The Role of the Vestry Nearly 25 years ago, when our children were 10 and 6, we sat them down and told them that the family was moving to Montgomery. Both of them immediately burst into tears and were crushed. Meg said, “But they are expecting me at school!”. Rob’s concerns were more basic, “Will […]

Rebuilding the Temple   The Books of Ezra and Haggai, in the Old Testament, speak of the return of the people from exile in Babylon to their ancestral homeland of Jerusalem. The previous generations had been swept away, taken prisoner by the Babylonians, and carried away to a strange city. Over time, God works to […]

The First Part Have you noticed how very important the first part of your day is? The very first things that happen upon our awakening in many ways determine just how the rest of the day goes. Consider, for example, those days you oversleep. Immediately we are rushed and hectic. We jump in the shower, […]

I Promise… One of the things I have come to count on in my marriage, even more than my wife’s acts of love, is her promise to love me. While certainly a promise without the delivery of an act is empty, an act coming from something other  than promise is mere seduction. Acts issuing only […]

Sitting Shiva In the second chapter of Job, after his children, many of his servants, and a number of his animals have died, Job develops a case of sores from head to foot. His three closest friends come to comfort him. “They sat with him on the ground for seven days and seven nights, and […]

The Narrow Way   “…the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who take it.” (Matthew 7.14) On Wednesday nights in October adults and children are gathering for Eucharist, Supper, and classes. The children are exploring the “Mysteries of the Bible”, looking at concepts like the […]

Repent There’s a Seinfeld episode entitled The Opposite in which George Costanza determines that every instinct he has ever had and every decision he has ever made have been wrong. Jerry and Elaine encourage him to start doing the exact opposite of what he has always done. “If everything you’ve ever done is wrong, then […]

Outreach Grants of $122,500   As the Vestry asks that each member of the parish commit 10% of their financial resources to God’s work in the world, they commit nearly 20% of the parish’s financial resources to work outside the parish. On September 16, the Vestry approved the recommendations made by the Outreach Grants Committee. […]

Giving for the Future Stewardship Meetings – October 6 and 13 at 11:45 Please attend and pick up your pledge packets. During the month of October every member of St. John’s will be asked to make a financial pledge to the parish for 2020. You will be reminded of the foundational truth that in giving […]