Dearest Members of St Johns:
It is hard to believe that we are in the last month of the year – 2019 is just around the corner!
Thank you to all who attended our December 2nd Congregational Meeting. We had much to consider and I appreciate your time and attention. Our Minister of Finance, Angie Steins, has done incredible work preparing our budget that you approved for 2019. We can’t join Jesus’ mission if we don’t have a solid financial plan for St Johns. I look forward to Being SJLC, starting January 20th, when we will focus on using our time, our talents, our gifts, our passions…serving alongside Jesus in our everyday routines as He transforms the lives of others.
In January, we’ll also look forward to lots of activity in the sanctuary. Before tackling the stains on the ceiling caused by roof problems, we’d like to also repair the lighting above and below the balcony. Additionally, any work that would create dust requires that exposed organ pipes be removed. This will give us an opportunity to complete some needed maintenance. The ceiling work will displace worship from the sanctuary for about a month and we’ll miss having our organ for about 4 months.
The future of the Fellowship Hall has been the subject of lots of our conversations in November, and we will continue talking in 2019. The Fellowship Hall is truly the heart of our campus and we want to balance necessary, long delayed must-dos (like asbestos removal) and many nice-to-dos, against the realities of paying for it. Like many of us who have done remodeling projects in our home, this is a familiar and challenging process. The Campus Projects Team will be re-energized under the leadership of Dan Weikart to assess the needs of all ministries that routinely use the Fellowship Hall. The goal is to return to the congregation with a plan for refurbishment, which includes both the final design and how to pay for it, in the spring. Please keep the Campus Project Team, ministry leaders, and all involved in this undertaking in your prayers.
My family and I wish you many rich blessings in the New Year!
Sincerely Your Servant, Elisabeth…
Elisabeth Auld, Council President