Dear Friends in Christ,

One of the simplest scenes in the Gospel of John is also one of the best! In chapter 1, as Jesus is becoming known-Andrew brings his brother Simon to Jesus; Jesus "finds" Philip, and Philip goes and tells Andrew "We have found the Messiah!" To which a skeptical Andrew says, "Yah, right!" To which and undeterred Philip replies "Come and see!"

"Come and see" is an important piece of our faith vocabulary. It's our 'elevator speech', when we have a chance to speak a word for Christ or for the church. Not everyone is religious nowadays. Crowds of people are not rushing to the doors of most churches. But people are still open to an authentic sharing of faith and a genuine welcome into a community.

In this era of isolation and anxiety and uncertainty, the church still has a good part of what people and society needs! We have Jesus-who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. We have the ability to welcome. We have the sacraments that we do believe make God's grace and presence real. We have friendship and fellowship to offer. We have something for the 'seeker' who is new and curious. And we have something for the lifelong Christian who is ready to go deeper in faith and service.

But what we also need is people who will dare to say to friends, neighbors, relatives, co-workers, and acquaintances: "Come and see!" Come and see if St. John's might be a good fit for you or your family! Come and see how our Sunday School can welcome your kid! Come and see if our Pastor speaks any words of truth! Come and see how you might discover and use your God-given gifts!

And some of you are doing that! You newer folks are the best at that, because you're still excited about finding a church home! Keep it up! But all of us have a chance to say "Come and see! I'll meet you there for worship or for...." And, you can invite people to try out worship on Facebook or YouTube as well. I continued to be amazed at how many people learn of us through that resource.

September is the perfect time to try that "Come and see!" approach. Who do you know has a 7th or 8th grader who might try Confirmation Class on Wednesday evenings? Or Youth Group on Sunday evenings? Who could you invite to the Church Picnic on September 10? And fall is the perfect time to start something new: Men's Breakfast, anyone? A book study? An Outreach and Service Team?

-Let's see what we, with the Spirit's help, can do! -Pastor Paul