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“David not only left behind a legacy to avoid, but a legacy of contrition to emulate,” says Greg Byman, senior pastor of St Joe Community Church. “Most monarchs then and today would simply retaliate against their critics, but King David left for us some key biblical insights on how we can courageously engage the elephant in the room to begin the process of recovering our relationship with God and family.”

The series includes four sermons that candidly explore the causes and consequences of a family avoiding difficult subjects -- “elephants in the room” -- and proposes biblical principles for addressing and resolving those issues in a healthy and God-honoring manner. The four-part sermon series begins November 4th and runs through November 25th. 

Nov. 4, Part 1: How to identify elephants
Has the elephant in your home become the family pet? Every family has its difficult issue(s), and while the elephant might seem docile and domesticated for now, a 12,000 pound behemoth still lingers and lumbers from room to room, generation to generation, threatening to maim and crush its roommates. For this first installment of the Elephant-free Family Life series, Pastor Greg Byman shares some principles about identifying elephants that prevent effective family communication.

Nov. 11, Part 2: Elephant-free Marriage
Is there an elephant in your marriage? Every marriage needs a process for addressing hard issues. Whether a marriage has suffered through strife with in-laws, infidelity, chemical addiction, loss of a child, or any number of heart-wrenching struggles, God promises that he is bigger than the elephants in the room that we find too painful to address and resolve. In this second installment of the Elephant-free Family Life series, Pastor Greg Byman shares some principles about how a biblically-minded husband and wife can, with God's help, lead even the scariest bull elephants out to pasture where they belong, and bring peace to a home.

Nov. 18, Part 3: Elephant-free Parenting
You swore that you'd never (ever, ever...) say that like your father and never (ever, ever, ever...) say that like your mother and, yet, look at who you've become.... Is there an elephant in your parenting? Every parent begins parenthood the same way: a naked baby with no owner’s manual. Years, laughs and tears later, mom and dad have done some things right and other things...less than right. Through it all, God promises that he is bigger than the elephants in our parenting. In this third installment of the Elephant-free Family Life series, Pastor Greg Byman shares some principles about how a biblically-minded dad and mom can, with God's help, lead even the scariest bull elephants out to pasture where they belong, and recover authentic communication the way God designed it.  

Nov. 25, Part 4: Elephant-free Generations
Is there an elephant in your scrapbook? Your journal? Your yearbook? In a sense, these can represent first drafts of our personal history, but they don’t have to be the final draft. God warns his people against generational consequences for wrong-thinking and wrong-living (sin) but promises to lavish generational blessings for right-thinking and right-living (righteousness). In this final installment of the Elephant-free Family Life series, Pastor Greg Byman shares some insights about how a relationship with God empowers us to not only identify the generational elephants that have held back authentic communication but also break the generational sin that too easily entangled our ancestors and imperils the next generation.

About St Joe Community Church 
St Joe is located at 2900 North Anthony Blvd., just a few blocks south of the campus of Purdue University at Fort Wayne. Pastor Greg Byman serves as the senior pastor and the entire St Joe church family welcomes you to join us for worship service each Sunday at 10:00 am. For more information visit www.StJoeCommunityChurch.org or call (260) 471-4704. Pastor Greg Byman is available for media interviews.

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​St Joe Community Church will host a unique evangelism and discipleship seminar called ReSermon Institute on November 9, 2018 at 11:00 a.m. at 2900 North Anthony Blvd. Early bird tickets only $15 and covers a box lunch from our friends at Chick-Fil-A as well as some complimentary resources from ReSermon. The seminar is primarily intended for pastors and minister leaders, but the event is open to all. For more information visit http://www.resermon.com/resermon-institute.html.

ReSermon Institute is led by former World magazine writer and Fort Wayne local, Christopher Mann, and now member of the St Joe Community Church communications team. For more information contact ReSermon Institute at (260) 508-3136 or Chris.Mann@ReSermon.com.

Off to Seminary!
Congratulations to Chris and Ruth Mann as they move to Louisville, Kentucky this week, where Jonas (10), Dietrich (6) and Calvin (2) will enroll in the Heuser Institute, a special school for deaf children learning to hear and speak through the innovation of cochlear implant technology. Chris and Ruth will also begin a master's program at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Chris is pursuing the Master's of Divinity degree which will prepare him for pastoral ministry while Ruth will pursue a degree in biblical counseling for women.

​Chris will continue to oversee the SJCC website and podcast. Yes, that means that Chris is actually writing this post about himself, in the second person. And yes, it does feel a bit awkward.

Chris and Ruth will soon begin a regular email update regarding their seminary experience in Louisville. To keep in touch with the Menn, contact Chris at cmann89@gmail.com or Ruth at rmann89@gmail.com.

Children's ministry
During worship service on Sunday, St Joe provides classes for infants through fifth grade. Would you consider volunteering for this critical part of St Joe's ministry to parents of young children? This is a strategic opportunity not only to minister to young parents, but to help their children to learn about Jesus in a safe and caring atmosphere. Look for the sign-up sheet in the great room or email Lynette Wallace at StJoeCommunity@gmail.com.

Audio/Visual Tech ministry
​St Joe needs a new crew of audio and video tech volunteers tro ensure our worship services not only go well during service, but so that we can share our worship services beyond the church through podcasting and website design. We currently have vacancies to fill! Seriously, if you can run your home or office computer, you can learn to run St Joe's audio and tech ministry.  Training will be provided.  Please sign up using your yellow card or email Lynette Wallace.

Know your church elders

• Jerry Jones (260.417.3475)
• Greg Minick (574.527.4584)
• Bill Wallace (260.615.4347)

These men are available to serve and help members of our church family.

Membership at St Joe Community Church

Membership is a blessing the church of Jesus Christ, and St Joe holds periodic membership classes throughout the year. A class is forming now for those interested in membership. To learn more or register, fill out the yellow card inserted in the weekly bulletin, or email Lynette Wallace at StJoeCommunity@gmail.com.

​For immediate release
June 5, 2018
Contact: Pastor Greg Byman, (260) 471-4705, StJoeCommunity@gmail.com
 
From June 11-16, St Joe Community Church is partnering with LifeWay to Share the Word. Together.

St Joe believes that nothing has the power to change lives like God’s Word. So we are collaborating with LifeWay to share it with the people around us.
 
This week is a great opportunity to:

• Have a copy of God’s Word on hand for someone who needs it most.
• Invest in the spread of the gospel in the Fort Wayne region.
• Lead the way in telling others about the power of the Word.

 
During the week of June 11, anybody and everybody in the Fort Wayne region can stop by LifeWay store and pick up a FREE CSB Bible. To be eligible, just bring a bulletin insert from St Joe Community Church or show your email about Share the Word, or mention the St Joe Community Church. It’s that simple.

About St Joe Community Church

St Joe is located at 2900 North Anthony Blvd., just a few blocks south of the campus of Purdue University at Fort Wayne. Pastor Greg Byman serves as the senior pastor and the entire St Joe church family welcomes you to join us for worship service each Sunday at 10:00 am. For more information visit www.StJoeCommunityChurch.org or call (260) 471-4704.
 
 
About LifeWay Christian Bookstore

LifeWay Christian Resources is one of the world's largest providers of Christian resources, including:

Bibles  |  Bible Studies  |  Research  |  Events  |  Church Music  |  Church Supplies  |  Digital Services  |  Services 
The company owns and operates more than 170 LifeWay Christian Stores across the nation, as well as the Ridgecrest Conference Center in North Carolina. LifeWay also publishes books and the widely-respected Christian Standard Bible translation under the B&H Publishing Group imprint.

LifeWay is a nonprofit organization that reinvests income above operating expenses in mission work and other ministries around the world, including the Fort Wayne bookstore at 5509 Coldwater Road, on the city's north side. The store is open 9 am to 9 pm, Monday through Saturday and closed on Sunday. Call (260) 484-9027 or visit https://www.lifeway.com/en/about. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 16, 2018
CONTACT: Pastor Greg Byman, (m/t) (260) 403-5255, GregByman@gmail.com
 

FORT WAYNE – In 2018, St Joe Community Church turns 15 years old, and the church is celebrating by holding a FREE Community Cook Out on Saturday, April 21, 2018 on the St Joe campus at 2900 North Anthony Blvd., just a few blocks south of the Purdue University Fort Wayne campus on the northeast side of the city. The event runs from 4 pm – 8 pm, rain or shine, and features free (FREE) food and cotton candy as well as games for children including a bounce house and live music by Jacob’s Well, Jensen Synder, and The Rescue.
 
What: St. Joe Community Church Community Cookout, celebrating St Joe’s 15th anniversary in Fort Wayne.

Who is invited: Everybody. Member of a church, not a member of a church, not a member of an anything. Doesn’t matter. All welcome.

Where: St. Joe Community Church, 2900 North Anthony Blvd., Fort Wayne, IN. Located just a few blocks south of Purdue University at Fort Wayne and Concordia High School on North Anthony Blvd. Google map: https://goo.gl/maps/usm8URWiaxp.

Why: Cuz that how we roll.

How: Git here however you want. If you need transportation or help, call, text or email: m/t 260.403.5255 or StJoeCommunity@gmail.com.

How much: Free. So free, in fact, that some are using an extra syllable to really drive the point: Fuh-REE. Spell check is wining, but the Cookout is, in fact, that free.

Jacob's Well is a Fort Wayne-based band that has been proclaiming Christ through music for over 20 years. Jacob’s Well has opened for Switchfoot, Building 429, Tenth Avenue North, Jonah33, Decyfer Down, Seventh Time Down, the Letter Black, Children 18:3, Across The Sky, Cool Hand Luke, Grits, Petra, and more. In 2017 the band formally connected their music ministry as part of the St. Joe Community Church. For more information visit http://www.jacobswellband.com.

The Rescue is a music ministry connected to the Fort Wayne Rescue, a nationally-renown Christian ministry to homeless men and women in northeast Indiana. The Rescue is all about helping the lost learn about and worship Jesus Christ and, the band reminds its fans, “…we’re all lost.” For more information: https://www.facebook.com/TheRescueWorship/

Twelve year-old Jensen Synder is Fort Wayne’s up-and-coming singer, gifted with a passion for Christ and an incredible voice. A seventh-grade student at Lakewood Park Christian School in Auburn and now in her sixth year of singing with the Fort Wayne Children’s Choir, Jensen won the 2017 Junior Talent Show at the Indiana State Fair and today enjoys singing wherever she can, including churches, fundraisers, and coffee shops. She especially enjoys singing the National Anthem at athletic events featuring teams like The Fort Wayne Komets, TinCaps and Mad Ants. For more information: https://www.facebook.com/JensenSnyderOfficial/.

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Nathan is an experienced Camp Pastor who has frequently served in Children’s Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, and various camp staff roles. He earned his Biblical and Theological Studies degree with an emphasis on Worship and Pastoral Studies from Boyce College of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and is currently working towards his Masters of Divinity. He currently serves as the interim pastor for Calvary Baptist Church in Greenwood, IN and as the Bible Teacher for Greenwood Christian Academy working with Middle School and High School students. Nathan has focused on increasing a love for the Church among young believers, encouraging them to trust God’s desire for the Church’s loving community to be the best place to grow in Christlikeness and to glorify God with every thought, word, and deed in the name of Jesus.

Carman Hammond grew up in Southern IN and found his love for music and worship early in life. At age three, he started playing drums and singing with his parents. At age 11, he started playing guitar, writing his own songs, and leading worship for small groups. Through high school he led worship for several area churches and then went into full-time worship and pastoral ministry at age 20. In 2011, Carman graduated with his bachelors degree in Biblical studies with an emphasis in worship ministry from Cincinnati Christian University. He now serves as the Worship Pastor for Graceland Baptist church in New Albany, IN. Carman has been married to his wife Lauren for 13 years and together they have four children. When he's not playing guitar or singing, Carman enjoys watching movies at home and at the theatre, camping, drinking coffee, playing basketball, and hanging out with his family. ​

Rayden is a church planter in the St. Louis area. He and his wife Sarah have three kids: Kaleb, Nathan, and Aubri Jane. Rayden is passionate about living everyday life for Jesus, and he is excited to pastor Red Hill Church in Edwardsville, IL. He is an engaging story teller and a passionate evangelist. He believes that this generation has the opportunity to finish the task and usher in the return of Jesus. Rayden believes that there has never been a better time to be alive, a better time to serve the local church, or a better equipped generation to reach the world for Jesus