Announcements
🎵📣🎵 We want YOU in St. John’s Choir! 🎵📣🎵
Are you looking for an opportunity to hang out with folks in the St. John’s community? Seeking an opportunity to recreate the fun you had in chorus in school? Or maybe you’re looking for another way to give back to St. John’s. Whatever your reason, we’d love to have you with us in the St. John’s Choir! We’re looking for new members (and we could especially use altos and tenors) – all are welcome!
Rehearsals are Wednesday evenings from 5:30-6:30pm, and we meet on Sundays at 10:20am before the service. Our choir season begins with a Choir Retreat on Saturday, Aug 29th in the Parish Hall, and our first Sunday back is Aug 30th.
Please reach out to Erin McCully (music@stjohnssylva.org, 803.381.6454) with questions or for more details – we would love to have you!
Deanery Community Resilience & Preparedness Day
Saturday, August 8, 2026
9am-1pm
Grace Episcopal Church, Waynesville
free, lunch provided
Join this workshop, facilitated by Kelsey Davis, to explore community resilience and disaster preparedness together, from disaster phases and practical tools, to the science of resilience, asset-mapping, and concrete action planning.
Hosted by: Episcopal Diocese of WNC Disaster Response & Recovery Team
RSVP Here: https://forms.gle/GEgwGfzrLfCw4uNZA
Diocese of Western North Carolina Bishop Search Update
The Diocese of Western North Carolina’s Bishop Search Committee is inviting every member of the diocese to participate in an important season of prayer and discernment as we seek the next Bishop of Western North Carolina.
As part of this process, the committee asks us to join together in praying for the Search Committee, those discerning a call to the episcopate, and our entire diocese as we listen for the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
An online diocesan-wide survey will open Sunday, August 2, and remain available through Sunday, August 30. The survey is an opportunity for every member of the diocese to share their hopes, priorities, and vision for the future of our shared ministry. Weekly reminders will be sent throughout August to encourage broad participation.
We encourage everyone at St. John’s to take part in this important process. Your voice will help shape the discernment of the qualities and leadership our diocese seeks in its next bishop.
Stay informed: Sign up for the Bishop Search Committee newsletter to receive survey links and future updates directly in your inbox. www.diocesewnc.org/newsletter
Watch the update: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/DZ3iM73YIT8
Jackson County Meals on Wheels is in need of food deliverers. They are located at the Jackson County Department on Aging, 100 County Services PK. Hot lunches are delivered to the homebound Monday thru Friday. Depending on your route, it takes an hour or two, starting at 10am. Volunteers choose the day/days they can work.
For more information or to volunteer, call Sara Forbis at 828-631-8044.
Community Table: Ways to Get Involved
The Community Table is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide nutritious meals, in a welcoming environment, to our neighbors in need. Since 1999, our vision has been that no one in Jackson County, NC goes to bed hungry. We are more than a soup kitchen, more than a food pantry. Through our partnership with MANNA Food Bank, ASAP, local farm hubs, small farmers and producers, local grocers, and community gardeners, as well as the ongoing support of our community, we are a powerful resource for those in need.
Learn more about their mission and work here.
Want to get involved? Volunteer here!
Join Katie, Richard, and Bodie Conley for a baby shower to celebrate the welcoming of a new family member! On August 1st at 3pm, Chelsea Tharp, Karen Tharp, and Marion El-Bayadi are hosting the baby shower for Marlie Celeste.
Reach out to Chelsea to RSVP or with questions.
Serving This Week
Altar Guild: Allison Tomas and Paige Madison
Crucifer: Fergus Tuohy
Ushers: Helen & Joe Butler
Oblation Bearers: MaryK & Joe Buranosky
Readers: Fergus Tuohy (1st Lesson), Johanna Price Vinyard (2nd Lesson), Helen Jones (Prayers of the People)
Vestry on Duty: MaryK Buranosky and Fergus Tuohy
Acolyte: Josiah
Stream Team: Allison Tomas
Children’s Church: Paige Madison and Cyndie Faircloth-Smith
Coffee Hour Hosts: Paige Madison and Cyndie Faircloth-Smith
Would you like to volunteer? Sign up to host Coffee Hour using the dry-erase board in the Parish Hall. For everything else, please email Cyndie at fairclothsmithc@yahoo.com. Thank you!
Upcoming Events
Check out the full event details for each by clicking the event banner.
Click here to view the full event calendar.
Readings for this Sunday: July 26, 2026
The First Lesson
Genesis 29:15-28
Laban said to Jacob, “Because you are my kinsman, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall your wages be?” Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. Leah’s eyes were lovely, and Rachel was graceful and beautiful. Jacob loved Rachel; so he said, “I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.” Laban said, “It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to any other man; stay with me.” So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her.
Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife that I may go in to her, for my time is completed.” So Laban gathered together all the people of the place, and made a feast. But in the evening he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob; and he went in to her. (Laban gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her maid.) When morning came, it was Leah! And Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Did I not serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?” Laban said, “This is not done in our country—giving the younger before the firstborn. Complete the week of this one, and we will give you the other also in return for serving me another seven years.” Jacob did so, and completed her week; then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel as a wife.
The Psalm
Psalm 105:1-11, 45b
Confitemini Domino
1 Give thanks to the Lord and call upon his Name; *
make known his deeds among the peoples.
2 Sing to him, sing praises to him, *
and speak of all his marvelous works.
3 Glory in his holy Name; *
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
4 Search for the Lord and his strength; *
continually seek his face.
5 Remember the marvels he has done, *
his wonders and the judgments of his mouth,
6 O offspring of Abraham his servant, *
O children of Jacob his chosen.
7 He is the Lord our God; *
his judgments prevail in all the world.
8 He has always been mindful of his covenant, *
the promise he made for a thousand generations:
9 The covenant he made with Abraham, *
the oath that he swore to Isaac,
10 Which he established as a statute for Jacob, *
an everlasting covenant for Israel,
11 Saying, “To you will I give the land of Canaan *
to be your allotted inheritance.”
45b Hallelujah!
The Epistle
Romans 8:26-39
The Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family. And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified.
What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? Who will bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all day long;
we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered.”
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The Gospel
Matthew 13:31-33,44-52
Jesus put before the crowds another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”
He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.”
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
“Have you understood all this?” They answered, “Yes.” And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”
July Vestry Update
The Vestry gathered for a fruitful meeting this month. Preparations are underway to have the rectory painted toward the end of summer, and we are currently seeking estimates for relocating the organ to accommodate the choir area redesign. To ensure the well-being of our congregation, we are looking into acquiring an AED. Once this safety device is in place, we will provide a short tutorial for all who wish to learn its use.
We extend our deepest gratitude to the volunteers who supported our temporary Cooling Center during the recent heat advisory. With shifts at the local library impacting community space, Grace may be called upon more frequently to serve as a sanctuary for our neighbors. Consequently, we are drafting formal guidelines to bolster this vital outreach ministry.
Mother Erin will be away for a period of rest and family visitation from July 26 through August 3. During this time, she will be traveling to the Dakotas and the Rosebud Reservation.
Please join us on Sunday, August 30, for a special celebration. We will mark the retirement of our mortgage from the capital campaign and offer a dedication for our recent building improvements.
We remain grateful for your enduring stewardship and for the many ways you offer your gifts to our fellowship.
(Some features, including events and readings are best viewed on the website. Pardon our dust as we continue our work in progress!)
The new site—and this newsletter—are still works in progress, and we’d love your thoughts as we continue shaping them. If you have suggestions, notice something that isn’t working quite right, or simply want to share ideas, please reach out to Aeryn Knight at arcolton16@gmail.com. Your feedback helps us create tools that truly serve our community.
We’re glad you’re here, and we can’t wait for you to explore what’s new at St. John’s.