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In this week's Family News (Scroll to Learn More):
- From Dr. Don Gordon: Let Me Come Unto the Little Children
- Pastor Search Survey
- Stewardship is Coming!
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CROP Hunger Walk, October 19: Sign Up Now!
- Fall Festival October 26
- NAMI Walks on November 8
- On the Way!
- Depression Support Group
- Banana Pudding Needed!
- Basketball Registration is Live!
- Reflection on Children’s Sabbath
- Christmas Painting Party at Noah's Art Nov. 22
- Lost Boys Home Photos and Videos
- Save the Date: Friendsgiving Nov. 16
- Save the Date: Senior Adult Christmas Gathering Dec. 4
- Get Your Key Fob!
- Fall Churchwide 2025 Save the Dates
- Prayer List, Sympathy, Thanks, and Celebrations
- Financial Update
- Minister On Call Schedule
- After Hours On Call Schedule
- Staff Contact Info
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Let Me Come Unto the Little Children
by Dr. Don Gordon, Interim Minister
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One of the church’s primary tasks is to teach the Bible, with special attention to the teachings of Jesus. The ultimate goal, of course, is not merely to know what Jesus taught, but to incorporate it into daily living. We are called not only to know what Jesus did, but we are to do what Jesus did.
Well, sometimes I don’t do it exactly how Jesus did it. In fact, this past Sunday I made a significant pivot from what Jesus taught and what he did. As Kheresa Harmon, our preacher for this World Communion Sunday, so beautifully pointed out for us, Jesus blessed the children that
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came to him. While the disciples were trying to protect Jesus’ precious time preaching the kingdom of God, Jesus was holding up the children as examples of the kingdom of God enacted on earth.
I didn’t do that Sunday. I didn’t invite the children to come to me, or rebuke the disciples for keeping them away. I didn’t take any of them into my arms to bless them, or say the words of Jesus: ‘Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs” (Mark 10:14). Sorry about that Jesus. Sorry kids.....Sort of.
I did something different. You might say I transposed the teaching of Jesus to match the moment. Instead of saying, “Let the children come to me,” I actually came to the children to receive my blessing from them. “Let me come to the children” was the transpositional move. As you can see in the photo, I walked to the front of the sanctuary and took the Sudanese bread from a child as she said, “The body of Christ for you.” And I dipped it into the cup as another child said, “This is the cup of the new covenant.” I came to them to participate in the communion of the church around the world and here at St. John’s. I came to them to be blessed and encouraged and strengthened for the journey ahead. I came to be grounded in the vulnerable love of God. I don’t know if it was a big deal for them. But it was for me.
Maybe that’s what the kingdom is about. Sure, blessing children and creating safe, sacred spaces for them is certainly an important part of the kingdom of God. Welcoming them into our arms and our homes is essential to the incorporation of the kingdom. But maybe, just maybe coming to them for blessing is also a manifestation of the kingdom of God at work in the world. At least for me it was on this particular Sunday in the year of our Lord 2025.
“Let me come to the children” for they hold the keys to the kingdom more than those who wield power and authority over them.
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Pastor Search Survey
Dear St. John’s Family,
On Sunday Sept. 21, we shared time together at lunch following worship—our first service led by Interim Pastor Dr. Don Gordon. More than 100 members of our community gathered at round tables in groups of eight and enjoyed meaningful dialogue and connection.
The purpose of this gathering was twofold: to review the results of the congregational survey conducted in July and August, and to provide another opportunity to share hopes and perspectives for our next senior pastor. The Pastor Search Team (PST) is grateful for your thoughtful participation in both the survey and this conversation. Your voices are helping shape the path ahead.
The PST used this valuable input to finalize both the church profile and the pastor profile at our Sunday, Oct. 5 meeting. The church profile and pastor profile are now available online.
This is certainly an exciting season in the life of St. John’s, and we are committed to keeping you updated every step of the way. For your reference, we have attached the slides that were shared during Sunday’s lunch, which summarize the survey results.
Thank you for your continued prayers, support, and partnership in this important process.
With gratitude,
Leslie Bragg, PST Chair
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STEWARDSHIP 2026:
Rooted in Faith, Growing in Purpose
This fall, we invite you to reflect on how your generosity helps St. John’s grow in purpose and deepen its impact. Our stewardship theme for the 2026 budget year is “Rooted in Faith, Growing in Purpose.” It’s a celebration of what we’ve built together — and a call to continue nurturing the mission we share. Commitment Sunday will be held during worship on November 9. Mark your calendar and begin considering your pledge for the coming year. Let’s keep the momentum going — with joy, wisdom, and faith!
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The Charlotte CROP Hunger Walk
St. John’s, we’re off to a good start toward our goal of $10,000+. Several of you are signed up to walk and some of you are generously supporting walkers. There are several ways to support the Walk by your participation.
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WALK: Register and join the SJBC Team online.
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CAN'T WALK? No problem. You can donate to the St. John's CROP Hunger Walk Team through Realm. On the donation page specify your amount, then change the Fund from "Budget" to "CROP Hunger Walk" at the bottom of the list.
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Be a Spirit Walker and sponsor a St. John's walker.
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NEW in 2025! Participate in your Sunday School class fundraising competition! It’s on! a high-stakes, dollar-droppin’, jar-fillin’, bragging-rights-earning competition!
We’ve kicked off an intense fundraiser called Steps Against Hunger Challenge.
Each class has a jar. Your mission? Stuff it with as many dollars, change, checks (made payable to Charlotte CROP Walk) as you can between now and the CROP Walk on October 19. Every Sunday, bring the heat (and the money) — because only the most generous class will rise to the top in making a world of difference fighting hunger and poverty.
Track your progress on your very own classroom CROP-branded thermometer poster — and watch your class leave the others in the dust. Joy and Seekers are in the lead right now, but that doesn’t mean you can’t catch them!
Prizes go to the top two classes with the biggest totals — and we’ll crown the champions during the CROP Walk recap. Glory, fame, and classroom pride are on the line. Let the dollar games begin!
NOT in a Sunday School class – drop of your change, dollars or checks in the jar at the CROP walk table across from Amanda’s office.
For more help or information, reach out to James Laney or Debbie Pittman.
CROP WALK Details:
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Lunch at Broach Hall: After worship, 11:30 AM
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Walk check-in: 1:00–2:00 PM
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Walk starts: 2:00 PM
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Options: Surrounding neighborhood walk or a shorter campus track
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Extras: Plenty of parking, a bouncy house, and activities for the kiddos
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2025 Fall Festival and Trunk-or-Treat
We need volunteers for our Fall Festival and Trunk or Treat community event on Sunday, October 26, 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. at SJBC. How can you volunteer?
- Provide your vehicle that you can decorate.
- Candy, stickers, pencils, etc. as treats for your trunk.
- You in costume, too!
Only Register 1 person per vehicle.
Please sign up by October 22.
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NAMI Walks: Nov. 8
St. John's is a sponsor of this year's NAMIWalks Charlotte. Join our team and support the work with NAMI!
"No one NAMIWalks alone," is the mantra we walk by at the community’s most important mental health fundraising event.
Some people walk together, in step and arm in arm. Others walk together in spirit. Still others, sadly, walk together in memory.
However, we raise money that connects those in need to the life-changing, even life-saving, mental health programs and guidance that NAMI offers.
We participate as a team. Each contributing what we can: time, effort, muscle, and commitment. What do you have to offer us? Because let me tell you, your contribution will make all the difference. No matter the age of a team member, or whether you’re a practiced athlete, when you join our ranks, it’s one big loud cheer the community will hear: We are NAMIWalks.
It's also a lot of fun. You get to meet new friends and reach goals you never thought you’d reach.
Won’t you join the joy with us? Together, we’ll be strong enough to lift hope itself!
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On the Way!
We will go down the hill to eat at Hawthorne’s Pizza, Pasta, and Salad on Wednesday, October 22nd at 11:30am. They were very generous in supporting St. John’s for our Rise Against Hunger event, providing us lunch before we packed the 15,000 meals. Please let Lee Gray LGray@sjcharlotte.org know if you would like to be part of our meal fellowship on that day.
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Depression Support Group
Join the St. John’s Depression Support Group! Contact Rev. Kathy Turner (919-225-2749) to learn more about a regular meeting to provide support for people coping with depression; to foster honest conversations in our daily lives with others who can relate; and to help us hold one another accountable so we feel supported and not judged.
The first meeting will be on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. at the church in room 104 (Cheers Classroom). Please note: This is intended to provide a support network. It is not a therapy session.
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Mission Opportunity: Banana Puddings Needed!
We serve at the Men's Shelter on October 17. We need 9 puddings each time we serve on the THIRD Friday of each month. You can sign up by clicking HERE to volunteer to make pudding or serve the pudding. The men say "Thank you!"
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Basketball Registration is Live!
St. John’s Basketball registration is now live for children and youth. We will have teams for boys and girls ages 4-12. Please click on the link to register and see all the details pertaining to the upcoming basketball season. Click here to learn more and register now. Contact Lee Gray at LGray@sjcharlotte.org if you have any questions.
Two free pre-season clinics open to all boys and girls 8 years old and under will be held on Monday, October 13 at 5:00 pm & Tuesday, October, 28 at 5:00 pm.
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Reflection on Children’s Sabbath
“We don’t introduce children to worship to make them good but rather that they will know who they are,” writes Rev. Dr. Debra Dean Murphy, Professor of Religious Studies at West Virginia Wesleyan College. “We,” Murphy continues, “trust that worship which is attentive to the gospel’s grand story will transform their lives (and ours), will feed their imaginations not their egos, and will help them (and us) learn to order our lives by the gift of God’s time.”
When our church family gathered on Sunday, October 5, in the name of Jesus Christ to meet God in worship and to seek God’s kingdom, we were powerfully led by our children, who are discovering who there are and whose they are. They proclaimed the “gospel’s grand story” through spoken and sung words and through the sharing of the sacrament of Communion. I give thanks to God for the gift of children, and for the simple, yet profound ways, that they teach you and me what it means to follow in the way of Jesus.
Thank you to our children for leading our worship on Sunday!
The Awar Family (Annie, Elizabeth, Yar, and Awar)
The Benton Family (Amelia and Greer)
The Cardella Family (Riley)
The Cushman Family (Alexandra and Julien)
The Follis Family (Joy and Abigail)
The Harmon Family (Hannah and Grace)
The Lawrence Family (Laine and Eliana)
The McCombs Family (Hailey)
The Miller Family (Mabry Anne)
The Redding Family (Mae)
The Whipple Family (Kayleigh, Jack, and Liam)
Thank you to Akur Awar for baking Kisra for Communion. Thank you to Noel Lance, Chloe Salmeron, Steven Follis, Renee Hutchison, and the Chancel Choir for music leadership.
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Christmas Painting Party at Noah's Art
Kids, let’s make Christmas 2025 colorful with a painting party at Noah’s Art of South Park on Saturday, November 22, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.! Bring a friend. The cost is only $10 per child. Register here by
Sunday, November 16.
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Lost Boys Home Photos and Videos
In 2026, St. John’s will join nonprofit Mothering Across Continents and other congregations to celebrate 25 years with the former Lost Boys of South Sudan, who became part of our church family after arriving from war-torn Sudan in 2001. Watch for announcements about events to learn, celebrate, and continue supporting South Sudan. Charlotte-based Kim Brattain Media is producing a short documentary and needs photos/home videos featuring St. John’s members and the former Lost Boys—please upload via the QR code or at www.tinyurl.com/25-anniversary, or email Elizabeth Peacock at epeacock@newgenpeace.org.
Deadline: October 10.
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Save the Date: Friendsgiving
Please mark your calendars now and plan to attend our Friendsgiving on Sunday, November 16. Details to follow soon!
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Save the Date: Christmas Gathering
St. John's Senior Adults (75 and older)
Please mark your calendars now and plan to attend our annual Christmas Gathering on Thursday, December 4th in Broach Hall at 11:30 am. Details to follow soon!
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Get Your Church Key Fob!
Maintain your access to the church while ensuring the safety and security of our campus
As you know, St. John's has many doors, and it feels quite porous on Sunday mornings with all of them unlocked. The Safety and Security Task Force is trying to balance our desire to be hospitable with our need to be safe and secure. While we have greeters assigned to certain doors, it is not easy to staff every door, and sometimes volunteers do not report for their duty. (Our God is forgiving!)
Therefore, in the future, you may find that a fob would come in handy. On Sunday mornings, if you arrive at an unattended, locked door, you will still be able to get in via the Broach or Main Entrance by using a fob. (The Narthex doors will be open starting at 10 am.)
Here is how to order your fob today!!
- Key Fob forms can be found outside of Amanda's Office, in the Main Entrance Lobby, and the Broach Entrance Lobby Newsstands.
- Please fill out the form and place it in the white After Hours/Sunday Morning drop box beside Amanda's office.
- You may pick up your new key fob the following Sunday from the Reception Office behind the Sanctuary near the 5th Street Entrance. You can also pick it up by contacting Amanda and coming by the church office during the week.
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| | Fall 2025 Churchwide Save The Dates: |
- All Saints Sunday, November 2
- NAMI Walk Saturday, November 8
- Commitment Sunday, November 9
- Friendsgiving, November 16
- WDAV Lessons & Carols, December 2
- Hanging of the Green & Nativity Play with Lunch, December 7
- Christmas Cantata, December 14: "Joy Has Dawned" by Lloyd Larson (featuring the Chancel Choir and members of the Charlotte Symphony)
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Prayer List, Sympathy, Thanks, and Celebrations | |
Current Prayer Concerns:
Mary Jo Breckenridge, Joe Trull
Continuing Prayer:
Anna Lynn Kearse, Mary Rickenbaker
Sympathy:
Please remember James Laney in the death of his Aunt, Martha J. Jones, on October 6. Martha was a resident of Aldersgate and participated in many St. John’s events. A service to honor her life will be held at St. Mary’s Episcopal in Blowing Rock NC in a few weeks.
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2025 Full Year Budget – $1,241,000
Budgeted Income thru September - $930,750
Actual Income Received thru September - $902,682
Global Missions Offering - $23,000
Income Received thru September - $22,375
| | Minister On Call Schedule |
- Oct. 6 - 12: Lee
- Oct. 13 - 19: Kheresa
- Oct. 20 - 26: Don
| | After Hours On Call Schedule | - 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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Lydia Olmsted, 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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