2024
You are invited to the Congregational Resourcing Event on March 16, 2024, at Sauk Valley Community College in Dixon, Illinois. 
This is hosted by the Congregational Life Committee. We will gather with worship. Then, we will participate in the keynote and discussion led by Rev. Miguel Gomez-Acosta, the Senior Director for New Ministry Development and Evangelism at the Churchwide Office of the ELCA.
The workshop listing will be shared as soon as it is ready. Registration is now open and closes on March 2nd. The registration fee is $25 for the event. This includes breakfast treats, coffee, and lunch. Scholarships are available.
This is a great opportunity to learn more about how you can be part of and share God’s Story. We can meet at SOTP and carpool to Dixon.
To register or for more information let Donna know.
Contact: Donna Kelly donna@sotpmail.com 847-669-9448
From the Grafton Food Pantry
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!! 
We recently received a call from Harriet Ford from the Grafton Food Pantry expressing her sincere gratefulness for all SOTP’s contributions in 2023. She shared that she wished more organizations would think of them throughout the year as SOTP does with our monthly collections and quarterly food drives.
On that positive note, let’s show Grafton that we can go above and beyond in 2024!!
Be sure to watch the newsletter for our first of the month collections and the first community food drive in February!
-Community Outreach and Mission Teams
Contact: Tara Mackey rtmackey10@yahoo.com
For the Grafton Food Pantry
February 24th from 9am-1pm is the Community Outreach’s first Grafton Food Drive of 2024. 
Help us fill the shelves at the Grafton Food Pantry. Whether you choose to donate items or give monetarily, all donations are greatly appreciated.
Contact: Tara Mackey rtmackey10@hahoocom
Oregon, IL
Northern Illinois Synod Women of the WELCA Retreat 2025 “Walking the Ancient Path” Saturday, April 26, 2025 9:00 AM-3:00 PM 
Program and worship led by PATHWAYS staff from Christ Lutheran Church, Belvedere, Illinois.
Registration fee includes coffee, snacks, lunch and materials.
Registration form available at: www.bit.ly/SYNODretreat0425reg
Half scholarships are available, to request a scholarship, go to: www.bit.ly/SYNODretreat0425scholar
2024
VBS will be
July 8-12, 2024
Contact: Jill Gillming at Jill@sotpmail.com
& Small Groups Kickoff
We have an exciting celebration awaiting us this October as we honor our Lutheran heritage with several fun and educational activities.
- We begin our month-long celebration with an all-congregation book read of “The Book of Harmony”, written by Dr. Martin J. Lohrmann. This book is a great commentary on “The Book of Concord” which is the basis of our Lutheran Confessions. All are invited to join in this book read and books will be available through SOTP for a donation. This four-week study will kickoff our Small Group Ministry for this fall. Our 7’s Discipleship groups are encouraged to use this study, and other small groups will be formed to discuss the book and what it means to us as Lutherans. Please contact Pastor Mark, Pastor Ryan, or Donna Kelly to obtain a book.
- Our celebrations will continue on Saturday October 5, with Pastor Bill leading Lutheranism 101. This is an excellent way to find out more about Martin Luther, the Protestant Reformation and our Lutheran Heritage.
- On Sunday, October 13 from 3-5pm we will have the opportunity to come together and watch the most recent Luther Movie, “Luther”, which was critically acclaimed.
- Our Month-long celebration will culminate on Reformation weekend, Saturday and Sunday October 26 & 27. On Saturday the 26th, we are all invited to be part of the Celebration Dinner with Dr. Martin J. Lohrmann (author of our book) as our guest speaker. A great chance to get your book signed by the author!
- The celebration dinner will be followed by a gathering at Sew Hop’d Brewery here in Huntley where we will enjoy fellowship and listen to The Guttenberg German Band.
- Then on Sunday the 27th, Dr. Lohrmann will be preaching at both services and there will be special music including a brass quartet and the great hymns of the Lutheran Church.
Watch your email and the Friday Flourish for more information.
Donna Kelly, Director of Connection Ministries
donna@sotpmail.com
Niches Available
Have you seen our Memory Garden on the West end of the Church building. 
There are still 21 Niches available that will hold one or two Urns. For more information, contact the Church office, Stan Crissman, or Ralph Wehnes.
Contact: Ralph Wehnes at ralphwehnes@sbcglobal.net
From Your Stewardship Team
Dear Partner in Ministry:
Generosity is all around us, but sometimes we have to look for it. In the feeding of the 5,000 story in the Bible, significant generosity happened once the child shared (John 6:9). That is how it is here. Once we begin to share, we will see God has blessed us with plenty. 
“507 – (Re)Forming our Faith, (Re)Membering Who We Are, (Re)Acting to God’s Call is the theme of our fall stewardship appeal. This theme points us to the generosity we have witnessed around our church over the last year, but also reminds us of our rich heritage and our responsibility to continue to make Christ known.
There are always reasons to worry there might not be enough. As people of faith we plan, prepare, and trust in the abundance of God in all things.
Our grateful response in generosity helps to demonstrate to us and to the world around us God has provided us everything. We have enough, even enough to share.
In the weeks ahead, you will be hearing more about generosity and thankfulness along with celebrating our rich heritage as Lutherans. Newsletter articles, mission moments, emails and more will be used to share this story and our hopes for an even more robust ministry next year. In Christ, we believe the best is yet to come!
In the coming weeks, please engage the materials. Pray about how you can become more generous. Then, on All Saint’s Weekend, November 2-3, please bring your intent card with you to declare the generosity you intend to share with this congregation.
Thanks be to God, you are part of this exciting congregation. Pray for our common work together as we continue to reach out with the Gospel.
Sincerely in Christ,
Mike McCann
Stewardship Team Leader
Craft Fair & Bake Sale
Our SOTP Bazaar was a success.
A special Thanks to all who helped to set up and take down our bazaar.
Another thank you to all who baked yummy treats and those who crafted wonderful items for sale.
Of course I wouldn’t forget all those who worked at the Bazaar. Everyone is part of our success.
We earned $2003.50 and every penny has gone toward our SOTP mortgage.
THANK YOU!
When you were a kid, did you dig in the dirt? I remember planting the garden with my grandpa in the backyard, horsing around with my neighborhood friends, and doing a lot of digging in the dirt.
Who cared if you came home with a big smile on your face plastered from head to toe after a nice romp in a squishy mud hole? My mom did, of course; stains had to be washed out of my clothes, and if the caked mud wasn’t on too thick, which meant I had to be hosed down outside, she would send me up for a bath and tell me to scrub until I was shiny again. Never mind the ring around the tub, that would come out too, thanks again to my redeemer at the time, mom. Thank God for mothers!!!
And then we grew up.
Dirt, however, was still there. This time it wasn’t made from God’s good earth. No, this was dirt of another kind: gossip, rumors, innuendos, broken promises, and cleverly disguised white lies.
One only has to pick up a daily newspaper or watch evening news broadcasts for examples of different types of dirt.
It runs from the playground right up into the highest offices of the land. And boy, do we eat it up. We love it, don’t we? And blame! It’s always someone else’s fault. We had nothing to do with it, and besides, we only had a small part in it anyway, right? Cheating? Never! Not me, well, maybe once or twice but everybody else was doing it so…
Pontius Pilate washed his hands of any wrongdoing during Christ’s trial, and what about the High Priest and the Romans, and what about the Jews who started the whole mess? What about all the dirt they dug up to throw at an innocent man, Jesus, and then what about the disciples and their attitudes, along with Peter’s denial of knowing Christ?
Who should we point the finger at here? Where was the accountability there?
What about today, where is our accountability for the dirt we so liberally throw at another created in God’s image?
Are our deeds and motives honorable and done out of love for Christ and one another? Maybe we enjoy “digging up dirt” on another but, boy oh boy, how we holler when some of it falls on us.
Read the story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch found in Acts 8:26-40. In the beginning of the text, Philip finds himself in the desert. The Holy Spirit leads him to approach someone far different from him…and he does so faithfully.
Philip takes the opportunity to share the gospel with this man—someone whom he could have otherwise judged. But rather than “dig up that dirt,” he chooses to focus on the good news.
For the kingdom’s sake, he set aside differences and followed the leading of the Holy Spirit.
As we wait for Jesus to return, let’s all step aside from the mud and dirt and stop pointing fingers. Let’s simply extend an arm, lend an ear, and share the good news in love for another and try to walk in Jesus’ footsteps.
I’ll look forward to being with you in worship!
Pastor Mark
Email Pastor Mark: pastormark@sotpmail.com
