St. John’s Men’s Group – Ministry Spotlight
The St. John’s Men’s group officially launched in March of 2023. Co-Chairs are Ken Marsh and Chuck Covarrubias. Our focus is fellowship, humor and building community with each other. Our first couple of meetings were held in local restaurants but the competing with the restaurant noise while trying to hold a group meeting / conversation got to be too much so we changed our meeting location to the church parish hall. We generally will have coffee and donuts available, and people will also bring their own breakfast which has worked out well. Our group membership size is thirty-three. We recently started to have members presenting on various topics, we’ll see where that takes us. All men are welcome, we meet the first Saturday of each month, 9AM, in the Church Parish Hall. A special thanks to the St. John’s Men who have attended to date to make this men’s group a reality. We’ll see what 2024 brings us. Hope you can join us. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions.
Ministry Spotlight – Why the Men’s Group, Chuck Covarrubias.
Relocating from Florida to Wake Forest, NC presented challenges. Some came with every move made over a life of work and retirement. Finding a new residence and Church Home among them. We found our Church Home at St. John’s Episcopal Church. We found an open and welcoming Church which represented our Episcopal beliefs and experience. Now came finding new friends to share our life, thoughts and values. In our previous Churches there was a “men’s group.” Sometimes it went by the name of “Men of St. Andrew” and sometimes a more generic name, but what was common to all was a way to draw the men of the Church into a community that could support the Church and facilitate coming to know each other. To share our faith, ideals, thoughts and values.
During an early meeting with Mother Sarah, I asked if a similar group existed at St. John’s. She thought it would be a good idea and she asked Ken Marsh and I to put our heads together and formulate a plan. The St. John’s Men’s Group was born. We have grown from 10-11 at our early meetings to over 20 attending our current meetings.
It’s a place where we can have differences of opinion and still respect the input and dignity of every member. I have enjoyed the diverse topics and have learned something from every session. Most importantly I have met men I respect and with whom I enjoy socializing. I look forward to each meeting and appreciate Mother Sarah’s support. I think the group meets a need that helps us grow as individuals and together as a community.