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 in Kaseman Hall & the Gallery. On the first Sunday of each month, Forum is replaced by a breakfast prepared by one of the organizations of St. John's.
Several different groups come together at various times during the month to meet the needs of different constituencies within the Cathedral congregation. The weekly Cathedral Mom's 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. Monthly Men's Breakfasts are held at 7:00 AM on the 3rd Wednesday at Weck's on Louisiana (September-June). Daughters of the King, the Centering Prayer Group, and Society of Mary are all ministries that provide spiritual growth along with fellowship.
The monthly Movie Night is always a hit, with a meal prepared by Dean Goodman, served at 6PM with an entertaining or thought provoking movie following in Kaseman Hall. Weekly Bible Study on Thursday morning at 10:30, led by Canon Lee & Dean Perko is an opportunity to learn about one of the books of the Bible while studying with fellow Cathedral members.
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.