The Bridge
October 7, 2020
The Mission of St. John’s is to be a community of God’s people who heal brokenness, build bridges, and exemplify borderless kindness.
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Notice!
If you wish to schedule something on the church calendar or need to set up a Zoom meeting for your group, please contact Fay Jones, fay@austinstjohns.org. Thank you!
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From Our Interim Rector
Sixty since Sixty!
On December 8, 1960, the first service was celebrated at St. John’s! Imagine! That was almost 60 years ago! Typically, a church would be preparing a grand celebration; however, we are in different times with different priorities. All of us gathering together for a big meal is not the healthiest, nor the wisest activity to be planning at this date. That being said, this Friday, October 9, begins a 60-day countdown to mark the beginning of a new decade for the church.
December 8, 2020, a Tuesday, will find St. John’s transitioning into a new decade. December will be the last month of my interim ministry and January marks the beginning of your new Rector’s ministry. In the midst of all of that change let us not forget that on December 27 is the commemoration date for our patron saint, St. John the Evangelist!
When histories are written about a church, typically, the chapters coordinate with tenures of the different clergy: either as a clergy-in-charge, vicar, rector, and interim rector; marking the steps that the church has taken along the way! This church is very fortunate that over the years, various members have been very conscientious and devoted about recording the history of the church. Most recently, Bill Cox has kept up the information.
We are going to mark these steps to the 60th anniversary of St. John’s in some different ways. Each week on Facebook will be a question or observation that takes us back into history. The answers to these “trivia” questions will be posted in The Bridge that week. The sixty-day countdown which begins this week, on Friday, will be on a special calendar to help us “mark our march” to December 8, 2020.
This year, as we all know, we try not to plan too much too far into the future. Life changes and has been filled with all kinds of changes this year. As we begin this new chapter, I would like to share the prayer that is offered on our patron saint’s day:
“Shed upon your Church, O Lord, the brightness of your light, that we, being illumined by the teaching of your apostle and evangelist John, may so walk in the light of your truth, that at length we may attain to the fullness of eternal life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.”
Faithfully,
Ann+
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Complete your 2020 Census questionnaire today!
The deadline has been extended to October 31, 2020.
Here's why YOUR census information is important:
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Census results help determine how billions of dollars in federal funding flow into states and communities each year. |
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The results determine how many seats in Congress each state gets. |
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It's mandated by the U.S. Constitution in Article 1, Section 2: The U.S. has counted its population every 10 years since 1790. |
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Click the blue button to access information and questionnaire: |
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Building Bridges and Healing Brokenness
Do you want to be here?
Kathryn Z. Johnston in Sunday’s Coming; The Christian Century, 10.5.2020
Matthew 22:1-14; Philippians 4:1-9
It was the Halloween dance in sixth grade and having never really been that much into Halloween (I’m still not), I looked around my bedroom for some sort of costume. I found a shirt that had a slightly country/western look to it, threw on jeans, and grabbed a straw cowboy hat from my dad’s closet. I was a cowgirl.
My mom dropped me off in front of the school, and I walked in and to the cafeteria with social awkwardness dripping off me. It is a rite of passage familiar to many: boys on one side of the room, girls on the other, and way off in the distance a snack table surrounded by teachers and chaperones. Little did I know my social future was hanging in the balance, and it didn’t take long for it to come crashing down when one of the popular boys noticed me long enough to shout, “Ha! A Halloween party and Kathryn came as herself.”
Ouch. I mean, possibly deserved, but still—ouch.
The end of the parable of the wedding banquet in Matthew also gives us an “ouch” moment based on an uninspiring costume choice. But is it deserved?
The original guests to the wedding banquet cannot even be bothered to attend. This man with no wedding robe comes to the party as a last second invitee. What does it matter what he chooses to wear?
Maybe it is less about outerwear and more about how what the guest is wearing reflects where his heart is. My lack of originality in costume design back in the sixth grade was absolutely an outer reflection of my own inner apathy about Halloween (and apparently about fitting into the middle school social scene). The king doesn’t want just anyone at the wedding banquet; he wants those who care to be there. A lack of a wedding robe reflects an inner apathy toward being a guest at the banquet.
When we are baptized, we are welcomed into God’s grace and covenant with the church. We symbolically put on the fresh garment of Christ. But day in and day out, how do we dress our hearts for this banquet that, by God’s grace, we are invited to attend?
Paul reminds the Philippians that it is something different to be a disciple of Christ than to simply be a citizen of Rome. We dress our hearts differently. We rejoice in the Lord, we let our gentleness be known, and we do not worry.
In this passage, Paul offers us a variety of ways we can put on the fresh garment of Christ. By doing these things, we show outwardly that we have received God’s grace and are engaged in active discipleship. If we clothe our hearts with these things, then there will be no doubt that we have fully accepted the invitation to be at the banquet.
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You've Got Talent!
Zoom Talent Show and Ice Cream Social!
Sunday, October 11, 5:00 PM
As a wrap up celebration for our stewardship campaign, we will gather virtually for our annual Talent Show! We hope many of you will present something. Every year the variety of presentations increases, with all sorts of music, poetry, storytelling, political speeches, drumming, dancing, you name it. Think outside the Zoom box for something you have not shared before. Presentations should be about five minutes long.
Bring your favorite ice cream to enjoy after the show and tell what flavor you are enjoying!
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Topic: Parish Wide Talent Show and Virtual Ice Cream Social
Time: Oct 11, 2020 5:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81301958780
Meeting ID: 813 0195 8780
Dial by your location
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
Meeting ID: 813 0195 8780
To protect the meeting participants from any possible "trolls" who might try to interrupt our fellowship, the Waiting Room is enabled for this event. The meeting facilitator will admit you to the meeting as quickly as possible.
If you would like some help with sharing something you have recorded or would like to share the Zoom screen, contact Bill Cox at wcox2@austin.rr.com.
We would love to see great participation from performers and spectators as well! We do need a bunch of friends to show up and cheer everyone on!
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St. John's is turning 60! |
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As part of our celebration of the 60th anniversary of the founding of St. John’s, we have begun asking trivia questions about the history of St. John’s. The questions are published weekly on the St. John's Facebook pages. The answers will be supplied in that week's The Bridge.
This week’s question asked about three other Episcopal Churches that were founded by the Reverend Malcom Riker about the same time as he founded St. John’s. The churches are St. Matthews, on Steck Avenue near Anderson High School, St. Mark’s, on Bee Caves Road in Westlake, and St. Luke’s, on Ranch Road 620 on the shore of Lake Travis. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John---the four Gospel Churches of Austin.
BONUS: Parkfield Drive was originally called “PECUSA” Street -- Protestant Episcopal Church of the USA.
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Sunday Services at St. John's
We are finding different ways to worship.
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Our Sunday services are being live streamed from our Chapel:
- 10:00 a.m. Morning Prayer in English
- 12:00 noon Morning Prayer in Spanish
There are two ways for you to participate in our Sunday services:
- Go to Facebook Live. No login is required to attend the service, but you must log into your Facebook account to comment or to view other comments. Click this button to attend the service using Facebook:
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- Call 1-888-958-7272 and, when prompted, enter an access code to listen to the service on your telephone. For the English language service, the access code is 641801426#.
In both cases, the live stream for each service will begin approximately 5 minutes before the start of the service.
Recorded video from both services will be posted on the
St. John's YouTube channel later in the day so that you can replay a service at your convenience. Links to the YouTube recordings will be posted on our website (www.austinstjohns.org).
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Holy Eucharist on the Deck
Limited in-person worship will continue this Sunday, with an outdoor Holy Communion Service at 1:15 PM. This week's service is dedicated to celebrating Amy Esperanza Hernandez-Mata's Quinceañera. Please consider registering for the next Spanish service, Sunday, October 25.
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Pre-registration is required; please click the button to register. Please register for only one Sunday service at a time so others will have an opportunity to attend.
If you need to cancel your reservation, please return to the registration site or text Fay Jones at 512-626-1771.
In case of inclement weather, this service will be cancelled.
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Sunday Morning Prayer services at 10:00 AM in English and noon in Spanish will continue to be live streamed on Facebook. No login is required to attend the service.
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Virtual Coffee and Fellowship:
Provide your own beverage and treat of choice
Join us for our Virtual Coffee and Fellowship on Sunday beginning at 11 am! This 30 minute opportunity to visit with friends you haven't seen in a while will be a separate Zoom meeting so you will need to use this link to join:
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To protect the meeting participants from any possible "trolls" who might try to interrupt our fellowship, the Waiting Room is enabled for this event. The meeting facilitator will admit you to the meeting as quickly as possible. |
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There are several ways you can continue to give towards the mission and ministry of St. John's:
Mail your check to the Church: St. John's Episcopal Church,
P. O. Box 81493, Austin, TX 78708-1493
Go to your bank's website and set up direct payment - the bank will send a check directly to St. John's using this address:
St. John's Episcopal Church, P. O. Box 81493, Austin, TX 78708-1493
Use this link to learn more about online giving: Click here
Use this button to go directly to our online giving portal:
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To those who have returned your giving intention for 2021 -
Thank You!
If you have not already done so, please return your giving intention (pledge) card for 2021 to the church as soon as possible.
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Vestry and Council Nomination Deadline - October 11, 2020!
Biographical information and photo must be submitted with nomination.
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Caring for Each Other
If you, or someone you know, need prayer or would like to be contacted by the church, please contact the Reverend Ann McLemore at 769-257-2377 or RevAnn@austinstjohns.org to add names to the Prayer List.
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Need Help?
If you find that your situation is causing financial, spiritual, or emotional difficulties, or if you are in need of food, do not hesitate to call Deacon Victoria (512-297-5953) or Rev. Ann (769-257-2377).
We are a church family; when a family member needs assistance we want to try and help that member.
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Only Rev. Ann and essential support staff will be in the Chapel for the streaming of services and outside for the in-person Holy Communion services as we continue to follow the direction of government officials and the guidance of our Bishop.
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All meetings and activities at St. John's are temporarily suspended.
Ministry continues. All St. John's meetings will be held virtually (via Zoom).
We will post a notification here, on Facebook, and on our website when this restriction has been lifted.
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Fay Jones, Editor (fay@austinstjohns.org) |
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St. John's Episcopal Church
P. O. Box 81493, Austin, TX 78708-1493
Virtual Sunday Services
10:00 am in English (Facebook and website)
Mediodía en español (Facebook y sitio web)
In-Person Holy Communion
1:15 pm Sundays
Outdoors on the Deck
Alternating weeks: English and Spanish
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