November 4, 2022

Mary Lou Ashwill Memorial Service This Saturday

Longtime St. John’s member Mary Lou Ashwill passed away on October 12. A memorial service for Mary Lou will be Saturday, November 5 at 10:00 a.m. in the St. John’s sanctuary. Please be in prayer for her family.

Confirmation Service This Sunday 

Confirmation is a very important journey of faith in which young people commit to learn and study about what it means to be a Christian and to join the life of the church as an adult in the faith. These confirmands, (below) have been meeting since last Fall and have been so faithful in coming every Sunday for 2 hours to learn what it means to confirm their faith. This Sunday, November 6, they will be confirmed and we want to invite you, their church family, to write them letters welcoming them to the church, share wisdom, prayers, or favorite verses. There will be notecards at a table in the narthex this Sunday to write the confirmands a note. All are welcome to celebrate with the Confirmands following the 11 a.m. service in the Sonshine Cafe. Thank you for investing in the lives of these amazing individuals as they take this important faith step. 

Our 2022 Confirmands:

• Henry Eaton
• Alanah Hamilton
• Dylan Jones
• Zander Mauck
• Illuminata Hime-Penasa
• Lily Lybarger
• Alejandro Quinlan
• Scarlett Sharp

Ladies Book Club Celebrates Twenty Years This Monday



The Ladies Book Club will celebrate TWENTY years of reading together this Monday, November 7, at 1 p.m.

We have read some very interesting books and have shared interest in many others. We will be discussing “Still Life” by Louise Penny. The tiny village of Three Pines has some quirky characters but why is one of them dead?

• For further information contact mapalook@comcast.net

Jolly Elders Meets November 9

Our next meeting of Jolly Elders will be on Wednesday, November 9, 2022, beginning at 11 AM, in the Sanctuary. Adults of all ages are cordially invited to come to our next meeting of Jolly Elders, where we will enjoy a program presented by the church’s Organist and Pianist, Jim Ahrend, on the topic of “My Life as a Musician.” Perhaps we will get to see Jim demonstrate his talent for playing the organ and/ or the piano. 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 on their own. 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.

Memory Café is Back on November 12

We’re back! Memory Café will resume on Saturday, November 12. from 3:00-4:30 p.m. in the SonShine Cafe. This monthly meeting is for people with memory loss and their family caretakers. We are still looking for people to assist in planning and help with meetings. For more information, contact Sharon Jensen at 505-323-7522 or ssmjens@aol.com.

Thanksgiving Sunday Turkey Feast November 13

The St. John’s Food Ministry is inviting everyone to a Thanksgiving Slow Roasted Turkey Feast with all the Fixin's on Sunday, November 13 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Family Life Center. No reservation required. But a love of from scratch pumpkin pie, apple pie, or green chile apple pie is a plus!! Just $12 for adults, $6 for ages 12-17, $3 for ages 5-11, and under 5 is free. Give thanks for Food, Fellowship and Fun. A donation basket will be out if you would like to buy a meal for a person experiencing homelessness—we will be taking 180 meals to feed 180 food insecure people at HopeWorks at the end of the month.

We need volunteers to help put on the lunch. If you are available, please sign up.  If you have questions, text or call Nancy Douglas de Baca at 505-238-5895.

Hanging of the Greens Celebration November 20

Please join us November 20, 2022 to prepare our facility for the season of Advent!

Come and go as your schedule provides. Work, eat, and have some fun with the St. John’s community and start the season of Advent in church creating a beautiful space for people to feel welcome, and to worship.

The following is the schedule of events and locations throughout the church building.

• Cookie decorating and Nutcracker painting stations for family fun in the Family Life Center (FLC) the entire time.
• Following the Abide service at 10:30 a.m., we will begin set up/staging for FLC-side of the building, banners, greens in FLC, wreath fluffing / fixing / hanging.
• Following the Sanctuary service at noon we will quickly put away banners, altar cloths, etc.
• Around 12:45 p.m. a light lunch of soup and salad will be served in the FLC.
• Music at St. John’s will start at 1:30 p.m., in the Sanctuary, decorations will continue around the FLC area.
• After the concert at 3:15 p.m., we will hang banners and greens in Sanctuary, and decorations in the Narthex.



Sign-up sheets can be found in the Welcome center as well as in the FLC. An approximate number will be needed for Tim to know how much food to make.

Youth Fall Retreat November 18-20

Youth Fall Retreat to Sacramento Camp is November 18-20, 2022. Cost is $150 per camper and there are scholarships available!

Access the packing list using the following link:  Fall Retreat Packing List 

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

New Advent Bible Study Beginning

November 22

Women's Advent Study: The Angels of Christmas, Hearing God's Voice in Advent by Susan Robb

• November 22 - December 13 (4 weeks), Tuesdays, 9:30 - 11:30 a.m.,  IN PERSON
• Facilitator: Dara Bell
• Register by emailing donnabruce@comcast.net

This Advent study explores the angelic visits surrounding the birth of Jesus with Zechariah, Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds in a four-week Advent experience. The participants will explore the visits and dive deep into the history of the angel Gabriel and other angels in the Bible. The messages of the angels hold meaning for listeners both then and now. Pastor Randall will also preach an Advent sermon series on this book. Some copies of the book ($13 each) will be available in the Hospitality Center for purchase beginning this Sunday.

Pastor Appreciation

October was Pastor Appreciation Month and I forgot to remind you. However, November is a time to be extra-thankful. What if we tell Pastors Randall and Tiffany how thankful we are for them? It’s easy! Write a little note or a text or when you bump into one of them in the church hallway, tell them how grateful you are for all that they do. You might even want to say thanks to our other wonderful staff members as well. I guarantee that will put not only a smile on their faces, but on yours as well. God bless! – Fran Ring, Staff-Parish Relations Committee Care Person.

Congregational Care Team Meeting Cancelled

Congregational Care team meeting for November is canceled but we will meet Sunday, December 3 at 1 p.m. in the library upstairs.  

Extend the Table Ministry is Back

Home communion ‘Extend the Table’ ministry is starting back up following a COVID hiatus. If you would like to receive communion delivered to your home once a month OR if you would like to serve Communion, please contact pastor Tiffany at thollums@stjohns-abq.org

Youth News

Youth This Sunday

Solid Ground youth this Sunday from 4-6 p.m. We begin each night in the Sonshine Cafe and dismiss through the FLC doors!  

Flamingo Flock

The Flamingo Flock: 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 friend's 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.

Please Note: Due to popular demand, the flock is currently on a few weeks waiting list for landing! Be sure to put your requests in now!!   

Summer Mission Trip July 23-29

Youth mission Trip to San Antonio with Blueprint Ministries is July 23-29, 2023. Mark your calendars. 

Families of Faith on Thursdays

Families of Faith is a time for families with young children (babies to grade 5) to gather and strengthen our walk with Jesus. Join us each Thursday from 5:30-7:30 p.m. for a free family-friendly meal in the Sonshine Cafe. Kids will be shepherded to Bible Club and NewSound rehearsal for spiritual growth through games, music, and fun. Parents will enjoy fellowship, book studies, and games. Childcare for ages 6 weeks to 3 years will be provided. Contact Tiffany Hollums at thollums@stjohns-abq.org or Therese Macali at tmacali@stjohns-abq.org for more information..

Should you decide to attend Families of Faith on Thursday nights and would like to have a spot available for your little one, 0-3, in the nursery, please email our Nursery Manage Jenna Hamilton by 2 p.m. on Wednesday to reserve a spot at jhamilton@stjohns-abq.org.

Note: There will not be families of Faith on Thanksgiving day.  

Food Ministry Announcements

Food Ministry Team Members Needed: Are you interested in the intersection of Food and Faith? Do you have a heart for finding and feeding the food insecure who don’t know when or where their next meal will be? Would you like to help facilitate community building over a shared meal outside the walls of St. John’s and also inside the walls? Chef Tim and the Food Ministry Team would like you to join our team. 

More specifically, the Food Ministry Team leads the volunteers at meals, finds volunteers for Omelet Bar and other events, works receptions, facilitates finances, and has fun planning and shaping the future of the Food Ministry. The team meets every other month, with the next meeting being Wednesday, November 9 from 5:30-6:30 p.m. in room 257 or via Zoom.  

Help the Homeless: With the Safe Outdoor Spaces homeless camp application being withdrawn, if you want to help the homeless, St. John’s Food Ministry continues to make 400 hot meals for the homeless every month that we take to HopeWorks, Community of Hope and Breaking Bread for distribution. Contact Chef Tim at 505-883-9717 x 141 or Food Ministry Chair Nancy Douglas de Baca at 505-238-5895.

Angel Tree Ministry

The Angel Tree ministry has been supported by St. Johns for many years. If you’re not familiar, Angel Tree provides gifts for children whose parents are incarcerated, in the name of the parent! Of course, it could not be done without the generosity of the people of St. John’s. You will have two opportunities to pick your “Angel” from the Trees that will be in the Narthex and the Family Life Center on November 13 and 20. Then you’re off to shop for a gift of clothing and a “fun” gift for “your” Angel, spending $20 on each gift. You can return the wrapped gifts, with the Angels attached, to church on November 27th and/or December 4. Volunteers will sort the gifts into family groups, and then make certain they are delivered to the Angels before Christmas!

If you are unable to shop, but would like to support the program, please pick your Angels, and give the volunteer at the tree your $40 contribution. Volunteers will do the shopping and wrapping for you.



Should you be interested in volunteering in some way, please contact Kathy Scherlacher at 505-918-5990.

Each year this Christmas time ministry brings great joy to the children and the love of Christ to their parents. Thank you, St. John’s, for your time, your gifts, and your support of Angel Tree.

November Special Offering: UMCOR

Gifts this month lay the foundation for UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) to share God's love when crises such as the recent hurricanes in Florida and Puerto Rico and floods in Appalachia occur. The money we give underwrites UMCOR's administrative expenses so that 100% of any gift given to a specific UMCOR project goes directly to that project.  

UMCOR is known for its quick and lasting response to crises all over the world. Please give generously.

Virtual Prayer Quilt

Barbara Antonio (friend of Elda Pinsonneault) is the recipient for the prayer quilt currently on display in the Hospitality Center.

In lieu of tying knots, please pray this prayer (or your own prayer) for Barbara: "Father God, please comfort Barbara and wrap your arms around her as she mourns. May she share abundantly in the grace, love and comfort that only you can provide. Amen.”

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.