St. John's Episcopal Church

Seeking and proclaiming God in Christ, it is our heartfelt belief that absolutely everyone is welcome to participate in the life of our Christian community. St. John’s strives to extend the loving hand of Jesus Christ to all, regardless of race, ethnicity, age, marital status, or sexual orientation. We welcome Christians mature in their faith, those who are beginning to seek God in Christ, and those questioning and unsure about their faith. We welcome your experiences and questions, whatever they are. All are welcome!

St. John’s Mission Statement:

“The mission of St. John the Evangelist Church is to incarnate our Baptismal Covenant as we worship and praise God through the Sacraments of the Church, proclaim the Gospel in word and action, promote Christian fellowship and spiritual growth, and encourage all members to live their lives for the benefit of all God’s people.”

As we worship, we present our lives—our doubts, uncertainties, triumphs and hopes— and offer them up to God in praise and thanksgiving.

On Sunday, our primary worship, which we call liturgy, is the Holy Eucharist, sometimes called Holy Communion or the Mass. In the first part, The Liturgy of the Word we concentrate on hearing the Word of God as written in Holy Scripture. Lessons from the Old Testament or Hebrew Scripture, the Epistles or Letters of Paul and the early apostles, and from the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) are heard. These readings are not arbitrarily chosen, but are ecumenical (prepared by scholars from a variety of major denominations) and are appointed to be used throughout the Episcopal Church according to a calendar called the Lectionary.

In addition, we offer prayers, we hear the Word of God interpreted in a sermon; we confess our faith and pray for the needs of the world; and we confess our sins and receive the grace of forgiveness. Our Sunday service includes the choir which leads the congregation in hymns and psalms under the direction of our organist.

The second half of the liturgy, the Holy Communion focuses upon the altar and the celebration of the Holy Communion. We do this in obedience to our Lord's command at the Last Supper: "Do this in remembrance of me" - words that we still use faithfully in every celebration.

The elements of bread and wine are distributed to God's People as they come forward. We believe that, when we gather around the Holy Table to share a simple meal of bread and wine, we re-member the Body of Christ. All baptized Christians are invited to come forward and receive the Sacrament - regardless of denominational affiliation.