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St. John’s Parish Assessment & Recommendations
Ministry Architects will be working with St. John’s over the next 18 months to help us more clearly define our parish mission, vision, and values, and develop stronger internal systems needed to support our growing parish — systems such as parish communications, volunteer coordination, and the like.
We invite you to stay abreast of news about these efforts and take advantage of opportunities for parish-wide input and participation!
CLICK HERE to view our parish assessment, key findings, and recommendations (video recording of webinar from Sun, June 6th)
CLICK HERE to view our written parish assessment, and recommendations (full written report)
Dear St. John’s friends, An important element of our common life as Christians is our commitment to learning again and again what it means for us to be disciples of Christ. Ultimately, that’s what this word “formation” means, and these formation opportunities are tools in our Christian toolbox as we seek to grow throughout our…
Well, we had a brief moment this summer when it seemed life might return to some version of pre-pandemic normal – at least for those who are vaccinated and not seriously immuno-compromised. But sadly, with case numbers rising rapidly once again, that moment appears to be passing. At this point, our diocese has reinstituted an…
In a few weeks, St. John’s will have our second PRAYground service. PRAYground is a monthly worship service for all ages, and it will be an essential part of our worship and formation life together this fall. The concept is simple: to host a time of fellowship and outreach, concluded with the Eucharist. In July,…
From The Rev. Sarah Phelps, Rector Past, Present & Future In early 2019, St. John’s made an historic decision with parish-wide participation and financial investment, to hire a half-time minister to lead our children and family ministries for the first time in our parish history. We hired Sarah Bentley Allred fresh out of seminary at…
It is the middle of summer and not the most opportune time for a parish meeting, but I know many of you are curious and interested (concerned?) to have a status update on various areas of our life and ministry at St. John’s as we continue to navigate many changes in our life together. I…
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,…
I recently spent a long weekend camping with my son on a remote beach at Cape Lookout National Seashore. Beyond the priceless time I spent with him and some excellent surf fishing, one of the things I will remember most from this trip was the opportunity to see the Milky Way. I cannot recall the…
I am so pleased and thankful to have Fr. Stephen Mazingo joining our staff part-time as Sr. Associate for Family Ministries at the end of this month. (He’ll be ¼ time through Nov/Dec, then goes ½ time in January.) While some internet issues interrupted our “Meet and Greet” with Stephen this week, those who attended…
PRAYground November 7th Our next PRAYground is on Nov. 7 from 6-7PM (feel free to come during the 5pm hour for fellowship). We will be remembering and honoring our loved ones in our memorial garden of light. You are invited to decorate a luminaria bag for a loved one and add it to our memorial…
Growing up in a predominantly first generation Irish and Italian Catholic neighborhood outside of Philadelphia, Christopher Columbus Day was celebrated in my parochial school and the Columbus Day parade was televised on our local TV stations. I loved this holiday that corresponded with my birthday because it meant an extra long weekend! Then I earned a…
Our Season of Stewardship Camille Stell, Stewardship Committee Stewardship is an ethic or a moral principle that guides our behavior. In the Christian tradition, stewardship manifests itself in the way we use our time, talents, and material possessions for serving God. At St. John’s, we are entering our Stewardship Season. Our Walk in Love stewardship…
I recall that in one of my earlier articles last spring, I mentioned that one of the things I really missed during Covid was hearing the “squeals of children laughing and playing” and the observation that “young children are such exuberant learners and always in awe of the many gifts from God”. Well, they are…
As we approach this Labor Day weekend, I’ve had some interesting thoughts pop into my mind. A quick search on Wikipedia tells me that the first Monday in September was designated as a Federal holiday in 1894, to “honor and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers to the development…
Hi St. Johns! My name is Kendall Bauer and I am excited to be joining you all as the new EYC Director (Episcopal Youth Community)! I am originally from the Jersey Shore and moved to North Carolina for college. I am an alumni of the University of North Carolina at Pembroke and I graduated in…
In my last column, I shared that the Vestry would be working to identify candidates willing to serve on the “Strategic Design Team” that will lead the Ministry Architects report implementation process. Today, I am thrilled to announce that this group has been named and will soon begin its important task. In addition to Mo.…
“Christians Taking Seriously What Jesus Took Seriously” On Saturday evening over 200 people gathered at Wellington Mobile Home Park to listen to the stories of and show support for the residents there who face losing their homes in the impending sale of the land their mobile homes are on. Residents diverse in age, ethnicity and…
On Sunday, July 11th, St. John’s held our inaugural PRAYGround service. PRAYGround was envisioned as an outdoor worship service for all ages, and it was a joy to welcome so many people from every decade of life! Although we were worried about being rained out, the sun came out just before 5:00pm, leaving us with…
Things often get kind of quiet at church in the summer since lots of people are away for vacations or weekends at the beach; and this summer especially, many of us are absolutely itching to get away since we’ve been homebound for so long with the pandemic. While Covid-19 continues its rampage across the globe,…
Being in close proximity to marginalized people always challenges and clarifies my faith. Listening to the stories of the poor, those experiencing food insecurity, those dealing with chronic health problems and mental illness is messy and time consuming, and I almost always reflexively play the old tape in my head that questions, “Where is God…
Hello St. John’s! I am so excited to join you as your curate for the next year through the Reimagining Curacies Program. As you all know, the three of us curates (Mawethu, Philip, and I) spend a year at each parish, and then rotate to our next placement. I’m eager to get to know all…
What is Juneteenth? Juneteenth (“June” plus “nineteenth”) commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston,Texas and informed enslaved African Americans of their freedom and that the Civil War had ended. This announcement gave voice to the written words of the Emancipation Proclamation, which had been issued more than two and a…
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…
Tomorrow is the Feast of Pentecost, and I had a choice to make when planning our Eucharist this year: I had to choose between the classic Pentecost reading from Acts where the Holy Spirit descends upon the disciples in the sound of a rushing wind and tongues of fire, or Ezekiel’s prophetic vision of the…
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER You are invited to join a conversation with a diverse group of faith communities in Wake Forest on race and housing. Inspired by the work of Habitat for Humanity, we will gather on Zoom to watch the short film Segregated by Design (which you can also view ahead of time at…
Dear Friends and Parishioners of St. John’s, It has been wonderful to see so many folks in the pews at St. John’s over the past few weeks. As vaccination efforts continue and CDC guidelines are updated, our diocese also continues to update its guidelines for in-person worship and other gatherings. We will continue to follow…
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…
St. John’s Vestry has enlisted Ministry Architects to help us remain healthy, connected, and centered on what matters most as we adapt to a prolonged season of growth and change. Please join us for a 1-hour Zoom Listening Session in mid-May to help our friends from Ministry Architects learn who we are and what we…
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…
Earth Day at St. John’s! Join us on April 25th to celebrate Earth Day at St. John’s at 10:15am following the Zoom Worship service. We will gather in the native Teaching Garden between the church and the education building for a garden blessing. All ages are encouraged to participate in a “Wonder While you…
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…
As our spiritual attention is focused this week on the great drama of Holy Week, we also find ourselves peeking ahead toward the new resurrection life of Easter. Similarly, while we’ve spent the last year figuring out how to worship while “physically distant,” we now find ourselves looking at how to safely return to in-person…
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…
Adult Education – The Way of Love: Living Our Baptismal Promises In this Easter Season we invite our parish to practice the Way of Love by participating in Formation, Outreach and Fellowship offerings for all ages. In April we will begin the journey by examining Environmental Justice together on Wednesday evening 4/14 for a discussion…
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…
I prayed for you all and for our ministry together this week as I spent 3 1/2 days on personal retreat. There is much in flux during this gradual entry into post-pandemic reality, and I treasured this time to step back from the daily tasks in order have uninterrupted time for prayer and reflection. Thank…
Lenten Art Project: The Stations of the Cross Several St. John’s parish artists have created original works of art as they’ve reflected on Nouwen’s Walk with Jesus and contemplated the Stations of the Cross. We will display these artworks at St. John’s during Holy Week. On Display thru Holy Week Mon 3/29 – Thurs…
Is it just me, or does Lent feel different this year? As we pass the one-year mark under the grips of the COVID pandemic, I can’t help but think “where was I when…?” For example, I realized that this week marks one full year since my last business trip – the longest I have been…
If you grew up in another church tradition, or none at all, you may be a candidate for Confirmation or Reception into the Episcopal Church. The rites of Confirmation and Reception mark a formal, public decision to walk the Way of Jesus with others on the “Episcopal branch” of the Christian family tree. These rites…
As we “Walk with Jesus” this Lent by studying the Stations of the Cross together, we focus on Station 5 this week: Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry the cross. For me, the genius of Henri Nouwen’s little book on the Stations of the Cross is that he invites us to relate the well known…
One of my favorite Godly Play stories (although it is hard to choose!) is “The Circle of the Church Year.” With words, color, and gesture this story explores the Christian view of time. “Some people say that time is in a line,” the storyteller explains. But as Christians we know that “for every ending there is a…
Wake Forest Community — Covid Memorial What: All are welcome to use the large outdoor labyrinth at St. John’s Episcopal Church (a circular meandering path meant for walking and reflection that leads you to a center point and guides you back out to an exit point) to honor and remember all who have been…
Springing into Lent: A Way of Worship for the St. John’s Family during the Lenten Season Soon we will “spring forward”. As we turn clocks ahead and anticipate the brighter, lighter weather of Spring, let us also couple this with a spirit of “springing” into Lent. Instead of thinking of Lent, Good Friday, and Easter as…
I have a bunch of gangly hydrangea bushes along the fence in my back yard and a few camellia bushes that have gotten very leggy. They need to be pruned back now so they’re ready for the burst of growth coming this spring. If I don’t do the pruning, the bushes just get more unmanageable…
St. John’s is literally walking – and hiking! – in love! Thanks to the great survey response we have now set up four options for walking or hiking with fellow parishioners. You have options for place, date, time, and pace of walk, so take your pick and join your fellow members as we WALK IN…
I am now officially one month into my journey as your Senior Warden, and what a rewarding month it has been. We worked … we played … we planned … and we prayed. All in all, I’d say it was a pretty typical month for St. John’s! We began the year trying to make sense…
Lenten Practices with St. John’s One Parish, One Book for Lent “Walk with Jesus: The Stations of the Cross” by Henri Nouwen From the back cover: This book of meditations by Henri Nouwen, inspired by a series of drawings by Sr. Helen David, represents traditional Stations of the Cross through the passion and suffering of the…
The Church of the Awakening: Services Begin Around 3:00am. For the last ten months, I have been regularly attending a new church, and I venture to guess that many of you have too. Looking back, I have been a faithful member of this new church since I started teaching high school, and until an “Awakening”…
Mentorship and Leadership Matters!!! Having lived my formative years during the struggle against apartheid, I learned some important truths about leadership and mentorship. Often it looked different than the mentorship and leadership we are most familiar with. Because leadership was not endorsed by an institution, at times needed to be discreet, often came at great…
I’ve continued to reflect deeply this week, as I imagine you have also, on the violence visited upon the Capitol on January 6 – what it means about that state of our democracy, the state of race relations, the state of our political relationships, and the role of religious extremism in this country. I mentioned…
You might not know this about me yet, but I love a good list. And I have a lot of them. There is the grocery list, the “to do” list for each of my jobs, our home improvement wishlist, my list of personal “to do” tasks, the leftover staycation “to do” list still hanging on…
Greetings to all, and Merry Christmas! I am absolutely thrilled to be taking the reins as your Senior Warden, and I appreciate the kind words that so many of you have shared. The first thing I’d like to do is to offer a huge thank-you to Lois Sauer, our out-going Senior Warden. I may be…
The Annual Report is a written compilation of lay and clergy leaders’ reflections on St. John’s ministry and mission in 2020. Certainly, 2020 is a year for the history books! The Rector’s Report Submitted by The Rev. Sarah H. Phelps In early 2020, we were busy adding new parking spots, moving ministries into larger meeting…
This past week the Community Council through the Town of Wake Forest named its Citizen of the Year and Organization of the Year. This committee and ceremony have many ties to St. John’s including members of the committee, the Mayor who announced the winners and a beautiful painting by our beloved Shirley Matheny that has…
Dear Beloved People of St. John’s, Where to begin? Last Sunday marked the beginning of Advent…really?? Already?? We have entered into an Advent and Christmas season like none we have ever known, significantly reshaped and reimagined in the midst of the challenges of the ongoing pandemic. I suspect for most of us…
Our Annual Giving Campaign for 2021 has “officially” concluded, but it is never too late to let us know your “estimate of giving” (or pledge) for the year ahead. It is how we build a responsible budget for our ministries. 2020 v. 2021 Comparison In 2020, St. John’s received 140 financial pledges totaling $366,235.…
Worship With Us Christmas Eve Thurs., Dec. 24th from 3:30 pm to 4:30 pm — online , live via YouTube only (not Zoom), with consecration of Holy Eucharist Thurs., Dec. 24th from 4:30 pm to 6:00 pm — in-person administration of the Communion Host at St. John’s Given the prediction of rain and wind, Mo.…