HOUSTON CHRONICLE ARCHIVES 

Paper: Houston Chronicle
Date: SAT 12/20/03
Section: RELIGION
Page: 6
Edition: 2 STAR

At one church for Christmas, Less is more

By TARA DOOLEY, Houston Chronicle Religion Writer
Staff

The pastors of St. John's United Methodist Church decked the halls for Christmas this year.

They have a wreath.

One.

It sits at the front of the church's stagelike sanctuary, creating a circular base for a quartet of Advent candles in a silver holder.

The absence of holiday finery is purposeful, said co-pastors Juanita and Rudy Rasmus , who moved into the struggling downtown church in 1992 and turned it into a vibrant congregation with about 8,000 members.

At St. John's, the trappings of Christmas remain stored in the proverbial back of the garage as the pastors turn the congregation's attention to the homeless community that depends on the church for services ranging from meals and health care to day care for children whose families are affected by HIV / AIDS.

There are no Christmas Eve services at St. John's, no Christmas services. But the church does put up a few more decorations: paper Christmas trees decorated with specific gift suggestions for homeless adults and children.

Church members are encouraged to take an "ornament" and buy the gift. They will be collected at services Sunday and given to the homeless at a party Monday.

Keeping it low-key does not mean that the church is not focused on Christ. Just the opposite, said Rudy Rasmus , whose church is attached to Bread of Life Ministries and a school that helps at-risk youngsters. He tries to return to the meaning of Christmas: sacrificial giving and the birth of a child whose death and resurrection at Easter is the linchpin of the Christian faith.

For that holiday, the congregation does it up big, even renting the George R. Brown Convention Center.

In a December sermon that at times seemed as much like slam poetry as preaching, Rudy Rasmus told the congregation that they "can't allow Target to determine what is true for you" at Christmas.

"All that is missing, we will not attempt to replace with a few extra gadgets, a few extra trinkets this time of year," he said.

The congregation applauded.

 

St. John's Downtown    2019 Crawford    Houston, TX 77002    (713) 659-3237    (713) 659 2236 Fax