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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…
As we begin to emerge from our long COVID isolation, and life slowly returns to something akin to “normal,” what do you hope to experience through your relationship with St. John’s? How can St. John’s support and nurture you, and in turn, are there any gifts that you hope to share with our parish and…
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.…