August 7, 2025 E-Vine – St John's Lutheran Church of Napa CA

Set Free: Paul’s Letter to the Galatians

“One Gospel For All”
August 10, 2025

CLICK HERE FOR SERVICE NOTES.

As We Gather

Where do we ground our unity as a congregation? What truly makes us one? For that matter, what is the foundation of unity for the Church at large? Is it in our traditions, worship style, socioeconomic status, ethnicity? When Paul visited the Church in Jerusalem, he came with a very different focus and method of ministry than Peter, James, and John. And yet they were unified because of the gospel, and the shared mission of bringing the gospel to all. What does it mean for us to base our unity on the gospel today?

Ongoing News and Information

Worship in Faith Chapel
If you are available to come Sunday at 9:00 AM, we are looking for a few people to assist in setting up the chairs for worship in the Faith Chapel.

St. John’s Staff Retreat
On Sunday afternoon, August 10, our St. John’s staff will be leaving for a retreat, returning on Tuesday afternoon. This is an opportunity to begin the new school year with a time of Bible study and fellowship together, as well as discussion and planning on key features of this year’s ministry. Please keep our staff in your prayers during this time.

New Church Office Manager
We are pleased to announce that our new church office manager is Kristy Watkins. Her first day in the office was August 1. May God bless her and her service to our church community.

Pastor Mike’s Bible Class
Pastor Mike’s Bible class will not be meeting for the next few weeks. It will resume on August 24 when we will begin a study of 1 John.

August 17 – Blessing of Teachers and Education Staff
During worship on August 17, we will be blessing and rededicating our school staff as the new school year begins. We will also be inviting up for a blessing all those who are involved in education in our community – teachers and staff. If you are employed or serve in education, from preschool to college, you are invited to come forward to take part.

September 3 – Confirmation Information Night
It’s almost Confirmation season again! 7th and 8th graders are invited to our Confirmation Information Night on September 3 at 7pm in Room 10. This is designed for both student and parent as we discuss what this year in Confirmation will look like. Contact Kevin Mathison at kevin@stjohnsnapa.org if you have any questions beforehand.

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.

St. John’s Athletic Field Rededication

We are delighted to announce that the field refurbishing is nearing completion. We will have a Field Rededication on Friday, August 22 at 2:15 PM. Please join us!

Sanctuary Lighting Upgrade

Let There Be Lights!

We are over half-way to reaching our goal of $50,000. Thanks be to God! 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. The light installation will be coming soon!

Sunday, October 12, 2025
12:30-3:30 PM

Hello St. John’s family! October will be here before we know it and you know what that means – Oktoberfest!!! We need volunteers and leaders from the congregation to help Josh Wright make this wonderful event a success.

We currently need volunteers and leaders for the five major areas of the event:

Food – work with caterer to ensure buffet is set up. Also assist with placing desserts and other German-inspired treats on the dessert table.

Beverages – ensure the beverage area is organized and that adult beverage areas vs non-adult beverage areas are clearly marked and separated. We want to ensure that this is a safe event and that we are abiding by state and city laws.

Set up – coordinate a team to ensure tables and chairs are set up in the designated areas for food and socializing.

Clean up – coordinate with a team to clean up the area of trash, put tables and chairs away, and return equipment to the appropriate closets.

Entertainment – work with those who wish to provide entertainment to set up schedules and time slots or play music from an iPod/radio when live entertainment is not available.

If you’re interested in being a part of this amazing fellowship, please reach out to Josh at joshwright@stjohnsnapa.org or contact the church office at churchoffice@stjohnsnapa.org. Once we have volunteers signed up, an informational meeting will be scheduled.

We have added a few members to our team and we are always looking for more. It’s a joy to share the gospel with the young kids at their level each week! If you are interested in serving in Children’s Church occasionally please contact Kevin Mathison at kevin@stjohnsnapa.org or the church office at churchoffice@stjohnsnapa.org.

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 Bible Study

Women’s Bible Study will resume after the summer.

Men’s Saturday Morning Bible Study

The Men’s Saturday Morning Bible Study is currently studying the Gospel of Luke. Join us for fellowship at 7:30 AM and Bible Study from 8-9 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