June 2026 Grapevine Newsletter

Notes from the Vestry

The long, relaxing days of summer have arrived, but the work continues apace at St John’s! The vestry had a very productive half-day retreat on April 24th, punctuated with laughter and prayer. We spent time in discussion on the current initiatives underway at St John’s and considered our priorities for the remainder of 2026 and 2027. The overwhelming feeling of the retreat can be summed up as follows:

God is hard at work at St. John’s,

“All are Welcome” and all should be made welcome, and

We can tackle projects both large and small when we communicate, work together, and lead with love.

We identified many small steps that we can take to increase awareness of what St. John’s has to offer, both internally and externally. We also determined that making the best use of the gifts God has given us, specifically in maximizing the use of our beautiful church campus, is our primary focus for the remainder of this year. In the month of May, we have seen some great progress, and we’d like to make sure everyone is aware of the latest efforts of the vestry. There’s so much positive news to report!

At our retreat, we discussed some simple ways to make sure that the community at large is well aware of our service times and that “All are Welcome” to join us for worship. To that end, we have been making a concerted effort to increase our presence on Facebook and to keep our website updated. Father Charles reports that we have visitors almost every week that found us online. We also replaced the service times sign riders that had been removed due to outdated information. Now anyone who passes our beautiful church will easily see our service times. We also created small flyers to distribute during events that will streamline donations and direct patrons to our website. These are small but significant steps!

Following up on our pledge that “All are welcome,” our Accessibility Committee has made great headway this month. There have been improvements to our entry into the Parish Hall that include an automatic door opener as well as threshold and clearance adjustments that make it easier for those with mobility issues to enter. In addition, the downstairs bathrooms have been enhanced to provide easier access along with an option for automatic door opener. The Accessibility Committee is continuing their work with plans for improved lighting in our garden and ramp area as well as working on an ADA-compliant ramp as part of the Ruddiman Building renovation.

The vestry is committed to continuing work on all our buildings to make the best use of them for the future of St. John’s. The Building & Grounds Committee has continued work on Ruddiman and Woods Hall along with normal, necessary maintenance. The Creation Care Committee has made some beautiful improvements to the Memorial Garden. Thanks to Harriet Perry for her hard work on that cherished space. We expect our next phase of work at Ruddiman to begin as soon as we receive approvals for minor exterior modifications from the Historical Preservation Society. The response to our Art House press release and subsequent news coverage was overwhelming positive!

During our retreat, the vestry also identified a priority of making sure our families with young children and the young adults in our parish are offered many opportunities for fellowship and support. Ann McGraw does amazing work with our children! Ann and the Christian Education Committee are planning our summer program, “Saints and Holy Helpers,” on June 23-24th from 9-11:30. Please connect with Ann if you would like to volunteer to help or to register a child. Stay tuned to Realm for more information.

Finally, the vestry discussed sustaining our current programs, maintaining our historic church building, and planning for future growth. Our Stewardship Committee, led by Harley Klein, is already planning a joyful fall program to invite your investment of time and talent to St John’s. Our Treasurer, Judy Guice, is making pledging and giving even easier with streamlined online giving through Realm and the Text2Give option. In addition, if you give online, you will soon have an option to place an “I Give Online” card in the collection plate on Sundays to include your gift in those blessed at the altar.

Summer may be here, but God’s work doesn’t take summers off! Please continue with your pledges, prayers, and praise wherever you may find yourself on Sundays. We hope to find you sharing a pew at St John’s! As always, all of us on the vestry feel and appreciate your prayers and support.

Blessings,
Stacey Butera, Senior Warden

Endowment

Legacy Society Reaches Milestone

The Legacy Society of the St John’s Endowment exists to recognize people who have made a contribution to the future of our parish. On Pentecost Sunday we had our annual reception recognizing new members of the society.

This year David Jensen, Julia Weaver & Robert Wiygul, Fr. Alfred & Ann Mead, and Marcia & Alex Blevens were recognized as new members. Many parishioners have signed pledges with the intention of making this commitment.

Once their contributions to the Endowment reach $5,000, they become members of the society. There are several funds within the Endowment which you can specify (select one or several):

• Building Endowment
• Permanent Endowment
• Unrestricted Endowment
• John Switzer Memorial Endowment
• Joel C. Melton Music Endowment
• Howkins Childrens Fund

If you want more information, call Margaret Reynolds at 228-365-5622.

St. John's Vestry (June 2026)

St. John's Episcopal Church • 705 Rayburn Avenue • Ocean Springs, MS 39564 • stjohnsoceansprings.dioms.org