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”!
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
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St. John's YouTube Channel
Social Media
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/stjohnhillchurch
St. John Zoom Information
Find out how to access our Sunday Zoom Services
Sunday Worship Materials
Download the Sunday Celebrate, Bulletin and Bible Study Materials
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 - April

Dear Friends in Jesus,
  
As I was saying in my letter on these pages last month, we are blessed and we give thanks to God that, while we are not yet at the “new normal”, we are certainly in a vastly different place from last year at this time, when our worship and other normal events in the days leading up to Easter Day ended up being cancelled entirely or, in the case of Easter Day itself, being severely curtailed.  This month I would like to report on the plans for our congregational family life this year in the period from Palm/Passion Sunday (March 28) through Easter Day (April 4):

  • Palm/Passion Sunday, March 28
    At 9:00am, we will proceed with our normal Faith Formation activities, in their usual combination of Zoom and in-person events.At 10:15am, we will likewise join in our new normal “hybrid” worship, combining in-person and Zoom opportunities and, while we will not have a procession of palms of any sort, we will be handing out our beautiful Equal Exchange palms to those present in-person (and have them available for a day or two beforehand for picking up here at the church for those who will be Zoom-ing that morning – stay tuned for more information about that). Our worship will begin with the Liturgy of the Palms and we will again enjoy Vincent Lamenza’s reading of The Passion of Jesus (this year According to St. Mark) as the center point of our worship.
  • Maundy Thursday, April 1; Good Friday, April 2; Holy Saturday/Easter Eve, April 3
    On all three of those evenings (which, as you may recall my mentioning in previous years, together actually form one complete time of worship), we will gather for worship at 7:00pm on Zoom only.During our Good Friday worship, members of Youth Group will be sharing a reading of The Passion of Jesus According to St. John as the traditional center point of our worship.On all three evenings, while we will of course worship with the reverence appropriate to these Holy Days, in these unique times we will also take advantage of the ability that being on Zoom-only permits to unmute and visit together after worship.
  • Holy Saturday/Easter Eve, April 3
    At 8:00am, Youth Group members will gather to set up for our traditional Easter Egg Hunt for our younger members.It will get underway at 9:00am but will take place only outdoors and with appropriate safeguards as to distancing and such.
  • Easter Day, April 4
    We will once again gather in-person for a brief time of Sunrise Worship at 6:30am in the field across from the pavilion, next to the sexton house (or under the pavilion roof in case of inclement weather). Instead of squeezing into the foyer for warmth beforehand as we usually do, I’ll simply ask everyone to remain in their cars for warmth if necessary until we are ready to begin and to please come together at 6:30 while keeping safe distancing and with their required masks covering both nose and mouth for everyone over the age of two.At 9:00am, we will again proceed with our normal Faith Formation activities, in their usual combination of Zoom and in-person events.And at 10:15am, we will likewise join in our new normal “hybrid” worship, combining in-person and Zoom opportunities as we celebrate the Good News that Jesus is Risen!

I will look forward to being in worship with YOU, my sisters and brothers in this wonderful congregational family that is St. John, in this most Holy of times.  Please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions or ideas!

Pastor Tom
You are invited to our
Book Discussion on Zoom!
We continue our monthly times of reading and sharing via Zoom.  Next up:

Monday, April 19, 7pm
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Monday, May 10, 7pm
Small Victories by Anne Lamott
Monday, June 7, 7pm
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison 

Everyone is welcome, so if you would like to participate and haven’t joined in before, you can borrow a physical or e-copy of the current book at your local library or pick up a copy at church - on the bench under the bulletin board in the foyer, just inside the main doors.  Please let Ann know if we run out of books, and she will locate more.  Questions? Call or email Ann at 717-362-7895 or rahbruner@gmail.com.

News from Miss Laurie, Young Christians Minister

Happy April, everyone!  Spring is officially here and hopefully the weather cooperates!  We’ve had some lovely spring days – I hope they “keep on coming”!!

The month begins in the midst of Holy Week with Easter falling on April 4th.  This year, the date is doubly special for the Little’s as Easter falls on Reagan’s birthday!  So in addition to singing, “Jesus Lives”, we’ll be singing “Happy 20th Birthday” to Reagan!  Two celebrations for the price of one – you’ve got to love that!!

Speaking of Easter, I hope you’ll join us on Sunday, April 4th for our “Easter EGGstravanza” in SONday Celebration!  We’ll be celebrating Jesus’ resurrection like crazy, and I’m sure the fun will spill over into Celebration Time as well!  Mark your calendars and join in the fun!

If you can’t join the IN PERSON Celebration, join us on Zoom by clicking on:
https://zoom.us/j/94870256130?pwd=cC9YR1drQXFrcWlvd2RUZTRlY2VnZz09
(The Zoom option is available each Sunday, so there are always 2 ways to be part of the Celebration!)  

This month, Celebration Club meets on Wednesday, April 7th.  Join us at the church at 6:30 for our “Lamb of God” celebration!!

On Sunday, April 11th, we’ll be having our Easter “Celebration” Service during worship.  This more contemporary service features some jazzed up versions of traditional Easter Hymns, a Sunny Sermon, and an Object Lesson with Sunny as well. 

For the last 2 Sundays of the month, we’ll be talking about the 40 days of Easter (it’s a SEASON, you know) in SONday Celebration.  There will be LOTS of fun activities, so mark your calendars and plan to attend!

Also, Pastor Tom and I will be doing another “Drive Through” Communion on Sunday, April 18th at 11:30 at the church.

April is going to be a busy month; I hope to see you LIVE or on ZOOM for ALL the Celebrations!!          

Miss Laurie
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.