Dear Members and Friends of St. John’s,
We have started a bold, new chapter in St. John’s courageous history!
Since its founding in 1872, when 20 people in German Village “enthusiastically joined hands” to plant a new church on the southern edge of downtown Columbus, St. John’s has been a courageous church! Within those first couple of years, the congregation grew to 150 parishioners. But that’s not all – the congregation then constructed a church building with a seating capacity of 800 – more than quadruple the size of the congregation at the time! Since its earliest days, the people of St. John’s have had vision and faith -- and courage.
Today, we have started a bold, new chapter in St. John’s courageous history. God has called us to become “backyard missionaries” in the city of Columbus, and to spread the Gospel to a new generation. We have spent the past year implementing the recommendations of our church consultant, Rev. Dr. Bill Easum, to exponentially grow our church – including renovating our sanctuary space and church offices, adding pastors and staff to our leadership team, launching a new contemporary worship service and children’s programming, and developing a marketing campaign for the church. It is a privilege to work with a congregation so brave that they aren’t afraid of change -- if it means that even more people will learn about the love of God and the saving grace of Jesus Christ.
The next six weeks (and beyond), we ask you to pray with us, EVERY DAY, for the holy growth and transformation of our church. We will hand out PRAYER CARDS this Sunday during both worship services, and the prayer is attached for your convenience.
On Sunday, May 21, we will share a preview of our marketing campaign – so don’t miss your chance to receive a new church t-shirt and other items with our new church logo! Our new church website will launch that day, so you will be able to see what the city’s spiritual seekers will find when they navigate our new website.
Then, during the Columbus PRIDE parade on June 17th, we will unveil St. John’s new advertising campaign, which will continue for the remainder of the year in different media outlets. We have more exciting announcements for you in the weeks to come, so stay tuned!
This Sunday, May 7th, we will renew ourselves with communion, spirited song, and the Word of God. Our Scriptures for the day are Psalm 23 and John 10:1-18, and my sermon is entitled “One Life to Give.” Pastor Mary has a special message for the children during the 11am service, followed by her Spiritual Gifts Workshop at 12:30pm, which will continue for the next three weeks.
Each week our worship services are relevant, nourishing, and thought-provoking, so please invite someone to attend with you this week!
Our new worship schedule is:
9am Traditional Worship Service
10am Coffee, Connect, and Learn
11am Contemporary Worship Service
Finally, for the first time in many years, St. John’s has a new sports team! On Wednesday, we celebrated St. John’s inaugural kickball team when they played another team at Columbus Commons. Please contact Pastor Dan Clark if you wish to play on the team (the team plays on Wednesday evenings for the next six weeks). ALL are welcome to join me on the sidelines, as we cheer on the next generation! May we never forget that every conversation, every meal, every kickball game is an opportunity for Christ.
With abundant hope for our future,
Pastor Gini
We have started a bold, new chapter in St. John’s courageous history!
Since its founding in 1872, when 20 people in German Village “enthusiastically joined hands” to plant a new church on the southern edge of downtown Columbus, St. John’s has been a courageous church! Within those first couple of years, the congregation grew to 150 parishioners. But that’s not all – the congregation then constructed a church building with a seating capacity of 800 – more than quadruple the size of the congregation at the time! Since its earliest days, the people of St. John’s have had vision and faith -- and courage.
Today, we have started a bold, new chapter in St. John’s courageous history. God has called us to become “backyard missionaries” in the city of Columbus, and to spread the Gospel to a new generation. We have spent the past year implementing the recommendations of our church consultant, Rev. Dr. Bill Easum, to exponentially grow our church – including renovating our sanctuary space and church offices, adding pastors and staff to our leadership team, launching a new contemporary worship service and children’s programming, and developing a marketing campaign for the church. It is a privilege to work with a congregation so brave that they aren’t afraid of change -- if it means that even more people will learn about the love of God and the saving grace of Jesus Christ.
The next six weeks (and beyond), we ask you to pray with us, EVERY DAY, for the holy growth and transformation of our church. We will hand out PRAYER CARDS this Sunday during both worship services, and the prayer is attached for your convenience.
On Sunday, May 21, we will share a preview of our marketing campaign – so don’t miss your chance to receive a new church t-shirt and other items with our new church logo! Our new church website will launch that day, so you will be able to see what the city’s spiritual seekers will find when they navigate our new website.
Then, during the Columbus PRIDE parade on June 17th, we will unveil St. John’s new advertising campaign, which will continue for the remainder of the year in different media outlets. We have more exciting announcements for you in the weeks to come, so stay tuned!
This Sunday, May 7th, we will renew ourselves with communion, spirited song, and the Word of God. Our Scriptures for the day are Psalm 23 and John 10:1-18, and my sermon is entitled “One Life to Give.” Pastor Mary has a special message for the children during the 11am service, followed by her Spiritual Gifts Workshop at 12:30pm, which will continue for the next three weeks.
Each week our worship services are relevant, nourishing, and thought-provoking, so please invite someone to attend with you this week!
Our new worship schedule is:
9am Traditional Worship Service
10am Coffee, Connect, and Learn
11am Contemporary Worship Service
Finally, for the first time in many years, St. John’s has a new sports team! On Wednesday, we celebrated St. John’s inaugural kickball team when they played another team at Columbus Commons. Please contact Pastor Dan Clark if you wish to play on the team (the team plays on Wednesday evenings for the next six weeks). ALL are welcome to join me on the sidelines, as we cheer on the next generation! May we never forget that every conversation, every meal, every kickball game is an opportunity for Christ.
With abundant hope for our future,
Pastor Gini