December 09, 2022

All Church Christmas Singalong This Sunday

You are invited to join the All Church Christmas Carol Singalong in the Sonshine Cafe, December 11, 9:30 to 10:15 a.m. Complementary coffee will be served to all participants. The St. John's Blue Grass Ensemble and Jim Ahrend on keyboard will accompany your singing. Come join us. 

Jolly Elders Meeting Next Wednesday

Our next meeting of Jolly Elders will be on Wednesday, December 14, 2022, beginning at 11:00 a.m., in the Sanctuary. Adults of all ages are cordially invited to come to our next meeting of Jolly Elders, where we will enjoy as our program a concert of Advent and Christmas Songs by our special guests, the Joy Singers. The Joy Singers are a choral group of older musicians here at St. John’s that enjoy singing with a focus on the Gospel style. They are directed by our church’s Assistant Music Director, Therese Macali. Come join us and join in singing yourself if you know the lyrics! 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. 

New MexiChords Barbershop Holiday Concerts December 16 and 17

Join New MexiChords Barbershop Harmony Society Chorus for "Christmas Eve in My Home Town" with the Eldorado High School Choir as a special guest. The concerts will take place Friday, December 16 at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday, December 17 at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are $10 with group discounts available. Kids 6 and under are free. For ticket information please call (505) 242-4451. The concerts will take place at St. John's. We look forward to gathering in person to celebrate the holidays.

Mobile Food Pantry December 17

The Mobile Food Pantry delivers nutritious food, including fresh produce, directly to hungry people in need across New Mexico. Started in 2008, the program currently partners with more than 100 sites across New Mexico.

Our next Mobile Food Pantry is Saturday, December 17. Volunteers arrive around 9:30 a.m. and distribution begins at about 10:15 a.m., depending on the time the truck arrives. We are usually finished by noon.

If you are interested in helping or have questions, please contact Debby Smith at 505-554-4238 or dysmith0427@gmail.com.

Youth Announcements

December Youth Schedule 

• December 10, 9:00 a.m.- 12:00 p.m.: Youth help with Bair Foundation Christmas party foster children (FLC)
• December 11, 4-6 p.m.: Regular Solid Ground
• December 18, 4-6 p.m.: Solid Ground gift exchange (bring a wrapped gift under $10)

Flamingo Flock

The Flamingo Flock is busy and still flying for Advent. We are currently on a four week waiting list but book your flight for the new year. Simply fill out a pink itinerary form found in the front office or at worship check in (or email Tiffany at thollums@stjohns-abq.org) and send the flock to bless someone. All love offerings go to support youth ministries.   

Children's Ministry Updates

New children's chapel location is Room 240 upstairs. We grew! Children's chapel is offered during the 9:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. worship times. Children are dismissed to chapel following the children's offering. 

Children's December 'St. Kids Be a Blessing' Calendars are available at the Hospitality Center and Abide check in table. Each day on the calendar has blessing challenges to do as a family and children can bring their completed calendar to earn prizes. You can also join us for Families of Faith each Thursday from 5:30-7:40 p.m. to turn in calendars and earn Bible Bucks for the 'Treasure cart' with cool prizes (rumored Squishmellows). To receive an email copy of the calendar, please email Tiffany (thollums@stjohns-abq.org) 

Nursery Announcements

The nursery will be available for Lessons and Carols services and at the Christmas Eve Service at 4:00 p.m. There will not be nursery available for morning services on December 25 and January 1.

Zuni Christmas Tree

This is a reminder to return your Zuni kids' gifts, wrapped with tag attached THIS SUNDAY to the office or hospitality center. Thank you so much for your generosity.  

Thank You for Supporting Angel Tree

Thank you once again St. John's for your amazing support for the Angel Tree program. We ask, and you deliver, and in the process, bring the joy of Christmas to many children who are separated from their parent (s) who are incarcerated. Thanks to your selfless giving, the hearts of their parents are touched in ways we can only imagine. We have served 69 children this year, and we thank you all very much. Merry Christmas.

Servers Wanted for Cookie Receptions

After Lessons & Carols

The Food Ministry will be having a cookie, coffee and punch reception in the Welcome Center/Narthex after each Lessons and Carols on December 20 and 21st to encourage fellowship, to get warm and cozy in the Christmas season, and to support the hard work of those who participated in the Festival of Lessons and Carols. 

If you would like to help serve punch or coffee or help refill the cookies and punch, please sign up using the link below. No experience necessary, just a smile and a, somewhat, steady hand. Servers can attend the Lessons and Carols and still serve as the reception will be set up and starts at the conclusion of the Festival.

Questions, please contact Chef Tim at tnuzum@stjohns-abq.org.

No Mountain Cathedrals in December

There will be no Mountain Cathedrals in December. Please join us on January 14 for the next hike (location to be decided soon). Contact: Mike Furnish, CLM, mdfurnish@comcast.net.

Two Organizations in Need of Our Help

Just imagine living without the essentials, like blankets and underwear! If this tugs at your heartstrings, please join our effort, throughout December, to collect these specific items for two organizations: Good Shepherd Center, located in downtown Albuquerque, and Four Corners Native American Ministries in Shiprock. Good Shepherd Center provides overnight shelter for homeless men, and is in need of: new men's socks, and new men's boxers and boxer-briefs in medium, large and extra-large. Four Corners Ministry assists Native Americans, and is in need of the following new items for both men and women: socks and underwear in all sizes, and new or gently-used blankets. Please be sure that all socks and underwear are new; blankets may be gently-used, but must be clean. Please place your donations in the wire bins located in the Hospitality Center, anytime during the month of December. Thank you.

Zuni Weekend Meal Bags

Helping prevent childhood hunger is a major goal of our St. John's Mission Team, but you are the ones who actually make it happen! Throughout December, we'll collect the following individual-sized food items: shelf-stable white milk; nut-free granola or breakfast bars; microwavable mac-and-cheese cups; and Chef Boyardee single-serve, microwavable pastas with meat. Please place your donations in the wire bins in the Hospitality Center. The Weekend Meal Bag Project currently helps 45 Zuni students who are experiencing food insecurity at home on the weekends. We thank you for your generosity, and if you'd prefer to give a monetary donation, any amount is gratefully accepted at any time. 

Sign-Up For Extend the Table Ministry

Home communion ‘Extend the Table’ ministry is in its second month!. 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-anq.org.

Join the Advent Bible Study on Sunday Mornings

Family Spirit Sunday School class invites you to join us in person in classroom 257 on Sunday mornings at 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. as we study: The Angels of Christmas, Hearing God’s Voice in Advent, a book by Susan Robb.

Between November 27 and December 18, 2022, we will be studying this new book and watching in class the video series on DVD of the author teaching us about her new book. In class, over the four Sundays of the Advent Season, “we will explore the four angelic visits surrounding the birth of Jesus, with Zechariah, Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds." In this study, the reader 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 means for listeners both then and now.”

Facilitator: Brian A. Eagan. No pre-registration is needed. Walk-ins welcome. This free class is open to all adults. Guests and visitors are invited to drop in to sample the class. To learn more: watch this quick introduction video (just 1 minute) by the book author, Rev. Susan Robb of Dallas, TX, about her newly published book: https://youtu.be/SKn7KsMtLVo

Christmas Food Boxes For the

John Marshall Community Center

Interested St. John’s church members are invited to participate in our program of providing Christmas food boxes to needy families served by the John Marshall Community Center in the south Broadway area of Albuquerque. This year’s timeline:

• Sunday, December 11, 2022: Commit to Jack Nuzum (tel. 505-265-5241, jcnuzum@juno.com) as to the number of boxes which will be provided and by whom. There also will be a sign-up sheet in the Hospitality Center with a suggested list of contents for the boxes. List of contents can also be accessed by this LINK.

• Saturday, December 17, 2022: Bring the completed boxes to the WEST side of St. John’s between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. 

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.