Vol. 79 Issue 27 | Week of June 5-11, 2021 |
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Worship on July 11, 2021
We return to the Sanctuary for worship this Sunday, July 11th. We hope you will join us in person at 10:30am or online, as we continue to live-stream the service starting at 10:30am on Facebook and YouTube.
Rev. Nate Dove, Minister for Youth and Young Adults, will offer our message this Sunday. The title is "There's Something Happening Here," and the scripture texts are Matthew 6:13 and Matthew 23:27. We are excited to also be welcoming Tarsha Williams as a guest soloist during this worship service.
We hope to see you in person or welcome your presence virtually! The live-stream and worship guide links will be sent out via email on Sunday morning for those of you joining us online.
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Do we need to keep registering for worship?
Starting this Sunday, July 11, you no longer need to register for worship ahead of time.
Thank you for your patience in these first weeks of regathering "All Together through Prayer." This Sunday, July 11, you will no longer need to pre-register for worship. We are still implementing the new check-in procedures on the iPad kiosks as you arrive and we are taking steps to make this check-in process run more smoothly. Thank you for helping to institute this new approach as we seek to improve congregational care and outreach with our guests.
A nursery is available for children ages 2 and younger. The nursery is located on the second floor beside Allison's office. You do not have to register ahead of time for nursery care.
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Why Check-In?
When you arrive at the church building for worship, you will be asked to "check-in." As we learn together how this process works, it will become easier and more familiar to all of us. We appreciate your patience and willingness as we live into this new way of creating a connection point in our life together. You may wonder why we are asking you to check-in at all, especially as precautions lessen.
Our new check-in system is part of our overall church engagement and ministry software, Realm by ACS. Check-in helps us provide additional safety and security protocols for our children, track member, and guests engagement, and better connect with our faith family.
Often congregations focus on welcoming new persons into the life of the church but don’t always notice when these same persons seem to slip away. Check-in allows us to see who is attending, worshiping, and serving with us and see who may not be present. Group leaders will be notified when a person in their Spiritual Growth Group has not been participating so they can reach out to them. It also allows the staff to see where guests and members are the most engaged and involved in our broad opportunities for learning, fellowship, and service. Check-in will help us to better care for one another both in person and when we are scattered.
As we move toward to fall, and a more typical schedule of spiritual growth, worship, and service, you will see more permanent check-in stations appear on our church campus. When you arrive for study, fellowship, or service, we would ask that you check-in so that we can have a record of your engagement and also so we can be aware of who is in the building should an emergency arise.
If you haven’t used this process yet, it’s simple and easy to learn.
- Walk up to a check-in kiosk. Type in the last 4 digits of your phone number or your last name.
- Press Enter, then your name and other family members will appear.
- Tap on your name to reveal a list of events you might be attending that day.
- Tap on the event or meeting so that a checkmark appears.
- After making your selections, tap check-in 1 Person(s) at the bottom.
If you will be using our nursery or preschool ministries, you’ll have a designated check-in in the new Children’s Area on the Main Level. There, you will also have a name tag printed for your child. Allison Benfield will explain these additional steps to children and youth volunteers and families in the coming weeks.
That’s it, in 30 to 45 seconds you can provide important information to help us to care for and serve one another.
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Sprucing Up the Courtyard
We need your help tending the Courtyard!
During the pandemic, we have been reminded of the importance of outdoor spaces. In the center of our facilities, we have a Courtyard that is needing some TLC. We desire to make the Courtyard as well-tended as is our Memorial Garden. Therefore, if you have an interest in serving on the Courtyard Team, please respond to Mallory at [email protected].
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From the Heritage Room
Does anyone know what happened to "The Church on the Rock" window?
At the time the Chapel section of our building was added in 1951, there was a stained glass window at the end of the hall on the third floor opposite the window that still faces Fifth Street (the "Clasped Hands" window).
Based on a letter from Dr. Broach to the manufacturer, the name of this window was, "The Church on the Rock."
When the building housing the gym was added in 1964, this window would have been removed since a new stairwell was added to connect the two building sections. We would really like to know what became of that window. If anyone has any memories, thoughts, etc., please contact Fredda Kimball at [email protected] or (704) 577-8953 or Linda Crowder at [email protected] or (704) 544-9834.
NEXT, St. John's is gearing up for our centennial celebration on March 20, 2022!
What events or activities would you like included as we celebrate this historical event in the life of St John’s?
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As of now, the plans include the publication of an Anniversary Book, authored by Sally Young with contributions by several other St John’s members. If there is some area in which you have been involved and for which you would like to contribute a section to the book, please contact Fredda Kimball.
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Derek Henson is working on a new pictorial church directory using Realm. Please make sure you have updated your account in the membership section of Realm, including uploading a picture. Please contact Derek with any questions.
- The Mission Resource Team has been discussing initiating a “100 Hours of Service” challenge for all St. John’s members. (More info to follow)
- The Women of the Church is planning to celebrate WMU (Women’s Missionary Union) at their fall annual fall luncheon.
- We have the script of a play written by Virginia Burkhead for the 50th Anniversary. There are tentative plans to update this script and present the play.
- Also discussed have been community events for the Elizabeth neighborhood, including tours of our building, coordinated with the Elizabeth Neighborhood Association.
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Realm Information Sessions
Join Derek in Broach Hall tonight at 6:30pm in Broach Hall or this Sunday, July 11 at 9am in Broach Hall to learn more about Realm, our new ministry tool at St. John’s. In these sessions, we will review how to view and update your church information, as well as explore how to use the communication features. The sessions will last approximately 90 minutes. People who have attended one of these sessions before have found it extremely beneficial! Register below.
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Realm Emails
Are you receiving emails through Realm? If so, GREAT! If not, you might need to check your spam folders or other folders through which your email filters incoming messages.
We want to make sure everyone is receiving Realm emails in order to optimize the effectiveness of our communications through this new system.
Any questions? Register for one of the information sessions above or reach out to Derek Henson at [email protected].
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Take Me Out to the Ballgame
St. John's Men's Softball games happening now at Providence Baptist Church!
The St. John's Men's Softball Team is 5-1 going into next week! Come and cheer them on next week on Monday, July 12 @ 6PM OR Wednesday, July 14 @ 7:15PM at Providence Baptist Church on Randolph Road. Let's help the team keep their winning streak going strong!
Bring a lawn chair and enjoy a summer evening on the ball field as you cheer on the St. John's Men's Softball Team!
Upcoming Games:
- Monday, July 12 @ 6PM vs. Providence White
- Wednesday, July 14 @ 7:15PM vs. Providence Gray
- Monday, July 19 @ 7:15PM vs. Providence Red
- Wednesday, July 21 @ 7:15PM vs. Providence Blue
- Monday, July 26 @ 6PM vs. St. Gabriel
- Tuesday, July 27 @ 7:15PM vs. Hawthorne Lane
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Join the Social Justice Focus Group
First meeting on Thursday, July 29 at 6PM in the Lounge!
The Mission Resource Team is launching a new group focused on social justice (which would include systemic racism, economic mobility, and equity/equality issues). Through study and discussion, this group hopes to develop educational programs and volunteer/service opportunities for the St. John's community.
The first meeting will be Thursday, July 29 at 6pm in the church lounge on the first floor by the gym. If you are interested in this project (or if you are at least willing to participate in an introductory discussion), please contact Todd Stillerman (704-763-6611 or [email protected]).
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Save the Date!
St. John’s Women’s Retreat 2021 with Martha Kearse as our facilitator!
- Retreat Title - The Wholeness of God: God Beyond Gender
- Scripture - Deuteronomy 6:4, "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one."
- Location - St. John’s Baptist Church
- Date - Friday evening through Saturday afternoon, November 5 and 6, 2021
You are invited to attend the 2021 Women's Retreat! While we cannot go off for the weekend in Blowing Rock, we do have a great weekend planned right here on campus at St. John's! Our facilitator will be our own, beloved, Martha Kearse, D.Min.! Dr. Kearse will be our guide through the retreat as we explore the Wholeness of God: God Beyond Gender.
We will use this time to travel from the ways God has been historically presented through the traditional, patriarchal language, into the under-represented feminine expression of Divine Wisdom, and ultimately beyond either of these dualities of God. We will consider how God is far beyond our conception of male or female and yet inherently expressed through infinite, individualized versions of being human.
The intent of our retreat is not to offer an educational event (though we will most assuredly learn from it), but to go deeper into our relationship with our Creator. Falling deeper into this essential relationship then becomes our pathway to understanding our human relationships more clearly.
Please save the date and join us! More details to follow.
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Prayer Concerns, Celebrations, Thanks & Sympathy |
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Polly Hull, Gene & Carol Poole, Elma Thomas,
Barbara Ledford, Carol Hager (sister of Betty Harkey),
Tish Philemon, Andrew Adair, Carol Drye
The family of Elizabeth Laney is grateful for the many notes, support for the beautiful service, and other outpourings of love for us after Elizabeth’s passing. The family from out of town was especially impressed with the amazing level of St. John’s love and support for our large family. We appreciate the St. John’s community.
The memorial service for Linda Walker will be on Thursday, July 22 at 11am in the Sanctuary with a reception to follow in Broach Hall.
The memorial service for Janie Kendrick will be on Saturday, July 31 at 1pm in the Sanctuary with a reception to follow in Broach Hall.
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Financial Ministry Plan Report
Week of June 29-July 5: $9,639
Income through July 5: $575,305
Annual 2021 Ministry Plan Budget Goal: $1,175,000
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You can make contributions, view your giving history and pledge status, as well as update your pledge and giving information anytime by accessing your personal Realm profile online or via the Connect App. |
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Ministers On-Call Schedule
July 5-11: Kevin Gray
July 12-18: Lee Gray
July 19-25: Dennis Foust
July 26-August 1: Nate Dove
August 2-8: Allison Benfield
August 9-15: Kevin Gray
Staff Contact Information
Lee Gray - 704-451-1309 (cell); 704-333-5428, ext. 15
Nate Dove - 704-662-2154 (cell); 704-333-5428, ext. 13
Kevin Gray - 803-524-0287 (cell); 704-333-5428, ext. 14
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