Our April book is There There by Tommy Orange. A finalist for the 2019 Pulitzer Prize and recipient of the 2019 PEN/Hemingway Award, Tommy Orange’s There There is an exceptional work and unforgettable debut. It is the story of what it means to be Native American in present-day America with rippling reverberations from the past.  This is a story packed with such power that it's become a force of nature.

He is Risen; He is Risen, Indeed!  You are cordially invited to St. John’s Annual Easter Breakfast.

When: April 20th, 9am

Where: St. John’s Fellowship Hall

Cost: $10 per person (children under 6 are free)

Please join us for this unique and wonderful fellowship opportunity on Easter morning. Enjoy a delicious, hearty, and homemade breakfast before heading upstairs for a triumphant Easter service. Sponsored by our Youth Group, all proceeds will to to the youth fund. Please email Kim Ferguson at kimtferguson@gmail.com for reservations.

Calling all men to join us Good Friday morning for a sumptuous breakfast and a brief devotion to follow. You will be on your way in an hour. Please call the office or email office@stjohnsny.org to let us know you will attend.

Please join us and help make palm crosses for Palm Sunday.  This is a fun activity for young and old!

From preparing items to take, to going into the city, participating on the Midnight Run is a wonderful opportunity to help the less-fortunate among us. Please sign up to pack lunches, drive a car into the city, or donate items. We still need help, especially with the following:

• Help sort clothing and pack the van. Start is 7 pm. Click here to sign up.

• Join us on the Run! If you can drive, great! If not, we'll arrange a ride for you. Please be here by 8.30 pm. Click here to sign up.

• Donate plastic and reusable grocery bags- the people we serve are always asking for bags to carry the clothing and items they are given.

• Used men's clothing: gently worn jeans, t shirts, sweat shirts/hoodies, sweat pants, and sneakers ONLY (no dress clothes)

• New men's underwear (underpants - BOXERS PREFERRED - and undershirts) and tube socks. Sports bras and underwear for women also welcome. 

• 6 or more bag lunches: each lunch should include a juice box/water bottle, sandwich, soft fruit, hard-boiled egg, snack (chips etc) , and a treat (bag of cookies etc), all packed in a Ziploc bag. Click here to sign up.

Please join us. You'll be glad you did! Email Marc Schlueter at orthodontics@optonline.net for any questions.

Our March book is Yaa Gyasi’s novel, TRANSCENDENT KINGDOM, in which a young scientist tries to understand her family’s pain. It is a deeply moving portrait of a family of Ghanaian immigrants ravaged by depression and addiction and grief—an emotionally searing and exquisitely written novel about faith, science, religion, love.

Please join us for a great meal and lively conversation. There will be several gourmet soups made by members of the congregation and Pastor’s special chili.

It’s a potluck supper, and we need people to contribute a soup, a salad, drinks, or bread. We also need help with set-up and clean-up. Worship will follow at 7.30 pm.

Please click here to email Marc Schlueter to let him know what you will bring and if you can help.

You may have seen posters, videos or even Super Bowl advertisements from an organization called ‘He Gets Us’. Ever wonder about how this work came to be? 

St. John’s alum Kris Roggemann has been working with the He Gets Us organization since its inception in 2020, sourcing and creating music for their various campaigns. Join him for an informative show-and-tell into the motivation behind the thought-provoking messaging as well as the challenges involved with releasing this work into today’s cynical media and cultural landscape. 

The campaign strives to depict the authentic qualities of Jesus: radical forgiveness, counter-cultural compassion and acceptance. Why then do so many people associate Christianity with hypocrisy and judgement? What relevance does Jesus have in our jaded modern world filled with societal stress and divisiveness? Did Jesus experience the same human frailties and challenges as we do? How might we all rediscover the original promise of Jesus' love that his story represents These questions are at the heart of He Gets Us.

Join us to learn how the campaign's goals have evolved over time and what’s next. In the meantime, keep your eyes (and ears) open as the latest iteration of the campaign hits the airwaves this January and February.

Once one understands what dementia really is, one can learn that there are a number of worthwhile things that can be done now, even though a "magic pill” has not yet been  invented. Join us for a presentation by Robert Brent, Emeritus Professor at Fordham University, who is currently researching dementia interventions.

The Sakhi family will join St. John's for the 10am service, where Mohammad Sakhi will share brief remarks about his resettlement experience over the past year, and the pending arrival of his sister and her family. After the service, the Sakhis are preparing a brunch for all, including Russian and Afghan dishes. 

A free-will donation will be collected at the brunch to support St. John's Refugee Fund. Mohammad and his volunteer team have raised $8,400 of the $10,000 required for his sister's resettlement (including an $1,800 donation from St. John's)—your additional donation will help close that gap! Any donations beyond that will be applied toward the church's refugee fund, which will be used where needed most.

Donations can also be made in the plate or by Zelle, just designate that it is for St. John's Refugee Fund. Thank you!