Coming April 28

Pastor Autumn Krueger will bring the message "Do You Understand?" at 8:00, 9:15 and 11:30 a.m., with the later two services livestreamed on YouTube.

Final push for F.I.S.H.

Whoa - we've collected PILES of food for our annual spring F.I.S.H. drive. Thank you to our donors! And let's keep it going! Let's make it so Carla - chair of our Mission & Outreach team and F.I.S.H. volunteer extraordinaire - will need a caravan of vehicles and lots of extra muscle to make the delivery. Sunday, April 28, is the last day to bring in items. Monetary donations are always welcome.

General Conference updates

General Conference 20/24 is

now in session in Charlotte., N.C. This is the postponed conference of 2020, delayed due to the Covid pandemic. Lonnie Brooks, a member of St. John and a lay reserve delegate to the General Conference, is offering his insights on daily sessions. Check here daily to read his reports. Portions of the General Conference will be live streamed, and you can watch and listen by following this link.

Spring into action!

Earth Stewards welcomes all to care for Creation with us at the upcoming events:

Scoop the Poop at Ruth Arcand Park Saturday, April 27, 10 -11 a.m.

Ruth Arcand is St. John's officially adopted park and small groups regularly remove trash and dog waste from the park. Enter the park off Abbott and look for the first parking lot on the right, closest to the playground. Bring a trowel or shovel and bucket/bags if you have some. Snow will prevent a big haul this spring, but a few

hands will make light work.

Bike to Work Day, Friday, May 17 

The sidewalks are melting out and people are bringing out their summer bikes. St. John welcomes cyclists on Bike to Work Day at Abbott and Elmore. We need greeters and bakers! Please reach out to Lia Slemons if you would like to help us encourage cyclists either in the morning (7-9 a.m.) or afternoon (4-6 p.m.) or if you would be willing to contribute a tasty snack. Last year's cookies were a huge hit!

Creek Cleanup, Saturday, May 18, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.

Represent St. John in the broader Anchorage effort to clean Anchorage's waterways of trash. Meet at Taku Lake Park North at 10 a.m. We are responsible for just the Taku Lake area this year. This is the 40th annual Creek Cleanup for Anchorage and the ~10th annual for St. John. Bags, gloves, and vests will be provided. Rain boots optional. Some of the lake area is paved bike path-accessible, some is over rough terrain. Families with children are welcome. We will gather post-cleanup for an optional BBQ/potluck at the Slemons' home at 2 p.m. that afternoon.

LGBTQ+ hoodies

Did you special-order a St. John Rainbow hoodie or other shirt? Production was delayed but orders will be here by Sunday, May 12. Thanks for your patience!

School of Theology registration is open

Registration for the 2024 Alaska School of Theology is now open! It will be hosted at St. John UMC in conjunction with the 2024 Annual Conference in June. Courses are scheduled for June 28 and 29 and will be led by the Rev. Dr. Jaime Clark-Soles, whose focus will be “Experiencing God.” Continuing education credits are available. Find more information and the registration link here.

Host a conference attendee

We’re so excited to host Annual Conference June 27-30 at St. John this year. If you have a spare room and can host conference participants in your home, please contact Gail in the church office. Homestays are a great way for us to be good stewards of our resources. We will have folks who need to stay from June 26-July 1. 

Lay Servant Preaching

Pastor Andy Bartel will be teaching a Lay Servant Ministry Preaching Course starting next week. The class will be held Wednesday evenings May 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29 from 6 to 8 p.m. This will be a hybrid class, meeting in person at St. John UMC or via Zoom. There will be a limit of 6 persons in the class. Completion of the Lay Servant Basic Course is required before taking this course. Register here.

Camp Firelight June 10-14

VBS registration is open! Register here!

Cello recitals

All are invited to two cello recitals at St. John this weekend, presented by longtime teachers Mary Alice Donaldson and Linda Ottum. Mary Alice's student recital is from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 26, and will feature students ages 10 to 89. Linda's student recital will begin at 4 p.m. Saturday, April 27. Please come enjoy the music and cheer on budding musicians!

Cameroon mission

The team traveling to Cameroon in May has requests from their mission partners: two laptop computers ($350 each) and an electric piano ($1200). One laptop would be used by SJUMC's longtime mission partner, Daddy's Friends Association, which will be establishing a childcare center this year for children with special needs. The second laptop would be used by Pastor Charite Eyoum who leads chapel services in the building where the new childcare center will be located. Pastor Eyoum would greatly benefit from the use of a laptop computer in his work to help establish the childcare center. A computer will also enable him to join a team translating the Bible into the local tribal language. 

During the last five St. John UMC mission trips to Cameroon, the "Diaspora Choir of the Ocean" has performed for our visitors and provided a central role in hosting the outreach activities of our mission teams. The choir is made up of 30 young Christians who gather weekly to sing and commune together. Many members have participated since their childhood when the choir was established in 2003 by a local pastor. The choir is requesting support for a new electric piano. Donations can be made online here.

Garage sale is June 8

Save the date and save your stuff! The annual St. John Garage Sale which benefits the Cameroon mission is Saturday, June 8. Donations will be accepted beginning Sunday, June 2.

Office Hours: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 9 a.m. to noon Friday

Ph: 907-344-3025 Email us Visit our website

Address change?

Please send any contact information changes to Patti Butcher at members@stjohnanchorage.org

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