Voting Members of St. John's Lutheran Church, Following a request from the St. John’s Feasibility Study Committee, the Special Congregational Meeting called for Sunday, April 21, 2024 has been canceled. To learn more about this cancellation, please see below. In Christ, Frank Espegren, Senior Pastor ____________________________ Upon recommendation of the St. John’s Feasibility Study Committee, the Special Congregational Meeting is canceled for the following reasons: Additional time required to conduct due diligence in the research of the short and long term financial implications of the 601 10th St. property inspection results conducted the week of April 15, 2024. Additional time to allow any necessary negotiations with the seller of the 601 10th St. property. Continued discernment of the short and long term financial implications of the unanticipated requested final terms and conditions from the Mission Investment Fund agency for the proposed loan for the 601 10th St. property.

For over 15 years, dozens of faithful lay leaders have served the St. John’s community as Stephen Ministers. A nation-wide nonprofit organization, Stephen Ministries equips and trains congregation members to “provide high-quality, one-to-one, Christ-centered care to people in the congregation and the community experiencing life difficulties”. Stephen Ministers have accompanied members through the loss of loved ones, through sudden medical emergencies, and through many ongoing trials and tribulations. Over the past 15 years, 43 St. John’s members have served as Stephen Ministers or Leaders. Deborah Adkins, David Adkins, Linda Branning, Cindy Carroll, Glenn Carson, Debra Cribbins, Cheryl Coviello, Candance Cox, Tom Cox, Jack Easton, Rev. Frank Espegren, Amy Gorder, Chris Gorder, Verne Gore, Aileen Florentz, Maryann Hanner, Tom Harris, Rev. Jon Haug, Jo Hoffmeier, Lyla Hanson, Lindalee Huston, Sharon Huckfeldt, Dennis Jones, Gail Jenkins, Nancy Kirchoff, Frances Le Bas, Scott Lumry, Greg Mangrum, Jeannette McClannahan, Carolynn Munson, Elaine Nagel, Kathy Parker, Jeanne Peterson, Kim Peth, Beth Shelburne, Judy Smith, Susan Taylor, Ernie Thompson, Sandy Thompson, Julie Watson, Chuck Wolk, Erika Wright, and Catherine Zanzi. We extend our sincerest gratitude to these dedicated Stephen Ministers and Leaders for their unwavering commitment and selfless service to this ministry. Their willingness to give their time, energy, and spiritual companionship to community members in need exemplifies the true spirit of Living God’s Love in the World. A new season of Congregational Care at St. John’s has begun! The way in which St. John’s cares for and walks alongside community members is evolving and continuing, however, the mission and ministry of Stephen Ministers is concluding. To the 43 Stephen Ministers and Leaders from St. John’s; job well done good and faithful servants. Parish Nurse Suzi Taylor and Senior Pastor Frank Espegren continue to lead Congregational Care here at St. John’s. 2024 will be a year of strategic development in the crucial ministry of Congregational Care. What will not change is St. John’s continuing commitment to care for its people in times of transition and crisis. This Sunday, April 14 at both the 9:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. worship services, those who have served as Stephen Ministers will be invited to receive a blessing for their faithful service to the community. We hope the people of St. John’s will join our staff in blessing, thanking, and sending off our Stephen Ministry servants!

Voting Members of St. John's Lutheran Church, The St. John's Congregation Council has called a Special Congregational Meeting for Sunday, April 21, 2024, 1:00 p.m. in the sanctuary and via zoom. The purpose of this meeting is to consider the resolution put forth by the Congregation Council of St. John’s Lutheran Church regarding the purchase of the multi-unit dwelling and parcel at 601 10th Street in the City of Sacramento, CA. To learn more, please see below. Please plan to attend. In Christ, Frank Espegren, Senior Pastor Join the Congregational Meeting Here Meeting ID: 849 5322 7879 Passcode: 882155

As Christians around the world celebrate the season of epiphany and prepare for Lent, many of our siblings of Chinese-descent are preparing for the Lunar New Year. This year, Lunar New Year falls on Saturday, February 10 and begins a two-week festival celebration welcoming the Year of the Dragon. Longtime St. John’s members Zhiwei Yu and David Lee, along with their three children Cora, Noah, and Kaiden, share a look into their Lunar New Year preparations and celebrations, and how this significant cultural holiday intersects with their Lutheran faith. What does the Lunar New Year season look like in your family? How does your family prepare to celebrate? The Lunar New Year celebration for our family has a similar importance as the Christmas celebration, in that our celebration revolves around togetherness with family, friends, and of course food! Prior to the new year rolling around, there are many preparations made. Starting with deep cleaning and organizing our home, getting fresh haircuts and shopping for new clothes, gathering symbolic ingredients for the new year eve and new year meal, and preparing pretty red envelopes with cash to give to unmarried children. Though the latest practice has been Venmo’ing the amount to children. Coming together for the new year’s eve meal is an annual tradition we have. Our meal will consist of some symbolic dishes, such as a whole chicken, whole fish, pork, dumplings, entrées containing ingredients representing good health, prosperity, and posterity for the upcoming new year. The chicken and fish must be whole to represent beginning and end. When new year's day comes around, it is a practice for us to visit family and friends, bring edible gifts, such as fresh fruits, nuts, and stuff you can now find at the Elk Grove Costco snack section located in the center of the warehouse. The tradition of visiting family and friends is a cultural practice, to see if they are doing okay and to confirm that the “evil” spirits did not come and take them. Hence, the fireworks at midnight to ward off any evil spirits. How does your Chinese heritage intersect with your Lutheran faith? The Chinese New Year intersects with the Advent Season, especially true with Hope, Peace, Joy and Love. All of the preparation we do in anticipation of the new year align with Hope and the coming Messiah. The specialty foods we prepare and family togetherness relates to the Joy and Love that the Advent season brings. Health and happiness, and well wishes for peace and abundance, show up throughout the new year theme, which also aligns with the wisemen bringing gifts and well wishes. The common ground of Chinese heritage and Lutheran faith revolves around a community, and what we as a community can do to help the many. Many St. John's members do not celebrate Lunar New Year. For those interested in learning more about the holiday, do you have any books, podcasts, artists, documentaries, etc. you recommend? Our family has two favorite Children’s Books we recommend! “Celebrating Chinese Festivals – A collection of Holiday Tales, Poems and Activities” by Sanmu Tang and “Chinese Children’s Favorite Stories” by Mingmei Yip.

St. John’s long-standing mission of Living God’s Love in the World is often embodied through serving our neighbors here in the greater Sacramento area. St. John’s members volunteer in worship and with our young people, help serve meals for our unhoused neighbors, and offer their spiritual gifts in music, leadership, and service. However, there are many St. John’s members who Live God’s Love in the World beyond Sacramento, serving in leadership positions within the greater Lutheran Church and with partner nonprofit organizations. This is one instrumental way St. John’s members are giving their time, talent, and treasure to benefit the greater Lutheran Church. St. John’s member Ann Boynton serves on the Board of Regents at California Lutheran University, Vince Brown serves on the Board of Portico Benefit Services, Dave Cloninger serves on the Board of Saint John’s Program for Real Change, Kara Haug serves on the Board of Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, and Lilly Kimmelshue serves on the Board of 1517 Media. Additionally, many St. John’s staff members serve the greater Church in various capacities; Pr. Frank Espegren serves on the Board of the ELCA Foundation, Pr. Amy Kienzle serves on the Board of Mt. Cross Ministries, Catherine Slabaugh serves on the Communications Team for the ELCA Youth Gathering and the Western States Youth Gathering, and Suzi Taylor serves on the Board of Lutheran Social Services of Northern California.

If there’s one element that remains consistent here at St. John’s, it is that the youth are essential to community and wonder, like everyone else, how their faith fits into their everyday lives. Youth and Family Ministries at St. John’s has undergone quite the transition over the past four years. A shift from two full-time staff members focused on youth and family ministries, with additional part-time support through the nursery and directorial oversight from Pastor Jon Haug, to one sole Pastor in this role. There have been multiple factors that have led to these staffing changes including rising healthcare costs and inflation, a renewed commitment by leadership to pay staff equitably and at market rate, and the necessity to build a sustainable youth and family program for years to come (in the aftermath of changes brought by the COVID-19 pandemic and increasing cultural pressures on our young families). A new season of Youth and Family Ministries at St. John’s is here! The St. John’s Church Council has established a standing committee focused on Youth and Family Ministries to include lay leaders in planning, provide continuity in programming, and provide ongoing help to St. John’s in 2024 and beyond. St. John’s has formalized the lay leader role of Sunday School Superintendent. Beginning today, St. John’s is committing Pastor Jon Haug, a full-time Pastor and Director, to oversee Youth and Family Ministries. Pastor Jon’s new job title is Associate Pastor, Director of Youth and Family Ministries. Here is a brief overview of Pastor Jon’s job responsibilities: Honing in on families with children, ages newborn-18 years old, and their families Serving as the strategic lead for Youth and Family Ministries Partnering alongside lay volunteers serving Youth and Family Ministries, leading the strategy and people who serve With these changes, there are elements of Pastor Jon’s previous job that have shifted. Many of these areas now fall under Pastor Frank Espegren’s directorate to ensure continuity in support and care to the lives of the congregation. These areas include: Congregational Care and the Pastoral Care Coordinator Strategic lead for Visitation and Grief ministry Manager of St. John’s Parish Nurse, Suzi Taylor, RN The Pastoral Office continues to be shared equally between Pastor Jon Haug, Pastor Frank Espegren, and Pastor Amy Kienzle. All three Pastors will continue to preach and preside the same amount and oversee specific directorate areas. Pastor Jon has been living into this change following his return from sabbatical this fall and looks forward to integrating the robustness of families – including grandparents, parents, mentors, and children. Pastor Jon hopes to empower families to have spiritual lives every day of the week and find unique ways to build community and opportunities for faith formation both here at St. John’s and beyond. If you have any questions about this new role, you can connect with Pastor Jon directly at jon.haug@stjohnslc.org or 916.444.0874.

Meet the 2023 Santa Lucias

The Sierra Pacific Synod is home to around 180 worshiping communities who often share a common goal; accompanying young people in their faith formation as influential, empowered, and equipped members of the Church. Many churches facilitate these formation opportunities through Sunday School, youth group, and summer trips, but here at St. John’s, the Sierra Pacific Synod Youth Committee (SPSYC) serves as a pillar for youth to explore their faith through leadership development with other Sierra Pacific Synod youth. SPSYC is a youth-led, adult-assisted committee of up to 27 high schoolers from throughout the Sierra Pacific Synod elected to serve and come together to host retreats for other youth every year. Members of SPSYC are intended to represent the diversity and vastness of this Synod, serving as voting members at the annual Synod Assembly and helping lead various synodical events. For over 15 years, youth in grades 3 - 12 from St. John’s have attended weekend retreats led by SPSYC. As elementary and middle schoolers attend the retreats, they become inspired by the high school leaders and often run for a position on the committee. Dozens of high school youth from St. John’s have served on SPSYC since its inception, and five St. John’s youth currently serve on the committee. Mia Hill, Chloe Pop, Makayla Holemen, Bella Manley, and Maggie Oehmke are members of this year’s SPSYC team.

Earlier this fall, the decision was made to transition back to the familiar 9:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. worship schedule, allowing for more time in-between services from 10:15 - 11:15 a.m. for faith formation and community-building opportunities. Throughout the 2023 fall programming, we have welcomed new and returning faces to our in-person and online worship services. We continue to witness the presence of the Holy Spirit as we gather for worship to sing and proclaim God’s holy Word. With Sunday morning worship at the center of our congregational life, we recognize the need to diversify and distinguish our Sunday morning worship opportunities and to clearly define the unique options both the 9:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. service have to offer. Thus, beginning this Sunday, November 12th, the 11:30 a.m. worship service will live into a new way of gathering and worshiping. In alignment with the values of the St. John’s worship experience, there continues to be significant and meaningful ways you can contribute. Volunteers may choose to serve as a member of the following ministries that foster and support the collective worship experience: The Order of St. John, Lectors, Greeters, Ushers, Altar Guild, singing or ringing in one of the choirs, or leading as a worship assistant. The “Kinder Raum” (children’s area) continues to be a perfect complement for families with young children and provides an engaging opportunity for younger worshipers to engage in faithful activities that meet their needs within the overall worship experience.