All Saints-tide 2003
Saint John's Church

Dear Members and Friends and Supporters,

There is that wonderful smell again. Ah, the smell of autumn: the smell of our hard earned money going up in smoke as we begin to heat the buildings, the smell of the mildew from the water damage in the sacristy, the smell of the rotting leaves which we couldn't afford to have raked away, the smell of... STEWARDSHIP TIME!! The time is here to renew Pledges of support for the ministry of the Congregation and its Friends in 2004.

Our long-range goal at Saint John's is to transform our whole neighbourhood- of which we are an integral component -into the same sort of oasis for all of Baltimore City which our church is for our community: a place filled with meaningful worship, beauty, hospitality, grace and fun for all people.

Part of our witness to this Christian and civilising goal is the care we take in what we do, both inside and outside our doors, in the number of ways we engage the community. The people of Saint John's are not taught to come here for beautiful worship, but rather to worship well in order to transform lives, their own and others. This is what is truly meant by 'orthodoxy', giving God 'right glory' by renewed spiritual lives that reach out to extend His gracious invitation to communion with Him.

I want to invite each of you to join us and help us as we attempt to do that. If you enjoy and use what we offer in worship and music, if you believe in our ideals and goals for our mission and community, we ask you now for your tangible support. With our small base of members and a small endowment to call upon, Saint John's needs your earnest help. The city urgently needs our gentle and beautiful witness and our invitation to another way of approaching God and his people. Please help us to continue this work by your prayers, your presence, and your strong financial support.

Just what are the ministries we put our money into? Most of it is what is called out-reach. Here are a few:

• Saint John's sends a very large sum of money each year in support of the Diocese of Maryland. This amount supports mission work in the Diocese and the administration of the Diocese. The total is assessed on our budget, as in all congregations, and we are happy to do our fair share in the work of the wider Church.
• Another larger sum is spent right here in our community. Our property and buildings are kept in sound and beautiful condition as a tremendous benefit to the Waverly-Charles Village communities in beauty, green space, meeting space, and above all in an intangible sense of stability, permanence, and, yes, holiness, in our distressed community. A cynic might call this self-serving, but it is not necessary to maintain our property and buildings in the manner we do to support our small congregation's needs. We do it as a form of outreach to the wider community we serve, because that is what our mission is. The same can be said of that below...
• We also spend a hefty sum to preserve the distinct treasury and heritage of Anglican music as a means of enriching the spiritual and cultural life of both the Diocese and our community. This is an historic ministry of Saint John's Church, almost since its founding. In more and more places this venerable means to worship is being lost, not because people do not respond to it- they certainly do -but because excellence is expensive, and the Church is as vulnerable to the current trend to "dumb-down" as any other part of society.

And we do so much more: The Saint John's Scholar program, the Franciscan Centre, The Family Centre, the Sisters in Haiti. All of this is outreach, our Congregation meeting important needs of both the World and the Church in ways which we can do well with the gifts God has given us: our people. But we still need money to turn on the lights...

Every Member and Friend surely has to know that we need all the financial help we can get to do the ministry of Saint John's Church. You also know that we depend upon each one of you to support it. Since every penny counts and helps, this is an opportunity for you to make a significant difference.

You come to us here on Greenmount Avenue for many reasons. Among them are the meaning, beauty, and relevance in the worship, the welcoming hospitality, the respite of congenial forms of worship, and, indeed, the sheer fun we have here. Our unique little place on Greenmount Avenue is for many of you precisely what almost everyone calls it: an oasis. We are, to be sure, an oasis in many ways, and with that image repeatedly affirmed to us, it is also our inspiration. Our long-range goal at Saint John's is to transform our whole neighbourhood, of which we are an integral component, into that same sort of oasis for all of Baltimore City: a place filled with meaningful worship, beauty, hospitality, grace and fun for all people.

Pledge Cards, along with a Fact Sheet about the budget, and information about our Endowment are available right now. Please prayerfully consider what ought to be your financial contribution, and make that a commitment and a Pledge. Please turn in your Pledge Card at the service on Thanksgiving Day, or post it to the Church Office after that date.

And if you would like to volunteer in some way- computer skills, archival skills, publicity skills, secretarial skills, fund-raising skills, we can use you!

With enormous gratitude for all your past support, and every prayer that this All Saints-tide will transform your life, I remain,

Yours faithfully in Christ Jesus,

(The Rev'd) Jesse L. A. Parker
Rector of Saint John's Church, Huntingdon,
Waverly, Baltimore