“Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
—Romans 12:2
Part of maintaining and growing in a lively faith requires that we not only live our faith outwardly in love and service, but also allow ourselves to be inwardly transformed and renewed through study and prayer.
At St. John’s, we are committed to ensuring a host of opportunities that take us beyond Sunday morning worship to further enrich our lives of faith as we learn and grow together. Everyone is invited to participate as little or as much as they wish.
We believe that our children and youth aren’t, as they are sometimes called “the Church of tomorrow,” but that they are already the Church of today. At St. John’s, children are full members of the community. Our programming for children and youth emphasizes the same values that define the Church more broadly—prayer and worship, community and fellowship, having fun, learning together, and serving the Church and the world. In all our ministry with children and youth, we aim to ensure that they know that they have a home in the St. John’s community.
Our nursery offers care for children aged 4 and under from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Sundays, as well as for other parish events. Here, the children are able to enjoy playing together, and they also begin to learn some of the stories from Scripture.
Children aged 5–9 are invited to attend Children’s Chapel on Sunday mornings at 9:45. They follow a program that emphasizes fun and fellowship while including prayer, Bible lessons, and creative projects. This happens while the adults at the 10 a.m. service listen to the readings and sermon. The children then join the adults in church for the Eucharist.
Our Children’s Choir, led by our Director of Music, Benjamin Buchanan, provides an opportunity for children to “sing unto the Lord.” Ben meets with the children to help them develop their vocal abilities and to prepare music for special services.
We recently hired Leah Timmerhoff to be our youth formation leader. Working with our clergy, Leah is responsible for pre-confirmation and confirmation classes for our older children and youth. Leah is collaborating with families to expand our offerings for young people ages 10–17. She is committed to helping our older children and young adults recognize and share God’s love through opportunities for fellowship, faith formation, and service to others.
Tuesday Morning Prayer and Thursday Evening Prayer are both wonderful opportunities to engage more deeply, prayerfully, and personally with Scripture.
Adult Forums take place on Sunday mornings at 9:00am from September to May, and cover a range of subjects of interest and relevance to our shared lives of faith.
Through the course of the year, we have a number of opportunities for evening study and fellowship. These evenings begin with a simple meal before gathering together, often around a cozy fire, to study and discuss whatever our focus might be that day. We end those evenings with a short time of prayer. We follow this format for our Lent series, for inquirer’s classes, and for book studies. Keep an eye on our blog, or sign up for our Holy Happenings newsletter to stay up-to-date with current offerings.
Our Men’s Group meets alternate Thursdays at 12noon in the Library in the Parish House. The group has the dual function of serving as fellowship group while also studying a great range of material. Contact the parish office to learn what the Men’s Group are currently reading.