March 2015 Messenger

MARCH 2015 Volume 29.3

St. John’s United Church of

Christ

St. John’s is a community of faith centered in Jesus Christ, seeking guidance and direction through the

Holy Spirit, and demonstrating God’s love to all people in words and

deeds.

An Open and Affirming

Congregation

503 Stuart Circle Richmond, Virginia 23220 Telephone: 804.358.9291

Email: [email protected]

Web Site:

stjohnsrichmond.org

Published monthly

© 2013 St John’s UCC

A Note from Rev. Nicholson...

Wow! The time is finally arriving when you will be hearing a sermon from and voting to call your next installed pastor. This is truly an exciting time. I believe your search committee has done a thorough, thoughtful, and prayerful search for the person whose name will be put before you. As they gave their report to the Council last week I could not help but be filled with joy and enthusiasm for the next chapter that you will be writing together.

A number of people have asked about me; what is my position in the transition. As an Interim Pastor I always know that my time with a congregation is limited. Anticipating this, my contract with the church specifies that the church can end its relationship with me with thirty days’ notice. When I began this work five interims ago this was very unsettling because I would have no idea what if any-thing was coming next. I don’t have those concerns now. We have retired to Richmond, coming back home after sixteen years away. We have family here including our son, his wife, and our precious three-year-old grandson.

The timeframe for voting on the new pastor, the pastor’s start date, and any overlap that might be desired are completely in the hands of the Council and the new pastor. As this point I may not initiate contact with the pastor candidate. Of course if the candidate contacts me, I will respond. All of this is in accord with “best practices” for Interim Ministers. I will do everything requested to facilitate a smooth transition, but it is now time to look ahead to a new and long term relationship and ministry with your new pastor.

I pray God’s richest blessing on you and upon the pastor as you begin your work together.

Godspeed,

Roger

The St. John’s Congregation Pastor Search Committee & Church Council

Right Now! Today!

The Council has called a congregational meeting for Sunday, March 22, 2015 for the purpose of hearing and acting upon a report from the Pastor Search Committee. The meeting will be held at the end of the 11:00 AM worship service.

Prior to the meeting the Pastor Candidate will preach the sermon during the service. There will be opportunities on Saturday March 21 for the members of the congregation to meet the candidate.

Please put a big red circle around these dates and make every effort to attend and participate in events that will be announced as they develop.

A letter from the Council and Search Committee will be mailed the first of this coming week with information about the weekend.

St. John’s is offering several opportunities for exploring faith during this Lenten season, as we follow the path Jesus took to the cross.

PRAYERS Like Jesus, we turn to prayer to help us find our way. Every Sunday, all are invited to write prayers

on paper leaves provided in the Parlor, Fellowship Hall, and Sanctuary. Prayer leaves can then be placed in the offering plates or in baskets beside the Prayer Tree on the Parlor wall. Include prayers for friends and family, our congregation, the Richmond community, and the world.

SPIRITUAL PRACTICES Other practices will also sustain us on the journey. During the week, use the

insert in the Sunday bulletin to experiment with several different spiritual practices. Try them out alone or with others in your household. Listen to what God might be teaching you during this time of Lent.

THE CROSS As we head toward the cross, it is helpful to learn more about this important Christian

symbol. On Sunday, March 15, all are invited to participate in an hands-on intergenerational workshop from 9:45-10:45 a.m. in the Fell. Hall. Come join in activities such as making a cross necklace out of nails, and decorating different styles of crosses.

CHILDREN AND YOUTH ON SUNDAY MORNINGS It can be easy for children to miss out on all the stories that fall between Palm Sunday and Easter, since most Holy Week services are not child-friendly. To help St. John’s children fill in the gaps, the Toddler, Primary and Jr. Youth classes will be exploring the stories of Holy Week in advance. Jr. Youth will study the many symbols of Lent, make a timeline and create a set of Lenten Easter eggs. The Primary and Toddler classes will hear the stories of Palm Sunday, the Last Supper, and the Garden of Gethsemane. They will experience the stories through drama, images, puzzles, and other activities so that when Easter arrives, they will have walked with Jesus from the cross to the empty tomb.

ADULTS ON SUNDAY MORNINGS The Sunday adult class will explore the various people

that tradition places along Jesus’ path to the cross. They will imagine what it would have been like to watch Jesus as he was beaten, ridiculed, and abused by the authorities and the crowd. They will also reflect on how their own stories are linked with Jesus’ suffering and what God might be calling us to do and be in light of the brokenness of the world. This class meets 9:45-10:45 a.m. in B-2.

Observing Lent

2 The Messenger | MARCH 2015

Holy Week And Easter

Palm Sunday - March 29

9:30 am Stuart Circle Parish Palm Sunday Processional

Pick up a palm branch at St. John’s and then head across Stuart Circle to

gather on the steps of First English.

10:30 am Back to St. John’s for coffee and pastries

10:55 am Procession of the Palms

All children and parents (and anyone else who wants to participate) will gather in the Narthex with a palm branch to wave as we together enter the sanctuary to open our

Palm Sunday worship service.

9:30 am Palm Sunday Worship Service

Maundy Thursday - April 2

7:00 am Communion and Tenebrae Service

Our Communion and Tenebrae (Latin for "shadows" or "darkness") Service will guide us as we remember the

night of Christ’s last supper and betrayal.

Good Friday - April 3

Noon Prayer Service

Easter Sunday - April 2

11:00 am Communion and Tenebrae Service

Join us in the sanctuary at 11:00 am for our Easter Worship Service. The service will conclude with the choir

and congregation singing of the Hallelujah chorus to Handel’s Messiah.

Noon Celebration of the Resurrection of our Lord!

Gather in the Fellowship Hall to enjoy fellowship and wonderful food prepared by the Congregational Life

ministry. Special activities will be provided for the children including our annual Easter egg hunt. We look

forward to seeing everyone as we greet one another with “Alleluia! Christ is Risen!”


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin


Please sign up on the lists in the Parlor to help welcome our

CARITAS guests each night.

MARCH CARITAS Volunteers

Please donate snacks for our CARITAS ministry.

March 1 Quick family

March 2 First English


March 4 Jeff Michel, Steve Plymale

March 5 Scott Siefert

March 6 Allen family

March 7 Karen Marie Yust

March 8 Don Warren



March 11 Jeff Michel, Steve Plymale

March 12 Cheryl Goode

March 13 Cheryl Goode

March 14 Dale and Laura Totty

March 15



March 18 Arthur Dewey, Lynda Merry

March 19

March 20

March 21 Barbour family

March 22



March 25 Jeff Michel, Sal Anselmo

March 26

March 27

March 28

March 29



Easter Offering for ACTS ACTS - Area Congregations Together in Service - is a Greater Richmond interfaith mission providing support and resources during periods of financial crisis to prevent homelessness. ACTS serves as a resource to St. John’s UCC and 50+ other regional

congregations, by assessing and assisting people who visit or call the churches seeking financial assistance. Instead of the churches simply offering a hand out, staff is able to refer that person to ACTS who fully assesses the situation face to face while taking the necessary time to listen to each individual and how they got in financial crisis and the best solutions. Since it began assisting clients in the Greater Richmond Area in August 2006, ACTS has financially assisted hundreds of house-holds and given other more appropriate resources to hundreds more. Your support during 2014 enabled 825 people to retain their stable housing within 340 households. That included 332 children under the age of 18 who would have had their lives disrupted—often an indicator of repeated homelessness during their adult years. Your continued financial support is most appreciated by so many in our community who are in crisis. Special monetary offerings will be received on Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday for ACTS.

2015

Be prepared to give on Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday


Stuart Circle Parish

Good Friday Blood Drive April 3, 2015 2:00 – 7:00

In this love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.

Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another.

--- 1 John 4:10-11

As we remember the reconciling, life giving grace of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection, we are grateful for this opportunity to unite in offering the life giving of blood On average, every two

seconds someone in the U.S. needs a blood transfusion, and this is a precious gift that cannot be manufactured but only comes through the generosity of donors. We seek to provide 100 successful blood donations. All support is welcome, and if you are unable to donate yourself, we encourage you to consider seeking a substitute donor or volunteering your time. If you would like to donate please contact [email protected] or 804-359-2463. Parking is in the alley behind Grace

Covenant Presbyterian Church.

Location: Fellowship Hall, Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church

1627 Monument Avenue Parking in alley behind the church

Participating Churches

The Cathedral of the Sacred Heart , City Church, First English Lutheran Church Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church, St. James’s Episcopal Church, St. John’s United Church of Christ

Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed,

but that there might be equality.

At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their

plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality, as it is written:

“The one who gathered much did not have too much,

and the one who gathered little did not have too little.” 2 Corinthians 8:13-15

Through One Great Hour of Sharing, lives are literally changed daily. Your support provides

clean water, food, medicines, shelter, healthcare, education and so much more. In 2014, the OGHS offering reached $2,478,536. An additional $720 thousand was received to support specific disaster relief initiatives. One Great Hour of Sharing, as part of Our Churches Wider Mission, is the special mission offering of the United Church of Christ that carries God’s message of love and hope to people in 138 countries. The UCC works with international partners to provide sources of clean water and food, education and health care, small business micro-credit, emergency relief, and advocacy and resettlement for refugees and displaced persons. OGHS also supports domestic and international ministries for disaster preparedness and response.

St. John’s is proud that we have participated in this offering every year. This year, we will be taking up a special collection for The One Great Hour of Sharing Offering on Sunday, March 15 during the 11 am worship service. Please prayerfully consider how you

will financially participate in this ministry and come to worship on the 15th prepared to give generously.

6 The Messenger / MARCH 2015

...from the President The month of February brought the start of CARITAS and some snowy weather. Many thanks to the volunteers who made the effort to serve our guests! A “professional clothes” closet was set-up and our guests were given some much needed clothes of their choice to wear on job interviews and to jobs. This mission of ours continues through April 17th and I urge you to take a turn or two during this remaining period. A special council meeting was held on February 25, with a recom-mendation from the Search Committee of a candidate for our called pastor. The recommendation was accepted and will be presented to the Congregation on March 21-22 and a Congregational vote will take place on March 22nd at our worship service. The Constitution has been revised and will be presented to the Congregation at special meetings during the weeks ahead for your comments. Please make every effort to attend one of these ses-sions. Soon we will observe Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Our Worship/Music Committee is busy at work with these celebrations. Coming in April, St. John’s Community Players will present their An-nual Cabaret which is a fundraiser for the church. There will be Din-ner and show on the 25th or just the show and show on 26th .Tickets can be purchased on our St John’s web site and will be sold after church beginning in April. We are going to have a very busy spring and I pray that all of us will embrace the future with love. Peace to all Betsy J. Bighinatti

President

Next Church Council Meeting March 9, 2015 The next Church Council meeting is scheduled for Monday, March 9 at 7:00 pm.

Each year we have lovely Easter lilies on display in the chancel area on

Easter morning. If you wish to order a lily in memory of or in honor of a loved one, please complete this form and drop it by the church office, place it in the offering plate, or mail it to the church office. The cost is $14 per plant, and you may take it home after the completion of the Easter morning worship service.

Ordering Deadline: Sunday, March 22, 2015

□ In memory of □ In honor of

Name ___________________________________________

Given by:_________________________________________ ▬


Name ___________________________________________

Given by:_________________________________________ ▬


Name ___________________________________________

Given by:_________________________________________ ▬


Name ___________________________________________

Given by:_________________________________________ ▬ Your name _______________________ Phone: _________

Number of lilies ordered ___________

@ $14 = $________________

(please attach payment with this order)

Ordering Deadline: Sunday, March 22, 2015

Easter Lily Order Form


March Lectionary Readings

St. John’s Financial Picture YTD as of 1-31-15

Second Sunday in Lent

March 1, 2015

Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16 Psalm 22:23-31

Romans 4:13-25 Mark 8:31-38

Third Sunday in Lent March 8, 2015

Exodus 20:1-17 Psalm 19

1 Cor. 1:18-25 John 2:13-22

Fourth Sunday in Lent March 15, 2015

Numbers 21:4-9 Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22

Ephesians 2:1-10

John 3:14-21

Fifth Sunday in Lent March 22, 2015

Jeremiah 31:31-34 Psalm 51:1-12

Hebrews 5:5-10

John 12:20-33

Palm Sunday

March 29, 2015

Mark 11:1-11 Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29

Philippians 2:5-11

Mark 14:1-15:47

2015 Budget Budget YTD Actual YTD

Income

Pledge Payments* $110,500 $9,209 $9,421

Cash Offerings $11,000 $917 $1,469

Other Income (Endowment Contributions $126,700 $26,380 $27,350

Parking Lot Rental, Wedding Income, etc.)

Development Fund $36,000 $3,000 $0

Total Income $284,200 $39,506 $38,240

Expenses

Personnel 187,846 17,945 9,843

Committees 27,685 2,307 1,743

Operations/Maintenance 116,140 9,767 8,977

Local Benevolences 7,650 2,542 1,302

Other 9,600 800 -

Development Fund 36,000 3,000 $0

Total Expenses 384,921 36,361 21,865

Income/Expenses Total (100,721) 3,145 16,375

surplus (deficit)

NOTE:

1. Income includes a total of $85,000 annual contribution from Endowment Fund ($7083 monthly)

2. Annual Deficit to be covered by Endowment Fund and General Reserve Fund

3. 2015 Pledge Budget is $110,000. 55 pledges for $118,000 Were pledged.

http://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/texts.php?id=277









St. John’s

April 17 - 19, 2015

Kiptopeke State Park

Cape Charles, VA

$65 per person See Cheryl Goode for more information.

Flashback! A Musical Cabaret of Songs from the

60’s, 70’s, & 80’s

SJCP

St. John’s Community Players Present

St. John’s UCC 503 Stuart Circle, Richmond, VA 23220

Saturday, April 25 @ 7:30 & Sunday, April 26 @ 3:00 pm Seating for Theatre Only Tickets: $10 Adults * $8 Students

Saturday, April 25 Dinner @ 6:00 Show @ 7:30 pm $20 Advance Pay-ment Required

Dinner reservations must be placed by Thursday, April 23 Call the Box Office to Make Your Reservations 358-9291

or pay on-line at http://stjohnsrichmond.org/st-johns-players

The Board of Trustees and The Faculty of

Union Presbyterian Seminary

Request the honor of your presence

for the inaugural address of

Karen-Marie Yust, Th.D.

The Josiah P. and Anne Wilson Rowe

Professor of Christian Education

Monday, March 16, 2015 ~ 7:00 pm

Lake Chapel (Early Center)

Reception to follow in the Rose Hall

All are invited to join us on Thursday, March 12 at 10:30 am in the Fellowship Hall for a Lenten Program

led by Dr. Steven Plymale. This time of fellowship and spiritual

development is always a special one for all who attend.

Following the program you are invited to stay for a lunch.

Call Lynda Merry at 756-0270 to make

reservations.

We will also be welcoming guests for this program from Greenfield Assisted Living!

March Meeting

To order fresh flowers to be placed on the altar in honor of a special

occasion or person or in remembrance of someone, please sign-up on the flower chart on the bulletin board in the hallway near

the nursery or contact Sonny Darnell at 743-7528 or

[email protected] $45.00 for two beautiful bouquets.

March 1 March 8 March 15 March 22 March 29

Welcome Team

Leader

Doug Waldrop

Justin Barbour

Justin Barbour

Richard

Bighinatti

Richard

Bighinatti

Sound System

Jeff Michel

David Pittman

David Pittman

Chris Ward

Chris Ward

Acolytes

Bryan Etter

Sean Barbour

Sean Barbour

Josh Lyle

Josh Lyle

Lay Reader

Ashley Quick

Joyce

Schnabel

Bud Higgins

Richard

Bighinatti

Sal Anselmo

Fellowship Hosts

Elisabeth Burnette

TBA

Barbour family

Cook family

Don Warren

Nursery Helpers TBA

Chris & Abby

Ward

Laura Totty

Marjorie & Justin

Barbour

Martha Cook

Tellers Jeff Michel

Denise Martin

Sonny Darnell Dorothy Cook

Sonny Darnell Dorothy Cook

Jeff Jacobs Iola Miller

Jeff Jacobs Iola Miller

Facilities Bud Higgins

Justin Barbour

Justin Barbour

Richard Bighinatti

Richard Bighinatti

Altar Guild Erin Burnette Georgianne

Stinnett

Cheryl Goode Arthur Dewey

Dorothy Cook Sonny Darnell

Johanna Gilbert

Charlotte Quick

Bryan

Anderegg Sonny Darnell

Flowers Abby Ward

Sonny Darnell

Johanna Gilbert

Elisabeth Burnette

Fellowship Coordinator: Sal Anselmo 358-1696 Tellers Coordinator: Bud Higgins 301-5059 Lay Readers Coordinator: Sal Anselmo 358-1696 Altar Guild Coordinator: Sonny Darnell 743-7528 CARITAS Coordinators: Don Warren Richard Bighinatti

Please find a substitute if you are unable to perform your ministry and contact your team coordinator AND the office to let them know who will be filling in for you. Thank you for making our church ministries run

smoothly!

March Birthdays

1 Teresa Jolles 2 Ginny Etter 3 David Townsend 4 Aghavni Dalton 4 Sonny Darnell 5 Rick Cook 5 Joan Cooper

17 Florence Cross 13 Frances Smith Vass 16 Scott Siefert 19 Gill Caldwell 26 Sam Dalton 31 Johanna Gilbert

2015

1 9:45 am Faith Formation

10 am Choir rehearsal

11 am Worship/Communion

CARITAS

2

CARITAS

3

10:00 am Staff Meeting

11:30 am NA Meeting

CARITAS

4

5 pm Card Ministry

CARITAS

5

11:30 am NA Meeting

5:30pm Worship/Music

7 pm Choir Rehearsal

CARITAS

6

Office Closed

CARITAS

7

1:00 pm SJP

CARITAS

8


11 am Worship

12:30 pm Confirmation

CARITAS

9

7:00 pm Church Council

CARITAS

10


11:30 am NA Meeting

CARITAS

11

5 pm Card Ministry

6:30 pm Cong. Life and Care

CARITAS

12 10:30 am

The Fellowship

11:30 am NA Meeting


CARITAS

13

Office Closed

CARITAS

14 8:30 am Indian Orthodox

1:00 pm SJP

CARITAS

159:00 am Breakfast

9:45 am All Church Workshop


11 am Worship One Great hour of

Sharing Offering

CARITAS

16

CARITAS

17 .


11:30 am NA Meeting

CARITAS

18

5 pm Card Ministry

CARITAS

19

11:30 am NA Meeting


CARITAS

20

Office Closed

CARITAS

21

2:30 pm Reception

CARITAS

22

9:45 am Faith Formation 10 am Choir rehearsal

11 am Worship Noon Congregational

Meeting 12:30 pm Confirmation

23

CARITAS

24


11:30 am NA Meeting

CARITAS

25

5 pm Card Ministry

CARITAS

26

11:30 am NA Meeting


CARITAS

27

Office Closed

CARITAS

28

Monument 10K 1:00 pm SJP

CARITAS

29 9:30 am Outdoor

processional 10 am Choir rehearsal

11 am Worship ACTS Offering

CARITAS

30

CARITAS

31


11:30 am NA Meeting

CARITAS

Documents

March 2015 Messenger