ST. JOHN LUTHERAN CHURCH
(The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod)
Alma, Kansas
A family united by faith in Christ gathering around God's Word and Sacraments.
To reach out in Christ-like concern and Christ-borne love to each other and to those without Christ!
MISCELLANEOUS NEWS
The heart represents the love and giving nature of the members; the drop symbolizes the blood of Christ and a tear of compassion. The cross proudly shows the purpose behind efforts of the LWML.
OCTOBER 2026 FRIENDSHIP CIRCLE NEWS
Meeting Date: Wednesday,October 21st at 1:30 p.m.
Hymn: “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” LSB 656
Devotion: “Walking with Jesus” – Linda Orton
Roll Call: Share how have you seen God's strength in your life?
Bible Study: “His Plans” – Linda Orton
Business: Slate of Officers, affirm the time and date for Christmas meeting
The September devotion, "Sweet Surrender," encourages us to surrender everything to God - our foolish plans, selfish ambitions, evil thoughts and ways - as Jesus runs toward us with outstretched arms. What a sweet surrender!
"Sweet Surrender" is also the name of our September study. It showed us that 'in everything we do, we acknowledge Him as Lord of our lives, and He directs our paths. We yield to His perfect plan and timing as we wait for Christ's return.'
Devotion books for widows are on the LWML table. These devotions were written by widows for widows to help them know that God loves them and offers His peace and comfort. Please borrow a book for as long as you need to, then return it to the LWML table for others to enjoy. Many thanks to Kansas Lutheran Women in Mission God's Gracious Gift Fund for donating these books to us.
LWML MANHATTAN ZONE FALL EVENT: This year St. John Lutheran Church is hosting the Manhattan Zone Fall Event October 3, 2026. Registration begins at 9:30 a.m. with a cost of $5 for the light lunch which will be served. The meeting will be called to order at 10:00 a.m. Guest speaker is Carol Von Soosten. Teens for Christ is collecting items for Operation Christmas Child. Those items can include small tape measures, jump ropes, small crank flashlights, deflated soccer balls with pump, travel sewing kits, pencils, crayons, or anything that will fit in a shoebox. All ladies are invited and bring a friend.
TRANSFER OF WEALTH – TRANSFER OF FAITH: LEAVING A LEGACY: Whatever God has given to you, He wants you to use wisely. Current laws allow people to direct assets after they are called to heaven, but these instructions must be in place before you die.
God wants us to be generous. Do you have a continuing plan for good stewardship? Do you give faithfully of your time talents and treasures? Will you testify by your deeds what Christ has done by His deeds? Your life and your death are a testimony to the grace of God.
We want you to be informed of strategies, options, and estate planning. Carol Von Soosten from the LWML and LCMS Foundation will explain how to witness to your faith in your will and provide guidance on how to plan for a legacy that will out-live you. You may share the gifts God has given to you, even after you die. Come and explore these opportunities. There is no cost to listen, nor for the services this arm of the church is willing to provide for you.
Our stewardship Board is hosting a basket dinner October 4th after church. Following the meal, a 90-minute workshop led by Mrs. Von Soostern will begin at 12:00 noon.
YOUR OUTREACH TEAM met on August 6th. We started with an after-action review of the fair parade float, then discussed Community Movie Night, which is scheduled for 6:30 pm on September 26th at McKnight Field. We plan to advertise in local businesses and churches. Tell your neighbors! There will be activities before the viewing of "Matilda," as well as popcorn, cotton candy, and bottled water - all free. There will also be vendors selling their products. We still need volunteers! Contact anyone on the Outreach Team or leave a message with the church office.
If any church group would like to provide and serve goodies for an After-Church Social, please contact someone from the Outreach Team or leave a message with the church office.
The next After-Church Social is scheduled for September 20th. See you there!
LUNCH BUNCH will meet in Council Grove at the Pizza Hut October 11th. It is buffet style. We will try to gather at 11:30, but drive safely
VOICES FOR GOD: We are still looking for people to join us. You don’t have to have a solo voice. We practice on Monday nights at 7:00 p.m. This year we have a selection of new songs and will sing “Let All Things Praise the Lord” in October.
JUBELLATION is currently on a weekly schedule, practicing on Wednesday evenings at 6:30 p.m.
BOOD STUDY GROUP is discussing book 2 of “Mere Christianity" by C.S. Lewis on Thursday, October 8th at the Schult'z home and October 22nd at Elaine Becker’s.
OUR OUTREACH TEAM has spent the last month ironing out the details for Community Movie Night. Thank you for all of your support, encouragement, and prayers.
LUTHERAN EARLY RESPONSE TEAM (LERT) When disaster happens, how can we help? LERT provides a means of service for situations of great need due to storms or other community tragedies. Training will be held here at St. John on Saturday, November 14th 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. with lunch provided. Registration fee is $35. Ages 14 and older are eligible for the training. Ages 14-17 will need an adult to register and attend the training with them. This is a great way to help our community and surrounding areas during disasters. St. John has been involved with LERT in previous years and we would like to reactivate this program. For questions or more information, Contact Kim Diehl at 785-302-1492. Register at the following link: www.LCMS-LERT.org. When there, click on “Basic LERT Training, St John Lutheran Church, Alma KS, 11-14-2026” and sign up.
TEENS FOR CHRIST: When it rains it pours! Our group was set to touch up the wording on Time Song's shed on September 13th,
NO GOD NO PEACE
KNOW GOD KNOW PEACE
but mother nature had other ideas. If you want it to rain, have Kim plan an outdoor event! We instead enjoyed our pizza at the school, played 9 square, and Mindy Miller led us in a devotion. We will plan the painting again, possibly in the spring. The third time's the charm!
Phillip Theel has invited our group and the Sunday School children out to his farm on Sunday, October 18th starting at 2 p.m. for a fall fun day. There will be fishing, archery, pumpkin carving, hot dogs cooked over the fire, and S'mores! Thank you, Phillip, for inviting us!
Looking into November, we have several events planned. Saturday, November 14th 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at St. John will be Lutheran Early Response Team (LERT) training. Youth 14 and up may now be trained to help with emergency disasters in our community and surrounding area. Please see the announcement above in the newsletter and upcoming bulletins for more information on the LERT event.
Wednesday, November 18th at 6 p.m. at St. John will be the Operation Christmas Child packing party for our high school students, confirmands, and mentors. A taco meal will be served. We would also like to include our Sunday School class this year either that night or during their class time. Thank you, to all who have contributed donations and monetary donations! Thank you, to Carmen Altevogt for the Thrivent donation! Part of the monetary donations will go towards the $10 recommended donation per box to help pay for shipping, the Christian educational materials for each child in their own language, the missionaries that teach the 12-week Christian education programs, and for the New Testament bibles each child will receive. If you have not donated and are interested, the $10 is generally what is most needed. We have been overwhelmed by the giving for this global mission project!
The LCMS Kansas District Youth Gathering will be held at the Drury Plaza Hotel in Wichita November 20-22. Mindy Miller is working on this and has graciously volunteered to take any high school aged youth that would like to attend. I will be busy hosting the Diehl family for our Thanksgiving that weekend. Thank you, Mindy!
In December, we are planning to attend Bethlehem Revisited live nativity at Keats Park by Manhattan. Our families will join us.
Thank you for all of your prayers, support and encouragement as we strive to build the youth's relationship with Christ and their church!
Blessings,
Kim Diehl
SUNFLOWER CASA: On behalf of Sunflower CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates), we would like to invite you to partner with us to advocate for children who have experienced abuse and neglect in our community. We strive to help children have safe, permanent, and nurturing homes. There is an excellent 41-second video with some statistics, http://youtu.be/N8HimRalqiw?si=jtXK-pcuGnD32ubG. This is part of a series bringing awareness to child abuse and foster care.
YOUR TIME IN GOD’S WORD: You can guide your time with the latest Apps from Concordia Publishing House. The “In Prayer” app has a user-friendly layout. You can access devotions, organize the content, and purchase a variety of in-app resources such as “Portals of Prayer.” Annual subscriptions start at $9.00 per year. The Lutheran Study Bible app has just added an audio feature with clear, human narration of the full ESV Bible. Other features include complete Bible text with Lutheran study notes, over 200 articles, maps, & book introductions, cross-references and linked articles, and more. The annual subscription rate is $9.99 or $2.99 per month.
FROM THE PARISH NURSE…
Janet Wertzberger
ALPHA-GAL SYNDROME
With a long career in public health, I conducted many disease investigations in our rural county. Oftentimes the patients had suffered from a toxin, bacteria, or virus or from an allergic reaction. Recently I was reminded of a condition causing vague and seemingly unrelated symptoms of concern. The victims had suffered for a considerable time before being given a diagnosis of Alpha-gal, usually because there was absence of a clear alternative diagnosis.
Alpha-gal, short for Galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose molecule, is a molecule found most often in mammals such as cows, deer, pigs, and sheep but not in people. The Alpha-gal Syndrome is a serious, potentially life-threatening allergy to the alpha-gal molecule found in red meat and milk products. Alpha-gal molecules have also been found in gelatin and other food and medication ingredients derived from mammals.
In public health, we talk about the three key elements model: host, agent, and the environment to try to explain why and how diseases develop. In the case of Alpha-gal Syndrome, the host is a mammal. The agent is the alpha-gal molecule, and the environment is a vector known as the lone star tick. The problem begins when the tick ingests blood from a mammal with the alpha-gal molecule then bites a human. This can cause an allergic reaction. In one study, there were higher alpha-gal levels in people who previously had chigger or tick bites; and more prevalent in people with blood types A and O.
Symptoms of Alpha-gal Syndrome have a wide range from abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, to coughing, wheezing, swelling of lips, tongue, face, throat, or eyelids. The allergy could also cause dizziness or fainting, hives, or an anaphylactic reaction. A positive alpha-gal blood test does not mean that a person has Alpha-gal Syndrome. It can take weeks or months after a tick bite to start seeing symptoms. When symptoms do start, they usually appear 2-6 hours after eating red meat or dairy products.
Prevention from tick bites is important because new bites may reactivate reactions to alpha-gal. The lone star tick is prevalent in the Midwest and Kansas. Seasonally, ticks are active April through October and can be carried into your home on a cat or dog. Prevention from tick bites is the key because there is no cure for Alpha-gal Syndrome at this point in time. As with any disease or ailment, our hope is in Jesus. He knows our needs. Luke 7:21 reminds us “in that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed light.” Through faith in Jesus, may we place our trust for his gracious care.
[Information taken directly from cdc.gov]
God’s Blessings,
Janet Wertzberger, RN
Parish Nurse
CARING NEIGHBORS CANCER FUND: This fund was established in 2015 by a group of local community
members whose goal is to financially assist people living in Pottawatomie and Wabaunsee counties who
are currently receiving treatment for cancer. The committee’s purpose is to help defray some expenses for patients not covered by health insurance, such as insurance deductibles, airfare, lodging, and food.
Money is generated through donations, memorials, and fundraising events. The fund is a 501(c)3 with no administrative costs as it is an all-volunteer team. The criteria for assistance are to be currently receiving cancer treatments and living in Pottawatomie or Wabaunsee counties. (An application form that needs to be filled out with two committee members present.) The names of those who receive assistance are kept in the strictest confidence. For more information, or to request assistance, you may contact either Chris Day at 785-456-5325 or Donna Goehring at 785-458-9205.In This Month's
St. John Witness
OCTOBER WITNESS
Miscellaneous News
| ||||
