Cornerstone 12-16-2021

December 16, 2021

Pastor's Reflection

Hello St. John’s Family,

On the past two Sunday evenings, you have come together to offer amazing opportunities to experience the wonder, music, and goodness of the Advent and Christmas seasons for our congregation and community. On December 5^th, our Festival of Carols returned! It felt so good to sing, laugh, and be together as beautiful music filled our evening. Two vans were packed full with food items, blessing many beyond our walls. In a time when discouraging news remains far too common, it was great to experience a night of goodness and light.

That goodness continued last Sunday, December 12^th, as our Living Nativity was shared with the community. The Christmas story came to life, as children of all ages gained a glimpse of how much God loves us all by coming to us in the person of Jesus. It was great to hear some of the comments as the many cars passed by. My favorite this year was the child who exclaimed “Ohh… baby Jesus. BABY GOATS! BABY GOATS, look, BABY GOATS!” It seems baby Jesus has encountered some competition! It was hard to keep a straight face for that one… and I’m quite certain God was chuckling along! Wonder and awe were experienced by many throughout the night.

I want to thank everyone who invested so much into these outstanding evenings. Both are amazing examples of the great work the St. John’s family accomplishes in God’s name, and of the good fellowship we have in the midst of our efforts. I’ve been blessed to witness this often and am very, very thankful. Yet I am hardly the only person that has witnessed the goodness and light of God shining through your efforts.

See, over the past two Sundays and throughout the year, you offer a powerful witness to the real hope we have in Christ. By coming together to sing, to serve others, and to offer a portrait of God’s love for all people, you have shown our community the true source of hope. If the difficulty of the past two years has taught us anything, it’s that we cannot manufacture hope. True hope must come from beyond us; from a source that is pure and good and infinitely bigger than us. That can only come from Christ, and your commitment to living out the hope you have in Christ is beautiful to see. Thank you for allowing the light and hope of Christ to shine through your lives, presenting a powerful witness to our community and world!

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Brad

St. John's Office Schedule Over the Christmas Holiday:

In observance of the Christmas and New Year's Holidays, and to give our staff some well-deserved time with their families, the Church Office will be closed Monday and Tuesday, December 27th and 28th, and Friday the 31st. An abbreviated Cornerstone eNews will be distributed on December 30th. All announcements for the Cornerstone or the projected announcements in worship must be received by noon on Wednesday, December 29. Thank you.

WORSHIP - SAFETY PRECAUTIONS

Please click below to read the latest Congregational Update regarding COVID-19 measures:

St. John's Policy Update

WORSHIP

Worship this Sunday,

December 19, 2021

Contemporary Worship Music Sunday

at 9 AM

and

Traditional Service Music Sunday

at 10:30 AM

The 10:30 AM service can be viewed LIVE through

St. John's Youtube Channel

10:30 AM Service You Tube Live

or on our homepage:

www.stjohnsivyland.com

Past worship service videos can also be found:

https://www.stjohnsivyland.com/videoarchive

Auto-generated closed captions are usually provided by YouTube about a week after the service has posted for the hearing impaired.

Come share the joy of offering beautiful music to the

Glory of God.

GENesis and Ring of Faith bell choirs will ring and the

Youth and Adult choirs will sing at the 9:00 and 10:30 services. Joyful Voices children's choir will sing at the 10:30 service.

Music Sunday

Please join us for a time of worship and reflection, of hope and healing at our Blue Christmas Service.

Tuesday December 21st at 7:00 PM.

OPPORTUNITIES TO SERVE

Tech Team Volunteer Opportunities
Children's Ministry - Sunday School Teachers/Assistants
Ushers and Greeters - 9:00 and 10:30 services
Nursery Attendants - 10:30 service

CHILDREN'S MINISTRY

Children's Activities This Week

Children will be joining their families in the Sanctuary for the Children’s Message this Sunday. Mobile check-in cart will be in the Narthex.

Pre-K - Grade 6

Sunday 10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

For many of us, Christmas lights are the best and brightest part of Christmas celebrations. It doesn’t matter if it’s the high-rises in the big city or houses lining Main Street; when the lights come out, it’s a wonderland! People celebrate big at Christmas because there’s Someone big to celebrate: Jesus! The best gift God ever gave was Jesus. Because of Jesus, it’s possible for us to have a relationship with God that will last forever. As we remember the Christmas story, we will take time to celebrate the greatest gift the world has ever known!

YOUTH GROUP

Youth Activities This Week

Sunday School - 10:30 AM

Youth Night Christmas Party - Sunday, December 19th 7:15 to 8:30/9:00 PM

Confirmation Activities - Advent Church Participation, Reading & Reflecting

Grades 7 - 12

Sundays 10:30 - 11:30 AM

YOUTH SUNDAY SCHOOL STUDENTS MEET IN

THE YOUTH LOUNGE

This Sunday, we will be assembling communion bags for upcoming worship services.

Youth Night

Grades 7 - 12

Christmas Party

(not caroling) for Youth & College/Career, with cookies and hot chocolate plus Gingerbread House decorating

This Sunday, December 19th

7:15 - 9:00 pm

Youth Lounge

ADVENT

Opportunities at St. John's to prepare your heart and your family for Advent

Creche and Banner Presenters Needed

for the January 6th Epiphany Worship Service at 10:30

Children aged 4 - 12 to present a manger figure

Several Youth to present Advent banners

The Christmas Story

Jesus Christ is the Same - Yesterday, Today, and Forever!

December 24th at 5:30 PM

Contact Susan Seamans for additional info

4th Annual Drive-thru Living Nativity

We had 252 cars come through our Living Nativity this year!

Thank you to the scores of volunteers who made this such a blessing to our community.

MUSIC MINISTRY

December 19th - Music Services

at 9:00 and 10:30 AM

MISSIONS/OUTREACH

Thank you,

St. John's Friends & Family

Your generosity at the Festival of Carols enabled us to deliver approximately 1,400 pounds of food split between Eastwick and Jesus Focus Ministry Food Pantries.

Please save your aluminum tab tops for the UMW Naomi Circle collection for Ronald McDonald House. The collection bin is beneath the UMW bulletin board just off the Narthex.

Thank you for supporting this worthy cause.

Advent Offering 2021

Bright Future Academy

Pre-School

at El Mesias UMC, Kensington

Bright Future Academy is a small, but essential, child development center at

El Mesias United Methodist Church in Kensington.

The Academy welcomes children of low-income working parents who rely on the security of the quality childcare provided by Bright Future. However, the children can no longer use the playground at El Mesias Church as it has been overrun by rats. The Academy and Church desperately want to pave the playground with asphalt which will eliminate the rat infestation. Our Advent Offering this year will go toward making that dream a reality.

For a church named El Mesias (the Messiah)

and a preschool named Bright Future,

located together on a street named Hope,

their hope is that with the help of their new friends at St. John's, all those names will prophesy a very bright future for the children and their parents.

Thank you to all those who have generously supported our Advent Mission Project, as we assist the Bright Future Academy at El Mesias UMC in North Philadelphia in providing a safe outdoor play surface for their young students. If you missed the video of our visit to Bright Future, please click the link below.

Advent Mission Project

EASTWICK MISSION FOOD BANK

Donations Needed of

Non-perishable foods

Please place contributions in the shopping carts located in the narthex

Volunteers are also needed to deliver food and clothing to the Eastwick Food Bank.

Please contact Lou Lescas at stjohns820@gmail.com if you are available to help.

Thank you for your support.

BIBLE STUDIES & DEVOTIONALS

The Upper Room

Devotionals

for

January/February

Will be available

in the Narthex beginning

Sunday, December 19, 2021

Be sure to pick up one for yourself

and one for a friend.

St. John's Book Club

When God Winks

by Squire Rushnell substantiates that every single one of us can constantly be guided by God. When you think about your own life, you realize just how important coincidences are. The question is are they really coincidences?

Join us Wednesday, January 12, 2022 at 10:00 AM or 7:00 PM in the Grace Cafe'. Carol Campbell & Barbara Schneider, facilitators.

UMW/UMM

Thank you for your generosity!

This year, you signed up for every one of the 156 gifts on our Angel Tree list. You are truly shining the light of Jesus' love to the world.

Bless you!

The next meeting will be the third week of

January 2022. Have a blessed Advent and Christmas!

PRAYERS & PRAISE

Prayer List

Prayer requests can be submitted

online (click here).or through the church email at stjumc@aol.com.

Prayer requests are reviewed

Monday-Friday AM.

All "Ongoing Prayer Concerns"

will be listed for two weeks.

Please submit a new prayer request

if you desire to renew the listing for 2 additional weeks.

PRAISE!

Michael McDevitt - Graduated from Bloomsburg University on December 11, 2021

Congratulations from your

St. John's family.

Well done!

PRAYER SHAWL MINISTRY

Meets the 2nd Tuesday of the Month

10 AM in the Parlor.

Come join us in knitting/crocheting various items for those in need.

Contact Carol Rice for more information.

Requests for prayer shawls or lap robes to comfort those experiencing serious illness, bereavement, or other major life issues may be made through the prayer request form on the church website, or by contacting the church office

at 215-357-6998 or stjumc@aol.com.