“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!” (1Cor 1:3)

 As the seasons turn and the carefree days of summer disappear, our lives change once again. Another school year begins, clubs and organizations meet once again, and perhaps you have decided to take up a new activity.  Whatever this new time of year brings for you, let us rejoice in the blessings of experiencing the seasons of change that God provides.  Fall season brings with it both the return to the familiar and the experience of new things.  We all experience seasons of change in our lives that come and go like the seasons of the year, but what always remains with us is the presence of Christ no matter what season we find oursleves in. 

As for St. John’s, fall has been a busy time!  Preschool has begun with full classes each day.  This past Sunday we restarted Sunday School classes for all ages and will resume our monthly Intergenerational Sunday School Breakfasts.  Our bell choir will resume practicing and the Every Voice Choir sang this past Sunday.  Our outreach ministries are busy collecting things for school kits and Seafarer’s bags.  And Kate’s Kupboard has now partnered with the PA Food Bank in order to continue to provide food and other items to the famlies in need within our community.  While all of this great news, one area we continue to struggle with since our return from COVID is our volunteers.  It takes a lot of work to do the ministries of St. John’s and to maintain our building.  While there are many reasons our volunteer list has shrunk, the need for them has not.   If you find yourself with even an hour a month that you can help, please let us know as we can certainly match you up with a need.   

Our scriptures this fall focus on who Jesus is and what it means to be his disciple.  One of the important topics is that of reconciliation to God, to one another, and to the created world.  These stories are filled with forgiveness, mercy, and love that is expressed in very surprising ways.      May you be filled with the blessings of this season, with the presence of Christ, and the abundance of God’s love.

Blessings,  

 Pastor Karla