November 3, 2023

Josh's Jottings

As we kick off November, I am reminded of so many of you for whom I am thankful, particularly this week. I was bowled over by all of you who sent kind and supportive messages to me as I traveled to Pennsylvania for a dialogue. The prayers and good thoughts you sent were felt and made the dialogue a positive experience. I was moved to see how the Holy Spirit is moving in churches and traditions. Everyone's willingness to be vulnerable and open made the discussion a positive one. The messages I received from several of you in the congregation as I traveled also helped me maintain clarity and hope. 

I am equally thankful for Rev. Carl Schenck. Early on Saturday, the airline began texting with foreboding messages about weather delays. In Philadelphia, it was eighty degrees and a little muggy, so I was skeptical. But once I looked at the weather reports in Denver, where I was set to connect, I knew I wouldn't be making it home on Saturday. Carl was gracious in stepping in to preach, and delivered a powerful message. 

Finally, on landing in Albuquerque on Sunday, I had just enough time to stop by the Fall Festival sponsored by our youth as well as the Trunk or Treat. This was a great event with fun, food, and fellowship. Thanks to the youth for putting on a very spooky haunted house and running several games as well as everyone who decorated their trunk. 

We are so fortunate to have a congregation where so many joyfully pitch in. Community is alive and strong at St. John's UMC!

-Pastor Josh 

Charge Conference

Saturday

The annual Charge Conference meeting will be held in the St. John’s sanctuary on Saturday, November 4 at 6 p.m. We will approve nominations for 2024, handle the membership audit for the current year, and hear reports on the mission and ministry of the church. All are welcome.

Memory Café

Saturday

On Saturday, November 4, Memory Café will be giving thanks for our veterans and all our blessings! Entertainment will be a special program by the Corbins on the steel drums. We may even play a game or two!

Memory Café is a supportive community fellowship for all persons with memory loss and Alzheimer's Disease along with their family/caregivers. We meet the first Saturday of the month from 1:30 - 3 p.m. in the SonShine Café. For more information contact Sharon Jensen at 505-323-7523, or ssmjens@aol.com.

Asbury Christmas Bazaar

Saturday

Join the fun at Asbury's 40-year Christmas Bazaar on Saturday, November 4, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at Asbury United Methodist Church, 10,000 Candelaria Road NE. There will be over 65 crafters, bake sale, homemade pies, breakfast burritos by Hurricane's, chicken salad croissant sandwich, autumn soup, and Frito pie. Free parking lot shuttle.

Scandinavian Festival

Saturday

A Scandinavian Festival will be held at St John’s United Methodist Church on Saturday, November 4, 2023 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Featuring Scandinavian food, folk art, dance performances, ballad singer and musicians. Admission and parking is free.

Terry Clements and Friends

Saturday

We are excited to announce that Terry Clements and Friends, Richard Bray and Roger Eaton will return to Solid Grounds Coffee House on Saturday, November 4.

We will be playing our popular original songs both new and familiar. Richard (guitar and dobro), Roger (U-bass), and harmonica will also be featured on folk, bluegrass and gospel selections. 

November 4, 2023, 6:30 p.m., Doors open at 6:00 p.m.

Solid Grounds Coffee House

St. Stephen's United Methodist Church

4601 Juan Tabo NE, Albuquerque, NM

Jolly Elders

November 8

Jolly Elders will meet on Wednesday, November 8 at 11 a.m. in Room 245. Elaine Montague will share "vintage writing" about joy, today's culture, reflection, and military life. Hear newly published poetry and prose. Ask questions about the writing process and her trip to Mad Coffee and Bagels. Contact Carol Wiggins at 505-321-0603 or carolmwiggins@aol.com

Braving the Holidays Workshop

November 11

For those experiencing the loss of a family member or friend, the holidays can be an especially trying time. It may be your initial holiday season without your loved one,

or you may have traversed this path before and are contemplating how to manage

the approaching weeks. In either case, join us for this upcoming workshop and take

away some tips for navigating the holiday season. Click here to view the flyer.

Who: Adults grieving the loss of a loved one

When: Saturday, November 11, 2023, 8 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Where: Asbury United Methodist Church

RSVP: EmbracingtheJourney505@gmail.com or call 505.299.0643

Thanksgiving Sunday Turkey Feast

November 12

The St. John’s Food Ministry is inviting everyone to a Thanksgiving Slow Roasted Turkey Feast with sides on Sunday, November 12, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Family Life Center. No reservation required. But a love of from-scratch pumpkin pie, apple pie, or green chili apple pie is a plus! Just $12 for adults, $6 for ages 12-17, $3 for ages 5-11, and under 5 is free. Give thanks for Food, Fellowship and Fun.

A donation basket will be out if you would like to buy a meal for a person experiencing homelessness—we will be taking 180 meals to feed 180 food insecure people at HopeWorks at the end of the month.

We need volunteers to help put on the lunch. If you are available, please sign up HERE.  If you have questions, text or call Nancy Douglas de Baca at 505-238-5895.

Quilters Sale

November 12

St. John's Quilters will have a sale on Sunday, November 12, starting at 10:30 a.m. in the hallway north of the Family Life Center and then moving into the FLC during Sunday's turkey lunch. The sale will feature mainly Christmas items, along with small quilts and other gift items (all priced under $100). Eighty percent of the proceeds will be given to Silver Horizons, ten percent to the Food Ministry, and ten percent to the quilters group.

Asbury Café Volunteer Reception

November 12

Asbury Café Volunteer Reception will be held at Asbury UMC, 10000 Candelaria Rd NE, on Sunday, November 12, at 2 p.m. There will be a presentation of checks to the various charities from 2:30 - 3 p.m. and sometime after the presentation to fellowship and share stories of your time at the Asbury Café. No need to RSVP. If you have questions, please email Jenn Shields at jennshields200@yahoo.com.

Hanging of the Greens Celebration

November 26

Please join us November 26, to prepare our facility for the season of Advent!

Come and go as your schedule provides, work, eat and have some fun with the St. John’s community and start the season of Advent in church creating a beautiful space for people to feel welcome, and to worship. A light lunch will be served.

The following is the schedule of events and locations throughout the church building.

• Following the Abide service at 10:30 a.m., we will begin set up/staging for Family Life Center-side of the building, banners, greens in FLC, wreath fluffing/ fixing/ hanging. 
• Following the sanctuary service at noon we will quickly put away banners, altar cloths, etc. 
• Around 12:30 p.m. a light lunch of soup and salad will be served in the FLC.  
• Following lunch at 1:30 p.m. we will continue decorating around the FLC, sanctuary, narthex, and music wing.

Sign-up sheets can be found in the Hospitality Center as well as in the FLC. Or, you can sign-up using this link HERE. An approximate number will be needed for Tim to know how much food to make.

See you at St. John’s! 

Family Promise Goal Reached

GOAL REACHED: Family Promise raised enough to get the $15,000 matching. The Night Without a Bed fundraiser raised $30,000.

Passing of St. John's Member

St. John's member, David Apple, passed away on October 30. David was a member at St. John's since 2003. Details about the service date and time are being planned. Please keep the Apple family in your thoughts and prayers.

Chef Tim Will Cook Your

Thanksgiving Turkey or Ham 

Are you too busy to cook the turkey or ham this year for Thanksgiving? Are you feeding scores of people and your oven won’t fit a 24 lb. turkey? Have Chef Tim slow roast your turkey or ham for you. $40 you buy the turkey or ham and bring to the kitchen Sunday, November 19; $60 Chef Tim buys the turkey or ham. 

Pick up in the kitchen: Thanksgiving, Thursday, November 23, 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. For more information and to sign up, contact Chef Tim at 505-883-9717 x 141 or tnuzum@stjohns-abq.org.

Angel Tree

The Angel Tree ministry has been supported by St. John's for many years. If you're not familiar, Angel Tree provides gifts for children whose parents are incarcerated, in the name of the parent. Of course, it could not be done without the generosity of the people of St. John's. You will have two opportunities to pick your “Angel” from the Trees that will be in the Narthex and the Family Life Center on November 12 and 19. Then you're off to shop for a gift of clothing and a “fun” gift for “your” Angel, spending $20 on each gift. You can return the wrapped gifts, with the Angels attached, to the church on November 26 and December 3. Volunteers will sort the gifts into family groups, and then make certain they are delivered to the Angels before Christmas!

If you are unable to shop, but would like to support the program, please pick your Angel, and give the volunteer at the tree your $40 contribution. Volunteers will do the shopping and wrapping for you!

Should you be interested in volunteering in some way, please contact Kathy Scherlacher at 505-918-5990.

Each year this Christmas Season ministry brings great joy to the children and the love of Christ to their parents. Thank you, St. John's for your time, your gifts, and your support of Angel Tree.

All the Good: A Wesleyan Way of Christmas by Amy Valdez Barker (Advent Study)

Tuesdays, November 21 - December 19 (5 weeks), 9:30 - 11:30 a.m., IN-PERSON, facilitator: Dara Bell

In "All the Good: A Wesleyan Way of Christmas," a group of diverse Wesleyan scholars will take you on an Advent journey guided by the practices in John Wesley's means of grace. In these sessions of study, prayer, and conversation, readers will look at preparing the way for God, the discipline of prayer, the substance of good works, and the recognition of God's presence with us in communities that are called to serve the world.

To register for the class, contact Susan Perry at teachersusan@comcast.net, or sign up in the Hospitality Center on Sunday morning.

Fall Festival and Clothing Drive Appreciation

Thank you, St. John’s community, for your candy, clothes, and time contributions! We had a great turn out at the Trunk or Treat, donated a van full of clothes to the APS Clothing Bank, and had a lot of fun!

Children's Celebration for Jenna Hamilton

The youngest members of our church family will honor Jenna Hamilton in their own special way with a balloon release and memory tree creation on Saturday, November 11. Anyone who would like to join us can meet in the SonShine Café at 10:00 am. Please contact Angela Lybarger at childrensdirector@stjohns-abq.org or (505) 250-3875 with any questions. All children of nursery age or older are welcome to participate in this special event.

Children's Ministry Lunch & Christmas Event

Calling all children in pre-school through grade 5, and their families! Hard to believe it's already that time, but we need your help to create unique Christmas ornaments for our church this year. Come enjoy some lunch and make Ojo de Dios with us for the Christmas trees at St. John's.

When: Saturday, November 11, from 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

(immediately following children's celebration for Jenna Hamilton)

Please RSVP to Angela Lybarger with the number of people in your family who will be attending so Chef Tim has plenty of food for everyone (include any special dietary needs, food allergies, etc). Send an email to childrensdirector@stjohns-abq.org or call/text to (505) 250-3875. Hope to see you there.

We will also be talking about scheduling for Christmas pageant practices, the Christmas Eve family service, and other issues for November & December. 

No Kids' Bible Club

Next Wednesday

Kids' Bible Club will not be meeting next Wednesday, November 8. Please plan to join us the following Wednesday, November 15, when we will be putting lessons learned about caring for one another into practice as we make cookies to share for the Thanksgiving holiday. Help your kids think of people they know in their own lives and neighborhoods who could use an extra touch of caring during the holiday season, and have them bring a list of names. We will meet 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. on the 15 to have enough time to bake & wrap the yummy gifts. 

Families of Faith Meal 

Families of Faith meal starts at 5 p.m. every Wednesday. Children are welcome to join the NewSound Choir at 5 p.m. and then enjoy a warm meal at 6 p.m. Bible Club starts at 6:30 p.m. for ages Kindergarten through the fifth grade. All families are welcome to the meal and activities. For menus, click here: Families of Faith Oct-Nov Menu.

Survey Says

It's time to play.... Family Feud! The youth will be enjoying a game of Family Feud in the afternoon on Sunday, November 5. If you've seen the show, you know that it involves the most popular answers to a survey of the public. In order to get our church community involved, along with learning more about this community here at St. John's, we are inviting you to participate in the survey that we've created for our game! It only takes a minute or two, and the more answers we get, the better the youth will get to know our congregation.

If you completed the survey using last week's survey link, please take a few minutes to complete it again using this week's link. There was a minor mistake made during data collection so unfortunately all of your answers were not recorded properly. Also, feel free to share the link with members of the congregation that may not routinely check their emails for the E-Disciple. Thank you! Click HERE to take the survey now!

The results of the survey will be revealed at Solid Ground Youth Group on November 5, from 4 to 6 p.m. in the Family Life Center. Feel free to join us if you'd like to be a member of the audience. The results will also be made available in the E-Disciple following November 5. 

Prayer Quilt Recipient

The Hamilton family is the recipient 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 the Hamilton family. Won't be in the Center this week? No worries, either way please pray this prayer (or your own prayer) for the Hamiltons. "Father, please provide a time of comfort and rest for this family whose hearts are hurting. Hold them in your embrace. Wrap them in your love and remind them that they are not alone for you are with them. Soothe their heartache as they lean on you for comfort and guidance. In Jesus's name. Amen.”

November Special Offering: UMCOR  

(United Methodist Committee on Relief)

Wildfires in Hawaii; Tornadoes in the Midwest; huge Hurricane in Mexico, and Wars creating refugees around the world. 

UMCOR is there providing aide to the victims. In the summer of 2024, our youth will be there, too. They will be volunteering at the UMCOR warehouse in Louisiana assembling care packages for distribution around the world. And we, too, can be there by giving generously this month. Our financial gifts will lay the foundation for all UMCOR does by underwriting its administrative costs so that 100% of the donations to a specific UMCOR project go directly to that project. Crises seem never ending, and we may often feel helpless, but our financial gifts to UMCOR in November can make a difference.

BIG BOX OF LOVE, Senior Food Drive

American General Media's BIG 98.5 FM is answering Silver Horizons' call for help with a "Big Box of Love" radio promotion soliciting food and monetary donations to help low-income senior citizens. Through November 17, pick up empty boxes from American General Media's office (Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.) at 8009 Marble Ave. NE, or at Thrift Smart, Silver Horizon's Thrift Store, (Tuesday - Friday, 12 - 4 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.) at 3100-A San Mateo Blvd. NE. Once filled with nonperishable food items, the boxes can be dropped off where you picked up the boxes (during normal business hours listed above).

HOWEVER, we can make it easier than that for you to contribute to this drive if you don't want to do the above suggestion. Bring your food items to St. John's and we'll get them to Silver Horizons.

For more information, or to make a monetary donation, please call Silver Horizons at 505-800-1400 or click here to donate online: https://www.silverhorizons.org/donate.

Show you care about struggling, low-income senior citizens by filling a "Big Box of Love"!

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.