March 21, 2025

"Music at St. John's" Presents Olga Perez Flora & Jamie Flora Performing "Das Lied von der Erde"

Sunday, March 23

Join us for an unforgettable afternoon of music on Sunday, March 23 at 3:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary. Hear Olga Perez Flora, mezzo-soprano, and Jamie Flora, tenor, perform Gustav Mahler’s monumental symphonic song cycle "Das Lied von der Erde" with 16-piece chamber orchestra, conducted by Matthew Greer. There is no admission charge, a free will offering will be received. Can't come in person? Join us online for the livestream.

St. John's UWF Book Discussion by Zoom

Thursday, March 27

The United Women in Faith are doing our next Zoom Reading Discussion Group on Thursday, March 27, at 7:00 p.m. The book being discussed is "Braiding Sweet Grass". It is listed in the UWF Reading Resource under Spiritual Growth Category. This book is an historical novel by Robin Wall Kimmerer and can be found in the St. Johns UWF reading cabinet (2 copies), checked out through the ABQ Public Library (Hoopla or Kindle) or purchased through Amazon for $11.33. 

If you would like to join this discussion group, please contact Julie Bencoe at dabencoes@yahoo.com or Regina Hampton at hamptonmason@msn.com. Regina Hampton will send out invites to the Zoom meeting. A reminder of the reading discussion group plus an invite to the Zoom meeting will be sent a week before the event.

Women's Bible Study

Tuesday, April 1

How Much More, Discovering God's Extravagant Love in Unexpected Places by Lisa Harper. Tuesdays, April 1 - May 13 (7 weeks), 6:30 - 8:30 p.m., ZOOM, led by Donna Bruce. Participants can register by contacting Susan Perry at teachersusan@comcast.net, signing up in the Hospitality Center on Sundays or by contacting the church office. Participants must purchase their own books.

Maybe your head knows that God is always good, but your heart's not so sure. Or perhaps while reading Scripture, you've wondered if our Creator Redeemer went through a personality change - from strictly enforcing the rules in the Old Testament to loving the outcast in the New! In this Bible study, you'll discover divine love in the often overlooked and misunderstood passages in Scripture. And you'll be delighted to find that Jehovah of the Old Testament is the same redemptive and compassionate God we see through Jesus Christ in the New Testament. He has always been and will always be for us!

Memory Café Albuquerque

Saturday, April 5

Memory Café Albuquerque will meet Saturday April 5, 2025, from 1:30 - 3:00 p.m. in the SonShine Café at St. John’s United Methodist Church. We will be celebrating Easter with an Easter Bonnet Parade, so wear your frilliest or silliest Easter bonnet! Our entertainment is our favorite jokester, David Ring, and Randall Perez on guitar. Games, snacks, and information for caregivers and loved ones will complete the afternoon.

Memory Café meets the first Saturday of each month from 1:30 - 3:00 p.m. in the SonShine Cafe. It is a supportive fellowship for anyone affected by memory loss/Alzheimer’s and their caring partners. Meet and share with others on a similar journey. This is not a drop-off event. For more information (505) 323-7522 or ssmjens@aol.com. 

Donation of Outdoor Table and Chairs

Are you thinking of replacing your outdoor table and chairs this spring? If so, the St. John's Garden Team would love to take it off your hands! The table set we had in the garden area was destroyed when one of the pine trees fell down a year or so ago and we've really missed having a place to sit and rest and/or eat our lunch or snack. We can pick up your outdoor table and chairs if you're ready and willing to donate it. Contact Donna Bruce at donnabruce@comcast.net or (505) 263- 2531.

Fish Fry Week 2

There was a lot of "fish frying" going on Friday, March 14! That night:

• 538 meals served
• $506 in Tip Jars for Zuni and Eugene Fields Elementary Weekend Meal Bag Programs
• 123 volunteers worked on Thursday and Friday
• 9 Boy Scouts from Troop 285 volunteered their time on Friday night

Volunteer Opportunities Available!

Thank you so much for your interest in volunteering! Currently, all our volunteer opportunities are filled. However, there are occasional times when a volunteer is unable to attend their scheduled shift. To help us during these moments, we're creating an on-call volunteer list.



If you'd like to lend a hand but missed the chance to sign up earlier, we encourage you to join this on-call list. For more information or to sign up, please contact Wayne Shirley at (505) 294-1018 or email him at jwshirleyabq@gmail.com.

Support Our First Responders and Zuni Elementary Families

St. John's congregation can purchase Fish Fry Dinner tickets as a donation for our local first responders (police and fire) and Zuni Elementary families. Tickets are $18 each and available for purchase in the Hospitality Center on Sundays.

Do you have family, friends, or neighbors who would enjoy the Fish Fry Dinners? You can "gift" them tickets by purchasing advance tickets in the Hospitality Center on Sundays.

For more information, please contact Wayne at (505) 294-1018 or email jwshirleyabq@gmail.com.

Were You Married at St. John's?

We hope if you or a family member were married at St. John’s anytime before 2000, you will share one copy of a photo from your wedding that includes the sanctuary.  Please put it in an envelope marked “75th Anniversary wedding photos” with the names of the bride and groom and the date of the wedding and leave it in the office. You may not get the photo back, so please only give us a copy. We are hoping to have enough pictures to make a display for the 75th Anniversary Celebration lunch on April 27. Thank you!

God With Us As We Built Community

If you have belonged to any small groups at St. John’s over the years, we would like to hear your story and see a picture or two of your group to use at the April 27 Celebration lunch. Groups formed around worship, study, mission work, fellowship—any purpose at all. Your group may still exist or it may have ended, we still want to know about it. We will emphasize groups from 1950 – 2000, but are interested in all groups formed in the St. John’s family. Please write a short, not longer than one page, description of your group, with a picture or two attached, and email it to Barbara Stanfield, barbarastanfield@comcast.net, subject: St. John’s group. We are looking forward to learning about as many different groups as possible that have existed in St. John’s. NOTE: Please send us a musical group if you have one, but we will highlight music in the next 75th Anniversary Celebration lunch in July. 

75th Anniversary Apparel Sales

The 75th Anniversary Committee would like to thank the congregation for a very successful apparel sale celebrating our 75th anniversary. To this point we have sold nearly 80 items; it will be wonderful seeing all those polo’s, t-shirts, utility shirts, and ball caps with the 75th anniversary logo around the church and at various church functions! At this point there are no more sales dates scheduled; however, in the fall we will offer 75th anniversary apparel suited to fall and winter - so stay tuned. Thanks again for you commitment to St. John’s United Methodist Church!

Routine Is Good

This Sunday we continue with our normal routine of Sunday School in the morning during 11 a.m. worship in room 258. Then at 4 p.m., we have Youth Group starting in the FLC. We hope to see you there!

Summer Trip Scheduled

The youth 2025 summer mission trip has been scheduled for July 13 - 19 down at Sacramento Camp near Cloudcroft, NM. More details will be given to students in the coming weeks. If any students and/or parents are interested in going, contact our youth director Brett at youthdirector@stjohns-abq.org.

Families of Faith

Families of Faith will occur most Wednesdays during the school year. We have shifted activities just a little to better meet family scheduling needs. Please feel free to give feedback & let us know if the changes are helpful for your family at childrensdirector@stjohns-abq.org. Thank you!

Easter Egg Hunts Are Coming!

Love kids? Like fun? If your answer is YES!, then we have two awesome opportunities for you. Mark your calendars & grab your baskets! St. John’s is hosting an Easter egg hunt & celebration at McCurdy Ministries Community Center in Espanola on Saturday, April 12. This is a Children’s Ministry mission to share God’s love with kiddos & families in northern New Mexico. We need candy (small/individually wrapped) and volunteers. If you would like to help with a donation, please drop off candy to the front office any time between now and April 6. If you would like to come up to McCurdy to help with all the fun, please contact Angela Lybarger at childrensdirector@stjohns-abq.org or (505) 250-3875. Volunteers must be Safer Sanctuary trained.

The annual Easter egg hunt here at St. John’s will take place on Easter morning, April 20, out in the playground area. The fun will happen at 10:30 a.m. between the 9:30 & 11:00 services. All candy donations will be greatly appreciated!

Prayer Quilt

Michael Mortimer and friend, Tanya, 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 Michael and Tanya. Won't be in the Center this week? No worries, either way please pray this prayer (or your own prayer) for them: "Dear God, be with Michael and Tanya as they navigate life’s challenges. Bless them with peace and joy, wisdom and courage as they follow their dreams. Help them to find purpose and to use their talents to make a positive difference in the world. In Jesus's name, Amen.”

March Special Offering: New Mexico Immigrant Law Center

Border issues are obviously a great concern these days. The NM Immigrant Law Center helps in many ways . Its mission is to" advance justice and equity by empowering low immigrant communities to collaborative legal services, advocacy and education."

NMILC partners with civic groups, pro-bono attorneys and individuals and groups like us at St. John's. Please give generously to this very timely need.

Gathering Items for Catholic Charities of Central New Mexico

During March, we are collecting donations to support the Catholic Charities of Central New Mexico. Their mission is to honor human dignity and put faith into action, transforming lives and providing crucial support to those in need. Below is the list of requested items. In-kind donations help provide safety, refuge, and hope for homeless and refugee families as they begin their journey toward self-sufficiency in central New Mexico.

Donations can be placed in the mission bins located in the Hospitality Center. Donation suggestions include new items, such as shelf stable food staples, diapers of all sizes, laundry detergent or gift cards for grocery stores, pharmacies, and department stores (please hand to one of the Hospitality Center volunteers; do not leave in bins). New or gently used items, such as lamps, twin/full sheet sets, twin/full blankets, new pillows, kitchen towels, dishes, glassware, silverware and pots & pans. Please make sure these items are clean and in good shape.

Catholic Charities provides a convenient pickup service for large furniture items in good condition. To schedule a pickup, call (505) 724-4678 and leave a voicemail with your name and a brief description of your items or reach out via email at coronadoa@ccasfnm.org. A volunteer will contact you promptly to discuss your donation and arrange the pickup. Accepted furniture items for pickup include: beds (not king-size), dining tables + chairs, apartment-sized sofas and loveseats, end tables, and coffee tables.

Contact Donna with questions at donnabruce@comcast.net or (505) 263-2531.

St. John's United Methodist Church | (505) 883-9717

2626 Arizona Street NE | Albuquerque, New Mexico 87110

Office Hours: Monday - Thursday, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Friday, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.

If there is an after-hours Congregational Care need, you may leave a message on Rev. Molly Shannon’s church office phone 505-883-9717, ext. 127 – or email care@stjohns-abq.org and she will respond as soon as possible.