readings for today Genesis 4:1-15, Ephesians 2:1-10 and Luke 18:9-14 (lectionary readings can be found in the front of the hymnal on page Lectionaries xxi)

Welcome We welcome into membership at St. John by adult confirmation CASSANDRA MEGAN MOORE and RHONDA SUE HOCH. Cassandra and Rhonda were confirmed at the Wednesday evening service.

holy baptism Baptized into the kingdom of heaven today is ELLE CATHERINE LAURENT, daughter of Mark and Holly (nee Scheumann). She was born August 4, in Fort Wayne. Serving as sponsors are Catherine Knipstein and Lisa Noggle.

In our prayers Wilbert Reinking (Adams Memorial), Verlin Bultemeier, Lester Aumann, Brooke Conrad (home), Esther Selking, Fred Berning (New Haven Care and Rehabilitation), Eileen Zwick, Bob Peters, Xavior Palacios, Marie Hobrock, Steve Friend (brother-in-law of David and Joyce Smock), Sherrill Peters (sister-in-law of Bob and Jeanette Peters) and Betty Schroeder (sister-in-law of Jean Uffelman and Jeanette Peters). Our soldiers: in Iraq – Andy Sauer; Katie Tedeschi in Japan; Casey Holt in San Diego, CA; Garry Murdock, Jr. at Harrogate, England; Deb Chappel (daughter of Phil and Evie DeBolt) at Fort Sam Houston, TX; Matthew Owen (nephew of Kevin Selking) at Camp Legune, NC; Daniel Ulman (grandson of Roger and Fay Koenemann) at Bremerton, WA; Nathan Shelton (grandson of Bob and Ann Thorn) at Camp Pendleton, CA and Chaplain Daniel Gard, in Louisiana. Shut-ins: Evelyn Aumann, Tom Aumann, Herb Mailand (Woodcrest), Gert Deister (Woodview),Velma Zelt (Regency), Deanie Holle (Concord Village), Donna Conrad (Huntington), Margaret Scherer (Village of Heritage) and Geraldine Buuck.

THANK YOU to everyone for cards, prayers and care packages while I was in Iraq. Jason Sauer

This is the first time we are doing Divine Service Setting 4. The Service is not too difficult but may appear so initially. This congregation has more than impressed me both by your singing and character. This service may not be a difficult challenge for you but anything new can test one’s patience.

When I first looked at this service I quickly recognized the service, especially from the beginning of the service on Page 203. The paragraph that begins, “Since we are gathered ....” was something I translated from the German “Der Hauptgottesdienst” (The Chief Divine Service), the Service I used when I was in Germany. I translated it for my vicarage supervisor for a special Service we had for Christmas. The whole Divine Service is patterned after this German Service but with different music and it was all chanted. This Service is chanted in part giving a variety in the Service.

The Divine Service Setting 3, the one we have been doing, will always be our Chief Divine Service but it is important that we are familiar with the other settings in our hymnal. Why one might ask? Not only will our younger generation definitely be using these different settings when they grow up but also each setting emphasizes a unique expression of our Christian faith.

The ELEVEnTH Sunday after Trinity 8/23/2009 EVENTS

hospitalization/ outpatient If you or someone in your family is scheduled to go into the hospital or outpatient for any reason or is being released from the hospital, please call Pastor Dreyer at church or 701-0001 (Decatur). Due to HIPPA Laws hospitals will not contact us-so you must.

Summer bible class is held after services each Wednesday evening at 7:30 pm. Bring your family and friends. All ages are welcome and encouraged to attend.

adult catechesis classes The next class will begin on Tuesday, August 18, from 6:00-8:00 pm and then each Tuesday evening from then on. All members wanting a refresher course are also welcome to attend.

office hours The secretary is in the church office 10:00 am-2:00 pm Tuesday-Friday, and is available at 639-6178. Any changes to this will be noted in the handout and newsletter. Pastor can be reached at 701-0001.

Public School Confirmation We have begun our classes and they will continue each Wednesday afternoon from 4:00-5:30 pm. If you have a child who is in the 7^th or 8^th grade who is not attending Wyneken School, this is your child’s preparation class for Confirmation. If you have a child who is in the 5^th or 6^th grade who is not attending Wyneken School, please contact the church office so that materials can be given them to work on at home.

Church Social Events

September 12th, 2009: Bicycle Ride - Moser Park, New Haven. Meet at Church at 9:00 am. There will be assistance for bicycle transportation. Helmets are encouraged. Money for lunch (there is a place in mind for lunch)

October 10th, 2009: Fall Festival at St. John, 3:00 pm. Outdoor games, mush ball, corn hole, hillbilly golf, and other things. Hay ride, fire pit, dunking for apples Bring your own meat (grills provided), snacks and chairs.

November 8th, 2009: Come to the parsonage for the 1:00 pm Colts game. Adults only.

Choir There are many great singers in the St. John congregation - come and share your talents and join the Adult choir on Wednesday evenings! Our first practices consist of “waking up our voices from the summer vacationing” and learning various parts of songs to be sung this fall. If you have conflicts September 9, come whenever possible. Hope to see lots of new faces Wednesday, September 9^,at 7:15 pm! Anyone 8^th grade and older is welcome, no experience is necessary, any questions call Director Leanne Busick at 724-7871.

Youth Group CHANGE IN DATE: Today the youth are invited to David/Nancy Mahlan’s from 4:00-8:00 pm for swimming, fishing, bonfire and cookout. Please bring swimsuit, towel, yard games and a snack to share. Hot dogs, drinks, smores, and pudgy pies will be provided.

Couples Club is planning a get away weekend to Little Nashville for August 28-30. For reservations or more information contact Shirley Braun (724-7502).

Help needed Volunteers are needed to be the Sunday School Superintendent and to help on a weekly basis. Also needed are Sunday School teachers. Anyone interested in helping should contact the church office or Jim Butler (724-7025). Sunday School and Bible Class opening will be in Sunday, September 13.

LUTHERAN STUDY BIBLE The new Lutheran Study Bible is available to preorder from CPH. A sample booklet with selections from the new bible and the pricing for all styles is available to preview in the church office. Stop by and check it out. A link to a sample of the bible in large print can be found on our blog at http://stjohnlutheranbingen.blogspot.com or call 800-325-9040.

Scrip We are preparing for a new school year as well as a new year of Scrip. Remember to purchase Scrip for all of your back-to-school needs. If anyone interested in getting to know more about Wyneken’s Scrip program, or are interested in volunteering their time, we need use your help! Contact either Jane Kleine or Sarah Butler or the school office. Scrip is always available in the parish hall between services.

Thrivent Anyone interested in having their name submitted for a Thrivent Board Member of Records Director, or Congregational Service Team Director should contact any Thrivent Board member. The present Board members will be reaching the end of their service time. New Board members are needed to conduct the leadership duties. Without the above board members our Adams County Chapter will not receive funds from Thrivent Financial to help with benefits and deserving people. The only requirement is to be a Thrivent Financial Benefit member 16 years or older. The chapter leadership board is responsible for approving the Care Abounds in Communities Program activity/funding issues. Please consider this volunteer service to your Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Adams County Chapter by September 10th. Board Members: Duane Franz 623-6728, Shirley Hormann 724-3101, Sharon Busick-Howell 623-6568, Dorothy Reiter 724-7666 and Norbert Bleeke 724-9486.

Attendance last week: 8:00 am (120) 9:30 am (167) Wed. (43)

Calendar of the Week

Today 8:00 am Divine Service IV - 9:30 am Matins

4:00-8:00 pm Youth Group Invited to David/Nancy Mahlan’s

TUESDAY 6:00-8:00 pm Adult Catechesis Class

WEDNESDAY 8:20 am Chapel

4:00-5:30 pm Public School Confirmation

6:30 pm Midweek Divine Service

7:30 pm Summer Bible Class

fRIDAY-sUNDAY Couples Club Get Away In Little Nashville

Sunday 8:00 am Matins - 9:30 am Divine Service IV

WORSHIP FOR SHUT-INS

“Worship for Shut-Ins” can be seen every Sunday on the new Comcast Cable Channel 19 (MY TV) at 8:00 am, on WPTA-TV21 at 6:30 am and repeated on Comcast Cable Channel 55 on Sundays and Mondays at 4:00 pm.

Psalm 50:7-23 antiphon 14 (English Standard Version)

^7“Hear, O my people, and I will speak; O Israel, I will testify a- | gainst you.
I am | God, your God.

⁸Not for your sacrifices do I re | buke you;
your burnt offerings are continually be- | fore me.

⁹I will not accept a bull | from your house
or goats | from your folds.

¹⁰For every beast of the for- | est is mine,
the cattle on a thousand | hills.

¹¹I know all the birds | of the hills,
and all that moves in the | field is mine.

¹²If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
for the world and its full- | ness are mine.

¹³Do I eat the | flesh of bulls
or drink the | blood of goats?

¹⁴Offer to God a sacrifice of thanks- | giving,
and perform your vows to the | Most High,

¹⁵and call upon me in the day of | trouble;
I will deliver you, and you shall glo- | rify me.”

¹⁶But to the wicked | God says:
“What right have you to recite my statutes or take my covenant | on your lips?

¹⁷For you hate | discipline,
and you cast my words be- | hind you.

¹⁸If you see a thief, you are | pleased with him,
and you keep company with a- | dulterers.

¹⁹You give your mouth free rein for | evil,
and your tongue | frames deceit.

²⁰You sit and speak against your | brother;
you slander your own | mother’s son.

²¹These things you have done, and I have been silent; you thought that I was one | like yourself.
But now I rebuke you and lay the charge be- | fore you.

²²Mark this, then, you who for- | get God,
lest I tear you apart, and there be none to de- | liver!

²³The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glo- | rifies me;
to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salva- | tion of God!”

Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the LORD.” And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground. In the course of time Cain brought to the LORD an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. The LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.” Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” And the LORD said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground. And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.” Cain said to the LORD, “My punishment is greater than I can bear. Behold, you have driven me today away from the ground, and from your face I shall be hidden. I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.” Then the LORD said to him, “Not so! If anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the LORD put a mark on Cain, lest any who found him should attack him.

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

8/23/2009	Ephesians 5:21	“Who's in Charge Here?”	Authority is a critical issue in all human relationships. In Christian relationships, Christ is in charge, and we honor Him by serving each other in love.	Rev. Richard Koehneke Holy Cross Fort Wayne, IN
8/30/2009	Mark 7:14-23	“More than Doing Good”	Have you been good lately? We try to do good and not the bad. But righteousness before God comes by more than doing good. It comes by faith in Jesus Christ!	Rev. James Elsner Peace Hudson, IN
9/6/2009	Mark 7:31-37	“Loosened Tongues”	Touched by God’s love, we often keep quiet about it, but the Spirit and Jesus enables us to speak and share the good news of Jesus.	Rev. Karl A Frincke Concordia Fort Wayne, IN
9/13/2009	Mark 9:24	“Help My Unbelief”	We as Christians believe in Jesus. This belief frequently involves both knowledge and trust. At times our faith is eroded, attacked, or challenged by the cares, problems, and philosophies of this world. We pray with the man in our text, “Lord I believe, help my unbelief.”	Rev. Daniel Brege St. Paul Decatur, IN
9/20/2009	James 4:7	“Resist the Devil”	We are to resist the devil, and he will flee from us, because: I.) We have Christ II.) We have the Word of God	Dr. Walter A Maier III Concordia Theological Seminary Fort Wayne, IN
9/27/2009	Psalm 104:33	“Keep Praising God”	The power source of your faith is not in you or your situation, but in God. Praise connects us with the power source!	Rev. Richard Koehneke Holy Cross Fort Wayne, IN