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Christ is risen! He is risen indeed, Alleluia!

Our Easter joy continues, even as we close out the Easter Season. This week we hear the words of Jesus as he prays his High Priestly Prayer, just before leaving the upper room on Maundy Thursday. Jesus prays that his Father would glorify him, and that he would in turn glorify his Father. And we glorify our Savior, too, when we rejoice in his mercy and proclaim what he has done for us! 

1. Plan to reopen on May 27^th

After 10 weeks we are excited to get back to worship! On May 27^th we will begin our summer schedule, AND start worshiping again in person!

• Summer Schedule:
  • Wednesdays  6:30 pm
  • Sundays         9:00 am

We understand that not everyone is ready to return to worship. Some may be unable to attend worship because of their level of vulnerability to sickness. We plan to continue providing online devotions and worship for those who plan to stay home due to concerns about COVID19.

For the safety of our worshipers, please make an effort to practice social distancing while attending worship.

Here are some of the plans we have to help protect those who worship:

• Wednesday services will be held upstairs to allow for social distancing.
• Doorkeepers: We will have a council member opening the doors for worshipers.
• Distancing: We encourage worshipers to spread out in the church. We are blessed with a large worship space. Please allow 2 rows between you and the next family in front or behind you.
• Lord’s Supper: we will try to allow for spacing during communion between families. Ushers will decrease the number of people at each table. Please allow adequate spacing between families.
• Offering Plates: For now we will not pass the offering plate. Rather, we will put out the plate before and after worship near the sanctuary entrance. You may put your offering in the plate on your way in or out of worship.
• Hand sanitizer is available in the back hallway.
• Masks: Worshipers are welcome to wear face masks while attending worship.

We will offer the Lord’s Supper on June 3 & 7. 

We thank you for your support and patience as we work toward reopening and beginning worship. 

2. New Beginnings – A Home for Mothers

Our congregation is participating in the Change for Life program to support the ministry of New Beginnings – A Home for Mothers. Pick up your coin box and fill it with the change you accumulate on a daily basis.  The display will be available from May 27 – July 12. The money will be collected and sent to support New Beginnings.

3. Video Devotions and Services

Pastor Wall will continuing to put out worship and devotion videos several times each week for those who are prefer not to worship in person due to the coronavirus: devotions for Tuesday and Thursday; a worship service for Sunday. We post the videos on our Facebook page as well as on our YouTube channel. If you have a smart TV or device, you can watch our videos on your TV.  Just go to the YouTube app and search for St. John St. Peter Lutheran Church.

Videos will be uploaded sometime the evening before each day. 

4. Bible Study

On May 27 we will begin our summer Bible Study schedule: 19 Minutes with Luther. Worshipers are invited to stay after worship for 19 minutes to study God’s Word together for no more than 19 minutes. Yes, we really do set a timer. 

5. Offerings

Thank you to all who have remembered their church during this tumultuous time and have continued to support gospel ministry here in Cleveland. 

We are well aware that the current crisis has made it difficult for some of our members to give their offerings. We pray that God would continue to provide for all our members and enable them to return thanks to the Lord for the many good gifts that he has given. If you or someone you know needs financial assistance, please contact Pastor Wall!

If you are unable to attend worship, the best way to give your offering is to send a check in the mail to our church address:

• St. John-St. Peter Lutheran Church
  1251 W. Washington Ave.
  Cleveland, WI 53015

6. Scrip Orders 

You may now pick up your Scrip orders on Wednesday’s before the church service and Sunday’s after the church service.

7. Food Bank Available

Food bank drive through at Cleveland Elementary School each Friday from 11am – 1pm until school resumes.  Is available to all families in need, all ages. Pull up to school and a staff member will bring the food out.

~ From Sheboygan Food Bank and Cleveland Elementary.

8. Private Devotion & Communion

Members who would like to meet with Pastor Wall for a private devotion and to receive the Sacrament of Holy Communion may call Pastor Wall at the church number (693-8612) to schedule a time during the week.

9. How Can We Help?

Your church is here to help! If you have any needs that we could assist with, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. Running low on food or toiletries or other supplies? Don’t feel comfortable going shopping? Let us know and we will do what we can to help get you through this difficult time. Call the church phone if you have any questions.

10. MLHS Virtual Senior Awards Night: 

Wednesday, May 27^th at 6:30PM – You are invited to view the Senior Awards Night that will be livestreamed. The event begins at 6:30PM on May 27^th. You can get to the livestream by going to www.mlhslancers.org/lancervision.

11. MLHS Virtual Graduation: 

May 30th, at 10AM. You can watch it by going to  www.mlhslancers.org/classof2020. Congratulations MLHS Class of 2020!

12. A little humor: 

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God bless you and keep you!

In Christ, our risen and ascended Savior,

Pastor Steven Wall

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed, Alleluia!

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed, Alleluia!

Our Easter joy continues as we celebrate Christ’s victory over sin, death and hell. As we get closer to the end of the Easter season our focus shifts to Jesus preparing his disciples for his departure. Jesus calls his disciples to love him and keep his commands, and promises to send the Holy Spirit to guide us and dwell in us. 

1. Plan to reopen on May 27^th

The church council met on May 12th for our regularly scheduled council meeting. One of the topics of the discussion was how and when to begin worshiping again.

At the time of the meeting the Wisconsin Supreme Court had not made a decision about the Safer at Home order. It was the decision of the council to plan to resume in-person worship on Wednesday, May 27. This is the first scheduled week of our summer service schedule. As we have done in the past, we will offer two services during the summer:

• Wednesdays: 6:30 pm.
• Sundays: 9:00 am. 

Both services will be held upstairs in the sanctuary to allow worshipers to spread out and self distance. In the coming days we will work out what procedures we will use to help prevent the spread of COVID19 and protect those who gather to worship. 

We will offer the Lord’s Supper on June 3 & 7. 

We thank you for your support and patience as we work toward reopening and beginning worship. 

2. Furnace Update

At our May 12th church council meeting the motion was made and passed to accept the bid from Four Seasons to replace the church boilers for $27,200. 

3. Landscaping Update

At our May 12th church council meeting the decision was made to have Schmidt Excavating remove the 9 stumps from the church property. We also hired Lee Wiegand to trim the two trees in front of the church and parsonage.

4. Scrip Orders Update

Please call LaFaye Herzog (920-946-6636) by Sunday to place your Scrip orders. 

Scrip orders will be available to pick up from Kris Mahler at the church office in the basement on Wednesday from 10am – 12 noon. Once church services resume, then we will go back to the regular summer Scrip pick up schedule which is Wednesday’s before the church service and Sunday’s after the church service.

5. Bake Sale Cancelled

The Women’s ministry has decided to cancel the bake sale schedule for June 12-13 during the Cleveland Village Rummage Sale. 

6. Video Devotions and Services

Pastor Wall is continuing to put out worship and devotion videos several times each week: devotions for Tuesday and Thursday; a worship service for Sunday. We post the videos on our Facebook page as well as on our YouTube channel. If you have a smart TV or device, you can watch our videos on your TV.  Just go to the YouTube app and search for St. John St. Peter Lutheran Church.

Videos will be uploaded sometime the evening before each day. 

7. Joint Ascension Service This Week

We teamed up with St. Paul’s in Howard’s Grove to record a special Ascension Service worship video for this week. Normally we celebrate on a Thursday the 40th day after Easter. The video should be uploaded some time on Wednesday. Thank you to Taylor Rudlaff, Kelly Wall and August Wall for helping with the music, as well as the musicians and A/V crew at St. Paul’s. 

8. Sunday School

This is the last week of Sunday School. Thank you to all our teachers who served the children this year. We have missed all your smiling faces at church. We look forward to seeing you all in class in September. Have a wonderful summer!

9. Bible Study

We are closing out our regular Bible Studies this week. On May 27 we will begin our summer Bible Study schedule: 19 Minutes with Luther. Worshipers are invited to stay after worship for 19 minutes to study God’s Word together for no more than 19 minutes. Yes, we really do set a timer. 

Schedule:

• Sunday 5/17: 8:45 am. Timely Topics.
• Monday 5/18: 6:30 pm. 2 Corinthians: 13.
• Sunday 5/24: No Bible Study Memorial Weekend.
• Wednesday 5/27. Begin 19 Minutes with Luther Bible Study. 

10. Offerings

Thank you to all who have remembered their church during this tumultuous time and have continued to support gospel ministry here in Cleveland. 

We are well aware that the current crisis has made it difficult for some of our members to give their offerings. We pray that God would continue to provide for all our members and enable them to return thanks to the Lord for the many good gifts that he has given. If you or someone you know needs financial assistance, please contact Pastor Wall!

As a reminder, the best way to give your offering is to send a check in the mail to our church address:

• St. John-St. Peter Lutheran Church
  1251 W. Washington Ave.
  Cleveland, WI 53015

If you are a Thrivent member it is also possible to give an offering online through their website, and Thrivent will pay the processing fees. If you would like more information, please contact Pastor Wall or your Thrivent rep. 

Members who schedule private devotions with Pastor Wall may also bring their offerings at that time. 

11. Food Bank Available

Food bank drive through at Cleveland Elementary School each Friday from 11am – 1pm until school resumes.  Is available to all families in need, all ages. Pull up to school and a staff member will bring the food out.

~ From Sheboygan Food Bank and Cleveland Elementary.

12. Private Devotion & Communion

Members who would like to meet with Pastor Wall for a private devotion and to receive the Sacrament of Holy Communion may call Pastor Wall at the church number (693-8612) to schedule a time during the week.

13. How Can We Help?

Your church is here to help! If you have any needs that we could assist with, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. Running low on food or toiletries or other supplies? Don’t feel comfortable going shopping? Let us know and we will do what we can to help get you through this difficult time. Call the church phone if you have any questions.

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God bless you and keep you!

In Christ, our Savior,

Pastor Steven Wall

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed, Alleluia!