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St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church
Welcome, thank you so much for visiting St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church of Berrysburg, PA – the historic Hill Church. Founded in 1780, ours is a congregational family with a deep and rich heritage that informs out efforts to reach out to our present-day community – near and far – with the Gospel of Jesus. In my years of service here, I have come to see that we are a congregational family that defies easy description. We have the warmth and intimacy of a small congregation, while also being blessed with an extraordinary body of committed and gifted believers that allows us to do many of the ministries of a large congregation. We hope that you will visit often – here, from the comfort of your computer or smart phone or other electronic device, but also in person. Whether you are seeking a family of believers with which to join in serving God, or just stopping to take in the view, we would love to welcome you in person to “The Hill”! |
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Current Schedule
Come visit us every Sunday!
9:00am – In person: Adult Sunday Study, SONday Celebration with Miss Laurie,
Confirmation Class, Youth Faith Formation with Matt and Olivia
10:15am - Worship (In-Person & On Zoom)
9:00am – In person: Adult Sunday Study, SONday Celebration with Miss Laurie,
Confirmation Class, Youth Faith Formation with Matt and Olivia
10:15am - Worship (In-Person & On Zoom)
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St. John Zoom Information
Find out how to access our Sunday Zoom Services |
Message from Pastor Katrina
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“Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return”
The Christmas decorations are still up in the church. As I write this reflection, there’s over a foot of snow outside and the temperature is hovering somewhere around a balmy 0°. It’s strange to be thinking about Lent, the quintessential harbinger of springtime, that begins in just a few short weeks. The word “Lent” shares its meaning as a Christian season with two cultures. In Latin, “Lent’ is the word “Quadragesima” which means “fortieth.” That happens to be the number of days in the Christian Lenten season. In Old English and Germanic, it is the word “lencten or langa-tinez,” both meaning “spring” or “long days.” Since Easter is a date set as the first Sunday after the first full moon after the being of Spring, when the days grow longer than the nights, this makes sense, too. We could play a game of “which came first, the chicken or the egg?,” diving more deeply into the origins of a word or how cultures, the rise of the medieval church or geopolitics of the Middle Ages each held influence in shaping distinct cultures. With winter flexing its power and promising not to let go for the foreseeable future, what I’m most curious about is…dust. We are dust and we’ll return to dust. That’s an affirmation of our mortality. We are finite creatures. We started in these bodies. These bodies will end. Truth. We were created. Truth. We are finite. Truth. We are infinitely creative. Truth. What we create outlives our bodies. Truth. What we join in creating lives long past our individual participation in the creative process. Truth. Romans gave us a word that was then carried by the Celts and the Franks and the Saxons and the…well, you get the point. The infinite creativity of human beings to adopt, to adapt, to borrow and to create is the definition of life. It’s the glorious chaos and pulse that is the energy between our dusty beginning and our dusty return back to the Creator. So let’s set a bar to rise towards in our Lenten journey this year. Let’s hold these words in front of us: creativity, conflict, community, chaos, call. Now, look around. Where’s your focus? In the people around you, in yourself, on your social media pages, in your friend group, at the grocery, in the movie or show you are watching, in the news you are reading or listening to? Are any of the 5 words obvious in the place where you are focused? Okay, now think about this: If you were to have to explain your trust in Jesus, your life as a Christian living the way he calls us to live, in that moment or thing you are focused on, what would you say? What would it sound like to describe Jesus and the life you have given over to him as a Christian in the Lutheran tradition? How are you participating in a living faith in Jesus in that instance? What are you giving your heart, attention, mind, energy toward? Because you are participating in creating, what do you imagine will live long past that moment, and how does it reflect Jesus? The definition of our lives is to adopt, to adapt, to borrow and to create, the way Jesus shows, expects and calls us to be. Truth. PK |
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Elizabethville Area 2026 Midweek Lenten Services
Many of us give up certain things for the forty days of Lent, and doing so can be a very beneficial thing for us. This year’s Lenten series, Giving It Up. takes that idea one step further by focusing on things that God wants us to give up, not just for forty days, but forever. For each service, a light meal will be served at 6:00pm,
with the service beginning at 7pm. (Each church will designate where their offering will go.)
Many of us give up certain things for the forty days of Lent, and doing so can be a very beneficial thing for us. This year’s Lenten series, Giving It Up. takes that idea one step further by focusing on things that God wants us to give up, not just for forty days, but forever. For each service, a light meal will be served at 6:00pm,
with the service beginning at 7pm. (Each church will designate where their offering will go.)
- February 25, St. Peter’s UCC, Pastor Katrina Holland speaking on Giving Up Enemies (Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem)
- March 4, St. John’s Lutheran, Pastor Su Rider speaking on Giving Up Control (Adam & Eve, Jesus in the wilderness)
- March 11, Salem Lutheran, Pastor Ray Holland speaking on Giving Up Expectations (Abraham, Nicodemus)
- March 18, Trinity UMC, Pastor Rodney Lilley speaking on Giving up Superiority (Samaritan woman at the well)
- March 25, Salem UCC, Pastor Bill Romberger speaking on Giving Up Our Lives (Ezekiel, Lazarus)
News from Miss Laurie, Young Christians Minister
Happy 2026, everyone – I hope it’s gotten off to a great start! It’s hard to believe we are well on our way into another New Year, and our Faith Formation is going to keep on coming!! Grab your calendar and mark these dates for some fun in February:
Join us for all these special engagements and remember, every Sunday we offer SONday Celebration with music, crafts, and fun activities that reinforce a biblical theme! Come and be part of the fun!!
Thanks to all those who help make these activities possible! It is an honor and my pleasure to be part of the faith formation team at St. John’s and I look forward to another awesome year leading the charge as the Young Christians Minister! Thanks, again, for your support.
Miss Laurie
- Wednesday, February 4th – Join us from 6:30 – 8:00 for our “Jesus’ Love is Sweet” Celebration Club! Remember all children in preschool through 4th grade are invited to attend our monthly mini-VBS gatherings!! If you haven’t checked us out, make it your resolution to give us a try – you’ll be glad you did!
- Sunday, February 8th is Youth Sunday in church!! Come and see what YOUR child may be doing in a few years!! Word has it that one of our youth will be joining me (and my puppet pal) for a Sunny Sermon, too – FUN!!
- Sunday, February 15th – It’s “Camp Sunday” in SONday Celebration – in fact, “Camp Sunday” is for ALL the Sunday School classes! Come and hear and see what it would be like to participate in one of the Lutheran Summer Camps! Sunny will have a camping sermon in church as well!
Join us for all these special engagements and remember, every Sunday we offer SONday Celebration with music, crafts, and fun activities that reinforce a biblical theme! Come and be part of the fun!!
Thanks to all those who help make these activities possible! It is an honor and my pleasure to be part of the faith formation team at St. John’s and I look forward to another awesome year leading the charge as the Young Christians Minister! Thanks, again, for your support.
Miss Laurie
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Our Mission
St. John congregation, responding to the call of the Holy Spirit through the Gospel, unites together to preach and teach the Word, administer the sacraments, and carry out God’s mission. With God’s guidance and grace, we strive to boldly proclaim by word and action the reconciling Gospel of Jesus: Working together for justice and peace, and caring for those in need in our community and world. We invite everyone to join us wherever you are on your faith journey. |
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