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
Current Schedule
Come visit us every Sunday!
8:45am - Adult Bible Study (In Person)
9:30am - SONday Celebration (In-Person)
9:30am - Worship (In-Person & On Zoom)
Congregation YouTube Page
Listen to our Sunday Services!
St. John's YouTube Channel
Social Media
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/stjohnhillchurch

Pastor's Letter - June 2023

Dear Friends in Jesus,

Well, June is almost upon us and that means it’s Strawberry Festival time!  That’s right – as your family calendar hopefully already indicates, June 7 is the big day.  But, as with any event of this size, there is a lot more going on than the actual hours of serving on June 7.  Here are most of the scheduling details to bear in mind:

  • Tuesday, May 23, starting at 5:30 P.M. – combined first work night to begin getting the pavilion cleaned up and ready for the Festival and church outside spring property work accomplished (as we have done so successfully in recent years, we are consolidating what were formerly two annual work nights into one slightly longer evening, but lots of help will be needed.)
  • Saturday, June 3, starting at 8:00 A.M. – food preparation
  • Monday, June 5, starting at 8:00 A.M. – food preparation
  • Monday, June 5, starting at 5:30 P.M. – strawberry preparation
  • Tuesday, June 6, starting at 8:00 A.M. - strawberry pie preparation
  • Tuesday, June 6, starting at 6:00 P.M. – final cleanup of the pavilion and grove
  • Tuesday, June 6, starting at 6:00 P.M. – strawberry preparation for Festival day
  • Wednesday, June 7, starting at 8:00 A.M. – all of the final “moving around, hooking up, and plugging in” at the grove and pavilion
  • Wednesday, June 7, starting at 12:00 P.M. – WE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
  • Wednesday, June 7, afternoon and evening musical entertainment by Brad Crum, appearing as Elvis (1:30-3pm); by our own young persons, the Celebration Choir, under the direction of Miss Laurie; and, new this year, by local group Shannon (4-5:30pm)

Our Strawberry Festival is an event by which our caring and hospitality are known far and wide.  (I can still remember how, 23 years ago now, when I would tell someone just where I was serving as the brand-new pastor, many would recognize “St. John Evangelical Lutheran”, even more would recognize “The Hill Church”, but if all else failed, they would for sure recognize “The Strawberry Festival Church”!)  The Strawberry Festival is an event by which we serve as Jesus served – on June 7 by providing a warm and loving and safe time of fun for the whole family, and throughout the following year by using the proceeds to help our neighbors in need and to do many benevolent projects that would not be possible otherwise.  Please remember that this annual tradition belongs to all of us and requires the support of all of us.  If you can’t be present during the day on June 7, please come after work or your other day’s responsibilities – there will still be plenty of need for your help.  If for some reason you cannot help at all on June 7, please consider helping on some of the other important dates.  If physical limitations prevent you from providing that kind of support, please provide your financial support to provide for the good stewardship of bulk purchasing of needed ingredients.  Just as there are many parts of the one Body – all of them needed – so too there are many kinds of help and support that make up the Strawberry Festival – all of them needed as well.  Please see the list of committee assignments that was included with the May Epistle.  If by chance you have lost or misplaced yours, please don’t hesitate to contact me for another one.
​
Pastor Tom
Congregational Yard Sale!
Our annual congregational yard sale is back for 2023. 

Please donate your gently used items and/or your time to support the Lutheran Disaster Response of our Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.  The sale will take place in the pavilion on Thursday, August 3, from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.; Friday, August 4, also from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.; and Saturday, August 5, from 8:00 – 11:00 a.m. 

​Donations for the yard sale may be delivered directly to the pavilion beginning on Monday, July 31.  Please place donations in the front part of the pavilion, near the kitchen.  Please do not bring donations to the church before Monday, July 31 and please do not place them anywhere but directly in the pavilion.  Stay tuned for more information about helping to set up and/or staffing for the yard sale, and please contact Sheila Barder or Tam Spicher with any questions.

News from Miss Laurie, Young Christians Minister

April showers have brought May flowers!!  What beautiful spring weather we’ve been having!  It’s just hard to believe May is here and we’re looking to the end of our school years, graduations, and Memorial Day – the unofficial start of summer!  Time sure does fly!
Before we say goodbye to spring, mark your calendars for these fun celebration activities:
  • Wednesday, May 3rd – Join us from 6:30 – 8:00 for our Celebration Club “Summer Sign Off” and Pizza Party!  This will be the last club before summer.  We’ll start a new year of Celebration Club on the first Wednesday in September.
  • Sunday, May 14th – We honor moms in a “Mother’s Day” SONday Celebration!!  Join us as we make a special treat for Mom!
  • Sunday, May 28th – It’s the Sunday before Memorial Day and the kick-off for our Summer Schedule in SONday Celebration!  Starting this Sunday, join us from 9:30 – 10:30 for the fun!  There’s no Celebration Time as SONday Celebration runs concurrently with church throughout the Summer Schedule.
  • SAVE THE DATE:  Join us July 17th through the 21st for our “Hero Hotline” VBS as we’re “called together to serve God”!!  Stay tuned for further updates and information!!  If you’d like to be involved, please let me know – we can never have too much help!!
Wishing you all a marvelous May!!    
Miss Laurie
Join us for VBS!
Save the date:
July 17th – 21st
6:30 – 8:45 pm

​All children 2 years – 12th grade welcome!

VBS Registration Form (PDF)
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.