January 5, 2024

Josh's Jottings

This Sunday is a special day for worship at St. John's. Be sure to join us as we celebrate Gather Sunday. We'll be dedicating the year ahead as we hear a special message from Rev. Charity Goodwin, pastor of Spiritual Formation and Groups at the Gathering, a fast-growing United Methodist Church plant in St. Louis. Charity is a powerful speaker with insight and deep love for people. 

We will also welcome back Ken Medema, who will lead music with the joy and energy that so many of you know he brings to an occasion. 

As we worship, consider how God might be GATHERING our community together in order to do something great in 2024. We are excited about the year ahead, and many possibilities that lay before us. I'll be writing about those in the weeks ahead. 

For now, join us for a day to celebrate with friends in our community, this Gather Sunday. 

-Josh 

Winter Men's Bible Study: Book of Psalms

The biblical book of Psalms contains songs of love and of hate; of forgiveness and vengeance; of praise and anger...in short, these amazing poems express every emotion of the human heart. They have been sung, cited, and recited for thousands of years.

And now we, the men of St. John's, are going to study them in some detail on Mondays starting January 8, for six weeks. There will be a morning class that will both in person (Room 245) and Zoomed from 10-11:30 a.m. as well as an evening ZOOM ONLY class from 7-8:30 p.m.

Contact teacher Jack Nuzum at jcnuzum@juno.com if you are interested.

Mountain Cathedrals Hike

January 13

In this chilly month, let us walk a loop through the La Cieneguilla petroglyphs near the Santa Fe airport. Looking at the signs from an earlier civilization gives us pause to consider what life was like in the past and what our lives will look like to those in the future. What are the signs and symbols that Jesus used?

Logistics: Meet at the St. John's UMC (Albuquerque) East parking lot at 8 a.m., or at the trailhead (Google Maps: Petroglyphs Parking, Santa Fe NM) at 9. Plan to be back at the trailhead by noon and St. John's by 1 p.m. The hike is relatively easy, but includes some rocky trail (2.7 miles, a few hundred feet of climb). Bring sturdy walking shoes, warm clothing (may be walking in snow), lunch, water, sun protection and enthusiasm!

Please join us for this hike of meditation, wilderness, and time apart from our normal schedules.

Organizer: Mike Furnish, 505-440-7292; mdfurnish@comcast.net.

Save the date: The next Mountain Cathedrals hike will be joint with the St. John's youth group, and will be a starlight / constellation walk the evening of Feb. 10, most likely on Tecolote Peak (east side of the Sandia's). Bring stories and interesting tidbits of knowledge about the firmament! 

Church Women United (CWU) Retreat

January 13

The Voice of CWU in New Mexico is hosting a retreat on Saturday, January 13, from 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. Susan Brumbaugh will be the retreat leader. The theme is "Reset, Refresh, Restore", suggesting that New Year's resolutions are popular this time of year, but what if we need more self-acceptance and self-compassion than self-improvement? Susan will focus on reflection, acceptance and intentionality. It promises to be a good start to a New Year! Mark your calendar and bring a friend.

Women's Bible Study

Sermon on the Mount by Jen Wilkin

• Tuesdays, January 16 – March 19 (10 weeks)
• 9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m., IN-PERSON, rooms 245/257
• Facilitator: Shanlii Payment
• To register, contact Susan at teachersusan@comcast.net



What if we navigated these three chapters in Matthew as they were originally heard? What if we read them as one cohesive, well-ordered message, intended to challenge us to think differently about what it means to be a follower of Jesus? This 9-session study will give you the opportunity to do just that. Come and learn from Jesus, just as His disciples did. First released in 2014, this study is now updated with new teaching videos from Jen Wilkin.

St. John's Jammers

January 18

If you're looking for a New Year's resolution to learn a new instrument or have an instrument and would like to join a jamming group, then we invite you to join the St. John's Jammers. This is a small group event focused on fellowship, playing instruments and singing. All levels are welcome. If you have an old guitar with only three strings or if you used to play the banjo and want to try polishing those forgotten skills, this ministry is for you. We will meet on the first and third Thursdays in room 149-151, 5:30 – 7:00 p.m. Contact Chuck Phillips at chuckphillips2086@gmail.com to get on an email list or for questions.

Fly Fishing Course

Starting January 15

Interested in learning a new hobby? How about fresh water fly fishing? St. John's member Bob Bowman is instructing a seven week Fly Fishing class here at St. John's Family Life Center. The class is expected to begin January 15 and meet every Monday at 3 p.m. in St. John's Family Life Center. There will be a field trip to Tingley Beach in May to fly cast for actual trout in a catch and release pond. Students should bring their own fly rods, reel and fly line to the class. If they do not have a fly rod, reel, line combo they should indicate as such. Bob is working with a local distributor to get good fly rod combo kits for under $150 that include a life-time warranty. Fly tying kits will be provided but students who have them may bring their own. More details about the seven week class are listed in this document, LINK HERE.

If you are interested in joining please contact Bob Bowman at 505-926-2040, and by email at rbowman27@gmail.com.

Young Adult Mixer

January 19

The Asbury United Methodist Church here in Albuquerque is hosting a young adult mixer with free food and entertainment on January 19 from 6 to 8 p.m. This is a registered event, to RSVP click the LINK HERE.

Location: Asbury UMC, 10000 Candelaria Rd NE, Albuquerque, NM 87112

Time: January 19, 6-8 p.m.

Family Spirit Class

Starting on January 7, please join us at St. John's UMC on Sunday mornings at 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. in room 257 as we study a book and DVD published in Fall 2023, God Provides, which is Volume 32, number 1, in Adult Bible Study Series of the UMC, published by Cokesbury.

Each week we will watch a short 10 minute video in class with comments from the author and then discuss questions from the book. In January 2024, we will study Unit 2: Water. Then in February 2024, we will study Unit 3: Shelter. And folks are welcome to drop by any week to sample the class and try it out. Free admission and open to all adults. Questions about the class? Email: eagan.brian@gmail.com.

St. John's UMC

Foundation

The St John’s UMC Foundation was approved by the senior pastor and charge conference in 1986. It was incorporated as an independent body in that same year. The St. John’s UMC Foundation is governed by the board whose purpose is to manage the endowments established for long term growth and support of the church’s ministries. When you donate to St. John’s UMC Foundation via a gift, memorial or in your Will, you help to ensure the mission of St. John’s, “Loving God, Loving Others, and Changing Lives” continues throughout the years.

Anyone can leave a gift no matter how big, or how small, to the Foundation and be assured your gift will make a difference in the continuing efforts of St. John’s UMC. We ask you to prayerfully consider gifting to the St. John’s Methodist Church Foundation. If you have any questions about the St. John’s UMC Foundation, or how to include St. John’s UMC Foundation in your Will, please contact Jamie Davidson at JDavidson@stjohns-abq.org or 505-883-9717.

Please Help Family Promise

Host Week in January

We need your help for Family Promise host week January 14-21.

Family Promise is a national program that supports homeless families in cities across the United States including Albuquerque. For six weeks during the year, St. John's is responsible for meals brought to the Montgomery site. In addition, we are asked to stay on site for two hours to give relief to the permanent staff. If you would like to pair up with someone to provide a meal and stay for two hours, please contact Jenn or Linn (see below.)

To volunteer, go to this link: Family Promise: January 2024 Family Promise Meals (signupgenius.com) or sign up at the Hospitality Center, at the Abide service, or contact: Jenn Shields jennshields200@yahoo.com 505-450-9978 or Linn Furnish swimsew@comcast.net. To see more information about Family Promise click here.

New Semester Kick-Off

Come join us on the first Sunday of 2024, January 7, as we return to our usual programming. Youth Sunday school will be offered during the 11:00 a.m. service in the youth lounge upstairs. Then join us in the afternoon from 4 to 6 p.m. for our spring semester kick-off. We will be eating snacks and playing games as we begin the new year! Parents are welcome to join in on the fun.

Families of Faith

January 17

Hello, St. John's Families of Faith. New Sound Choir, Kids' Bible Club, and weekly dinners will start again on Wednesday, January 17. Looking forward to seeing everyone!

Parents Day Out

February 10

Children's & Family Ministry will host a Parents' Day Out on Saturday, February 10, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Kids in grades Kindergarten through 5th can hang out with us at St. John's for games, crafts, food, and a movie. Who knows what fun shenanigans we can create! Stay tuned for more information & an RSVP date.

(Note: We hope at some time in the future to be able to expand this opportunity to include infants & preschoolers too, depending on the availability of nursery care workers.)

Children' Easter Celebration

March 30

St. John's will host a Children's' Easter Celebration on Saturday, March 30, from 9:00 - 11:00 a.m. This event will include face painting, crafts, cookie decorating, Easter egg hunts, and more.

Vacation Bible School

June 24-28

Crazy as it may sound for the first week in January, please be sure to mark your calendars for Vacation Bible School! This summer St. John's will host VBS from June 24th - 28th, from 9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. daily. Stay tuned...LOTS more more information coming your way between now and then!

Prayer Quilt Recipient

Dave Hunter is the recipient for the prayer quilt currently on display in the Hospitality Center.

If you pass through the Hospitality Center this week, please tie a knot in the quilt while praying for Dave. Won't be in the Center this week? No worries, either way please pray this prayer (or your own prayer). "God, you are the Divine Healer. We trust in your healing and your time for Dave's recovery. Guide him toward a life with less pain and more of your love. Amen.”

January Special Offering

St. John's Youth Mission Trip

In July our youth are headed to Sager Brown Depot in Baldwin, Louisiana to volunteer with the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR). Every year more than 2,000 volunteers prepare approximately $4 million in relief supplies for shipment from Sager Brown to disasters all over the US. We can start the new year by helping the youth in their fund raising efforts for this trip. Please give generously.

Hygiene Items for Silver Horizons

We're starting off the new year collecting hygiene items for Silver Horizons during the month of January. These items include, but are not limited to, any of the following: toothpaste, mouthwash, men's and women's deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, soap, lotions, men's and women's razors, and shaving cream.

Silver Horizons is committed to helping struggling seniors (age 50+) in Albuquerque, and from Santa Fe to Belen, and the grandchildren many of these seniors are raising. The goal at Silver Horizons is to do more than help “keep the lights on” or help a struggling senior “survive”. They work to help seniors feel safe and secure…and remain in their own homes. They work diligently to improve the quality of life of seniors in our community.

Our worship services are livestreamed so you can watch them from home. To watch a worship service live, click on the service that you would like to watch on Sunday morning at its scheduled time.

St. John's United Methodist Church

2626 Arizona Street NE | Albuquerque, New Mexico 87110

Office Hours (call only): Monday - Thursday, 9a.m. - 4 p.m.

Friday, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Pastor 24-Hour Hotline | (505) 808-1624

Pastoral care is available for after-hours emergencies. Please send any congregational care needs to Pastor Josh at jkouri@stjohns-abq.org as we all work together to love one another well.