January 2, 2026

Family Spirit Class

~New Study~

Come join us, starting Sunday, January 4, 2026 at 9:30 to 10:30 AM at St. John's UMC in room 257 as we study a new book and DVD series, The Bible With and Without Jesus: How Jews and Christians Read the Same Stories Differently, by Amy-Jill Levine and Marc Zvi Brettler.

See book on https://www.cokesbury.com/The-Bible-with-and-Without-Jesus Watch this 1 minute video https://youtu.be/y3gHIoqpHmk for a quick introduction by Amy-Jill Levine.

Come make new connections as we gather each Sunday. We will share joys and concerns as a small group, then pray, and then watch a short 10 minute video in class with comments from the author, and then discuss questions from the book. Folks are welcome to drop by any week to sample the class. Come try it out. Free admission. Open to all adults. Questions about this class? Please ask Brian Eagan at eagan.brian@gmail.com

"Ask The Pastor"

(January 25)

Have you ever had a nagging question about a Bible story? Have you been challenged in maintaining a prayer life? Do you want to talk to someone who is trained in the Bible and in the United Methodist Christian life? St. John’s is blessed with a group of retired pastors who know quite a few answers to our questions. We are testing out the concept of 90-minute sessions of asking and answering questions by creating our first "Ask The Pastor" session on January 25, on a Sunday at 2:00pm in rooms 149-151. There will be 2 retired pastors in attendance to field these questions. The conversations will be informative and very interesting. A master of ceremonies will ask turned-in questions, and the discussion will take off from there. We invite you to find our two collection boxes: in the Hospitality Center and on the usher table in the Abide service. There are cards available for you to write out questions and leave them for use at the Ask The Pastor sessions. But whether you do that or not, we invite you to attend our session on January 25 at 2pm. Please note, if you plan to attend and will need childcare for children ages 6 weeks to 4 years, please call the church at 505-883-9717 or email the church at reception@stjohns-abq.org by January 15. This new event is created by the Look to the Future Work Group and we would like to see it become a regular enjoyable event full of conversation. Please come and listen as well and ask questions in the great conversation we expect to create. Contacts are Donna Berry (505-604-4487) or Joan Shirley (505-238-1663).

United Women in Faith Luncheon Meeting



Since the first Thursday in January is New Years Day, the United Women in Faith General meeting will be on January 8 at 10:30am. The executive committee will serve a chili luncheon. Our guests will be Lauren Morgan-Smith (the Director of Congregational Care) and Nathan Cleaveland (Assistant Music Director). They will be sharing what their jobs are and their experiences that brought them to St. John's. For more information contact Carol Wiggins at carolmwiggins@aol.com or call or text 505-321-0603.

Family Promise Host Week

(January 18th - 25th)

Family Promise Host Week - will be the week of January 18 - 25 for dinners only. St. John's will be providing dinners for the families staying in the program. The staff is currently staying with the families during the day and also in the evening but no longer doing overnight stays. This means there will be a staff member during dinner. Family Promise does request that volunteers stay for weekday dinners and drop off is on Saturday. If you are interested in volunteering, please sign up on line at Signup Genius or contact Jenn Shields at jennshields200@yahoo.com or 505-450-9978. Thank you!

 Families of Faith Coming Soon!



Families of Faith will be starting again on Wednesday, January 21, and we will be back to the regular weekly schedule.

New Sound Choir rehearsal 5:00 – 5:45 pm

Bible Club & dinner 5:45 – 6:30 pm

We hope your family has been able to enjoy some rest and fun together through the holidays, and we look forward to getting together again in January!

Family Service Sunday

Just a reminder that since this is the first Sunday of January, there will be no Children’s Chapel this week so families can worship together. If needed, childcare will be available in the Nursery for children ages 6 weeks - 4 years old.

1 Peter: A Living Hope in Christ 

(by Jen Wilkin)



Our inheritance through Christ is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. In 1 Peter, a man of faith and flaws and eyewitness to the life of Christ challenges us to look beyond our current circumstances to a future inheritance. He shares his concerns on big picture issues for the early church, describes believers' true identity in Christ, and ultimately helps readers discover what it means to experience the Living Hope they have in Christ. Key themes of humility, submission, and identity in Christ guide the study of 1 Peter.

This class will be held on Tuesdays, starting on January 13 - March 10 via Zoom for 9 weeks, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. and will be led by Donna Bruce. All participants please register by contacting Susan Perry at teachersusan@comcast.net, or you can sign up in the Hospitality Center on Sundays. You can also contact the church office. Please note: All participants must purchase their own books.

WBS - Starting in January 2026

Anxious for Nothing:

Finding Calm in a Chaotic World 

(by Max Lucado)

Does the uncertainty and chaos of life keep you up at night? Is irrational anxiety your constant companion? Let God help you win the war on worry and receive the lasting peace of Christ. We all experience anxiety, but we don't have to let worry and fear control our lives. This study provides a roadmap for coping with and healing from anxiety. You will experience CALM as Max encourages you to: Celebrate God's goodness, Ask God for help, Leave your concerns with God, and Meditate on good things. Join Max on the journey to true freedom and experience more peace, joy, clarity, physical renewal, and contentment by the power of the Holy Spirit.

This class will meet in-person, on Tuesdays, 9:30am -11:30am starting on January 6 to February 3 for a total of 5 weeks and will be led by Dara Bell.

All participants are encouraged to register by contacting Susan Perry at teachersusan@comcast.net, or by signing up in the Hospitality Center on Sundays. You can also contact the church office. Please note all participants must purchase their own books.

Men's Winter Bible Study

Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob and Their Wives

The first eleven chapters of the Bible show a pretty miserable start to the human experiment: disobedience, pride, violence. So, after starting over with Noah, God starts over again with Abraham with the goal of shaping a covenant with people who will bring holiness and righteousness to the world.

So, how does that work out? Results are still pending, but the education of the first covenant men and women is quite the story. Genesis is nothing if not honest and the lives of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Leah and Rachel are full of pitfalls and achievements.

If you are male, join Jack Nuzum on Monday mornings or evenings from January 12 - February 16, 2026. Morning classes are both live in the Library or via Zoom; evenings are Zoom only. Contact Jack for all the details.(jcnuzum@gmail.com or 505-221-9522)

New Tuesday Evening Bible Study

Perfect for Working Professionals

Work all day and wish you could attend a Bible study without going home first? Join us on Tuesdays, from 5:30–7:00pm, starting January 13 through February 17, for a six-week study of The Message of Jesus: Words That Changed the World by Adam Hamilton. This class is open for both men and women. 

Stop by the church on your way home and dive into six powerful themes from Jesus's teachings: The Kingdom of God, The Sermon on the Mount, The Parables, The "I Am" Sayings in John and more. Discover why Jesus's message remains both life-changing and world-changing, and how it speaks to our lives today. Please feel free to bring a snack or personal meal with you to class if you have not had a chance to eat before you arrive. To order the book for the class through Amazon, use this link.

This class will meet in rooms 245/247. Interested in joining or have questions? Contact Deb at debabqq@gmail.com.

Taking Down Advent Decor

Please join us in taking down the stars, wreaths, trees and banners on Saturday, January 10, 2026 at 10:00am. Everyone is welcome and as usual there will be food. For more details contact Anita Hallstrom at 505-409-1777 or anitah1@comcast.net. Thank you for your help.

Memory Cafe - January 2026

January is football month at Memory Café. Join your friends at Memory Café Albuquerque on Saturday, January 3, 2026, at 1:30 - 3:00pm in the SonShine Café at St. John’s United Methodist Church. This month our entertainment is Tony Mora. We will talk football and play games, leading to the ultimate Memory Café snowball toss.

Memory Café meets the first Saturday of each month from 1:30 - 3:00pm in the Sonshine Cafe. It is a supportive fellowship for anyone affected by memory loss/Alzheimer’s and their caring partners. Meet and share with others on a similar journey. This is not a drop-off event. For more information call (505) 323-7522 or ssmjens@aol.com. You don’t need to register and there is no cost for the event. Join us for a fun time designed for you! 

     January 2026~Special Offering

Youth Mission Trip

This summer our youth will be heading to Georgia to help with the ongoing hurricane relief.  More details to follow, but we want to give them a head start on fundraising. So please give generously. Thank you for your support!

Tai Chi Class

Back to Regular Schedule

The Tai Chi Class will resume it's regular class schedule on Thursday, January 8, at 10:00am in the Family Life Center, just in time for those New Year's resolutions. Please consider joining this relaxing hour-long class! Everyone is welcome and you can wear comfy clothes. Class is $3 at the door. For more information, please contact Dianna Muller @ dlm_nm@msn.com.

Mobile Food Pantry ~ January Date Change 

Roadrunner will be closed on Saturday, January 17 in observance of the MLK Holiday, so our food pantry will meet the following Saturday, January 24. Volunteers arrive at the Family Life Center about 8:00 - 8:30am and distribution begins at 9:30am, depending on the time the Roadrunner truck arrives. Please contact me if you are interested in volunteering. Call Debby Smith at 505-554-4238 or dysmith0427@gmail.com. If you have small to medium boxes, you can drop them off during the MFP at the Family Life Center, or contact me to pick them up. Thank you for your support!

Recycling Donations Still Needed

Children’s & Family Ministry still needs your donations of wrapping paper tubes, paper towel, and toilet paper tubes (and any other sizes of cardboard tubes). We will be using these items during VBS this summer and we’ll need lots of them! Please bring all donations of cardboard tubes to the front office. Questions? Contact Angela Lybarger at childrensdirector@stjohns-abq.org. Thanks for your help!

Routine is Good

Youth Sunday School is on Sunday mornings during the 11:00 a.m. service in room 258. This semester we are enjoying a deeper dive into the childhood favorite videos of Veggie Tales. Then in the afternoons from 4 to 6 p.m., join us for Youth Group as we have snacks, play games, and discuss how our faith can grow and be applied to everyday life.

If you need any additional information or have any questions, please reach out to our Youth Director Brett Reece at youthdirector@stjohns-abq.org.



Prayer Quilts



Nancy Wise (friend of Gigi Graham) 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 Nancy. Won't be in the Center this week? No worries, either way please pray this prayer (or your own prayer) for Nancy. "Heavenly Father, you are the Great Physician. We place Nancy in your hands, asking for restoration and strength. Let every cell be renewed and every pain be eased. Grant her patience in the process and faith in your timing. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen."  

St. John's United Methodist Church | (505) 883-9717

2626 Arizona Street NE | Albuquerque, New Mexico 87110

Office Hours: Monday - Thursday, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.

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

If there is an after-hours Congregational Care need, you may leave a message on Lauren Morgan-Smith’s church office phone 505-883-9717, ext. 127 – or email care@stjohns-abq.org and she will respond as soon as possible.