Archive for February 2018
South Sudan: New life for Dua Monyluak
By Karen Puckett During 2017, our ministry in South Sudan experienced several milestones. Dau Monyluak, who St. Johns’ Endowment Fund sponsored, completed a college degree and is now planning to teach at one of our South Sudan-based schools in Ruweng State. Our project managing partner, Mothering Across Continents, has been approved to provide teacher training…
Read MoreGuatemala: 100% Graduation Rate at la Escuela Integrada
By Paula Bohland In November, supporters from around the country gathered in Guatemala to attend the beautiful graduation ceremonies and witness fourteen students graduating from the school. During the gathering school personnel, GRACES staff, and supporters also engaged in evaluating the past year and planned for the next year. In past gatherings, we considered the…
Read MoreNew Chrismon Nativity Unveiled
By Susan Shinn Turner You might have noticed a lovely new nativity scene displayed over the holidays at the baptismal font in the Sanctuary. It’s made entirely of Chrismons, and it’s the work of Eleanor Sifford. Eleanor has been a member of the Chrismon Team for 20 years and teaches Chrismon classes the first three…
Read More“We have A Lot More in Common Than We Have Differences”: Lutheran-Catholic Dialogue
By Susan Shinn Turner Nearly 100 members from St. John’s and Sacred Heart Catholic Church attended each of three sessions during the recent Lutheran-Catholic Dialogue. The effort saw gatherings at both congregations. The first session included the history of Christianity in Rowan County by Dr. Gary Freeze, followed by Pastor Rhodes and Father John Eckert…
Read MoreSt. John’s Men Begin Work on Lutheridge Tent Village
By Susan Shinn Turner Thanks to some hardworking members, the St. John’s Tent Village at Lutheridge is on its way to becoming a reality. In September, six men from St. John’s went to Arden to begin clearing land for the tent village. “Now they have asked if we’d be interested in construction,” says Gary Taylor,…
Read MorePastor’s Letter
Dear friends, Krista and I watched the Grammy Awards last Sunday night, our annual opportunity to catch up on a contemporary music scene that is slowly slipping away from us. It’s always a fun event — loaded with amazing performances, emotional challenges, and over-thetop grandstanding. This Grammys went a bit overboard we thought, becoming more…
Read MoreSt. John’s Tent Village Campaign
By Susan Shinn Turner As approved by the Congregation Council in 2015, St. John’s is now in the final phase of fully funding the St. John’s Tent Village at Lutheridge, the first new camper area in a generation. The village will be elevated and tucked into the woods between Wilderness and Pioneer B, serving as…
Read MoreBig Sale at Season’s Gifts!
By Gerrie Blackwelder So, if you had an epic fail shopping experience this year and need to make amends to someone for giving them something other than a perfectly amazing Christmas gift, you are graced with a second chance to purchase the perfect thing from Season’s at HALF PRICE! Just meander to the back of…
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