VBS Wish List

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You can be part of our Vacation Bible School (God's Backyard Bible Camp) by donating needed items between now and July 15!  Please place items in the bins located downstairs in the back of Fellowship Hall.  The travel-sized personal care items will be used for an amenity kit project to be donated to Dégagé and Veteran's Home.  Lunch bags will be used for a Kids Food Basket project.  Other items will be used for our camp dinners.  Thank you for supporting VBS!

WISH LIST:

Juice Boxes, Paper Plates, Napkins, Brown paper lunch bags, Quart-sized ziplock bags. Travel-sized items: tooth brush, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, deodorant, lotion.

Memorial Day

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With gratitude and honor, we pray. Gracious God, on this Memorial Day weekend, we remember and give thanks for those who have given their lives in the service of our country. When the need was greatest, they stepped forward and did their duty to defend the freedoms that we enjoy, and to win the same for others.

O God, you yourself have taught us that no love is greater than that which gives itself for another. These honored dead gave the most precious gift they had, life itself, for loved ones and neighbors, for comrades and country, and for us.

Help us to honor their memory by caring for the family members they have left behind, by ensuring that their wounded comrades are properly cared for, by being watchful caretakers of the freedoms for which they gave their lives, and by demanding that no other young men and women follow them to a soldier’s grave unless the reason is worthy and the cause is just.

Holy One, help us to remember that freedom is not free. There are times when its cost is dear. Never let us forget those who paid so terrible a price to ensure that freedom would be our legacy. Though their names may fade with the passing of generations, may we never forget what they have done. Help us to be worthy of their sacrifice. Amen.

We Are Praying for Those in the Tornado's Path

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Almighty God,
Your power is without question and your love is limitless. We struggle to understand where you are in natural disasters like this one. And yet, where shall we go but to you for help finding the missing, for strength in the search and rescue efforts, to comfort the grieving, and to heal the wounded.  Preserve the lives of those waiting to be found. Bless those who are dealing with the situation in person with all the resources they need. Grant courage to those who wait for news of loved ones. And uphold those for whom the news will be what they feared the most. Empower the churches of Oklahoma to be your ever-present help in trouble. This we ask in Jesus' name. Amen.

Fajita Sunday

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Gather with us this Sunday, May 19, as we celebrate Pentecost as well as this years graduates and confirmands with a gorgeous fajita lunch sponsored by Tony and Sue Garza! Fajitas, chips, salsa and rice will be provided and prepared in our kitchen! Service at 10am. Fajita lunch at 11am. Bring your friends and family!

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Pentecost

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Sunday, May 19 is Pentecost Sunday. On Pentecost, the early church became unstuck. They found a power larger than any power they had known. It came from outside them but invaded their space. A lot of us get stuck and know the desperate need to have somebody open the door and let the wind rush in. Pentecost guarantees that the whole climate can change in a room, that the weather can shift, that people who thought they were stuck can be unstuck. Let's pray. God, send forth your Holy Spirit into my heart that I may perceive, into my mind that I may remember, and into my soul that I may meditate. Inspire me to speak with piety, holiness, tenderness and mercy. Teach, guide and direct my thoughts and senses from beginning to end. May your grace help and correct me, and may I be strengthened now with wisdom from on high, for the sake of your infinite mercy. Amen.

Dégagé

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Volunteer Opportunity! We will be serving dinner at Dégagé Shelter twice in June! If you are available Sunday, June 2nd or Sunday, June 30th, please sign up on the Mission board in Fellowship Hall or contact Theresa Bileth at 616-826-3284. We arrive at Dégagé (144 S. Division) at 5:30pm to serve from 6-7pm. Carpooling from church is available upon request. 

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West Parking Lot Closed

/ St. John's United Church of Christ/

DTE Energy has begun construction to replace the natural gas pressure regulators and vaults under the old Bridge Street right-of-way. That right-of-way is our west parking lot.  Beginning this morning the west parking lot is closed.  Later today snow fence will be installed around the site and construction equipment will arrive. The major work effort begins tomorrow.

The carport drive remains open to cars dropping off passengers. Valet service will be available for drivers with handicapped permits. If you would be willing to serve as a valet please contact Jerry Krauss to volunteer. 

At some point in the project a trench will be cut across the carport driveway. A new gas main will be installed and the pipeline running under the carport pillars will be abandoned.  Steel road plate will be installed temporarily to keep the drive accessible on Sundays. 

Construction will last at least 6 weeks.  ​As part of the project the vent tubes currently in the parking area will be relocated to the right-of-way, opening up two more parking spaces. DTE will replace the asphalt disturbed and resurface the entire parking area as a thank you for our cooperation in this necessary infrastructure upgrade.   As a ministry of hospitality we are making the facilities and drinking fountains available to the construction crew, so if you see workers in the building we hope you will offer them our extravagant welcome and thanks for their work.