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Dear Friends and Family at St. John’s,

Featured in this edition of The Enlightener is Rev. Addie’s note in which she shares her bittersweet thoughts on her time at St. John’s and her parting. A ministry of 10 years that saw so much change is impossible to convey in one letter, but we are all grateful for her time here. I am most grateful for Rev. Addie’s love of God, the Church of Christ and the people of St. John’s.

Right now is a time to feel our feelings rather than to ignore or even fear them. We acknowledge our fears about the future, but do not give in to them. Instead, let us recognize that God does not send fear into the hearts of God’s people. When we receive messages of fear and hopelessness they are generally from what I like to call: “the other spirit.” Sure, at times we can see some truth in a message of doom, but ironically it is sometimes harder for us to see the promise that is near or even just around the corner.

We will always have challenges in our future, for nothing will change unless we actively invite that change and work within and among us to realize the change that is God’s future. St. John’s is about to embark on a future with a Settled Lead Pastor that will provide the opportunity to work towards a shared vision of divine servanthood.

For now, I encourage you to think about the ways in which God and St. John’s have been a positive support to you in the past. The promises that God has fulfilled in the past are our best guide to a hopefulness about our future – a future that is unknown and unknowable, but already held in God’s hand before we can “see” it. I cherish the opportunity to walk together with you as your “new” Lead Bridge Pastor as we journey towards St. John’s future – a future of promise and joy!

Peace,

Pastor Tom

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Giving Our All And The Widow’s Mite (Mark 12: 38-44)

When the widow in this well-known story of scripture (Mark: 38-44) hits our ear, one is tempted to compare what the poor woman gives to what the rich give. We are trained early on to consider wealth to be a virtue – as the old saying by Ella Fitzgerald goes, “I’ve been rich and I have been poor…and believe me baby, rich is better!”

As our Stewardship Campaign at St. John’s begins to mount up, though, we urge you to consider a deeper interpretation of this story:

“And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites. So, He said, “Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.”

What if…instead of considering this as a story just about money (which, of course it is always about money to a degree), it is also – at a deeper level – a story about the riches within? I think Jesus may well be implying that the widow’s gift was so rich because she lived her life with God as the Center, and through her vision of God’s Kin-dom, in return she gained a gift of inestimable value. The widow may well have known that her two mites were an insignificant token to give for the glory of the Kin-dom in the face of God’s riches. Yet, what apparently made the widows’ contribution so powerful – in Jesus’ estimation – is the widow’s ability to see God in all God’s glory. When we see Jesus in the way that the widow viewed him – as the source of our own worth and our identity, then we, too, may realize the source of our own inner true riches.

So, what does all this have to do with giving to St. John’s? Everything! If we are growing in our faith, we will know the blessings we have received. Knowing how blessed we really are, we cannot but give our all to Jesus – that is, to give him our acknowledgment that we are his and he is our Savior…that Christ is the source of all we have and will have. Apprehending this moves us towards giving our all.

I hope that you will join this year’s campaign with new eyes of faith, knowing that our rich heritage in Jesus compels us to see the reasons we have what we have – as well as how this knowledge moves us to share of our rich blessings to further expand God’s realm in the world.
After prayerful thought, please complete the attached Covenant Card. You may put it in the basket on the Communion Table or in the offering plate. All of the cards will be dedicated during worship on Stewardship Sunday, November 10. Giving Our All is the key to keep St. John’s strong.

Grace and Peace,
The Stewardship Committee

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