Posts by Angel Owens
Greeting Cards and Positive Purchasing Power
By Angel Owens Last year, I read a lot of books, and by that I mean listened to a lot of books on Audible. A few of my favorites were from Shane Claiborne and the late Rachel Held Evans. A recurring message that I couldn’t seem to shake was from Matthew 6:21, “For where your…
Read More‘A rare treasure’ Rosemary Kinard to retire after 19 years at St. John’s
By Susan Shinn Turner The scene perfectly encapsulates what kind of relationship Rob Durocher and Rosemary Kinard have had. On communion Sundays, after the anthem is finished, the Doxology follows. If you watch closely, occasionally you’ll see Rosemary begin to play, while Rob finishes. How do they do that? “We trust each other,” says Rob.…
Read MoreUpdate from Guatemala
By Hannah Nadeau-Giron Schools in Guatemala continue to be closed for in-person classes, the 15th months that our students at Escuela Integrada have been attending classes virtually. Thankfully, all of the teachers at Escuela Integrada have been vaccinated, and the vaccination is now available for all those 35 and older. As many of you know,…
Read MoreJoin Our 3rd Grade Reading Program at Isenberg!
By Susan Shinn Turner During the 2015-16 school year, St. John’s began a partnership with Isenberg Elementary School to help third graders improve their reading skills. The third-grade year represents the first year of testing, says Karen Puckett, the school’s media specialist and a St. John’s member who has shepherded the program ever since. “In…
Read MorePaula Levianu is Named St. John’s CDC Director – Welcome, Paula!
By Susan Shinn Turner On June 14, St. John’s Child Development Center welcomed a new executive director. “Everything is going well,” says Paula Levianu. “I’m focusing on staff and maintaining what’s going well. They are very tired from the pandemic. They have worked so hard. I want to focus on being a team and stabilize…
Read MoreProviding tablets and cell phone data for students in Guatemala – “COVID-19 has not been good to Guatemalans.”
By Hannah Nadeau Girón, Escuela Integrada Director In Guatemala, the already-challenging economic situation became much worse with the onset of the pandemic in March 2020. Quite simply, COVID-19 has not been good to Guatemalans. Because of the pandemic, children have been attending school from home for almost two years, since the academic year in Guatemala begins…
Read MoreWelcome Ricky Howsare, Contemporary Worship Leader
By Susan Shinn Turner St. John’s has welcomed Ricky Howsare as its new contemporary worship leader. He started work on July 6 and his first Sunday in worship was July 11. Ricky and his wife, Kimberly, are in the process of moving to Salisbury from Pennsylvania. Kimberly, a childcare provider, is taking care of selling…
Read More“Strength, Hope, Resilience”
By Karen Puckett Performing artists from around the community will celebrate the strength and resilience of communities of color during an afternoon of music, dance, and spoken word in the Faith Center, Saturday, Aug. 7 at 11:30 am. Featuring a performance by the NC Poet Laureate, Jaki Shelton Green, Strength, Hope, Resilience is part of…
Read MoreConnected by an Invisible String
Sisters and Brothers, As I reflect on the last three and a half years that I have spent with you, I am so incredibly grateful. St. John’s and Salisbury will always hold a special place in my heart because of each and every one of you. I feel like I have said this to a…
Read MoreA sense of family: Grace Faller finds her place at St. John’s and beyond
By Susan Shinn Turner Grace Faller, a rising junior at East Carolina University, has recently begun a summer internship in Chicago. She’ll be working as a food and beverage intern at a country club. “I’ll be getting a ton of experience with this paid internship, as well as free living accommodations,” says Grace, the daughter…
Read More