st. john evangelical lutheran church

Sunday School Rally will be on September 13th at Bethlehem Church

Sunday School classes will resume on September 13th at 9:30 am  

Youth confirmation classes will resume on September 16th at 6 pm.  Classes will be on Wednesdays at Bethlehem and switch locations in January 2027 to St. John. 

Youth Group will meet starting on September 16th at 6 pm.  Youth Group will be on Wednesdays at Bethlehem and switch locations in January 2027 to St. John. 

St. John’s VBS 2026 Recap

We had 10 children ranging in ages 3 through those going into 6th grade. We had a wonderful group of over 12 youth helpers, and about 13 adult workers. This year we followed the hymn “Wake, Awake, for Night is Flying” to learn that Christ, who came once, will come again. We need His salvation, and we need to prepare for his return with the means of grace. We rejoice that Christ comes to rescue us from suffering, because He is the source of ALL JOY! We participated in fellowship, activities, wonderful snacks, creative crafts, singing, and a lot of fun. It is wonderful to see everyone working together, enjoying the craziness of all the children, and sharing God’s love with all present.

During our Bible lessons, we talked about “Christ’s Triumphal Entry” from Matthew tells us the story of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, his crucifixion, and that He will come again. “Peter Realizes His Sinfulness” In Luke we learned, that like Peter, we are all sinful and need to confess our sins to prepare for Christ’s return. “The Parable of the Ten Virgins” from Matthew taught us that we must prepare for Jesus’ return with the means of grace. “Jesus Raises Jairus’s Daughter” in Mark and we rejoice with Jairus that Christ comes to rescue us from suffering. In Revelation “A Great Multitude Praises God”. We rejoice with the multitudes because Christ is the source of all Joy!

Mission Fundraisers

This year we collected food for local area food pantries, Athens, Edgar, and Stratford. We collected 206 Food Items during the week and the kids and staff delivered the grocery bags to the 3 local Circle of Joy drop offs at VBS closing on Friday. We focused on items needed the most: Canned Meats: (Chicken, Ham, Tuna, Spam) Canned Pasta with Meat, Canned Fruit, Cereal. All Non-perishable items were accepted.

Our second mission was Ringle Tornado relief, in conjunction with North Wisconsin District LCMS Disaster Relief. We collected over $ 2,252 from VBS with the congregation’s help!

We closed VBS with an evening church service on Friday, followed by a picnic style supper in the parish hall. The kids enjoyed showing off their new songs to families and friends. 

Praise be to God! Thank you to all the children and families that made this possible.

Traci Pehlke - VBS Director 

St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church currently offers scholarships for members who attend Lutheran schools.