Truth and Beauty always open outward to the love of neighbor, and in a world of shallow connections, we are in need of discipleship. See how you can connect to a deep and dependable community, serve those in need, and encounter Christ. We have a number of ministries focused on outreach (and inreach) at St. John of the Ladder:
Hospitality (Coffee & Greeting)
While it’s an open question whether coffee should be numbered among the sacraments, we at St John take a seemingly mundane church activity and use it as the cornerstone for promoting Goodness. After every Sunday Divine Liturgy we gather together as a community for food and fellowship.
Mens’ Group
The Men’s Group hosts quarterly events, such as whiskey tasting or baseball games, meet monthly for breakfast on the first Tuesday at 7:30 am and engage in annual charity work.
St. Elizabeth Ladies’ Society
The purpose of the St Elizabeth Society is simple: to create opportunities for women in all stages of life (young adults, mothers, elderly) to gather together and develop relationships and strengthen bonds of community. The Society meets quarterly for events social and formative, as well as undertaking one annual charitable project together. The Society is open to all the women of St John!
Young Adults
Young Adults aged 21+ have bi-weekly meetings, Thursdays at 6:00 pm. One Thursday is focused on intellectual discussion and the other as a social meet-up for dinner.
Children
Summer Vacation Church School; Camp St Thekla
Consignment Project
This ministry was started over 20 years ago to find a way to monetarily help members of the parish by asking the church community to donate their gently used clothing, household items and furniture. The items are collected at church, sorted, and then taken to a Consignment Store, with which the parish has an account. Once a month, a cash payout is made from the items that have been sold. The money is collected each month and accumulates throughout the year. Nativity and Pascha are typically the two times of the year when money is dispersed to folks in need within the parish. But there is also help throughout the calendar year when situations arise and a person or family needs monetary assistance. It has been a wonderful ministry over the years and allows anyone from the parish to purge things they no longer need, and in turn the parish gets a percentage of the sale of these items from the store.
St. Photini Burial Society
The Society exists to promote and logistically execute burials that are faithful to the Orthodox tradition: no cremation, no embalming – a true Christian burial. The bodies of the departed are personally prepared for burial by volunteers from our community in imitation of our Lord Jesus Christ: they are washed, perfumed, wrapped in a shroud, put in a humble casket, transferred into the church, and Psalms are read over them in all-night vigil. The funeral service takes place in the church the following day, and then the body is processed to the place of repose where more prayers are said and they are committed to the earth.
If you have questions about any of these ministries at St. John of the Ladder, please use the form at this link:
