Give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he'll sit in a boat and drink beer all day. I never saw the point. I never got the bug of angling when I was a kid. My friend Ian tried to get me interested. He went fishing every weekend on the gentle rivers of Surrey. Once he showed me his tin of live bait.

A seething mass of wriggling, jiggling, maggots. I think that was the moment I decided I didn't have the stomach for fishing. Also, it seemed a bit, you know, dull.

Coffice will be held this week at Chick-fil-a, 2520 Eastern Blvd. in Montgomery.

All 5th–12th grade youth are invited to a Winter Hangout on Sunday, February 8! We’ll head out for lunch at Eddy’s and then enjoy ice skating at Montgomery White Water—a fun afternoon of food, laughter, and time together. Friends are welcome, so feel free to invite someone to join you. We’ll meet at the St. John’s van at 11:30 a.m., right after the 10:30 service, and return for pickup at the Montgomery White Water parking lot at 3:00 p.m. Come hang out with us—we’d love to have you!

Please email jr@stjohnsmontgomery.org by January 30 to sign up.

Join us on Tuesday, February 17 at 6:30 p.m. at St. John’s for a beloved Shrove Tuesday tradition! Enjoy a hearty supper of pancakes, bacon, and plenty of coffee and tea. The meal is cooked and served by the Scouts, and all proceeds benefit Scout Troop 8. Tickets are $6 per plate, making it an easy (and delicious) way to support our local Scouts as we prepare for the season of Lent. Bring your family, invite a friend, and come share good food and good fellowship before the solemnity of Ash Wednesday.

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent—a holy season of prayer, reflection, and renewal. St. John’s invites you to observe this sacred day with the Imposition of Ashes and Holy Eucharist at one of three services: 7:00 a.m., 12:05 p.m., or 5:30 p.m. Whether you come early in the morning, pause in the middle of the day, or gather in the evening, each service offers a quiet, meaningful opportunity to remember our mortality, turn our hearts toward God, and begin the Lenten journey together. All are welcome.

Join us for a Lenten Lunch Series at St. John’s on Wednesdays during Lent at 12:05 p.m. Each week we will gather for midday prayer followed by a short message reflecting on Encounters with Jesus in John’s Gospel—stories that invite us to slow down, listen, and notice how Christ meets people where they are. A simple soup lunch will be served for $6 following the service. Come nourish your spirit and your body in the midst of the Lenten season.

Join us for a Lenten Dinner Teaching Series at St. John’s beginning Wednesday, February 25, at 6:00 p.m. Each week, a full dinner will be served for donations, followed by a thoughtful teaching exploring a question many are asking: Why has the Church lost relevance—and what can we do about it?

Over the five middle Wednesdays of Lent, Lost for Words will take an honest, hope-filled look at the causes of church decline in America and invite us into new ways of witnessing to Christ in our own time and place. Topics will include integrity, empathy, substance, cultural awareness, and discovering where God is already at work beyond church walls. Come for good food, meaningful conversation, and renewed hope for the Church.

Education for Ministry (EfM) is a four-year small-group formation program from the University of the South in Sewanee, designed for lay people seeking a deeper understanding of Scripture, church history, and theology, as well as those discerning a call to ordained ministry. The program includes two years of Bible study (Old and New Testaments), followed by church history and theology, with a strong emphasis on theological reflection and lived faith. An EfM seminar group is forming at St. John’s for Fall 2026 with 8–10 participants. To learn more, visit efm.sewanee.edu or speak with the rector.

St. John's giving statements for 2025 are now available for pickup in the Parish Hall. Please look for the box labeled "2025 Giving Statements" and locate the envelope with your name on it. Please be advised that statements will not be mailed unless specially requested. This will save on postage and the uncertainty of the postal system. 

Please call the church office at 334-262-1937 or email churchoffice@stjohnsmontgomery.org for more information.

St. John's will no longer send out offering envelopes due to low usage and the lack of cost effectiveness. We do have blank offering envelopes available at the church office if you wish to pick them up. If you have questions or concerns, please call 334.262.1937.

From December 18 through January 31, St. John’s will host Journey Boats, an installation of sculptures by Camilla Brunschwyler Armstrong. Using found and natural materials, these handcrafted vessels explore themes of movement, vulnerability, and faith—reminding us that, like boats upon the sea, we navigate the unpredictable currents of life together. The exhibit will be accompanied by a hands-on boat-building workshop to be scheduled in January. 

Your prayers are requested for the following parishioners:
Phillip Brown, Rick Durden, Marla Foster, Dave Funk, Carolyn Fillmore, Anne Hill, Emily Crump Johannes, Carma Marks, Richard McCrory, 
Pat McDonald, Eddie McDowell, Martha Collier Mosely, Cameron Napier, Bud Nason, Jerry Pickett, Elizabeth Potter, Shirley Price, Hawthorne Ramsey, Debbie Steindorff, Barbara Wallace, Stewart Wallace, Florence Young

Prayers are also requested for these friends: Gail Alsobrook, Mac Burton, Lizzy Dickens,  John Ferguson, Bob Geddie, Roger Holliday, Stephanie Holmes, Josie Lee, Charles Lewis, Nicole Lusk, Margaret Moore, Karen Pacheco, Pat Patterson, Serge Ruffato, Alice Sewell, Ron Skoneki, Johnny Smith, Madera Spencer, Chandler Taylor, Connie Thomas, Katherine Weidner, Frank Winkler, Sharon Carney Wright

Pastoral Care Team for February: Anne Hamner, Cindy Seibels, Florence Tyson, Margaret Ann Selman, Susan Harris

Lector: Will Hill Tankersley
Usher/Greeter:  Elizabeth Lawlor
Altar Guild:

10:30 a.m.
Acolytes: Thomas Lawlor, John Morgan Longshore, Lawton McCollum, Davis Schremser
Altar Guild: 

Lector and Intercessor:Ashley Roseboro, Debbie Schremser
Eucharistic Ministers: Bill Harlow, Mary Hughes, JR Marshall
Ushers/Greeters: Cole Wise, Rich Anderson, Tracey Campbell, Karen Westhauser
Flower Guild: Betsy Cannon, Mary Martin Mitchell

Flower Delivery Team:George Mathews, Stanley Marks
Videographer: Sam Collier

My faith in the digital revolution just took a beating. I still have a relationship with it, but it’s getting complicated. You see, it’s not giving me what it promised. It assured me a stress-free entertainment experience tailored specifically to my unique needs and tastes. But it hasn’t delivered.

I’m talking about algorithms - those (... um ... whatever they are) that keep track of your shopping and entertainment choices and then make insightful suggestions for your further delectation and delight. Well, my algorithms have messed up badly. Usually, they do OK. I finish watching a Norwegian murder mystery on Netflix, and the algorithms assume I want to spend my next hundred hours binging on Scandi-Noir cinema. So, it suggests more murderous mayhem on blood-soaked snow.

But this week they got it wrong.