January 2013

Volume 27.13
THE NEW YEAR BEGINS WITH AN EPIPHANY St. Johns United Church of Christ

St. Johns is a community of faith centered in Jesus Christ, seeking guidance and direction through the Holy Spirit, and demonstrating Gods love to all people in words and deeds.

Later after the angels after the stable after the Child, They went back as we must. Back to the world that doesnt understand our talk of angels and stars, and especially not the Child. Some go back complaining that it doesnt last. We do have to go back, but let us go back singing praises to God! We can still go back still singing the alleluias!
An adaptation of Later, by Ann Weems

An Open and Affirming Congregation

The Festival of Epiphany is perhaps the least observed celebration of the church year. After Advent and Christmas, this celebration is often lost in our post-holiday preoccupation with getting back to normal, getting back to work and paying bills. But before we rush back to the way things were, it would do us good to receive this festival as the capstone to the good news of Christ born to us, that good news we anticipated in Advent and celebrated at Christmas. The traditional meaning of epiphany is "manifestation." This year, lets consider a new, or an additional meaning. When the Magi came to the child Jesus, a new understanding came to them that this child would be a messiah for the entire world. What if we were to celebrate epiphany as "a new understanding"? What new understanding comes to your mind and heart as you reflect upon the new birth we have witnessed? Baby 2013 is heir to violence in the Middle East as well as in our communities and our schools. This new year will struggle again with questions of public policy, foreign policy and economic policy, we will struggle with all these questions as individuals and families. But what is our participation in these questions as a people and as a community who have just looked upon the presence of God in a manger? Yes, we have to go back. But we shouldnt go back complaining. Not after seeing the Child. Let us begin this new year by seeking new understandings through scripture, through study, through personal reflection and communal worship, and through open and honest conversation with each other. Theres no doubt in my mind that in so doing, our singing praises to God, our singing alleluias will change both the questions the world is asking and the answers that we all need. Happy Epiphany,

503 Stuart Circle Richmond, Virginia 23220 Telephone: 804.358.9291

Email: stjohnsrichmondoffice@verizon.net

Web Site: stjohnsrichmond.org

Published monthly for members and friends

2013 St Johns UCC

1 The Messenger | January 2013

Dear St. Johns Family and Friends, For us at St. Johns, Christmas 2012 is still a fond memory of all the many wonderful activities enjoyed during the season. It began with the greening of the church and continued with the lighting of the Advent Wreath each Sunday, followed up with the Christmas Tea hosted by The Fellowship and well organized by June Smyth and her daughters, Elisabeth Burnette and Laura Totty. The children, youth, and adults led a wonderful worship service the Sunday before Christmas by re-telling and performing the holy story of our dear Saviors birth under the excellent direction of Tony Sharpenstein, Shirley Townsend, and Julia Eliades. The Christmas Eve Candle Light Service, another lovely tradition of St. Johns led by our own Choir of Angels, prepared us for the Light of the world. God has given us so much, and our faithful members have been active again this year in giving back. There were three families on the Angel Tree who had a more bounteous holiday because of these good works. Thank you, St. Johns, for your generosity. The pledging this year has been very active. The church set an operating budget goal of $120,000. At this writing, we have received $116,726 in pledges toward the general fund, $700 to the endowment fund, and $4,000 for a carpet fund. Please be sure to get your 2013 pledges in as soon as possible so that we know how to better plan the 2013 church year. Many thanks go to Jeff Hetzer and Jeff Jacobs for their excellent fiscal leadership. Richard Bighinattis Facilities team has been diligently working to repair the roof and other problem areas of the church. Dale Totty provided invaluable input to help meet the roofing issues in a very effective way. Church members came together to paint classrooms and woodwork, and the Beautification sub-team used their expertise to make our church shine! When you see all the people who have worked so lovingly to improve our holy space, please let them know how much you appreciate them. 2012 was full of wonderful events and 2013 promises to be much of the same. Thanks to all who have made such valuable contributions. May You Have a Blessed and Happy New Year! Teresa Jolles, President of Church Council

The Facilities committee has been quite busy over the past couple of months. Heres a summary of our fall Projects and Repairs : The good news is that we had no damage from Hurricane Sandy. Hertless Roofing has completed the roof contract. We installed new gutters and repaired many sections of the roof. We also replaced many roof tiles which were some of the causes of our leaks. The final inspection was December 14th and we were very pleased with all the repairs. Hertless provided a CD with over 100 pictures of the roofing issues they identified and the repairs that were made. Now that the roof repairs are completed, we will wait approximately two months to ensure the work holds up. We will then proceed to obtain quotes for repainting damaged areas. The inspection of the Rose Window has been deferred to January because of the time it took Dominion Power to re-locate their power lines at the back of the church. We will not want to re-paint the area below that window until were certain weve fixed any leaks or resolved any problems. There is new carpeting on the first floor. Thank you, Teresa and Paul Jolles! We replaced the pump for the Heating and Air Condition system. We performed routine preventive maintenance on the boiler and are replacing a valve. We replaced the thermostat that controls heat going to class rooms. We completed repairs and painted the rooms downstairs. The health inspector also required that we plaster and paint several areas in the kitchen. Touch-up painting was done in the Fellowship hall. We trimmed lower branches off the tree in the north end of the parking lot. Several branches were scraping against cars. We trimmed the shrubs in the front of the building and along the parking lot. We mulched the trees in the front of the building. We cleaned out drains in the court yard and stairwell, and downspouts in the courtyard and on the east side of the church. The Beautification Committee has cleaned the sanctuary. In January, this group will clean and organize closets and storage areas in the church.

The Messenger | January 2013

CARITAS 2013 Supplies and Volunteers Needed

Caritas will start on February 9th and continue for 8 weeks. We will be in need of volunteers 5 nights a week .Our neighborhood church, First Lutheran will help us on Monday and Tuesdays. The exact time as yet to be determined by Caritas We will be in need of supplies again this year. The following are the supplies we ask you to bring on Sunday, January 27th and February 3rd: This activity is one of the missions of our Outreach Committee 8 oz. Styrofoam cups- (for use hot/cold) napkins toilet paper canisters of remora packages of cookies Coffee (individual packets) (Sams club, Bj's or Price club) lemonade

Circle Center Day Services

On December 9th, through the wonderfully generous support of St. Johns congregation. If you would still like to make a donation, we are continuing to collect funds for the center through January 5th. The Circle Center, for which St. Johns played a founding-role, provides day services to frail and elderly adults while their caregivers go to work; they also help to educate and support the caregivers. $50 provides a lunch for one person for a month, $60 provides 5 showers for those who are no longer able to shower at home. Checks can be made payable to St. Johns UCC (Circle Center in the memo line) and can be placed in the offering plate or mailed to St. Johns. Thank you again for your support.

Haiti Mission Update

Jeanette is working-out the delivery of French/English bibles (purchased with a special offering from St. Johns) to Haiti through the Biblical Society of Canada. Jeanette writes: Yes, believe it or not, I had to contact the Bible Society of Canada to get a possible address for shipping to Haiti. Ordering is not a problem, but shipping is an overwhelming challenge. However, the students are really excited about receiving the Bibles, which makes this laborious process worth it. When we receive the Bibles, I will send pictures. I wish I could see the church decorations for Christmas. It is always a beautiful sight and I know there will be a wonderful service. Yes we do get a break for Christmas. Beniswa Letinel (Praise the Lord)! Jwaye Nwel ak benediksyon (Merry Christmas with blessings), Jeanette .

Generous Response to Angel Tree

Thank you for your most generous response to the Angel Tree requests for gifts for our adopted St. Johns families this year. Because of your donations 3 families were able to have a Christmas. Those who received your donations want to express their deeply felt gratitude for your giving. Their appreciation will last long after the Christmas season is over. Again, thank you!

Christmas Fund For Veterans Of The Cross

We are continuing to collect funds through January 5th for our Veterans of the Cross. Funds are used to provide supplemental monies for pension and health insurance premiums to low-income retirees as well as emergency assistance to clergy and lay employees and their families throughout the year. Please consider giving a gift to help care for those who have cared for us during their lifetime of ministry to our churches.

The Messenger | January 2013

Lectionary Readings
January 6th, 2013 Epiphany Isa 60:1-6 Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14 Ephesians 3:1-12 Matthew 2:1-12 January 13th, 2013 The Baptism of Christ Isaiah 43:1-7 Psalm 29 Acts 8:14-17 Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 January 20th, 2013 Second Sunday after Epiphany Isaiah 62:1-5 Psalm 36:5-10 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 John 2:1-11 January 27th, 2013 Third Sunday after Epiphany Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10 Psalm 19 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a Luke 4:14-21

Worship & Music Committee

The members of St. Johns Worship & Music Committee wish to express their gratitude to two persons for their generous gifts to the church during this past Advent season. First, to June Moore, our deep thanks for the gift of Advent paraments. Churches have started to employ the color blue, representing Mary the Mother of Jesus, during Advent. Mrs. Moore donated an Altar cloth with the words HOPE, PEACE, JOY and LOVE; a cover depicting the dove for the Holy Spirit on the pulpit; and a cover for the lectern depicting an empty manger. These paraments were designed by our Committee in consultation with the Beautification Committee chaired by the Rev. Ginna Minasian Dalton. This gift is made in loving memory of her deceased husband Sid Moore and her deceased son, Charles Moore. Secondly, we gratefully acknowledge the gift from Dr. George Vennart of new speakers for the sanctuary. The Committee also wishes to thank Joe McGregor, Dreama Terrill and Bryan Anderegg for their contributions of time in selecting and installing these speakers. Our next step will be to install monitor speakers in the chancel to assist Shirley and the choir, and to combine the rest of our equipment (cordless microphones and hearing assist devices) into a balanced sound experience. By the way, if you would like to participate on St. Johns Sound System ministry, please be in touch with the Church office, Jo Ann Jellison, or Kenn Shirley.

Prayer Requests
If you would like to be placed on the prayer list, or know of someone you would like to have on the prayer list and listed in the bulletin on Sunday, please contact the church office and speak to Julia or Pastor Jon.

Violence and God - Our Reaction and Response

As people gathered in a community of faith, we have been horror struck by the tragedy of Newtown, Connecticut. Realizing this is yet another act of violence in which guns in the hands of violent individuals have taken lives of our most innocent and vulnerable individuals, our hearts are crying out to discuss this, so we will gather to have a thoughtful discussion of our spiritual call of response to these events. What do you think is the most important thing that could be done to prevent mass shootings from occurring in the United States? Consider the following: Stricter gun control laws and enforcement. Better mental health screening and support. Stricter security measures for public gatherings. Allow more private citizens to carry guns for protection. Put more emphasis on God and morality in school and society. Or other thoughts and actions. These are topics in a poll collected by the Public Religion Research Institute. We will be using this and other thoughtful tools to guide us in our discussion. Join us on January 13th and 20th at 9:45 am in the Guild Room.

The Messenger | January 2013

Youth Tackling Hunger Souper Bowl of Caring February 3, 2013 Hunger hits close to home. Lets hit back! Every day there are children in our community who face hunger. A new study shows that 16 million children in our country are at risk of hunger. On Souper Bowl Sunday our youth join with youth across the nation to tackle hunger and poverty. Join them by bringing your donations to throw into the souper bowl pot on Sunday February 3rd, help make a difference for hungry children in our community.

William Byrd Community House

Our youth are also tackling hunger by assisting in our monthly collection of non-perishable food items for the William Byrd Food Bank.. Please bring your items on the third Sunday of each month. Ask for a shopping bag with a shopping list attached from a member of the Welcome Team when you come to worship, and then bring your offering on the third Sunday of each month. Our youth will be sure your items are delivered to William Byrd.

All Parents and Teachers Share Expectations and Common Goals January 27th
With the New Year, and many new faces at St. Johns UCC, it is time to have a good and vibrant conversation with parents and teachers gathered together on Sunday January 27th at 12:30pm after worship. This conversation will promote an understanding of shared expectations and support for giving out children a wonderful program in 2013. Child care will be available and please know your participation is paramount in supporting our childrens program.

St. Johns 2nd Annual Chili Cook-off and De-greening Event January 6, 2013 at 12:30 pm
Get out your crock pot and your favorite chili recipe for our chili cook-off. We look forward to tasting each entry!! Make your chili from scratch (cant buy it or use canned). Bring your chili to the kitchen before worship to be judged as Best Chili. Lets give Arthur Dewey, last years winner, some competition! Following the cook-off we will be de-greening the church. Come and enjoy a little friendly competition, yummy chili, and great fellowship.

Birthdays This Month Birthdays This Month

3 4 5 6 8 9 10 14 20 21 22 23 24 25 30 Rick Pearman Mike Woods Zeke Alderfer Frieda Walsh Kathy Freise Frances Pohlig Judy Brown, Stephanie Workman Hank Allen, Suzanne Foltz Fritz Will, IV Maude Ganzert Bruce Miller Vicky Lyle Bryan Etter Joachim Altenkirch, Charlotte Quick Owen Childs

Library Books
Have you checked out a book from St. Johns Library? When you are done enjoying, please return as soon as possible. We are planning to reorganize the Library and would like to do an inventory. We thank Chris Miles, who will be managing the task. If you would like to assist or have questions, contact Chris.

5 The Messenger | January 2013

A Ministry of Care Covenant Care Groups

As promised, the Congregational Care Ministry is actively planning the formation of Covenant Care Groups - small groups that will serve to support one another during times of concern, as well as during times of celebration. Our vision is that all will be part of a community in which we extend the healing love of Christ to one another. To that end, we plan to assign each Church member to a Covenant Care group, largely based on residential address. We would like Covenant Care groups to meet at least once a year in fellowship, so that members in each group get to know each other. Members of the Care Groups will be linked by email to the church office so that when a request for assistance has been received for a SJUCC member of a Care Group who has suffered illness, loss, or unusual hardship, a CareAlert message will be sent to the members of his or her Group, alerting them to the situation and to the type of assistance that may be needed. (Assistance can be in the form of cards or phone calls, hospital visits, help with household tasks or children, and food deliveries, as examples.) We also envision creating a Congregational Care Team, made up of church who are interested in being more involved in this ministry. Members of this team will be provided additional training, and will help coordinate care through the Covenant Care groups. If you would like to be part of the formation of this ministry, or volunteer to be a member of the Congregational Care Team, please contact Julia Eliades at juliastjohns@verizon.net or Helena DeLigt at hdeligt@comcast.net.

Winter Party February 2, 2013

Arthur Dewey, our own star and dancing instructor, will be back to lead us in line dancing. Put the date on your calendar. This event is for the entire family! Watch for more information in the church bulletin and the February Messenger.

Inclement Weather Procedure

Should we get winter weather and are forced to cancel or re-schedule worship, please call the churchs main phone number at (804)358-9291 and listen to the recording, or check your email for an e-blast.

St. Johns Players Opens 7th Season

Opens: February 22, 2013 *World Premier* A new musical production written by our own Rob Osborn tells the story of a young couple struggling to find each other and comprehend the world in which they live with the support of the church to which they belong. With 18 original musical numbers woven into the fabric of an evolving story of love in its many forms, this musical highlights loves redemptive power to heal broken relationships through new understanding developed through human growth. Songs blend gospel, traditional choir, folk, blues and rock styles.. Closer to Thee

We are excited that our St. Johns Players has been selected as an Associate Theatre for the 2013 Acts of Faith season. Be sure to come to the Acts of Faith Preview Night on Friday, January 18th at 7:00 PM at the Sarah Belle & Neil November Theatre at 114 West Broad Street. Many of the 18 participating theatre companies, including our own, will present brief sketches from their upcoming productions. Its a good way to get a preview of coming attractions and plan your next two months of theatre-going. And best of all, ITS FREE! So be sure to come and support the St. Johns Players and the Acts of Faith 2013 Theatre Season, and then make reservations for the World Premiere of Closer To Thee by Rob Osborn.

MESSENGER January 2013

WELCOME TEAMS
Welcome Team Coordinator Billy Poarch 804-359-6131 Welcome team captains
Families with children

Dec. 30th Jan. 6th

Lynn Snyder 804-550-3928
Allen Family

Jan. 13th Jan. 20th

Richard Bighinatti 804-502-1005
Woods Family Gretchen Miller Family

Jan. 27th Feb. 3rd

Feb. 10th Feb. 17th

Bill Watson 873-2837
Quick Family

Doug Waldrop
Etter Family Voelcker/ Barrett Family Bryan Etter James Cook

Hank Allen Acolytes Cammie Allen Eddie Allen Iola Miller Jo Ann Jellison Adults Sharon Machrone Jeff Hetzer Sam Dalton Denise Wright Jo Ann Jellison

Lydia Woods

Savannah Quick Ashley Quick Betty Staton Pam Miller Jeff Jacobs Laura Totty Denise Martin

Beth Stiegler Don Stiegler Chris Miles Betsy Bighinatti Phil Jones

Dorothy Cook Desiree McNeice Kim Vann

Sound System Facilities

Richard Bighinatti Richard Bighinatti

Jeff Michel Doug Waldrop

Mark Atkinson Dale Totty

Please find a substitute if you are unable to perform your ministry and contact your team coordinator AND the office to let them know who will be filling in for you. Thank you for making our church ministries run smoothly!

Jan. 6th
Hospitality Coordinator Sal Anselmo 358-1696 Tellers Coordinator Bud Higgins - 301-5059 Altar Flowers $40 Church office 358-9291 Liturgist Coordinators Kathy Freise 448-9876 Sal Anselmo 358-1696 Nursery Helpers Coordinator Julia Eliades 804-358-9291 ext 12

Jan. 13th
Jeff Jacobs

Jan. 20th
Laura Totty

Jan. 27th
Elisabeth Burnette

Feb. 3
Souper Bowl

Chili Cook-Off

Confirmands

Sal Anselmo Dreama Terrill

Hank Allen Joe McGregor

Chris Burnette Linda Jenkins

Theresa Caraher

Chris Miles

Laura Totty

Marjorie Barbour

Theresa Caraher

MESSENGER January 2013

SUNDAY 30 31 MONDAY 1
11:30 am NA

TUESDAY 2

WEDNESDAY 3

THURSDAY 4

FRIDAY 5
5

SATURDAY

7: 00 pm W.E.B.S. 11:30 am NA

7:00 pm Choir Rehearsal 6 9:45 am Christian Formation ( all ages) 10: am Choir Rehearsal 11:00 am Worship Noon Fellowship De Greening Chili-Cook Off ALL CHURCH SUNDAY 7 5:00 pm Finance Committee Meeting 8 11:30 am NA 9 10 11 12

7: 00 pm W.E.B.S. 11:30 am NA

Beautification Meeting 7:00 pm Choir Rehearsal

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9:45 am Christian Formation ( all ages) 10: 00 am Choir Rehearsal 11:00 am Worship 11:15 am Childrens Program Noon Fellowship

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7:00 PM Church Council Meeting

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11:30 am NA

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19

7: 00 pm W.E.B.S. 11:30 am NA 5:30 pm Worship and Music Committee Meeting 7:00 pm Choir Rehearsal

ACTS OF FAITH ACTS OF FAITH OPENING NIGHT

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9:45 am Christian Formation ( all ages) 10:00 am Choir Rehearsal 11:00 am Worship Noon Fellowship ACTS OF FAITH

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22
11:30 am NA

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24

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26

7: 00 pm W.E.B.S. 11:30 am NA

7:00 pm Choir Rehearsal

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9:45 am Christian Formation ( all ages) 10:00 am Choir Rehearsal 11:00 am Worship Noon Fellowship 12:30 pm Parents Meeting

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11:30 am NA

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31

7: 00 pm W.E.B.S. 11:30 am NA

7:00 pm Choir Rehearsal 4 5 6 7: 00 pm W.E.B.S. 7 8 9

3 9:45 am Christian Formation ( all ages) 10:00 am Choir Rehearsal 11:00 am Worship Noon Fellowship

Office hours : Monday 9 am 2 pm, Wednesday Friday 9 am2 pm