Looking Ahead to LIGHT Worship!
This Fall we will begin a Sunday Night L.I.G.H.T. Worship Service. This will be led & planned by young adults, college and high school youth. It will be an energized & contemporary worship service for the young of heart!! Good music, creative, engaging & innovative worship is our goal. We are forming a PLANNING TEAM this summer. We need musicians, readers and liturgists to help. Planning meetings begin in June. Call Steve, 827-6121 if you are interested.

Graduation Month!! During the month of May we will be honoring all of the Graduates - both College and High School! We will keep you all in our prayers and plan our special Graduation Breakfast & Recognition. Sunday, June 4th at 9 AM we will have a Graduation Breakfast for you and your families in the Fellowship Hall of the Church. Then at the 10:15 Community of Joy (COJ) Worship Service we will recognize within the service. Please plan on attending and send your RSVP into Steve at the Church NOW. We also are collecting Senior Pictures with your plans after graduation. We will have a special display with that information for all the Church to see. God bless all of you!

"We never stop praying for you.
May you be filled with knowledge of God’s will,
So that you can lead lives worthy of the Lord,
Pleasing God with your good work,
And growing in the knowledge of God.
May you be made strong by God’s glorious power.
May you be ready to bear difficulties with patience,
giving joyful thanks to the Father.
For God has enabled you to share
in the inheritance of the saints." Col 1" 9-12

Steve Terry, Director of Young Adult and Senior High Youth Ministries at St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church of America.
Hi, I am Steve and I am the new Youth Minister at St. John's. I started working in March and am really excited about the youth here at St. John's. We have already done some great things in these two months. We have raised money for the Work Camp through a garage sale, Homeless Awareness Overnight, and sponsor letters. We have served our community through the House Painting on Market Street, Easter Egg Hunt, Church Garage Painting and helping with this upcoming Mother's Day Breakfast. We have been meeting on Wednesday Nights for CHAOS (Claiming Him As Our Savior). These nights we are exploring our faith, building our community, learning more about our God, and praying always and in all ways. We have also been learning how to be a community - through sharing, welcoming & supporting each other. I am blessed to be here during these exciting times. God Bless all of you and I hope to see you soon.

Homeless Awareness Camp Out
Saturday Night, May 6th - 7 PM overnight
On Saturday Night, the High School Youth Ministry Program is sponsoring an overnight camp out to bring more awareness to the plight of the homeless and working poor of our community. We will also be collecting donations on Sunday morning for Habitat for Humanity. The youth will be learning about the homeless and working poor and then spending the night outside in cardboard boxes and blankets. We will also be having a special prayer and activities.

Why do we do Christian Service?
It seems like most youth ministry programs bulk up on lots of service projects. From setting up for Church events to babysitting little ones in the Church's nursery, teens are often asked to "pitch in" for parish events. Teens are too often relegated to Church roles as babysitters or janitors. However, Service Ministry is an essential part of faith development. We look to serve others as Jesus did during his ministry. Ministry implies service because "helping others in faith" is part of our bapitismal commitment. We are called to serve as Jesus did. The truest serving is giving of one's time and talents. This is especially true when youth gather to serve the needy. When helping others the idea of Chirstian Faith is put into ACTION. We LIVE our Faith and not just talk about it. "Faith is a verb" - it is an action and not just a noun. Some Service Projects that you can get involved in:

Church Clean Up - Painting Projects
Volunteering at Homeless Shelters or Nursing Homes
Going on Missions - Work Camp, Appalachia, and Overseas
Volunteering at Worship - music, reading, ushering
Fall clean up or chores for Shut-Ins or the Elderly

The list of possible service ministries are limitless. Pray about it and then put your faith into action.

God is like...
Recently at our Wednesday Night Youth Ministry CHAOS, the teens explored ways in which to look at God through the eyes of modern commercial jingles or slogans. They took contemporary commercial slogans and substituted God for the normal subject. Some examples are listed:

God is like...

Pepsi: “ God - The Choice of the New Generation”

Rolaids: "How do you spell relief? G-O-D."

US Army: "God says - Be all that you can be."

Wheaties: "God - the Breakfast of Champions."

Maxwell House: “God - Good to the Last Drop”

Red Bull: "God - Gives you wings"

Campbell Soup: “God - Mmmm, mmmmm good!”

Chevrolet: “God - Like a Rock”

Dial: “ God - You use him – don’t you wish everyone did?”

When you hear a slogan on TV or radio, pause and substitute God or Jesus in the catch phrase and see if it helps you connect further in your faith. Advertisements are created to "sell" on a product or to help you understand or be introduced to a new product. Sometimes the manufacturer is simply trying to "expose" you to this product. Well God also wants you to understand His Will for you and be exposed to His Love. Open your hearts and Hear His Message in everything you do, hear, or say. God is like ...State Farm - like a good neighbor, God is there!

Chaos Wednesday Nights have started. This April Month we have discussed "What's In A Name", "The Origins of our Easter Traditions", "The Way of the Cross" and "How To Advertise Jesus in Today's Modern Market". The numbers are encouraging. Our last Wednesday we had 14 youth attend with a couple of Adult Youth Ministers. So catch the fever - attend CHAOS on Wednesday Nights and become part of the High School Youth Ministry Community here at St. John's.

W.W.J.D.? - Jesus would go to CHAOS!!

Easter Egg Hunts - Easter Bunnies - Candy Eggs - Jelly Beans -- How does it fit into the Christian's Easter Celebration?
I think to get a handle on all of this we need mainly to look at it with some common sense. Does the secular celebration of Easter really overshadow the Christian celebration? Hiding easter eggs and baskets do not really confuse children about the Easter event - except in homes where Christ is not alive and active anyway. Yet, we still need to remember what EASTER is about. We are celebrating the most important event of our Christian Faith. The saving death of our Lord, Jesus Christ and His ultimate victory over that death in the resurrection. He Is Alive!!

The eggs can be seen as a sumbol of new life - of the spring season in which all things come alive again after a long and cold winter. The Easter Bunny also reminds us of the season of spring and abundant life. We do not try to connect why a bunny is handling eggs, do we? Not if we want to make any sense. Yet, the symbols are clear. In the Easter event and all of its relgious and secular festivities we are certain of one fact -- Jesus Christ rose from the dead so that we might have life. Life in Him, through Him, our saving Lord. Do no worryso much about the parties and Easter egg hunts - remember the true meaning of Easter in prayer and attendance at Church.

Do not forget to attend Church Services this Holy Week. Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, The Easter Vigil, and Easter Sunday. All of these worship services retell our Salvation History. Go and pray and live your faith in prayer and community.

Have a Holy and Happy Easter!!