January thru May

January 2013

St. John's supports the Interfaith Hospitality Network on a quarterly basis. We provide temporary housing, meals and fellowship for a week at a time for families who are homeless. January 27 thru January 31 there were 64 members who provided breakfast and dinner meals, acted as evening hosts or overnight hosts.

February 2013

Montopolis Friendship Community Center was created by Austin district United Methodist Women almost 60 years ago to serve the Montopolis community in east Austin. It has grown from a bilingual kindergarten to a center that includes a senior activity program with monthly visits from a Wesley Nurse, a clothing resale shop, a community meeting hall, and a mothers' day out program. In addition, MFCC funds the Miles Scholarship Fund that provides scholarships for high school graduates from the neighborhood and coordinates activities with Allison Elementary School. St. John's UMW has supported the Center since its beginning providing volunteers for all activities and currently has five members on the board of directors.    

March 2013

Twenty four drama students from Mississippi called Saint John's “home” for an evening earlier this month as we played host the Sunflower County Freedom Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to educational excellence and leadership development for middle school and high school students. The evening provided an opportunity to connect for both the young actors and church members. The troupe offered to perform their civil-rights play, A Boy Named Bobo, in our sanctuary, and the Saint John's community offered more than just a place to stay. In addition to dinner before their performance, volunteers assembled goodie bags filled with travel snacks. The theater troupe was on a performance tour during their spring break.

April 2013

The Saint John’s youth group took a popular approach to raising money for their upcoming mission trips by giving parents and kids a night out. In April, the youth hosted a “Parents Night Out” at the church, entertaining children with outside play, movies, snacks and even a good ol’ game of Sardines! While the parents were grateful for the night out, the kids felt they were the biggest winners by getting to spend an evening with teenagers. The Parents Night Out nights continue throughout May. It continues to be

a win-win for a great cause!

May 2013

Saint John's musicians stood center stage at the Saint John's Coffee House on May 18 to raise money for My Healing Place, a local non-profit counseling center that helps children and adults as they move from grief and traumatic loss to a full life. The real spotlight, however, was on raising awareness of mental health issues. Since forming last year, the Saint John’s Mental Health Ministry Team has worked hard to remove the stigma associated with mental health issues. To commemorate Mental Health Awareness Month in May, the group organized a series of events that would do just that. Throughout the month, the team shared testimonials in both worship and electronic newsletters, offered information about helpful resources in church and online, organized the coffee house benefit, and sponsored a Wellness Walk at a local park.