With the successful completion of our Feasibility Study, we are moving ahead diligently with plans for our Capital Campaign. The Feasibility Study Report (which you can download by clicking here) suggests a primary goal for the Campaign of $964,000 and reflects the clear consensus of our members that the top priorities for the funds raised should be replacing the sanctuary roof and resolving the life safety issues in the building.  Discussions with our architect confirm that the primary goal should (within a small margin of error) be sufficient to address these two priorities.

Jerry Campbell, our partner with the Episcopal Church Foundation, will continue to guide us as we prepare for the Solicitation Phase of the Campaign, which will launch in January 2020.

Thanks so much for your interest in and support of our Capital Campaign. We look forward to keeping you informed as our preparations continue. If you have any questions or would like additional information, please contact me either by email (click here) or by calling the church office.

Onward together in faith,

Bob Le Roy, Capital Campaign Chair

Our Financial Statements (Financial Position, Income and Expense, Budget v. Actual) through July 31, 2019 are available on the parish website (click here).

Our share of the Diocese of Olympia Master Trust (the endowment) is comprised of three accounts with the following balances as of July 31, 2019:

• General Account = $444,326.22
• Altar Guild (Restricted) = $22,887.66
• Memorial Fund (Restricted) = $21,891.54

Work on our 2020 Budget will begin in mid-September.  We will build this budget collaboratively.  Each ministry will be provided a template for use in projecting their needs in 2020 and preparing a narrative describing the purpose and impact of their work in the life of our parish and community. We plan to present the 2020 Budget to the Vestry for approval at its November meeting, following completion of the 2020 Pledge Campaign.

If you have any questions or would like additional information regarding our financials, please contact Cynthia Knapp, our Bookkeeper, by email or (360) 352-8527, or me by email or by calling the church office.

Respectfully submitted,

Bob Le Roy, Treasurer

After several years of struggling with the maintenance issues of St Johns, as Jr. Warden I still have my focus drawn to our buildings needs. We are well on our way to resolving many of our sanctuary issues. The success of our upcoming capital campaign will show us just how much we can accomplish. Along with those projects outlined in the capital campaign we are drawn into the maintenance needs of the whole church.

We are striving to come up with an accurate accounting of just what it takes to operate St Johns in a manner that will address our needs and create a budget to address them. In addressing some of these needs we will be giving our parishioners opportunities to volunteer to help fulfill some of these tasks. Most of these are simple jobs that only require a little time each week or monthly. Helping clean up after major events, cleaning the kitchen, emptying the trash occasionally when we have had unusual high use of the facilities are examples. We will start posting a list and signup sheet on the parish hall bulletin board so we can co-ordinate tasks and volunteers. We are also posting a job search for candidates for a part time sexton in leu of a weekly cleaning service that does not seem to keep up with our fluctuating needs.

There are many things going on at St Johns these days, so please contact one of us on the vestry for comments and questions as well as what you may be able to do the help our parish fulfill our needs.

Getting Ready to Shine Our Light!

By Gerry Apple and Sarah Clifthorne

Greetings from your Annual Pledge Campaign Co-Chairs! We are excited for this opportunity to work together so that all of us as individuals and as a faith community can shine our light, making God’s love visible and available to all in our lives. Our Annual Pledge Campaign will run from late September through the end of October this autumn.

Currently, we are recruiting for folks interested in keeping others informed about what’s happening during the campaign. You WON’T ask anyone for money, but you WILL share with a group of 6-10 of your fellow parishioners what’s going on with the Annual Campaign. Interested in joining our team as a Stewardship Shepherd? Please send an email to Gerry at gerryappl@yahoo.com. Together we can accept this opportunity to stretch and grow, into our individual purpose, and into the mission of our church.

Vestry Thoughts

August 21, 2019

Dear Members and Friends,

It's indeed a pleasure to be writing this to you as we relaunch The Chronicle. I, for one, am certainly happy this communication is being provided again. Thanks to all those who have been involved in its rebirth. It's an exciting time at St. John's and I hope this means of communicating helps add to the excitement as celebrate things that have taken place or will be happening in the future. As far as our last Vestry meeting is concerned . . .

Where were we when we last spoke? Oh, yes. We were within sight of our final destination on our trip. Having arrived we're now off to enjoy the sights, reflect on our adventure and plan for a new one. As I mentioned during our All Parish Meeting on August 11, the process is never ending. We're always preparing for the next journey.

Where do we go from here? Does that cause feelings of excitement and a bit of anxiety? For me it's both, but I think the excitement of where we're heading and what we're trying to do edges out. We've made significant strides in addressing the financial concerns at St. John's, and as we move forward, your Vestry will continue to devote its energy to providing the best support for our parish as possible. We will always be planning, adjusting and informing you of how things are going.

With those thoughts in mind, here are some of the highlights of the meeting held on August 15, 2019. Our Treasurer, Bob LeRoy, provided the Vestry with updated financial information including: a Statement of Financial Position (the first time anyone remembers seeing this type of report), a Profit & Loss Budget Overview (ranging from January through December 2019; essentially this is the 2019 Budget, which was adopted by the Vestry), and a Profit & Loss Budget vs. Actual statement, which covers January through July 2019.

These documents are available on the website for your review. As always, should you have any questions regarding the statements, please contact Bob LeRoy, our Treasurer. All the financial transactions from 2018 through July 2019 have been evaluated, and an accepted method (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles--GAAP) of accounting for transactions has been implemented. My "Thanks!" to both Bob and our Bookkeeper, Cynthia Knapp, for such a fantastic job in sorting things!

The budget for 2020 is in process. As this budget continues to be developed, an additional approach will be taken regarding funding for separate ministries. Each group/ministry will be asked to submit a request for the funding they feel will be needed to continue their work through the entire year. Details regarding how this will be accomplished will be coming soon.

Your Vestry decided to proceed with the Capital Campaign utilizing the professional assistance of the Episcopal Church Foundation's (ECF). Jerry Campbell, our ECF consultant, will be working with Bob LeRoy and others to develop the needed materials, distribute them and solicit pledges to ensure a successful Campaign. These efforts will begin soon with the Capital Campaign to begin in January 2020.

Additionally, Jerry will be working with us on our Annual Pledge Drive for 2020. Sarah Clifthorne has graciously agreed to chair this committee. We will also be using the services provided by the ECF in this endeavor.

During this time of excitement and renewal, I'd like to take a moment to encourage you to wear your name tag during services, Coffee Hour After Ten-thirty (CHAT) or at other times when it would be helpful. If you don't have or have misplaced your name tag, please contact the office. I'm sure someone will be happy to provide a new one for you.

As always, my sincere "Thanks!" to you for your continued, unwavering support of all we do at St. John's! You make all the difference to so many! Thank You!!

One last thing--Lin, Tiny (our little, 16 year-old dog) and I will be packing up our motorhome and heading to the Great Smoky Mountains and other destinations in September. I'll be absent from the September Vestry meeting so someone else will be informing you of the highlights of that meeting. Then in the fall of 2020 we'll be heading out on another adventure. The planning and the journey (whatever kind) never ends. See you in October!

In The Attempt,

Mark Hampton

Sr. Warden

St. John's Vestry

Notice to all St. John’s singers, musicians, as well as those interested in trying! As we approach our new season, which begins September 8, we are looking for returning choristers and new choristers to join us for an amazing season. 

St. John’s Parish Choir rehearses each Wednesday from 6:30 – 8:30 pm in preparation for leading the congregation in singing hymns and liturgical music as well as solo anthems picked to enhance the focus for Sunday’s 10:30 am Eucharist. Choral music chosen for this ensemble ranges from the riches of traditional Anglican/Episcopal choral literature to our own great American choral classics.   Each rehearsal begins with vocal mini-lessons designed to make each chorister’s singing experience truly joyful.  Contact James French at james@stjohnsoly.org or 909-534-9801 about membership.

St. John’s Compline choir sings the ancient Compline liturgy every Sunday evening at 8 pm. This service is sung without accompaniment in the candle lit sanctuary. Rehearsal begins at 6 pm in the basement choir room. Membership in this choir requires the ability to read music to sing independently. Music chosen for this ensemble comes from early music traditions as well as from some classically conceived contemporary composers.

The Jubilate Choir was founded for choristers challenged by a two hour evening rehearsal. The Jubilate Choir often sings with the St. John’s Choir for a service or for various occasions. From time to time, The Jubilate Choir sings independent projects.

St. John’s Jazz Ensemble gathers contemporary jazz compositions for leading Sunday’s 10:30 Eucharist. Included are experienced jazz musicians both instrumentalists and vocalists. Contact Lee Mohler or James French about participation.

And stay tuned for  Advent and Christmas at St. John’s.  It is a truly magical time as we welcome the new liturgical year with Advent hymns and anthems looking forward. On the Thursday evening before Christmas, St. John’s Lessons and Carols with our Bishop Greg, proclaims and sings forth the story, leading us to the Christmas Manger.

Welcome to our new parish blog! We're trying this out as a way to keep people informed of what all is happening at St. John's | San Juan, since we're in the middle of so many exciting new adventures (building project, capital campaign, the start of the new program year, and the start of our new concert season, to name just a few). 

You'll always be able to come to this part of our website and find an archive of all the updates for our projects. This is going to be an incredibly busy year at St. John's, and this blog space will help everyone stay up-to-date on everything that's happening.

Here's to new adventures!