The Epistle
St. John's Presbyterian Church
in Houston
July 22, 2026
Dear friends,
Thank you to everyone who led and participated in last Saturday’s Parables Bible Study. Mary Gaber, Alvina, Gabrielle, Libby, Tina, Jan, Bill, Linda, Valerie, Shirley, Stephen, and many willing helpers gave their time so our adults and children could learn, sing, eat, and grow together. Your quiet service matters.
I am also grateful to the Rev. Dr. Valerie Bell for preaching and leading worship last Sunday. We are blessed by her gifts and generous help.
This Sunday I will be back in the pulpit, and we will turn to Jesus’ short parable of the buried treasure in Matthew 13:44. A man discovers something so valuable that joy rearranges his whole life. Proverbs 2 calls us to search for wisdom with that same eagerness.
My prayer is that Saturday’s lessons will keep working in us, helping us recognize the treasure of God’s kingdom and live differently because we have found it. Keep seeking.
Peace,
Pastor Jon
Parables Summer Quarterly Bible Study
Last Saturday, our Summer Quarterly Bible Study brought together a few dozen adults and several children for a full day of learning, fellowship, music, and good food.
Mary Gaber adjusted the schedule to fit the group and helped keep the day organized. Alvina led the children’s program for our children, ages 3 through 8, with help from Gabrielle, Mary, and other adult volunteers. Thank you, Alvina, Gabrielle, and Mary, for making sure our youngest participants had a meaningful place in the day. Thank you also to Libby for helping with the arrangements.
The Caring and Fellowship Committee, led by Tina Jump, provided breakfast and lunch, along with an afternoon snack. Jan helped as needed. Thank you, Tina and Jan, and thank you to everyone on the committee. A Bible study runs better when people are well fed. That truth may not appear in the Book of Order, but it has plenty of church history behind it.
Bill Ehrenstrom, Linda Herron, and Valerie Bell led the three adult sessions. We are grateful for the time, prayer, and preparation they gave to teaching us.
Shirley led the music, and Stephen Jump helped with accompaniment. Thank you, Shirley and Stephen, for helping us worship together through song.
Jesus used parables to help ordinary people see God’s truth in the middle of ordinary life. Our work now is to carry those teachings home with us. The lessons of mercy, forgiveness, faithfulness, generosity, and love belong in our kitchens, workplaces, neighborhoods, and daily conversations. A parable has done its work when it changes how we treat the person standing in front of us.
Thank you to all who led this event and to everyone who participated. Your presence, service, and willingness to learn together strengthened our church family. May the seeds planted during this study continue to grow in the way we live, serve, and love.
College Student Updates
"Hello everyone! It is hard to believe I am in my final year of mechanical engineering already. I am still interning at Boeing and have been learning a lot through both school and work. This summer I was thankful to pass another class and keep making progress toward graduation. Spiritually, I have been visiting a different church each Sunday to learn from different congregations and grow in my faith. Thank you all for your continued prayers and encouragement. I am excited to see what God has in store this coming year!" -Tori Gorby
"I am a member of Starlight Aggies; we do philanthropic work for children’s hospitals." -
Marie Dzeukou who is a Sophomore at A&M.
Meet Carolyn McEathron,
St. John's Financial Secretary
We are blessed to welcome Carolyn as the volunteer Financial Secretary at St. John’s. Her calm manner and quiet competence have already made a difference in the life of our congregation. We thank God that her friendship with Gerry Jump brought her to St. John’s and that she has now become part of our church family.
Carolyn is a licensed CPA for over 18 years with more than twenty-nine years of accounting experience. She provides a wide range of accounting and tax services, with a focus on small businesses and individuals. As a small business owner herself, Carolyn understands the challenges of starting and running a business. Her firm offers tax planning and preparation, monthly accounting, payroll, software training, and business consulting.
Carolyn is a native Houstonian and long-time Sugar Land resident. She graduated with honors from the University of Houston-Downtown with a B.S. in Accounting and is a member of the Houston Chapter of the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants. In her spare time, she enjoys time with family and friends, her church, and traveling.
Men's Group Meets Tonight
Join us for the Men’s Group meeting Wednesday, July 22, at 6:30 p.m. in the Session Room.
We’ll review ongoing tasks and may replace a few fluorescent lights, so we hope to see you there!
Google Reviews update
If you have found St. John’s to be a meaningful place of worship and community, you may wish to leave a brief Google review. It is one simple way to help others who are searching for a church home learn a little about our congregation.
Click here to leave a review.
(Currently 4.9 stars from 40 reviews – thank you!)
We recently received this Google review from Zach, a new member:
"St John's is a lovely and welcoming church that we're very thankful to have found. My wife and I love the traditional liturgy and reverent hymns, the beautiful organ and piano, and the choir! We appreciate the commitment to scripture and the gospel, and how the sermons usually include readings and insights from both the Old and New Testament, and how to consider it within our lives.
There is a Sunday School class for the kids - our son is always excited to show us what they made and tell us about the Bible story he learned that day. The teachers running it are really doing a great job."
...
Here is the reply from Pastor Jon to Zach's review:
"Zach, thank you so much for taking the time to write such a thoughtful review. It means a great deal to all of us.
I especially appreciate your kind words about our worship, music, and preaching. We work hard to keep Christ, Scripture, and the gospel at the center of everything we do, so it is encouraging to know that this has been your family’s experience.
Thank you also for mentioning our children’s Sunday School. Our teachers pour a great deal of love and care into those young hearts, and I know they will be delighted to hear that your son comes home excited to share what he has learned. There are few greater joys for a church than seeing children eager to talk about God’s Word.
Please give our love to your wife and your little ones. We are truly grateful that God led your family to St. John’s, and we look forward to walking alongside you for many years to come.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Jon
Healing Hearts
Led by Lisa Sparaco, a licensed clinical social worker and member of our church, Healing Hearts offers a safe, faith-filled place for those walking through grief. The group gathers in the Prayer Room of the Church Office Building to share stories, receive encouragement, and walk together through seasons of loss. As a ministry of St. John’s, its focus is care, prayer, and the comfort of Christian community.
Next Healing Hearts Meeting
Prayer List
With hearts united in hope, we lift these names into the healing presence of God.
- Ben Carretin, Ronan Carretin, health concerns
- Cathy, Cindy Bergman’s sister, health
- Family of Harriet Harper
- Gayle Morales, friend of Alice Rubio, recovering from hip surgery
- Jessica Ivete Robles, friend of Alice Rubio, awaiting a kidney transplant
- Shirley Boyd, on the death of her nephew
- Family of Connie Brown
- Phyllis Freeman, receiving hospice care in the Dallas area
- Scenacia Jones and family
- Tom Edmondson, recovering from spinal surgery
- Holly Darr, health concerns
- Kelsey Wiltz, health concerns
- Madalyn Rodgers, sister of Kathleen Captain
- Joe Sanford
- Scott Moore
- Alice Rubio
- St. John’s college students
- Raina Bailey and the families in our PCHAS homes
- One Hope Preschool families and staff
How Can We Pray for You?
If you would like to add a name to the prayer list or keep a current name listed, please reply to this email and let us know. Thank you for helping us care for one another through prayer.
Happy Birthday
Rebecca Amador (July 23)
Lawrence Johnson (July 24)
Flo Logan and Linda Herron (July 25)
Scenacia Jones (July 26)
Eliora Lehna Caspa (July 28)
Happy Anniversary
Brad and Fran Urquhart (July 27)
Doug and Teresa Darr (July 29)
Calendar
Thursday, July 23
- 5:00 pm Exercise Class in Building 2
Sunday, July 26, 9th Sunday after Pentecost
- 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
- 3:30pm Girl Scouts in Session Room and Room 203
Coming Events
- Sun, Aug 9, Blessing of the Backpacks
- Thurs, Oct 1, BIM Gala
Church Calendar Online
Stories Jesus Told
That We're Still
Figuring Out
July 26 – "The Buried Treasure"
- OT: Proverbs 2:1-5 (Search for wisdom like hidden treasure)
- NT: Matthew 13:44 (Man sells everything for field with treasure)
August 2 – "Ten Girls and One Door"
- OT: Song of Solomon 5:2-6 (Beloved knocks, but the bride delays)
- NT: Matthew 25:1-13 (Wise and foolish bridesmaids)
August 9 – "The Final Accounting"
- OT: Amos 5:21-24 (Let justice roll down like waters)
- NT: Matthew 25:31-46 (Sheep and goats: when did we see you?)
Church Office Hours & Contact Information
The church office is open Monday through Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to noon. Pastor Jon is typically available Monday and Tuesday mornings, Alvina Hamilton serves on Wednesdays, and Linda Herron staffs the office on Thursdays.
For assistance, call 713-723-6262.
To submit prayer requests or articles for the Wednesday Epistle, email Pastor Jon and include “Epistle” in the subject line.
Church Website & Calendar
Visit our website for worship information, ministries, and church news:
www.stjohnspresby.org
For upcoming events and schedules, see the church calendar:
www.stjohnspresby.org/events
- To add an event to the calendar or submit an article for
The Epistle, email Pastor
Jon.
