Mon., June 26, 2023

awareness

outside the box

As we come upon the end of another program year together, we pause to behold the different ministries that thrived in our midst over the past months. Thank you for the love, care, time, and energy given to SJC ministries this year. Throughout June, we will highlight ministries and their leadership, culminating to "Gratitude Sunday" on July 2nd in the garden at Strawbery Banke.

Photo of Bishop Rob in St Andres parish Ondjiva Cunene Angola December 2019.

We join with so many others at St John’s with humility and gratitude for the gifts we receive every day. We are guided by our Bishop Rob Hirschfeld who has often said ‘God’s love refuses to be kept in a box.’

We are organized by a small steering committee who meets to plan, invite, and schedule speakers to come to St Johns to tell their story. We serve a simple lunch and encourage community, conversation and discussion. We have experienced and learned that by supporting an Afghan refugee family settle here in Portsmouth we have been led to support the NH Housing Partnership and the NH Community Loan Fund. By responding to climate change in Niger we have opened our hearts to local needs being addressed by 'I got Bridged'.

We are very pleased to receive ideas for future talks. Please join us for the next Outside the Box on September 17th when we will welcome Jayne Begala Board member, and Karen Prior from Haven, an organization committed to ending domestic violence. In the next year we are looking forward to learning more from CrossRoads and from Zambia an update on the work by Grandmothers raising AIDS orphans through Chikimbuso.

Do join us and send your us ideas:

Sandie Dika, Charlie Bickford, Linda Cheatham, Sandra Pagel, Carol Gruen, Ned Thompson, Ken Hale, Elaine Wilson, Sooky Lassen, Suzy Raeside