Dear St. John’s,
   Sometimes, spring can feel a bit like that famous Charles Dickens line: the best of times, the worst of times.
   The flowers and burgeoning trees are beautiful and life-affirming. But for those of us with allergies, their proliferation of airborne pollen is less welcome.
    Growth can be like that. We want it, we embrace it, it can be very beautiful. But growth also can bring growing pains and change, which challenge us.
   This Sunday, we will plant perennial flowers at St. John’s – one for each pledge in our fall fundraising stewardship campaign. They’re a symbol of our commitment to our church and its ministries as well as our desire for and commitment to growth.
   Let our garden continue to remind us of our pledge to grow in faith and love. Let it inspire us to stay the course, even if we must endure a little pollen in the process.
   Please join us on Sunday in planting our flowers. Bring a trowel or shovel if you have one. And feel free to wear your gardening clothes to church!
   Hope to see you there.
 
Rev. Sharon
 
P.S. – Next Sunday, May 28, we will begin work at the end of coffee hour on our parish quilt for the tricky tray. Everyone from novices to experienced sewers is welcome to help. See attached flyer.

Dear St. John’s,

Earlier this week, I got a flat tire while driving home from Trenton. I could have ranted at the inconvenience and unfairness and expense of it all. Instead, I find myself feeling gratitude.
I’m thankful that it didn’t happen while I was driving at high speed on a highway. That I didn’t get into an accident. That I got out of work early, so I wasn’t late for the Got Faith meeting St. John’s was hosting. That a kind stranger advised me on putting air into the tire, tried to fix the malfunctioning tire stem and then changed the tire for me when it became clear the stem was broken and the tire thus couldn’t hold air.
In short, I felt as though God had been watching out for me.
God does watch out for us and eases many a sticky situation. If we pay attention, we can notice and give thanks.
Where have you noticed God’s providence in your life lately?
 
Rev. Sharon

​Dear St. John’s,

On this Sunday, and the first Sunday of each month, we collect special offerings for the clergy discretionary fund. These are funds that I may use at my discretion to address needs among congregation and community members – to apply them to “pious and charitable uses,” as the official church canons describe it.

This doesn’t mean I can use them for anything I choose. I can’t use the funds to make payments to benefit myself, for example, nor are the funds supposed to be applied to meeting operating expenses of St. John’s.
 
What I can do is help people in need. Perhaps someone has lost their job or dealing with a sudden medical crisis. The discretionary fund allows me to assist them during a difficult time. The amount of money in the discretionary fund helps determine how many people I can help and how much I can assist them. Last year, our Afghan Refugee Resettlement Fund benefited from charitable donations from other clergy’s discretionary funds.
 
I encourage you to contribute to the fund, as you are able. This is one way we can help our neighbors in need.
 
Rev. Sharon