Welcome to St. John Lutheran Church-LCMC
January
Important Events for January
Shepherd's Heart Work Day
We will be hosting a distribution for Shepherd’s Heart ministry on January 12, from 8-10 a.m. Please plan to help if you can. We will get started about 7:00 a.m.
Annual Congregational Meeting
Please plan to join us for our congregational annual meeting on January 18th after church. We
will conduct business and approve our 2026 Church Budget ~ Mission and Ministry Plan.
Annual Chili Supper
Join us for our annual Chili Supper on
January 11 from 4:30-6 p.m.
Tickets are $15, and meals are To-Go only.
Please signup to bring
desserts. We will also be selling whole cakes
and pies - please use
throw-away containers if possible.
Tickets are going FAST.. get yours today!
Lutheran Men ~ Monthly Breakfast
On January 3rd, we will have a Lutheran Men Monthly breakfast. Breakfast will be served at 8:00 a.m. We will have a hot breakfast, devotion, and a short Bible study. This month, we
invite everyone to join us as immediately following our breakfast, we will take down the Christmas decorations.
INSTALLATION OF COUNCIL MEMBERS
During our worship on January 25th, we will install our officers for the congregation. Please
keep them in your prayers as they serve our congregation.
Movie Night
We will begin to have a Movie Night on January 23rd. We will meet at 6:30 for a light supper and then we will watch a movie. The movie that we will watch is called, “We Three Kings”. If you have not seen this movie, it will be one that you don’t want to miss.
Here is some information about this movie. “Amy, Catherine, and Charles Fay can't wait for their Uncle Henry to arrive for Christmas. This is the first year since Mama passed away and the children are working together to fill the void and put together a Christmas play at their church. There are challenges along the way, from a runaway lamb to the stern lady who plays the church organ, but with the help of Uncle Henry's new song, 'We Three Kings,' not only is the Christmas pageant a success, but the children learn truths about Jesus and the gifts that were given to Him by the Magi.”
CHURCH DIRECTORY ~ Online and in print
We have a family and friends online directory for our congregation. Please have your picture taken at church. You can sign into Instant Church Directory with the email
that the church office has for you.
For more information, please speak to Pastor Jeff or
Sharon Moreno. Directories are available in the narthex or the church office.
UPDATES NEEDED!
As we
prepare to put together our annual yearbook, please contact the church office
by phone or email to update your address, phone number, or email.
Flower Chart
The flower chart for 2026 is up in the Narthex. Please sign up if you would like to bring
flowers for a Sunday. You can bring one or two bouquets. Please let the church office
know if you are celebrating an event or remembering a loved one
Prayers Are Important - If you have an occasion to request a prayer, please call the church office. If you would like your request to be on our prayer chain, please call Sharon Moreno or Pastor Jeff. If you would like to be a part of the prayer chain, please call the church office.
Please Inform the Church Office...
* when a member of your family is ill or hospitalized or if they are discharged or moved to another facility.
* when your address changes.
* when a new baby arrives.
* when a family member marries or leaves home for college, or military.
* when planning a wedding to be conducted at St. John.
* when a new family moves into your neighborhood.
* when you are planning to be out of town.
* when a brother or sister in Christ needs a visit from Pastor.
Ladies Bible Study
The Ladies Bible Study will meet on January 8th at 10:00 a.m. They are doing a study on the women of the Bible called, “Servants of the Lord”. Please plan to join them for time in God’s Word.
Shepherd's Heart
FROM THE DESK OF PASTOR GESKE
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Greetings to you in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ! As I reflect on our ministry together. I am excited about the many things that God has done through us in the past year. I am excited as to see what God has instore for us in the year and years ahead.
Congregations have mission statements that seek to guide them in how they carry out their mission. Ours is shorten to state: “We are led by the Holy Spirit to go and share the hope and love of Jesus.” As we carry out our mission, what we do should seek to help us carry out that mission. It is also good to think about a vision for the future. Therefore, organizations and congregations will develop a vision statement for what they seek to strive for in the years ahead. If you were asked today, what would your vision for our church be in 1,3, or 5 years from now. To go along with that vision, what are you willing to do to make that a reality?
One congregation had the following as their vision statement. I am going to change it to fit our congregation in five years from now. The Vision Statement states: In 2031, St. John Lutheran Church is a well-known community spiritual center for the city of Thrall and the surrounding area. It is easy to see evidence of the Holy Spirit at work in and through this spiritually well-fed congregation. All aspects of this ministry are carried out with excellence, and the people of St. John are using their gifts and are anxious to participate in this dynamic ministry. One is immediately impressed by the number of children in this congregation and thereby understands that St. John is a family place. While the congregation is blessed with able and gifted professional staff, it still retains its warm, friendly atmosphere and makes use of the gifts and abilities of the members. Members’ active prayer lives and participation in worship and Bible study contribute to the spiritual health of the congregation. ”
I believe that statement would be excellent for us to strive for in the years ahead. God knows the plans that He has for us as we seek to carry out His mission in this corner of His kingdom. My prayer for this congregation is that God would help us to do what He wants to bless. I pray that He will bless our work together in the years to come.
As we approach this new year, I would ask you to prayerfully consider how you might be more engaged in our ministry in the new year and years to come. We have about 8-10 Bible class on Sunday morning, perhaps if you haven’t participated in the Bible class, maybe you could seek to attend at least once or twice a month. Maybe you only attend worship once or twice a month, maybe a goal would be to strive to attend one more. Maybe you haven’t participated in the Men’s or Ladies Bible studies, maybe that might be a goal. Maybe there would be another opportunity for us to have a Bible study that we are not currently doing, and you would like to lead or participate in that Bible study. There are a lot of opportunities that we can explore.
All I know is that we live in a broken, sin-sick world, and we need to be fed and filled with the love and forgiveness of Jesus and it is often helpful if we are growing in God’s Word with other brothers and sisters in Christ. God knows what our future holds. As God spoke through Jeremiah to the children living in exile in Babylon, he said, “11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. “(Jeremiah 29:11) I pray that St. John Lutheran Church would strive to live out the vision statement mentioned earlier as it could apply to any congregation. May God bless us as a congregation and as His individual children to live in relationship with Him. May God bless you in this new year and always.
In Christ,
Pastor Jeff Geske
We are now connected
YouTube
St. John Lutheran Church Thrall Tx
Sunday Morning Bible Class
Our Sunday school would love to have you
and your child or grandchild
to be a part of learning more about the
love and forgiveness of Jesus.
Please make the study of God’s Word
a priority for you and your
family. A church that is growing is a church that is in God’s Word.