Ministries & Committees

There are a number of ways for a member to get involved at St. John’s, whether it be through involvement in worship, formation, or service to our church & community. Below is a list of active ministries at our church and their chairs. To learn more about a particular ministry please contact the church office.

Opportunities For Worship and Learning

St. John’s offers several opportunities to get involved with worship.

Acolytes

Acolytes assist the priest in the worship service by carrying and caring for elements of worship, including the processional crosses, candles, sacraments, and Gospel text. Being an acolyte provides a unique opportunity to be part of the service, rather than an observer. Training is offered as needed. Interested youth, beginning at age 8, may contact Landon Palmer for more information and scheduling.

Altar Guild

St. John’s Altar Guild prepares the altar for each service. They provide and set-up the elements prior to each service and care for them afterwards. They maintain all the altar linens, as well as those of the priest. They welcome new members who wish to join their dedicated team. Contact Karon Meyers for more information.

Greeters

The Greeter’s job is to welcome people as they enter the church and to be available for any questions a member or visitor may have upon their arrival. They perform these duties for Sunday Services, as well as other Church events. They operate using a monthly schedule. For more information, contact Dwight Foley.

Handbell Choir

For more than 25 years the handbell choir has enhanced worship primarily at Christmas (Lessons and Carols) and prior to the Pentecost season. Rehearsals are focused and pre-determined before performance. Although reading music is helpful, a keen sense of rhythm and coordination is critical. If you are interested in learning more about this exceptional opportunity and ministry, please contact Dr. Ray Lowther or Olive Meyer.

Readers & Eucharistic Ministers

Eucharistic Ministers and Lectors assist the priest during the service. Lectors read the lessons throughout the service. The readings include the Old Testament, Psalm, Epistle and Prayers of the People. Eucharistic Ministers help with communion and can also read the lessons. Adjustments have been made for COVID to keep everyone safe. For more information contact Christa Hamra.

St. Ambrose Choir

Our adult choir is known throughout the community for its musical excellence. The choir’s fall Evensong, followed by a reception, is a Charleston tradition. Practicing on Thursday evenings, 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. and Sundays at 9:30 a.m., September through May, the choir is always open to new voices. Interested candidates are encouraged to set up a short audition with the choir master. For more information, contact Chris Brown.

Taize Services

Taize Prayer is a simple way of prayer with a pace different from Sunday morning. Through prayers, readings, simple music, and rich silence, participants are drawn slowly into God’s eternal peace. This service is offered periodically throughout the year on Sunday evening at 5:30 p.m. in the chapel, with dates announced and posted ahead of time. For more information, contact Olive Meyer.

Ushers

Are you a helper? Ushers take over where the greeters leave off, distributing service leaflets and suggesting a place to sit if assistance is needed. During the Offertory, they collect the offering and carry the elements to the altar, and during the Eucharist they notify the celebrant if a parishioner needs to receive the sacraments in their pew. Finally, ushers take a head count of attendees and restore order to the pews after the service. Ushers serve in teams of four, with each team typically serving once a month. For more information, contact Christy Farris Morris.

Opportunities For Children and Youth

St. John’s is welcoming to parishioners of all ages.

Nursery

Our nursery is staffed with two paid workers from September through May. The nursery is available for children infant-age to ten years old, from 9:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m. Sunday mornings. The nursery is a safe, clean environment that permits parents to participate in church activities and the 10:30 a.m. worship service without their children if they choose to. When the nursery is closed or a parent wishes to bring their child to the worship service, the library doubles as a "cry room," where parishioners can take their child, if they so desire, and have a comfortable place to listen to the service through a wall-mounted speaker.

Godly Play

Meeting from 9:30 - 10:15 a.m. on Sunday mornings, September through May, Godly Play is a program to prepare children aged three through fifth grade to join the worship and life of the congregation using stories and activities.

Confirmation Classes

Arranged, supported, and directed by the clergy, confirmation classes are offered to teens as needed for those ready to commit to membership in the Episcopal Church. For more information, contact the Church office.

Youth Ministry

If you are interested in volunteering with Youth Ministry, or if you have a youth interested in participating, contact the church office.

Acolytes

Service Readers, Greeters, and Ushers

Youth who wish to participate in Sunday worship service are encouraged to join the worship leader for a conversation about what it takes, the desired commitment and training. For more information, contact the church office.

Opportunities to Connect and Serve

We reach out in fellowship with each other and in service to our community.

Barbara Knight Memorial Shawl Ministry

Each Saturday morning beginning at 10:00 a.m., this group meets at members’ homes. The group enjoys good conversation and supportive friendship, while knitting prayer shawls and baby items for parishioners and those in need. Gatherings are very informal, and everyone is free to come and go as they wish. New members are always welcome. For more information, contact Mary Ann Deison.

Concerts @ St. John's

Begun in 2015, Concerts @ St. John's is an outreach service to the Greater Charleston community with the objectives of presenting concerts of high artistic level and providing a creative outlet for wind, string, organ, piano, and vocal musicians and composers from the West Virginia region. The season consists of six Sunday afternoon concerts in the fall and spring. Admission is free, with donations welcomed to support the ongoing series. Receptions are offered so that audience members may meet the performers, enjoy refreshments, and be personally welcomed to St. John's. For more information, contact David DeBolt.

Congregational Life

Congregational Life shares the welcoming word of the gospel with our members and our community with a variety of events at St. John's and in the broader community. They reach out to new and returning members, plan events to encourage participation in the faith, and work with other ministry teams as appropriate. They also celebrate the life of our congregation through special celebrations, like Feast Days, Shrove Tuesday, and Easter Breakfast . Congregational Life also leads St. John’s participation in the City of Charleston’s Annual Christmas Parade. If you would like to join, you are welcome! Contact Maggie McCabe or Brian Hamra for information.

Communications

The communications committee manages this website, as well as the church's various publications, social media, and email channels. For more information, contact Austin Susman or Beth Marquart.

Contemplative Prayer Group

The group meets for 20 minutes of silence on Wednesday evenings in the chapel.

Please enter through the door off Leon Sullivan Way and plan to arrive in time to begin the session at 5:30 p.m. For more information, contact Olive Meyer.

Outreach Committee

This group works to bring faith, fun, and fellowship to the community. Outreach donates annually to Fairness WV, Covenant House, and Manna Meal, as well as supporting other initiatives as the occasion arises. For example, Outreach spearheaded efforts to hang both the “Love Everyone” and “Black Lives Matter” signs outside St. John’s and provided meals to the Emergency Department at CAMC General and a local fire department station. Outreach activities are funded by direct donations and the Kroger Community Rewards program. If you haven’t already linked your Kroger card to St. John’s, ask Outreach how! Contacts are Donna Hamra and Christy Farris Morris.

Pastoral Care

Pastoral Care supports the homebound, the elderly, and those on the current prayer list in a variety of ways. When appropriate, they may visit those who can’t get out or deliver the Sunday altar flowers. Cards, signed by members of the congregation, are sent to those new on the prayer list, and food can be provided for those who need it. In addition, they can provide emergency transportation to medical visits and to church services when necessary, as well as host receptions for memorial services when requested. At Christmas poinsettias and treats have been delivered to the homebound and indisposed. It is not necessary to come to a meeting to be involved. For more information, contact the Rev. Chis Thompson.

Reading Camp

St. John's offers Reading Camp as a one-week summer program that works with local schools to recruit struggling or reluctant readers among rising third through fifth graders. Morning rotations among six literacy activity centers for very small groups of campers are combined with whole group afternoon activities, including field trips, centered around the week’s theme. This week of great energy and fun is made possible by the many teens and adults who volunteer their help. For more information, contact Margaret Lieberman or Melinda DiCarlo.

SAGA

SAGA (The Straight and Gay Alliance) is an inclusive group founded by St. John's members with a mission to advocate for the dignity of human sexuality in all of its orientations, genders, and life-enriching relationships in the spirit of God's love. All are welcome to be a part of this organization. For more information, please contact Mike Klausing.

St. John's Archives & Museum

Since 2001, a committee of dedicated volunteers has been collecting documents, records, pictures and other materials from the parish’s long and interesting past. In 2012 we celebrated the opening of a museum on the second floor of the parish house, giving parishioners and the community a place to view the collection, and commemorate the varied ministries of St. John’s and remind them of the church’s mission in the community and the world. The museum is open throughout the year on designated days or upon special request. For more information, contact Mary Fitzgerald.

Wednesday Book Group

This unique group started in 1985 for weekly Bible study, led by St. John’s co-rector the Rev. Mary Adelia McLeod. Over time the focus of the group expanded to books with a religious or spiritual focus. Books are read aloud during meetings, with stops to discuss the questions and issues of the group. With the onset of the pandemic, in-person meetings were replaced with Zoom sessions, and this format will likely continue because even members who have difficulty driving can attend. The group enjoys socializing, and some members choose to go to lunch together after the meeting. Membership is open to all and currently includes members of St. John’s plus folks from other churches and no church. Information on current books and meeting times is published weekly from the church office. For more information, contact Melinda DiCarlo.