A Welcoming Servant in the Heart of the City:
We appreciate your time with us, and hope you'll visit with us soon in downtown Madison. Since 1856, St. John's has served the heart of the Madison community. The congregation is managed by its congregational council and committees who oversee and implement a fourfold mission for outreach, small group learning, worship, and congregational care. Currently 900 members consider St. John's their church home. It is a member congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
St Johns is a Reconciling in Christ Congregation. At the November, 2006 congregational meeting, the congregation overwhelmingly voted to become affiliated with LC/NA, Lutheran Concerned in North America, a group of primarily Lutheran congregations dedicated to openness to all regardless of race, background, gender or sexual orientation. Two years ago, the congregation adopted a resolution on the formation and affirmation of household covenants.
Staff Email
You can email staff directly using the following links:
Deb Cook
Dick Gundlach
JS Fauquet
Pastor Ken Smith
Prayer Team
Pastor Al Wahl
Worship at St. Johns: On Sunday mornings worship begins at 9:30, using the classic forms for Lutheran Worship. Coffee fellowship, adult forum and Sunday Learning Place follow the service. Over the past three years, the congregation has used almost all of the settings of the new Evangelical Lutheran Worship.
The worship team decided to continue using the Hispanic liturgy through September 12. On September 19 we will shift to “Now the Feast and Celebration.”
And if you are interested in occasionally baking bread for communion, please let Tim Asplund or Pastor Ken know.
Building Renovation Capital Campaign: St Johns is currently involved in a capital campaign to renovate our building and increase our partnership with other organizations in providing services to downtown Madison. As of late 2010, approximately $600,000 has been raised in pledges and contributions for the building renovation. Grants and other contributions have raised the total committed to almost $930,000. Please feel free to review our Case Statement, Treasurer's Letter , Home Visit Schedule or Pledge Card, as Well as the First Floor, Second Floor, and Third Floor Plans.
Congregational Picnic and Outdoor Worship on September 12: Please get your lawn chairs, portable ELW, and Lutheran dishes to share ready! St. John's fall picnic and worship service will be occurring at Burrows Park (near Maple Bluff - from St. John's: East Johnson to Fordem, left onto Sherman and Burrow's Rd). The City of Madison called to let us know that the bathrooms at the park are being renovated and there are portable toilets instead. This year we plan to begin the worship service at 10 AM with brass and rhythm instruments. Signs will be posted at St. John's and near Burrow's Park. St. John's will be providing drinks, please come and help provide the fellowship!
Confirmation: Confirmation begins on September 19 in Pastor Ken’s office. We had several wonderful projects last season, and we will be meeting to plan this year’s projects, so come with your ideas. Pastor Ken has a few as well. This fall we will also attend as a group the Synod Confirmation Extravaganza on November 17, Wednesday, 6:-8:30pm at McFarland Lutheran Church. See you on September 19!
Thursday Morning Bible Study:
You’ll note that the Thursday Morning Bible Study begins on September 30th. We meet from 9:30-11:00am. This year we will be meeting in the new fellowship area. Our opening theme is The Parables in Luke.
Building Partnerships for those in need have been expanding and will continue through the construction. Our building partners include Porchlight for the night shelter, Off the Square Club for the day time shelter, a new LSS and LIRS office for the settlement of up to 100 refugee families from Bhutan, as well as continuing our building use by outside groups especially those providing care for those facing addictions. Our own emergency relief program fills our entryway every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning, except for a brief period of construction in July. Currently, four out of the five people who walk through our doors at St. Johns does so to seek assistance in some way.
ELCA Poverty Program Grant to St. Johns Building Program: At the end of May we learned that the building vision program of St. Johns received a $75,000 poverty program matching grant from the Mission Investment Fund of the ELCA. It is not only welcome financial assistance, the grant speaks to the continued strength of our congregation’s mission and its connection to our building project.
50th Anniversary of Ordination Celebration on September 19: This year both Pastors Thomas Loftus and Gil Splett have been ordained for fifty years. They were both recognized at the synod assembly for their long service to the church. And they will both be with us for our own congregational anniversary recognition here at St. Johns on September 19. Please mark your calendars and let family and friends know about the special day.
Thursday and Friday Congregational Reflections: Congregational Reflections are an opportunity for fellowship and conversation on matters of faith in our lives together. This fall two Thursday evening and two Saturday morning reflections are scheduled for the new fellowship area. There will be refreshments and fellowship, a short presentation by Pastor Ken and a longer time for discussion. The two topics for the fall are shaped by matters of perhaps a more personal nature, and each session will be slightly different.
The first topic is how we might partner with young people in faithful living. Pastor Ken will be sharing Kenda Creasy Dean’s Almost Christian: What the Faith of Our Teenagers is Telling the American Church, Oxford University Press, 2010, which was the topic at the Washington Island Theological Conference this summer. Those with children and grandchildren might be especially interested in these gatherings.
The second topic is shaping faith for recuperation and changes toward the end of life. Many of us are living longer than ever, are experiencing extended periods of recovery, wondering about issues at the end of life, and are discovering that even the ritual of the funeral has been undergoing change as well. Our faith tradition has extensive wisdom in these areas and the statements of the ELCA regarding aging and end of life issues are both interesting and helpful.
The fall schedule for the reflections is
October 7, 6:30-8:00: Thursday Evening Reflection on Kenda Creasy Dean’s Almost Christian: What the Faith of Our Teenagers is Telling the American Church
October 23, 9-10:30am: Saturday Morning Reflection on “Rethinking End of Life Issues from a Lutheran Point of View in These Changing Times”
November 4, 6:30-8:00: Thursday Evening Reflection on “Rethinking End of Life Issues from a Lutheran Point of View in These Changing Times”
November 13, 9-10:30am: Saturday Morning Reflection on Kenda Creasy Dean’s Almost Christian: What the Faith of Our Teenagers is Telling the American Church
Pastor Jerry Folk: Our own Jerry Folk has been named the new director of the South Central Synod’s Lay School of Theology. Congratulations to Jerry.