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Surrounded by a Cloud of Witnesses

by Dennis Foust

This weekend, in our sanctuary, you will have opportunities to be inspired by two saints of the past century. As St. John’s celebrates our centennial year, we are telling many stories of people who continue to shape our faith. My friend, Rev. Dr. Al Staggs will portray Dr. Dietrich Bonhoeffer on Saturday evening at 6:00 pm and Dr. Clarence Jordan during worship Sunday morning at 10:30.

This weekend is presented by the McLeod Brown Fund and the Ministries Endowment of St. John’s.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was arrested by the Gestapo and imprisoned prior to being hanged by Hitler on April 9, 1945, at the age of 39. He is especially known for his writings, Life Together and The Cost of Discipleship. Your journey of faith will never be the same after you reflect on Bonhoeffer’s courage and witness of faith.

Clarence Jordan grew up in South Georgia and attended The University of Georgia where he was a college roommate and lifelong friend of Dr. Claude Broach, the third senior minister of St. John’s. After earning his master’s and doctoral degrees, Clarence returned to South Georgia and founded Koinonia Farm where he sought to live in the same way as his poor neighbors, African American farmers. Although he was violently and repeatedly attacked by the Klu Klux Klan, he persevered. He is best known for translating the New Testament scriptures into a version using southern references entitled The Cotton Patch Gospel. He also provided significant influence on ethical social initiatives including Habitat for Humanity International, The Fuller Center for Housing, and Jubilee Partners.

We are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses who still inspire us with their vision, courage, and sacrifice.

It is my hope that you will prioritize these two opportunities. Bring your friends. You may purchase $10 tickets for Saturday night’s performance at the door if you have not already made your purchase online here.

We have a busy and full weekend coming up at St. John's! We hope you'll join us!

• An Evening with Al Staggs: On Saturday, we welcome Al Staggs to present his dramatic play "A View from the Underside," from the Sanctuary at 6PM. Have you purchased your tickets? Purchase them here today!
• If you purchased tickets for this event in 2020 or this spring 2022, your tickets are still good for October 15.
• Al Staggs will present his depiction of Clarence Jordan during the sermon on Sunday in worship. 

• COVID-19 & Flu Vaccine Clinic: On Sunday, we are hosting a COVID-19 & Flu Shot Clinic from 11:30-1:00pm in the gym. These vaccines are made available for free by Mecklenburg County Public Health. Vaccines available are: COVID first, second, and updated booster doses for ages 6 months and up and flu shots.BRING YOUR COVID-19 VACCINE CARD!
• When should I get the updated booster? At least 2 months after your last COVID-19 dose - either a booster dose or primary series dose.
• Who should get the booster? Individuals age 12 and up are eligible for the updated Pfizer booster and adults 18 and up are eligible for the updated Moderna booster.
• Can I get my COVID vaccine and flu vaccine at the same time? Yes. The COVID vaccine is safe to get alongside the annual flu vaccine. 
• Click here and here for more information on vaccinations.

• Craft Fair & Bake Sale: Also on Sunday, the Needle and Craft Ministry will be having their annual Craft Fair & Bake Sale after the worship service in Lasater Hall. They always have such a wonderful assortment of handmade items and goodies. All proceeds will be donated to expand our Sunday school ministry to young children and to fight hunger by donating to Loaves & Fishes/Friendship Trays. Come on down to Lasater Hall after worship to browse and shop for good!

• CROP Walk: Lastly, on Sunday afternoon at 1:30pm at Memorial Stadium, St. John's will walk in the annual CROP Walk to end hunger one step at a time. The walk has a flexible start at 1:30pm (each group can begin walking as soon as they are ready). We are walking around the field at Memorial Stadium, so you can walk as little or as much as you like, or come sit in the stands and cheer on the walkers. Contact Micah Belong with questions at micahbenjibelong@gmail.com. Register to walk with us or make a donation here.

Uptown Men's Shelter Meal on October 21

St. John's serves a meal at the Uptown Men's Shelter once a month. We need your help! The next date to serve and bring banana puddings is NEXT Friday, October 21.

Check out the signup list to see how you can help. Click below!

Daily Gospel Passages for October 13-31

Click here for the daily guide. Below are the readings for October 13-31. Each week, you will receive a separate email with the readings for the week and a link to the recordings. You can find the recordings anytime here.

• October 13 - Matthew 6:1-4 
• October 14 - Matthew 6:5-15
• October 15 - Matthew 6:16-18
• October 16 - Matthew 6:19-23
• October 17 - Matthew 6:24-34
• October 18 - Matthew 7:1-5
• October 19 - Matthew 7:6-12
• October 20 - Matthew 7:13-20
• October 21 - Matthew 7:21-29
• October 22 - Matthew 8:1-4
• October 23 - Matthew 8:5-13
• October 24 - Matthew 8:14-17
• October 25 - Matthew 8:18-22
• October 26 - Matthew 8:23-27
• October 27 - Matthew 8:28-34
• October 28 - Matthew 9:1-8
• October 29 - Matthew 9:9-13
• October 30 - Matthew 9:14-17
• October 31 - Matthew 9:18-26

October 17 & 24

Join us for kids' basketball clinics in the St. John’s gym on Monday, October 17, and Monday, October 24. The clinics are open to children ages 8 and under and will cover fundamental basketball skills. The clinics last one hour each and start at 5:30 pm. The clinics are free and do not require registration.

The clinics are excellent preparation for our 6-&-Under and 8-&-Under kids basketball teams. In the past, we’ve hosted kids as young as 4 for the clinics (it’s a great way to determine if your child is ready for team play). We will take Monday, October 31 off for Halloween, and then team practices will start the week of November 7. 

To sign up for the kids' basketball teams, click below.

Expanding our Partnership with Church World Service

As you know, St. John’s has for many years provided office space for Church World Service’s CROP Walk. You will see elsewhere in the Family News the notice about our continuing support of their work in the upcoming Crop Walk to feed those throughout the world affected by hunger and poverty.

Our longstanding support of the work of CWS is expanding beyond CROP to include two more of the CWS programs:

• The Home Study and Post Release Services program, which began in July 2022 and is now housed at St. John’s, serves unaccompanied immigrant children and their sponsoring families.
• The Greater Charlotte Area Immigrant Solidarity Fund, which operates in collaboration with Comunidad Colectiva, a grassroots organization in Charlotte that advocates for and serves the immigrant community.

On Wednesday, October 26, from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. we will learn more about these new programs, as three enthusiastic leaders will be with us for a meal in Broach Hall and a presentation about their work. The speakers are:

• Gricelda de la Cruz, Director of the Home Study and Post Release Services program and the Charlotte office of CWS-NC
• German Munoz, Migrant Services Coordinator for CWS-NC and administrator of the Greater Charlotte Area Immigrant Solidarity Fund
• Daniela Andrade, Community Support Coordinator for Comunidad Colectiva

Reservations for the meal should be made by noon on Friday, October 21. Cost is $10.00 each, or $30.00 per family. You may reserve your meal either:

1. On Realm by CLICKING HERE.
2. By filling out one of the paper forms, available outside Amanda’s office, and giving it to Amanda or putting it in the “Sunday/After Hours” box outside her office.
3. Or by calling Amanda at 704-333-5428 ext. 11. You will need to provide your name and how many people for whom you are reserving a meal.

No reservation is needed for anyone choosing to attend the program only, from 6:00-7:00 p.m.

We hope you will take advantage of this opportunity to hear more about these Church World Service programs.

Will you join us for Fall Fun Day for children, youth, and families on October 30?

Please see the schedule below for a day of fun for children, youth, and their families:

• 11:30 - Children (ages birth - 5th grade) and their families are invited to a Pumpkin Painting Palooza in Lasater Hall immediately following worship on Sunday, October 30. Lunch will be provided. Simply bring paint-friendly clothes. 
• 12:30 - Youth arrive in parking lot to load up
• 12:45 - Leave St. John’s (Everyone - Children, Youth, and Families)
• 2:00 - Arrive at Kersey Valley Maize Adventure in Archdale, NC
• 6:00 - Youth leave Kersey Valley Farms (Families are free to come and go as needed) 
• 7:30ish - Youth Arrive at St. John’s

Registration is in Realm or below and the cost is $15/person (children under 3 are free). Youth will need to bring money for dinner.

Please contact Haley (620-515-3558) if you are willing to be a driver for youth (your ticket will be covered).

In addition to changes in our building, the 1970's were also a decade of staff comings and goings. The main change occurred on May 17, 1974 when Dr. Broach announced his retirement, to be effective July 21 after 30 years of providing spiritual leadership. The Youth Banquet that year included a roast of Dr. Broach. A Celebration of Fellowship picnic was held in May where he was honored. His last service was July 22 when his sermon to topic was entitled "Finally Brethren…." He was presented with a set of golf clubs along with a check. He became the Director of the Ecumenical Institute of Wake Forest and Belmont Abbey.

In January 1975, the church voted to call Rev. Julian A. Cave as Senior Minister. A welcome reception was held January 28 and his first Sunday was February 16. Rev. Cave was a graduate of Furman University and Southern Baptist Seminary. He had also studied at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, and the University of Georgia, He was the pastor of First Baptist Church in Athens Georgia and had served as an Associate Minister in Charleston SC, and the pastor of a Scottish church while in Edinburgh. At the time he came to St. John's, he was a Trustee of Southern Seminary.

Prayers, Thanks, and Celebrations

• Tarsha Williams, Arnold Philemon, Martha Brown, Joyce Ehrenberger, Sierra Leone, Rob Peacock

Financial Ministry Plan Update

• Month of August 1-31 $65,306
• Income through August 31: $735,881
• Annual 2022 Ministry Plan Budget Goal: $1,135,000

Minister On-Call Schedule

• October 10-16: 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)
• Kevin Gray, Minister for Music and Worship - 803-524-0287 (cell)
• Rev. Kheresa Harmon, Minister for Children & their Families 



• 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 Olmstead, Weekday School Director - 704-333-5428, ext. 39
• Jill Rackley, Church Administrator - 704-333-5428, ext. 20