If you would like to put live flowers on the altar in memory of or in honor of someone, please contact our Flower Coordinator Linda Lee Sharbowicz. The cost for two bouquets is $32.00.

Judo Dojo Yukidaruma
We are the Judo Club at Saint John's Lutheran Church. We meet Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 7:00-9:30pm. If you have attended any meeting in the undercroft over the last few months, that noise you hear above you is us. We are teaching Kodokan Judo to the local community. We have students from 13 to 60 and would love to have you join us. Stop by any Tuesday or Thursday and see if Judo is for you. Any questions, please call Joe Schneemann at 631-579-0391 or email at senseiyukidaruma@hotmail.com. Arigaito (thank you).

THRIVENT AND JACOB'S LIGHT FOUNDATION
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and Jacob's Light Foundation, a program of support to our brothers and sisters fighting abroad, are collecting 4 PACK AA BATTERIES and DEODORANT. The Lutheran Churches of Long Island along with Thrivent are collecting the batteries and deodorant combined with other collections to send to our military. A box is in the Narthex for your generous donations. For more information and/or questions, please call Lis Dicce.

IMPORTANT THRIVENT MEETING
On Sunday, February 12th at 11:30am, there will be a Thrivent meeting in the undercroft. If you are a THRIVENT member, please make every effort to attend. You blessed Saint John's by designating your CHOICE DOLLARS here, so it is important for you to be part of the decision-making process on how this money is allocated. We will prayerfully decide what missions we will support with the best use of what we have been blessed with. See Honey Pabst for more information.

FAITH RENEWAL COURSE
The next Faith Renewal Course will be held from 9:00am until noon on four Saturdays beginning March 3, 2012. If you are interested in learning about the Christian faith or simply wish to attend as a refresher course, all are invited. Attending does not obligate you to join the church, however, if you wish to join "officially", new members will be welcomed at the 10:15am service on April 15th. Please call the church office to register (589-3202) or email stjohns11782@aol.com.

THE BOARD OF CHURCH LIFE is in charge of finding council members and is seeking candidates for the following positions: President, Secretary, Treasurer and one at-large council member. Any member of Saint John's may serve in this role. If interested, please contact Pastor at the church office or Jim Farrell.

GARDEN COMMITTEE UPDATE
The Garden Committee is thankful to report that the Lord blessed the garden abundantly last growing season with over 2,000 pounds of produce - the majority of which went to area families in need. On February 19th, the committee will be having a luncheon from 11:30am until 1:00pm to discuss last year's successes and plan for the upcoming year's growing season. All church families are invited to attend to learn more about the ministry and to get more involved. Please RSVP to Heidi Lewin by February 15th so that there will be enough food for all who attend the luncheon. The following plans will be discussed at our meeting:

Synopsis of last year's activities
* Overview of this year's plan
* Planting of spring seedlings in the greenhouse
* Continued funding of garden activities
* A chance to sign up for Cornell's Spring Gardening School

We hope that you can join us in celebrating and preparing for next year's garden.

SOCIAL MINISTRIES/HUMAN CARE
It is a joy and blessing to know that our gifts make a lasting difference in the Kingdom of God so with that in mind, the "Souper Bowl of Caring" event will take place on February 4 and 5, Super Bowl XLVI weekend. As in the past, all monies collected will be donated to Having Friends I.N.N., a local soup kitchen in Sayville whose mission is "Serving Hungry and Homeless Long Islanders with Dignity, Respect and Love". You can see more about them at http://www.sayvilleumc.org/WeeklyAnnouncements.ivnu, and they are currently accepting volunteers 16 and older. In addition, there will be a "Souper Bowl" collection box in the Narthex on Super Bowl weekend for soup and cracker donations to help restock the Food Pantry of those items.
The Valentine's Day Candy Sale pre-order opportunity will be on February 4 and 5, with pick-up on February 12. There will be additional items available for purchase, however it would be better to place an order so you can get exactly what you want for your loved ones! All proceeds from the candy sale will be used to help defray the cost of the Easter food baskets and to restock the Food Pantry.
Please know that all of your donations are a blessing to this ministry. It is our Godly desire to reach out to anyone who finds our ministry useful in making their lives easier and more comfortable, so we thank you for giving of your treasure to help those less fortunate.
We would welcome your assistance with any of these outreach opportunities. Please call Linda Bonventre should you be interested in helping. Thank you!

SAINT JOHN'S RETIREE CLUB
Join us in the church undercroft for our annual VALENTINE BRUNCH on Thursday, February 9th at noon. Please bring a stamped Valentine card for a shut-in. Call Joan Stuart to let her know what dish you will supply.

If you are interested in going to the Sight & Sound Theatre in Bethlehem, PA to see JONAH, there are two seats available. The trip is May 9 - 10, 2012. See the flyer on the bulletin board or call Alice Dreher if interested

CONCORDIA COLLEGE TRIP TO GERMANY!
11 Days in the Lands of Luther: May 15-25, 2012. Only $2,699 from New York. Contact Rev. Gregory Dwyer at 914-337-9300, ext. 2198 or email gregory.dwyer@concordia-ny.edu for more information.