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!
June 2026 Friendship Circle News
Meeting Date: Wednesday, June 17th at 1:30p.m. in Memorial Hall
Hymn: "The Church's One Foundation" LSB 644
Devotion: "Bittersweet" - Janet Wertzberger
Roll Call: Name your favorite Bible verse on courage.
Bible Study: Living a Chocolate Life "Bittersweet" Elaine Becker (Chapter 6)
Business:
At our Friendship Circle meeting in May, our devotion, "Made From Scratch," reminded us to give our very best to God and not take any short-cuts. 'Thankfully, He gave His best when He gave us Jesus, when He gave us victory over sin and death, when He gave us new life in Him.' The Bible study, "From Scratch," encouraged us to be cautious and not be deceived by people who disguise themselves as servants of righteousness and those who want to distort the Gospel of Christ. Always check what we see and hear with Scripture. If it contradicts God's Word, it does not come from God.
Our evening LWML meeting, originally scheduled for April 23rd has been rescheduled for Thursday, June 11th from 7 to 8:30. We will work through a Bible study together, followed by some fun activities. There will also be cookies!
LUNCH BUNCH: Join us for good food and fellowship at El Corral in Alma on June 14th at 11:00am.
VOICES FOR GOD: The choir will not sing again until June 22nd If you or you know someone who enjoys singing, please join us on Monday nights. We will start practices again in August.
MISSION QUILTS: The Friendship Circle hosts quilt tying twice a month in the basement of Memorial Hall, usually on the first and third Monday of the month between 9:00 am and 11:00am. They tie quilt tops, batting, and backing together to make quilts for missions. We eagerly invite others to join in our community of service workers, and we are very willing to teach the skills needed to tie the quilts. No experience is necessary. We also invite volunteers to sew quilt tops for this service project. There are two cabinets full of fabric scraps that can be sewn together to make scrappy quilt tops and tied by the group. We have been blessed with some Thrivent Action gift cards that were used to buy batting and other supplies to complete these mission quilts. Junior Confirmands and their mentors recently joined in the crafting of the quilts and quickly learned the skills to complete two quilts. As the saying goes, many hands make light work! After the quilts have been blessed, they are given to those in need, such as disaster victims and the Orphan Grain Train. Volunteers Jr. High-ages and up are welcome to join in this mission service activity.
THEOLOGY ON TAP: The next event will be Tuesday, June 16, 2026 at 7:30 p.m. You may join them at Rockin’ K’s in Manhattan.
THE BOOK STUDY GROUP will meet on June 11th at Bruce and Kathy Schultz' home, and on June 25th at Elaine Becker's home. We are finishing up "Faithful, Hopeful and Bold" by R. Lee Hagan.
OUR OUTREACH TEAM held its first meeting May 19. After some interesting discussion and sharing of thoughts and ideas, we came up with a few things to increase connections within the church as well as in the community. The first is an after-church social on June 14th in the fellowship hall. Join us for some sweet treats, coffee, and juice. We also plan to enter a St. John Lutheran Church and School, VBS- themed, float in the Fair Parade in July and will share more about that in the next newsletter.
GREENHOUSE COMMUNITY OUTREACH: Nearly two-thirds of the neighbors around SJL Church and School are not connected to any church. St. John will on Sunday be presented with a check to enable us to grow plants and relationships. Ask teachers or the school board how we will make use of this gift.
CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS: The Bible admonishes the Christian to be diligent in Word and deed; therefore, the Constitution and Bylaws Committee has been meeting regularly to revise and update the current Constitution and Bylaws of St. John Lutheran Church. Initial revisions of the Constitution were presented at the April 26th Voters’ Assembly meeting, and members of the church are asked to review these proposed changes prior to the regular Voters’ Assembly meeting in July. The Constitution and Bylaws Committee’s proposed changes presented at the April Voters’ Assembly did not include the revised mission statement that the voters accepted during that meeting; however, the Constitution and Bylaws Committee has since revised the proposed changes to include this revision. Question or comments regarding these proposed changes may be directed to the following committee members: Tim Songs, Don Zerbe, Ryan Theel, Pastor Grimm, or Janet Wertzberger
2026-2029 LCMS NATIONAL CONVENTION OFFERING: “We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and His might, and the wonders that He has done.” Psalm 78:4
The theme for the 2026–2029 Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod convention reflects the church’s call to share the message of Christ’s resurrection far and wide: “Christ Is Risen! Tell the Next Generation.”The National Offering theme is an extension of the 2026 Synod convention theme, based on 1 Corinthians 15:20–22: “Christ Is Risen Indeed.”The National Offering, which spans the years between conventions, provides an opportunity for congregations, districts, circuits, individuals or other groups to support the work of the LCMS vigorously to make known the Good News of Jesus Christ, that all might rejoice and give thanks to our heavenly Father.Gifts to the 2026–2029 National Offering will directly benefit ongoing domestic work carried out at the local level by LCMS congregations, districts and others, and supported by LCMS Family Ministry, Youth Ministry, Campus Ministry & School Ministry.We will take a door offering on July 5th. For more information, visit lcms.org/convention/national/offering or contact:
mission.advancement@lcms.org.
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.
April was Child Abuse Prevention Month, and Blue Sunday is a day for the faith community to pray specifically for victims of child abuse. May was National Foster Care Month. October is National Foster Youth Voice Month. November is National Adoption Month.We are always looking for volunteer advocates and board members. Volunteer Advocates must be 21 years of age or older, pass a substantial background check, complete 30 hour of training, and commit to at least one year/one case. Fall training for volunteers will be October 3rd and 10th, 2026.Board members must be 21years of age or older, pass a substantial background check, commit to a two-year term complete training, and help with fundraising and events throughout the year.Some ideas for bringing awareness to this issue could include: 1. Announcing training opportunities
2. Displaying blue pinwheels for Child Abuse Prevention Month
3. Inviting CASA to participate in local fairs
4. Showing a short video
5. Inviting a CASA representative to speak at a church event
6. Offering to pray for children experiencing abuse or neglect
or neglect 7. Sponsoring a fundraising activity
8. Donating to Sunflower Children’s Collective, CASA'S umbrella agency
FEED MY STARVING CHILDREN: On July 2nd and 3rd, the Wamego community will come together to pack 100,000+ meals for children facing hunger around the world through Feed My Starving Children. To volunteer to pack, sign up at Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church 785-456-2444. Multiple shifts are available. All are welcome. Monetary donations would be accepted. Their goal is $30,000.
YOUR TIME IN GOD’S WORD: You can guide your time with the latest Apps from Concordia Publishing House. The “In Prayer” app is simple with 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, and book introductions, cross-references and linked articles, and more. The annual subscription rate is $9.99 or $2.99 per month.
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 and Wabaunsee counties. There is a simple 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.FROM THE PARISH NURSE…
SUMMER PRECAUTIONS
BY JANET WERTZBERGER
This is a great time for getting outdoors! My grandsons were with me recently, and they were bait fishing when I was quickly reminded of the precautions that we had failed to practice before being in the sun and tall grasses. Ticks, mosquitoes, snakes, and UV sunlight were some of the dangers preventing us from truly enjoying the outdoor life. We weren’t at the pond five minutes before one of them announced that a tick was crawling on his leg. The sun was warm and dry, oh my! We forgot the sunscreen, too! Not long after, the mosquitoes were pestering me as we were pulling the cover off of the pool! I had managed to warn the boys about the potential for snake activity and crawling things like lizards, frogs, spiders, and beetles. All of these are God’s creatures, some friendly and some not so much so. We had to remember how to interact with our environment to prevent harm and avoid danger.
As we launch into summer, some of these dangers will daily lurk around the corner. It is important to protect the skin from UV sunlight which can dry and age our skin prematurely. Sunscreen with SPF less than 50 is recommended. There are products available on the market that advertise they have no chemicals. Regardless, the sunscreen should be reapplied frequently, especially while swimming because it becomes less effective in water.
Ticks and mosquitoes will be with us through the summer, too. Wear a DEET repellant when in the woods, tall grasses , or under trees, especially in the evening. Trees are good habitat for pests. If you venture out, wear long pants tucked into shoes or boots to prevent ticks from invading your person. Wearing long sleeves is also recommended while camping, gardening, and the like to give protection from the sun rays and the ticks! One more piece of advice, be fashionable when working or playing outside. Wear a hat to protect your head from harmful UV sunlight. If you do find a tick on your person, grasp it with a tweezers and pull at a 90-degree angle from the skin. Clean the area with soap and water, then apply an over-the-counter triple antibiotic cream to the affected site. Removing the tick as quickly as possible after it is found will help prevent serious illnesses that could result.
Enjoy a safe and happy summer!
In This Month's
St. John Witness
JUNE WITNESS
Miscellaneous News
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