Coming August 24

This Sunday Pastor Autumn Krueger brings the message “Playing with God." Services are at 8:00, 9:15 and 11:30 a.m., with the later two services livestreamed on YouTube.

Marianne Burke Memorial Service

Marianne Burke’s memorial service will be at St. John on Saturday, August 23, at 11 a.m. The service will also be livestreamed on our YouTube channel. You can view the service here.

Ray Rodgers Memorial Service

The memorial service for Ray Rodgers will be at St. John on Saturday, August 23, at 3 p.m. The service will also be livestreamed on our YouTube channel. You can view the service here.

Family Retreat at Birchwood Camp

What? St John UMC "Playing with God" family retreat at Birchwood Camp

Where: Birchwood Camp, Chugiak, AK [directions here]

When: 2 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. [rain or shine...and please pray for sun!]

How: Socializing with old and new friends over games, food, singing and water activities!

Please bring a potluck dish to share [salad, side dish, hot dish or dessert] and a camp chair per person. Hotdogs and condiments provided.

Please also bring reusable plates, cutlery and reusable water bottles to minimize our impact from disposable items.

Approximate schedule:

2:00 p.m. - camp opens: limited parking available near Caribou and Fireweed cabins, and plenty of parking in the main lot [under partial construction]

2:00 - 3:30 Boating available at Boat Dock. Potato sack races on the Ball Field

3:30 - 5:00 Swimming available at Swimming Area

4:00 Music starts at the Fire Circle near Swimming Area

5:00 Supper begins with Potluck and Hotdogs at the Fire Circle

6:15 Clean up and praise God for new friends

6:30 Head home

Birchwood camp store will also be open from 4:30 onward in lower Fireweed Hall for Birchwood t shirts, coffee mugs, etc.

Please be mindful that Birchwood is a natural environment - please leave no trace and kindly pick up any trash you find, And be on the lookout for the largest of God's Alaska creatures [bears and moose].

Nico Lang book tour

Join us on Saturday, August 30, for a discussion with Nico Lang, author of the book American Teenager, a collection of stories about the lives of transgender teenagers. The event begins at 11 a.m. and will be held at St. John United Methodist Church. If you are able to help provide snacks or with setup or takedown, please sign up here.

St. John Block Party Sept. 3

Join us on Sept. 3 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. for a cookout and a fun time! Come play with some goats and jump around in the bouncy house. We will have the grill going with burgers, veggie burgers and hot dogs. Come and join in the fun!

Wednesday Night Supper returning Sept. 10

Ready for supper on Wednesday nights at St. John? So are we. As we prepare for the new season, we are looking for an additional dishwasher; this is a paid position. We are also looking for volunteers to help prepare the meal and some to help serve. Contact the office for more information.

Craft fair is Oct. 25

The St. John Craft Fair is Oct. 25! Need a vendor registration form? Find it here. Scroll down to the craft fair section to find all the information you need. All proceeds from vendor registration fees benefit Cameroon mission projects.

Greeters needed!

Are you looking for a chance to get involved at St. John, meet new friends, and be a welcoming presence in the community? If any of those apply to you, you’re ready to be a greeter on Sunday mornings! We’re hoping to get as many folks as possible involved, so if you’re available even one Sunday this year, reach out to Pastor Adam at pastoradam@stjohnanchorage.org and they will get you on the schedule!

Worship band song list is growing on Spotify

Our praise band literally ROCKS! Do you love singing along with them on Sundays but are not sure how the song goes? Well, now you can practice ahead of time! Our band leaders post Sunday's songs on a Spotify list a few days before worship. You can view this week’s songs or choose from a growing library of songs the praise band plays here. You'll need a Spotify account to listen (it's free).

Pickleball is on Thursdays

Come play pickleball on Thursdays in the gym from 7 to 9 p.m. All levels are welcome. (Note: There will be no pickleball on August 21 or 28.)

Cookies for Sundays

Fellowship time is better with a cookie! Can you help supply cookies for one Sunday? Sign up here to bring 3 dozen peanut-free/nut-free cookies - they can be homemade or store-bought. Cookies will need to be brought to the church by 10 a.m. Sunday, or by noon Friday.

Monthly Mobile Food Pantry

St. John’s Mobile Food Pantry is every 3rd Thursday of the month at 5 p.m. in the church parking lot. The next one is September 18. To volunteer at St. John’s MFP, sign up here.

To find other resources for food in Southcentral, check the Food Bank of Alaska website or F.I.S.H. (Friends in Serving Humanity). For other types of assistance, call 2-1-1 or go to Alaska211.org.

Do you have our church app?

St. John has a church app! Find all the important things in one place – current events, our Giving link, the Connect Card, the newsletter, the prayer chain and more. If you enable notifications, you can receive important announcements such as “Wednesday Night Supper and activities canceled due to snowstorm.” (We promise not to blast out too many notifications.)

Interested? Go to your app store and search for Ministry Keeper. The logo is gold with a black MK (see image above). Or use the links here for Apple and Android. When searching for our church, type in St. John United Methodist Church – and be sure to include the period in “St.” Check it out and let us know what you think!