Why We’re Grateful: St. John’s Member Kris Hepler

Long-time member and Church Council leader Kris Hepler shares thoughts about generosity and gratitude…

What were you looking for when you came to St. John’s?

We started coming to SJLC when I was a baby and attended until I got to around 4th grade. My dad stopped attending all together. My siblings and I became interested in other things or married so mother went back to the Catholic church and joined Holy Ghost because she was raised a devout Catholic. I came back to SJLC in the early 80s and was married there. We attended until 1989. I got divorced and stopped attending again but became a Christmas and Easter attendee. Around 2010 my mother lost her driving privileges, so we came back to SJLC. I have been attending ever since. With all that I can’t say that I was looking for anything specifically. I just feel like if I come to church, I have a better week and it makes me a more faithful person. I have also met some really nice people.

What is your first memory of feeling like St. John’s was your home?

It was probably my first Pride parade. I can’t remember when that was, but I remember running into friends who were with their church group; it made me realize and feel like I was part of the SJLC.

What do you appreciate most about the ministry of St. John’s?

How we help the unfortunate in the community all around us. When I started volunteering for A Place at the Table on Mondays it was, still is eye opening. It gave me an appreciation of what I had heard from others and our pastors on how they engage with our unhoused neighbors daily.

 Where did you learn generosity?

I probably learned it when my long-time partner, Stephen, passed away. I had never experienced someone who was very ill and what that entailed or what we would go through. I never had to take care of someone who was very ill before, nor had I experienced hugging someone dying, taking their last breath. I feel like I was more patient and generous, especially when it came to my family members and friends who have passed after him.

Why do you choose to support St. John’s with your financial gifts? 

As a member of Church Council, I learned what it takes to run a large congregation. You must faithfully give and creatively generate revenue to fulfill the needs of running the church. Plus, we are in a historic building. I want to see it preserved and for people to still be able to attend church there in the future. 

What is your greatest hope for St. John’s and the next generation that call it their home?

I have attended other churches with friends, and I have learned from those experiences what I love most about SJLC. I like traditional church….I hope SJLC continues the long-lasting teachings and traditions of the traditional, formal, high church for generations to come.