Week of Giving | A letter from the senior wardens

Sunday, September 27, 2020

Dear St. John’s community member,

We are writing as four senior wardens who have served you over a span of nearly 20 years, protecting and preserving our church, to ask you to give generously this year at stewardship time.

St. John’s has weathered the storm of 2020 remarkably well. Thanks to the abundance provided by you who never wavered in your support, we are forecast to have a balanced budget again this year. We are fortunate that CARES Act PPP money offset the loss of parking revenue. But we can’t count on that in 2021.

All around us, good things continue to happen. Rob and our staff have seamlessly moved our services online. We all ache to gather again in our sanctuary, and that will come. But only when it is safe to do so, and *all* can be included. In the meantime, Ashley Wade is now a video producer, our clergy are stars of the screen, Jen McPherson has mastered the art of video music production, and we are beginning outdoor youth activities again with Nathan. Our formation groups continue to gather with Anne and Nathan online, and so many of you have shared Daily Reflections to keep us all connected.

We have been restoring our buildings in our Connected in Christ capital program: we have completed a new roof, new wiring, a renovated Thaxter Hall with a new kitchen, new church lighting, and yes – finally – handicapped access will be achieved by connecting the church and parish hall. Work on that begins in the spring. We have all our permits from the Historic District Commission! All this is possible through your generous capital campaign donations.

But to continue the work of the church and shoulder the extra costs of regathering, we need to continue our strong tradition of pledging. We hope we can count on you. This is an important year to be counted. Remember that despite our distance this community has been an unwavering source for the spiritual, social and emotional support we all desperately need in these trying times. It is in all of our interest to ensure the good health of our St John's community so it can continue to enable ours.

All four of us have served St. John’s, through recessions and stresses both external and internal. We love this community, we love serving it, and we share that love and urgency with all of you. Please give generously to keep St. John’s vital and alive through the rest of the pandemic.

Make your 2021 commitment to St. John’s today!

Robert Mennel, Senior Warden (2003-2007)

Chris Sieve, Senior Warden (2007-2012)

Anna Kay Vorsteg Senior Warden (2012-2016)

John Tabor, Senior Warden, (2016- present)