“What is the Kingdom of God Like?”

150  Years of Service, Outreach, and Witness

When Jesus was teaching he asked, “‘What is the kingdom of God like? And to what should I compare it?’

He went on, ‘It is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in the garden; it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.’ And again he said, ‘To what should I compare the kingdom of God? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.’” (Luke 13:18-21)

“And the kingdom of God is like 1,000 teeny tiny onion plants, lovingly placed in the soil by the young ones that people with limited access to fresh food can be fed.”

Okay, that part is not actually in the gospels. But I do think that Jesus would agree that what our Youth Group and their faithful adult co-laborers did recently when they spent a day planting a thousand onions and weeding at the Garden of Health to make fresh food available to those who are food insecure is Kingdom (or “Kin-dom”) work.

There is a long (150 years!) history of service, outreach, and witness at St. John’s. Noticing that our neighbors were in need of food led to feeding people in the basement of the church and community Thanksgiving dinners (which continue to this day). This led to the creation of Manna on Main Street which was founded at St. John’s in 1981 and went on to become one of the most respected local organizations, working to end hunger, build community, and transform lives. As Tom Allebach shared with us recently, Manna was like a child who grew up and flew the nest to do great things. Praise God!

Rev. John Touchberry created sanctuary and a safe place for people with HIV and AIDS at a time when churches offered not care but judgment and condemnation. Rev. Sue Bertolette accompanied the congregation through the process of becoming an Open and Affirming congregation, advocating for and supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, nonbinary, and queer individuals, and working to fully embody Christ’s extravagant affirmation.

While COVID and several years of transition, grief, and change meant that the church needed to focus its energy internally, the St. John’s culture of generosity and giving beyond our walls never stopped. This church is known in our conference for faithful support of the UCC Special Offerings, and in our North Penn community for its generous support of St. Vincent DePaul Society which helps to feed, clothe, house and heal individuals and families in our Lansdale/Hatfield community who have nowhere else to turn for help. Through the GEM (Going the Extra Mile) Fund, we provide grants and financial support to people and organizations outside of the church. Our Designated Benevolences support local and international ministries and missions and include: Child Sponsorship, Church World Service, Manna on Main Street, Urban Promise, HIRN (Hebron International Relief Network), Phoebe Ministries, and Bethany Children’s Home. Our Emergency Fund is used by the pastors to provide immediate and confidential support to people in and outside of our church community.

Extending the work of the previous Outreach Committee, we now have the SOW Team (Service, Outreach, and

Witness and “sow,” as in sowing seeds) which is helping us deepen our commitments to supporting our neighbors, expanding our community relationships and connections, and providing bold witness for justice for people and creation.

Thanks be to God for the rich history of service, outreach, and witness at St. John’s over the last 150 years. May the next chapter of our life together help us continue to live faithfully into the call to build the kin-dom of God in our time.

Read the Full Enlightener