That is absolutely ridiculous, not to mention unprofessional.  Is this guy employed by Saint John's, or is he a volunteer?  Either way, I think his supervisors should be contacted.  It seems like terminating someone's subscription without notice would contradict some part of the terms of service.  

I know there are a lot of things about Saint John's listservs that people have complained about (like the problems with reply to addresses), and this whole Yahoo business just puts even more of a bad taste in my mouth.  Have we ever considered moving to another listserv service, like Yahoo Groups?  I subscribe to (and moderate) a bunch of listservs hosted by them, and recommend them highly.  Do we really want to be associated with an institution that treats its "customers" like this?  

Sorry to get so serious on a holiday.  Merry Christmas to all who celebrate it.  To those who don't, I hope your Chinese food and movies were very enjoyable (mine certainly were!).  : )

~Joy~