Five Baptism Sunday at St. John's - Rector's Rambling for August 2, 2026

     Today we welcome 5 new members of the Body of Christ through the water of baptism, 5 of the 8 members of the Wilson Family.  Dad Leo has been attending weekday Masses for several months, and we are grateful that they have decided to make St. John’s the place to worship and to become a member of our parish family.  Already young Leo has found his way into the acolyte corps, and we look forward to the family’s incorporation into our fellowship.  Today we baptise Leonardo, Lot, Levi, Luke, and Leah!

We have already had three other baptisms this year, always a happy occasion for the church! 

We give thanks that St. John’s continues to grow again in membership.  Each week newcomers visit, curious about this beautiful old building on the corner of Woodward and I-75.  A first visit can always be a bit intimidating.  Where do I sit?  What will the Service look like?  Can I receive Communion?  Will I be underdressed or overdressed?  Will I be welcomed by people? These questions and more go through the heads of those stepping into our midst for the first time, as I have been told. 

When I first arrived at St. John’s in 2001 we already had an active website presence.  The late C.A. Hocker built our first website in 1997— a pioneering move.  When I was applying to be rector here I scoured that site for information on what the parish might be like!  I had visited once for a Christmas Eve Service while I was a seminarian, but I wanted insight into what the parish might be about.

In 2006 we started a YouTube channel to broaden our reach with now has 7400 videos uploaded and 3.7 million video views.  Then with the advent of Facebook and then Twitter we have yet more avenues to reach people.  And our presence on the search engine Google has been a blessing.  Many people who have visited and have joined have told me that they googled phrases like “traditional Anglican”, “traditional Episcopal”, or  “1928 Prayer Book near me” and St. John’s appeared at the top of the search!

Our internet and social media presence is certainly a great way to introduce ourselves to the world around us, and give those looking to visit us an opportunity to peek in in advance to see what the worship looks like and what they can expect.  And of course a personal invitation by you to family, friends, and neighbors is always a great way to have people visit and possibly join us regularly.

Once the visitor is in the door a kind welcome from the ushers, friendly smiles from parishioners and happy handshakes, introductions, and invitation to join us downstairs for coffee hour is the onramp to people feeling welcome among us. 

Ultimately it is God the Holy Spirit who moves hearts to join us regularly to Glorify God and accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, but these are all a few ways that we cooperate in that mission ot let the world know about our Saviour, one guest or visitor at a time.