Fellowship
Fellowship within the parish begins at the Altar on Sunday morning. In the Sunday Eucharist, the congregation of worshipers enters into communion both with God and with one another. Apart from this sacramental fellowship, there is no Church. However, the communion that begins at the Altar continues and deepens as members of the parish engage with one another in other activities. On Sundays, immediately following each celebration of the Eucharist, there is a Coffee Hour in Kaseman Hall. Members of the parish share the responsibility for hosting the coffee hour and providing food and other refreshments.
Several different groups come together at various times during the week to meet the needs of different constituencies within the Cathedral congregation. Men of the parish gather on a Saturday morning in alternate months from September through May for a Men's Morning Breakfast. A traditional southwestern breakfast is followed by Morning Prayer and a speaker on a variety of topics. Women of the parish meet monthly on a Saturday morning for a book discussion and fellowship at the Women's Morning Breakfast. The weekly Mothers' Tea on Thursday mornings includes the provision of child care so that mothers of young children can have a morning out and come together for conversation and prayer. The Saints are a group of 55 and older folks who meet on Fridays in alternate months for lunch and a speaker.
In large parishes such as St. John's, and even in much smaller parishes, one of the great challenges is helping people to know one another outside of their primary circle of people of similar age or interest. Originating at Coventry Cathedral in the 1950s, Foyers are an effective way of building Christian community. The concept is a simple one: people gather in one another’s homes once a month, for six months, for a simple supper and conversation. Two things make foyers different from a social dinner party. First of all, the groups of about eight people are assembled randomly from among the members of the congregation who sign up to participate. The basic idea is for people who do not know one another to build Christian friendships within the context of the parish community. The second difference is that the meal served at foyers is a simple meal. It is to be, in effect, a family meal, not a “company” meal. Foyers were revived at St. John's in the spring of 2007.