From the Pastor’s Desk

Dear precious people of God,

"Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Romans 15:4-6)

The word "encouragement" as Paul describes it here is such an "encouraging" word, isn't it? God's Word gives us the best and most lasting encouragement as it portrays Jesus' completed work of redemption and salvation! We receive that encouragement personally for ourselves by trusting in our Savior. In love we extend that encouragement to those around us who need that encouragement just as much as we do!

To that end, we are hoping to start a new committee at St. John's called the Encouragement Committee. As you know, we already have an Event Committee and an Evangelism Committee that function well in their respective roles of encouraging fellowship and outreach.

The Encouragement Committee would work to bring the personal encouragement of God's promises to our members who are experiencing difficult times (health concerns, loss of a loved one to death, etc.) or new opportunities (job changes, college studies, weddings, etc.) Most of this encouragement ministry would be done through cards and phone calls.

We will have two informational, no-obligation start-up meetings on the weekend of November 21/22 after the worship services. If interested in learning more, please attend whichever time works with your schedule.

In Jesus, our God of encouragement,
Pastor Bare

Worship Update

The Bay Area Reformation Service will be hosted by Mt. Olive Lutheran Church on Wednesday, October 28th @ 6:30pm (602 Sidney St.). This special service marks the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther's Deutsche Messe (German Mass). In this service, people heard the gospel in their own language instead of the usual Latin. They became participants in worship using simple chants, rhymed phrases, and hymns. They also truly celebrated Holy Communion as a sacrament of God's forgiveness. After this special service, please join us for refreshments and fellowship.

Greeters for this month:

Altar Committee for this month:
Gretchen Trumble

Congregational Acts

Transfer Out, 10/13/26
Mark Wingeier to St. Bartholomew, Kawkawlin

Event Committee

The Event Committee will be hosting a Bake Sale, December 5th & 6th, after both church services. We are asking for donations of baked goods. These can be dropped off at church on Friday, December 4th, during church office hours (10:00 am – 2:30 pm).

The next Event Committee meeting will be Wednesday, January 13th, at 11:15 am.

Other Announcements

On Sunday, October 18th, Pastor Joshua Martin, of St. John’s, Jefferson, Wisconsin was called to be our next Pastor. Please keep him in your prayers as he deliberates both calls. Watch for more information.

Trunk-or-Treat: This event is a fun fellowship event for the members of our congregation who park their cars in our lot and for the children who trick-or-treat. This also gives us the chance to reach out to the people of our community to know who we are and where we are. Along with handing out candy to their children, we pass out fliers about our church, school, and preschool. Please consider buying some candy and pulling your vehicle into our parking lot on October 31st and join in the fun! The event runs 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm.

The Next Quarterly Voters’ meeting will be Sunday, November 1st, after the 10:00 am service.

Our annual Harvest Fest is quickly approaching! This year’s event is planned for Sunday, November 8th, after the 10:00 am service. Preschool - 6th grade will be providing entertainment and the potluck luncheon will start immediately after. Fried chicken is being provided by Home & School Connect. Non-school families attending are asked to bring a side dish (hot or cold) or a dessert. Come and enjoy some great fun and fellowship! Please let us know if you will be coming by signing up on the sheet outside the church office by Monday, November 2nd.

Christmas Stockings for Soldiers: Send our troops a little taste of home for the holidays. Gephart Funeral Home, Inc. is proud to be one of the nearly 1000 Veterans & Family Memorial Care providers across America that is participating in the 23rd annual Christmas Stockings for Soldiers initiative.

Our school children will be stuffing stockings this year. We are asking school and church families to join in the fun by donating either supplies from the list of recommended items below, or cash to help purchase items. There will be boxes in both the school and church where you can place your donations. Please place the items in the boxes by Monday, November 16th so they can be organized. If you have any questions, you can contact Laurie Peil in the Preschool room. Thank you for your support!

Recommended items:

• Candy Canes

• Chewing Gum

• Mints

• Multivitamins, Vitamin Tablets or Drops

• Moisturizer

• Lip Balm

• Shampoo

• Eye Drops

• Sun Block

• Batteries — AA and AAA

• Deck of Playing Cards

• Crossword Puzzles

• Games

• Puzzle Books

• Dominos

• CD's and DVD's

• Any other items you think our troops would enjoy

Gephart will ship the stockings, at their expense, to troops abroad in time for Christmas. Sending our heroes some good tidings and holiday cheer is a great way for us to show our support and appreciation for the sacrifices they make to keep our country safe and secure.

Gephart Funeral Home, Inc. is also an official drop off center for Cell Phones for Soldiers. Please bring in your old cell phones to help our troops call home this holiday season. The old cell phones are recycled and turned into free calling cards for our heroes. Call the funeral home with any questions: (989) 686-2291.

Decorate Church for Christmas – Saturday, November 28th, 9:00 – 11:30 am. Again, we will have a “To-Do” list of what needs to be done to decorate around church. We will especially need a couple of “ladder-climbers” to help decorate the trees. But we will have plenty to do for everyone. Please, consider coming and helping out!

The November issue of the monthly magazine, Forward in Christ, is available and on the table outside the church office. The next quarterly issue of Meditations is also available. Please take a copy for yourself and for someone you know who might enjoy reading these magazines.

Savior of the Nations, Come: Advent Scripture and Song is Martin Luther College’s newest devotion book. Each of the 25 devotions features an Advent-themed Scripture passage and hymn.

Professor Paul Koelpin, who chose the hymns and readings, explains: “Advent is a season of expectation and preparation. Scripture’s prophetic truths find their fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus, the Savior of the nations. The ‘psalms, hymns and spiritual songs’ of the church relate these truths in memorable music and verse. Sometimes, in this season of repentance and waiting, our melodies border on mournful. Sometimes they are triumphant. Sometimes hopeful. Always our spirit is full of joy—confident that, in Christ, God reconciled the world to himself.”

In this gift to you, MLC faculty members have written the devotions. MLC students have recorded select hymn stanzas. And ELS artist Lydia Kratz Panning has created lovely paintings that depict the images of these scriptures and songs.

You will be able to access MLC devotions in multiple ways:

• Anyone can read them online as a flipbook: https://mlc-wels.edu/publications/seasonal-devotions/k. (The flipbook will be available in mid-November. Please note that flipbooks are not suitable for printing.)

• Anyone can request that we send them as daily emails to your personal email, December 1-25. Visit: https://mlc-wels.edu/publications/seasonal-devotions/#email

• Booklets will be available on the table outside the church office. Living Christmas Card: St. Bartholomew is hosting the event this year on Saturday, December 4th, and Sunday, December 5th, 5:30 pm-7:30 pm. They are looking for volunteers in several areas. A sign-up sheet is on the hall table. If you have any questions please contact Doug, at 989-928-8030.

School News

NO school for grades K-6 on Monday, November 2nd due to parent-teacher conferences. Please note: Preschool will be in session.

No school: Thanksgiving break: November 24th (noon dismissal), 25th – 27th. Please note: Kindergarten will be in session Tuesday, November 24th.

Chapel offerings: Students are encouraged to bring offerings to chapel on Monday mornings, which will be used to support different projects through the school year. For the 1stsemester our offerings will go to support veterans and current members of the armed forces. $82.18 has been collected so far this semester.

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 3-Year-Old Preschool class and their teacher, Mrs. Laurie Peil.

The 3-year-old class may be small this year in numbers, but certainly not in their love of learning. They are big-time listeners at story time and arts and crafts. Their dance moves make me laugh and their singing makes me smile. The joy of our Lord can certainly be seen in these precious little gifts!

Special Person Day, 10/23/26

Students and teachers always enjoy that super exciting Friday each October – Special Person Day! It’s such a great way to introduce people to our fantastic, Christ-centered school. This year we changed our format and instead of staying in one classroom, our “special people” had the chance to visit every classroom! Each teacher and staff had something fun and unique to do in their room. We played Bingo and board games, made Veteran’s Day cards, designed a STEM activity with marshmallows and toothpicks. We even discovered parts of speech by creating a Mad Lib game and Pastor Steinkie kept everyone on their toes with a Bible trivia sheet. Be sure to check out our “family tree” in the hallway – a wonderful reminder of all the special people we have at St. John’s!

Our morning ended with a chapel service in church, led by Pastor Steinke. At the beginning of the the service, our piano students played for us. During the service our Preschool/Kindergarten students entertained us with their amazing handbell playing. The service ended with all students singing “Shine, Jesus, Shine”, our school theme this year. God is good!

Coming up in December

Christmas for Kids: This year our annual Christmas for Kids event will take place on Saturday, December 5th, 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 will be 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. Sign-up sheets will be on the hall table as we get closer to the event.

Advent by Candlelight is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, December 9th @ 6:30 pm. This is an event that is for all women of the congregation, and their female family members, friends, and neighbors. There is no charge for this event. 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! Sign-up sheets will be out soon.

Christmas Caroling: The Sanctuary Choir is planning on Christmas Caroling again this year. All are welcome to join! Date and time to be determined; watch for more information!

MLS News

Looking for a night of laughs? The MLS Fine Arts Department presents Check Please, a hilarious comedy following Guy and Girl as they navigate the chaotic world of modern dating. After surviving a series of bizarre blind dates, they realize they might be perfect for each other—until they're thrown back into the dating pool with even stranger matches! Showtimes: Saturday, November 7th at 6:30 pm and Sunday, November 8th at 3:00 pm. Tickets: Adults: $10; Children (Ages 3–12): $5. Reserve your seats online at: mlsem.org/programs/fine-arts/.

MLS Fall Band Concert: The MLS Band and Shadows invite you to their Fall Concert! The evening will feature a wide variety of music, including selections from Dvorak's New World Symphony, John Williams' Harry Potter and Uptown Funkytown. The concert will take place on November 1st at 6:30 pm in the MLS Chapel. We hope to see you there! Can't make it...tune in to the livestream!

2027 Men Alive Rally

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.

Rally Details:

• Saturday, February 13th, 2027 from 8:00 am – 3:00 pm (Breakfast, lunch, and snacks are included with breakfast starting at 7:15 am)

• DoubleTree by Hilton Bay City, Michigan
Website: https://menalive-balm.org/
Registration link: https://menalive-balm.org/event-tickets