A Note from Pastor Bare

Such activities and their countless cousins can keep us from accomplishing richer and more rewarding goals in life. I believe that, but still I watch NETFLIX and enjoy my naps. I wonder though that if over the years I had converted some TV time into practicing the piano, for example, how well I could play the piano by now. Or if I shifted even a fraction of my internet search time to additional Bible search time, how much better versed in the Scriptures would I be? Pleasant activities and diversions are not necessarily a wrongful waste of time. But they do consume precious time and can keep us from pursuing more spiritually, emotionally and physically wholesome pursuits.

It is always good to look at Jesus! Our Savior conducted His life with a sense of urgency and focus, always spending his time wisely and well. “As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.” (John 9:4) We are redeemed because Jesus finished the work of saving sinners. For that compelling reason, we are very careful how we live not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity. (Ephesians 5:15).

(Fourth in series on “Our Use of God’s Gift of Time”)

~ Pastor J. Bare

Worship Update

Greeters for this month:

Altar Committee for December
Kim Kilborn

Congregational Acts
Baptism, 11/15/25
Ayla Shore, daughter of Drew and Yanina (Wingeier) Shore

Received by Profession of Faith, 11/11/25
Grant Connors

Transfer Out, 11/11/25
Janne Hoggard to Mt. Olive, Bay City

Entered Eternal Life
Charles Wieland, 10/28/25
Mike Wieland, 11/13/25
Allen Eichhorn, 11/14/25
Elfriede Nitschmann, 11/16/25
Patricia Behrmann, 11/17/25
Norm Rowell, 11/18/25

Bible Classes

Pastor Bare’s weekend and midweek Bible Studies are taking a break for the Advent/Christmas season. We will resume classes in January.

Evangelism Commitee

New Member and Volunteer Potluck Lunch: We will be having a potluck lunch on Sunday, January 18th, after the 10:00 am service, to meet our new members and thank all of our volunteers that give their time and talents to our congregation. The meat and beverages will be supplied by the Event Group and Evangelism Committee. Look for the sign-up sheet in early January.

Greeters: We are always looking for smiling faces to greet fellow members and visitors. You can sign up as a family, as a couple, or individually. We try to accommodate your worship schedule. If you would like to sign up please feel free to call or leave a message with Becky Behrmann: 920-285-6753.

Event Group

Bake Sale: The Event Committee will be hosting a Bake Sale, December 6th & 7th, after all church services. We are looking for donations of baked goods. These can be dropped off at church on Friday, December 5th, during church office hours (11:00 am – 2:30 pm).

Thank You

I want to take this opportunity to thank you for the lovely anniversary service. It was truly touching and meant so much to me to hear so many wonderful memories and words of encouragement. I have been truly blessed to be able to serve St. John’s throughout the past 30 years, and teaching the children in my classroom has been a highlight. Thank you for the beautiful stone cross, which I will be using in my flower garden. It is truly appreciated. Sincerely, Debbie Pretzer.

Other Announcements

Poinsettias are again offered for purchase to decorate the front of church for Christmas. The poinsettias come in 7” pots and include foil and a bow; cost is $19 each. A sign-up sheet and payment envelopes are on the table outside the church office. Please make checks payable to St. John’s. Flowers may be picked up after the worship service Christmas morning. Deadline to order is December 1st!

Christmas for Kids: This year our annual Christmas for Kids event will take place on Saturday, December 6th, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm. What a perfect time for the adults to do some Christmas shopping, wrap gifts, or just have a few hours off! This event is for ages Pre-K (potty trained - no diapers, please) through 4th Grade. Your children will enjoy stories, music, crafts, and games. Registration forms are available in both the school and church offices - please register by December 1st to help us with planning. Invite a friend! This is a great opportunity to introduce your unchurched friends to our congregation. We are looking for volunteers! High school students: this is a great way to help us and serve your Lord. Contact Laurie Peil or Sandi Pavlawk with any questions.

Christmas Caroling: the Sanctuary Choir is planning on Christmas Caroling the afternoon of Sunday, December 7th, starting at 2:00 pm. It’s not just for Choir! Anyone who is interested in singing Christmas carols, especially to our members who can’t make it to church, is invited to come along. We will meet at church to warm-up at 2:00 pm. After caroling, we will all meet back at the Fellowship Hall for dinner, hot chocolate, and cookie decorating! See the sign-up sheet on the table outside the church office.

Advent by Candlelight: Wednesday, December 10th @ 6:30 pm. This is an event that is for all women of the congregation (7th & 8th grade included), and their female family members, friends, and neighbors. This is a wonderful evening of the Word, music, and fellowship to help you prepare your hearts for the Advent season before the holidays get into full swing! Information on hosting a table, and sign-up sheets to attend, are on the table in the church hallway.

Looking for volunteers that can help with putting together the PowerPoint presentations that we use for our church services. Please let the office know if you might be interested.

We will have our regular Voters’ Meeting on Sunday, December 14th after the 10:00 am service. In addition to the election of officers and board members, and the approval of the 2026 budget, we will be considering two additional recommendations from the Council. They are:

• To combine grades 3, 4, & 5 into 1 classroom taught by Miss Schleicher and grades 6, 7, & 8 into 1 classroom taught by Mrs. Spaude, beginning with the next school year. This would mean that Mrs. Larive’s provisional call would end at the close of this current school year. It would also mean that we would discontinue calling for a principal and 7th & 8th grade teacher at the present time.

• To increase Mrs. Steinke’s hours (an additional 8-10 hours/week) and wage (wage increase yet to be determined) so that she can assume the role of administrative assistant or business manager for our school in lieu of a principal. (If this is approved, Mrs. Steinke would be asked to serve in this expanded capacity and she would have the right to decline based on personal family concerns, etc.)

Everyone is encouraged to attend this important meeting.

Installation of Officers for the newly elected officers for 2026 will be done during the 10:00 service on Sunday, December 28th.

Classroom Spotlight

We would like to share with you what is ‘happening’ in our school, so each month we will feature one of our classrooms and teacher. This month’s classroom spotlight is on our 3rd & 4th grade class and their teacher, Miss Emma Schleicher.

Congratulations to our Lady Wildcats! They not only took 1st place in the B-Team tournament, they were undefeated the whole season! Thank you to their amazing coaches, Katie, Cory, and assistant coach, Kane; and to Katie’s dad, Ryan, for his help, too.)

Home & School

Thank you to our Home & School Connect for providing a Thanksgiving luncheon for our students today! The chicken tenders , mac & cheese, applesauce and breadsticks were yummy! Thank you, also, to our parents for donating the desserts and drinks.

More School News

Picture retake day is Tuesday, December 2nd. If students missed the original date there are forms in the school office that can be picked up. If a student wants retakes, bring in the photo book that was sent home.

LES Christmas services: the 4-year-old Preschool/Kindergarten Christmas service is Sunday, December 14th, 10:00 am. The 1st Grade – 8th grade service is Tuesday, December 23rd, at 6:00 pm.

Christmas break: The Preschool/Kindergarten’s last day of school is Friday, December 19th. Grades 1-8 have a half day of school on Tuesday, December 23rd with a dismissal at noon. School is back in session on Wednesday, January 7th.

Boys’ basketball begins with their first home game on Tuesday, January 6th, at 5:30 pm. We will need volunteers to run the game clock, keeping the game book, setting up the concession stand, food prep, selling concessions, making popcorn, and clean up. Go online to sign up or by signing up on the sheets in the gym hallway. Questions? Contact the school office, 989-684-6442.

From Our Friends at Trinity Lutheran

The Living Christmas Card will be hosted at Trinity Lutheran on Saturday, December 6th and on Sunday, December 7th from 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm. Please consider volunteering to be part of the Nativity story in playing one of the roles, helping up with set-up/take-down of sets, assisting in the kitchen, singing in the choir, and/or bringing an item to donate for the dinner. All participants should arrive by 5:00 pm to get costumes. Dinner will be served both evenings. Your participation is important to share the Good News of our Savior to others. Thank you for your help!

MLS Foundation

This Christmas season, your gift to the Michigan Lutheran Seminary Foundation, through Light up a Student’s Life, supports financial aid for MLS students - today and in the future. With each gift of $20 or more, a white light ornament will shine on the Christmas Tree in the MLS commons in honor or memory of someone special. The honoree or their family will receive a Christmas card recognizing your caring gift. For more information, visit: https://mls-foundation.org/LUAS

Around the WELS

This year’s Advent Devotion Booklet from Martin Luther College, titled: All Things New, is their newest devotion book with 25 Advent devotions. As we gather around the manger this year, we'll ponder Jesus’ words in Revelation 21:5, “l am making everything new!” Is that even possible? How can God fix this world, so marred by sin? How can he possibly make something good out of so much evil, something new out of so much brokenness?

In these devotions, we'll see that through the coming of Christ—his birth at Christmas, his presence in our hearts through faith, and his triumphant return at the end of the world—God indeed makes all things new. You will be able to access MLC devotions in multiple ways:

• Read them online as a flipbook. (The flipbook will be available in mid-November. Please note that flipbooks are not suitable for printing.)

• Request that they send them as daily emails to your personal email December 1st – 25th.

• Booklets will be available on the table outside the church office.
  

Men Alive! Rally: February 21, 2026 at the DoubleTree Hotel in Bay City, 8:00 am-3:00 pm. Breakfast begins promptly at 7:15 am. Come hungry; there will be bacon (and all the other options as well!)

Registration is now open. To register:

• Go to: https://menalive-balm.org/

• Select "Click to register"

• Select "Get tickets" to go to Eventbrite.

• Click on "Get tickets"

• Add the number of tickets needed to the cart (please note that there is an Adult/Youth option)

• Follow the checkout procedure.

For those of you who are not familiar with Men Alive!, they are a gathering of men who meet to be encouraged and strengthened through the study of God's Word. Men Alive! serves the WELS Michigan District by holding an annual rally. The annual one-day rally features worship, Bible study, keynote address, presentations, good food, and fellowship. The annual rally provides an opportunity to contribute to outreach and service opportunities for men.

Church Council Notes: 11/11/25

• The meeting was called to order by President Lane

  • Pastor opened the meeting with a reading from Habakkuk.

  • We applied for a grant through the State Police and federal government to update our security system.

Elder’s Report

• Grant Connors was received into membership by profession of faith.

• Janne Hoggard transferred membership to Mt. Olive.

• Shut-ins are being visited regularly by Pastors Bare and Schweppe.

• Discussed preparations for upcoming holiday services.

• The Elders are looking for more volunteers to generate our power points for church services

• In the process of reviewing the usher schedule for next year

Evangelism Report:

• 157 children attended our trunk or treat with 1 possible prospect.

B.A.L.M. Report

• No report

Board of Education Report

• Parent survey to be sent out this winter break

• We received a Thrivent grant for Sunday School to pay for activities and learning materials

• Pay to play policy was updated. All student fees must be paid before they can get uniforms

Trustees’ Report

• Dean Boiler inspected our boilers for emissions and the State of Michigan for general operations with both inspections passing.

• Johnson Control diagnosed and repaired our fire alarm issues in the school.

• Aluminum catch basins were purchased and installed for the gym and school roofs.

• Trustees are asking for volunteers to help with shoveling the side walks after it snows as well as both parsonages.

Treasurer’s Report

• Y.T.D. offerings are $19,927.07 below budget

• Y.T.D. income vs. budget is $13,467.52

• Y.T.D. spending is $21,953.27 below budget

• Cash on hand is hovering just shy of $90,000

Note from the President

We will hold our budget and election meeting December 14th following our Preschool/Kindergarten Christmas Service. The offerings given to church the past few months have seen a significant decrease. Church council has decided to hold off on calling a principal for now as it appears our current giving and income will not support both a principal and pastor at our current levels received.