Dear people of Saint John’s,
I write to you as I do each year to ask your help in sustaining this incredible parish so that we might continue to live out our mission: “To proclaim, by word and example, the good news of God in Christ, and to build a spiritual community informing Christians of all ages through worship, education, and outreach.”
I want to focus on the word ‘sustain’. About ten years ago, I was given an 1828 Webster’s Dictionary, and I love to look up words in that dictionary to ensure I am using them the way I was taught in elementary school. I am not that old, despite what my children might think, but I do believe many words have had new connotations attached to their meaning. According to my old dictionary, the word sustain means to uphold, to support, and to keep alive. That is exactly what I, and the Vestry of St. John’s, ask all our parishioners to do each year in our Annual Pledge Drive.
It is because of our pledged giving that we can send youth on mission trips, have robust formation for all ages, give generously to our community, and pay for the incredible clergy and staff that keep St. John’s running. Further, over the past two years, our community of believers has come together in an incredible way to restore our places of worship so that we can invite people to come, worship, and grow with us. When thinking about all we have accomplished, Ephesians 3:20-21 comes to my mind: “Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, for ever and ever. Amen.” Or in other words, To God be the Glory!
According to our records, our parish currently has 650 family units. While more than 400 of those give financially in some way, we had only 285 pledges at the end of last year’s pledge drive. I have never been a fan of participation trophies, but in St. John’s 2026 pledge drive, those are precisely what we should be giving out! This is not about how much we give to St. John’s. Do you not remember the story of the widow who gave what seemed to be so little, but Jesus proclaimed that she gave more than anyone else? (Mark 12:41-44) We want more people doing things at St. John’s in every aspect of our lives together. All of that truly begins by pledging to St. John’s, no matter the amount. Please join me and so many other parishioners in giving God the glory by saying yes to making a pledge and helping us sustain St. John’s for this generation and generations to come.
Yours in Christ,
The Rev. Christian M. Wood, Rector