We invite you to join us on Sunday, November 28, for worship. Please see below for a complete list of Sunday services and events.

Church doors open at 7:30 a.m. Free valet parking will be available from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. We look forward to welcoming you to worship, either in person or online. Visit www.stjohns-dc.org for more information.

Gather in the basement dining room of the Parish House to start the season off by making your own Advent wreath. The workshop is geared toward families and children, but all are welcome as long as supplies last. Supplies, including forms for the wreaths, candles, and greens will be provided. Please RSVP here so we will have materials needed. For questions, contact Joanne Hutton. Reminder: Masks are required for all over the age of two years.

Nursery care is available from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. every Sunday in the Godly Play Classroom #2 located on the second floor of the Parish House. Our Nursery welcomes infants and children up to age 3. Please register your children here. Reminder: Masks are required for all children over the age of two.

There will be no Church School on Sunday, November 28. In lieu of Church School this Sunday, we will have the Advent Wreath Workshop (see announcement above). Church School will resume on December 5 at 10:00 a.m. on the second floor of the Parish House. For more information, please contact Katherine Raab, our volunteer Church School coordinator.

To attend by Zoom, please contact Jack Reiffer, who leads the class, for the link.

We will hold a training by Washington Interfaith Network (WIN) personnel for those interested in getting more involved (including as community organizers) in the church on Tuesday, November 30, from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. For questions on any of the above, please contact the Rev. Will Morris.

For more information, please contact Director of Music, Brent Erstad.

We have bittersweet news to share about RJ Gravina. He and his wife are exploring a move back to the Philippines. This means that RJ will be leaving the staff of St. John’s after nearly two decades. A little known fact is that he began as a sexton (part-time), and over time his role evolved so that he has been producing our bulletins, The Word, and imagery of all sorts as well as helping coordinate those who serve in the liturgy.

Send RJ a note if you would like to express your appreciation to him here. We will miss him very much, but he goes with our warmest wishes!

The St. John’s Book group will meet on Thursday, December 2, at 6:45 p.m. via Zoom to discuss Maggie O'Farrell's Hamnet: A Novel of the Plague. In England in 1580, the Black Death moves across the country and touches the lives of William Shakespeare's family and his son Hamnet. If you love to read, please join us for an evening of discussion and socializing. For more information and for links to participate, contact Janet Edmond.

A service in memory of parishioner Max Hudgins, who died November 11, 2020, will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 4, at St. John's.

All are welcome to attend.

All are welcome! Bring your family and friends for caroling, hot beverages, and holiday treats. New this year: gather in front of the Church for holiday music sung by the St. John’s Choir and all carolers present. Requests will be taken for a carol sing-along.

The role of the Vestry Nominating Committee is to select, from all those nominated, the 6 candidates who will stand for election; 3 candidates will be elected. Nominees should be pledging members of the congregation, attend worship regularly, and be active in the life of the parish. Please submit your nominations here. The deadline to submit nominations is Sunday, December 5.

The Speaker Series will be held in-person on the following Sundays in the Togo West Parlor from 10:05 a.m. to 10:50 a.m. After the discussion, there will be opportunity for Q&A. Click here to listen to past Speaker Series.

December 5: The Rev. David B. Wolf, Executive Director of Samaritan Ministry of Greater Washington, St. John’s mission partner. Ben T. Morgan, a participant in Samaritan’s programs, will also speak about Samaritan’s mission of life change for those who are living in or on the edge of poverty in the DMV.

December 12: Lonnie G. Bunch III, Secretary of the Smithsonian and former Director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. As Secretary, he oversees 19 museums, 21 libraries, the National Zoo, numerous research centers, and several education units and centers.

February 13: Dr. Kurt Graham, Director of the Harry S. Truman Library & Museum. He will speak on The Truman Presidency.

For more information and the schedule, visit the Speaker Series webpage here.

St. John’s annual Angel Tree Drive has officially launched! There are two ways to participate this Christmas: 1) Select an angel from the Angel Tree in the Parish House 2) purchase gifts from St. John’s Amazon Wishlist, which you can find here or by scanning the QR code below.

Please ensure that your gifts are delivered to the Parish House by Friday, December 10 (unwrapped is fine—just be sure they are labeled with the recipient’s name). We will host a drop-in wrapping party on Saturday, December 11, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., in the Togo West Parlor. All are welcome. 

If you have questions, please contact Molly Giammarco and Matt Ford.

Join us for our traditional hymns and carols of the Advent and Christmas seasons on Sunday, December 12 at the 11:00 a.m. service. The St. John's Choir will sing a selection of seasonal anthems. Invite your friends to join you for this annual St. John’s tradition.

Steeped in the beauty of the Anglican tradition, Evensong meets us at the even point between the active day and the restful night. Evensong will be sung by the St. John’s Choir on the third Thursday of each month through May, beginning at 5:15 p.m. Please mark your calendar and plan to join us for this special new offering. Parking validation is available in the S&P Parking Garage at 1625 I Street NW. Have your parking validated at the greeters table before or after the service. For more information, please contact Director of Music, Brent Erstad.

Friday, December 24 (Christmas Eve) | New Times

Saturday, December 25 (Christmas Day)

 Sunday, December 26 (First Sunday after Christmas)

December 24, 4:30 p.m. | New Time

The annual Christmas Pageant will take place on Christmas Eve at 4:30 p.m. The service prelude of anthems and carols will begin at 4:00 p.m. Children ages three and up are invited to participate in the Pageant as an Angel, Shepherd, or Friendly Beast. All children who wish to participate must attend the rehearsal on Saturday, December 18 from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Contact the Rev. Doug Kirby for more information.

The next dates for Baptism and required pre-baptismal classes with the clergy are as follows: 

Please note that the parents or grandparents of children being baptized must be active, pledging members of St. John’s. Adults interested in baptism for themselves must attend the Rector’s Adult Inquirers’ Class and be active, pledging participants in the life of the parish. If you are interested in having a child baptized, or in baptism for yourself, please contact Kaye Edwards.

Paul Barkett, Senior Warden (5:38)

Desirée Stolar, Vestry (5:30)

Lauren Edwards, Vestry (1:58)

We are very pleased with how many families are up to date on making their pledge payments for the current year—keeping our allowance for unpaid pledges low is a huge help. If you need a pledge report so as to know where you stand, please reach out to Preston Cherouny here.

Thank you to all of those who have already pledged online. As of Tuesday, we already have more than $733,474 pledged for next year! This week our stewardship committee members have begun reaching out to those who have not yet pledged. If you would like to lend a hand in this effort, please send me an email here.

The Parish Choir is a group of dedicated volunteer musicians who provide choral music for the 9:00 a.m. worship service and for special events throughout the year. The choir rehearses on Thursday evenings from 7:00-8:30 p.m. with a light dinner provided at 6:30 p.m. There is a straightforward voice trial prior to joining, but the main qualifications are a commitment to the schedule and enthusiasm for serving our church through its music ministry. Please be in touch with Brent Erstad, Director of Music and Organist, to learn more.

St. John’s is looking for a Associate Organist and a Program Assistant, which are much needed roles on our staff. While we do not hire parishioners, you can be helpful by spreading the word. The job descriptions are posted here. 

Click here to listen to past Sunday Sermons and Speaker Series.

If you would like to visit a loved one in the columbarium, please contact us here to arrange a time for your visit.

Our Prayers are requested for the special needs and concerns of this congregation, especially:

Those who are sick, recovering or grieving:

From our parish: Eve Atkeson, Jill Dowell, Kay Gilley, Jeanne Grimmett, Susan Herrington, Nelda Johnson, Susan Lewis, Jimmy Lowe, Alex Morris, and John Whitmore.

Friends and family of our parish: Barbara Virginia Abalos Branes (Joanne Hutton), Mark Berends (Jack Reiffer), LaKeshia Bryant (GeeGee Bryant), John Davis (Kay Gilley), Wendy Addiss Dellar (Joanne Hutton), Sharon Diehl (Alex Stolar), Karl Dornemann (Deb Dornemann), Bobby Doyle (Alex Pappas), Reagan Eudy (Alfred Thesmar), Henry Farrington (Wendy J. Fibison), Jimmy Gallagher (Joanne Hutton), Frances Givhan (Gay and Bob Pasley), Linda Young Gsell (Rick Young), Nancy Guard (Kate Benner), Valerie Hart (Emily and Jason Ornstein), Courtney Jordan Hillman (Erika Northcutt), Vera Hyncik (Holly Sukenik), Willem Jewett (Preston Cherouny), Charles Jones (GeeGee Bryant), Chase Lasbury (Garrett Russo), David Maiden (Anne Harrington), Melanie Markiewicz and William Markiewicz (Matthew Taylor), Tammy McCleaf (Matthew Taylor), Kathryn McGraw (Mary and Carl Raether), William Scott Miller, Jr. (Johnathan Miller), Britt Neff (Julie Neff-Lippman), Judy Nicola (Cynthia Walker), Pereda “Pete” Paty (John Paty), Pearson Reynolds (Kerri Stelcen), Cawley Scott (Robyne Johnston), Scott (Marta Cook & Cal Trepagnier), Mark Sissman (Mead Sissman), Ann Tusa (Will Morris), and Marsha Walston (Robert Carroll).

From our parish: Marcella Odom.

Those who are in the hospital:

Friends and family of our parish: Julie Howell (Cynthia Walker).

Those in our parish celebrating a birthday this week:

Those in our parish celebrating an anniversary this week:

For those on the front lines, especially: 

Friends and family of our parish: Janie Abernethy (Elizabeth Lewis and David Abernethy), Sandra Brown (Becca Brown), Nathan Cobb (Livy and John More), Chris Gardner (Ann Gardner), Yee Houston (Quin Woodward Pu), Marta Kochanska (Livy and John More), Amanda and Blake Tidwell (Willy Wolter), and Bill and Stephanie Wolter (Willy Wolter).