November 11, 2026
This Sunday:
Stewardship Dedication
Congregational Meeting
BBQ Brunch
Dear friends,
Thank you for last Sunday and "The Economics of Manna." Thank you also to everyone who made the Holiday Gift Market a success. Kay Swint reports $20,053 raised for the ministries we support. That is a lot of manna.
This Sunday is Dedication Sunday. The sermon is "Gleaning at the Edges," the eighth in Generous Trouble. In Leviticus 19, God tells Israel, "you shall not reap to the very edges of your field." Leave some for the poor and the stranger. In Ruth 2, a widow from Moab gleans in Boaz's field, and he quietly tells his workers to leave a little extra for her. Boaz did not issue a press release. In Acts 4, the early church shares so freely that "there was not a needy person among them."
The edges are where generosity lives. It is the margin we choose not to squeeze.
Bring your 2027 Commitment Card on Sunday, and we will dedicate our pledges in worship. Right after worship, stay for the
Congregational Meeting and the
Stewardship Celebration BBQ Lunch.
Here is something to do this week. Find one edge of your week that you harvest all the way to the fence: an hour, a dollar, a conversation. Leave it for someone else.
Leave a little at the edges.
Peace,
Pastor Jon
Congregational Meeting, November 15
Your Session has been hard at work preparing for our congregational meeting this Sunday, November 15, immediately after worship in the sanctuary. Items of business include:
- Annual reports from committees
- The 2027 annual budget
- The Nominating Committee report
- Edits to the Manual of Operations
- 2027 Terms of Call for the pastor
All members are encouraged to attend.
The Nominating Committee presents this slate for election.
Elders, Class of 2029
- Jessica DeLaflosse, Co-Moderator of Fellowship and Caring
- David Cardenas , Moderator of Buildings and Grounds
- Ann Hardy, Moderator of Stewardship and Finance
2027 Nominating Committee, representing the congregation
- Allen Barnhill
- Mary Hughes
- Wright Williams
Holiday Gift Market: Thank You, St. John's!
What a market! The 2026 Holiday Gift Market brought in
$22,834.60 in purchases and donations, and
$20,053.60 of that went to nonprofits and church ministries. Here is where the gifts went:
- Grace International: $8,595.00
- PCHAS: $6,250.00
- St. John's College Scholarship Fund: $2,774.00
- Braes Interfaith Ministries: $900.00
- Boy Scouts: $399.60
- FIA Thanksgiving Coffee Fund: $365.00
- Hilltop for Hope: $335.00
- Presbyterian Giving Catalog: $255.00
- Seafarer's Christmas Boxes (Pack 8) and St. John's Men's Club: $180.00
Total to nonprofits and church ministries: $20,053.60
Total to our small business vendors: $2,781.00
Total purchases and donations: $22,834.60
- A few members gave especially generous gifts this year, and we are grateful for every one of them. Thank you to Kay Swint, Omar Ayah, Peter Sparaco and the
Faith in Action
committee, our vendors, and the set-up and break-down team who make this market possible. Your generosity reaches from Uganda to the Port of Houston, and it starts in McPhail Hall.
Honoring Our Veterans
Today we pause to honor the veterans of our congregation, our community and our nation, men and women who answered the call to serve and carried that duty with courage and sacrifice. Many of them gave years of their lives, time away from family and, for some, their health and peace of mind, so that others could live in freedom. We give thanks to God for each of them, and we pray for veterans and their families today, remembering that the best thanks we can offer is to listen to their stories, care for their needs and honor their service long after the flags come down.
Healing Hearts Meets Tonight
The Rev. Linda Herron will lead the Healing Hearts grief support group tonight, Wednesday, November 11, at 7:00 p.m. in the Prayer Room. If you are carrying a loss, you are welcome. Come as you are.
Men’s Group Meets Tonight
The Men’s Group meets tonight, Wednesday, November 11, at 6:30 p.m. in the Session Room. All men of the church are welcome.
Advent Is Coming
Advent begins Sunday, November 29. The day before, Saturday, November 28, we'll gather at 10 a.m. to decorate the sanctuary, and everyone is invited. Come help us bring festive color to our worship space. This year the sanctuary will also have a new six-foot Christmas tree.
Poinsettias:
We’ve ordered 40 poinsettias, which arrive on December 11 and will fill the sanctuary through Christmas Eve. Sign up to reserve your poinsettia(s) in the narthex. Priced at $12 each, the price has remained the same as last year for this beautiful plant.
Greeters and Ushers Needed
Calling all smiling faces to serve the Lord as greeters and ushers! The Worship Committee is looking for volunteers to enter the ministry of greeting and ushering during our Sunday morning Worship services. It is a great way to meet folks in the church and to practice your gifts of hospitality and friendship. Participation is on a rotating basis and the schedule will accommodate those times that you will not be able to serve due to a conflict. Contact Lynne Parsons Austin for more information. Your energy and smiling face is needed.
Christmas Shoeboxes for Seafarers
Each year the Houston International Seafarers Center delivers Christmas shoeboxes to the crews of ships in the Port of Houston. Last year it was 8,901 boxes, for sailors from 68 nations, many of them months away from home at the holidays. Chaplains and ship visitors carry the boxes aboard by hand.
St. John’s is collecting again this year. Peter Sparaco will set a box in the Narthex. Please bring new, unopened, full-size items such as body wash, deodorant, disposable razors, shaving cream, toothbrushes and toothpaste, lip balm, lotion, socks, new caps or T-shirts, playing cards, word-search or sudoku books, pocket notebooks, flashlights with batteries, non-perishable snacks, and Texas souvenirs.
The cutoff date for donations is December 6, as we will pack the boxes the following Saturday.
Gift of Empathy Class
The Gift of Empathy Class began on Thursday, September 17, and meets weekly on Thursday evenings at 6:30. The next class is Thursday, November 12.
Brahms: Between Passion and Poetry, November 22
in St. John's Sanctuary
Join us Sunday, November 22, at 4:00 p.m. in the sanctuary for an afternoon of Brahms with cellist Hasmik Vardanyan and our own Alina Klimaszewska at the piano, with guest artists Mark Swindler, tenor, and Omeed Manshouri, viola. The program includes the Cello Sonata in E minor, Two Songs, Op. 91, art songs for tenor and piano, and Hungarian Dances Nos. 1 and 5. Admission is free. Bring a friend.
Oil for Our Lamps Begins James
Oil for Our Lamps meets on Zoom on the first and third Tuesdays of each month, 1:30 to 2:45 p.m. The group is beginning a study of the book of James, using the NavPress LifeChange Bible Study. The first lesson, "Overview," is Tuesday, November 17. There is one extra copy of the book, and the group would welcome a new member. If that might be you, contact Zoom host Shirley Boyd by calling or texting 713-598-0818, or email saboyd2@att.net.
Avoiding Probate: Friends United, November 12
St. John's Friends United meets Thursday, November 12, at 11 a.m in McPhail Hall. This month's presenter is Jeanne Bunnell Leach, P.C., attorney at law, board certified in residential real estate. Her topic is "Planning Tools to Make Life Easier," covering advance directives and tools to avoid probate. Lunch is potluck this month, so bring a dish to share. All who are 50 and older are welcome, whatever their religious affiliation.
Title: Two Thanksgiving Day Gentlemen
by O. Henry
This is a delightful story of Thanksgiving by a famous author. You can search this title online and download the article. This should be very enjoyable this season.
Dan Herron
With hearts united in hope, we lift these names into the healing presence of God.
- Mary Hughes, health concerns
- Kathleen Captain, health concerns
- Ken Krueger, health concerns
- Linda Dobbin, health concerns
- Fran and her children as they mourn Brad's passing
- Mary Hughes and her family, in the death of her brother
- Betty Robinson’s family, in her death
- Lisa, health concerns
- Sandy, health concerns
- Patti, health concerns
- Alice's grandson, Marc, health concerns
- Katherine Kyle James, friend of Mark Swindler, health
- Gayle Morales, friend of Alice Rubio, health concerns
- Jessica Ivete Robles, friend of Alice Rubio, health concerns
- Phyllis Freeman, health concerns
- Tom Edmondson and Kristi, his caregiver
- Kelsey Wiltz, health concerns
- Scott Moore
- Alice Rubio
- St. John’s college students
- Raina Bailey and the families in our PCHAS homes
- One Hope Preschool families and staff
- Randy Finfrock, former member and friend of David Rainwater, health
- Miri Upton, friend of Lisa Sparaco, health concerns
- Kelly McDowell and family, Shirley Boyd’s nephew, health
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
Andra Mulder (Nov 1)
Mary Hughes and Fifi (Zafirah) Diabate (Nov 3)
Marie Dzeukou (Nov 9)
Becky Crawford (Nov 10)
Virginia Krueger (Nov 12)
Mary Herlitz (Nov 14)
Libby Adams (Nov 15)
Ann Hardy (Nov 16)
Jackson Burnham and Naomi Hughes (Nov 20)
Mary Plail Risley (Nov 22)
Jim Austin and Scott Moore (Nov 29)
Happy Anniversary
Peter and Grace Sparaco (Nov 28)
Wednesday, November 11
- 6:30 pm Men’s Group
- 7:00 pm Healing Hearts
Thursday, November 12
- 11:00 am Friends United Luncheon
- 5:00 pm Exercise Class in Building 2
- 6:30 pm Gift of Empathy Class
Saturday, November 14
- 10:00 am to noon, PCHAS Holiday Lunch
Sunday, November 15, 25th Sunday after Pentecost, Dedication Sunday
- 9:30 am Sunday School for Adults, Systematic Theology, Session Room
- 11:00 am Worship Service, live in sanctuary and on Facebook
- Congregational Meeting, immediately after worship, Sanctuary
- 12:00 pm Stewardship Celebration Lunch, CE Committee, and Fellowship and Caring Committee meetings
- 1:30 pm Book Study on Zoom
- 4:30 pm Pack 8 Meeting, McPhail Hall
Coming Events
- Thurs, Nov 12, St. John’s Friends United, 11 am
- Sun, Nov 15, Dedication Sunday, 11 am
- Sun, Nov 15, Congregational Meeting, after worship, Sanctuary
- Tues, Nov 17, Oil for Our Lamps on Zoom, 1:30 pm
- Sun, Nov 22, Brahms: Between Passion and Poetry concert, 4 pm, Sanctuary
- Thurs, Nov 26, Thanksgiving Day
- Sat, Nov 28, Sanctuary Decorating, 10 am
- Sun, Nov 29, First Sunday of Advent
- Tues, Dec 1, Oil for Our Lamps on Zoom, 1:30 pm
- Sun, Dec 6, Seafarers shoebox donations due
- Thurs, Dec 24, Christmas Eve Service, 7 pm
Church Calendar Online
For other dates, see St. John's Calendar online:
https://www.stjohnspresby.org/events/
