From the Pastor’s Desk

The Lord bless you and keep you, dear friends in Christ!

For our worship services on August 29th & 30th our worship planning committee is hoping to have a FAVORITE HYMN SERVICE!

For this to become a reality, we need to survey the congregation (meaning you) and find out what your top 2 or 3 favorite hymns are. I know it's not easy to narrow your selections down when, like me, you probably could easily come up with 20 or more favorites.

Anyway, indicate your selections on the sheet given to you with the bulletin this coming Saturday/Sunday and the next. Either drop the sheet in the offering plate or hand it to me as you leave church. Or email your choices to stjohnssec1@gmail.com by August 15th.

Once I have all of your favorite hymns, I will plan our worship service around 10-12 of the favorite of the favorites choosing Scripture readings to coincide with them.

Thank you for your part in helping get this special service ready!

Come and worship on the weekend of August 29th & 30th! Come ready to sing our favorite hymns!

"Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song." (Psalm 95:1,2)

Blessings on your day!

Pastor Bare

Worship Update

Greeters for this month:

Altar Committee for this month:
Becky Schwartz

Congregational Acts

Married
Kyle Main & Emily Rothfuss, 7/11/26

Thank you...

...to everyone who joined us for our Family Fun Nights on Mondays in July. We averaged 45 children and parents each night. Drawings for gift cards to Baskin Robbins and Five Below were a hit! We ended with hotdogs/chips on the final night. Check out the pictures on the back of this newsletter!

Event Committee

Church Campout: St. John’s will be holding their church campout at the Bay City State Park, September 11th & 12th. Go to the Michigan State Park/DNR website to make reservations. Everyone is welcome! Not a camper? Come out and enjoy our potluck on Saturday, at 5:00 pm. We will be at Shelters 1 & 2. Table service and drinks will be provided. All you need to bring is a dish to pass and a lawn chair for the worship service at 6:00 pm. September, 2021 is the last time we’ve had a campout!

Other Announcements

We now have available several copies available of the Synod's monthly magazine, Forward in Christ, and the quarterly devotion book, Meditations (regular and large print). You will find them on the Usher’s stand and on the table outside the church office. Please take a copy for yourself and/or for someone you know who might enjoy reading these magazines.

St. John’s is participating in the National Night Out on Tuesday, August 4th, from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm at Wenonah Park in Downtown Bay City. National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign designed to strengthen police-community partnerships and promote neighborhood camaraderie. Celebrated in thousands of communities across all 50 states, the event encourages residents to come together with local law enforcement, first responders, organizations, and neighbors to support safer and stronger communities.

The Bay City event will feature public safety vehicles, games and activities for children, community organizations, music, food, giveaways, and family-friendly entertainment. Community members are encouraged to attend, meet local first responders, learn about local resources, and enjoy an evening focused on community connection and public safety awareness. Stop by St. John’s tent and say hello!

Trunk-or-Treat: There has been some speculation that we are cancelling Trunk-or-Treat this year. Please be assured that we are not. We will update everyone as soon as plans are finalized.

School News

A reminder to school families that have not yet turned in registration paperwork: please do so as soon as possible! Paperwork may be dropped off in the church office between 9:00 am - 1:30 pm. Contact Sarah Steinke with any questions.

School/Church T-Shirts: Let’s support and promote our St. John’s spirit with our new T-Shirts! (This is also our school theme for this year: Shine, Jesus, Shine.) Adult and youth sizes are available. Sample shirts are on display on the table outside the church office. Please use the envelopes provided to order and pay for the shirts. Place the envelope in the wooden box. Payments and orders are due by Sunday, August 23rd.

Back-to-School Night, August 10th, 6:00 pm-8:00 pm. At this event you will be able sign up for parent-teacher school visits with your child(ren)’s teacher and sign up for all the extracurricular activities and committees. Students can find sign-ups for sports, choir, and more! Board of Ed members will be available for questions. Watch for more information.

The School Opening Chapel Service will be on the first day of school, Monday, August 31st, at 8:30 am. Parents, grand-parents, and other caregivers are encouraged to join us.

Preschool packets for the 2026/2027 school year available in the church and school offices. We currently have four openings in our 4-year-old program, and six in our 3-year-old program.

Church Council Notes

The Council did not meet in July.

MLS News

MLS is seeking qualified candidates for the following open positions: Library/Study Hall Supervisor, Evening Part-Time Custodian, and Food Service Worker. Interested individuals can see a position description at https://www.mlsem.org, or call: (989) 793-1010 for more information.

In the Area

VBS at Mt. Olive Lutheran Church: Dive In! Join us for Vacation Bible School on Wednesday, August 5th- Friday, August 7th, 9:00 am – 11:30 am. (Preschool through 6th grade). We will share Bible truths, songs, snacks, games, and crafts with friends. To receive a VBS registration form and more information, please call: 989-684-0484, or email us at: churchoffice@mtolivelutheranbc.org.

A rummage “Give Away” will be held in the parking lot of St. Paul’s Lutheran, 1020 Court St., Saginaw, on Saturday, August 8th, from 10:00 am to noon. Donations of household items, clothing, and toys are needed to support the event. We are accepting clothing, small furniture, books, toys, and kitchenware. Donations may be dropped off at:

• St. Paul’s School - Monday-Friday, 9:00 am - noon

• St. Paul’s Church - Sundays, 9:00 am and Mondays, 6:30 pm

Father's World Tours is partnering with WELS Home Missions to offer two upcoming trips, and we'd love to have you along. Cool Canyons (November 7-19) takes us to see some of the Southwest U.S.'s most stunning scenery, including the Mighty Five national parks in Utah, the Grand Canyon, and much more. We'll also worship with and tour our Apache missions in Peridot and East Fork, along with a home mission in St George, UT. Flora and Fauna of Florida (January 23 -February 7, 2027) offers a two-week midwinter warmup to the Sunshine State as well as an Eastern Caribbean Cruise aboard the Sky Princess. We will again connect with our missions and missionaries in the area while enjoying encounters with wildlife (gators, manatee, and maybe monkeys), gorgeous gardens, and fabulous fellowship. Learn more at www.fathersworldtours.com or call Steve at 507-217-1731.

Mark your calendar! The 2027 Men Alive Rally will be held Saturday, February 13, 2027 from 8:00 am - 3:00 pm at the DoubleTree in Bay City. The 2027 theme is: "The Man Beneath the Noise: Finding Our Identity in What God Says" and is based on Galatians 2:20 which states "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. "Together, we will explore what it means to find our identity not in the expectations of the world, but in the truth of God's Word and the life we have in Christ. Registration information will be out later.