St. John’s United Methodist Church is pleased to announce a ministry internship that spans the summer months (Late May – Mid August). This full-time, salaried internship is designed for young adults who have a passion for ministry with youth and may be exploring a call to ministry. 

The internship will include an opportunity to experience a range of ministerial responsibilities. Approximately half of the intern’s time will be devoted to providing leadership and support to our Youth ministries, including overnight experiences and Youth Week. Additional ministry time will be spent exploring the various areas of church leadership, including, but not limited to, worship, children’s ministry, administration, evangelism, pastoral care and visitation, and serving in the Shepherd’s Market.

Any who are interested may send an inquiry cover letter, resume, and references to jobs@stjohnsbr.org by April 18, 2022.

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The season of Lent, the 40 days (excluding Sundays) leading up to Easter has long been called a journey. It is a journey we take with Jesus, even when the road he walks is rough.

To accompany our shared and personal journey during Lent, the St. John’s Writers’ Group has produced a Daily Devotional for Lent. The readings begin on Ash Wednesday and continue through Easter. On Sundays, there is a Reflection Guide for small group and personal use, which coincides with the readings and themes shared during our Sunday morning worship services. Thank you to all who contributed to the devotional.

Printed copies are available from the church office. Download a copy of the 2022 Lent Devotional to read on a screen (pages in order) or to print at home (pages in booklet format).

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Unsure how much to pledge?
Consider giving based on a percentage of your income. 

The chart below shows how to offer a specific portion of your income as your pledge. 

Pledges made during this campaign will be active during the 2022 calendar year. If you have any questions about making a pledge, please contact LeAnn Davis, our Manager of Finance and Facilities.

Looking to make a one-time gift instead of a pledge? You can do that here.

St. John’s will be known as a center for feeding people spiritually and physically within our community.

Our Kitchen Renovation Story

Dear St. John’s Family,

The Vision of St. John’s is to be known as a center for feeding people spiritually and physically within our community. Consistent with our vision and in conjunction with our 60th Anniversary, which we are celebrating this year, we are embarking on the Lagniappe Kitchen Renovation.

Jesus used food and feeding to progress his ministry. Remember the feeding of the five thousand, eating with Mary and Martha, inviting himself to dinner at Zacchaeus house, telling Peter to “feed my sheep”? St John’s will use the upgraded kitchen to enhance our feeding ministries as well as The Shepherd’s Market food pantry.

Peruse the “Menu” for the Lagniappe Kitchen Renovation. It is a summary of changes and improvements needed for St. John’s to meet the requirements of a commercial kitchen. Through the good works done in fulfilling our Vision and our outreach ministries, the state inspectors have designated our kitchen as a commercial kitchen.

As of September 16, we have already raised $59,900 of our $200,000 goal. That is almost 30% and we have just begun! We will be providing periodic updates of funds raised.

We invite you to be a part of growing our vision through the kitchen renovation to help “fill the pot” through a gift of cash, check or online giving. You can also use the Lagniappe Kitchen Renovation card to commit to a future gift to be shared by August 2022. 

We can think of no better way to celebrate St. John’s 60th Anniversary than to support the growth of our vision to feed people, taking us into the next 60 years.   

In His Service,

St John’s Kitchen Team

Danielle Blackwood, Duane Craig, Susan Lambert, Phil Leblanc, Jill Slicker and Pam Toney 

Download Our Kitchen Renovation Menu

So, now what does all of this mean for you? It means that we need you. We need you to help make this happen! 

We invite you to join us in this ministry by making a gift to the Lagniappe Kitchen Renovation Fund.

Help us FILL THE POT full so we can reach our goal of $200,000.

Give Online

Under Fund, select “Kitchen Renovation”

Give By Check

• Make check to St. John’s UMC
• Write “Kitchen Renovation” on memo line
• Checks can be placed in the offering during worship or mailed to the church at: 230 Renee Drive, Baton Rouge, LA 70810

September 12 Ministry Moment

In worship on Sunday September 12, we heard an update from Susan Lambert, the Chairperson of our Kitchen Renovation Team, about the scope of the renovation and talked about our next steps:

Sunday School

Sunday School classes meet on Sundays from 9:45-10:45 a.m. The youth and children classes meet in the upstairs classrooms in the Administration & Education building (same building as the church office).

For more information, click here.

Children in Worship

The Prayground

At St. John’s, we recognize the importance of welcoming children to join the worship experience alongside their families. Thus, we have intentionally created a kid-friendly worship zone called the Prayground. There are several pews located next to the Prayground, so children are within just a few steps of their other family members.

To learn more about our Prayground, click here or click on the header image above.

Acolytes

Acolytes serve in worship by lighting the Christ candle at the beginning of each service. Starting in third grade, students can attend Acolyte Training and learn how to serve in this way.

Children’s Moment

Another way St. John’s tailors our worship experience and caters to the young people in the service is through a designated Children’s Moment each Sunday. During this time, children gather at the front of the sanctuary with an adult leader and the pastor. The children will hear a brief story or lesson (usually lasting between 2-5 minutes) that connects to the sermon or scripture for that day.

St. John’s is taking a special offering for Louisiana Flood Relief and will also collect supplies for flood buckets, which we will assemble on June 6 at 5 p.m. Drop off any of the items in the church office during the week or during the Drive-Thru Grocery Bag Sunday Drop Off on June 6 from 9:45 to 10:45 a.m.

If you would like to make a financial donation to the relief efforts, we have set up a special Disaster Relief Fund on our website. Choose the Missions Fund, and then the Disaster Relief Fund. Or write “Disaster Relief” on your check’s memo line.

Flood Bucket/Cleaning Kit Donations Needed:

• One five-gallon round bucket with re-sealable lid (14.35” h x 12.19” w x 12.19” d)
  • No screw lids
  • May be used, but must be free from all residual product
  • Advertisements on the outside acceptable
• One 32-64 oz. bottle liquid laundry detergent
• One 16-40 oz. bottle liquid concentrate household cleaner
  • No spray cleaners
• One 16-34 oz. bottle dish soap
• One 4-8 oz. pump spray air freshener
• One 6-14 oz. pump spray insect repellent (pack of 10-20 wipes also acceptable)
  • Pump spray bottles must have protective covers
• One scrub brush
  • With or without handle
• 18 re-useable cleaning wipes
  • No terrycloth, microfiber or paper towels
  • Remove from packaging
• Five scouring pads
  • No stainless-steel pads with soap in them
  • Remove from packaging
• 36-50 clothespins
• One 50-100 ft. clothesline (cotton or plastic line)
• 24 roll of heavy-duty trash bags (33-45-gallon sizes)
  • Remove from packaging
• Five N95 particulate respirator dust masks (1-3 mm thickness)
  • No surgical masks
• Two pairs kitchen gloves
  • Durable for multiple uses
  • Remove from packaging
• One pair work gloves
  • Cotton with leather palm or all leather

*Please note that the list does not contain clothing. This is often a misunderstood part of disasters. The system gets inundated with clothing, and it becomes a burden to manage. Please understand that there is no need for clothing.