Altar Guild

Christian Education and Youth

The Altar Guild, as part of Worship and Music, is responsible for preparing the altar and chancel for services including caring for the ceremonial objects used in worship. Following the service, the Altar Guild cleans and cares for candles, communion elements, communion ware, and other items used during the service. Typically, one or two members serve each month, with all the members of the Altar Guild sharing the duties throughout the year.  The Altar Guild, along with the assistance of the Pastor, will also hang the appropriate banners.  The Guild also helps to decorate the church for holidays such as Christmas and Easter.  

The responsibility of Christian Education and Youth Committee is to provide learning opportunities for all members of the congregation and to nurture young people and their families in and around St. John's community in a Christian setting.  Christian Education includes Sunday School from kindergarten through adults, Bible studies, Vacation Bible School, First Communion and Confirmation Instruction, and New Member Classes.

Youth programs include events such as Souper Bowl of Caring, trips to the Pittsburgh Zoon, bowling outings, youth-led worship, and many other activities.

Evangelism and Communications

Fellowship

The Evangelism and Communications Committee encourages members to make St. John's a welcoming place and to reach out with the love of God to the community. 
Members also oversee the website, Facebook, other social media, and the monthly electronic newsletter. 

The Fellowship Committee is responsible for planning and overseeing special church activities such as the Mardi Gras/Shrove Tuesday pancake dinner, the Easter breakfast, and the St. John's summer picnic.  They also plan receptions for occasions including First Communion, Confirmation, and recognizing high school and college graduates. The Fellowship Committee often teams up with other committees to provide food for gatherings as we celebrate ministry and community together. 

Finance

STRATEGIC Planning

The Finance Committee is responsible for the management of the congregation's money, investments, and insurance needs. The Treasurer and Financial Secretary are part of the committee, which oversees an annual audit of all the congregation's books. They make recommendations to the Congregation Council for financial investments and yearly budgets. Through the Financial Secretary, the committee organizes the counters and sends out financial giving statements to members of the congregation.

​This committee endeavors to determine the long-term needs for effective ministry at St. John's. We try to visualize where we will be one, five, or ten years from now. Will we be meeting the needs of our parishioners and those of our community?  For this to happen, each of us at St. John's must continually renew our baptismal vows and our commitment to truly become disciples for Christ. In the past, Long Range Planning was the "germination" group for the building and renovation project and our St. Afterschool ministry; more recently Long Range Planning oversaw the creation of the Labyrinth for prayer and meditation, and has guided the process to become a Reconciling in Christ congregation.  This committee is responsible for the strategic planning for St. John's.

Mutual Ministry

Property

The ministry of this committee is to promote healthy relations and address concerns between staff and the congregation. Members of the committee act as a sounding board for the pastor and assist in advising the pastor.
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This committee conducts yearly staff evaluations and makes compensation recommendations. Members of this committee are appointed and serve three year terms.

The Property Committee is responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of our church building and grounds. The Property Committee works with the custodian and other committees for repairs, preventative maintenance, lawn and landscaping care. The Property Committee also takes care of putting up the Christmas tree and placing the crosses on the front lawn for Lent and Easter. 

Mission outreach

Stewardship

This committee strives to help those in need by encouraging support for  ELCA World Hunger and Disaster Response among other causes. This committee sponsors our ELCA missionary, Pastor Jeffrey Truscott, as he teaches God's word in Singapore. The committee oversees the Giving Tree in December to help families at MA's Pantry have a nicer Christmas, and blankets through Church World Service in February.  This committee has gathered school supplies to pack in school bags for Lutheran World Relief to provide to children in need and has periodically held Senior Information Fairs.

The Stewardship Committee helps the Pastor to increase the understanding of stewardship in the congregation.  They hold a Fall Stewardship Emphasis using time and ability commitment sheets and financial pledge cards. This committee also promotes special appeals for ministries such as Glade Run, Lutheran Services, Bethesda Children's Home, and Gettysburg Seminary.

Worship and Music

This committee is centered around planning and coordinating our ongoing services and special worship events such as our annual outdoor service at White Oak Park, the Hanging of the Greens service during Advent, Lenten and Holy Week services, and Festival Services on Christmas and Easter.