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A Message from Our Senior Warden, David Hale

Dear St. John's,

Vestry member Janet Loughran recently announced she is moving to South Carolina and needs to step down from the Vestry. We are deeply grateful for Janet’s dedicated service on the Vestry and thank her for all she has contributed to our community. We have been fortunate to have Hanna Rhee from our Korean congregation able to step in. Hannah was nominated at our last Vestry meeting and unanimously approved as an interim appointment for the rest of Janet's term. We are excited to work with her!

Messages from both Janet and Hanna follow.

Best,

David

Dear Friends,

Thank you for the honor and privilege of serving on the Vestry of St. John’s Episcopal Church as a member of the Class of 2027.

In that role, plus others, I have seen the beauty of St. John’s in its myriad forms - the buildings and grounds of its campus; the vitality of St. John’s Parish Day School; gifts of caring and commitment from Church members, staff, and others; the outpouring of love in the happiest, saddest, and most perplexing of times; and a profound peace that comes when knowing the Spirit and Love of God are present.

As life’s journey takes me to a different place, I pray that God’s Peace and Love will continue to be with you at St. John’s. Should you too follow a new path, may God’s Peace and Love guide you in new directions and service to God.

Warmly,

Janet Loughran

Dear Church Family,

I am grateful for the opportunity to join the Vestry and serve our church community. Thank you for your trust and for welcoming me into this role. As the first member of the Vestry from our Korean congregation, I feel especially honored and humbled by this opportunity. I hope to help strengthen the connections between our congregations and contribute to the continued growth and shared ministry of our church. 

I look forward to serving alongside our Rector and fellow Vestry members with an open heart, a spirit of humility, and a commitment to listening and learning. I would appreciate your prayers as I begin this new responsibility.

With gratitude,

Hanna 

Our annual Coat Drive Ends THIS SUNDAY! We are seeking new and gently used coats, hats, scarves, gloves, and boots. Children's items are especially needed. All items will be distributed at the Bea Gaddy Thanksgiving Dinner, which serves thousands of needy families in Baltimore.

St. John's Annual Giving Campaign for 2027: UPDATE

We're more than halfway to our goal with just over a week left in our official campaign! If you are able, please respond before Nov. 22nd. Pledging helps the Vestry plan our budget for 2027.

Thank you to the 159 people who have responded and pledged for 2027. As of Nov. 12th, our total is $691,448. (If you missed the email from a few weeks ago, click here to read it.)

Ready to pledge now? Complete the online form here or download a hard-copy pledge form here. Forms are also available near the entrances of our worship spaces.

PLEASE NOTE: Setting up pledge payments in Realm does not give us all the information we need to properly record your pledge. Please START by filling out a hard-copy form or an online form. Do not start in your Realm account.

Download a "cheat sheet" to help you make your pledge.

New to pledging? Check out our Pledging FAQ.

Questions? Contact Annie Kao, Stewardship Associate, at akao@stjohnsec.org

Adult Connect's Sunday Faith Forums through Dec. 6

10:10-10:50, Auditorium

Genesis: A Beginner’s Guide to the Beginning

by Dr. Amy-Jill Levine

During Adult Connect through Dec. 6th, we are continuing our discussion on the Book of Genesis. Guided by short videos at the beginning of each session, we are touching on questions about our image of God, the nature of humanity, justice, relationship, and responsibility to family, community, and creation. Each session can stand on its own, and no prior knowledge is needed. Come as your schedule allows!

Nov. 15: Abraham’s near-sacrifice of his son Isaac • Nov. 22: Jacob’s dream of God •

Nov. 29: No forum • Dec. 6: Joseph, his brothers, and Mr. and Mrs. Potiphar 

PATH’s 20th Anniversary Celebration

Wednesday, December 9, 2026

6:30–8:30 pm

East Columbia 50+ Center

6610 Cradlerock Way, Columbia, MD

You’re invited to join Rev. Derek, Deacon Ruth, and representatives of the PATH community

organizations as we gather to celebrate PATH's 20th anniversary and all we've achieved together. We hope you will join us! Please let us know if you plan to attend, as we would love to be able to have a table of ten from St. John’s.

During this uplifting evening, we’ll:

• Celebrate the ways we’ve made an impact and improved people’s lives in Howard County.
• Honor inspiring leaders who have contributed greatly to PATH’s work and are leading it into the future.
• Enjoy mocktails, hors d'oeuvres, dessert, and music, and celebrate PATH with old and new friends.

Learn more here, including ticket information.

Johann Sebastian Bach is likely a name you’ve come across, at the very least printed in the bulletin as the composer of a musical selection. Bach is seen as one of the great composers, and he himself was a church musician for the Lutheran church in Leipzig, Germany from 1722 until his death in 1750. He wrote hundreds of works for direct use in his church position, including a piece that you will hear several times at the 11:00 service this Sunday: “Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme.” 

“Wachet Auf” (pronounced “vah-ket owf”) is a Lutheran hymn from the 16th century. It fits neatly with the lectionary right now with the two parables of the Ten Bridesmaids and the Talents, talking about the themes of staying awake, keeping watch, and being prepared. In 1728, Bach took the hymn and adapted it into a cantata, which is a large work (often 15+ minutes) that he wrote for his choir every week as a musical reflection to be sung after the sermon. You will hear two movements of the cantata this weekend. 

One of the middle movements, written for solo voice and orchestra, will be played on the organ as a prelude. The final movement, written for choir and orchestra, will be sung by the choir in its original German. And in case you couldn’t get enough of it, we will all sing the hymn itself as the closing hymn. Its beauty comes not only from the text but the music as well. Unlike many of Bach’s hymns, each voice part in the hymn “Wachet Auf” is very active, making it a small challenge for both a choir and an organist; for this reason it is sometimes known as the “queen of chorales.” I hope you enjoy singing it with us this Sunday as we trek ever closer to Advent! 



“Sleepers, wake! A voice astounds us, the shout of rampart guards us: Awake, Jerusalem, arise! Midnight’s peace their cry has broken, their urgent summons clearly spoken: 
The time has come, O maidens wise!" ~excerpt from hymn 61, verse 1

Refugee Ministry Update

St. John's is involved in an interfaith effort involving 16 local congregations, including Episcopalians, Lutherans, Catholics, Jews, and Quakers, assisting 17+ refugee families living in our community. Click here to learn how you can help, either directly or indirectly.

Is your child ready for Kindergarten? Join us to explore the education St. John's Parish Day School can offer your child. You will experience a detailed overview of our exceptional Kindergarten program, meet our outstanding Kindergarten faculty, and learn more about the next steps in our admission process for the 2027-28 academic year. For questions or assistance, please contact Mary Pearce at mpearce@sjpds.org

Please keep the following people in your prayers:

Louise & Family

Mark Albright

Liz Armstrong

Deb Avant

Steve Belknap

Kerry Birney

Breezy Bishop

Karl & Ruth Boin

DJ Bone

Teddy Clarke 

Joy Cooney

Barbara Epke &

____Gordon Naha

Glenda Finley

Constance & David Fischel

Sue Frixione

Emily Geist

Michael Gottlieb

Betsy Grater

Marti Guillet

Lauren Hopkins

Ben Leovy

Bill Lindemann 

Glenda Lovchik

Paige Marlow

Brent & Meg McDorman

Pat Merson

Bob & Ann Miller

Phyllis Nelson

Roger Nelson

Kathy O’Dunne

Yvonne Osmond

Jean Purcell

Roland Russoli

Teri Salmons

Dan Staples

The Sullivan & Wandelear Families

Tricia Supik

Christopher Towle

Marion Walker

Victoria Weimer

For those who have died:

For those serving in the military overseas and their families:

LCDR Matthew Kircher, USN

Our community shares the compassion of prayer with members and beyond. To have someone included on our prayer list, you may: Contact the Parish Office by phone; or Email your prayer request to Tracey Stone at tstone@stjohnsec.org. Names will remain on the prayer list for 30 days. After the initial 30 days, if you wish to have a name stay on the list, please re-submit your request.

In addition to making an Annual Pledge to St. John's, you are invited to:

1.) Mail your check to the Parish Office: 9120 Frederick Rd., Ellicott City, MD 21042.

2.) Visit the St. John's website under "Give."

3.) Text "SJEC" to 73256. You will receive a reply with a link to a secure site to complete your transaction.

4.) Donate via Venmo: @StJohnsECMD

5.) Leave a lasting legacy to St. John’s through a planned gift in your estate plan. Visit https://www.stjohnsec.org/planned-giving for more information.

Questions should be directed to Kathy Hahn, Finance Director, at khahn@stjohnsec.org.