In Remembrance of Rev. John Shute

Rev John Schute died  from a blood clot last Thursday , on February 28. John served as pastor of St. John’s Presbyterian Church from 1994 to 2001. His wife,  Janice, is in our prayers. Funeral arrangements have been made for nnext Thursday, March 7, at noon at Holy Trinity Presbyterian Church in San Antonio.A s is customary when a former pastor dies, we will place a brick in the columbarium with his name on it. This is the columbarium Rev. Schute helped create.

Rev. Schute and his wife attended St. John’s  56th anniversary celebration last year. There he encouraged the congregation to move forward with the single parent family ministry even in the face of opposition from some in the community. He reminded us of when St. John’s was planning to build a columbarium and the fuss that was raised by some Meyeland residents. The church went forward anyway and the result is a beautiful columbarium on our church property. No one in the community is even aware of its existence now and it has no effect on their lives or their property values.

So it is with the single parent family ministry. Last week an angry resident in the community sent a letter of complaint to members of the congregation. Such complaints may continue until we have finished building the beautiful duplexes on our property along West Bellfort Avenue. After they are complete and the ministry has been going for a few years, don’t be surprised if some of the loudest complainers in the neighborhood start bringing home made cookies to the residents or even inviting them over to swim in their swimming pools. That is how God works in people’s lives and brings healing to a community.

In the meantime, we honor the ministry and the memory of Rev. John Schute, and will continue his legacy of moving forward with significant new projects even in the face of opposition from a small but vocal part of the community. Although they don’t talk so loud, many residents of Meyerland and even political leaders including the mayor’s office supports our single parent family ministry. They know that when churches step up to provide services for people in need that means the city doesn’t have to bear that expense. That is why we say, “Healing Happens Here.” We are taking action to meet human needs. We don’t sit back and rely on the government for such help.

We are serious about our mission at St. John’s. Our mission is to glorify God by making disciples and meeting human needs. That is what Rev. John Schute knew and that is how he led the congregation. His particular area of emphasis was on prison ministry. He was an example to us all of faithful discipleship and following Christ even in the face of opposition. He knew that perseverance is the evidence of commitment to Christ. May the Lord be with the Schute family and with our church family as we mourn his death.

Peace,
Jon B.