St. John's 75th Anniversary Resource Center
A Brief History of St. John's,
New Ulm from 1948-1998
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WLS Chorus Concert Gallery
Special thanks to the Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary Chorus for kicking off our anniversary celebrations with a beautiful concert on Sunday, May 7. Click the image below to view pictures from the event.
EVENTS
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Sunday May 7th, 10:30 AM | Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary Chorus Concert
What a privilege it will be to host this all-male chorus as they lead us in praise, Under the direction of Professor Aaron Christie, the 40+ member choir (all of whom are studying to be pastors and four of which are St. John's members) will present their spring concert in place of our normal 9:30 and 11:00 services. We will offer the Saturday 6:30 PM and Sunday 8:00 services prior to the concert. A free will offering to support WLS will be taken.
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Sunday August 6th, 8:00 AM & 10:00 AM
75th Anniversary Service
These two identical services will be joy-filled celebrations and expressions of thanksgiving for the 75 years in which God has blessed our congregation. Rev David Kolander (pastor at St. John's from 1991-2001) will be our guest preacher and Pastor Jeff Bovee (1994-present) will serve as officiant. The St John's choir will help beautify our worship with the newly commissioned concertato.. Please note the irregular Sunday morning service times and that no Saturday evening service will be offered.
Sunday August 6th, Noon | 75th Anniversary Luncheon
at MLC
Following the 2nd of our anniversary services, members past and present are encouraged to join us for an anniversary luncheon that will occur in the MLC gymnasium. A picnic-style (burgers, dogs, etc.) meal will be served followed by a brief program with Pastor Rob Guenther (2018-present) serving as emcee. The meal cost will be $12.50/person. In order to provide an accurate count for our caterer, registration, and pre-payment are necessary (cash or check to St John's). You may sign up/pay in the office during business hours or in the new narthex after any of our Saturday/Sunday services in June.
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Sunday September 13th, 3:00 PM | Organ Recital
Our gifted St. John's organists will provide a musical offering of thanks as they walk us through the church year in this special afternoon recital. Scheduled to participate are: Laura Balza, Becky Berg, Craig Hirschmann, Jon Roux, Adrian Smith, and Wayne Wagner
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Sunday October 13th, 10:30 AM
MLC College Choir Concert/Service
Our concluding event will be a special treat as St. John's member Adrian Smith directs the MLC College Choir in a portion of their fall concert program. Again, please note that we will hold our Saturday evening 6:30 and Sunday morning 8:00 services (with guest preacher, MLC President Rich Gurgel), but no 9:30 or 11:00 Sunday services will take place. A brief presentation about the college will be given between the 8:00 and 10:30 services. We are blessed to have the college so close and to have so many of its students worship with and serve among us.
PROJECTS
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Commissioned Concertato
Generous donations from St. John's members have already fully funded this special concertato based on Lord Jesus Christ, the Church's Head being developed by renowned composer John Behnke. Thank you! We look forward to the St. John's choir sharing it at our anniversary service. After that, the piece will be made available for other choirs across Christendom
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Sanctuary Seating and Flooring
As part of an upcoming larger renovation, we are gathering an anniversary offering with a goal of $75,000 to beautify God's house. Our 57 year-old sanctuary has aged well, but new floor tile is needed and the pews could use some touch up and fabric changes. The plan also calls for more flexible seating in the front, a contemporary color palette, and improved accessible options.
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Ministerial Education Endowment
We have been blessed to have nearly 200 sons and daughters of our congregation prepare for public ministry at MLC and WLS. Many have gone on to serve as pastors, teachers, and staff ministers in our synod. Currently, more than a dozen of our members are studying to serve in those capacities. In addition to our prayers and encouragement, we want to support them financially. An open-goal endowment fund is being established to help us do that for many years to come.