November 26, 2025 E-Vine – St John's Lutheran Church of Napa CA

Advent: Preparing the Way

“Watch”
November 30, 2025

CLICK HERE FOR SERVICE NOTES.

As We Gather

Today we begin our Advent journey with a call to watch. In a world lulled by distraction and fear, Christ urges us to stay awake—to lift our eyes and hearts in expectation. What does it mean to live in expectation of His coming? What does it mean to “watch”?

Ongoing News and Information

TONIGHT – Thanksgiving Worship
Join us for a special service of Thanksgiving on tonight, November 26 at 7:00 PM. This will be a communion service. We also ask that you bring an offering of a non-perishable food item for the Napa Food Bank. Click here for service notes.

Mike Newton: 50 Years of Teaching!
At the Lutheran Educators Conference in Phoenix earlier this week, Mike Newton was recognized for his 50 years of teaching ministry. CNH District President Rev. Michael Lange spoke of Mike’s dedication and commitment to serving the Lord and the children. The assembly responded by coming to their feet in appreciation of his many years of service.

Pictured above are Mike receiving the recognition from President Lange; Mike with President Lange and Joel Wahlers; Mike and former students who now teach in the CNH District.

2026 Offering Envelopes
The 2026 offering envelopes have arrived and will be ready to pick up in the narthex starting tonight, November 26. We have 2026 envelopes ready for everyone who had 2025 envelopes. If you do not yet have offering envelopes and would like to order some, please contact Kristy in the Church Office at churchoffice@stjohnsnapa.org.

Pastor Mike’s Bible Class

3 John: Faithfulness and Fellowship
Join us this Sunday as we conclude our study of the letters of John with a discussion of 3 John, a personal letter to Gaius, a beloved church member. In this brief letter, John touches on the importance of faithfulness, fellowship and hospitality. What does John’s message mean for us today in our congregation? We will be meeting in Room 8 at 11:00 AM.

Starting December 7: Angels and Demons
If we take the scriptures seriously, we will acknowledge that there is a spiritual realm and there are spiritual beings all around us that we cannot see. The Bible is full of references to angels as God’s servants. (Including the first Christmas!) And in the Gospels, we see Jesus engaged in (one-sided) conflict with demons. In this multi-week study, we’re going to look at and discuss what the Bible says about these spiritual beings, compare and contrast with the views of popular culture, and what it means for us today. We meet in Room 8 each Sunday after worship at 11:00 AM.

Support the Mission Farm Through the 2025 Give!Guide

The St. John’s Mission Farm is participating once again in the CanDo Napa Valley Give!Guide campaign. This year’s campaign kicked off November 1, and runs through December 31. Please visit CanDoGiveGuide.org and look for the St. John’s Mission Farm under the “Community” grouping. You can donate either by credit card or mail in a check to the address provided. Donation minimum is $10. Many thanks for your support!

Advent Wednesday Services
During the season of Advent, we will also offer worship services on Wednesday evenings at 7:00. Each service is unique with a different focus and style. Before each service there will be a soup supper in the Parish Hall starting at 6:00 (see below for more information and to sign up to help at one of the soup suppers).

December 3 – The Hymns of Advent: We will take a look at some of the familiar Advent hymns, along with a brief devotion on each one about the hymn’s background and message for us today.
December 10 – The ABCs of Christmas: We will go through the alphabet identifying words and phrases from the biblical account of the first Christmas. The Choraliers will be singing and the handbells will be ringing.
December 17 – Lessons and Carols: Led by the Sanctuary Choir. A service of Word and Song, tracing the prophecies of the Messiah through the announcement of His birth.

December 9 – Dine and Donate at Habit Burger
The St. John’s Lutheran School Athletic Program invites you to Dine and Donate with Habit Burger on Tuesday, November 9. Just visit the Habit Burger location at 1735 Trancas St any time from 4:00-9:00 PM on November 9 and present a flyer (available in the church narthex) at checkout, or use code GIVEBACK if ordering online or on one of the in-restaurant kiosks, and Habit Burger will donate 20% of all sales to support our athletic program!

December 13 – High School Christmas Party and White Elephant Gift Exchange
Happy Thanksgiving from St. John’s High School Ministry! We had a blast at our Friendsgiving last weekend and are looking forward to the upcoming Christmas Party. Come join us and invite a friend on Saturday, December 13 at 5pm right here at SJL. We will be doing a white elephant gift exchange ($20 limit) that you won’t want to miss out on. Come celebrate the birth of our King with us! For more info, contact Kevin Mathison at kevin@stjohnsnapa.org.

December 21 – Christmas Singalong
Mark your calendars for a festive Christmas celebration and singalong at Pastor Mike and Teresa Schmid’s house on Sunday, December 21 at 4:00 PM. We invite children and teens to perform a Christmas-themed musical piece of their choosing. If your child would like to play or sing at the event, please contact Kristy Watkins at churchoffice@stjohnsnapa.org to sign up.

February 12-14, 2026 – Best Practices for Ministry Conference

BPM is back! Best Practices for Ministry is a free annual conference for pastors, church workers, and lay people. The purpose is to learn and share ideas and practices to help us grow in living God’s Mission. BPM 2026 will take place on February 12-14 at Christ Church Lutheran in Phoenix, Arizona. For more information, please go to: cclphoenix.org/bpm/

As we have done in the past, St. John’s will be covering lodging for all participants from St. John’s, but not transportation. The conference itself is free. If you are interested in attending, please contact Kristy in the Church Office so we can add you to our hotel room block. Please also register for the conference using the link above.

*Cyber Monday (December 1 this year) is a great day to shop for airfares. Also, Southwest Airlines has regular sales on Tuesdays, so Tuesday each week is usually the best day of the week to book flights.

Music Teacher at St. John’s Lutheran School

The Music Teacher position at St. John’s Lutheran School includes classroom instruction for Preschool – Grade 5 and Choir direction for Grades 6-8.

This is a part-time position, scheduled for classroom instruction Tuesday and Thursday, and accompaniment/directing of students during our weekly Chapel first thing Wednesday morning. In addition, accompaniment/directing takes place approximately twice a month during our Sunday Worship.

For more information, please contact Principal Christy Wood at cwood@stjohnsnapa.org.

After-School Assistant at St. John’s Lutheran School

We are looking for an assistant for PALS, our after-school program for St. John’s Lutheran students. The hours would be 2:30-5:30 PM, Monday through Friday.

If you are interested in applying, or would like more information, please contact Ramona Kaufmann at rkaufmann@stjohnsnapa.org.

St. John’s Fam, Advent will be here before you know it!

Advent is just around the corner, and with it our Wednesday evening services—a midweek pause to breathe, reflect, and gather. And of course, no Advent Wednesday is complete without our tradition of soup suppers beforehand.

This is more than just a meal. It’s a chance to sit shoulder-to-shoulder, share stories, laugh a little, and warm up together before stepping into the evening service.

Here’s what to know:

• Soup suppers happen before each Wednesday service.
• Gather your group, your family, or your “secret recipe squad” and think about hosting one of the suppers.
• We invite volunteers to help set up, serve food (several soups, salads (optional), and desserts), and help clean up. If you’d like to volunteer for one of the suppers, please sign up at this link.

Let’s make this Advent season one where the tables are full, the soup pots are stirred with love (and maybe a little friendly competition), and the midweek gatherings feel like the heartbeat of our community.

CHRISTMAS ENCOUNTER: A NIGHT TO SHINE

December 7th
5:00 PM
St. John’s Lutheran Church

The star is rising, and we’re stepping into something brand new—our FIRST EVER Christmas Encounter.

What’s waiting for you:

• A high-energy concert of beloved Lutheran Christmas music with our Praise Band + Special Guests

• The Christmas story brought to life in a pageant starring our very own kids

• A community celebration with dinner + special crafts for the children

This isn’t just another holiday service—it’s a night to gather, sing, and let the story of our Savior shine brighter than ever.

All are welcome. Come ready to encounter joy, music, and fellowship under the glow of the season.

Sign‑Up Info:
Please sign up using either this link or the QR code below and let us know:

How many will be in your party
If you’d be willing to help support the after‑party by bringing a salad or dessert

Pastor Mike’s Bookshelf

A Little God Time for Couples
Broadstreet Publishing

Looking for a new daily devotion book for the coming new year? This little book provides very accessible, down-to-earth, practical devotions for couples. There is a short devotion for each day based on a passage of scripture, followed by a few discussion prompts, and then a prayer.

If you are looking for a devotional aid to step up your time in the word, discussion and prayer together, I highly recommend this book. I have placed a copy on the library cart in the church entryway. If interested, I encourage you to take a look at it. But I encourage you to leave that copy on the cart for others to look at as well. The book is readily available online. Previous recommendations can be found here: church.stjohnsnapa.org/resources/pastor-mikes-bookshelf

Sanctuary Lighting Upgrade

Let There Be Lights!

The new Sanctuary LED lights have been installed. Thank you again to all who have supported “Let There Be Lights!” with your offerings. We are more than 90% of the way to reaching our goal of $50,000! You can make an offering to support the lighting upgrade for the sanctuary in different ways. For an offering by check, just indicate “Let there Be Lights” in the memo line. For online giving, please use the “Let there Be Lights” option to make your offering.

Confirmation Classes
Confirmation, for 7th and 8th graders desiring to know more about God, will be meeting throughout the school year right here at St. John’s. Our next meeting will be on December 3 from 7:00 to 8:30 PM in the Library. If you have any questions or desire to get involved, please contact Kevin Mathison at kevin@stjohnsnapa.org.

High Schoolers Invited to Help with Christmas Pageant
High School Hangouts after the worship service will be paused for November as we get ready for the Christmas Pageant on December 7. Instead, we invite all St. John’s teens to help with the pageant – there are many opportunities to participate both on stage (narrating) and off stage (assistant directing, building sets, etc.). Rehearsals are on Sundays in November at 11:00 AM in the sanctuary. If you have any questions, please contact Kevin at kevin@stjohnsnapa.org or Kristy at churchoffice@stjohnsnapa.org.

Christmas Pageant Rehearsals
We will have rehearsals for our Christmas Pageant (which will take place during the Christmas Encounter night on December 7) every Sunday in November at 11:00 AM in the St. John’s sanctuary. If you would like your child to participate in the pageant, but missed the first few rehearsals, no worries – just contact Kristy Watkins at churchoffice@stjohnsnapa.or g and let her know that you would like your child to take part!

SOCIAL MEDIA
Follow St. John’s Youth Ministry on Social Media to keep up with all the latest information!
Facebook: SJL Napa Youth Ministry
Instagram: St. John’s Lutheran Napa Youth

St. John’s LCC K9 Comfort Dog Ministry
Our team sent 13 members to the LCC K9 Comfort Dog Conference inn Northbrook, Illinois in July. There were over 500 humans attending as well as over 90 beautiful Golden Retrievers. We thank Thrivent for assisting us with an Action Team card.

Every week is an opportunity to invite someone to join with us in worship, whether in person or online. The first step, though, is to pray for those who you may invite. Who can you pray for? Who will you invite?

You can CLICK HERE to give your offering online.

Stephen Ministers Grow in the Lord

The more you focus on the Lord and do God’s work, the more satisfaction you will find. It’s that simple! Are you looking for more satisfaction in your life? Consider serving our congregation as a Stephen Minister. By helping others, you will help God’s kingdom grow – and you will grow too! To learn more about Stephen Ministry and what Stephen Ministers do, contact Penni Cremen (707-483-9321) or Pastor Mike at the church office (707-255-0119).

Women’s Monday Morning Bible Study
We’re taking the month of December off and will resume meeting in January to continue our study of the Book of Romans. We meet on Monday mornings from 10:00-11:30 AM in the Sanctuary, and all study materials will be handed out when we meet. For more information, please contact Judi Rock at goalyce2041@gmail.com.

Men’s Saturday Morning Bible Study

The Men’s Saturday Morning Bible Study is currently studying the Epistle (letter) to the Galatians. All men are welcome to join us every Saturday morning in Room 10. Breakfast will be at 7:30 AM, and the Bible study will be from 8:00 AM to 9:00 AM.

Biblical Counseling at St John’s?

The Biblical Counseling Center of Napa Valley

The Biblical Counseling Center of Napa Valley is a ministry to the families of St. John’s Lutheran Church and all Christians in the greater Napa area. Our center began some 25 years ago to offer strength and direction to those Christians suffering through trials and tribulations using the promises and hope the Bible offers to those who trust Jesus as their Lord and Savior. To learn more, CLICK HERE. If you, or someone you know, is struggling with life’s stressors, please consider giving us a call at 707-738-5306. (We are a free ministry to all).

Right Now Media
Right now media is an online resource providing Christian videos for all ages. Children’s resource, Bible Studies, lectures and more. As a congregation, we have subscribed to Right Now Media, so access is free for all in our St. John’s family. If you haven’t already signed up for Right Now Media, CLICK HERE.

Where do I find sermons and services that I missed?

You can find previous sermons in three places. The full services are available on the YouTube channel.

YouTube Channel:
- www.youtube.com/user/stjohnsnapaca/live
- There are playlists for sermons, Sunday Services, Wednesday Night Worship and teaching on Matthew
RightNow Media Channel
- www.rightnowmedia.org/CustomLibrary/41667
- Scroll down to find recommendations as well as sermon and Gospel of Matthew lessons
Website
- church.stjohnsnapa.org/resources/sermons
- The sermons are arranged by worship series