Week of May 23-29, 2022 | Vol. 81 Issue 21
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Another School Massacre: Is There An Answer?
by Dennis W. Foust, Senior Minister
Once again, we are numbed and angered by another school massacre. Nineteen children and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas were murdered in their classrooms. As this story unfolded, I saw the faces of our grandchildren and our church’s children followed by the faces of preschoolers in our weekday school and our Head Start classrooms.
Alongside you, I am listening to and seeing the images of parents, grandparents, and teachers as they voice outcries of grief and lament. While politicians, activists, law enforcement officers, mental health officials, media populists, consultants, educators, and other experts talk about what we need to do to become a safer society, here are some facts.
- More than 90% of Americans favor legislation to require background checks.
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More than 90% of Americans favor legislation to limit automatic weapons.
- In recent years, 311,000 school children have experienced gun violence in their schools.
- Since 2009, the United States has experienced more than 300 mass shootings.
- This is 50 times more mass shootings than any other industrialized nation.
Beloved, this is more than a partisan political issue. This is a moral, ethical and common sense issue. Yes, we have huge gaps in our mental health care systems. However, the ability to purchase a gun without going through a background check at age 18, before one is old enough to buy an alcoholic beverage, is idiotic. I don’t want our teachers to have handguns strapped to their hips or hidden in their desks while they are educating our children. We can do better. We must do better! One answer I am going to pursue is this: I will never vote for any person to any elected political position who opposes legislation to limit or control automatic assault weapon purchases. I’m beyond caring about who gets upset over protecting gun ownership more than children. NRA has too much power over this issue. NRA is not an organization focused on moving civilization forward or increasing peace-building. We must move beyond their control to hear the cries of parents and see the faces of children. We cannot sing, ‘Let There Be Peace On Earth’, and do nothing. We cannot follow the Prince of Peace and do nothing. We cannot pray for peace and do nothing to follow up on our prayers. Doing nothing is no longer acceptable.
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Worship This Summer
There is a great deal of unnecessary confusion over the Book of Revelation. This book at the end of Christian scriptures was written as a public pastoral letter to scattered disciples amidst religious and political transformation. We have this in common with those disciples of the first century. We are living in a time of religious and political transformation. In the first century, followers of Jesus dispersed into cities throughout Asia Minor. History tells us there was persecution during those days. John, the beloved Apostle, was imprisoned on the island of Patmos. He had served as pastor in Ephesus. From Patmos, he wrote to seven scattered collections of Christians which were called churches because they had responded to the call of Jesus. Through this summer, Dr. Foust will offer sermons on these seven passages treating them as iMessages to St. John’s from the first century.
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Pentecost Sunday
June 5 @ 10:30AM
On Sunday, June 5, we celebrate Pentecost! We will worship with our friends from Together in Christ International Ministries at 10:30am in the Sanctuary.
Following worship, we will enjoy a barbecue lunch in Broach Hall.
More details to come!
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Clothing & Book Drive for ourBRIDGE for Kids
ourBRIDGE for Kids is collecting new or gently used summer clothing and books for ages preschool through 8th grade. A festive occasion at the ourBRIDGE location planned for June 8 will include a distribution of needed summer wear for the children of refugee and immigrant families who will be served in the ourBRIDGE summer programs.
If you would like to participate, please bring your donations to the lobby at the main entrance of St. John’s. There will be a receptacle there through Sunday, June 5 to receive your donations, which will be greatly appreciated by these children and their families.
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Help Us Serve at the Men's Shelter
St. John’s went back to the Men’s Shelter to serve after COVID made us stop!
A big thank you to Jim for buying the food; for Lynn, James, and Charlie for serving (pictured); and Ruth, Carol, Christa, Tricia, Becky, Kim, Fredda, Maggie, and Jane S. for puddings.
Think about your schedule.
We want to serve on the third Friday of EVERY month. Serving will take 1.5 hours at the shelter on North Tryon. Banana pudding takes bananas, pudding, wafers, cool whip, and love (the most important ingredient).
Our next date to serve is June 17.
Will you consider signing up for this great cause?
Click on the button below to sign up for service to our neighbors.
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Project Ruth
The Mission Resource Team recently voted to send $1,000 of our Hunger Fund money to Project Ruth, sponsored by CBFNC.
Project Ruth, a CBF partner ministry in Romania, is currently assembling and distributing food care boxes for Ukrainian families.
A Care Box meets the caloric and protein needs of a family of four for seven days in war-torn Ukraine. Our specially selected box contains canned meats, grains, legumes, canned & dried vegetables, healthy fats, seasonings, and sucrose.
The total nutritional value of each box weighs in at more than 50000 calories and 1750+ grams of protein with a total content weight of 16kg+.
Learn More Here
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2022 Global Missions Offering
Our 2022 Global Missions Offering goal is 25,000. We will give $20,000 to the Nywarweng Community School in South Sudan and $5,000 to the Ukraine refugee initiative called Project Ruth from the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of NC.
You can give towards this goal today by donating online and specifying Global Missions, or by writing "Global Missions" in the memo line on your check.
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SAVE THE DATE!
November 4-6, 2022
St. John's Women's Fall Retreat
Blowing Rock, NC
The St. John’s Women of the Church Spiritual Growth Team is overjoyed to invite you back to Blowing Rock Conference Center for our 2022 Fall Retreat.
After prayerful group listening, we will offer the magnificent story of The Woman With The Alabaster Jar as our guide for the retreat. Following her example, we will explore how to cultivate deeper intimacy with The Divine and deeper connectedness with one another.
Please consider joining us! We will make travel arrangements for those that don’t want to drive.
John 12:3 Mary then took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
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SHEPHERD'S CENTER OF CHARLOTTE FUNDRAISER
Please join the Shepherd's Center of Charlotte at Sugar Creek Brewing Company on June 1 from 5-9PM to raise a pint to support their cause and bring awareness about their mission. Their mission is to provide a network of support for the senior community to increase social connection, expand access to critical resources, and combat the negative effects of isolation.
We are so proud to have them as one of our residential partners!
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Prayers, Thanks, and Celebrations
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Shirley Ballard, Kathleen Bumgardner, Tish Philemon
- We remember Bobby and Betsy Furr in prayer. Bobby's mother, Jackie Furr Beeker, passed on ahead of us on Friday, May 20.
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Financial Ministry Plan Report
- Week of May 17-23: $15,722
- Income through May 23: $493,157
- Annual 2022 Ministry Plan Budget Goal: $1,135,000
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Ministers On-Call Schedule
- May 23-29: Kevin Gray
- May 30-June 5: Lee Gray
- June 6-12: Dennis Foust
Staff Contact Information
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Jenny Godfrey, Administrative Assistant - 704-333-5428, ext. 11
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Dennis Foust, Senior Minister - 704-359-7234 (cell); 704-333-5428, ext. 12
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Lee Gray, Minister for Congregational Care - 704-451-1309 (cell); 704-333-5428, ext. 15
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Kevin Gray, Minister for Music and Worship - 803-524-0287 (cell); 704-333-5428, ext. 14
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Jacquelyn McAbee, Church Administrator - 434-579-1177 (cell); 704-333-5428, ext. 20
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Mallory Brown, 704-477-3349 (cell)
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