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2022 Goal: $25,000

Received: $8,940

This year, we are supporting the Nyarweng School in South Sudan as well as Project Ruth to support those affected by the war in Ukraine.

$20,000 will go to support Nyarweng School 

$5,000 will go to Project Ruth

You can give towards this goal today by donating online and specifying Global Missions (button below), or by writing "Global Missions" in the memo line on your check.

From August 6-9, our youth will participate in a mission immersion trip right here in Charlotte. 

Throughout the city, they will work with Hope Chapel, Little Sugar Creek stream clean-up, Loaves & Fishes/Friendship Trays, Baby Bundles, Crisis Assistance Ministry, and tie-dye shirts for St. John’s participants to wear to the Charlotte Pride Parade.

Thank you to the congregation of St. John’s for their support of Youth Mission experiences. Our last mission auction was in 2019 and helped to support both 2019 mission trips and both 2022 mission trips. We are excited for a great week!

On June 12, the congregation, upon presentation from the Personnel Resource Team and diaconate, approved the call of Haley Blackwell as our new Minister for Youth and Young Adults. 

This week, Haley and her husband, Austin, moved to Charlotte from Wichita, Kansas where she served as the Associate Campus Pastor of Formation at Friends University. We are so glad they have made the transition to the Queen City and will officially welcome her as a staff member on Monday, August 1!

Haley holds an M.Div. in Spiritual Formation & Theology from Baylor University and a B.A. in

Religion & Philosophy & Christian Spiritual Formation from Friends University.

Here's what she has to say about the move to church ministry after working at a university:

"After my time at Truett I came back to my alma mater to serve the student body at Friends University. I’ve had a wonderful time getting to know students both in and out of the classroom. I’ve loved the freedom I’ve been allowed to explore new ministry initiatives and teach students practical ministry skills that will prepare them for vocational ministry. I’ve spent the better part of the past five years studying faith formation and spiritual development. As much as I have enjoyed my time in higher education, I grieve that I do not get to support my students before and after their time in college. I believe the church has much more to offer the spiritual development of students and that’s why I’m excited to move into this role at St. John’s.

My mentor in seminary, Burt Burleson, taught me that you want your Children’s Minister to be a fundamentalist (teaching children the fundamentals of the faith) your Youth Minister to be an evangelist (inviting students into a life with Jesus) your College/Young Adults Minister to be a deconstructionist (inviting hard questions about faith) and your Senior Minister to be a mystic (delving deep into a rich, meaningful, spirituality). The opportunity to work with youth and young adults at St. Johns will allow me to put into action the study I’ve done on faith development and formation in a church setting. This allows me to walk alongside students as they grow into late adolescence, young adulthood and beyond."

We couldn’t be more thrilled to join the St. John’s community on Monday!

The Charlotte Pride parade returns to Uptown for the first time since the pandemic shutdown on Sunday, August 21. St. John’s will march again in the parade to share our message that GOD LOVES EVERYONE! 

Here are the details:

• The parade runs from 1-4:30 pm. Our slot in the parade is supposed to depart the staging area at around 3 pm.
• There is a planned church lunch that day (with homemade ice cream)! so you can eat and socialize after worship.
• Around 1 pm, we will make our way together Uptown to the staging area near 9th and Tryon. We’ll work on having cold water and something to provide shade.
• The parade route is about a mile, and we should be done around 4 pm. We end near a trolley stop, so you can ride back to St. John’s.
• There are about 200 groups registered for the parade, and Charlotte Pride expects about 8,500 participants. It’s going to be a big event!

We need to get a headcount as soon as possible, so please register in Realm [button below] if you plan to march with us. 

We will provide more details as we near the parade date.

Choir Resumes Next Wednesday!

If you are a choir member, this is a reminder; however, if you have often thought you might want to sing in the choir, join us next Wednesday night at 7:15 in the choir room for rehearsal.

What to expect:

1. A warm welcome
2. Help and support
3. Fun
4. Fellowship
5. Relationships
6. Musical and spiritual moments

Everyone knows music is such a big part of worship, and the more people investing in the musical leadership the more vibrant worship and church life is. So, take time next week to determine if you might become part of our team!

Photos from Heritage Sunday are displayed on the Main Entrance Bulletin Board. The congregational picture from that day is in the display area in the office hallway. 

The Soaring Sixties at St. John's

by Ken Sanford

St. John’s and Charlotte moved forward together during the turbulent times of the 1960s. For the church this was well expressed in the name, “The Dream Program,” a plan to remodel the sanctuary, enlarge the choir area, and complete the basic organ. In remodeling the sanctuary the church created a lighter and brighter color scheme. The total cost was set at $93,800, and that was oversubscribed. Construction began in February 1964, and worship services were temporarily crowded into Lasater Hall. The church returned to a renewed sanctuary in July 1964. Meanwhile, Charlotte was stepping forward to meet the challenges of desegregation under the leadership of Mayor Stan Brookshire and ministers like Claude Broach of St. John’s. Toward the end of the decade, Judge James B. McMillan ruled that busing could be used to complete desegregation. The leadership of the city and churches, including St. John’s, helped calm the community and move it forward. St. John’s, in order to make membership more relevant, created new-member conferences to familiarize candidates with the church’s heritage and ministries. At the same time, it made clear to prospective new members that the church was open to all people. 

Prayers, Thanks, and Celebrations

• Kathleen Bumgardner, Tarsha Williams, Jeck Warren, Pauline Funderburk, Linda Finger, Caroline Godsey, Rob Sellers, Arnold Philemon
• All are invited to celebrate the life and ministry of Gerald Vaughn on Monday, August 1 at 2PM at Southminster on Park Road in Charlotte. A reception will follow the service.

Financial Ministry Plan Report

• Week of July 12-18: $17,512
• Income through July 18: $634,001
• Annual 2022 Ministry Plan Budget Goal: $1,135,000

Ministers On-Call Schedule

• July 25-31: Kevin Gray
• August 1-7: Lee Gray
• August 8-14: Kevin Gray

 

Staff Contact Information

• Amanda Morrison, Ministry Coordinator - 704-333-5428, ext. 11
• Haley Blackwell, Minister for Youth & Young Adults
• Dennis Foust, Senior Minister - 704-359-7234 (cell); 704-333-5428, ext. 12
• Lee Gray, Minister for Congregational Care - 704-451-1309 (cell); 704-333-5428, ext. 15
• Kevin Gray, Minister for Music and Worship - 803-524-0287 (cell); 704-333-5428, ext. 14
• Mallory Brown, Media Coordinator - 704-477-3349 (cell)