A Word From Pastor Randall

Dear Beloved of St. John’s,
 
One of the questions that has come up in conversations prior to my arrival at St. John’s as well as since I’ve arrived is whether or when St. John’s is going to fill our Associate Pastor position. I’m pleased to share that our Staff-Parish Relations Committee met on June 30 and agreed to bring the Rev. Tiffany Hollums onboard as our new Associate Pastor. Tiffany is an ordained Deacon in The United Methodist Church and a full clergy member of the New Mexico Annual Conference, having served most recently outside of our Conference in the Austin area. Tiffany is married to D.G. (who is also a pastor, newly appointed to serve at Zia UMC in Santa Fe) and they have a wonderful 10-year old daughter named Gracie. Tiffany brings a wealth of ministry experience, both within and beyond the local church, and the hope is that her heart for outreach and missions will serve us very well in our Associate Pastor role.

Because Tiffany is clergy, we will need to hold a Charge Conference to approve her part-time compensation package. We have scheduled a Charge Conference with that single agenda item for Sunday, July 25 immediately following the 11a.m. worship service, to be held in the Family Life Center. It is my hope that we will be able to bring Tiffany on staff very soon after that and welcome her to our wonderful St. John’s family!
 
Blessings,

Randall W. Partin
Listening Groups with Rev. Partin

In these gatherings, hosted by a member of SPRC, you’ll have the chance for one-on-one introductions with Rev. Partin, and our new Reverend will have a chance to listen to your thoughts, hopes, and dreams for our ministry together over the coming months and years.

We recognize that some folks may prefer the convenience and comfort of ZOOM gatherings, so we’ve scheduled both on-site and online meetings. Please register for one of these sessions using the links below. Additional gatherings will be scheduled beyond these first groupings, so if a time does not work for your schedule (or if these fill up, there is space for 20 participants in each session), we will offer additional meetings in the future.
Register For a Zoom Listening Group:
Register For an In-Person Listening Group:
Welcome Pastor Randall & Family:
Introducing Susan
Hi!  I’m Susan Brumbaugh.  I was born in Virginia and raised in Florida. I went to college at the University of Florida and got a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of California, Riverside. Randall and I met while I was working at the University of Colorado.  When Randall went to Duke for seminary, I began working at the Research Triangle Institute (RTI International) and have been doing research at RTI for 18+ years, mostly with jails and prisons and program evaluations. While we lived in Las Cruces, I pursued my true call of mental health counseling and got an MA in counseling from NMSU. I’ve been working with clients at SJUMC since 2018. In addition to my professional endeavors, I truly enjoyed being a clergy spouse and am involved in the church at many levels, including volunteering with General Conference since 1996 and serving as the Coordinator of the Calendar for General Conference since 2008. I was elected to the NMAC delegation for 2012, 2016, and 2020. I have served on or chaired several jurisdictional and general conference task forces on annual conference and jurisdictional boundaries. 
Thank You & Update From Pastor Randall by Stan Mortimer From SPRC

Randall, his wife, and family are enormously grateful and honored by the welcome they have received at St John’s UMC. He wishes to thank the congregation for the cards and messages of welcome and the 25th wedding anniversary best wishes for him and Susan.
 
Pastor Randall will leave for Chicago shortly after the start of the 11am service this weekend as he participates in the 3rd in a series of nine quarterly retreats over two years in a Transforming Community at St Mary’s on the Lake on the North side of Chicago. The retreats strengthen the soul and spiritual connection of God’s servants to His Plan and Will for the purpose of discernment, leadership, mission, and much more. He asks for your prayers and thoughts in this process. For more information on the Transforming Center, visit their website.

The 11:00am message this Sunday will be brought to us by Rev. Dr. Scott Sharp.
Front Desk Volunteers Needed

The church staff will be on an offsite retreat on Tuesday, July 20 from 10:30a.m. - 4:00p.m. and needs a volunteer to cover the front office during that time.
 
Also, Debbie will be on vacation from Monday, September 13 – 17 and will need volunteer(s) to cover the front office during the week. (Monday through Thursday from 9:00a.m. to 4:00p.m. and Friday from 9:00 am to noon.)
 
If you would like to volunteer for either or both periods, please contact Debbie at (505) 883-9717, ext. 138. If you can only cover the office for a few hours or the whole day would be a tremendous help!
We Are Getting Ready to Launch Our New Church-Wide App!

We are nearly ready to launch our new church-wide app! This app will be available on your mobile phone or tablet, and can also be accessed through your web browser on a computer. Our new app will allow you to volunteer for activities, RSVP for events, find groups to join, and connect with other church members. It will also allow the staff at St. John's to send church members messages - both personal messages and important announcements for the whole the church.

In order to send these messages through our app, we will need to know each person's mobile phone number and phone carrier. If you would like to be able to be a part of this community, please email Debbie with your name, phone number, and phone carrier.
Beware of SPAM Email

Recently there has been a phishing email that was sent to staff members at St. John's. This email does not come from a St. John's account, but fraudulently says that it is from Pastor Randall. If you receive this email that says it is from Pastor Randall, but it is not from his email address (rpartin@stjohns-abq.org), please delete it and do not respond. Know that all emails from St. John's and St. John's staff will always end in "@stjohns-abq.org". This is how you can safely know an email is from our team.
St. John's Email Bible Study

St. John's Email Bible Study continues with Perfect Sevens: Symbolic Numbers in the Bible.  Seven, when used symbolically, means “a perfect number of.” But sometimes it just means “7,” and often there are exactly 7 of something because seven is a symbolic number. Sometimes it’s difficult to tell whether the number is symbolic or exact. The same is true of twelve and forty.  Join us as we examine the three most significant symbolic numbers in the Bible. Pick up a study guide in the Narthex, or receive daily study tips by email by writing or calling Regina Hunter at drhunter@nmia.com or 294-2877.
Montague Memorial Service July 17 at 10:30a.m.

Gary Montague Memorial Service
  • Saturday, July 17 at 10:30a.m.
  • St. John's UMC Sanctuary
  • Reception Immediately following service in the Sonshine Cafe

In honor of Gary, please do not wear black. Gary loved bolo ties, so if you have a bolo tie, please wear it. (Please park in the south east parking lot, closest to the sanctuary).
Sonshine Cafe Now Open for Coffee, Hot Tea and Ice Water

Come by the Sonshine Cafe Sunday mornings between 9a.m. and 11a.m. for “pay what you can” hot coffee or hot tea. Ice water is available to cool you down and stay hydrated! Everyone is welcome! Stop by before or after Abide, before or after Sunday school or before the Traditional Service. Let’s come together over a cup of hot coffee with people from other services! One cup. One church. ☕️ ✝️ 🤎
Volunteer for the Asbury Pie Cafe

Asbury Cafe Time: The NM State Fair is being held this year, and this means it's Asbury Cafe and pie time. NM State Fair is September 9-19, and there are many volunteer roles for anyone wanting to help. Please email Dave Young or call 505-715-2030, or email Jenn Shields or call 505-450-9978. We need:
  • Pie Party Helpers - Tuesday mornings, 8:30a.m. - 10:30a.m. from July 6 - August 17 in the FLC/Kitchen. Due to a schedule conflict, there will be no pie party on Tuesday, July 27.
  • Freezer Space for Pie Storage - Contact Jenn Shields
  • Workers at Asbury Cafe - Sign up every Sunday in August - East parking lot
  • Pie Bakers - Sign up every Sunday in August - East parking lot
  • Pie Collectors - Sign up every Sunday in August - East parking lot
Volunteer for Family Promise Meals This Weekend

Thank you for generously giving of your energy and resources to provide meals to the families currently in this program. The meals will continue to be dropped off at Church of the Good Shepherd (7834 Tennyson St. NE, Albuquerque, NM, 87122). In addition to dinners, we have been asked to provide Saturday & Sunday breakfast and lunch on July 10 and July 11. Click here to sign up to drop off a meal. Email Jenn Shields with questions.
Jazz Vespers Service Tomorrow: Join Us In-Person & Online

Join us tomorrow, Saturday, at 5p.m. for Jazz Vespers service featuring the music of Dianna Hughes, Colin Deuble, Cal Haines, Robert Lah. Our sanctuary doors will open at 4:30p.m. for anyone who wants to join us for worship in-person, or you can watch the livestream of the service starting at 5p.m. Click the play button above to watch the livestream or click here to view on YouTube.
Family Spirit Sunday
School Class In Person, Studying Words of Life

Family Spirit Sunday School Class is now in person. We will be studying Words of Life: Jesus and the Promise of the Ten Commandments Today, by Rev. Adam Hamilton.

Classroom 257 has reopened on Sunday mornings at 9:30 a.m. for an in person, face to face, class (no more zoom). We are now studying the book and video series: Words of Life: Jesus and the Promise of the Ten Commandments Today, by Rev. Adam Hamilton. On Sunday, July 11 and 18, we will discuss Chapter 4: Rediscovering the Joy of Sabbath... Click here to read the full article.
St. John's Garden Open House July 11

The Garden Team will host an Open House, Sunday, July 11, 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., in the garden area. Drop by and see what has been accomplished so far and what's being planned for the future!
You can access the garden area from inside the church using the double doors on the west side of the education building (by the restrooms) or through the garden gate on the northwest side of the church property.
Mountain Cathedrals Hike July 17

We are planning a Mountain Cathedrals hike for Saturday, July 17. It will be a loop in the La Cieneguilla Petroglyph Site, a petroglyph-rich area near the Santa Fe airport.

Consider: Job finally found his salvation in humility, but only after awful trials, tormenters, and some rather in-your- face lessons. Can we find the grace to humble ourselves, and in the process to learn from people of ages long past, and from others around us today?

Difficulty: Easy/Moderate (2.9 miles, <200 feet of vertical, some pieces of
trail are rocky).Meet at St. John’s (East parking lot) at 7:30a.m. to carpool or drive individually; return by about 1p.m. Please RSVP and email Mike Furnish, CLM with questions.
Women's Bible Study Starts July 19: "Pursued, God's Relentless Love For You"

  • July 19 - August 23 (6 weeks) via ZOOM Monday afternoons, 1p.m. - 3p.m.
  • Maximum number for class is 11
  • Facilitator: Karen Tidler
  • Register by emailing donnabruce@comcast.net

We all want to be loved. We long to be desired, pursued. It’s the story of many of our lives, and it’s the story we see throughout the Scriptures. Although the Bible tells many stories, the main theme is God’s relentless love for us. Click here to read the full article.
The Rummage Sale is Happening July 23 & 24

The Rummage Sale is happening!  If you've been saving your sale donations for the past two years, we'll gladly take them, this year, for our sale on Friday and Saturday, July 23 and 24, in the Family Life Center. Because there is no storage space at the church, we ask that you hold your donations just a bit longer, until our donation drop-off dates of Tuesday, July 20 through 22. Please note that we have set a minimum price of 50 cents, and there is no need to place price stickers on clothing or books. For additional donation guidelines, please click here to see the event flyer. We truly appreciate your cooperation and donations.
Happy 90th Birthday Sacramento! Celebration on July 31

Join Us In Celebrating!
Saturday, July 31, 2021
Free BBQ Lunch, Games & Fun
Dessert & Family Life Center Dedication (Discover our new buildings!)

Please RSVP by email or call the camp at (575) 687-3414. Please call or email the camp staff to make reservations for overnight stays at the campground and conference center. Click here to see new lodging options and read the full article.
Watch the Livestream of Our Sunday Services
11 a.m. Sanctuary Service
9:30 a.m. Abide Service
Click into one of the sections below to read news about each group.
July Special Offering: Wesley House

This month we have the opportunity to support Wesley House at UNM. College Wesley Foundations are so important in developing the faith of young adults as Wesley House has shown over the years. The Wesley House at UNM has housed up to eight students, and provided meals, Bible studies and fellowship to many more. 

But the pandemic has hit Wesley House hard. Fewer students in the house has meant less money from rent. And since Conference funds dried up several years ago, Wesley depends on the generosity of folks like us in the local churches. A Christian home away from home means so much to young adults in a vulnerable period of their lives. Please give generously to Wesley this month.
Virtual Prayer Quilt

Doris Bowen is the recipient for the prayer quilt currently on display.

In lieu of tying knots, please pray this prayer (or your own prayer) for Doris: “Heavenly Father, we pray that you will watch over Doris as she goes through her surgery and that you will grant her a speedy recovery. Amen.”
SUBMISSION DEADLINE for Disciple Connections is Thursday at 10a.m. for the Friday weekly edition. Click here to send your articles to editor Nicole Creaturo.
St. John's UMC for eDisciple
2626 Arizona Street NE | Albuquerque, New Mexico 87110
Office Hours (call only): Monday - Thursday, 9a.m. - 4p.m.
Friday, 9a.m. - 12p.m.