September 30, 2022

Help Our Friends at Zuni Elementary: Garden Work Day on Saturday

Zuni Elementary School is having a work day tomorrow, October 1, from 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. They will be creating a habitat garden and could use some extra help! Click here to see the flyer for this event.

Omelet Bar Mix & Match Canceled This Sunday

Due to continued illness with the kitchen staff, the postponed Omelet Bar Mix and Match for this Sunday has been canceled. Please save the date for the next Omelet Bar, which will be Sunday, October 23, in the SonShine Cafe from 7:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. 

Congregational Care Meeting This Sunday

Our Congregational Care Group will meet this Sunday, October 2, immediately following the 11 a.m. service in the library upstairs (room 231). Anyone who is interested is welcome to join. For more information, contact Tiffany Hollums at thollums@stjohns-abq.org.

Changes to Children's Chapel Starting This Sunday

Children’s Chapel is offered during the 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. worship services in the Children’s Chapel upstairs. Children begin worship in the service and then are dismissed following the offertory. Children’s worship bags are provided (huge thanks to the United Women of Faith who make these amazing bags).  

Starting this Sunday:

1. Children’s Chapel will return to being offered every week following the offertory. If families would like to have children join in communion, they are welcome to come and check out their children early from Children’s Chapel.  
2. New Children’s Chapel registration cards will be available on the registration tables and also in the children’s bags for families to fill out for their children attending Children’s Chapel. Kids who bring these cards with them will receive a fun prize each week! This is to help us to register children and ensure that children are checked in and out safely and efficiently.  
3. There will be a children’s table in the Abide service at 9:30 a.m. for children to sit if adults are in a Sunday school class during the 9:30 a.m. time. We are currently learning about the parables of Jesus in creative and fun ways.  

Nursery is available for young children during the 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. services. The nursery opens at 9:15 a.m.  

Quintessence Concert Sunday & Monday

St. John’s Ensemble-in-Residence Quintessence: A Community of Singers will present its first concert of the season this Sunday at 3 p.m. and Monday at 7 p.m. in the St. John’s Sanctuary. “The Joy of Texts” will feature delicious words set to music, including music of Stephen Paulus, Jake Runestad, Jocelyn Hagen, and others. Quintessence is directed by St. John’s music director Matthew Greer. Sunday’s concert will also be available by livestream, and Monday’s performance is free to students of all ages! And St. John’s members get 25% off advance tickets sales by using the promo code SJUMC at checkout. Click here for tickets!

Children's Ministry News

Families of Faith on Thursday Evenings

Join us each Thursday from 5:30-7:30 p.m. for a free family-friendly meal in the Sonshine Cafe (please note the location change), New Sound children’s choir and Bible Club. Questions? Please contact Tiffany Hollums at thollums@stjohns-abq.org or Therese Macali at tmacali@stjohns-abq.org.

To receive children’s ministry updates, please contact Pastor Tiffany (thollums@stjohns-abq.org). 

Youth Ministry News

Youth Sunday School is at 9:30 a.m. on Sundays in the youth lounge.  

Solid Ground Youth Group meets each Sunday night from 4-6 p.m. We gather in the Sonshine cafe for snacks and games, then have a big group game, interactive lesson and prayer.  

Youth Fall Retreat to Sacramento Camp is November 18-20, 2022. Please be on the lookout for registration forms.   

Please be on the lookout for The Flamingo Flock in the next few weeks. The Flock is a new youth ministry experiment to help spread St. John’s cheer to the community. You can ‘send’ the flock to land at a friends home for a few days AND make a love donation to the youth ministry here at St. John’s. The youth will deliver the flock to your friend, leave a note letting them know that this flock was a gift from you only for a few days, and then will fly off to their next destination. The youth hope that this will be a fun way to spread some fun but also be a fun bonding activity for the youth to do together as well. There will be pink Flamingo flight itinerary available the next few Sundays to book your flock or you can contact Pastor Tiffany (thollums@stjohns-abq.org) to book these pink friends! Book them quickly, though, as we will make a trip itinerary for the flock, first come first serve! All donations will be used to fund mission trip scholarships, youth interns, and other incredible youth ministries here at St. John’s UMC. 

To receive the youth updates or information, please email Pastor Tiffany at thollums@stjohns-abq.org. 

Ladies Book Club Meets October 3

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The Ladies Book Club will meet Monday, October 3, at 1:00 p.m. in Room 241. We will be discussing “The Nickel Boys” by Colton Whitehead. The author won a Pulitzer Price for this book based on the true story of a reform school in the South during Segregation. Two young men are unjustly sentenced to this facility and the horror that they are subjected to and must survive. Contact is mapalook@comcast.net.

Stress-Busting for Caregivers Starts October 4

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Do you provide care for a loved one with a chronic illness or disorder? You are not alone.

Being a family caregiver is stressful and can lead to total exhaustion and burnout. If caregivers do not take care of themselves, their own health is in danger.

The Stress-Busting Program for Family Caregivers provides education and support, at no cost, for family caregivers of people with chronic illness. The program teaches stress management strategies and ways to cope better with the stress of being a caregiver.

We welcome you to join other family caregivers for a 9-week session that lasts for 90 minutes/week. We have been doing online classes using Zoom, and they have been a huge success.

New classes start Tuesday, October 4, at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. If you are interested in participating, contact Sharon Lewis at 830-377-1484 or slewis2@unm.edu. If you have questions or would like general information about this program, you may also contact: Carol Dolan, RN, a Stress-Busting Program facilitator at 505-235-6206 or carold@lobo.net or Linn Furnish, RN, Parish Nurse at 505-884-6626 or swimsew@comcast.net. Click here to download and share the event flyer.

Coping with Stress & Anxiety: United Women in Faith Meeting on October 6

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Stress and Anxiety: We all feel it from time to time, right? Could we use some strategies on how to cope with it? Absolutely! Please join our United Women in Faith on October 6th, as our own Susan Brumbaugh, presents some tips on building skills to deal with the stressful moments in our lives. Susan is the wife of our senior pastor, and serves as our St. John's licensed mental health counselor. She leads weekly meditations and will share some of that information at our meeting on October 6. We'll meet, in person, at 10 a.m. in Room 241/243. If you'd prefer to join via Zoom, please contact Carol, in advance, at carolmwiggins@aol.com to receive the link. Everyone is welcome! 

Women's Bible Study on The Gospel on the Ground Begins October 10 & 11

Women's Bible Study will be starting a new study on The Gospel on the Ground: The Grit and Glory of the Early Church in Acts by Kristi McLelland. We are offering this class at two times:

• October 10 - November 21 (7 weeks), Mondays, 10:00 a.m. - 12 p.m., ZOOM 
• October 11 - November 22 (7 weeks), Tuesdays, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m., ZOOM
• Facilitator: Donna Bruce
• Register by emailing donnabruce@comcast.net

Join biblical culturalist Kristi McLelland as she unpacks the life of the early church in the book of Acts. Seven studies show how the kingdom of God is always on the move - always looking outward to bring meaning and joy to a world searching for true fulfillment and hope. Explore the call of Jesus to His disciples then and to us today. See how God's Word can sustain us even in the most difficult of times, and embrace the transformative grace we experience as children of God in His kingdom of celebration.

Women's Bible Study on Lose Control, the Way to Find Your Soul Starts on October 11

Join Women's Bible Study as we explore Lose Control, the Way to Find Your Soul by Mary Shannon Hoffpauir.

• October 11 - November 22 (7 weeks), Tuesdays, 9:30 - 11:30 a.m. IN PERSON
• Facilitator: Barbara Stanfield
• Register by emailing donnabruce@comcast.net

Have you ever thought you had life under control―until you didn’t? Perhaps thinking “God is in control” but living as if you are. It's like walking around with a hot cup of coffee, afraid that with one wrong move it will spill and be a burning hot mess. Then you realize what little control you have and how dependent on God you truly are.

In Lose Control, Mary Shannon Hoffpauir takes you on a journey through the book of First Samuel, which is an epic story about a fight for control. Despite God’s warnings through the prophet Samuel, the nation of Israel was determined to take control by having their own king. As you dig into the saga of King Saul and David, who would become the next anointed king of Israel, you will discover that no plan or purpose of God can be thwarted by human beings. Even the worst of circumstances can be used by God to accomplish His purposes in your life. In her no-nonsense, authentic teaching style, Mary Shannon encourages you to lose control so that you can find your soul through a trusting relationship with your faithful God.

Jolly Elders Meet on October 12

Our next meeting of Jolly Elders will be on Wednesday, October 12, beginning at 11 a.m. in Room 245. Adults of all ages are invited to come to our next meeting where we will enjoy a program presented by our own member, Carol Wiggins. Even if you have never attended a Jolly Elders event in the past you are welcome. The meeting will end by noon to allow everyone to depart church for lunch elsewhere. Everyone must park their vehicles and enter St. John's United Methodist Church on the west side (the 2626 Arizona Street NE side) of the church.

The program by Carol Wiggins will be a Trip Report of the June 2002 Tour by select members of Chancel Choir to the United Kingdom. The object of the trip was to sing the Magnificat by Taylor Davis. There was a performance at the Canterbury Cathedral, a stop in Dover, and a tour of Leeds Castle. They also sang at the worship service in the Wesley Chapel in London followed by a Wesley Heritage Walking Tour. Several of the choir did individual tours of London and the surrounding area and eleven of them continued up to Scotland. There were stops in Edinburgh, Stirling Castle, Glencoe, Fort William, Isle of Skye, Loch Ness, Inverness, Culloden Battlefield, and Glasgow.

POLO Trip to Harvey House Belen on October 14

Do you love history and museums? Are you fascinated by the history surrounding the railroad and the Harvey Houses? Then, we invite you to join our St. John's POLO group (People of Leisure and Others) as we travel down the road to Belen, on Friday, October 14, to visit the Harvey House Museum, and have lunch at Pete's located just across the street. Cost is $5.00 per person, plus the cost of lunch.  We'll meet at the museum, 104 North 1st Street, Belen, at 11:15 a.m., have lunch, and then begin our tour at 12:30 p.m. If you wish to carpool from the church, please meet in the West parking lot by 10:15 am. The museum curators ask that you visit their website, www.harveyhousemuseum.org, before the tour, if at all possible. We hope you can join us for this interesting glimpse into a facet of the history created by the railroads. Please sign up at the Hospitality Center. You may pay Mary Beth or Barbara, or make a check payable to St. John’s, with a notation—POLO. If you have questions, please contact Mary Beth Spletzer, 505-508-4829, or Barbara Stanfield, 505-275-8551. 

Welcome New Nursery Manager Jenna Hamilton

Please welcome our new Nursery Manager, Jenna Hamilton, who is also our new church bookkeeper. Jenna and her family have been here at St. John’s since 2013 and we are so thankful for her heart for children, incredible experience (she has a Masters degree in Special Education and an Early Childhood certificate), and welcoming smile. She is an answer to our prayers. Jenna would love to hear from any interested volunteers for the nursery (contact her at jhamilton@stjohns-abq.org)! 

Needs for Fall Festival & Trunk or Treat

Mark your calendars for the Fall Festival/Trunk or Treat October 30 from 4-6 p.m.  Please invite your friends and bring clothes to donate for the APS Clothing Drive! We have several needs to make sure this event goes off without a hitch, including:

• Donations of candy, stuffed animals (for the ‘Monster Walk’) and prizes are needed. Please bring them to the Hospitality Center in the Narthex or the registration table in the Abide service.  
• We are also looking for someone who would be willing to pick up bales of hay and pumpkins to bring for the festival. If you could help, please contact Tiffany (thollums@stjohns-abq.org).  
• Trunk or Treaters are needed to come and decorate their cars, set up with fun candy to give to children and even set up fun games in the parking lot during the festival. This would be a wonderful activity for a Sunday school class, small group, or family to do together. Dress up, decorate your car, hand out candy and join in the fun. There will be a sign up poster at the Hospitality Center starting this Sunday to reserve your space. Interested? Please contact Tiffany (thollums@stjohns-abq.org).  

A Note From the Church Treasurer

Financial Giving statements for 1/1/2022 to 8/31/2022 were mailed out on Monday. If you have questions, contact the church treasurer Doris Bowen at 505-410-7213 or bowen_g@msn.com.

Virtual Prayer Quilt

Joyce and David Apple are the recipients of the prayer quilt currently on display in the Hospitality Center.

In lieu of tying knots, please pray this prayer (or your own prayer) for Joyce and David: "Joyce and David, may the Lord be your solid rock. May He be your refreshing fountain. May the Lord be with you always. Amen.”

The Purpose of Prayer Quilts

The purpose of this ministry is not to make and distribute quilts, but to encourage prayer through the use of our quilts. The idea behind these prayer quilts is simple. Thread is taken through the quilt layers and the ends are left free to be tied. As each knot is tied, a silent prayer is said for someone in special need, who then receives the finished quilt. We “hang” a prayer quilt in the Narthex every two weeks or display it virtually through the eDisciple. If you know of someone in special need for whom you would like to request a prayer quilt, please contact Donna Bruce at 505-883-1373 or donnabruce@comcast.net.

October Special Offering: World Communion Sunday

In October, Christians throughout the world remember the unity in Christ that Holy Communion brings to us. We also have the opportunity to provide scholarships to needy students around the world. Students such as Clarice in the Congo, who hopes to improve health care in her community through a degree in Public Policy, Dillozon in the Philippines as he studies to be a much needed doctor, Johnny from Peru as he studies to be a pastor, and many more. As we take communion this Sunday let us especially remember that even in our very fractured world, we are One in Christ. Please give generously this month.

Navajo Christmas Airlift

The Christmas Airlift began in 1985, when Dick McColley, in his role as President of the Honeywell Flying Club, researched and considered various community service opportunities that would allow General Aviation Aircraft pilots to assist the underprivileged at Christmas. His attention eventually centered on the Navajo Reservation, which is heavily rural, and with much of the nation living without many of the comforts so much of our country takes for granted. In addition to the rewarding aspects for the pilots, the tradition of giving truly shares the spirit and meaning of Christmas with the Navajo people. Click here to read more about this program.

We have an opportunity to become involved with this fantastic opportunity through the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) unit of which St. John's congregant, Larry Zentner, is a member. During the month of October (the items collected will all delivered the first of November), we will be collecting items to give. Click here to see and print a shopping list. 

For any who are interested, there is also the opportunity to create "shoebox gifts" for the children (much like the Samaritan Purse "Operation Christmas Child" boxes we've filled in the past). Here is a list of possible items for the shoebox. Please pick and choose what you wish to include but remember it must fit in the shoebox you provide.

Questions? Contact Donna at donnabruce@comcast.net.

Help Support the Zuni Weekend Meals Program

Did you know? St. John's assembles a total of 90 Zuni Weekend Meal Bags per week?  In other words, 45 students at Zuni have been identified as suffering from food insecurity, and each of those students is given two meal bags to take home for the weekend. That's a lot of food, and it takes money to keep this program going for these children who rely on it. So, during October, we're collecting the following donations for this project (all single-serve sizes): macaroni and cheese cups, shelf-stable chocolate milk, packets of cheese-and-crackers, packets of goldfish crackers, microwavable ravioli, and veggie cups, such as corn, peas, and green beans. Please drop off your donations at the Hospitality Center. If you'd like to support this program --- but would prefer to leave the shopping to us ---your monetary donation will be much appreciated! Please make checks payable to "St. John's UMC", with "Zuni Meals" on the memo line. Thank you!

St. John's United Methodist Church

2626 Arizona Street NE | Albuquerque, New Mexico 87110

Office Hours (call only): Monday - Thursday, 9a.m. - 4 p.m.

Friday, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Pastor 24-Hour Hotline | (505)808-1624

Pastor care is available for after hours emergencies. Any congregational care needs, please send those to Pastor Tiffany at thollums@stjohns-abq.org as we all work together to love one another well.