A Welcoming Servant in the Heart of the City:
We appreciate your time with us, and hope you'll visit with us soon in downtown Madison. Since 1856, St. John's has served the heart of the Madison community. The congregation is managed by its congregational council and committees who oversee and implement a fourfold mission for outreach, small group learning, worship, and congregational care. Currently 900 members consider St. John's their church home. It is a member congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
St Johns is a Reconciling in Christ Congregation. At the November, 2006 congregational meeting, the congregation overwhelmingly voted to become affiliated with LC/NA, Lutheran Concerned in North America, a group of primarily Lutheran congregations dedicated to openness to all regardless of race, background, gender or sexual orientation. Two years ago, the congregation adopted a resolution on the formation and affirmation of household covenants.
Staff Email
You can email staff directly using the following links:
Deb Cook
Dick Gundlach
JS Fauquet
Pastor Ken Smith
Prayer Team
Pastor Al Wahl
Worship at St. Johns: On Sunday mornings worship begins at 9:30, using the classic forms for Lutheran Worship. Coffee fellowship, adult forum and Sunday Learning Place follow the service. Over the past three years, the congregation has used almost all of the settings of the new Evangelical Lutheran Worship. Currently we are using an adaptation of Setting 1.
ELCA Poverty Program Grant to St. Johns Building Program: At the end of May we learned that the building vision program of St. Johns received a $75,000 poverty program matching grant from the Mission Investment Fund of the ELCA. It is not only welcome financial assistance, the grant speaks to the continued strength of our congregation’s mission and its connection to our building project.
Building Renovation Capital Campaign: St Johns is currently involved in a capital campaign to renovate our building and increase our partnership with other organizations in providing services to downtown Madison. As of late 2009, approximately $550,000 has been raised in pledges and contributions for the building renovation. Grants and other contributions have raised the total committed to almost $930,000. Please feel free to review our Case Statement, Treasurer's Letter , Home Visit Schedule or Pledge Card, as Well as the First Floor, Second Floor, and Third Floor Plans.
Congregational Values: If you are wondering about the underlying values of the congregation, you may be interested in our theology constuction exercise in adult forums this past January. About 25 of us assembled our thoughts about God, our faith, and our mission in the world into a summary statement. The statement reflects some of the underlying religious values that animate our life together.
Building Partnerships for those in need have been expanding and will continue through the construction. Our building partners include Porchlight for the night shelter, Off the Square Club for the day time shelter, a new LSS and LIRS office for the settlement of up to 100 refugee families from Bhutan, as well as continuing our building use by outside groups especially those providing care for those facing addictions. Our own emergency relief program fills our entryway every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning, except for a brief period of construction in July. Currently, four out of the five people who walk through our doors at St. Johns does so to seek assistance in some way.
LENT 2010
February 17: Ash Wednesday Worship is at 12:00pm and 7:00pm with imposition of ashes and Holy Communion at both worship services.
February 24, March 3, 10, 17, 24: Wednesday worship during Lent with 12:00pm Prayer and Reflection in the Sanctuary, 6:00pm Lenten Supper in the new fellowship area and 7:00pm Holden Evening Vespers.
Midweek Liturgies: The Suffrages will be used for mid-day reflection, and an opening and closing hymn will be sung when an accompanist is available. Holden Evening Prayer will be used for evening prayer.
The Wednesday Theme will be “There in the God’s Garden” ELW 342. Each week will involve a short reflection on the one verse of the hymn. The reflections will be offered by different congregational members or Pastor Ken. Each week a candle and/or flower will be added to a “garden” installation before the altar.
Sundays in Lent: The Liturgy will be Setting One adapted for Lent. The Overall Theme for Sunday is Returning to God, Adapted from the theme work on the lessons for the day by Marianne Meye Thompson, Professor of New Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary, Turning and Returning to God: Reflections on the Lectionary Texts for Lent, Interpretation: A Journal of Bible and Theology, January, 2010.
February 21 God’s Faithfulness
Februry38 Fear and Confidence
March 7 Food for the Hungry, Drink for the Thirsty
March 14 The God Who Reconciles
March 21 Finding Our Way through the Wilderness