St. John Norrona Newsletter
July 2024
Please have any reports or information to be included in the newsletter, submitted by the 24th of each month to stjohn.norrona@sasktel.net. Thank you.
If you would like to receive your newsletter by email, please send a message to: stjohn.norrona@sasktel.net
Pastor Richard D. Schultz
Parish Phone (306) 725-3113
Email – stjohn.norrona_pastor@sasktel.net
Mailing Address: Box 505
Strasbourg, Sk. S0G 4V0
Website: stjohnnorrona.com
Scripture Lessons
July 7, 2024:
Ezekiel 2:1-5 Psalm 123
2 Corinthians 12:2-10 Mark 6:1-13
July 14, 2024:
Amos 7:7-15 Psalm 85:8-13
Ephesians 1:3-14 Mark 6:14-29
July 21, 2024:
Jeremiah 23:1-6 Psalm 23
Ephesians 2:11-22 Mark 6:30-34, 53-56
July 28, 2024:
2 Kings 4:42-44 Psalm 145:10-18
Ephesians 3:14-21 John 6:1-21
Worship Service at the Last Mountain Pioneer Home
Pastor Rick will be leading worship at the Last Mountain Pioneer Home on the following Wednesday Mornings from 10:30 – 11:00 a.m.
– July 24th – August 21st
– September 18th – October 16th
– November 13th – December 11th
July Worship Service change
Parish Worship Service at Norrona, will be held on Saturday July 27th. It will be a BBQ at 5:30 p.m., followed by a Parish Worship service at 7:00 p.m. Our regular Sunday service on July 28th will be cancelled.
LEAdership in the church
It has often been said that there is no ‘I’ in team. I suppose we would all interpret that phrase a little differently. However, as I have thought about how our ministry will move forward here in the St. John – Norrona Parish, I have increasingly become aware of how it will take all of us to make this ministry grow and flourish! As such, my reading lately has revolved around leadership styles and the development of leadership within the church. Some themes are emerging that are worthy of further discussion.
Open and honest communication top the list in every article. The days of the ‘Herr Pastor’ or a few key people controlling the ministry are long over. There is no question that we need strong pastoral leadership and that we need people who are willing to take on leadership roles, but we also recognize that all voices are important and need to be heard! For this to work well we need to create an environment where good process is followed while leaving room for the Spirit to guide the hopes and dreams of all members.
Strong leadership needs to be able to share a vision of where they intend to go. A clear and vital vision creates momentum and excitement. When we lead with a strong vision and with the “why” we are doing something, people are encouraged to take ownership of the process, and this gives birth to passion. When people are passionate about something, they not only want to do it . . . they have to do it. This is crucial in any change process and when this is done well incredible things happen. I have come to believe that money will always follow mission. When leadership is able to engage people with a sharp vision the support will be staggering!
Strong leadership is diligent in building trust. This is a bit subjective, and we will all approach this in a unique way. The bottom line is that people want to be trusted. They will not be capable of sticking around if they feel they need to be micro-managed. Will they mess up? Yes. Will they do things differently than we think they should? Probably. However, growth requires sharing not just the responsibility but also the authority.
Our changing world is requiring the church to become creative. We can no longer continue to do things the way we have always done them. We need to empower people to be creative. We need to seek opportunities to engage and become innovative while remaining faithful to the Gospel story that we have to share. We need to create an atmosphere where we challenge people to be their best, to do their best, and to engage them to use their skills, intelligence, and resources. We need to make sure we are creating a culture that puts a premium on coaching and learning.
These are just a few ideas that have been surfacing in my reading. I am certain that you can add many others. The most important thing is that we are creating space to listen to each other and to listen to God. Leaders cannot make their best decisions if they only have one opinion or one set of data. The church has operated that way for to long and it is time to break that mold. Our people have valuable information and opinions to share. If we do not listen, we will miss this essential information.
What would you add to this list?
The peace of Christ be with you all,
Pastor Rick
St. John Lutheran Church
Monthly Financial Summary
May 2024
Revenue
Total regular offering (includes for our
Church, CLWR, Benevolence, and pre-
authorized monthly giving) 6,655.00
Total other revenue (e.g. rental property,
donations, interest, etc.) 1,670.94
Total revenue 8,325.94
Expenses
Pastor Payroll (e.g. salary, benefits, EI,
mileage, etc.) 4,699.03
Missions (e.g. Benevolence, Sask. Synod,
etc.) 1,021.03
Worship and services (e.g. Pulpit Supply,
travel time, mileage, worship and office
supplies, Organist, Secretary, Treasurer,
Envelope, Secretary, etc.) 2,120.73
Church properties (e.g. power, telephone,
natural gas, bank service charges, line of
credit, insurance, church maintenance,
etc.) 2,295.35
Total expenses 10,136.14
Net Income (-$1,810.20)
NOTE: On line donations for this month $860.00
Norrona Lutheran Church
Financial Report – May 2024
Norrona Revenue
*Regular Sunday Offering (envelopes,
loose) $ 640.00
benevolence/missions (including CLWR) $ 95.00
Total Revenue $ 735.00
Norrona Expenses
Paid to St. John
Offering donation $ 535.00
*Norrona Congregational Expenses (e.g.
maintenance, insurance, utilities, worship
& office supplies) $ 105.00
*Missions of the Church (e.g. Sask. Synod,
CLWR, and other Norrona specific mission
projects) $ 95.00
Total Expenses $ 735.00
Balance .00
St. John-Norrona Parish Council Report
It’s that beautiful time of year that we’ve been waiting for all winter. We’re in the final stages of Spring. Bird migration is just about complete. Crops are in the ground. We’ve been blessed with good Spring moisture. Mornings get earlier. Between sunrise and the birds welcoming the day, things blooming and getting greener, mornings are a glory to behold.
As soon as summer begins holidays and outdoor activity disrupts normal activities and that includes activities in our Parish. Sunday morning attendance drops off and some church activities take a break so we can enjoy the beautiful summer. Reality as usual then smacks us back to our senses. Regular costs and bills continue in their normal manner but our attendance and giving declines. That being the case we ask that we do maintain our giving in order to keep up with those expenses that don’t take a holiday.
At this time I would also like to reflect on a number of positive comments that have been shared lately regarding how it is good to see how our Parish has reacted so well to the transition we find ourselves in. As a family we have definitely responded well by getting involved, spreading the workload around, and coming together to not only maintain our ministry, but to see it grow and get stronger. It also makes one appreciate to see how God does answer prayers.
God Bless and enjoy your summer.
See you Sunday.
Lamp
If anyone would like to donate to LAMP (LAMP is a cross-cultural ministry sharing Jesus Christ with God’s people in remote areas of Canada), this can be done by mailing cheques payable to LAMP to 4966-92 Ave NW, Edmonton, AB T6B 2V4 or visit www.lampministry.org.
Worship Committee Report
Thank you to James Hoffman and Carol Schultz & Peter Frostad for the great job in leading services on June 2 and June 16 respectively.
Pastor Rick led the Worship Workshop on June 15. Eleven people participated and we learned a lot through the questions and discussion. More sessions will be offered in the future.
The Ecumenical Service is June 30 at Strasbourg Hall, at 10:00 am followed by lunch.
Service Leaders for July & August
July 7 – Pastor Rick – communion service
July 14 – Peter Barry – lay service
July 21 – Pastor Rick – communion service
July 27 –Annual parish service at Norrona
Saturday evening. More details to follow.
July 28 – ** No Sunday morning service **
Aug 4 – Pastor Rick – communion service
Aug 11 – TBD__ – lay service
Aug 18 – Pastor Rick – communion service
Aug 25 – TBD_ – lay service
Names are still being added to the list for lay service leaders. If you are interested, or would like more information, please speak to Pastor Rick.
At the last Parish Council meeting a motion was passed to increase compensation for lay leaders from $50 to $100 per service retroactive to April 1, 2024, when our new half-time ministry began. So far we have been fortunate to have parish members fill all the pulpit supply Sundays required which has been wonderful!
Council has created a new Communications sub committee to update the website page, facebook, social media, membership lists, mailing and email lists, bulletin boards, newsletter, etc. The committee to date consists of Greg Hanson, Wanda Hanson, Jan Schulz, Andria Bender.
Regarding the prayer list in the bulletin: When visiting someone who is ill, permission will always be asked before adding their name to the bulletin. They will also be advised their name will stay on until they ask to have it removed.
We are brainstorming ideas for future discussion. If you have comments or other ideas to add, please talk to Pastor Rick, email stjohn.norrona@sasktel.net, or feel free to attend any Worship Committee meeting.
– Cradle Roll for age 1-5
– Sunday School program
– Travelling Sunday School
– Kinder Music
– Activity bags for children during service – quiet books, coloring pages, etc.in a quilted bag.
-“Messy Church” – maybe once per month, with a meal and opportunity to learn more about the Bible, etc.
– Family movie nights
– Movie night for adults with discussion after.
The Worship Committee generally meets the first Wednesday of the month. Anyone is welcome to attend any or all of the meetings anytime. The next meeting is Wednesday, September 4, 2024, at 1:30 pm at St. John.
Submitted by Rhonda de Hoop
Vacation Bible School
The Strasbourg Alliance Church will be doing VBS August 12-16 from 9:00-11:30 am each day. Kids in K-Grade 6 come for a fun morning with a story, craft, game and snack. If anyone is wanted to help out, they can contact Darlene Johnston (306-725-8011).
Youth Drop-In Centre
The Strasbourg Alliance Church have two interns for June and July who are doing a youth drop-in centre. Kids in grades 7-12 can come to hang out and play games. There is a canteen to purchase cheap treats. It is open Tuesday, Thursdays, and Saturdays. June times are 3:30-6:00 and July times are 1:00-4:00.