September 9, 2026

Dear friends,

Thank you to everyone who gathered at the Lord's Table last Sunday. Communion has a way of leveling the room. There is no head table. There is only bread, and a cup, and all of us holding out our hands.

This Sunday we open the shortest letter Paul ever wrote. Philemon fits on one page. Paul writes it from prison to a Christian slaveholder about a runaway slave named Onesimus, who has come to faith in Paul's care. Paul sends him home. But he sends him home with a request that quietly turns the household upside down: receive him "no longer as a slave but as a beloved brother."

Paul never uses the word abolition. He does something slower and, in the long run, more dangerous to the old order. He changes what the people at the table call each other.

Our Old Testament reading is Exodus 21, the old law on the release of slaves. Set it beside Philemon and you can feel the ground moving under Paul's feet.

Here is the question I will carry into the pulpit. Who in your life is still filed under an old label? An old grudge, an old role, an old story about who they are. What would change if you received that person the way Christ has received you?

One more thing. After worship this Sunday, the Nominating Committee will meet in my office. They are looking for people to help lead this church into its next chapter. Pray for them. And if one of them calls you, pick up the phone.

Peace,
Pastor Jon

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.

Nominating Committee Meets This Sunday

The Nominating Committee will meet this Sunday, September 13, immediately after worship in Pastor Jon's office. Please keep the committee in your prayers as they seek the leaders God is calling for the year ahead.

Accessibility for the Entire Body of Christ

The Presbytery of New Covenant invites us to a workshop on Saturday, September 19, at Pines Presbyterian Church. What does it mean for a church to be truly welcoming? The day offers practical ways to welcome and accommodate people with a wide range of abilities and experiences, including neurodiversity, physical disabilities, deaf and hard-of-hearing members, people living with dementia and Alzheimer's, and people from many cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Congregations from across the presbytery will gather for a day of learning, conversation, and ideas we can carry home.

Lunch is provided and the event is free. Register on Tuesday Connect, or contact Lynne Parsons and she will help you register. Save the date.

Caring and Fellowship Committee Meets September 20

The Caring and Fellowship Committee meets on the third Sunday of each month. The next meeting is Sunday, September 20, after worship. All are welcome.

Oil for Our Lamps

On Tuesday, September 15, Oil for Our Lamps will have a Zoom meeting.

Gift of Empathy Class

The Gift of Empathy Class begins its weekly meetings on Thursday, September 17, and continues on Thursday, September 24.

Memorial Service for Brad Urquhart

A memorial service for Brad Urquhart will be held on Saturday, September 26, at 11:00 a.m., with a reception to follow in McPhail Hall.

BRAES Gala Tickets on Sale

Tickets are now on sale for the BRAES Interfaith Ministries Gala on October 1. Peter Sparaco will be selling tickets in the Narthex after worship over the next four weeks: $50 each, cash or check payable to BRAES Interfaith Ministries.

Friends United: Going to the Birds

Friends United meets Thursday, September 10, at 11:00 a.m. for "Birds of a Feather," a program of bird photography presented by Bryant Boutwell, a National Audubon Society photographer and speaker. Lunch is provided. All are welcome, 50 and older, regardless of religious affiliation. The group meets in the Session Room, #205, in the Administration Building.

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.

Upcoming Healing Hearts Meetings

• Wednesday, September 9, 7:00 p.m.
• Monday, September 28, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon

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

• Linda Dobbin, health concerns
• Fran and her children as they mourn Brad's passing
• Lisa, health concerns
• Sandy, health concerns
• Patti, health concerns
• Alice's grandson, Marc, health concerns
• Cathy, Cindy Bergman’s sister, health
• Gayle Morales, friend of Alice Rubio, recovering from hip surgery
• Jessica Ivete Robles, friend of Alice Rubio, awaiting a kidney transplant
• Phyllis Freeman, receiving hospice care in the Dallas area
• 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

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

Dan Herron (Sept 1)

Lea Sanford (Sept 2)

San Juana Flores (Sept 3)

Michael Rodgers (Lynne Parsons Austin's son) (Sept 6)

Yor Ator (Sept 7)

Arwin Jump (Sept 11)

Kerry Gaber (Sept 12)

Allison Hardy (Sept 17)

Mel Liljedahl (Sept 20)

Sandy Kattner (Sept 21)

Somer Assad (Sept 22)

Bryan Boyd (Laurie Henderson's son) (Sept 27)

Lindsey Sen-Roy (Sept 28)

Happy Anniversary

Dave and Rose Muanza (Sept 18)

Tom and Kristi Edmonsond (Sept 22)

Wednesday, September 9

• 7:00 pm Healing Hearts, Room 202

Thursday, September 10

• 11:00 am Friends United Luncheon
• 5:00 pm Exercise Class in Building 2

Sunday, September 13, 16th 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
• 12:00 pm Nominating Committee, Pastor Jon's office
• 12:00 pm Christian Education Committee meets
• 1:30 pm Book Study on Zoom

Coming Events

• Wed, Sept 9, Healing Hearts, 7 pm
• Thurs, Sept 10, Friends United Luncheon, 11 am
• Sun, Sept 13, Nominating and Christian Education Committees meet
• Tue, Sept 15, Oil For Our Lamps Zoom meeting
• Thurs, Sept 17, Gift of Empathy Class
• Sat, Sept 19, Accessibility Workshop at Pines Presbyterian
• Sun, Sept 20, Caring and Fellowship Committee meets
• Thurs, Sept 24, Gift of Empathy Class
• Sat, Sept 26, Memorial Service for Brad Urquhart
• Mon, Sept 28, Healing Hearts, 11 am
• Wed, Sept 30, Men's Group Meeting
• Thursday, Oct 1, BIM Gala
• Thursday, Nov 26, Thanksgiving Day
• 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/

Letters from Prison:

Paul's Radical Freedom Behind Bars

When Paul wrote to the churches at Philippi, Ephesus, and Colossae, he was under guard and awaiting trial, with no assurance he would ever walk free again. What came out of that cell was not complaint but some of the most joyful and expansive writing in the New Testament. We are spending six Sundays with these letters and asking how a man in chains found a freedom his jailers could not touch.

September 13 - "The Household Upended"

OT: Exodus 21:2-11 (The old law of slaves and their release)

NT: Philemon 8-21 (No longer as a slave but as a beloved brother)

September 20 - "Rooted and Built Up"

OT: Jeremiah 17:7-8 (Like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots)

NT: Colossians 2:6-15 (Rooted and built up in him, established in the faith)