November Newsletter

A Reflection on Thanksgiving and Stewardship:

As we approach Thanksgiving Day, we remember with gratitude the many ways in which we have been richly blessed by God. God gives us the world around us with all its beauty. God blesses us with family and friends, home and property, food and

clothing, and all the necessities of life. All of these things are truly miracles that we have received from the love and generosity of God.

The Biblical concept of stewardship is closely tied to giving proper thanks to God. Stewardship is based upon the realization that since everything has been created by God, everything therefore really belongs to God. We are not really the owners of things. We are stewards, that is, caretakers of that which really belongs to God. Stewardship, then, is being a good caretaker of what God has entrusted to our care.

Stewardship is about living in a state of gratitude to God. It is God’s very nature to be loving and giving, and recognizing that divine nature inspires in us a sense of gratitude to God. Reflecting on the many ways that God has blessed us in our lives inspires us to be loving and giving in our daily lives.

True stewardship means giving out of gratitude for what God has given to us. True stewardship means sharing generously in proportion to the generous blessings which we have received from God.

In infinite love for us, God, our Heavenly Parent, has created a magnificent world and set us in it to enjoy all God’s blessings. As we approach another Thanksgiving Day, we realize that we truly have everything to be thankful for, and so with joyful and grateful hearts we offer to God our thanks and praise in thought, word, and deed.

Yours in Christ, Pastor Richard

Harvest Supper:
 An Evening of Thanksgiving
 Nov. 7, 5:30-7:30 PM

Gather with us for a warm potluck dinner as we celebrate the blessings of the season together. Please contact Matthew Holms if you have any questions.

Remembering Our Loved Ones on All Saints Day

On All Saints Day, November 1, we will remember and give thanks for the loved ones who have gone before us. We invite you to help us honor and remember those who have touched our lives and continue to live in our hearts.

Painting Heritage Hall

Our resident painter, Bob Leggett, has graciously volunteered to lead an effort to repaint Heritage Hall! Part of that process is to pick which color to use. Five color options have been painted on the back wall of Heritage Hall, along with a voting/comment sheet attached to each. Please vote on which color you like best by marking the appropriate sheet with a tick mark. Space is also available if you'd like to offer any comments, or please talk to Bob directly. Your help is greatly appreciated!

Don’t forget to turn your clocks BACK one hour on Sunday,
 Nov. 1! 
Enjoy that extra hour of sleep.

Upcoming Events and Opportunities

Fall Fling – Saturday, November 14 | 9:00 AM–12:00 PM

Help us get St. John’s grounds ready for winter at our annual Fall Fling outdoor cleanup day! Join fellow church members for a morning of fellowship and teamwork as we rake leaves, clear debris, and tidy up the church property before the cold weather arrives. Bring your rakes, tarps, leaf blowers, and any other helpful yard tools, and come ready to lend a hand. Every bit of help makes a difference, and it’s a wonderful way to care for our church home together!

Rain date: Saturday, November 21. We hope you’ll join us!

Gardening Team – Please Join Us!

The Leighton family has cared for our trees, bushes, and flower beds for over 50 years. Maintaining the beds, bushes, and plants on our property is important, time consuming, and more work than one person can do alone. And so, we are forming a Gardening Team to help with the landscaping. To join the Gardening Team, see Jayne Aerni, or Thom Theara. Sign up to maintain one or more of the beds around church by clicking on the button in the weekly email. Many hands make light work and maintaining an attractive property communicates that we are a people who care for all that takes place here. Thank you for your generosity of time and talent toward this important ministry!

Acton Food Pantry – The metal cart for collecting food for the Acton Food Pantry is under the coat rack near the front door. High fuel and food costs make it a difficult time for those who are food insecure. Please leave donations on the cart for Outreach to deliver. You can find the Pantry’s list of critical needs at www.actonfoodpantry.org/food. 

Upcoming Adult Forum Topics

Nov. 1 - History of All Saints' Day

Ever wonder how All Saints' Day came to be and what the customs and traditions are surrounding this special day? If so, please join Pastor Richard and Matthew Holms as they delve into the background and history of All Saints' Day, which is also a pivotal day in the history of the Reformation.

Nov. 8 - Planning Ahead: Final Wishes

Lead by Senior Ministry

Planning for the end of life can feel difficult, but communicating your wishes ahead of time can be a meaningful gift to your loved ones. We’ll explore important questions about what your family should know, your wishes for your remains and Memorial Service, and how you’d like your possessions and heirlooms handled. This conversation is valuable for adults of all ages—not just seniors.

November 15: Ministry Site Profile - Overview and Discussion

Lead by Jeff Fuhrer, Call Committee Chair

This forum will present an overview of the Ministry Site Profile (MSP), which is the document that the NE Synod publishes to advertise to all interested clergy that we are seeking a new permanent pastor. The document describes who we are as a church and what we are looking for in a new pastor. After giving his overview, Jeff will then lead a discussion on the types of questions/topics the Call Committee should discuss with potential candidates. Everyone is highly encouraged to attend!

Youth and Family Ministry

FORECAST: LOOK OUT FOR FLYING PIGS AND COWS!

During our Children’s Message on Sunday, November 15th, our puppets will be performing Jeff Fuhrer’s original song “If Pigs Could Fly” to kick off the St. John Puppet Ministry’s annual God’s Global Barnyard campaign, which raises money for the ELCA Good Gifts program.

Over the past 15 plus years, our St. John family has given “wings” to chicks, piglets, goats, cows, bees, and even vegetable gardens so that we can support our global community. Our God’s Global Barnyard piggybank enjoys gobbling cash and checks during the Offering.

Please make checks out to St John and note that it is for God’s Global Barnyard in the memo section.

Be sure to stuff our God’s Global Barnyard piggy bank anytime between November 15 and the last Sunday in Advent on December 20th.

Let’s make God’s Global Barnyard grow!!

October was filled with special moments in our Sunday School classes! 

We started the month thinking about God being praiseworthy.  We heard the story of King David celebrating God for all God gives to us—dressing and parading in the streets with all the people—rather than acting like a king. King David wanted the focus to be on God. Using games and crafts, we explored how we can focus on God and celebrate God.

On October 18th, Pastor Richard took us on a “field trip” into the sanctuary to help us learn about Holy Communion. We got up close and personal with the chalice, flagon, and paten, and we learned that the bread or cracker we receive is called the host. We even checked out Pastor Richard’s view from behind the altar.

Martin Luther the puppet joined us for Sunday School on Reformation Day. We also read a book about Martin Luther’s life and talked about how he shared his thoughts about God’s love and forgiveness by placing his 95 Theses on the door of the church. Our classes took a field trip outside the church. Our youngest class counted our church doors—17 including the doors of the shed! They also built a castle to keep Martin Luther safe. Our older kids wrote and drew their own messages about God’s love and picked the door of our church that they felt would best display our messages. 

Coming in November: Our lessons will focus on two big ideas—doing our best with God’s help and being a part of Jesus’ family. But that is not all. Our hands will be busy making centerpieces for the Acton Community Supper and creating ornaments for our St. John family members who can’t visit us in person as often as they would like to. And, of course, we will all work together to wrap breads for our annual Spread the Bread project.

We have begun exploring our Lutheran faith,

using Luther’s Small Catechism as our tour guide.

Our first stop is learning about the sacraments—what makes something a sacrament and what the two sacraments are in the Lutheran faith, Baptism and Holy Communion.

As we learned about Baptism, we examined Jesus’ baptism and compared it to our own baptisms. We took a field trip to St. John’s baptismal font and considered the covenant that is made between God and our family, sponsors, and church community when we are baptized. We also

discussed that our Confirmation Program helps us to understand the

promises made on our behalf when we are baptized so that we are making

an informed decision to affirm our baptismal vows when we are confirmed.

This month’s Youth Ministry Collaborative (YMC) event celebrated Magic 8

Ball Day, a “holiday” that our YMC created four years ago. In recognition of

of this special day, we interviewed 8 friends to find their answer to burning

questions like “What’s the best kind of cookie?”, asked the Magic 8 Ball

what items we could use to complete various relay challenges, and dared

ourselves to try some rare culinary delights. Together we enjoyed getting to

know each other better and discussing the 8th verse of the 8th chapter of

the 8th book of the New Testament, which is from 2 Corinthians: I do not

say this as a command, but I am testing the genuineness of your love

against the earnestness of others.

Coming in November: Holy Communion, the Lord’s Prayer, Spread the

Bread, and YMC’s celebration of International Game Month.

News From The Patch

When our truck full of pumpkins arrived on the afternoon of Saturday, October 3rd, we had more than 50 volunteers from St. John and Maynard High School waiting to unload more than 3000 pumpkins of all colors, shapes, and sizes.

Our Pumpkin Patch opened for business the next day, and our neighbors have been visiting from near and far since then. We have had more than 1000 people impressions (we count how many visitors we have to the Patch each day) in the Patch this year with many folks saying that visiting our Pumpkin Patch has become their family’s tradition.

One family brought their 2-year-old back for their birthday this year after celebrating their first birthday in the Patch as well! With 5 days remaining, we have already sold more than $16K in pumpkins, surpassing last year’s total sales. We offer more than just pumpkins to buy. Storytimes in the Patch on Tuesday mornings, Pumpkin Painting, and Halloween Movie Night all brought folks into the Patch to make special pumpkin memories.

We estimate that this year’s Trunk or Treat (our 4th in conjunction with Sudbury Family Network) brought about 1000 kids and grown-ups to St. John for kids to enjoy trick or treating from car to car, to create Halloween crafts, and to pet goats, chickens and ducks from a petting zoo. Many grown-ups remarked that they were so grateful for the joy that this event brings their family.

Between the Patch and Trunk or Treat, we have had more than 2000 people impressions this year alone. Sharing this fun Halloween event with the whole community and bringing smiles and joy to families is caring for our neighbors and sharing God’s love.

Huge thank yous to everyone who has helped make this year’s Pumpkin Patch a success!

Outreach

Acton Community Supper:

Wednesday, Nov. 4, 4:00-6:00pm

Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church, Acton

Come volunteer to serve dinner. No setup or cleanup required. Just your joyful spirit to serve the guests. Contact Michal Mueller or Christine Barilone if interested or with your questions.

GIFT CARDS FOR KIDS

The Boys and Girls Club of Assabet Valley, in Maynard, is bursting at the seams with more kids than they have ever served. While corporate sponsors provide toys for Christmas, for many years our church has donated gift cards for experiences: movies, restaurants, bowling, etc. as well as food, clothing and gas.

As with last year, the overwhelming need is for basics: food, clothing and gas. So as you shop, and as you are able, cards for such stores as Market Basket, Target, TJMaxx, local gas stations, or generic VISA type cards are most welcome. The BGCAV staff carefully monitors the cards, and you can be assured 100% go directly to those in need and are distributed throughout the year. We impact the lives of 20-25 local families.

The Cards for Kids collection box is in the library, or give your cards or cash donation to any Outreach member - Larry Kivimaki, Lynn Woods, Nancy Haugsjaa, Mary Fuhrer, Christine Barilone or Michal Mueller.

Thank you for your generosity.

Coats and More for McLean Hospital Patients  

Rev. Angelika Zollfrank has offered us an opportunity to support patients at McLean Hospital. Often patients arrive without the proper clothes to be able to go on walks (which happen twice a day and are important for patients who are on locked units). This year they need sweatshirts & pants for indoors, as well. 

Once the weather gets cold, they’ll need: 

• sweatshirts 
• sweatpants  
• sweaters 
• coats 

in large, extra large and extra extra large sizes. 

New and used clothing are all welcome. If used, please make sure items are washed or dry cleaned and ready to wear. 

Donations may be placed in the designated area in the lounge/library. Thanks!

Coming up in December

Christmas Dinner Baskets: St. John will be sharing the Christmas spirit by supplying dinner baskets to the Maynard Food Pantry for families in need. More details to come!

Holiday Cheer: Folks will have a chance to sign up to sponsor a child for 2 new toys and an article of clothing. There will be Signup Genius information coming up.

Mitten Tree: If you’re a knitter or get a chance to pick up a pair of gloves, mittens or a hat, the Mitten Tree is coming up in December!

Outdoor Church

Did you know that on the 4th Saturday of every month a team of folks from Sudbury churches work together with Cambridge’s Outdoor Church to provide 120 bagged lunches for street-dependent folks in Cambridge?

Anyone can join the group that makes simple sandwiches (pb&j, turkey & cheese, ham & cheese—no condiments) at home and then drops off the sandwiches or fruit or chips or bagged cookies at church. The items are then assembled into lunches and delivered to street-dependent folks in the places they congregate: at the Harvard Square chess tables, church steps, and bus stops & park benches in Central Square—to name a few. You can contribute as frequently as it works in your busy schedule.

If you would like to be part of this important ministry, 
please contact Michelle Rose at mrose@stjohnsudbury.org 
so that you can be added to the monthly e-mail sign up list. 

Worship and Music

Worship & Music Ministry

The Worship and Music ministry meets on zoom on the 2nd Monday evening of each month at 8 PM. You are welcome to join us if you would like to check out what our ministry does. Contact Ellen Baucom for more information.

Fellowship

Share the Joy of Hospitality: 
Host Coffee Hour!

Our Sunday Coffee Hour brings us together as a community, but it relies entirely on volunteers like you! We are looking for individuals, friends, or families to host by brewing coffee and bringing a few light refreshments. It’s a simple yet wonderful way to serve our church family.

To sign up, please add your name to the sheet by the Coffee Hour table. Have questions? Chat with Matthew Holms after the service to learn more.

Knitting Group

Come join the fun, with or without sewing, on the first and third Wednesday of the month at 1:00 PM in the Lounge of the church. Contact Valerie Ripley for more information. To learn more about our Prayer Shawl Ministry, click here.

Senior Ministry

Senior Potluck Lunch, November 17, 12:30

Please join us as we gather together to share the blessings of food and fellowship. The variety and quality of the food is always fantastic! We would like to have some people bring salads or main dishes to balance our usual good supply of desserts. Beverages will be provided.

Celebrating Special Birthdays!

Senior Ministry has a long-standing practice of honoring our members when they reach certain milestone ages. We celebrate and recognize people, starting with their 80th birthday, and every 5 years thereafter. These milestones are recognized with a cake in the lounge after the worship service. Contact Royce Fuller for more information on celebrating special birthdays.

Seniorcise

We meet for exercise in Heritage Hall on Mondays and Wednesdays from 10-11:15 AM. Exercises include stretching, strength-building, and balancing. Everything centers around using a chair! Join the group for a workout—and for fun!  Contact Michelle Rose with questions.

St. John Seniors “On the Go Book Club”

Join us on the 3rd Tuesday of the month at 11:00 AM via Zoom.

Upcoming book for the month:

November 17, Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy

St. John Communications: Newsletter, Bulletin & Weekly Email

Ever wonder what belongs in the monthly newsletter, Sunday bulletin, or weekly email? We’ve put together helpful guidelines explaining the purpose of each communication, what content is best suited for each, and the deadlines for submissions. These guidelines will help us keep everyone informed while making our communications clear, concise, and easy to follow.

News From The Synod

New England Synod Companion Trip to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL)

April 26-May 7, 2027

Join Bishop Nathan Pipho and Pastors Tim and Scott on a pilgrimage that includes meeting and praying with the Lutheran Christians of the ELCJHL, touring their various education and outreach ministries, visiting ancient holy sites in Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Galilee, and learning about and witnessing the issues of justice and peace in Palestine and Israel. You must be able to walk up and down hills and on uneven stone streets. Most importantly, we listen, we learn, we laugh, we eat, and we pray…and we return witnesses. 

View our current itinerary at this LINK.

What does the $4500 cost cover? ALMOST EVERYTHING! 

The price includes roundtrip airfare from JFK, double-occupancy accommodations, chartered bus transportation, licensed tours, three meals/day, admission to sites, and gratuities. Single occupancy is available at an additional cost of $500, and flights from alternative airports can also be arranged at additional cost. 

Travel concerns? Read more about trip safety here.

How do I register and pay? Follow this LINK to register for the You Are Witnesses Companion Trip

Registration and initial $750 deposit are due by Dec 12, 2026. Two additional payments of $1,875 are due Jan 9 and Feb 13, 2027.

After registering, send checks (payable to the New England Synod, memo “2027 Holy Land Trip”) to 
New England Synod, 20 Upland St, Worcester, MA 01607

or

pay online following this LINK (designate as “2027 Holy Land Trip”)

Our Prayer List

Natalie Abu Dayyeh, Phelu Benerjee, Beverly Cable, Barb Campbell, James Campbell, Michael Erkkinen, Joyce Fryklund, Estela Gaudet, Nancy (Nan) Howells, Pastor Ivan & family, Kathy Johnson, Ann Kirk, Marilyn Kunelius, Dee LaCure, Ruth Lander, Carol Leighton, Ginny Leighton, Selam Mandal, Todd Mara, Danielle Martin, Trish McCann, Gabriela Miranda, Michael Miller, Wanda Miller, Jan Nielsen, Ryan P, Liz Pekkala, Jon Roberts, Al Rose, Janet Sarvela, Claudine Selzer, Bea Stephens, Rhonda Tibbetts, Carol Van Cleave, Gogi Woodward, John, Rita and Pat.

Connect with St. John

Church Calendar

If you have an event or church meeting or event to add to the church calendar, please submit your request to office@stjohnsudbury.org, or call the office with your request so we can keep the church calendar up-to-date.

Click the buttons below to connect with us on our social media pages!

ELCA Website

Boom Chicka News from Camp Calumet

Contact Us

Interim Ministers: 
Rev. Angelika Zollfrank

Rev. Richard Schoenleber, schoenleberr@yahoo.com

Director of Youth & Family Ministry: 
Michelle Rose mrose@stjohnsudbury.org

Church Administrator: Lyndsey Melchiono office@stjohnsudbury.org

Director of Choirs: Benjamin Perry choirdir@stjohnsudbury.org

Organist: Bart Dahlstrom organist@stjohnsudbury.org