Dear Church, In an eccentric year, I’m giving you an eccentric rector’s report. I humbly ask for a half hour of your time to listen to a report on the year—a review of where we’ve been and a preview of where we might go together in 2021. Love, Jimmy The Road We’ve Traveled and The Road Ahead 2020 into 2021 from St. John’s Episcopal Church on Vimeo.

During the course of its second year, the mothers of Mindfulness 4 Mamas were faced with the same challenges of operating a gathering-based community in the midst of a pandemic that has restricted in-person gatherings. Fortunately, due to an infusion of funds from Episcopal Evangelism Society (EES), we were able to create a website, a weekly eNewsletter (Mindful Musings) and host zoom gatherings to facilitate connections – one of the 3 central tenets of M4M. Read more…

When I returned to St. John’s, just weeks before the onset of a worldwide pandemic, reconnecting with this community during this extraordinary and unsettling year was a God thing. The personal and pastoral relationships, the intellectual and theological dialogue, the spiritual connections – these are the things that kept me relatively sane and on track this past year. Whether it was an Easter Parade like no other, pre-recorded services using a jerry-rigged iPhone, in-person Sunday Read more…

Although we faced one of the most challenging years in our eight-year history, Bright Beginnings Episcopal Preschool (BBEP) emerged reinvigorated as a place for children to grow and thrive. Despite being closed from March through August, our preschool not only reopened safely, but also operated without incident in the fall term and had many significant achievements. These included transitioning to a new Director, Tawnya Sorensen, an experienced teacher who came to us from Buhl, Idaho, Read more…

While reflecting on life before March 2020, my mind was blank. I had to go back to my old calendar to remember what life was like from Jan 1, 2020 – March 9, 2020. I was almost surprised to see my calendar peppered with so many programs – breakfasts, lunches, dinners, planning meetings, after school activities, Cuba trip prep and a packing party, community talks, a sledding party (thanks Will!), the Film Series, events at Read more…

Indeed, 2020 was a roller coaster for the Browse ‘N Buy. As a result of the pandemic, sales and net income for community outreach decreased. While we cannot compare apples to apples with previous years, 2020 was still fiscally successful. The store was closed for two months and 10 days at the beginning of the pandemic. Rotating and quarantining donations when we reopened was challenging, but we found our rhythm and continued to move forward. Read more…

Coffee Hour as we all know it, has had to be put on the back burner. However, parishioners are continuing the tradition of coffee fellowship over Zoom. We have two ongoing virtual coffee hours that occur on Sundays, at 9 a.m. and at noon. Anyone can join. If you would like to be added to the email list to receive the weekly links, please contact Pam. We so look forward to returning to our wonderful Read more…

The face of music has dramatically changed at St. John’s Church. Just a few years ago, long-time music director, Pam Phillips, retired. David Wagner, who faithfully filled Pam’s spot, moved away from Jackson this year to pursue his dream job. This past summer’s tent and online worship services were led by our interim musician, Andrew Todd Palmer. St. John’s music assistant, Kirsten Farney, recently resigned to focus on family and other goals. And finally, here Read more…

On Thursday, March 19, 2020, the Foundation for the Episcopal Diocese of Wyoming committed $1 Million Dollars in support of relief for those negatively impacted by the COVID-19 global pandemic. Just fourteen days later, the Diocese mailed $460,000 of that grant to the 46 Episcopal Churches around the State of Wyoming. “Each Episcopal parish in Wyoming was awarded a grant of $10,000, regardless of size of community or church,” according to the Rt. Rev. John Read more…

Virtual Valentine’s Party Tuesday, February 9 at 7 p.m. on Zoom The Christmas Party was a total blast, making our hot cocoa bombs. These gatherings provide short opportunities for students to stay connected with each other while having fun! We will be making mini pop tarts & cards for the Senior Center and participating in games for our Valentine’s Party on Zoom on Tuesday, Feb 9 at 7 p.m. We will be partnering with PCJH Read more…