We are excited to announce the advent of St. John’s Third Century Fund, an endowment to cover the future costs of maintaining the church’s historic building and grounds. As plans for celebrating the 200th anniversary of the founding of St. John’s in Ashfield were taking shape last year, interest emerged for creating such a fund, now the Third Century Fund, given that many small congregations like ours, despite their strong commitments to serve the spiritual and mission needs of their local and global communities, have closed because of the prohibitive costs of maintaining their buildings.
St. John’s greatly benefitted from those who came before us over the last 200 years. It is our turn to be good stewards of the parish for those who will follow us. We ask you, our parishioners, former members, neighbors, and other friends, who care about the future of St. John’s, to prayerfully consider what the parish has meant to you, and how you can contribute to the Third Century Fund to ensure that St. John’s will continue to thrive.
What St. John’s means in the community…
To my knowledge, five generations in my family have met and served God at St John’s, starting with my great-grandfather, Colonel Robert Emmet, who came to Ashfield in the 1890’s, when my maternal grandmother Anita Emmet Hall, was just two years old. Marriages, funerals, baptisms, and of course, Sunday worship have all ensued over the years. It’s particularly meaningful to me that my father, the Rev. John Snow, celebrated both my marriage and the baptism of my then 5-year-old son, Maxfield, at St. John’s. When Dad asked Max why he wanted to be baptized, he replied, “I don’t know; I just do.” “Best possible answer,” I remember Dad replying. “It means the Holy Spirit’s at work!”
Helena VanCordtland Snow
St. John’s welcomed me when I wasn’t sure where my spiritual journey would lead. I hope the Third Century Fund can help it continue to be a welcoming and inclusive community in the coming century.
Madeleine Roberts