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The Silent All-Night Watch At The Altar
April 13
Maundy Thursday Night 7;00pm
through Good Friday Morning, to 12:00 (noon)
A sign up chart is posted on the bulletin board in the church
narthex.
They are half hour watches. More than one person can sign up for any time slot. If you have not taken a watch before this is a wonderful silent spiritual time.
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FESTIVE EASTER COFFEE HOUR
Please sign up to assist with our festive Easter coffee hour to celebrate this great feast and honor the visit of our bishop, The Right Reverend Robert Hirschfeld.
Please donate cake, cookies, finger sandwiches, fruit, and cheese and crackers to the buffet. Bring your food offering ready to serve in a disposable covered dish and place it on the buffet table set up in Thaxter Hall. Also bring small pots of Spring flowers -- daffodils, hyacinths, tulips for decoration.
PLEASE SIGN UP TO HELP WITH SET UP AND CLEANUP. NO ONE HAS TO WORK FOR MORE THAN 15 MINUTES TO A HALF HOUR.
8:30 to 9:15 a.m. set up tables in Thaxter Hall
9:15 to 10:15 a.m. Set up buffet
10:15 to 11:00 a.m. Coffee Hour
10:45 to 11:30 a.m. cleanup
I could also use some food offerings and Helpers for this Sunday, and Palm Sunday. Offerings have been a little sparse lately.
Faithfully,
Rosemary Loffredo
Coffee Hour Coordinator
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Please continue to support the
End 68 Hours of Hunger
for seacoast children.
OUR HUNGER CHALLENGE
This month we will be collecting individual boxes of raisins (6 to a package). They can be left in the green box at the Parish Hall or in the box in the Church's vestibule.
Thank you, Cathy Hunt and Judy Roberts
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In February, ten hosts opened their homes to parishioners for a series of small discussion groups or "cottage meetings" about St. John's future as part of our discernment about a capital campaign. More than 85 people participated. The summary of what was said and the complete notes from each individual meeting are on our website. If you are not an online reader, we can send the complete minutes from the ten meetings to you on request.
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IN RESPONSE TO THE COTTAGE MEETINGS
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There were many common themes that came out the cottage meetings. Some were dreaming big into the future, and others that are being addressed or can be addressed now. So each week, the Vestry will communicate what is currently happening or what is being planned regarding one specific topic.
The first topic - the Sexton
Here are the comments that were generated at several meetings:
- A full-time Sexton - Thaxter Hall needs to be cleaned more than once a week, particularly after Common Table
- Provide for better cleaning of our facilities through a part-time sexton or another more sustainable solution; weekly cleanings are not adequate to address the heavy use our spaces receive;
- Sexton - hire a full-time sexton to tend to maintenance of church buildings and grounds.
- Need a sexton...need to have it open
- A permanent Sexton - all felt that St. John's merits a full time Sexton; someone commented that Gerry does wonderful work for St. John's but it is unfair that he is shouldering so much of this responsibility
It has been just about a year since the part time sexton position was eliminated. The immediate response to that was:
- expand our cleaning contract to include washing Thaxter Hall's floors after Common Table
- expand our plowing contract to include shoveling and salting
- hire a handyman weekly to address maintenance issues
- Gerry and Joanne work closely to resolve any new or ongoing maintenance issues
Since the Cottage Meetings, we have added another day of cleaning that includes all bathrooms, floors and trash to keep up with the level of cleaning needed based on the hundreds of people using our buildings every week.
The Church has always been open to everyone whenever the office is open which is Monday - Friday from 9:00am to 3:00pm.
Let's keep talking! If there are specific areas that the Sexton used to manage that are now being neglected, please let us know. Either email the office or speak directly with Gerry Simpkins, Junior Warden, or to Rob.
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YOUNG ORGANIST COLLABORATIVE
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Be sure to tune in to WMUR this Tuesday, April 11, at 7:00 p.m. NH Chronicle is doing a segment on the Young Organist Collaborative and taped interviews and music at St. John's. In the piece, you'll see Director of Music and Liturgy Dr. Margaret Harper, as well as Bruce Adami (Organist at Christ Church, Exeter), Gillian Croteau (YOC student and St. John's member), and Noah Jacobs (YOC student).
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Easter Memorial Altar Flowers Chart:
is posted on the notice board in the church narthex. Place the people's name "In Memory Of" on the chart and person placing the name in "Donated By" column, so if I have any question I know who to contact. If you want to enter "In Honor Of" on the Chart please write "In Honor Of" along with the name in the "In Memory Of" column. There is also the form below you can fill out and mail to Ginny Edwards. Or you can call or email Ginny Edwards, I will see to it the names are put on the list. Please make donation check out to St. John's Altar Guild and mail it to Ginny Edwards, 173 Moses Gerrish Farmer Road, Eliot, ME. 03903. Thank You Ginny Edwards 207-439-2119 or edwardsga@msn.com. The Chart will be taken down Palm Sunday April 9th and if you mail the names I need to have it by Saturday April 8th so I have time to compile the list for the Easter Service Programs. Thank you Ginny.
Easter Memorial Altar Flower
In Memory Of: __________________________________________
In Honor Of: ____________________________________________
Donated By: ____________________________________________
Please made donation checks out to St. John's Altar Guild
and mail to Ginny Edwards 173 Moses Gerrish Farmer Road,
Eliot, ME 03903
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Dear Friends,
On Sunday we will celebrated Palm Sunday, and begin our Holy Week journey with Jesus, in sorrow at his crucifixion and in joy for his resurrection. I offer you a prayer by John Harvey of the Iona Community, 'Going up to Jerusalem', for your reflection during Holy Week.
Loving God, at this time, we remember that going up to Jerusalem cost Jesus his life. So we come before you conscious of the way religious words and holy phrases can easily slip from our lazy lips and our hardened hearts. What do we really know of your mountainous truth, your rock-hard integrity, the depth of your suffering for the love of us all? Forgive us for the shallowness of our faith, and the timidity of our following: forgive us for the ready excuses we make for going our own way and claiming it as yours.
Turn us around again, we pray by your Holy Spirit, active within us and among us. Show us how to be open again to your faithfulness and to your freedom, that we may live new lives and be bearers of the seeds of the Kingdom of Jesus.
Peace
Anne
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