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

On Sunday, October 11th, during Adult Connect, we held a Congregational Finance Update and launched our 2027 Stewardship campaign. As a follow-up the next evening, we sent the appeal via email, in hopes of saving on postage. Thank you to the 65 people who jumped right in and pledged for 2027. Our total as of Oct. 22nd is $378,987.00. If you missed the email, click here to read it.

Ready to pledge now? (Pledging before we do our snail mailing on Oct. 26th will help us save on postage costs!) 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.

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

Adult Connect's Sunday Faith Forums Return Next Sunday

Oct. 25-Dec. 6, 10:10-10:50, Auditorium

Genesis: A Beginner’s Guide to the Beginning,

by Dr. Amy-Jill Levine

As Dr. Levine says, “The Book of Genesis is not a book of answers; it is a book that helps us ask the right questions” – and when we read these stories, most of us have MANY questions! Guided by short videos at the beginning of each session, we will come together over the next several weeks to discuss questions touching on our image of God, the nature of humanity, justice, relationship, and responsibility to family, community, and creation.

Oct. 25: Adam and Eve

Nov. 1: Cain and Abel

Nov. 8: Noah

Nov. 15: Abraham’s near-sacrifice of his son Isaac

Nov. 22: Jacob’s dream of God

Dec. 6: Joseph, his brothers, and Mr. and Mrs. Potiphar

Everyone is welcome, and each session can stand on its own –no prior knowledge needed. Come to one session or come to all! 

Optional: those who want to go deeper are encouraged to read along in a copy of Levine’s book. Books will be available at the church office and on Sunday mornings in October for a suggested donation of $20, or it can be purchased directly online. 

Our annual Coat Drive begins 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.

HELP! Our Fall Campus Clean-Up is only a week away, and we only have 6 people signed up! Please join St. John’s parishioners and school families for our Fall Campus Clean-Up on Sat., Oct. 31! Volunteer for an hour or for the entire time! We appreciate any time you can share! Adults and youth are welcome. Meet next to Clark House near the back door to ASH. Sign up here!

Share Your Talents in All Saints Hall

Are you a singer or musician who would like to serve in worship as a member of the ASH Band? We'd love to have you! The ASH Band plays every week at the 9:00 a.m. service in All Saints Hall from September to June. The band plays a variety of music from the past sixty years of praise and worship music and consists of singers, guitarists, keyboardists, and drummers. Membership is open to all ages. Rehearsals take place Sunday mornings before the service, from 8:00 to 8:45 a.m., with occasional weeknight rehearsals scheduled as needed. Contact AllSaintsHallBand@stjohnsec.org for more information.

Join us for a special observance of All Hallows’ Eve during our Saturday 5 p.m. service. As we enter the season of All Saints and All Souls (often called Allhallowtide), we will have a Service of Light with Scripture, Evening Prayer, and Communion. Consider it a spiritual grounding for your Halloween festivities!

The Walking the Mourner’s Path Ministry invites you to an All Souls’/Faithful Departed service to commemorate those we have loved and lost. In this holy time of remembrance, we gather to mourn the dead, commend them to God’s eternal care, and affirm our hope in the resurrection. As we honor the faithful departed, we are reminded that we are God’s beloved and are called to live ever more fully into that promise as individuals and as the Church. During the Offertory, attendees will be invited to place a small photo of their loved one on a table of remembrance near the altar and light a votive candle.

Necrology List

On the Feast of All Saints (Nov. 1) and the Feast of All Souls (Nov.2), it is customary to offer prayers for those whom we love but no longer see. During the Eucharistic Prayer, we will remember St. John’s members who died this past year. We welcome you to offer names for our Necrology list that will appear in our bulletins. If you would like to have a loved one remembered who is not already on the attached list (from 2025), please email Tracey Stone at tstone@stjohnsec.org no later than 9:00 a.m. on Wed., Oct. 28th.

NexTrex Update

As a church and school community, we have already saved 1,125 pounds of stretchable plastic from going into the landfill so far in 2026. Keep up the good work! Remember, there is a new quarterly program, and the fourth-quarter collection has just begun. Click here for acceptable items. Collection boxes are in the Historic Church Narthex, outside of All Saints Hall, and in Resurrection Chapel.

J2A's Holiday Greens Sale: Information Coming Next Week — Order by Nov. 8th

Thank you for supporting J2A's annual Holiday Greens Sale each year. Order your greens HERE for pick up after Thanksgiving or direct delivery now!

Maryland Just Power Alliance's "Candidate Action for an Affordable Maryland" Event

Over 850 Marylanders, including Rev. Derek, Rev. Allison, Deacon Ruth, Canon Kristofer, and a group of St. John's parishioners (below), attended Maryland Just Power Alliance's "Candidate Action for an Affordable Maryland" event on Sunday, Oct. 18th, to ask Governor Moore and other state and local candidates how they would address our housing and utility affordability crisis. Maryland residents are struggling with ever-rising bills, and with our powerful turnout and speakers, we insisted that this needs to change. The candidate forum was nonpartisan, and candidates from all parties who met a fundraising threshold were invited, including candidate for governor Dan Cox.

Please keep the following people in your prayers:

Andy

Brian

Eilidh

Eliana

Frank & Jennifer

James

Jenna

Kate

Louise & Family

Mark Albright

Liz Armstrong

Deb Avant

Steve Belknap

Breezy Bishop

Karl & Ruth Boin

DJ Bone

Teddy Clarke 

Joy Cooney

Barbara Epke &

____Gordon Naha

Constance & David Fischel

Sue Frixione

Michael Gottlieb

Allison Gradwell

Art Grotz

Marti Guillet

Nancy Jaworski

Ben Leovy

Glenda Lovchik

Paige Marlow

Brent & Meg McDorman

Pat Merson

Bob & Ann Miller

Phyllis Nelson

Roger Nelson

Michael O'Connor

Kathy O’Dunne

Yvonne Osmond

Jean Purcell

Ruby Reilly

Roland Russoli

Teri Salmons

Dan Staples

Christopher Towle

Marion Walker

Victoria Weimer

For those who have died: Daniel Tschirgi

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.