Announcements for March 15, 2026

NOISY OFFERING
The noisy offering collected today will be combined with the $198.49 collected last month for the Souper Bowl of Caring. Council designated Sharing God’s Love as the recipient of these funds.

CONFIRMATION CLASS MEETS TODAY
Confirmation class will meet today from 12:30 to 2:30 P.M. Youth are strongly encouraged to attend worship and to bring a bag lunch and water bottle. The topic today is the Apostles’ Creed.
 
LENTEN JOURNEY TO THE EASTER VIGIL
St. John’s Lutheran Church and some of the other Dutch Fork Community Lutheran Churches are holding a combined service each Wednesday evening during Lent. The theme this year is a Lenten Journey to the Easter Vigil. Each week will feature one of the readings traditionally used in the Easter Vigil.

Each week a different host church offers a meal at 6:00 P.M. with worship at 7:00 P.M. The pastors also rotate for the message each week. This gives the community a chance to hear different pastors preach and to visit our sister congregations. All are welcome for the meal, fellowship and worship.

The two remaining dates are listed below.
SUPPER 6:00 P.M. + WORSHIP 7:00 P.M.

St. John’s will host the Lenten dinner and worship service on March 25. We expect 60 to 70 people. St. John’s is providing the meal, and we need volunteers to provide desserts. We hope St. John’s will be well represented at the meal and the worship service.

EASTER LILIES
If you would like to bring Easter lilies for Easter Sunday, which is on April 5, please have them in the fellowship hall by Friday, April 3. All dedications must be in the office no later than Thursday, April 2 at 10:00 A.M. Please email your dedications or submit them in writing to the office. Written dedications may also be placed in the offering plate.

THANK YOU FOR A SUCCESSFUL WORKDAY
Pastor Michele and Council extend a heartfelt “Thank You” to the volunteers who contributed their time and talents for a day of work and fellowship yesterday. We organized, cleaned, and performed minor repairs to our buildings and grounds for which we are so blessed to call our own. Several other members and friends who were unable to participate yesterday have volunteered to perform other tasks when their schedules permit. We appreciate their assistance, also.

CREATED TO CREATE: THE 2026 SYNOD ASSEMBLY
The SC Synod Assembly will be held June 11-13, 2026, at the Brookland Banquet and Conference Center, 1066 Sunset Blvd, West Columbia, SC 29169. Fellowship events will be hosted at the Marriott Columbia.

Registration is now open.
Early Bird Registration Window: March 2 – April 2, 2026.
Cost per person is $175.

Standard Registration Begins: April 3, 2026.
Cost per person increases to $225.

Registration Closes: May 1, 2026.

If you are interested in representing St. John’s and helping to elect a new bishop for the SC Synod, please let Pastor Michele or a Council member know. You may also email the office. Please let us know before April 2, so that we may take advantage of the early bird pricing.

St. John’s is entitled to two at-large lay voting members. In addition, a person under age 30 and/or a person of color may represent St. John’s. The cost of registration fees is included in the approved 2026 budget. 

HYGIENE KITS
Council has decided to repeat our project of creating hygiene kits for the needy. Each of the 50 kits will include the following components. We still need the following number of each item.

 Bar of Soap (Regular) – 41
 Washcloth – 15
 Toothbrush – 0
 Toothpaste – 36
 Toothbrush Holder/Brush Cap – 21
 Lip Balm – 20
 Tube Socks – 43
 Lotion (Tube or Bottle) – 49
 Bottle of Water – 50
 Small Pack of Tissues – 41
 Small Fleece Blanket – 45

We are requesting donations of these items from the congregation throughout Lent. Please leave all donations on the stage in the Fellowship Hall. Financial donations may be made by placing a check or cash (in an envelope) in the offering plate, with the designation “hygiene kits.” We have received $100 in cash donations.

Contact Pastor Michele or Jan Samson with any questions.