St. John Lutheran Church, ELCA, stands at 16 Great Road in Sudbury, Massachusetts, and is known for 9:30 a.m. Sunday worship, a substantial music program and a welcoming ministry for children and families. The congregation also carries its identity into education, outreach, senior life and a public commitment to inclusion and racial equity.
A Sunday at 16 Great Road
Sunday worship takes place in person at 9:30 a.m. Services are livestreamed, and past services are available through St. John's YouTube channel. The rhythm of the day continues with Sunday school at 10:45 a.m., a coffee hour after worship and the relationships formed around music and ministry. The church office at 16 Great Road is open Tuesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The mission at St. John calls the congregation to follow Jesus' example of service by welcoming all, reaching out to meet the needs of the community and sharing its blessings through service, while deepening relationships with God and others. That purpose gives St. John's worship, learning, music and outreach a shared direction.
The church declares itself an open and affirming faith community and invites all people to join a journey toward greater love, acceptance and mutual respect. It names reconciliation and wholeness as the work of Christ, commits to racial equity and anti-racism and celebrates the diversity of creation. Its welcome extends across race, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, ability, socioeconomic class, marital status, family configuration and political affiliation. St. John is also recognized as a Reconciling in Christ church.
KidSpace Makes Room for Children
KidSpace was developed for the youngest members of the congregation so children can learn about and participate in worship and grow in their faith. The ministry has two main goals: creating an inviting space and community for children and families within the sanctuary, and involving children in worship in ways appropriate to their age.
- Children create liturgical decorations, including mosaic banners coordinated with St. John's paraments.
- Live-drawn graphical interpretations present the sermon and service in an engaging form.
- Seasonal activities include a battery-operated Advent wreath and percussion instruments.
- A mini altar gives children a hands-on way to experience communion.
The ministry welcomes all children and families to take part in the space.
Learning from Preschool Through Confirmation
Sunday school gathers in person after worship from 10:45 to 11:30 a.m. during the school year. Its classes cover preschool through grade 1 and grades 2 through 5. Everyone begins together for snacks, songs, games and a reflection before separating into age-based classes focused on Bible lessons. Family Sunday School meets regularly throughout the year to encourage faith and relationship building among families.
Confirmation is a three-year program for students in sixth grade and up. It concentrates on building faith identity and relationships with God, one another, the community and the world through the study of the Old and New Testaments and Luther's Small Catechism. Family classes, games, art and service opportunities are incorporated into the curriculum.
The Youth Group welcomes middle and high school students to explore personal identity, build relationships through faith and support one another and the community. Its reflections focus on understanding God and how God supports people and works through them during their lives.
BRIDGE Connects Different Generations
BRIDGE, which stands for Building Relationships in-between Different Generations and Experiences, offers several gatherings throughout the year. These events bring together people of different ages to develop relationships and explore faith in the way St. John understands a family to work.
St. John's puppet ministry appears in live performances, children's messages, Sunday school and YouTube recordings under the name Puppets and the Little Things. Puppet portrayals offer distinctive perspectives on faith, relationships and God for families of all ages.
Family events include Lego Night, Snowman Building, activities in the Children's Garden and summertime FLASHY BBQs. They are designed to help children and their caregivers play, socialize and strengthen relationships with other St. John families.
Music at St. John
The music ministry is directed by Benjamin K. Perry, Director of Choirs, with Bart Dahlstrom serving as organist. Instrumentalists, singers and handbell ringers share their gifts for the enrichment of the liturgy. Children and youth also participate in music for special services and events, and the multigenerational band has performed Mary Did You Know in an arrangement by a congregation member.
St. John's choir consists of volunteer singers from teens through seniors, and no previous experience or audition is required. Its repertoire spans the centuries and includes a variety of choral anthem styles. The choir rehearses each Thursday evening from 7:30 to 9:15 p.m. in Heritage Hall and leads worship each Sunday.
The St. John Ringers make music on three octaves of Schulmerich handbells and Malmark choir chimes. The handbell choir welcomes teens through seniors regardless of musical level and supports every level of ability. Rehearsals are held Thursday evenings from 6:00 to 7:15 p.m. in Heritage Hall, and the group rings periodically at worship services and major church festivals.
Outreach Beyond the Congregation
The Outreach Ministry Team identifies and responds to diverse needs in surrounding communities, educates and involves the congregation in social issues and works locally, nationally and globally through established ELCA programs and other initiatives. Its framework broadly supports giving to agencies addressing hunger and housing shortages, families in need and people who are disenfranchised. Congregation discussions and member concerns help guide its mission and projects.
Funding priorities include:
- Families who are disadvantaged or marginalized
- Refugees, immigrants and asylum seekers
- Food insecurity
- Homelessness and housing
Outreach meetings are held by Zoom at 7:00 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month. The ministry also makes volunteer opportunities and projects available to people who cannot attend its meetings. St. John sponsors an Acton community dinner at Mt. Calvary as part of this wider pattern of service.
Justice, Equity and Acceptance
St. John's Social Justice Ministry is a five-member team whose work focuses on justice, equity and acceptance for all God's children.
The ministry seeks to educate and involve the congregation in social issues while working with other ministries so that education, forums, worship and spending align with the congregation's spiritual commitments. It builds partnerships with Christian and interfaith communities for advocacy, service and education projects.
Its subjects include racial justice, gender justice and disability rights. The ministry also oversees St. John's Reconciling in Christ initiative, supporting continued education and discussion intended to build an accepting community for LGBTQIA+ siblings.
St. John's racial justice commitment acknowledges that social and economic systems discriminate against Black, Indigenous, Asian American and Pacific Islander, Latinx and all other people of color. It calls the community to denounce white supremacy, embody acceptance and celebration of all people and work toward a nation in which equal opportunity becomes a reality.
The ministry has also explored the faith, courage and bravery of the Navajo people and their connection with St. John through the Navajo Evangelical Lutheran Mission in Rock Point, Arizona.
Senior Life at St. John
Senior potluck lunches are held on the third Tuesday of every month at 12:30 p.m. in Heritage Hall. Participants contribute a dish when possible, and everyone is welcome to bring a friend.
Seniorcise meets in Heritage Hall on Mondays and Wednesdays from 10:00 to 11:15 a.m. Michelle Rose leads chair-based stretching, strength-building and balance exercises in a setting designed for exercise and fun.
Senior ministry has a long-standing practice of honoring people at milestone ages. Recognition begins at the 80th birthday and continues every five years, with a brief overview of the person's life with St. John, a birthday song from the congregation and cake in the lounge after the service.
Prayer Shawls and Baptismal Shawls
Members and friends of St. John create prayer shawls and baptismal shawls. Each shawl is prayed over as it is made and dedicated with prayer again before presentation. Prayer shawls are given to people in the congregation and, sometimes, to Muslim, Catholic and Jewish neighbors recovering from illness or nearing the end of life. The ministry offers physical comfort and an expression of care through prayer.
Baptismal shawls are presented during baptismal services as a visible expression of the congregation's prayers surrounding the newly baptized. Some children continue to use their baptismal shawls as a treasured comfort blanket in the weeks after the service.
Fellowship Around the Church
The Fellowship Ministry provides activities outside Sunday services in congenial social settings for people of all ages. It also supplies the basic needs of the Sunday coffee hour, with members contributing baked goods, crackers and cheese, fruit and other finger foods.
Its work includes coordinating receptions after special services and organizing gatherings such as a Scandinavian dinner, Lego Night, progressive dinners, Sunday dinners and Easter breakfast. The Youth Group Auction, held every three years, raises funds for the National Convocation.
Stewardship and Long-Term Support
Stewardship at St. John is described through gifts of time, talent and money. These gifts support local and global benevolence, child and adult education, activities for seniors, Bible studies, choral and handbell music, youth and family programs and mission work.
The Endowment Fund gives members and friends a way to support present and future ministries with a long-term resource separate from the operating budget. Undesignated gifts are invested so that earnings can support non-budgeted mission needs while the principal remains available for future missions. The fund can also receive designated gifts and lifetime gifts through bequests.
St. John's Memorial Fund remembers loved ones and events such as weddings, anniversaries, births, baptisms and birthdays. Donations are recorded in the Book of Remembrance, which is displayed on All Saints Day and other special occasions. Gifts of every size are treated equally. With the approval of the Congregation Council, accumulated funds can provide items including altar linens, choir robes, an altar flower vase, choir chimes, kneeling cushions, reserved pew signs, large-print hymnals, entrance benches and birch trees honoring the congregation's founders and commemorating its Finnish heritage. The fund also supports communion sets for ministry to homebound and sick people.
A Well-Cared-for Building and Grounds
The Facilities Team works to keep the church clean and orderly, the building safe and accessible, and the grounds neat and attractive. Its larger workdays, the Spring Fling and Fall Leaf Festival, combine fellowship with practical projects that leave the congregation with a facility it can take pride in.
These strands meet in one ELCA congregation on Great Road: worship on Sunday morning, learning for every age, music made by people from adolescence through senior years and service extending from Sudbury to needs beyond the town. St. John remains centered on its call to welcome, reconcile, deepen faith and share service.