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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 - Faith Formation Activities for All Ages 10:15am- Worship All Sunday Morning Activities Available in a Combination of In-Person and Zoom Experiences |
Prayer for a Pandemic: by Cameron Bellm
May we who are merely inconvenienced Remember those whose lives are at stake. May we who have no risk factors Remember those most vulnerable. May we who have the luxury of working from home Remember those who must choose between preserving their health or making their rent. May we who have the flexibility to care for our children when their schools close Remember those who have no options. May we who have to cancel our trips Remember those that have no safe place to go. May we who are losing our margin money in the tumult of the economic market Remember those who have no margin at all. May we who settle in for a quarantine at home Remember those who have no home. As fear grips our country, let us choose love. During this time when we cannot physically wrap our arms around each other, Let us yet find ways to be the loving embrace of God to our neighbors. Amen. |
Pastor's Letter - May
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Dear Friends in Jesus,
In what amounts to a continuation of my letter on this page last month, this month I would like to report on some plans for our congregational family worship life during May. But first, I want to thank everyone who has been joining in Sunday worship via Zoom for hanging in there with me/us! We certainly had a rough start during March, thankfully with some improvement in time for Palm/Passion Sunday. But it was only when we acquired a particularly-capable (and pricey) microphone that things finally got at least close to where we want them to be for the long haul – thankfully in time for our celebration of the Resurrection of Our Lord/Easter Day. There will still be much tweaking ahead because, like so many things in this unique time, it is an ongoing journey! After missing a year in 2020, I am delighted first to share that we will once again be gathering for worship on the evening of the Ascension of Our Lord, Thursday, May 13, at 7:00. Please note that it will take place on Zoom only and so our annual Blessing of Seed & Soil for instance will accordingly be adapted. We will use the same Zoom contact information as on Sunday mornings, but I will send a reminder email about that as we get closer. Ten days later, on the 50th Day of Easter, Sunday, May 23, we will observe the Day of Pentecost, the third of the three great annual Christian festival days (along with Christmas Day and Easter Day) and the day when we traditionally have celebrated the confirmation of our young adult members. With things almost certainly still not sufficiently close to our “new normal” to allow us to set aside such things as masks and safely distanced seating by May 23, I have consulted with the families of our confirmands and we have agreed that we will instead plan to celebrate this faith milestone on All Saints Sunday, November 7, also a very fitting day when we, along with the rest of the Church, celebrate what amounts to a “congregational family reunion”, including those seemingly separated from us by distance and even death. This year, we will look forward to including in that celebration the young men who would have been last year’s confirmands – Gabe Gehring, Aidan Roadcap, and Hoyt Schlegel. Moving to the end of the month, on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend (and Memorial Day itself), May 30, it will once again be time for us to switch to our summer schedule of 1. Sunday Morning Bible Study for Adults at 8:45 A.M. still only on Zoom at least to start with, ending by about 9:15, 2. Worship (available both in-person and on Zoom) at 9:30 A.M., ending promptly by 10:30 so that everyone can get on to those reunions and other summer Sunday plans, and 3. SONDay Celebration for our younger persons with Miss Laurie, (in-person at the church with a Zoom option) also at 9:30 A.M. And finally, May 30 will also be the morning that we move out to the pavilion for the first of our planned outside summer worship opportunities. With our wifi connection for Zoom-ing coming through a mobile hotspot, the plan is that our outdoor worship will be just as available on Zoom as our indoor worship (although we will obviously have some different things to check out and tweak to make that transition). I hope this will be a great help to folks who find outside worship in general not to their liking and to anyone who, on a particular Sunday morning, finds that it will be just too breezy and/or cool to join in outdoor worship! Thank you all for your partnership, your patience, and your forgiveness as we all continue as a congregational family on this journey that is living into the “new normal”! Pastor Tom |
It’s Back for 2021!
But New and Different! Coming Wednesday, June 9! A Drive-Through Strawberry Festival Opening at 11:00am 
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News from Miss Laurie, Young Christians Minister
Happy last full month of the school year, everyone! Can you believe we’re THERE already? It’s hard to believe we made it through this covid-crazy school year! Here’s hoping with herd immunity and vigilance, we can look forward to a closer to normal return to school in the fall!
But before we head off for summer vacation, we have a lot of fun activities scheduled for May! Grab your calendars, and jot down these dates:
Remember, SONday Celebration and Church run concurrently through the Summer Schedule, so there is no need for Celebration Time. Come and be part of the fun!!
Have a GREAT May and an excellent end to your school year! See you at the celebrations!!
PS: SAVE THE DATE!! Mark your calendars for our VBS adventure – “Knights of North Castle” – July 19th through July 23rd! Join us as we “armor up” and remain strong with God by sharing God’s love in the world! It’s going to be a GOOD one!!
Miss Laurie
But before we head off for summer vacation, we have a lot of fun activities scheduled for May! Grab your calendars, and jot down these dates:
- On Sunday, May 2nd, we’re having a “Pajama Party” in SONday Celebration! I know we had one earlier in the year, but it’s just not the same on Zoom. This one will be in person! Slip into your favorite pj’s and join the fun!
- Wednesday, May 5th is our last meeting of Celebration Club and we’re having a PIZZA PARTY! Join us at 6:30 in the Pavilion for some “za”! Celebration Club will resume the first Wednesday of September!
- On Sunday, May 9th, we’re celebrating Mother’s Day in SONday Celebration! Come and make a fun craft especially for Mom!
- Pastor Tom and I will be doing another “Drive Through Communion” on Sunday, May 16th, after worship at 11:30.
- Finally, we’ll be kicking off the Summer Schedule for SONday Celebration on Sunday, May 30th! From this date through September 12th, join us from 9:30 – 10:30 in person at the church (or on Zoom by clicking on: https://zoom.us/j/94870256130?pwd=cC9YR1drQXFrcWlvd2RUZTRlY2VnZz09) .
Remember, SONday Celebration and Church run concurrently through the Summer Schedule, so there is no need for Celebration Time. Come and be part of the fun!!
Have a GREAT May and an excellent end to your school year! See you at the celebrations!!
PS: SAVE THE DATE!! Mark your calendars for our VBS adventure – “Knights of North Castle” – July 19th through July 23rd! Join us as we “armor up” and remain strong with God by sharing God’s love in the world! It’s going to be a GOOD one!!
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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