Comfort. Community. Calling.

"One of the reasons that I love Saint John's so much is that I feel like I belong here. I bet a lot of you feel like you belong here, too."

Stephny Lietuvnikas

Welcoming and stewardship and finance commissions, on belonging

About 6 minutes

Stephny Lietuvnikas came to Saint John's in 2009 with a three year old, on a Sunday when the heat was out and the whole congregation sat in folding chairs. She stayed because of the welcome: Will Godwin came straight over, Betty Merkel handed her daughter a cookie, and Charlie Cheney waved as though they were already friends. That memory is why she said yes to the welcoming commission years later, and why she serves on stewardship and finance now.

"I said, 'Well, I really don't know anyone.' And she said, 'You will.'"

Lauri Ricker

Member since 2017, on the one yes that started everything

About 5 minutes

After twenty seven years as a minister's wife, Lauri Ricker arrived at Saint John's with a firm plan to sit down, worship, and go home without getting involved. The plan lasted until Deanna Solless asked her to join the welcoming commission and answered every objection in turn. One yes led to friendships, Micah's Backpack, welcome bouquets, Christmas boxes, dinners, and receptions. She calls it a spark, and she believes everyone has one.

"Ryland, in true form, clapped his little hands and said, 'I did it.' The entire church erupted in laughter and applause. My reaction was, this is a great church. They love children."

Carol Cox

Service and outreach commission, on being fed in the hardest season

About 6 minutes

Carol Cox first came to Saint John's for a grandson's baptism and stayed because of what happened next. When another grandson was born with a rare condition and spent his short life at Johns Hopkins, this parish fed her family through Martha's Table, asked after them every Sunday, and kept checking in long into the grieving process. She now leads Martha's Table herself, because she knows firsthand what that support meant.

"When we talk about stewardship, we're not just talking about keeping the lights on. We're talking about keeping the lights in."

Tammy Martinez

Member for twelve years, on gratitude instead of guilt

About 4 minutes

Tammy Martinez traces a path from a Pentecostal pew, through Saint James, to Saint John's twelve years ago, where her family found a home and a wedding. The music changed along the way, she says, but the worship did not. She reframes stewardship as gratitude passed along rather than an obligation discharged, and asks two honest questions: where have I seen God's love at work here, and how can I help it grow.

"History doesn't repeat itself. It echoes."

Dan Meyer

Chair, Stewardship and Finance Commission, on the building as inheritance

About 12 minutes

Dan Meyer makes the case for the part of stewardship that is easiest to forget, which is the bricks and mortar. The building is a vehicle for worship, he argues, and it exists only because of the stewardship of those who came before. He reads the parish's history off its own walls, through the reredos, the memorials, and the windows, and asks what the stones will say to the congregations that follow.

"They see me serving and talk to me at coffee hour. This makes me feel like an important member of the church."

Kellan Dowe

Acolyte, on what this parish looks like to a young member

About 2 minutes

Kellan Dowe speaks as a young member. His family came to Saint John's in 2023 and he serves as an acolyte, which he likes because it lets him take an active part in worship and because the congregation talks with him at coffee hour. What stands out to him is how much this parish does: Micah's Backpack several times a school year, the REACH cold weather shelter his mother volunteers with, and causes he says plainly are worth supporting.