Vol. 79 Issue 28 | Week of June 12-18, 2021
Worship on July 18, 2021: Welcoming Sabrina Gilchrist to the St. John's Pulpit!

We return to the Sanctuary for worship this Sunday, July 18th as we welcome Rev. Sabrina Gilchrist as proclaimer! She will offer a messaged called, "Persist," based on Luke 11:5-13.

Sabrina is the Executive Director of Right Moves for Youth (RMFY), a school-based youth development and student support program that leverages group work to help teens in grades 6-12 succeed in school and life. Learn more here about RMFY.

Additionally, Sabrina is an author, public speaker, Clinical Mental Health Counselor, and ordained Christian minister. She earned a Bachelor of Arts from Winston-Salem State University and a dual Master of Arts (Counseling) and Master of Divinity from Wake Forest University. 

She has served the Charlotte community since 2010 through her work with Right Moves for Youth. Beginning in direct service as the Program Manager, Sabrina now has the honor of leading RMFY as Executive Director. Sabrina also works in private counseling practice with Reconciliation Counseling and Consulting, PLLC, and occasionally teaches aspiring helping professionals as an adjunct professor at Queens University of Charlotte.

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. The live-stream and worship guide links will be sent out via email on Sunday morning for those of you joining us online.
Attention!

Even though we are not registering ahead of time for worship, face coverings are still required during worship in the Sanctuary on Sundays! Our COVID-19 Task Force recommends this protocol at this time in order to protect our children and the most vulnerable among us who cannot yet be vaccinated. Thank you for helping us love and protect our children and the most vulnerable by wearing your face coverings in worship until further notice.
Unidiversity Youth Camp Next Week!

On Tuesday, July 20, nine of our teenagers along with two of our ministers, Nate Dove and Allison Benfield, head to Maryville College in Tennessee for a week at Unidiversity Youth Camp.

What is Unidiversity?

Unidiversity was started in 1993 by four youth ministers who wanted a different kind of youth camp experience. The entire camp is led by church ministers and lay volunteers; therefore, there is no paid camp staff. The different ministers in the partnering churches and faith communities get together throughout the year to plan the theme, create worship experiences, write Bible Studies and devotionals, plan morning celebrations and evening activities, and coordinate seminars and electives. In addition to leading and caring for our teens throughout the week, Nate and Allison will also be leading various aspects of the camp experience through Bible studies and seminars. Together, ministers and lay leaders from multiple churches pool their resources and talents to create a great camp experience for youth from twenty churches from Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.

Pray for our teenagers and their leaders, Nate and Allison, as they spend a week together with other youth groups and leaders from around the Southeast.
Are you passionate about social justice initiatives?

Join the Social Justice Focus Group in their 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]).
Thank you for your patience!

Thank you for your patience as we implement our check-in for worship and Sunday Growth Groups (Sunday School). This past Sunday, we had some challenges with our network access and event setup as we transitioned from requiring registration to only asking you to check-in. Your flexibility and willingness to learn and adapt with us is deeply appreciated. The staff is working to address the challenges we had on Sunday and should have them resolved for this coming weekend. 

You can currently find a check-in kiosk on Sunday’s in the following locations:

  • At 9am (Growth Groups) you can find a station outside the Choir Room at the top of the stairs and another outside the Broach Hall Elevator on the Main Level (2).
  • You may also visit stations outside the Sanctuary. At 10am the stations are located In the Narthex and outside each entrance the Sanctuary on the Main Level. You may check-in for all classes and worship at any kiosk at any time using the last 4 digits of your telephone number.
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 & 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.
Take Me Out to the Ballgame

St. John's Men's Softball games happening now at Providence Baptist Church!

Come and cheer on the Men's Softball Team next week on Monday, July 19 @ 7:15PM and Wednesday, July 21 @ 7:15PM at Providence Baptist Church on Randolph Road.

Upcoming Games:

  • 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
Prayer Concerns, Celebrations, Thanks & Sympathy
Polly Hull, Gene & Carol Poole, Elma Thomas,
Barbara Ledford, Carol Hager (sister of Betty Harkey),
Tish Philemon, Andrew Adair, Carol Drye

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.
Please email [email protected] to share a prayer request, thank you, or celebration.
Financial Ministry Plan Report

Week of July 5-11: $23,144
Income through July 11: $598,791
Annual 2021 Ministry Plan Budget Goal: $1,175,000
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.
Ministers On-Call Schedule

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

Dennis Foust - 704-359-7234 (cell); 704-333-5428, ext. 12
Lee Gray - 704-451-1309 (cell); 704-333-5428, ext. 15
Nate Dove - 704-662-2154 (cell); 704-333-5428, ext. 13
Allison Benfield - 828-448-8412 (cell); 704-333-5428, ext. 18
Kevin Gray - 803-524-0287 (cell); 704-333-5428, ext. 14
Jacquelyn McAbee - 434-579-1177 (cell); 704-333-5428, ext. 20
Mallory Brown - 704-477-3349 (cell); 704-333-5428, ext 11
Derek Henson - 704-333-5428, ext. 10