Church Office Hours: 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m., Mon-Thurs; and by appointment

Note Holiday Hours Below

Christmas Services at St. John's

An Invitation from Rev. Derek

Growing Together, In Love

St. John's Annual Giving Campaign for 2026-UPDATE

Thank you to everyone who responded thus far to our 2026 pledge campaign! As of Dec. 18th, 230 people have pledged $817,858. Please help us reach our goal of $1,000,000! Your pledging guides the Vestry in preparing our budget for 2026.



For those of you who have not yet pledged, there's still time! You can pledge online or with a hard-copy form. Important Note: Setting up payments in Realm does not give us all the information needed to properly record your annual pledge. Please complete a pledge form.

A Note About 2025 Pledges: December 31st is quickly approaching. If you want your 2025 pledge payment(s) to be reflected in 2025, please be sure to make the payment this month. If you have any questions about your account, please contact Kathy Hahn at khahn@stjohnsec.org.

In the event of uncomfortably cold temperatures at the scheduled walk time, docents will not be in attendance and lighting will not be provided. Please feel welcome to walk earlier in the day (light) on your own. Meditations will be available at the Labyrinth kiosk.

Church Office Holiday Break

The Church Office will be closed from 12 noon on Wednesday, Dec. 24th through Friday, Jan. 2nd, so the staff may enjoy a much-deserved break. The office will re-open with limited staff and volunteer assistance on Monday, Jan. 5th. If you have a pastoral emergency, please call the clergy on-call phone at 443-538-2806. Email is best for non-urgent matters, or you may call the office, 410-461-7793, Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Winter Small Groups: Registration is Open!

Registration for the next meeting of small groups is open! These groups will meet this winter for 6 weeks: January 12th-February 20th. If you are a returning member, I will keep you in your same group unless you note otherwise. If you are new or returning to small groups after a time away, I ask that you select your top two choices that you'd like to be a part of. Register here.

This session, we will be studying the book Parables by Josh Scott. This book explores six parables that give us a window into Jesus’s message and movement, and, once they are heard in their own context, ask what they might mean for us today. Parables include: the New Wine and Wineskins, the Mustard Seed, the Leaven, the Wedding Party, the Workers in the Vineyard, and the Wicked Tenants.

Questions should be directed to Georgi Funderburk at gfunderburk@stjohnsec.org.

Coffee Crew Members Needed!

If you are able to help with Coffee Hour on Sunday mornings, please contact Crew Chief Ken Wireman (CoffeeCrew@stjohnsec.org) for details. Coffee Hour is an important hospitality ministry.

Walking the Mourner’s Path: Next Series Begins in January 2026

Death and its accompanying grief are part of the human experience. Walking the Mourner’s Path is a grief support ministry consisting of eight consecutive weekly small group workshops led by trained lay facilitators and a member of the clergy. Participants discover Christ-centered support in their grief, tools for moving forward with joyful living, and ways to honor their loved one. To learn more or to participate in the series beginning in January (Wednesdays, Jan. 14th-March 4th on Zoom), contact Peggy Burrows and Mary Louzan at WalkingTheMournersPath@stjohnsec.org as soon as possible, as spots are filling up. Download a brochure.

Discovery Weekend: Feb. 14-15, 2026

Discovery Weekend is an all-youth retreat where the 6th-9th graders are the "participants," and the 10th-12th graders are the leaders. The event runs all day Saturday, February 14th, with a sleepover at the church and half the day on Sunday, the 15th. $80 per person. Register by Jan. 21st. More details and sign-up here.

Outreach Casseroles

The number of people in need of a hot meal is greater than ever. Pans with the recipe for each month are located in the Narthex of the Historic Church and by the steps leading to All Saints Hall. Casseroles are delivered to the Grassroots Day Center, the Grassroots Emergency Shelter, and The Children's Home. Thank you for your greatly appreciated support. (You can also access the December recipe here.)

Please keep the following people in your prayers:

Deb Avant

Jacyn Baker

Steve Belknap

Ron & Judi Bonig

Jim Bruce

Leslie Edmonds

Barbara Epke

Sarah, Theo, & Josefine 
 Fahrendorf

Loretta Gleason

Sunny Good

Marti Guillet

Bettina Hallock

Janis

Jim

Rose Jones

Kathryn

Ruth Keimig

Kelly

Mary Jo Kenney

Mike Kinzel

John Kreft

Terry Kreft

Mary Krzos

Tom & Dorothy Linthicum

Glenda Lovchik

Judy Lovchik

George Maestri

Jean Marlow

Brent & Meg McDorman

Pat Merson

Charles H. Miller

Gordon Nahas

Kathy O'Dunne

Rev. C. Dean Pugh

The Pugh Family

Jean Purcell

Dawn Rea

Robert Richardson

Roland Russoli

Clay Shiflet

Teresa Sinkovich

Michelle Stalder

Andrea Squire

Alicia Townsend

Richard Townsend

Marion Walker

Victoria Weimer

Dylan Williams

Mary Lou Williams

Maria, Taylor, & Felicia Wray

For those who have died: Jeannie Richardson; Celestral Marrow

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.

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.