For 150 years, the gifts of God’s grace have overflowed at St. John’s.  From our immigrant roots in the 19th century to this day, the people of God have proclaimed and enacted God’s grace in Jesus Christ through worship, welcome, and generosity.  In 2019, we will celebrate 150 years of gratitude for God’s sustaining grace and will look to the future with joyful expectation.

As we approach this milestone, there is work that needs to be done for our church home, where we warmly welcome others and from which we are sent to serve the community. Through the 150th anniversary campaign, Grace Overflowing, we will celebrate our deep and cherished traditions, make St. John’s a more inviting, welcoming space for all, and increase our capacity to serve our neighbors through gifts to several of our Northfield community partners.

We invite you to give thanks for the grace that overflows and sustains us and ask God for glad and generous hearts as we continue to celebrate in Word and Sacrament God’s gracious actions for the world, cultivate growth in faith, encourage service and witness, and proclaim Christ as the hope of the world in the days and years ahead.

The Context

As we celebrate our sesquicentennial, every generation of St. John’s will be invited into this time of thanksgiving for God’s grace and extending our mission into the future.  You are invited to be part of this ever-flowing stream of God’s gifts to us as we work to invite others into our celebration and to help others receive the welcome we have received from God.

God’s grace to us is overflowing. In trust that God’s abundance continues, we are committing to raising $750,000 in the next three years to extend the mission and ministry of St. John’s for the next 150 years.

Gifts received will support St. John’s in:

Worship and Welcome. God is our center, and St. John’s is blessed with a space that resounds with singing and reflects the beauty of God’s grace.  God welcomes all through the grace of Jesus Christ. St. John’s proclaims God’s welcome in word and deed.

Generosity.  God calls us to live generously. St. John’s members give with an abundance that overflows to our whole community, both locally and around the world.

The Call

Worship, welcome, and generosity are at the center of our mission.  Our historic building is already a needed resource for the Northfield community. With continued maintenance and improvements we can extend our welcome and make it more accessible to every generation.  We face major deferred maintenance expenses such as maintaining our brickwork and replacing our aging cooling systems.  The woodwork and paint in our historic sanctuary needs renewing.  Our community spaces can all be more welcoming, accessible and beautiful with improvements to flooring and furnishings.  Thousands of residents come through our space each year for a hot meal, for community meetings, and for musical events. Our maintenance of this facility is part of our commitment to serving all of Northfield.

The Campaign

We celebrate our strong traditions of music, liturgy and service, but also know our world is changing.  With the gifts received from God, we are poised to be a center for mission and ministry in Northfield.

In preparation for this campaign, St. John’s staff, executive committee and church council have carefully evaluated our present physical plant and discussed at length how it both enhances and hinders our response to God’s call to share God’s love with the world.

We have a beautiful, historically significant building that has been well cared-for over the years.  However, care for our facility must also consider the changing face of our mission and ministry in the 21st century.   We believe that a number of capital improvements could make our worship and gathering spaces more inviting, welcoming, and flexible space for our members and the community at large.

Worship and Welcome. 

We will renew our worship space, extend the welcome and increase accessibility to all generations by updating and re-furbishing our worship and gathering spaces.  Raising $600,000 will allow us to preserve our building as a welcoming resource to all by addressing the following needs:

  • Deferred maintenance needs, including preserving and cleaning the brick work of the first addition and replacing the 30-year-old air conditioning unit, 60 year old compressor, and controls
  • Replacing the rotting floor and windows in the downstairs fellowship hall
  • Renewing our worship space by painting the sanctuary and refinishing the pews
  • Preserving the historic Good Shepherd stained glass window on the south side
  • Commissioning of new music and special art focused on celebrating our 150th Anniversary

Generosity

We will continue our heritage of generosity to the community by giving away up to 20% ($150,000) of funds raised to Northfield organizations that provide shelter, education, and support to every resident throughout our community and at St. John’s.

  • We will provide a lead gift for a new home in Northfield through Habitat for Humanity.
  • We will fund a new center for recent high school graduates of the TORCH program, supporting Northfield residents who face special challenges to attend college.
  • We will build new connections in our community through arts and music projects with Laura Baker Services Association.
  • We will provide a lead gift for new emergency housing, in partnership with the Community Action Center at the Manger Inn.
  • We will help and support families in financial need as determined by the Benevolence Committee and the Emergency Pastor’s Fund.