September 18, 2025 E-Vine – St John's Lutheran Church of Napa CA

Set Free: Paul’s Letter to the Galatians

“Become Like Me”
September 21, 2025

CLICK HERE FOR SERVICE NOTES.

As We Gather

In today’s passage from Galatians, Paul gets personal, making a heartfelt pastoral plea to this church that welcomed him, learned from him, supported him, but has now turned away from not just him, but the Gospel he preached. In his plea, Paul calls for them to become like him, imitating his reliance on grace alone through faith alone. But there are other aspects of Paul’s faith that he refers to in this passage. In what ways is God calling all of us to hear Paul’s plea that we “become like me”?

Ongoing News and Information

Congregational Call Meeting Results
At the congregational call meeting last Sunday, the congregation elected to extend a call as associate pastor to Rev. Tanner Wade who is currently service as associate pastor at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Des Peres, MO. The Board of Directors also issued a call to Whitney Wade to serve as a music teacher in our school. Please keep Pastor Wade and Whitney in your prayers as they seek to discern the Lord’s will for their future. Also please pray for our congregation and for St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Des Peres.

Pastor Mike’s Bible Class – 1 John: Walking in the Light of God’s Love
Join us on Sundays for a study of 1 John. In this poetic sermon by John, he paints a compelling picture of the Christian life as walking in the light and living in God’s love. John emphasizes authentic discipleship, urging followers to live in the truth, reject false teaching, and demonstrate love not just in word but in action. In so doing, we live in the fellowship God has given us – with Himself and with one another. We will be meeting in Room 8 at 11:00 AM.

Foundations: An Overview of the Christian Faith

What are the essential teachings of the Christian faith? What do they mean in our lives and in our world today? Pastor Mike is leading a nine-session overview of the basic teachings on Wednesdays at 7:00 PM that began on September 17 in Room 8. This study in basic Christianity will cover all the essential teachings, how they fit together into one compelling story, and what they mean for our lives today. This class is required for those who are interested in membership at St. John’s. But it is also helpful for those who seek to better understand the Christian story in order to grow in their faith and be better equipped to share it with others. Even if you missed the first session, you are welcome to jump in this next week.

September 27 – Lutheran Women in Mission September Launch
Lutheran Women in Mission, Zone 6, will be holding its September Launch, themed “Anchored in Christ,” on September 27 from 9 AM to 1 PM at Trinity Lutheran Church in San Rafael. Cost is $10 pp, payable at the door. For more information or to sign up, please contact Kristy Watkins in the church office at churchoffice@stjohnsnapa.org.

October 7 – Children’s Church Informational Meeting
CALLING ALL PARENTS! Children’s Church has been truly booming! So much so that we are in need of more teachers for our rotation. We’re inviting all parents of Children’s Church kiddos to partner with us in leading on occasion and want to invite you to an informational meeting on Tuesday, October 7 at 7pm. The meeting will take place via Zoom & cover some of the ins and outs of teaching a group, curriculum map, & training opportunities. If you are not in that group of parents, don’t worry! You’re totally invited to take part in this awesome ministry as well and we would love for you to join us on the Zoom for more info. Stay tuned in the coming weeks for the link and any extra details that may come about.

October 12 – Oktoberfest
Join us on Sunday, October 12 from 12:30-3:30pm for one of our favorite fall events – Oktoberfest! Scroll down for more information.

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.

Pastor Mike’s Bookshelf

Loved & Sent: How Two Words Define Who You Are and Why You Matter
Jeff Cloeter

This little book is a gem. Jeff Cloeter has distilled the essence of the Christian life into two words: Loved and Sent. In his own words: “You are loved more than you can imagine and sent with more purpose than you thought.” God’s infinite love for us, centered in the cross of Jesus Christ, defines who we are and serves as the foundation of our identity. But we
are also sent by Jesus into the world to bring His love and His saving message to others.

This is a book that can reinforce and encourage someone who has followed Christ for years, but can also serve as a good introduction for someone new in the faith. In the course of his presentation, he touches on all the major features of our faith, but does so in a very down-to-earth simple style. Each chapter is introduced by a story from his life or his ministry as a pastor in urban St. Louis, providing a helpful context and example of real-life application.

I recommend this book for anyone who desires a very straightforward approach to the Christian faith, but also as a good book to put in the hands of someone with whom you are sharing the faith. I have placed a copy of this book on the church library cart in the church entryway.

Previous recommendations can be found here: church.stjohnsnapa.org/resources/pastor-mikes-bookshelf

Sanctuary Lighting Upgrade

Let There Be Lights!

We are now over 65% of the 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!

St. John’s Oktoberfest: Come for the brats, stay for the banter.

Fall is here, and while pumpkin patches and Pinterest mums are great…you know what’s better?

Brats. Beer. Belly laughs. And desserts so mysterious they deserve their own reality show.

We’re serving up:

Brats, hotdogs, and potato salad (professionally handled)

Beer, wine, lemonade, soda, and coffee

Desserts—wildly diverse, lovingly potluck, possibly German in nature

When and Where:

Sunday, October 12 | 12:30–3:30 PM

St. John’s Lutheran Church — Napa, CA

Free entry. Real fun. *Bring a dessert to share! Homemade, store-bought, weirdly shaped—yes, please*

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 the area of trash, put tables and chairs away, and return equipment to the appropriate closets.
Entertainment – Work with those that wish to provide entertainment to set up a schedule 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. Once we have volunteers signed up, an informational meeting will be scheduled.

Confirmation Classes
The new year of Confirmation is underway! 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. This month we will meet on September 10 17, & 24 in Room 10. Each of those Learning Events runs from 7:00 to 8:30 PM. If you have any questions or desire to get involved, please contact Kevin Mathison at kevin@stjohnsnapa.org.

High School Hangouts
Calling all High Schoolers! Join us every Sunday after the worship service for High School Hangouts in Kevin Mathison’s office. We’ll enjoy games, snacks, and fellowship as we dive into God’s Word and talk about what it means for our lives today. If you have any questions, please contact Kevin at kevin@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 Monday Morning Bible Study
The Women’s Bible Study meets every Monday in the Sanctuary from 10:00-11:30 AM. This fall, we’ll be studying the Book of Romans. 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 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