Dear St. John’s Family,

As we continue in this time of transition, St. John’s stands at an important moment in our life together. In the spirit of 1 Peter 4:10 – “Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received” – we are invited to offer our gifts for the flourishing life of our parish.

My name is Ken Marsh. I am currently serving my second term on the Vestry, and I have been a member of St. John’s since 2009. I served as Senior Warden in 2016 during a time of transition. One thing people consistently say about St. John’s is that it is “the most vibrant and welcoming place, where everyone is truly welcomed.” That has long been true – and remains true today.

Did you know that we currently have four former Senior Wardens in our congregation who helped shepherd St. John’s through previous transitions? Tom Baker, myself, Reid Calhoun, and now Camille Stell has each carried the responsibility of guiding this parish through seasons of discernment.

Transitions in the Episcopal Church often bring both challenges and opportunities as we prayerfully ask who we are and who God is calling us to become. Historically, some transition periods at St. John’s required significant budget reductions; others benefited from the hard and faithful work of Vestries who came before. In 2009, Tom Baker and his Vestry implemented necessary financial safeguards to ensure we would never again lose sight of our operating realities. Since then, we have carried that commitment forward with transparency and accountability.

Through it all, God has faithfully provided. And the people of St. John’s have stepped up – again and again – offering time, talent, treasure, and love to sustain this parish. Tom and his Vestry brought in the Rev. Vicki Smith. Later, Reid and I brought in the Rev. Sarah Phelps. And now, Camille is guiding us through this next period of discernment.

Over the past seven years, we have operated with what some call “faith-based” or “stretch” budgeting. We built ministries, expanded programming, and funded full-time staffing to grow a Beloved Community – within our parish walls and throughout Wake Forest and surrounding communities. And by God’s grace, and through your generosity, we have been able to sustain that growth. And yet we’ve had very little wiggle room to breathe.

But now we stand at a critical crossroads on several levels.

We must honestly align what we say we desire as a church with what we are willing to support through our financial giving and stepping away from a stretched budget.

This year’s stewardship pledges have not yet reached the level necessary to call an “experienced full-time rector” – one who can lead us into the next chapter of our life together. At this moment, we are approximately 30 pledges short and $100,000 below the $600,000 goal we need to maintain our current ministries and responsibly prepare for new clergy leadership.

So the request is simple, faithful, and urgent:

· If you believe in the mission and ministry of St. John’s – and you have not yet pledged – and you are financially able, please prayerfully make your pledge today.

· If you have already pledged, and you are able to increase your commitment, please prayerfully consider doing so.

· Your Vestry has already stepped up in faith. We are asking the congregation we love to join us.

We truly are at an important moment in our communal life of faith. If we cannot reach the desired stewardship level – which may happen – the Vestry, with God’s help, will create a budget that reflects our actual resources and will guide us toward calling the rector we are able to support. But our prayer, hope, and belief is that this congregation can meet this moment with grace and generosity while working towards a budget to give us genuine breathing room in planning.

Please hold this request in prayer. Please consider what St. John’s means to you. And please give as you are able so that we may continue to grow as a community devoted to Christ, to one another, and to the world God calls us to serve.

This message is offered with deep love for St. John’s and with gratitude for each of you.

Faithfully,

Ken Marsh