St. John's Family News

Week of August 29-September 4, 2022 | Vol. 81 Issue 34

www.stjohnsbaptistchurch.org | @sjbccharlotte

Labor: Completed, Continuing, and Beginning

Every day, some work is completed. Every day, some work is continuing. Every day, some work is beginning. So it is with another church year.

On Wednesday, August 31, the work of the church year, 2021-2022 was completed. And you completed the year with a tremendous crescendo. You surpassed our Global Mission Offering Goal of $25,000. More than $5,000 of these funds will support the efforts of Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and Baptist World Alliance as they collaborate with Baptists in Europe. These groups, through an effort named, to serve those persons who have been driven from their homes in Ukraine because of the evil invasion by Russia. The other $20,000 will be sent to the Community School in Nyarweng, South Sudan to help pay the salaries of the faculty.

In addition, you completed the year by welcoming Amanda Morrison as our new Ministry Coordinator and Haley Blackwell as our new Minister for Youth and Young Adults.

And we must not omit mentioning how you improved our facilities as Phipps Masonry repaired and cleaned our brick and stone facing Hawthorne Lane and Fifth Street.

Yes, you completed the 2021-2022 church year with a flurry of visionary effort.

As we step into September, we begin a new church year. This 2022-2023 church year will have new members in roles of leadership. Some of our efforts will continue. And some of our efforts will begin anew. On September 4th, we will welcome Dr. Matthew Manwarren as our new Associate Organist. On September 11th, we will begin a new year of Sunday School Ministry for all ages, ordain new deacons, install all deacons and church leaders and conclude the day with an energetic evening of fellowship as we share the news of a full and exciting autumn and Advent. Since this is the date of the Panther’s first game of the season, we are calling the evening our ‘Fall Kickoff Event.’ We will begin at 5PM.

Thank you for your faithfulness. We may never return to all of the schedules and routines of the past. However, it is my prayer that we will use 2022-2023 to establish meaningful rhythms of life – some of which will be familiar patterns and practices. See you Sunday!

-Dennis

Please mark your calendars for the following important dates in September and October:

Sunday, September 4:

In worship, we will introduce our new Associate Organist, Dr. Matthew Manwarren. Read more about Matthew below.

Sunday, September 11:

New Sunday School Ministry Year Begins (9:15 AM)
Deacon Ordination of Molly Belong, Matt Comer, and Anna McLeod Cushman and Church Leadership Installation for all new deacons (10:30 AM)
Family Dedication with Molly & Micah Belong as they present Walter (10:30 AM)
Enjoy the sounds of our new Carillon to be installed next week
A New Church Year Kickoff Party in Broach Hall (5:00 PM)

Sunday, September 18

Women of the Church Luncheon in Broach Hall (register here)

Friday, September 23:

Heritage Organ Concert in the Sanctuary featuring Maureen Howell, Noel Lance, Andre Lash, and Dr. Matthew Manwarren at 7:30PM

Saturday, October 15

Dietrich Bonhoeffer portrayed by Al Staggs in the evening

Sunday, October 16

Clarence Jordan portrayed by Al Staggs, during worship
Craft & Bake Sale supporting missions: We need your help with any craft items or baked goods you could donate to sell. We also need some help with sewing some items we would like to offer. We have some fabric and can cut the items out if you could help us with sewing them. Please call Tricia Miller (704-562-4818) if you can help.
Health Fair
CROP Walk

Wednesday, October 26

BUILDING A BETTER WORLD: In Solidarity Refugees & Immigrants

Meet Our Newest Deacons!

On Sunday, September 4 during worship, we will ordain Molly Belong, Matt Comer, and Anna McLeod Cushman as new deacons and install all new deacons! Please click below to learn about 10 of our new deacons and stay tuned until next week for information on the 7 remaining new deacons.

New Deacon Bios

Women of the Church Luncheon

Sunday, September 18

The Women of the Church luncheon will be held in Broach Hall on Sunday, September 18 at 11:45 AM. We are excited to gather again for food, fun, and fellowship, and to celebrate the legacy of Baptist women at St. John’s.

Reservations are REQUIRED. You may sign up via Realm (button below) or by with the paper form and a check for $12.00 to Amanda Morrison or Nancy Wilson by September 11. For your convenience, you may also place them in the after-hours drop box outside the Church Office. Nancy Wilson will be available to receive reservations from 10:00 – 10:25 AM outside the Church Office on Sunday, September 11.

Reservations received after Sept. 11 are limited and will require a $15 payment at the door.

In the spirit of WMU, we will be collecting donations of feminine hygiene products, lotion, and deodorant at the door. Please register yourself (and a friend or relative) and join us as we return for our 12th Annual Women of the Church Luncheon!

Women of the Church Luncheon Registration

Fall Kick-Off on Sunday, September 11

You're invited!

On Sunday, September 11 from 5-6PM, we are hosting our Fall Kick-Off Party to celebrate a new year in the life of our community. We will hear from several different ministries and areas of the church and learn about the events and emphases for this fall and Advent seasons. During this time together, Kevin will present a host of songs on our new baby grand piano, purchased in memory of Dee Turner and Don Swofford.

We hope you'll join us (all ages and stages) for some time together (snacks included) as we begin a new year together.

At 6PM, all youth will have their first Sunday Night Live gathering for the semester!

We need your help!

With a growing number of children and youth, we are in need for loving volunteers to provide care in our nursery and children's classrooms on Sunday mornings. We also need more volunteers for our youth programming!

For safety, we must have at least two volunteers in each classroom. Volunteers are asked to commit to just one Sunday a month. Children's programming will resume after Labor Day on Sunday, 9/11/22.

If you are willing to work in our nursery or one of our children's classrooms one Sunday a month, or if you would just like to substitute, please contact Mindy Vergakis at mindyvergakis@hotmail.com or Amanda Morrison in the church office.

We also need TWO more volunteers to lead Youth Sunday School on a monthly basis as well as volunteers to assist with SNL on Sunday evenings on a rotational basis. You can contact Haley Blackwell if you are interested.

News from Music Ministries

Last Sunday, you saw Chloe Hall directing the choir in Kevin's absence. Starting this month, she will lead our children’s music programs as well as participate in the Chancel Choir. Chloe grew up in the church with her mother is a Minister of Music who currently serves at Mt. Carmel Baptist Church in Chapel Hill. Chloe is a student at UNC-Charlotte and has been attending St. John's for several months.

and...

Beginning this Sunday we welcome Dr. Matthew Manwarren to our music ministry team as an Associate Organist. Dr. Manwarren is Professor of Piano at Winthrop University and a Steinway recording artist. Over the last decade, Matthew has shared his musical gifts with Myers Park Baptist Church and Myers Park Presbyterian Church.

do not worry...

Noel is not going anywhere! Noel approached Kevin several months ago with a proposal and we will share his thoughts directly with you below:

I have been a faithful musical servant for nearly 31 years (somewhere close to 1,621 Sundays of my life!). Eight of these years have been here at St. Johns. It is time for me to slow down a little; however, I am not ready to hang my hat for good.

During the pandemic break, I discovered that my friend Matthew was no longer playing services at Myers Park. He, too, was feeling similar yearnings to “slow down.” I spoke with Matthew about ways in which we could both do this without completely ceasing our musical contributions. We viewed this as a wonderful collaborative opportunity for St. John’s!

In March. I approached Kevin, Dennis, and Nancy Wilson (as head of the Personnel Resource Team) with the idea. We carefully talked through the details of this proposal while being sensitive to the needs of our church. In agreement, we all decided to move forward with a clear mission.

What will this transition look like?

Matthew and I will be on a bi-weekly rotating schedule for Sunday morning services. Matthew will play 20 Sundays a year. I will play 32 Sundays each year along with all choir rehearsals and other special services as needed.

How will we benefit from this new addition?

St. John’s will benefit by having 2 organists on staff with complementary musical skill sets. The attendees of Sunday morning worship will experience a wider more diverse portfolio of piano/organ literature as well as many new hymn treatments. Matthew and I will benefit by having more flexibility within our church work ministry. Each will have time to travel away for an entire weekend, flexibility to care for the family as situations may arise, or simply be active participants in weekly worship. Kevin, too, will benefit from this arrangement. Kevin will have the exciting opportunity to collaborate musically with another highly trained musical colleague. He will also be able to use portions of his accrued vacation time (which he is always so reluctant to take). With Matthew on board, he and I can work together musically to direct and play during Kevin’s occasional absence. The St. John’s congregation means so very much to me. I’ve often said to many people that this is “my final stop” and “I’m not going anywhere.”

I’m not. In fact, this arrangement will be extending my life as your church organist. It will afford an opportunity most churches and organists never have the luxury to experience.

Blessings to you, Noel

now, a word from Kevin...

I am so thankful for Noel’s thoughtful approach to ministry and for bringing Matthew into our worshiping body. Both Matthew and Chloe will bring new gifts and perspectives that will in some fashion change our congregation for the better. I know you will join me in welcoming them.

Salt Shakers Is Back!

At St. John’s we have few occasions to get together informally and meet new members or get better acquainted with people we pass in the hall or see in the Sanctuary.

Salt Shakers is a church-wide effort to provide a setting for this fellowship...an opportunity to get to know one another a little better!

Sponsored by the Ministry Panel, Salt Shakers is designed to provide four evenings of dinner and conversation for any adult who wants to participate. Each dinner is hosted in a different home and attended by a different group of seven or eight people.

Want to learn more?

Here’s how it works:

Four couples or single adults (different ages, interests, stages in life...) will be grouped together to compose each Salt Shaker group. You may or may not know your dinner partners well before your night out. But hopefully by evening’s end, you will have made some new friends at St. John’s!

Want to participate?

Here's how:

This fall, we are offering four Salt Shaker dates: October 21 or 22, and November 18 or 19.
Click below to view a Salt Shaker brochure for even more details and a paper form you can print out and turn in.
OR register on Realm with the button below.
OR Email Lee Gray lgray@sjcharlotte.org with the heading “Salt Shakers.”

Salt Shakers Brochure

Smiling Faces and Yummy Snacks!

When we recently served fruit and veggie snacks at Refugee Support Services some of the little ones, who come with the mothers to the knitting group, could not wait to get started so they plopped themselves down on the sidewalk and started their own picnic.

St. John’s volunteers take turns preparing and serving the snacks on the third Thursday of every month as a welcoming gesture to our new neighbors. If you would like to be on a roster of rotating volunteers for this service contact Beverly Hester, beverlyrhester@earthlink.net or Nina Phillips, ninacarl@gmail.com.

SAVE THE DATE!

BUILDING A BETTER WORLD:

In Solidarity with Immigrants and Refugees

On Wednesday evening, October 26, from 5:30-7:00 PM in Broach Hall, we will have the opportunity to learn about two Church World Service-NC programs with which St. John’s has become connected in the past few months.

One of these---a program for unaccompanied migrant children and their sponsors---is housed at St. John’s and has been providing services since mid-summer.

The other program is the Greater Charlotte Area Immigrant Solidarity Fund. This program is administered by CWS-NC in collaboration with Comunidad Colectiva, a Charlotte-based and immigrant-led grassroots advocacy and service organization.

Please join us on October 26 to hear from three engaging and enthusiastic young adults who direct the work of these two programs!

The event will begin with a buffet meal at 5:30. Details will follow about this event and the meal.

Calling all Handbell Ringers!!!

Have you ever rung handbells, or just wished you could? If so, come join the handbell choir. Rehearsals will begin next week. No prior experience is necessary, and you don't have to read music. If you are interested in joining this fun group, please contact Jacquelyn McAbee at jmcabee@sjcharlotte.org or 434-579-1177 to sign up or for more information.

From the Heritage Room: Property & Renovations

The 1960’s at St. John’s were a decade of property transactions and renovations. The church camp property was sold in early 1962. The parsonage on Colville Road in Eastover was sold in 1966. A new house was built in the Robinson Woods neighborhood (off Sardis Road). The Broaches were to be able to purchase the house from the church upon retirement.

Groundbreaking on a new building at Sunset Road Chapel was held in July 1963. In early 1964, the Mecklenburg Baptist Association sent the church a check for $4,500 to cover the cost of additional land for Sunset. The note for this property had previously been the responsibility of the church with Sunset Road Chapel making the payments. At the end of the decade. Sunset Road became an autonomous church with St. John’s assuming the remining $14,000 debt on the building.

A major improvement-- the elevator was installed in early 1963. The Family News announced that this “self-operated” elevator would first be used on Sunday, April 19. The Family News included detailed instructions about pressing the button for the appropriate floor and the doors opening automatically. (Remember most elevators of the time had an “elevator operator”). For the first couple of weeks, one of the Associate Deacons would operate the elevator.