It is with thanksgiving, optimism, and joy that the vestry announces to the St. John the Baptist community we have called a new Priest in Charge, Rev. Canon Elise Johnstone, starting August 8.

Elise describes her multiple callings of mother, spouse, and Episcopal priest as bringing great joy.  She has been serving since 2014 as the Canon to the Ordinary of the Episcopal Diocese of Lexington, in Kentucky.  Prior to that call, she served as Priest in Charge of Holy Trinity, Georgetown, KY, and the Assistant Rector of Good Shepherd, Lexington, KY.  She has a Bachelor’s in Classics from the University of Georgia, a Master of Divinity from the General Theological Seminary in New York City, and a Doctor of Ministry in Liturgy from the University of the South School of Theology in Sewanee, TN. 

Elise has relished serving the Church on local, diocesan, and church-wide levels, serving multiple triennia as deputy and chair to General Convention, as well as serving on the Episcopal-Presbyterian Dialogue and the Board of the College for Bishops. 

Her passions, in addition to her family, are liturgy, music, connecting those in need with resources while showing them they are loved and respected, as well as ballet and theatre.  She is married to Ryan Shrauner, who is a seminary librarian, ordained in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), and a native of the Seattle area.  They are the proud parents of Walter, who is a rising 6^th grader.  As a family, they enjoy hiking, travel, playing board games, The Simpsons, and figuring out what to do with the many LEGO they cohabitate with.

Please join us in joyful and heart-felt prayer:

“Guide, bless, strengthen, and encourage Elise, Ryan, and Walter as they move across country to join in the SJB ministry.

We pray for the life of SJB as we reopen following covid, that we may continue to be strengthened in our mission to be Jesus Christ’s heart, hands and feet to our neighbors no matter where they are on their journey of faith.

Bless us with mutual trust and respect, courage, and foresight as you shepherd our community through its journey.

Grace us with continuous direction and inspire us toward genuine self-reflection.

All this we ask as we walk in your ways to the glory of your name. Amen.”[1]

Alison Estep

Sr. Warden

Welcome to The Episcopal Church of St. John the Baptist. Our mission is to provide a vibrant space in which community can form to worship, grow in faith, and be challenged to respond to the needs of others in the community and in the world.

Statement of Welcome

St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church is an affirming and inclusive Christian community. Our members and leaders strive through love, worship and service to welcome all people just as God created them. No matter where you are on your journey of faith, our welcome knows no boundaries of age, race, ethnicity, culture, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, physical or mental ability, or economic condition. We believe that God delights in the diversity of creation and so do we.

We strive to live into these words of our mission statement:

Living God’s Word encourages us to extend the lessons of compassion and love we learn in worship and study to our daily lives.  At the conclusion of every worship service we are sent into the world to be the human face of the Good News of Jesus’ love.

Loving God’s World reminds us of our responsibility to be good stewards of God’s blessings — to work for social justice in our community, country, economy, and world – to protect and preserve the environment – and to respect the dignity and freedom of every human being.

Growing in God’s Love calls us to mature in our faith.  We know that God loves each of us where and how we are.  This is our starting point.  We are co-creators with God and share God’s transformative love.