St. John’s HELPER St. John’s United Church of Christ 1513 West Street Rosenberg, Texas 77471 Church Office: 281-342-5159 Fax: 832-759-5548 Church Email: [email protected] Church Website: www.stjohnsunitedchurchofchrist.org Rev. Daniel Haas, Minister Cell phone #801-368-1180 January 25, 2017 Rev. Donald Kolkmeier, Pastor Emeritus No matter who you are, or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome at St. John’s United Church of Christ “Babies in the River”

From Tapestry of Faith by the Unitarian 24-hour surveillance of the river. Zip lines with Universalist Association: baskets attached were stretched across the river to get even more babies to safety quickly. Once upon a time, there was a small village on the edge of a river. Life in the village was busy. The number of babies floating down the river only There were people growing food and people seemed to increase. The villagers built teaching the children to make blankets and orphanages and they taught even more children people making meals. to make blankets and they increased the amount of food they grew to keep the babies housed, One day a villager took a break from harvesting warm and fed. Life in the village carried on. food and noticed a baby floating down the river toward the village. She couldn’t believe her eyes! Then one day at a meeting of the Village Council, She heard crying in the distance and looked a villager asked, “But where are all these babies downstream to see that two babies had already coming from?” floated by the village. She looked around at the other villagers working nearby. “Does anyone else “No one knows,” said another villager. “But I say see that baby?” she asked. we organize a team to go upstream and find how who’s throwing these babies in the river.” One villager heard the woman, but continued working. “Yes!” yelled a man who had been Not everyone was in agreement. “But we need making soup. people to help us pull the babies out of the river,” said one villager. “That’s right!” said another “ Oh, this is terrible!” A woman who had been villager. “And who will be here to cook for them building a campfire shouted, “Look, there are and look after them if a bunch of people go even more upstream!” Indeed, there were three upstream?” more babies coming around the bend. The Council chose to let the village decide. If you “How long have these babies been floating by?” were a villager, what would your vote be? Do you asked another villager. No one knew for sure, but send a team upstream? some people thought they might have seen something in the river earlier. They were busy at the time and did not have time to investigate. Blessings, They quickly organized themselves to rescue the Rev. Daniel Haas babies. Watchtowers were built on both sides of the shore and swimmers were coordinated to maintain shifts of rescue teams that maintained Offering for January 22, 2017 The Adult Sunday School class meets at 9:00 Unrestricted Income a.m. and typically ends around 9:30 General Fund ………… $2,878.00 a.m. on Sunday mornings in the Disciples Classroom. All are invited General Fund income is used to pay our and welcomed to attend and share in congregation’s operating expenses. We must discussion of various weekly topics. Lessons are receive $3,175 each week in unrestricted giving to led by Leo Niemeyer. sustain our annual budget of $165,108

Month to Date for unrestricted: $9,553.00 Congregational Meeting Restricted Income-January 22, 2017 Newly elected officers per Benevolence …..…….. $70.00 Sunday’s Congregational Meeting Restricted Income is money given for a specific Elections are: purpose. It is never used to pay our church operating expenses. Council: President-Elect Paul Gutowsky Offering for January 22 $2,948.00 Secretary Patsy Kubes Attendance for January 22, 2017 Treasurer Margie Krenek Church Attendance 73 Building/Grounds John Eixmann Sunday School 13 Member-at-Large Leo Niemeyer SCC Delegate Ron Gutowsky Preparing for Sunday, Jan. 29 Spiritual Council Janet Enax Scripture: Genesis 9:8-17 Daniel Dunton Ephesians 4:25-32 Sermon: “You Are Forgiven” Chili Supper Thank You Thank you to the men of the THOSE IN OUR PRAYERS Brotherhood and to all assistants for a wonderful chili Requesting Prayer for Themselves: supper last Thursday. The Denver McFarland meal, desserts and fellowship was great. Requesting Prayers for Others Brittany Burbridge by Karen Sikes Adolph Chabisek by Glenn Urbanek Scout Sunday Nathan Gaskamp by Florence Gaskamp Our local Boy Scout Troop 309 will be Nelda Gutowsky by Florence Gaskamp participating in Scout Sunday here at Gary Harbes by Melba Ashley St. John’s on February 5th. Stan Kubelka by Kathy Kubelka David Kveton by Alice Prosise Sharon Loesch by her family Available Altar Flowers Dates Emma Lee Marek by her family The following dates are open Ginger Pawlek by Gloria Himly Sunday’s in 2017 should you wish Wolfgang Schmidt by Angelika Schmidt to place flowers on the altar in Kara Schmith by Michelle Gutowsky honor or memory of someone: Sara Schoditsch by June Weiss March 12, April 23, April 30, June 4, Rebecca Schulte by Gloria Himly August 20 and December 17th. Darlean Swallers by Diana Beck Please contact the office for further information. Sarah Weimer by Petra Weimer SOUPER BOWL of Adult Sunday School CARING Mark your calendars for February 5, 2017 for the Register Today-Confirmation Camp SOUPER Bowl of Caring, immediately following the morning worship service. The ladies of the Women’s Guild will provide a delicious hot soup lunch, with crackers and drinks, and the congregation is asked to bring a dessert to share Confirmation Camp with others. There will be a free will offering at Slumber Falls collected for the lunch. The annual auction will February 3-5, 2017 follow the lunch and all proceeds go directly to our local Helping Hands. This year’s theme for Confirmation Camp is understanding the ways Americans view God and Auction items are being accepted so please think how this affects their faith and outlook on the of something to donate and please make plans to world. attend and support this wonderful cause. Items can be dropped off that morning or can be Check-in begins at 7:00 pm and the program delivered to the office any morning of the week. starts at 10:00 pm on Friday the 3rd and runs through 10:00 am on Sunday. The Rev. Daniel From Mud to Masterpiece Haas from St. John’s UCC – Rosenberg will direct The Houston Association this event with help from Rev. David Pantermuehl South Central Conference from Grace UCC Houston and Rev. Jeremy Women’s Retreat will be Albers, Designated Director of Slumber Falls held April 28-30, 2017 at Camp. Slumber Falls Camp in New Braunfels and will be Remember that churches should send at least hosted by the Women of one adult per six confirmands. The cost is $100 Immanuel United Church of Christ in Spring. for confirmands and $50 for attending sponsors. You may register online by clicking on the link This is a retreat where you can explore ways that below. with God’s help you can be the masterpiece God intended; ways in which you can reshape yourself We look forward to seeing great participation from again and again in spite of difficulties… The work our UCC Churches. of the potter will be the metaphor for the shaping hands of God; the mud or the clay will be the metaphor for each of us. Cost or this retreat for housing and meals will be $100. Please register February Food Drive Month at the camps website-slumberfalls.org by 4/21. Please remember that February is one of our two months a year that we Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! collect non-perishable food A very special thanks to the Monday Morning Men for Helping Hands. The below for striping the parking lot spaces in the wooden crate will be Church parking lot and those on West Street. It available in the Narthex for took a lot of time and effort and they did a great you to drop off food when job! you are in the building and Fritz Oberhoff Charley Weiss on Sunday mornings. All items are used locally to Gary Oberhoff Keith Beck help those in need this time of year. Larry Jezek John Eixmann Calendar Looking Ahead Adult Sunday School-9:00-9:30 a.m. For Sunday, January 29, 2017 Bible Study-2nd and 4th Tuesday Lay Reader: Michelle Gutowsky Confirmation Class-2nd & 4th Sunday Flowers for Altar: Choir Rehearsals, Wednesday @ 7pm Ella Mae & Lawrence Schmidt Bible Study, 1/24 Parish Hall Rental 1/28 Greeters & Ushers for January Family Ministry Cambridge, 2/1 Sandra Croft Bailey, Bob Ray, Confirmation Camp, 2/3-2/5 Kerry Gerken, Christina Woodard Holy Communion, 2/5 Lay Readers for January SOUPER Bowl of Caring, 2/5 Karen Sikes, Sandra Croft Bailey, Scout Sunday, 2/5 Janet Enax, Tom Gaskamp, Brotherhood, 2/9 Michelle Gutowsky Women’s Guild, 2/14 Altar Flowers for January Women’s Guild, 1/1 & 1/8 Patsy Kubes, 1/15 Karen & Ron Sikes, 1/22 Ella & Lawrence Schmidt, 1/29

January 29, 2017 Thought for the week: Rev. Daniel Haas delivers the morning message entitled, “You are Forgiven”. “ When you see something beautiful in someone, tell them. It may take seconds to say, but for them, it could last a lifetime.”

“Enroll” your Kroger’s card with the Brotherhoods Community Rewards Program. Go online and use #84302 as the organization number. Link to Kroger’s Community Rewards website: https://www.kroger.com/communityrewards (On your computer push Control and click your mouse at the same time while hovering the mouse over the above link and it will take you directly to the Kroger registration page.)