Featured Sermon
The Greatest Gifts
Associate Director of Faith Development, Laura Schwarcz leads a festive and inspiring Summer Bible Camp...
In this year's Summer Bible Camp (formerly VBS), we celebrate Christmas in July. Among the many gifts God has given us, the most important is the gift of community.
How do you stay close to God? How do you gather God's strength and direction to love your neighbor? What helps you understand how God is calling you to both learn and unravel? How do you stay connected to God's visions and dreams? In this series, we will encounter the Ten Commandments (what Godly Play creator, Rev. Jerome Berryman calls "The Ten Best Ways to Live"), especially considering where their lessons show up elsewhere in scripture, and how their lessons move us to live closer to God today.
Throughout this series, we will pay attention to what God has called us to be and do at Saint John's, and how we can continue to answer that call into the future. Each week, our emphasis will be on an aspect of God's call to us: to reach out to the world outside our doors, to be in community with each other and the world, to give sacrificially, and to carry our work into the future.
From Jesus’ triumphant arrival in Jerusalem and death on the cross, to the joy and promise of the resurrection, join us for services and activities throughout Holy Week.
There are prayers and creeds we know so well the words seem to roll off our tongue. Their words spell out what we believe and give us daily strength and guidance. At times, though, repeated prayers lose meaning when we say them so often that we stop listening. This Lent, as we journey with Jesus, we will rediscover the meaning of the prayers and creeds which have shaped our faith and taught us about Christ.
When does God call us to witness? Who does God call us to learn from today? In the season after Epiphany, we will share Biblical prophets’ stories about God’s priorities in the world. These ancient lessons have relevance for us even today.
This Advent season, we will explore the theme of generations, not just within our own families and communities, but also in the biblical account of Jesus’ birth. From the prophecies of Isaiah to the witness of Matthew, we will learn how generations viewed the coming of the Messiah.
What happens under the hood at Saint John’s? During October’s stewardship emphasis, we will look at the nuts and bolts of the Saint John’s machine. Join us in October as we consider how the spark of the spirit and the energy of our gifts fuel God’s work for the church. We’ll highlight how the Spirit drives the business of the Church, and how your financial gifts contribute to making that movement happen.
Recall a time when you felt a renewed sense of clarity. Was there a season when God initiated a turning point for you? In August and September, we will gather around stories of turning points in our Biblical witness, describing times when minds were renewed and changed. From Moses, to the ancient Israelites, to the prophet Micah, to yes – even Jesus – these stories share ways folks' minds were changed, and ways our Bible invites us to examine and explore. How might our perspectives shift? Join us in worship!
Think about the latest show you binge-watched on TV or the last book you just couldn’t put down. Well, guess what? The book of Genesis brings that much drama and more. Join us this summer as we enter this great story following God’s covenant, God’s people, and all the twists and turns in between.
Some of the best conversations start with good questions—questions we’ve been meaning to ask, questions that keep us curious, and questions that lead us deeper into courage and connection. Over five weeks, we will gather around five guiding questions: Where are you from? Where does it hurt? What do you need? What joy do you bring? Where do we go from here? As you can see, these questions aren’t surface-level; they invite us to tell our stories, share our pain, care for one another, and dream about a beautiful future together.
This Lenten season, Saint John’s will examine individual conversations people had with Jesus and how we can listen to what Christ says to us today. Join us on a 1st century and 21st century journey of change, challenge, and comfort – for these are the conversations that change the world.