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Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Ephesians 5:1-2, NRSV

Dear Fellow Parishioners,

As we are in the midst of our annual Stewardship Campaign, I am writing to invite you into prayer about the journey you make with our St. John’s congregation – our spiritual home. We are companions for each other as we navigate the ups and downs of our shared lives. It is a walk of love that we make with each other.

Throughout this year, I have been inspired by the ways you accompany each other. I have witnessed the way you care for the sick and shut-ins in our congregation through our various ministries including the Prayer Shawl, HANAH, the thrift shop, and the community garden. I have eaten at the table with you at coffee hour, the parish picnic, our community meals, and potlucks. I have watched as you supported each other when you were struggling or needed a hand or a shoulder. You have also helped me when I needed it.

This is what it means to be in community with each other – this is what walking in love looks like. During these next few weeks, you will hear witness testimonials from various parishioners on what ministries give them meaningful purpose and resolve to walk in love as God’s children.

Here at St. John’s Huntington, we have so many gifts to share, gifts of time, talent, and treasure that we freely give to support our ministry and to do the work of mission in our neighborhoods and communities. Our intention is to serve, not be served by others. We do this not out of a sense that we will get back what we give, but because we are motivated by love. When Paul wrote to his friends in the Church at Ephesus, he reminded them that the very spark of love that founded their community of faith was one of giving. God showed God’s love for humanity by giving us a part of the Divine.

Certainly, this is what we do when we place our gifts on the altar – we bring our whole selves and share the best part of our love and labor. Every gift matters this year, and each gift will be accepted, brought to the altar, and blessed before God and our community. Please mail or bring your pledge card to church and place it in the giving basket on October 27^th or November 3^rd. As you to prayerfully consider what you will share with the Church this year, I invite you to give thanks for the many people who have walked with you in love, supported you in your faith, and shared their gifts with you.

Walking with you in Love, 
Sean Butler, Warden

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Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Ephesians 5:1-2, NRSV

As we begin our annual Stewardship pledge appeal, I am asking you to pray about your annual financial giving. Please consider increasing your pledge this year. As costs rise around us, our church expenses are also rising. I appeal to you to increase your contribution amount to help us sustain this church, our church. When you bring your pledge card to the altar at St. John’s on October 20th, I invite you to Walk in Love.

Generosity is a journey, it’s a practice that we learn and nurture within our hearts. It just isn’t in our nature to give away what we have worked hard to acquire or to donate our precious time without compensation. It takes something as radical as Love to inspire us to share our time, talent, and treasure with others. This is a journey we make together, a Walk in Love.

As we have lived with the Gospel this year, we have been brought into a world turned radically upside down. The laws and customs that had been in place for centuries were challenged, power and dominion have been questioned, and a culture hemmed in from all sides by oppression and subjection desperately seeks a way forward. 

As it turns out, it is not cultural pluralism, political polarization, or social media that causes the change in society, but the simplest concept of Love. Jesus causes a revolution of thought and heart by daring to reach out to the outcast and teach others to do the same. He walks in love with the marginalized, with the poor, with the sick, and brings us along with him on his journey. 

The most miraculous gift of Love is that it was there within us all along, all we had to do was find it, tap into it, and begin growing it. And look what happened? We learned to share, to give, to volunteer, to accompany others, to feed, to pray, to visit, to strive for change. Our Harvest Fair supports many charities in our community that need our love. I ask you to fully support the fair on October 19th. Help us to help others. 

In Christ’s love,
Fr. Duncan

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An old adage goes, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me!” Recently, I was listening to an interview on a podcast and the person being interviewed decried this phrase. She reminded us listeners that words have meaning and they have power. We also have meaning. We also wield power. Thus, when we use our words wrong, we can have the power to hurt someone else. Surely, we have been on each end of this experience. But on the flip side, we know the words we use can help someone, comfort someone, or make someone laugh or think.

The readings from Hebrews and Mark show us the effect of Jesus’ words on our life. It may seem a bit dramatic that the word of God is “sharper than a two-edged sword”, and yet many times Jesus speaks, people are left confused, angry, and like the rich young man in Mark’s Gospel, he runs away grieving. In Acts 2, when Peter is preaching his first sermon, the listeners, we are told, are “cut to the heart”. We, as Christians, believe in a God who is alive and active in this world. His Word still has power and meaning that is fully realized in the person of Jesus Christ. It is also revealed to us in the Holy Scripture, where we go when we wish to reflect, meditate, and pray on the activity of God in each of our lives.

God’s Word is life. It has the power to create and to revive the soul. It is the power that seeks to comfort, to aid, to strengthen each of us so that our words may be used to His greater glory. Are our words aligned with what God wants for us? It could be as simple as curse words. Perhaps we find ourselves being too cynical or too complacent (meaning we need to speak up!). Words are a powerful tool in which we need God's assistance and guidance in order to use this tool well.

Yours in Christ,
Fr. Zach

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