Church Calendar | Realm Log-In | Deacon Schedule | Usher Schedule | Greeter Schedule | Men's Shelter Sign Up | Room in the Inn Sign Up | Daily Gospel Readings

In this week's Family News (Scroll to Learn More):

1. Dennis's Article
2. Community and State Mission Offering
3. Paul Baxley in the St. John's Pulpit this Sunday
4. Easter Eggstravaganza
5. Snapshot Sundays
6. Spiritual Growth for Adults: A Special Opportunity
7. Happy Birthday
8. On the Way
9. Thursdays on the Town
10. Brewery Night
11. Youth Mission Auction
12. SAVE THE DATE
13. Heritage Article from Fredda
14. Prayer List
15. Minister On Call Schedule & Staff Contact Info

Time to Make Some New History

by Dennis W. Foust, Senior Minister

As we emerged from pandemic isolation, we planned to celebrate our centennial all year long. After all, we will only celebrate our 100th year one time. Fredda Kimball and Linda Crowder guided us to implement the celebration plan. Fredda and Linda, we are forever grateful to you for your visionary leadership and sacrificial service.

Thank you very much!

Now that we have celebrated our heritage very well, it is time to make some new history!

Last Sunday, we brought together all ages to share a Litany of Heritage and Vision. In that moment, we completed our centennial celebration and entered our year of focusing on our second century. We concluded the litany with this prayer:

“As we enter our second century, we continue to recognize the infinite worth of every person, collaborate with our partners, and minister to people in metro Charlotte and around the world so they receive God’s compassion through our eyes, hands, and hearts. Let us prioritize our lives by investing in the spiritual health of our households, so we strengthen the ministry of St. John’s as a servant church, to build a better world. Amen.”

Then we shared a common meal and became better aware of the pathways of service we explore as an active faith community.

It is important for you to know some ‘new history’ that is now emerging.

1. After hosting Head Start for thirty years in our preschool hall, they have moved their children into elementary schools. This is good for the young Head Start children because most of them can attend neighborhood schools where their older siblings are enrolled.

2. The departure of Head Start opens four rooms along our preschool hall. This allows our two youngest Weekday School classes to move onto the preschool hall with all our other Weekday classes. This provides better security for all our teachers and children. Through the past few months, we have been working with plumbers, electricians and painters to refresh these rooms. I am exceedingly grateful to Rick Walker for his carpentry expertise on cabinetry in these rooms and Chris Mullis for his efforts in detailing the floors and Lydia Olmstead and her staff for their patience and diligence. We are currently involved in inspection and approval processes with the county.

3. Over a year ago, our diaconate approved the beginning of an Academy of the Arts. Jessica Borgnis is now completing her certification to offer Kindermusik and will be offering four weeks of music camp this summer. This effort will eventually introduce us to new families with children.

4. Church World Service Social Workers have expanded their staff from 6 to 21. We have updated the old parish nurse room and switched locations with NAMI (National Alliance for Mental Illness) providing better facilities matched to their purposes and needs.

5. Our children and their families are responding with appreciation and investing in the opportunities Kheresa Harmon is providing. In addition, Haley Blackwell is building rapport with our youth and establishing connections with our young adults. These bursts of energy are spiritually renewing.

6. You may have noticed the new windows in many of our doors throughout the buildings. These promote security and have been completed by hundreds of volunteer hours by Bert Green, Rick Walker, MC Sorrell, and Jeff LeVie.

7. Our Community & State Mission Offering is off to a good start as we move toward our goal of $7,500 to support the Habitat for Humanity project here in Charlotte.

8. We are installing a new digital phone system (the old system was installed in 1991 and is now failing often.) Once this is installed, our cell phones will be our extensions.

There’s much more, but this is an introduction. To the future!

Community & State Mission Offering

In Honor of Bert & Dianne Green

Our Mission Resource Team is announcing that our 2023 Community and State Mission Offering will go to Habitat for Humanity in support of this year’s Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project to help build The Meadows, a nine-acre property in West Charlotte.

There is an added dimension to this year’s offering. We are presenting these offerings in honor of Bert and Dianne Green. Bert became involved with Habitat through St. John’s in 1985 and served on the Board of Directors from 1988-1992 and then became the Executive Director in 1993 serving for 19 years before transitioning to the role of Director of Strategic Initiatives in 2012. With our gifts to this year’s offering, we will honor the commitments and vision of Bert and Dianne and we will help provide home ownership for the working poor in Charlotte.

Help us reach our goal of $7,500 and let’s build a better world!

We Welcome Paul Baxley to the St. John's Pulpit This Sunday!

The Rev. Dr. Paul Baxley will be our guest in The St. John’s Pulpit this Sunday, March 26.

Paul is the fourth executive coordinator of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF) with ministries throughout the world and offices in Atlanta, GA. He frequently preaches and teaches across the 30-year-old Fellowship as he leads this diverse community which includes nearly 1,400 congregations, 19 state and regional organizations, 60-plus field personnel serving in 20 countries, 800-plus chaplains and pastoral counselors, and dozens of theological education and ministry partners. St. John’s has been a ministry partner of CBF for all of its thirty-two year history.

Before becoming executive coordinator of CBF, Paul served as senior minister of First Baptist Church in Athens, GA. A native of Winston-Salem, NC, Paul also served in pastoral and ministry positions in North Carolina and Virginia. He is a graduate of Wake Forest University (Bachelor of Arts – Religion, 1991), Duke Divinity School (Master of Theological Studies, 1996) and Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond (Doctor of Ministry, 2003). Paul and his wife, Jennifer, a licensed physical therapist, have four children: Olivia, Maria and twins Caroline and Matthew. He enjoys reading, especially history, fiction and biography books and cheers for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons and Georgia Bulldogs (but Wake Forest receives his cheers when these two teams meet).

Church Eggstravaganza!

Sunday, April 2

Get those Easter baskets and your cameras ready and join us for an intergenerational Church Eggstravaganza on Sunday, April 2 at 11:30am in Broach Hall. Before festivities begin, we’ll hop over to the buffet line, where we’ll be greeted by an Italian feast. Be sure to save room for those Easter eggs!

We need eggs! Donations of unfilled, plastic, Easter eggs may be placed in collection bins in our Giving Nook at the Main Entrance or in Kheresa's office. Please have all donations in by March 29.

Snapshot Sundays

ONE MORE CHANCE!

Have you had your photo taken for Realm? Not yet? No problem!

This Sunday is the last chance to have your picture taken before Sunday School OR after Worship, stop by the Main Entrance and we will take your picture and upload it for you.

These photos will help us put names and faces together as we renew, regather, and reconnect.

Spiritual Growth for Adults

April 23, 30, & May 7

St. John’s is collaborating with The Pittman Center for Congregational Enrichment at Gardner-Webb University School of Divinity, North Carolina Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and the Center for Healthy Churches to offer a special learning opportunity for adults. This learning opportunity is free to you. However, it is important for you to preregister by email to lhollifield@gardner-webb.edu. Our own Dr. Steve Harmon, yes, Rev. Kheresa’s husband, will be the teacher.

This study will include three Sunday afternoon sessions in Broach Hall of St. John’s, from 2-4PM. Dates for the sessions are April 23 & 30 and May 7. The topic for these sessions is: That They Might Be One; Living into Jesus’ Prayer for Christian Unity in John 17.

The Apostle Paul asked rhetorically, “Has Christ been divided?” (I Cor. 1:13). From the first century through today, followers of Jesus Christ have divided into a vast array of denominations, communions, and faith groups. Some of these traditions are hostile to one another. Too often, the Church merely mirrors the divisions of our fractured society. What does unity in Christ mean amidst such circumstances? How can local churches and

individual followers of Jesus overcome their own divisions and offer God’s gift of communion to a divided world?

Your teacher, Dr. Steve Harmon, is Professor of Historical Theology, Gardner-Webb University School of Divinity. In addition to his many books and articles, Dr. Harmon is author of Ecumenism Means You, Too: Ordinary Christians and the Quest for Christian Unity and Baptist Identity and the Ecumenical Future: Story, Tradition, and the Recovery of Community. Here is a picture of Steve with Pope Francis from earlier this year.

Upcoming Events: On the Way

St. John’s Retired Adults & Friends

On Wednesday, April 19 we will be On the Way to Winston-Salem for a day-trip to Reynolda Museum, Gardens, and Shops. We will also have lunch at the Village Tavern that day. Entrees at the Village Tavern are from $15-$25. The cost for the Reynolda Museum is $18. Reynolda Gardens are free. Your call on whether you purchase anything from the shops at Reynolda. We have a 15 passenger bus reserved. Please let Lee Gray lgray@sjcharlotte.org know if you plan to attend so additional driving arrangements can be made if needed. We will meet at the church at 9:00am to leave by 9:15am. We will return to the church between 5:30 - 6:00pm. 

On Thursday, May 25 we will be On the Way to Flat Rock, NC to watch the play Steel Magnolia’s at 2pm. We already have a 15 passenger bus and tickets reserved. I suspect additional driving arrangements will need to be made. Please plan on paying $60 to the church for the price of the play ticket and transportation. Lunch plans will be made shortly. The timeframe for the trip is departure at 9:30 am and return at 6:00 pm. We will finalize numbers by April 20, to drop any unclaimed tickets without penalty. Please let Lee Gray lgray@sjcharlotte.org know if you plan to participate.

Thursdays on the Town

April 13 for Parents with Children

Parents of children birth to 5th grade are invited to join us on Thursday, April 13 from 6-8 PM for dinner at Mama Ricottas (601 S Kings Drive AA). Childcare at the church is provided at no cost. Register by April 10 or let Kheresa know you plan to attend.

This is an excellent opportunity for parents of young children to enjoy one another's company for a few hours during the week. We hope you will come, drop your children off into the care of our trusted volunteers at the church, and enjoy a meal with old and new friends.

Brewery Night at Olde Mecklenburg Brewery

Friday, March 31

St. John's young adults are invited to come to Olde Mecklenburg Brewery (4150 Yancey Rd, Charlotte, NC, 28217) on Friday, March 31 from 6:30-8:30pm.

Questions? Call or text Haley at 620-515-3558. Can't wait to see you all there!

Youth Mission Auction & Luncheon

Coming April 30!

Join us on Sunday, April 30 at 11:30am in Broach Hall for our 2023 Youth Mission Auction! Proceeds from the auction will fund our youth mission trips in 2023 and 2024. Join the fun and register for a bidder number below through Give Butter. There are so many great things to bid on!

Also, please make reservations for lunch by clicking below.

Lunch: BBQ, Mac n Cheese, baked beans, salad, rolls, dessert

Cost: $15 for adults; $10 for 5th graders and younger; free for those under 3; pay online via Realm or by check (SJBC) to Amanda Morrison

Register for lunch and a bidder number by April 23.

SAVE THE DATE!!

Building a Better World:

In Solidarity with Immigrant Children and Families

May 3, 5:30-7:00 PM

Please join us in Broach Hall for a buffet meal at 5:30 PM followed by a conversation that focuses on immigrant children and families who are our neighbors---challenges they face, their resilience and triumphs, and how we can participate in welcoming them. Sharing experiences and insights with us will be Sil Ganzo, Executive Director of ourBridge for Kids; Lindsey Goehring, a Charlotte immigration attorney who works with children and families; and Gricelda de la Cruz, Director of the Charlotte office of Church World Service and the Home Study and Post Release Services program which serves unaccompanied immigrant children and their sponsors. 

More details about this event and meal registration will follow soon.



From the Heritage Room

Thank You from Fredda Kimball

Thanks to the following for helping with the celebration of our 101st year at the corner of Fifth and Hawthorne—



• To Kim Allen, and Sally Young for assistance in planning and arranging the desserts,
• To Linda Crowder for the bulletin board displays, arranging the table centerpiece flowers, and overall planning,
• To Joy Jarrett, Jane Starnes, Becky Skidmore, Linda Crowder, Melissa Millete, Lee Gray, and Kim Allen for helping with the set-up in Broach Hall on Saturday,
• To Jimmy Kimball for overall assistance on Sunday morning with setting up, overseeing the buffet, and cleaning up afterward,
• To Chris Mullis and Debora Thon for setting up and cleaning up in Broach Hall,
• To Dennis Foust for planning the very meaningful celebratory service and to Kheresa,  Lee, Haley, Jared, Noel, Matthew, the Chancel Choir for their participation in the service Mallory for her work on the Family News and Sunday morning bulletins, Amanda and Jill for keeping up with the luncheon reservations—and to Noel and Allison Drenkow for the beautiful piano and cello duet,
• To the Ministries Deacon Panel for their support of the Heritage Room throughout the past 10 years,
• And to the people of St. John’s for their past and continued faithfulness and dedication to St John’s.

Prayers, Thanks, and Celebrations

• Martha Brown, Barbara McElwey, Nyandheng Mijak, Melanie Foust, Jan Kerley

Minister On-Call Schedule

• March 20 – 26: Lee 
• March 27 – April 2: Dennis 
• April 3 – 9: Haley 

Staff Contact Information

• Haley Blackwell, Minister for Youth & Young Adults - 620-515-3558 (cell)
• Rev. Dennis Foust, PhD, Senior Minister - 704-359-7234 (cell); 704-333-5428, ext. 12
• Rev. Lee Gray, Minister for Congregational Care - 704-451-1309 (cell)
• Rev. Kheresa Harmon, Minister for Children & their Families - 910-890-3392 (cell)
• Dr. Jared Daugherty, Interim Minister for Worship & Music

• Jessica Borgnis, Academy of the Arts Director
• Mallory Brown, Media Coordinator - 704-477-3349 (cell)
• Chloe Hall, Children's Choir Director
• Noel Lance, Organist
• Dr. Matthew Manwarren, Associate Organist
• Amanda Morrison, Ministry Coordinator - 704-333-5428, ext. 11
• Lydia Olmsted, Weekday School Director - 704-333-5428, ext. 39
• Jill Rackley, Church Administrator - 704-333-5428, ext. 20