St. John's Lutheran Church Children's & Youth Ministries

VBS Day 3 has been all about JOY!!! The joy of Jesus, the joy of sharing his love and the joy of praising him and all he does!!

It was another STELLAR day at VBS! Water games and the story of Zacchaeus! We learned another new song and talked about living in harmony with each other!

Day 1 of STELLAR VBS! It was a scorcher but we stayed cool inside and kicked off our first day with awesome music and an amazing group of kiddos and volunteers! Can't wait to show them off at our Celebration Worship Service on Sunday at 10:30! These kids can sing!!!

Senior High had a blast tonight hanging with the residents of Villas at Holly Brook!

Calling all CHAOS students! This week is a service week, please meet us at Villas at Holly Brook for a night of fun games and activities with the residents!

CHAOS Students! Tonight is a fellowship night!
We are meeting at Buffalo Wild Wings on Empire at 6:30. See you there for dinner and a devo!

Calling all volunteers! We need our Children & Youth Families, especially our Junior & Senior High students, to help with the Garage Sale! The Garage Sale directly benefits our Children & Youth Ministries and is a fun congregational event to take part in! You can help set up on Thursday, April 11th and Friday, April 12th and help out at the sale on Saturday, April 13th! Please consider donating a couple hours of your time (and any of your gently used stuff sitting in your basement!) to help out. Follow the link to register to volunteer! www.bit.ly/SJ_GarageSale

8th grade students and their mentors gathered this afternoon for lunch and the 2nd Confirmation Workshop to discuss the Sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion. Students began their Confirmation journey in November of 2023 and will complete the Rite of Confirmation this coming October. It is a year long process that includes learning, serive and a Faith Share Project. Please keep these students, their parents and mentors in your prayers in the coming months!

Tonight is the night! Check the list below to see what you need to bring!

6th Graders
*Plastic Ware (plastic silverware)
*Flashlights
7th Graders
*Rain ponchos
*Socks, hats and gloves
8th
*Small first aid kits
*Bottled water
High school
*Heavy duty work gloves
*Contractor size garbage bags

Jr. High and Senior High ministries are collecting donations for Home Sweet Home! We are asking all students to help collect donations and bring them to Thrive and Chaos on January 31st and we will sort and load up the van on Wednesday the 7th.
All grade levels will have certain items that they are being asked to donate. Oh and did we mention that the small group that donates the most is getting a surprise? See what your grade level is donating below!

6th Graders
*Plastic Ware (plastic silverware)
*Flashlights

7th Graders
*Rain ponchos
*Socks, hats and gloves

8th
*Small first aid kits
*Bottled water

High school
*Heavy duty work gloves
*Contractor size garbage bags

Jr. High and Senior High ministries are collecting donations for Home Sweet Home! We are asking all students to help collect donations and bring them to Thrive and Chaos on January 31st and we will sort and load up the van on Wednesday the 7th.
All grade levels will have certain items that they are being asked to donate. Oh and did we mention that the small group that donates the most is getting a surprise? See what your grade level is donating below!

6th Graders
*Plastic Ware (plastic silverware)
*Flashlights

7th Graders
*Rain ponchos
*Socks, hats and gloves

8th
*Small first aid kits
*Bottled water

High school
*Heavy duty work gloves
*Contractor size garbage bags

Calling all Senior High Students! Tomorrow night is a off campus event! We will be meeting at the Avanti's in Normal! See you all at 6:30!

Thrive and Chaos are back tomorrow night! Join us for a new semester kick off! There will be plenty of food, games and fun to be had! We hope to see you there!

There will be no thrive or chaos this week due to the Thanksgiving holiday. We will return to our normal schedule next Wednesday! Have a blessed Thanksgiving!

It is a fellowship night once again for our senior high students! This Wednesday we will be having a pizza and movie night! Please click the link below to register and pay your $5 for pizza! See you all there!
https://stjohnsbloomington.shelbynextchms.com/external/form/d15cd953-ea79-4c9b-8572-30624a9ffaee

Hosting a Lock-In for our JH kiddos tonight....lots of food (all junk of course), lots of silliness, a lot of mess (they make themselves very comfortable, dumping their stuff in the middle of the floor just like at home 😜), lots of plaid jammie pants, lots of squealing and screaming and calling everyone "Bruh," running, jumping, burping, singing and dancing, games, hide and seek, music, movies and most of all joy watching these kids play together, tease each other and love each other like family - because they are!!! A crazy, goofy family that is going to keep us up all night long! Pray for us!

Calling all Senior High students! We are going rock climbing tomorrow! Meet us at Upper Limits in Bloomington for a fun adventure. Students need to bring $30 for entrance fees and rentals. All students attending MUST have a waiver filled out before attending. Submit the waiver using the link below. Please email Emily at [email protected] to let us know you are coming.

*Permission Waiver
https://app.rockgympro.com/waiver/esign/upperlimits/ad6faa6e-e296-4940-a726-9b4aafc97680

It is Avanti's night for our senior high students this week! We will be meeting at the Avanti's in Normal at 6:30! Hope to see you all there!

Check out these amazing JoyZone Volunteers!! They are just a few examples of our team of volunteers that have dedicated themselves to helping out on Sunday mornings on a consistent basis, and our children are benefiting from their leadership, enthusiasm and Christ's love in action! The best way that you can thank them for their service? Sign up to help out on a Sunday morning! Give them have a break and allow them to go to worship with their families! When you serve even just one Sunday in their place, you show our regular volunteers that their service, time and work matters! And who knows...you just might decide that you love volunteering yourself! For questions on how to sign up for a Sunday in JoyZone, reach out to Amy [email protected] or Emily [email protected]

Take a sneak peek at our new theme for the month of October! We are so excited to learn all about integrity with you all!

Junior High students had their first Thrive learning session this evening, discussing God as their Father. So fun and fulfilling to see them engaged with each other and with their adult guides! Do you have a 6th, 7th or 8th grade student that would like to be involved in our youth group? Reach out to Amy at [email protected] for more information or to register!!

🚨🚨 ATTENTION SENIOR HIGH STUDENTS 🚨🚨
Tonight is our first off site fellowship night! Meet us at Pheasant lanes for a night full of bowling! Make sure to bring money for shoe rental and any food you may want! Don't forget your socks!!

Do you have a child who likes to sing? St. John's Children's Choir would love additional members! Children will have fun while learning new songs that they will share periodically in worship. The fun starts tonight at 5:45 PM in the Choir Room (floor 2 just off the elevator and to the left). The Children's Choir will practice every second and fourth Wednesday.

Congratulations to two of our Senior High students, Wesley Stombaugh and Cooper Rademacher! Both young men were honored at a ceremony at Bloomington High School last night for their excellence in Academic Achievement! St. John's is so proud of your hard work and dedication to your education!

Our own Miss Emily was also recognized at the ceremony. Each student was encouraged to invite a special person to be honored along side the student as someone they valued and appreciated for their positive influence and impact on the student's life. Wes chose Miss Emily to attend with him. In the program, Wes wrote "Most importantly, Emily never fails to help guide me in my faith, but her impact on my life has extended far past that. She is also an important mentor in school, relationships and anything else I bring to her."

We couldn't have said it better ourselves Wes! Miss Emily is a blessing to our church and all of our children and youth. Her enthusiasm and joy is contagious and she never fails to go out of her way to be there for our kids in any way they need her. God knew what he was doing when he called her to this place - and we are all the better for it!