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In this week's Family News (Scroll to Learn More):
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From Dr. Don Gordon: A Baptist Conversation about a Baptist Way of Doing Things
- Congregational Listening Session: Lay Leadership Structure - April 12
- Brotherhood of the Biscuit: April 17
- Men's Shelter Serving: April 17
- C3 Nature Walk: April 18 at 9:30 AM
- Youth Mission Auction Registration: April 19 – 11:30 AM
- Update from the Pastor Search Team: April 26
- No Sunday School for Nursery, Preschool, and Elementary Children on Sunday, April 26
- Sundaes on Sunday: April 26 at 11:30 AM
- On The Way: April 30
- Finding Home - 25th Anniversary Luncheon of Lost Boys Coming to the USA: May 17! Mark your Calendars!
- Prayer List, Sympathy, Thanks, and Celebrations
- Financial Update
- Minister On Call Schedule
- Staff Contact Info
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A Baptist Conversation about a Baptist Way of Doing Things
by Dr. Don Gordon, Interim Minister
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Rooted in our Baptist identity is something we call “local church autonomy.” This speaks not so much to Baptist theology as to Baptist polity—how we go about doing things, how we make decisions, and how we function as a congregation. Local church autonomy is grounded in the idea that each congregation is free and independent of outside control. To differentiate ourselves from hierarchical ecclesial bodies like the Roman Catholic Church, some Baptists used to say, “The headquarters in the Baptist church is not in Nashville, but in the local Baptist congregation.” In other words, we don’t take our marching orders from a denominational office. We work it out together, in the local church.
This coming Sunday morning at 8:00am, we will do some of the hard work of laying out our strategy for “doing church” --calling a pastor, developing and passing a budget, selecting leaders, carrying out discipleship programs, and engaging in local and global missions—and more. To “do church,” we need a plan and a process. We need organization and clear guidelines. The guidelines that served us well in the first quarter of the 21st century are no longer adequate for the challenges we face in the second quarter. Our current governing processes have become too cumbersome and clunky for effective ministry in today’s environment.
This Sunday, Church Council Chair Todd Stillerman and I will lead a church-wide conversation about restructuring how we care for one another and make decisions together. The major proposed change is reducing the number of deacons from 48 to 24. We currently have more deacons than we can effectively sustain. It has become increasingly difficult to recruit 16 new deacons each year for a three-year term. Perhaps more importantly, we are contributing to burnout among our members. Many are being asked to attend so many meetings that they are worn out by the time they are called to care for others, participate in a small group, or experience the wonder of God in worship. This challenge is not unique to St. John’s—it is being felt across the country in many mainline congregations.
The format will utilize a rhythm we introduced last September on my first Sunday with you, when we presented our pastoral profile. It will include a presentation of information, small group conversation around tables, and large group feedback. Our hope is that this process will help us better understand both why these changes are needed and how we can implement them while continuing to function fully as an active church. In some ways, it may feel like repairing a spaceship while flying it at the same time. Remember Apollo 13?
I know it’s early in the morning, but this is an important gathering as we learn from one another how to be the best Baptist congregation we can be. Neither Rome nor Nashville holds the answers for us. We have the Holy Spirit, the wisdom and experience each of us brings, and the shared learning of other congregations to guide us into the future. I hope you will join us as we exercise our local church autonomy.
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Congregational Listening Session: Lay Leadership Structure - April 12
As part of the ongoing conversation about St. John’s lay leadership structure, the Church Council will host the first congregational listening session on Sunday, April 12, at 8:00 a.m. in Broach Hall. This session will be an opportunity to hear an overview of the proposed framework, ask questions, and share perspectives as we continue a process grounded in prayerful discernment, transparency, and trust. For those unable to attend in person, additional listening sessions will be offered via Zoom in the weeks that follow. All are encouraged to participate as we listen together and consider how leadership can best support care, shared ministry, and the life of our congregation in this season.
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Brotherhood of the Biscuit: April 17
On Friday, April 17, at 6:30 am in the church lounge, Don Gordon will be our speaker and will share Part Two about his work with creation care - “What Science teaches us about Creation Care.” Please email Lee Gray at LGray@sjcharlotte.org if you plan to attend so we can have the appropriate amount of biscuits.
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Men's Shelter Serving: April 17
Just a reminder that we serve at the Men's Shelter, Friday April 17!
How You Can Help:
Serve a Meal: Volunteer your time and make a difference.
Make a Banana Pudding: Add a sweet touch to the evening!
Click here to sign up!
Need more details?
Contact Joy Jarrett, Jim Keesee, or Lynn Bishop.
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C3 Nature Walk: April 18 at 9:30 AM
SJBC will host a C3 (Christians Caring for Creation) Nature Walk on Saturday April 18 at 9:00am at James Boyce Park (click here for directions!). We will meet at the playground for opening instructions for a 30-45 minute walk through trails at the park. At the conclusion, we will gather for a time of reflection, facilitated by our Interim Senior Minister Don Gordon. The entire experience will last about one hour, giving people time to come to church and help set up for the Youth Auction if needed.
You can bring a dog on a leash if you like. We also ask you to bring your own water bottle so we don't have to distribute more plastic bottles into our ecosystem. Invite a friend if you wish. This will be a low key, easy-going event.
The purpose of this nature walk is simply to help us connect with God's creation and benefit from the all healing powers God's world has for us.
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Youth Mission Auction Registration: April 19 at 11:30 AM
The Youth Mission Auction is coming up QUICKLY! Lunch will be an entire BBQ spread including slaw, baked beans, cookies, etc. Lunch is $20 for adults and kids are free. Please register here by April 12 so that we can have a more accurate head count for lunch. Register yourself and any children in Realm so we have an accurate head count for childcare. Our silent auction items will open online next week to start looking through and bidding. We will close bidding after lunch, once we start the Live auctioning. Even if you aren't able to attend in person, the silent auction items will be available online. Live auction items will only be available in person! To register as a bidder, please click here.
Please note that lunch registration and bidder registration are 2 totally different registrations!
See you there!
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Update from The Pastor Search Team (PST)
As you already know, the Pastor Search Team (PST) has been engaged in a process grounded in prayer, discernment, and deep care for St. John’s Baptist Church.
We did not begin this journey with a name—we began with a calling: Who is God preparing to walk with this congregation into its next chapter?
We listened carefully to you—to your hopes, your values, and your vision for the future. We then reviewed a wide range of candidates who had different gifts and experiences. And throughout that process, we returned again and again to the same question: Where do we see the Spirit most clearly at work?
Again and again, we found ourselves drawn not only to familiar paths, but to candidates whose calling, leadership, and spirit aligned deeply with who we are as a church.
We are grateful for your trust and your prayers, and we look forward to sharing more in the weeks ahead. As is our tradition, we will present this candidate first to the Diaconate on Thursday, April 23 and to the congregation during the Sunday school hour on Sunday, April 26. We will be called into a church conference at the end of worship that Sunday to vote on this call.
We remain excited about where God is leading St. John's and we can't wait to introduce our candidate to you!
Grace and peace,
Leslie Bragg
Chair, Pastor Search Team
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During the churchwide Q/A session on April 26, nursery and Sunday school classes for children will NOT be held. Children of all ages are invited to attend the Q/A session. Nursery will be provided during the worship hour. Worship care for preschool children will be available as well. |
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Sundaes on Sunday
Children and families, let’s make sundaes on Sunday! Join us in Broach Hall following worship on Sunday, April 26 for an ice cream sundae bar. After a sweet treat, we will make door decor for 32 families living at the Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte. Register here by April 24.
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On The Way: April 30
St. John’s retired adults and friends will be On The Way to Lexington Barbecue for lunch and a train ride at the North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer on Thursday, April 30. Please email Lee Gray at LGray@sjcharlotte.org by Sunday, April 26 at the latest if you plan to attend. That way, we can provide transportation for everyone from to the church. The cost will be $40 (please pay day of the trip) and will cover your lunch, the train ride and museum entrance, and transportation there and back. Meet at the church at 9 am, and we should return by 4:30 pm on April 30.
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Finding Home - 25th Anniversary Luncheon of Lost Boys Coming to the USA: May 17! Mark your Calendars!
St. John's was blessed by a chance encounter with some of the young men, who were settled in Charlotte by Catholic Social Services. Perhaps you are familiar with the story of our former Associate Minister, Rev. Dr. Martha Kearse's noticing some of the “Boys” in the Harris Teeter. She observed, that they seemed perplexed, as they attempted to decide, what were the best choices for their grocery cart. Once she offered assistance, the relationship blossomed into an opportunity for members of our congregation to mentor 40 young refugees from Sudan. Though that story may seem familiar to many of us, what about the story of their experiences prior to their arrival in Charlotte? What do you know about that?
Over the next several weeks, leading up to May 17, the Family News will bring their harrowing adventures to life, piece by piece in serial form, so everyone will understand how amazing their presence among us has been. God surely brought them to safety here and blessed us by allowing us to be a part of their journey.
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Prayer List, Sympathy, Thanks, and Celebrations | |
Current Prayer Concerns:
Dale Johnson, Gayla Tyson
Continuing Prayer:
Warren Howell, Anna Lynn Kearse, Vivian Ann Wilson (Jane Lineberger’s sister-in-law)
Sympathy:
Please remember Minh, Bill, Haley, and Jacob Callaway in the death of Minh’s father, Thinh Van Pham, who entered into his eternal rest on April 2. Thinh's life was celebrated and honored earlier today, April 9, down in Atlanta.
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2026 Full Year Budget – $1,230,000
Budget thru March - $307,500
Actual Income Received - estimate - $255,979
Income over(under) budget - ($51,521)
Income over(under) prior year - ($22,180)
| | Minister On Call Schedule |
- Apr. 6-12: Don
- Apr. 13-19: Kheresa
| | - Todd Stillerman - (704) 763-6611
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Staff Contact Information
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Dr. Don Gordon, Interim Minister - 704-333-5428, ext. 2012; 919-972-1933 (cell)
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Rev. Lee Gray, Minister for Congregational Care - 704-333-5428, ext. 2015; 704-451-1309 (cell)
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Rev. Kheresa Harmon, Minister for Children & their Families - 704-333-5428, ext. 2018; 910-890-3392 (cell)
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Noel Lance, Minister for Worship & Music
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Amanda Morrison, Church Administrator - 704-333-5428, ext. 0
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Kristina Hartzell, Interim Weekday School Director - 704-333-5428, ext. 2039
- Chloe Salmeron, Children's Choir Director
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Liza Wade, Media Coordinator
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