​"Prepare ye the way!" says John. How are you preparing during Advent? Come join us in the Youth Room at 10 am this Sunday, for our Advent Study -- "It was Not a Silent Night" -- by Adam Hamilton, as we walk back, then towards Christmas. This week, we consider Mary at the foot of the cross.
For more on upcoming Sundays (weeks 3 and 4 of Advent), see our "Upcoming Events" below.

Advent and Christmas at St. John's are wonderful opportunities to include your friends in our uplifting and inspiring worship services. And, as Pastor Gini often reminds us: No matter who you are and where you are on life's journey...you are welcome here.

​Join us for worship this Sunday at 9am or 11am, as we light the second Advent candle, hear Pastor Gini's sermon, entitled "Live Prepared", AND share in Communion.

​Thanks to Pastor Dan and contemporary band members Paisha Thomas and David Butler, for again volunteering their time and talents to make our Wednesday noon casual service another blessed one. Also that morning, St. John's was honored to have a volunteer team from Davis Middle School in Dublin join our St. John's team, to help prepare and serve The Largest Table meal.

THANK YOU TO ALL WHO HELP ST. JOHN'S CONTINUE THIS MOST IMPORTANT MINISTRY. WE APPRECIATE YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS, be they in kind or monetary.
Remember that our homeless can use rolling suitcases, and that this month's Mission items are washcloths and baking mixes. Bring your donations to church or call the office if you'd like to drop things off during the week. Hats and gloves are always needed this time of year.

SHARING ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Certainly one of the best and easiest ways to share our amazing church with your friends is via social media. Get into the habit! CLICK HERE for Pastor Dan's great How-to...

Visit our Facebook page regularly, and SHARE!!!

Choir News, Schedule Information
​
Our Children's Choir practices during the 11am service sermon time in preparation for singing at our Christmas Eve service.
Our Community Gospel Choir will rehearse on Tuesday 12/11 at 7:30 pm in preparation for their performance on Sunday December 16

Chancel and Bell Choirs rehearse each Thursday:
6:30pm Carillon Bell Choir...Music Room
7:15pm Traditional Choir Rehearsal ...Music Room
Let any staff member know if you are interested in joining any of our choirs.

Weekly Calendar December 9-15, 2018
Sunday December 9

Lighting of Advent 2 Candle 
Traditional Service 9am
Advent Study 10am Conf Rm
Contemporary Service 11am

Nursery Care 8:30am–12:30pm

Tuesday December 11
7:30 Gospel Choir Rehearsal

Wednesday December 12
Noon Casual Worship/Communion
12:30pm The Largest Table Meal

6:00pm Route 66 Bible Study
Note: Following the 12/12 meeting, Route 66 takes a break until the New Year

7:30pm Under the Stars Meal...Mound Street

Thursday December 13
6:30pm Carillon Bell Choir Rehearsal...Music Room
7:15pm Chancel Choir Rehearsal...Music Room

Saturday, December 15
Trey's SAFE SPACE Event
St. John's is pleased to host Trey Pearson's SAFE SPACE WEEKEND, 10 to 7. Click here to visit Trey's Facebook event...
​
Upcoming Dates to Remember

Our Advent Study continues on the 3rd and 4th Sundays...join Pastor Mary at 10am as she leads us through Adam Hamilton's "Not a Silent Night".

December 16 Jesus is lost! Mary and Joseph find him teaching in the Temple. Imagine what Mary must have been feeling, then her relief (and surprise!).

December 23 Mary learns she is to be the mother of God's son. Explore the culture of her time, and discover the social implications of this unusual birth.

December 30 Jesus is born, and it was NOT a silent night! Encounter the disparities between the idealized Christmas we yearn for, and the realities of our messy, difficult, challenging lives; between the perfect world we hope for and the broken world in which we live. 

Sunday Dec 16
"DOUBLE DAY"
Bring your friends! Our Community Gospel Choir performs at the 11am service.

Sat Dec 22, 2 pm
Carols, Cookies, and Christmas Sweaters, Oh My!!!

Wear your fave Xmas sweater (ugly or not!), bring one dozen cookies to share with our guests, and be prepared to make some joyful Christmas noise in our sanctuary and with our band, during this new-from-St.-John's COMMUNITY EVENT!

Click for the link to our Facebook event...and share it!

SUNDAY DECEMBER 23

Following the 11am service on December 23, be sure to join us for the Celebration of Jim Davies’ Service to St. John’s.

Jim is retiring from serving as St. John’s custodian and doorkeeper after 18 years of exemplary service to the church. Please join us after the second worship service to honor his service with a cake and punch reception.
Many Blessings and Thank You to Jim!

December 24 Christmas Eve Worship 6pm

Starting in January
6-week study, Sundays 10am- 11am
“Unafraid: Living with Courage and Hope in the Uncertain Times”

​January 13/20/27
New Members Class
12:30PM-3:30PM, Conference Room

February 10/17/24
“Network Spiritual Gifts Class:
Why are you here?”
12:30pm-2:30pm, Conference Room
​

Pride Week Begins Sunday June 10
There is so much happening at St. John's as we begin the celebration of Pride Week here in Columbus! Come and show your support and spirit for our LGBTQ brothers and sisters at both services, 9am and 11am. We'll also be celebrating our new members at our 11 AM service. PLUS...

Some History: The first Pride march in Columbus, Ohio was held in June 1981. Only 200 people were in attendance, and some even wore bags over their heads to conceal their identities. This year, we celebrate the 37th Year of PRIDE in Columbus. In 2017, there were over 215 unique marching contingents, representing a vast array of non-profits, community organizations, corporate sponsors, small businesses, political candidates and activists! Over 12,000 people marched in the parade and an estimated 500,000 attended Pride. Help us celebrate again this year! More information about PRIDE 2018 can be found at https://columbuspride.org/
Your St. John's contact for all things PRIDE is Amy Canini (see her message, below). If you have any questions about this week's events, please direct them to Amy at:
alcanini2016@gmail.com

More Parade Details: There's also free parking at the Franklin County Parking Garage. Bring your own coffee and breakfast to enjoy on the ride to the staging site. Parade Step Off will be at 10:30am at Goodale and High in the Short North Arts District.
Community PRIDE 2018: For those who also wish to attend the Community PRIDE Festival on June 16th, the details are as follows:
MAYME MOORE PARK
240 MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. BLVD 
11AM-7PM, ALL AGES

A day of celebration, creativity, and joy. There will be performances and visual art by queer and trans artists of color, a community resource fair, outdoor activities for children (and the young at heart), POC-owned food trucks, and much more! 

More information can be found at: https://columbuscommunitypride.org/events/

Congratulations to Carrie,
Educator of the Year at West High School
"The award really isn’t a big deal & doesn’t need to be in the Beacon. I received the Educator of the Year Award at my school, West High School. The administrators choose who receives the award. I was shocked that they picked me for it!"

Well, Carrie, we disagree. We think it's fantastic that you received the award and we are not shocked at all!

Weekly Calendar, June 10 through June 16

Sunday June 10 - PRIDE SUNDAY
Nursery Care available 8:30am
9am Traditional Worship
11am Contemporary Worship
12:30pm-2pm Dr. Tayo Clyburn...Conference Room

Monday June 11
6pm Care Team Leader Celebration...Youth Room

Tuesday June 12
6pm Healing Broken Circles...Youth Room
7:30pm Gospel Choir Rehearsal

Wednesday June 13
Noon Casual Worship...Sanctuary
12:30pm The Largest Table Meal...Fellowship Hall
3pm Staff Meeting...Pastor Gini’s Office
7:30pm Under the Stars Meal...Mound Street
 
Thursday June 14
6pm Budget and Finance Meeting...Conference Room
6pm Healing Broken Circles...Youth Room

Friday June 15
8pm Community Group AA...Fellowship Hall

Saturday June 16
PRIDE PARADE

UPCOMING DATES TO REMEMBER

June 17 Father's Day/St. John's Grad Sunday
Let Mary Torok know if your graduate would like to be included! Click here for the link to our graduation event on Facebook...

​June 24 Trey Pearson at St. John's!
11am worship ONLY

July 22 Narcan Training
12:30-2pm in The Conference Room

​And another team of helpers is born...
The volunteer team that cropped up a few weeks ago and did an amazing job outside around our church is stepping up again, this time with their eye on cleaning the sanctuary, especially in preparation for Trey Pearson's performance here during the 11AM service on June 24th. Eric got the ball rolling for our landscape efforts, and now Aryn has initiated another call for helpers. If you'd like to help but don't communicate via Facebook, just call the office and let someone know when you are available to stop by the week of the 18th. Or, mention it at church to any staff member. These are informal efforts done a bit at a time, but they work!!!

​Please also note that as in years past, The Open Shelter will be providing us with some serious cleaning help at the end of this month, courtesy of the group of Korean students that volunteer with them each year. The students will be working in the sanctuary most of the day on June 29, and we are again very thankful for Kent Beittel's and Shelli Mathias' offer of the students' help to us.

As was pointed out by member Mary, some of us may not be good yard workers but are good shoppers :-). If you'd like to make a smaller in-kind donation that benefits just about all who visit our church, considering donating some Keurig pods (decaf or regular coffee, or teas) and bringing them to the refreshments area any Sunday morning. We'll always keep stocked regardless, but your donations would be very much appreciated.
​

Sunday June 3
Nursery Care available 8:30am
9am Traditional Worship
11am Contemporary Worship

Monday June 4
6pm Care Team Leader Training...Youth Room

Tuesday June 5
6pm Healing Broken Circles...Youth Room
7:30pm Gospel Choir Rehearsal

Wednesday June 6
Noon Casual Worship...Sanctuary
12:30pm The Largest Table Meal...Fellowship Hall
3pm Staff Meeting...Pastor Gini’s Office
7:30pm Under the Stars Meal...Mound Street
 
Thursday June 7
6pm Budget and Finance Meeting...Conference Room
6pm Healing Broken Circles...Youth Room

Friday June 8
8pm Community Group AA...Fellowship Hall
​

There are multiple ways to give to St. John’s. In addition to legacy gifts, a time honored giving tradition is the “check/cash and envelope” method for paying your donation to the church either by mail or in the worship offering plate, and donation envelopes are available in the church office. We also have new, convenient ways to give to St. John’s:

1)   Automatic, recurring donations through direct deposit (contact the church office or your bank for details);
2)   Recurring or one time donations through our church website:
https://www.stjohnschurchcolumbus.org/donate.html
3) Our new online giving “kiosk” at the back of the Welcome Center.

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR CHURCH'S TRANSFORMATION!

Dear Members and Friends of St. John’s,
This Sunday, we CELEBRATE PENTECOST, the great climax of the Easter to Pentecost season. Liturgically, the Day of Pentecost completes the cycle that began with Ash Wednesday and continued through Lent and Holy Week and into Eastertide. It is the capstone of a liturgical journey that moves symbolically from ashes to fire. Pentecost sums up the Gospel with simplicity and audacity with this proclamation:

Jesus Christ offers salvation to all, and the church exists to proclaim it!

We mark this special occasion in our church year at St. John’s by wearing red to church if possible. The Day of Pentecost is often called “the birthday of the church.” The words from the Book of Acts, Chapter 2, verses 1-4, tell us about that that day:

“When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.” ​ 

The Pentecost story is a breathtaking reversal of the story of Babel, when proud humanity was divided by the plurality of languages (Gen. 11:1-9). Pentecost represents the inbreaking of God’s purposes for all humanity, bringing humanity together in understanding, despite their differences. 

Pentecost 2018, the birth of the church anew, is an especially poignant celebration for us this year as we honor and conclude Pastor Rachael’s authorized ministry with St. John’s.  

​Pastor Rachael has concluded a time of spiritual discernment about her call in ministry, deciding to focus on counseling ministry rather than parish ministry. Earlier this year, Pastor Rachael accepted a half time counseling position in Fairfield County to be closer to extended family and to discern the focus of her call, following her ordination in the United Church of Christ in January. She recently resigned her position as the Assistant Pastor of St. John’s, and Pentecost will be her last Sunday at St. John’s.

So please join us in warmly celebrating Pastor Rachael’s journey with us on May 20th –a learning  journey from seminary student, to Youth Pastor, to Assistant Pastor, to Rachael’s ordination a few months ago in the United Church of Christ in her home church, First Congregational Church of Columbus.

It is times like these that I am reminded of those liminal moments that Poet T.S. Eliot calls “intersection time.” As the poet wrote:

Dr. Tayo Clyburn : Courageous Conversations
Dr. Tayo Cyblurn, Executive Director of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at The Ohio State University,
returns to St. John's for the second of three
"Courageous Conversations" this Sunday, May 20th.

Heidelberg Concert
         On Monday evening, May 14th, St. John’s hosted the Heidelberg Concert Choir for a magnificent evening of sacred music and celebration under the direction of Dr. Ramsdell. Many local Heidelberg alumni attended the event, as well as special guests from the wider church including our Ohio Conference Minister. We wish to extend a very special thank you to our Director of Faith Formation, Mary Torok, who organized housing for the 54 college students and teachers, working with other local UCC churches to secure host families for the event. We especially thank the host families from St. John’s.
We also wish to thank our St. John’s staff and volunteers for warmly hosting our special guests. UCC’ers Butch and Lisa provided a delicious Italian meal for the concert choir and volunteers. Yet we know others helped in ways large and small to make this event an amazing success – so thank you St. John’s!

The St. John's Popup Landscape Team! WEEDS BEWARE
Not that it should come as a surprise, but an amazing team effort is taking place around our church, prompted by a simple Facebook messenger conversation started by Eric on Tuesday evening (thanks, Eric!).

Volunteers heard the call and began showing up with lawn and garden tools and a strong will to put a BEATDOWN on the weeds that had sprung up around our beautiful church. Thanks to all who are helping, and below are some before, during, and after shots...more to come in next week's Beacon.

​Bishop Yvette Flunder will be preaching at the post summit worship service here at St. John's, at 6:30pm on Friday, May 25th. Come and be challenged and encouraged by an amazing practitioner of justice and faith.

More Events at St. John's
From our Sunday bulletin, don't miss these events, classes, or ways to help in the community:

How can we respond to the Opioid crisis? Come discover more about this epidemic gripping our city. Learn how to stop and overdose and save a life. Members Tonya and Aryn Shortridge (registered nurses) will lead the session, and free Narcan kits will be distributed. OUR SESSION IS NOW SCHEDULED FOR JULY 22. Register today using the bulletin insert.
 
Why are you here? Come discover the unique way God has designed your spiritual gifts, personal style and passion for ministry. Our current Network class continues on May 20 and 27 from 12:30-2:30pm.
 
Southside Community Food Pantry Donations The SSCFP is sponsored by multiple area churches, including St John’s. This month’s specific needs include soup, and other canned goods, peanut butter, and juice. Please place donations in the blue containers as you enter the church.
 
Healing Broken Circles HBC provides opportunities for those touched by the justice system to heal, grown and thrive. Meetings are open to everyone! HBC gathers on Tuesdays at 6pm for Computer Empowerment Classes, and “Playback Theater” for story sharing.
 
Love to Sing? Or Ring? Share your musical gifts by joining our traditional choir, NEW gospel choir or bell choir. The traditional and bell choirs are currently on summer break, but see May Schwartz if you are interested in joining in the fall. Those interested in the gospel choir (which will perform periodically at our contemporary service) should contact Pastor Dan.

Dinner Dates! Get to know some of the people and stories of St John’s. If you’re interested in attending or hosting a quarterly Dinner Date (in a home or quiet restaurant), indicate so on the bulletin insert.


Ways to Financially Give to St. John's
There are multiple ways to give to St. John’s. In addition to legacy gifts, a time honored giving tradition is the “check/cash and envelope” method for paying your donation to the church either by mail or in the worship offering plate, and donation envelopes are available in the church office. We also have new, convenient ways to give to St. John’s:

1)   Automatic, recurring donations through direct deposit (contact the church office or your bank for details);
2)   Recurring or one time donations through our church website:
https://www.stjohnschurchcolumbus.org/donate.html
3) Our new online giving “kiosk” at the back of the Welcome Center.

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING
OUR CHURCH'S TRANSFORMATION!

​From our Minister of Faith Formation
Mary Torok

After a long Winter, it seems Spring is finally upon us! Amidst the excitement and chaos of having two children graduate, I often stop and look around at the amazing progress we’ve made together at St John’s. I am grateful to be a part of it all.
In the busyness that Spring brings, remember to take some time to slow down and appreciate all we have here at St John’s; ministry that reaches all types of people, leaders who are dedicated to excellence, and a congregation that loves and serves this city. Happy Spring!

​How might we respond to the opioid crisis in our community? It seems so overwhelming! Join us on Sunday May 6 for Narcan Training. Narcan is a drug that quickly reverses the effects of opioid overdose, and saves lives. We will gather in Fellowship Hall after worship for a quick lunch and training featuring new members Tonya and Aryn Shortridge. Tonya and Aryn are registered nurses, and will assist with the training.

I completed this training a few weeks ago,and left feeling positive and empowered. Lunch and childcare will be provided. Reserve your spot using the bulletin insert, Facebook event, or see Tonya or Aryn.

Tayo Clyburn at St. John's
We are excited that Dr. Tayo Clyburn, Executive Director of Strategic Partnerships and Mission at Ohio State, Office of Diversity and Inclusion, will be leading a community forum on Pride 2018 here at St John's beginning May 6!

Come learn more about the history of the movement, where we are now, and ways to move forward together amidst some challenges. Tayo will be with us May 6, 20and June 3 from 12:30-2pm in The Conference Room. Lunch and childcare will be provided.

Marla noticed that Dr. Clyburn's FB cover photo just happens to feature him in St. John's purple. Coincidence? We think not ;-)​

Network Spiritual Gifts Class
​Have you ever taken a class that changed your life? I have, and now I get to lead it at St John’s! Join me on May 13, 20and 27 in The Youth Room from 12:30-2:30 for Network. Come discover your own unique passion, gifts and personal style. Discover who God made you to be in the Body of Christ. Lunch and childcare provided. Reserve your spot using the bulletin insert, the Facebook event, or see me.

​We Love Wednesdays and TLT
The Largest Table makes Wednesdays at St. John's so special, with our 12 PM casual service followed by lunch in our fellowship hall.

This week was extra-special, as students from The Wellington School joined us, not only helping out in the kitchen but providing great live jazz during lunch. We served 240 meals!

Weekly Calendar, April 29 - May 5
Sunday April 29
Nursery Care available 8:30am
9am Traditional Worship
11am Contemporary Worship
 
Monday April 30
6-8pm Care Team Leader Training

Tuesday May 1
6pm Healing Broken Circles...Youth Room
 
Wednesday May 2
Noon Casual Worship...Sanctuary
12:30pm The Largest Table Meal...Fellowship Hall
3pm Staff Meeting...Pastor Gini’s Office
7:30pm Under the Stars Meal...Mound Street
 
Thursday May 3
4pm Budget and Finance Committee Mtg...Conference Room
6pm Healing Broken Circles...Conference Room
7:15pm Choir Rehearsal...Choir Room
 
Friday May 4
8pm Community Group AA...Fellowship Hall
 
Saturday May 5
9 to Noon, The Open Shelter's Women's Event, hosted by St. John's in our Conference and Youth Rooms
PLEASE NOTE: We've moved our Membership Sunday date to May 20