St. John's Parish Annual Collection

July 2022

Dear Friends,

It has already been a really wonderful summer!  I say this because I am seeing so many of you in church once again, and not only are you there, but you seem truly comfortable being gathered in this way.  The recovery of this level of comfort in gathering is a slow process, as you know, and it can only happen when we hear God’s call to our hearts and respond to it.  Many thanks to all who are working to make this happen for our whole parish family.

Rather than looking at the far past, I’m thinking of the return of treasured activities (The Hyannis Sound concert for one), and the arrival of new things that are growing stronger each month (our Small Groups are of special note here).  The rebuilding and renewing is an ongoing process, and we will continue on this good path.  St. John’s has always been a parish with a deep faith and a community noted for its warmth and welcome.  I am glad to see that we continue to show these great gifts among ourselves and to those we welcome as newcomers.

With these things as a background, it is that time of year that I make an appeal for our Annual Collection.  This is our major fund-raising effort for the year.  As you will see on the enclosed Financial Report, we are so very well supported in so many ways, but this Annual Collection allows us to respond to longer-term needs and take advantage of opportunities that sometimes arise quickly.  Of particular note are the ongoing needs for maintenance and updating of items such as heat and air conditioning, but also needs for the refurbishing of our buildings, both inside and out.  We have a beautiful property, and we have constant needs to work to keep it that way.  This annual appeal allows us to look longer-term at these needs and take steps to try to stay on top of things.

I want to highlight one of the things we have done in the recent past to show what this collection allows us to do.  I am referring to the solar panels on the Welcome Center.  Since they went online in February there have been months where our energy costs were negligible, meaning that they were so lowered that it changes how we plan for electricity usage.  (See the financial report for details, and that was just for five months!).  With what has been forecast for rate increases soon to come, this will have a tremendous impact as we go forward.

As I have a tendency to go on and on, I will simply say that once again we are asking you to consider making your usual generous donation to help us continue to grow and prosper.  In the past your gifts have allowed us to meet unexpected needs, as well as set a course that keeps us serving ourselves and a larger community around us.  Please know how grateful I am to be able to count on your support, and know that you will continue to be in my prayers as I make this request.

May God continue to bless St. John the Evangelist Parish and all those who make us the family of faith we are!

In Christ,

Fr. Tom

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View the Parish Financial Report