The Faithful Forerunner
Thursday, August 13, 2026
“Let Them Have Dominion”
Caring for our Community According to God’s Command
In the first chapter of the Book of Genesis, the very first book of the Bible, God gives us dominion over creation (Gen. 1:26). In a Christian theological sense, dominion doesn’t mean control. It means responsibility. God entrusts us to care for the world God has made. We are entrusted with care for the earth, the sky, the sea, and all the plants and creatures who live here. We also are entrusted to care for our faith community. If you’ve ever spoken the words, “St. John’s is my church,” then you are entrusted to care for St. John’s along with other aspects of creation. It is a big honor to be entrusted to care for our church! It also is a huge responsibility. One we must take seriously, and one we must always respond to with care and with love. If we do not, then we risk not only the welfare of our worshipping community, but also our own spiritual wellbeing. As Jesus said, “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36).
We are now halfway through calendar year 2026. Our parish has faced some challenges over the past year, and your Vestry is optimistic to report that we are weathering the storm. So far. Finishing the year strong and building momentum for next year will be crucial to accomplishing the goals we hope to accomplish in the coming years. You have dominion – a responsibility – to care for your parish.
Through July, our total revenue from pledge, plate, and other income sit at $202,373. Our total expenses for the year are $245,395. Without healthy stewardship, we are unable to fund our very important ministries. We acknowledge times are challenging. Nationwide, gas prices are $2 per gallon higher than they were at this time last year. Energy costs are 14% higher than a year ago, food prices are up 3%, and other goods cost nearly 4% more than they did a year ago.
To date, our pledge income sits at $155,000. Our plate total, including income from the addition of our QR codes, sits at $21,000. And notably, our pledging parishioners have contributed nearly $22,000 above their agreed upon pledges! This is incredible! It represents tremendous commitment to your parish, even when we all feel the pinch. It also exemplifies the reality that you are taking your responsibility of dominion seriously! Your vestry, your rector, and your treasurer thank you for your commitment to your parish! We are the church that serves, and we will continue to be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ in this corner of the Valley of the Sun. Dominion means all of us! Thank you!
Discerning a Future at St. John’s
Strategic Planning Underway!
Your vestry is excited to announce that the strategic plan, intended to be a roadmap for the upcoming years at St. John’s, is nearing its final stages of preparation before rollout! Thank you so much to our team of dedicated strategic planners for your hours of discernment and hard work you have put in so far! There were so many wonderful suggestions and ideas, and all have value. Even those that cannot be implemented are potential seeds that can grow into other ideas and options.
Over the next few months, the strategic planning team will work closely with Fr. Tim and your vestry to finalize the plan. It will then be rolled out churchwide. While there are many wonderful ideas, the plan will focus heavily on evangelism and promoting a healthy theology of stewardship. We also will continue to focus on concepts like radical welcome and inclusion. We encourage you to continue to share your ideas and thoughts, and to direct energy toward the Gospel of Jesus Christ, kindness, compassion, and a strong sense of Christian love and devotion to our neighbors. Thank you for your dedication to your parish home!
Communication W5
Who? What? Where? When? Why?
Did you know St. John’s has a communications platform that is the envy of many Episcopal parishes in the country? Nearly every day, parishes across the Episcopal Church contact us to ask for guidance about how to provide effective communication. This is an incredible honor!
With so many channels for communication, how do we know what to pay attention to? Should we focus our attention on the website? Silly videos of Fr. Tim dancing in our Kids Zone on TikTok? Articles in this newsletter? Our screens on Sunday mornings?
For example, if you’re reading this newsletter, then you most likely are already affiliated with our community! That’s wonderful and we’re glad you’re with us! It also means that this newsletter is internal communication. Our website and social medial presence represent external forms of communication.
A church website ought to be a starting point for someone seeking a faith community. It needs to include important information about where we are located, what times our worship services take place, and how people can contact us. It also ought to include some kind of statement outlining our parochial and denominational identities. For instance, the Episcopal Church is an affirming church. This means we not only welcome you, but we affirm you for who you are! This is true no matter your gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, etc. This information needs to go front and center on our website. It serves not only as a beacon to those who seek an affirming community, but also as a signal to those who do not share this view that they likely will feel more comfortable elsewhere.
Our social media presence is intended as something of an advertising opportunity. It focuses on how to make people aware of who we are and who the Episcopal Church is. Our social media efforts have brought people into St. John’s, to other parishes in the Diocese of Arizona, to other parishes across the Episcopal Church, and even to other Anglican churches around the world! While social media can also showcase some of what goes on at St. John’s for our members, the hope is that people see us and decide they wish to find us. Recent enhancements to our social media presence have been successful in raising community awareness for the St. John’s Closet thrift store! In addition to an uptick in thrift store business, every foot set on our campus represents an evangelism opportunity. This is important work of a church! Well done!
This newsletter is a source of more specific communication. It includes articles, events, and photos from our immediate community. It is intended to keep you abreast of what is happening at St. John’s and when and where to show up for events. We welcome photos and updates from your ministry teams as well as other contributions that are useful for the members of our community. Your communications committee works closely with your rector and your parish administrator to make sure you know what is happening and when. When all forms of communication operate together, we can do some wonderful things! How can you help evangelize? By sharing communications with people in your life! If people see that we have a great community, they will want to join us and to become a part of us. Let’s let the world know that St. John’s is a terrific parish where we share the love of Jesus with the world!
Outreach in Action
Messages of Gratitude from the Presiding Bishop’s Office and ERD
Each year on Good Friday, the entire Episcopal Church takes up an offering designated to assist the Church in Jerusalem. We received a letter of gratitude this week from Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe, thanking us for our contribution of $796. “Your gift strengthens our ability to meet the needs of the Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East today and builds a foundation for tomorrow, bringing hope and healing to those we serve,” the Presiding Bishop wrote.
We also received a letter of thanks from Episcopal Relief and Development after we designated nearly $400 toward recovery efforts and disaster relief. “All of us at Episcopal Relief and Development are so grateful to have you as our partner. Together, we are making a profound difference for millions of people,” wrote ERD’s Chief External Relations Officer Anna Hutto.
Thank you for your generosity and for making a difference not only in our parish, but around the world!
Feeding the Hungry
Conversation to Discuss Food Outreach Sunday at 9
We are thrilled to know you have a desire to feed the hungry in our neighborhood! This Sunday, we will have a strategy conversation to discuss the next steps toward serving those in our community. Areas of focus will include volunteer availability, financial needs, inventory information, and discussion about resuming operations soon. Join us on Sunday in the sanctuary between the services for the latest updates. Thank you for your determination to ensure people in our neighborhood have access to food resources!
Discerning a Call
Aspiring to Serve
We are thrilled to share with you that Jennifer Elfenbein, our Altar Guild Director, is now officially an aspirant for holy orders in the Episcopal Church! Aspirant is the descriptor given to a person who is in the early stages of discerning a call to the ordained ministry. As the process continues, an aspirant may be accepted as a postulant. A postulant is someone who is formally “testing” the vocation. This includes formal formation and education. If Jennifer continues her discernment, and if Bishop Reddall concurs, then she will be admitted to postulancy at a later date.
Jennifer is active at St. John’s in a variety of liturgical ministries. She leads our Altar Guild team, manages our ministry schedule, and trains new liturgical ministers. She also helped with Vacation Bible School. She is a professor of hospitality at Grand Canyon University. She loves animals and people. She has lived in places like San Diego, Canada, and the Big Island of Hawai'i, and she has a warm heart for service and an appreciation of humor.
It is our responsibility as her faith community to continue to support Jennifer with prayer and encouragement. Studying for the ordained ministry is rewarding, yet challenging. We are blessed to have Jennifer with us, and we wish her many good things during this time of formal discernment and beyond. Congratulations, Jennifer! We are proud of you!
Sing, Sing a Song!
St. John’s Choir to Resume Practice on August 20!
St. Agustine is credited with teaching us, “When we sing we pray twice.” Many have interpreted this as a way of saying that our prayers are more meaningful when we use more of our being to offer them. Are you called to pray twice as a member of our St. John’s Choir? We sure hope so!
Singing in the choir is a wonderful way to contribute your gifts as a means of enhancing our liturgical worship! Worship that includes more participants is always better liturgy! We warmly invite you to consider adding your voice to our growing choir.
No formal experience is necessary. We are a community church, after all! An ability to read music is helpful, but not required. You are already participating by singing anyway (we hope!), so why not make it official and join the choir? The St. John’s Choir will resume rehearsals on August 20 at 7 p.m. in the church. Speak to Michelle, Hyeri, a choir member, or Fr. Tim if you would like more information. Join the St. John’s Choir and “come before God’s presence with thanksgiving!” (Psalm 100).
Pick a Hymn, Any Hymn
How are Hymns Chosen in the Episcopal Church?
Anglican Christianity has many components that come together to make worship beautiful. One of the most important and timeless is music! Hymnody in the Episcopal Church is something worshippers take very seriously! Many a priest have had disagreements with church musicians that have resulted in raised voices. Episcopalians are passionate about our music! So how do we determine which hymns to sing and when?
A number of factors go into hymnody for the liturgy. Firstly, hymns are categorized by their sources. Sources might include scripture passages, feast days, or even sacraments. Just like it wouldn’t make sense to sing a Christmas hymn on Good Friday, it doesn’t make sense to sing a hymn about ordination at a wedding. Some hymns are appropriate for communion, others are more appropriate to sing before the gospel. It can be useful to have an upbeat hymn at the beginning and at the end of the liturgy, because it gets us ready to worship and then sends us out into the world with rhythm! A theological earworm is one that might just remind us to point our behavior toward love of God and love of neighbor!
In the Episcopal Church, we have a series of official hymnals. Our primary hymnal is simply called the Hymnal 1982. Believe it or not, it’s because it is a hymnal published in 1982. Hard to believe, right? It replaced the Hymnal 1940 (which was, of course, a hymnal first published in 1940). We also have supplemental hymnals. These include Lift Every Voice and Sing II: An African American Hymnal, Voices Found, and Wonder, Love, and Praise. We also have a supplemental resource called Enriching our Music, and we sometimes can use hymnals from other denominations if the theology of the hymn matches Episcopal identity. This is a roundabout way of saying we have many, many resources to choose from!
The Canons of the Episcopal Church outline how hymns are to be selected. Title II Canon 6 reads as follows:
It shall be the duty of every Member of the Clergy to see that music is used as an offering for the glory of God and as a help to the people in their worship in accordance with the Book of Common Prayer and as authorized by the rubrics or by the General Convention of this Church. To this end the Member of the Clergy shall have final authority in the administration of matters pertaining to music. In fulfilling this responsibility the Member of the Clergy shall seek assistance from persons skilled in music. Together they shall see that music is appropriate to the context in which it is used.
This tells us that the Rector of a parish has final say in which hymns are used. At the same time, it acknowledges that the Rector may not be musically inclined and may delegate decision making to a musician. While some hymns are familiar and beloved, it is always important to ensure the theology is appropriate and the theme is consistent with the day, the season, and the placement during the service. An example is Onward, Christian Soldiers, hymn 562 in the Hymnal 1982. This is a very familiar hymn to many! At the same time, it perpetuates potentially problematic theology focusing on concepts rejected by today’s Episcopal Church. These include topics like “spiritual warfare.” Just because a piece of music is well known, or even appreciated by many, it does not mean it is appropriate for use during worship.
Another factor that does come into play is the musician’s ability. If a musician is unable to play a hymn, or if a choir or cantor is unable to sing it, then it is not good to choose that hymn even if it features sound theology and appropriate placement during the liturgy. Some hymns that sound wonderful on the organ do not translate well to a guitar. Some hymns that sound beautiful in a large sanctuary with a skilled choir do not sound as good when used in a smaller church. All of these factors come into play. It is important to remember that “I like this hymn!” is not a good reason to choose a hymn.
Interested in exploring Episcopal hymnody? Then you have one more reason to join the St. John’s Choir! Joyful Noise and Praise Band are always seeking participants as well! Talk to Hyeri, Michelle, or Jimmy if you would like to join your voice to one of our wonderful choirs!
Gracing us with the Ministry of Presence
Gratitude for our Retired Clergy in Residence
Pop Quiz time! How many clergy are there at St. John’s? Time’s up! One. St. John’s has one active clergy person: our Rector, Fr. Tim. Does this mean he has to do all clergy tasks on his own? Fortunately for us (and for him!), the answer is no! At St. John’s, we have dedicated clergy who make an intentional decision to spend time with us in residence. Clergy in the Episcopal Church are not eligible to be members of a parish. Instead, they are canonically resident of a diocese. This means that a retired or inactive cleric who attends a parish regularly but does not serve there is in residence at that parish. At St. John’s, our deacon, Deacon Chuck Milhoan, and our three assisting priests, Fr. Harry Way, Fr. Henry Orth, and Mtr. Marty Conner, are clergy in residence. While Deacon Chuck spends many Sundays with us, his letter of agreement acknowledges his status as “active retired.” Fr. Harry, Fr. Henry, and Mtr. Marty are all retired from their vocations as clergy.
In the Episcopal Church, we believe ordination is forever. It cannot be undone. Even if someone is removed from ministry for disciplinary reasons, that person is still ordained. They may not, however, be licensed to serve. Our retired clergy are ordained, and they bless us with their presence when they are able. This gives us opportunities to hear different preacher voices, experience different presiders, and even to have pastoral conversations with different people. It is a true blessing to have retired clergy in our midst. Because they are here by choice, their presence among us is a testament to the spirituality present in our faith community.
We offer our gratitude to our retired clergy for their presence among us and for their desire and willingness to share their gifts with us! We also must be mindful of respecting their boundaries, and recognize that they serve at their own pleasure. They are not compensated for their ministry among us. Everything they offer us is strictly out of gratitude to God and to our community.
Next time you see one of our retired clergy at St. John’s, offer them a word of gratitude. While one priest can serve our parish alone, the presence of colleagues with years of wonderful, valuable service are tremendously helpful for the health and spiritual wellbeing of our community. Thank you Fr. Harry, Fr. Henry, Mtr. Marty, and Deacon Chuck for your presence with us and for your commitment to serving the Lord and God’s people!
Frye it Up!
Faith Through the Arts Artist Reception
We extend a warm welcome to the artwork of Judy Frye, who proudly acknowledges she is “89 and going strong!” Judy blessed us with her presence at an artist reception in her honor on Saturday, hosted by Faith Through the Arts. Our Faith Through the Arts group hosts artist receptions regularly. During these receptions, those present are invited to meet the artist, to engage in fellowship, and to share appetizers and beverages as they experience the artists’ work.
Faith Through the Arts encourages you to appreciate Judy’s artwork, on display now in the Parish Hall. See something you like? You can own it! St. John’s graciously accepts a 10% commission from artwork artists sell while on display with us. During Saturday’s reception, $600 was purchased by those in attendance. Thank you to Judy for gracing us with your work, and thank you to Faith Through the Arts for yet another wonderful community gathering!
Prayer, Service, and Evangelism
Empowering Women through Prayer and Evangelism
The Sisters in Prayer, the St. John’s chapter of Daughters of the King, welcomes you to discern a vocation with them! Every Tuesday through October 11, the Sisters in Prayer will gather for a discernment study in the parish hall. Women of our parish are invited to join us! We also encourage all members of St. John’s to faithfully support those going through discernment, and to extend gratitude to those who are already Daughters. Please contact Sue Harwood at sueharwood80@yahoo.com with any questions.