In 2001 St. John’s celebrated its 100^th anniversary as a Lutheran congregation in Poughkeepsie.  A number of events were held to mark the occasion, including a visit from the bishop of the Metropolitan Synod of New York.  A special quilt, proudly displaying an image of the church, was created by members of the congregation.  This was a time marked by both remembrance of our history and commitment to the future.
One sign of commitment to the future was St. John’s dedication to more staffing, especially for the needs of youth and families.  In November of 2002, Pastor Terri Luper was called to serve as Associate Pastor of Family and Youth Ministry; her ministry began early in 2003.  Pastor Luper engaged in a number of activities, and served in this role until August, 2005.  Since early 2006, Rich Ferolito has been officially serving as Deacon of St. John’s.  Deacon Rich assists Pastor Ward in many areas, including worship, visiting the homebound and the sick, and participating in staff meetings.  After the departure of Pastor Luper, St. John’s renewed its commitment to youth by adding Abby Triebel to the staff.  Abby has been very busy serving as Youth Ministry Leader.
Another sign of concern for future growth was the effort to focus more clearly on the missions of the church.  A new mission statement was adopted: “Encountering, Connecting, Responding to Jesus Christ.”  In addition, the congregation was restructured so that it would be less bureaucratic and more focused on the missions of the church.  Today the organizational structure consists of the Council, Mission Teams, and the Congregation as a whole.  There are mission teams for adult ministry, children’s ministry, communications, hospitality, parish care, parish growth, property, social ministry, worship and music and youth ministry.  Within the mission teams are a number of action groups, which concentrate on specific activities.
In 2005, the Property Mission Team began to plan for the replacement of outdated and wasteful windows in the classrooms, the library, and Fellowship Hall.  A major congregation-wide fundraising effort began to underwrite this large but necessary project.  The people responded with generous giving, and during 2006, windows with insulated glass and modern screens were added.
Early in 2006 St. John’s commissioned a Vision Team to recommend actions for future growth.  With the help of Pastor Ward and about thirty active members, the team carried out an assessment of the congregation using the Natural Church Development (NCD) process.  The assessment identified “passionate spirituality” as a congregational need.  The vision team, in turn, made a number of recommendations to the Council.  Of special note has been the effort to introduce an effective small group ministry program at St. John’s, using the ChristCare program.  A number of ChristCare groups have since been founded at St. John’s.
In 2008 Pastor Emeritus John Heller celebrated key anniversaries for his ordination and marriage to Mary Heller.  Special services were held at the church.  St. John’s is grateful for the service and fellowship of Pastor Heller and his family over the years.  The congregation continues to treasure its past, while looking forward to the future with faith in Christ.
St. John’s 1901 – 1923
St. John’s 1923 – 1956
St. John’s 1956 – 1984
St. John’s 1985 – 2000
St. Johns 2001 – Present