Welcome – Worship – Connect – Serve

The Voice in the Wilderness

A weekly newsletter from the Episcopal Church of St. John the Baptist

Friday, July 25, 2025

In our Diocesan Cycle of Prayer, we pray for St. Peter's in Litchfield Park.

People who have asked for our prayers this week include: Krista, Mae, Bob, Valerie, Cynthia, Tony, Janet, Barbara and Richard, Jody, and Kevin.

Please contact the office by clicking here to have names added to our prayer list. We will pray for your requests for two Sundays.

Our clergy are available for pastoral care, any time, day or night. Contact information is available in the parish directory.

Our rector is Fr. Tim Yanni

Our deacon is the Rev. Cn. Chuck Milhoan

You may also contact Rector Emeritus Fr. Harry Way or Assisting Priests, Fr. Henry Orth or Mtr. Marty Conner.

If you would like a home communion visit because you are unable to attend services on a given week, please contact Deacon Chuck. Visits can be arranged at a time convenient to you and the visitor, preferably on a Sunday. Pastoral care is available to all who seek it.

Please note: sacramental theology teaches us that pastoral care must be requested. While our clergy have many gifts, they have not yet mastered the art of mind reading. If you need us, please ask!

Greetings and thank you for reading this week's newsletter! We invite you to follow us on Facebook and on Instagram for news, videos, and fun!

Join us on Sundays at 8 and 10:15 a.m. for Holy Eucharist, and on Wednesdays at 1 p.m. for a Holy Eucharist with healing prayers and anointing.

Pastoral care is available round the clock. Clergy contact information is found in the parish directory. If you have questions about our community, bring them to me or to a colleague. We're happy to tell you more about our parish.

Children's Corner Coming in September!

Following the example of other parishes with thriving children's programming, we are excited to announce a new children's corner that will be set up in the sanctuary beginning after Labor Day!

We are building a team of volunteers who have expressed interest in assisting with children's ministry. Many of these volunteers are already taking mandatory Safe Church training in order to prepare for their role.

This children's corner will be located at the front of the sanctuary, opposite of where the choir now sits. Like the examples in the above photos, we will have small tables and chairs, coloring materials, books, and soft toys. Adult supervision will help to instruct our children about what is taking place during the liturgy.

Bring your children and trust they will be in good hands as they learn about Jesus in a fun way.

This will meet the needs of parents who seek nursery services, and it will serve as a placeholder as we continue to grow our Sunday School program.

We welcome members to participate on this team! Please contact Fr. Tim by clicking here, or visit with him or another member of the clergy or office staff.

Remember: children belong in the sanctuary! They are welcome in our space, and they are beloved gifts from God.

When you bring us suggestions, we try our best to accommodate them! It was a little girl, after all, who asked if we could use bubbles during baptisms, and look where that got us!

Recently a parishioner asked if we can begin doing a healing service from time to time on a Sunday. This is a wonderful idea, and we will begin including prayers for healing and other needs every time there's a fifth Sunday. Bring your needs to church, and the community will hold you in prayer for healing and comfort. We will hold our first Sunday healing service on Sunday, August 31. Healing prayers and anointing will be available at both Sunday services. As always, prayers for healing and sick calls are available at any time. If you need a member of the clergy for an urgent need, please contact us. Thank you for bringing this suggestion forward!

On Sunday, we commissioned members of our Altar Guild for 2025! Pictured are those who were commissioned during the 10:15 service: Fr. Harry Way, Charles Lawson, Sidney Sneed, and Jennifer Elfenbein. Thank you to those who are pictured here and all those who have said yes to God's call!

If you are interested in joining the Altar Guild, we'd love to have your help! Please contact Jennifer Elfenbein or a member of the clergy for information!

Be sure to secure your tickets now for Faith and Family Night with the Arizona Diamondbacks! The Diamondbacks will take on the Colorado Rockies in a National League West showdown at 6:40 p.m. on Friday, August 8.

Tickets with St. John's and other parishes from our diocese are $45 and they are available by clicking here. St. John's is well-known around the diocese for having an awesome turnout each year. We hope to keep our place as the best Diamondbacks fans in our diocese! Get your tickets now! We will all be seated together, and we'll have a fun day at the ball park!

More Information from the Diamondbacks

Faith & Family Night, presented by Chick-fil-A, returns to Chase Field on Friday, August 8 when the D-backs host the Colorado Rockies. This year’s event will be headlined by a postgame concert from 10-time Grammy-nominated artist Tauren Wells!

Please join the Arizona Diamondbacks for a night of baseball, fellowship, and music. Come out and support your D-backs as we take on the NL West rival Rockies.

Annually, we host hundreds of churches and Christian-based groups from all over Arizona at this event. Faith & Family Night is the best way for church members, friends, family, and music fans to enjoy a D-backs game!

Faith & Family Night will feature:

• Postgame concert by Tauren Wells
• Discounted tickets to D-backs vs. Rockies game
• D-backs Player Testimonials + Q&A

The concert is free to all guests with a ticket to the August 8 game. Once the game is over, it will be open seating and you can move to a better seating location for the concert.

Recently we were informed that certain elements of our worship space were distracting to some worshippers. Among those concerns were visibility of the altar party and the flowers being placed off-center to allow for the frontal to be visible. We have shortened the frontal, recentered the flowers, and adjusted the altar party's seating area. We also have removed some unnecessary (and perhaps unsightly) furniture and other clutter. Now everyone at the altar will be visible, and the flowers will be in the center. Please remember that nothing in our worship space is bolted down, and we're always willing to listen to your concerns and idea! Please share them with us!

Please be sure to be present as we celebrate the life of longtime friend and parishioner Karl Oppenheim, who died peacefully in his home early Monday Morning. Karl’s funeral will take place at St. John’s on Thursday, August 14 at 11 a.m. It will be streamed on our Facebook page. You are invited to wear an aloha shirt in Karl's honor.

Known for his sense of humor, his affinity for aloha shirts, the enjoyment of a chilled, stiff beverage, his mischievous smile, his love of his parish community, and his love for his wife, Sue, Karl’s absence leaves a hole in our collective hearts.

In leu of flowers, Karl’s wishes are that donations be made in his honor to our St. John’s Military Veterans’ Ministry. You may make a donation in Karl’s name by clicking here.

Please continue to hold Sue and Karl’s family in your prayers. We celebrate his life, and we grieve his passing. May he rest in peace and rise in glory. Amen.

Did you know that the word liturgy literally means the work of the people? Well, it does! And who are the people? All of us! This means liturgy takes all of us!

You are invited to prayerfully consider joining a liturgical ministry team. We are in search of readers, Eucharistic ministers, and acolytes.

We are looking for ministers of all ages! Yes, including young children! (Please note that Church canons do require Eucharistic ministers to be at least 16 years old).

Join us at the altar and help us to spread the love of Jesus in the world! Remember, praying shapes believing! When you're serving at the altar, you're helping all of us to pray! Contact Fr. Tim to sign up by clicking here, or talk to a member of the clergy on a Sunday! Please say yes to God's call!

Christian Education

Coming this fall, we are excited to offer two educational opportunities for our community, starting after Labor Day!

Barking to the Choir

by Fr. Greg Boyle

By popular demand, we will continue to read about the ministry of Fr. Greg Boyle, founder of Homeboy Industries. We will read Fr. Greg's second book, Barking to the Choir, and discuss it on Sundays between services.

Hybrid Bible Study

At the request of some of our parishioners, we will offer a "hybrid" Bible study. We will explore the Holy Scriptures together. This hybrid model will include a video lecture released weekly, followed later in the week by discussion and Q and A at a site and time TBD. Specific details will be announced as the Program Year approaches.

Remember, learning is a lifelong goal for Christians! Let's learn about Jesus together!

We invite you to prayerfully discern if God is calling you to serve the youth of our community. While we have a handful of high school age youth in our community for the time being, there is always an opportunity to share the love of God with more and more people!

Do you have gifts and skills that might be helpful in guiding youth? Are you passionate about spending time with young people and sharing the gospel with them? We'd love to resurrect our youth program, but we need your help!

Contact Fr. Tim if you would like to learn more about youth ministry, or if you have ideas or suggestions about how to serve our youth in this post-COVID 19 world!

Follow St. John's on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube! And now you can find Fr. Tim on TikTok. Click the images below to link to our accounts! Stay up-to-date with the latest news and fun!

Our social media accounts have been gaining visibility! Please continue to follow us and to share our content! Four of the last six Sundays, we have had record attendance numbers for at least the past three years! Many of our visitors said they found out about us by our social media posts. This is wonderful news! Keep up the good work! Remember, like, share, and comment! And be sure to give us a follow!

Did you know our Food Pantry serves supplemental food to dozens of families every week? Thanks to your generous donations of food and money, we are able to put the Gospel into action by feeding hungry members of our community. In addition to these resources, we also need your help!

Think you can spare a few hours each week to have some fun, spend time with your friends, and put food in tummies? Well then we'd love to have you help in the Food Pantry! Our Food Pantry operates Tuesday through Thursday from 10 to 1, and we can always use more help. We especially need you if you're available on Wednesdays.

Chat with Craig, Tacy, or Sally if you're available. Help us provide food to our neighbors!

Aloha Friday with Fr. Tim

Have you subscribed to Fr. Tim's blog? Well, you can! And the best part? It's free! Fr. Tim's weekly blog is available on the Substack platform. If you're feeling generous, you can even sign up for a paid subscription that will help him to continue this important message of evangelism and Good News! Subscribe today by clicking the button below! You can read Fr. Tim's blog by clicking the image below.

Worship at St. John's

We celebrate the Holy Eucharist every Sunday at 8 and 10:15 a.m.

We hope you join us as we celebrate God's love and share it with the world!

Announcements and Newsletter Submission Deadlines

Please submit all announcements for the Sunday, bulletin by noon on Wednesday. Announcements and pictures for the Weekly Email Newsletter by noon on Wednesday. Submit by email to info@stjohnsaz.org.

St. John’s Closet Thrift Store

Our Thrift Store is open Fridays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Friday and Saturday! Come find your newest treasures! Have some items that need to find new homes? Make a donation to St. John's closet any time we're here! Stop by and see us real soon!

Men's Fellowship and Bible Study



All men who wish to spend time in fellowship, prayer, and study, are invited to join us for Men's Fellowship. This takes place every Saturday morning.

All men are invited to spend time together. Contact Michael Werner at 623-297-0738 for details and meeting information!

Bible Study Between Services



Read the Bible with Dan Basche every Sunday at 9 a.m. in Chilton Hall. Share, reflect, and pray as we study scriptures together. Contact Dan for more information.

Home CommunionVisits

Not able to come to church because of an illness or hospitalization? We will bring church to you! Please contact our office at 623-582-5449 to schedule a home communion visit.