Sunday Morning Services
8:00 am and 10:00 am

A SUMMER OF CHANGE

“Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!” Ps 150:6

I’m reading a book right now, and it has me thinking about change. Any book that gets me thinking is my kind of book. Maybe that’s why so much of my reading is the Bible. I want to read and learn about me and this amazing world and people in it and God’s love and mercy. Change, as you know, is inevitable.

I wonder how things will be different before the next newsletter comes out in September. Where will St. James be? Where will I be? What changes will occur in our community? What family changes will there be? What will be the ‘big stories’ that captures the attention of people? How will we respond? Changes come to us whether we want them to or not. Change forces us to adapt to a new view and perhaps adjust to a ‘new’ normal.

While change in and of itself is not a bad thing, it can be scary. The way I deal with changes, both planned and unplanned, is to keep perspective on what I can think and do and what I can’t. We are not called to fix every situation and every one. I can love the Lord and love others to Jesus. This is the one thing that as a Christian I am not only called to do but get to do everyday no matter when, where, or how. Paul said it this way, “for me to live is Christ...”

What I will be working on this summer is how I view and adapt to change in my life. One more thing, don’t forget the summer change of worship times at church of 8am and 10am. No matter what changes come your way this summer, may you be rooted in that which never changes – Jesus, our sure foundation for all things. Let’s be part of everything that has breath and Praise the LORD!

Peace and Joy in Christ,
Pastor Mark Gilson

OFFICIAL ACTS
Baptisms	0
Confirmations	5	Grace Hasenbank (5/7/23) Matthew Hedges (5/7/23) Ty McCormick (5/7/23) Molly Mulder (5/7/23) Wren Tryska (5/7/23)
Weddings	0
Funerals	2	Bill Van Fank (5/19/23) Matthew McNeil (5/20/23)

Reminder

Summer worship hours begin
June through August
1st Service ~ 8:00 am
2nd Service ~ 10:00 am

Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

The school year is almost over! Summer is just a few weeks away! Things are so so good! I can’t help but praise God for all that He has done over the past month. He IS in control and knows exactly the perfect timing for all things.

Summer is finally here and it’s full! The Junior High youth Gathering, Senior High Youth Gathering, Alaska Mission Trip, and VBS are all around the corner. Its gonna be busy. It’s during times like this that it is so crucial to remember to rest. Summer is fun with all it’s activities but remember what really restores you…The Word. I want to share a few verses with you that would be wise to take into this summer.

Proverbs 13:25 says this,
“Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.”

Psalm 120:105 says this,
“Your Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light to my path.”

It’s all about Jesus. Remember He calls us to rest in Him. Enjoy the summer, enjoy the Word.

Things to mark for your calendar:
June 3-4th – Frankenmuth Junior High Youth Gathering
June 9-19th – Alaska Mission Trip
June 21th – 24th – Russell in Wisconsin for his sister’s wedding
June 26th – 28th – Mackinac Island Youth Gathering
July 5th – Parade!
July 13th – Family Pool Day
July 16th – VBS Prep Day
July 16th – Disc Golf
July 17-22nd – Russell serving at Camp Lutherhaven
July 24rd – 27th – VBS
July 27th- Youth Lake Day
August 3nd – Youth Lock Out
August 10th – Unity Fest Youth Day
August 17th – Family Pool Day
August 20th – Lutherans for Life Training day
August 21th – Youth Event
August 31th – Confirmation Parent meeting

Things are tentative to change. Times will be announced for each event in the bulletin. The best most up-to-date place to check for calendar information will be the weekly bulletin.

Remember, VBS takes a lot to plan and many hands are needed to help. Prayerfully consider helping out this summer.
In Christ,
Russell Baumann ~ John 3:30

Transition Committee → Call Committee

After months of surveys, interviews, collecting and compiling information about our St. James church family, the work of the Transition Team has come to an end and the work of calling a new pastor now shifts to the Call Committee. The Call Committee is made up of eleven members appointed by the chairman from a broad cross section of our church family. All of the information collected by the Transition Team has been submitted to the District President's office where a list of available pastoral candidates will be produced. Once the call list is received, hopefully by the first of July, it will be the job of the Call Committee to evaluate and prioritize the candidates and select several candidates for further consideration. These candidates will be interviewed and a final list of candidates will be selected for consideration by the congregation. At the Call Meeting the committee will present the information on each candidate and may offer recommendations and evaluations of each one. At that time there will be a Congregational Vote to select the Candidate to Call. Over the next weeks and months pray for the Call Committee and its members. Pray that they may exercise wisdom and discernment in considering the candidates. Pray that they take time and listen to the guidance of our Heavenly Father in selecting the right candidate to shepherd our congregation.

Keith Ramthun, Call Committee

GOOD SHEPHERD PRESCHOOL

May was a month of joyous celebrations for Good Shepherd Preschool! We celebrated:

Ellen's 39 years at Good Shepherd (45 years in education) with an open house and a presentation from Michigan District Superintendent of Schools, Travis Grulke. What a blessing Ellen has been to so many children and families!
A year of friendships, learning, and fun with a morning of playing at the park with the T-Th class and games and activities at the Bailey house with the M-W-F class.
The close of the school year with a gathering of family and friends. The children sang some of their favorite songs from the school year and then we all enjoyed some cookies and fellowship.

Thank you to everyone who helped with the planning, preparation, and attended these events.

The summer months are a time of preparing for next school year. There are many supplies and materials that are needed for the day to day operations of the preschool. I am seeking your help and support with the purchasing of some of these supplies. We go through A LOT of tissues, paper towels, and napkins. If you are able, please consider purchasing some of these items during the summer months and dropping them off in the preschool rooms. You can also make a monetary donation by dropping it off in a labeled envelope to the church office and I will do the shopping. Every little bit helps and this is an easy way for you to support the ministry of Good Shepherd Preschool. As planning continues there will be more ways for you to give. Watch the Sunday bulletins throughout the summer for updates. Thank you for your support!!

Blessings and Joy,
Marilee

2023-2024 Preschool Enrollment is Open
M-W-F: 4-5 year olds, 9:00-11:30 $145/month
T-Th: 3-4 year olds, 9:00-11:00 $110/month

Thank You!

Dear St. James Family,

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the generous congregational gift and Open House that you held for me to celebrate my retirement. Thank you for attending and sharing the day with my family and I. The cards, gifts, and kind words will long be remembered. Your support through all these years has been a blessing to me. The opportunity to share the love of Jesus with His children is a gift I will treasure. The friendships through the years with families and their children are friendships for a lifetime. I'm excited for what's to come.

Now it is time to support Marilee Bailey & Kellie Rachow as they continue to share, grow, love, and laugh with the children from our church family and our surrounding communities.

Prayers for Marilee & Kellie as they move Good Shepherd Preschool forward.

Blessings ~ Ellen Grimm

Graduation Sunday

June 4th, at 10:00 am Service

Congratulation to our 2023 Graduates…God bless your journey!

Elizabeth Bentz
Katelynn Cooper
Wyatt Davis
Will Ramthun
Olivia Stout
Billie Tryska
Summer Turpin

"Grieving with Hope"

We will be meeting Thursday, June 8, at 6:30 pm. There is still time to join us as we share our memories, tears, and reassurances in God's Word.
Thank you ~ Kathi Strahl

Don't Forget

Father's Day is Sunday, June 18th Thank you Dad, for all you do!

Trombone Camp 2023

We are, once again, hosting the Trombone Camp here at St. James. Camp begins Monday, June 19th, and runs through Sunday, June 25th.

BLOOD DRIVE

Wednesday, June 28th, beginning at 10:00 am

Happy Birthday America!

Tuesday, July 4th! America, America, God shed His grace on thee…

You are the Light of the World

Vacation Bible School 2023, July 23rd-27th from 5:00-7:45

We still have some open spots on our sign up sheets for the week of VBS this year. Dates are July 23rd-27th.

We are looking for people to lead games, be group leaders and helpers, help with registration, and to be floats wherever needed each day.

We need volunteers to be on the decoration committee and/or to help with set up and tear down of all the decorations. The volunteer dates are:

July 15th from 9am-2pm
July 22nd from 9am-2pm
July 27th Cleanup after VBS is done for the night (around 7:45)

Keep an eye out for the donation table that will be going up around June 25th!

Call or text me if you have any questions at (260)458-4286

Thank you!
Emilie Baumann

White Lake Chamber Music Festival

Our church is hosting "seven" of the classical music events scheduled for August 5-13!

St. James concerts are scheduled for:
Saturday, August 5th and Tuesday-Saturday, August 7th - August 12th
Each performance begins at 7:00 pm.

We are asking for 1-2 volunteers for each performance. Volunteer responsibilities would include being here at 6:00p, unlocking the church and turning on the lights…being available to the organizers/performers if they have any questions, then turning off the lights & locking up the church.

This is a great community outreach for our church! If you are interested, please sign up on the bulletin board!

Thank you!!

Love Family News

Continue to mark your envelopes for "Love Family". Money goes towards member shut-in meals and helping out families with needs. They truly appreciate being thought about!

Prayer Chain

Please call Doris Grover (894-4753) OR Lolita Silvis (750-9679) for ALL prayer requests. Any new members wishing to join the prayer chain please call Doris for the call list or Jeri Wonders (231-855-0418) for the email list. Thank you for your help in this matter.

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. Colossians 4:2

City of Montague Senior Millage Allocation

The City of Montague City Council recently approved the proposed allocation for senior millage funds for fiscal year 22/23.

The City's Health Initiatives program will provide fresh fruits and vegetables to seniors and access to fitness facilities for physical activity. Both programs will be administered by the City through a monthly voucher system. Each senior resident within the City can register and receive a monthly access pass to the Viking Athletic Center (VAC), a $30 dollar value, as well as $30 in coupons for use at the Montague Farmers Market. Senior residents can re-register at the beginning of each month to receive another monthly access pass and another set of coupons. To sign up for the Montague Farmers Market coupons and/or VAC membership, simply stop by Montague City Hall at 8778 Ferry Street. Residents must live within the City of Montague and be aged 60 or up. Please call Montague City Hall at (231)893-1155 with any questions. Other participating municipalities include Fruitland Township and Whitehall Township.

Pro-Life

What if you could change someone's mind about abortion in minutes?

Live Action's "What is Abortion?" videos are doing just that. We regularly take to the streets and talk to self-proclaimed "pro-choice" individuals to see whether or not these videos will change their minds...and they do, powerfully.

Recently, we spoke to three young women, one of whom was pregnant, who claimed to be "pro-choice" - until they saw Live Action's "What is Abortion?" video explaining a first-trimester suction D&C abortion procedure. After watching the clips of female former abortionists explaining what the most prevalent abortion procedures in America entail, all three had a change of heart.

Watch the video here: https://www.liveaction.org/pro-choice-women-change-their-minds

A young woman named Katie also changed her mind after watching Live Action's second-trimester D&E abortion procedure video. After learning about the procedure, she admitted that abortion "mutilates a child" and even said she now wants more legal restrictions on abortion.

You can see the interview here: https://www.liveaction.org/mots-she-supported-abortion-to-birth-until-this/

One thing is certain: most Americans have no idea what abortion is, and when people see the truth about abortion, they change. When people learn the truth, they can't help but view abortion more negatively.

Thank you for standing with us as we work to transform our society into a culture that cherishes every human life, one heart and one mind at a time.

Josef Lipp
Chief Operating Officer
LiveAction

Thrivent Update

SECURE 2.0 Aims to Brighten the Future for Retirement Savers

The $1.7 trillion appropriations bill passed by Congress at the end of last year included some notable provisions affecting workplace retirement plans and IRAs. Dubbed the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022, the new legislation builds on the sweeping Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act that was passed in 2019.

The following is a brief summary of some of the most notable initiatives.

Later age for RMDs. SECURE 2.0 raises the age from 72 to 73 beginning in 2023 and to 75 in 2033.
Reduction in the RMD excise tax.
No RMDs from Roth 401(k) accounts.
Higher limits and looser restrictions on qualified charitable distributions from IRAs.
Higher catch-up contributions.
Roth matching contributions.
Automatic enrollment and automatic saving increases.
Emergency savings accounts.
Matching contributions for qualified student loan repayments.
529 rollovers to Roth IRAs.
New exceptions to the 10% early-withdrawal penalty.
Saver's match.
More part-time employees can participate in retirement plans.
Rules for lifetime income products in retirement plans.
Retirement savings lost and found.
Military spouses.

These provisions represent just a sampling of the many changes that will be brought about by SECURE 2.0. To learn more, contact your Thrivent Financial Advisors, Marci Bentz and Tony De Nicolo at the Whitehall office by calling 231-894-8886, texting 231-760-8246, or email whitehalloffice@thrivent.com

Online Service Directions!

How to watch our services online step by step: on Facebook Live on Sundays at 8:00 am

In the top search bar... Go to https://www.facebook.com/stjamesmontague/videos
(You do not need to have a Facebook account page to access this)
Close the popup box asking to login to your Facebook account.
Scroll down through the Facebook page until you come across the most recent videos
Click on the Live video of the church service.
Explore the rest of the Facebook page and watch other videos. 😊

May Birthdays
06/01	Edwin Bender	06/17	Betty Hager
06/02	Aidan Buchberger	06/18	Jase Lohman
06/02	Harper Seymour	06/18	Louie Bender
06/03	Char Dean	06/19	Brianna Bentz
06/03	Christine Claus	06/19	Hannah Jandt
06/03	Joel Best	06/20	Karissa Tryska
06/04	Roger Smith	06/20	Paul Schultz
06/05	Royce Kroll	06/22	Olive Oquist
06/07	Robin Owens	06/23	Courtney Friday
06/08	Lynn Pastras	06/25	April Lipka
06/08	Riley Mulder	06/25	Isaiah Towne
06/09	Bob Wackernagel	06/25	Kendall Rachow
06/09	Dave Ramthun	06/26	Carrie Strahl
06/10	Alyssa Goodrich	06/26	Clayton VanBlargen
06/11	June Buchberger	06/26	Jared Justian
06/14	Adalynn Dean	06/27	Amy Urban
06/14	Stacy O'Connell	06/28	Gail Treptow-Crane

July Birthdays
07/01	Melinda O'Connell	07/16	Vicki Vanderlaan
07/03	Odin Oquist	07/17	Elizabeth Birkhofer
07/05	Carol Towne	07/17	Genevieve Kroll
07/05	Jeremy Turpin	07/17	Kyle Stevenson
07/06	Bob Dean	07/18	Henry Schultz
07/06	Cameren Cooper	07/18	Sue Streblow
07/06	Carol Crevier	07/19	Zach Buckberger
07/07	Briann Justian	07/21	Delaney Hopma
07/09	Dave McNeil	07/21	Henry Friday
07/09	Tyler Grover	07/21	Theodore Huls
07/10	Brent Rogers	07/24	Alex Goodrich
07/10	Leif Oquist	07/25	Gerry Hissong
07/10	Wolfgang Koenig	07/25	Peyton Schultz
07/11	Charlotte Rice	07/25	Randy Zeller
07/11	Lily Stevenson	07/27	Henry Bailey
07/11	Marilee Bailey	07/27	Jack Bailey
07/13	Nikki Seymour	07/27	Julie Grow
07/13	Ty McCormick	07/27	Olivia Johnston
07/14	Kashton Ramthun	07/31	Marsha Schlager
07/15	Eric Vanderlaan

August Birthdays
08/01	John Patrick	08/12	Fred Bentz
08/01	Kim Hardy	08/12	Ruschel Friday
08/01	Mike Griffith	08/14	Ron Barrs
08/03	Beth Meacham	08/16	Eloise Baxter
08/03	Ruth Ann Francis	08/16	Pam Kroll
08/04	Art Jones	08/17	Rusty Streblow
08/05	Sarah Justian	08/18	Dre DeRose
08/05	Shelby Friday	08/18	Killian Nordlund
08/06	Oliver Bantien	08/19	Faith Mayville
08/07	Keira Lindstrom	08/20	Amber Mayville
08/07	Lolita Silvis	08/20	Stephen Stout
08/08	Gloria Alvarez	08/20	Virginia Roesler
08/08	Grace Kool	08/21	Rich Canniff
08/08	Mary Ann McPheron	08/22	Julia Hasenbank
08/08	Matthew Hedges	08/24	Brooke Sheesley
08/08	Patti Engelter	08/24	Janet Gifford
08/09	Ben Stevenson	08/24	Penny Mayville
08/09	Betsy Patrick	08/25	Vicki Schultz
08/09	Martin LaFever	08/26	Evelyn DeLong
08/09	Wren Mills	08/26	Rich Kessler, Jr.
08/10	Becky Winters	08/26	Willa Mills
08/11	Cathy Hissong	08/28	Angie Wigren
08/11	Kelly Vantien	08/30	Dylan Hopma
08/12	Dale McKenzie	08/30	Tracy Sheesley

SERVING IN JUNE
	8:00		10:00
ELDERS	Keith Ramthun		Henry Friday
TRUSTEES	Ron Bailey		Joe Goodrich
ACOLYTES
USHERS	Jim Silvis		Brad VanBergen
	Bill Treptow		Ken VanBergen
	Jason Cooper		Gary Mason
	Rich LaFrance		Christian Mason
ALTAR CARE	Ron Barrs & Angie Wigren
PRAYER PARTNER	4th	Frank Morningstar	No Second
	11th	Royce Kroll	Service
	18th	Dan Hardy	Prayer Partners
	25th	Phil Albrecht
GREETERS	4th	M/M Frank Morningstar	M/M Tom Kring
	11th	Marge Block	M/M Jeff O'Connell
	18th	Rich LaFrance	M/M Tom Mott
	25th	Marva Riggs	M/M VanBergen
MULTI-MEDIA	4th	Eric Lindstrom	Friday Family
	11th	Alicia Koski	Eric Lindstrom
	18th	Jeri Wonders	Lizbeth Bentz
	25th	April Lipka	Jill Squire
COFFEE HOUR	4th	Nancy & Merle Bernhardt
	11th	Pat Ramthun & Jennifer Mulder
	18th	Marilee & Ron Bailey
	25th	Wendy Kessler & Jen Huizenga
NURSERY (Service Only)	4th	Kim DuBois
	11th	Sarah Bernhardt
	18th	Tina Timmich
	25th	Bentz Family
ALTAR FLOWERS	4th	Neubauer
	11th
	18th	Schroeder
	25th	Zeller/Soderborg Wedding

SERVING IN JULY
	8:00		10:00
ELDERS	Chris Hasenbank		Jeff Boulet
TRUSTEES	Josh Huls		Joel Best
ACOLYTES
USHERS	Tom Blink		Jeff O'Connell
	Kevin Buchberger		Joel O'Connell
	Claude Babcock		Kyle Stevenson
	Joel Best
ALTAR CARE	Pat Smith & Susana Albrechtsen
PRAYER PARTNER	2nd	Ron Bailey	No Second
	9th	Rick Gifford	Service
	16th	Josh Huls	Prayer Partners
	23rd	Eric Lindstrom
	30th	Ron Barrs
GREETERS	2nd	M/M Phil Albrecht	M/M Steve Urban
	9th	Alicia & Ethan Koski	M/M Jared Justian
	16th	M/M Brent Rogers	M/M Greg Neubauer
	23rd	M/M Jerry Gardner	Mary Ann McPheron
	30th	M/M Roger Buchberger	M/M Dan Osborn
MULTI-MEDIA	2nd	Eric Lindstrom	Friday Family
	9th	Alicia Koski	Eric Lindstrom
	16th	Jeri Wonders	Lizbeth Bentz
	23rd	April Lipka	Jill Squire
	30th	Eric Lindstrom	Friday Family
COFFEE HOUR	2nd	DeeDee Treptow & Kelly Bantien
	9th	Kim DuBois & Lauren Mills
	16th	Faith Mayville & Candy Stevens
	23rd	Kim Wackernagel & Beth Meacham
	30th	Eileen Schroeder & Dianne Gardner
NURSERY (Service Only)	2nd	Elizabeth Birkhofor
	9th	Justian Family
	16th	Jill Squire
	23rd	Amber Lanning
	30th	Lauren Mills
ALTAR FLOWERS	2nd	Lisa Siedenstrang
	9th
	16th
	23rd
	30th	Russell & Emilie Baumann

SERVING IN AUGUST
	8:00		10:00
ELDERS	Chris Hasenbank		Merle Bernhardt
TRUSTEES	Casey Seymour		Ruschel Friday
ACOLYTES
USHERS	Ray Grow		Jason Rice
	Bob Wackernagel		Caleb Rice
	Jake Wackernagel		Roger Simon
	Sam Wackernagel
ALTAR CARE	Sue Streblow & Marsha Schlager
PRAYER PARTNER	6th	Jordan Lohman	No Second
	13th	Alan Mayville	Service
	20th	Louie Mayville	Prayer Partners
	27th	George McLaughlin
GREETERS	6th	M/M Kevin Buchberger	M/M Todd Tryska
	13th	Lisa Siedenstrang	M/M Henry Friday
	20th	Marsha Ramey	Diane Babcock
	27th	Karen Chamberlain	Judy Best
MULTI-MEDIA	6th	Alicia Koski	Eric Lindstrom
	13th	Eric Lindstrom	Friday Family
	20th	Jeri Wonders	Lizbeth Bentz
	27th	April Lipka	Jill Squire
COFFEE HOUR	6th	Kellie Rachow & Girls
	13th	Alicia Koski & April Lipka
	20th	Katie & Lilly Rice & Tanya Simon
	27th	Amanda & Katelyn Cooper
NURSERY (Service Only)	6th	Amy Wackernagel
	13th	Nikki Seymour
	20th	Katie & Lilly Rice
	27th	Jennifer Moore
ALTAR FLOWERS	6th	Susana & Dennis Albrechtsen
	13th	Rex & Pat Allen
	20th	DuBois/Griffith
	27th

Reminder

If you are unable to fulfill your assigned duty, please make arrangements with someone before or after you on the list. Thanks!

Funeral Families

If we have a funeral, Faith Mayville, our Luncheon Coordinator will contact you for help. Each funeral luncheon requires table/chair set up, food donations, food servers (kitchen staff), and table/chair take down. Faith will let you know what is needed.