In this Issue

Table of Contents Pastor Marv’s Greeting .. 2

Council President ............ 3

Council Highlights .......... 4

The Church Mouse ......... 5

Worship Highlights ......... 6

Save the Date ................... 6

Call Committee ............... 7

Fearless Youth .............. 8-9

Music Ministry .............. 10

“SOS” ............................. 11

Women’s Bible Study ... 11

Spirited 50’s ................... 12

Survivor Celebration .... 13

Empty Bowls .................. 13

Men’s Bible Study ......... 14

Women’s Ministry ........ 15

White Elephant Sale ..... 16

Birthdays & Anniv ........ 17

Prayers ........................... 17

Staff ................................ 18

The Eagle

Saint John’s

Lutheran Church

A Christ-Driven Church! Building Faith & Family, Fellowship & Service

September 2016

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Greetings, Big changes are in the air. After a July here in Arroyo Grande with the temperature averaging 71 and in August 72, September is supposed to range all the way up to 73. I’m just going to have to adjust. Kidding aside, we live next that most constant of temperature regulators, the Pacific Ocean. Tourists come in droves to the ocean to frolic for a week or two. But for us it’s always there. We probably only notice the sea on our drive to Costco. Saint John’s has changes underway too. Just like our everyday lives, churches go through changes. Location, pastors, worship times; lots of

changes. But the constant, the big regulator, is the church family. Like any family, some of us like rock music and some classical. Some like lutefisk, some choke on it. I even hear there are SF Giant fans in the pews. With all that we are still bound together as a family. We gather together in the name of the Triune God; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Christ promises to be there with us. We treasure that time together. Worship doesn’t end with “Go in peace, serve the Lord.” Our worship continues with our time in the classrooms, the com-mons, and Ouimette Hall. We do fellowship well because it is part of worshipping the Lord. As we read in Scripture, Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faith-ful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another (Hebrews 10:23-25). This is a time of change. Kids are back to school. The deluge of tourists is calming down. Here at Saint John’s the discernment of God’s next direction is underway. Realize we are all still here together as a family. We have our likes and dislikes. We differ at times. But the love of Christ is alive for us in our church family. We support each other as always. We pick up our long time saints with the bus to bring our heritage among us. In short, we do family well.

May God continue to bless this gift He has bestowed on us. Grace, mercy, and peace to us all,

Pastor Marv

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SEEK YE FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS

HELLO EVERYONE AS YOU READ THIS MESSAGE, MUCH WILL HAVE TAKEN PLACE SINCE THE AUGUST EAGLE. THE CANDIDATE FOR SENIOR PASTOR OFFERED BY THE CALL COMMITTEE

WILL HAVE BEEN INTRODUCED, MET WITH, AND WILL HAVE PREACHED AT BOTH SERVICES ON SUNDAY THE 28TH. MEANWHILE… Budget considerations will have begun mid August as well as preparations for Steward-

ship emphasis which will be the month of October. The contract with the Gas Company was signed by Treasurer Patti Roberts. Through the

efforts of the Property Committee, an additional $10,000 was offered by the Gas Co. for a rail fence rather than for replacement of another hedge.

The Angel Fund tithe which was to be sent to China Service Ventures Mission will be

placed in the Global Missions CSVM Acct. for use at a different time, in as much as CSVM was essentially brought to a close by the China Government.

The Council is seeking a replacement for Jean Wilson (who chose to step down) for the

Columbarium responsibilities; volunteers needed to continue her work. Preparations for the Anniversary Jubilee Celebration are gaining momentum.

NOMINATION COMMITTEE FOR NEXT YEAR’S COUNCIL WILL MEET MID OCTOBER.

As a Church Body Of Jesus Christ, please prepare your hearts for service. Consider it a privilege to be asked as well as a privilege to serve. All those who are called will have been vetted and deemed qualified. So if you are called and asked to “Prayerfully Consider,” please do just that; then if the Holy Spirit places it on your heart, the next step is up to you. Aram Kermoyan president

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COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS from Saturday, July 9, 2016

Here are some highlights from the Church council’s August Meeting. Of the biggest news

is that the Church council unanimously accepted the recommendation of the Call Commit-

tee and to further the process of inviting a candidate to meet the congregation and also to

give a sermon for both services later this month. Please remember that we are all in a time

of discernment, including the candidate. While we are all still in “interview mode”, it is

very important that none of us do anything that could undermine that candidate’s relation-

ship with or ministry at their current congregation, so for now the candidate remains uni-

dentified.

Pastor Marv noted and of importance is that Officer ‘Fitz’ from the AG Police department

drove through our parking lot doing a routine checkup. His concern is there is a new

group of folks traveling through the area and is worried about smash and grab crime in our

parking lot. He wants to remind people to lock and secure their vehicles, and not be undu-

ly alarmed but be vigilant and aware of the current circumstances in our area. Also Pastor

Marv found a ton of old photos that could be used for a presentation and suggested that if

anyone else have any photos to share to bring them in.

We are looking for a few good members to assist on the Transportation Ministry. If you

are interested, please contact Jeff Metcalfe or Ron Werner

+ + + + + + + + + + + +

Income/Expenses: July 2016 YTD

*Income $ 270,419.26 *Expenses $ 277,001.28 Over (Under) $ (6, 582.02 )

July 31 155 Aug. 7 178 Aug. 14 124 Aug. 21 163 Aug. 28 NA

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This, That, & Tidbits Please call, e-mail, send, or bring in any news of your household that would be a blessing for the congregation to know about, to celebrate, or to show loving con-cern

Dear Members of Saint John’s, Patty and I just returned from the wonder-

ful and blessed trip YOU provided for us two years ago on the occasion of our 25 years together. You may remember that I had to cancel the trip last

summer at the last minute because of a debilitating back injury. I am glad to report that

this ol’ body held together just fine for our time on the ancient and biblically connected is-land of Malta, south of Sicily in the western Mediterranean Sea. We stayed at the time

share hotel (one week given us as part of the gift) and our room’s patio overlooked St.

Paul’s Island/statue and St. Paul’s Bay! One big reason I chose Malta was because of the shipwreck due to the horrific storm (see Acts 27&28), God’s provision, Paul’s courageous

faith, and Paul’s hand in bringing Christ to this Island continuously to this day. The many

cathedrals and churches, the ancient ruins, the picturesque streets, buildings, and sidewalk cafes were enthralling. The Knights of St. John recapturing Malta from the muslims in

1565, the fortifications that define the city walls, the white limestone of all buildings, the

rocks and stones everywhere, the summer heat, and traditional foods all made for a never to forget trip. Once again, thank you, dear people, for your love! Pastor Randy and Patty

Ouimette

My Dear Saint John’s Family, I want to thank the many many of you who held me up in prayer at this difficult time. Your cards came in abundance with encouragement and love. I felt the Love!! This all started in June. Virus, surgery, which they didn’t want to do, but God was with me. This was followed by a small stroke—results have returned to almost normal –again with God’s help. This was followed with a colon problem which is being treated. My age is against me but God is with me. Thanks to the members of Saint John’s for all your prayers and good wishes, along with Pastor Marv. Flo Sasse

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Worship This Month

Sept 4: 16th Sunday in Pentecost Holy Communion celebrated Summer anthem: Tim Myer/Clarinet, Janice Goodwin/Sax, and Shari Bowman/piano Sept. 11: 17th Sunday in Pentecost Anthem: “More Precious Than Silver” - Cross & Clef Sept 18: 18th Sunday in Pentecost – RALLY DAY Holy Communion celebrated Anthem: “O Lord of Hosts, My God and King” - Chancel Choir

Sunday School and Adult Forum Classes resume Sept. 25: 19th Sunday in Pentecost -Anthem: Heavenly Handbells – “Kum Ba Yah”

St John’s 50th Jubilee Celebration Join the Jubilee – Golden Memories and Vision

Next month – October 29th and 30th, Saint John’s Lutheran Church will celebrate our 50th Anniversary. Be sure and mark your calendars. Festivities will begin at 4 PM on Saturday, and conclude with a reception following Church on Sunday. The highlight of the weekend will be a festive celebration din-ner and program on Saturday. The event will be a Santa Maria Style BBQ catered by Tanner Jacks. Tickets will begin to be available on Sunday, September 18th. Tickets will also be available in the church office after that date. To keep cost to our members reasonable, tickets will be $10, and child mem-bers under 5 are free. If you have historical photos and/or con-tact information of former members, please contact Donna Gillette or Diane Yops .

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We had our first opportunity to gather information and dialogue with the Call Committee regarding our pastoral candidate on Sunday, August 21. The forum included information about the candidate, an opportunity to hear from our two “Traveling Lutherans” who attended a worship service at the candidate’s con-gregation, and a time for questions and answers. Handouts are available in the Commons. Since you may be receiving this newsletter near the end of August, these are other dates of opportunity to participate in our pastoral candidate’s visitation: Saturday, August 27: You will have oppor tunities to meet the candidate, interact, socialize, and ask questions during a luncheon provided by the Coun-cil and Call Committee. This luncheon will take place from 12 NOON to 3:00 pm in the Ouimette Hall. Sunday, August 28: The candidate will preach at both services, and you will have more opportunities to meet, interact, and socialize between and after the services. The month of September offers us an opportunity to reflect, discern, and pray regarding this candidate and our church family. A congregational forum will take place during a Sunday in September, but that date is yet to be finalized. The forum will provide us as a family to deliberate, share thoughts, ask ques-tions, impart wisdom, disclose feelings, and discuss concerns regarding our candidate’s visitation and his fit with our church family.

Stay Tuned! & Keep Praying! In Christ,

Saint John’s Council, Saint John’s Call Committee

REMINDER TO ALL SAINT JOHN’S MEMBERS!

SAINT JOHN’S NEEDS YOU!

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1st Annual Anthony's Seeing Is Believing Pismo Beach

September 17, 2016

START TIME: 8:00AM

LOCATION: Pismo Beach

Register by Sept 10th.

Adults: $20.00 Students (13-18 years): $15.00 Kids (2-12 years): $10.00 Kids (under 2): Free

reTHINK Apologetics

Student Conference (Jr. High - College)

September 23rd (Friday) &24th (Saturday)

Put on by Stand to Reason, the leaders in Christian Apologetics.

Price : $50

Speakers include: J. Warner Wallace, author of Cold Case Christianity

Greg Koukl, author of Tactics for Defending the Faith and founder of Stand to Reason

Sean McDowell, Professor of Apologetics at Biola University

For more info ask Rob Mees and check out rethinkapologetics.com

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To RSVP or Volunteer for any Youth Event contact Rob Mees

Revamped Youth Night: Starting in September Every Wednesday 3pm - 8pm

3pm - 6pm: Homework Help & Dinner 6pm - 7pm: Bible Study

7pm - 8pm: Games

*********************************************

Parents Night Out is Back! September 9th, 6pm-9pm

FREE childcare for both church members and the community.

We ask that all children be potty trained.

We need adult volunteers to help cook the food from 5:00-6:00

and/or to lead a Craft/Bible Story/Sing-a-Long from 7:00-7:30. Please RSVP so we know how many children to have food for.

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NEWS AND NOTES

FROM YOUR MUSIC MINISTRY

By the time you read this, Cross & Clef, Heavenly Handbells and Songfest will already have resumed rehearsals for our fall season – Cross & Clef meet Mon-days at 4:30 p.m., Heavenly Handbells on Mondays at 5:30 p.m., and Songfest on Wednesdays at 6:00 p.m. Chancel Choir rehearsals resume Wednesday, Sep-tember 7 at 6:30 p.m. We are blessed with so much musical talent in our Saint John’s church family, and I would encourage anyone with desire and talent to participate in any of these groups. Cross & Clef as well as Heavenly Handbells is led by Sandy Leg-gett; Songfest by Cal Wood; and Chancel Choir by Janice Goodwin. Having participated in all of these groups, I can assure you that they are FUN and the camaraderie is a huge blessing. And everyone is welcome!! A huge thank-you to all of our musicians as we look forward to their fall and Christmas season offerings. Blessed indeed are those that make a joyful noise unto the Lord! Shari Bowman, Coordinator of Music Ministries

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Five Cities Food Ministry: Bring your Contributions to the wagon in the Commons that is waiting to be filled. Call Eileen, Food Coordinator for Five Cities Food Ministry, 801-4515, for information, or to volunteer.

People’s Kitchen: serves daily noon meals indoors at Pacific Christian Center in Grover Beach. Every day at 11:30 am the host church will conduct a worship and then the worshippers will break into a meal together. Saint John’s is always

the 2nd Tuesday of the month. Call Linda McNair for information about this ministry, or to volunteer your help. Health Ministries Committee: Advance Directive Forms will again be available in the Commons through August. For info contact, Yvonne Stephens . World Hunger (Quarter Hoarder) Appeal Report We continue to marvel at the generosity of the congregation of our little church with a big heart and the willingness to share with those less fortunate.

Dear Sisters in Christ, Our Women's Bible Study group will be starting up again on Thursday, September 8th, at 6:00 pm at Kerry Wood's house, We will continue Book 1 of a 3 book series by James Bryan Smith, THE GOOD AND BEAUTIFUL GOD, FALLING IN LOVE WITH THE GOD JESUS

KNOWS. Books will be available for $10.00. This is a wonderful time for new people to join us-all are welcome-in learning to

identify false narratives (stories/sayings) about God and learning the truth from Jesus. Thinking about what is true changes our minds, our beliefs, and our ac-

tions. "The most important thing you can think, is what you think about God!"

Come and see if you really know who He is. Be transformed by His truth.

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SPIRITED 50’S SATURDAY, AUGUST 13, 2016, 6:00 P.M.

Thank you Schultz’s for a wonderful entertaining evening. It was an evening of fun and games. We started off with a Pictionary type game, split into two competitive teams, with prizes for all on the win-ning team. One member of the team got up and drew a pictorial description of what their teammates were to guess, and the team members had one minute to guess what the item was. There were many guesses offered and it was a nip-and-tuck moment as to which team was going to win, with a lot of laughter going on! We then played a dice game, basically called left, right, & middle. Each participant was provided with three one dollar Spirited 50’s dollars. The individual would then roll three dice, depending upon what they rolled, 1, 2, & 3 you got to keep your dollars, if you rolled a 4 you place a dollar in the middle: if you rolled a 5 you passed a dollar to your right: and if you rolled a 6 you passed a dollar to the left. On your following turns, the number of dice you rolled depended on how many dollars you had left, rolling a maximum of 3 dice. The big winner was the middle pile and the last per-son to have at least one dollar left after everybody else had lost theirs was the over—all big winner. Betty Hanson was the big winner and her prize was the cake yet to be decorated. We then had a lesson on cake decorations. Theresa passed out a chocolate and vanilla cup cake to each individual and then our cake decorating course began. With Theresa decorating a cake for Betty’s prize, she showed us several tricks in decorating. What a beautiful decorated cake,: wish I had a picture to include. We then started decorating our cupcakes, and to everyone’s surprise they all turned out pretty good. Next month we’ll be traveling to the Melodrama to enjoy an evening of entertainment. I think you may be too late to obtain a ticket, but you can give Irene Rodin a call to see if she has any extra tickets left over, or can obtain a seat near us. We discussed the possibility of changing the day or time to meet in the future. At the present TIME THERE ARE NOT ANY CHANGES THAT WILL BE MADE TO OUR MEETING DAY OR TIME. So if you want to come and do not want to drive at night, see if you can obtain a ride with one of the individuals that has signed up to come, or you can call me and I’ll see if I can find someone to drive by and pick you up. We are considering some new ideas, so keep your eyes peeled for a congre-gational e-mail with some suggestions for us to consider. For the future, I have a couple of programs I would like to present if I can obtain the right individual to present the topic for one of them. We need hosts or hostesses for the remainder of the calendar year of 2016. PARTICULARLY WE NEED HOSTS FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER. IF YOU CAN HOST PLEASE LET ME KNOW. I know you want to meet and enjoy the camarader ie of your fellow Chr istian brother s and sisters. So step forward and be a host/hostess. Without your help we won’t meet. Please think about hosting so we don’t miss our opportunities to gather. The host signup sheet for 2016 is posted on the bulletin board, and is located adjacent to the phone in the entrance hall to the Fellowship Hall. Without a host there will not be a chance to gather and fellowship with your Christian Brothers and Sisters. Please either sign the Host signup sheet or call Frank Drake . Please consider hosting twice a year, and try to limit hosts to two couples, or 4-5 people, so we’ll have plenty of hosts to share the fun time. We have posted several suggested activities on the bulletin board so the hosts would have some type of activity to choose from if they did not have one they would like to present. You’ll find the suggested activity list posted in our area. If you can not make a decision as to what the program will be, ask Frank Drake for help. Remember there really isn’t anyone too young or too old to join us and enjoy the fellowship period we have together. If you have not attended our gatherings you do not know what you have missed. It’s light and fun time. Come and find out for yourself.

In HIS Service, FRANK DRAKE

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Men’s Ministry Opportunities – Fall 2016

Men of the Word – Tuesday – Starting up again on September 20. Meets on Tuesdays at 7:30 a.m. at the home of Frank Lebens. This Fall the study will be will be a study of Francis Chan’s book, Multi-ply: Disciples Making Disciples. Call Frank Lebens, for more infor-mation. Anyone interested in starting another small group at a differ-ent day and time, please contact Frank for more information.

Men of the Word Monthly Group Study – Meets on the third Saturday of every month at 9 a.m.

at church. This is a great opportunity for fellowship and bible study.

Women’s Ministry

The mission of the Women’s Ministry is to serve the congregation and community with love and fellowship.

All women of Saint Johns are invited to our Welcome Back Potluck on Wednesday September 14that 12:00. Please bring a salad or main dish to share. Women’s Ministry will provide des-sert. We’ll discuss the calendar for the coming year. If you haven’t attended a Women’s Ministry gathering for a while or are new to St. Johns, please come as our guest.

Women’s Ministry Board: Louise Frye, Ethyl Lenz, Jan Straka &Kay Werner

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Coming Soon!!! White Elephant

& Bake Sale Friday & Saturday - October 7th & 8th

Hours of the sale: Fr iday October 7th- 8:00 AM- 1:00 PM & Saturday October 8th 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM Clothing: We are only accepting Jackets, Coats, Cardigan Sweaters and shoes. Items must be clean, without tears or rips. What to Donate: Household items, glassware/china, antiques, spor ting goods, tools, garden equipment, jewelry, purses, linens, holiday items, books, tapes, CDs, games, toys, small electrical items and appliances and small pieces of furniture. ALL ITEMS MUST BE IN WORKING CONDITION!! What not to Donate: Large pieces of fur niture, magazines, textbooks, wall cabinet, cosmetics, lotions, and perfumes (even if unopened).

We will let you know when donations can be brought to Ouimette Hall.

Rena Weiger & Kay Werner - White Elephant & Bake Sale Co-Chairs

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Dakota, Sharline, Ethel, Kelly, Flo, Dor-othy, Sandy, Karen, Del, Shay, Peggy, Rilla, Wana, Mark’s father and sister, Gene, Bob O., Mike, the Hines, the Fred-sons, Jeff & Mim Nellermoe. Pray for the safety of our firefighters, especially the Ebersole’s granddaughter, Bailey, + Pray for the Call Committee as they move forward in planning the introduc-tion of the Pastoral Candidate to the Church. + Pray for God’s blessings and mercy on our country during this elec-tion time.

2 JACOB DAY

4 FRED TUGGEY

8 JUDY HINES

11 DAWN DRYSDALE

14 ANTHONY SCHULTZ

15, KENT PENNINGROTH

17 NOAH MARTIN

18 SUSAN CARLSON,

20 ALAN KALOIAN,

MEREDITH MALCOLM

21 RILEY STEWART

24 SHERI BOWMAN, RENE MACIE,

25 DAKOTA HAWKS,

NADYA MARCH

26 MICHELE HEIMBACH,

DUSTIN ROBERTS, LOUISE TAYLOR

27 ELLE TERBORCH, DICK SPANGLER

KRISTA BARRETTE

29 ANDREW WINTERBERG

1 STAN & DELENE KECK

3 TOM & JESSICA STEWART

5 GENE & YVONNE STEPHENS

9 CAL & KERRY WOOD

10 STEVE & LINDA CZIRAKI

15 CAROL & HOWARD KOLB

23 FRED & SHARLINE TUGGEY

30 BRECK & PRISCILLA THOMAS

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2016 CHURCH COUNCIL: OFFICERS- PRESIDENT: Aram Kermoyan VICE PRESIDENT: Lynn Kaloian TREASURER: Patti Roberts SECRETARY: David Immel LIAISONS: Children‘s Ministry Mona Hart Adult Growth Ministry Ron Werner Good News Team Diane Yops Property Donna Gillette Social Ministry Lynn Kaloian Stewardship Ralph Miner Worship & Music Aram Kermoyan Youth David Immel

STAFF INTERIM PASTOR Pastor Marv Combs

pastormarvag@hotmail.com DIRECTOR OF YOUTH MINISTRY Rob Mees OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR Cheryl Apfel OFFICE ASSISTANT Pam Glenn BOOKKEEPER Gretchen Weckstein CHANCEL CHOIR DIRECTOR Janice Goodwin HANDBELLS DIRECTOR Sandy Leggett SONGFEST DIRECTOR Cal Wood CHOIR ACCOMPANIST Shari Bowman COORD. MUSIC MINISTRY Shari Bowman ORGANIST Dawn Russ CHILDREN’S SUNDAY SCHOOL Int. Sandy Leggett CHILD. MINISTRY EVENTS COORD. Kathy Lindstaedt CUSTODIAN Candy Brill NURSERY ATTENDANT Michelle Mees MEDIA TECH Tyler Drysdale FINANCIAL SECRETARY Kerry Wood

A Stephen Ministry Congregation

N.A.L.C. our Four Core Values are: *Christ-Centered *Mission-Driven *Traditionally-rounded *Congregationally-Focused

Our Motto : The Little Church with the Big Heart! Our Mission is the Great Commission of our Lord to “Go, make disciples of all nations,” involving us in evangelism and discipleship.

October Newsletter Deadline is September 15th

Thanks to all the volunteers who have been such a blessing to the office. It would be impossible without you!

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