Dear Friends,

If you were walking by St. John’s last Saturday, you may have noticed a steady stream of people going in and out of the Parish House all day. What was going on?

While we may be familiar with what happens inside our walls on Sunday mornings, our buildings are also used throughout the week for a variety of purposes. On Saturday, members of MIRA, the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, rented the Parish House to provide a free clinic for persons engaged in the naturalization process leading to citizenship. Persons from throughout the Boston area made their way to 27 Devens Street for this training. Almost every room – upstairs and downstairs, was in use throughout the day.

This was a one-time event. But on any given day of the week, folks from the community are in our building and using our facility. On one evening it may be a 12 step group. Another day it may be 3 and 4 year olds learning soccer skills, and on another day even  younger children are sitting on the floor in the Godly Play room learning Spanish. Then there are the families who find that  the Parish Hall makes a great location for a birthday party or other family gathering.

While in most circumstances there are rental fees for these functions, our making these spaces available is what you might call a ministry of place. Our efforts to create and maintain welcoming spaces is not just about serving our own needs. It is about creating and maintaining an asset for the larger community. On Saturday, I was grateful that our venerable old walls were embracing persons who were engaged in the newest chapter of their lives, seeking citizenship. And I was grateful for all of the generosity and support of the persons in this parish who work so hard to make the church, the Parish House ,and the Garden a place of welcome and warmth for all.

Faithfully,

Tom