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Growing Together in Love: Our Annual Meeting

Beloved St. John’s Community,

Our Annual Meeting is this Sunday after our One Worship service at 9:00 a.m. in All Saints Hall. It will be my first annual meeting as your rector, and I am inviting you—not just to attend—but to participate. While our church bylaws mandate that we hold this meeting every year for good order and needed church business, it is more than a required gathering or a review of reports. It is a moment to pause and recognize and celebrate the work God is doing among us, and to lay a foundation for our shared future together.

At St. John’s, we’ve been naming this season of our life as Growing Together in Love. That is not just a theme for a pledge campaign—it is a commitment to how we are shaping our shared ministry. It means recognizing that the work of the Church does not belong to a few, but to all of us. Each of us, by virtue of our baptism, has been called into the life and mission of God as fellow ministers in the church.

Our Annual Meeting is one of the clearest expressions of that shared calling. We gather to reflect on where we’ve been, to celebrate the ways God has been at work through this community, and to take responsibility for where we are going next. We will pray, we will listen, we will ask questions, and we will make decisions—not as individuals pursuing our own agendas, but as a body seeking to follow Christ together. I pray you will join us with that spirit of openness and love.

As we gather, we will celebrate the ways God has been growing us—in faith, in generosity, and in shared leadership. And we will name the opportunities before us: to deepen our connection with one another, to strengthen our ministries, and to continue becoming a place where all people are welcomed to be met by God, who already knows and loves them.

So I hope you will attend and that you will participate, not only in this meeting but in our continued shared life together. We can only grow together by connecting in moments like these.

Growing with you,

Rev. Derek

You are encouraged to arrive at One Worship a few minutes early to check in for the Annual Meeting and receive your ballot to save time before the meeting begins.

Annual Report: We have prepared our 2025-2026 Annual Report for our Annual Meeting this Sunday, May 3rd. We invite you to take a moment to review the report here.

Parish Finance Update: Did you miss the Parish Finance Update this past Sunday? View the PowerPoint video here.

Worship & Livestream Note: Please be aware that our One Worship service this Sunday, May 3rd, at 9:00 a.m. in All Saints Hall (ASH) is the only service to be held this weekend. Unfortunately, we are not equipped to livestream from ASH.

World Labyrinth Day — "Taking Steps Toward Hope & Healing: Sat., May 2

The Labyrinth Ministry invites you to walk St. John's Labyrinth as your schedule allows on World Labyrinth Day, Sat., May 2nd. Material to assist you with your walk can be found at the Labyrinth kiosk.

St. John's 2026 Vestry Election: May 3rd

At our Annual Meeting this Sunday, we will elect our Vestry Class of 2029 as well as our Lay Delegates to the Diocesan Convention. Please review the nominees' bios here (revised from Mid-Week News). Hard copies of the document will be available at the Welcome Center on Sunday. Any questions about the election should be directed to the Vestry Nominating Committee at VestryNominations@stjohnsec.org.

You are eligible to vote if you…

† have been a member of St. John’s since Nov. 4, 2025

† are at least 16 years old

† have made a pledge to St. John’s for 2026 or are otherwise “known” to the Treasurer

† attend worship regularly at St. John’s

There will be no Children or Youth Connect on May 3rd. During the Annual Meeting, there will be a movie and snacks offered for children in the Auditorium.

Biography form

Volunteers are ESSENTIAL to making our annual Rummage Sale a success.

Please sign up here!

Upcoming PATH Countywide Meetings

May 20, 6:30-8 p.m., Location TBA

Thurs., June 11, 7-8 p.m., Location: St. John Baptist Church in Columbia

The May 20th meeting will involve preparation for PATH's Early Voting Initiative in June.

People Acting Together in Howard County (PATH) is an ecumenical community action organization in Howard County. PATH’s core values include building relationships, training and developing leaders for public life, and addressing racial and economic equity. Their current agenda supports policies on climate, early childhood education, affordable housing, and tenants’ rights. To learn more about St. John's involvement with PATH, please contact Deacon Ruth at relder@stjohnsec.org.

Please keep the following people in your prayers:

Andy

Bob

Debbie

Jim

Kathryn

Katie

Kelly

Mark

Laurie

Peter

Deb Avant

Tracey Ball

Steve Belknap

Emma Brandon

Dawn Amber Butler

Teddy Clarke 

Lynn Engelke

Siobhan Faenza & 
 Christopher

David Fischel

Anne Gallagher

The Rev. Mo Goff

Sunny Good

Allison Gradwell

Marti Guillet

Jack Heim

Pat Hersee

Leonora Hoenes

Naomi Hutcherson

Nancy Jaworski

Albert Jung

John Keimig

Carol Kiesler

The Kiesler Family

Haeng-Shik Kim

Judi LeBlanc

Angela Chaejung Lim

Christina Lim

Glenda Lovchik

Matthew Martin

Brent & Meg McDorman

Jimmy McEneaney

Pat Merson

Charles H. Miller

Gordon Nahas

Phyllis Nelson

Roger Nelson

Patty O'Connor

Kathy O’Dunne

Yvonne Osmond

John T. Perrow

Barbara Prettyman 

Jean Purcell

Roland Russoli

Teresa Sinkovich

Ellen Sloyer

Amy & Ernest Stalder

Dan Staples

Tricia Supik

Christopher Towle

Marion Walker

Alli Ward

Dylan Williams

For those who have died: Fred Cogswell; Kathleen Pontorero; The Rev. Leslie Roraback

For those serving in the military overseas and their families:

LCDR Matthew Kircher, USN; Airman First Class Holden Veeck, USAF

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.

Help fellow parishioners find you in the Parish Directory

After converting to Realm, all member profiles were made private. That means if you don’t adjust your settings, you do not appear in the church directory. Step-by-step instructions to edit your profile are available for the computer and the Realm Connect app. Set Your Privacy Settings in Realm

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.