st-johns-presbyterian-church

The Epistle for April 29, 2026

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 13:44:48 GMT

The church newsletter of St. John's Presbyterian Church in Westbury, Meyerland

The Epistle

St. John's Presbyterian Church in Houston

April 29, 2026

Dear friends,

There is a moment in Daniel 3 that I keep coming back to this week. Three young men get thrown into a furnace so hot it kills the soldiers who toss them in. Nebuchadnezzar peers through the flames expecting ash. Instead he sees four figures walking around. Calm. The fourth one, he says, looks like a son of the gods. Nobody sent for him. He just showed up, right in the middle of the fire.

That is the Easter we are still living inside. This Sunday we will sit with Daniel 3 and John 14 together, and I think you will feel how much they belong in the same room. Jesus tells his frightened disciples, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life." No map. No emergency exit. Just: I am with you, and I go before you. His answer to their fear is his presence. That's all. And somehow that's enough.

If you are walking through something that feels like a furnace right now, I hope you will be with us Sunday. The testimony of Easter, every week of it, is that fire gets company. Walls get walked through. And the one who meets you in the middle of the worst thing turns out to have been there all along.

See you in worship.

Peace,

Pastor Jon

May 14 | St. John’s Friends United 11:00 AM in Room 203

Join us as Lisa Sparaco, LCSW, presents "Coping with Daily Living." Please bring a light sack lunch; dessert and drinks will be provided by the church.

BIM Gala Rescheduled to October 30

The Braes Interfaith Ministries (BIM) Gala has been rescheduled to October 30th . While specific details about the rescheduled event, including the time and location, have not yet been released,more information will be shared as the date approaches. You can monitor the official Braes Interfaith Ministries website for future updates.

Want to go to the alley?

Houston’s Alley Theater of course! St. John’s seniors, as well as the wider senior community, have the wonderful opportunity to attend 8-9 performances per season. In addition to those performances, a Christmas tour is planned and possible other excursions in the greater Houston area. Transportation to and from the performances is free.

There is a seasonal cost for the productions themselves. The bus leaves from St. John’s, usually on the 3 ^rd Thursday of the month, drops off at The Alley and picks up from there as well. After picking up from St. John’s, the bus stops at Lubys or another restaurant for a meal, and from there, on to The Alley. The minimum age to participate is 50. For additional questions or to sign up, you can contact Ruth Roach at 832 922-2747. See you in the Alley!

Men of the Church

The next meeting of the Men of the Church will be 29 April at 6:30 PM in the Session Room.

Come for a time of study and service projects that benefit the church.

Welcome Delafosse family

We welcome the Delafosse family: Zach, Jessica, and their two little ones, Mark and Eric. They did not stumble upon us by accident. They came looking specifically for a congregation that takes the gospel seriously enough to live it out even when it costs something. Some of you will remember the opposition that arose when PCHAS brought its Single Parent Family Ministry to our campus. The Delafosse family heard about that, and it told them something about who we are. They will be scheduling baptisms for their boys here soon, and we look forward to that celebration.

Welcome Rev. Valerie Bell

We welcome to Rev. Valerie Bell into our fellowship. Valerie is an honorably retired PC(USA) pastor who now makes her home in Meyerland. She has served congregations in Florida and Arkansas, and she brings with her real gifts for teaching and pastoral care among others. As a minister, Valerie will be joining our presbytery rather than our membership roll, but in every way that matters she is one of us, sharing her time and her talents alongside the rest of the congregation. We are glad she is here

Texas Driving laws revised in 2026

by Dan Herron

There are federal and state revisions to driving laws.

You can look these up, perhaps online.

Some of these are discussed below. Try online at Texas DPS New Laws. Here are a few of the national traffic laws that are being

revised. Some apply to Texas.

Yellow Traffic Lite

We used to “test” this by trying to

get through the intersection quickly. No longer. Don’t run

a yellow light. New equipment allows “them” to view the

situation. If your bumper is not completely thru the light

when it turns red, you can be ticketed. This can be

automatic, not viewed by an enforcement officer.

Cell Phone Cannot do messaging while driving. Wow.

Vehicle stopped on right side of street.

If your vehicle, turn the emergency lights on. If you are

approaching a stopped vehicle, slow down to 20 mph.

Move over to the left if possible.

Posted speed limits these are only for “good”

conditions.

Construction zones…handle as 24 hours, always

Slow down, earlier than expected. This is “construction

speeds,” especially at night.

Rearview Mirror

If something is hanging from this mirror, take that extra

thing off.

Driver age 65+

This needs a plan for the future. There is more cognitive

testing at license renewal time. If you have some senior

issues, check this out. Plan ahead for what might happen.

What if you cannot renew? Car and driver considerations.

License plate partly covered up

Must be completely visible, no cover-up, “total clarity” on

the plate. Keep aware of how this is being handled.

Wipers ON… you must also turn on the headlights. Even

if intermittent wiper setting. Wipers ON, Lights ON!

Insurance This is more easily tracked now, by

computers. So, plan on no lapses in your coverage. Also,

renew early because the insurance company now knows

more about your driving and may give you some heat!

For new drivers there is a series of education courses

and tests. Plan to be ready. Do the education online.

These notes are only an introductory reminder that rules

have changed. If you go online to check out these new

laws, search for a website that doesn’t charge for your

looking. Some revisions are for Texas drivers, some are

national. Texas laws are in the website above.

Electrical Protection

Our home is about 25 years old. We’ve been having some

electrical faults which blink lights or turn off appliances. A

voltage spike burned out the circuit card in the dishwasher

and some neon lights in the kitchen. And the main outside

ground wire was faulty. Take a look at your electrical box

and those wires on your home. Anything loose? That

needs to be fixed. But, do not touch electrical wiring!

We got a Whole House Electrical Protection device,

and during that installation that main ground wire was

updated. This device helps with surges of voltage on your

main power line. Now we have fewer electrical

interruptions. This is a good thing for lighting, computers,

phones, TVs and other appliances. An electrician or two

will give you a bid for installing such a device. Results are

positive. Research this on the internet.

The whole home model may have no battery since it is

primarily for protection of electrical voltage variations but

not zero voltage.

A way to protect your TV and computer equipment is to

buy and use a UPS Battery Backup & Surge

Protector. This is Power Outage Protection for a short

outage and protection for voltage surges. There is a battery

in this backup device which can offer power for a few

minutes during an outage.

You plug in the new UPS. Let it charge up. Then, plug the

TV or computer into the UPS. I have this small backup

device on my computer and another on my TV. The

battery in the device helps to keep me computing for

several minutes if the power fails. I can shutdown

normally or continue to watch TV for about ½ hour during

a power outage. These UPS devices are for sale online and

at stores.

Dan Herron

For Further Investigation

If you missed last Sunday or want to catch a recent sermon again, you can watch our live worship stream any time. We go live at 11 AM every Sunday, and past services stay up on the page if you need them.

A lot of folks have been asking what makes Presbyterian worship a little different from what you find at the bigger churches around town. I wrote something on that a few weeks back. You can read it over at the blog: Presbyterian Church Houston: What Makes Our Worship Unique . Honest answer is, it probably won't appeal to everyone. But for some people, it feels like coming home.

We also have a piece up that might help if you're newer to the area or just starting to look around for a church home: Christian Churches in Houston: Why Smaller Churches Create Stronger Community [link: that blog article]. It covers some things worth thinking about before you settle in somewhere.

And if you have a friend or neighbor going through grief right now, pass along my new book Walking Through Christian Grief . We walk with people through those hard seasons. That is a big part of who we are here at St. John's Presbyterian Church in southwest Houston .

Peace,

Pastor Jon Burnham

St. John's Presbyterian Church in Houston, Texas

Worship Bulletin and Announcements for April 26, 2026

Sat, 25 Apr 2026 19:44:08 GMT

St. John's Presbyterian Church in Houston welcomes you to worship!

An Invitation to Worship

Fourth Sunday of Easter

April 26, 2026 | 11:00 AM

St. John's Presbyterian Church

Dear friends,

Most of us carry a quiet question into Sunday morning, even if we never say it out loud. Does God actually see me, or am I just another face in the crowd?

This Sunday, April 26 at 11 AM, the congregation will gather on the Fourth Sunday of Easter to hear a different answer. Rev. Linda Herron will lead us in worship and preach a sermon titled The Shepherd Knows Our Names . Liturgist Ann Hardy will guide us in prayer and Scripture as we listen again to Psalm 23 and to Jesus’ words in John 10, where he says the shepherd calls his sheep by name and leads them into life.

There is something steady and honest about this service. We will sing the old hymns that have carried people through generations. We will confess the ways we wander. We will hear the promise that a table is set even before the danger passes, and that goodness and mercy are not far off but close behind us, every step of the way.

If you have ever felt like faith is something you are supposed to figure out on your own, come and sit in this story for a while. The good shepherd does not work from a distance. He knows your name. That is not poetry. That is the heart of the gospel, and it is the kind of knowing we are trying to grow into as a church together

Come as you are. There is a place for you here.

Peace be with you,

Pastor Jon Burnham

St. John's Presbyterian Church, Houston

5020 West Bellfort Avenue Houston, TX 77035

(713) 723-6262 / stjohnspresby.org

P.S. The service will be live-streamed

on our church website

and on our St. John's Facebook page .

St. John's Presbyterian Bulletin

April 26, 2026 Fourth Sunday of Easter

Gathering

Prelude, Alina Klimaszewska, organ

*Call To Worship, Rev. Linda Herron

We come this morning carrying the fear that we are somehow on our own.

The quiet fear that the care extended toward us will eventually run out.

Come to the God who prepares a table in the presence of your enemies.

The God who sets the feast before the threat has passed.

Come to the shepherd who calls each sheep by name.

Not by category. Not by number. By name.

Come to the gate that the resurrection has opened and death cannot close.

We enter freely — and go out and find pasture.

This is the day of the Lord who knows us completely and loves us still.

Let us worship the shepherd who calls our name.

Opening Prayer

*Hymn 511 Come, Behold! The Feast of Heaven

1 Come, behold! the feast of heaven Alleluia!

has to mortal flesh been given. Alleluia!

Hear the Word of God declared: Alleluia!

“Come! the banquet is prepared.” Alleluia!

2 All is ready, come attend Alleluia!

as the Lord’s invited friend; Alleluia!

come from north, west, south, and east; Alleluia!

celebrate the joyful feast. Alleluia!

3 All who trust in God belong Alleluia!

at this banquet with this throng. Alleluia!

Share the mystic holy food; Alleluia!

taste and see: the Lord is good. Alleluia!

4 As the Lord our God has willed, Alleluia!

here the hungry soul is filled; Alleluia!

here the weary are refreshed. Alleluia!

All who share God’s feast are blessed. Alleluia!

Prayer of Confession, Liturgist Ann Hardy

Lord, we confess that we have wandered from your voice — that we have listened to stranger voices, followed paths that led away from the still waters, and called our distance from you “independence” when it was really fear. We have doubted that the table was set for us, that the oil was meant for our head, that the cup overflowing was ours to drink. Forgive our wandering, and call us home by name. Amen. (Silent Confession)

Assurance of Pardon

*Glory Be to the Father, Hymn 581

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end. Amen, amen.

*Passing the Peace

The Word

Prayer for Illumination Ann Hardy

First Scripture Reading, Psalm 23 Ann Hardy

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters;

he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff— they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.

Anthem

Sermon Scripture, John 10:1–10

“Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.” Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them. So again Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

The Word of the Lord for us today.

Thanks be to God.

Sermon, The Shepherd Knows Our Names. Rev. Linda Herron

*Hymn 802 The King of Love My Shepherd Is, 1, 2, 5 and 6

1 The King of love my shepherd is,

whose goodness faileth never;

I nothing lack if I am his

and he is mine forever.

2 Where streams of living water flow

my ransomed soul he leadeth,

and where the verdant pastures grow,

with food celestial feedeth.

5 Thou spread’st a table in my sight;

thy unction grace bestoweth;

and O what transport of delight

from thy pure chalice floweth!

6 And so through all the length of days

thy goodness faileth never;

Good Shepherd, may I sing thy praise

within thy house forever.

The Apostles’ Creed

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth,

And in Jesus Christ, his only Son our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic Church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

Prayers of the People and Lord’s Prayer

Rev. Herron

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

Welcome and Announcements

Offering

*Doxology, Hymn 609

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow.

Praise God, all creatures high and low.

Alleluia, alleluia!

Praise God, in Jesus fully known: Creator, Word, and Spirit one.

Alleluia, alleluia! Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

*Prayer after the Offering Rev. Herron

Sending

*Hymn 803 My Shepherd Will Supply My Need, 1 and 3

1 My shepherd will supply my need;

Jehovah is his name.

In pastures fresh he makes me feed,

beside the living stream.

He brings my wandering spirit back

when I forsake his ways,

and leads me, for his mercy's sake,

in paths of truth and grace.

3 The sure provisions of my God

attend me all my days;

O may your house be my abode,

and all my work be praise.

There would I find a settled rest,

while others go and come;

no more a stranger, or a guest,

but like a child at home.

*Benediction and Postlude

Important Date Change: BRAES Gala

The BRAES gala, an event supported by our Faith In Action committee, has been postponed. Please mark your calendars for the new date: October 30th.

Healing Hearts for April. Healing Hearts will meet tomorrow at 11:00 am. St. John’s is proud to support this healing ministry.

St. John's Friends United - May 14 - 11:00 AM, Rm 203. Speaker: Lisa Sparaco, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, will speak on "Coping with Daily Living." Bring a light sack lunch, Dessert and Drinks will be provided.

PCHAS Luncheon Report from Lakeside Country Club. The PCHAS Luncheon theme this year was "Hope Outlives Hardship." The one-hour program shared updates on the many services PCHAS provides across Texas, Louisiana, and Missouri, with real stories of lives changed. It was a heartwarming event and always worth the time. We are glad to say that 20 people from St. John's attended. St. John's has had deep ties to PCHAS for many years, and especially since partnering with their Single Parent Program right here on our campus beginning in 2012. Thank you to Shirley and Ann for serving as Table Hosts and to Lynne who was a featured speaker.

Welcome New Members: New Faces, Familiar Grace.

Our Session had the joy of receiving new members into the life of St. John's. We welcomed the Delafosse family: Zach, Jessica, and their two little ones, Mark and Eric. They did not stumble upon us by accident. They came looking specifically for a congregation that takes the gospel seriously enough to live it out even when it costs something. Some of you will remember the opposition that arose when PCHAS brought its Single Parent Family Ministry to our campus. The Delafosses’ heard about that, and it told them something about who we are. They will be scheduling baptisms for their boys here soon, and we look forward to that celebration.

We also received the Rev. Valerie Bell into our fellowship. Valerie is an honorably retired PC(USA) pastor who now makes her home in Meyerland. She has served congregations in Florida and Arkansas, and she brings with her real gifts for teaching and pastoral care among others. As a minister, Valerie will be joining our presbytery rather than our membership roll, but in every way that matters she is one of us, sharing her time and her talents alongside the rest of the congregation. We are glad she is here. Receiving new members during the month of our 70th anniversary year feels like exactly the right kind of gift. God is not finished with St. John's yet. Welcome home, Delafosses’. Welcome home, Valerie.

Celebrating Loic: A Special College Ministry Update. We received a wonderful note from Loic, grandson of our own Leonie. He is graduating this May 15th with a 4.0 GPA and an Associate's Degree of Science in Chemistry. After that, he plans to pursue a bachelor's degree in Energy and Environmental Engineering at a four-year school in Canada. He wrote to say thank you, and his words were simple and sincere: "Y'all really made it easier for me."

Pastor Jon replied: "A 4.0 in Chemistry does not just happen. That takes discipline, long nights, and a steady kind of determination. And now you are stepping into Energy and Environmental Engineering, which tells me you are not only thinking about your future, but about the future of the world God has given us to care for. We are proud of you, Loic. Truly." Please keep Loic in your prayers as he heads into this exciting next chapter. He carries St. John's love with him all the way to Canada.

Myrtis McPhail Scholarship. Attention all high school seniors, undergraduate college, and/or technical/trade school students! St. John’s is once again ready to accept applications to the Myrtis McPhail Scholarship Fund. These funds are available to any church member or relative of a church member who will be enrolled full time in undergraduate college or a technical/trade school in the Fall of 2026. You must reapply for the scholarship each year, and you may apply for a maximum of 5 years. Applications are available by email request to Kathy Barnhill (jabarnhill@comcast.net) or Mindi Stanley (mstanley@bcm.edu) or click on this link: Applications will be accepted until May 15, 2026 and we hope to distribute funds to recipients in June.

The Scholarship Fund also is open for donations! If anyone would like to donate, please indicate the McPhail Scholarship Fund on a check or via Zelle. Thanks for Your Support

Supporting BIM in a Critical Season. Many of BIM’s programs are facing funding challenges right now, which makes this moment especially important. We invite you to consider a cash donation to support their work in advance of the gala or shortly after. Checks can be made payable to Braes Interfaith Ministries, with “BIM Gala Fundraiser” noted in the memo line. This is one of those quiet ways the church makes a real difference. No spotlight. Just steady care for people who need it. Thank you for being part of that work.

Happy Birthday

Michael Bisase, Linda Dobbin and Stephen Marshall (April 1)

Tatiana Harris (April 3)

Brendan Ehrenstrom (April 4)

JoAnn Golden (April 8)

Samuel and Emmanuel Okwudiri and Winnie Georgiev (April 9)

Pat Ragan (April 12)

Tom Edmonsond (April 13)

Allen Barnhill and Austin Gorby (April 14)

Jenny Pennicuff (April 17)

Kennedy Muanza (April 24)

Jon Burnham (April 26)

Prayer Concerns

Rebecca Crawford, hip surgery

David Wintersgill, hip surgery

Jessica Ivete Robles, a friend of Alice Rubio,

awaits a kidney transplant

And Jessica’s sixteen-year-old son,

who is recovering from surgery

Glen Risley, recovering from hip surgery

Nyjel Bennett-LaGrone and his family, health concerns

Gerry Jump

Family of Sue Benn

Tom Edmondson, recovering from spinal surgery

Holly Darr, health concerns

Karen Alsbrook, health

Kelsey Wiltz, health concerns

Madalyn Rodgers, Kathleen Captain's sister

Joe Sanford,

Scott Moore

Alice Rubio

Those looking for a job

St. Johns College Students

Raina Bailey and the families in our PCHAS homes

One Hope Preschool families and staff

Calendar

Sunday, April 19, Third Sunday of Easter

9:30 am Sunday School for Adults, Systematic Theology, Session Room

11:00 am Worship Service, live in sanctuary and on Facebook

Noon Fellowship and Caring Committee Meeting in Session Room

1:30 pm Book Study, Zoom

3:30 pm Girl Scouts in Session Room and Room 203.

Tuesday, April 21

5:00 pm Exercise Group, Building 2

Thursday, April 23

5:00 pm Exercise Class in Building 2

Sunday, April 26, Second Sunday of Easter

9:30 am Sunday School for Adults, Systematic Theology, Session Room

11:00 am Worship Service, live in sanctuary and on Facebook

1:30 pm Book Study on Zoom

4:30 pm Pack 8 Meeting, Exercise Room

Coming Events

Mon, April 27, Healing Hearts, 11 am

Thurs, April 30, BIM Gala (tentative date)

Sun, May 3, CE Meeting after Worship

Sun, May 31, CE Brunch: Senior Sunday and Teacher Appreciation

Sat, July 18, Quarterly Bible Study for all ages, 8:30 am – 2:30 pm

2026 Session Members and Roles

Class of 2026

Ann Hardy : Stewardship and Finance

Michael Bisase : Buildings and Grounds

Jan Herbert : Christian Education

Class of 2027

Lynne Parsons Austin: Worship

Omar Ayah: Faith in Action

Marie Kutz: Personnel and Administration

Class of 2028

Mary Gaber: Christian Education

Tina Jump: Fellowship and Caring

Ann Hardy: Finance and Stewardship

Peter Sparaco: Faith in Action

Other Session Leaders and Support Staff

Jon Burnham : Moderator of Session

Lynne Parsons Austin : Clerk to Session

Tad Mulder: Church Treasurer

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The Epistle

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 13:04:13 GMT

St. John's Presbyterian Church in Houston

The Epistle for April 22, 2026

Dear friends,

Easter is still with us.

We are in the season the church calendar calls Eastertide. Fifty days of sitting with the resurrection before we rush on to the next thing. I think that deserves more than a passing nod.

The disciples did not go from the empty tomb to a packed ministry calendar in forty-eight hours. They sat with it. They walked seven miles with a stranger on the road to Emmaus without even recognizing who he was. They ate fish on the beach. Grilled fish. That detail always gets me. God shows up after the resurrection and somebody builds a charcoal fire.

Resurrection takes time to absorb. Probably more time than we give it. We tend to move pretty fast past the things that should stop us cold.

So this week, whatever your schedule looks like, I hope you find a moment or two to just sit with it. No agenda. No next step. Just sit.

I am taking some of that advice myself. Rev. Linda Herron will preach this Sunday while I step back to rest and reflect a little. I am grateful she is willing to do that, and I think you will be glad she is there.

Peace,

Pastor Jon

Welcome Delafosse family

We welcome the Delafosse family: Zach, Jessica, and their two little ones, Mark and Eric. They did not stumble upon us by accident. They came looking specifically for a congregation that takes the gospel seriously enough to live it out even when it costs something. Some of you will remember the opposition that arose when PCHAS brought its Single Parent Family Ministry to our campus. The Laymans heard about that, and it told them something about who we are. They will be scheduling baptisms for their boys here soon, and we look forward to that celebration.

Welcome Rev. Valerie Bell

Celebrating Loic: A Special College Ministry Update

We received a wonderful note this week from Loic, grandson of our own Leonie. He wanted the St. John's family to know that he is graduating this May 15th with a 4.0 GPA and an Associate's Degree of Science in Chemistry. After that, he plans to pursue a bachelor's degree in Energy and Environmental Engineering at a four-year school in Canada. He wrote to say thank you, and his words were simple and sincere: "Y'all really made it easier for me."

Please keep Loic in your prayers as he heads into this exciting next chapter. He carries St. John's love with him all the way to Canada.

PCHAS Luncheon Report from Lakeside Country Club

The PCHAS Luncheon theme this year was "Hope Outlives Hardship." The one-hour program shared updates on the many services PCHAS provides across Texas, Louisiana, and Missouri, with real stories of lives changed. It was a heartwarming event and always worth the time.

We are glad to say that 20 people from St. John's attended. St. John's has had deep ties to PCHAS for many years, and especially since partnering with their Single Parent Program right here on our campus beginning in 2012. Thank you to Shirley and Ann for serving as Table Hosts and to Lynne who was a featured speaker.

Men of the Church
The next meeting of the Men of the Church will be 29 April at 6:30 PM in the Session Room. Come for a time of study and service projects that benefit the church.

Myrtis McPhail Scholarship

Attention all high school seniors, undergraduate college, and/or technical/trade school students!

St. John’s is once again ready to accept applications to the Myrtis McPhail Scholarship Fund . These funds are available to any church member or relative of a church member who will be enrolled full time in undergraduate college or a technical/trade school in the Fall of 2026. You must reapply for the scholarship each year, and you may apply for a maximum of 5 years. Applications are available by email request to Kathy Barnhill ( jabarnhill@comcast.net ) or Mindi Stanley ( mstanley@bcm.edu ) or click on this link:

Applications will be accepted until May 15, 2026 and we hope to distribute funds to recipients in June.

The Scholarship Fund also is open for donations! If anyone would like to donate, please indicate the McPhail Scholarship Fund on a check or via Zelle.

Healing Hearts: A Ministry of Care and Encouragement

Healing Hearts will meet in the church office building in the Prayer Room of the church office building.

Healing Hearts is a grief and bereavement support group. Led by Lisa Sparaco , a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and member of our church, this group will provide a safe and faith-filled space for sharing stories, receiving encouragement, and walking together through seasons of loss. This is not a therapy group, but a ministry of care and prayer for all who grieve.

Next Meeting for Healing Hearts

Monday, April 27, 11:00 AM to Noon in the Prayer Room

Prayer List

With hearts united in hope, we lift these names into the healing presence of God.

Becky Crawford, hip surgery
Glen Risley, recovering from surgery
Scenacia Jones family
Jessica Ivete Robles, a friend of Alice Rubio, awaits a kidney transplant
Family of Sue Benn
Tom Edmondson, recovering from spinal surgery
Holly Darr, health concerns
Kelsey Wiltz, health concerns
Madalyn Rodgers, Kathleen Captain's sister
Joe Sanford, Scott Moore and Alice Rubio
St. Johns College Students
Raina Bailey and the families in our PCHAS homes
One Hope Preschool families and staff

Worship Bulletin for April 19, 2026

Sat, 18 Apr 2026 18:01:18 GMT

St. John's Presbyterian Church in Houston ~ Worship Bulletin and Annoucements

An Invitation to Worship

Third Sunday of Easter

April 19, 2026 | 11:00 AM

St. John's Presbyterian Church

Dear Friends,

There is a story in the Gospel of Luke that I keep coming back to.

Two people are walking away from Jerusalem. They had hoped Jesus was the one to redeem Israel. He wasn't, as far as they could tell. So they're heading home, carrying the wreckage of a hope that didn't work out. And a stranger falls into step beside them and asks what they're talking about.

They stop walking. They look sad. And then they tell him everything.

That's the Road to Emmaus. And that stranger, of course, is Jesus. Risen. Present. Walking with them before they have any idea who he is.

This Sunday we are going to sit with that story. The sermon is called "Breakfast with the Risen," and it takes seriously the possibility that the risen Christ shows up on the roads we are actually walking, not the roads we planned to be on. He meets us in our disappointment. He asks good questions. And somewhere along the way, when bread is broken, our eyes open.

I think a lot of us are on some version of that Emmaus road right now. Maybe you know exactly what I mean. Come anyway.

We will also have something wonderful to celebrate. Our Session welcomed a new family into St. John's last Tuesday night. Zachery and Jessica Delafosse, along with their sons Eric and little Mark, are joining us, and both boys will be baptized here soon. And we are so glad to welcome the Reverend Camille Elmore, a seasoned Presbyterian minister who lives right down the road on Spellman, who has chosen St. John's as her church home.

And this month, St. John's turns 70.

Seventy years ago, a small group of people planted a church in southwest Houston and made promises they couldn't fully keep on their own. God kept them. And here we are, still gathering, still breaking bread, still welcoming new faces and new chapters.

Come join us Sunday at 11:00 AM. Alina will be at the organ. Mark will lead the choir. Lynne will lead us in confession and the reading of scripture. And we will all sit together at the table where eyes have a way of opening.

I'll save you a seat.

Peace be with you,

Pastor Jon Burnham

St. John's Presbyterian Church, Houston

5020 West Bellfort Avenue Houston, TX 77035

(713) 723-6262 / stjohnspresby.org

P.S. The service will be live-streamed

on our church website

and on our St. John's Facebook page .

St. John's Presbyterian Bulletin

April 19, 2026 Third Sunday of Easter

Gathering

Prelude, Alina Klimaszewska, organ

*Call To Worship, The Rev. Dr. Jon Burnham

We come this morning carrying the weight

of roads we have been walking.

Some of us are walking toward something.

Some of us are walking away.

God meets travelers on the road — e

ven those going in the wrong direction.

Even those whose hope has already gone

into past tense.

The risen Christ asks: what are you carrying?

Tell me everything.

And then he walks with us

before he explains anything.

We gather now as people who have been met on the road.

Open our eyes, Lord. Let us recognize you

in the breaking of the bread.

Opening Prayer

*Hymn 182 I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say

1 I heard the voice of Jesus say,

“Come unto me and rest;

lay down, O weary one, lay down

your head upon my breast.”

I came to Jesus as I was,

so weary, worn, and sad;

I found him in a resting place,

and he has made me glad.

2 I heard the voice of Jesus say,

“Behold, I freely give

the living water, thirsty one;

stoop down and drink and live.”

I came to Jesus, and I drank

of that life-giving stream;

my thirst was quenched, my soul revived,

and now I live in him.

3 I heard the voice of Jesus say,

“I am this dark world’s light;

look unto me, your morn shall rise,

and all your day be bright.”

I looked to Jesus, and I found

in him my star, my sun;

and in that light of life I’ll walk

till traveling days are done.

Prayer of Confession, Liturgist Lynne Parsons Austin

God of the road and the table, we confess that we have walked away from hope too quickly, choosing the familiar weight of disappointment over the impossible promise of resurrection. We have talked about our losses without looking up to see who walks beside us, and we have sat at many tables without recognizing you in the breaking of the bread. Forgive us, and open our eyes. Amen. (Silent Confession)

Assurance of Pardon

*Glory Be to the Father, Hymn 581

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end. Amen, amen.

*Passing the Peace

Lynne Parsons Austin

The Word

Prayer for Illumination Lynne Parsons Austin

First Scripture Reading, 1 Kings 19:4–8

Lynne Parsons Austin

But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a solitary broom tree. He asked that he might die: “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors.” Then he lay down under the broom tree and fell asleep. Suddenly an angel touched him and said to him, “Get up and eat.” He looked, and there at his head was a cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. He ate and drank, and lay down again. The angel of the Lord came a second time, touched him, and said, “Get up and eat, otherwise the journey will be too much for you.” He got up, and ate and drank; then he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God.

Anthem

Sermon Scripture, Luke 24:13–35

Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, “What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?” They stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?” He asked them, “What things?” They replied, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.” Then he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?” Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.

As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?” That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. They were saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!” Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

The Word of the Lord for us today.

Thanks be to God.

Sermon, Breakfast with the Risen

The Rev. Dr. Jon Burnham

*Hymn 252 Day of Arising

1 Day of arising,

Christ on the roadway,

unknown companion walks with his own.

When they invite him,

as fades the first day,

and bread is broken,

Christ is made known.

2 When we are walking,

doubtful and dreading,

blinded by sadness,

slowness of heart,

yet Christ walks with us,

ever awaiting

our invitation:

Stay, do not part.

3 Lo, I am with you,

Jesus has spoken.

This is Christ's promise,

this is Christ's sign:

when the church gathers,

when bread is broken,

there Christ is with us,

in bread and wine.

4 Christ, our companion,

hope for the journey,

bread of compassion,

open our eyes.

Grant us your vision,

set all hearts burning

that all creation

with you may rise.

The Apostles’ Creed

I believe in God the Father Almighty,

Maker of heaven and earth,

And in Jesus Christ, his only Son our Lord,

who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead;

he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence

he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic Church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

Prayers of the People and Lord’s Prayer

Welcome New Members

Last Tuesday night, our Session joyfully welcomed a new family into our church: Zachery and Jessica Delafosse and their sons, Eric (age 5) and Mark (who just turned 8 months old) . Zachery and Jessica joined by Reaffirmation of Faith , and we are excited that Eric and Mark will be baptized here during worship soon. Please stand! Welcome to Jessica, Zach, Eric, and Mark!

We are also very happy to welcome Rev. Camille Elmore, who lives nearby on Spellman Rd. Rev. Elmore grew up near Little Rock and has previously served Presbyterian churches in Florida and Arkansas. We are blessed that she has chosen St. John's, near her home, as her home church, and we look forward to exploring how her gifts for ministry can best support our congregation's needs. She will likely become a minister at large in our Presbytery later this year. Please stand up! Welcome, Cammille.

A Prayer of Welcome for the Delafosse Family and Rev. Camille Elmore, in Thanksgiving for Seventy Years of Grace

Gracious God,

Seventy years ago this month, a small group of your people gathered in southwest Houston and said yes to something they could not fully see yet. They planted a church. They made promises. And you were faithful to every one of them.

Today we give you thanks that St. John's is still here, still gathering, still saying yes. And we thank you especially for the new faces you have brought through our doors.

We welcome Zachery and Jessica Delafosse, who stood before our Session last Tuesday night and reaffirmed their faith in Jesus Christ. Lord, you know what it takes to walk into a new place and say "this is where we belong." We ask that you make St. John's a true home for them. May they find here the kind of friendships that hold up under pressure, the kind of community that tells the truth in love, and the kind of worship that feeds their souls week after week.

We thank you for Eric, who is five years old and has his whole life ahead of him. Let this congregation be a place where he learns that faith is real, that the Bible is worth reading, and that the people of God are worth trusting. And little Mark, eight months old and just barely new to this world -- Lord, watch over him. We already love him. He doesn't know it yet, but he will.

We look forward to the day, coming soon, when both Eric and Mark will be baptized in this place. We will make promises to them. Promises we intend to keep.

We also welcome the Reverend Camille Elmore, who grew up near Little Rock and has given years of faithful service to Presbyterian congregations in Florida and Arkansas. You have brought her now to a house just down the road from ours on Spellman, and we do not think that is an accident. As she prepares, in your time, to serve as a minister at large in our Presbytery, let her find in St. John's the kind of rest and belonging that sustains a pastor for the long road. And when the moment is right, show us how her gifts can best bless this congregation. She has been a shepherd before. She knows what the work costs. We are glad she is with us.

Seventy years, Lord. A young couple with a baby boy and a five-year-old. A seasoned minister who still has work to do. This is how you build your church. One family at a time. One faithful servant at a time.

Thank you for all of them. And thank you for the seventy years of grace that brought us to this moment.

In the name of Jesus Christ, who makes all things new,

Amen.

Welcome and Announcements

Offering

*Doxology, Hymn 609

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow.

Praise God, all creatures high and low.

Alleluia, alleluia!

Praise God, in Jesus fully known:

Creator, Word, and Spirit one.

Alleluia, alleluia! Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

*Prayer after the Offering Rev. Burnham

Sending

*Hymn 738 O Master, Let Me Walk with Thee

1 O Master, let me walk with thee

in lowly paths of service free;

tell me thy secret; help me bear

the strain of toil, the fret of care.

2 Help me the slow of heart to move

by some clear, winning word of love;

teach me the wayward feet to stay,

and guide them in the homeward way.

3 Teach me thy patience, still with thee

in closer, dearer company,

in work that keeps faith sweet and strong,

in trust that triumphs over wrong.

4 In hope that sends a shining ray

far down the future's broadening way;

in peace that only thou canst give,

with thee, O Master, let me live.

*Benediction and Postlude

Announcements

Fellowship and Caring Committee Meeting

this Sunday after Worship, Session Room.

We invite all members to join us as we reflect on our recent outreach efforts and discuss new ways to support and uplift our church family in the coming months. Your heart for service and your thoughtful ideas are what make this ministry so vital. We look forward to seeing you there!

Brunch is cancelled.

Since the Worship Committee was afraid McPhail Hall would not be quite ready, the brunch scheduled for today is cancelled.

Healing Hearts for April.

Healing Hearts will meet on Monday, April 27, at 11:00 am. St. John’s is proud to support this healing ministry.

Welcome New Members: New Faces, Familiar Grace.

Last night, our Session had the joy of receiving new members into the life of St. John's. We welcomed the Layman family: Zach, Jessica, and their two little ones, Mark and Eric. They did not stumble upon us by accident. They came looking specifically for a congregation that takes the gospel seriously enough to live it out even when it costs something. Some of you will remember the opposition that arose when PCHAS brought its Single Parent Family Ministry to our campus. The Laymans heard about that, and it told them something about who we are. They will be scheduling baptisms for their boys here soon, and we look forward to that celebration.

Celebrating Loic: A Special College Ministry Update.

Myrtis McPhail Scholarship.

Attention all high school seniors, undergraduate college, and/or technical/trade school students! St. John’s is once again ready to accept applications to the Myrtis McPhail Scholarship Fund. These funds are available to any church member or relative of a church member who will be enrolled full time in undergraduate college or a technical/trade school in the Fall of 2026. You must reapply for the scholarship each year, and you may apply for a maximum of 5 years. Applications are available by email request to Kathy Barnhill (jabarnhill@comcast.net) or Mindi Stanley (mstanley@bcm.edu) or click on this link: Applications will be accepted until May 15, 2026 and we hope to distribute funds to recipients in June.

The Scholarship Fund also is open for donations! If anyone would like to donate, please indicate the McPhail Scholarship Fund on a check or via Zelle. Thanks for Your Support

BIM Gala Tickets Coming Soon.

You should be receiving tickets soon from Eloy for BIM’s annual gala. The event is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, April 30, though we are still waiting on final confirmation. As soon as the date is set, we will pass that along.

Supporting BIM in a Critical Season.

Many of BIM’s programs are facing funding challenges right now, which makes this moment especially important. We invite you to consider a cash donation to support their work in advance of the gala or shortly after. Checks can be made payable to Braes Interfaith Ministries, with “BIM Gala Fundraiser” noted in the memo line. This is one of those quiet ways the church makes a real difference. No spotlight. Just steady care for people who need it. Thank you for being part of that work.

Men of the Church.

Next meeting Wednesday, April 29, 6:30 PM; Session Room

Happy Birthday

Michael Bisase, Linda Dobbin and Stephen Marshall (April 1)

Tatiana Harris (April 3)

Brendan Ehrenstrom (April 4)

JoAnn Golden (April 8)

Samuel and Emmanuel Okwudiri and Winnie Georgiev (April 9)

Pat Ragan (April 12)

Tom Edmonsond (April 13)

Allen Barnhill and Austin Gorby (April 14)

Jenny Pennicuff (April 17)

Kennedy Muanza (April 24)

Jon Burnham (April 26)

Prayer Concerns

Rebecca Crawford, hip surgery

David Wintersgill, hip surgery

Jessica Ivete Robles, a friend of Alice Rubio,

awaits a kidney transplant

And Jessica’s sixteen-year-old son,

who is recovering from surgery

Glen Risley, recovering from hip surgery

Nyjel Bennett-LaGrone and his family, health concerns

Gerry Jump

Family of Sue Benn

Tom Edmondson, recovering from spinal surgery

Holly Darr, health concerns

Karen Alsbrook, health

Kelsey Wiltz, health concerns

Madalyn Rodgers, Kathleen Captain's sister

Joe Sanford,

Scott Moore

Alice Rubio

Those looking for a job

St. Johns College Students

Raina Bailey and the families in our PCHAS homes

One Hope Preschool families and staff

Calendar

Sunday, April 19, Third Sunday of Easter

9:30 am Sunday School for Adults, Systematic Theology, Session Room

11:00 am Worship Service, live in sanctuary and on Facebook

Noon Fellowship and Caring Committee Meeting in Session Room

1:30 pm Book Study, Zoom

3:30 pm Girl Scouts in Session Room and Room 203.

Tuesday, April 21

5:00 pm Exercise Group, Building 2

Thursday, April 23

5:00 pm Exercise Class in Building 2

Sunday, April 26, Second Sunday of Easter

9:30 am Sunday School for Adults, Systematic Theology, Session Room

11:00 am Worship Service, live in sanctuary and on Facebook

1:30 pm Book Study on Zoom

4:30 pm Pack 8 Meeting, Exercise Room

Coming Events

Mon, April 27, Healing Hearts, 11 am

Thurs, April 30, BIM Gala (tentative date)

Sun, May 3, CE Meeting after Worship

Sun, May 31, CE Brunch: Senior Sunday and Teacher Appreciation

Sat, July 18, Quarterly Bible Study for all ages, 8:30 am – 2:30 pm

2026 Session Members and Roles

Class of 2026

Ann Hardy : Stewardship and Finance

Michael Bisase : Buildings and Grounds

Jan Herbert : Christian Education

Class of 2027

Lynne Parsons Austin: Worship

Omar Ayah: Faith in Action

Marie Kutz: Personnel and Administration

Class of 2028

Mary Gaber: Christian Education

Tina Jump: Fellowship and Caring

Ann Hardy: Finance and Stewardship

Peter Sparaco: Faith in Action

Other Session Leaders and Support Staff

Jon Burnham : Moderator of Session

Lynne Parsons Austin : Clerk to Session

Tad Mulder: Church Treasurer

The Epistle for April 15, 2026

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 15:50:50 GMT

The Epistle

St. John's Presbyterian Church

in Houston

Seventy Years on West Bellfort

Dear friends,

Seventy years is a long time.

Longer than most of us have been alive. Long enough to watch Houston transform from a mid-sized Texas city into one of the largest and most diverse cities in the country. Long enough to see whole neighborhoods rise, change, and find new life.

St. John's Presbyterian Church has been here through all of it.

Since 1956, this congregation has worshiped at 5020 West Bellfort Avenue. Think about that for a moment. The Astrodome had not even been built yet when the first members of St. John's gathered to sing hymns and hear Scripture. Houston was a different world, and a small group of Presbyterians planted a church in southwest Houston because they believed this neighborhood needed a community of faith that would stay.

They were right. And they stayed.

I did not arrive until 2007, so I cannot claim credit for those first decades. When I came, the congregation handed me something they had been building for fifty-one years. That is a humbling thing to receive. You walk into a story that was already going long before you showed up.

What struck me most in those early years was not the building or the programs. It was the people who had been here for decades and still showed up every Sunday like it was the first time they had discovered something worth getting out of bed for. That kind of faithfulness is rare. You do not manufacture it. It grows slowly, year after year, in the soil of shared prayer and shared loss and shared meals and shared mission.

Seventy years of names and faces.

People who showed up with mops and buckets after Harvey flooded this building, who worked until the Education Building was clean and dry and whole again, and who then turned around and opened those same doors to One Hope Preschool. Families who buried loved ones from this sanctuary and then came back the following Sunday because they needed to be with their people. Young parents who brought infants for baptism and then watched those same children come back as adults, sometimes with infants of their own. Choir members who sang the same hymns for forty years and somehow found new meaning in them every time.

The community garden did not exist in 1956. The columbarium was not there. The partnership with Lulwanda Children's Home in Uganda would have seemed impossible. The PCHAS Single Parent Family Ministry on our campus was not yet a dream anyone had dreamed.

But the spirit behind all of those things was already present. The belief that the church exists to serve people, and that serving people in the name of Christ changes both the server and the served.

That belief has carried this congregation through good years and hard ones.

I want to be honest about something. Celebrating seventy years could easily become a kind of self-congratulation. We did it! Look at us! And I understand the temptation. Reaching this milestone as a small congregation in a city full of large and well-funded churches is genuinely something to be grateful for.

But I think the truer celebration is this: God was faithful. Generation after generation of people at St. John's said yes when they could have said no. They gave money when money was tight. They showed up to committees and Session meetings and fellowship dinners when they were tired. They welcomed strangers. They prayed for each other by name.

God worked through all of that ordinary faithfulness to keep this church alive and keep it useful.

That is what is worth celebrating.

What do the next ten years look like? Or the next seventy?

I do not know, and I suspect that is fine. The people who started this congregation in 1956 probably could not have imagined the church we are today. They just tried to be faithful with what they had in front of them.

So that is still the job. Worship well on Sunday mornings. Study Scripture together. Tend the garden. Bring food to Braes Interfaith Ministries. Sit with people who are grieving. Welcome whoever walks through the door.

If we do those things, we will probably still be here in 2056. And some pastor who is not yet born will walk into this congregation and receive what you have been building, and they will feel the same weight of gratitude I felt in 2007.

God willing, they will also feel the same joy.

Seventy years is a long time. And we are just getting started.

Peace,

Pastor Jon Burnham

Welcome New Members:

New Faces, Familiar Grace

Last night, our Session had the joy of receiving new members into the life of St. John's.

We welcomed the Layman family: Zach, Jessica, and their two little ones, Mark and Eric. They did not stumble upon us by accident. They came looking specifically for a congregation that takes the gospel seriously enough to live it out even when it costs something. Some of you will remember the opposition that arose when PCHAS brought its Single Parent Family Ministry to our campus. The Laymans heard about that, and it told them something about who we are. They will be scheduling baptisms for their boys here soon, and we look forward to that celebration.

Receiving new members during the month of our 70th anniversary year feels like exactly the right kind of gift. God is not finished with St. John's yet.

Welcome home, Laymans. Welcome home, Valerie.

We will share their photos in the Epistle as soon as they become available.

A Word of Celebration

Please keep Loic in your prayers as he heads into this exciting next chapter. He carries St. John's love with him all the way to Canada.

Tomorrow: PCHAS Luncheon

at Lakeside Country Club

The annual PCHAS luncheon is tomorrow, Wednesday, April 16th, at noon. It will be held at Lakeside Country Club, 100 Wilcrest Drive, Houston, 77042.

The theme this year is "Hope Outlives Hardship." The one-hour program will share updates on the many services PCHAS provides across Texas, Louisiana, and Missouri, with real stories of lives changed. It is a heartwarming event and always worth the time.

We are glad to say that 20 people from St. John's are registered and ready to go. St. John's has had deep ties to PCHAS for many years, and especially since partnering with their Single Parent Program right here on our campus beginning in 2012.

There will be an opportunity to give toward this ministry if you feel led to do so, but it is not required.

If you are registered and have questions about tomorrow, please call or text Shirley at 713-598-0818; or Ann at 713-240-2690.

Men of the Church

The next meeting of the Men of the Church will be 15 April at 6:30 PM in the Session Room.

Come for a time of study and service projects that benefit the church.

Fellowship and Caring Committee Meeting this Sunday after worship

Our Caring Committee will be gathering near the Session Room for a meeting on Sunday, April 19 , immediately following our worship service. We invite all members to join us as we reflect on our recent outreach efforts and discuss new ways to support and uplift our church family in the coming months. Your heart for service and your thoughtful ideas are what make this ministry so vital. We look forward to seeing you there!

Myrtis McPhail Scholarship

Attention all high school seniors, undergraduate college, and/or technical/trade school students!

Applications will be accepted until May 15, 2026 and we hope to distribute funds to recipients in June.

The Scholarship Fund also is open for donations! If anyone would like to donate, please indicate the McPhail Scholarship Fund on a check or via Zelle.

McPhail Hall Temporarily Closed

This past Sunday, we discovered that several ceiling tiles had fallen in McPhail Hall.

Unfortunately, additional tiles fell later in the week.

While we have cleaned the area and secured the immediate surroundings, our top priority is the safety of our congregation and guests.

Therefore, all events scheduled in McPhail Hall are canceled until further notice while we investigate the cause and ensure the space is fully safe for use.

We apologize for the inconvenience and will provide updates as soon as we know more.

Healing Hearts:

A Ministry

of Care and Encouragement

Healing Hearts will meet in the church office building in the Prayer Room of the church office building.

Next Meeting for Healing Hearts

Wednesday, April 8, 7:00 - 8:00 PM in the Prayer Room
Monday, April 27, 11:00 AM to Noon

Prayer List

Becky Crawford, hip surgery
Glen Risley, recovering from surgery
Scenacia Jones family
Jessica Ivete Robles, a friend of Alice Rubio, awaits a kidney transplant
Family of Sue Benn
Tom Edmondson, recovering from spinal surgery
Holly Darr, health concerns
Kelsey Wiltz, health concerns
Madalyn Rodgers, Kathleen Captain's sister
Joe Sanford, Scott Moore and Alice Rubio
St. Johns College Students
Raina Bailey and the families in our PCHAS homes
One Hope Preschool families and staff

Caring for One Another in Prayer

Our prayer list is a vital way we support one another, lifting up joys and concerns before God. From time to time, we update the list to ensure it reflects current needs. If a name has been removed and you would like it added back, please reply to this email and let us know who they are and why you would like them included. Your input helps us pray more intentionally and stay connected to those in need of ongoing support. Thank you for being part of this ministry of care and intercession.

Happy Birthday

Jo Ann Golden (April 8)

Winnie Georgiev (April 9)

Samuel Okwudiri (April 9)

Emmanuel Okwudiri (April 9)

Pat Ragan (April 12)

Tom Edmonsond (April 13)

Allen Barnhill (April 14)

Austin Gorby (April 14)

Jenny Pennycuff (April 17)

Kennedy Muanza (April 24)

Jon Burnham (April 26)

Wednesday, April 15

6:30 pm Men’s Group, Session Room

Thursday, April 16

12:00 pm PCHAS Luncheon. Church Office Closed

5:00 pm Exercise Class in Building 2

7:00 pm Maundy Thursday service, Sanctuary

Sunday, April 19, Third Sunday of Easter

9:30 am Sunday School for Adults, Systematic Theology, Session Room

11:00 am Worship Service, live in sanctuary and on Facebook, Rev. Herron

preaching

12:00 pm Brunch, hosted by the Worship Committee

1:30 pm Book Study, Zoom

3:30 pm Girl Scouts in Session Room and Room 203.

Wed, April 15, Men’s Group
Thurs, April 16, 12 pm, PCHAS Luncheon; Church Office Closed
Sun, April 19, Fellowship and Caring Committee meeting after worship
Mon, April 27, Healing Hearts, 11 am
Thurs, April 30, BIM Gala (tentative date)

Church Calendar Online

For other dates, see St. John’s Calendar online: https://www.stjohnspresby.org/events/

2026 Session Members and Roles

Elders on the Session: Class of 2026

Ann Hardy: Finance and Stewardship

Michael Bisase: Buildings and Grounds

Jan Herbert: Christian Education

Elders on the Session: Class of 2027

Lynne Parsons Austin: Worship

Omar Ayah: Faith in Action

Marie Kutz: Personnel and Administration

Elders on the Session: Class of 2028

Mary Gaber: Christian Education

Peter Sparaco: Faith and Action

Tina Liljedahl Jump: Fellowship and Caring

Other Session Leaders and Support Staff

Jon Burnham: Moderator of Session

Lynne Parsons Austin: Clerk to Session

Tad Mulder: Church Treasurer

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Sermon Series

Resurrection Disruptions

Most Easter sermons make a promise that is hard to keep on Monday morning. Death is defeated. Christ has risen. And then the diagnosis is still real. The grief hasn't lifted. The loss is still just there.

This Easter season we are going to be honest about that tension. The series is called "Resurrection Disruptions: When Death Gets Interrupted," and it runs from Easter Sunday through the Day of Pentecost. Eight weeks, eight stories of God showing up for people who weren't ready, weren't expecting it, and probably weren't facing the right direction when it happened. Ezekiel in a valley of dry bones. Thomas with his hand near a wound. Disciples huddled behind a locked door. Each week is a disruption story. Each week the resurrection interrupts something that looked finished.

The arc moves from the disorientation of early Easter morning all the way to Pentecost, from silence to fire, from a sealed tomb to a wide open street. If you have ever wondered whether faith has anything real to say to people who are actually suffering, these eight weeks are for you.

Bring someone who is carrying something heavy this spring. We'll start at an empty tomb and see where the risen Christ takes us from there.

Worship Bulletin for April 12, 2026

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 18:20:02 GMT

St. John's Presbyterian Church in Houston

Come as You Are: Faith, Doubt, and the Scars that Speak

A Personal Invitation from Pastor Jon

Dear Friends,

Have you ever felt like you needed to have all the answers before walking through the church doors? Have you ever felt that your questions or your doubts made you an outsider to the Easter story?

If so, I want to invite you to join us this Sunday, April 12, at St. John’s Presbyterian Church .

Our service for the Second Sunday of Easter is designed specifically for those of us who are "wrestling." Whether you are feeling "more than a conqueror" or you are feeling a bit like Jacob, limping away from a long night of struggle, there is a place for you here.

Why Join Us This Sunday?

A Space for Honesty: Our Call to Worship acknowledges that we often carry questions we aren’t sure we’re allowed to ask. At St. John’s, we believe God isn’t surprised by our doubt; God meets us right in the middle of it.
A Message of Hope: My sermon, "Scars That Speak," explores the moment Jesus appeared to Thomas. We’ll look at why Jesus kept his wounds even after the resurrection and what those "glorious wounds" have to say to our own pain today.
Beautiful Music: From the stirring organ prelude by Alina Klimaszewska to the triumphant "Thine Is The Glory," our music will lift your spirits and give voice to your faith.
A Community of Peace: In a world of "locked doors" and fear, we gather to hear the risen Christ say once again: "Peace be with you."

Service Details

Date: Sunday, April 12, 2026
Time: 11:00 AM
Location: St. John’s Presbyterian Church
Scripture Focus: Genesis 32 (Jacob wrestling the angel) and John 20 (Jesus meeting Thomas).

You do not have to arrive with everything settled.

You only have to arrive. Whether you are full of faith or full of questions, come and worship the God who meets us exactly where we are—doubt and all.

Peace be with you,

Pastor Jon Burnham

St. John's Presbyterian Church, Houston

5020 West Bellfort Avenue Houston, TX 77035

(713) 723-6262 / stjohnspresby.org

P.S. The service will be live-streamed

on our church website

and on our St. John's Facebook page .

St. John's Presbyterian Worship Bulletin

April 12, 2026 Second Sunday of Easter

Gathering

Prelude, Alina Klimaszewska, organ

*Call To Worship, The Rev. Dr. Jon Burnham

We come this morning

carrying doubt alongside our faith.

We come carrying questions

we are not sure we are allowed to ask.

God is not surprised by our doubt.

God has met doubters before.

God met one in a locked room

and offered him the wound to touch.

We do not have to arrive here with everything settled.

We only have to arrive.

Then let us worship the God

who meets us where we are — doubt and all.

Let us worship the God

whose wounds are still speaking.

Opening Prayer

*Hymn 238 Thine Is The Glory

1 Thine is the glory,

risen, conquering Son;

endless is the victory

thou o'er death hast won.

Angels in bright raiment

rolled the stone away,

kept the folded grave-clothes

where thy body lay.

Refrain:

Thine is the glory,

risen, conquering Son;

endless is the victory

thou o'er death hast won.

2 Lo! Jesus meets us,

risen from the tomb;

lovingly he greets us,

scatters fear and gloom.

Let the church with gladness

hymns of triumph sing,

for the Lord now liveth;

death hath lost its sting. (Refrain)

3 No more we doubt thee,

glorious Prince of life!

Life is naught without thee;

aid us in our strife.

Make us more than conquerors

through thy deathless love;

bring us safe through Jordan

to thy home above. (Refrain)

Prayer of Confession, Bill Ehrenstrom, Liturgist

Lord, we confess that we have locked the doors of our hearts and hidden there, afraid to hope again after what has disappointed us. We have demanded proof we did not expect to receive, and kept our distance as a way of protecting ourselves from further grief. Forgive us for the faith we have withheld and the doors we have kept locked. Open us again to your risen presence. Amen. (Silent Confession)

Assurance of Pardon

*Glory Be to the Father, Hymn 581

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end. Amen, amen.

*Passing the Peace

Children’s Time. Allen Barnhill

The Word

Prayer for Illumination

First Scripture Reading, Genesis 32:22–32

The same night he got up and took his two wives, his two maids, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. He took them and sent them across the stream, and likewise everything that he had. Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he struck him on the hip socket; and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said, "Let me go, for the day is breaking." But Jacob said, "I will not let you go, unless you bless me." So he said to him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Jacob." Then the man said, "You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with humans, and have prevailed." Then Jacob asked him, "Please tell me your name." But he said, "Why is it that you ask my name?" And there he blessed him. So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, "For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved." The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip. Therefore to this day the Israelites do not eat the thigh muscle that is on the hip socket, because he struck Jacob on the hip socket at the thigh muscle.

Anthem

Sermon Scripture, John 20:19–31

When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’

But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord.’ But he said to them, ‘Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.’

A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.’ Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.’

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

Sermon, Scars That Speak

The Rev. Dr. Jon Burnham

*Hymn 817 We Walk by Faith and Not by Sight

1 We walk by faith and not by sight;

with gracious words draw near,

O Christ, who spoke as none e'er spoke:

“My peace be with you here.”

2 We may not touch your hands and side,

nor follow where you trod;

but in your promise we rejoice,

and cry, "My Lord and God!"

3 Help then, O Lord, our unbelief;

and may our faith abound

to call on you when you are near

and seek where you are found.

4 And when our life of faith is done,

in realms of clearer light

may we behold you as you are,

with full and endless sight.

The Apostles’ Creed

I believe in God the Father Almighty,

Maker of heaven and earth,

And in Jesus Christ, his only Son our Lord,

who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,

born of the Virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, dead, and buried;

he descended into hell;

the third day he rose again from the dead;

he ascended into heaven,

and sitteth on the right hand

of God the Father Almighty;

from thence he shall come to judge

the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Ghost;

the holy catholic Church;

the communion of saints;

the forgiveness of sins;

the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting. Amen.

Prayers of the People and Lord’s Prayer

Welcome and Announcements

Offering

*Doxology, Hymn 609

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow.

Praise God, all creatures high and low.

Alleluia, alleluia!

Praise God, in Jesus fully known:

Creator, Word, and Spirit one.

Alleluia, alleluia! Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

*Prayer after the Offering

Sending

*Hymn 254 That Easter Day with Joy was Bright

1 That Easter day with joy was bright;

the sun shone out with fairer light

when, to their longing eyes restored,

the apostles saw their risen Lord.

2 He bade them see his hands, his side,

where yet the glorious wounds abide,

the tokens true which made it plain

their Lord indeed was risen again.

3 From every weapon death can wield,

your own redeemed forever shield;

O Lord of all, with us abide

in this our joyful Eastertide.

*Benediction and Postlude

Announcements

Men of the Church. The next meeting of the Men of the Church will be April 15 at 6:30 PM in the Session Room. Come for a time of study and service projects that benefit the church.

Healing Hearts for April. Healing Hearts will meet on Monday, April 27, at 11:00 am. St. John’s is proud to support this healing ministry.

Faith in Action Committee Meeting. We will gather for a Faith in Action Committee meeting following worship today. If you have a heart for mission or simply want to learn more about how we serve our community, you are welcome to join us.

One Great Hour of Sharing Special Offering. Around the world, millions of people lack access to sustainable food sources, clean water, sanitation, education, and opportunity. The work done in support of the causes supported by One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS) — disaster, hunger, poverty, climate change, and immigration/migration and refugees — serves individuals and communities in need. This work provides people with safety, sustenance, and hope. This offering helps to improve the lives of people in these challenging situations. Envelopes are at the back of the sanctuary.

New Sermon Series! This Easter season at St. John's, we're going to be honest about that tension. The sermon series is called "Resurrection Disruption: When Death Gets Interrupted," and the central claim is this: Easter Sunday announces something more specific than "death lost." What it announces is that death got interrupted. Mid-sentence. A clause inserted into the story that changes everything after it, without pretending the story was never started. That might sound like a small distinction. I promise it isn't. We're going to spend eight Sundays together, from Easter all the way through Pentecost in mid-May, tracing this pattern across both the Old and New Testaments. Ezekiel in a valley of dry bones. Thomas with his hand near a wound. Three men walking out of a furnace not smelling of smoke. Disciples huddled in a locked room while the risen Jesus stands in the middle of them. Each week is a disruption story. Each week God shows up for someone who wasn't ready, wasn't expecting it, and probably wasn't facing the right direction when it happened.

That pattern matters. Because most of us, if we're honest, aren't facing the right direction most of the time either. The series runs Easter Sunday through the Day of Pentecost, and the eight messages follow the shape of grief in a way that surprised even me when I saw it. We start with the disorientation of early Easter morning and end, eight weeks later, with the disciples finally breathing out what God breathed into them. The arc moves from receiving to sending, from silence to fire, from a sealed tomb to a wide-open street. If you've ever wondered whether faith has anything real to say to people who are actually suffering, these eight weeks are going to give you a lot to hold onto.

Bring a friend. Bring whoever in your life is carrying something heavy this spring. We'll start where we always start, at an empty tomb, and see where the risen Christ takes us from there.

The Scholarship Fund also is open for donations! If anyone would like to donate, please indicate the McPhail Scholarship Fund on a check or via Zelle. Thanks for Your Support

BIM Gala Tickets Coming Soon.

Supporting BIM in a Critical Season.

Happy Birthday

(April 1)

Michael Bisase, Linda Dobbin and Stephen Marshall

Tatiana Harris (April 3)

Brendan Ehrenstrom (April 4)

JoAnn Golden (April 8)

Winnie Georgiev (April 9)

Pat Ragan (April 12)

Tom Edmonsond (April 13)

Allen Barnhill and Austin Gorby (April 14)

Jenny Pennicuff (April 17)

Kennedy Muanza (April 24)

Jon Burnham (April 26)

Prayer Concerns

David Wintersgill, hip surgery

Jessica Ivete Robles, a friend of Alice Rubio,

awaits a kidney transplant

And Jessica’s sixteen-year-old son,

who is recovering from surgery

Glen Risley, recovering from hip surgery

Nyjel Bennett-LaGrone and his family, health concerns

Family of Sue Benn

Tom Edmondson, health

Holly Darr, health

Karen Alsbrook, health

Kelsey Wiltz, health

Madalyn Rodgers, Kathleen Captain's sister

Joe Sanford,

Scott Moore

Alice Rubio

St. Johns College Students

Raina Bailey and the families in our PCHAS homes

One Hope Preschool families and staff

Calendar

Sunday, April 12, Second Sunday of Easter

9:30 am Sunday School for Adults, Systematic Theology, Session Room

11:00 am Worship Service, live in sanctuary and on Facebook

12:00 pm CE Committee and Fellowship and Caring Committee Meetings

1:30 pm Book Study on Zoom

4:30 pm Pack 8 Meeting, Exercise Room

Tuesday, April 14

5:00 pm Exercise Group, Building 2

7:00 pm Session Meeting, Session Room

Wednesday, April 15

6:30 pm Men’s Group, Session Room

Thursday, April 16

12:00 pm PCHAS Luncheon. Church Office Closed

5:00 pm Exercise Class in Building 2

7:00 pm Maundy Thursday service, Sanctuary

Sunday, April 19, Third Sunday of Easter

9:30 am Sunday School for Adults, Systematic Theology, Session Room

11:00 am Worship Service, live in sanctuary and on Facebook, Rev. Herron preaching

12:00 pm Brunch, hosted by the Worship Committee

1:30 pm Book Study, Zoom

3:30 pm Girl Scouts in Session Room and Room 203.

Coming Events

Mon, April 27, Healing Hearts, 11 am

Thurs, April 30, BIM Gala (tentative date)

Fri, May 15, McPhail Scholarship Applications due

Sun, May 31, CE Brunch: Senior Sunday and Teacher Appreciation

Sat, June 20, Quarterly Bible Study (new format for all ages)

2026 Session Members and Roles

Class of 2026

Ann Hardy : Stewardship and Finance

Michael Bisase : Buildings and Grounds

Jan Herbert : Christian Education

Class of 2027

Lynne Parsons Austin: Worship

Omar Ayah: Faith in Action

Marie Kutz: Personnel and Administration

Class of 2028

Mary Gaber: Christian Education

Tina Jump: Fellowship and Caring

Ann Hardy: Finance and Stewardship

Peter Sparaco: Faith in Action

Other Session Leaders and Support Staff

Jon Burnham : Moderator of Session

Lynne Parsons Austin : Clerk to Session

Tad Mulder: Church Treasurer

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The Epistle for April 8, 2025

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 16:06:22 GMT

The Epistle

for April 8, 2026

Resurrection Disruptions:

The Easter Season

Is Just Getting Started

Dear friends,

Last Sunday's Easter worship was one of those mornings you carry home with you. The sanctuary was full, familiar faces and a few new ones, and when we gathered around the Lord's table there was room for everyone who came forward. That is always the best kind of full.

We sang, we prayed, we heard again the staggering news that the tomb was empty and the women ran to tell someone. I am still thinking about that image, those women running. As we move now through the weeks of the Easter season, I hope you will keep coming back. The story does not end at the empty tomb. In some ways, it is just getting started.

This Sunday continues our new series, "Resurrection Disruptions: When Death Gets Interrupted." The title came to me because Easter keeps disrupting things. Grief gets disrupted. Despair gets disrupted. Our careful plans for how life should go get disrupted. Each week we will look at one of those disruptions through the lens of both the Old Testament and the New. We started last week with "The Stone Rolls Away," reading Ezekiel's valley of dry bones alongside Matthew's account of the women at the tomb. Both passages ask the same question, really. Can these bones live? And both give the same impossible, wonderful answer.

The series will run all the way through Pentecost and Trinity Sunday. We have some rich ground to cover. Thomas and his wounds. Elijah sitting under a broom tree, done with everything, then getting fed by angels and told to get back up. The road to Emmaus, where two heartbroken disciples walk miles with a stranger and only recognize him when he breaks the bread. These are not tidy stories. They are full of confusion and doubt and grief. I think that is why they still feel true. On April 26 we will spend time with Psalm 23 and the Good Shepherd passage from John, which feels right for spring. And on May 10, the Sixth Sunday of Easter, we will look at Paul standing in Athens trying to explain the unknown God to a crowd who had never heard of Jesus. I find that passage quietly hilarious and deeply moving at the same time.

We land on Pentecost Sunday, May 24, with "Fire-Tongued Gospel," reading Isaiah's burning coal alongside Acts 2. Then we close the season on Trinity Sunday, May 31, with "God Beyond Our Boxes." Genesis 1 and the Great Commission together. I have a feeling that one will give us more to talk about than we can finish in an hour. I hope you will join us for as many of these Sundays as you can.

Peace,

Pastor Jon Burnham

Friends United Lunch

April 9, 11 am
In the room next to the Session Room

Join the Friends United group for lunch and a fun game of bingo on Tuesday, April 9th, at 11 am.
Please bring your own sack lunch, while dessert and drinks will be happily provided.
Come ready to enjoy good company, food, and friendly competition as we play bingo and celebrate together.

Myrtis McPhail Scholarship

Attention all high school seniors, undergraduate college, and/or technical/trade school students!

Applications will be accepted until May 15, 2026 and we hope to distribute funds to recipients in June.

The Scholarship Fund also is open for donations! If anyone would like to donate, please indicate the McPhail Scholarship Fund on a check or via Zelle.

Christian Eduction Committee Meeting this Sunday after worship

Following our worship service this Sunday, the Christian Education Committee will gather in the Session Room to continue our planning for the church's learning ministries. We invite all committee members to join us as we discuss upcoming curriculum and new opportunities for spiritual growth across all age groups. Your presence and insights are deeply valued as we work together to nurture the faith of our congregation!

Fellowship and Caring Committee Meeting this Sunday after worship

Protect Your Mail,

Prep Your Taxes

by Dan Herron

Things to think about, safety in our modern age

Incoming U S mail

This has your name and address of course. Some advertising items have a small place to “SCAN HERE” for quick service. Be careful when throwing this envelope/document into the trash. If anyone gets that SCAN HERE Spot, guess what they might have. Your scanned name and address, of course. And, from that SCAN spot, perhaps your credit card information!

So, to be absolutely safe, tear up and destroy these scannable spots! Some have a computer virus. Tear up your name and address also. Then, no one can use those items to do any fraud on you.

Mailing checks

Do not use the blue mailbox outside the US post office to mail your check payments and tax documents. Look up stories about how mail thieves actually remove mail from inside that kind of mailbox. The thieves know we mail checks this season because of income tax payments.

Tax Season 2026 for 2025 returns

This article is for Tax Education only.

Income tax time is here!

Be sure to take care of your 2025 income tax forms very soon. If you cannot file by the due date be sure to file for an extension. Look up this topic on the internet at IRS.Gov for the due dates to file and other information about filing. Do not put this off. Be sure to be on time. Get help if you need it, but don’t wait. These days you can usually print any form you need from IRS.GOV.

It is also nearly time for the 1040-ES which is for an early estimate of your 2026 taxes. The form 1040-ES is used for this quarterly payment to the IRS. They send 4 of these forms to me early in the year. I guess this is to be sure I don’t miss paying taxes before the tax season. Check online for the due date of 1040 ES form and payment.

Dan Herron

Thank you from Scenasia and Family

Thank you St. John's family. As Moses grew weary, Aaron and Hur placed a stone for him to sit on and held his hands steady-- I didn't know how tired I was until you all were there!! The thoughtfulness gave me something I didnt know I needed-help!! But sometimes you don't know where you need the help-- as you guys just said let us - I surrendered.

Thank you simply does not express the gratitude of the thoughtfulness of everything. I didn't have to worry about what to cook/when to cook/when to eat- it was just there!! Y'all thought of us-- including Nyjel's special dietary needs, "extras", salad w dressing, cornbread, crackers, cookies and meals enough for a couple days! More importantly I appreciate the hugs and prayers. We are honored to be loved by y'all.

Much love,

Scenacia, Nnaji & Nyjel

Faith in Action: A Few Important Updates

I want to share a few quick updates and invitations as we continue our work alongside our neighbors through Braes Interfaith Ministries.

BIM Gala Tickets Coming Soon

Faith in Action Committee Meeting

We will gather for a Faith in Action Committee meeting following worship on Sunday, April 12. If you have a heart for mission or simply want to learn more about how we serve our community, you are welcome to join us.

Supporting BIM in a Critical Season

Checks can be made payable to Braes Interfaith Ministries, with “BIM Gala Fundraiser” noted in the memo line.

This is one of those quiet ways the church makes a real difference. No spotlight. Just steady care for people who need it.

Thank you for being part of that work.

PCHAS Luncheon - Register Now - Details Below

"Hope Outlives Hardship" is the theme for the annual luncheon for PCHAS at the Lakeside Country Club (100 Wilcrest Dr., 77042). The April 16th one-hour noon-time program provides an update on the many services PCHAS provides in Texas, Louisiana and Missouri through heartwarming examples of how lives are changed. St. John’s ties to PCHAS go back many years, but especially since partnering with their Single Parent Program beginning in 2012. Do you feel a sense of pride when someone in the community comments or asks about these duplexes?

We hope to fill (at least) two tables (of 10-11 guests) for this annual major fundraising event here in Houston for PCHAS. Special diets are available on request. Yes, you will have an opportunity to donate toward this amazing ministry should you so choose, but it is not required! Many who have attended in the past have already received email or snail-mail notifications.

More information will be in the Epistles and announcements during worship services through mid-April. Those interested in attending are asked to register either directly to Marla Endieveri at the PCHS Office here in N.W. Houston(832-241-5921), or on-line (marla.endieveri@pchas.org); by calling or texting Shirley at 713-598-0818; by calling or texting Ann Hardy at 713-240-2690; or by leaving a message at the church office (713-723-6262) no later than April 11. Please consider attending this special time of fellowship and hope!

McPhail Hall Temporarily Closed

This past Sunday, we discovered that several ceiling tiles had fallen in McPhail Hall.

Unfortunately, additional tiles fell later in the week.

While we have cleaned the area and secured the immediate surroundings, our top priority is the safety of our congregation and guests.

Therefore, all events scheduled in McPhail Hall are canceled until further notice while we investigate the cause and ensure the space is fully safe for use.

We apologize for the inconvenience and will provide updates as soon as we know more.

Men of the Church

The next meeting of the Men of the Church will be 15 April at 6:30 PM in the Session Room.

Come for a time of study and service projects that benefit the church.

St. John's Snapshots

Photos by Ken Krueger

Vivian and her grandaughter, Kathleen. Photo by Virginia Krueger

Healing Hearts:

A Ministry

of Care and Encouragement

Healing Hearts will meet in the church office building in the Prayer Room of the church office building.

Next Meeting for Healing Hearts

Wednesday, April 8, 7:00 - 8:00 PM in the Prayer Room
Monday, April 27, 11:00 AM to Noon

Prayer List

With hearts united in hope, we lift these names into the healing presence of God.

Glen Risley, recovering from surgery
Scenacia Jones family
Jessica Ivete Robles, a friend of Alice Rubio, awaits a kidney transplant
Gerry Jump, Brazos Towers
Family of Sue Benn
Tom Edmondson, recovering from spinal surgery
Holly Darr, health concerns
Kelsey Wiltz, health concerns
Glen Risley, health concerns
Madalyn Rodgers, Kathleen Captain's sister
Joe Sanford, Scott Moore and Alice Rubio
St. Johns College Students
Raina Bailey and the families in our PCHAS homes
One Hope Preschool families and staff

Caring for One Another in Prayer

Prayer List Update –

How Can We Pray for You?

As part of our commitment to intentional and meaningful prayer, we periodically refresh our prayer list to ensure we are staying connected with those who need support. If you or someone you previously requested would like to remain on the prayer list, or if you have a new name to add, please reply to this email and let us know.

We are grateful for the opportunity to pray with and for you.

Happy Birthday

Jo Ann Golden (April 8)

Winnie Georgiev (April 9)

Samuel Okwudiri (April 9)

Emmanuel Okwudiri (April 9)

Pat Ragan (April 12)

Tom Edmonsond (April 13)

Allen Barnhill (April 14)

Austin Gorby (April 14)

Jenny Pennycuff (April 17)

Kennedy Muanza (April 24)

Jon Burnham (April 26)

Wednesday, April 8

7:00 pm Healing Hearts, Prayer Room, Room 202

Thursday, April 9

11:00 am Friends United, Room 203 and Session Room

5:00 pm Exercise Class in Building 2

7:00 pm Maundy Thursday service, Sanctuary

Saturday, April 11

9:30 am Daisy Troop, Room 203

Sunday, April 12, Second Sunday of Easter

9:30 am Sunday School for Adults, Session Room

11:00 am Worship Service, live in sanctuary and on Facebook

12:00 pm CE Committee and Fellowship and Caring Committee Meetings

1:30 pm Book Study on Zoom

4:30 pm Pack 8 Meeting, Exercise Room

Coming Events

Sun, April 12, CE and Fellowship and Caring Committees meet
Tue, April 14, Session Meeting
Wed, April 15, Men’s Group
Thurs, April 16, 12 pm, PCHAS Luncheon; Church Office Closed
Sun, April 19, Brunch, Worship Committee Host
Mon, April 27, Healing Hearts, 11 am
Thurs, April 30, BIM Gala (tentative date)

Church Calendar Online

For other dates, see St. John’s Calendar online: https://www.stjohnspresby.org/events/

2026 Session Members and Roles

Elders on the Session: Class of 2026

Ann Hardy: Finance and Stewardship

Michael Bisase: Buildings and Grounds

Jan Herbert: Christian Education

Elders on the Session: Class of 2027

Lynne Parsons Austin: Worship

Omar Ayah: Faith in Action

Marie Kutz: Personnel and Administration

Elders on the Session: Class of 2028

Mary Gaber: Christian Education

Peter Sparaco: Faith and Action

Tina Liljedahl Jump: Fellowship and Caring

Other Session Leaders and Support Staff

Jon Burnham: Moderator of Session

Lynne Parsons Austin: Clerk to Session

Tad Mulder: Church Treasurer

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Resurrection Disruptions

New Sermon Series

Starts Easter Sunday

Most Easter sermons make a promise the people in the pews already know is hard to keep. Death is defeated. Christ has risen. Hallelujah.

And then Monday arrives. And the diagnosis is still real. The grief hasn't lifted. The loss is still just... there.

This Easter season at St. John's, we're going to be honest about that tension. The sermon series is called "Resurrection Disruption: When Death Gets Interrupted," and the central claim is this: Easter Sunday announces something more specific than "death lost." What it announces is that death got interrupted. Mid-sentence. A clause inserted into the story that changes everything after it, without pretending the story was never started.

That might sound like a small distinction. I promise it isn't.

We're going to spend eight Sundays together, from Easter all the way through Pentecost in mid-May, tracing this pattern across both the Old and New Testaments.

Ezekiel in a valley of dry bones.
Thomas with his hand near a wound.
Three men walking out of a furnace not smelling of smoke.
Disciples huddled in a locked room while the risen Jesus stands in the middle of them.

Each week is a disruption story. Each week God shows up for someone who wasn't ready, wasn't expecting it, and probably wasn't facing the right direction when it happened.

That pattern matters. Because most of us, if we're honest, aren't facing the right direction most of the time either.

The series runs Easter Sunday through the Day of Pentecost, and the eight messages follow the shape of grief in a way that surprised even me when I saw it. We start with the disorientation of early Easter morning and end, eight weeks later, with the disciples finally breathing out what God breathed into them. The arc moves from receiving to sending, from silence to fire, from a sealed tomb to a wide open street. If you've ever wondered whether faith has anything real to say to people who are actually suffering, these eight weeks are going to give you a lot to hold onto.

Bring a friend. Bring whoever in your life is carrying something heavy this spring. We'll start where we always start, at an empty tomb, and see where the risen Christ takes us from there.

Church Office Hours and Contact Info

Our church office is normally open Monday through Thursday, from 10:00 a.m. to noon. Pastor Jon is typically available on Monday and Tuesday mornings, Alvina Hamilton serves on Wednesdays, and Linda Herron staffs the office on Thursdays. If you need assistance outside of these hours, please don’t hesitate to call us at 713-723-6262. To submit updates for the Prayer List or contributions to the Wednesday Epistle , kindly email Pastor Jon directly . Put "Epistle" in the subject line to make sure it gets in the Epistle.

Church Website and Calendar Online

Our church website: https://www.stjohnspresby.org/
For dates, times, and events, see St. John’s Calendar online: https://www.stjohnspresby.org/events/
Email Pastor Jon to request an addition to the church calendar or to add an event or article to The Epistle.

St. John's Bible Study

& Faith Formation Groups

1. Sunday Morning Adult Bible Study

Time: Sundays at 9:30 AM
Location: In-person at church
Description: Adult class that focuses on systematic theology. Open to visitors without needing to fill out forms or commit immediately.

2. Sunday Afternoon Zoom Study

Time: Sundays at 1:30 PM
Location: Zoom (virtual)
Description: Tackles books and topics requiring sustained attention. Recently studied "The Way of Discernment" by Steve Doughty. Focuses on deep questions about following God's will, spiritual discernment, and making faithful life decisions. Small group format where everyone participates.

3. Tuesday Afternoon Women's Study

Time: Tuesday afternoons at 1:30 PM
Location: Zoom (virtual)
Description: Long-standing women's group studying Christian books, praying together, and supporting each other through life's challenges. Not a stereotypical "ladies' Bible study" but rather women asking tough questions and wanting faith that matters in real life. Mothers, professionals, retirees, and caregivers dealing with aging parents, marriages, careers, and health issues.

4. Men's Group (Wednesday Evening)

Time: Every other Wednesday at 6:30 PM (one hour or so)
Location: In-person at church
Description: Men dig into Scripture with focus and energy. They also hold each other accountable and pray for each other's struggles. They work on practical service projects such as upgrading lights are also on the agenda. Designed to respect men's time and intelligence.

5. Children's Bible Study

Time: Sundays at 11:00 AM (during worship service)
Location: Church office building
Description: Age-appropriate Bible study for children that helps them engage with Scripture at their level. Not childcare but actual faith development that takes children seriously while allowing parents to focus on worship.

Exercise & Wellness Groups

6. Stay Young, Stay Strong

Time: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 5:00-6:00 PM
Location: Room 209, Building 2
Description: Strength training class based on Miriam E. Nelson's book "Strong Women Stay Slim." Weights provided.

Fellowship Groups

7. St John's Friends United (Older Adults Group)

Time: Monthly luncheons (contact office for schedule)
Location: Various
Description: Group for older adults featuring trips and monthly luncheons with programs and meals.

To join any of these groups, contact:

Phone: 713-723-6262
Email: office.sjpc@gmail.com

The church is located at 5020 West Bellfort Avenue, Houston, TX 77035

Easter Service Houston: What to Expect at St. John's Presbyterian

Sat, 04 Apr 2026 14:34:59 GMT

Come and See

Easter Service Houston:

What to Expect at St. John's Presbyterian

Easter Sunday in Houston is something else.

Drive through the city that morning and you'll see people dressed up in their finest, families piling into minivans, church marquees lit with the same three words in a thousand different fonts. The city takes the day seriously. There are more Easter service options in Houston than you could visit in a month of Sundays.

Megachurches with multiple campuses and full production teams. Contemporary services with worship bands you'd pay to see at a concert. Drive-through options for people who have somewhere else to be by noon.

So if you're reading this, you're probably asking a simple question. Which one is worth my time?

I'm Pastor Jon, and I've been leading Easter services at St. John's Presbyterian Church in southwest Houston since 2007. I won't pretend I'm a neutral party. I think what we do on Easter morning is genuinely worth your time, and I'll tell you exactly why.

But first, let me tell you about a family I know.

They moved to Houston from the Midwest about several years ago. Both are in their fifties, grown kids, experienced churchgoers who'd gotten burned out on the whole production of modern church life. Their last church had a fog machine for the Easter sunrise service. I'm not making that up. They came to St. John's that first Easter mainly because a neighbor mentioned it, and because we had parking available, which in Houston is no small thing. By the second Sunday in May, they were regulars. By fall, they were volunteering with our community garden. They told me once that what got them was this: nothing at our Easter service was designed to impress them. It was just... worship.

That's a harder thing to pull off than it sounds.

What Easter Actually Is

Before we talk about any specific service, it's worth saying something about the day itself, because I think a lot of Easter services have quietly drifted away from what Easter actually is.

Easter is the day Christians believe Jesus rose physically from the dead. That's the claim. Not a metaphor about springtime renewal. Not a story about how love is stronger than hate in some vague spiritual sense. Christians believe something happened in Jerusalem two thousand years ago that changed everything, and Easter is the annual gathering to remember and proclaim that.

If that sounds like a strong claim, you're right. It is. And the honest truth is that Presbyterian worship at St. John's doesn't soft-pedal it. We're not going to meet you where you are by making the resurrection sound like optional poetry. We'll proclaim it plainly and trust that plain proclamation is more compelling than clever packaging.

Some people find that refreshing. Some people find it a little challenging. Both reactions are fine.

Easter Morning at St. John's: The Actual Details

Our Easter service begins at 11:00 AM. We're at 5020 West Bellfort Avenue, Houston, TX 77035, in the Westbury neighborhood, close enough to Bellaire and Meyerland that folks from those areas are here every week.

The service runs about 60 minutes. No countdown clocks. No "we're almost out of time" energy. Just a service that does what it needs to do and doesn't drag.

When you walk in, someone will hand you a bulletin. That bulletin tells you everything that's going to happen in the order it's going to happen. Call to worship, hymns, prayer, Scripture, sermon, Communion, benediction. No surprises. This is one thing I love about traditional Presbyterian worship: you can follow along even if you haven't been to church in years.

The sanctuary is not a stadium. We're a congregation of around 250 members, with about 75 people on a typical Sunday. On Easter we're fuller than that. But you won't be one face in a crowd of thousands. Someone will probably say good morning to you before the service starts. Someone will probably ask if you have questions afterward.

Our chancel choir leads the music. Mark Swindler directs them, and they're good. Alina Klimaszewska is on the organ, and she's excellent. The music on Easter morning is genuinely beautiful, old hymns with real theological weight, "Christ the Lord Is Risen Today" and others that have been sung by Christians for centuries. We sing these together as a congregation, not as an audience watching performers.

I preach for about 15 to 20 minutes. The sermon on Easter Sunday goes straight to the text, usually one of the resurrection accounts from the Gospels. I don't use slides. I don't tell a lot of jokes. I do try to connect the resurrection to the actual shape of life in Houston in 2025, because that matters to me. Ancient faith has to touch where people actually live.

We serve Communion on Easter Sunday. At St. John's, our table is open: if you trust in Christ, you're welcome to receive the bread and cup, regardless of your denomination. We pass the elements through the pews. There's something about taking Communion alongside people you don't know yet that does something to you. Something you can't quite explain.

After the service, people gather in the fellowship hall. Coffee, some food, conversation that isn't rushed. If you've ever slipped out of a large church before the service ended to avoid the parking lot, this will feel different. People actually want to talk to you.

Why Smaller Is Different

I know the word "small" can sound like a downgrade. We live in a city that measures things in units of more. More capacity, more campuses, more services, more parking.

And for some people, bigger is genuinely better. If you want anonymity, a large church gives you that. If you want a specialized ministry for every demographic in your family, a large church is probably more equipped to offer that.

But there's something that smaller churches do that larger ones mostly can't. We know people. Not just their names but their situations. When someone in our congregation loses a job or goes through a health crisis, I know about it, and so do others, and people show up. Literally show up. With food, with help, with company.

I've had people tell me they'd been attending a much larger Houston church for two years without anyone knowing their name. Two years. That's not a dig at those churches. They're doing good work with a different model. But it is a real thing to consider when you're deciding where to put your spiritual roots.

Easter at a small church like St. John's means you're not a visitor getting processed through a guest experience system. You're a person walking through a door, and people are going to notice you and welcome you like we mean it.

The Mission Behind the Service

One thing that probably doesn't show up in your average Easter bulletin: the connection between resurrection and what the church does Monday through Saturday.

At St. John's, we're active. Our community garden has 18 raised beds, and what we grow goes to the Braes Interfaith Ministries food pantry, right here in the neighborhood. We support Lulwanda Children's Home in Uganda. We have a partnership with the Houston International Seafarers Center. Presbyterian Children's Homes and Services runs a Single Parent Family Ministry right on our campus. One Hope Preschool operates out of our building.

None of that is incidental to Easter. The resurrection is what motivates it all. If Jesus is alive and Lord of everything, then the hungry person in Westbury is someone we're responsible for. If death has been defeated, we should act like it.

I say this because Easter can become a beautiful annual sentiment that doesn't connect to anything. I've sat through services like that. Good music, moving moments, and then everyone goes home the same as before. We try hard not to let that happen at St. John's. Easter should send you somewhere.

For People Who Aren't Sure What They Believe

If you're reading this and you're not a committed Christian, I want to say something directly.

You are welcome at our Easter service. Completely welcome. You don't need to have your theological questions resolved before you walk in. You don't need to pretend you believe things you don't.

Some of the best conversations I've had after Easter services have been with people who came out of curiosity, or who came with a spouse while privately skeptical, or who grew up in church and walked away and weren't sure why they were back.

If you have questions after the service, I'd genuinely enjoy talking with you. There's no sales pitch. No pressure to sign anything or join anything. The resurrection either happened or it didn't, and it's worth thinking about carefully.

What I won't do is water down the claim to make it easier to swallow. That would be doing you a disservice.

For People Coming Back to Church

Some people find themselves drawn to Easter services after years away from church. Sometimes it's a life event. Grief, or a child being born, or something that happened that made you realize you didn't have the framework to make sense of it.

If that's you, St. John's is a good place to come back. We're not going to ask you to explain where you've been. We're not going to guilt you about your absence. People come back to faith on all kinds of timelines, and we've seen enough of those stories to know that grace doesn't keep office hours.

Our Sunday Bible study meets at 9:30 AM before worship if you want to get there early and ease in. There are also small groups during the week. You can read more about [Bible study options at St. John's] if you want to explore beyond Sunday morning.

Practical Information for Easter Sunday

Here is everything you need:

Service time: 11:00 AM, Easter Sunday
Address: 5020 West Bellfort Avenue, Houston, TX 77035
Parking: On site, with accessible spaces near the entrance
Dress: Whatever you're comfortable in. Some people dress up, some don't. We genuinely don't care.
Children: Welcome. There's a children's class during the service, or kids can sit with you. We have a rocking chair and a children's play area at the back of the sanctuary. If your toddler needs to move around, that's fine. Nobody minds.
Duration: About 60 minutes for the service, plus however long you want to stay for fellowship.
Accessibility: The building is wheelchair accessible with accessible restrooms.
What to bring: Nothing required. We'll provide everything.
You don't need to register. Just show up.
If you have questions ahead of time, call us at (713) 723-6262 or email office.sjpc@gmail.com .

What Easter at St. John's Will and Won't Be

This might be the most honest thing I can say.

Our Easter service will not blow your mind with production. There are no fog machines, no light shows, no video screens. The music is excellent but it's choir and organ, not a rock band. The preaching is serious and hopefully accessible but it's not entertainment.

What it will be is real. Real people singing real hymns they actually believe. Real Communion shared with actual neighbors. Real proclamation of a claim that Christians have been making for two thousand years.

Whether that's what you're looking for, only you know.

What I've found, in nearly twenty years of pastoral ministry in Houston, is that a lot of people are exhausted by the performance of church. They want something that doesn't feel designed to manipulate their emotions or maximize their engagement. They want to sit in a room with other people and be reminded of something true, and then go home with a little more strength than they came with.

If that's you, come Easter morning. We'll be at 5020 West Bellfort, doors open before 11:00 AM.

Christ is risen. That's the whole message, and it's enough.

You might also appreciate reading about Presbyterian worship at St. John's: what makes our tradition distinctive , or how St. John's builds genuine community in southwest Houston . If you're considering St. John's as your regular church home, we'd love to talk.

St. John's Presbyterian Church

5020 West Bellfort Avenue, Houston, TX 77035

(713) 723-6262 stjohnspresby.org

Sunday Worship: 11:00 AM

Sunday Bible Study: 9:30 AM

Holy Week Houston: How This Sacred Season Shapes My Faith

Fri, 03 Apr 2026 14:59:15 GMT

Holy Week Houston: What It Means to Me as Your Pastor

Holy Week Houston:

How This Sacred Season Shapes My Faith

By Pastor Jon Burnham,

St. John’s Presbyterian Church

I grew up in Morton, Mississippi. Small town. Good people. And a Baptist church that took its faith seriously.

Morton Baptist was not a cold, dead congregation. Far from it. The preaching was alive, the singing was genuine, and the people who sat in those pews on Sunday mornings actually believed what they were saying. My parents took me there faithfully, and I am grateful for every bit of it. The faith I carry today was planted in that soil.

But we did not celebrate Holy Week.

Christmas Sunday and Easter Sunday, yes. Those were on the calendar. Everything else, though? Well, the prevailing attitude in that tradition was that liturgical seasons were, to put it bluntly, popish fluff. Leftovers from Rome that serious Protestants had rightly left behind. Ash Wednesday? For Catholics. Palm Sunday? A little theatrical, don’t you think? Good Friday? We know Jesus rose, so why dwell on the cross?

And the Lord’s Supper. Once a year. One time. A single occasion in twelve months to receive bread and cup.

I did not know to question any of this. It was just how church worked.

Somewhere in my early-twenties, I started attending a Presbyterian congregation because they gave me a choir scholarship. I did not go there looking for liturgy. I was not on some quest for ancient spiritual practices. I just showed up, and what I found was a church that moved through time differently than I was used to.

They had a printed bulletin, which I recognized. But the bulletin referenced something called the Season of Advent. Then Epiphany. Then came Lent, stretching across weeks, with a particular texture to the worship that I could not quite name at first. Then Holy Week arrived, and it was like watching a story I had always known get told out loud for the first time.

Palm Sunday. Maundy Thursday. Good Friday. Holy Saturday. Easter Sunday.

Five days. One story. The whole arc of what happened in Jerusalem before the resurrection, spread across an entire week so you could actually feel the movement of it.

I remember sitting in a Good Friday service that first year and being genuinely unsettled. The lights dimmed. The sanctuary grew quiet. A single candle was extinguished. The service ended without a benediction, because the story was not over yet. You just walked out into the dark and waited.

I had never done that before. Never waited for Easter. I had always just arrived at Easter fully informed, knowing how it ended, skipping the grief and the silence and the not-knowing.

That Good Friday service cracked something open in me that has not closed since.

Let me try to explain what the Christian liturgical calendar actually is, because a lot of people sitting in Houston churches on Sunday morning have never had anyone explain it to them plainly.

The church year is essentially a structured journey through the life of Jesus, repeated every single year. You do not just read about these events as historical facts in a classroom. You live through them again, in sequence, with your congregation, season after season until the rhythm is part of you.

Advent is the waiting. Four weeks of preparing for the birth of a Savior, sitting in the posture of a people who do not yet have him. Christmas arrives and the waiting breaks open into celebration. Epiphany follows, celebrating the moment the light of Christ became visible to the wider world, marked by the visit of the Magi. Then comes Ordinary Time, that long middle stretch of the year when Jesus was doing his earthly ministry, teaching, healing, calling disciples.

Lent begins forty days before Easter, in the wilderness. Jesus fasted for forty days after his baptism, and Lent mirrors that season. It is a time of honest self-examination, of sitting with mortality, of stripping away pretense. Ash Wednesday opens it with the words “remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” Not cheerful. Necessary.

And then Holy Week arrives.

If Lent is the wilderness, Holy Week is the valley.

Palm Sunday begins with a parade, and if you read the gospel accounts carefully, you notice something uncomfortable. The crowd cheering Jesus into Jerusalem on Sunday will be screaming for his crucifixion by Friday. Same people, probably. That is not incidental detail. That is the point.

Maundy Thursday is the Last Supper, the night Jesus washed his disciples’ feet and gave them a new commandment: love one another as I have loved you. The word “maundy” comes from the Latin “mandatum,” meaning commandment. We eat bread and cup together and hear again what Jesus asked of us the night before he died.

Good Friday is the hardest day in the Christian year. There is nothing good about it in the obvious sense. The name most likely comes from “God’s Friday,” an old usage, or from “good” in the sense of “holy.” Whatever the etymology, it is the day we sit with the crucifixion. No triumphant hymns. No easy reassurance. Just the cross.

Holy Saturday is almost nothing. A waiting day. The disciples were hiding, frightened, crushed. We do not have many Holy Saturday services. That silence is probably appropriate.

Easter Sunday breaks everything open. The stone is rolled away, the tomb is empty, and everything that had seemed finished is not finished at all. Death did not get the final word.

When you move through all five of those days, year after year, something happens to your understanding of Easter that simply cannot happen if you just show up Sunday morning and skip the rest. The joy is sharper. The surprise is more real. You actually feel the relief, because you have been sitting in the grief.

A sports analogy came to me years ago, and I have never found a better one for explaining this.

Consider the devoted college sports fan. Their entire year is organized around a schedule they did not create but have completely internalized. September arrives and you know it is football. The calendar in their head is not a generic calendar. It is a sacred calendar. Winter means basketball, and there is something right about that. Spring arrives and baseball is warming up. Summer is a kind of waiting, an Ordinary Time in its own way, until September rolls around again and the whole beautiful cycle restarts.

Ask that fan where they are in the year, and they will not just give you a month. They will give you a position in the season. “We’re three weeks into conference play.” “Spring training starts next month.” “The bowl games are coming up.” They are oriented by something bigger than a date. They are oriented by a story that keeps telling itself.

The liturgical calendar works exactly the same way. Ask me where we are in the year, and I will tell you without thinking: we are in Holy Week, the last days of Lent, approaching Easter. I know my coordinates in sacred space. I know what story we are living through right now and what comes next. That orientation is not just intellectual. It is felt, in the bones, the way a lifelong fan feels the change of a season before the schedule ever announces it.

Without that calendar, the year is just weeks going by. With it, you are always somewhere. You are always in a story.

I think often about what I missed growing up without this.

Understand, I am not criticizing the Baptist tradition. My formation in that church was real and lasting. The people there loved God and loved each other and preached a gospel they believed with their whole hearts. I owe that congregation more than I can say.

But I do wonder what it would have meant to sit in the silence of Good Friday as a child. To feel the waiting of Holy Saturday. To arrive at Easter Sunday not as a predetermined event on a secular calendar but as a genuine breaking-in of resurrection after days of grief and uncertainty.

There is something about observing Holy Week with your body, not just your mind, that makes the resurrection a different kind of claim. When you have actually grieved, even liturgically, even symbolically, the joy of Easter morning lands differently. You do not just know Jesus rose. You feel what that means.

That is, I think, what liturgical time does at its best. It trains you to feel the gospel, not just understand it.

At St. John’s Presbyterian Church in Houston, we move through the full sweep of Holy Week every year. Palm Sunday worship opens the week. Maundy Thursday brings us to the Lord’s Table together, with communion and foot-washing and the stripping of the sanctuary, that strange and moving ancient rite where the linens and candles are removed in silence until the chancel is bare the service ending without resolution, the lights lowered. Good Friday is a day for silent processing what is happening to us this. It holds us in the darkness and mystery of the sacred story.

And then Easter arrives.

We come back on Sunday morning to the same sanctuary, dressed completely differently. White. Flowers. The alleluia that has not been spoken aloud since Ash Wednesday. And the empty tomb, proclaimed again as if for the first time, because in a real way it is the first time, this year.

If you have never experienced Holy Week this way, I want to invite you to try it. You can join us at St. John’s for Easter worship at 11:00 AM, but I would honestly encourage you to come for the full week if you are able. Start on Palm Sunday. Make your way through to Easter. See what happens to your experience of the resurrection when you have actually sat in the sorrow first.

It may surprise you.

The question of what makes worship meaningful is one I have been thinking about for over forty years of pastoral ministry. I have served congregations in Mississippi, Tennessee, Missouri, and now Texas. I have preached in tiny chapels and auditorium-sized sanctuaries. I have been present at baptisms and funerals, at moments of extraordinary crisis and ordinary Tuesday mornings.

What I have found, slowly and without always being able to articulate it, is that we human beings need to be oriented. We need to know where we are. We carry so much confusion about time, about what matters, about where the story is going. The liturgical year gives us an answer to that confusion every single week of our lives. You are here. This is what season we are in. This is the story we are living through together.

Holy Week is the center of that year. Palm Sunday through Easter Sunday is the story that all the other stories are reaching toward. This is the week that decides everything else.

I am not a young man discovering this for the first time anymore. I have walked through Holy Week more times than I can count now. And still, every year, Good Friday lands with weight. Every year, Easter Sunday feels like a genuine surprise. The calendar keeps giving me that.

I am grateful.

So how about you? Have you ever observed Holy Week in its fullness, moving through the whole arc from Palm Sunday to Easter? Or did you grow up, like me, arriving at Easter Sunday as a destination rather than a culmination?

If you are curious what this looks like up close, St. John’s Presbyterian Church is located at 5020 West Bellfort Avenue in southwest Houston. We serve the Westbury, Meyerland, and Bellaire neighborhoods, and we would be genuinely glad to have you join us. You can also read more about what our Presbyterian worship tradition looks like throughout the year and learn about our Sunday morning and weekly community before you visit.

Peace,

Jon B.

St. John’s Presbyterian Church | 5020 West Bellfort Ave, Houston TX 77035 | (713) 723-6262 | stjohnspresby.org

The Epistle for Holy Week - April 1, 2026

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 16:46:46 GMT

Celebrate Holy Week at St. John's Presbyterian Church in Houston, Texas

The Epistle

St. John's Presbyterian Church in Houston

Walking the Road of Holy Week Together

Dear friends,

Holy Week has a way of slowing us down whether we planned for it or not. It pulls us out of our usual pace and sets us gently inside the story again. We have already gathered for the Quarterly Bible Study, watched children laugh and run at the Easter Egg Hunt, lifted our voices on Palm Sunday, and sat together in the beauty of the Lenten Arts concert. Those moments were not separate events. They were steps along the same road, leading us here.

Now we turn toward Maundy Thursday. On Thursday at 7 PM in the sanctuary, we will come to the table together, remembering the night Jesus chose love in the face of betrayal. It is a quiet service, the kind that stays with you, because it invites you not just to remember but to enter the story.

And then comes Easter Sunday. At 11 AM in the sanctuary, we will gather again, this time in the light of resurrection, where grief does not get the final word. Come ready to sing, to breathe a little deeper, and to hear again the good news that life rises, even here, even now.

Peace,

Pastor Jon B.

Maundy Thursday Service 7:00 PM this Thursday

Maundy Thursday is April 2 at 7 PM . This service is quieter than the others. Smaller. We gather around the table where Jesus gathered with his friends on his last night, and we share communion together.

If you've never come to a Maundy Thursday service, I'd really encourage you to try it. Something about sitting in that particular darkness makes Easter Sunday morning feel completely different.

And then Easter, April 5 at 11 AM . The whole thing. Every bell, every hallelujah, every reason we've been walking through this season together. You are welcome here. Bring someone with you if you can.

Easter Lilies

For $12 take one home

Sign up sheet in narthex

Help bring a visual feast to our sanctuary this Easter by

purchasing an Easter Lily to adorn our worship center. It is a beautiful reminder of what our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ provides to each of us – fragrant and splendid grace.

Offered by the Brookwood Community, these lilies will have 4 or

more blooms on each stem and reach a height of 18-20 inches. As

many of you know, Brookwood provides an educational

environment that creates meaningful work, builds a sense of

belonging, and awakens genuine purpose in the lives of adults

with disabilities. This is a wonderful mission outreach for us.

At $12 per plant, we ask that you place your check made payable

to St. John’s Presbyterian Church in our collection basket with

‘lily purchase’ marked in its memo section. They will also be

available for purchase on Easter Sunday if not all of them are

claimed. First come, first served since only 36 have been ordered.

Myrtis McPhail Scholarship

Attention all high school seniors, undergraduate college, and/or technical/trade school students!

Applications will be accepted until May 15, 2026 and we hope to distribute funds to recipients in June.

The Scholarship Fund also is open for donations! If anyone would like to donate, please indicate the McPhail Scholarship Fund on a check or via Zelle.

Thanks for Your Support

The Caring and Fellowship Committee sincerely thanks everyone who provided meals to support a family in our congregation this past month. Your kindness showed up in the most practical and loving ways, and it made a real difference during a hard stretch of days. This is exactly the kind of church we want to be, and you made it happen.

Thank you from Scenasia and Family

Much love,

Scenacia, Nnaji & Nyjel

A Night to Celebrate Nyjel

Last Thursday evening, something beautiful happened out in our wider community, and a few of our own were there to witness it.

Shirley and Libby attended the “Home Run Hitters: Dancing with the Stars” event at T.H. Rogers, and they had the joy of seeing Nyjel crowned King of the Royal Court. It was one of those moments where the room fills with pride, joy, and a kind of shared celebration that lingers long after the music stops.

Nyjel shined. Not just in title, but in spirit.

After the event, his mother, Scenacia, shared how much it meant to their family to see familiar faces from St. John’s there. When church shows up outside the walls, it speaks louder than any sermon. It says, “You are not alone. We are with you.”

She wrote with gratitude and a little humor from a long, full evening, mentioning warm food, tired hearts, and a certain enthusiasm for cookies that clearly found a happy home.

That’s church, too.

Not just what happens on Sunday morning, but the way we show up in one another’s lives. The way we celebrate each other’s milestones. The way we become part of each other’s stories.

Moments like this remind us of something we hold close at St. John’s: people are meant to be known, encouraged, and celebrated.

Nyjel, we are proud of you.

And to Shirley and Libby, thank you for being there on behalf of all of us.

Faith in Action: A Few Important Updates

I want to share a few quick updates and invitations as we continue our work alongside our neighbors through Braes Interfaith Ministries.

BIM Gala Tickets Coming Soon

Faith in Action Committee Meeting

Supporting BIM in a Critical Season

Checks can be made payable to Braes Interfaith Ministries, with “BIM Gala Fundraiser” noted in the memo line.

This is one of those quiet ways the church makes a real difference. No spotlight. Just steady care for people who need it.

Thank you for being part of that work.

PCHAS Luncheon - Register Now - Details Below

One Great Hour of Sharing special offering

Around the world, millions of people lack access to sustainable food sources, clean water, sanitation, education, and opportunity.

The work done in support of the causes supported by One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS) — disaster, hunger, poverty, climate change, and immigration/migration and refugees — serves individuals and communities in need. This work provides people with safety, sustenance, and hope. This Offering helps to improve the lives

of people in these challenging situations. Envelopes are at the back of the sanctuary.

The Stars Resonate: A Lenten Finale to Remember

This past Sunday afternoon, our sanctuary became something a little different.

At 3:00 PM, as the light settled gently through the windows, the final concert of our Lenten Arts Series began. The Stars Resonate was the title, and for a full hour, you could feel why.

Trio Oriens gave us a gift.

They began with Astor Piazzolla’s Four Seasons of Buenos Aires , and right away you could sense the room leaning in. The music had movement in it, almost like breath. At times playful, at times aching, always alive. It felt less like a performance and more like being carried somewhere.

Then came Jenny Xiong’s And the Remnants of a Temple . The sanctuary grew quiet in a different way. Not just silence, but attention. The kind of quiet where people are listening with more than their ears. There was a sacredness to it, as if the music was uncovering something rather than presenting it.

And then Holst.

Selections from The Planets filled the room, and you could feel the space expand. There are moments when music doesn’t just stay in front of you but moves through you. This was one of those times. You could sense it in the stillness of the crowd, in the way no one rushed to move when a piece ended.

One of the most meaningful touches of the afternoon was the video projection that accompanied the program. As the music unfolded, images of the cosmos moved across the screen. Stars, planets, vast stretches of space. It gave the whole experience a visual depth that matched what we were hearing. You weren’t just listening. You were being drawn into something larger.

And at the center of it all were the musicians.

I-Ling Chen at the piano, steady and expressive. Olive Chen on cello, rich and grounded. Guest violinist Aija Izaks, bringing a soaring clarity that seemed to lift the whole room. They listened to one another closely. You could see it. Music like that only happens when people are paying attention to each other as much as to the notes.

What struck me most was how fitting this was for Lent.

Lent asks us to slow down. To listen. To notice what is usually drowned out by noise. This concert did exactly that. It gave us space to feel, to reflect, to remember that beauty still speaks in a world that often moves too fast to hear it.

Thank you to everyone who came, and to those who helped make this series possible.

And thanks be to God, who still meets us in places like this. In sound. In silence. In light. Even in the quiet turning of the stars.

McPhail Hall Temporarily Closed

This past Sunday, we discovered that several ceiling tiles had fallen in McPhail Hall.

Unfortunately, additional tiles fell later in the week.

While we have cleaned the area and secured the immediate surroundings, our top priority is the safety of our congregation and guests.

Therefore, all events scheduled in McPhail Hall are canceled until further notice while we investigate the cause and ensure the space is fully safe for use.

We apologize for the inconvenience and will provide updates as soon as we know more.

Men of the Church

The next meeting of the Men of the Church will be 1 April at 6:30 PM in the Session Room.

Come for a time of study and service projects that benefit the church.

St. John's Snapshots

Photos by Ken Krueger

Healing Hearts:

A Ministry

of Care and Encouragement

Healing Hearts will meet in the church office building in the Prayer Room of the church office building.

Next Meeting for Healing Hearts

Wednesday, April 8, 7:00 - 8:00 PM in the Prayer Room
Monday, April 27, 11:00 AM to Noon

With hearts united in hope, we lift these names into the healing presence of God.

Glen Risley, recovering from surgery
Scenacia Jones family
Gerry Jump, Brazos Towers
Family of Sue Benn
Tom Edmondson, recovering from spinal surgery
Holly Darr, health concerns
Kelsey Wiltz, health concerns
Glen Risley, health concerns
Madalyn Rodgers, Kathleen Captain's sister
Joe Sanford, Scott Moore and Alice Rubio
Those looking for a job
St. Johns College Students
Raina Bailey and the families in our PCHAS homes
One Hope Preschool families and staff

Caring for One Another in Prayer

Prayer List Update –

How Can We Pray for You?

We are grateful for the opportunity to pray with and for you.

Happy Birthday

Michael Bisase (April 1)

Linda Dobbin (April 1)

Stephen Marshall (April 1)

Tatiana Harris (April 3)

Brendan Ehrenstrom (April 4)

Jo Ann Golden (April 8)

Winnie Georgiev (April 9)

Samuel Okwudiri (April 9)

Emmanuel Okwudiri (April 9)

Pat Ragan (April 12)

Tom Edmonsond (April 13)

Allen Barnhill (April 14)

Austin Gorby (April 14)

Jenny Pennycuff (April 17)

Kennedy Muanza (April 24)

Jon Burnham (April 26)

Thursday, April 2, Maundy Thursday

7:00 PM - Maundy Thursday Service in Santuary

Sunday, March 29, Easter Sunday

9:30 am Adults Sunday School, Session Room

11:00 am Easter Worship Service, live and on website

1:30 pm Book Study on Zoom

Wednesday, April 1 , Men’s Group, 6:30 pm

Thursday, April 2 , Maundy Thursday Service, 7 pm, Sanctuary

Sunday, April 5 , Easter Sunday Worship, 11 AM, Sanctuary

Sunday, May 31 , CE Brunch: Senior Sunday and Teacher

Appreciation

Saturday, June 20 , Quarterly Bible Study (new format for all ages)

Church Calendar Online

For other dates, see St. John’s Calendar online: https://www.stjohnspresby.org/events/

2026 Session Members and Roles

Elders on the Session: Class of 2026

Ann Hardy: Finance and Stewardship

Michael Bisase: Buildings and Grounds

Jan Herbert: Christian Education

Elders on the Session: Class of 2027

Lynne Parsons Austin: Worship

Omar Ayah: Faith in Action

Marie Kutz: Personnel and Administration

Elders on the Session: Class of 2028

Mary Gaber: Christian Education

Peter Sparaco: Faith and Action

Tina Liljedahl Jump: Fellowship and Caring

Other Session Leaders and Support Staff

Jon Burnham: Moderator of Session

Lynne Parsons Austin: Clerk to Session

Tad Mulder: Church Treasurer

Tap Here to leave a Google Review for St. John's Presbyterian Church

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(Currently 4.9 stars from 37 reviews – thank you!)

Click the book cover to view the book.

Resurrection Disruptions
New Sermon Series

Starts Easter Sunday

Most Easter sermons make a promise the people in the pews already know is hard to keep. Death is defeated. Christ has risen. Hallelujah.

And then Monday arrives. And the diagnosis is still real. The grief hasn't lifted. The loss is still just... there.

That might sound like a small distinction. I promise it isn't.

We're going to spend eight Sundays together, from Easter all the way through Pentecost in mid-May, tracing this pattern across both the Old and New Testaments.

Ezekiel in a valley of dry bones.
Thomas with his hand near a wound.
Three men walking out of a furnace not smelling of smoke.
Disciples huddled in a locked room while the risen Jesus stands in the middle of them.

Each week is a disruption story. Each week God shows up for someone who wasn't ready, wasn't expecting it, and probably wasn't facing the right direction when it happened.

That pattern matters. Because most of us, if we're honest, aren't facing the right direction most of the time either.

Bring a friend. Bring whoever in your life is carrying something heavy this spring. We'll start where we always start, at an empty tomb, and see where the risen Christ takes us from there.

Church Office Hours and Contact Info

Church Website and Calendar Online

Our church website: https://www.stjohnspresby.org/
For dates, times, and events, see St. John’s Calendar online: https://www.stjohnspresby.org/events/
Email Pastor Jon to request an addition to the church calendar or to add an event or article to The Epistle.

St. John's Bible Study & Faith Formation Groups

1. Sunday Morning Adult Bible Study

Time: Sundays at 9:30 AM
Location: In-person at church
Description: Adult class that focuses on systematic theology. Open to visitors without needing to fill out forms or commit immediately.

2. Sunday Afternoon Zoom Study

Time: Sundays at 1:30 PM
Location: Zoom (virtual)
Description: Tackles books and topics requiring sustained attention. Recently studied "The Way of Discernment" by Steve Doughty. Focuses on deep questions about following God's will, spiritual discernment, and making faithful life decisions. Small group format where everyone participates.

3. Tuesday Afternoon Women's Study

Time: Tuesday afternoons at 1:30 PM
Location: Zoom (virtual)
Description: Long-standing women's group studying Christian books, praying together, and supporting each other through life's challenges. Not a stereotypical "ladies' Bible study" but rather women asking tough questions and wanting faith that matters in real life. Mothers, professionals, retirees, and caregivers dealing with aging parents, marriages, careers, and health issues.

4. Men's Group (Wednesday Evening)

Time: Every other Wednesday at 6:30 PM (one hour or so)
Location: In-person at church
Description: Men dig into Scripture with focus and energy. They also hold each other accountable and pray for each other's struggles. They work on practical service projects such as upgrading lights are also on the agenda. Designed to respect men's time and intelligence.

5. Children's Bible Study

Time: Sundays at 11:00 AM (during worship service)
Location: Church office building
Description: Age-appropriate Bible study for children that helps them engage with Scripture at their level. Not childcare but actual faith development that takes children seriously while allowing parents to focus on worship.

Exercise & Wellness Groups

6. Stay Young, Stay Strong

Time: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 5:00-6:00 PM
Location: Room 209, Building 2
Description: Strength training class based on Miriam E. Nelson's book "Strong Women Stay Slim." Weights provided.

Fellowship Groups

7. St John's Friends United (Older Adults Group)

Time: Monthly luncheons (contact office for schedule)
Location: Various
Description: Group for older adults featuring trips and monthly luncheons with programs and meals.

To join any of these groups, contact:

Phone: 713-723-6262
Email: office.sjpc@gmail.com

The church is located at 5020 West Bellfort Avenue, Houston, TX 77035

Finding Faith Through Tragedy: A Pastor's Honest Guide

Sun, 29 Mar 2026 22:51:13 GMT

Dealing with Grief as a Christian

Finding Faith Through Tragedy:

A Pastor's Honest Guide

There is a question I have heard more times than I can count, sitting across from people in my office at St. John's Presbyterian Church in southwest Houston.

The question usually comes a few weeks after the tragedy. After the funeral. After the food stops showing up at the door. After the friends who flew in from out of town have gone back to their lives. The question comes in the quiet, and it sounds something like this: "Pastor Jon, I want to believe God is still there. But I am not sure I do anymore."

I want to talk honestly about that question. Because it is one of the most important questions a human being can ask. And it deserves a better answer than it usually gets.

What Tragedy Does to Faith

Tragedy does not destroy faith gradually. It hits all at once.

One day you are living your life, going to church on Sunday, saying your prayers, trusting that God is good and the world makes a certain kind of sense. And then something happens. A phone call. A diagnosis. An accident. A loss so sudden and so complete that the whole structure of your life shifts underneath you.

And the faith that felt solid the day before suddenly feels like it was built on something thinner than you realized.

This is not a sign that your faith was fake. It is a sign that your faith is being tested in the only way faith ever really gets tested, by something that actually costs you something.

C.S. Lewis wrote about this after his wife Joy died of cancer. He kept a journal in the weeks after her death, and what he wrote was raw and honest and sometimes frightening. He described his faith feeling like a door slammed in his face. He described God feeling absent in exactly the moments when he needed God most.

Lewis was one of the most brilliant Christian thinkers of the twentieth century. He had written entire books defending the faith. And tragedy still shook him to his foundation.

That should tell us something. Tragedy is not a problem that better theology prevents. It is an experience that better theology helps us survive.

The Question Underneath the Question

When someone tells me they are struggling to find faith after a tragedy, I have learned to listen for the question underneath the question.

Sometimes the real question is "Did I do something to deserve this?" The idea that tragedy is punishment is one of the oldest and most persistent wrong ideas in human religious history. Job's friends believed it. They looked at Job's suffering and assumed he must have sinned. God, at the end of that story, told them directly that they were wrong.

Tragedy is not a report card. Bad things happen to good people. Good things happen to bad people. The rain falls on the just and the unjust alike. Jesus said that himself in the Sermon on the Mount. The universe does not operate on a simple cause and effect system where your suffering is a direct consequence of your moral failures.

If you are carrying guilt alongside your grief, wondering what you did to bring this on yourself, I want to say this as directly as I can: let that go. It is not the truth.

Sometimes the real question is "Does God actually care about me?" This one is harder. Because if God is all-powerful and could have prevented the tragedy and did not, what does that say about how much God values you?

This is the oldest theological question in the world. It does not have a simple answer. What I can tell you is what I have seen in thirty years of pastoral ministry. I have sat with people in the worst moments of their lives, people who had every reason to conclude that God had abandoned them, and I have watched something happen in those moments that I cannot explain any other way except to say that God showed up. Not to take the pain away. But to be present inside it.

That is not a philosophical argument. It is testimony. And testimony carries its own kind of weight.

Why Tragedy and Faith Do Not Have to Be Enemies

Here is something that surprised me early in my ministry and has never stopped being true.

The people with the deepest faith I have ever known are almost always people who have been through the hardest things.

Not the people who have had easy lives and found God easy to believe in. The people who have walked through something terrible and came out the other side still trusting. Their faith is not naive. It has been tested and it held. And that tested, surviving faith is a completely different thing from the untested version.

There is a word for this in the Christian tradition. Refinement. The image comes from metalworking. You put metal in a fire not to destroy it but to burn away the impurities and leave what is actually valuable. The fire is not punishment. The fire is process.

I am not saying God sends tragedy to refine us. I want to be careful here because that idea has been used to say terrible things to suffering people and I will not add to that. What I am saying is that tragedy, when we walk through it honestly and do not run from it, has a way of burning away the things in our faith that were never really solid to begin with. The comfortable assumptions. The easy answers. The version of God that existed mainly to make us feel safe.

And what sometimes remains, after the fire, is something sturdier. A faith that knows what it costs. A trust that has been earned rather than assumed.

The Honest Truth About Doubt

Doubt is not the opposite of faith. It is part of faith.

Every person of serious faith I have ever known has doubted. The question is not whether you will doubt but what you do with the doubt when it comes.

There are two unhelpful responses to doubt. The first is to pretend it is not there. To perform confidence you do not actually have, to say the right things in church and keep the real questions locked away somewhere private. This approach tends to make the doubt grow. Things that live in the dark tend to get larger than they actually are.

The second unhelpful response is to treat doubt as a verdict. To decide that because you are doubting, faith must be finished. That the questions mean the answer is no.

The more honest and more useful response is to bring the doubt into your relationship with God directly. To say out loud, to God, "I am not sure I believe you are there right now. But I am talking to you anyway, because I have nowhere else to go."

That is actually faith. Wounded, honest, struggling faith. But faith.

The Psalms model this constantly. Psalm 88 is the darkest Psalm in the Bible. It ends with the word "darkness." There is no resolution, no turn toward hope at the end. Just a person in the dark, still talking to God. That Psalm made it into Scripture. God preserved it. Which means God is not embarrassed by that kind of prayer.

What Helped the People I Have Walked With

Over the years I have watched people find their way through tragedy and back toward faith. I want to share what I have actually seen work, not what sounds good in theory.

Small, honest prayer helped more than polished prayer. People who kept talking to God even when they were angry at God, even when they were not sure God was listening, seemed to come through with their faith more intact than people who went silent. "I am furious at you right now" is a prayer. "I do not understand what you are doing" is a prayer. God is big enough to handle it.

Community that did not flinch helped more than community that tried to fix things. The friends who showed up and sat down and did not immediately try to explain the tragedy or silver-line it were the ones who actually helped. Presence is more powerful than answers in the middle of grief.

Time in Scripture helped, but not in a forced way. Reading the Psalms of lament, in particular, has a way of making grieving people feel less alone in their struggle. When you read Psalm 22 and realize that the person who wrote it was going through something that sounds very much like what you are going through, something shifts. You are not the first person to feel abandoned by God. You are not the first person to cry out into what feels like empty air. And that company, across three thousand years of human suffering, is its own kind of comfort.

Letting grief take the time it actually takes helped more than trying to rush through it. There is no timeline for finding faith after tragedy. Some people find their way back in months. Some people take years. Some people find that what they come back to is different from what they had before, deeper and less comfortable and more honest. All of that is okay.

What St. John's Has Learned About Walking With Grieving People

At St. John's Presbyterian Church in southwest Houston, we have been walking with grieving families for a long time. We are a small congregation, about 250 members, which means when someone is hurting we actually know about it. Nobody falls through the cracks because the cracks are not big enough to fall through.

We have learned some things about what grieving people actually need from a church community.

They need to be able to come on a Sunday morning and not have to pretend they are fine. Our worship includes lament. We read the hard Psalms alongside the joyful ones. We leave room for honesty in the presence of God rather than performing a tidier version of our spiritual lives than the one we are actually living.

They need follow-up that goes past the first few weeks. It is easy to show up for the funeral. It is harder to show up three months later on a random Tuesday when the grief has gone quiet but not gone. We try to do the harder thing.

They need permission to have questions that do not have answers. We are a theologically serious congregation, which means we do not offer easy answers to hard questions. We sit with the questions. We trust that God is large enough to hold both our faith and our uncertainty at the same time.

If you are in the Houston area and you are walking through a season of tragedy and you are looking for a community that can hold that with you, we would genuinely be glad to have you with us. Sunday worship is at 11:00 AM. Sunday Bible Study is at 9:30 AM. We are located at 5020 West Bellfort Avenue in southwest Houston. You can learn more at stjohnspresby.org.

A Resource for the Journey

Several years of sitting with grieving and struggling people eventually pushed me to write down what I had learned. The result is Walking Through Christian Grief: A Christian Devotional on Grief, Prayer, and Finding Faith Through Loss .

The book does not offer easy answers. I do not know how to write that book honestly because easy answers are not what grieving people need. What the book offers is honest companionship for the journey. Twenty chapters that walk through the experience of loss from the raw early days through the long middle stretch, plus a 30-day devotional for the days when you need something short and anchoring rather than a full chapter.

It is available on Amazon in paperback, hardcover, Kindle, and audiobook. If you are in the middle of a hard season right now, or if you know someone who is, it was written for exactly that moment.

The Long View

I want to close with something I have seen enough times to trust it.

People who walk through tragedy and keep walking, who do not give up on God or on life or on the possibility that something good can still come, those people often arrive somewhere they could not have reached any other way.

Not because the tragedy was good. It was not. Loss is loss. Pain is pain. I will not reframe your suffering into a gift you should be grateful for.

But because something happens in the walking through. Something gets built that could not have been built any other way. A capacity for compassion that comes from having needed compassion yourself. A tolerance for uncertainty that comes from having lived inside it. A faith that has been through fire and knows it can survive fire.

That is not the destination you would have chosen. But it is a real destination. And people arrive there.

You are not at the end of your story. You are in the middle of a very hard chapter. And the God who spoke light into darkness and raised the dead on the third day is not finished with you yet.

Keep walking. You are not walking alone.

Peace,

Jon B.

Dealing with Grief as a Christian: What Your Faith Actually Offers

Sun, 29 Mar 2026 22:39:50 GMT

Finding faith through tragedy devotionals on grief

Dealing with Grief as a Christian: What Your Faith Actually Offers

There is a moment that almost every grieving Christian knows.

Someone at the funeral says "God needed another angel" or "Everything happens for a reason" and you smile and nod because they mean well. But inside something tightens. Because those words do not touch the place where the pain actually lives. And you are left wondering, quietly, if your faith is supposed to be making this hurt less than it does.

It is not. And I want to talk about why.

The Confusion Christians Feel About Grief

I have been a pastor in Houston for a long time. I have sat with a lot of grieving people, in hospital rooms, in living rooms the day after a funeral, in my office weeks later when the casseroles have stopped coming and the grief has not. And the single most common thing I hear from Christians in those conversations is some version of this:

"I feel like I should be handling this better."

There is a version of faith that floats around our churches that goes something like this: if you really trust God, you will have peace. If your faith is strong enough, you will not fall apart. Grief, in this version of Christianity, is something you move through quickly on your way to resurrection hope.

That version of faith sounds good on a sympathy card. It does not hold up in the hospital parking lot at 2 in the morning.

Here is what I have come to believe after years of pastoral ministry: grief is not a sign of weak faith. It is a sign that you loved someone. And love and loss are inseparable in a world where people die.

What the Bible Actually Says

The Psalms are full of raw, unpolished grief. Psalm 22 opens with "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" That is not a verse of calm trust. That is a person in genuine anguish, crying out into what feels like an empty room. And God preserved that prayer in Scripture. Which tells us something important: God is not offended by honest grief. God does not need you to perform a tidier version of your pain before he shows up.

Jesus wept at the tomb of Lazarus. Not because he did not know what was about to happen. He knew he was going to raise Lazarus from the dead in about five minutes. He wept anyway. Because his friend had died and the people he loved were in pain. Grief was the right response to the moment. Jesus did not rush past it.

Jeremiah sat in the ruins of Jerusalem and wrote the book of Lamentations, which is exactly what it sounds like. Five chapters of honest, aching sorrow. No quick pivot to the bright side. Just grief, held in the presence of God.

The Christian tradition has always had room for this kind of honesty. We have just forgotten it somewhere along the way.

The Difference Between Grief and Despair

There is something worth naming here, because I think it clears up a lot of confusion for grieving Christians.

Grief and despair are not the same thing.

Grief says: this loss is real, it hurts, and I am going to feel that fully. Despair says: nothing will ever be good again and there is no hope. Grief is honest about pain. Despair has given up on the future.

The Christian faith does not protect you from grief. But it does protect you from despair. Because underneath the loss, underneath the pain, underneath the long hard nights, there is a foundation that does not move. The resurrection is real. Death does not get the last word. The person you lost is held in hands stronger than yours.

That is not a greeting card sentiment. That is the central claim of the Christian faith. And it is the thing that makes Christian grief genuinely different from grieving without any hope at all.

But you do not have to feel hopeful right now. You do not have to perform resurrection confidence on day three. You are allowed to be right where you are.

What Grieving Christians Actually Need

In my experience, grieving Christians need four things that the church sometimes struggles to provide.

They need permission to feel what they actually feel. Not the approved Christian version of their feelings. The actual ones. The anger, the confusion, the bargaining, the exhaustion that goes bone-deep. All of it is allowed. All of it can be brought to God.

They need honest Scripture, not comfort verses stripped of their context. Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you," is a beautiful verse. It was also written to people in Babylonian exile who were going to be there for seventy years. The comfort is real but it does not promise that your pain will be short.

They need a community that can sit with them without trying to fix them. Job's friends were actually doing the right thing for the first seven days. They sat with him in silence because they saw that his pain was very great. It was only when they opened their mouths that things went wrong.

And they need practical tools for the days that stretch out long and shapeless in front of them. How to pray when you have no words. How to read Scripture when your concentration is gone. How to get through a Tuesday afternoon when the grief hits hardest.

That is exactly why I wrote Walking Through Christian Grief . It grew out of years of sitting with grieving people and watching them navigate something the church often underprepares us for. It is a devotional, yes, but it is also a pastoral companion for the full journey, from the raw early days through the long middle stretch to the slow, uneven movement toward hope.

The Stages of Grief Are Not a Ladder

Most people have heard of the five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. What most people do not know is that Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, who developed that framework, said repeatedly before she died that grief does not move through those stages in a neat sequence. Real grief loops back. It skips stages. It revisits anger three months after you thought you were done with anger.

If you are grieving and you feel like you are doing it wrong because you are not moving through the stages properly, you can let that go. There is no proper sequence. There is just your grief, in your time, with your particular loss.

What helps is having some kind of structure for the days. A morning prayer. A short passage of Scripture. A few minutes of writing down what you are actually feeling rather than the version you would show other people. Small anchors that give the shapeless days some shape.

The 30-day devotional at the end of Walking Through Christian Grief was designed specifically for this. One short reading per day. A Scripture passage. A brief reflection. A closing prayer. Something you can actually do on the days when grief has made concentration difficult and the idea of reading a full chapter feels impossible.

A Word About the People Around You

Grief is hard enough on its own. Grieving inside a community that does not quite know how to help can make it harder.

Most people are not trying to say the wrong thing. They are trying to say something because silence feels inadequate and they care about you. But "at least they are in a better place" and "God must have needed them more than we did" and "you will see them again someday" are all ways of trying to move past the grief rather than sit inside it with you.

What actually helps, in my experience, is simpler. Someone who shows up. Someone who sits down. Someone who says "I am so sorry. I love you. I am not going anywhere." You do not need answers. You need presence.

If you are not finding that in your current community, it may be worth looking for a church that takes grief seriously. In the Houston area, southwest Houston in particular, there are communities that understand this kind of pastoral care. St. John's Presbyterian Church has been walking with grieving families in this neighborhood for decades. We are not a church that rushes people through their pain on the way to something more comfortable.

Praying When You Have No Words

One of the most common things grieving Christians tell me is that they do not know how to pray anymore. The words that used to come easily have dried up. They sit down to pray and nothing comes out. And then they feel guilty about that too, as if the grief has broken their relationship with God on top of everything else.

It has not. The silence is not broken prayer. Sometimes the silence is the prayer.

The Psalms give us language for this. Psalm 46 says "Be still and know that I am God." That stillness is not emptiness. It is a kind of prayer that does not require words. You are present. God is present. That is enough.

When words do come, they do not have to be polished. "God I am so tired" is a complete prayer. "I miss them so much I do not know what to do" is a complete prayer. "Where are you?" is a complete prayer. God can handle every one of those.

I wrote a whole chapter on prayer in Walking Through Christian Grief because this is where so many grieving Christians get stuck. The chapter includes short prayers for specific moments: early morning when the loss hits fresh, the middle of the night when fear peaks, the ordinary Tuesday afternoon when grief ambushes you in the grocery store. Prayers that are honest rather than polished. Because that is the kind of prayer that actually helps.

When the Grief Goes Long

There is a particular kind of loneliness that comes several months after a loss. The people around you have largely returned to their normal lives. The sympathy cards have stopped. The meals stopped weeks ago. And you are still grieving, maybe just as hard as you were in the beginning, sometimes harder because the initial shock has worn off and the full weight of the loss has settled in.

This is normal. And the church is often bad at this part.

Acute grief gets attention. Long grief gets silence, and sometimes something worse than silence, the unspoken expectation that you should be further along by now.

You are not behind. Grief does not have a deadline. The people who love you well know this. And God, who knows the number of hairs on your head and the weight of every sorrow you carry, is not checking a calendar.

What helps in the long stretch is the same thing that helps at the beginning, just sustained. Small daily practices. Honest prayer. Community that does not flinch. And the slow, patient reading of Scripture that reminds you, again and again, that you are not alone in this.

You Are Not Grieving Alone

The communion of saints is one of the most underused resources in the Christian tradition. Every person who has ever walked through grief and come out the other side is, in some sense, walking with you. The Psalmists who wrote their laments. The disciples who hid behind locked doors after the crucifixion. The countless ordinary believers across two thousand years who lost people they loved and kept their faith anyway.

You are part of that company. You are not the first person to wonder where God went. You are not the first person to cry until there was nothing left and then cry some more. And you are not the first person to find, slowly and unevenly and not in a straight line, that God was there the whole time.

That is the promise underneath all the grief. Not that it will be easy. Not that it will be quick. But that you are not walking through it alone.

If you are in the middle of a season of grief right now and looking for a companion for the journey, Walking Through Christian Grief was written for exactly where you are. It is available on Amazon in paperback, hardcover, Kindle, and audiobook.

And if you are in the Houston area and looking for a church community that knows how to sit with grief without rushing it, we would be glad to have you at St. John's Presbyterian Church in southwest Houston. Sunday worship is at 11:00 AM. You can find us at stjohnspresby.org .

Peace,

Jon B.

The Epistle for March 25, 2026

Wed, 25 Mar 2026 16:04:53 GMT

The Epistle for March 25, 2026

St. John's Presbyterian Church

in Houston, Texas

Holy Week Is Almost Here:

Don't Miss a Single Day

Dear friends,

Holy Week arrives this year with a full schedule, and I want to make sure you know what's coming so you don't miss anything.

We actually get started this Saturday.

In the morning, from 8:30 AM to 2 PM, we're holding our Quarterly Bible Study in the Session Room. The topic this time is Salvation. Big word. We'll take our time with it.
Then at 10 AM, One Hope Preschool is hosting their Easter Egg Hunt out in their courtyard on the West Bellfort side of McPhail Hall. This is a community event, which means a lot of young families will be on our campus that morning. Come say hello if you're around. It's good for neighbors to see us being neighborly.

Palm Sunday is March 29 at 11 AM.

Come wave a palm branch. I know that sounds a little silly if you've never done it, but there's something about that moment, the whole congregation holding green palms, that gets me every year.
Then that same afternoon at 3 PM, we close out our Lenten Arts Series with the final concert of the season. It's been a meaningful run this year. A good way to spend a Sunday.

Maundy Thursday is April 2 at 7 PM. This service is quieter than the others. Smaller. We gather around the table where Jesus gathered with his friends on his last night, and we share communion together. If you've never come to a Maundy Thursday service, I'd really encourage you to try it. Something about sitting in that particular darkness makes Easter Sunday morning feel completely different.

And then Easter, April 5 at 11 AM. The whole thing. Every bell, every hallelujah, every reason we've been walking through this season together. You are welcome here. Bring someone with you if you can.

Peace,

Pastor Jon

Quarterly Bible Study: Salvation

Perhaps the most important question we can ask ourselves is whether we are saved. Paul tells us: “5 Examine yourselves to see whether you are living in the faith. Test yourselves.” (2 Corinthians 13:5). And Peter tells us: “. . . be even more diligent to make your call and election sure . . .” (2 Peter 1:10). But saved from what? What does it mean to be saved?

The Christian Education Committee is offering a time for us to explore what is meant by biblical salvation. We will cover the following topics:

What is salvation?
How are we saved?
Can we have assurance of our salvation?
Can we lose our salvation?
How should salvation manifest itself in our lives?

The class will be on Saturday, 28 Mar from 8:30am to 2:00pm. Lunch will be provided. A sign up roster is in the narthex. Please sign up so we know how many people for materials and lunch. Hope to see you there!

�� A Morning of Giggles and Golden Eggs!

Oh, friends, get ready to wiggle your bunny ears!

Our wonderful friends at One Hope Schools are hosting a super-duper Easter EGGstravaganza , and it’s going to be just as sweet as a jellybean! On Saturday, March 28th, from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM , our community will be filled with the sound of happy feet pitter-pattering through the grass in search of hidden treasures. It’s a morning made for sunshine, smiles, and sharing the joy of the season with all our neighbors.

�� Be a Special Helper (Sponsorships!)

Do you want to help make the magic happen? We are looking for "Egg-stra" special sponsors to help make this day wonderful for all the families in our community! There are five special ways to help, named after pretty jewels and colors:

Diamond ($2500) ��
Platinum ($1000) ��
Gold ($500) ��
Silver ($250) ⚪
Bronze ($100) ��

When you help out, your name or logo gets to go on a big, colorful banner and even on the event t-shirts! You can even have your very own booth at the event to say "Hi!" to everyone. Most importantly, you’ll be helping spread so much love and hope to our local families.

✨ How to Join the Fun

It’s as easy as pie! Just take your phone and scan the little QR code on the flyer to sign up. Whether you want to sponsor or just come play, we can't wait to see your happy faces there! Let’s fill the day with kindness and celebrate the beautiful hope that Easter brings to every little heart.

A Celestial Grand Finale: The Stars Resonate

3:00 PM this Sunday in the Sanctuary

Prepare to be transported beyond the terrestrial as the St. John’s Lenten Arts Series reaches its zenith. Our final concert, aptly titled "The Stars Resonate," promises an afternoon of profound auditory splendor, featuring the virtuosic talents of Trio Oriens . This isn't merely a performance; it is a curated pilgrimage through the cosmos of human emotion, blending the fiery passion of the Southern Hemisphere with the ethereal mysteries of the celestial spheres.

The program is a masterwork of stylistic breadth. We begin with Astor Piazzolla’s Four Seasons of Buenos Aires , where the trio will navigate the sultry, syncopated rhythms of Nuevo Tango , demanding a rigorous mastery of chromaticism and rhythmic drive. This is followed by the evocative, contemporary textures of Jenny Xiong’s And the Remnants of a Temple for piano trio , a piece that invites us to find sacred echoes in silence and structure. Finally, we ascend with a transcendent arrangement of Gustav Holst’s The Planets , a work of immense harmonic complexity and planetary grandeur that will surely vibrate through the very rafters of our sanctuary.

Witness the symbiotic interplay between I-Ling Chen's crystalline piano phrasing, Olive Chen's resonant, soulful cello lines, and the soaring, lyrical brilliance of guest violinist Aija Izaks . Their technical precision and interpretive depth offer a rare opportunity to experience chamber music at its most sublime.

⚠️ Important Schedule Note

Please note a departure from our usual schedule: to accommodate the majestic scope of this finale, the concert will commence at 3:00 PM on Sunday, March 29th, 2026 .

Join us at St. John’s Presbyterian Church for this celestial encounter. Let the music serve as your final Lenten meditation, guiding you toward the light of the coming season through the resonance of the stars.

Easter Lilies

For $12 take one home

Sign up sheet in narthex

Help bring a visual feast to our sanctuary this Easter by

purchasing an Easter Lily to adorn our worship center. It is a beautiful reminder of what our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ provides to each of us – fragrant and splendid grace.

Offered by the Brookwood Community, these lilies will have 4 or

more blooms on each stem and reach a height of 18-20 inches. As

many of you know, Brookwood provides an educational

environment that creates meaningful work, builds a sense of

belonging, and awakens genuine purpose in the lives of adults

with disabilities. This is a wonderful mission outreach for us.

At $12 per plant, we ask that you place your check made payable

to St. John’s Presbyterian Church in our collection basket with

‘lily purchase’ marked in its memo section. They will also be

available for purchase on Easter Sunday if not all of them are

claimed. First come, first served since only 36 have been ordered.

Food Train for Scenacia Jones’ Family

One of the quiet strengths of a real church community is that when someone is struggling, people step in and help. Meals appear. Prayers rise. The burden becomes shared.

Right now, Scenacia Jones’ son Nyjel is experiencing increased health problems , and the family is carrying a heavy load. Our congregation is organizing a Food Train so that meals can be delivered to help support them during this difficult time.

If you would like to help, you can sign up to provide a meal for the family. It is a simple act of kindness that can make a long week much easier for someone walking through a hard season.

To participate, please sign up using the link below or contact:

Mindi Stanley

mstanley@bcm.edu

832-247-4086

Use this link to sign up for the Food Train for Scenacia Jones’ family .

PCHAS Luncheon - Register Now - Details Below

One Great Hour of Sharing special offering

Around the world, millions of people lack access to sustainable food sources, clean water, sanitation, education, and opportunity.

of people in these challenging situations. Envelopes are at the back of the sanctuary.

Important Notice:McPhail Hall Temporarily Closed

We recently discovered that several ceiling tiles had fallen in McPhail Hall.

Unfortunately, additional tiles fell later in the week.

While we have cleaned the area and secured the immediate surroundings, our top priority is the safety of our congregation and guests.

Therefore, all events scheduled in McPhail Hall are canceled until further notice while we investigate the cause and ensure the space is fully safe for use.

We apologize for the inconvenience and will provide updates as soon as we know more.

Men of the Church

The next meeting of the Men of the Church will be 1 April at 6:30 PM in the Session Room.

Come for a time of study and service projects that benefit the church.

Healing Hearts:

A Ministry

of Care and Encouragement

Healing Hearts will meet in the church office building in the Prayer Room of the church office building.

Next Meeting for Healing Hearts

Monday, March 30th, 11:00 AM to 12:00 Noon in the Prayer Room

Prayer List

With hearts united in hope, we lift these names into the healing presence of God.

Glen Risley, recovering from surgery
Scenacia Jones family
Gerry Jump, Brazos Towers
Family of Sue Benn
Tom Edmondson, recovering from spinal surgery
Holly Darr, health concerns
Karen Alsbrook, health
Kelsey Wiltz, health concerns
Glen Risley, health concerns
Madalyn Rodgers, Kathleen Captain's sister
Joe Sanford, Scott Moore and Alice Rubio
Those looking for a job
St. Johns College Students
Raina Bailey and the families in our PCHAS homes
One Hope Preschool families and staff

Caring for One Another in Prayer

Prayer List Update –

How Can We Pray for You?

We are grateful for the opportunity to pray with and for you.

Happy Birthday

Madeline Graeter (March 29)

Olive Mfobujong (March 30)

Happy Anniversary

Tad and Andra Mulder (March 25)

Church Calendar

Thursday, March 26

5:00 pm Exercise Class in Building 2

Saturday, March 28

8:30 am Quarterly Bible Study, Session Room

10:00 am One Hope Preschool Easter Party, Courtyard

Sunday, March 29, Palm Sunday

9:30 am Sunday School for Adults, Systematic Theology, Session Room

11:00 am Worship Service, live in sanctuary and on Facebook

1:30 pm Book Study on Zoom

3:00 pm Lenten Arts Series, Sanctuary

Coming Soon

Saturday, March 28 , Quarterly Bible Study: Salvation, 8:30 am

Saturday, March 28 , One Hope Easter Party, Courtyard, 10 am

Sunday March 29 , Palm Sunday, Lenten Arts Concert, Trio Orients, 4 pm

Monday, March 30 , Healing Hearts, 11 am

Wednesday, April 1 , Men’s Group, 6:30 pm

Thursday, April 2 , Maundy Thursday Service, 7 pm, Sanctuary

Sunday, April 5 , Easter Sunday

Sunday, May 31 , CE Brunch: Senior Sunday and Teacher

Appreciation

Saturday, June 20 , Quarterly Bible Study (new format for all ages)

Church Calendar Online

For other dates, see St. John’s Calendar online: https://www.stjohnspresby.org/events/

LENTEN SERMON SERIES

Wilderness Sabbath:

Six Weeks of Desert Wisdom

Concludes this Sunday

March 29 – Palm/Passion Sunday

"The Road to the City"

OT: Isaiah 50:4-9a (The servant's suffering)
NT: Matthew 21:1-11 (Triumphal entry) and Matthew 26-27 (Passion narrative)

Six weeks in the desert. Six weeks of sand and silence and the kind of stillness that strips you down to what's actually true.

This Sunday, March 29th, the road leads out of the wilderness and straight into Jerusalem.

"The Road to the City" is where our Wilderness Sabbath series ends, and it ends the way Holy Week always ends: with palm branches and shouting and a crowd that has no idea what's actually coming.

We'll sit with Isaiah's Suffering Servant and then walk with Jesus through Matthew 21, from the parade to the passion, from the hosannas to the shadows of what follows.

It's a lot to hold in one morning. That's the point.

If you've been with us through Lent, you know this journey has asked something of us. This Sunday asks a little more. Come ready for that.

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for St. John's Presbyterian Church

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(Currently 4.9 stars from 37 reviews – thank you!)

Resurrection Disruptions

Coming Soon to St. John's

New Sermon Series

Starts on Easter Sunday!

Most Easter sermons make a promise the people in the pews already know is hard to keep. Death is defeated. Christ has risen. Hallelujah.

And then Monday arrives. And the diagnosis is still real. The grief hasn't lifted. The loss is still just... there.

That might sound like a small distinction. I promise it isn't.

We're going to spend eight Sundays together, from Easter all the way through Pentecost in mid-May, tracing this pattern across both the Old and New Testaments. Ezekiel in a valley of dry bones. Thomas with his hand near a wound. Three men walking out of a furnace not smelling of smoke. Disciples huddled in a locked room while the risen Jesus stands in the middle of them. Each week is a disruption story. Each week God shows up for someone who wasn't ready, wasn't expecting it, and probably wasn't facing the right direction when it happened.

That pattern matters. Because most of us, if we're honest, aren't facing the right direction most of the time either.

Bring a friend. Bring whoever in your life is carrying something heavy this spring. We'll start where we always start, at an empty tomb, and see where the risen Christ takes us from there.

Church Office Hours and Contact Info

Church Website and Calendar Online

Our church website: https://www.stjohnspresby.org/
For dates, times, and events, see St. John’s Calendar online: https://www.stjohnspresby.org/events/
Email Pastor Jon to request an addition to the church calendar or to add an event or article to The Epistle.

Worship Bulletin for March 22, 2026

Sat, 21 Mar 2026 17:56:28 GMT

St. John's Presbyterian Church in Houston

Invitation to Worship

Fifth Sunday in Lent

March 22, 2026

This Sunday we are sitting with one of the strangest images in all of Scripture. A valley full of dry bones. Not just a few bones scattered here and there.

The prophet Ezekiel describes very many bones, and they were very dry. That detail matters. Whatever hope there had been, it had been gone a long time.

God asks Ezekiel a question that sounds almost cruel: "Can these bones live?"

Ezekiel, to his credit, does not pretend to know. He says, "O Lord God, you know." That is one of the most honest things anyone ever says in the Bible. And I think it's the right answer for most of us on most days.

Some of you are carrying something dry right now. A relationship that went quiet. A faith that used to feel alive but lately feels like going through the motions. A dream you buried so carefully you stopped looking at the spot where you put it.

Lent is a good season for that kind of honesty.

And then we will turn to John 11, where Jesus stands outside a tomb, four days too late by any reasonable measure. Martha says what we would all say. "Lord, if you had been here..."

She means well. We all mean well when we say something like that to God. What she does not yet know is that being four days late is not a problem for the one who called himself the resurrection and the life.

Jesus wept. I never want to rush past that. Two of the shortest words in the New Testament, and they carry more weight than whole sermons.

Then he said, "Lazarus, come out."

That is what we are gathering around this Sunday. The God who breathes into dry bones. The God who calls the dead by name. The Spirit that blows through the wilderness and stirs things that have gone still.

Our organist Alina Klimaszewska will open worship, and we will sing the old hymn dating back to the Year of Our Lord: 1707, "Come, Holy Spirit, Heavenly Dove." That hymn, composed by Isaac Watts, has been honest about cold hearts and dying devotion for about three hundred years. We will be in good company.

Worship begins at 11:00 AM. Our Sunday morning Bible Study meets at 9:30 AM if you want to come early and dig in before the service.

We are at 5020 West Bellfort Avenue in Houston, zip 77035. If you have questions, call us at (713) 723-6262.

Come as you are. Dry bones welcome.

Peace of Christ be with you,

Pastor Jon Burnham

St. John's Presbyterian Church, Houston

5020 West Bellfort Avenue Houston, TX 77035

(713) 723-6262

P.S. The service will be live-streamed

on our church website

and on our St. John's Facebook page .

St. John's Presbyterian Bulletin

March 22, 2026, Fifth Sunday in Lent

Gathering

Prelude, Alina Klimaszewska, organ

*Call To Worship, The Rev. Dr. Jon Burnham

Leader: Can these bones live?

People: Only you know, O Lord.

Leader: Can what is dead rise again?

People: Only you can breathe life into dust.

Leader: Come, people of God, breathe deep,

People: The Spirit moves over the valley of the dead.

Opening Prayer

*Hymn 279 Come, Holy Spirit, Heavenly Dove

1 Come, Holy Spirit, heavenly Dove,

with all thy quickening powers;

kindle a flame of sacred love

in these cold hearts of ours.

2 In vain we tune our formal songs;

in vain we strive to rise;

hosannas languish on our tongues,

and our devotion dies.

3 Dear Lord, and shall we ever live

at this poor dying rate?

Our love so faint, so cold to thee,

and thine to us so great!

4 Come, Holy Spirit, heavenly Dove,

with all thy quickening powers;

come, shed abroad a Savior's love, a

nd that shall kindle ours.

Prayer of Confession, Ann Hardy, Liturgist

God of the living, we confess that we have made peace with death. We see bones and assume the story is over. We see tombs and forget you roll away stones. We have given up on relationships, on dreams, on the possibility that what is dead in us might live again. Forgive our settled despair. Forgive the ways we've stopped hoping, stopped trying, stopped believing in your power to resurrect what we've buried. Breathe on these dry bones. Raise us to life. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen. (Silent Confession)

Assurance of Pardon

*Glory Be to the Father, Hymn 581

*Passing the Peace

The Word

Prayer for Illumination

First Scripture Reading, Ezekiel 37:1-14

The hand of the Lord came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me all around them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry. He said to me, “Mortal, can these bones live?”

I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. I will lay sinews on you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the Lord.”

So I prophesied as I had been commanded; and as I prophesied, suddenly there was a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. I looked, and there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them; but there was no breath in them.

Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, mortal, and say to the breath: Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.” I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude. Then he said to me, “Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel.

They say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.’ Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you back to the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people. I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act,” says the Lord.’

Anthem

Sermon Scripture, John 11:1-45

Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” But when Jesus heard it, he said, “This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?” Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk during the day do not stumble, because they see the light of this world. But those who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them.” After saying this, he told them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him.” The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be all right.” Jesus, however, had been speaking about his death, but they thought that he was referring merely to sleep. Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” Thomas, who was called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

She said to him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.” When she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, and told her privately, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” And when she heard it, she got up quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. The Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary get up quickly and go out. They followed her because they thought that she was going to the tomb to weep there. When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus began to weep. So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”

Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I thank you for having heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him.

The Word of the Lord for us today.

Thanks be to God.

Sermon, Breath in Dry Bones

The Rev. Dr. Jon Burnham

*Hymn 286 Breathe on Me, Breath of God

1 Breathe on me, Breath of God; fill me with life anew,

that I may love what thou dost love, and do what thou wouldst do.

2 Breathe on me, Breath of God, until my heart is pure,

until with thee I will one will, to do and to endure.

3 Breathe on me, Breath of God, till I am wholly thine,

until this earthly part of me glows with thy fire divine.

4 Breathe on me, Breath of God, so shall I never die,

but live with thee the perfect life of thine eternity.

The Apostles’ Creed, Prayers of the People

Lord’s Prayer

Welcome and Announcements

Offering

*Doxology, Hymn 609

*Prayer after the Offering

Sending

*Hymn 291 Spirit, Spirit of Gentleness (verses 1, 2, and 4)

Refrain: Spirit, spirit of gentleness, blow through the wilderness, calling and free.

Spirit, spirit of restlessness, stir me from placidness, wind, wind on the sea.

1 You moved on the waters; you called to the deep;

then you coaxed up the mountains from the valleys of sleep;

and over the eons you called to each thing,

"Awake from your slumbers and rise on your wings." (Refrain)

2 You swept through the desert; you stung with the sand;

and you goaded your people with a law and a land.

When they were confounded with idols and lies,

then you spoke through your prophets to open their eyes. (Refrain)

4 You call from tomorrow; you break ancient schemes;

from the bondage of sorrow the captives dream dreams.

Our women see visions; our men clear their eyes.

With bold new decisions your people arise. (Refrain)

*Benediction

Postlude

Announcements

Food Train for Scenacia Jones’ Family

Scenacia Jones’ son Nyjel is having increased health problems. We are organizing a “food train” of meals for the family. If you would like to help, please sign up at the link below or contact Mindi Stanley at mstanley@bcm.edu or 832-247-4086.

[ Link to sign up for Food Train for Scenacia Jone's family. ]

Quarterly Bible Study: Salvation

The Christian Education Committee is offering a time for us to explore what is meant by biblical salvation. We will cover the following topics:

What is salvation?
How are we saved?
Can we have assurance of our salvation?
Can we lose our salvation?
How should salvation manifest itself in our lives?

Lenten Arts Series, March 29. 3 pm, NEW TIME! (Not 4 pm) Trio Oriens will once again present a program of exceptional beauty and artistry. Remember the NEW TIME, and don’t miss this final concert of our Lenten Arts Series.

One Hope Preschool Easter Baskets.

One Hope is collecting pre-filled, age-appropriate Easter eggs for their Ester Egg Hunt on March 28. All are invited. Our donations will bring joy to little egg hunters. Donations accepted until March 26.

Join Us for Our One Hope Schools Eggstravaganza!

Mark your calendars for March 28th — it’s going to be an egg-citing day filled with fun, smiles, and plenty of Easter surprises for the children of all ages and families of our Westbury community! This is a FREE community event, and we’d love your support. If you or your business would like to sponsor, please reach out. Your sponsorship helps us create a magical experience for our families and keeps this special event possible Let’s make this Easter unforgettable together.

PCHAS Luncheon - Register Now - Details Below.

Elder Shepherding Circles update (March 21). Earlier this year our Session spent time together on retreat reflecting on what kind of church St. John’s is called to be in this season of our life together. One conviction kept rising to the surface. We want to be a congregation where people are truly known and cared for, not just greeted at the door on Sunday morning. In a busy world where it is easy to drift apart without meaning to, we believe the church can be one of the places where people stay connected in real and personal ways. Out of that conversation the Session began what we are calling Elder Shepherding Circles. Each elder has been given a small group of households in the congregation with one simple purpose: to stay in touch. About once a month an elder may send a text, make a phone call, write an email, or even drop a note in the mail. The message is not complicated. We are thinking about you. We are praying for you. We are glad you are part of St. John’s.

Healing Hearts for March. Monday, March 30, 11:00 am. St. John’s is proud to support this healing ministry.

Happy Birthday

Layla Pennycuff (March 1)

Laith Assad (March 3)

Offiong Glover (March 5)

Kyra Noons-Adams (March 6)

Mark Swindler (March 14)

Gloria Glover (March 17)

Madeline Graeter (March 29)

Olive Mfobujong (March 30)

Happy Anniversary

Jim and Lynne Austin (March 10)

Kerry and Mary Gaber (March 22)

Tad and Andra Mulder (March 25)

Prayer Concerns

Nyjel Bennett-LaGrone and his family, health concerns

Gerry Jump

Family of Sue Benn

Tom Edmondson, recovering from spinal surgery

Holly Darr, health concerns

Karen Alsbrook, health

Kelsey Wiltz, health concerns

Glen Risley, health concerns

Madalyn Rodgers, Kathleen Captain's sister

Joe Sanford, Scott Moore and Alice Rubio

Those looking for a job

St. Johns College Students

Raina Bailey and the families in our PCHAS homes

One Hope Preschool families and staff

Calendar

Sunday, March 22, 5th Sunday in Lent

9:30 am Sunday School for Adults, Systematic Theology, Session Room

11:00 am Worship Service, live in sanctuary and on Facebook

1:30 pm Book Study, Zoom

4:30 Pack 8 Meeting, Exercise Room

Tuesday, March 24

5:00 pm Exercise Group, Building 2

Thursday, March 26

5:00 pm Exercise Class in Building 2

Saturday, March 28

8:30 am Quarterly Bible Study, Session Room

10:00 am One Hope Preschool Easter Party, Courtyard

Sunday, March 29, Palm Sunday

9:30 am Sunday School for Adults, Systematic Theology, Session Room

11:00 am Worship Service, live in sanctuary and on Facebook

1:30 pm Book Study on Zoom

3:00 pm Lenten Arts Series, Sanctuary

Coming Events

Mon, March 30, Healing Hearts, 11 am

Wed, April 1, Men’s Group, 6:30 pm

Thurs, April 2, Maundy Thursday Service, 7 pm, Sanctuary

April 5, Easter Sunday

Sun, May 31, CE Brunch: Senior Sunday and Teacher Appreciation

Sat, June 20, Quarterly Bible Study (new format for all ages)

The Epistle for March 18, 2026

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 15:32:10 GMT

This is a subtitle for your new post

Lent Is Cracking Us Open

Dear friends,

Something has been happening in our Wilderness Sabbath series that I wasn't entirely expecting.

People keep stopping me after worship to say things like, "That one was for me."

I've heard that a lot these past few Sundays. More than usual, honestly.

I don't think that's about the sermons. I think the Holy Spirit is simply doing what the Holy Spirit does during Lent, which is show up in the quiet places and speak directly to the people who need to hear.

Lent has a way of cracking things open if you let it, and I think this congregation is letting it.

The wilderness passages we've been sitting with aren't easy. They're not supposed to be. But something about sitting with hard scripture together, week after week, is creating space for God to move.

I see it in the conversations after worship. I see it in the way people are lingering a little longer, talking a little more honestly. That's not me. That's us. That's the Spirit at work among us.

We're only partway through. There are still a few Sundays left in this Lenten journey, and I hope you'll stay with it. Bring a friend if you can.

Whatever has been stirring in you these past weeks, give it room.

The wilderness isn't the end of the story. It never is. But we have to walk through it to get to what's on the other side.

Peace,

Pastor Jon

* * *

Quarterly Bible Study: Salvation

The Christian Education Committee is offering a time for us to explore what is meant by biblical salvation. We will cover the following topics:

1 What is salvation?

2 How are we saved?

3 Can we have assurance of our salvation?

4 Can we lose our salvation?

5 How should salvation manifest itself in our lives?

* * *

Food Train for Scenacia Jones’ Family

One of the quiet strengths of a real church community is that when someone is struggling, people step in and help. Meals appear. Prayers rise. The burden becomes shared.

If you would like to help, you can sign up to provide a meal for the family. It is a simple act of kindness that can make a long week much easier for someone walking through a hard season.

To participate, please sign up using the link below or contact:

Mindi Stanley

mstanley@bcm.edu

832-247-4086

Use this link to sign up for the Food Train for Scenacia Jones’ family .

* * *

"Gardening 101" presentation

Deemed a Great Success!

Our Friends United Luncheon on Thursday, March 12 was a wonderful success, and everyone who attended left with new knowledge, new appreciation for gardening, and a renewed sense of fellowship. About twenty eager listeners gathered in the Session Room with sack lunches in hand, ready to learn from our guest speaker, Mary Gaber, Master Gardener , who delivered an engaging and highly practical presentation on Gardening 101. With warmth, humor, and deep experience, Mary explained how to grow vegetables in Houston’s unique climate, offering tips that were both realistic and encouraging for beginners and seasoned gardeners alike.

The group especially appreciated how clearly Mary described what actually works in our area, from soil preparation to choosing the right plants for the season. Questions came easily, and the conversation felt lively and relaxed, just the way a Friends United gathering should feel.

After the presentation, Mary led everyone outside for a live tour of St. John’s community garden , where her advice came to life right in front of us. Seeing the beds, the plants, and the possibilities in person made the whole experience even more meaningful, and several people left inspired to try gardening themselves.

It truly was a warm time of fellowship, learning, and conversation, just as promised. A great time was had by all, and we are grateful to Mary for sharing her knowledge and enthusiasm with us.

* * *

PCHAS Luncheon - Register Now

* * *

Lenten Arts Series Concert Welcomes Over 40 for "Reveries" last Sunday afternoon

The Lenten Arts Series concert, “Reveries,” on Sunday, March 15 , was a beautiful and memorable afternoon at St. John’s, with more than forty people gathered in the sanctuary to share in a program that truly stirred the senses. As the late afternoon light filtered through the windows and settled softly across the pews, the space felt hushed in that familiar way our sanctuary does when something meaningful is about to begin. You could hear the quiet rustle of bulletins, the low murmur of greetings, and then the gentle clearing of the throat as everyone settled into expectant silence.

From the first notes, the sound of the cello and piano filled the room with warmth. The cello’s tone seemed to glow, rich and human, while the piano spread out beneath it like a wide landscape of sound. In Debussy’s music, the notes drifted like color on water, soft and shimmering. Kodály’s pieces brought a different feeling altogether, full of rhythm and earthy energy that you could almost feel in your chest as the bow moved across the strings. Franck’s sweeping melodies rose and fell like deep breaths, and more than once you could sense the whole room leaning forward, caught in the emotion of the moment.

The experience was not only something to hear but something to feel. The air in the sanctuary carried that faint familiar scent of wood, hymnals, and polished floors, mixed with the cool stillness of a quiet afternoon. The vibration of the music could be felt in the pews, in the floor, even in the chest, as if the building itself were listening along with us. When the final notes faded, the silence that followed was just as powerful as the music, before giving way to warm, grateful applause that filled the room.

Afterward, people lingered, smiling, talking softly, and sharing how much the concert had meant to them. It was the kind of gathering where you could see joy in people’s faces, hear it in their voices, and feel it in the easy way conversations continued long after the program ended.

With over forty in attendance, the afternoon was a wonderful success and a reminder of how deeply music can speak in a sacred space. The Lenten Arts Series continues to be a gift to our congregation and community, offering moments where sound, beauty, and reflection come together in a way that nourishes the soul.

* * *

Elder Shepherding Circles update (March 18)

Earlier this year our Session spent time together on retreat reflecting on what kind of church St. John’s is called to be in this season of our life together. One conviction kept rising to the surface. We want to be a congregation where people are truly known and cared for, not just greeted at the door on Sunday morning. In a busy world where it is easy to drift apart without meaning to, we believe the church can be one of the places where people stay connected in real and personal ways.

Out of that conversation the Session began what we are calling Elder Shepherding Circles . Each elder has been given a small group of households in the congregation with one simple purpose: to stay in touch. About once a month an elder may send a text, make a phone call, write an email, or even drop a note in the mail. The message is not complicated. We are thinking about you. We are praying for you. We are glad you are part of St. John’s.

This is not a fundraising effort, and it is not a way to recruit people for committees. It is simply pastoral care. In the early church, elders were called to shepherd the flock and care for the people entrusted to them, and that calling still shapes the life of the church today. Staying connected in small, ordinary ways helps keep our congregation strong, especially for those who cannot always be present every Sunday or who simply appreciate knowing that someone from the church is keeping them in mind.

You may hear from your elder in different ways depending on what works best for you. Some people enjoy a phone call. Others prefer a quick text or email. Over time, elders will learn what kind of contact feels most comfortable for each person. At the same time, we understand that everyone relates to church life a little differently. Some members appreciate regular check-ins, while others prefer more privacy. Both responses are completely fine, and there is no pressure either way.

This is a flexible and growing process, and we will continue adjusting as we learn what works best for our congregation. The goal is simple. We want every person connected to St. John’s to know that they are remembered, prayed for, and valued.

If you have not yet been contacted by an elder and would like to be part of an Elder Shepherding Circle , this is a wonderful way to stay connected to the life of the church. Just reply to this email or call the church office, and we will be glad to get you started right away.

A church becomes stronger when people are known by name and cared for in the ordinary moments of life. These Shepherding Circles are one small but meaningful step in that direction.

Peace,

Pastor Jon

* * *

One Great Hour of Sharing special offering

Around the world, millions of people lack access to sustainable food sources, clean water, sanitation, education, and opportunity.

of people in these challenging situations. Envelopes are at the back of the sanctuary.

* * *

McPhail Hall Temporarily Closed

Some roof tiles have fallen on the floor in McPhail Hall. Until things can be put back in order, all events scheduled in McPhail Hall are canceled until further notice while we investigate the cause and ensure the space is fully safe for use.

We apologize for the inconvenience and will provide updates as soon as we know more.

* * *

Men of the Church

The next meeting of the Men of the Church will be 18 March at 6:30 PM in the Session Room. Come for a time of study and service projects that benefit the church.

* * *

One Hope Preschool Easter Baskets

One Hope is collecting pre-filled, age appropriate Easter eggs for their Ester Egg Hunt on March 28. Our donations will bring joy to little egg hunters. Donations accepted until March 26.

Join Us for Our One Hope Schools Eggstravaganza!

This is a FREE community event, and we’d love your support. If you or your business would like to sponsor, please reach out. Your sponsorship helps us create a magical experience for our families and keeps this special event possible

Let’s make this Easter unforgettable together.

* * *

Healing Hearts: Grief Ministry

Healing Hearts will meet in the church office building in the Prayer Room of the church office building.

Next Few Meetings for Healing Hearts

• Wednesday, March 11th, 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM

• Monday, March 30th, 11:00 AM to 12:00 Noon

* * *

Money for Children and Tax Savings

by Dan Herron

Information in this article is not tax advice. It is for education only.

A new savings account for children is a 530A account. A child under age 18 can have this new account. These are tax-deferred investment accounts for children. Funds are invested in low-cost U.S. stock index funds until age 18, and then it follows traditional IRA rules.

Contributions to this account may be tax deductible. And, a new baby born in ’25 thru ‘28 can have a special 530A account feature, where each eligible baby receives a $1,000 government seed deposit into their account, starting July, 2026.

And, families and friends can contribute up to a specific limit per year—plus employees may be able to add another $2,500 pre-tax through employer cafeteria plans.

2026 Update: 530A Accounts launch July 5, 2026. To enroll, file IRS Form 4547 with your 2025 tax return or register at trumpaccounts.gov. Only children born January 1, 2025, through December 31, 2028, qualify for the $1,000 seed deposit. Any child may be eligible for a 530A account.

This idea's details and specific conditions are still under discussion at US Government level.

So, if your family is interested in a savings account for a child, especially if a child born within the dates 2025 to 2028, look up this 530A idea on the internet. Perhaps ask an income tax trained professional.

A 530A can provide funds for the child at age 18, and some tax relief to your family and friends.

Dan Herron

* * *

Prayer List

With hearts united in hope, we lift these names into the healing presence of God.

• Scenacia Jones family

• Gerry Jump, Brazos Towers

• Family of Sue Benn

• Tom Edmondson, recovering from spinal surgery

• Holly Darr, health concerns

• Karen Alsbrook, health

• Kelsey Wiltz, health concerns

• Glen Risley, health concerns

• Madalyn Rodgers, Kathleen Captain's sister

• Joe Sanford, Scott Moore and Alice Rubio

• Those looking for a job

• St. Johns College Students

• Raina Bailey and the families in our PCHAS homes

• One Hope Preschool families and staff

* * *

Caring for One Another in Prayer

* * *

Prayer List Update –

How Can We Pray for You?

* * *

Happy Birthday

Mark Swindler (March 14)

Gloria Glover (March 17)

Madeline Graeter (March 29)

Olive Mfobujong (March 30)

* * *

Happy Anniversary

Jim and Lynne Austin (March 10)

Kerry and Mary Gaber (March 22)

Tad and Andra Mulder (March 25)

* * *

Church Calendar

Wednesday, March 18

6:30 pm Men’s Group, Session Room

Thursday, March 19

5:00 pm Exercise Class in Building 2

Sunday, March 22, 5 th Sunday in Lent

9:30 am Sunday School for Adults,

Systematic Theology, Session Room

11:00 am Worship Service,

live in sanctuary and on Facebook

1:30 pm Book Study, Zoom

4:30 Pack 8 Meeting

Wednesday, March 18 , Men’ Group, 6:30 pm

Saturday, March 28 , Quarterly Bible Study: Salvation, 8:30 am

Saturday, March 28 , One Hope Easter Party, Courtyard, 10 am

Sunday March 29 , Palm Sunday, Lenten Arts Concert, Trio Orients, 4 pm

Monday, March 30 , Healing Hearts, 11 am

Wednesday, April 1 , Men’s Group, 6:30 pm

Thursday, April 2 , Maundy Thursday Service, 7 pm, Sanctuary

Sunday, April 5 , Easter Sunday

Sunday, May 31 , CE Brunch: Senior Sunday and Teacher

Appreciation

Saturday, June 20 , Quarterly Bible Study (new format for all ages)

Church Calendar Online

For other dates, see St. John’s Calendar online: https://www.stjohnspresby.org/events/

The Epistle for March 11, 2026

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 16:35:02 GMT

The church newsletter of St. John's Presbyterian Church in Meyerland and Westbury

Life Together at St. John’s

Dear friends,

One of the quiet blessings of belonging to a church is that life does not have to be carried alone. In every season there are moments of joy, learning, service, and sometimes moments when someone in our church family needs extra care. When a congregation is healthy, all of those things weave together into the shared life of the community.

You will see that spirit throughout this week’s Epistle.

Right now our congregation is rallying around Scenacia Jones and her family as her son Nyjel faces increased health challenges. Members of the church are organizing a Food Train so that meals can help lighten the family’s load during this difficult time. It is a simple but powerful expression of Christian love. When meals appear at a door, people are reminded that they are not facing hard days by themselves.

This week also includes opportunities for fellowship and learning . Friends United will gather for lunch and conversation as Mary Gaber shares practical wisdom about gardening , and later in the month the Christian Education Committee will host a Quarterly Bible Study on Salvation , exploring one of the most important questions of the Christian faith.

Our Lenten season continues with several meaningful gatherings. The Sunday Book Study group is reflecting on forgiveness through Adam Hamilton’s book, while our Lenten Arts Series concert, “Reveries,” will fill the sanctuary with beautiful cello and piano music by Debussy, Kodály, and Franck. Sacred music has a way of opening the heart and inviting quiet reflection during this season of preparation.

You will also read about the beginning of a new effort called Elder Shepherding Circles , where our elders will stay in regular contact with members of the congregation simply to listen, pray, and remain connected. It is a small practice that strengthens the bonds of the church.

There is also good news from our Community Garden Work Day , where volunteers gathered last Saturday to prepare the soil for a new growing season. Thanks to the leadership of Mary Gaber and the hard work of many hands, the donation beds are now ready to grow vegetables that will be shared with neighbors through Braes Interfaith Ministries.

You will also find updates about our Healing Hearts grief support ministry , upcoming gatherings like Men of the Church , a notice about McPhail Hall , and several opportunities for service and connection including the upcoming PCHAS luncheon .

Taken together, these small moments tell the story of a living church. People helping one another. People learning together. People praying, serving, and sharing life.

That is the quiet work of a faithful congregation.

Peace,

Pastor Jon

Food Train for Scenacia Jones’ Family

One of the quiet strengths of a real church community is that when someone is struggling, people step in and help. Meals appear. Prayers rise. The burden becomes shared.

If you would like to help, you can sign up to provide a meal for the family. It is a simple act of kindness that can make a long week much easier for someone walking through a hard season.

To participate, please sign up using the link below or contact:

Mindi Stanley

mstanley@bcm.edu

832-247-4086

Use this link to sign up for the Food Train for Scenacia Jones’ family .

Friends United Luncheon:

"Gardening 101"

presentation by Mary Gaber

Thursday, March 12,

11 AM, Session Room

Join us for our next gathering of St. John’s Friends United . Bring a sack lunch and enjoy drinks and dessert provided by the church.

Our guest speaker will be Mary Gaber, Master Gardener , who will share insights and practical wisdom from her experience working with plants and gardens.

It promises to be a warm time of fellowship, learning, and conversation. All are welcome!

Lenten Arts Series Concert: “Reveries”

On Sunday, March 15 at 4:00 p.m., St. John’s will host a beautiful afternoon of music as part of our Lenten Arts Series . The program, titled Reveries: Transportive Music for Cello and Piano , will feature pianist Yvonne Chen and cellist David Dietz performing works by Debussy, Kodály, and Franck.

A cello and piano duo creates one of the most expressive combinations in chamber music. The piano provides the harmonic landscape while the cello sings with a voice that often feels almost human in its warmth and depth. Together they create music that moves from quiet reflection to sweeping emotion, which makes this pairing especially fitting for the Lenten season.

The program includes music by Claude Debussy , whose compositions often feel like musical paintings. His writing for cello and piano flows with color and atmosphere, inviting the listener into a dreamy, reflective sound world. Zoltán Kodály’s music brings a different energy, drawing from Hungarian folk traditions and giving the cello a powerful, earthy voice full of rhythm and vitality. The program also features music by César Franck , whose romantic style is known for its rich harmonies and sweeping melodic lines that unfold with deep emotional beauty.

Concerts like this remind us that sacred space can also be a place where art speaks to the soul. In the quiet of the sanctuary, music has a way of opening the heart and inviting reflection, which makes it a perfect companion for the Lenten journey.

Admission is free, and donations are appreciated. We hope you will join us for what promises to be a truly moving afternoon of music here at St. John’s.

Quarterly Bible Study: Salvation

The Christian Education Committee is offering a time for us to explore what is meant by biblical salvation. We will cover the following topics:

What is salvation?
How are we saved?
Can we have assurance of our salvation?
Can we lose our salvation?
How should salvation manifest itself in our lives?

Elder Shepherding Circles update

Earlier this year our Session spent time at a retreat reflecting on what kind of church St. John’s is called to be. One conviction kept rising to the surface. We want to be a congregation where people are genuinely known and cared for, not just greeted on Sunday morning.

Out of that conversation the Session has begun what we are calling Elder Shepherding Circles .

Each elder has been given a small group of households in the congregation. Their simple task is to stay in touch. About once a month an elder may send a text message, make a phone call, write an email, or even drop a note in the mail. The message is very simple: we are thinking about you, we are praying for you, and we want to stay connected.

This is not a fundraising effort and it is not a way to recruit people for committees. It is simply pastoral care. In the early church, elders were called to shepherd the flock and care for the people entrusted to them. That calling remains part of the church’s life today.

You may hear from your elder in different ways depending on what works best for you. Some people enjoy a phone call. Others prefer a quick text or email. Your elder will gradually learn what form of communication you prefer.

At the same time, we recognize that every member relates to church life a little differently. Some people appreciate a regular monthly check-in. Others prefer more privacy and would rather not be contacted regularly. Both responses are perfectly fine.

This is a fluid process and we will adapt as we learn what works best for our congregation. The goal is simply to make sure everyone in our church knows that someone is paying attention and praying for them.

If an elder reaches out and you would prefer not to receive monthly contact, you can simply let them know. There will be no pressure. On the other hand, if you have not been contacted yet and would appreciate being included in the Shepherding Circles, please let me know and we will gladly make sure someone connects with you soon.

A church becomes stronger when people are known by name and cared for in ordinary moments of life. These Elder Shepherding Circles are one small step in that direction.

Peace,

Pastor Jon

Cultivating Kindness in Our Community Garden

Last Saturday morning something wonderful happened in our church garden.

A group of St. John’s members gathered for our Community Garden Work Day, and the result was a joyful morning of fellowship, fresh air, and meaningful work. People came and went throughout the morning, some staying the full time and others dropping in for a short while, but every pair of hands made a difference.

By the end of the morning, the donation beds were cleared and prepared for the upcoming growing season. Laughter drifted through the garden rows as friends worked side by side, catching up on life while pulling weeds, turning soil, and getting the beds ready for planting.

This work matters. The produce grown in these beds will go directly to Braes Interfaith Ministries (BIM), helping provide fresh vegetables for families in our community who need them most. What began as a few hours of gardening will become healthy food on someone’s table later this year.

In other words, the garden was doing exactly what it was meant to do: bringing people together and blessing our neighbors.

A special word of thanks goes to Mary Gaber, who organized and led the morning with great care and energy. Mary’s leadership helped make the day run smoothly, and we are grateful for the time and heart she invests in this ministry.

Thank you to everyone who showed up, rolled up their sleeves, and helped prepare the soil. The seeds we plant this season will grow into more than vegetables. They will grow into generosity, community, and kindness shared with our neighbors.

Lenten Book Study on Forgiveness

Jesus commanded us to forgive. Yet many times this process is a difficult one to commence: whether it is forgiveness of another, forgiveness of self, or seeking forgiveness from someone.

We stumble and find ways to circumvent Jesus’ desire for us. Beginning February 22, 2026 at 1:30pm , the Sunday Book Study group will step into our lenten journey by studying Adam Hamilton’s book entitled: Forgiveness; Finding Peace Through Letting Go . Renowned author and theologian, Hamilton has tackled this topic with grace and compassion offering direct and biblically based wisdom and advice in his book.

Everyone is encouraged and welcome to join this gathering for lively discussion and meaningful connection - all from the comfort of your home via Zoom. Contact Lynne Parsons Austin at lynnep@sbcglobal.net for the link to join. Books are available at Amazon.com, christianbook.com or local bookstores.

McPhail Hall Temporarily Closed

This past Sunday, we discovered that several ceiling tiles had fallen in McPhail Hall.

Unfortunately, additional tiles fell later in the week.

While we have cleaned the area and secured the immediate surroundings, our top priority is the safety of our congregation and guests.

Therefore, all events scheduled in McPhail Hall are canceled until further notice while we investigate the cause and ensure the space is fully safe for use.

We apologize for the inconvenience and will provide updates as soon as we know more.

Men of the Church

The next meeting of the Men of the Church will be 4 March at 6:30 PM in the Session Room.

Come for a time of study and service projects that benefit the church.

Escape to Mo-Ranch:

Young Adult Retreat

March 20 – 22, 2026

Join Mo-Ranch for a refreshing weekend of connection and spiritual renewal!

The agenda blends faith and fun, featuring engaging small groups, worship, and a keynote speaker alongside a pickleball tournament, ropes course, riverfront activities, and yoga.

All-Inclusive Rates (Tuition, Meals, & Housing):

Hotel: $450 (Single) | $350 (Double)
Group Housing: $300

Commuter: $200

MoRanch will contact you after registration to confirm roommates and dietary needs.

Scholarships are available! [ Click here to register .]

Healing Hearts: A Ministry of Care and Encouragement

Healing Hearts will meet in the church office building in the Prayer Room of the church office building.

Next Few Meetings for Healing Hearts

Wednesday, March 11th, 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Monday, March 30th, 11:00 AM to 12:00 Noon

Computer Technique

by Dan Herron

Computer Technique: Hover the cursor to see who is sending you emails.

You getting email from more and more strange sources? Remember the idea of hovering the cursor over the email sender’s name to show the origin. We usually use origins .com, .org, and .gov. You’ll see other than these more frequently.

I received email in my inbox with my insurance company’s name but with strange words in the title. Seemed questionable. I did hover the cursor over the sender’s name and found a completely strange website sender! Into the trash it went, without my opening it.

To learn more, search “hover” on the internet to learn how to view a website or sender’s name. There are several uses for hover.

PCHAS Luncheon - Register Now - Details Below

A Joyful Lenten Offering from Our Children

Last Sunday our Sunday School children blessed the congregation with a beautiful Lenten song following Children’s Time.

Their joyful voices filled the sanctuary and reminded us how powerful it is when the youngest members of the church lead us in praise. It was a wonderful moment of intergenerational worship that brought many smiles and warmed the hearts of everyone present.

Prayer List

With hearts united in hope, we lift these names into the healing presence of God.

Gerry Jump, moved to Brazos Towers
We pray for the family of Sue Benn
Tom Edmondson, recovering from spinal surgery
Holly Darr, health concerns
Karen Alsbrook, health
Kelsey Wiltz, health concerns
Glen Risley, health concerns
Madalyn Rodgers, Kathleen Captain's sister
Joe Sanford, Scott Moore and Alice Rubio
Those looking for a job
St. Johns College Students
Raina Bailey and the families in our PCHAS homes
One Hope Preschool families and staff

Caring for One Another in Prayer

Prayer List Update –

How Can We Pray for You?

We are grateful for the opportunity to pray with and for you.

Happy Birthday

Mark Swindler (March 14)

Gloria Glover (March 17)

Madeline Graeter (March 29)

Olive Mfobujong (March 30)

Happy Anniversary

Jim and Lynne Austin (March 10)

Kerry and Mary Gaber (March 22)

Tad and Andra Mulder (March 25)

Church Calendar

Wednesday, March 11

7:00 pm Healing Hearts, Room 202

Thursday, March 12

11:00 am Friends United Luncheon, Room 203.

5:00 pm Exercise Class in Building 2

Sunday, March 15, 4 th Sunday in Lent

9:30 am Sunday School for Adults, Systematic Theology, Session Room

11:00 am Worship Service, live in sanctuary and on Facebook

1:30 pm Book Study on Zoom

3:30 pm Girl Scouts, Rooms 203 & Session Room

4:00 pm Lenten Arts Series, Reveries, Sanctuary

Sunday. March 15 , Lenten Arts Series, Reveries

Wednesday, March 18 , Men’ Group, 6:30 pm

Saturday, March 28 , Quarterly Bible Study: Salvation, 8:30 am

Saturday, March 28 , One Hope Easter Party, Courtyard, 10 am

Sunday March 29 , Palm Sunday, Lenten Arts Concert, 4 pm

Monday, March 30 , Healing Hearts, 11 am

Wednesday, April 1 , Men’s Group, 6:30 pm

Thursday, April 2 , Maundy Thursday Service, 7 pm, Sanctuary

Sunday, April 5 , Easter Sunday

Sunday, May 31 , CE Brunch: Senior Sunday and Teacher

Appreciation

Saturday, June 20 , Quarterly Bible Study (new format for all ages)

Church Calendar Online

For other dates, see St. John’s Calendar online: https://www.stjohnspresby.org/events/

2026 Session Members and Roles

Elders on the Session: Class of 2026

Ann Hardy: Finance and Stewardship

Michael Bisase: Buildings and Grounds

Jan Herbert: Christian Education

Elders on the Session: Class of 2027

Lynne Parsons Austin: Worship

Omar Ayah: Faith in Action

Marie Kutz: Personnel and Administration

Elders on the Session: Class of 2028

Mary Gaber: Christian Education

Peter Sparaco: Faith and Action

Tina Liljedahl Jump: Fellowship and Caring

Other Session Leaders and Support Staff

Jon Burnham: Moderator of Session

Lynne Parsons Austin: Clerk to Session

Tad Mulder: Church Treasurer

Lenten Sermon Series

Wilderness Sabbath:

Six Weeks of Desert Wisdom

March 15 – Fourth Sunday in Lent

"Fire and Whisper"

OT: 1 Kings 19:1-18 (Elijah at Horeb: not in earthquake, but in whisper)
NT: John 9:1-41 (Man born blind receives sight)

March 22 – Fifth Sunday in Lent

"Breath in Dry Bones"

OT: Ezekiel 37:1-14 (Valley of dry bones)
NT: John 11:1-45 (Lazarus raised from death)

March 29 – Palm/Passion Sunday

"The Road to the City"

OT: Isaiah 50:4-9a (The servant's suffering)
NT: Matthew 21:1-11 (Triumphal entry) and Matthew 26-27 (Passion narrative)

The Epistle for March 4, 2026

Wed, 04 Mar 2026 18:40:52 GMT

The newsletter of St. John's Presbyterian Church in Westbury, Meyerland, Houston

Welcome to the Epistle:

A Season of Connection

and Care

Dear St. John’s Family,

Peace be with you. In this edition of the Epistle, I am thrilled to introduce a vital new ministry that grew out of our recent Session retreat: Elder Shepherding Circles . We realized that while "connection" is a wonderful goal, it requires a intentional system to become a reality. To that end, each elder on our Session has been assigned a group of households to check in with once a month. This isn't about fundraising or recruitment; it is about ensuring that every person in our congregation is known, prayed for, and cared for. Whether it’s a quick text, a phone call, or a handwritten note, these circles are our way of practicing the "ancient church work" of shepherding, modeled after the Good Shepherd who knows each of his sheep by name.

As we move deeper into our Lenten journey, there are many opportunities to engage your heart and your hands. This Saturday, March 7, we invite you to our No Commitment Community Garden Work Day to help prepare the soil for our donation beds, which provide fresh produce for our neighbors at Braes Interfaith Ministries. On Sunday, our spirits will be lifted by a special musical offering from our Sunday School children, following our Children’s Time . We also continue our spiritual growth through our new book study on forgiveness and our upcoming Quarterly Bible Study on Salvation scheduled for March 28. Even as we navigate the temporary closure of McPhail Hall for safety repairs, the life of our church remains vibrant and active.

Finally, I want to share a word of celebration regarding our digital reach. In the month of February, our website saw over 118,000 impressions —meaning our message of hope appeared on screens over a hundred thousand times! This visibility, combined with the professional success of our recent Lenten Arts Series concert, reminds us that St. John’s is a beacon in our community both online and in person. I encourage you to read through the following pages for details on our continuing "Wilderness Sabbath" sermon series, the Young Adult Retreat at Mo-Ranch, and various fellowship groups such as the Men's Group that meets at 6:30 PM today in the Session Room. We are a community where you are not just a face in the crowd, but a valued member of a family that rejoices and prays together.

Peace,

Pastor Jon

Someone From Your Church Is Going to Reach Out to Your Household

We want you to know about it ahead of time so it does not catch you off guard.

In the coming days, one of our elders is going to contact someone in your household. It might be a text message. It might be a phone call, an email, or even a note in the mail. However it arrives, the message underneath it will be the same: you matter to this congregation, and we want to stay in touch.

This is not a fundraising call. Nobody is going to ask you to join a committee. You do not need to prepare anything or have any particular answers ready. Your elder is simply reaching out to say hello, check in on how you are doing, and let you know they are praying for you.

We are calling this our Elder Shepherding Circles , and we want to tell you how it came about.

It Started at a Retreat

Earlier this year, our Session gathered for a retreat to think carefully about what kind of church we want to be. We spent time wrestling with a simple but important question: are we setting goals, or are we building systems?

Goals are things like "we want more people to feel connected" or "we want our members to know they are cared for." Those are good things to want. But a goal without a system behind it tends to stay a wish. You name it, you feel good about naming it, and then life moves on and nothing actually changes.

A system is different. A system is a regular practice, built into the rhythm of how we operate, that produces the outcome you care about over time whether or not anyone is paying special attention in any given week.

So we asked ourselves: what would a system for genuine pastoral care actually look like at St. John's?

The answer we kept coming back to was this. Every household in this congregation should have one elder who knows their name, checks in on them regularly, prays for them by name, and serves as their personal point of contact with the church. Not a program. Not a one-time visit. A consistent, ongoing relationship built one conversation at a time.

That is the system. And it starts now.

This Is Ancient Church Work

The idea of elders caring for the flock is not a new management concept. It goes all the way back to the earliest pages of the church.

In the Gospel of John, Jesus describes himself as the Good Shepherd who knows his sheep by name. Notice it's not as a crowd or an attendance number. By name. He says, "I know my own and my own know me." That kind of knowing does not happen from a distance. It happens through presence and attention and showing up over time.

The Apostle Peter, writing to the leaders of the early church, put it plainly: "Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, caring for it." Not supervising it. Not managing it. Caring for it.

And the Apostle Paul, in his letter to the church in Rome, described what the body of Christ looks like when it is working the way it is supposed to: "Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep."

That is a description of a community where people are actually known. Where someone notices when you are struggling. Where someone rejoices with you when something good happens. Where you are not just a face in the crowd on Sunday morning.

That is what we want St. John's to be. And our elders are the ones who are going to help us get there.

What This Looks Like in Practice

Each elder on the Session has been assigned several households. Their job is to reach out to each household on their list once a month, ask a simple question, and listen.

That is the whole thing. It is not complicated. It is just consistent.

Your elder will figure out how you prefer to be contacted. Some people love a phone call. Some people prefer a text. Some people are email people. If you get a letter in the mail, that elder probably enjoys writing letters, and there is nothing wrong with that. Whatever way works best for you is the way your elder will try to reach you.

Each month, your elder will have a question to ask you. Some months the question will be light, just checking in on how life is going. Other months it might go a little deeper, asking about your faith, your needs, or what you feel like you are contributing to the world around you. There is never a wrong answer. Your elder is not evaluating you. They are just getting to know you.

About Prayer Requests

When your elder reaches out, they will almost always offer to pray for you. You can share as specifically or as generally as you like.

If you have something on your heart but you are not ready to name it out loud, you can simply say "unspoken" and your elder will carry that to God on your behalf without asking for details. If you want the request kept just between the two of you, say so and it will be. If you are comfortable having it shared with Pastor Jon, brought before the full Session, or added to our congregational prayer list, your elder can do any of those things. You are in charge of how much you share and with whom.

We want prayer to feel like a gift you are offered, not a form you are required to fill out.

A Word If You Prefer Your Privacy

Not everyone wants a monthly check-in, and we understand that. People have different ideas about what church membership means and how close they want their relationships within the congregation to be. All of that is okay.

If you would rather not be contacted, simply let your elder know, or reach out to me (Pastor Jon) directly. Nobody is going to push past a boundary you have named. What we are offering is availability, not pressure.

And if your elder reaches out and you are not quite sure what to make of it, that is okay too. You do not need to have a long conversation. A brief reply is enough. The goal is simply that you know someone from this church is thinking about you and you know how to reach them if you ever need anything.

Why This Matters

St. John's is a congregation where people are genuinely known. That is one of the things that makes this church different from a larger, more anonymous worship experience. You are not invisible here. You are not one of thousands filing in and out on a Sunday morning. You are a person with a name and a story and a life that matters to this community.

The Elder Shepherding Circles is our attempt to make sure that truth is not just something we believe but something you actually feel. Not just on the Sundays when everything goes well and the sanctuary feels warm and full. But on the ordinary Tuesdays when life is hard and you wonder if anyone would notice if you went quiet.

Someone will notice. Your elder will notice. That is the whole point.

We are grateful to be your church, and we are grateful for the elders who are stepping into this work with such care and seriousness. Watch for a message from them soon.

Peace,

Pastor Jon

Cultivating Kindness:

Community Garden Work Day

Roll up your sleeves and join us for a morning of fresh air and fellowship at our No Commitment Community Garden Work Day ! On Saturday, March 7, from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon , we will gather to clear out and prepare our donation garden beds for the upcoming season. This is a "no strings attached" invitation—whether you can stay for the full four hours or just drop in for thirty minutes, your hands and your heart are most welcome in the dirt.

This workday is about more than just pulling weeds; it is a vital part of our mission to feed our neighbors. Every bit of produce grown in these specific donation beds goes directly to Braes Interfaith Ministries (BIM) to help provide fresh, nutritious food for families in our community. By helping us prepare the soil today, you ensure a bountiful harvest for those who need it most tomorrow.

What to Bring and Wear

To make sure everyone stays safe and comfortable while we work, please keep the following in mind:

Attire: Wear closed-toe shoes, socks, a hat, and sunglasses. Don't forget your favorite pair of garden gloves!
Supplies: Bring a water bottle and any personal snacks you might need. If you'd like to bring a treat to share with your fellow gardeners, that is always appreciated!
Tools: If you have your own hoes or weeders, feel free to bring them along. If not, don't worry—we have plenty of tools on hand for everyone to use.

Celebrating Our Digital Reach

We have a wonderful reason to celebrate our growing digital presence this month! Throughout February, St. John’s reached an incredible milestone with 118,000 impressions and 933 clicks to our website, stjohnspresby.org . These numbers represent more than just data; they signify 118,000 times our church appeared in front of someone searching for community, hope, or spiritual guidance, and nearly a thousand individual moments where someone took the step to learn more about us. With six of our pages gaining significant interest, it is clear that our message is "ascending" and finding its way to new neighbors. This visibility is a testament to our vibrant life together and a powerful tool for welcoming the seeker and the stranger into our church family.

A Symphony of Resilience: Lenten Arts Success

What an extraordinary afternoon we shared at our first Lenten Arts Series concert! On March 1st, our sanctuary was filled to capacity as The Polish Duo delivered a truly "ascending" performance of “The Lark Ascending: Earth’s Song of Resilience.” Violinist Dominika Dancewicz and pianist Alina Klimaszewska (hidden behind the music stand in the image above) played with breathtaking precision and soul, moving many in the audience to tears with their mastery of works by Vaughan Williams and Edvard Grieg. The addition of tenor Mark Swindler provided a powerful vocal dimension that perfectly complemented the program's theme of hope and endurance. We are so grateful to the performers and the many volunteers who helped host such a well-attended and professionally executed event. It was a profound reminder of how beauty and music can nourish our spirits during this Lenten season.

New Lenten Book Study on Forgiveness

Jesus commanded us to forgive. Yet many times this process is a difficult one to commence: whether it is forgiveness of another, forgiveness of self, or seeking forgiveness from someone.

Important Notice: McPhail Hall Temporarily Closed

This past Sunday, we discovered that several ceiling tiles had fallen in McPhail Hall.

Unfortunately, additional tiles fell later in the week.

While we have cleaned the area and secured the immediate surroundings, our top priority is the safety of our congregation and guests.

Therefore, all events scheduled in McPhail Hall are canceled until further notice while we investigate the cause and ensure the space is fully safe for use.

We apologize for the inconvenience and will provide updates as soon as we know more.

Men of the Church

The next meeting of the Men of the Church will be 4 March at 6:30 PM in the Session Room.

Come for a time of study and service projects that benefit the church.

Confirmation Class

The Christian Education Committee is prepared to offer a Confirmation class for interested teens between the ages of 13 and 18.

The purpose of this class is to equip students for Confirmation and full membership in the church. Instruction will cover topics such as Christian theology, the Bible, and the Presbyterian tradition.

The course consists of approximately twelve two-hour sessions, which will be scheduled based on the availability of both teachers and participants.

The class will be led by Bill Ehrenstrom and Mary Gaber.

Those interested are encouraged to contact Mary Gaber at 713-204-1613 via phone or text for more information.

Quarterly Bible Study: Salvation

Perhaps the most important question we can ask ourselves is whether we are saved. Paul tells us: ^“5 Examine yourselves to see whether you are living in the faith. Test yourselves.” (2 Corinthians 13:5). And Peter tells us: “. . . be even more diligent to make your call and election sure . . .” (2 Peter 1:10). But saved from what? What does it mean to be saved?

The Christian Education Committee is offering a time for us to explore what is meant by biblical salvation. We will cover the following topics:

What is salvation?
How are we saved?
Can we have assurance of our salvation?
Can we lose our salvation?
How should salvation manifest itself in our lives?

Christian Education next Committee meeting

The next Christian Committee Meeting is Sunday, March 8, at noon.

Escape to Mo-Ranch:

Young Adult Retreat

March 20 – 22, 2026

Join Mo-Ranch for a refreshing weekend of connection and spiritual renewal!

Hotel: $450 (Single) | $350 (Double)
Group Housing: $300

Commuter: $200

MoRanch will contact you after registration to confirm roommates and dietary needs.

Scholarships are available! [ Click here to register .]

Healing Hearts: A Ministry of Care and Encouragement

Healing Hearts will meet in the church office building in the Prayer Room of the church office building.

Next Few Meetings for Healing Hearts

Wednesday, March 11th, 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Monday, March 30th, 11:00 AM to 12:00 Noon

Daylight Savings Time Again

by Dan Herron

Spring forward and fall back.

DST happens this week, Sunday, March 8.

The easy idea is to set your clocks ahead, one hour, on Saturday evening, March 7. That way your alarm clock will wake you in time for church.

You can even set your grandfather clock forward with no worries. Look up how to do this adjustment on your clock, online or in the manual. Most likely it is just stop the pendulum, move the minute hand forward one hour’s worth, which is one full rotation, and start the pendulum. The hour hand should follow correctly on many brands of clock without your moving it. Most pendulum clocks do not like it if the clock hands are moved backwards.

Ask for help if you need it.

PCHAS Luncheon - Register Now - Details Below

A Joyful Lenten Offering from Our Children

We have a special treat in store this Sunday, March 8, as our Sunday School children lead us in worship with a heartfelt Lenten song following Children's Time . This monthly Second Sunday tradition is always a highlight, but this performance promises to be extra meaningful as our youngest voices share the spirit of the season with the congregation. We invite everyone to join in the harmony and sing along during the second refrain, lifting our voices together in a beautiful moment of intergenerational praise!

Healing Prayers

With hearts united in hope, we lift these names into the healing presence of God.

Gerry Jump, moved to Brazos Towers
We pray for the family of Sue Benn
Tom Edmondson, recovering from spinal surgery
Holly Darr, health concerns
Karen Alsbrook, health
Kelsey Wiltz, health concerns
Glen Risley, health concerns
Madalyn Rodgers, Kathleen Captain's sister
Joe Sanford, Scott Moore and Alice Rubio
Those looking for a job
St. Johns College Students
Raina Bailey and the families in our PCHAS homes
One Hope Preschool families and staff

Caring for One Another in Prayer

Prayer List Update –

How Can We Pray for You?

We are grateful for the opportunity to pray with and for you.

Happy Birthday

Layla Pennycuff (March 1)

Laith Assad (March 3)

Offiong Glover (March 5)

Kyra Noons-Adams (March 5)

Marak Swindler (Marach 14)

Gloria Glover (March 17)

Madeline Graeter (March 29)

Olive Mfobujong (March 30)

Happy Anniversary

Jim and Lynne Austin (March 10)

Kerry and Mary Gaber (March 22)

Tad and Andra Mulder (March 25)

Church Calendar

Wednesday, March 4

6:30 pm Men of the Church, Session Room

Sunday, March 8, Third Sunday in Lent

9:30 am Sunday School for Adults, Systematic Theology, Session Room

11:00 am Worship Service, live in sanctuary and on Facebook

12:00 pm CE and Fellowship and Caring Committees Meetings

1:30 pm Book Study, Zoom

4:30 pm Pack 8 Meeting

Coming Events

Saturday, March 21, Quarterly Bible Study 8:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. in the Session Room with lunch in McPhail Hall

Sunday, May 31 , CE Brunch (Senior Sunday/Teacher Appreciation) in McPhail Hall after worship

Saturday, June 29 , Quarterly Bible Study (new format for all ages) – 8:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. in Bldg. 2 and McPhail Hall

Church Calendar Online

For other dates, see St. John’s Calendar online: https://www.stjohnspresby.org/events/

Presbiteriano vs. Bautista: ¿Cuál es la diferencia?

Wed, 04 Mar 2026 13:17:31 GMT

Dos tradiciones cristianas, una misma fe: Lo que toda familia debe saber antes de elegir iglesia en Houston

Presbiteriano vs. Bautista: ¿Cuál es la diferencia?

Por el Pastor Jon Burnham, Iglesia Presbiteriana St. John's, Houston, Texas

Si usted ha buscado en Google algo como "presbiteriano vs bautista" o "qué es una iglesia presbiteriana," probablemente está tratando de entender algo importante: ¿en qué se diferencian estas dos tradiciones cristianas, y cuál sería la mejor comunidad de fe para usted y su familia?

Es una buena pregunta, y merece una respuesta honesta y clara.

Lo primero que quiero decirle es esto: los presbiterianos y los bautistas son hermanos y hermanas en Cristo. Las dos tradiciones creen en la Biblia como la Palabra de Dios. Las dos creen que Jesucristo murió por nuestros pecados y resucitó de entre los muertos. Las dos tienen una historia larga y rica de servicio a las comunidades y de amor al prójimo. Si usted encuentra una iglesia bautista fiel o una iglesia presbiteriana fiel, encontrará a personas que aman a Dios de todo corazón.

Entonces, ¿por qué importan las diferencias? Porque cuando usted busca una iglesia, no busca solamente una doctrina. Busca una comunidad, una forma de adorar, una manera de entender su fe. Y las diferencias entre presbiterianos y bautistas son reales y vale la pena comprenderlas.

Permítame explicarlas de manera sencilla.

Las dos tradiciones vienen de la misma raíz

Tanto los presbiterianos como los bautistas son protestantes. Los dos surgieron de la Reforma Protestante del siglo XVI, cuando reformadores como Martín Lutero y Juan Calvino desafiaron ciertas enseñanzas de la Iglesia Católica Romana y regresaron a las Escrituras como la autoridad principal de la fe cristiana.

Los presbiterianos siguen principalmente la tradición de Juan Calvino, quien enseñó desde Ginebra, Suiza. Los bautistas tienen una historia un poco diferente, nacida en Inglaterra en el siglo XVII, con raíces en el movimiento puritano y anabautista.

Las dos tradiciones valoran profundamente la Biblia. Las dos rechazan la idea de que uno se gana la salvación por sus propias obras. Las dos creen en la gracia de Dios como el corazón del evangelio.

Pero hay diferencias importantes en cuatro áreas: el bautismo, el gobierno de la iglesia, la teología de la salvación, y la forma de adorar.

La primera diferencia: el bautismo

Esta es quizás la diferencia más visible entre presbiterianos y bautistas, y es la que más preguntas genera.

Los bautistas practican lo que se llama el bautismo del creyente. Esto significa que solamente se bautiza a las personas que ya han hecho una confesión personal de fe en Jesucristo. Los bebés no son bautizados. Cuando un niño o adulto declara su fe por sí mismo, entonces es bautizado, generalmente por inmersión completa en el agua.

Los presbiterianos, en cambio, practicamos el bautismo de los hijos de creyentes, lo que a veces se llama bautismo infantil o paedobaptismo. Esto significa que cuando los padres creyentes traen a su bebé a la iglesia para ser bautizado, están haciendo una promesa pública de criar a ese niño en la fe cristiana, y la congregación también hace una promesa de acompañar a esa familia.

Para los presbiterianos, el bautismo infantil no es un acto mágico que salva automáticamente al niño. Es una señal del pacto de gracia, similar a la circuncisión en el Antiguo Testamento, que marcaba a los hijos de Israel como parte del pueblo de Dios. El bautismo infantil dice: "Este niño pertenece a la comunidad del pacto. Nosotros lo criaremos en la fe. El Señor conoce su nombre."

Muchas familias hispanas que vienen a St. John's Presbyterian Church en Houston preguntan sobre esto, especialmente si vienen de una tradición bautista o católica. Mi respuesta siempre es la misma: el bautismo infantil presbiteriano tiene más en común con la tradición católica del bautismo que con la tradición bautista, aunque la teología detrás de él es diferente. Es una promesa hecha a Dios y a la comunidad, no un sacramento que otorga la salvación automáticamente.

El modo de bautismo también es diferente. Los bautistas generalmente insisten en la inmersión completa. Los presbiterianos aceptamos la inmersión, pero también el derramamiento o la aspersión de agua. Lo que importa para nosotros no es la cantidad de agua, sino la fe y la promesa que el bautismo representa.

La segunda diferencia: el gobierno de la iglesia

El nombre "presbiteriano" viene de la palabra griega "presbyteros," que significa anciano. Y eso nos dice mucho sobre cómo nos gobernamos.

En una iglesia presbiteriana, la congregación no es gobernada solamente por el pastor. Hay un grupo de personas llamadas ancianos (o "ruling elders" en inglés) que junto con el pastor forman lo que llamamos la Sesión. La Sesión toma las decisiones importantes de la iglesia, cuida espiritualmente a los miembros, y supervisa la vida de la comunidad.

Además, las iglesias presbiterianas no funcionan de manera completamente independiente. Pertenecemos a un Presbiterio, que es una asociación de iglesias en una región geográfica. Y los Presbiterios forman parte de la denominación nacional. En nuestro caso, somos parte de la Iglesia Presbiteriana (USA), conocida como PC(USA).

Este sistema tiene una ventaja enorme: ninguna persona tiene todo el poder. El pastor no puede hacer lo que quiera sin la supervisión de los ancianos. Y los ancianos tienen que responder ante el Presbiterio. Hay responsabilidad compartida en todos los niveles.

Las iglesias bautistas, por otro lado, generalmente practican lo que se llama autonomía congregacional. Cada iglesia bautista toma sus propias decisiones de manera independiente. La congregación en su conjunto tiene la autoridad final en los asuntos de la iglesia. El pastor puede tener mucha influencia, pero la congregación vota sobre las decisiones importantes. Las asociaciones bautistas (similares a los presbiterios) existen, pero no tienen autoridad sobre las iglesias locales.

Ninguno de estos sistemas es perfecto. Pero el sistema presbiteriano fue diseñado para proteger a las congregaciones del abuso de poder y para asegurar que las decisiones importantes sean tomadas con sabiduría colectiva, no solamente por una persona.

En St. John's Presbyterian Church, aquí en el suroeste de Houston, nuestros ancianos son personas de la congregación que conocen a las familias, que oran por los miembros, y que toman en serio la responsabilidad de cuidar a la comunidad de fe. No es un título honorario. Es un ministerio real.

La tercera diferencia: la teología de la salvación

Aquí es donde las cosas se ponen un poco más profundas, pero vale la pena entenderlo.

Los presbiterianos somos herederos de la teología reformada de Juan Calvino. Una parte central de esta tradición es la creencia en la soberanía de Dios sobre todas las cosas, incluyendo la salvación. Los presbiterianos creemos que Dios, en su gracia, elige a las personas para la salvación. Esto se llama predestinación o elección.

Sé que esto puede sonar extraño o incluso inquietante al principio. Pero permítame explicarlo de la manera en que lo entiendo yo.

La predestinación no significa que Dios sea injusto o que algunas personas no tengan esperanza. Significa que la salvación es completamente un regalo de Dios, de principio a fin. No es algo que usted gana con sus buenas obras, ni algo que usted pierde con sus malas obras. Es la gracia soberana de Dios la que salva, y esa gracia es poderosa e irresistible para aquellos a quienes Dios llama.

Esto lleva a los presbiterianos a vivir con una profunda humildad y gratitud. Si usted está en la fe hoy, no es porque usted sea más inteligente o más bueno que los demás. Es porque Dios, en su misericordia, lo alcanzó a usted.

Los bautistas, en general, tienen una visión diferente de la salvación. Muchos (aunque no todos) enfatizan más el libre albedrío humano en la decisión de aceptar o rechazar a Cristo. En la tradición bautista general, la persona elige libremente seguir a Jesús, y esa decisión personal es central en su comprensión del evangelio. Esto es lo que hace que el bautismo del creyente tenga tanto sentido en ese contexto: usted es bautizado porque usted mismo tomó la decisión de seguir a Cristo.

Hay bautistas que tienen una teología muy parecida a la presbiteriana en cuanto a la predestinación (los llamados bautistas reformados o calvinistas). Y hay personas dentro de la tradición presbiteriana que tienen opiniones más matizadas sobre este tema. Así que no hay una línea perfectamente clara entre los dos grupos en este punto.

Lo que sí puedo decirle es esto: en St. John's, tomamos en serio la soberanía de Dios, pero también tomamos en serio la invitación del evangelio. Creemos que el llamado de Dios es real y que la respuesta humana importa. La gracia de Dios no anula nuestra responsabilidad. La fortalece.

La cuarta diferencia: la forma de adorar

Si usted entra a una iglesia bautista en Houston un domingo por la mañana, es probable que encuentre un ambiente muy variado. Algunas iglesias bautistas tienen una adoración muy contemporánea, con bandas de música, pantallas grandes, y un estilo más informal. Otras mantienen tradiciones más antiguas. Pero en general, el movimiento bautista tiene una gran variedad de estilos de adoración, y las congregaciones individuales tienen mucha libertad para escoger cómo quieren adorar.

En la tradición presbiteriana, la adoración tiende a ser más ordenada y litúrgica, aunque no necesariamente fría o aburrida. Seguimos una estructura de culto que tiene sus raíces en la Reforma, que incluye la lectura de la Escritura, la predicación de la Palabra, la oración, el canto de himnos, y la celebración de los sacramentos.

En St. John's Presbyterian Church, adoramos de manera tradicional. Tenemos un coro de cámara que lidera la música en el culto. Cantamos himnos del himnario Gloria a Dios. La predicación conecta las verdades de la Biblia con la vida diaria. También celebramos la Santa Cena regularmente, y ocasionalmente tenemos servicios de sanación con imposición de manos y unción con aceite.

Nuestros cultos se llevan a cabo los domingos a las 11:00 de la mañana, y también ofrecemos estudio bíblico para adultos a las 9:30 de la mañana y clases para los niños durante el culto principal.

La adoración presbiteriana no busca impresionar a nadie. Busca encontrarse con Dios, escuchar su Palabra, y salir transformados para servir al mundo.

Lo que tenemos en común

Después de señalar las diferencias, quiero volver a lo que nos une, porque es mucho más grande que lo que nos separa.

Presbiterianos y bautistas creemos que Jesucristo es el Señor y Salvador de toda la humanidad. Creemos que la Biblia es la Palabra de Dios y la guía principal de nuestra fe y vida. Creemos en la importancia de la comunidad de fe, del servicio al prójimo, y de la oración. Creemos que el evangelio de Jesucristo tiene el poder de transformar vidas, familias, y comunidades enteras.

En Houston, donde hay tanta necesidad y tanta diversidad, estas convicciones compartidas nos hacen aliados, no competidores. Dios no tiene favoritos denominacionales. Él mira el corazón.

¿Por qué elegir una iglesia presbiteriana en Houston?

Si usted está buscando una iglesia en el suroeste de Houston, en vecindarios como Westbury, Meyerland, Bellaire, o cerca del código postal 77035, le invito a considerar St. John's Presbyterian Church.

No somos una megaiglesia. Somos una comunidad íntima donde usted será conocido por su nombre, donde sus necesidades importan, y donde su ausencia será notada. Tenemos un jardín comunitario que donamos al banco de alimentos de Braes Interfaith Ministries. Apoyamos a familias monoparentales en nuestro campus a través de PCHAS. Nos preocupamos por los marineros internacionales que llegan al Puerto de Houston a través de nuestro trabajo con el Houston International Seafarers Center.

No buscamos que usted se convierta en presbiteriano antes de ser bienvenido aquí. Buscamos que usted encuentre a Dios, encuentre comunidad, y encuentre su lugar en el trabajo del Reino.

La dirección de nuestra iglesia es 5020 West Bellfort Avenue, Houston, TX 77035. Puede llamarnos al (713) 723-6262 o escribirnos a office.sjpc@gmail.com . También puede visitar nuestro sitio web en stjohnspresby.org para obtener más información.

Si tiene preguntas sobre la tradición presbiteriana, sobre el bautismo, sobre la membresía, o simplemente quiere venir un domingo a ver cómo somos, le damos la bienvenida con los brazos abiertos.

Como pastor, he escrito sobre temas de fe y espiritualidad en varios libros, incluyendo uno titulado The Open Church: Faith that Welcomes Questions (La Iglesia Abierta: Una fe que da la bienvenida a las preguntas). Eso es exactamente lo que somos: una iglesia donde sus preguntas son bienvenidas.

Porque las preguntas honestas son el principio de la fe verdadera.

Pastor Jon Burnham es el pastor principal de la Iglesia Presbiteriana St. John's en Houston, Texas. Para obtener más información sobre nuestra iglesia o para hacer una visita, llámenos al (713) 723-6262 o visítenos en stjohnspresby.org.

Siga leyendo:

Iglesia Presbiteriana en Houston: Bienvenidos a St. John's

Wed, 04 Mar 2026 13:08:17 GMT

Una Iglesia Cristiana Cerca de Usted en el Suroeste de Houston

Iglesia Presbiteriana en Houston: Bienvenidos a St. John's

Palabras clave: iglesia presbiteriana Houston, iglesia cristiana cerca de mi, que significa presbiteriana, iglesia Houston suroeste, comunidad cristiana Houston

Bienvenidos a St. John's: Su Iglesia Presbiteriana en Houston

Por el Pastor Jon Burnham | St. John's Presbyterian Church, Houston, Texas

Si usted escribio en Google las palabras "significado de presbiteriana" o busco una iglesia cristiana cerca de usted en Houston, ha llegado al lugar correcto. Nos da mucho gusto que nos haya encontrado.

Mi nombre es Jon Burnham, y soy el pastor de St. John's Presbyterian Church. Nuestra iglesia lleva mas de sesenta anos sirviendo al suroeste de Houston, aqui en el vecindario de West Bellfort, muy cerca de Westbury, Meyerland y Bellaire. Somos una congregacion pequena, y eso es exactamente como nos gusta. Aqui, cada persona es conocida, valorada, y nos hace falta cuando no esta.

Entonces, ¿Que significa "presbiteriana"?

Es una buena pregunta, y se la hacen muchas personas. La palabra viene del griego presbyteros, que simplemente significa "anciano" o "lider de la comunidad". En la iglesia presbiteriana, no hay un solo pastor que tome todas las decisiones. En cambio, un grupo de lideres elegidos por la propia congregacion, llamados ancianos o "presbiteros", guian la iglesia juntos.

Es una forma muy antigua de organizarse, que viene directamente de la Biblia y de la tradicion de la iglesia cristiana de los primeros siglos. Los presbiterianos tambien somos parte de la gran familia cristiana que se llama Reformada, que nacio en Europa hace mas de quinientos anos con el deseo de leer la Biblia con seriedad y de vivir la fe con autenticidad.

Pero no se preocupe si todo eso suena complicado. Lo mas importante no es el nombre. Lo mas importante es esto: somos una comunidad de personas que intentan seguir a Jesus juntos, con honestidad, con humildad, y con amor al projimo.

¿Que tipo de iglesia somos?

Houston tiene iglesias de todos los tamanos. Algunas tienen miles de personas cada domingo, con pantallas gigantes y estacionamiento de varios pisos. Esas iglesias tienen su lugar, y Dios obra en muchos sitios.

Pero St. John's es diferente. Somos una iglesia donde usted no se pierde entre la multitud. Donde los domingos por la manana la gente se saluda por su nombre. Donde si un miembro de la familia esta enfermo, la congregacion lo sabe y reza por el. Donde hay un lugar para usted en la mesa, no solo en el banco.

Nuestro culto dominical comienza a las 11:00 de la manana los domingos, con musica, lectura de la Biblia, oracion, y un sermon que intenta hablar a la vida real. Antes del culto, a las 9:30, ofrecemos un estudio biblico para adultos. Tambien hay clases para los ninos durante el culto.

Durante la semana, hay grupos de estudio biblico los martes, los miercoles, y los domingos por la tarde, para quienes quieran ir mas profundo en su fe.

La fe en accion: lo que hacemos en la comunidad

En St. John's creemos que la fe cristiana no es solo para adentro de la iglesia. Es para afuera tambien. Por eso participamos activamente en el servicio a nuestra comunidad de Houston.

Trabajamos con Braes Interfaith Ministries, que ayuda a familias de nuestra area con comida y servicios de emergencia. Tenemos un huerto comunitario de 18 camas que produce verduras frescas para programas de asistencia alimentaria en el suroeste de Houston. Apoyamos a ninos en Uganda a traves de un orfanato, y nos preocupamos por los marineros que llegan al Puerto de Houston lejos de sus familias y sus hogares.

No somos perfectos. Somos simplemente personas que tratan de hacer el bien con lo que tienen, guiadas por el amor de Cristo.

Usted es bienvenido aqui

No importa de donde viene. No importa si ha ido a la iglesia toda su vida o si hace anos que no pisa una. No importa si tiene muchas preguntas sobre la fe o si todavia no sabe muy bien lo que cree. En St. John's, las preguntas son bienvenidas. La duda no asusta a nadie aqui.

Lo que ofrecemos es sencillo pero valioso: una comunidad real, donde la gente se conoce de verdad, se apoya en los momentos dificiles, y celebra junta en los buenos momentos. Una fe que no se queda en las palabras sino que se vive en la vida diaria.

Nuestro culto se lleva a cabo en ingles, pero queremos que sepa que su presencia nos alegra. Si tiene preguntas o simplemente quiere conocernos, puede llamarnos o visitarnos. Siempre hay alguien aqui con gusto de conversar.

Visitenos

St. John's Presbyterian Church se encuentra en 5020 West Bellfort Avenue, Houston, Texas 77035. Estamos en el suroeste de Houston, a pocos minutos de Bellaire, Meyerland y Westbury.

Telefono: (713) 723-6262

Culto dominical: Domingos a las 11:00 AM

Estudio biblico para adultos: Domingos a las 9:30 AM

Esperamos conocerle pronto. La puerta de St. John's siempre esta abierta.

Con carino pastoral,

Pastor Jon Burnham

St. John's Presbyterian Church | Houston, Texas

Worship Bulletin and Announcements for February 29, 2026

Sat, 28 Feb 2026 15:38:35 GMT

This is a subtitle for your new post

Your Worship Invitation to St. John's Presbyterian Church in Houston

Friends,

This Sunday, March 1, as we continue our Lenten journey, I invite you to worship with us at 11:00 AM for a service shaped around a simple, searching question: What do you hunger for in the wilderness?

Our Scripture from Exodus tells the story of manna in the desert. The people are anxious. They are tired. They are afraid there will not be enough. And yet, each morning, God lays bread on the ground. Just enough. In the Gospel, Nicodemus comes to Jesus at night, hungry for something he cannot quite name. In both stories, we discover that God meets us in our emptiness.

The sermon is titled “Bread in Empty Places.” We will reflect on how God feeds us when life feels thin, uncertain, or stripped down. We will gather at the Lord’s Table and pray together, “Give us this day our daily bread,” trusting that grace is not stored up in warehouses. It is given for today.

Our hymns echo that longing. “Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah” gives voice to pilgrims who know they are weak and need a steady hand. “Break Thou the Bread of Life” turns our attention from information about God to communion with the Living Word.

Then, later that afternoon at 4:00 PM, we will host a special event in our Lenten Arts Series: “The Lark Ascending: Earth’s Song of Resilience.” We are honored to welcome The Polish Duo, violinist Dominika Dancewicz and pianist Alina Klimaszewska, joined by tenor Mark Swindler. The program features music by Josef Suk, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Roger Quilter, and Edvard Grieg.

“The Lark Ascending” has always felt to me like a prayer without words. A violin rising into the air, fragile and strong at the same time. In Lent, when we are honest about our hunger and our limits, that kind of music becomes a companion. It reminds us that resilience is not noise. It is quiet faithfulness. It is beauty that refuses to disappear.

Come for worship. Come for the music. Come hungry. There is bread in the wilderness, and there is a song still rising over this weary earth.

Peace,

Pastor Jon

The Rev. Dr. Jon Burnham

St. John's Presbyterian Church

5020 West Bellfort Avenue Houston, TX 77035

(713) 723-6262

P.S. The service will be live-streamed

on our church website

and on our St. John's Facebook page .

St. John's Presbyterian Bulletin

March 1, 2026, 2 ^nd Sunday of Lent

Gathering

Prelude, Alina Klimaszewska, organ

*Call To Worship, The Rev. Dr. Jon Burnham

Leader: What do you hunger for in the wilderness?

People: Bread that satisfies more than the body.

Leader: What do you crave when certainty crumbles?

People: Sustenance that cannot be stored or controlled.

Leader: Come, taste and see what God provides,

People: Manna for the journey, grace enough for today.

Opening Prayer

*Hymn 65 Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah

1 Guide me, O thou great Jehovah,

pilgrim through this barren land.

I am weak, but thou art mighty.

Hold me with thy powerful hand.

Bread of heaven, bread of heaven,

feed me till I want no more;

feed me till I want no more.

2 Open now the crystal fountain,

whence the healing stream doth flow.

Let the fire and cloudy pillar

lead me all my journey through.

Strong deliverer, strong deliverer,

be thou still my strength and shield;

be thou still my strength and shield.

3 When I tread the verge of Jordan,

bid my anxious fears subside.

Death of death, and hell's destruction,

land me safe on Canaan's side.

Songs of praises, songs of praises

I will ever give to thee;

I will ever give to thee.

Prayer of Confession, Liturgist, Lynne Parsons Austin

God of daily bread, we confess that we are hoarders in a world you designed for sharing. We stockpile security, afraid your provision will fail. We measure our worth by what we accumulate, forgetting that you measure it by love. We pass by the hungry, convinced there is not enough to go around, when your manna covers the ground each dawn. Forgive our greed. Forgive our fear. Teach us to gather only what we need and trust you for tomorrow. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen. (Silent Confession)

Assurance of Pardon

*Glory Be to the Father, Hymn 581

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end. Amen, amen.

*Passing the Peace

The Word

Prayer for Illumination

First Scripture Reading, Exodus 16:1-18

The whole congregation of the Israelites set out from Elim; and Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt. The whole congregation of the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate our fill of bread; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” Then the Lord said to Moses, “I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day. In that way I will test them, whether they will follow my instruction or not. On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather on other days.” So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “In the evening you shall know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, and in the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your complaining against the Lord. For what are we, that you complain against us?” And Moses said, “When the Lord gives you meat to eat in the evening and your fill of bread in the morning, because the Lord has heard the complaining that you utter against him—what are we? Your complaining is not against us but against the Lord.” Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to the whole congregation of the Israelites, ‘Draw near to the Lord, for he has heard your complaining.’” And as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the Israelites, they looked toward the wilderness, and the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. The Lord spoke to Moses and said, “I have heard the complaining of the Israelites; say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread; then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’”

In the evening quails came up and covered the camp; and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. When the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of the wilderness was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground. When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat. This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Gather as much of it as each of you needs, an omer to a person according to the number of persons, all providing for those in their own tents.’” The Israelites did so, some gathering more, some less. But when they measured it with an omer, those who gathered much had nothing over, and those who gathered little had no shortage; they gathered as much as each of them needed.

Anthem

Sermon Scripture, John 3:1-17

Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things? “Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.

“Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

The Word of the Lord for us today.

Thanks be to God.

Sermon, Bread in Empty Places

The Rev. Dr. Jon Burnham

*Hymn 460 Break Thou the Bread of Life

1 Break thou the bread of life,

dear Lord, to me,

as thou didst break the loaves

beside the sea.

Beyond the sacred page

I seek thee, Lord.

My spirit pants for thee,

O living Word!

2 Bless thou the truth, dear Lord,

now unto me,

as thou didst bless the bread

by Galilee.

Then shall all bondage cease,

all fetters fall.

And I shall find my peace,

my all in all.

The Lord’s Supper

The Great Thanksgiving

Lift up your hearts!

We lift them up to God!

Celebrate God's love!

It is right to give God our thanks and praise!

As we walk this journey of life, we remember these gifts as we proclaim the mystery of faith.

Christ has died, Christ is risen. Christ will come again.

Prayers of the People and Lord’s Prayer

Breaking the Bread and Communion of the People

Hymn 497 Bread of Life from Heaven, 1, 2 and 3

Bread of life from heaven,

your blood and body given,

we eat this bread and drink this cup

until you come again.

1 Break now the bread of Christ’s sacrifice;

giving thanks, hungry ones, gather round.

Eat, all of you, and be satisfied;

in Christ’s presence the loaves will abound. (Refrain)

2 Seek not the food that will pass away;

set your hearts on the food that endures.

Come, learn the true and the living way,

that the fullness of life may be yours. (Refrain)

3 Love as the One who, in love for you,

gave himself for the life of the world.

Come to the One who is food for you,

that your hunger and thirst be no more. (Refrain)

Prayer after Communion

Welcome and Announcements

Offering

*Doxology, Hymn 609

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow.

Praise God, all creatures high and low.

Alleluia, alleluia!

Praise God, in Jesus fully known: Creator, Word, and Spirit one.

Alleluia, alleluia! Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

*Prayer after the Offering

Sending

*Hymn 516, For The Bread Which You Have Broken, 1, 2 and 4

1 For the bread which you have broken,

for the wine which you have poured,

for the words which you have spoken,

now we give you thanks, O Lord.

2 By this promise that you love us,

by your gift of peace restored,

by your call to heaven above us,

hallow all our lives, O Lord.

4 In your service, Lord, defend us;

in our hearts keep watch and ward;

in the world to which you send us

let your kingdom come, O Lord.

*Benediction and Postlude

Announcements

Today: Lenten Arts Series, The Polish Duo Presents “The Lark Ascending: Earth’s Song of Resilience,”

St. John’s Presbyterian Church is honored to host The Polish Duo for a special afternoon of music on Sunday, March 1 at 4:00 PM.

Violinist Dominika Dancewicz and pianist Alina Klimaszewska will present “The Lark Ascending: Earth’s Song of Resilience,” a beautiful and moving program featuring music by Josef Suk, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Roger Quilter, and Edvard Grieg.

They will be joined by tenor Mark Swindler for this inspiring performance. Join us for an afternoon of artistry, reflection, and music that lifts the spirit.

Support for Senasia: Food Train Sign-Up

The Caring and Fellowship Committee has set up a food train to assist Senasia Jones.

We have included a link below to sign up.

If you have any issues using the link, you can just bring something by without signing up, or contact Tina Jump for assistance.

[Link to Support of Senasia Jones ]

Men of the Church

The next meeting of the Men of the Church will be March 4 at 6:30 PM in the Session Room. Come for a time of study and service projects that benefit the church.

CE Committee Meeting, Next Sunday, March 8, after Worship

All committee members and teachers are invited.

Healing Hearts for March

Wednesday, March 11, 7:00 pm and Monday, March 30, 11:00 am. St. John’s is proud to support this healing ministry.

St. John’s Friends United, March 12 at 11 am

Master Gardener, Mary Gaber, will be presenting “Gardening 101” and giving us a tour of St. Johns gardens. Please come out to hear Mary’s informative presentation.

March 28, Quarterly Bible Study: Salvatio

The Christian Education Committee is offering a time for us to explore what is meant by biblical salvation. We will cover the following topics:

What is salvation? How are we saved? Can we have assurance of our salvation? Can we lose our salvation? How should salvation manifest itself in our lives?

The class will be on Saturday, March 28 from 8:30am to 2:00pm. Lunch will be provided. A sign up roster is in the narthex. If you can’t sign up in person, email the church office at office.sjpc@gmail.com . Please sign up so we know how many people for materials and lunch. Hope to see you there!

Important Notice: McPhail Hall Temporarily Closed

All events scheduled in McPhail Hall are canceled until further notice. We apologize for the inconvenience and will provide updates as soon as we know more.

New Lenten Book Study on Forgiveness

Jesus commanded us to forgive. Yet many times this process is a difficult one to commence: whether it is forgiveness of another, forgiveness of self, or seeking forgiveness from someone.

We stumble and find ways to circumvent Jesus’ desire for us. Beginning February 22, 2026 at 1:30pm, the Sunday Book Study group will step into our Lenten journey by studying Adam Hamilton’s book entitled: Forgiveness; Finding Peace Through Letting Go. Renowned author and theologian, Hamilton has tackled this topic with grace and compassion offering direct and biblically based wisdom and advice in his book.

Everyone is encouraged and welcome to join this gathering for lively discussion and meaningful connection - all from the comfort of your home via Zoom. Contact Lynne Parsons Austin at lynnep@sbcglobal.net for the link to join. Books are available at Amazon.com, christianbook.com or local bookstores.

Confirmation Class

The Christian Education Committee is offering a Confirmation class for interested teens between the ages of 13 and 18.

The purpose of this class is to equip students for Confirmation and full membership in the church. Instruction will cover topics such as Christian theology, the Bible, and the Presbyterian tradition.

The course consists of approximately twelve two-hour sessions, which will be scheduled based on the availability of both teachers and participants.

The class will be led by Bill Ehrenstrom and Mary Gaber.

Those interested are encouraged to contact Mary Gaber at 713-204-1613 via phone or text for more information.

Happy Birthday

Layla Pennycuff (March 1)

Laith Assad (March 3)

Offiong Glover (March 5)

Kyra Noons-Adams (March 6)

Mark Swindler (March 14)

Gloria Glover (March 17)

Madeline Graeter (March 29)

Olive Mfobujong (March 30)

Happy Anniversary

Jim and Lynne Austin (March 10)

Kerry and Mary Gaber (March 22)

Tad and Andra Mulder (March 25)

Calendar

Sunday, March 1, 2 ^nd Sunday in Lent

9:30 am Sunday School for Adults, Systematic Theology, Session Room

11:00 am Worship Service, live in sanctuary and on Facebook

1:30 pm Book Study on Zoom

4:00 pm First Lenten Arts Series, The Polish Duo, Sanctuary

4:30pm Pack 8 Meeting

Tuesday, March 3

5:00 pm Exercise Group, Building 2

Wednesday, March 4

6:30 pm Men’s Group, Session Room

Thursday, March 5

5:00 pm Exercise Class in Building 2

Sunday, March 8, First Sunday in Lent

9:30 am Sunday School for Adults, Systematic Theology, Session Room

11:00 am Worship Service, live in sanctuary and on Facebook

12:00 pm CE and Fellowship and Caring Committees Meetings

1:30 pm Book Study, Zoom

4:30 pm Pack 8 Meeting

Coming Events

Tues, March 10, Session Meeting, 7 pm

Wed, March 11, Healing Hearts, 7 pm

Thurs, March 12, Friends United Luncheon, 11 am

Sun, March 15, Lenten Arts Concert, 4 pm

Wed, March 18, Men’s Group, 6:30 pm

Sat, March 28, Quarterly Bible Study: Salvation, 8:30 am

Sat, March 28, One Hope Easter Party, Courtyard, 10 am

Sun, March 29, Palm Sunday, Lenten Arts Concert, 4 pm

Mon, March 30, Healing Hearts, 11 am

Wed, April 1, Men’s Group, 6:30 pm

Thurs, April 2, Maundy Thursday Service, 7 pm, Sanctuary

April 5, Easter Sunday

Sun, May 31, CE Brunch: Senior Sunday and Teacher Appreciation

Sat, June 20, Quarterly Bible Study (new format for all ages)

The Epistle for February 25, 2026

Wed, 25 Feb 2026 16:12:27 GMT

The Official Newsletter of St. John's Presbyterian Church in Houston, Texas

The Epistle

February 25, 2026

A Word from Pastor Jon

Dear St. John’s Family,

Last Sunday we began our Lenten journey with the theme Wilderness Sabbath, stepping into the strange, honest terrain Scripture calls the desert.

We listened to Hagar wandering under a brutal sky in Genesis, and to Jesus fasting in the Judean wild. Both stories carry the same quiet truth. The wilderness is not always a stretch of sand. Sometimes it is a stretch of life. A season that takes away our noise and props and leaves us face to face with what is real.

These seasons feel unwanted. Yet the Gospels say the Spirit led Jesus there. Which means the desert is not abandoned ground. It is a place where God works on the soul with a kind of fierce tenderness, clearing vision and strengthening trust.

One image stayed with us. Beer Lahai Roi , the well of the Living One who sees me. Hagar only noticed the water when she had nothing left to spend. The well had been there all along. That is often how grace behaves. We discover it in the exact terrain we wished to avoid.

We named the pull toward shortcuts. The urge to force bread from stones. The temptation to act faithful when the heart feels dry. Instead, we practiced another posture. Trusting that God is already present in silence, in waiting rooms, in long transitions that refuse tidy endings.

For us at St. John’s, this also shapes how we live together. We learn to notice one another in desert seasons. We show up without requiring polish. When we speak honestly about our own hard landscapes, something unexpected happens. We become small wells for each other. Places of recognition and refreshment.

This week, try sitting gently with whatever in your life feels barren or exposed. Hold it before God and ask, “What do you see here that I cannot yet see?” Stay there a moment. The well may be closer than you think.

Peace,

Pastor Jon

Lenten Arts Series

St. John’s Presbyterian Church is honored to host The Polish Duo for a special afternoon of music on Sunday, March 1 at 4:00 PM . Violinist Dominika Dancewicz and pianist Alina Klimaszewska will present “The Lark Ascending: Earth’s Song of Resilience,” a beautiful and moving program featuring music by Josef Suk, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Roger Quilter, and Edvard Grieg. They will be joined by tenor Mark Swindler for this inspiring performance.

Join us at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 5020 W. Bellfort Ave. , for an afternoon of artistry, reflection, and music that lifts the spirit.

New Lenten Book Study on Forgiveness

Jesus commanded us to forgive. Yet many times this process is a difficult one to commence: whether it is forgiveness of another, forgiveness of self, or seeking forgiveness from someone.

Important Notice:

McPhail Hall Temporarily Closed

This past Sunday, we discovered that several ceiling tiles had fallen in McPhail Hall. Unfortunately, additional tiles fell later in the week. While we have cleaned the area and secured the immediate surroundings, our top priority is the safety of our congregation and guests. Therefore, all events scheduled in McPhail Hall are canceled until further notice while we investigate the cause and ensure the space is fully safe for use. We apologize for the inconvenience and will provide updates as soon as we know more.

Men of the Church

The next meeting of the Men of the Church will be 4 March at 6:30 PM in the Session Room. Come for a time of study and service projects that benefit the church.

Confirmation Class

The Christian Education Committee is prepared to offer a Confirmation class for interested teens between the ages of 13 and 18.

The purpose of this class is to equip students for Confirmation and full membership in the church. Instruction will cover topics such as Christian theology, the Bible, and the Presbyterian tradition.

The course consists of approximately twelve two-hour sessions, which will be scheduled based on the availability of both teachers and participants.

The class will be led by Bill Ehrenstrom and Mary Gaber.

Those interested are encouraged to contact Mary Gaber at 713-204-1613 via phone or text for more information.

Quarterly Bible Study: Salvation

The Christian Education Committee is offering a time for us to explore what is meant by biblical salvation. We will cover the following topics:

What is salvation?
How are we saved?
Can we have assurance of our salvation?
Can we lose our salvation?
How should salvation manifest itself in our lives?

Christian Education Committee

The next Christian Committee Meeting is Sunday, March 8, at noon.

Find Out More about St. John's

At St. John's Presbyterian in Houston, we're not the polished megachurch with fog machines and perfect families. We're real people bringing our real mess to a real God who keeps His promises even when we don't.

If you're curious what that looks like in practice, I've written some honest reflections about our community:

Come see what happens when a church stops pretending and starts remembering that grace is the whole point.

Worship Bulletin for February 22, 2026

Sat, 21 Feb 2026 18:24:10 GMT

Worship Bulletin and Announcements for February 22, 2026

Friends,

As we begin this First Sunday in Lent, I want to invite you into the wilderness.

Our sermon this week is titled “Into the Wild.” We will walk with Hagar in the desert and with Jesus in the lonely places where hunger and temptation press in close. Lent begins not with applause but with honesty. The wilderness has a way of stripping us down to what is true. If you have ever felt exposed, uncertain, or tested, you already know something about holy ground.

We will lift our voices in “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing.” There is a line that always catches me: “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it.” That is Lent in a single sentence. We wander. We lose our way. And still, grace keeps calling us back. That hymn does not pretend we are strong. It reminds us that we are held.

Later, we will sing “On Eagle’s Wings,” and remember that even in the wild, God does not abandon us. The same God who opened a well for Hagar and sent angels to tend Jesus meets us in our dry places.

If you are thirsty for something real this season, come. If you are tired of pretending you have it all together, come. We gather at 11:00 AM, and there is room for you in this story.

Peace,

Pastor Jon

The Rev. Dr. Jon Burnham

St. John's Presbyterian Church

5020 West Bellfort Avenue Houston, TX 77035

(713) 723-6262

P.S. The service will be live-streamed

on our church website

and on our St. John's Facebook page .

St. John's Presbyterian Bulletin

February 22, 2026, First Sunday in Lent

Gathering

Prelude, Alina Klimaszewska, organ

*Call To Worship, The Rev. Dr. Jon Burnham

Leader: The Spirit drives us into the wilderness,

People: Into places where illusions fall away.

Leader: Where the sand shifts beneath our certainty,

People: And the sun strips us down to what is true.

Leader: Come, all who thirst for something real,

People: We enter the wild to meet the God who sees us there.

Opening Prayer

*Hymn 475, Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing

1 Come, thou Fount of every blessing;

tune my heart to sing thy grace;

streams of mercy, never ceasing,

call for songs of loudest praise.

Teach me some melodious sonnet,

sung by flaming tongues above;

praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it,

mount of God’s unchanging love!

2 Here I raise my Ebenezer;

hither by thy help I’m come;

and I hope, by thy good pleasure,

safely to arrive at home.

Jesus sought me when a stranger,

wandering from the fold of God;

he, to rescue me from danger,

interposed his precious blood.

3 O to grace how great a debtor

daily I’m constrained to be!

Let that grace now, like a fetter,

bind my wandering heart to thee.

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,

prone to leave the God I love;

here’s my heart; O take and seal it;

seal it for thy courts above.

Prayer of Confession, Liturgist Glen Risley

Merciful God, we confess that we run from the wilderness. We fill our lives with noise to avoid the silence where we might hear your voice. We hoard security, afraid to trust your daily provision. We judge the abandoned, forgetting that you see every exile, every wanderer cast out into empty places. Forgive us for choosing comfort over transformation. Lead us into the wild, where you strip away our pretense and show us who we truly are—beloved children, seen and known by you. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen. (Silent Confession)

Assurance of Pardon

*Glory Be to the Father, Hymn 581

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end. Amen, amen.

*Passing the Peace

The Word

Prayer for Illumination

First Scripture Reading, Genesis 21:8-21

The child grew, and was weaned; and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned.

But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, playing with her son Isaac. So she said to Abraham, “Cast out this slave woman with her son; for the son of this slave woman shall not inherit along with my son Isaac.” The matter was very distressing to Abraham on account of his son. But God said to Abraham, “Do not be distressed because of the boy and because of your slave woman; whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for it is through Isaac that offspring shall be named for you. As for the son of the slave woman, I will make a nation of him also, because he is your offspring.”

So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And she departed, and wandered about in the wilderness of Beer-sheba. When the water in the skin was gone, she cast the child under one of the bushes. Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about the distance of a bowshot; for she said, “Do not let me look on the death of the child.” And as she sat opposite him, she lifted up her voice and wept. And God heard the voice of the boy; and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, and said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Do not be afraid; for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. Come, lift up the boy and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make a great nation of him.” Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. She went, and filled the skin with water, and gave the boy a drink. God was with the boy, and he grew up; he lived in the wilderness, and became an expert with the bow. He lived in the wilderness of Paran; and his mother got a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

Anthem

Sermon Scripture, Matthew 4:1-11

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’” Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’” Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.

The Word of the Lord for us today.

Thanks be to God.

Sermon, Into the Wild. The Rev. Dr. Jon Burnham

*Hymn 43, On Eagle's Wings, 1, 3 and 4

1 You who dwell in the shelter of the Lord,

who abide in his shadow for life,

say to the Lord, “My refuge,

my rock in whom I trust!”

Refrain:

And he will raise you up on eagles’ wings,

bear you on the breath of dawn,

make you to shine like the sun,

and hold you in the palm of his hand.

3 You need not fear the terror of the night,

nor the arrow that flies by day;

though thousands fall about you,

near you it shall not come. (Refrain)

4 For to his angels he’s given a command

to guard you in all of your ways;

upon their hands they will bear you up,

lest you dash your foot against a stone. (Refrain)

The Apostles’ Creed

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth,

I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic Church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

Prayers of the People and Lord’s Prayer

Welcome and Announcements

Offering

*Doxology, Hymn 609

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow.

Praise God, all creatures high and low.

Alleluia, alleluia!

Praise God, in Jesus fully known:

Creator, Word, and Spirit one.

Alleluia, alleluia! Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

*Prayer after the Offering

Sending

*Hymn 67, My Song Forever Shall Record

1 My song forever shall record

the tender mercies of the Lord;

your faithful love will I proclaim,

and every age shall know your name.

2 I sing of mercies that endure,

forever firm, forever sure,

a strong support that never dies,

established changeless in the skies.

3 Almighty God, your lofty throne

has justice for its cornerstone,

and shining bright before your face

are truth and love and boundless grace.

4 With blessing is the nation crowned

whose people know the joyful sound;

they in the light, O Lord, shall live,

the light your face and favor give.

*Benediction

*Postlude

Welcome New Member: David Cardenas. The Session was happy to receive David as a new member at our meeting last night. David has been worshipping with us for months and participating in the Men's Group and Sunday morning Sunday School Class. His background is in the Pentecostal Church. He joins St. John's by Reaffirmation of Faith and will be welcomed this Sunday during worship.

David, a college student at Houston Christian University, has developed a significant understanding of Reformed theology through his studies. Following a path of prayerful discernment, he has felt led by the Holy Spirit to make St. John’s his church home. We welcome David as he joins us on our journey to glorify God by making disciples and meeting human needs.

Lenten Arts Series, The Polish Duo Presents “The Lark Ascending: Earth’s Song of Resilience,” St. John’s Presbyterian Church is honored to host The Polish Duo for a special afternoon of music on Sunday, March 1 at 4:00 PM. Violinist Dominika Dancewicz and pianist Alina Klimaszewska will present “The Lark Ascending: Earth’s Song of Resilience,” a beautiful and moving program featuring music by Josef Suk, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Roger Quilter, and Edvard Grieg. They will be joined by tenor Mark Swindler for this inspiring performance. Join us for an afternoon of artistry, reflection, and music that lifts the spirit.

St. John's Friend's United. Pizza was the lunch for the day as Rose, AARP representative, showed St. John’s Friends United members how to use their iPhone. Comment heard, “I didn’t know it could do all this!” Who knew a phone had a flashlight? Now we know!

Next month, our very own Master Gardener, Mary Gaber, will be presenting “Gardening 101” and giving us a tour of St. Johns gardens on March 12 at 11:00 a.m. Please come out to hear Mary’s informative presentation.

Important Notice: McPhail Hall Temporarily Closed. This past Sunday, we discovered that several ceiling tiles had fallen in McPhail Hall. Unfortunately, additional tiles fell later in the week. While we have cleaned the area and secured the immediate surroundings, our top priority is the safety of our congregation and guests. Therefore, all events scheduled in McPhail Hall are canceled until further notice while we investigate the cause and ensure the space is fully safe for use.

We apologize for the inconvenience and will provide updates as soon as we know more.

New Lenten Book Study on Forgiveness. Jesus commanded us to forgive. Yet many times this process is a difficult one to commence: whether it is forgiveness of another, forgiveness of self, or seeking forgiveness from someone.

Confirmation Class. The Christian Education Committee is offering a Confirmation class for interested teens between the ages of 13 and 18.

The purpose of this class is to equip students for Confirmation and full membership in the church. Instruction will cover topics such as Christian theology, the Bible, and the Presbyterian tradition.

The course consists of approximately twelve two-hour sessions, which will be scheduled based on the availability of both teachers and participants.

The class will be led by Bill Ehrenstrom and Mary Gaber.

Those interested are encouraged to contact Mary Gaber at 713-204-1613 via phone or text for more information.

Men of the Church. The next meeting of the Men of the Church will be March 4 at 6:30 PM in the Session Room. Come for a time of study and service projects that benefit the church.

Happy birthday

Simone Westmoreland (Feb 3)

Grace Sparaco (Feb 4)

Robert Boyd (Feb 6)

Harriet Harper (Feb 8)

Teresa Darr (Feb 11)

Kristi Edmonsond (Feb 13)

Joe Sanford (Feb 14)

Ken Krueger (Feb 15)

Brad Urquhart (Feb 17)

Omar Ayah (Feb 20)

Benjamin Jump (Feb 23)

Asher Caspa (Feb 25)

Alina Klimaszewska (Feb 26)

Shirley Boyd (Feb 27)

Diane Ragan (Feb 28)

Shadai Noon-Adams (Feb 28)

Prayer Concerns

Gerry Jump

We pray for the family of Sue Benn who died recently

Tom Edmondson, health concerns

Holly Darr, health concerns

Karen Alsbrook, health

Kelsey Wiltz, health concerns

Glen Risley, health concerns

Madalyn Rodgers, Kathleen Captain's sister

Joe Sanford, Scott Moore and Alice Rubio

Those looking for a job

St. Johns College Students

Raina Bailey and the families in our PCHAS homes

One Hope Preschool families and staff

Calendar

Sunday, February 22, First Sunday in Lent

9:30 am Sunday School for Adults, Systematic Theology, Session Room

11:00 am Worship Service, live in sanctuary and on Facebook

12:00 pm Faith in Action Committee Meeting, Room 203

1:30 pm Book Study, Zoom

4:30 pm Pack 8 Meeting

Monday, February 23

11:00 am Healing Hearts, Room 202

Tuesday, February 24

5:00 pm Exercise Group, Building 2

Thursday, February 26

5:00 pm Exercise Class in Building 2

Sunday, March 1, 2 ^nd Sunday in Lent

9:30 am Sunday School for Adults, Systematic Theology, Session Room

11:00 am Worship Service, live in sanctuary and on Facebook

1:30 pm Book Study on Zoom

4:00 pm First Lenten Arts Series, Alina and Dominika, Sanctuary

4:30pm Pack 8 Meeting

Coming Events

Sunday, March 8, Noon, CE Committee Meeting in Session Room

Thursday, March 12, Friends United Luncheon

Sat, March 28, Quarterly Bible Study: Salvation

April 5, Easter Sunday

Sun, May 31, CE Brunch: Senior Sunday and Teacher Appreciation

Sat, June 20, Quarterly Bible Study (new format for all ages)

LENT SERMON SERIES

This Lent, we transition from the mountain-top glory of Transfiguration Sunday into the sparse, revealing landscape of the desert. Our new sermon series, "Wilderness Sabbath: Six Weeks of Desert Wisdom," invites us to view the wilderness not merely as a place of hardship or wandering, but as a sacred space for transformation. In the biblical tradition, the desert is where the non-essential is stripped away, allowing us to hear the voice of God with startling clarity. It is here, in the "empty" places, that we often find the deepest nourishment for our souls.

Throughout the season, we will walk alongside those who found God in the wild. From Hagar’s desperate cry in the heat to Elijah’s encounter with a "still small voice," and from the Israelites’ hunger for manna to the valley of dry bones, we will see that God’s provision often appears exactly where we least expect it. Each week, we will pair these Old Testament struggles with New Testament encounters, following Jesus as he moves from the temptations of the wilderness toward the ultimate sacrifice in Jerusalem.

We invite you to treat these forty days as a "Wilderness Sabbath"—a intentional time to slow down, lean into the quiet, and discover the wisdom that only the desert can provide. Whether you are currently in a season of abundance or a valley of dry bones, there is a word of hope waiting for you. Join us as we journey together toward the road to the city, seeking the "living water that never runs dry" and the breath of life that overcomes death.

"Wilderness Sabbath:

Six Weeks of Desert Wisdom"

February 22 – First Sunday in Lent

"Into the Wild"

OT: Genesis 21:8-21 (Hagar and Ishmael in the desert)
NT: Matthew 4:1-11 (Jesus driven into wilderness by the Spirit)

March 1 – Second Sunday in Lent

"Bread in Empty Places"

OT: Exodus 16:1-18 (Manna: daily bread, no hoarding)
NT: John 3:1-17 (Nicodemus comes by night, born from above)

March 8 – Third Sunday in Lent

"Water from the Rock"

OT: Exodus 17:1-7 (Striking the rock at Massah and Meribah)
NT: John 4:5-42 (Living water that never runs dry)

March 15 – Fourth Sunday in Lent

"Fire and Whisper"

OT: 1 Kings 19:1-18 (Elijah at Horeb: not in earthquake, but in whisper)
NT: John 9:1-41 (Man born blind receives sight)

March 22 – Fifth Sunday in Lent

"Breath in Dry Bones"

OT: Ezekiel 37:1-14 (Valley of dry bones)
NT: John 11:1-45 (Lazarus raised from death)

March 29 – Palm/Passion Sunday

"The Road to the City"

OT: Isaiah 50:4-9a (The servant's suffering)
NT: Matthew 21:1-11 (Triumphal entry) and Matthew 26-27 (Passion narrative)

The Epistle for February 18, 2026

Wed, 18 Feb 2026 16:11:50 GMT

The Online Newsletter of St. John's Presbyterian Church in Houston

The Epistle

for February 18, 2026

Dear St. John’s Friends & Family,

There's something we don't talk about much in polite company.

You are going to die.

I know. Not exactly the opening line you expected from your church newsletter today. But stay with me, because this is actually good news.

Today is Ash Wednesday. And in churches all over the world, pastors are pressing their thumbs into ash and tracing a cross on people's foreheads while saying these ancient words: "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return."

It sounds grim. But here's what I've learned after years of doing this: the people who cry hardest when they receive those ashes aren't crying from despair. They're crying from relief. Because finally, somebody is telling the truth.

We spend so much energy pretending we're going to live forever. Chasing the next thing, filling the calendar, staying busy enough that we don't have to sit with the fact that our time here is limited and precious and running.

Ash Wednesday says: stop. Just for a moment. Stop and feel the weight of it.

Because here's the thing. The ashes aren't the end of the sentence. They're the beginning.

The full gospel goes like this: you are dust, yes. You are mortal, yes. You are finite and broken and in need of something bigger than yourself, yes. AND. And God loves you anyway. And Jesus walked into the wilderness so you wouldn't have to walk it alone. And grace is real. And there is life on the other side of every death you've ever faced.

Lent is forty days of letting that sink in.

It's forty days of putting down the performance and getting honest. Honest about where you've fallen short. Honest about what you're holding onto too tight. Honest about your need for God.

That kind of honesty is not weakness. It's the bravest thing a person can do.

So wherever you are right now, whether you're sitting in your car, or your kitchen, or watching this on your phone while the world rushes past, I want to invite you to take just one breath. A slow one. And let yourself be human for a second. Dust. Beloved dust. Known by name. Claimed by grace.

The season of Lent begins today.

And it is, in the best possible way, an invitation to come home to yourself, and to the God who has never stopped looking for you.

We'd love to have you worship with us at St. John's Presbyterian Church here in Houston. You belong here.

Join us for our Ash Wednesday Service in the sanctuary at 7 PM today.

Peace,

Pastor Jon

Ash Wednesday Service,

7 pm, Today , February 18

Join us for a service with "burning of our sins"

and imposition of ashes in the courtyard

Our Ash Wednesday service offers a unique opportunity to step out of the noise of daily life and into a space of profound honesty. We will gather in the courtyard for a powerful symbolic "burning of our sins," followed by the imposition of ashes. This physical act of letting go serves as a reminder that before we can be rebuilt, we must first be willing to let the illusions we carry about ourselves burn away.

The service draws inspiration from the story of King Josiah, who, when confronted with the blunt truth of his failings, did not offer excuses or repair plans. Instead, he simply allowed himself to be "undone" by the truth. As we hear in the sermon "The Mercy Hidden in Ashes," Ash Wednesday is not about spiritual resumes or proving we are "miserable enough." It is about responsiveness—the simple, holy act of showing up with a heart that is cracked open and ready to be heard.

When you receive the ashes tonight, you are not receiving a mark of shame, but a sign of relationship. As we move from the courtyard into the solemnity of the service, we remember that while ashes represent what has burned, the cross represents what remains: a love that cannot be consumed. Come as you are—with your fatigue, your regrets, and your longings—and join us as we begin the journey of Lent by returning not to judgment, but to love.

New Sermon Series for Lent

Dear St. John's Family,

The First Sunday of Lent is February 22, and this year we're going into the wilderness together. Not the kind with mosquitoes and humidity (we get enough of that in Houston summers), but the kind where God strips away our pretense and meets us in the emptiness. We're calling this series "Wilderness Sabbath: Six Weeks of Desert Wisdom," and I believe it's exactly what we need.

Here's the thing about wilderness in the Bible: nobody volunteers for it. Hagar didn't choose to be cast out into the desert with her son. The Israelites didn't ask to wander for forty years. Jesus was driven into the wilderness by the Spirit. But in every single case, the wilderness became the place where God showed up most powerfully. The desert stripped away everything false and revealed who people really were. And more importantly, it revealed who God really is.

Over these six weeks ...

We'll encounter Hagar discovering that God sees the abandoned.
We'll taste manna that teaches us to trust rather than hoard.
We'll watch water gush from rocks when we thought we'd die of thirst.
We'll strain to hear God's whisper after the earthquake and fire have passed.
We'll stand in a valley of dry bones and watch the Spirit breathe life back into death itself.
And on Palm Sunday, we'll walk the road from parade to passion, following Jesus all the way to the cross.

I won't pretend this will be easy. Wilderness never is. But I can promise you this: if you lean into this season, if you let Lent do its work in you, you'll come out the other side different. You'll see God in places you missed before. You'll discover you're stronger than you thought. And you'll find that the empty places in your life are exactly where grace has been waiting all along.

So come into the wild with us. Bring your doubts, your fears, your secret desperation for something real. God meets us there. And on Easter morning, after we've walked through the wilderness together, we'll understand resurrection in a way we never could from the comfortable pews alone.

See you Sunday,

Pastor Jon

Session Members Retreat: Systems vs. Goals

We're Looking Forward to Sharing the Results

This shift from "goals" to "systems" is more than just a change in management style; it’s a spiritual realignment. While goals often focus on a destination—a specific number or a one-time achievement—systems focus on our daily walk.

By moving our focus toward sustainable systems, we are leaning into the biblical principle of faithfulness over fruitfulness. We recognize that while we can plant and water, it is ultimately God who gives the growth. This retreat was about building the "trellis" that allows the "vine" of our ministry to flourish for years to come, rather than just chasing a temporary harvest.

What This Means for St. John’s

Rather than simply asking, "How do we get more people in the pews?" our Session will be asking, "What kind of welcoming system ensures every person who walks through our doors feels the love of Christ every single time?" It’s about creating rhythms of grace—processes for giving, service, and fellowship that are so deeply woven into the fabric of our church life that they become second nature.

Looking Ahead

This retreat is just the beginning of a longer journey. As we redesign these systems, we aren’t just looking for quick fixes; we are looking for long-term health.

You can expect to hear much more about the fruits of this retreat in the weeks and months to come. As these new systems begin to take root, we will share how they are shaping our common life and how you can play a part in this sustainable, faithful future.

Welcome New Member:

David Cardenas

Last Sunday we welcomed David as a new member of St. John's.

David has been worshipping with us for months and participating in the Men's Group and Sunday morning Sunday School Class.

His background is in the Pentecostal Church. He joins St. John's by Reaffirmation of Faith .

David, a college student at Houston Christian University, has developed a significant understanding of Reformed theology through his studies. Following a path of prayerful discernment, he has felt led by the Holy Spirit to make St. John’s his church home.

We welcome David as he joins us on our journey to glorify God by making disciples and meeting human needs.

New Lenten Book Study on Forgiveness

Jesus commanded us to forgive. Yet many times this process is a difficult one to commence: whether it is forgiveness of another, forgiveness of self, or seeking forgiveness from someone.

St. John's Friend's United

Pizza was the lunch for the day as Rose, AARP representative, showed St. John’s Friends United members how to use their iPhone. Comment heard, “I didn’t know it could do all this!” Who knew a phone had a flashlight? Now we know!

Important Notice: McPhail Hall Temporarily Closed

This past Sunday, we discovered that several ceiling tiles had fallen in McPhail Hall.

Unfortunately, additional tiles fell later in the week.

While we have cleaned the area and secured the immediate surroundings, our top priority is the safety of our congregation and guests.

Therefore, all events scheduled in McPhail Hall are canceled until further notice while we investigate the cause and ensure the space is fully safe for use.

We apologize for the inconvenience and will provide updates as soon as we know more.

Lenten Arts Series

The Polish Duo Presents

“The Lark Ascending:

Earth’s Song of Resilience”

Join us at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 5020 W. Bellfort Ave. , for an afternoon of artistry, reflection, and music that lifts the spirit.

Men of the Church

The next meeting of the Men of the Church will be 4 March at 6:30 PM in the Session Room. Come for a time of study and service projects that benefit the church.

Confirmation Class

The Christian Education Committee is prepared to offer a Confirmation class for interested teens between the ages of 13 and 18.

The purpose of this class is to equip students for Confirmation and full membership in the church. Instruction will cover topics such as Christian theology, the Bible, and the Presbyterian tradition.

The course consists of approximately twelve two-hour sessions, which will be scheduled based on the availability of both teachers and participants.

The class will be led by Bill Ehrenstrom and Mary Gaber.

Those interested are encouraged to contact Mary Gaber at 713-204-1613 via phone or text for more information.

Quarterly Bible Study: Salvation

Mark your calendars for our next Quarterly Bible Study on Saturday, March 28, 2026 .

Join us from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. as Bill Ehrenstrom leads us in a deep dive into the topic of "Salvation."

This is a wonderful opportunity to grow in your faith and connect with others in the church family.

Sign-ups will be available soon in the Narthex and online.

We hope to see you there!

Escape to Mo-Ranch:

Young Adult Retreat

March 20 – 22, 2026

Join Mo-Ranch for a refreshing weekend of connection and spiritual renewal!

Hotel: $450 (Single) | $350 (Double)
Group Housing: $300

Commuter: $200

MoRanch will contact you after registration to confirm roommates and dietary needs.

Scholarships are available! [ Click here to register .]

2025 income tax ideas

by Dan Herron

All tax forms for now should have tax year “2025” on them. (The “tax season” is 2026 as noted on the internet.)

There are many changes to filing taxes for 2025.

We will likely file using a 1040-SR form, for seniors, or the 1040 form.

This will lead us into the several additional tax considerations for preparing our return.

There are new rules and forms to consider in your plan:

I got an IRS form, 1040-SR for seniors by internet, by

typing “print 1040-SR.” You might use 1040 instead.

Form 1040-SR led me to the most important new form,

Schedule 1-A which is for “Additional Deductions.”

This led me to “Schedule 2 Additional Taxes.”

This led me to “Schedule 3 Additional Credits and

Payments.”

Get Pub 554, Tax Guide for Seniors, for Tax Topic 551.

This online article lists the several deductions for seniors.

With what you find online in IRS.Gov Pub 554 , begin

reading through to see what you might need to do to get

the several Senior Deductions for 2025. Highlight the

documents for where you will have an amount to enter.

Some of these are 1, the Standard Deduction or Itemized

Deduction, 2, the Additional Standard Deduction for 65+,

and 3, the new $6000 for 65+ Senior Bonus Deduction.

Several of the forms named above are NEW this year!

Reading through the 1040 will point you to some other

forms to print. Do this step right now for any and all forms

and publications you might find referenced in this article

and other sources you check out.

Make a list of the names and amounts of the several

deductions you may claim. Save more paper documents

this year, starting right now. Study these tax forms to

figure out what you can and cannot do. Ask for help. Be

sure to let someone see what deductions you are taking.

Plan. Execute your Plan. Get your 2025 taxes prepared,

submitted and all the monies exchanged.

Note that there are new plans and rules for the 2026 tax

year. Have a 2025 folder and a 2026 folder so you can

store your tax documentation easily.

What’s listed here is not a complete list. This is a starting

place to know that there are changes and to help you get

started with your documentation and deductions. If you

need help, get it from someone who knows all the new

rules for the many deductions and forms you may use.

Good luck.

Dan Herron

2026 Session Members and Roles

Class of 2026

Ann Hardy: Stewardship and Finance

Michael Bisase: Buildings and Grounds

Jan Herbert: Christian Education

Class of 2027

Lynne Parsons Austin: Worship

Omar Ayah: Faith in Action

Marie Kutz: Personnel and Administration

Class of 2028

Mary Gaber: Christian Education/Christian Formation

Tina Jump: Fellowship and Caring

Ann Hardy: Finance and Stewardship

Peter Sparaco: Faith and Action

Other Session Leaders and Support Staff

Jon Burnham: Moderator of Session

Lynne Parsons Austin: Clerk to Session

Tad Mulder: Church Treasurer

Amy Caraballo: Financial Secretary

Healing Hearts: A Grief Ministry of Care and Encouragement

Healing Hearts will meet in the church office building in the Prayer Room of the church office building.

Next Few Meetings for Healing Hearts

Monday, February 23rd, 11:00 AM to 12:00 Noon
Wednesday, March 11th, 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Monday, March 30th, 11:00 AM to 12:00 Noon

Prayer List

With hearts united in hope, we lift these names into the healing presence of God.

Gerry Jump, moved to Brazos Towers
We pray for the family of Sue Benn
Tom Edmondson, recovering from spinal surgery
Holly Darr, health concerns
Karen Alsbrook, health
Kelsey Wiltz, health concerns
Glen Risley, health concerns
Madalyn Rodgers, Kathleen Captain's sister
Joe Sanford, Scott Moore and Alice Rubio
Those looking for a job
St. Johns College Students
Raina Bailey and the families in our PCHAS homes
One Hope Preschool families and staff

Caring for One Another in Prayer

Prayer List Update –

How Can We Pray for You?

We are grateful for the opportunity to pray with and for you.

Happy Birthday

Simone Westmoreland (Feb 3)

Grace Sparaco (Feb 4)

Robert Boyd (Feb 6)

Harriet Harper (Feb 8)

Teresa Darr (Feb 11)

Kristi Edmonsond (Feb 13)

Joe Sanford (Feb 14)

Ken Krueger (Feb 15)

Brad Urquhart (Feb 17)

Omar Ayah (Feb 20)

Benjamin Jump (Feb 23)

Asher Caspa (Feb 25)

Alina Klimaszewska (Feb 26)

Shirley Boyd (Feb 27)

Diane Ragan (Feb 28)

Shadai Noon-Adams (Feb 28)

Church Calendar

Wednesday, February 18

7:00 pm Ash Wednesday Service, Sanctuary

Thursday, February 19

5:00 pm Exercise Class in Building 2

Sunday, February 22, First Sunday in Lent

9:30 am Sunday School for Adults, Systematic Theology, Session Room

11:00 am Worship Service, live in sanctuary and on Facebook

12:00 pm CE Committee Meeting, Room 203

1:30 pm Book Study, Zoom

4:30 pm Pack 8 Meeting

Sunday, February 22 , Faith in Action Committee meets in the Session Room after Sunday service

Sunday, March 1, 4:00 pm First Lenten Arts Series, Alina and Dominika, Sanctuary

Saturday, March 21, Quarterly Bible Study 8:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. in the Session Room with lunch in McPhail Hall

Sunday, May 31 , CE Brunch (Senior Sunday/Teacher Appreciation) in McPhail Hall after worship

Saturday, June 29 , Quarterly Bible Study (new format for all ages) – 8:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. in Bldg. 2 and McPhail Hall

Church Calendar Online

For other dates, see St. John’s Calendar online: https://www.stjohnspresby.org/events/

2026 Session Members and Roles

Elders on the Session: Class of 2026

Ann Hardy: Finance and Stewardship

Michael Bisase: Buildings and Grounds

Jan Herbert: Christian Education

Elders on the Session: Class of 2027

Lynne Parsons Austin: Worship

Omar Ayah: Faith in Action

Marie Kutz: Personnel and Administration

Elders on the Session: Class of 2028

Mary Gaber: Christian Education

Peter Sparaco: Faith and Action

Tina Liljedahl Jump: Fellowship and Caring

Other Session Leaders and Support Staff

Jon Burnham: Moderator of Session

Lynne Parsons Austin: Clerk to Session

Tad Mulder: Church Treasurer

LENTEN SERMON SERIES

Wilderness Sabbath:

Six Weeks of Desert Wisdom

February 22 – First Sunday in Lent

"Into the Wild"

OT: Genesis 21:8-21 (Hagar and Ishmael in the desert)
NT: Matthew 4:1-11 (Jesus driven into wilderness by the Spirit)

March 1 – Second Sunday in Lent

"Bread in Empty Places"

OT: Exodus 16:1-18 (Manna: daily bread, no hoarding)
NT: John 3:1-17 (Nicodemus comes by night, born from above)

March 8 – Third Sunday in Lent

"Water from the Rock"

OT: Exodus 17:1-7 (Striking the rock at Massah and Meribah)
NT: John 4:5-42 (Living water that never runs dry)

March 15 – Fourth Sunday in Lent

"Fire and Whisper"

OT: 1 Kings 19:1-18 (Elijah at Horeb: not in earthquake, but in whisper)
NT: John 9:1-41 (Man born blind receives sight)

March 22 – Fifth Sunday in Lent

"Breath in Dry Bones"

OT: Ezekiel 37:1-14 (Valley of dry bones)
NT: John 11:1-45 (Lazarus raised from death)

March 29 – Palm/Passion Sunday

"The Road to the City"

OT: Isaiah 50:4-9a (The servant's suffering)
NT: Matthew 21:1-11 (Triumphal entry) and Matthew 26-27 (Passion narrative)

The Epistle for February 11, 2026

Wed, 11 Feb 2026 17:19:26 GMT

Read the Newsletter of St. John's Prebyterian Church in Houston

The Epistle for February 11, 2026

The Newsletter of St. John’s Presbyterian Church in Houston

Published by Pastor Jon Burnham

A Word from Pastor Jon

This Sunday we conclude our Wisdom’s Holy Fools series on Transfiguration Sunday with a message titled The Glory No One Expected . We will stand with Moses on the mountain in Exodus 24:12–18 as the cloud of God’s presence settles in, and then climb with Peter, James, and John in Matthew 17:1–9 to see Jesus shining with a glory that both dazzles and unsettles. The strange thing about glory in Scripture is that it rarely looks the way we imagine. It comes wrapped in cloud, in mystery, in a voice that tells us to listen. As we prepare to step into Lent, we are reminded that the brightness of Christ does not remove us from the valley. It sends us back down with courage and clarity.

After worship, we will remain in that holy light as we celebrate the life of Sue Benn. Her Memorial Service will be held in the sanctuary, with a reception to follow on the breezeway. Sue’s life bore quiet witness to steady faith and deep love for her family and church. Grief has a way of slowing us down, and that is a gift. It reminds us that we belong to one another. I hope you will stay, share a story, offer a hug, and honor the promise we make at every baptism and every funeral that nothing, not even death, can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.

In the meantime, I ask you to pray for your Session as we gather this Saturday for a visioning retreat around the theme of Systems versus Goals. In our Presbyterian way of seeking the will of Christ together, we are asking not only where we hope to go, but what habits and structures will carry us there faithfully. Our Book of Order reminds us that Christ is Head of the Church and that our life is a joyful participation in his ongoing work . We want to shape simple, sustainable systems that help us glorify God by making disciples and meeting human needs. Please pray for wisdom, unity, and courage as we listen for where God is leading St. John’s next.

Peace,
Jon B.

Welcome New Member: David Cardenas

The Session was happy to receive David as a new member at our meeting last night.

David has been worshipping with us for months and participating in the Men's Group and Sunday morning Sunday School Class.

His background is in the Pentecostal Church. He joins St. John's by Reaffirmation of Faith and will be welcomed this Sunday during worship.

David, a college student at Houston Christian University, has developed a significant understanding of Reformed theology through his studies. Following a path of prayerful discernment, he has felt led by the Holy Spirit to make St. John’s his church home.

We welcome David as he joins us on our journey to glorify God by making disciples and meeting human needs.

Sue Benn Memorial Service, this Sunday, Feb 15, 2:00 PM in the sanctuary.

Please join us as we gather to celebrate Sue’s life and her resurrection to life eternal. Grab a quick lunch after Sunday worship and return to surround Sue’s family with love and the hope of the gospel during this time of transition.

"I am the resurrection and the life.

Whoever believes in me, though he die,

yet shall he live."

— John 11:25

We celebrate that Sue is now at peace in the presence of the Lord, reunited with her beloved Tony. A true pillar of St. John’s for many years, Sue’s vivacious spirit and steadfast faith left an indelible mark on our church family. While we will miss her deeply, we rejoice in the certain hope of the resurrection and the beautiful legacy of love she leaves behind.

Ash Wednesday Service,

7 pm, Next Wednesday, February 18

Join us for a unique worship service as we kick off the Lenten season

with "burning of our sins" and imposition of ashes in the courtyard.

New Lenten Book Study on Forgiveness

Jesus commanded us to forgive. Yet many times this process is a difficult one to commence: whether it is forgiveness of another, forgiveness of self, or seeking forgiveness from someone. We stumble and find ways to circumvent Jesus’ desire for us. Beginning February 22, 2026 at 1:30pm , the Sunday Book Study group will step into our lenten journey by studying Adam Hamilton’s book entitled: Forgiveness; Finding Peace Through Letting Go . Renowned author and theologian, Hamilton has tackled this topic with grace and compassion offering direct and biblically based wisdom and advice in his book. Everyone is encouraged and welcome to join this gathering for lively discussion and meaningful connection - all from the comfort of your home via Zoom. Contact Lynne Parsons Austin at lynnep@sbcglobal.net for the link to join. Books are available at Amazon.com, christianbook.com or local bookstores.

The Polish Duo Presents

“The Lark Ascending: Earth’s Song of Resilience”

Join us at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 5020 W. Bellfort Ave. , for an afternoon of artistry, reflection, and music that lifts the spirit.

Important Notice: McPhail Hall Temporarily Closed

This past Sunday, we discovered that several ceiling tiles had fallen in McPhail Hall.

Unfortunately, additional tiles fell later in the week.

While we have cleaned the area and secured the immediate surroundings, our top priority is the safety of our congregation and guests.

Therefore, all events scheduled in McPhail Hall are canceled until further notice while we investigate the cause and ensure the space is fully safe for use.

We apologize for the inconvenience and will provide updates as soon as we know more.

Calendar

Wednesday, February 11

7:00 pm Healing Hearts, Room 202

Thursday, February 12

11:00 am Friends United, McPhail

5:00 pm Exercise Class in Building 2

Saturday, February 14

9:00 am Session Retreat

Sunday, February 15, Transfiguration Sunday

9:30 am Sunday School for Adults, Systematic Theology, Session Room

11:00 am Worship Service, live in sanctuary and on Facebook

2:00 pm Memorial Service for Sue Benn, Sanctuary

3:30pm Girl Scouts in Session Room and Room 203

Master Your iPhone with Friends United!

Thursday, February 12

The group formerly known as Keenagers has a new name— Friends United —and they are kicking things off with a fantastic event!

Join us on Thursday, February 12 , for a helpful session titled "How to Use Your iPhone."

Whether you're struggling to find your apps or just want to learn some new tricks, this is the perfect opportunity to learn in a relaxed, supportive setting.

After we master our technology, we’ll enjoy a delicious lunch and wonderful fellowship. For more information or to sign up, please see Virginia Krueger or Marie Kutz .

Don’t miss this chance to get connected—both with your phone and your church family!

Further Exploring St. John’s

If you’d like to get a deeper sense of who we are beyond Sunday mornings, several articles open that door. “ Bible Study in Houston: Where to Find Scripture Study That Goes Deeper ” describes how we gather around Scripture in small groups where honesty matters more than easy answers.

For a look at the practices and convictions that shape our worship, “ Presbyterian Church Houston: What Makes Our Worship Unique ” explains why we worship the way we do and how Presbyterian tradition forms our rhythm of praise and prayer.

To see the heart of our mission, “ Why St. John’s Presbyterian Stands Out ” tells our story—how we’ve chosen compassion over comfort and stood with vulnerable families even when it wasn’t the popular thing to do.

Each piece gives another glimpse into life at St. John’s, helping you see what unfolds here between Sundays. Or, you may want to learn more about our beliefs and theology.

Check us out and get involved today!

Peace,

Jon B.

Worship Bulletin for February 8, 2026

Sat, 07 Feb 2026 15:44:39 GMT

February 8, 2026 Worship Bulletin for St. John's Presbyterian Church in Houston

Your Invitation to Worship

at St. John's Presbyterian Church

in Houston

Friends,

This Sunday at St. John’s, we gather around a dangerous kind of grace. The kind that sneaks up on us through stories and parables, the way Nathan approached David, the way Jesus spoke to those who thought they already had God figured out. These are not gentle texts meant to flatter us. They are honest words, told with care, that have a way of slipping past our defenses and helping us see ourselves clearly, without being crushed by shame.

Our worship on February 8 will be grounded, reverent, and deeply human. We will sing together, pray honestly, confess what we usually hide, and hear Scripture that names the truth while still holding out mercy. The sermon, The Truth-Teller in Disguise , explores how God often speaks through stories that disarm us first, then invite us to change. This is worship for people who know faith is not about appearances, but about turning again toward life.

If you are tired of pretending, if you are hungry for a word that both unsettles and heals, you are welcome here. Come as you are. Sit, sing, listen, and let God do what God has always done. Tell the truth in love, and set people free. We gather this Sunday at 11:00 AM, and there is a place for you among us.

Peace,

Pastor Jon The Rev. Dr. Jon Burnham

St. John's Presbyterian Church

5020 West Bellfort Avenue Houston, TX 77035

(713) 723-6262

P.S. The service will be live-streamed

on our church website

and on our St. John's Facebook page .

S t. John's Presbyterian Bulletin

February 8, 2026, 5th Sunday After Epiphany

Gathering

Prelude, Alina Klimaszewska, organ

*Call To Worship, The Rev. Dr. Jon Burnham

Leader: The Lord speaks through prophets and parables, through stories that slip past our defenses and pierce our hearts.

People: We gather to hear the truth we have been avoiding, wrapped in grace we do not deserve.

Leader: Tax collectors and sinners press forward into the kingdom while the confident stand still.

People: We come as we are: exposed, uncertain, yet hungry for the word that sets us free.

Leader: Come, let us worship the God who tells us the truth in love, that we might truly live.

Opening Prayer

* Hymn 409, God Is Here! 1, 2 and 4

1 God is here! As we your people

meet to offer praise and prayer,

may we find in fuller measure

what it is in Christ we share.

Here, as in the world around us,

all our varied skills and arts

wait the coming of the Spirit

into open minds and hearts.

2 Here are symbols to remind us

of our lifelong need of grace;

here are table, font, and pulpit;

here the cross has central place.

Here in honesty of preaching,

here in silence, as in speech,

here, in newness and renewal,

God the Spirit comes to each.

4 Lord of all, of church and kingdom,

in an age of change and doubt

keep us faithful to the gospel;

help us work your purpose out.

Here, in this day's dedication,

all we have to give, receive:

we, who cannot live without you,

we adore you! We believe!

Prayer of Confession, Ann Hardy, Liturgist

Holy God, we confess that we have pointed fingers while hiding our own hands. We have said yes with our lips and no with our lives. We have stood confident in our righteousness while others we dismissed pressed ahead into your kingdom. Forgive us, expose us, and turn us toward the mercy we so desperately need. Amen.

(Silent Confession)

Assurance of Pardon

*Glory Be to the Father, Hymn 581

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end. Amen, amen.

*Passing the Peace

Children’s Time, Rev. Linda Herron

The Word

Prayer for Illumination

First Scripture Reading, 2 Samuel 12:1-15

And the Lord sent Nathan to David. He came to him, and said to him, "There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. The rich man had very many flocks and herds; but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. He brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children; it used to eat of his meager fare, and drink from his cup, and lie in his bosom, and it was like a daughter to him. Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was loath to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the wayfarer who had come to him, but he took the poor man's lamb, and prepared that for the guest who had come to him." Then David's anger was greatly kindled against the man. He said to Nathan, "As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die; he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity."

Nathan said to David, "You are the man! Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: I anointed you king over Israel, and I rescued you from the hand of Saul; I gave you your master's house, and your master's wives into your bosom, and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would have added as much more. Why have you despised the word of the Lord, to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, for you have despised me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife. Thus says the Lord: I will raise up trouble against you from within your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes, and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this very sun. For you did it secretly; but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun." David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the Lord." Nathan said to David, "Now the Lord has put away your sin; you shall not die. Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the Lord, the child that is born to you shall die."

Then Nathan went to his house. The Lord struck the child that Uriah's wife bore to David, and it became very ill.

Anthem

Sermon Scripture, Matthew 21:28-32

“What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ He answered, ‘I will not,’ but later he changed his mind and went. The father went to the second and said the same, and he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him, and even after you saw it you did not change your minds and believe him.”

The Word of the Lord for us today.

Thanks be to God.

Sermon, The Truth-Teller in Disguise.

The Rev. Dr. Jon Burnham

*Hymn 700, I'm Gonna Live So God Can Use Me

1 I’m gonna live so God can use me

anywhere, Lord, anytime!

I’m gonna live so God can use me

anywhere, Lord, anytime!

2 I’m gonna work so God can use me

anywhere, Lord, anytime!

I’m gonna work so God can use me

anywhere, Lord, anytime!

3 I’m gonna pray so God can use me

anywhere, Lord, anytime!

I’m gonna pray so God can use me

anywhere, Lord, anytime!

4 I’m gonna sing so God can use me

anywhere, Lord, anytime!

I’m gonna sing so God can use me

anywhere, Lord, anytime!

The Apostles’ Creed

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth,

I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic Church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

Prayers of the People

Lord’s Prayer

Welcome and Announcements

Offering

*Doxology, Hymn 609

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow.

Praise God, all creatures high and low.

Alleluia, alleluia!

Praise God, in Jesus fully known:

Creator, Word, and Spirit one.

Alleluia, alleluia! Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

*Prayer after the Offering Rev. Burnham

Sending

*Hymn 724, O Jesus, I Have Promised, 1, 3 and 4

1 O Jesus, I have promised

to serve thee to the end;

be thou forever near me,

my Master and my friend;

I shall not fear the battle

if thou art by my side,

nor wander from the pathway

if thou wilt be my guide.

3 O let me hear thee speaking

in accents clear and still,

above the storms of passion,

the murmurs of self-will;

O speak to reassure me,

to hasten or control;

O speak, and make me listen,

thou guardian of my soul.

4 O Jesus, thou hast promised

to all who follow thee

that where thou art in glory

there shall thy servant be.

And, Jesus, I have promised

to serve thee to the end;

O give me grace to follow,

my Master and my friend.

*Benediction

Postlude

The Epistle for February 4, 2026

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 19:17:43 GMT

This is a subtitle for your new post

The Epistle for February 4, 2026

St. John’s Presbyterian Church in Houston

By Pastor Jon Burnham

Dear St. John’s Family,

Lent is a solemn Christian observance of a 40-day period of prayer, fasting, and reflection in preparation for the celebration of Easter.

The English word "Lent" comes from the Old English word lencten, which means "spring season," a fitting name for a time that points to the spiritual springtime of Christ's resurrection.

In other languages, like the Spanish Cuaresma or the Greek Sarakostí, the name is derived from the word for "forty," referencing the length of the season.

The whole point of this period is to prepare us to be renewed in the reality of God's love and plan.

The 40-day timeframe has deep biblical foundations, echoing the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert while enduring temptation before beginning his public ministry.

This number is also emphasized in the Old Testament through the stories of Noah's flood, the Israelites' 40 years in the wilderness, and the 40-day fasts of the prophets Moses and Elijah.

While early Christian practices of fasting before Easter can be traced to the Apostolic Age, the 40-day tradition was well-established by the time of the Council of Nicea in 325 AD and quickly became a general practice churchwide.

Early observance focused on strict fasting, often only consuming one meal a day, with Sundays being excluded as perennial days of celebration.

Today, Lent is a time to make dramatic changes to focus on our need for Christ and enter a metaphorical "wilderness experience".

It encourages the ancient three-fold formula of penitence: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. By giving something up, or taking on a spiritual discipline, Christians can focus on recognizing the depth of their need for a Savior.

This season of self-denial and repentance culminates in Holy Week, preparing the hearts and minds of the faithful for the unparalleled joy and transformation of the Lord's Resurrection on Easter Sunday.

Our observance of Lent begins with an Ash Wednesday Service at 7 PM on February 18 .

May the Lord prepare our hearts for the holy season of Lent.

Peace,

Pastor Jon

Important Notice:

McPhail Hall Temporarily Closed

This past Sunday, we discovered that several ceiling tiles had fallen in McPhail Hall.

Unfortunately, additional tiles fell later in the week.

While we have cleaned the area and secured the immediate surroundings, our top priority is the safety of our congregation and guests.

Therefore, all events scheduled in McPhail Hall are canceled until further notice while we investigate the cause and ensure the space is fully safe for use.

We apologize for the inconvenience and will provide updates as soon as we know more.

Men's Group: Church Work Day on February 7

The Men’s Group is planning a church work day on 7 Feb 9am to 12pm ahead of the large trash day on 11 Feb. There are a number of tasks we are considering – cleaning out the work shed, the Bldg 1 boiler room, and the sanctuary air handler room; organizing the file cabinets in the computer room; and continuing to replace the florescent lights with LED lights in Bldg 2. All are welcome to come help.

Souper Bowl of Caring:

Tackling Hunger Together

Offering Received February 8

Join us in the fight against hunger on Sunday, February 8 , for our annual Souper Bowl of Caring. We will collect a special offering in the narthex immediately following worship, with 100% of the proceeds going directly to support the local food pantry at BIM. You can contribute by check made payable to St. John's (please note "Souper Bowl" in the memo line) or via Zelle to accounts@stjohnspresby.org . Let’s team up to make a real difference for our neighbors in need!

Master Your iPhone with Friends United!

Thursday, February 12

The group formerly known as Keenagers has a new name— Friends United —and they are kicking things off with a fantastic event! Join us on Thursday, February 12 , for a helpful session titled "How to Use Your iPhone.” Whether you're struggling to find your apps or just want to learn some new tricks, this is the perfect opportunity to learn in a relaxed, supportive setting. After we master our technology, we’ll enjoy a delicious lunch and wonderful fellowship. For more information or to sign up, please see Virginia Krueger or Marie Kutz . Don’t miss this chance to get connected—both with your phone and your church family!

Session Members Retreat: Systems vs. Goals

Saturday, February 14, 2026 | 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM

Session Room ~~> Lunch Included

On Saturday, February 14 , our Session will gather for a retreat focused on a critical shift in leadership: moving from "goals" to “systems." This workshop will explore the theological distinction between fixating on outcomes and being faithful to a process. The morning will feature a teaching on why Scripture calls us to faithfulness while entrusting the results to God.

We will then break into small groups to take common church goals—like attendance or giving—and redesign them as sustainable systems that run faithfully whether we are paying attention or not. We ask for your prayers as our leadership team gathers to do this important work.

Welcome New Member: Carolyn McEathron

Carolyn was introduced to St. John’s by her friend Gerry Jump.

Carolyn has already become a familiar face, worshipping with us for months and experiencing the care of this community at recent weddings and memorial services. She joins by Transfer of Letter from Christchurch Methodist Church in Sugar Land, Texas.Welcome to St. John's, Carolyn. May the Lord meet you here.

We are thrilled to welcome you, Carolyn, and we look forward to serving alongside you as we continue to turn our hearts outward to the world.

Men of the Church
The next meeting of the Men of the Church will be 4 February at 6:30 PM in the Session Room. Come for a time of study and service projects that benefit the church.

Confirmation Class

The Christian Education Committee is prepared to offer a Confirmation class for interested teens between the ages of 13 and 18. The purpose of this class is to equip students for Confirmation and full membership in the church. Instruction will cover topics such as Christian theology, the Bible, and the Presbyterian tradition. The course consists of approximately twelve two-hour sessions, which will be scheduled based on the availability of both teachers and participants. The class will be led by Bill Ehrenstrom and Mary Gaber. Those interested are encouraged to contact Mary Gaber at 713-204-1613 via phone or text for more information.

Quarterly Bible Study: Salvation

Mark your calendars for our next Quarterly Bible Study on Saturday, March 21, 2026 . Join us from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. as Bill Ehrenstrom leads us in a deep dive into the topic of “Salvation." This is a wonderful opportunity to grow in your faith and connect with others in the church family. Sign-ups will be available soon in the Narthex and online.

We hope to see you there!

Escape to Mo-Ranch: Young Adult Retreat March 20 – 22, 2026

Join Mo-Ranch for a refreshing weekend of connection and spiritual renewal! The agenda blends faith and fun, featuring engaging small groups, worship, and a keynote speaker alongside a pickleball tournament, ropes course, riverfront activities, and yoga. All-Inclusive Rates (Tuition, Meals, & Housing) - Hotel: $450 (Single) | $350 (Double) - Group Housing: $300

Commuter: $200. MoRanch will contact you after registration to confirm roommates and dietary needs. Scholarships are available! Contact the church office for scholarship information.

Thank you from Shirley Boyd and Family

We want to convey our gratitude for the many prayers and kind expressions of sympathy after the death of my eldest sister, Audrey Moore Maley, age 92, on December 20, 2025, in Iola, Kansas. I was grateful to be able to fly to Kansas for her celebration of life on Dec. 29 and to be able to sing "The Old Rugged Cross" with my youngest sister, Vicki, during the service, as Audrey had requested, and to be surrounded by so many members of our immediate extended family and of the neighbors and friends Audrey had known in the 85 years she resided in Allen County. Thank your very much for caring! ~ Shirley Boyd and Family

Update from Linda Dobbin

Linda writes to express her enduring love for St. John’s, her church home of 46 years where she and George raised their family. Now living in Austin near her daughter, she deeply misses the congregation and Pastor Burnham. She assures everyone of her daily prayers and warmly invites friends to visit. Linda, we send our love and deepest appreciation, wishing you God’s continued blessings.

Prayer List

With hearts united in hope, we lift these names into the healing presence of God.

We pray for the family of Sue Benn who died last week. Arrangements will be shared when announced by the family.
Rodney Dodson, friend of Donna Fraser, health
Nijel Bennet-LaGrone, health
Jennifer and Gareld (friends of a church member)
Summer Pavani, Deena Ghattas and Chris Hanneken, Health concerns (friends of Lisa Sparaco)
Mike Swint in the loss of his sister, Chris Borton
Family and friends of Christine Perci (friend of Pete and Grace Sparaco)
Tom Edmondson, recovering from spinal surgery
Holly Darr, health concerns
Karen Alsbrook, health
Kelsey Wiltz, health concerns
Glen Risley, health concerns
Madalyn Rodgers, Kathleen Captain's sister
Joe Sanford, Scott Moore and Alice Rubio
Those looking for a job
St. Johns College Students
Raina Bailey and the families in our PCHAS homes
One Hope Preschool families and staff

Happy Birthday

Simone Westmoreland (Feb 3)

Grace Sparaco (Feb 4)

Robert Boyd (Feb 6)

Harriet Harper (Feb 8)

Teresa Darr (Feb 11)

Kristi Edmonsond (Feb 13)

Joe Sanford (Feb 14)

Ken Krueger (Feb 15)

Brad Urquhart (Feb 17)

Omar Ayah (Feb 20)

Benjamin Jump (Feb 23)

Asher Caspa (Feb 25)

Alina Klimaszewska (Feb 26)

Shirley Boyd (Feb 27)

Diane Ragan (Feb 28)

Shadai Noon-Adams (Feb 28)

Church Calendar

Wednesday, February 4

6:30 pm Men’s Group, Session Room

Thursday, February 5

5:00 pm Exercise Class in Building 2

Saturday, February 7

9:00 am Church Work Day

Sunday, February 8, 5 th Sunday after Epiphany

9:30 am Sunday School for Adults, Lectionary, Session Room

11:00 am Worship Service, live in sanctuary and on Facebook

12:00 pm Christian Education and Fellowship and Caring Committee Meeting, Room 203

Upcoming Events

Monday, January 26, 11 am, Healing Hearts, Room 202

Friday, February 6, Pinewood Derby Set-Up, McPhail

Saturday, February 7, Pack 8 Pinewood Derby

Sunday, February 22 , Faith in Action Committee meets in the Session Room after Sunday service

Saturday, March 21, Quarterly Bible Study 8:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. in the Session Room with lunch in McPhail Hall

Sunday, May 31 , CE Brunch (Senior Sunday/Teacher Appreciation) in McPhail Hall after worship

Saturday, June 29 , Quarterly Bible Study (new format for all ages) – 8:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. in Bldg. 2 and McPhail Hall

Church Calendar Online

For other dates, see St. John’s Calendar online:

www.stjohnspresby.org/events

Worship Bulletin for February 1, 2026

Sat, 31 Jan 2026 15:40:11 GMT

Worship Service Bulletin for February 1, 2026

Worship at St. John's Presbyterian Church in Houston

You Are Invited

"The Boundary-Breaker"

Dear Friends,

I invite you to join us this Sunday, February 1, at 11:00 AM at St. John’s Presbyterian Church as we continue our Epiphany journey.

In a world that often tells us to stay in our lane and keep to our own kind, our worship this week focuses on a God who consistently crosses the lines we draw. Our sermon, "The Boundary-Breaker," explores two powerful stories of unexpected encounters: Ruth’s bold midnight meeting with Boaz and Jesus’ life-changing conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well.

We will ask ourselves: Are we brave enough to meet God beyond the walls we have built?

Service Highlights

A Special Remembrance: We will begin our gathering by singing "For All the Saints" in memory of our dear friend, Sue Benn.
The Word: We will dive into the courage of Ruth (Ruth 3:1-18) and the transformative "living water" offered in the Gospel of John (John 4:1-26).
The Lord’s Table: As it is the first Sunday of the month, we will share in the Great Thanksgiving and celebrate the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper together.

Whether you are seeking rest, "living water" for a thirsty soul, or the courage to face the hour, there is a place for you here. If you cannot join us in the sanctuary, please tune in via our church website or Facebook Live.

Arise and shine, for your light has come!

Peace,

Pastor Jon The Rev. Dr. Jon Burnham

St. John's Presbyterian Church

5020 West Bellfort Avenue Houston, TX 77035

(713) 723-6262

P.S. The service will be live-streamed

on our church website

and on our St. John's Facebook page .

St. John's Presbyterian Church in Houston

Worship Bulletin

February 1, 2026, 4th Sunday after Epiphany

Gathering

Prelude, Alina Klimaszewska, organ

*Hymn 326, Remembering Sue Benn

For all the saints who from their labors rest,

who thee by faith before the world confessed,

thy name, O Jesus, be forever blest.

Alleluia! Alleluia!

*Call To Worship, The Rev. Dr. Jon Burnham

Leader: Arise, shine, for your light has come!

People: The glory of the Lord rises upon us like dawn breaking over the horizon.

Leader: You meet us where we are, even during our daily tasks.

People: Help us to see you, Jesus, even we are busy in our daily life.

Leader: Sometimes we are called to cross boundaries to follow you.

People: Give us courage, Lord, to do your will. Amen.

Opening Prayer

* Hymn 307 God of Grace and God of Glory, 1, 3 and 4

1 God of grace and God of glory,

on thy people pour thy power;

crown thine ancient church's story;

bring its bud to glorious flower.

Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,

for the facing of this hour,

for the facing of this hour.

3 Cure thy children's warring madness;

bend our pride to thy control;

shame our wanton, selfish gladness,

rich in things and poor in soul.

Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,

lest we miss thy kingdom's goal,

lest we miss thy kingdom's goal.

4 Save us from weak resignation

to the evils we deplore.

Let the gift of thy salvation

be our glory evermore.

Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,

serving thee whom we adore,

serving thee whom we adore.

Prayer of Confession, Liturgist Bill Ehrenstrom

Holy God, we confess that we cling to the boundaries that keep us safe and separate. We have refused to venture into unfamiliar territory or welcome those we have been taught to avoid. We have drawn lines where you would build bridges. Forgive us, and grant us Ruth's courage and the woman's boldness to meet you beyond the walls we have made. Amen. (Silent Confession)

Assurance of Pardon

*Glory Be to the Father, Hymn 581

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end. Amen, amen.

*Passing the Peace

The Word

Prayer for Illumination

First Scripture Reading, Ruth 3:1-18

Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, I need to seek some security for you, so that it may be well with you. Now here is our kinsman Boaz, with whose young women you have been working. See, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. Now wash and anoint yourself, and put on your best clothes and go down to the threshing floor; but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. When he lies down, observe the place where he lies; then, go and uncover his feet and lie down; and he will tell you what to do.” She said to her, “All that you tell me I will do.”

So she went down to the threshing floor and did just as her mother-in-law had instructed her. When Boaz had eaten and drunk, and he was in a contented mood, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain. Then she came stealthily and uncovered his feet, and lay down. At midnight the man was startled, and turned over, and there, lying at his feet, was a woman! He said, “Who are you?” And she answered, “I am Ruth, your servant; spread your cloak over your servant, for you are next-of-kin.” He said, “May you be blessed by the Lord, my daughter; this last instance of your loyalty is better than the first; you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich. And now, my daughter, do not be afraid, I will do for you all that you ask, for all the assembly of my people know that you are a worthy woman. But now, though it is true that I am a near kinsman, there is another kinsman more closely related than I. Remain this night, and in the morning, if he will act as next-of-kin for you, good; let him do it. If he is not willing to act as next-of-kin for you, then, as the Lord lives, I will act as next-of-kin for you. Lie down until the morning.”

So she lay at his feet until morning, but got up before one person could recognize another; for he said, “It must not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor.” Then he said, “Bring the cloak you are wearing and hold it out.” So she held it, and he measured out six measures of barley, and put it on her back; then he went into the city. She came to her mother-in-law, who said, “How did things go with you, my daughter?” Then she told her all that the man had done for her, saying, “He gave me these six measures of barley, for he said, ‘Do not go back to your mother-in-law empty-handed.’” She replied, “Wait, my daughter, until you learn how the matter turns out, for the man will not rest, but will settle the matter today.”

Anthem

Sermon Scripture, John 4:1-26

Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard, “Jesus is making and baptizing more disciples than John” —although it was not Jesus himself but his disciples who baptized—he left Judea and started back to Galilee. But he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon.

A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?” (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” The woman said to him, “Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?” Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.”

Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come back.” The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!” The woman said to him, “Sir, I see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us.” Jesus said to her, “I am he, the one who is speaking to you.”

Sermon, The Boundary-Breaker

The Rev. Dr. Jon Burnham

*Hymn 722 Lord, Speak to Me That I May Speak, 2, 3, 4 and 5

2 O lead me, Lord, that I may lead

the wandering and the wavering feet.

O feed me, Lord, that I may feed

your hungering ones with manna sweet.

3 O teach me, Lord, that I may teach

the precious truths which you impart.

And wing my words that they may reach

the hidden depths of many a heart.

4 O fill me with your fullness, Lord,

until my very heart o'erflow

in kindling thought and glowing word,

your love to tell, your praise to show.

5 O use me, Lord, use even me,

just as you will, and when, and where

until your blessed face I see,

your rest, your joy, your glory share.

The Lord’s Supper

The Great Thanksgiving

Lift up your hearts!

We lift them up to God!

Celebrate God's love!

It is right to give God

our thanks and praise!

As we walk this journey of life,

we remember these gifts

as we proclaim the mystery of faith.

Christ has died, Christ is risen.

Christ will come again.

Prayers of the People and Lord’s Prayer

Breaking of the Bread and Communion of the People

Hymn 501 Feed Us, Lord

Feed us, Lord.

In the broken bread, be revealed again.

Come and feed our hearts, O Lord.

Quench us, Lord.

On this thirsty ground, may your love flow down.

Come and quench our hearts, O Lord.

Fill us, Lord.

Fill us, Lord,

with the bread and wine of the risen Christ.

Come and fill our hearts, O Lord.

Lead us, Lord.

Lead us, Lord,

nourished here by Christ, given strength for life.

Come and lead our hearts, O Lord.

Prayer after Communion

Welcome and Announcements

Offering

*Doxology, Hymn 609

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow.

Praise God, all creatures high and low.

Alleluia, alleluia!

Praise God, in Jesus fully known:

Creator, Word, and Spirit one.

Alleluia, alleluia! Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

*Prayer after the Offering

Sending

*Hymn 182 I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say

1 I heard the voice of Jesus say,

“Come unto me and rest;

lay down, O weary one, lay down

your head upon my breast.”

I came to Jesus as I was,

so weary, worn, and sad;

I found him in a resting place,

and he has made me glad.

2 I heard the voice of Jesus say,

“Behold, I freely give

the living water, thirsty one;

stoop down and drink and live.”

I came to Jesus, and I drank

of that life-giving stream;

my thirst was quenched, my soul revived,

and now I live in him.

3 I heard the voice of Jesus say,

“I am this dark world’s light;

look unto me, your morn shall rise,

and all your day be bright.”

I looked to Jesus, and I found

in him my star, my sun;

and in that light of life I’ll walk

till traveling days are done.

*Benediction and Postlude

The Epistle for January 28, 2026

Wed, 28 Jan 2026 17:59:18 GMT

The Epistle for St. John's Presbyterian Church in Houston

The Epistle

for January 28, 2026

Dear St. John’s Family,

If you are reading this from somewhere cold and dark, I want you to hear this first. You are not alone.

The winter storm that swept across our country this past week has been one of the most severe many of us have ever seen. Although Houston was relatively untouched, other cities were severely damaged. Ice weighed down trees and power lines. Roads became skating rinks. Hundreds of thousands of people were left without electricity, heat, or safe ways to travel. In some places, help simply could not get through.

I have been thinking about friends and former congregations as this storm unfolded. In Kennett, Missouri, familiar streets disappeared under ice and snow. In Batesville, Mississippi, cars were stranded on frozen highways with no way for emergency crews to reach them. In Jackson, Tennessee, reports came in of widespread ice damage, prolonged outages, and neighborhoods cut off from one another. Nashville was hit hard. And here in Texas, the cold crept farther south than anyone expected, stirring memories many of us would rather forget.

Those of us who lived through the 2021 freeze know how quickly fear can set in when the lights go out and the temperature drops. As a congregation that rebuilt our sanctuary after Hurricane Harvey, we also know what it means to face nature’s force and slowly, faithfully, find our way forward again.

Storms have a way of telling the truth about us.

I keep returning to a scene from the Gospel of Mark, chapter 4. The disciples are in a boat, far from shore, when a violent storm blows in. Waves crash over the sides. Water fills the boat. And Jesus is asleep in the stern. In panic they wake him, crying out, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”

Jesus rises, speaks to the wind and the sea, and there is a great calm. Then he asks a question that still unsettles us. “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?”

For years I read that story as a lesson about individual trust. Just believe harder. Just be less afraid. But the older I get, the more I notice something quieter and more important. The disciples were in the boat together. No one faced that storm alone. And Jesus was with them the whole time, even when it felt like he was absent or unaware.

That is what church is meant to be.

Across this storm, more than two hundred million people in over thirty states were affected by snow, ice, and extreme cold. In some regions, ice reached an inch thick. Power outages stretched on for days, with warnings that repairs in the hardest hit areas could take weeks. Tragically, lives were lost to exposure and accidents related to the cold. These are not abstract numbers. They represent real people, sitting in dark homes, wrapped in blankets, hoping morning comes soon.

If that is you, please hear this. Your church family is praying for you. We are holding you in our hearts and asking God for protection, restoration, and peace. And if you need help, reach out. Faith was never meant to be practiced in isolation.

Storms reveal who we really are. They show us what we value, who we notice, and whether our faith remains only words or becomes action. They also remind us of a deeper truth. God does not promise us a life without storms. God promises presence in the midst of them.

If you do not currently have a church home, know that you are welcome at St. John’s. We gather for worship at 11:00 AM on Sunday mornings at 5020 West Bellfort Avenue here in Houston. Come as you are. We do not expect perfection. We expect real people, bringing real lives, trusting a real God.

And if you are reading this from a cold and quiet house, hang on. The storm will pass. The sun will rise again. Calm will come, sometimes suddenly, sometimes slowly. Until then, remember this. You are not forgotten. You are not alone in the boat.

Peace,

Pastor Jon

Men's Group: Church Work Day on February 7

Souper Bowl of Caring:

Tackling Hunger Together

Offering Received February 8

Join us in the fight against hunger on Sunday, February 8 , for our annual Souper Bowl of Caring.

We will collect a special offering in the narthex immediately following worship, with 100% of the proceeds going directly to support the local food pantry at BIM.

You can contribute by check made payable to St. John's (please note "Souper Bowl" in the memo line) or via Zelle to accounts@stjohnspresby.org .

Let’s team up to make a real difference for our neighbors in need!

Master Your iPhone with Friends United!

Thursday, February 12

The group formerly known as Keenagers has a new name— Friends United —and they are kicking things off with a fantastic event!

Join us on Thursday, February 12 , for a helpful session titled "How to Use Your iPhone."

Whether you're struggling to find your apps or just want to learn some new tricks, this is the perfect opportunity to learn in a relaxed, supportive setting.

After we master our technology, we’ll enjoy a delicious lunch and wonderful fellowship. For more information or to sign up, please see Virginia Krueger or Marie Kutz .

Don’t miss this chance to get connected—both with your phone and your church family!

Session Members Retreat: Systems vs. Goals

Saturday, February 14, 2026 | 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM Session Room ~~> Lunch Included

When Luke tells the story of the early church in Acts 2, he never mentions their goals. He names their practices. “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (Acts 2:42). Devoted means steady, not flashy. Not a burst of energy. A way of life. And what followed? “The Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47). Growth was not the target. Growth was the byproduct.

Most churches today run on goals. More members. Higher giving. Better attendance. We sprint toward numbers, celebrate or sigh, and then ask what we are supposed to chase next. It can feel like trying to keep a balloon in the air with a fly swatter.

Systems thinking flips the question. Instead of asking, “What do we want to achieve?” it asks, “What are we willing to do faithfully, even when results are slow or invisible?” Goals create pressure. Systems create habits. Habits shape culture. Culture shapes fruit.

Think of a house. You can set a goal to clean it once a week and dread Saturday. Or you can build a system of fifteen minutes a day and barely notice the mess. Same house. Very different soul.

At our February retreat, Session will explore seven core church systems: Worship, Hospitality, Discipleship, Care, Mission, Communication, and Leadership Development.

We will look honestly at how St. John’s is doing in each area. Not to scold ourselves, but to notice patterns. We will choose at least one system to strengthen in the months ahead. This is not about adding more programs. It is about making what we already do more faithful, more repeatable, and more human.

The early church did not aim at 3,000 converts. They aimed at teaching, table, prayer, and shared life. God aimed the results.

Session members, please mark your calendars and plan to join us for this retreat. We will eat together, think together, and ask one good question: What kind of church would grow naturally from the way we actually live?

Session members, please mark your calendars and plan to join us for this important conversation about how we can serve our congregation and community more faithfully.

Welcome New Member: Carolyn McEathron

Carolyn was introduced to St. John’s by her friend Gerry Jump.

Carolyn has already become a familiar face, worshipping with us for months and experiencing the care of this community at recent weddings and memorial services.

She joins by Transfer of Letter from Christchurch Methodist Church in Sugar Land, Texas .

She said St. John's is worth the drive because we are a mission focused church, outward facing, instead of being inward focused and offering program after program after program to church members like some other churches.

Welcome to St. John's, Carolyn.

May the Lord meet you here.

We are thrilled to welcome you, Carolyn, and we look forward to serving alongside you as we continue to turn our hearts outward to the world.

Men of the Church

The next meeting of the Men of the Church will be 4 February at 6:30 PM in the Session Room.

Come for a time of study and service projects that benefit the church.

Confirmation Class

The Christian Education Committee is prepared to offer a Confirmation class for interested teens between the ages of 13 and 18.

The purpose of this class is to equip students for Confirmation and full membership in the church. Instruction will cover topics such as Christian theology, the Bible, and the Presbyterian tradition.

The course consists of approximately twelve two-hour sessions, which will be scheduled based on the availability of both teachers and participants.

The class will be led by Bill Ehrenstrom and Mary Gaber.

Those interested are encouraged to contact Mary Gaber at 713-204-1613 via phone or text for more information.

Quarterly Bible Study: Salvation

Mark your calendars for our next Quarterly Bible Study on Saturday, March 21, 2026 .

Join us from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. as Bill Ehrenstrom leads us in a deep dive into the topic of "Salvation."

This is a wonderful opportunity to grow in your faith and connect with others in the church family.

Sign-ups will be available soon in the Narthex and online.

We hope to see you there!

Escape to Mo-Ranch:

Young Adult Retreat

Join Mo-Ranch for a refreshing weekend of connection and spiritual renewal!

Hotel: $450 (Single) | $350 (Double)
Group Housing: $300

Commuter: $200

MoRanch will contact you after registration to confirm roommates and dietary needs.

Scholarships are available! [ Click here to register .]

Worship Bulletin for January 25, 2026 (Live worship canceled for wintry weather)

Sat, 24 Jan 2026 16:51:34 GMT

Worship Bulletin for January 25, 2026 (Live service canceled due to winter storm)

St. John's Presbyterian Bulletin

January 25, 2026, Third Sunday After Epiphany

Gathering

Prelude , Alina Klimaszewska, organ

*Hymn 326, Remembering Sue Benn

For all the saints who from their labors rest,

who thee by faith before the world confessed,

thy name, O Jesus, be forever blest.

Alleluia! Alleluia!

*Call To Worship, The Rev. Dr. Jon Burnham

Leader: The God of storm and stillness

calls out across the ages.

People: We have heard that voice before

and turned the other way.

Leader: Yet the Word of the Lord comes again,

persistent as the tide.

People: It finds us on dusty roads

and in the belly of our fears.

Leader: Grace pursues the reluctant heart;

mercy outpaces our flight.

People: Here we are, Lord. Speak,

for even we might become your messengers.

Leader: Come, let us worship the God who will not let us go.

Opening Prayer

* Hymn 65 Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah

1 Guide me, O thou great Jehovah,

pilgrim through this barren land.

I am weak, but thou art mighty.

Hold me with thy powerful hand.

Bread of heaven, bread of heaven,

feed me till I want no more;

feed me till I want no more.

2 Open now the crystal fountain,

whence the healing stream doth flow.

Let the fire and cloudy pillar

lead me all my journey through.

Strong deliverer, strong deliverer,

be thou still my strength and shield;

be thou still my strength and shield.

3 When I tread the verge of Jordan,

bid my anxious fears subside.

Death of death, and hell's destruction,

land me safe on Canaan's side.

Songs of praises, songs of praises

I will ever give to thee;

I will ever give to thee.

Prayer of Confession, Leonie Tchoconte, Liturgist

God of the persistent call, we confess that we have fled from your voice and hardened our hearts against your sending. We have chosen the comfort of Tarshish over the challenge of Nineveh. We have mistaken our own plans for righteousness while you waited to redirect our steps. Forgive us, and turn our resistance into surrender. Amen. (Silent Confession)

Assurance of Pardon

*Glory Be to the Father, Hymn 581

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end. Amen, amen.

*Passing the Peace

The Word

Prayer for Illumination

First Scripture Reading, Jonah 3:1-10

The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, saying, "Get up, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you." So Jonah set out and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly large city, a three days' walk across. Jonah began to go into the city, going a day's walk. And he cried out, "Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!" And the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast, and everyone, great and small, put on sackcloth.

When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. Then he had a proclamation made in Nineveh: "By the decree of the king and his nobles: No human being or animal, no herd or flock, shall taste anything. They shall not feed, nor shall they drink water. Human beings and animals shall be covered with sackcloth, and they shall cry mightily to God. All shall turn from their evil ways and from the violence that is in their hands. Who knows? God may relent and change his mind; he may turn from his fierce anger, so that we do not perish."

When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it.

Anthem

Sermon Scripture, Acts 9:1-19

Meanwhile Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” He asked, “Who are you, Lord?” The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” The men who were traveling with him stood speechless because they heard the voice but saw no one. Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. For three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” He answered, “Here I am, Lord.” The Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul. At this moment he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints in Jerusalem; and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who invoke your name.” But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before Gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel; I myself will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” So Ananias went and entered the house. He laid his hands on Saul and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and his sight was restored. Then he got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength. For several days he was with the disciples in Damascus.

The Word of the Lord for us today. Thanks be to God.

Sermon, The Reluctant Messenger

The Rev. Dr. Jon Burnham

Well, this is fitting.

Here we are on a Sunday when we're supposed to gather and worship together, and instead we're scattered across Houston, reading a sermon about reluctant messengers who didn't want to go where God sent them.

I can't help but smile at the irony. God has a sense of humor about these things.

Maybe you're reading this in your pajamas with coffee still warm in your hand. Maybe you're relieved you don't have to brave the icy roads this morning. Or maybe you're disappointed because Sunday worship is the one thing that grounds your week, and now even that feels disrupted.

Either way, you're exactly where this sermon finds you. Because the message isn't about showing up in a building. It's about showing up in your life when God calls you somewhere you'd rather not go.

When God Calls the Wrong Number

Let's talk about Jonah first.

You probably know the Sunday School version: Man runs from God, gets swallowed by big fish, fish spits him out, man obeys. Clean and simple. A nice little morality tale about obedience.

But read it again like an adult and you realize Jonah isn't a children's story. It's a comedy about how God uses the most unwilling people to accomplish the most unexpected grace.

God tells Jonah to go to Nineveh and preach repentance. Nineveh was the capital of Assyria, the brutal empire that terrorized Israel. These were the people who tortured prisoners, destroyed cities, and made cruelty an art form. And God wants to save them?

Jonah's response is basically, "Absolutely not."

So he runs. Gets on a ship heading the opposite direction. You know what happens next: storm, sailors panic, Jonah gets tossed overboard, fish shows up right on cue.

Chapter 2 is Jonah praying from inside the fish, which sounds repentant until you realize he's mostly complaining. Chapter 3 is where it gets interesting.

"The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, saying, 'Get up, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you.' So Jonah set out and went to Nineveh."

Notice what's missing? No confession. No "I've seen the light, Lord!" Just... he went. Still reluctant. Still resentful. But he went.

And here's the kicker: His sermon is terrible.

Eight words in Hebrew. That's it. "Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!"

No gospel. No grace. No invitation to repent. Just doom. The shortest, angriest sermon in Scripture.

And the people of Nineveh? They believe God. All of them. From the king down to the livestock. They put on sackcloth, they fast, they turn from their violent ways.

God sees their repentance and relents. The city is spared.

And Jonah? He's furious. Chapter 4 opens with him having a meltdown because God showed mercy. He literally says, "I knew you'd do this! That's why I ran in the first place! You're too compassionate, too gracious, too slow to anger. You forgive people who don't deserve it!"

Let that sink in. Jonah's complaint is that God is too good.

The Inconvenient Calling

Now flip to Acts 9.

Saul of Tarsus is on a mission. He's hunting down Christians with the kind of zealous efficiency that earns you a reputation. He's got letters of authorization from the high priest, permission to arrest believers in Damascus and drag them back to Jerusalem for trial.

This is his purpose. His calling. His identity.

And then Jesus shows up.

"Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"

The light knocks him flat. The voice strips away everything he thought he knew. When he opens his eyes, he can't see anything.

His traveling companions have to lead him by the hand into Damascus, where he sits in darkness for three days, not eating, not drinking. Just waiting.

Meanwhile, God's talking to a believer named Ananias. "Go to Straight Street. Ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He's praying. He's had a vision of you coming to restore his sight."

And Ananias, bless him, pushes back. "Lord, I've heard about this man. He's done terrible things to your people in Jerusalem. He came here with authority to arrest everyone who calls on your name."

Translation: "God, you've got the wrong guy. Or I've got the wrong guy. Either way, this can't be right."

God's response? "Go. He is my chosen instrument."

So Ananias goes. Still scared. Still uncertain. But he goes.

He finds Saul, puts his hands on him, and says the most extraordinary thing: "Brother Saul..."

Brother. The first word out of his mouth to the man who came to destroy them.

Saul's sight returns. He's baptized. And almost immediately, he starts preaching in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God.

The people are shocked. "Isn't this the man who was trying to destroy us?"

Yes. That's exactly who he is. And that's exactly why God chose him.

What Reluctance Reveals

Here's what Jonah and Paul have in common: Neither one wanted the assignment they got.

Jonah didn't want Nineveh saved. Paul didn't want his whole identity dismantled.

But God doesn't call the qualified. God qualifies the called. And sometimes the most powerful messengers are the ones who never wanted the job in the first place.

Because reluctance keeps you honest.

When you don't want to be there, you can't rely on your own charm or credentials. You can't coast on your reputation. You're forced to trust that God is doing something bigger than your comfort zone.

Jonah's terrible eight-word sermon shouldn't have worked. But it did, because God was already at work in Nineveh before Jonah ever showed up. The message wasn't Jonah's. It was God's. Jonah was just the delivery system.

Paul's conversion shouldn't have been believable. Nobody should have trusted him. But Ananias called him "brother," and that single act of grace cracked open a future nobody saw coming.

Think about that. The greatest missionary in Christian history started as a reluctant convert who had to be knocked off his horse and blinded before he could see.

The pattern is everywhere in Scripture. Moses didn't want to confront Pharaoh. Jeremiah said he was too young. Isaiah said his lips were unclean. Mary questioned how God's plan could possibly work.

God specializes in using people who know they're not enough.

Your Inconvenient Calling

So what does this mean for you, sitting at home in Houston on a snowy Sunday when you'd rather be in the sanctuary singing hymns with people you love?

It means God might be calling you to something you don't want to do.

Maybe it's a hard conversation you've been avoiding. Maybe it's forgiving someone who doesn't deserve it. Maybe it's showing up for a neighbor when you're barely holding your own life together.

Maybe it's staying in a relationship that feels harder than leaving. Or leaving a situation that feels easier than facing the truth.

Maybe it's saying yes to a role at church you don't feel qualified for. Or saying no to something good so you can say yes to something better.

Whatever it is, you know what it is. You've been circling it like Jonah circling Nineveh, hoping God will change His mind.

But here's the truth: God's grace doesn't depend on your enthusiasm. It depends on your obedience.

Jonah went reluctantly. And a city was saved.

Ananias went scared. And the gospel reached the ends of the earth.

Your willingness matters. But your perfection doesn't.

Grace on the Other Side

The beauty of these stories is what happens after the reluctant obedience.

Jonah sees an entire city turn to God. He witnesses repentance on a scale he never imagined possible. And even though he's still angry about it, he can't unsee what God did.

Paul becomes the greatest advocate for the grace he once tried to destroy. His inconvenient calling becomes his whole life. The thing he resisted becomes the thing he can't stop talking about.

That's how God works. He doesn't just use reluctant messengers. He transforms them.

The places you don't want to go? Those are often the places where you'll see God most clearly.

The people you don't want to forgive? They might be the ones who teach you what grace really means.

The assignments you don't feel ready for? They might be exactly what grows you into who God created you to be.

The Storm and the Stillness

I don't know what Houston looks like outside your window right now. Maybe ice is still clinging to the trees. Maybe the roads are clearing up. Maybe you're just grateful to be warm and safe inside.

But I know this: Sometimes God cancels our plans so we can hear His.

We couldn't gather today. But we're still the church. And God is still speaking.

Maybe this sermon finds you in a season of reluctance. You know what God is asking, but you're not ready to say yes.

That's okay. Jonah wasn't ready either. Paul didn't volunteer.

But when they finally went, they saw God do more than they imagined.

So go ahead. Take the next small step. You don't have to have it all figured out. You don't have to be excited about it.

Just show up. Say yes. Trust that God is already working in the places you're afraid to go.

Because the most unexpected grace often comes through the most reluctant messengers.

And who knows? Maybe the storm that kept us home today is part of the story God is writing.

Maybe the message you needed wasn't going to come from the pulpit at all.

Maybe it was always meant to meet you right where you are.

Amen.

*Hymn 722 Lord, Speak to Me That I may Speak, 1, 2, 3 and 5

1 Lord, speak to me that I may speak

in living echoes of your tone.

As you have sought, so let me seek

your erring children lost and lone.

2 O lead me, Lord, that I may lead

the wandering and the wavering feet.

O feed me, Lord, that I may feed

your hungering ones with manna sweet.

3 O teach me, Lord, that I may teach

the precious truths which you impart.

And wing my words that they may reach

the hidden depths of many a heart.

5 O use me, Lord, use even me,

just as you will, and when, and where

until your blessed face I see,

your rest, your joy, your glory share.

The Apostles’ Creed

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth,

I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic Church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

Prayers of the People

Lord’s Prayer

Welcome and Announcements

Offering

*Doxology, Hymn 609

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow.

Praise God, all creatures high and low.

Alleluia, alleluia!

Praise God, in Jesus fully known: Creator, Word, and Spirit one.

Alleluia, alleluia! Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

*Prayer after the Offering

Sending

*Hymn 733 We All Are One in Mission

1 We all are one in mission;

we all are one in call,

our varied gifts united

by Christ, the Lord of all.

A single, great commission

compels us from above

to plan and work together

that all may know Christ’s love.

2 We all are called for service

to witness in God’s name.

Our ministries are different;

our purpose is the same:

to touch the lives of others

by God’s surprising grace,

so every folk and nation

may feel God’s warm embrace.

3 Now let us be united

and let our song be heard.

Now let us be a vessel

for God’s redeeming word.

We all are one in mission;

we all are one in call,

our varied gifts united

by Christ, the Lord of all.

*Benediction and Postlude

Sermon January 25, 2026

Sat, 24 Jan 2026 16:35:27 GMT

Sermon "The Reluctant Messenger"

OT: Jonah 3:1-10 (Jonah preaches doom, gets grace instead)
NT: Acts 9:1-19 (Paul's inconvenient calling)

The Reluctant Messenger

Third Sunday after Epiphany

January 25, 2026

St. John's Presbyterian Church, Houston, Texas

First Scripture Reading, Jonah 3:1-10

When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it.

Sermon Scripture, Acts 9:1-19

Sermon

Well, this is fitting.

I can't help but smile at the irony. God has a sense of humor about these things.

Let's talk about Jonah first.

You probably know the Sunday School version: Man runs from God, gets swallowed by big fish, fish spits him out, man obeys. Clean and simple. A nice little morality tale about obedience.

But read it again like an adult and you realize Jonah isn't a children's story. It's a comedy about how God uses the most unwilling people to accomplish the most unexpected grace.

Jonah's response is basically, "Absolutely not."

So he runs. Gets on a ship heading the opposite direction. You know what happens next: storm, sailors panic, Jonah gets tossed overboard, fish shows up right on cue.

Chapter 2 is Jonah praying from inside the fish, which sounds repentant until you realize he's mostly complaining. Chapter 3 is where it gets interesting.

"The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, saying, 'Get up, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you.' So Jonah set out and went to Nineveh."

Notice what's missing? No confession. No "I've seen the light, Lord!" Just... he went. Still reluctant. Still resentful. But he went.

And here's the kicker: His sermon is terrible.

Eight words in Hebrew. That's it. "Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!"

No gospel. No grace. No invitation to repent. Just doom. The shortest, angriest sermon in Scripture.

And the people of Nineveh? They believe God. All of them. From the king down to the livestock. They put on sackcloth, they fast, they turn from their violent ways.

God sees their repentance and relents. The city is spared.

Let that sink in. Jonah's complaint is that God is too good.

The Inconvenient Calling

Now flip to Acts 9.

This is his purpose. His calling. His identity.

And then Jesus shows up.

"Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"

The light knocks him flat. The voice strips away everything he thought he knew. When he opens his eyes, he can't see anything.

His traveling companions have to lead him by the hand into Damascus, where he sits in darkness for three days, not eating, not drinking. Just waiting.

Meanwhile, God's talking to a believer named Ananias. "Go to Straight Street. Ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He's praying. He's had a vision of you coming to restore his sight."

And Ananias, bless him, pushes back. "Lord, I've heard about this man. He's done terrible things to your people in Jerusalem. He came here with authority to arrest everyone who calls on your name."

Translation: "God, you've got the wrong guy. Or I've got the wrong guy. Either way, this can't be right."

God's response? "Go. He is my chosen instrument."

So Ananias goes. Still scared. Still uncertain. But he goes.

He finds Saul, puts his hands on him, and says the most extraordinary thing: "Brother Saul..."

Brother. The first word out of his mouth to the man who came to destroy them.

Saul's sight returns. He's baptized. And almost immediately, he starts preaching in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God.

The people are shocked. "Isn't this the man who was trying to destroy us?"

Yes. That's exactly who he is. And that's exactly why God chose him.

What Reluctance Reveals

Here's what Jonah and Paul have in common: Neither one wanted the assignment they got.

Jonah didn't want Nineveh saved. Paul didn't want his whole identity dismantled.

But God doesn't call the qualified. God qualifies the called. And sometimes the most powerful messengers are the ones who never wanted the job in the first place.

Because reluctance keeps you honest.

When you don't want to be there, you can't rely on your own charm or credentials. You can't coast on your reputation. You're forced to trust that God is doing something bigger than your comfort zone.

Paul's conversion shouldn't have been believable. Nobody should have trusted him. But Ananias called him "brother," and that single act of grace cracked open a future nobody saw coming.

Think about that. The greatest missionary in Christian history started as a reluctant convert who had to be knocked off his horse and blinded before he could see.

The pattern is everywhere in Scripture. Moses didn't want to confront Pharaoh. Jeremiah said he was too young. Isaiah said his lips were unclean. Mary questioned how God's plan could possibly work.

God specializes in using people who know they're not enough.

Your Inconvenient Calling

So what does this mean for you, sitting at home in Houston on a snowy Sunday when you'd rather be in the sanctuary singing hymns with people you love?

It means God might be calling you to something you don't want to do.

Maybe it's a hard conversation you've been avoiding. Maybe it's forgiving someone who doesn't deserve it. Maybe it's showing up for a neighbor when you're barely holding your own life together.

Maybe it's staying in a relationship that feels harder than leaving. Or leaving a situation that feels easier than facing the truth.

Maybe it's saying yes to a role at church you don't feel qualified for. Or saying no to something good so you can say yes to something better.

Whatever it is, you know what it is. You've been circling it like Jonah circling Nineveh, hoping God will change His mind.

But here's the truth: God's grace doesn't depend on your enthusiasm. It depends on your obedience.

Jonah went reluctantly. And a city was saved.

Ananias went scared. And the gospel reached the ends of the earth.

Your willingness matters. But your perfection doesn't.

Grace on the Other Side

The beauty of these stories is what happens after the reluctant obedience.

Jonah sees an entire city turn to God. He witnesses repentance on a scale he never imagined possible. And even though he's still angry about it, he can't unsee what God did.

Paul becomes the greatest advocate for the grace he once tried to destroy. His inconvenient calling becomes his whole life. The thing he resisted becomes the thing he can't stop talking about.

That's how God works. He doesn't just use reluctant messengers. He transforms them.

The places you don't want to go? Those are often the places where you'll see God most clearly.

The people you don't want to forgive? They might be the ones who teach you what grace really means.

The assignments you don't feel ready for? They might be exactly what grows you into who God created you to be.

The Storm and the Stillness