Why We’re Grateful: Church Council President Laura Trout

St. John’s folks were asked ‘What gifts help you feel grateful?’. We will be sharing their responses this month.

Church Council President Laura Trout offers some thoughts about her spiritual life at St. John’s:

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

My husband and I were looking for a church family where we felt welcomed and where out children would be a part of an active family ministry program.  I had not participated in worship regularly since high school, and my husband rarely attended church growing up, but we both felt it was important four our children to grow up with a strong faith tradition.  Most likely, we ourselves were both looking for stronger relationships with God and a faith community.

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

We visited many churches for a couple of years, trying to find a church near our home in Sevier County.  We kept coming back to St. John’s.  My sister and her family were members of St. John’s, so we were able to meet and get to know many people quickly.  The hospitality of everyone was powerful.  Through the invitation of church friends, we attended a Via de Cristo retreat in 2017, and our personal relationship with God and God’s grace forever transformed our lives.  We became so invested in our church family!

What do you appreciate most about the ministry of our church?

I most appreciate the way people care for one another at St. John’s.  I see so many acts of selfless service and extravagant generosity that I’m inspired to think beyond myself and be intentional about caring well for others.

Where did you learn generosity?

I learned generosity from my parents.  They were the ones in our family to always gather the family together, to host parties, and to welcome everyone.  They took us to church regularly and were very involved in the congregations we belonged to.  I would say that tradition, that gift was passed along to me, and the greatest gift I have ever received is that my children now have generous, empathetic hearts.  Life at St. John’s and the experience of WOW Urban Ministry played a HUGE part in the way they interact with their family, friends, and strangers.

Why do you choose to support St. John’s with your gifts of time, talent, and treasure?

II Corinthians 9:12 shapes my understanding of life together:  “This service that your perform is not only supplying the needs of God’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.”

It is important to me to give of my time, treasure, and talent.  After spending two years participating in the church’s budgeting process as a member of Church Council, I have become acquainted with the needs of the congregation.  We have a very lean budget as we transition out of the trials the pandemic has forced upon us.  We are focusing now on growing our ministries here at St. John’s, and I am happy to be able to contribute to our mission of growing God’s servants and serving God’s people.  I strive to continue to increase my pledge each year and to look for opportunities to give beyond my pledged amount, whether it be making a gift to the ministry of the Guatemala Lutheran Church, buying supplies to make sandwiches for A Place at the Table, or helping decrease the church’s mortgage debt.

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

My greatest hope is that the next generations will recognize the beauty of this historic building, honor the pledge of past generations to care for it and the mission our church family has inhabited it by loving God and one another with their whole hearts.  And that they feel the presence of the Holy Spirit that inhabits St. John’s walls, that leads us out into the neighborhood.