December 15, 2023

Josh's Jottings

It's hard to believe that we are just a little over a week away from Christmas. As this will be the last Disciple Connections before Christmas, I wanted to thank all of you in the congregation for the love, enthusiasm, and grace that you have shared this year. All the more, I wish you a Merry Christmas this year. 

Madeleine L'Engle wrote, "There is nothing so secular that it cannot be sacred, and that is one of the deepest message of the incarnation." When we push back against the blockades that distract us this year - the yearning for nostalgia, the lure of materialism, and the desire for perfection - we are left with a stark, uncomfortable, and hopeful message. The sacred - indeed the divine - has come into our world. God is not distant. God is very very close. As close as a baby in a mother's arms. I hope that for you, God comes close this year. I hope that God's love feels like a tiny baby clinging close to you. When we welcome God in this way, in all the vulnerability of a baby, places in our heart that have long since been blocked off can unravel and open up. Let God into those spaces. Be vulnerable to God in the same way God was vulnerable to us in Jesus. 

Merry Christmas. 

-Josh 

Christmas at St. John's

December 24

Join us for one of four services offered on Christmas Eve Sunday, December 24. Find more information on our website https://www.stjohns-abq.org/christmas.

11:00AM | Family Service | Sanctuary

7:30PM | Candlelight Service | Sanctuary

11:00PM | Candlelight Service | Sanctuary

New Years Eve Services

December 31

On New Years Eve, December 31, there will be a 9:30 a.m. Abide service, and an 11 a.m. Traditional service. There will not be an 8:15 a.m. Mosaic service.

9:30AM | Abide Service | Family Life Center

11:00PM | Traditional Service | Sanctuary

Mountain Cathedral Hike

Saturday

Please join us Saturday, December 16 for a stroll through the volcanoes we all know on Albuquerque’s west horizon. Plan to be at St. John’s Methodist Church (east lot) at 8:30 a.m. or at the Volcanoes Day Use Area parking lot at 9:00 a.m. (when it opens). Bring snacks, water and sun protection; return by noon.

In the spirit of our Advent journey, we will focus less on reaching mountaintops (the Park Service doesn’t allow summiting the main volcanoes anyway) and more on what is along the way. In this arid landscape, as in our lives, there are surprises and wonders for those who look for them.

The hike is easy to moderate (2.5 - 3.4 miles; some up and down). There is a vault restroom at the trailhead.

Save the date: The next two Mountain Cathedral hikes will be January 13 and February 17. (Is there interest in a starlight hike as well?)

For more info, contact Mike Furnish (884-6626). 'Til our trails meet! 

Mobile Food Pantry

Saturday

Our next Mobile Food Pantry is this Saturday, December 16. Volunteers arrive about 9:00 a.m. and distribution begins at 9:30 - 10:00 a.m., depending on the time the Roadrunner food truck arrives. We are usually finished before noon. For more information, please contact Debby Smith at (505) 554-4238 or dysmith0427@gmail.com.

New MexiChords Christmas Concert

Saturday

The New MexiChords present their Christmas concert, "It’s Beginning to Sound a Lot Like Christmas," with two performances on Saturday, December 16 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., here, at St. John's main sanctuary with special guest quartet, "Quartet of All Time.”

Concerts are free and donations are appreciated. Join us as we celebrate the sounds of the season!

No Disciple Connections

December 22

You will not receive an E-Disciple next Friday, December 22. Newsletters for the Disciple will continue on December 29.

Servers Needed for Lessons and Carols

Dinner for Choir and Orchestra

Prior to the Lessons and Carols on Wednesday, December 20, the Food Ministry will be feeding the choir, orchestra and readers. Servers are needed to help set the tables, cut desserts, set up the drink station, and serve drinks, scrape dishes and to clean up after. The shift is from 4 p.m. - 7 p.m. If you are able to help, please contact Chef Tim at 505-883-9717 or tnuzum@stjohns-abq.org.  

Winter Men's Bible Study: Book of Psalms

The biblical book of Psalms contains songs of love and of hate; of forgiveness and vengeance; of praise and anger...in short, these amazing poems express every emotion of the human heart. They have been sung, cited, and recited for thousands of years.

And now we, the men of St. John's, are going to study them in some detail on Mondays starting January 8, 2024, for six weeks. There will be a morning class that will both in person (Room 245) and Zoomed from 10-11:30 a.m. as well as an evening ZOOM ONLY class from 7-8:30 p.m.

Contact teacher Jack Nuzum at jcnuzum@juno.com if you are interested.

Biblical Dad Jokes for the New Year

Do you seek out Rev. Dave Ring each Sunday? Are you thinking about New Year’s resolutions and trying to find an easy way to begin reading the Bible every day? If you answered yes to either question, this announcement is for you. St. John’s email Bible study will start the new year with 40 days of biblical dad jokes. Here’s a free sample: Which biblical character had no parents?  Not Adam, because he was the son of God (Luke 3:38). The correct answer is found in Exodus 33:7-11, which says that Joshua was the son of Nun. 

The email Bible study, “Reading Our Bibles Together,” originated at St. John’s in 2007 and is our largest and longest-running Bible study. A scripture passage and a brief study tip are distributed to most participants by email five days a week, and we each read at a time and place of our own choosing. Answers to reader questions and other supplements occasionally come out on Saturdays. To receive daily study tips by email, write or call Regina Hunter at drhunter@nmia.com or 294-2877.  If you prefer to read on paper, pick up a study guide in the Hospitality Center.  Biblical Dad Jokes will begin on Christmas day. 

Calling St. John's Expert Costume Creators!

Children's Ministry needs some help with a couple costumes for this year's Christmas pageant. If you are a super stitcher and would like to help, please contact Angela Lybarger at (505) 250-3875.

Thank you!

Nursery Help Needed

As we meet the nursery needs for regular and visiting singers, musicians, and families during the busy month of December, St. John's desperately needs more folks who can help in the nursery on Sundays & Wednesdays, during Lessons & Carols, and on Christmas Eve. If you'd like to help but need Safe Sanctuaries training, then you're in luck! We are offering a training session on Sunday, December 17, at 3 p.m. Please contact Angela Lybarger at (505) 250-3875 to sign up for nursery help and/or for Safe Sanctuaries training. 

Preschool Plus

Our Preschool Ministry is getting ready for our Christmas program. This year our Christmas program will be The Fumbly Bumbly Angels. Our cute little angels are hoping to get into the heavenly choir, but we always seem to fumble bumble things up. Our Program will be Thursday December 21 at 6:00 p.m. The Preschool Staff would like to say thank you for sharing in the mission of serving children and families in our community and we hope your holiday season is filled with love and beautiful memories!

Blessings and Peace,

Cathy Lubold 

Coalition in Response to the

Lives Lost From Street Racing

On October 8, 2023, Jenna Hamilton was killed as the result of a horrific street-racing crash on Louisiana NE. The driver of one of the speeding cars died as well. In response to this tragic accident, members of St. Andrew Presbyterian Church are seeking to form a coalition to address the increasingly dangerous practice of speeding and drag racing on our city streets in Albuquerque.

Initially, they plan to contact Tammy Feibelkorn, the city councilor in whose district the accident occurred. With her input, they hope to first create a committee broadening into a coalition with the intent of requesting renewed interest in and funding to combat this public health issue.

If you would like to serve on this important committee or have ideas for combatting this dangerous practice, please contact: Paula Mills, mother of Jenna Hamilton, at (505)-974-1784, or email, epmills@live.com.

The greater the chorus, the greater the impact we will have. Please prayerfully consider joining in this effort.

Christmas Pageant Practices

Hello families, kids, helpers, and participating youth. Mark your calendars for "The Mysterious Animal" practice times. We will meet this Sunday, December 17, from 12:15 - 2 p.m. We will also have a practice on Saturday, December 23, time to be determined.

See you in the sanctuary!

Prayer Quilt Recipient

Cathy Lubold's parents, Millie and Don Hightower, are the recipients for the prayer quilt currently on display in the Hospitality Center.

If you pass through the Hospitality Center this week, please tie a knot in the quilt while praying for Millie and Don. Won't be in the Center this week? No worries, either way please pray this prayer (or your own prayer) for them. "Father, we come to you with humble hearts, asking your divine protection over Millie and Don. We ask that you surround them with your love and grace, and keep them safe from all harm. In your loving arms, may they find refuge and strength. Amen.”

Snack Items

During the month of December, we will be collecting "snack items" for Tierra Adentro New Mexico (TANM) Arts Charter School, located in NW Albuquerque, and serving mid- and high-school students. The function of TANM is to ensure quality education in the arts and academics for children, while facilitating a deep understanding and practical application of New Mexico’s cultural roots and traditions.

We currently provide weekend meal bags each week for five of their students who are homeless/food insecure and will continue to do so. However, they have identified an additional 50 students who are food insecure and we would like to help out any way we can. This month we are collecting snack items which will be distributed by the counselor as needed at TANM. Suggested SINGLE-SERVE items are: cheese and crackers, beef jerky, applesauce, pudding, fruit cups, granola bars, power bars, cereal bars, ravioli, spaghetti-os, macaroni and cheese, soups (pull tab openings), ramen noodles, trail mix, fruit snacks, boxed drinks and juices, chips, pretzels, Goldfish, Vienna sausages, pop tarts, or oatmeal. Please place your donated items in the bins in the Hospitality Center.

THANK YOU, St. John's, for all you do for those who are food insecure!

Our worship services are livestreamed so you can watch them from home. To watch a worship service live, click on the service that you would like to watch on Sunday morning at its scheduled time.

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

Pastoral care is available for after-hours emergencies. Please send any congregational care needs to Pastor Josh at jkouri@stjohns-abq.org as we all work together to love one another well.