February 2013 - St. John's Lutheran Church of East Moline, IL

February 2013
Page 2
A C.E.L. Production
Valentine’s Day is a special time for our little ones as they delight in the treats and play silly games, but it is also the best time to share
the love God has for us with others. We are getting closer to the season of spring which means this school year is going by way too fast! We have
so many exciting activities this month that include our special Valentine’s parties and a dance, a trip to the QC Botanical Center, a visit from a local
dental hygienist, and new ways to fundraise through scrapbooking & eating out at Buffalo Wild Wings!
You and your family are cordially invited to our Valentine’s Dance on February 8 th from 6:30pm-8:00pm. Enjoy some refreshments and a
night of dancing! Don’t forget to get a picture by our great photographer! You are also invited to our Scrapbooking and Card-Making Crop (CEL
Fundraiser) on February 23 rd ! See the insert in your bulletin and posters around the building for more information. Don’t forget to register soon!
*ENROLLMENT HAS BEGUN FOR THE 2013-2014 SCHOOL YEAR! Call Morgan for more information and/or schedule a tour!
Upcoming Events:
Valentine’s Dance 8th 6:30-8pm
Valentine’s Parties 13th & 14th
NO SCHOOL18th & 19th
St. John’s Buffalo Wild Wings Day—Feb 18th ALL DAY
Vision & Hearing Screening 20th &21 st
Scrapbooking & Card-Making Crop 23 rd 9am-11pm
“God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” ~Romans 5:8
In Christ,
Morgan DeBlieck
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
When was the last time you shared your faith with someone
who wasn’t a Christian? I have found that people all too often consider
themselves inadequately prepared to share their Christian faith with the
world around them. When asked why people don’t talk about the things
which they believe you hear the excuses:
“I am too busy to share my faith with other people.”
“I don’t know anyone I can talk to about my faith.”
“I don’t have enough of a command of the Scriptures to talk
about what being a Christian means.”
“I don’t want to be confrontational with people who disagree
with me about faith.”
“Sharing faith and growing the church is something that Pastors
and Church Workers are called to do; I don’t need to do
that since that is their job.”
Perhaps when you have been asked to consider this task you
too have used some of these excuses. Where we would make excuses
for why we don’t share our faith St. Peter tells us that we ought to think
differently, “[You are] a holy nation, a people for his own possession,
that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of
darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9). In this passage Peter
reminds believers first who they are; he says, “You are a holy nation.”
God has redeemed you and made you to become holy in spite of your
From Vicar
sinfulness. And these words are for you too; as a Christian you already
are a holy nation. And yet, while being a holy nation has a lot of perks,
that is not the end of the road.
St. Peter continues with the purpose of being a holy nation,
“So that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of
darkness into his marvelous light.” Now proclaiming the excellencies of
the God who has redeemed you doesn’t have to be big and gaudy experience:
most of us have not had a big conversion experience. Proclaiming
your faith can be something as simple as just having a conversation
or living as a Christian in the world by the way you act publicly.
It can be scary to do something that you’ve never intentionally
done before, especially in a world that is becoming more hostile to
Christians. Therefore, I, as a vicar, want to encourage and help you
consider how to share your faith in what you say and do, as well as how
you act. It is for this reason and purpose that in the past few months I
have set up “office hours” at Panera in Moline. I want to help you consider
how to both live your faith actively and talk to people about it wherever
you may be. So as a holy nation called to share the excellencies of
Him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light come and
visit me on Mondays between 7:30 and 9:30 AM or Thursdays between
3:30 and 5:30 PM so that together we might learn how to share our faith
and likewise encourage each other to be a light to a world darkened by
sin.
In Christ,
Vicar Holman