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The Bridge
November 11, 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

We seem to be living in a world that literally keeps changing day by day! When we turn on the news every evening, we are not sure what kind of news to expect! Putting our heads in the sand and “ignoring It all” is not really a responsible position, either. So, what are we to do?

I heard a nurse on the news tonight say, “If I can give a COVID patient CPR in a hospital bed, you can wear a mask while pushing a cart at the grocery store.” She is right. That is our part, that is our responsibility. This is an effort we can each make for our own sake and on behalf of others. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. Keep wearing your masks!

In that same light, in consultation with a few leaders of the church; I have decided that we will begin, starting as soon as all the equipment is set up and working properly, to do our Sunday live stream broadcasts at 10 am and noon from the church. The church will not be open to worshippers yet; it will just be the small, core team that we have been using since March 22. By moving the services to the church we have the benefit of better circulation with the air conditioning system over the chapel/parish hall, and there will be a greater distance between those of us participating. I think you all will feel good about seeing us back in the church!

In-person outdoor Holy Eucharist services are going well on Sundays at 1:15 pm. This coming Sunday the service will be in English, and the next week Spanish. This is by reservation only and we ask that you bring your own chair. This is an abbreviated, Holy Eucharist in the fresh air. This Sunday we are going to be worshipping from the porch on the Annex.

This is a time of transition; nationally and at St. John’s. My time with you dear folks is coming to a finish. My interim period will be ending with the close of 2020. Believe me, I think we are on a smoother transition path than our national government! In the meanwhile, we still have a few weeks and a few holidays together! Let’s continue to do our best to be kind—kind to one another and kind to ourselves! Through the kindness of each one of you sprouts God’s love on a hurting and hurt world!

Faithfully,
Ann+
Building Bridges and Healing Brokenness

Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy. Exodus 20:8

In his book, The Way of Love: Rest, Presiding Bishop Michael Curry talks about the recuperative power of true rest. As a child, he learned, as I did, that "Sabbath" was the day for going to church, for Daddy's famous (in our family anyway) smoked ribs, for finishing up the homework due the next day. But I never understood that God wanted to spend the day with me!

Sabbath-time can be on Sunday, or Wednesday, or any day ending with "y". It can be a whole day, or a minute, or a month. It can happen in your living room, in a garden or park, in the church. It can happen at work, at the doctor's office, in your car while stopped in traffic. Sabbath-time is time spent wholly with God - which is what makes it "holy".

We have been through so much this year! These last couple of weeks have been particularly draining, emotionally, spiritually, and even physically (stress is a physical thing). So, here is Bishop Curry's antidote to the weariness we are experiencing. I am going to try it, and I hope you will too.

"We urgently need to stop imagining everything is so urgent. Thus we will learn to nurture our inner slob. So here is a practical way forward:

  • Get a chair. Not too comfy, not too hard; a dining-room chair will do. Place it somewhere quiet and peaceful ... next to a window ... or some other pleasing things around you - some flowers, a candle, a picture of something lovely.

  • Now sit in the chair. Shuffle around a bit on your bottom and you will discover that at the base of your spine there is a bone for sitting on, and if you don't slouch, and if you get yourself onto it properly, then your back will be straight and you will be sitting upright and comfortable.

  • Now position your legs ... sit with your feet slightly apart and rest your hands just above the knee ... have your neck straight and look straight ahead.

  • Now breathe carefully and deeply ... think about your breathing ... feel the air being drawn into your lungs and fill them much more deeply than you usually do. And exhale the air slowly. Breathe again and think about the good things ... all the things you are thankful for ...

  • Allow the deep rhythm of your breathing to still your whole being. Now you are still. You are centered.

It can be practiced anywhere you are ... it is my fervent belief that if everyone learned to sit still like this, the world would be a much happier place." (pp 7-9)

I hope each of you will practice some Sabbath-time as we continue to wander the labyrinth of COVID-19, and politics, and all the other stuff in our lives. While you wander, remember that the center of the labyrinth is the goal - stop, be still, and center yourself in God.
Labyrinth Community Garden Fundraiser

We will have more information and a link for making donations in the November 18 Bridge!
St. John's is turning 60!
Here is the answer to this week's trivia question:

This week’s question asked about our online presence on the Web, on Facebook, and on YouTube. The first reference we can find to a web site for St. John’s was in August 2000 which was called “stjohnschurch.homepage.com”. That site is now long gone, but by December 2001 we were at our current address of www.austinstjohns.org. We redesigned that website and created the Spanish language website www.austinsanjuan.org in 2016. We have been on Facebook since February 2011. We started recording and publishing sermons on YouTube when The Reverend Matthew Seddon arrived in August 2014.
Check the St. John's Facebook page on Monday for next week's question!
And remember to write a short (500 words or less) story about your time - an event or special memory - at St. John's. Please send text and photos to fay@austinstjohns.org for publication in our 2020 Memory Book. The deadline is November 20!
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:
  • 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  327947346#. 

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 Porch
Please Note: Service will be held in front of the Annex

Limited in-person worship will continue this Sunday, with an outdoor ​Holy Communion Service at 1:15 PM. This week's service is in English. The service will be held on the lawn in front of the Annex.

Remember: Please bring a chair - chairs are not provided!
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:
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:
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.
El Buen Samaritano Hands for Hope

"El Buen Samaritano is once again gearing up for its annual Hands for Hope meal distribution event—this year aiming to provide holiday meals to 1,750 families."
 
"Through Hands for Hope this year, El Buen will provide families who have been hit hardest by COVID with all they need to make a holiday meal together at home. Our goal is to provide 1,750 Austin families with meal kits including a frozen turkey or ham, stuffing, rolls, fresh vegetables, and of course, pie. Recipients will also receive information about other services through El Buen and nonprofit partners that can provide COVID-19 relief. This year, to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and ensure the health and safety of clients, staff, and volunteers, meal kits will be distributed at the El Buen campus via a drive-through process over three days in November and December."
 
"To take part in this initiative, please consider making a contribution to the Hands for Hope campaign or volunteering at our November 21 distribution day." (Use these links to access the Hands for Hope website.)
 
Thank you for thinking of your neighbors during the holidays!
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.

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.
Fay Jones, Editor (fay@austinstjohns.org)
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
On the lawn in front of the Annex
Alternating weeks: English and Spanish
For more information about events at St. John’s, please visit our website at www.austinstjohns.org