florist of choice to use. The Donald Duhn Memorial designated for altar flowers is used when flowers have not been contributed by a member. As always, Nina is a great resource for any questions regarding this process.

Let’s Feed Our Children-Individual Pasta Drive

Help the United Way serving FREE meals for children in Whiteside County. Please donate individual servings of pasta (15,000+ servings will be needed this summer). The most popular choices are Easy Mac, Chef Boyardee style of pasta, ramen noodles, and chicken noodle soup.
Donations may be accepted at your church or at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Sterling. Donations can be dropped off Monday, May 15-Friday, May 19 from 9am-4pm.
Questions? Contact United Way at 815.625.7973 or kolson@uwwhiteside.org.

April & May Special Offerings

The Congregation Council voted to designate the April and May Special Offerings to the Whiteside County School Supply Closet. This ministry is located near and operated by the Trinity United Methodist Church on Second Avenue in Sterling. As with most ministries, the events of the last couple of years have caused an increase in need throughout our communities. This program provides free school supplies to students in the entire area. There are no restrictions—those who come to the door receive help. Pastor Jacob shared that last year the line of students was extremely long. Please invest in the futures of our youth by considering a generous donation to this important ministry.

The Youth Palm Sunday Breakfast is Coming!

Mark your calendars for April 2nd! The Youth Palm Sunday Breakfast is coming! This Youth lead event is always a highlight of our congregation. The free will offering collected during breakfast helps support programming for youth events like the Quake and National Youth Gathering. Families look for the crew sign-up on March 5th to indicate if you’d like to help with Set-up, Kitchen Team, Serving, and Clean-up Crew.

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.

Lenten Self Denial Offering

The Congregation Council is pleased to announce that the April House Children’s Advocacy Center located in Morrison has been named the charitable organization to receive all Lenten Self-Denial offerings. To understand what a Children’s Advocacy Center is, you must first understand what children face without one. Without an advocacy center, the child may end up having to tell the worst story of his or her life over and over again to doctors, police, lawyers, therapists, investigators, judges, and others. They may have to talk about that traumatic experience in a police station where they think they may be in trouble or may be asked the wrong question by a well-meaning adult that could hurt the case against the abuser. When police or child protective services believe a child is being abused, the child is brought to the advocacy center—a safe, child-focused environment. At the child advocacy center, the child tells their story once to a trained interviewer who knows the right questions to ask in a way that does not traumatize the child. Then, a team that includes medical professionals, law enforcement, mental health, prosecution, child protective services, victim advocacy, and other professionals makes decisions together about how to help the child. This is called the multidisciplinary team response and is a core part of the work of the children’s advocacy center. The advocacy center offers referrals to therapy, medical exam, courtroom preparation, victim advocacy, and other services deemed helpful to the child and family.

Please prayerfully consider the April House Children’s Advocacy Center as you make decisions concerning your self-denial offering during this Lenten season. As siblings in the Christian faith, we are called to care for the youngest members who have had to face unthinkable circumstances.

Northern Illinois Synod Women of the ELCA 2023 Retreat-Women at the Well

John 4:11b “Where do you get that living water?”

Saturday, April 29, 2023, 9:00 AM-3:00 PM

Lutheran Outdoor Ministries Center, Oregon, IL

Program and worship led by Pastor Makayla Dahleen, St. Paul Lutheran Church, Sterling, IL

Study will address the story of the woman at the well, John 4:1-42. Bibles are optional for the participants to bring for this retreat. Covid immunizations are highly recommended. Find out more at: nisynod.org/events!

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.
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