There are so many people I’ve been grateful to have in my life this past year. Being part of a church family, even when we’ve been physically separated for much of the year, is one of the many things for which I’m thankful for and appreciate more and more as time goes on. Upon learning…
It is so hard to say farewell to this loving and welcoming community called St John’s Wake Forest. As I depart, I want to encourage you to continue to be who you are. St John’s knows how to love and I felt that love from the beginning until these last days at St Johns. I…
Spring has brought many gifts to St. John’s such as our EYC gathering in person for fellowship and worship outdoors, warmer and brighter evenings to serve food at our Community Meals Program on Monday and Wednesday nights, thriving new walking groups within our parish, time together working in our native garden and the new Northeast…
Did you feel it, too? Several weeks ago, Ministry Architects presented a report of their findings from a series of “listening sessions” conducted in May. Those sessions were intended to give Ministry Architects, as the consultants we have engaged to assist us in charting a course into the next phase of growth for St. John’s,…
When we teach Godly Play to the Church School children, we always light a candle before saying the Lord’s Prayer. After the prayer, we tell them that we are “changing” the light, not extinguishing it. This past year on Zoom, the children take turns lighting the candle and leading us in prayer. As we change…
“You’re packing a suitcase for a place none of us have been A place that has to be believed to be seen” -U2- Walk On An oracle to which I frequently turn to answer life’s big questions are the lyrics of Bono, lead singer for the band U2. In our Parish Survey on Regathering and…
Eastertide as the Way of Love: A friend of mine is expecting their first child this week, his wife is tired of being pregnant and can’t wait to be released from the heartburn and difficulties of sleeping. While my friend can see his wife’s body changing and knows that ‘they’ are expecting, he definitively knows…
Spring has arrived, with all of its promise of hope, renewal and rebirth! If you haven’t been to St. John’s recently, you may not be aware of the buzz of activity taking place. It’s subtle, it’s still growing, but it’s palpable. And it’s a sure sign that St. John’s is emerging from a long winter…
As I reflect on this last year, I’ve thought about what I’ve really missed that I’m sure I have taken for granted in the past; spending time with my grandchildren, family, friends, and worshiping in our sanctuary with my church family. The list goes on and on. For me, one of the things I’ve especially…