I think we all have been taken aback by the recent shooting in the Tree of Life Syna-gogue in Pittsburgh. After Columbine, Newtown, Las Vegas, Orlando, Charles-ton, Parkland, to name only a few mass shootings, you have to sit and wonder what is happening and what could possess peo-ple to do this. Writer and columnist David Brooks makes this interesting assessment:

There’s always a pile of bodies at these massacre sites. Whether it’s at a synagogue, church, night-club or school, there’s always an assault weapon, or a bunch of them. There’s always the survivors clutching each other, weeping in little clumps out-side. And there’s always one other thing.

A lonely man.

You can always get into an argument about whether the world is getting better or not. New discoveries, new medicines, the lengthening of our lifespan - I suppose a list could be made. However, when you talk to therapists, they are not that opti-mistic. You have kids constantly on their cell phones; an opioid crisis at epidemic proportions; not to mention bullying of all kinds. Social media was supposed to bring us together, and yet we are discovering that it has been coopted by people who want to hurt us.

Brooks argues that in some ways it’s a manifestation of loneliness. He cites sui-cide rates in the United States which have risen by 30 percent this century, and in-creased by an unbelievable 70 percent for American youth between 10 and 17 years of age since 2006. Another startling pic-

ture is that every year 45,000 Americans leave their isolation and despair by taking their own life; an additional 60,000 die from drug addiction. This is twice as many each year as died in the Vietnam War. These are staggering numbers. They show a picture of a society in trouble, a society where people are supposedly closer than ever before because of cell phones, computers, and the Internet, yet are more disconnected than ever.

If it’s truly about loneliness, then part of the solution has to be developing a sense of community and connectedness that can bind us together in dark and difficult times. Of course, my argument has always been that the church can fill that void. Howev-er, today it’s hard for the church because on Sunday we compete with sports, and people in their busy lives are struggling simply to survive. So, in many ways we are living in an unplugged situation. We have pulled the plug on our institutions as we sit at home in our small world, with our face in front of a screen. Relationships come out of institutions like family, school, and, of course, church, not to mention other ways in which people gather and develop a connectedness.

Perhaps there is a primordial loneliness that is part of everyone’s DNA, whether you are Harvey Weinstein or the Dalai Lama. I have always worked hard to maintain connections with people and family. Maybe it is just part of my job de-scription - as a pastor I have always been about bringing people together, whether

F E N I M O R E R O A D A T C O R T L A N D T A V E N U E , M A M A R O N E C K , N Y 1 0 5 4 3

ST. JOHN’S WINDOW A VIEW OF OUR LIFE

N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 8

A Community Called Church Cottage Meetings Nov 6, 11, 13 & 15

Commitment Sunday

November 18

Harvest Brunch November 18

Church Council November 20

Thanksgiving Eve Service

November 21

Decorate the Church December 1

Decorate the Tree December 7

And more inside

N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 8

S T . J O H N ’ S L U T H E R A N C H U R C H , F E N I M O R E R O A D A T C O R T L A N D T A V E N U E , M A M A R O N E C K , N Y 1 0 5 4 3

MINISTRY ANNOUNCEMENTS

Margit Bier, Peggy Jacobson, Sandy Herrmann, Peter Gisondi, Ava Pagnotte, Eileen & Teddy DeAngelo, Alice Tobing, Michelle Tobing, Richard Devingo, Serena Boshak, Stacey-Lyn Roggemann, Janet Baker, Jan Henk Miller, Mary Jachner, Molly Guinee, Maria Martins, Al Holtz, Robert Hausler, Tim Kennedy

Keep in Your Prayers

BAPTISMS upcoming: Kayla Stockert, November 11

FUNERALS Trudi Bunke, October 15 Jeffrey Caparotta, October 27

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SPECIAL GIFTS IN OCTOBER

Refugee Fund Walter Zullig Kathy & Pastor Henk Manuela Petzold Nancy Scheffler

Marie & Ari Flores Wadi & Maddali Atallah Melissa & Ian Rhodes Maggie O’Connor Margit Bier Vicky Brooks

SYMPATHYOur deepest sympathy goes to Fritz and Bill Bunke over the death of their mother, Trudi Bunke, a long-time member of St. John’s. Our deepest sympathy also goes to Jim Wills over the death of his mother, Helen Wills. Please keep everyone in your prayers.

Marvin E. Henk Pastor

Church Council Serge Banzet President Suomi Sakai Vice President Manuela Petzold Treasurer Karen Clark Council Secretary Yourha Kang Financial Secretary Matt Hardigree Worship & Music Robert Dilworth Stewardship Karen Guinee Youth Dorothea Ferri Christian Education Detlef Joerss Property Megan Aquilina Evangelism Marc Schlueter Social Ministry Marvin E. Henk Pastor

Staff Christiane Janssen Secretary Michael Schmidt Organist & Music Director Anna Piselli Sexton

Choir Directors Michael Schmidt Adult Choir

Austin Kehrle Handbell Choir Becky Alfano Children’s Choir

it is a church function such as a committee meeting, social gathering, or Sunday morning worship itself. When I first came to St. John’s, we did not have a regular Sunday coffee hour. In fact, we only had it for special occasions. Of course, some Sundays now I wonder if some people are enjoying coffee hour more than regular worship.

In our cocoon world where we communicate on Facebook, Instagram, or through texting, there is something being lost: the actual human face-to-face connection. Being a part of the church has always fulfilled that need for me - but then again, I work here. When we talk about the church, we have to talk about fellowship, connectedness, and relationships. We don’t get that watching a televangelist or cable TV. The New Testament word for this is koinonia. It’s Greek and literally translates as communion. It is the communion/fellowship/rela-tionship that holds the church together.

Just recently I participated in a community vigil, which brought political and church leaders together to find solidarity in our various traditions to fight violence, hatred, racism, and anti-Semitism. That connectedness I found not only important, but essential. Communities need to come together to solve problems, to reinforce common values, and to give strength to one another in order to work for change and renewal in our world and in our own personal lives.

Sitting at home, watching a televangelist, is not church. The church is not the building, but the people that gather in faith to be renewed and strengthened for another week in the world, which can be more than difficult. For me it’s easier when I realize that others are with me.

MEH

S T . J O H N ’ S L U T H E R A N C H U R C H , F E N I M O R E R O A D A T C O R T L A N D T A V E N U E , M A M A R O N E C K , N Y 1 0 5 4 3

EVENTS

N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 8

Wine, Cheese and Conversation November 6, November 11,

November 13 and November 15 As a new school year commences and the community of St. John’s continues to grow in its mission to serve all by pro-claiming the good news of Jesus Christ through blessed words and loving actions, it seems a good time to reconnect and recommit to our shared journey in faith. You are cordially invited to attend one of four cottage meet-ings hosted by St. John’s parishioners in their homes. These intimate gatherings are designed with the intent to build and foster a stronger community of believers through open dis-cussions about St. John’s’ many wonderful ministries (Senior lunches, Refugee Sunday, Blood Drives, Sunday School, Midnight Runs, to name a few) while also providing a forum to share, propose and celebrate future plans and aspirations for our diverse and inclusive church family. For more information and to sign up for a date, contact Megan Aquilina at megan.aquilina@gmail.com or Robert Dilworth at rdilworth@bankofamerica.com.

All are welcome “for the body is not one member, but many." (1 Corinthians 12:14)

November 18

The entire congregation is invited to attend a Sun-day School sponsored “Harvest Festival Brunch” following the 10:30 am service.  There will be lots of homemade food items for you to enjoy, so come hungry. 

RSVP Dorothea Ferri: ferrinice13@aol.com.

Wednesday, November 21 7.30 pm

Enjoy our specially decorated altar that will mirror the abundance of Creation.

Please join us for pumpkin pie, apple cider, and good company

after the service.

Thanksgiving Plant Order _________________________________________ would like to order: Name

# ____ mums/cabbage/flowers @ $15 each Total: $ _____

In memory of: _____________________________________________

In thanksgiving for: _________________________________________ Other: ___________________________________________________

( ) For all God’s blessings ( ) To the glory of God ( ) Check/cash attached ( ) I will pay later

Share Your Thanksgiving with an Inter national Student

One To World is a private, New York-based not-for-profit organization that brings Americans and students from around the world face-to-face to share their lives and perspectives in life-changing ways. The organization is looking for people to host an international student for the Thanksgiving break, when most other students are away from campus with their own families. It’s an opportuni-ty to enrich your own life by sharing with someone from far away the meaning of Thanksgiving and an important piece of our culture and life. For questions and to sign up, please email Jane Dixon at lilrhodie@gmail.com or call her at 914.949.5919.

S T . J O H N ’ S L U T H E R A N C H U R C H , F E N I M O R E R O A D A T C O R T L A N D T A V E N U E , M A M A R O N E C K , N Y 1 0 5 4 3

N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 8

EVENTS & MORE

Every Sunday at 9.15 am

All are welcome to Adult Forum, which is designed for those who would like to learn more about their faith and share their opinions, beliefs, and doubts with an open mind, to be enriched by the thoughts of others. For 45-60 minutes you have the luxury of discussing ideas along with a cup of coffee. Join us and feed your mind. We are reading Cranky, Beautiful Faith by Nadia Bolz-Weber. She is a former stand-up comic but now an ordained ELCA pastor, who relates powerful spiri-tual insights in her unusual journey of faith.

Tuesday, November 27 @ 7.15 pm Our November book is The Death and Life of the Great Lakes by Dan Egan.  "The Death and Life of the Great Lakes is prize-winning reporter Dan Egan's compulsively readable portrait of an ecological cata-strophe happening right before our eyes, blending the epic story of the lakes with an examination of the perils they face and the ways we can restore and pre-serve them for generations to come."  The Great Lakes hold 20% of the world's supply of surface fresh water.  The book is 384 pages, in paperback, 5 of 5 stars on Amazon, a Pulitzer finalist and was selected for the PBS News Hour bookclub. Time permitting, we will also talk about Hey, Kiddo, a graphic novel that can be read in one sitting, so try to read both books.

Please bring in non-perish-ables for the food pantry - rice, pasta, canned or dry beans, tuna, canned tomatoes, canned soup, cereal, peanut butter, parmalat milk are sug-gestions.

THRIVENT MEMBERS, ACT NOW! By directing your Choice Dollars to St. John’s,

you can help support our ministry. With Thrivent Choice, you can recommend where some of Thrivent Financial's charitable outreach funds go.

Call Thrivent now at 800.847.4836.

In May this year, St. John's hosted Florilegium Chamber Choir from NYC for a wonderful concert.  Those of us at-tending the concert were raving about it for weeks after.  If you would like to experience the choir yourself, your next chance is around the corner.  Florilegium Chamber Choir presents "Reflections on Beauty" on No-vember 18, 2018 at 4pm at Trinity Lutheran Church in Manhattan (164 W 100th Street near Amsterdam Ave).  The concert will feature works of early music to romantic and contemporary composers, inviting you to reflect on the beauty of different subjects. More info and tickets available at www.florilegiumchamberchoir.org or through Manuela Petzold. 

There used to be a commer-cial for Men’s Wearhouse, which began: You will like the way you look. Call it what you want - curb appeal or proper-ty improvement, our parking lot, which once had huge craters where you could lose your child or pet, has been repaired. The driveway has

been completely resurfaced, and the parking lot has been redone in certain areas. The parsonage driveway, which was in even worse shape, has also been resurfaced. A big thank you has to go to the Metropolitan New York Synod, which gave us $5,000 in a grant to help with the project. Another thank you goes to Detlef Joerss, our property chair.

S T . J O H N ’ S L U T H E R A N C H U R C H , F E N I M O R E R O A D A T C O R T L A N D T A V E N U E , M A M A R O N E C K , N Y 1 0 5 4 3

N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 8

STEWARDSHIP AND PERSONAL REFORMATIONOUR OCTOBER 28 Reformation Sunday, confirmation of three outstanding candidates and an excellent Mis-sion Moment by Megan Aquilina all give us a wonderful opportunity to think anew about the essentials of our faith, how we practice them at St. John’s and the value we place on this in our priorities. As Stewardship Chair, I’d like to add these thoughts.

Since 2002, life at St. John’s has offered me, my wife (Carolynn) and our children (Andrew and Katharina) much more than it has asked of us. It is with great grat-itude for this abundance that we pledge financially and participate as generously as we can.

ONE OF THE LASTING LESSONS from Martin Luther’s life is that faith is not blind; it needn’t be in opposition to the intellect and critical faculties that God gave us. Faith is richer and can deep-en when we have doubts or questions, then explore them. This was a novel idea for Luther’s age – a disruptive thought - called heretical by the Church of his day.

THIS LESSON IS ALIVE TODAY AT ST. JOHN’S. Ours is a loving, welcoming and diverse congregation that appreciates life’s complexity. A group of traveling souls on life’s journey that is secure enough with uncertainty and ambiguity not to rest in the simplistic comfort of false certitudes. Seekers and inquirers are welcome here. How refreshing a thought and wonderful a haven in these days in which so many people worldwide are so convinced, to such degree, of so much.

ALL INSTITUTIONS - SPIRITUAL, SECULAR OR POLITI-CAL - CAN DRIFT FROM PURPOSE AND NEED PERIODIC REFORM. Each human as well. I need reform after liv-ing a full week in a very and increasingly corrupted world. Fellowship with you at St. John’s is the perfect place each week for me to put my mental garbage on the street and treat the infected thinking that insidiously creeps in and obscures my priorities after a week in the secular world. Today’s world sorely needs reform. Ex-tremely current events are mighty reminders that our time needs more than ever the salt that Christians can bring. And the penetrating, purifying light that the world’s darkness cannot overcome. Sound teachings about human relationships that have endured for more than 2,000 years and been one of the greatest forces of good in human history. But this reform can only hap-pen through each of us and our personal process of re-newal.

Since discovering St. John’s, I’ve seen lived by countless examples two essential Christian principles that I knew in my head and upbringing, but still needed to incorpo-rate into my heart.

FIRST, we’re commanded to love others as ourselves. That’s easy when others are lovable and also practice this teaching. But the commandment makes no excep-tion. It applies also relationships with people whose atti-tudes and behaviors make them not so lovable. Or who may have no pretense of loving us. Especially so; that’s what the Lord meant: we must love our neighbor, our enemy and everyone in between.

SECOND, acceptance of others means meeting people where they are today, not where we want them to be.

Or where, according to the Lord’s example and teachings, they should be. The Gospel is replete with examples of how our Lord exemplified this and was taken to the cross for it. Only when met and accepted in this way can any of us get on to the path to-wards what we might become – our per-sonal Reformation. As Luther, the process of “becoming”, not “being”. This lesson one sees lived every day through the mem-bers of this body and the many ministries

that we have in this community and our world.

THIS FALL, YOU ARE INVITED to participate in one of several evening cottage meetings. The purpose is to strengthen our connections to one another and our un-derstanding and appreciation of St. John’s many min-istries as we set priorities for 2019. Relative to our size, we are very vibrant. We hope that you will participate with an open mind and heart, then leave inspired, with an even greater sense of engagement.

St. John’s is a unique place in our community and indi-vidual lives. I hope that these heartfelt thoughts and others that you will hear during stewardship season will inspire you to reflect upon what you value most about this congregation and how the Lord moves you to sup-port it in 2019 through a pledged commitment of your time, talent and treasure. PLEASE JOIN US IN THE LORD’S WORK WITH HEAD, HAND AND HEART.

Robert Dilworth Church Council Member and Stewardship Chair

S T . J O H N ’ S L U T H E R A N C H U R C H , F E N I M O R E R O A D A T C O R T L A N D T A V E N U E , M A M A R O N E C K , N Y 1 0 5 4 3

N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 8

SUNDAY SCHOOL Having a great school year thus far with informative lessons, fun and helpful outreach events like the Blessing of the Animals, participation with Refugee Sunday where we learned about their plight and made two chil-dren’s hand wreaths for each family adopted by St. Johns, made 42 toiletry bags for the Mid-Night run and the younger children have been practicing songs to sing during future Church services. We just love seeing all of the children from week to week so please make every effort to be with us each Sunday.

November Events:

1. November 18 the children in nursery through 4th grades will sing for us during the 10:30am service. They have been practicing a giving thanks song in celebration of Thanksgiving. All children will need to stay for ser-vice that day. 2. Also on November 18 the entire congregation is invited to attend our annual Sunday school sponsored “Harvest Festival Brunch” following the 10:30am service. There will be lots of homemade food items for you to enjoy so come hungry. We only ask that mem-bers of the congregation donate non-perishable goods or place a monetary gift in envelopes that will be pro-vided during the service. All will be donated to our lo-cal Food Pantry to feed those less fortunate and who

otherwise might go without a delicious Thanksgiving meal. 3. The children and their families will be asked to fill decorated shopping bags with non-perishable food items as their Thanksgiving outreach project.

Future Dates for your calendars: Christmas Pageant Rehearsals are on December 1 and 8 from 10:00am until 12 noon. The Pageant is on December 9 during the 10:30am service. For the speaking parts we may need to schedule more rehearsal time but we will let you know as we know. Also following rehearsal on the 8th we would like the children to stay, have lunch with us and watch a holiday movie about the Nativity. More news on that event to follow.

That’s it for now hope you all enjoy the rest of the fall months,

Dorothea Dorothea Ferri, Chairperson for Christian Education

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WISHES TO: Michaela Misina 11/3/06 Dakota Webber 11/9/06

The Sunday School kids made these two wreaths for the two refugee families we adopted.

S T . J O H N ’ S L U T H E R A N C H U R C H , F E N I M O R E R O A D A T C O R T L A N D T A V E N U E , M A M A R O N E C K , N Y 1 0 5 4 3

You don’t have to go to Texas to get good ribs - all you have to do is knock on the door of Sue and Steve Michaelson. Steve has a new smoker that makes ribs the way they are supposed to be made, with love, care, lots of time, and, of course, the right rub. We rec-ommend Steve’s coffee rub ribs. You should also try the homemade avocado-corn salad - it goes well… Pastor Henk was lonely for a week as Christiane was on holi-day in Bavaria, where she enjoyed the great scenery and food. It’s great to have her back. When she leaves, things come to a stand-still… Confirmation has many as-pects to it. Not only are you learn-ing about the beliefs of the Christ-ian faith, as a student you also have fun moments when you can go out for frozen yogurt, paint pumpkins, and be part of the con-firmation banquet for this year’s confirmands, Eric Hoffmann, Linus Ringstad, and Amelie Schlueter. This year, Jeanhee Chung and Marc Schlueter worked to organize the banquet. It was a virtual cornucopia of great food, brought by the Ringstads, Schlueters, Knowlton-Hoffmanns, Henks, Franceschini-Tobiasens, Misinas, Phinsee-Web-bers. A good time was had by all and we loved hearing the kind words said by parents, who love their children and are proud to have them receive their confirma-tion. We were also pleased to in-troduce the new class… It is good to see Sandy and Jim Kilts back from Florida. Jim is heading to the Caribbean to catch bonefish. Yes, it is quite a sport, and he catches them with flies, which may require seven hours a day… It was also great to see MaryAnn and

Jim MacLellan back from a cruise up the Northeast coast to Nova Scotia. We hear the lobster tastes even better the farther north you go… Kathy Henk brings a lot of recommendations to lift your cultural life. First, you must find time to see Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons. (Yes, he is still alive!) He can still ‘bring it”, especially when you are sitting in that won-derful Art Deco world of Radio City Music Hall. Remember, Kathy, “Big girls don’t cry”. Sec-ond, you need to go to the Met. Kathy saw the Armenian exhibit which has many beautiful artifacts, mostly religious because Armenia is steeped in Christian history. She also visited the Vatican fashion exhibit at the Met, which is over. While the actual papal robes were interesting, going back centuries, the contemporary fashion exhibit left something to be desired… We are very pleased to have a new visi-tor, Clare Oparo, who has been attending regularly and really en-joys St. John’s and its community. She is from Uganda and is con-vincing Pastor that Kathy and he need to visit the gorillas in the mountains. (As though he would need convincing…). She is very interested in skincare and has a blog entitled: skincerely clare. Check it out!… Suomi Sakai, vice president of our Church Council, is back from being around the world - France, Japan, Switzerland - but she is always in touch with us wherever she travels. Her leadership is greatly appreci-ated. Let’s not forget John Quin-ley, her husband, who travels a lot, too, especially to Africa. To see them on the ground, in church, is always a treat. Welcome home!... Adult Forum rolls along

every Sunday with great conversa-tion, lots of sharing, and insights into life and theology by the ton. (Well, sometimes.) It’s a luxury to have an hour to chat with friends and perhaps discover something new for your mind to digest. Join us Sunday mornings… Pastor Henk was shopping at Gus' in Harrison, a very nice place to get good steaks and fish. A dapper young man showed up was at the check-out, saying: "Hello, Pastor Henk”. It was Lucas Brandon, his one-time confirmation student, who also went to New Orleans with our youth group. It was great to see him and what a very nice and professional person he has become!… A shout-out to Howard Heyel, who helped us get our outdoor lighting back on course, or at least shining in the right direction. If you drive by our church at night, it looks pretty good and very inviting thanks to Howard - and we shouldn’t forget Frank O’Gorman who has helped us design and install the lights that go around the church… Educators will tell you that there are all kinds of ways to learn. You can even get a degree online. When it comes to confirmation, it usually takes place in a classroom, but recently it took place on a vil-lage lawn in Larchmont as stu-dents gathered, holding a candle with their parents at a candlelight vigil for peace and tolerance. The class stood among citizens, com-munity leaders, and clergy from many different churches and syna-gogues. This was not a hypotheti-cal situation that takes place in a laboratory, but rather a real-life experience of solidarity and a vi-sion for a world free of violence, hatred, and racism. ◉

N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 8

People Parade…People Parade…People Parade…People Parade

S T . J O H N ’ S L U T H E R A N C H U R C H , F E N I M O R E R O A D A T C O R T L A N D T A V E N U E , M A M A R O N E C K , N Y 1 0 5 4 3

N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 8

BLESSING OF THE ANIMALS

Thank you to Silvia Misina and James Williams for the photos

S T . J O H N ’ S L U T H E R A N C H U R C H , F E N I M O R E R O A D A T C O R T L A N D T A V E N U E , M A M A R O N E C K , N Y 1 0 5 4 3

N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 8

OKTOBERFEST

What is an Oktoberfest? An interesting question. For some people, it's 16 to 18 days of a folk festival that finds 16 million people from around the world attending it every year in Munich. For others, it is as complicated as a large twisted pretzel you can receive at the event. For others still, it is the joy of music and the extraordinarily competi-tive German games, or a beer bash/festival.

You don't have to go to Munich, fight the crowds just for a bratwurst or a pitcher of beer served you by Armenian or Greek waiters. You can come to St. John’s, under the tent gifted to us by Jim Wills, who even came all the way from Oshkosh, WI to enjoy this great event with us. A big thank you to Jim as well as to Boris Rauls and his Oktoberfest committee, who all together made it possible for us to gather in the authentic tradition of this celebratory event. Our brand-new grill proved to be not only a wise investment (sponsored by Marc Schlueter, Dorothea Ferri, Megan & James Aquilina, and Kathy & Pastor Henk) but a critically important part of the evening. The bratwurst and other sausages, the weisswurst, the chicken, the kassler, the leberkäse, the cucumber salad, the pretzels, the potato salad, the strudel - it all was fantastic and consumed in large quanti-ties, as was the beer.

We can’t fail to mention that Sue Michaelson can hold a beer stein longer than any woman in Westchester county! Congratulations, Sue!

Thanks to Brian Hofland and Manuela Petzold for the photos

The winners!

S T . J O H N ’ S L U T H E R A N C H U R C H , F E N I M O R E R O A D A T C O R T L A N D T A V E N U E , M A M A R O N E C K , N Y 1 0 5 4 3

N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 8

CONFIRMATION CLASS

CONFIRMATION

In October Pastor always begins meeting the 7th and 8th grade confirmation class students. This year they are Michaela Misina, Lulu Schlueter, Lucas Franceschini, and Dakota Webber. In addition to a very important parents meeting, where parents shared their faith story with their child, the class painted pumpkins as a project to help raise money for our youth program. This year they raised over $100, and the pumpkins look really good. A big thank you has to go Sarah Coble for donating all of the paints and brushes that we used. It pays to have an art teacher in the congregation! Another thank you goes to Marc Schlueter for covering half the class in Pastor’s absence.

Reformation Sunday is the time when we celebrate Martin Luther nailing the 95 theses on the door of the castle church in Wittenberg. In addition, it becomes the time when we confirm our 9th graders, who have met with the Church Council for an examination after completing over two years of study. This year, Pastor confirmed Eric Hoff-mann, Linus Ringstad, and Amelie Schlueter. During the service, Pastor laid his hand on each candidate’s head and said this prayer of blessing: “The Father in heaven, for Jesus’ sake, renew and increase in you the gift of the Holy Spir-it to thy strengthening in faith, to thy growth in grace, to thy patience in suffering, to the blessed hope of everlasting life.”

All three students did a great job before the Council. Their essays, which they read at both services, were also out-standing. They worked hard and the results were applauded by everyone. A big thank you has to go to Marc Schlueter, Jeanhee Chung, and Margaret Knowlton who all helped the confirmation banquet on the Thursday before Confirma-tion a grand success and the reception following the confirmation service so bountiful.

Thank you to Marc Schlueter for the photos

S T . J O H N ’ S L U T H E R A N C H U R C H , F E N I M O R E R O A D A T C O R T L A N D T A V E N U E , M A M A R O N E C K , N Y 1 0 5 4 3

N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 8

In 2018 there were 62,166 homeless peo-ple in New York City, including 15,189 families with 22,511 children, sleeping each night in the municipal shelter system.

However, when you traverse the City at night, you can discover a number of peo-ple sleeping on the sidewalks, in the sub-ways, inside of bank ATM foyers. It has been our experience that the homeless people in the streets of New York are often victims of job loss, lack of affordable hous-ing, eviction, addiction, serious mental illness, and difficult family situations.

Many of us, with the loss of a job are only steps away from being homeless ourselves. I have met maitre d’s for large New York restaurants, delivery drivers from Hunts Point, construction workers, former

bankers - the list goes on. What most discover about the homeless is that in many ways they are just like us but down on their luck, and lost, lonely, and for-gotten. It is not just about the food or clothing, although that is important when you live day to day on the street, it is about the human connection.

We want to thank the small group who went out this time: Marc and Lulu Schlueter, Joanna Tobing, Niels and Linus Ringstad, Becky and Sophia Alfano, Maggie O’Connor and daughter Aoife, Dan Johnson, and Pastor Henk, and everyone else who helped by giving clothes and toiletries, sorting the clothes, loading the van, making soup, making sandwiches.

MIDNIGHT RUN

MOURNING WITH OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN PITTSBURGH It always amazes me how divided our society is and how deep feelings go, until those feelings become hatred.  We wit-nessed of late 14 packages with bombs addressed to mostly Democratic politicians or other "liberal" public personas.  Even more recently, this past Saturday, we witnessed the deplorable and heinous act of the murder of 11 people dur-ing a worship service at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh.  As the rabbi Jeffrey Myers began his sermon a gunman began shooting.  

One always looks for a motive in these horrific mass shootings.  It is clear that both anti-Semitism and the synagogue's efforts to work with refugees caused the assailant to commit this act.  Sadly, Americans continue to be victimized by gun violence.  

Our prayers are with those who are broken and feel lost, whose lives are not just wounded but crushed.  Whether or not you have directly lost a loved one, the ripple effect of grief stretches out to touch the lives of many beyond just immediate family.  Every story with the potential to do good, be creative, and make a difference in the world has been snuffed out by an act of hate.

We have to deplore what has taken place in Pittsburgh and join arms with our Jewish brothers and sisters, who are wounded by this tragic event.  May all those who are affected find the help and the healing they need to go on.

MEH

Or Current Resident

St. John’s Lutheran Church Fenimore Road at Cortlandt Avenue Mamaroneck, NY 10543 (914) 698.4348 Email: office@stjohnsny.org Web: stjohnsny.org

Non-Profit Organization

U.S. Postage Paid

Permit 4302

White Plains, NY

Michele & Michael Allison Joanne Askew Lois Baldwin Véronique & Serge Banzet Melissa & Justin Boisseau Trudi Bunke Karen & Ken Christopher Bob Clarida & Annie Thurow Maureen & William Collins Wenche Delfino Gloria L. Donovan Nancy & Scott Dunn Dorothea Ferri Kathy & Pastor Marvin Henk The Rev. & Mrs. Paul Henry Fred Herlitz Lynn & John Hillman Carla & Brian Hofland Anne Huber Detlef Joerss G.V. Johnson Hans Peter Kirchgaessner Jeanne Kolb Sandy Kolb Suzanne & Robert Kraft

Mary J Maddox Robin Geberth Maliscewski Maria Martins Corky & Frank McCullough Cheryl & Ed Murray Judy Musumeci Jo Alyce & Michael Newgaard Maggie O’Connor Patricia Ouwerkerk John Quinley & Suomi Sakai Heike & Boris Rauls Diane & Mark Rocconi Dr. & Mrs. Peter Roggemann Judy & Michael Sangregorio The Rev. Fred & Joyce Schumacher Karen & Mark Stuart Madeline & Bill Tappert Barbara & Robert Tipping Irene & Robert Van der Wateren Jim Wills Suzanne & Walter Zullig

If you don’t see your name here anymore but you would like to con-tinue to receive your newsletter via

first class mail and help support St. John’s print ministry, please

return the enclosed envelope with $40.

If you have sent in your contribution and don’t see your name, please let

us know.

Thank you for your support!

Thank you to our patrons who have taken out a 2018 subscription in support of St. John’s Window!

Join us at our Thanksgiving Eve service on November 21 at 7.30 pm