The Bridge - Wednesday, October 14, 2020

The Bridge

October 14, 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.

From Our Interim Rector

Rev. Ann is on vacation this week - please pray that she is able to enjoy rest and relaxation, and pray for her safe return.

Early voting

October 13 - October 31, 2020

General Election Day

November 3, 2020

For ballot information, polling places and ID requirements, click this button:

Voting Information

Complete your 2020 Census questionnaire today!

The deadline has been extended to October 15, 2020.

Here's why YOUR census information is important:

The U.S. Constitution mandates that the country count its population once every 10 years. The results are used to adjust or redraw electoral districts, based on where populations have increased or decreased.

State legislatures or independent bipartisan commissions are responsible for redrawing congressional districts. The U.S. Census Bureau provides states with population counts for this purpose.

In addition, each year, Census data informs federal funding for more than 100 programs, including school lunches, highway construction, and education.

Click the blue button to access information and questionnaire:

Census 2020 Information and Questionnaire

Building Bridges and Healing Brokenness

Grace in the midst of a pandemic

by Patricia Mata

Coronavirus. Buzzword. A word that has been uttered millions of times in recent months. Many factories have closed for fear of contamination. Hospitals continue to publish increasing number of patients entering day by day. And most of us, the first thing we do when we wake up is think, “And how is the world today?” “How is the coronavirus?” Will it allow us to return to our normal lives, or will we continue with all these restrictions?

We put our lives on pause in so many aspects, but personally, I learned to treasure the details of everyday life before and after the coronavirus. I missed gathering with my children and celebrating my birthday at my church, St. John’s. Attending Mass and then fellowship in the parish hall, is a gift I look forward to year after year, except in 2020 because of the coronavirus. For a long while we had been planning to celebrate my youngest daughter's 15th birthday and we also had to postpone it because of the pandemic.

When the church closed, my Sundays were left with many empty hours because visiting it was my main activity. Suddenly my routine was interrupted. But all the above is, for me, a sign of my God's love. He shows us in many ways that we often do not understand and do not value.

I did not have a celebration for my birthday, but I am alive and spent it receiving the love of my children and grandchildren from a distance. I cannot go to Mass on Sundays, but I can still receive the word of God virtually. We could not have a big party as planned for my daughter Amy, but we have life and health so we can enjoy it when we can have it, as the coronavirus allows it. That will be October 11th. And so, the presence of God continues in our lives.

Because despite all the stumbles, things have been able to work out so that Amy’s party comes to a happy end. My greatest frustration had been not having a mass for her celebration. Thank God, we were fortunate that Mother Ann officiated a mass for her and the young people who accompanied her on this great day! God's presence continues in every aspect of my life! I am in good health. I have a job. I have the love of my children and grandchildren. I have the love and support of my biological family and my spiritual family.

These are challenging times because of all the social changes that have had to be adopted. I miss hugs and kisses. I miss people's smiles. But what I will never miss are the blessings and love of my God because at every moment of my life he is present, guiding me, taking care of me, and showing me his love day by day and moment by moment. I know that I often do not give back 100%, but as my loving Father, he never fails me. I will always thank my father God for all his care and protection.

You've Got Talent!

St. John's had a super talent show Sunday night, October 11, via Zoom. We enjoyed a variety of acts, some musical and others amazingly diverse. Our thanks to Steve Kriechbaum for being Master of Ceremonies! Steve does a great job introducing the acts and making a suitable fuss over the performers. And a huge shout out goes to Bill Cox for guiding us all through the Zoom format.

This year our talent show served as a wrap up celebration for the stewardship campaign and the return of pledge cards. If you missed this year's show no worries! It happens every year - even during pandemic!

St. John's is turning 60!

Here is the answer to this week's trivia question:

This week’s question noted that while the Reverend Ann McLemore is the first Rector of St. John’s who is a woman, several women priests and deacons have served over the years. The Reverends Dorothy Robinson (1995-1998), Cathy Boyd (2007) and Rohani Weger (2010-2014) serves as Assisting Priests. They also served as transitional deacons as did The Reverends Laurie McKim (2011-2012) and Karen Crawford (2013-2014), both of whom are also now priests in the Episcopal Church. The Reverend Victoria Mason, a vocational deacon, has been serving at St. John’s since December 2015. Finally, we all look forward to January, 2021 when the Reverend Minerva Camarena Skeith becomes our new Rector!

Check the St. John's Facebook page on Monday for next week's question!

Sunday Services at St. John's

We are finding different ways to worship.

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:

Go to St. John's Facebook Live

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 458224892#.

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).

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 will be in English.

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.

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.

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:

Virtual Coffee and Fellowship

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.

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:

DONATE TO ST. JOHN'S

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.

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.

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.

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.

Episcopal Diocese of Texas COVID-19