234 Personal Care Kits Shipped to Ukraine

Throughout Lent, members of St. John’s contributed items for Personal Care Kits to be sent to Ukrainian refugees who are fleeing the war. A total of 234 kits were assembled and shipped through Lutheran World Relief, in partnership with Lutheran congregations throughout the country.   Below is a thank you note from LWR.    …

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Our Chrismon Ministry: Remembering Barbara Rufty

By Susan Shinn Turner Of course December was the busiest time of the year for Barbara Rufty. Rufty, who worked at Rufty’s Chrismons beginning in the 1990s, was an icon of the business, and left the shop just two years ago. She died Aug. 20 at age 91. She’ll be remembered for her unwavering support…

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A Chrismon Tradition

A chrismon is the combination of two words: CHRISt and MONogram— a monogram of Christ. The plural is chrisma and the word is not capitalized. Over the years these symbols have developed so that a chrismon may be a monogram, a sign, a symbol, or a combination of such figures. The one requirement is that…

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Ryan Brady Completes His Eagle Scout Project

By Susan Shinn Turner Congratulations to Ryan Brady, who will receive his Eagle Scout award in December at St. John’s. Ryan is a member of Troop 443. For his Eagle Scout project, Ryan built a shelter at Happy’s Farm. Rhonda Roseman offers after-school tutoring there, but it’s so much more. She has basically transformed the…

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Adam Ryerson Named New Scoutmaster for Troop 443

By Susan Shinn Turner Adam Ryerson is the new Scoutmaster for St. John’s Scout Troop 443. Ryerson is retired from the Air Force, where he spent four years on active duty and 16 years in the Guard. He’s now Fire Marshal for the City of Concord. Ryerson started with Troop 443 as a parent in…

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A campaign for ‘the heart of campus’: ‘The Final Stretch’ seeks to raise $750,000, wrapping up G2G Phase 2

By Susan Shinn Turner Phase 2 of G2G is now underway. A campaign to wrap up this part of the fundraising, “The Final Stretch,” will run through April 11. Phase 2 of Generation to Generation will replace the core infrastructure in the sanctuary building and bring needed updates to the Child Development Center. A total…

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Bradley Chestnut Accepts New Call in Bluffton S.C.

By Susan Shinn Turner Bradley Chestnut, St. John’s contemporary worship leader since 2016, will become worship leader/pastor at Live Oak Church in Bluffton, SC, near Hilton Head. He starts March 15, and his last Sunday at St. John’s is March 14. “It’s stressful but exciting,” says Chestnut, a native of Myrtle Beach, S.C. “Caitlin and…

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Measuring Online Attendance: Expanding Our Digital Reach

By Angel Owens Communications Specialist Gathering attendance numbers can be tricky these days. How many people are actually joining us in worship each week? There is no way to know just how many people are actually in each home clicking in, but we can gather and compile how many clicks we get each week. On…

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Church-Wide Retreat Rescheduled for September 17-19, 2021

By Donna Groce In the spirit of unity, the Congregational Retreat committee has been planning a weekend for this fall where all our members may gather for fellowship and worship surrounded by the beautiful outdoor setting of Lutheridge. Unfortunately, the plans have been interrupted by such uncertain times. In the interest of the ever changing…

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Roger and Linda Hull: Silent Angels

By Kathy Rusher On Sunday, March 8, St. John’s honored our newest Silent Angels, Linda and Roger Hull, active members of St. John’s. Roger and Linda have been involved in such a variety of ways at St. John’s throughout the years. Roger is an excellent photographer and is always willing to help take pictures of…

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