Loading...The May 2026 edition of The Grapevine highlights exciting updates across the St. John’s Episcopal Church community, including a major renovation plan for the historic Ruddiman House in partnership with the Ocean Springs Art Association, updates from the Vestry, and new opportunities for spiritual formation, fellowship, and giving.
Keep reading to catch up on all the latest parish news, ministry updates, and financial reports from this active community of faith.
The Grapevine
St. John’s Episcopal Church — May 2026
Ocean Springs, Mississippi | stjohnsoceansprings.dioms.org
Ruddiman House Update
The Ruddiman House, the little gray cottage at 801 Porter Avenue, is a treasured part of the St. John’s campus. After much prayer and planning, the Vestry has decided to renovate the Ruddiman Building for a new tenant: the Ocean Springs Art Association’s Art House.
The Ocean Springs Art Association is a well-respected nonprofit organization that promotes the creation and appreciation of the Arts throughout the Gulf Coast Region, specifically Ocean Springs. The Association operated an artists’ co-op on Cash Alley for many years, offering art exhibits and retail sales opportunities for local artists. They are excited about the possibility of having the Ruddiman House as their new home.
Having the Art House on the St. John’s campus will benefit the parish in several ways:
- More people will visit our campus and learn about life at St. John’s,
- Rent payments will increase our income, and
- The parish will become better known in the community.
The Art House will operate during regular business hours, so we do not expect any parking conflicts.
With the help of architect and parishioner Dennis Cowart, the Ruddiman House will get a new front porch, a ramp, an ADA-compliant restroom, HVAC upgrades, new paint, and other improvements. Several generous church members have donated sufficient funds to begin the work, and volunteers are donating time and talent to the effort. If you’d like to help, please contact Julia Weaver or our Treasurer, Judy Guice.
Donated to the parish in loving memory of Dr. and Mrs. Edsel Ruddiman, the Ruddiman House has served as office space, storage, and meeting space for many groups, including community-based AA and Al-Anon meetings. All of these activities will be accommodated in our other buildings. The Ruddiman Building also served our preschool and served as Deacon Jim Lancaster’s ministry base. We are grateful that this historic building will continue to serve our church and community.
The vestry is so thankful for the generosity of the donors who made this possible and for the work of Julia Weaver and Dennis Cowart on both the design and planning, as well as obtaining the necessary approvals. We will keep the congregation updated on the progress, and we look forward to welcoming the staff and patrons of the Art House to the St. John’s family!
Daughters of the King
The Daughters of the King will admit 4 new members to our order on May 13th at the 5:30 p.m. service.
Please come to support these women, Lauren Clark, Margaret Fish, Emily Warren, & Jane Woods, as they begin a new chapter in their lives of prayer & service.
On Tuesday, May 6th at 10:30 a.m. Nancy Snodgrass, a member of It's My People, who advocates for the homeless in our community, will speak to our Daughters of the King Chapter here at St. John’s. Everyone is invited to attend and hear her story.
DOK meets regularly on the first Tuesday of the month at 10:30 a.m. Daughters of the King are dedicated to service and prayer.
Contact Virginia Montgomery at (228) 238-4230 for more information about Daughters of the King.
Endowment
In 2020, the intent for the Joel C Melton Music Endowment was filed by the Melton family. This true endowment would reach its minimum funding of $25,000 and become a permanent fund within the St John’s Endowment.
In 2024, this fund reached its minimum goal. The balance is now at $59,000 and the family's goal is to reach $100,000. In 2027, disbursements will begin—these funds will be used to fund the music ministry over and above budgetary items. Even though Joel is not here to sing with the choir, his spirit is with them and he will be supporting them way into the future.
Many of us remember Joel Melton’s beautiful baritone voice in the choir (like all Meltons, he was also a head taller than everyone else, so he was hard to ignore). He sang at the 9:00 a.m. service for over 20 years. He was also a layreader, served as both Junior and Senior Warden on the vestry, and was in charge of the parish electronics. He also attended Cursillo. The Melton Meditation Room (#15) was named in his honor.
Joel met his future wife, Lena, in 1958 when both were students at the Hampton Institute in Virginia. They had 4 children: Jennifer, Jeffrey, Joelle, and Jason. Jason picked up Joel’s role in the choir and managing parish electronics until his relocation for a position at Georgia Tech in Atlanta.
Samaritan Ministries
In April, St. John’s donated 275 food items and $550 to Samaritan Ministries. Another month of generosity to be celebrated!
Sunday, May 3rd, is our next "First Sunday of the Month" collection.
Requested items:
- Soup
- Ramen Noodles
- Chef Boyardee
- Cereal
The grocery cart will be on the porch from 7:30 a.m. - 11:15 a.m. on May 3rd and is always available in the church hallway across from the water fountain.
Thank you St. John’s for supporting this important ministry that helps feed the hungry.
Mahjong for Beginners
Anyone interested should meet on Tuesdays at 1:00 p.m. in the parish hall. The class will be taught by parishioner Emily Lancaster, who will guide participants through the basics of the game in a relaxed, instructional setting.
This is a great opportunity for those who have always wanted to learn Mahjong or need a refresher.
Come learn something new and enjoy a fun afternoon of fellowship!
Please note: This class is separate from the regular group that meets on Fridays.
For more information, please contact Emily directly at (228)-341-0775 or by email at ewlanca@att.net
Notes from the Vestry
Greetings from the Vestry! April was a beautiful, bustling, and blessed month at St. John’s! I’m sure you noticed a lot of activity in and around the buildings, and there will be more to come.
The acoustical panels we told you about in March have arrived and been installed in the Parish Hall to help with sound absorption. Many thanks to the Creation Care Committee for their work in the Memorial Garden to get it ready for the Easter services. We continue to work with the insurance company to repair the minor damage to the church and Memorial Garden. The Accessibility Committee is moving forward with adjustments to the Parish Hall entrance to make it more accessible for people using wheelchairs and walkers. In addition, there are plans to add additional lighting along the outside pathways and to enhance the entry to both bathrooms for easier access.
Work continues to make the best use of all our buildings. The damaged subfloors in Woods Hall have been repaired and the flooring is being installed. There have also been several repairs made at Mead Hall to repair rotted window frames and fascia. The EYC has moved into Mead Hall and Ann McGraw is helping us clear out some of the old items in Woods Hall. We have many groups who use these buildings currently, and we are researching some options for additional uses.
Ruddiman Hall is undergoing a facelift as well! We removed two damaged oak trees that posed a potential hazard during the upcoming storm season and removed the old carpet inside the building. There are other plans to improve the overall appearance and accessibility of the building. Julia Weaver and Dennis Cowart are working on approvals for our plans to allow the Ocean Springs Art Association to utilize Ruddiman Hall as their new “Art House” location. We are so excited to partner with OSAA to bring their tradition of supporting the arts on the MS Coast to our beautiful church campus!
Our community outreach in April included a week of service at The Lord is My Help. St. John’s also hosted a Red Cross Blood Drive that resulted in 23 units of donated blood! We are so appreciative of everyone who worked to support these events. May has us looking forward to a much-anticipated return of the “Derby Day” fundraiser for Outreach.
We are making a concerted effort to grow our presence on Facebook, and it’s working! In just the first two weeks of April, we had almost 4,000 views on our posts, and we grew our number of followers by over 50%. However, we need your help to get more eyes on our page. Please follow the St. John’s Parish Life page, invite all your FB friends to follow it, and share our posts. We want to share the story of St. John’s with our community, and Facebook is a great way to do that.
The vestry had our annual retreat on April 24th to discuss priorities for this year. We plan to share those with everyone once we compile and review them. Thank you for the suggestions, concerns, and prayers that we receive as we work to further our mission at St. John’s.
God’s Peace,
Stacey Butera, Senior Warden
Merry Widows
The Merry Widows is a parish social group centered on good food, warm fellowship, and joyful connection.
The group meets on the second Tuesday of each month at 11:00 a.m. at a designated local restaurant. Originally formed for widows within the parish, the group has happily expanded and now welcomes all women of the parish who enjoy fellowship and sharing a meal together—widow or not.
If you’re looking for a relaxed, friendly way to connect with others at St. John’s, the Merry Widows invite you to join them.
Contact Lena Melton at (228) 219-9711 for more information.
Safe Church Audit
At St. John’s, we are committed to ensuring that our parish remains a safe, welcoming, and nurturing place for all who enter—especially for our youth and our elderly. As part of that commitment, we are beginning our annual Safe Church audit.
This important process allows us to review our current practices, policies, and procedures to ensure that we are upholding the highest standards of care and accountability. It is not only a time of evaluation, but also an opportunity for growth—helping us remain mindful, informed, and intentional in how we serve one another in Christ’s name.
Members of our parish leadership team will play an essential role in this process. Each leader will be asked to participate in specific activities designed to increase awareness, strengthen understanding, and support appropriate and effective behaviors in all areas of parish life.
In the coming weeks, leaders will receive detailed information outlining their individual responsibilities. These guidelines are intended to provide clear and concise direction as we work together to complete this audit thoughtfully and thoroughly.
We are grateful for the dedication of our leadership and for the shared commitment across our parish to create and maintain a safe environment for all. Through this work, we continue to live out our calling to care for one another with compassion, integrity, and respect.
Parishioners who would like to learn more about Safe Church practices and resources are encouraged to visit: https://sites.google.com/dioms.org/diomsyouth/safe-church-resources
Summer Formation
Arts Camp: Saints & Holy Helpers
June 23-25, 2026
9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
This summer, our young members will be able, through art, to participate in three days of learning about and responding to the Saints and holy helpers who came before us.
[Image: Flyer calling to Stay Connected with St. John's and scan the QR code to join our Parish Life Facebook Page to Like, Share, and Post.]
Financial Update
Year-to-Date Report
March 31, 2026
| Category | Actuals | Budget |
|---|---|---|
| Tithes, Offerings, etc. | $170,232 | $164,173 |
| Expenses | $122,860 | $130,935 |
Text2Give Now Available!
Giving to St. John’s has never been easier! With our new Text2Give option, you can make a donation anytime, anywhere—right from your phone.
Simply text the designated code to 73256 and follow the quick prompts to complete your gift. No Realm account or login is required!
How Text2Give Works
Text any of the codes below to 73256 to give directly to a specific fund:
| Text Code | Destination Fund |
|---|---|
| STJOHNSOS | General Online Giving Card (Multiple Options) |
| STJOHNSOS bldg | Building Use |
| STJOHNSOS BF | Building Contribution Fund |
| STJOHNSOS BGCOS | Boys & Girls Club of Ocean Springs |
| STJOHNSOS DERBY DAY | Derby Day Fundraiser |
| STJOHNSOS Endowment | Endowment Funds |
| STJOHNSOS EYC | Youth/EYC |
| STJOHNSOS Flowers | Flowers & Lamps |
| STJOHNSOS WW | Wonderful Wednesday |
| STJOHNSOS Feed | The Lord is My Help |
| STJOHNSOS GCCNV | Gulf Coast Center for Nonviolence |
| Text Code | Destination Fund |
|---|---|
| STJOHNSOS Samaritan | Samaritan's Ministry |
| STJOHNSOS Saints | Saints and Sinners |
| STJOHNSOS Hawkins | Hawkins Endowment Fund |
| STJOHNSOS Discretion | Rector's Discretionary Fund |
| STJOHNSOS outreach | Outreach |
| STJOHNSOS Ruddiman | Ruddiman Renovation Fund |
| STJOHNSOS accessibility | Accessibility Fund |
| STJOHNSOS PermEndow | Permanent Endowment Fund |
| STJOHNSOS BuildingEndow | Building Endowment Fund |
ST. JOHN'S VESTRY
Stacey Butera - Sr Warden | Lee Armstrong - Jr Warden
Judy Guice - Treasurer | Harley Klein - Stewardship
Charlotte Fraisse - Parish Life/Outreach | Gail Bishop - Outreach
Pam Heard and Terri Bush - Worship | Ben Cheney - Buildings and Grounds
Lena Melton - Fundraising
Nancy Carstens and Kathlyn Buskirk - Christian Education
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