Diaconate
C.A.R.E. Calls/Visitation
“I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you visited me; I was in prison and you came to me.”Matthew 25:36. As St. John’s has grown, the demands of caring for our members has far exceeded the capacity of our pastor and pastoral staff. Therefore, to ensure that every member’s needs for prayer, visitation, and assistance aremet, each family of St. John’s has been placed into the C.A.R.E. group of a deacon. The Deacon’s primary responsibility is to call every family in his or her C.A.R.E. group no less than twice a year to: C - Contact the family to see how they are doing A - Assist them in prayer with any problems, sickness, or challenges R - Relay any questions, or pertinent information on to the pastoral staff E - Equip them with information about the life and vision of the church. The deacons further serve as the first point of contact for families in times of emergency and need of visitation.
New Members' Orientation
The focus of this ministry is to assimilate every new member into St. John’s Congregational Church by familiarizing them with St. John’s commitment to the Word of God and by emphasizing our Vision, Mission, Ministries,and the five biblical purposes of this church: Discipleship; Ministry; Worship; Fellowship; and Evangelism. Theyencourage faithful stewardship as new members transition into active members equipped to assist us in “Building the Kingdom of God in the Congregation and the Community.”
Holy Communion
Holy Communion, also known as the Lord’s Supper, consists of broken bread, symbolizing the body of JesusChrist, and the fruit of the vine symbolizing the shed blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Holy Communionrepresents a memorial of Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection, our communion with Him as believersour fellowship with the universal body of Christ, and our proclamation of His second coming. The ordained Deaconsof St. John’s administer the elements of communion on the first Sunday of the month to the membershipmand to those members who are sick and shut-in.
Philip Ministry
The Philip Ministry is designed to meet new members and or believers at the altar and walk them through theprocess of membership and/or salvation. The Philip ministers assist new members and believers in their firstand most critical steps into the Kingdom of Christ and the family of St. John’s. New believers are prayed for and led through the “ABCs of Salvation” (Acknowledge our sinful nature, Believe that Jesus Christ died on thecross for our sins and rose from the Dead, and Confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior), while new membersreceive prayer and initial information regarding membership to the St. John’s family. The Philip ministers serveas the first point of contact, and are trained to answer any questions that new members might have before theyattend New Members’ Orientation.
Missions and Mercy
The goal of the Mission and Mercy ministry is to assist members in need of emergency assistance with living expenses. Matthew 25:40 tells us “In as muchas you did it to one of the least of these my brothers,you have done it to me.” This helps give us an understanding that as a church family we are to share oneanother’s burdens.
Provides food and assistance to individuals and families in need within our community through our Food Pantry Program and weekly Meal Program - bothsites operate in accordance to USDA and Western Massachusetts Food Bank guidelines.
Holiday Food Baskets and Toy Drive
Every year the membership of St. John's embraces the gift of giving during the Christmas season as we celebrate God’s gift to us in Jesus Christ. Annually,under the leadership of the Seasoned Saints, Mighty Men of God, C.H.E.S.S., and the Children’s Ministry,we bless more than 200 families from our community with holiday food baskets while also donatingmore than 300 age appropriate gifts to families, localschools, and other children’s organizations. This staple of our holiday celebration provides us with the opportunity to give the gift of joy and share the loveof Christ during one of the most special seasons of our faith.
Assistance To Other Churches
As God blesses St. John’s, we try to be a blessing to our sister churches. We have in the past helped severalchurches and organizations through donations and participation in program booklet publications.
Corporate Sponsorship
Building on its rich history of community development, activism and concern especially for our youth,
St. John’s continues to support many of the agencies
and organizations within our community from
time to time. However on an ongoing basis we maintain
corporate sponsorship with two community elementary
schools and one community organization.
William M. DeBerry Elementary School
Through the Mighty Men of God, St. John’s has established
a mentoring program with DeBerry. Each week men from our congregation provide a positive
role model to young male students through tutoring
and support. We also support the DeBerry School financially, as well as by donating Christmas food baskets
and toys to the families of students in need.
Rebecca M. Johnson Elementary School
We have over 30 listed volunteers who participate inour Read Aloud Program with Rebecca JohnsonSchool. Once a month, from October through May,our volunteers spend an hour reading to classes. Each year we strive to increase our volunteer base
with the goal of having a reader in every classroom.
As with DeBerry, we also provide financial support to Rebecca Johnson, providing funds to support various
school activities.
Diaconate