At Annual Meeting the congregation authorized the replacement/repair of three major capital items- replacement of the furnace system, replacing the Sanctuary sound system, and replacing the three windows in Fellowship Hall. The congregation voted to pay for these need repairs and replacements from the church’s investment funds, and them have a Capital Campaign to reimburse the funds taken for these projects. We gratefully and joyfully announce that two of the three projects have been paid for thanks to the generosity of two of our members.

For those unable to attend the Annual Meeting: When one of the two furnaces for the sanctuary went out, it was discovered the venting of the system through the chimney had issues that were not repairable. Thanks to Bill Ruben and Stephen Prussing we were able to secure a bid in time for the meeting to be considered. It is for the replacement of the furnace system with a new venting that will run out of the back of the church building. This includes replacing all the furnaces. We are grateful to John Stettler who gave a donation to cover the full cost of the replacement.

Replacing the sound system in the sanctuary was another high-cost item on the agenda. Our current one is from years ago when the sound system went out and the contractor gave us what they had on hand. Over the last few months there have been several instances when microphones have cut out during the service, as well as several people who attend through the online service remarking that there has been a change in the sound quality. After the Annual Meeting Bert Schaffner gave a donation to the church to cover the cost of replacing this system.

Thanks to the generosity of these two members, our need for funds for the large capital expenses for these repairs has been cut by two-thirds. The Consistory is currently working to obtain bids to replace the Fellowship Windows. During the repairs made to the other windows in the church last summer it was discovered that these three were not repairable and were in danger of falling out over the next year or two. After bids are received and the Consistory has a chance to choose a contractor they will reevaluate the extent of a capital campaign to reimburse the investment funds for the funds withdrawn.

God’s grace and peace.
St. John’s Church

In 1957 St. John’s Evangelical and Reformed Church became St. John’s United Church of Christ as a result of a merger. The denominations of the Congregational Christian Church, along with Evangelical and Reformed Church joined to form United Church of Christ. UCC is a distinct and diverse community of Christians that came together as one church. They joined faith and actions and currently are over 5,000 churches with nearly one million members across the U.S. The UCC serves God in the co-creation of a just and sustainable world. The UCC is a church of "firsts," a church of extravagant welcome, and a church where "…they may all be one".