An Update Regarding St. John’s Mission and Finances
Beloved St. John’s community,
As you know, St. John’s is a group of people gathered by the Holy Spirit to experience the healing love of God in Christ and to share that love with all whom we meet. We have expressed that love through traditional and innovative liturgy, the nurture of children & youth, and seeking and serving Christ in all people without distinction—inside and outside our doors.
That mission continues unabated in the midst of this pandemic, even when we must worship God and experience community outside our building. We’ve established Care Circles, through which 25 St. John’s leaders are each reaching out to 15 other members on a regular basis to make sure you are healthy and that your needs are being met. For example, we are doing our best to help when people need groceries, support, or just someone to talk to. We have also recently donated $15,000 through our Centennial Fund to partners most immediately affected by the economic impact of this pandemic. We continue to support teacher salaries in Haiti, and to make significant quarterly donations to organizations that provide food and shelter to people in need, just as we have always done.
We also recognize that many of us have lost income, some significantly. We are so very grateful that some of you have accelerated or even increased your pledges to St. John’s in order to help compensate for those who have needed to reduce or eliminate their pledge. Because we anticipate continued significant and negative financial impacts from this pandemic to St. John’s both this year and in the future, we are thankful to share that the vestry recently voted to apply for and received a PPP loan of $76,790 through First State Bank of Rosemount. The vast majority of this loan is forgivable, as long as it is used to keep staff employed and cover operating expenses. This amount will cover about two months’ worth of staff salaries plus related expenses. This PPP loan keeps St. John’s on a solid financial footing, so we can respond to all the uncertainties of our time—not just the negative impact on our operations, but also the opportunities to reach out in love to our neighbors in need.
Despite receiving this loan, we are asking all of you to continue to pledge as best you can, so that we can continue to carry out our mission to explore and express God’s love in this world, and to support our wonderful staff, who are working as faithfully now as ever. We have always run a very lean budget, in order to be faithful stewards of your generous offerings. Our building needs continue to grow as our beloved church ages, and every penny of every pledge is put to good use.
Thank you very much for your continued support and participation in the life of St. John’s.
Faithfully,
The Rev. Lisa Wiens Heinsohn, Rector
Allen Gooch, Senior Warden
Stacy Walters, Junior Warden
Michael Morrow, Treasurer
