St. John's United Methodist Church 

 Cornerstone
   Click on the links below to go directly to that section of the newsletter.
IN THIS ISSUE
Join us for worship
Calendar
Prayer List
Sunday School
Daily Devotionals
Snow Policy
Invitation to Membership
Pastor's Reflection
Youth Group
Club 56
Table Talk
Warrior Coffee
Trailers Closed for Winter
Family Promise
UMM Breakfast
Communion Breakfast
Naomi Circle
Open arms and serving hands transforming lives through Christ
   
JOIN US FOR
WORSHIP 
       
Worship Services:
8:00 and 10:30 a.m.
Traditional
  9:15 a.m.
Praise  and Worship
  
THIS SUNDAY, 
March 4, 2018
3rd Sunday in Lent

"Journey Through Lent" sermon series continues with Pastor Janice's sermon,
"The Cleansing of the Temple."
John 2:13-22

215-357-6998
 
HOURS
Monday - Friday
8:30-3:00 p.m.
 
THIS WEEK'S 
CALENDAR

Thursday, March 1
6:45pm
  Adult Bell Choir

7:30pm
  Al-Anon
 
8:00pm
  Adult Choir

Friday, March 2
  World Day of Prayer

Sunday, March 4
9:15am
  Children's Sunday School

10:30am
  Children & Youth Sunday School

10:30am
  Confirmation Class

11:30am
  Joyful Voices
 
 
6:00pm
  Youth Choir

7:00pm
  Youth Group

Monday, March 5
6:45pm
  Lenten Bible Study

7:00pm
  Celebration Ringers

Tuesday, March 6
10:00am
  Lenten Bible Study

5:45pm
  GENesis Bells

7:00pm
  Praise Band Rehearsal

7:00pm
  Table Talk

7:30pm
  AA

Wednesday, March 7
7:00pm
  Bible Study
 
Thursday, March 8
6:45pm
  Adult Bell Choir
 
 
7:30pm
  Al-Anon

8:00pm
Adult Choir 
 
 

 

PRAYER LIST

Please click to view

 

All "Ongoing Prayer Concerns" will be listed for 
2 weeks.  
Please submit a new prayer request card if you desire to renew the listing for 2 additional weeks.

 
Please go to the Children's Ministry Page for forms.

Children's Sunday School
Children's Sunday School is held weekly at the 9:15 and 10:30 services f or children 4 years old through 6th Grade. A parent must accompany children who are attending for the first time. 

Youth Sunday School
Sunday school takes place every Sunday at the 10:30 service.  Youth who have completed 6th grade through 12th grade go directly to the Youth Room in the Education Wing.  Youth are encouraged to worship together at the 9:15 service. 

Nursery
Available at both  
9:15 and 10:30. 
We welcome all children birth through 4 years old.  The nursery is equipped with a calling system and will alert you in worship if your child needs you.  

DAILY DEVOTIONALS
Looking for a little inspiration during the week?  
Try an online devotional.    
(has many devotionals to choose from)
(Devotional for Women)
(Devotional for Men) 
MOBILE GIVING
Have you ever arrived at church and forgot your giving envelope? Or you would like to make a Communion Offering and you have just 18 cents in your pocketbook? 
Well, help as arrived, as 
St John's now offers mobile giving! 
 
Just go to the  website 
click on the donate now button, and register. Once you're registered, you can either make donations by debit or credit. It's quick and secure. The same vendor that handles electronic giving for us, Vanco Services, has state of the art encryption, so you can rest easy that your transaction is 100% safe and confidential.
 
If you have any questions about mobile giving, email Lou Lescas at  stjohns820@gmail.com

St. John's Snow Policy
In case of a major snowstorm or other severe weather that would require cancellation of one or more Sunday services, we will attempt to notify everyone by:
-  A special e-news sent out
-  A message on the church answering machine and website. 

If possible, a decision regarding cancellation will be made the night before.  Please also be aware that, in the event of a power outage, it is impossible to utilize internet or phone services. 
Invitation to Become a Member

If you feel you have found a church home at St John's, we invite you to become a member!

Our next 
"New Member Sunday" will be
Sunday, May 20, 2018.  Those wishing to become members of St. John's will be invited to take the vows of membership at any of our three worship services.

The only "requirement" for membership is that you feel a commitment to Christ and a desire to make St. John's your church family.  If you feel God calling you to take this next step on your faith journey, we welcome you with open arms!  Please check off "wish to join" on the sign-in tablet or contact the church office at 215-357-6998 or stjumc@aol.com.

PASTOR'S REFLECTION
            I know I'm out of my mind & I know my dogs are spoiled.  It started about a year ago when one of them was diagnosed with congestive heart failure.  He didn't want to eat, so naturally I started bribing him.  It began with rotisserie chickens from Costco.  Then it progressed to me learning the fine details of making homemade dog food.  Which I've done several times a week for the last year.  Which is really kind of funny because I rarely cook for myself, but there I was standing at the stove making doggie chicken stew and other various concoctions (and yes, occasionally deciding I might as well go ahead and join them for dinner!).
            Well, I decided that after foot surgery, I most likely wouldn't feel like doing all of that cutting, chopping, and cooking, so I looked into some temporary options.  I started out subscribing to a fresh dog food delivery service called The Farmers Dog.  After several weeks, one of the dogs started turning his nose up.  Back to the drawing board.  Now I'm trying out another delivery service called NomNomNow (yes, I'm laughing too).  And, oh my goodness, if you don't already know this, there are now a NUMBER of dog food delivery companies.  You can read all the reviews online!  And all of them deliver fresh human-grade food for your pooch (for a price, of course).  I had no idea such a thing existed!
            Yes, I have two spoiled dogs.  Guilty as charged.
            However, I believe the animals we share our lives with are truly gifts from God.  Think about it.  Somehow, through God's grace, two entirely different species of creatures are able to develop wonderful relationships with one another, despite overwhelming differences.  We don't even understand a whole lot about the way their minds work, or what makes them tick.  We're simply able to relate to each other - often on a very deep level.  We live together in harmony day and night - we take good care of them, and they often instinctively take good care of us. 
            Sometimes I think about that and it makes me wonder why it is that human beings, despite our similarities and despite the fact that we know exactly what it is that makes every one of us tick, we still can't get along with one another.  We allow cultural, racial, national and other boundaries to close us off from other people.  There has never, to the best of my knowledge, been a time in human history when there was peace on earth and people felt nothing but "goodwill" toward everyone else.  It should be the most natural thing in the world for us live together in harmony.  Our pets can teach us an awful lot, can't they?
                                                  Blessings,
                                                  Pastor Janice
YOUTH GROUP

  
Sunday nights
7:00-8:30 PM
Hmmm.  What are we doing at Youth Gr oup?
 
YOUTH GROUP THIS WEEK?
Yes We Are!!!

We had a great time in the Winter Games this year!!
Only a few injuries, so PHEW!!!

This week we are going to play BLIND VOLLEYBALL
Come out and see what it's all about!


Morrisville Food Bank Monday
March 12 - Contact David Bigam
Do Not Miss This Opportunity! 
Come and experience great Fellowship! 
Morrisville is open to anyone interested in going to help make 220 grocery bags full of food. 
Families are always welcome! 
Following this event we always head to Chick-fil-a for Milkshakes!!!!
  __________________________________________________

And as always
Bring a Friend and Bring a Can!
(All food collected goes to Jesus Focus Food Pantry)

Have you HELPED anyone today?
Have you SAID SOMETHING NICE to anyone today?

CHILDREN'S MINISTRY

            St. John's Kids
                Club 56 

Operation Aid-For-Friends and Breakfast Bags

Sunday, March 11 from 4:00-6:00PM

Club 56 is on a roll in the new year with
 more community service!
We will be preparing around 20 hot meals and 30 Breakfast bags for Aid for Friends. 
This means YES, 5th and 6th graders
 you will get to do some cooking!!!
There will be music and happy dances...
So please sign up now if you want to see Mrs. G and Mrs. Z do their happy dance!  Snacks will be provided!!
SIGN UPS NO LATER THAN MARCH 4, 2018

Sign up sheet will be on the table in the Education Wing hallway.  For more info contact Mrs. Gutsch hgutsch@gmail.com
St. John's Kids Club
Club 56  
OUTREACH


Join the Conversation and 
Bring a Friend!
WARRIOR COFFEE
Pictured on the left is
Dr. Caroline Payne, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Lycoming College who conceived and founded the Warrior Coffee Project. Dr. Payne is currently in the Dominican Republic and is pictured with a village woman who had been a coffee farmer all her life until the Roya fungus destroyed her coffee plants. She was left without any means of income and totally dependent on others in the village for her support. Your purchase of Warrior Coffee enabled Lycoming College to replace her destroyed crop and set her on a path to economic sustainability. Because you are fighting for what's right one cup at a time this woman is growing coffee beans again and she has hope for the future.
 

We will be placing an order for Warrior Coffee to be roasted and delivered by the end of March. Please help us fight for what's right one cup at a time by using the Warrior Coffee order sheet found in the Grace Café. Thank you.

The Grace Cafe is open  after worship for  f ellowship and refreshments. 

Warrior Coffee is served exclusively in the Grace Cafe.
Prayer Shawl Ministry
Meets the 2nd Tuesday of each month  in the parlor - 10 AM
Please come help knit or crochet various items for those in need.
Contact Roberta Nelson for more information or if you  w ould like to request a  Prayer Shawl.
robertahsn577@verizon.net
MISSIONS
RED BIRD TRAILERS 
ARE CLOSED FOR THE WINTER  
Family Promise
What is it?
Family Promise is an international organization, with local chapters that organizes local religious organizations to help temporarily feed and house homeless families.   St. John's is a host congregation, meaning we take families for selected weeks, they come to us about 6pm and leave around 6am. We feed them and they sleep in family groups in our Sunday School classrooms. They go back to the day center and continue living their lives and trying to get out of homelessness. Last spring, the local Lower Bucks chapter had to shut down for a couple of reasons, the main one being a projected shortfall of funds. They have reorganized the Board of Directors and are in the process of fund raising. Once they have the funds they will begin the process of getting ready to take in homeless families and getting them back on their feet.


UMM/UMW
 
UNITED METHODIST MEN'S BREAKFAST
March 17th
8 AM Fellowship Hall
All Men Welcome


Linda Barr and Pat Mayrhofer will present
the Red Bird Mission Trip of 2017.

 Please respond by email: edcampbell@aol.com or on the sign up sheet in the Narthex. 

COMMUNION BREAKFAST
MARCH 24, 2018
9:30 A.M.

"From Seder to Communion"
A Christian celebration of our Jewish heritage.
Join us for a seder meal. 

This Week's Circle Spotlight:
NAOMI CIRCLE

In December the Naomi Circle made what has become an annual visit to "The Village" in Rosemont.

This facility p rovides children & families in the Greater Philadelphia region with the residential services they need to overcome major challenges and crises. The women decorated the house for Christmas. https://village1877.org/aboutus/

Naomi Circle meets in the church parlor the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 7:00 PM. The meetings include a devotion and bible study as well as an opportunity to connect on a personal level. It is also a time to discuss St John's UMW mission projects and programs.

Naomi Circle has also committed to collecting "tabs" which they take to the Ronald McDonald House in April when they cook breakfast for the families of children being treated at CHOP. https://www.rmhc-centralpa.org/get-involved/aluminum-tab-recycling-program/

            Another mission Naomi Circle supports is Red Bird. This year they will collect sheets to send to Kentucky when our St. John trailers get back on the road. Call Linda Barr 215-773-9865 or Carol Campbell 215-364-0942 if you are interested in joining them or Arlene Williams 215-355-0162 if you would like to join a different circle.
RONALD McDONALD HOUSE TABS COLLECTION
Naomi Circle is collecting tabs from beverage cans for Ronald McDonald House.  You will find a container under the sign hanging on the UMW bulletin board. Please place them in a plastic bag and put it in the container. This is an ongoing collection, so keep bringing them in as you collect them.   
Thank you.
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