Welcome to St. John’s – We’re Glad You’re Here!

Welcome to the St. John’s online church community! Learn more about this dynamic parish, the good works we accomplish, as well as the ministry that awaits us.

If you’re looking for a spiritual home, exploring your faith, searching for ways to serve your community or seeking to make a difference, St. John’s Episcopal Church answers those longings. We’re here to serve your spiritual needs, and help you deepen your relationship with God, those you love and yourself.

We look forward to seeing you in church, and in the education, fellowship and outreach opportunities that make St. John’s a lively, caring community.

Why St. John’s?

Our mission is to bring everyone into a closer relationship with God and one another through Jesus Christ. We hope our parish community is one you’ll call your own.

The Episcopal Church is made up of between two and three million worshipers in about 7,500 congregations across the United States and related dioceses outside the United States. The St. John’s parish, comprised of 1,800 members, is made up not only of lifelong Episcopalians, but also those who grew up in other faiths including Catholic, Orthodox and Jewish traditions. We welcome you all!

What you’ll find when you visit and worship with us is a vibrant community of parishioners and friends who expand our ministries through prayer, pilgrimages, commitment and in hundreds of other ways.

Our long history (which dates back to 1822!) and generous founding members gave us a campus and landmark to treasure. However, it is the parish community that has been the true foundation of St. John’s. Our community, from generation to generation, is our strongest resource. It’s what sustains our current members and it’s what draws newcomers to our doors.

As a community guided by a capable team of lay workers and clergy, we have built a strong foundation in many areas of Christian life, providing comprehensive education for all ages, innovative outreach programs and compassionate pastoral care for our own members.

Which Service is Best for Me or My Family?

Youth, children and adults – generation to generation – can experience God in worship. Worship touches our hearts, lifts our spirits, challenges our minds and comforts our souls so that we are connected to one another and to God’s world in new ways. 

The people of St. John’s worship at many different services:

Saturdays

Holy Eucharist, Rite II, 5:00 PM, in the Historic Church

Sundays

Holy Eucharist, Rite I, 7:45 a.m. in the Historic Church
Holy Eucharist, Rite II, 9:00 a.m. in the Historic Church
Contemporary Service, Holy Eucharist, Rite II, 9:00 a.m. in All Saints Hall
Holy Eucharist, Rite II, 11:15 a.m. the Historic Church

We invite everyone in worship at these services to come to our Lord’s table to receive communion or a blessing. The bread is received with an open hand; the wine by guiding the chalice to your lips or by dipping the wafer into the cup. If you do not wish to receive communion, please cross your arms over your chest to receive a blessing instead.

Other Opportunities for Worship

Tuesdays

Morning Prayer, 8:30 a.m. in Resurrection Chapel

Wednesdays

Evening Prayer, 6:00 p.m. in the Historic Church

Thursdays

Holy Eucharist with Healing, 7:00 a.m. in Resurrection Chapel

Monday through Friday

Noonday Prayer, 12:00 p.m. in Resurrection Chapel

All Saints Hall or the Historic Church?

While the majority of our services are traditional in nature, one of our 9:00 a.m. Sunday services is held in All Saints Hall and offers a contemporary style of worship including a sermon for young children. An ensemble of keyboard, guitars and drums provide music, and all songs and prayers are projected onto large screens for everyone’s viewing. Our contemporary service tends to be more casual, yet still expresses the worship of the Episcopal tradition.

Families with young children may find this service in All Saints Hall more fitting to their needs. Children happily worship with us in both settings, however, and are the life of our future. We invite you to discover what’s most appropriate for your child(ren).
 

Joining our Parish Community

Answer that spiritual tugging in your heart.

Developing a closer relationship with God in Jesus Christ is possible when you become a member of St. John’s. We’ll help you develop your ability to serve God and develop your ability to serve your neighbor.

The first step of coming into a closer relationship with God at St. John’s is to know you already belong! You belong to God.

The next step is to join us in worship where you will meet other members of the parish who can help guide you to a class or events to help you live your faith. Click here for our service schedule.

We also encourage all prospective members to attend one of our New Member Forums held on the first Sunday of every month. At these gatherings, interested members will join clergy, vestry and members of our various commissions in conversions about St. John’s, its programs, and ways to get involved in both giving and receiving the love of Christ.

Members of St. John’s are encouraged to participate in worship and their community, and practice vocational discovery, service to others by spreading the love of Christ and stewardship with a financial commitment. To receive more information, please call one of our clergy or the Parish Office at 410.461.7793.

Sharing God’s Gifts Through Our Time and Talent

Looking to become more involved, but feeling unsure about where to jump in? Engage in one of our smaller group ministries to heighten your connection with our parish community. Click here for a complete listing. You’re sure to find a ministry that expresses your passion for the world, your talents or a new direction in which Christ will call you to grow.

Only through our shared commitment can we grow stronger as a Christian community and spiritually as individuals. Participation may be as simple as making a food dish for a parishioner in need and gathering with friends to act out our live nativity scene, or as involved as joining a mission trip to mentor others along in their spiritual journeys or leading our annual Parish Weekend at beautiful Shrine Mont in the Virginia mountains.

Everyone’s help is desired. Everyone’s help is needed. No matter how big or how small.

Visit Us!

Directions & Campus Map

What Does it Mean to Be Episcopalian?

To bring us into a closer relationship with God both as individuals and as a community, our clergy presented a five-week Preaching Series in February and March 2009. Clergy preached on why Episcopalian worship is shaped along particular practices, the history of worship, the theology of our worship and how we are formed in a closer relationship with God through worship. Each Sunday focused on successive parts of our community worship in this progression: Coming Together, Listening and Learning, Praying and Sharing, Breaking Bread, and Going Out into God’s World.

Click here to read those sermons from our clergy.

If you’re interested in learning more about the origins and future of the Episcopal Church, these additional links might be helpful:
Episcopal Diocese of Maryland
Episcopal Church, USA
Glossary of Episcopal terms
The Book of Common Prayer