St. John’s Lutheran Church, Mayfair
St. John’s Lutheran Church in Mayfair has a long history of putting its faith into action. Feast of Justice began 20 years ago as a food cupboard sponsored by the congregation for members and neighbors. Now a separate organization, Feast of Justice brings together volunteers from the congregation and community, creating an environment where people from diverse cultures, races, and religious traditions work together to provide needed services in a way that respects the dignity of all. Many who receive help from Feast of Justice volunteer their time to help others. Feast of Justice operates out of St. John’s building and a second location on Castor Avenue. It offers a wide range of programming: counseling, help with utility bills, Feast Nites with dinners and music, a summer reading program for kids, and referrals to several other agencies. In its 2021-2022 Annual Report, Feast of Justice reports serving 35,125 families and distributing 1.47 million pounds of food.
As the pandemic interrupted many congregational programs and activities, seeking justice and meeting the needs of members and neighbors continued at St. John’s. The congregation has hosted the T-Shirt Memorial in cooperation with Heeding God’s Call. Calling on members and neighbors to contribute, they have supplied bags of food and other items to the houseless and distributed 135 winter coats and 113 book bags with school supplies. In the past, the congregation has hosted movie nights, community dinners and an especially successful barbeque. A recent growing experience was going through 18 months of learning, reflection, discussion, and voting to become a Reconciling in Christ congregation, coming to greater understanding and genuine eagerness to welcome and support members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
The pastor and people of St. John’s are joyfully living their faith, grounded theologically in their tradition. They are a small congregation doing big things with a sense of adventure, looking forward to what comes next. The congregation understands itself to be, “Loved by God; Ready to change the world.” It is a Zone of Peace.
