November 7, 2021

I first attended St. John’s in the spring of 1967. (For those of you doing the math, that was 54 years ago.) Then I was 22 years old and not long out of college. All these years later, I am still here!

Obviously much has changed in that time – in the country and the culture, and certainly for St. John’s and me. In that time St. John’s has had 6 settled ministers, and a similar number of interim ministers. I have been both married and single (more than once). Both the church and I have had up and down periods, times of growth and of challenge. The constant element – we are both still here!

So how do I try to capture elements of my time here? As I have been thinking about this, I find that three elements stand out for me.

1–Sunday morning. As I look back on my life, Sunday morning at church has always been there. I grew up in Evansville, IN, going to a liberal Presbyterian church every Sunday. Then I went off to Purdue where I walked all the way across campus to a liberal Presbyterian church most Sunday mornings. I valued the spiritual experience and message of a worship service. When I moved here to Cincinnati and looked for a similar church that spoke to me, I was not having much luck. Part of this, I suppose, was that the Christian message of salvation had begun to feel less compelling for me. Then I remembered that an old high school friend had been a Unitarian, so I decided to give that a try. I came here, and I was immediately hooked. An inspiring message from the pulpit. Wonderful music. And this dramatic sanctuary. The Sunday morning worship experience is still the primary reason I come here. Over the years, though the minister in the pulpit has changed multiple times, I am still here almost every Sunday morning to carry away thoughts and inspiration for rest of the days of the week.

At some point nearly 30 years ago I became a member of the choir. This gave me a small role in helping create the Sunday experience for me and others.

2–Institutional St. John’s. As a kid you may remember the first time someone removed the front of a light switch or electrical outlet. That’s when you saw that there were wires in there, wires that ran behind the walls that were part of making things happen. As a 22-year-old first coming here I guess I had little idea of how the magic of Sunday morning happened. I wasn’t aware of the “wires behind the walls.” But after a while I began to get asked to do things. I gradually discovered how many people, in many interlocking rolls, were needed to keep St. John’s functioning. If I wanted those Sunday morning experiences to continue for me, there was much work to do. I felt a responsibility to do my share. For over 50 years I have been trying to do that.

Here are some things from the “highlight reel.” I think I have served on the board at St. John’s in each of my decades here. I have had most of the positions, some multiple times. I have participated in many, and led several, stewardship drives. There have been search committees for a new Minister, an RE Director, and a Music Director. There was also an Alban Committee, with an outside consultant, to resolve a major church conflict. I have also led Chalice Groups for many years.

Many of my efforts were related to the care and repair of this building. This has ranged from painting rooms, to patching the roof and parking lot, to installing toilets, to dealing with our complicated heating and cooling systems, to rappelling off the roof to caulk high windows or through the skylights to change high light bulbs. I was also the rigger each year to raise the Great Wreath, which hung on the front of our building each the holiday season for over 20 years.

Some things I have observed through all of this:

• To keep St. John’s functioning there are almost more jobs to do than there are people to do them.
• In almost all cases I took on a particular job because someone asked me to. So, if someone asks you to serve in some capacity, I hope you too will say yes. This also requires those who have current responsibilities, where they need help, to ask new people to help.
• Often, I didn’t know how to do a particular job, but I knew I could probably seek out mentors and others to help me fulfill the need.

3–Community. I didn’t come here to find community, and it still is not the primary driver of me being here. But it has been a HUGE bonus in my life. I built community here by “showing up.” Attending Sunday worship regularly. Coming to social events like dinners or potlucks. Saying “yes” when asked to serve some church need. Joining the choir. Through all those things I met, and formed relationships with, others here. Many of those relationships have been quite strong. Some are decades long.

The “Community” at St. John’s is in some ways ever changing. Only a couple of people are still members who were here when I first came. But in other ways it has always been the same. This has always been a group of intelligent, talented, interesting, and supportive people who share a passion for this place. I have found so many people who were expert at something in their lives, who were always willing to share that expertise. I have found much “life wisdom” among those here that they have built over their lives—wisdom they willingly shared. I have found many with passions and hobbies who were looking to share them with others. (Some examples of this last one for me personally):

• In the ‘70s I met a married couple here who introduced me to rock climbing. I pursued it further and was an active climber for over four decades.
• In the ‘80s some folks here urged me to become a SCUBA diver. Nearly 400 logged dives later-some halfway around the world, I am still at it.
• Eighteen years ago, another church couple urged my wife and me to upgrade our bicycles. We have now done about 10 week-long, supported rides in other states.
• (There are more examples, but you get the idea.)

Very importantly, members of the St. John’s community have been a huge support to me when my personal life was at various low points. I will be forever grateful.

So, consider joining, and “showing up.” Perhaps you too will become a 50-year member.