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

1. Dennis's Article: Practical Thoughts on Forgiveness
2. Men's Shelter Sign Up
3. Snapshot Sundays
4. Nursery Note
5. Happy Birthday to Kayleigh Mac!
6. Lent for Littles
7. Wednesday Lenten Worship
8. ARTful Lent
9. Heritage Sunday and Mission Fair
10. Music Ministry Update
11. On the Way
12. Community and State Mission Offering
13. Heritage Article
14. Prayer List
15. Minister On Call Schedule & Staff Contact Info

Practical Thoughts on Forgiveness

by Dennis Foust, Senior Minister

Last Sunday, I promised to offer some practical thoughts on forgiveness in this week’s newsletter and on our St. John’s blog.

Dr. Tyler VanderWeele is co-director of the Initiative on Health, Religion, and Spirituality at Harvard’s School of Public Health. He proposes five initiatives forming the acrostic REACH to help you grow in forgiveness. RECALL; EMPATHIZE; ALTRUISTIC GIFT; COMMIT; and HOLD.

R is for RECALL: Recall the experience wherein someone wronged you, hurt you, betrayed you, or disappointed you. Attempt recalling the event in an objective way. Consider that the person who hurt you did not intend to do so. If you can, think of the other person in a way that helps you gain a clearer understanding of the wrong that was done. Allow yourself to identify the feelings of the experience that come with RECALL.

E is for EMPATHIZE: As you recall the hurtful event, try to understand the other person's point of view in the situation. Without minimizing or downplaying the wrong that was done, identify whether the wrong was intended to be personal or hurtful or whether the other person was operating from a different perspective. Dr. VanderWeele offers excellent and helpful insight when he observes, “People who attack others or lash out are sometimes themselves in a state of fear, worry, and hurt.” They often don't realize they have hurt someone.

A is for ALTRUISTIC GIFT: After you recall and empathize with the hurtful experience, consider your own shortcomings. Reflect on a time when you treated someone harshly and were forgiven. Did you intend to hurt them? Did they forgive you? If they communicated their forgiveness to you, how did their forgiveness make you feel? Realizing how this made you feel can help you see forgiveness is an altruistic gift you can give to another person.

C is for COMMIT: Too often, forgiveness is thwarted because the hurt person refuses to commit to forgiveness. Commitment requires letting go of the pain. Viewing the person who has hurt you, betrayed you or disappointed you through a negative lens holds the injured person at a distance, refuses to nurture trust and is rooted in self-pity and grudge-holding. This only deepens your pain. However, to commit to forgiveness is to be transformed by God’s Good News. Commit to being honest about your negative feelings while also trying to visualize the person and situation in a more positive light.

H is for HOLD: The last step is to hold on to forgiveness. This action is extremely difficult because memories of the event will often return. “Forgiveness is not erasure,” says Dr. VanderWeele. “Rather, forgiveness is about changing your reaction to those memories.” When negative feelings do arise, hold to your commitments. Remind yourself that you are forgiven, and you have committed yourself to ‘forgive as you have been forgiven.’ Forgiveness is choosing to live with the painful consequences of another person’s sin in a way that is redemptive. Just hold the reality in your life; you are going to live with the painful memory anyway. You might as well hold onto the forgiveness rather than the bitterness, hatred, and anguish that will destroy your spirit.

Thank you to all who made pudding and who served at the Shelter in February. A reminder that we serve on the third Friday of EVERY MONTH. You may choose to make pudding or serve any month that fits your schedule.

What we would like, is for you to sign up on Sign up Genius here. That way we know that we have enough dessert and enough servers. You may pick any month through June. Click on the link here to get to the sign up. You can also find the link to sign up at the beginning of the Family News each week. If you have any questions about it, Amanda in the office will help. We hope we have made it easy for you to use.

The men at the shelter love the pudding and the people who serve receive a blessing in doing God’s work. Thank you, St. John’s, for being servants at the shelter ever since it was built!

Snapshot Sundays

Don't have a picture in Realm?

No problem! Each Sunday in March before Sunday School OR after Worship, stop by the Main Entrance and we will take your picture and upload it for you.

Asking yourself, "Why do I even need a profile picture?" These pictures are used to help ministers and members put a face to the name. This way we can get to know one another better.

So, come and have your picture taken each Sunday in March before Sunday School OR after worship at the Main Entrance.

Note for Nursery Volunteers

Masks for nursery volunteers are no longer required at this time. We will continue to monitor viral metrics and keep you updated on future protocols.



Lent for Littles

Sunday, March 5

11:30-1:30 in Broach Hall

Join us on Sunday, March 5 for Lent for Littles. Come to Broach Hall immediately following worship for lunch and an immersive and sensory "journey" through the season of Lent. Sand art, water, dried palm fronds, ashes, and jellybeans will help us understand this serious season of preparing for Easter.

We will end our afternoon together by making simple Allelulia stoles, which we will “bury” until Easter. On Easter we will raise our stoles from their “tomb” and our children will be invited to wear them during worship. 

Register on Realm, contact Kheresa, or click below.

Elizabeth Communities of Faith Lenten Services

The Elizabeth Communities of Faith will continue the 2023 Lenten Services each Wednesday in March in the Sanctuary at St. John's with lunch afterwards in BROACH Hall. Donations will be accepted for lunch.

The theme for the services this year is "Journey to the Cross." We will partner with Hawthorne Lane UMC, St. Martin's Episcopal, Caldwell Presbyterian, and the area hospital chaplains for each service and lunch. See below for the schedule.

• Wednesday, March 8 at 12pm: Jesus is Betrayed, Arrested, and Condemned: Mark 14:43-46, 53-56, 15:1-15
• Wednesday, March 15 at 12pm: Jesus Wears a Crown of Thorns and Is Victimized by Mockery: Mark 15:16-20
• Wednesday, March 22 at 12pm: Jesus is Served by Simon of Cyrene: Mark 15:21
• Wednesday, March 29 at 12pm: Jesus is Crucified: Mark 15:22-26

Artful Lent

Kindergarten-5th Grade

Sunday, March 26 at 11:30am

Our Kindergarten – 5th grade children are invited to Artful Lent on Sunday, March 26 at 11:30am in Broach Hall. 

Through art, our children will illustrate their understanding of “The Last Seven Words of Jesus from the Cross.” During Holy Week, our church family will be invited to visit our Stations of the Last Seven Words.

Register on Realm or click below.

Heritage Sunday & Luncheon

Sunday, March 19

Reservations Required

Please join us on Sunday, March 19 at 11:30am as we celebrate our second century. Following worship, there will be a catered lunch in Broach Hall followed by a Mission Fair in the gym. Cost of lunch is $15 for adults and $10 for children 5th grade and under.

Reservations for lunch with payment are required.

Lunch will include baked chicken, mac & cheese, green beans, coleslaw, and rolls. Cost is $15 per person. Children (5th grade and younger) $10 per child. There is a Household Maximum of $50 for all those within one household. You must pay in advance for this event. You can pay online or by check. Checks should be made to St. John’s Baptist Church and be given to Amanda Morrison in the Church Office by March 13. You may access the Realm registration link below.

UPDATE ON INTERIM WORSHIP AND MUSIC MINISTRIES

As our church enters this interim season in worship and music ministries, here is our plan.

1. Noel Lance will be rehearsing the Chancel Choir on Wednesday evenings in early March.
2. Noel Lance and Matthew Manwarren will be directing congregational singing from the organ bench on Sundays until an Interim Music Minister can begin.
3. Our Children’s Choir will continue to be directed by Chloe Hall.
4. Our Handbell Choir will continue to be directed by Jacquelyn McAbee.
5. Our St. John’s Academy for the Arts initiatives are continuing to move forward.
6. Worship planning will be coordinated by Dennis Foust with our worship folders prepared as usual by Amanda Morrison and Mallory Brown with input on music from Noel and Matthew and other aspects of worship expressions offered by our ministers and members.
7. Our chair of deacons, M.C. Sorrell, and our chair of personnel, Steven Follis, have appointed two search teams to serve the church during these interim months.

• The first is an Interim Music Minister Task Force. This group consists of M.C. Sorrell, Steven Follis, Kathy Bragg, Ken Hungate, and Patti Klein with Dennis Foust serving ex officio. They will choose an Interim Music Minister to present to our Personnel Resource Team.
• The second group appointed is our Minister for Worship and Music Search Team. This group will initiate a search process, build a profile for the position and identify candidates who best meet our profile. This group will be chaired by James Laney. Members of the Search Team include Kathy Bragg, Ken Hungate, Eric McCombs, Elizabeth Peacock Miller, Ed Turner, and Sally Young with Dennis Foust serving ex officio. This group represents chancel choir, parents of children, and handbells.

As we move through this interim season, let us continue to provide prayerful support of those who lead and serve in these important areas of our ministries. We are grateful for each person who is investing in the present and future of St. John’s.

On the Way

St. John's Retired Adults and Friends

St. John’s retired adults (and friends) will be On The Way to Mama Ricotta’s for lunch on Friday, March 17. Please meet at the church at 11:00 am so we can coordinate to carpool to Mama Ricotta’s at 11:15am. We have reservations for an 11:30 am lunch in a private meeting room that seats up to 22 people. We should return back to the church around 1:00 pm. Let’s be festive and wear green since it is St. Patrick’s Day! 

Please let Lee Gray LGray@sjcharlotte.org know if you plan to participate so he can convey our numbers to our contact. Here is a link to their lunch menu- https://www.mamaricottas.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Mamas-New-Lunch-menu-Dec-2022-1.pdf

Please also mark your calendar for Wednesday, April 19 for a day-trip to Winston-Salem to Reynolda Museum, Gardens, and Shops. We will also have lunch at the Village Tavern that day. More details about this trip will be forthcoming.

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. You may have heard that Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood will participate in this year’s project. This 2023 Work Project is scheduled for October to coincide with the 40th anniversary of Habitat Charlotte’s creation and it is the 36th anniversary of the first build, in 1987, with former President Jimmy Carter and first lady Rosalynn Carter in Optimist Park.

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. Last Friday evening, during our Pancake Supper, we raised $562.

So, we only need to give $6,938 more dollars to reach our goal of $7,500.



Let’s Build a Better World!

Church Eggstravaganza!

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!

Easter egg hunt, games, and entertainment. Don't feel like hunting for those hidden eggs, no problem, there's still plenty to do!

Register here.

From the Heritage Room

Please note-- The display for St. John’s in the 1990’s is now in the hallway across from Amanda’s office and will be there until Sunday, March 12th.

The 90s: St. John’s Ministers to Those at Its Doors

By Ken Sanford

The departure of Dr. Thomas Graves in 1991 left some disappointed that he was leaving so soon, but others saw an opportunity for his greater service as president of the Baptist Theological Seminary of Richmond. With the calling of Dr. Richard Kremer in 1991, the church began a rediscovery of mission opportunities close at hand. By the end of the decade, the population of the city had passed the half-million mark, presenting the opportunities and challenges of a major U.S. city. When the church constructed the Broach Hall addition (1990) made sure there was space for ministries, such as Hospitality House ( at that time names MMAE’s Inn). St. John’s helped build Hope Chapel (1992) to minister to the spiritual needs of the homeless. Dr. Kremer led in creating a Bible School for inner city children (1994). A Hospice Team (1990), an AIDS team (1993) and a cancer support team were formed (1997).

St. John’s honored Claude and Katherine Broach by naming the new fellowship hall for them in 1992 as part of the celebration of 70th anniversary. The four then living charter members, Jennie Mae Fortson, Theresa Nelson, Cleo Blackwelder and Carrie Ferguson were honored. The fellowship hall was named in honor of Bob and Harriet Lasater in 1997.

The church gained and lost a number of outstanding ministerial leaders. With the resignation of Al McClanahan (1991), Dr. Andre Lash, a Fellow in the American Guild of Organists, was promoted to Minister of Music. Dianne Green was named as Parish Nurse (1990). Dr. Tommy McDearis left (1992) to head an Atlanta church. Tom Green became interim Associate Minister (1995)—sadly he died in 1998. Clarence Eden was named Minister to In-Betweens in 1998. Kay Price became Minister to Youth (1992) but left in 1994 to become a dean at Wingate University. She was succeeded in by Fran Cook (1995-1997). Lee Gray arrived as an intern (1997), then was promoted to Minister to Youth (1998). Nancy Morris earned her doctorate and later joined Smith and Helwys Publishing as an editor (1995). Becky Stout served as Interim until Renee Owen came as Minister to Children (1996), only staying a year, followed by Gloria Simmons in 1997.

Youth were very active during the decade, building Habitat homes in Charleston, SC (1990 and 1993), Lynchburg, Va. (1992), and West Virginia (1994). They traveled to Atlanta in 1996 to give Christian witness at the Olympic Games. Adults traveled to Prague and Berlin (1997) for mission projects.

The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF) became the church’s home for outreach beyond the community (1991). A committee on denominational relations, headed by Dr. Joseph Patterson, recommended (1997) St. John’s begin “A quiet withdrawal from the Southern Baptist Convention.” A gloomy prospect for relations with the state convention was signaled when Dr. Jack Causey was defeated (1997) by a conservative candidate for president.

Laypersons were active in Baptist and community relations. Cathy Hartsell was elected moderator of the NC CBF (1995) serving as vice president of the General Board of the Baptist State Convention (1994). Wanny Hogewood and Mary-Stuart (Brooks) Alderman (1998) assisted Mecklenburg Ministries. Bert Green became executive director of Charlotte Habitat for Humanity (1993). Dr. Jack Bullard retired as head of the Community Relations Council (1994) after years of working with Dr. Broach on racial harmony issues.

The church celebrated its 75th anniversary in 1997 with Dr. Graves as the keynote speaker and Dr. Broach speaking briefly. He died shortly thereafter, leaving a lasting legacy.

Prayers, Thanks, and Celebrations

• Martha Brown, Barbara McElwey, Nyandheng Mijak, Joseph Mabil Majak, Melanie Foust, Pat Engle, Parker Fields, Debbie Stillerman
• Sympathy to Todd Stillerman in the death of his Uncle Jim Stillerman

Minister On-Call Schedule

• Feb. 27- March 5: Dennis 
• March 6 – 12: Haley 
• March 13 – 19: Kheresa 
• March 20 – 26: Lee 

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)

• 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