A PLACE TO SHARE FRIENDSHIP AND LOVE

Pat Bennett is one of those people who just makes you feel safe and comfortable. A person only has to know her for a short time to find that she loves people – she has never met an enemy. Her warm smile and open heart have invited many to think of Pat as a forever friend.

Before coming to St. John’s, Pat was attending St. Peter’s Catholic Church, but wasn’t very involved in church life. She was not looking for a new church home, but she ended up finding one, thanks to a member at St. John’s.

It happened one day when member Ann Kresovich was at the grocery store and saw the front license plate on Pat’s car, which said I QUILT 2. Ann waited to see whose car had this intriguing plate and started a conversation about sewing and quilting with Pat when she walked up to her car. At the end of this friendly chance meeting, Ann invited Pat to come visit the St. John’s sewing group.

From the very first day that she responded to Ann’s invitation and came for a morning of sewing, Pat felt that she was at home. She was thrilled to find a community that was intentional about relationships. Not only were these women gathered to serve others through their sewing, they shared friendship and love for one another while they worked. And more, they immediately welcomed Pat into their circle, into their caring relationships.

Pat came back to the sewing group, and one of her new friends, Eve Roane, invited her to come to worship. That led to a widening of the circle of friends, to her becoming a member, and becoming an active leader in the congregation. Looking back, Pat says that although she wasn’t looking for anything and felt comfortable with her relationship with God and her faith, God was at work. And when God brought her to this group of friends, loving others deeply and receiving that love in return, she knew God had given her a church home.