Easter Cards
March 21, 2025
Sunday School students prepared several Easter cards for shut-ins and those in assisted living. Cards are being distributed throughout April.
Sunday School students prepared several Easter cards for shut-ins and those in assisted living. Cards are being distributed throughout April.
-April 6: Lesson-Paul’s Letters
-April 13: No SS (Palm Sunday Breakfast)
-April 20: Easter Egg Hunt (No SS)
-April 27: Music & Popcorn
Our April Noisy Offerings will go to Lutheran Social Services of Illinois (LSSI). LSSI serves over 38,000 people annually, providing critical programs for Illinois residents each year, including foster care, mental health services, alcohol and drug treatment, affordable senior housing, residential programs for people with developmental disabilities, home care for seniors, and services that help families who have been impacted by incarceration. In preparation for Good Shepherd/LSSI Sunday (May 4), we’ll be collecting a Children’s Noisy Offering to help support the ministry of LSSI as it continues to be a ministry responding to the Gospel to bring healing, justice, and wholeness to people and communities.
Mark your calendars and make plans to join in CommUNITY VBS this summer! Consider having your grandkids or extended family coming to visit during that time and join us for VBS too! CommUNITY VBS is offered for Preschool-5th graders July 20-24 from 5:30-8:00 pm at Immanuel Lutheran (501 8th Ave., Rock Falls). Festivities include a free supper, Bible exploration, music, games, science and arts & crafts! Guard your calendars and plan to volunteer for this life-shaping week too! PLEASE mark your calendars and plan to join us or volunteer for CommUNITY VBS July 20-24!
Mark your calendars for April 13! 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. If you’d like to help with Set-Up, Kitchen Team, Serving, and/or Clean-Up Crew, please see the sign-up outside the sanctuary on the way to the east room.
On Saturday, May 17, St. John’s will be a location again for the community wide garage sale. Item collection for the Community Garage Sale is happening now! A registration for the event will be filed with the Rock Falls Chamber of Commerce, which organizes the event and provides maps showing participating locations. Items donated will temporarily be stored and organized in the Luther Chapel. Tables will be set up in the main parking lot for times during the sale. Those wishing to help participate in the fundraiser by donating items for sale please remember that items may be new or gently used.
Please do not donate any of the following:
Some important dates for grades 6-12:
-April 13: Palm Sunday Breakfast
-April 30 @ 7pm: Community Accompaniment Night (Buddy Bags Packing @ Wesley Methodist)
We host Sunday School classes for all ages from mid-September to mid-May annually. Check the Calendar for exact dates and times of classes.
7th-9th grade students, staff and parent leaders gather each Wednesday evening from September through May with their peers from St. Paul Lutheran Church, Sterling, and Immanuel Lutheran Church, Rock Falls, using the “Co-laborate” Confirmation curriculum. This two-and-a-half-year program involves parent participation, learning, service to others, and safe, fun events led by caring adults.
Our junior high and high school students meet regularly throughout the year for classes, service events, fun events and trips. Events are updated and advertised on the Calendar, and on our Branches Youth & Family Ministries Facebook page.
Each summer St. John’s participates in the Sterling-Rock Falls CommUNITY VBS (a collaboration of local congregations providing VBS as a free 1-week event for families in our communities with Pre-K age 4 through fifth grade). Location moves to a new church location each year. VBS Meets in the evening, Sunday through Thursday, with a free dinner each night.
