Blog

Advent 2017 at St. John's - "Sacred"

By:  Rev'd Dr. Johnny Jeffords

It is time to get ready for the coming of the Christ.

This is what Advent is, this is what Advent does.

Caring in Wesleyan Ways

By:  Rev'd Mimi White

Congregational Care is a ministry of all Christians lay and clergy. Congregational Care cannot be left solely to clergy, but requires a response from all of us - the church family - in order to ensure all members are included and “no one falls through the cracks.”

This is also our Wesleyan heritage. 

In the Wake of ICE, What Shall We Do?

By:  Rev'd Dr. Johnny Jeffords

“You shall not oppress a stranger, for you know the soul [the feelings, thoughts, and concerns] of a stranger, for you were strangers in Egypt."  Exodus 23:9 (The Amplified Bible)

The faith community of Memphis is coming together in response to the ICE raids on our neighbors in Latinx communities. What are some tangible things people of faith can do to show solidarity and hospitality to our neighbors right now?

Getting to Know Pastor Mimi

By:  Rev'd Mimi White

Most little girls want to grow up to be a princess; I wanted to be Willie Nelson. 

The Journey Forward For Children & Youth Ministries

By:  Zach Ferguson

Dear St. John’s Family,

On Wednesday night, I shared with Church Council an overview of the results from our Children and Youth Ministry Survey as well as some changes that are coming this fall based on the work of the Children and Youth Ministry Team. 

I want to take a moment to say thank you to all the parents that responded to our survey; we had an 80% participation rate! St. John’s is blessed to have such faithful and active parents in our ministry, and we continue to grow to include new families all the time.  

Drawing the Circle Wide - Report of the Welcoming Task Force

By:  Kathy Barker

“I am the church, you are the church, we are the church together . . . All who follow Jesus, all around the world, yes, we’re the church together!”

If you’ve attended worship for the last couple of months, you’ve witnessed as Zach has led our children in discovering what it takes to build a Just Church: a community that celebrates that God knows us by name and claims us, a safe place for everyone to express their feelings, a community that shares what we have, a community of new beginnings, a community that reminds us that when we leave the church building we enter God’s world to continue to do God’s work, a community that continues to make the circle wider to intentionally welcome all. Clearly, this message of what church should be is a good reminder for all folks at St. John’s, children and adults alike.

Hungering for Justice

By:  Rev. Rebekah Gienapp

“He has told you, O mortal, what is good,” Micah 6:8 reminds us. “And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”

It was clear in the Social Justice series that St. John’s held in February that there is a hunger within our church for doing justice. Our involvement in so many ministries of mercy and kindness put us in touch with vulnerable people every week, people who need us to raise our voices with theirs. As we watch the nightly news or scroll down our Facebook feeds, we can become overwhelmed with the number of new attacks being made on our brothers and sisters who are immigrants, refugees, Muslims, people of color, LGBT, or poor. 

Building on Strengths: An Update on Children & Youth Ministries

By:  Zach Ferguson

Some of you have heard me say recently that Lent is one of my favorite seasons in the church calendar year. In a world run by an endless news cycle, we never seem to be able to take time to catch our breath and prepare for what comes next. The Lenten season allows us to slow down, to reflect, and to prepare for the Easter Season that awaits us.

I am using the Lenten Season to reflect and prepare for our next season in the life of Children, Youth, and Young Adult ministries here at St. John’s.

With Love, From Renee

By: Rev'd Renee Dillard

Dear St. John’s family,

With a full and grateful heart I share my deepest thanks for the wonderful send-off on March 5. 

Of Bridges, New Horizons, and What's Next for St. John's

By:  Rev'd Dr. Johnny Jeffords

Dear St. John’s Family,

What a wonderfully powerful day we had yesterday celebrating Renée’s ten years of ministry with us!  As we send her forth into her new ministry opportunity please join me in prayer for her. 

Renée’s leaving has prompted several questions about what’s next for St. John’s.

Here’s an update on where we are and next steps we’re pursuing.