February 9, 2024

Josh's Jottings

This Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent in the church calendar. The forty days of Lent are symbolic. In scripture, forty is a symbolic number pointing toward preparation. Jesus fasts for forty days before being tempted by Satan. The Israelites wander for forty years as they are refined and prepared to enter the promised land. 

The question for Lent is, what are we being prepared for? At the end of Lent, comes Easter, the time when we experience hope through the resurrection of Jesus. Lent prepares us to fully step into that resurrection hope by allowing us space to pray, examine ourselves, and repent. Lent prepares us for a resurrection in our own lives, by inviting us to cast aside those things which distract us from Jesus' call, most especially our pride. 

Mary Lyon crystalizes this call when she writes, "Nine tenths of our suffering is caused by others not thinking so much of us as we think they ought." That hurts. Following up on Lyon's words, Samuel Moor Shoemaker writes, "If you want to know where pride nestles and festers in most of us, that is right where it is; and it is not the opposition of others, but our own pride, which causes us the deepest hurt." 

Let's get ready for Easter. Let's do it through prayer, through fasting, through quiet moments of honest (read difficult) self-examination. And when we find those places where pride and ego have taken up residence, in places in our heart that we'd normally reserve for the love of Christ, let's set things right, and let love prepare us for that resurrection hope. 

Best wishes, 

-Josh 

P.S. A big thank you to everyone who pitched in last Sunday to help cover bases while I was out with COVID, most especially, my friend, Rev. Jim Hawk. Thank you also to everyone who reached out with prayers and well-wishes. I'm feeling much better. 

Mountain Cathedrals Stargazing Hike

Postponed

The Stargazing Mountain Cathedrals hike scheduled for Saturday evening (2/10) has been postponed until March due to a low probability of being able to see stars at the original time. Tentative new date: March 9. The bright side: We need the snowstorm! Stay tuned for updates. Questions: Mike Furnish, mdfurnish@comcast.net or Brett Reece, youthdirector@stjohns-abq.org. 

Jazz Vespers

Saturday

Join us for Jazz Vespers this Saturday, February 10, at 5 p.m. Performers will include vocalist Julia Manganaro, pianist Robert Lah, guitarist Michael Anthony, flutist Linda Davidson, bassist David Parlato, and drummer Cal Haines. Our preacher will be Rev. Lisa Blaylock. Join us live, or by livestream!

Women's Bible Study: Amos

by Jennifer Rothschild

• Tuesdays, February 20 - April 9 (8 weeks)
• 6:30 - 8:30 p.m., via ZOOM
• Facilitator: Donna Bruce
• To register, contact Susan at teachersusan@comcast.net
• Participants will need to purchase their own study books

Amos is often called a prophet of doom. And when you begin to read his prophecy, it doesn’t take long to realize that nickname fits. On the surface, his prophecy doesn’t sound like a happy formula for the good life. However, every condemnation he gives serves as an invitation, a cry for us to “seek God and live” (Amos 5:4). You’ll be invited to live assured, faithful, chosen, humble, just, prayerful, and hopeful. This kind of living will bring us and others around us peace and true prosperity. Amos is promoting the God life, and, the God life is the good life!

Ash Wednesday Service February 14

Join us February 14 at 6 p.m. in the sanctuary as we begin the Lenten season with music, prayer, and the imposition of ashes. All are welcome, and the service will be available by livestream.

St. John's Jammers

February 15

The St. John's Jammers had a great time jamming at their last meeting, February 1. A big thanks to Scott and Susan. If you are looking for something to "take on" (instead of give-up) for lent, consider learning or relearning an instrument. St. John's Jammers meet on the first and third Thursday of every month in room 151 at 5:30 p.m.

Jolly Elders

February 21

Jolly Elders meeting has been moved to the third Wednesday in February. We will be meeting on February 21 at 11 a.m. in room 245.  We will view a video that explains the history of Valentine's Day and summarizes the Christian connections to love. We would like the members to share something about their memories about this special day of love. You could bring in your favorite cards, photos, books, or trinkets related to Valentine's Day. Let's share a sweet treat like muffins, brownies, cookies or chocolate at the end of the meeting. In honor of heart month, wear red or pink. For more information contact Carol Wiggins - carolmwiggins@aol.com or 505-321-0603.

St. John's Member Passing

St. John's member, Mildred (Millie) High, passed away on January 31, 2024. Millie was a member of St. John's for 60 years. Services will be held on Tuesday, February 13, at 10 a.m. in the sanctuary, with a reception following at 11 a.m. in the Family Life Center.

Worship Arts Guild

Volunteers Needed

The Worship Arts Guild will be preparing the Sanctuary and the Family Life Center for the Lenten Season immediately following the 11 a.m. Worship Service on Sunday, February 11. Come join in the fun by meeting us for a short work session in the Hospitality Center at approximately 12:15pm. 

St. John's is Seeking Office Volunteers

St. John's is recruiting a once a month volunteer on either the third or fourth Thursday, as well as on-call volunteers. Office volunteers assist in answering phone calls and letting people into the building. They may also be asked to prepare letters for mail, enter attendance, prepare usher carts, and other office tasks. This is a great opportunity for senior high students on vacation and those who recently graduated high school, to gain communication, administrative, and technical skills. Retired people are welcome to volunteer, too!

If you are interested in volunteering at the church please contact Joy Heaviland by phone at 505-883-9717, or by email at reception@stjohns-abq.org.

Pretzel Day

Thank You!

Thank you to all who participated in this year's Pretzel Day. Tim and the Mandy's Farm interns did a great job making the dough for us.

Tim then got us all set with supplies and manned the kitchen through the whole process. Thank You, Tim! Thank You to all the volunteers who made this a delicious and fun day! Linn Furnish 

Crafts and Collectibles Sale

Are you a crafter and want to find a venue where you can sell those crafts? Do you have collectibles that you've enjoyed for years but feel they need to find a new home? Then we have the event for you! St. John's United Women in Faith (UWF) will be sponsoring a Crafts and Collectibles Sale on Friday and Saturday, November 8 and 9, in the Family Life Center. We will start taking applications for booths beginning in August, but we'd like to get a tentative idea of St. John's "people" who would like to participate before opening the opportunity to the public to participate. Please email Donna at donnabruce@comcast.net or Regina at hamptonmason1@msn.com to indicate your interest in having a booth. 

Cross Reference:

Using the Study Notes in Your Bible 

This episode of Reading Our Bible Together will focus on how to study the Bible, instead of our usual what. We’ll use the cross references and notes from the NET (New English Translation), for two reasons. First, it is readily available to anyone at www.biblegateway.com (or www.netbible.org). Whether you’re an email reader or a paper reader, you can follow the cross-references in the NET to see why we’re reading the scriptures we are. Second, the NET has thousands of footnotes, so we’ll see how one scripture leads to another that informs it or arises from it. Each day we’ll choose one of the cross references to follow the next day. The many footnotes also shed light on interesting, obscure, or difficult words in Hebrew or Greek, and we might look at one or two of these each day in the emails. Even if you don’t own a copy of the NET, this study will show you how to use the notes in your own Bible.

Pick up a study guide in the Hospitality Center, or write or call Regina Hunter at drhunter@nmia.com or 505-294-2877 to receive daily study tips by email.

First Aid and Winter Wellness Tips

With several more weeks of winter to come, St. John's wants to remind you to be safe, warm, and healthy. Click HERE for First Aid and Winter Wellness Tips from our Parish Nurse, Linn Furnish. If you have any questions or concerns please contact Linn at swimsew@comcast.net.

Lenten Fish Fry Dinners 2024

Lenten Fish Fry Dinners start next Friday, February 16, from 4 - 7 p.m. We hope to see you there!

Wayne Shirley will continue to be in the Hospitality Center each Sunday, with volunteer sign-up sheets, advanced tickets you can purchase to give away to family and friends, donations you can make for fire and police dinner tickets, and to answer any questions.

Assistant Needed

It takes a lot to get the Fish Fry Dinners up and running on Fridays! Wayne is appealing for someone to assist him on Fridays during Fish Fry from 1 - 3 p.m. to make sure everything is done and ready by the time the volunteers arrive. If you're interested in being Wayne's assistant, please contact Wayne at jwshirleyabq@gmail.com.

Dish Dawgs Needed

Without our "dish dawgs", we would not be able to keep up with serving the amount of people we do during the Fish Fry dinners. They clean the dishes and silverware to keep the process going! We are in need of dish dawg volunteers for the late shift, 6:30 - 9 p.m. Contact Wayne Shirley at 505-238-4559.

First Responder Ticket Sales

St. John's congregation can purchase fish fry dinner tickets as a donation for the first responders (police and fire) who serve in the St. John's area. Tickets are $16 each and can be purchased in the Hospitality Center on Sunday. Contact Wayne at jwshirleyabq@gmail.com.

Parents Day Out

Saturday

Attention parents of kids in grades K-5! Saturday, February 10, is your chance to grab a few hours all to yourself. That's right...go on an early date for Valentine's Day, take an uninterrupted nap, binge watch your favorite show, go see a movie that isn't animated, or just hang out in blissful silence and read a novel for a while. The possibilities are endless!

Parents Day Out is happening from 10 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. on 2/10. There is no cost to families but we do ask you to please RSVP to Angela Lybarger at childrensdirector@stjohns-abq.org. There are a few spots available. We will be hanging out at St. John's having fun with games, crafts, food, and a movie.

Super Bowl Party

Sunday

Youth, come and join us Sunday afternoon, February 11, starting at 4 p.m. - This year’s party will be hosted by Dan Watkins and Kinsey Swope at their home. Ask Brett for their home address.

No Families of Faith February 14

Next Wednesday, February 14, there will be no Families of Faith, NewSound Rehearsal, or Kids Bible Club. Children and Youth are welcome to join the congregation at the Ash Wednesday service, 6 p.m. in the sanctuary.

Children's Ministry Council

Are you someone in our church who has taught Sunday School, worked in the nursery, volunteered with VBS, created Christmas pageants, helped with Easter celebrations, or contributed to any of the amazing programs we have for children at St. John's? If so, then you are the expert I need!

f you would like to be part of the Children's Ministry Council, please contact me (Angela Lybarger) at childrensdirector@stjohns-abq.org. I would love to benefit from your experience and wisdom as our church moves forward with programs to support our youngest members on their journey with Jesus Christ.

Please email me and let me know what days & times you are available to get together. Watch for news in the coming weeks about our first meeting. Looking forward to it!

Prayer Quilt Recipient

Hunt and Ann Look are the recipients 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 Hunt and Ann. Won't be in the Center this week? No worries, either way please pray this prayer (or your own prayer) for the Looks: "Lord, help Hunt and Ann in times of weakness and pain. We ask that you sustain them by your grace so that their strength and courage do not fail. From Isaiah 33:2 we pray: Lord, show them favor; they hope in you. Be their strength every morning, their salvation in times of distress. Amen.”

February Special Offering:

Covenant with Missionaries

February is the month that we support our UMC Missionary Dr. Brenda Forbes in Nicaragua.

She provides greatly needed, community-based dental care. Many of us remember her visit to St. John's last March. We learned much about the ministry and the community she serves. Let's continue with our generous support.

Our Zuni Weekend Meal Bags

During the month of February, we are seeking single-serving donations for our ongoing Zuni Weekend Meal Bag project. We're collecting: shelf-stable white and chocolate milk; microwavable mac-and-cheese cups; microwavable ravioli cups; nut-free granola or cereal bars; cheese and crackers; and cookies. Please place your donations in the wire bins located in the Hospitality Center. If you wish to support this ministry with a monetary donation, please be sure to put "Zuni Meal Bags" on the memo line. Your donations are making a difference for the hungry students at Zuni Elementary and we thank you, from the heart, for supporting this program.

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, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.

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

Pastor 24-Hour Hotline | (505) 312-3763

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